JewelryStorm Giveaway

Necklace from JewelryStorm || Stripe Top (on sale 50% off) || Dress (similar) || Leggings || Boots || Hat || Clutch

Hey guys,

So I know I took a bit of a break from here once again. However, I'm back and have a giveaway for you guys today!

Today's look features all things black and white. I'm a big fan of color but love switching it up every now and again. This lovely multi-strand necklace really added the finishing touch to my outfit. Unfortunately it is sold out but there are so many other unique and lovely pieces on their site.

Oh and if you sign up for an account with them (it's free and required to enter the giveaway (; ) you will get an email sent to you for 15% off your first order! How awesome is that??

I have teamed up with JewelryStorm to giveaway a necklace of winners choice!

To enter, simply visit JewelryStorm, make an account, & fill out the rafflecopter widget below so I can keep track of your entries. The more entries you complete the better chance you have of winning. Giveaway is open to ALL Dearest Lou readers thru March 5th at 11:59PM EST. If your twitter, facebook, or instagram profile is on P R I V A T E please set your settings to P U B L I C on March 6, 2016 since I will be verifying the random winners entries at that time, private profiles will not be eligible of winning. Winners will be announced here on or after March 6th and contacted via email shortly after.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kajamaz Style

Nordic Print Kajamaz c/o Kajamaz

Remember back in December when I hosted a Kajamaz giveaway? Well I promised I would style mine here on the blog as soon as I received it (: I received my Nordic Print Kajamaz back in early January but have been so busy I'm just now getting around to styling and sharing photos. These pj's are so comfortable and perfect for staying warm! We generally keep our home on the rather cool side so it's nice to have an extra warm onesie to keep me warm!

You can order yours here over at Kajamaz they come in so many fun prints and footed and non-footed styles!

Vintage Coat, Polka Dots, and Filing Your Taxes with TurboTax

Thank you TurboTax for sponsoring this post. #TaxesDone

Dress c/o She Traveled (use code yourmajesty for $5 off!)

Tax season is among us my friends. Having someone do your taxes can be a long and expensive process. If you work at a company you will most likely get back at W-9 and taxes and easy-peasy! However, if you are like me and run a blog or are self employed there are other factors you must be keeping track of throughout the year to make this time of year less stressful! You must be keeping track of income, expenses, and collecting all those 1099’s from companies you made more than $600 from over the course of the year. Having someone file your taxes can cost hundreds of dollars, yikes.

Luckily for me, TurboTax saves me so much time and helps keep me organized come tax season. I have always used TurboTax to file my taxes and love how easy and convenient it is to work on my taxes whenever I get a chance. As a mama and wife I can’t just drop everything to work on taxes so it’s nice knowing that whether I’m working on the computer or on the TurboTax app that my progress will be saved and I can just pick up where I left off.

TurboTax has included new tools that make it easier than ever to tackle your taxes quickly with confidence.

These are some of the new features I’m loving:

W2 Snap: Jumpstart your taxes with the snap of a picture! TurboTax will securely enter the information into the right forms. No need to worry about doing the busy work yourself, isn’t that amazing?

ExplainWhy: This feature give your personalized easy-to-understand explanations of the “why” behind your deductions, credit, and refund. You can rest assured knowing you are getting every dollar you deserve.

SmartLook: This new feature connects customers (like you) with live TurboTax experts using one-way video technology. Experts are there to answer your questions (for free) and highlight key fields and the next steps so you can complete you return with confidence. This feature is perfect if you have a quick question or need an expert to help guide you in the right direction.

We generally like to have our taxes done by March and using TurboTax gives me a sense of empowerment. It’s nice not having to put it off to the last minute and save hundreds of dollars to have someone else do them! If you haven’t tried TurboTax I encourage you to give it a try and take charge of your finances!

Want to know an amazing statistic? Nearly 5 million hard-working Americans filed their federal and state taxes last year for absolutely nothing with TurboTax® Absolute Zero. How neat is that? Instead of putting your money in someone else’s pocket I would like to encourage you to file now and check out TurboTax’s new features.

Take Control of Your Online Identity with Sudo!

Thank you Sudo for sponsoring this post. #SudoRevolution

Have you ever had a bad experience shopping or selling online?

I think almost everyone reading this post can say they have had at least one bad experience with either or both!

In college I would sell many of my old textbooks thru either my amazon seller or KSL classifieds account. I felt so vulnerable having my email address and sometimes phone number on those sites. The thought that these people could easily look up my Facebook or blog and know quite a bit about me kind of frightened me.

