Ka'Oir Lipsticks // Rude Girl and Pool Party

I have been wanting to try out some Ka'Oir lipsticks for quite some time. I think it's obvious through my past reviews of Lime Crime that I'm very into the idea of colored lipsticks, and with my desire to move away from companies like LC, I finally was able to give Ka'Oir a go!


With twenty-six colors to choose from, naturally it took me a while to settle on only two. In my go-big-or-go-home mindset, I opted for Rude Girl and Pool Party. All of the other colors are very appealing (I mean, just look at Golden Goddess!), so I started small and will be going from here.

Poshmark Summer Staples

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Tonight after work I made my way downtown for the Poshmark Summer Staples event at J Bar on Rush Street. I wasn't totally sure what to expect, but the atmosphere was really dark and chill, so it ended up being a great closeout to my day.

First of all, the big news of my day was that I am going to be heading to Philadelphia in roughly a month! We had a video contest at work and my video ended up winning (*yippee!*), so I get to go visit Urban Outfitters home office in good ol' Philly. Fancy, yeah? So if I have any followers in the city of brotherly love who can give me tips on food places or awesome things to see, let me know. I'll only be there for a couple of days but I am SO. EXCITED.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

Weekstagram // June 23

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Summer is here and Chicago is hot and humid!

• I caved in and bought a fan — now I don't wanna leave my bed.
• 90s floral dresses really make my day. 
• So many bike rides this week. That is until I broke my chain. :(
• Checked out the new Emporium Arcade in Wicker Park last night. Basically it's a bar with arcade games. Verdict? Cool bar, terrible crowd and drinks. Save your quarters for earlier in the evening or happy hour.
• Addicted to oranges.
• I picked up some new floral platform shoes!
• Fred Perry for errands. (I must get more...)
• Earlier in the week I made sangria. Yum!
• I hear Hawaiian shirts are in and I like it.

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Sassy City Chick Chicago // Fashion Bash

Happy Thursday, Minis! I spent my evening at the Sassy City Chick Fashion Bash and Sample Sale in the West Loop. I thought I'd highlight a couple of my favorite booths from the show.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

There are few things more nostalgic for me than attending a baseball game at a big stadium. My parents used to take us to Cleveland Indians games when we were growing up — and I didn't know it at the time, but I would certainly grow to appreciate those hot summer nights with pretzels and swirled soft-serve ice cream.

Fast forward to now. Of course, living in Chicago, it's hard to ignore the charm of the Chicago Cubs. Okay, so their record isn't the greatest. Regardless, my friend Nate's birthday is next weekend. He moved here from Boston about two months ago and his aunt was so grand and got us tickets to see the Cubs play the Red Sox at Wrigley Stadium.


My immediate thought was "YES, SWIRLED ICE CREAM CONES!" You can tell where my mind is with sports.


With my friend being such an adamant Boston Red Sox fan, I knew his was going to show up in his team garb, and I had to out do him:


So before the game, I stopped by the thrift store and nabbed a kid's Chicago Cubs jersey (Derrek Lee to be specific... and to be brutally honest I have no idea who the guy is). I cut off the sleeves and paired it with my high rise gingham shorts. Wha-la. Babely Cubs fan!


So naturally, as with most things between us, we clashed.


We had a great time and ate a lot of food and all that jazz. Nate is super into sports (while I am the exact opposite), and mostly I just got a kick out of cheering when the Cubs did something super — only to get under his Boston skin. My only complaint about Wrigley? No veggie dogs. They had veggie burgers, but no veggie hot dogs. What gives? How am I supposed to watch a baseball game without a hot dog?!

The food service rep that I was speaking to about veggie dogs felt my pain and gave me a complimentary veggie burger — and I have to admit that Wrigley did the black bean burger very, very well. Barbecue sauce, cheese, and all. Recommended for any vegetarian Cubs fans!


So my Cubbies ended up losing. There's always next season, right?

Weekstagram // June 16

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I had an insanely busy week! I can't complain though — I got in plenty of work and social time. Plus I'm getting organized for summer — cheers!

