July 30, 2015

South Beach











Each year my family and I head to South Beach in Martha's Vineyard to get some family photos.  This year I decided to fit in some outfit photos while we were there.  I decided to wear this Lilly Pulitzer romper.  This is one of my favorite rompers because it's bright and colorful, and it's great when the weather is just too hot.  I gravitate towards rompers in the hot months at the beginning of the school year in Texas, so this would be the perfect outfit for me to head to class in the beginning of September.  


July 29, 2015

Nautical Stripes








dress (j.crew) / sunglasses / shoes 

One of my favorite spots to venture to while in Martha's Vineyard is Lobsterville because 1. I'm lobster obsessed and 2. The quaint little beach is adorable.  You have to travel down a remote(ish) road for a few miles to get there then you're met with a small stretch of land where you can park your car and walk out to the beach.  It's fun because right across the inlet is Menemsha, but there aren't any roads/bridges to reach it directly from Lobsterville.  

I was wearing this striped J.Crew dress that I found in store (and on sale) last week.  I've had my eye on this dress since it first was available and I'm so happy I waited to purchase it because I got it for a great price (reason #902184 why you should never buy something full priced from J.Crew).  Unfortunately, it sold out online so I can't link it directly but check out your local J.Crew because they may still have some in store!



July 28, 2015

Travel Bags

This summer I've done more traveling than I've ever done in such a short time span.  After next week, I will have spent just shy of eight weeks traveling, and I love it.  I absolutely love traveling.  There's something special about discovering a new place and discovering what it has to offer or return to an old one and being surprised with everything you missed last time.  While packing for my trip to Martha's Vineyard I brought back out my favorite bags to travel with and was relieved that I didn't have to think about weight limits.  Let's just say the last pack-up in Europe just before heading home was rough.  I don't know how I fit everything I had into my bags while still keeping everything within the weight limit, but I did.


My favorite bags for road trips or weekend trips are just that, my weekender bags!



My favorite of the three I used for this trip is definitely my Vineyard Vines weekender.  I purchased this last summer while I was working at VV and couldn't be happier with the product.  I was sold when I looked inside and saw it was lined with a navy and white gingham pattern.  It's perfect.  Now, a year later, I still love it.  It's held up extremely well as I've brought it with me back and forth between school and home (which includes a flight).


My other weekender is from Marley Lilly.  I think I got this for around $60 so I'm not sure if they bumped up the price, or if I got it on sale.  The quality difference between this one and the VV bag is dramatic.  The ML bag is thinner and the quality of the canvas/"leather" handles really isn't the best.  Plus, this bag is slightly smaller.



Last week I purchased a Llbean Boat and Tote.  I don't know what has taken me so long to buy one.  I picked the large bag in navy with a navy monogram.  It's great for a road trip because I can keep it at my feet and store everything I will need during the trip in it (i.e. laptop, phone charger, etc).  I'm also going to use this to take all my things with me to the beach on the trip!

What's your favorite travel bag?

July 27, 2015

Lilly on the Vineyard








Dress (Lilly x Target) / Shoes / Bag

I decided to break out this Lilly for Target shift dress last night for dinner.  It's the first time I wore the dress after having it in my closet for a few months.  It's unlike anything Lilly Pulitzer normally sells, but it's really great quality.  I paired it with these French Connection heels and a mini Rebecca Minkoff bag.  

If you carry your camera around everywhere with you (a DSLR that's unfortunately too big to fit into most small bags) then this bag will be your savior.  For years I've been stuck with the dilemma of wanting to take one of my small crossbones with me (especially at night, for dinners like this one!), but I also want to bring my camera along so I usually end up reaching for another larger bag.  

This Rebecca Minkoff is just too perfect and fits my camera perfectly with room to spare! 





July 24, 2015

Friday Finds

Happy Friday Finds ya'll!! It's been awhile, but FF is back! I have so many things to share with you guys in this week's finds so let's get to it!




J.Crew 
I've made a commitment to myself to never buy anything from J.Crew full-price.  As much as I am tempted to buy things as soon as their released, it's just stupid.  Almost everything goes on sale at some point (and usually there's an additional discount on sale).  Last week I put in an order of a few bathing suits (scored some for like, $6?), and am so happy with my purchase, but even happier that I didn't buy everything for the full value!

