la Rue Marche

Hudson, WI is calling our names girls!

I have found a diamond in the rough we call Wisconsin (no offense to my friends who are from WI). In the cute downtown Hudson area, which resembles Stillwater, there is the cutest boutique that I now LOVE! It is called la Rue Marche. It has women's clothes, accessories and fun trinkets. The store boasts a French theme with its decorating that is made up of a collaboration of goodies that the owners have collected over the years. The clothing is very cute but not exactly inexpensive. But there's nothing wrong with splurging every now and again. Plus there are sale racks that are definitely worth scouring through. With the eclectic mix of brands and designs you will have no problem finding a unique item that no one in the cities will have! The store has been featured in Mpls St.Paul Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, Minneapolis Picks. This store is definitely worth the drive!

(Here is the coat I just recently got from this store. Super cute! They are finished ordering winter coats for the season but spring coats will be in around March. This coat was $89 which is actually a steal for the high quality of this coat).

The following pictures I pasted from their website and Facebook page:

(front of store)

(Picture taken by Mpls Picks)

(Front window)

(Inside of store display)

(Display inside of store)

** For more pictures and information about the store go to their website (http://shop.laruemarche.com/) or Facebook page (La Rue Marche Rocks!) or their blog (http://www.laruemarche.com/blog/)**

I really do I hope you find the time to check out the store. You won't regret it! :) Plus you can hit up some of the other fun stores and restaurants that downtown Hudson has to offer while you're there!

Au revoir!

xoxo

-m

bad hair day?

So you washed your hair yesterday morning and since then you have ran errands, went out, slept on it, and worked out. Now you're left with a head full of grease and plans for the day and you are stuck.

Q: Do you wash your hair and blow dry and style for the second day in a row or do you resort to having a "hat day"?
A: NEITHER! Thats right, you can still pull off another day of plans with your greasy hair without any washing or disguising yourself in your favorite baseball cap (both of which I've been guilty of!).

The items above are what you simply need (plus a cute headband which is in the picture below, my bad for not adding it to this one) to pull off one more day with style with that birds nest you got going on right now.
--First, get a boar bristle round brush! A medium sized one seems to work the best. They are nicer to your hair and give your hair a great shine and softness when you use it to brush. It also does a marvelous job teasing (back combing or ratting, whatever you want to call it) to give you great volume. They are more expensive then a regular brush or comb but do a much better job. I think I got mine for about $20 at Ulta.
--Second, you have got to invest in some baby powder. I'm tellin' ya guys, this stuff soaks up the grease in your hair like magic! And you can get a little bottle as shown above in the dollar section at Target and it lasts a long time! There are plenty of dry shampoos that do the same thing but this is so much cheaper and works like a charm. Just be careful to not add too much otherwise your head will end up smelling like a baby's bottom. You'll also get a weird gray tint going on with your hair, blonde or brunette.
--Third, invest in some great hairspray that holds well. I rotate between the John Frieda shown above, the blonde version of the John Frieda hairspray and Treseme. One bottle is usually about $6 or so which is quite the bargain!
--Fourth, get a cute headband to wear with a pony. You can of course go with the standard colors or black and white stretchy headbands but why not add a little "pazazz" and go with a fun leather braided one like the one I'm wearing below. I got it from H&M for only $6 and I will be able to wear it with any outfit without feeling like I'm about to workout.

This look was done with a very greasy head of hair in attempt to venture out in public. I used the above products as follows:
1. Sprinkle the baby powder into the crown of my head (the area at the top of your head where a center part would be). I made sure to run my hands through the areas I sprinkled to mix it in to avoid looking like I have a sever case of dandruff.
2. Teased the crown of my hair to add extra volume on top of my head (thanks to the thin hair texture I have and flat shape my head has). This extra volume makes it easier to pull hair back into a pony while styling your hair into a day "do" instead of pulling back a pony for a workout.
3. Spray hair spray at the back of the portions of hair that I teased to keep that volume underneath the top of my hair. Once I gather my hair into a low pony at the base of my head I then spray more "shlack" to keep strays in place.
4. Pull on the head band to add some style to the ponytail.

And there ya have it! No need to jump in the shower and waste valuable time and water. Talk about a "go green" hairstyle. You will look very cute in this stylish pony while deceiving everyone that sees you who are thinking you spent more then the mere 10 minutes it took to style the grease ball you call your hair.

Happy hair styling!

xoxo

-m

Working on your fitness?

