Western wear is so hot for fall and I’m LOVING it! There is a way to style this trend in a chic way that doesn’t look like you are headin’ to the hoedown. I’ve got ya covered on how to pull it off effortlessly!
This lace blouse is the perfect nod to western with the piping and pearl snap detailing. The lace keeps it feminine and chic. (Note, it does run a little small. I went up a size.)
You can pair a western blouse with just about anything. A maxi skirt, wide leg pant, jeans or faux leather skirt. The coloring of this tan leather skirt is perfect for fall. You can find an almost identical skirt option at an affordable price HERE and HERE.
Animal prints are another top trend this fall. A snakeskin bootie can act as a neutral and pull any outfit together.
How To Style Western Wear
* Choose one or two western themed items, and partner with more neutral or chic pieces. If you wear a western piped blouse, cowboy boots, a fringe skirt and a cowboy hat, it comes off as a little cheesy. Keep it simple by letting one or two items stand out.
* Go “space cowboy” and pair a western item with a modern metallic. For example, this outfit shown, with a metallic silver skirt would be great! Kasey Musgraves has been rocking this trend for awhile now. She pulls it off flawlessly every time!
* Look for items with a modern edge as well. For instance, instead of a typical cowboy boot; look for some that have a pull on tab side, or a western script detailing, but with a more modern silhouette. You can find an awesome pair for under $100 HERE or my favorite white version HERE.
* For more traditional items (like a true cowboy boot) pair with feminine floral print dress, or skirt and lace top.
* An easy way to slowly incorporate this trend is with turquoise jewelry or accessories.
Check out what else is trending for fall with my post on the top fall trends HERE.
Are you a perpetual “I have nothing to wear” type of gal? Get yourself a duster, friend! It’s the easiest item to pair with just about anything and complete an outfit.
When I was planning outfits for fashion week, I had a hard time choosing pieces that would be unique and special, but also practical and wearable outside of NYFW streets. This duster was the perfect item! These faux leather leggings are a wardrobe staple must. The $98 price tag does seem a little steep, but they are that good. They are made by Spanx and hold everything in (super flattering!) while also being comfortable.
How To Style A Duster
* Don’t be afraid to get it tailored. It’s hard to buy one straight off the rack that will be the perfect length. If you are petite, you can tailor it to hit at least a few inches above your ankles.
* Petite girls.. if you are worried about it overwhelming your smaller frame choose a lighter fabric that fits closer to your body.
* Pair it with a silk dress. Love this combo! It can easily pair with dressier items and the high/low difference creates interest.
* Throw one over a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. The easiest way to look more put together, and also add a layer for warmth.
* Pair with over the knee boots and skirts. This is a way to get more use out of your shorts or skirts going into the fall and winter. Add a duster and some booties or over the knee boots.
* Don’t shy away from a print! Plaid, houndstooth and leopard are all BIG trends this fall season. A printed duster is great to have on hand to add a trending piece to lots of looks you already have in your closet.
Positive Parenting – Simple Tips To Be A More Patient/Positive Parent
Let me start by saying, mom life is hard. It’s that simple. Putting someone’s needs before your own 100% of the time, dealing with mom guilt, and feeling overwhelmed is just plain hard. However, you can make an intentional decision to practice positive parenting and patience. This can be beneficial to everyone involved!
There is sometimes a misunderstanding that positive parenting equates to children that are not respectful or not accountable for their actions. It’s actually quite the opposite! Instead of belittling children with yelling, you talk to them in a calm and respectful way.
Children mimic the actions and words of their parents. You can tell them how to act all day long, but at the end of the day they will emulate your actions. That’s some powerful stuff when you stop to think about it!
Every family and child is different and what works for one family may not work for another. These are some practices we use in our household that work for us!
10 Tips To Positive Parenting-
1. Try to understand why your child is acting out and acknowledge their feelings first. It’s so hard as a mom to deal with temper tantrums (especially when they are in public.) I try to remind myself that it must be so hard for them to have all of these feelings, and not understand how to properly express them. Start by saying, “I understand it must be so hard to ______.” This teaches empathy and understanding.
