Style with a Story: July 2013

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

How We Wear: Polka Dot Skirts!

Today, I have teamed up with Bethany of Perfectly Coutured and Meghan of Everyday Fashion and Finance to share with you how we wear Polka Dot Skirts. It is no secret that we love polka dots which made this skirt a must have item for each of us, and surprisingly enough it has proven to be quite versatile. Not only are we sharing how we each styled this skirt, but you can also check out this skirt styled three ways here!

I love how all three of us decided to pair this skirt with a belt, which is definitely a focal point! Bethany and Meghan both paired their skirts with vibrant red tones for that perfect pop of color. Check out more of Bethany and Meghan's looks on their blogs.

I paired my skirt with a chartreuse sweater and fun leopard accessories. This would be a perfect outfit for early fall too!

How would you style this polka dot skirt?
xoxo

Monday, July 29, 2013

Sizzlin' Summer Giveaway!

Today, I have teamed up with 24 fabulous bloggers to bring you a Sizzlin Summer Giveaway where not one, but TWO lucky readers will have the chance to each win a $250 VISA GIFT CARD to purchase whatever their little heart desires! To enter, simply follow the steps in the Rafflecopter below.

Good luck!

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ALL THAT GLITTERS | ANNE FROM INDY | BOOK OF LEISURE | A BEAUTIFUL HEART | TWENTIES GIRL STYLE

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, July 26, 2013

Manicure Look For Less!

Out of all the nail polishes out there, Essie has got to be my all time favorite brand. Every season they come out with 5 or 6 brand new colors that are fun, fresh and colorful! When I saw Essie's summer line, I was instantly obsessed!

If you're like me, you need to have a new manicure every week. I do this for two reasons. 1.) It gets chipped around the edges and doesn't look too fresh anymore. 2.) I want a new color on my nails! Hey, what's wrong with variety?!

New manicures every week does get awfully expensive, so I've taken to doing my own nails once a week. I set out to find the perfect cuticle remover, manicure set, base coat, and quick dry top coat. After lots of trial and error, I've really come to love Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover. It works excellently to dissolve the cuticles in about 30 seconds. Of course I use my manicure kit to scrape away any excess and push my cuticles back, but then the rest washes away. The best part, it was only $4! Perfecto!

On the hunt for a great quick dry top coat, I came across Seche Vite at my local Ulta store. It was fairly pricey at $10 for the bottle, but it has been the best manicure investment I've ever made! In about 5 minutes, my nails are dried to perfection leaving a shiny and smooth top coat. Just beware of the top coat if you are pregnant or expecting because it contains an ingredient called Toluene, which may be harmful if you inhale too much of it. I like to apply this top coat outside to ensure proper ventilation. I loved Seche Vite so much, I even bought their fortified strengthener base coat, which is $15! :) I am prone to really weak nails due to many years of acrylic nails, so I was willing to invest in a good strengthener.

Although doing my own mani every week has saved me tons of money, I still find myself buying every Essie color under the sun for these at-home manis. At $8 a bottle, that's bound to get expensive! Just as much as a manicure! :)

While I was browsing Target I noticed they had a display of all Essie's new colors for the season...one of them being Naughty Nautical, a favorite of mine for this season! Being faced with the dilemma of spending another $8, I decided to browse around for a cheaper alternative to this beautiful marine blue color. That's when I spotted Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Kiwi Bikini, a dead ringer for Naughty Nautical, but only $2.30! At this rate I can get 3 for the price of 1!

Here's how it came out!

Cabela was groomed yesterday! Doesn't she look so fresh and clean?!

Happy Weekend To All!!

xoxo

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Fall Features...Already!

This may sound a little crazy since we're still in July, but I'm just about ready to say sayonara to the summer and hello to fall. The heat has been unbearable and I'm ready for it to take a walk! Alright, I know I'll probably feel differently the minute fall arrives and it's back to work I go, but for now I'll talk a big game.

I can always count on Pinterest to have me thinking about Halloween during Easter or Christmas in July, but aside from getting excited about holidays, I always get excited for fall clothes. Something about that back-to-school, fresh feel always makes me smitten!

I remember going "back-to-school" shopping with my mom when I was a kid. My mom would set aside several hundred dollars for us to go and pick out a brand new wardrobe. We'd head to the mall and create tons of outfits using mix and match pieces. I always had a favorite outfit that was picked specially to be my first day of school outfit.

Oh, the memories!

Somehow things haven't changed for me much over the years...I'm still heading off the school every Septemeber to begin a new year, only difference is I'm the teacher instead of the student. And like my momma taught me, you always have to do a lil back to school shopping!

If only Pinterest was around back in my hey-day...it is the perfect resource for back-to-school shopping.

Here are some of my recent pin worthy looks for fall...

Image from The Sisters in the City

Image from J.Crew

Image from The Baloney Bug

Image from The Style Mogul

Image from Tory Burch

For more pin worthy looks or to follow me on Pinterest, head here.

xoxo

Friday, July 19, 2013

Navy & Hot Pink!

Our second wedding this weekend was my husband's cousin's wedding, so he was a groomsman in their wedding party. Poor guy should not have had so much to drink at wedding # 1 haha :)

Since wedding # 2 was a family wedding, I decided to dress more reserved and chose this navy eyelet A-line dress from Macy's. Of course I still spruced it up with my hot pink Mari sandals!

