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02.12.16
#coffeetalk

1. I have a major sweet tooth, what do you ladies eat when you’re craving sweets? 
Meggan: I have a MAJOR sweet tooth…like give me all the chocolate and candy in the world please! I keep Brookside dark chocolate covered acai and blueberries (in the freezer!) and dark chocolate covered almonds on hand. A few of of these helps kick my craving and they aren’t even that bad for you! I also lovvvee ice cream and these frozen greek yogurt bars are amazing!
Brooke: I have a major sweet tooth as well…literally, I can’t help myself if there’s chocolate or any sort of sour candy involved! For me, it’s best to not keep candy in my house – if it’s there, I’ll eat it. I’ve found what really helps me is to have a little sweet treat at the end of each day. Pretty much every night, I make a decaf tea (black or earl gray) with almond milk & honey and have a rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon…it satisfies my sweet tooth completely, and it’s not too crazy – the rice pudding has 130 calories and 3g of fat. I had never had rice pudding until a couple years ago, and now I’m completely hooked!

2. Do you have any suggestions for work appropriate clothing at a reasonable price?
For work, I think it’s best to buy a few staple pieces (1 blazer, 1 skirt, and a couple pairs of paints), and mix & match blouses and accessories from there. H&M has a lot of great work pieces for very reasonable prices. I purchased a lot of my work clothes at LOFT when I entered the working world – they have great sales, and their clothing is a bit nicer so it will last longer. I also think it’s best to keep your work wardrobe minimal (in color, print, style, etc) because you can wear the same pieces more often without everyone noticing. I love this blazer, this blouse, these pants, this skirt, and these shoes (on sale for $47!). This is a seriously great Pinterest board for workwear inspo.

3. Outfit recommendations for a trip to Napa Valley?
Brooke: We’re headed to Napa in April, and I’m just starting to look for outfits. Napa isn’t extremely fancy, it’s pretty laid-back, so casual is probably the way to go with a few dresses thrown in for any special dinners you may have planned. A few pieces I have in my cart specifically for Napa are: this dress (just went on sale!) which can easily be dressed down with sandals, these jeans (also on my spring wishlist), this crochet tank, and these sandals. I would definitely wear flat sandals during the day/wine tasting, but you could throw on a pair of heeled sandals for dinner – obsessed with these!

4. I just left ASU and moved to Iowa because I was missing the midwest. Brooke, did you regret leaving ASU? Meggan, favorite spots in Iowa City?
Brooke: There were definitely times when I did regret leaving ASU. Let’s be honest, that school is pretty much a dream life for any college student, but it just wasn’t for me. I missed the midwest also, so decided it was time to move back (I went to ASU for 1.5 years). I really missed my friends from Arizona, and of course the weather, but ultimately I think it was the right decision for me. I moved to Iowa City in January (total mistake coming from warm weather), and was pretty miserable. Things were a lot different than I thought they would be, and I really missed living in a city. I had grown up going to Chicago a lot, and knew I always wanted to live there eventually, so I started looking into transferring to a Chicago university. I only went to Iowa for a semester before transferring to DePaul University (which is where I graduated from), and ended up loving it there. For me, it was the perfect mix of midwest + city. PS – If I wouldn’t have moved to Iowa City, I wouldn’t have met my husband…so in the end I totally don’t regret the decision ;).
Meggan: A lot of my old spots are sadly gone (VITOS!!) but I love anywhere in the pedmall! There’s so many cute boutiques, bars and restaurants. Some of my old stomping ground bars were Jake’s, Union, Airliner, Spoco, and Martini’s. Sorry if you were asking about boutiques – I did more drinking then shopping in college, lol!

5. I’m looking for a pair of gray jeans for spring, do you have any favorites?
I just picked up this pair from French Connection yesterday and love them. They run true to size (I’m normally a 26 and got a 2), and are high waisted (my fave!).

