Date Night Look & Early Christmas Gifts!

If you're anything like my husband and me, your date nights can range from burgers and fries at Beef Shack (yes, it's as amazing as it sounds!) to a fancy restaurant downtown and everything in between.  Some nights we are eating Aurelio's pizza and hitting up the Penrose Brewery in jeans and ND gear, yet other nights you'll find us being fancy at Fiora's in downtown Geneva. With such a dichotomy of date ideas, I sometimes struggle with what to wear on a Friday or Saturday evening with my hubs.  I wanted to share a few "sure-fire" ideas that are both affordable and re-wearable for work, too!

Lips: MAC Brave Red 

Friday night we tried a new restaurant, The Burger Local, in Geneva.  I love any excuse to wear sequins (duh), so I decided to upcycle a look from last year with my new navy Winnie crops and nude pumps.

Here is a fabulous alternative sequined top (my J. Crew Factory sequined shirt is from 2013 Christmas) from H&M for under $40. 

Underneath the sequins, tame your look a bit with this chambray button-down. You will wear this shirt over and over again-- under jumper dresses, tucked into patterned skirts and standing alone with statement jewelry. Trust me! For $34, you'll get extensive wear out of this shirt. 

I went with the Winnie pant in navy on the bottom, but if you like the H&M sequined top, I would pop the red or pair it with the black Winnies. At $36, I can't express how vital these crops are! They look awesome with pumps, flats and booties. They're slimming and work very well with a flowy top or with a fitted oxford tucked into them. 

My sister and I both own these Corso Como nude pumps. I highly recommend them for a polished finishing touch to your date night outfit. I don't like super high heels, as I am all for comfort, so these are the perfect height! 

After our meal and amazing drinks at The Burger Local, we headed home to have our tradition of opening gifts early. We have done this for the past two Christmases together because we travel to Ohio and Michigan over the holiday, and we like to exchange gifts at our home (besides, we have  A LOT of presents to bring home, so get ready, family!). Mike is an amazing gift giver and got me fabulous surprises! He knew I was obsessed with the BCBGeneration nude and black Darron pumps, so he went out and got the glitter version for me! (PS: they're now only $49!). I am soooo excited to wear these! 

He also surprised me with this cozy Lululemon Scuba hoody! SO essential for the walk to Pure Barre! (Thanks to Lauren K. for wearing this to PB and allowing me to copy her! haha!). Mike picked this up for me and hid it in his closet a few months ago, but here is a similar Scuba hoody! 

(Alex and Ani stackable bracelets: here). 

I surprised Mike with this Penrose Brewery tee shirt. (I think this was his favorite gift from me!). We absolutely love Penrose. If you live anywhere near Geneva, you MUST try it! First of all, the employees are super nice. They're extremely knowledgeable, too (take a tour of the brewery!). Penrose doesn't serve food, but you can BYOF and eat there! There are board games and picnic table style seating. It's easily our favorite local spot! 

We're just 4 short days away from Christmas, and I am getting so excited to travel home to see our families! Where are you spending the holidays and with whom? Safe travels, loyal readers! 

xxoo

Mary