Outfit for wedding # 2

(Sorry for the quality of my iphone pictures! Click on dress link to get see a clearer picture of dress.)

Outfit Details

Dress | Shoes | Bracelets

The bride did a top notch job with organizing the wedding! Not one detail was left unnoticed. I, myself, am obsessed with the little details in a wedding. From the flowers to the linens to the place cards and menu, everything was executed impeccably.

Bobble head cake toppers!!! Too stinkin' cute for words!

What a gorgeous view that room was on July 14th!

xoxo

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Peplum LBD

Sorry dear readers for being so MIA this week! We literally had the LONGEST weekend with back to back weddings and a rehearsal dinner...it's been non-stop for us! Did I mention I was sick too? Yup, that would happen right in time for a busy, fun weekend lol. Recoup time and some rest were much needed.

Outfit for wedding # 1

I found this killer peplum LBD (little black dress) for just as killer a price at TJMaxx...$29.99! It was the perfect dress! I loved it so much I wanted to wear it to both weddings, but I, of course, resisted that urge :)

I decided not to wear a necklace with this outfit because I wanted to keep the eye attraction on the hot pink shoes. Sometimes less is more!

Outfit Details

Pink Shoes | Pink Bracelets | Black Dress | Clutch & Link Bracelet

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post! Wedding # 2!
xoxo

Friday, July 12, 2013

Back to Basics

With all the styles that are trending lately, sometimes it feels good to get back to the basics. By basics, I mean a simple, yet classic look.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good trend as much as the next girl, but trends sometimes leave me feeling ~~broke~~ overwhelmed. I mean, they're here one day and gone the next! How is a girl on a budget supposed to keep up with that?!

It happens so often that by the time I "catch up" and get my hands on what's hot at the moment, the trend has somewhat faded, and even I don't care so much about it anymore.

Sigh!

Outfit Details

J.Crew slim fit shirt / AG Adriano Goldschmied skinny fit jeans / Accessorize leather flat / Bagatt / Astley Clarke coral jewelry / Forever New bow stud earrings / Yves Saint Laurent oversized sunglasses / Pull&Bear pull bear

I recently scored this thistle print popover from J.Crew on their 40% off sale, so it was a mere $18! I love this classically preppy and fresh print! It also comes in hot pink :)

It screams BACK TO BASICS to me! I plan to pair it with a classic skinny leg jean, bow flats and understated accessories.

All of this trend-talk got me thinking...

If you want to stay on-trend all the time you've got to be willing to do these 3 things:

1.) Buy quick, no matter the price.

2.) Sell even quicker than you buy to avoid losing a ton of money on the item (AKA you need to be able to part with your items quickly)

3.) Stay ahead of the trends by constantly keeping your wardrobe and accessories fresh and current.

And it's going to be a lot of work!

I'm planning to take a step back from the trend craze and work on getting back to the basics!

Do you prefer trendy or classic? How do you balance both?

xoxo

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

How We Wear: J.Crew Mari Sandals

Good morning, lovelies! Today, I am collaborating with one of my bestie blog buds, Bethany of Perfectly Coutured, to share with you how we wear our J.Crew Mari Sandals. We have to admit that the "shocking pink" color was indeed a bit shocking at first, but we quickly began envisioning ways to wear these sandals especially since J.Crew stores had them on sale for just under $50! Who could resist such a steal?

We both chose to pair our Mari Sandals with boyfriend jeans to show you how you they can brighten up a casual look. Don't worry though, these sandals look just as fabulous with dressier looks too! I love how Bethany matched these sandals so perfectly (pun intended) with her cross body clutch from Target and J.Crew inspired necklace! To see more of Bethany's look, head on over to her blog!

We are excited to feature more items next month, so stay tuned!
How would you style these shocking pink sandals?
xoxo

Monday, July 8, 2013

Weekend Review

Good morning! I hope everyone had a relaxing 4th of July weekend. I know we did! The Poconos was amazing. Just what the doctor ordered...a relaxing resort with tons of outdoor activities. It gave us time to unplug from all our electronics and just enjoy each other. The resort has been around since the 50's, and you can tell that the families there had been going there for years! It reminded me of a place we went to in the Catskills of NY when I was a kid. Isn't it funny how we hold such childhood memories so near and dear to our heart?!

While we were there we enjoyed the huge lake, took a long hike around the lake, had a nice couples massage, laid by the pool, and played badminton, basketball and tennis. All three meals were included, and the food was delicious! We would definitely go back to the Skytop Lodge any day!

We also celebrated our 2 year anniversary at the lodge! The staff was super sweet to us and left us a bottle of champagne and a gift package in the room as a surprise! And on our anniversary dinner, the staff brought us the most delectable cookie dough pie and sang "Happy Anniversary" to us. It really made us feel special!

Outfit Details

Our drink of choice for the week was a John Daly. It's basically an Arnold Palmer with alcohol! It's made with sweet tea vodka and lemonade...yum!

By the way, how adorable is the elephant bangle from this post ? Huge THANK YOU to Bethany over at Perfectly Coutured for picking it up for me at her Forever 21 since I couldn't find it anywhere.

Have a happy Monday!

xoxo