Tie-Dye & Ribbons

Tie-Dye & Ribbons

So I know that I am on a shopping diet and I am doing AMAZING with it, but I HAD to cheat this weekend! I am going through serious shopping withdrawals!! I didn't go crazy, just bought a few items, but I feel so much better! Like, 100 pounds lighter and 50x less anxious. Seriously, shopping is like my therapy, and I have been without it for like 2 months. In honor of my mini-shopping trip, I decided to share a little outfit post with you today :) I am in love with my new tie-dye maxi skirt, and this shirt---OMG loveeeee!!!! Threw a polka dot ribbon in my hair and this outfit was a winner!

<3 me and the hubs <3

 

Top & Skirt: Bealls

Tank: Hollister

Hair Ribbon: A basic piece of ribbon :)

Earrings: Rue21

Sunnies: American Eagle

Linked With:
Because Shanna Said So
GYPO
WIW @ The Pleated Poppy

Titanic in the backyard

Titanic in the backyard

I know, I have been totally absent around here for the past few days. I wish that I could say I had some great excuse, like we took off to Ireland for the week or we won a million dollars and were currently swimming in our winnings. Sadly, neither of those are true, and the only excuse I have for not blogging is that for the past 3 nights we have been watching season 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead. I am a total bandwagon Walker--I didn't start watching until Season 3--so I have never seen the beginning of the show. OHMYGOD it is amazing!! Me and the hubby are even more hooked now than we were before!! If you are a fan of the show then you know exactly what I mean!! My plan for tonight? Take a wild guess.....

This past weekend I planned on soaking up some beautiful Florida sun from the comfort of our backyard pool. We blew up all of the floats and tubes, loaded the squirts up with some sunscreen and headed out back. As we climbed the ladder and inched our way into the water, we suddenly realized a few things:

1. It is only May 17th
2. The water has only been in the pool for 1 week
3. The temperature outside has not reached above 90 yet
4. Our pool was officially colder than the Titanic water...no joke

Needless to say, my ankles and shins were the only thing to touch the pool this weekend. Think we jumped the gun a little bit? Since the pool was out of the question, I decided to crisp brown myself in the sun for the remainder of the afternoon, and it was lovely! The time of year for bikinis, tan legs and millions of mosquitoes has finally arrived!!! (Speaking of mosquitoes, did you know that there is a truck that drives up and down all of the streets and sprays mosquito repellant every few days in the summer?! I had never heard of it until moving down here--apparently the mosquitoes are like 50 times worse down here so they have to constantly treat the air...fun fact, right?)

Anyway, I FINALLY took some outfit pictures!! Took long enough, right? You can thank my hubby for making me change out of my bathing suit into real clothes to go to dinner. 

 

Skinnies: Rue 21 / Cropped Tie Front Shirt: Can't remember, it was on a whim (similar here) /

Brown Tank: Hollister / Jewelry: Rue 21 / Watch: Kenneth Cole / Sunnies: American Eagle / Shoes: Target

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Linked with:
BecauseShannaSaidSo
GetYourPrettyOn
WIWW
Style Sessions
The pleated poppy

Summer Business Attire

Summer Business Attire

As the weather slowly inches towards the 90's and our thoughts drift more and more towards the beach, sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between "professional" work attire and "OMG it is 100 degrees outside and I want to wear a bathing suit" attire. Having worked in a professional environment for the majority of my career, there are a few tips & tricks that I have found when it comes to "professionalizing" your wardrobe (I may or may not have made that word up...I'll get back to you later on it) in the summer. These may not work for everyone, but if I can save even 1 person 10 minutes in the morning then I have succeeded.

THE RAINY DAY

When most people think of Florida, they picture sunny skies, bikini-clad bodies strolling down the street and lounging in the pool day in and day out. While that may be the case in the movies, the reality is that it rains every.single.day in Florida. It may not rain all day, but at least once a day the sky will darken, the clouds will roll in, and for a few minutes you are in the middle of a monsoon. To get through those rainy days, I recommend the following:

A black and grey color scheme will match the rainy-day mood perfectly, and they are always office-appropriate colors. A pulled-back ponytail is a must, otherwise you are dealing with frizz, soaking wet strands and that wonderful wet-dog look. Boots are also necessary as it tends to flood in about 45 seconds here. Round it out with some leather leggings to add a little flair and sass, and you have a great go-to summer office staple.

