Grey Turtleneck Sweater

Jacket: Gap (Similar and Similar) | Turtleneck: JCrew (very similar) | Jeans: Banana Republic |

 Boots: Target | Tote: Mark & Hall 

These days it's honestly just been way to cold outside to even consider dressing up or think about anything other than not being cold. Thankfully we have had a couple of days that snuck where you walk outside and you don't feel like you have icicles coming out of your eyes. This Saturday was sort of one of those days, Kyle and I went up to Saratoga and checked out Chowderfest. After we ate our weight in chowder we went back home and ran some errands before heading to dinner with some friends.  Overall a good weekend, and sad that it is Monday. 

Turtlenecks are something that I think will always be in, this pattern is currently sold out at JCrew but they have this one which is the same style. I always roll the sleeves up on my sweaters because one, I like the look of it better that way and two, nine times out of ten the sleeves are way too long for my arms. Like I said we went to Chowderfest and this was the perfect outfit for that, but this outfit can be worn to so many different places such as a dress down day for work. Paired with this Mark & Hall tote bag it is perfect for errands, school, or work. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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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. 

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!

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.