Birthday Beauty Wishlist

When I was a kid I used to hate that my birthday fell on a holiday weekend, and in the summer at that. It was impossible to have a well attended party with all of my friends traveling or with busy with family plans, and I never got to have cupcakes to celebrate at school (such a travesty, I know). Now that I'm a bit more grown up, though, I couldn't imagine a better birthday. I always get a day off, either on my actual birthday, or the day after, and I get some pretty sweet fireworks to celebrate! So far I'm not entirely sure what my actual plans are for today aside from dinner with my bestie, but I'm sure that as a whole I'll have a lovely long weekend.

I'm also a big advocate of self gifting for birthdays. At this point in my life I'm mostly past parties and presents and other celebratory activities, so I usually take it upon myself to make sure I feel a little extra special. And of course, my favorite way to treat myself is almost always with a little bit of retail therapy. I've always got a pretty lengthy beauty wish list, but here are the items I'm currently coveting the most!

Handbag Essentials

It's official. I've finally splurged and bought my first designer handbag.

So I bought it from the outlets at less than half the retail price. STILL COUNTS.

While I'm all about purses, shoes, scarves and the like, I've never been one to shell out insane amounts of money on accessories. Actually, I've never been one to shell out insane amounts of money on anything. I think there is something to be said for spending a little extra on a quality piece, but if I can avoid paying full price, you can bet that I will find a way.

Up until this point, the majority of my purse collection has been a mishmosh of Kohl's clearance rack purchases and retired Vera Bradley pieces. And while I do still love them all, with their various shapes, sizes, and funky patterns, they don't always scream "professional adult". I decided it was about time that I bit the bullet and bought myself a beautiful, classic leather handbag that I could rock through any season.

The outlets offered me many a choice in designer labels - Michael Kors, Coach, Tory Burch, Cole Haan, Fossil, Guess. In the end, though, I found my calling with Kate Spade, whose playful yet sophisticated style is right up my alley.

Of course, with a new handbag in my possession, I've got to show you some of my favorite essential items that I'll be packing in to it. Take a peek!