THE BRIGHT MAXI

I am a HUGE fan of the maxi. In fact, I have one on as we speak. Most people would stray away from the overly bright colors and crazy pattern for the office, but I welcome it with open arms! Take this outfit for example:

Pairing a colorful maxi with a structured blazer instantly tones it down.  I also added a gold statement ring (which I picked up for A DOLLAR at a flea market...score) and a long necklace, taking the focus away from the blinding colors. Since my nails were also pretty funky, I went with a basic hairstyle and minimal makeup, and Voila! An office-friendly maxi!

THE SASSY

Who doesn't love a good animal print every now and then? I personally feel like now matter how bold the print, it can always be brought down a notch with some neutrals. For whatever reason, animal print has pretty much stayed out of the professional realm of fashion. Well I am on board to bring it right in!

 

For this outfit, I paired a bold leopard blouse with some boot cut grey slacks. I added a grey belt with some gold accents, and then threw on some gold jewelry to match. For makeup I went with more of a neutral/brown theme to match the blouse, and of course I added some sparkle with my glittery gold shoes!

So there you have it. 3 different ways to keep your office wardrobe professional without losing the fun, summer feel. I hope I was able to provide some tips and insight! And I hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far!!!!

Mash-up Monday

Mash-up Monday

Can you believe it is Monday already!?!? I swear, the weekends are becoming shorter and shorter the older I get! Maybe an outfit mash-up will brighten my day...this is the closest thing I could find to what I'm wearing as we speak...And for good measure I'll include my IG mash-up picture for comparison. Side note, I'm new to this whole Polyvore site, so deal with me while I'm getting the hang of it.

What I Wore Monday by bickda featuring platform pumps

I'll post more about my weekend in a later post, including our new furniture and the debut of Romper # 2 on WIW Weekend. Until then, I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter!!!

Beauty Roundup

Beauty Roundup

Sometimes I wish that I were a guy. Ok, weird way to start a post, right? But seriously, let's compare for a moment. My hubby gets out of the shower, dries off, brushes his teeth and gets dressed. He throws on some deodorant and cologne and he can be out the door in 5 minutes. FIVE MINUTES. 5 minutes after my shower I am still dripping wet with a q-tip hanging out of my ear. While standing in my towel, I proceed to brush my teeth, apply lotion to every square inch of my body and coat my lips with Vaseline. (I am a FREAK about chapped lips!) Hair towel comes off, and I frantically shake my head back and forth shooting a spray of water from my hair onto everything in the bathroom, then brush out the soaking mess. Out comes the blow-dryer, which in and of itself takes 15 minutes. At this point my hubby usually pokes his head in to see how far along I am, and after realizing my lack of progress, heads back into the living room and settles in his chair. Next comes the straightener and makeup, which I have learned to complete simultaneously in an effort to save some time. Picking an outfit and jewelry is a whole other project, and as I emerge from the bathroom after an hour, I silently curse men for being so damn lucky.

Now that you know how my daily beauty routine goes, I figured I would share with you some of my favorite cosmetic items. Most of these items get used on a daily basis and they are wonderful! All opinions/reviews are my own and I have not been compensated. Enjoy!

 L'Oreal Advance Haircare Total Repair 5

 

(cred) 

 I am loving the new line of L'Oreal ---. There are a few different types available (Volume, Strength, Moisture, etc) but I am using the Triple Repair 5. The shampoo and conditioner smell amazing and make your hair super soft. Topped off with the Damage Erasing Balm every other day and the combo is wonderful. The best part? You only need to use a teeny tiny bit of the balm, so one container will last you like 10 months--seriously. It is supposed to erase like 10 years of damage in a few uses--whether or not it does that I can't really say, but it is up there on the top of my list! 

Deep Sea Cosmetics 

 

(cred) 

Last year for Christmas my hubby went out on a limb and got me a gift that I hadn't asked for. You know those pushy annoying sales people at the mall who want you to try the lotion and nail file? Well, they suckered Steven in and I am SO glad they did! The gift basket ended up being one of my favorite gifts!! First of all, the salt scrub is incredible! No exaggeration--it makes your hands smoother than a baby's ass..like 10 times smoother. The lotion smells heavenly and the body cream smells even better. The nail buffer and cuticle oil last forever, and they make so much of a difference! The whole set was a little pricey at $100+, but I have had it for 16 months and I am nowhere close to out. Next time you get chased down in the mall--STOP and use it!! 