Recipe Box
Often, I'll make a recipe and it'll turn out great, but as soon as I'm done I never remember to save the recipe and it's gone forever.  I know it's easy to just add something to my pinterest, but as I get more into cooking, I've decided that I want to invest in a recipe box that I can have with my forever.  I found this Rifle Paper Co box and I'm just obsessed! It's just so adorable and timeless.

Movies
I've seen so many movies since my last FF (thanks to many days spent traveling recently).  On the plane over to Europe I watched Love, Rosie which I hadn't heard anything about before.  I was pleasantly surprised and would highly suggest it for a good chick flick.  On the way back, I watched The Longest Ride (for the third time), American Sniper (so good!), and Home (such a sweet animation).  What movies have you been watching recently?

July 23, 2015

I love GoPro

I've been in a little bit of a blogging funk ever since I came back from Europe.  I guess I lost the momentum after writing a post everyday for the past six months to writing nothing for six weeks.  I'm trying to get back into it- I really am! I need to have a day to sit down and brain storm some topic ideas, but in the mean time I wanted to talk a little about my beloved GoPro.

I've been using a GoPro Hero 3+ for a little over a year now and I love it.  It's simply an amazing camera (emphasis on the simple).  I mainly use it to document trips I go on, but I'm considering filming clips from this upcoming school year to compile into a short movie.  I really like that idea and already have some great ideas of clips to film, so you may see that at the end of next May.

In Italy I filmed a short video (which you may have already seen), and I also filmed another in France and Spain.  The first time I ever experimented with my GoPro was last May in Iceland.  I still love watching that video back and re-living the experience I had in the amazing country.  I love having videos in addition to my pictures because it transports me back into that moment and is so much more powerful than simple pictures.


France and Spain 2015




Iceland 2014

It's interesting to see each video because as time has gone on I've gotten more into editing and filming them and as I'm preparing for a trip to the Vineyard next week I'm excited to try out new things with the go pro (I bought a suction cup mount for the car!).  

Hopefully ya'll find the GoPro interesting and enjoy these videos, though they aren't very fashion related.  I promise tons of outfit posts will be coming next week! 



July 22, 2015

Happy 50th, Dad!













Yesterday, my Dad turned 50! To celebrate my Mom, brother and I met him at his office in Brooklyn and then headed toThe River Cafe, just under the Brooklyn Bridge, for dinner.  The dinner was just amazing.  The views and the food combined make for a great evening.  We even got to see the president drive along the FDR and get into his helicopter from our table.  

Our food was incredible, I opted for the octopus appetizer and lobster entree (makes me excited for our trip to the Vineyard this coming weekend).  Everything we ate was great and it was an incredible way to celebrate my Dad's birthday.  I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive Dad; he really deserved a great dinner.  

I was planning on shooting more of an outfit post while in Brooklyn but I just didn't get around to it.   I'll definitely try and do that later this week though.  But until then, my dress that I'm wearing is from maje! 






July 21, 2015

Quasi Romper








There was the cutest boutique near our hotel in Madrid called Nud.  In the window I saw the outfit I'm wearing and just had to go in to try it on.  Originally, I thought it was a romper and was surprised to see that this outfit is actually two separate pieces.  That made me fall even more in love as the infinite combinations of outfit flooded my mind.  The top and shorts are made by a company, Second Female, which I had never heard of before purchasing this outfit.

I don't think I walked into a single store while in Europe that wasn't having a sale.  The top and shorts were marked down to about sixty euros each, which really isn't too expensive (also the dollar is super strong against the euro right now!).  I was pretty surprised to see the price because the material felt more expensive.  Upon arriving home however, I looked for the set online and was disappointed to find that it's more expensive online!

While the price online is a slightly bigger investment than what I paid, it would've been worth if for me to pay that price based on how much I've already worn this outfit.  It's just so comfortable and I love knowing that I can wear these pieces separately.  I know I'll be wearing the top with jeans in the colder months.

I've never thought of wearing matching separates in this way before and it's made me so excited to be on the lookout for similar things.  Second Female has a few other similar pieces so I would suggest searching their website if you like the idea of this outfit!


July 20, 2015

My Trip to Europe

On a pretty side street in Aix en Provence.


