Changes

Hiiiii! I haven't posted on this blog for almost a year (yikes!) but today I decided it was time to give blogging another try. So today, I thought I'd give you all an update on the past year of my life, where I've been and what I've been up to. A lot has changed in my life, and is continuing to change every day.

I dyed my hair blonde (back to it's natural color!)

I graduated high school

And started college

If you want an extensive look at what I've been up to the past year, go ahead and stalk me away on twitter and instagram! (and go ahead and follow me too)

Of course these aren't the only things that have happened, but those are just the highlights (and believe me when I say I could bore you all to tears with the lowlights (I joined a sorority... and then dropped out, made a few friends... and then didn't make any more). It's been a rough year for me, but I'm hoping to get my life back on track and hoping that through this blog you will be able to follow me through it!

Accessorizing with Leopard

Happy friday! To celebrate the weekend, I decided to blog about something fun today: Leopard. Leopard print notoriously has the reputation of being extremely tacky. And not going to lie, I definitely had a leopard velour Juicy Couture hoodie in middle school. However in moderation, I absolutely love leopard print pieces. Scarves, belts, shoes, even bags can add a fun accent to an outfit, and can be a good beginner way to mix prints without jumping right in to florals and stripes.

There really isn't any reason to spend a lot on accent pieces like these, so my flats are from Target. I however couldn't find a nice leopard print belt anywhere, so decided to splurge on this one from J. Crew.

Shirt (J. Crew), Jeans (American Eagle), Belt (J. Crew), Flats (Target), Bracelet (J. Crew), Watch (Charming Charlie)

Current Wish List

1. Lilly Pulitzer Christine Dress. I know I don't need any more Lilly after everything I bought from the Target collection, but the monday after the Target fiasco, Lilly launched their summer line and I am OBSESSED. I especially love the new Besame Mucho pattern, but my mom said it looked too similar to Nosie Posie and since I just got a Nosie Posie shift, I should hold off. Other favorites from the collection include:
2. Lilly Pulitzer Buttercup Shorts. Tusk In Sun is back. This is not a drill, I repeat, TUSK IN SUN IS BACK. One of my all-time favorite lilly prints that I unfortunately don't have anything clothing in, just a few accessories. Once I saw that the print was being re-introduced in pink, I knew that this time I would get something. And how cute are the scallops on these shorts?
3. Lilly Pulitzer Raegan Dress. Another classic pattern, First Impressions, reintroduced in yellow. This is probably their most popular dress right now, and I've been eyeing since it came out. I've never really been a fan on yellow on me, but I really want to give this dress a shot. I just don't know if I can cough up the $238 for it...
4. Sperry Boat Shoes. I have a few pairs of classic Sperrys, but was really drawn to the print of these (the website describes them as 'Liberty Print Boat Shoes', so I'm guessing they are Liberty of London. These would look perfect with some colored chinos and a button-up for this summer.
5. Mac Powder. I've been looking to try a new face powder, and am considering trying a Mac one. I'm stuck between getting the 'Mineralize Skinfinish Natural' powder, or the 'Studio Fix' powder. If anyone has tried either of these, I'd love to hear your opinions in the comments.
6. Ray Ban 50mm Retro Sunglasses. I've been thinking of investing in a new, nice pair of sunglasses and am thinking of going with a pair of Ray-Bans. I currently have a pair of 7 for all mankind sunglasses (purchased at Nordstrom Rack), but have wanted some Ray-Bans for a while now.
7. Tory Burch Miller Sandals. I am in desperate need of a pair of black sandals. And since I already have 4 pairs of Jack Rogers and honestly did not love the black Jacks (black jack... lol...), I figured I'd switch things up a bit with these. Not quite sure if I can justify the $195 price tag though... maybe the Mini Miller would be better.

My Lilly for Target Experience

I had anticipated that the Lilly for Target launch would be crazy. I had no idea just how crazy it would be, though. Around 11:15 pm EST last night, many of the Lilly Pulitzer for Target items were available to purchase on the mobile site, via an external source (I used google). I don't believe this worked for everyone, but I was able to get my Nosie Posie shift with no problem. I debated ordering everything on my list last night, but I wanted to see many of the items in person and the Nosie Posie shift was the only item I wanted that I thought would be online-only.

This morning I got to my local target at around 7:30. People were waiting in their cars, but no one had lined up. Since it was a nice morning, me and my mom decided to get in line. Others followed suit and we ended up being second in a line of about 30. Target employees were very helpful, coming out and answering questions about what merchandise they had in and where it was located in the store. Everyone in line was friendly, but tense because once the doors opened everyone knew all bets were off, and as nice as the pregnant lady behind me was, I was not going to let her beat me to those pom-pom shorts.