 Chanel Skin Perfecting Makeup

 

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Ok, so I know I just posted about this last week, but I am IN LOVE with my new foundation. My skin is as smooth as butter, and that annoying red blemish on my cheek is completely covered. It stays put all day and it doesn't feel cakey like some other foundations. Like the lotion/salt scrub listed above, the price tag is a little high--$45 for a tiny bottle (1 oz maybe?), but it is worth every penny so far!! 

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain

 

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I am a huge fan of fun colors on my lips--red, pink, rose--and the brighter the better. What I am not a huge fan of is the weird lipstick ring I get after 5 or 6 hours of applying. Solution? Lip stain! It comes in a long stick that resembles a magic marker, doesn't rub off on anything, and lasts ALL DAY. On the other end of the stick there is a balm that seals in the color. I also have the Just Bitten "Kissable" line, which has much more vibrant colors but rubs off onto everything like a regular lipstick. I've purchased my share of lip stains and these are my favorite so far! 

Caress Burnt Brown Sugar & Kerite Butter Body Wash 

 

(cred) 

I buy this 100% for the smell. Sure, it cleans your body and has those little gritty crystals that scrub the crap out of your skin. But this makes its way into my shower on a pretty regular basis solely for the smell. It smells like a cross between cupcakes baking in the oven and pure brown sugar. It is incredible, and to top it off, the smell lingers on your skin for quite some time after the shower. I'm not going to lie, I've actually caught myself sniffing my arm an hour after showering. It's that good. 

So now that I have shared my opinions & reviews with you, I urge everyone to jump in their car and drive to the store. Annndd if you could leave any personal reviews that I should try, that would be awesome too!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!! 

((All views and opinions are my own and I have not been compensated)) 

Spoilers, makeup and green--oh my!

Spoilers, Makeup & Green...oh my!

First of all, I would like to start out everyone's week by saying that Sunday sucks without TWD. My whole routine is thrown off, and now I have to wait until OCTOBER to find out what happened to Beth!! Did the cannibals eat her? Will she meet up with Carol and Tyrese to save the day? Did she join the crazies at Terminus? Ugh anxious and distraught don't even touch the surface of my mood right about now!

 

(cred) 

This weekend was pretty low key considering the weather was awful. The little squirts attempted a picture with the Easter bunny (which was partially successful) during our mall trip, and yesterday consisted of some house cleaning and laundry. I also watched an awesome movie on Lifetime called "The Stepfather," and I was glued to the TV! First of all, Penn Badgley...hello!?! Reason enough to watch it right there...Second of all, it was super suspenseful--is he going to get caught? Is the dad in the freezer? Ok I just pulled a major spoiler alert, and I'm not too sorry...

 

(cred) 

Speaking of the mall trip, I may or may not have purchased (ok I did) the beloved foundation that I spoke of in Saturday's post. OMGSH I love it even more in my shade than the free-sample-oompa-loompa shade that I got in the mail. I still can't believe I spent so much on one bottle of makeup, but since my hubby is the best he paid for it before I could change my mind..gotta love him!!!

 

 

 <3 I'm in love <3 

Can be purchased here

(Comes in 10 different shades)

Here are some shots of what I wore this weekend...the green seemed to go with the dreariness of the day, and the white pants were my silent plea for the summer to get here faster! And of course Cammie girl had to sneak in to some of the shots with me :)

 

Pants, Jewelry & Belt: Rue21

Boyfriend Tee: Target (here)

Sunnies: American Eagle (here)

Shoes: Body Central (here on sale!)

 

Watch: Gift from hubby

Abalone & mother of Pearl Bracelet: Arizona maybe?

Spike Bracelet: Rue21 

ALSO, on a completely unrelated note, I pulled out my summer floppy hat this weekend and realized that if I added a ribbon and flower I could change the whole look of the hat!! Scorrrree!!!

I hope everyone is having a sunnier, less dreary Monday than we are having down here in the sunshine ridiculously rainy state.