On Wednesday,  I got back from my six and a half week trip abroad.  I had such a great experience while traveling in Italy, France and Spain.  I studied for five of the weeks in Italy with my school, taking two classes (Mythology and Architecture).  We were based in Orvieto, a small Etruscan town about two hours north of Rome.  This town was seriously the most picturesque place I've been to.   When you think of Italian countryside, this is what you get.  The town was set up on a big cliff so when you walk to the edge of town you get indescribable views of the surrounding area.  If I didn't go on the trip, I really don't think I would've ever gone to a place like this in Italy.


July 17, 2015

Nordstrom Sale

I'm back from Europe and jet lag had me up at seven this morning, which gave me just enough time to draft this post! Nordstrom is having their anniversary sale and there's so much available for a great price.  You can get some great deals on brands like Tory Burch, Rebecca Minkoff and so much more! I selected a few of my favorites from the sale for you to shop through!

I'm so excited to start blogging regularly again, so be on the lookout for posts everyday starting on Monday! Let me know what things you want to see in the comments below!



Happy Weekend!

July 15, 2015

Favorite Nail Polishes



1- A+ Raspberry // 2- Peach Daiquiri // 3- Pastel Jade
4- Borrowed and Blue // 5- Powerhouse Pink // 6- Come Here 
7- Hot Tangerine // 8- Fiji // 9- Dark Turquoise



I used to paint my nails almost everyday.  In middle school, I was still biting my nails and, in order to combat this, I started to paint my nails every night so that when I had the urge to bite them in school the next day I could pick off the nail polish instead.  It really worked! I don't bite my nails anymore, and I've gotten pretty good at painting my nails.

I almost always gravitate towards Essie polishes.  The colors and formula are great and the brush is easy and manageable. I also have become a fan of sephora's formula x polishes as well!

July 13, 2015

4 Things You Absolutely Need For Your Dorm Room

It's crazy to think that I'll be starting my sophomore year of college this August.  I'm excited because this is my final year living in the dorm! While it's fun to live so close to everyone because there's always something going on, I am very excited to have a little more space (and a kitchen)! Over the past year, I've realized there's definitely some things that I couldn't live without that may not be on your college packing list!

Desk Hutch
Getting a hutch honestly made my life so much better! I purchased the Java Oak Hutch from The Container Store at the beginning of the second semester last year and it made a huge difference!!! I was able to put things on the shelf and it cleared up a lot of desk space and allowed me to showcase a few decorative things as well! I know some schools come with a hutch like this, but mine didn't.

Plenty of Pillows
I started without with an ordinary amount of pillows in the beginning of the year but over the course of a few months I acquired a few more from Bed Bath and Beyond, Homegoods, etc.  I think by the end of the year I had 9 pillows on my bed! It was a lot, but I think it made my bed a lot more comfortable and inviting.  I could also lay them against the wall to form a sort of couch!

Aerobed Pak Mat
I heard about the Aerobed Pak Mat from pinterest before I left for school and knew I just had to get it.  It's a blow up mattress made for camping so it's incredibly small.  The container it's stored in is the pump and it ends up being a tiny little aerobed.  It's perfect for when my friends have had to stay in my room or if I decide to stay in someone else's room.  I've had a few people even borrow it from me.

Mattress Pad
Oh my goodness, this is 100% the most important thing you need to have.  I purchased a 3 inch mattress pad from Bed Bath and Beyond and it made my bed incredibly comfortable.  I'm not even joking, my bed at school is more comfortable than my bed at home.  It's a little expensive to get the 3 inch but it is so worth it!

Here are my other posts on dorm life for those of you getting ready to move in! (Dorm Room Tour // How to Decorate a Dorm Room // Dorm Accessory Storage // Dorm Makeup Storage // Dorm Closet Tour)


July 3, 2015

July 4th Outfit



not sure what's with this face.. so let's ignore that :)





Dress / Shoes / Bag (old: tory burch outlet) 

Happy July 4th ya'll!! This year I'll be celebrating from Europe! The 4th marks my last day on my study abroad portion of my trip! I will be traveling from Rome to Nice with a few of my friends, and I'm so excited.

This year for the 4th I decided to go with this Forever 21 embroidered dress.  For just $29, I'm surprised by how many compliments I've gotten on it wherever I go.  Everyone is always impressed to hear how much I paid for it.  It's a fairly thick material, which makes it seem a lot more expensive and higher quality.  I usually avoid Forever 21 just because of the track record I have with it (so many things are just poorly made) but recently I've been finding some amazing things, like this dress!

What will you be wearing this 4th?
 

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