Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Valentine's Day Outfit Ideas

Tomorrow is the first day of February and I can' believe it. I read a post on facebook and it said "It feels like it's January 74th" and I have never related to something so much in my life, this month dragged on. But now its over and its spring is on the way, so today I found some cute outfits for Valentine's day and I have them from the most expensive to least expensive and then all the way at the end is a super cute casual outfit!

This dress is so stunning this is the Milly Mandy Ruffle Cuff Shift dress from Nordstrom and it retails at 395$ so it is more of a high end dress. I personally think that is a little high for a shift dress but there are some alternatives, if you like the bell sleeves of this dress there is this one at Old Navy. Old Navy also has these shift dresses which don't have the bell sleeves but are just as beautiful.

This dress is a Charles Henry off the shoulder dress, also from Nordstrom and is less expensive than the first one at only $88. This red color is absolutely stunning but if this is still a little too expensive for you then there is this off the shoulder dress at target for only $23 which is equally as gorgeous. 


This lace trim ruffle dress is the least expensive at only $24 from Target, I love the blush color and it is such a sweet and perfect dress for Valentines day.

Top: JCrew Factory | Pants: Old Navy | Shoes: Target | Bag: Old Navy | Earrings: Sugarfix
This is a more causal Valentines day outfit and more of what my outfit for the date night will look like. Kyle and I like to keep it more low key but I still think this outfit is so cute, I am obsessed with these earrings from sugarfix by baublebar. I personally think sugarfix is the best collaboration Target has ever done!



Monday, January 29, 2018

J Crew Teddie Sweater

Can you actually believe that I put up an outfit post today?? The last outfit post I put up was this one at the beginning of December. Honestly, it has been so cold here that I knew for me my pictures wouldn't come out the way I wanted them to so I held off for a little but we are back now and I have some pretty cute outfits to come in the future. 




Sweater: J Crew | Jeans: Banana Republic (Cheaper on Banana Republic factory) | Shoes: Target | Bag: Kate Spade

 For my first outfit back I am coming to you in a J Crew Teddie Sweater and if you don't own one of these you need to go out and get one. There are so many different ways to wear these that they are so worth it and they come in so many different colors. I have been thinking about doing a post that focuses on one item and shows three or four different ways to wear it. This teddie would be my first item so if that's something you want to see in the future let me know in the comments below!

Kyle bought me this Kate Spade bag for Christmas and I am obsessed with it, there are compartments on the sides and then a middle part which makes for so much room. Speaking of Kyle did you read his Valentine's day gift guide for him post from Friday? I always think his posts are hysterical to read. If you haven't read it you need to go look at it and there are some really good gift ideas in there.



Friday, January 26, 2018

Valentine's Day Gifts for Him | By Kyle


        Hey guys, this is Kyle, Kelsey's very handsome boyfriend. Valentine's day means a lot to me. It's a time for me to show my girlfriend how much she means to her, although I should probably do that every day! Kelsey and I are going to a nice dinner at a great restaurant known as Bellinis! They have great chicken marsala and an even better Margherita pizza! They have this funky mousse dish for dessert that I guess is great, so I'm looking forward to attempting it.

          Now another thing that we do is give each other little gifts each year, I personally love buying things for her, therefore I always agree with gifts. up yonder are just some of the great ideas that most guys might enjoy. The Dome backpack by steve madden. It's very unique looking, a little different looking than the average bag. Some other alternatives would be obviously Northface,  I really enjoy the Jansport bags and also Nike bags! I personally really need a new headset, and luckily gaming controllers nowadays have the 3.5mm jack which allows for basically any headset to work with PS4, Xbox One, and PC. There are also some really good budget headsets on the market right now. The Recon Chat is about 25 dollars and it has an extremely comfortable earpiece and has some pretty good quality sound for a cheap headset, Another alternative if you want the 2 earbuds is the HyperX Cloud Stingers, they are 49.99 and they were named the number 1 budget headset. Another good gift idea is casual footwear. There are many pairs of shoes that are pleasant to look at, at an affordable price. I actually really enjoy the casual shoes from Target, Old Navy, and Zumies. I put a Golf tee shirt on here because you can probably find some really good deals on them because it is currently not golf season.

         It's really cold up here in New York and because of this I've decided to throw up there some Northface Gloves, they are extremely comfortable and very sleek looking. Also, they are very hefty like the winter gloves which is an added bonus. If you are looking for a quick gift to just get, Any video game is an awesome idea, I put up WWE 2k18 because it's a great game and I don't have it yet, other games to looking into are Star Wars Battlefront 2, Assassin's Creed Origins, and Monster Hunter Worlds! Well, that wraps up this lovely blog by Kyle Hitchcock-Powers. The one and only.






Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Valentine's Day Gift Guide For Her


Valentine's day is quickly approaching, which means it is time for the gift guides to start appearing. For Kyle and I we don't spend very much on Valentine's day we usually stick to a budget of about 50$ and then go to a nice restaurant. We have done this almost every year and this year we're going to be super boring with gifts because we are going right to Pandora to pick up a ring. Last year Kyle bought me this ring and this year I want a smaller ring to stack on top of it. The reason we are going to the store is because I want to pick one that looks the best with the ring I have, and Kyle is good with it so we are going for it!

Jewelry is always a great idea for any women for Valentine's day, I think the whole idea of something small and thoughtful is such a great thing for someone special in your life to show that you care. I am loving this bracelet from bony Levy and this bracelet from Gorjana, they are both so delicate and would be perfect to stack with other bracelets or wear on their own.

It's been awhile since I have looked on the Alex & Ani website but I recently saw this necklace on the Lord and Taylor website and I really love it. I love long necklaces with a stone especially the ones from Kendra Scott but I love this one and the meaning behind it. This is the love trio necklace which would be perfect for my mom because she has three kids it's also expandable so you can wear it short or long.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Skiing in Vermont





Yesterday we spent the day skiing at Mount Snow in Vermont, it was the perfect weather for skiing. We all actually went into the lodge and all took a layer off cause it was so warm outside. It was a great day with family and friends.

Sorry for the short post today it was a long and busy weekend, on Friday I went out and had dinner with some friends. Then on Saturday, we had a huge birthday party for my aunt, and then we spend the whole day yesterday skiing so I'm still getting myself adjusted for the week ahead on this Monday morning.

Friday, January 19, 2018

Weekly Review | Weekly Happenings



Weekly Review: This past week was my first week back at school, I don't have classes on Tuesday and Thursday this semester so I didn't start until Wednesday. I am mostly taking online classes this semester so I really have to utilize my planner and make sure I'm staying on top of my work this semester.

Weekend Happenings: This weekend I have a big family party which is always so fun to see everyone and gets the whole family together. On Sunday we are heading to Vermont to go skiing for the day, we are going to Mount Snow which is my favorite mountain. 

Favorite Things on The Internet (blogger edition):
  • Carly the Prepster: I check Carly's blog every day, I am obsessed with her style and her writing. Her blog is so crisp and clean and she has amazing tips and the cutest dogs ever. Her style is the one I most relate to.
  • The Sweetest Thing Blog: OMG Emily Gemma has the cutest baby Luke and the best style. I really like her blog but I love to follow her along on insta stories and snapchat, she is so real on those two social media platforms.
  • Lonestar Southern: I love Kate's blog, she is such a cute person and I would like to be her best friend! Through her blog, you can tell that she is such a sweet person.

Favorite Finds:

  • Ellen's new TV show: Ellen has a new TV show called Ellen's Game of Game's, if you haven't seen this show then you need to stop what you are doing and go watch it. First of all, Ellen is just plain hysterical but then you add in these games that she makes these people do and it is the funniest show ever, I was watching it with my mom and she said she was sad when it's over. It's a must watch.
  • Ember mug: If you read my morning routine post from last week then you would know that I reheat my coffee multiple times a day because it keeps getting cold. Well, this Ember mug would solve all of my problems. I really want one but they are a little on the pricey side, but I think it would be worth it.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Words of Affirmation for the Cold Winter Months

Have you ever found yourself feeling down about yourself or doubtful? Maybe you've had a rough day or maybe you're just struggling to keep your chin up, but sometimes loving yourself can be really hard. That's why repeating quotes or affirmations to yourself can be so helpful!


Using this self-love generator from Gifts you can find the perfect quote or affirmation for what you need. For instance, if you are struggling with self-esteem or self-acceptance, you can filter your quotes and affirmations so that it shows you encouraging words like "I am enough" or "I value myself and my imperfections." It's a great way to find exactly the words you need to hear so you can feel good and value yourself and your worth.









With the semester starting this week, quotes like these can be really important when the overload of assignments and information hits. Positive words are also an amazing reminder in everyday life of how amazing you are. 

Friday, January 12, 2018

My Morning Routine

Morning Routines on YouTube are one of my favorite videos to watch, I really love Alex Garza's videos of her morning and night routines. So I thought that I would share what my morning routine looks like.


First thing when I wake up in the morning I usually frantically look for my glasses which I placed somewhere the night before and can not remember where they are. Then I stay in bed for a little while longer and check my phone most of the time its Instagram or my postmark account.