2. It’s ok to step away. Sometimes it just seems too much to handle. Instead of letting the problem escalate, step away. Take a deep breath. Re-access the situation and then walk back in the room to handle. So simple, but works!
3. Talk, don’t yell. I’ve found anytime I yell, they hear nothing I am saying. It reverts their focus to the yelling. Simply talking with them and helping them understand is far more beneficial.
“Yelling silences your message. Speak quietly so your children can hear your words instead of just your voice.” – L.R. Knost
4. Before bed each night we make a point to fill the boys up with positive affirmations. Letting them go to bed feeling proud and loved is so powerful. Here are some simple ones:
– I’m grateful for you.
– You are so loved.
– I was so proud of you for sharing your toys with your brother today.
– You are so creative and did a great job coloring today.
– Great job being so patient at the grocery store.
5. Start each morning with positive affirmation/gratitude.
– It’s going to be a great day!
– I’m so grateful to get to play with you today.
– Let’s be kind to our brother today.
6. Replace negative language with positive language. (This one is hard at first, but once you’ve made the switch it comes second nature.)
Example:
“No running!” = “Walk, please.”
7. Surround yourself with like minded parents/children. This is like the age old saying, “You are who you surround yourself by.” Finding other parents who are positive and surrounding your children by them is crucial! If they are seeing discipline that contradicts yours regularly, they find that to be the norm.
8. Acknowledge when you are wrong. Let’s be real, we are all going to slip up. If you do yell or snap, be sure to acknowledge and apologize. They will mimic this when they are in the wrong. “I’m sorry mommy yelled, I know that isn’t kind and is disrespectful.”
9. Empower your children and teach them to empower others.
Phrases like, “I know that was a hard tower to build, but you stuck with it and did a great job!”
10. Show your child respect. Seems simple, but we often don’t think of children to deserve respect in the same manner as adults. When we are respectful and nurturing to a child, not only do they learn this behavior, but it helps them with learning, coping with stress and even memory.
I HIGHLY recommend the book The Gentle Parent: Positive, Practical, Effective Discipline . Also, the TV show “Daniel Tiger” on PBS (based off of Mr.Rogers) is great on showing positive behaviors and kindness. I have another blog post on raising kind kids that you can read HERE.
P.S. We LOVE these Rowdy Sprout band tees. As a music business family we totally respect that they ethically receive the rights to the band’s logos. They are so soft and cozy! USE CODE: “IMYOURBEAU” for 10% off on their site!
There is something SO magical about New York Fashion Week. So many dreams are coming true for so many, and the energy is amazing!
I loved strolling the streets, taking on PR meetings, meeting other bloggers, and finding so much inspiration in the street style.
For day one I decided to go with fall’s HOTTEST trend…animal print! We hit the ground running as soon as we arrived in NYC. This leopard blazer and matching silk shorts were great for meetings as well as more informal gatherings. Each of these pieces can be worn apart and extremely versatile. These were a bit of a splurge, but I’ve found several similar options that are a bit more budget friendly as well.
The exact blazer can be found HERE and the exact shorts HERE. You can find a more budget friendly option ($32!) HERE. These sunglasses are a chloe dupe, and an under $20 find!
HOW TO STYLE ANIMAL PRINT
*Treat it as a neutral. No, really! You can mix it with other prints or patterns. It can go with any color you wish as well.
*This trend isn’t just leopard (even though I’ve been seeing a TON of that!) Think tiger print, snakeskin, anything animal inspired!!
*Go BOLD! Head to toe animal print! For this, I prefer a neutral shoe.
TOP FALL FASHION TRENDS
1. Animal Prints- (YAY!)
2. Shades of White- Break the rules. White after labor day is totally allowed. This fall it’s even encouraged. 😉
3. Bold Shoulders- Last year was all about the cold shoulder, this year is all about the bold!
4. Saville Row- Houndstooth, Plaid, etc. Anything with that great texture!
5. Western Wear- A modern approach to western wear. Also, seeing a more “space cowboy look.” Lots of western wear partnered with metallics and modern touches.
Thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I may receive a small commission from items purchased from affiliate links.
I love that on Nordstrom’s website when you are looking at an item you can scroll down and see style suggests on how to wear the piece. Luckily, they had me style some looks for fall that are now live on their site! Each one of these are items you can get a lot of wear out of, but are also on trend for this season.
Skincare is the most important beauty regime for me. As I age, I realize that taking good care of your skin is SO important. If I could only go back to college age me and make sure I took all my makeup off after a night out… cringe worthy now.
Don’t get me wrong I love makeup, but good skin makes you glow from within. There isn’t much time for makeup these days, but I MAKE time each night for skincare. It seems like a lot, but I can complete this routine in about 10 minutes.
A few months ago, I reviewed a different moisturizer for a week each for six months. (You can find that HERE. )
After that experiment I was even more motivated to find the best possible skincare routine for hydrated and younger looking skin. I jumped on Instastories and asked for recommendations, and tried SO many of them.
Dr.Biesman is an amazing doctor here in Nashville that has previously done my Botox. (Along with so many celebrities!) His office recommended SkinMedica products, and I have LOVED them. The biggest difference in my skin started after implementing them into my daily/nightly routine.
After removing all the makeup thoroughly, I use the Korres Greek Yoghurt Cleanser. You can keep this in the shower as well to incorporate into your shower routine. It has a great lather to it that isn’t too “soapy”, but leaves my face feeling so fresh and clean.
About two or three times a week I partner the cleansing with the Clarisonic. I was so late on the Clarisonic train, but I totally see why everyone loves it. Allure has a “best of beauty” awards and this is always on it. It helps to even out your skin, with firmness and with fine lines and wrinkles.
Anytime my lips are dry or flaky I will add Tarte’s Pout Prep Lip Exfoliant into the routine. I just add it on my lips and exfoliate and remove with a cool washcloth.
After fully cleansing my skin I move on to correcting. The TNS essential serum is the product I believe has given my skin the biggest difference in tone and texture. It contains antioxidants, peptides, and other age defying ingredients. It lightens age spots and helps foster the skins ability for cell renewal. It’s the product that gives me the most “radiance.” I know this one is on the pricier side, but I HIGHLY recommend.
Since my skin is typically dry and lacking moisture I double up a bit in this department. I start with SkinMedica’s Dermal Repair Cream It’s a really thick moisturizer so I like to do this one at night. It’s a bit too thick to wear under makeup for my daytime routine, but perfect at night. This one is blended with hyaluronic acid so it locks in that moisture.
Then I put on the most magic of creams, Charlotte Tilbury’s Night Cream. It’s thick and I wake up with the softest skin you could possibly imagine!! SO. DANG. GOOD.
The last step is Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. This facial oil restores your skin while you sleep. It has lavender, squalane and evening primrose.
This has been the best nightly skincare routine I’ve found to date! I’m sure I will be switching it up and adding in products as I find great new ones, but it’s working so well for me currently!
I know it can be overwhelming when it comes to skincare. It is important to layer your products in the proper order. If you don’t it can cause some serious breakout and waste the product.
You can copy this to your phone if it helps!
Proper Order of Nightly Skincare Routine
1. Makeup Remover
2. Cleanser
3. Toner (I left this one out of the post, because I am still trying to find the perfect one. Lately I’ve been using Tarte’s Knockout Tingling Treatment. IT IS STRONG.)
4. Treatment Products
5.Night Cream
6. Eye Cream (Charlotte Tilbury’s is GREAT! You can find it HERE. )
7. Moisturizers
8. Facial Oil
Also, I will do masks or scrubs at night on occasion. I recently discovered the BEST. MASK. EVER. La Mer’s The Treatment Lotion Hydrating Mask. It has a full ounce of the treatment lotion in each mask. It’s so luxurious feeling and hydrating. It feels like you received a high end facial when you pull the mask off. If you are traveling or have a big event I would HIGHLY recommend using one of these. SO DANG GOOD!
