Archives for February 2018

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With warmer weather just around the corner, swimsuits are on my mind! These days, bathing suits can be so expensive, so any discount is much appreciated! Lucky for us, every suit above is up to 25% off during the Shopbop sale! Spend more than $200 {which most of these suits qualify for} and you get 15-25% off using the code: GOBIG18. My favorites #6, #10, #13, #14, #16, & #19 {I already own #3 & #21!} What are yours? Any of these styles would be great for summer! Happy sale shopping!

A few of my other sale favorites are below!

Dress: See by Chloe Frilly T-Shirt Dress on sale! {also avail here} // Shoes: The Fix Chambray Slides // Bag: vintage, almost exact here // Sunglasses: Celine // Earrings: Annie Costello Brown

I love a t-shirt dress in the spring & summertime, and this one is especially fun with the ruffle sleeve detail. The slight peplum makes the fact that you’re wearing a t-shirt feel much more special & I especially loved it paired here with these super fun chambray slides. Chambray is one of my favorite materials {I’ll take it any which way it comes!} and it feels so fresh here with this dress. This dress could easily be dressed up with a fun pair of heels – I love these – & boom! This dress is ready for night.

Hope you all had an incredible weekend! After 6 days of straight rain, yesterday’s sunshine was such a welcomed blessing. My husband and I {& our two pups} spent the entire day out at the ranch 🙂 Happy Monday!

photos: The Retro Penguin

Top: The Great silk sleeper shirt {currently 60% off} // Bottoms: The Great Pajama trousers {also 60% off} // Shoes: Steve Madden Carrson sandal // Bag: Old, similar here // Lipstick: Chanel no. 104 // Earrings: here // Necklace: Shashi Lariat // Sunglasses: Celine // Earrings: Nordstrom

The look above is one of my favorites. First of all, its essentially a pajama set you can wear in public {so that’s an obvious win} but more than that it’s comfortable, stylish and chic for anyone at any age. I’m also convinced you could easily pair this with black or silver sandals and be good to go for a more laid back look. The fabric is also a very light silk, so it would be a beautiful set to wear as we go into spring & summertime. Did I mention it’s currently 60% off? I’m wearing a 0 in top & bottom.

Now onto the good stuff – my favorite Instagram accounts. Selfishly I decided to compile this list so that I could remember all of my favorites in one spot. Not-so-selfishly, I wanted to share them with you guys because they are that dang good. I brag about these accounts as if I know/own them – but really I’m just so excited & into everything they share, that I love sharing it with those around me. Everything from sweet animal videos on ABC News, to the in-depth creating + editing process that goes into Jamie Beck’s images, I feel like these accounts keep me in the know, and keep me cool. So without further adieu….

Humans of NY @humansofny – Of all the accounts I follow on Instagram, this might be the very best. It’s heartwarming, and heartbreaking, adorable, sweet and innocent, enlightening and inspiring all at once. Brandon Stanton started sharing the stories of strangers in New York in 2010, soon expanding his travels {& therefore his storytelling} to over 20 countries from around the world. Love in Bangladesh, violence in Iraq, the migrant refugee crisis in Europe…Brandon has given random strangers a platform and a voice, allowing all 7.7M of his followers the opportunity to learn, get involved and be a part of something bigger. Do yourself a favor and buy one of Brandon’s 5 New York Times best selling books & follow him on Instagram. It will become you’re new favorite account.

Ann Street Studio @annstreetstudio – My sister introduced me to this account a few months ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. Jamie Beck left New York City with her husband {& co-creator of Cinemagraph} last year and moved to Provence. Her imagery is some of the most inspiring and beautiful that I’ve seen, but what’s more, is that Jamie takes us behind the scenes as she creates her images on her stories. Everything from the neighborhood foraging of sticks and berries, to the proping, taping, and editing of the sometimes many, many frames, Jamie gives us a behind the scenes glimpse into her beautiful & soothing life in the French countryside. Her images often tell a story, and I love nothing more than opening my Instagram account and seeing that Jamie has updated her account. Most of my favorites are from Jamie’s self portrait series {that she shoots herself, by herself} including this stunning hat portrait, this cupid shot, ‘body & soul‘ & last but not least, this incredible self portrait meant to represent the weight she gained over the holidays. I have introduced many of my friends to her stories, and most, if not all, echo in my near fan-girl obsession with her. She’s beautiful, smart, incredibly talented, and most of all, refreshing in a saturated sea of sameness.

ABC News @abcnews – I love following ABC news on Instagram because I don’t watch tv, and following this account gives me a skimm of all the important {and sometimes not so important, but nonetheless interesting, heartwarming and/or cute} news going on in the world.