When I finally make it out of bed I go make myself a cup of coffee which is nothing special but I love it and look forward to it every morning. I use the sugar-free French vanilla creamer and 1 packet of sweet and low. I love coffee but I am defiantly that person that forgets about it and then it gets cold so I reheat it like 2 or 3 times. I need one of the Ember coffee mugs.


After I reheat my coffee I go downstairs and I start to do my hair and makeup. I like to switch out eyeshadow pallets and right now I am obsessed with this morphe pallet that I got from Kaitlin for Christmas. I love all the dark brown shades and the pigment in these eyeshadows is unbelievable if you've never had a morphe pallet I highly recommend it. My holy grail product would have to be this mascara, I've never used a mascara that has made my eyelashes look so good. This is another product I would highly recommend.




This is my outfit for today, and honestly, during the winter months, this is pretty much what my everyday wear looks like. I usually go for a chunky warm sweater and a pair of dark jeans because it is just too cold here for anything else. This sweater is the perfect throw on sweater and I am obsessed with the color. 


Right now I am trying to eat as healthy as I can, so my breakfast usually looks just like this. One egg fried with one slice of Canadian bacon with a very small amount of salt and pepper. Some days if I want to switch it up I will make scrambled eggs with a small amount of ketchup but that is rare.


So that is pretty much what my everyday morning looks like, the times of when I get up really depend on what I have going up that day but it's usually never later than 9 o'clock. 

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Winter Hair Care Essentials



I recently wrote a post all about my favorite item for winter, you can see that post here. In that post, I didn't focus on hair, but in the winter time, my hair can really feel the effects of the cold air and the big coats that have to be worn. My hair becomes a big ball of static and I don't think I have a bigger pet peeve that static hair. I have a few tips that I have found to fix that so we will get to those later on in this post.


There are a few products that I swear by during the winter months to keep my hair looking healthy. The first is this shampoo by the company maple holistics, it is made with natural tree oil which allows for therapeutic benefits and can improve your scalp health. There is also a conditioner that corresponds to this shampoo which I am dying to try out, but for now, I am using the tresemmé moisture rich conditioner. I am currently loving the combination of this shampoo and this conditioner together. This company is really awesome because they have a free samples program which you can sign up for if you click here.

Other than shampoo and conditioner I don't use much on my hair unless I am using heat on it. If I am going blow dry my hair I like to apply the Pantene BB Cream. It's a cream that I run through my hair while its wet right before I dry it. 


My hair tends to get super oily if I don't wash it every single day which is something that I am currently working on trying to change (not as easy as one would think). So the perfect dry shampoo is something that I am always on the hunt for. To be honest, if you haven't heard about Batiste dry shampoo you're doing life wrong. I also try to try a new one and always resort back to this one. 

Thanks to Maple Holistics for collaborating on today's post!

Monday, January 8, 2018

My Favorite Items for Winter

So I originally had an outfit post planned out for today but it has not reached above 1 degree here in lovely Upstate New York. And since I didn't feel like freezing my buttock off to take photos of me where I wasn't bundled in a big jacket, hat, and gloves, I figured I would share some of my favorite items that I use during the winter months.




I received these bow gloves for Christmas from Kyle and they are so thick and warm, I love them, the only thing is that they are white with tan bows and white gloves get dirty so quickly. But the good news is they also come in grey with black bows. I'm also loving the knit hats with the puffs on the top, I'm not sure if I'm a hat person but I'm gonna rock it anyways.

I also linked a few beauty items that help me get through the winter months. One item that I don't think I could survive the winter without is chapstick. Especially Burt's Bee's chapstick which almost feels like it stings but I think works the best. My lips get so dry and it can get so painful, I literally have a chapstick in a pocket of every jacket and purse that I own.

My skin always gets so dry due to the cold weather but also because of the medication I'm on from my dermatologist. So it is really important for me to use a moisturizer, my dermatologist himself told me to use Neutrogena because it is so good for your skin. I really like this oil-free one because it does not irritate your skin at all.


Friday, January 5, 2018

What I Got From the Lilly Sale | What I Wish I Got

At the end of the year, I will be graduating with my bachelor's degree from college and every time I have a big moment in my life I have to get a Lilly dress to wear. This year Kyle was kind enough to let me pick out a Lilly dress during the sale to get for graduation.


I picked out this Mila Shift dress mainly because of the detailing along the neckline I think it is so different and such a cute statement piece. I love this bright print which is going to look so pretty this summer and I am so excited to get it!!

So this year this is the only piece I got because I am on a budget and I'm trying to save money for my new car but there were so many other things I could have bought this year. 


*All of these things linked above are from the sale but from other stores and may not be on sale. They also may be other patterns than the ones that were included in the sale.