• Movies in the Park with a friend 
• Beach day in Michigan at Warren Dunes
• I finally hemmed and wore my TrippNYC studded denim!
• Beach makeup - basic!
• The weather this week was great for bike rides. Perfectly chilly at night!
• TGIF meant so much after a long work week!
• I went a few days without doing my nails and it drove me bonkers.
• Picked up a few new spring/summer dresses
• Finally saw Prometheus — and I enjoyed it. 

I'm gearing up for summer street festivals and have my calendar all planned out (woo!). Let's do this, Chicago!

Follow Mini Penny on Instagram @chaplinnn

Giveaway // Three Month Birchbox Subscription

Last week I blogged about my breakfast with the wonderful ladies behind Birchbox and had made mention of a giveaway for a three-subscription to their service! Guess what, Minis... it's here!

For those of you unfamiliar, Birchbox is a beauty subscription service. Similar to magazine subscription, you pay a small fee to have a box delivered to you each month. In this case, you receive 4-5 samples for beauty products specially geared towards you. I recommend checking out some of the blogger reviews on YouTube if you're curious!

This giveaway is going to last until Friday the 22nd, so you have just over one week to enter! The winner will be chosen at random using the generator below. The more entries you make, they more chances you have to win!

Beach Party

I've been in Chicago for six months now and up until this past Sunday, I had not left the city. I haven't visited a suburb, I haven't visited home, nothing. I've stayed happily in my little Chicago bubble.

The strange part is that I didn't even realize this fact until I was invited by my friend to go to the Warren Dunes in Michigan on Sunday. On our way out of the city, it came to my attention that I had yet to make a road trip of any sort (being carless and all) and became pretty excited about the excursion.

Chicago // Movies in the Park

Anyone who lives in Chicago will boast about how incredible our summers are. Sure, it's hot. And yeah, it gets really humid. But the city buzzes in the summer time in a way that's hard to explain to anyone who has never experienced it.

Something I've always wanted to do (and have been waiting through the six cold months of my residency here) is attend the Movies in the Parks events. Chicago is, naturally, loaded with parks — and there's a little something for everyone.

Tonight I went to my first Movie in the Park — and what better way to start it than by viewing Pee Wee's Big Adventure at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion downtown in Millennium Park. Nate and I biked down around 6 o'clock, grabbed some snacks, and hung out on the lawn until dusk. This movies was always one of my favorites growing up and it was amazing to see it against the back drop of my favorite city.

Are you a resident of Chicago or maybe plan on visiting this season and what to know what's playing? Check out this comprehensive list by the Chicago Park District. There are lots of films to enjoy and a few months ahead of us to enjoy them!

This is Nate, by the way...

Lots of green grass! Floral brogues by Big Buddha

I know that my hometown of Columbus did these sort of events (sparingly). Does your city or town have any fun schedules for the summer?

Weekstagram // June 9

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Killer week with some killer food — plus a work party thrown in the mix. Here are some of my favorites:

• Early birthday present wool shoes for Nate!
• My $5 fluffy cream princess dress
• Work party and too-sugary massive drinks. Oh and Xtina.
• I live on oatmeal and apples nowadays. True love.
• Amazing floral ties at Haberdash.
• Chips and guac break at Big Star.
• New haircut by Barbara and Barbara.
• Jordan belting out some 'Genie in a Bottle' at the work party. So good!
• Complimentary almond windmills from a coworker <3

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DIY Tutorial // Woven-Back Tops

Recently I was out shopping and noticed a really cool woven-back dress. I took about five minutes to study it and figured out how it was done so I could come home and mimic the style with some of my shirts. I did two versions of this — one with a tank and the other with a men's graphic tee (which has also been cropped and the shoulders cut wide. See the full how to after the jump!

Birchbox Media Breakfast

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This morning I was invited to attend the BirchBox Media Breakfast at NoMI Kitchen downtown. As many of my long-time readers know, I am an ex-subscriber to this product, so I wasn't really sure what I was going to be in for. Naturally, I was excited to meet up with other Chicago bloggers — since I still feel new here, I haven't gotten many opportunities to meet my peers.

Weekstagram // June 2

Lots of up and down weather conditions, good food, and good friends this week! I rode in my first limousine (for Matt's birthday), wasted an afternoon on lavender lemonade, and reconnected with someone over coffee in the park. Happy weekend!

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