One of my good friends (Kristin Meyers :) )gave me a great idea for a new post to share. She was asking me if I knew of any great places to shop for workout apparel that was comfy but cute but also inexpensive. And that got me thinking... what do I wear when sweating it out with my personal trainer aka Tracy Anderson videos (which I must say EVERYONE should try tracy's videos, you will be AMAZED of how hard that little woman kicks your butt into shape!)? But anyways, I realized that I usually wear regular clothes of mine that weren't made specifically for working out or old sports or school t-shirts from high school or past events or wear "workout" apparel that usually is more on the expensive side.
Here are some things you can do or go to in order to "update" your workout wardrobe and still feel cute:

1. I love to wear lightweight v-necks with a pair of leggings. I usually buy the vnecks one size larger than I usually wear so that they have a slouchy fit and long enough to pull down over the top of my thighs.  It's easy and affordable to mix and match different colors and designs on the t-shirts. It's simple and cute too. My favorite places for v-necks are Nordstrom Rack or Target. Both places have long v-necks in a variety of colors that are usually no more than $15 dollars. They both also have comfy leggings. Also throwing on a cute fitted hoodie or long boyfriend cardigan over the top is an extra for the outfit and good for when its cold! By not buying exclusively workout made clothing you are able to wear these tee's and leggings on a daily basis for other activities which is a money saver too!

(Here are my favorite v-necks. They are from Nordstrom Rack and the brand is "Threads for Thought". I would buy them in every color if I could!)

2. Every girl must get Nike's Dri-Fit athletic pants. They are 92% polyester and 8% spandex. They fit absolutely amazing! They are fitted with a band around the hips but then are slightly relaxed around the knees and have a slight flare on the bottom. A lot of my friends have them and we all have different body shapes and sizes and it looks great on all of us! They are super comfy, go with anything, great to workout in, look great on, and aren't too expensive. At any sporting goods store or nike.com they can be found for $40 -$60 which is INSANE! Go to Nordstrom Rack (while you're picking up those amazing v-necks) or Marshalls and youll get them for half the price!

(These are my favorite pants to workout in! They also come in other colors but I have yet to find them at the Rack. Let me know if you do!)

3. If you are in the comfort of your own home, it's insanely hot out, or just have confidence shooting through the roof you can pair a fun sports bra and shorts/leggings/pants as a cute outfit. Of course we know the importance of having a great bra but it's also fun to have cute bras to workout in even if we aren't showing them! My faves right now are from Target and they have thinner straps then a typical sports bra and come in fun colors and patterns. These fit great and look great on! And again they are inexpensive! Thank you Target :)

(These are the thin strapped bras I was talking about! I must get more with fun patterns and colors!)

4. Look around for pictures in magazines or online of outfits that people wear when working out. Looking at other people's ideas is a great way to find new inspiration. You can bring the pictures with you when shopping and try to imitate the outfit by buying similar items at your favorite stores and within your budget. I especially love to see what dancers wear because they also pair items in the quirkiest way that is so fun! Just google dancers or ballerinas and you will come up with a lot of different outfits that would be fun to wear while working out. Also Tracy Anderson always has cute outfits when working out so look her up if you're interested!

5. Lastly you can go to stores that tailor specifically to workout clothing. These tend to be more expensive but usually worth it because the clothes are made of durable material that usually fit the best. Ask the sales clerks too for some ideas of pairing cute workout clothing! Some fun stores include: Lululemon, Lucy Activewear, Maha Inspired Activewear and American Apparel.

http://www.mahaactivewear.com/
http://www.lucy.com/
http://www.lululemon.com/
http://store.americanapparel.net/dance.html



WOW! That was a lot but I hope it helps! Remember that if you wear something you feel comfortable and cute in then you have so much more inspiration to workout and keep up with it!

xoxo

-M

STYLE

So today I went to Barnes and Noble on a hunt for a book. The moment I walked in I felt a rush of inspiration as I walked down all the aisles of books and couldn't help but feel so "intellectual". I swear this  happens every time I walk into that store. I get this overwhelming desire to start reading and actually be active in the book club I am in, or at least used to be (I was in book club but didn't even read the books, just went to the meetings to catch up on "girl talk"; necessary of course!) There are so many fun books to look at as well as little gadgets an gizmos to add to the pleasure of reading. There were cute little bookmarks, and book lights, and lap desks, and calendars...you know, the usual bookstore inventory. But it amazed me how fun reading can really be when you have fun accessories for it! :) I also peeked by the kids section and saw the most adorable "girly" books; my favorite, Pinkalicous!
Ok so now to the point of WHY I even went there, and why I'm writing today. I went to find the newest book from Lauren Conrad, "Style".  She has written a few fiction books before this but this time she wrote a style guide with advice that she has learned while in the fashion business. This book "unlocks the mysteries of being effortlessly chic"! I am super excited to read this in its entirety but also to have as an on-hand go-to book for whenever I need some fashion inspiration. She goes over "strategizing your closet" to "makeup" and everything in between. AND as an added bonus i purchased this book at a fab price of only $19.99 (hard-cover). What a deal!!! :)

Here is the cover...

I'll keep you updated on the book. Until then...

xoxo

-M