4.06.2015






Wearing //
Steve Madden flats, love these
Loft jeans, similar
Nordstrom necklace, similar
Beauty //
Essie nails in Watermelon





This post is entirely dedicated to Carylee. After seeing this knot tee on her and a handful of other bloggers that I think she inspired, I had to give it a try. Not only are these tees supremely soft, but the detail on the hip makes it feel a little more special than your run-of-the-mill version. I'm constantly on the search for new tee-shirts I can live in during the Summer. I've had some luck with LOFT, but they do wear pretty easily after a couple of seasons so I'm always on the hunt to replenish each year. There are some days where you just want to feel comfortable, and a great tee and jeans is my uniform for those times. Now I'm tempted to get another...maybe white. 

A small rant before I go. I HATE mosquitos! Hate them. I got attacked by one as you might notice on my arm and it turned into a giant welt. Those little suckers always seem to find their way to me. Buzz off guys! Okay, rant over. 

How was your Easter? 


Linking up with Carylee and Gina

4.02.2015






Wearing //
Express necklace,  recent (check stores)
Steve Madden sandals (old) but love these
Beauty //
Lips in Lancome Shine Lover in 340 (love)
Finger nails in Chanel "May"
Toes in O.P.I "Lincoln Park at Midnight"



Nate and I accomplished three things last weekend: We went for a hike, we finally did our taxes, and we had our first real beach trip of the year. To say the weather was gorgeous would be an understatement! I knew the water would be cold so I didn't wear my bathing suit, but I did manage to get a little color on my skin after these pictures were taken. I love wearing a soft, flowy maxi dress to the beach when I know I'm not going to jump in the water. It looks put together and polished, but still casual enough to take a stroll along the shore. I just held the bottom up while I trudged through the sand. It actually reminded me of our wedding day when I did the same thing with my gown! Not pictured was my trusty fedora. I got one at Target a few weeks ago and it's perfect for keeping my freshly colored locks under cover. I feel silly in hats, which is why I never photograph with one on but I do wear them whenever I'm outdoors for a long period of time. Sun protection is a must! A fun tote and bright pink lips are also must-haves for me at the beach.

What are your beach must-haves?

Linking up with Tara today!

P.S. - A giant hug and kiss to those that took time out of their day to leave such beautiful, supportive comments on my last post. Most of them actually made me tear up because, well, I'm a nut case ;) But seriously, thank you all so much. I love you guys. 

3.31.2015





Wearing //
Asos dress, similar here and here
(use code beachfirenkxoxo to get your first month free)




I wasn't sure what to title this post, so I decided to name it the thing that's been on my mind a lot recently - body confidence. Having a personal style and beauty blog is an odd concept. It's a great way to memorialize a period of time in your life. It's allowed me to recognize how my style has evolved over the last five years, and it's been such a helpful tool in that sense. I see it as a scrapbook or journal of sorts, one that makes me smile, laugh, and reminisce when I look back at older posts. But, it's also put some pressure on me to look a certain way. The internet can be a vicious place, one in which strangers feel compelled to point out every little flaw and pick people apart in the comfort of their own home and behind the veil of anonymity. Now I personally have been very fortunate. I've never really encountered any nasty comments on my blog, and I feel very supported in this community. I'm sure if I were a "bigger name blogger", I would have experienced some negative comments over the years. I cringe when I see what some are going through. I didn't know when I signed up for this that a pre-requisite included being a size 0 and looking like you flew off the pages of Vogue. If I had known, I would have just picked up an issue on the newstand.

 I think I've just begun to put pressure on myself. It's no secret that I'm struggling with my weight right now because I've disclosed that, and I second guess every single picture I put up on my blog. That shouldn't be the point though, right? I'm not a model, just a regular person with a regular job, a husband, friends, family, a dog. I live in a condo, I dream about traveling and starting a family in the next two years. I doubt myself all the time and question everything, and this is coming from someone who studied and now works in the counseling field. I see a therapist because I have horrible anxiety. I'm now on medication for it. Why am I telling you all this? Well I'm not sure really, I just don't always want to write a simple blurb about what I'm wearing and how fabulous everything is. I've been struggling lately, and I wanted to throw that out there. Not for sympathy, because I'm okay! But just to let you know that confidence is so important in life, and mine is faltering at the moment. I know it'll pass. I know I'm taking the steps necessary to head in the right direction, and I'm looking forward to a future blog post where I can talk about that. But for now, let's all just be kind to one another. I firmly believe you can be stylish at any height, weight, or size. Let's just keep reminding ourselves, and each other.