My worst experience was selling my calculus book online through my amazon seller account. I clearly told the guy purchasing the book that it would arrive in 5-7 business days. He ended up finding the book from another seller who could ship it out sooner and demanded a refund from me a few days later. Long story short, I didn’t see his email until a few days later and he ended up saying some mean and scary things. I was so scared since he had my email address, phone number, and my living address was posted on the package sent to him. Although he lived across the country I feared he would hire someone to come vandalize our home or something. I know that’s pretty crazy thinking but you never know!

Luckily we were able to work out the miscommunication and he got his refund.

Back in the day when I was selling textbooks online I wish there was an app like Sudo. Sudo is an app that helps protect your safety, privacy, and personal data when connecting and socializing online. Sudo can automatically generate up to six private personas which empowers you to maintain control over your personal information. Each “Sudo” comes with an email address, phone number, password manager, and secure browser that doesn’t track anything you do.

Although I personally haven’t had any horrific experiences with fraud charges on my cards it’s reassuring knowing that using the Sudo app makes online shopping so much safer! Sudo generates credit card numbers to use when online shopping. The transaction still gets charged to your credit card but the merchant or any online hackers don’t have your actual credit card information!

You can get the Sudo app here and take control of your online identity!

Galentines Style & The Importance of Loving Yourself & Others

Dress || Necklace/Earrings || Clutch || Glasses || Shoes || Lipstick

Last week I shared the adorable Galentines Brunch Michelle (The Mumsy Blog) hosted a couple weeks back! Well, for today''s post I have shared my outfit details as promised along with a video produced by Joel from DOTD Films! We each shared a bit about why it's important to love ourselves and others. Enjoy!

Super Bowl Party Food & Style

Who's ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday? I'm not much of a sport-fanatic but when it comes to big sporting events I'm definitely in it for the food, socializing, and dressing for the occasion.

The Seattle Seahawks didn't make it to the Super Bowl this year so we are rooting for the Panthers! For our looks I simply purchased some Panther gear and colors. Both Z and I will be in leggings since no one wants to wear pants when pigging out on delicious Super Bowl food (;

I love putting together a fun table full of delicious snacks and having friends/family over.  I'm not much of a cook so I'm all about purchasing fun pre-made treats. How cute are these football cupcakes and cookies? I seriously couldn't get enough of them. Our family is also loves spinach dip and salsa so you know we will be snacking on that during the big game!

Something I don't have to worry about on Sunday is food stains thanks to Persil ProClean 2in1 detergent. This detergent was rated higher than any other stain removal detergent so I put it to the test. After pigging out on this delicious food Z had a few spinach dip and salsa stains on his blue shirt and it came right out. No second wash needed.

You can find more great recipes and product reviews from our friends at the Village Bakery.

Polka Dots, Burnt Orange, and a Giveaway

Tote c/o Pavilion Gift || Dress || Cardigan || Belt || Boots


Here's the second way I styled this lovely polka dot dress from She Traveled. This little number will be hitting their online boutique late next week! Stay tuned because I will be sharing a discount code you can use and possibly another style post featuring this dress.

I styled my polka dot dress with burnt orange accessories and a black cardigan! How lovely is this tote from Pavilion Gift?! I immediately fell in love with the  gorgeous laser cut details and shape of this tote. It's perfect for running errands and makes a killer statement piece.

I have teamed up with Pavilion Gift to giveaway an item of winners choice (up to $50 value)!

To enter, simply visit Pavilion Gift and fill out the rafflecopter widget below so I can keep track of your entries. The more entries you complete the better chance you have of winning. Giveaway is open to US/Canadian Dearest Lou readers only thru February 10th at 11:59PM EST. If your twitter, facebook, or instagram profile is on P R I V A T E please set your settings to P U B L I C on Feburary 11, 2016 since I will be verifying the random winners entries at that time, private profiles will not be eligible of winning. Winners will be announced here on or after February 11th and contacted via email shortly after.

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Polka Dots and Pops of Maroon

Booties c/o Paige Avenue || Polka Dot Dress  || Cardigan || Belt || Hat

I'm really trying to prioritize my blog so hopefully I will be posting here more consistently! That's one of my goals this month. So please keep me accountable guys (;

Every girl needs a pair of these berry booties in her closet! Such a unique and fun shade to work with! They are priced at $40, such a steal right? I loved styling them with this polka dot dress and layered my look with a white cardigan. I added a belt to define my waist (:

Speaking of this dress, how darling is this polka dot dress from She Traveled? It's the perfect length and can be styled so many different ways! I will be sharing another way I styled it tomorrow along with a giveaway so stay tuned for that!

Just a friendly reminder that today is the last day to enter the sta BODY suit giveaway! If you haven't entered already, you have until 11:59PM EST to get your entries in (;