I’ve found myself being overwhelmed lately with mom life, events, work life, etc. It was time for me to reel it in and get back to the basics so I started re-listening to The Secret. Instantly my mood changed. I was more patient with my babies, inspired with my work, and more happy in general.
My friend Caroline Hobby is such a joyful person and once told me that you get to choose what you think. You can choose to think positive thoughts or you can choose to think negative thoughts. It’s so simple, but powerful. What you think becomes what you are. (P.S. Be sure to check out her podcast Get Real with Caroline Hobby.) Sometimes you just need a kickstart to adjusting those thoughts. If you need a place to start this list is great!
Not complaining and maintaining a really happy attitude does not come naturally for me. Sometimes you just need to get in the right headspace.
Best Podcasts & Books on Positive Thinking
* The Secret – If you read one book it should be this one! I’ve read and listened to this multiple times. If you’ve wondered about how powerful positive thinking could be, this explains everything. It’s powerful stuff!
* The Lively Show- Jess Lively – She’s all about intention. There’s a reason she’s had over 10 million downloads. If you need to re-adjust your mindset into thinking of “why” you are doing things and be more purposeful than this is for you.
* Julie Solomon- The Influencer Podcast – This is my absolute go-to for all things “influencer”/blogger/entrepreneur. She’s positive and to the point. There are so many powerful women as guests that bring knowledge and insight into this field. I’ve noticed that each guest she’s had has a common theme, and that is their positive attitude towards their business.
* The Gratitude Project – Living a positive and happy life is rooted in being grateful for what you currently have. This is such a cool podcast that was inspired by Georgian Benta’s goal of inspiring 100,000 to change their lives through gratitude. Gratitude is a habit, and this podcast dives deep into that aspect.
It’s here!!! There are NOT many things I would stay up until 2am for these days.. but Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2018 is underway and I could not miss out!
I know it can be overwhelming since there are SO.MANY.PAGES. to sift through. No worries, I got you! After hours and hours and hours of checking out each and every page I’ve gathered the best deals in each category.
If you are wondering what all the craziness is about, I’ve explained the full sale in a previous post HERE.
I’ll also be doing tons of try on sessions so that ya’ll can see how things fit and look in person over on my Instagram account on the stories. You can follow me on that HERE.
Items sell out quickly and sometimes restock. I’ll be sure to update accordingly!
If there’s any specific questions you have or something that you are looking to find… I’m happy to help!
NORDSTROM ANNIVERSARY SALE 2018
OVERALL BEST DEALS
**(Click on any image in the collage to be directed straight to that item.)**
If you aren’t familiar with the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale…. you are missing out!! Take it from a level 4 Nordstrom shopper (I know, I know, it’s a problem…) this is the best way to shop the upcoming fall fashions. I’ve got tips and tricks to help you save the most and navigate through the sale.
Why this Sale is Different
This sale is different from most sales in that these are the upcoming fall season’s hottest pieces put up at majorly discounted prices rather than sizes that didn’t sell from a current season. Once the sale is over, whatever is left is then marked back up to MSRP. Pretty dang awesome.
Important Dates/Cardholders
From July 12-19th Nordstrom cardholders can shop the sale before it opens to the public. This is important because tons of the items will sell out before the public gets access to them. I’m not a big fan of store credit cards, personally, because it makes self control a little hard. However, they have an option where you can get all the rewards and it connects directly to your debit card! I love this option. If you have better self discipline with your spending, they have credit card options too! You can sign up HERE. If you are approved for the card, you receive a $20 Nordstrom note to use during the sale.
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale opens to the public from July 20th-August 5th. Prices go back up to normal MSRP on August 6th.
Items Sell Out…Fast.
Everyone loves a good sale and quantities are limited. SO… things sell out fast. Anyone remember the Topshop striped cardigan last year? People were selling it on ebay for triple the price because it was so hot.
A couple things you can do to make sure you secure the best deals:
1. Apply for the card so you can shop the early access.
2. Shop online first, and then in store. There is always a better chance of the item being available online. You can also buy online and pick up in store.