The Defined Dish – @thedefineddish & Whole 30 Recipes @whole30recipes –  My two favorite food accounts also go hand-in-hand because they both make showcase drool worthy whole 30 inspired food & recipes on a daily basis. Alex, from The Defined Dish, is a good friend, and the person who introduced me to the Whole 30 concept. She’s a pro and has been featured on the Whole30 handle 2x now {a big deal!} If you don’t know, the Whole30 lifestyle emphasizes eating whole foods while eliminating categories like sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy from your diet. Alex herself is a mom to two adorable little girls, and whips up delicious & healthy family friendly meals that even makes my husband forget he’s not eating sugar or dairy. She seriously makes giving up entire food categories easy.  The Whole30 recipes handle is equally as amazing because I’ve discovered numerous other food bloggers on their stories whom I love following, like The Primal Gourmet, Physical Kitchness, and Little Bits of Real Food to name a few.

Erin & Sara Foster – These semi-famous sisters in LA are hilarious and always making fun of themselves, each other and everyone & everything else in such a dry and satirical way – I can’t help but laugh and always try to watch their stories whenever I see them pop up.

Diet Prada @diet_prada – I must admit, I don’t always understand the fashion references this anonymous account holder is making, but I do love learning and reading about them nonetheless!  He specializes in calling people out who are knocking off designer designs and sometimes it gets really juicy.  His red carpet & fashion week round ups are my favorite because they’re always so funny & honest & dare I say it? Spot on. Call it out sista!

Farah Dhukai @Farahdhukai – Y’all I can’t get enough of Farah’s crazy DIY beauty videos. They’re creative, ingenius & best of all inexpensive and something you could easily try at home. This DIY glow mask? Made from a tea packet! This leave in conditioner? ALOE VERA. Under eye circles? Another tea bag. Dull skin? White clay. I could go on for hours, but instead I’ll let you fall deep down that rabbit hole on your own.

Emily Dougherty @emilydougherty – former Elle Magazine beauty editor, and now editor-in-chief of NewBeauty, Emily Dougherty hit my radar when my sister tagged me in one of her mesmerizing lipstick smashing videos. While the mashups are just plain addictive, they’re also purposeful – Emily saves every mix she makes and reuses them for shoots & stories in the office. Besides just creating new colors and textures that don’t really exist on the market otherwise, she’s inspiring other people to get creative with their make up {including myself!} and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Amanda Frederickson @amandafrederickson – Once a week, on Wednesdays, Amanda scours her fridge to do make dinner with what random ingredients she has inside. #frideforaging, as she calls it, has become one of my favorite things to watch – we {her followers} literally get to sit back and watch as her brain invents a two new dishes on the spot, and then once each is listed out and described, Amanda lets us vote on which dish she makes. Amazing, right?  With a background at William Sonoma, Amanda has an eye for design, detail and of course, savory delicious meals. I look forward to it every Wednesday –  and I think you would too!

Imperfect Produce @imperfectproduce – These “ugly” fruits and veggies are actually some of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Another account my sister introduced me too {she subscribes to their delivery service in California} this account showcases some of their adorable, yet still perfectly delicious produce that regular super markets won’t buy. Strawberries that are too small, lemons that are too big, oranges that are just plain ugly….this account is doing more than just bringing awareness to the amount of food waste happening when farmers create less than ‘perfect’ produce – they’re giving said produce a second life! I must also admit that their nerdy cute employee who raps about produce on their stories is also my favorite…..

Chemist Confessions @chemist.confessions – as someone who’s pretty recently interested in beauty, I love this account for all it teaches me about what ingredients are actually in the products I’m reading about & buying. I think we’re all guilty of wanting something just because of the name brand {is La Mer actually amazing & worth the money, or do we just want it because it’s La Mer? She breaks it down for you!} It’s also really great when she details a new product from a new line I’ve heard about. i.e., The Ordinary {heard great things} & Drunk Elephant {own & love} She may have a relatively small following now, but I know big things are in her future!

Honorable Mention:
Classical Art Memes @classical_art_memes – These make me laugh every dang time.
Mouniiiir – @mouniiiir – Not even sure how I found this account, but his hair videos are next level mesmerizing. Who doesn’t love a good before & after?
Jim and Juice @jimandjuice – I just like his art & Laura Deems @_lauradeems – Basquiat is my all time favorite artist and Laura’s work just echo’s that style in a really beautiful & modern way.

Ok phew! There you have it! These are all my current favorite Instagram finds – hope you love them as much as I do! And feel free to leave a few of your favorites in the comment section – can’t wait to see!