6. Brooke, I love your new hair and will be taking a picture to my stylist for a similar cut. How do you style your hair on a daily basis?
Thank you! I’m loving the shorter cut, for me it’s so much easier! I’m planning to film a tutorial soon on how I get my waves (I know we keep saying this, so sorry! But seriously, it’s coming!). I use this wand to get my curls…it takes some getting used to if you’ve only used a traditional curling iron, but once you get the hang of it, it’s so easy! I’m going to work on filming a video this weekend, stay tuned!

7. Do you have any tips on traveling with a baby? 
We dedicated an entire post to traveling with babies HERE. If you have any additional questions we didn’t answer, please leave them in the comments below, and we’ll be sure to answer them next week!

8. How do you ladies incorporate coconut oil into your daily lives? Do you use it for beauty purposes or cooking purposes?
It seems like there are a million different uses for coconut oil, and we use it often – it makes a great shaving cream replacement (your legs come out of the shower so hydrated), and we also put it on extra dry skin. We will throw in a tablespoon of coconut oil to our shakes every now and then (great for your skin and digestive system), and we also use the coconut oil cooking spray for cooking (you can also just drop a spoonful of coconut oil in there, but the spray is more convenient!).

9. Help! I’m looking for a fast-acting age defying face cream. Do you have any recommendations?
I’m not sure if there is a “miracle solution” out there, but if you read Monday’s post, you know how obsessed I am with this face cream from TULA. I swear my skin has never looked better, and after seeing Monday’s post, TULA emailed us yesterday with a coupon code for our readers…get 25% off your entire order PLUS free shipping with the code: somewherelately25. Both of us use TULA products daily, and are ob-sessed. Meggan also agrees this cream is better than La Mer. I also use this eye cream and love it for reducing fine lines and keeping the under-eye area hydrated!

10. Meggan, how do you feel about the results you saw from the BBL treatment? Are they noticeable?
Yes! I loved the treatment and definitely noticed a difference in my skin. I already can’t wait to do it again next year. I think it’s important to start taking care of your skin now and this treatment is a great one to start with. Next I want to do the Halo Laser face treatment.

12. Have you ladies had any work done (botox, fillers, etc)? If so, can you talk about your experience? If not, do you plan to? I’m thinking of getting preventative botox and/or fillers, and am curious to know your thoughts!
Brooke: I’ve never had anything done, but I’m certainly not against it. To be honest, I do plan to get either botox or fillers, or both…I’m just not really sure where or when to start. I think everyone has their own opinions about this, and while my mom would never get botox, you can go ahead and sign me UP lol! I say do what makes you happy…whether that’s staying au natural, or getting a little help from a med spa.
Meggan: I’ve got botox and I honestly…I loved it. Before I got it, I heard the worst side effect is addiction and that’s completely true, so be careful if you start! I decided to do it because it’s preventative and I was starting to get crows feet from lack of sleep (helllooo mommy hood). I also want to do fillers at some point around my mouth. And I agree with Brooke, do whatever makes you happy and don’t worry about what other people think!

11. Can you share tips on prepping for NYFW?
We’ve been to fashion week twice, but decided to sit it out (minus a few meetings and events) the past two seasons because we have so much going on with our home lives, and you really have to give your all at fashion week – it’s extremely busy, fast-paced, tons of walking/cabbing, meetings, events, parties, etc. We’re planning to go in September, and here are a few tips we have: overpack. This is one time when overpacking may not be a bad thing…you can’t predict the weather (in winter or fall), so it’s better to be over-prepared than walking around in a blizzard wearing stilettos. Bring flats/sneakers and incorporate them into your looks. You’ll be doing a LOT of walking, and having your feet hurt is probably one of the worst feelings when you’re trying to look good. Pack snacks! Some days, you may not have time to eat, so be sure to bring a few snacks to have throughout the day. Be sure your camera & phone are charged – pack your chargers in your purse so you can charge on the go as well. If you want to get shot (and featured) by a street style photog, be sure your outfit stands out…here’s some great inspo!

M&B