3. Buy first, return later. Ok, so I’m not a huge fan of having to return items. I’ve worked in retail and know the hassle. However, this is an exception. Nordstrom has one of the easiest and best return policies in all of retail. Go ahead and purchase the item and if you decide it wasn’t a great fit, or was an impulse decision, it is extremely easy to return. If you wait to think on it (which in most normal situations I would suggest) there is a great chance it will sell out.
4. Restocks happen frequently. They do restock items throughout the sale, so continue to go back to Nordstrom.com if you happened to miss out on something that you really would love.
How I can Help You
I’m pretty much a complete crazy A$$ when it comes to this sale. Early Access starts during my birthday week. I take that as a sign that I’m supposed to use that opportunity to the fullest. Year after year, I do. When the sale first goes live, I spend hours and hours browsing nearly every page for the best finds. (The sale spreads from women, baby, men, home, etc.) I typically look for classics that you can get tons of use out of in each category. They always have a killer leather jacket, great designer denim deals, designer handbags at majorly discounted prices, a beauty kit, booties/boots for fall, great staple coat, etc. This year I was able to get my hands on the media PDF’s and I’ve been creating lots of collages with breakdowns of the best deals in each category. Let me just tell you, it does not disappoint.
I’ll also go to the store the first day and check out everything in person. Be sure to watch my Instastories to view the items. This way if you have questions about quality or something similar, I can do my best to help you out. I so look forward to this as I don’t take nearly as many styling jobs as I did before the boys were born. It’s truly so fun for me!
Triple Point Day/Card benefits
If you decide you do not want to become a cardholder, you can still join Nordstrom Rewards. With the rewards program you will get 1 point for every $1 spent. I HIGHLY recommend doing that.
Cardholders rack up points quicker gaining 2 points for every $1 spent. (This applies to Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, HauteLook and Trunk Club.) You get reimbursed in notes for alterations as well. Throughout the year, there are double points, and triple points days. These are great times to make larger purchases as the notes can really add up quickly!
You also get to choose a triple point day! The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is absolutely the day to do that. Not only are you saving money from the discounted prices, but you also are making money from the notes to spend later. They don’t expire for a year. I typically majorly stock up during the sale, and get a ton of $20 notes. It’s hard to do, but I try to save those notes for Christmas time. I then use them for gifts. Around that time, it’s always great to have that option!
Hope this helps! If you have any questions or need help, feel free to contact me HERE. . Happy shopping. 🙂
Recently, we went through the home buying process and it wasn’t quite the “House Hunters” experience I was hoping it would be. Nashville’s market is HOT and Trey and I are picky. That combo led to a full year of hunting.
We had specific things that we really wanted in our home. An all white kitchen, a large master suite and an in-law suite on the main floor with the boys’ rooms upstairs, a playroom, a movie room, a home office, etc. Finding these things in the style that we wanted was next to impossible. I thank my lucky stars everyday we were able to find our home, but it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
I recently discovered HomLuv and it can save you from some of these troubles and help you build your dream home!
* You pick a location. It is tailored to where you want to live. For us, we knew we wanted to be zoned for a specific school district. You could either niche down to a very small area, or choose a more broad location (i.e. Nashville) and let the home decide the location.
* It uses visual discovery! Hallelujah, some other visual people! They use actual images from builders. (Pinterest worthy by the way..) You can select by room. We were very particular about an all white kitchen, and a large master suite. You could specifically look for those things. You then “like” or “dislike” the different images.
* HomLuv tracks all of your “likes” and “dislikes”. It then formulates recommendations based on your style preferences, location, and budget. It pairs you with builders/homes that fit your needs.
For me, and I know so many others just getting started is the hardest part of the building process. HomeLuv takes that first step for you and makes it simple!
* HomLuv then becomes a tracking resource. You can reach out to builders directly from their site. You then have all communication from different builders in one location and can reference back easily.
It truly makes building your dream home a more streamlined and easier experience. If you’ve been thinking about a new home, this is such an awesome way to go!