Once the doors opened, I made a mad dash to the clothing while my mom went to accessories. I was stunned to see that there was only two racks of clothing. Many of the items that I passed up online last night (Fan Dance shift and Happy Place romper, to name a few) weren't there at all. The pieces they did have only had about one of each size. The racks were emptied in under 30 seconds. Even though I was one of the first to reach the racks, I still had to grab a size up in both of the dresses I ended up getting. I could've gotten the dresses if I was just a few seconds quicker, but I took a detour on the way to grab some headbands. My mom ended up getting 4 scarves, and then found one more discarded at the check-out. By the time we made it over to the home goods, everything there was cleared out too.

Maybe it's just because I live in the midwest where Lilly isn't all that popular, but I was really shocked by how little merchandise they had in the store. Targets in places in Florida and the south had lines wrapped around the building... hopefully they got more merchandise than we did here, or there will be some very disappointed Lilly-lovers.

I ended up getting 5 scarves (one of which I think I'll give to my sister), two dresses, a pair of shorts, two headbands and flip-flops. My mom ended up only getting a top for herself (not pictured, but it was the v-neck tank in Nosie Posie)

What did you guys get from the collection? Was your experience any better (or worse!) than mine?

Strategizing: Lilly Pulitzer for Target

Hi all! Sorry for being MIA lately. After the craziness of the past few weeks (committing to a college for next year, starting a new job, among other stressors of being a second semester senior in high school) I'm happy to say that I will be back and blogging again! I had some free time on my hands tonight so I figure I'd blog about the only thing I've been able to think about all day: The launch of the Lilly Pulitzer x Target collection.

Having shopped the Endless Summer Sale and New Year Cheer sale for the past 4 years, I know firsthand how crazy us Lilly-lovers can get the few times we can score a deal on our favorite shift dresses. For those of you who don't know, twice a year Lilly Pulitzer has an online warehouse sale with AMAZING discounts. Dresses for as low as $70 and scarves for as low as $40, this is a HUGE event for any Lilly-lover. The site crashes every year, and things sell out in minutes. The upcoming Lilly for Target collection has dresses for under $40, and scarves for $20 so you can bet that this sale is going to fly off the shelves.

Target won't release an official launch time for the collection online, but rumor has it that the collection will become available in waves, starting anytime from 12-2AM EST as to not crash the site. Let's just hope we don't have a repeat of the Missoni for Target fiasco.

Here's my plan of attack for scoring everything I want from this collection.

1. Pre-shop the collection online.  Familiarize yourself with the collection and mark all the items that you want, so you won't be overwhelmed when you get to the store/log on to the site. Also make sure to set a budget for yourself (The prices are also online already, so there will be no surprises during check-out). Here's my wishlist for this collection (note that I will not be purchasing ALL of this)

2. Realize that some items are online only. If you are shopping the plus-size collection, that is all online only along with a few other items. Only two of the items on my list are online-only, so I plan to stay up and purchase those then get the rest at my local target in the morning.

3.Shop Early. If you're planning on doing all your shopping online, you should probably anticipate a few hours of hitting refresh at your computer while sipping a coffee and reminding yourself that it will be worth it once you get your new Lilly. If you're shopping in-store, most targets will open at 8AM. I'm planning on getting to my target at 7:45, but this will vary based on where you live. Since I live in the midwest, Lilly isn't super popular and while I'm anticipating a crowd, it won't be as bad in places in Florida or the south where Lilly is well-known and coveted. I've heard some ladies are planning on getting to their Targets as early as 6AM to line up.

4. Divide and Conquer. Target has said that the Lilly items will be within the normal departments (clothing with clothing, homegoods with home, ect.). The best way to reach all departments before items sell out is to bring a friend with you and each take on one or two departments. I'm bringing my mom with my tomorrow morning, so we can cover as much ground as possible in little time.



Have fun tomorrow, and stay classy Lilly lovers! Good luck!

OOTD 2/25

I can't remember the last time I've seen the sun. My sunglasses haven't left their case in ages. These photos were actually taken moments before it started to snow. AGAIN. Times like these make me really resent my parents for deciding to live in the midwest. Well, today I opted for my most simple and probably favorite vest/sweater combo. This vest is quite a gem; it looks exactly like one from J. Crew, but only cost around $30 at Old Navy. Now I am all for splurging to get good quality clothes, but why on earth would anyone pay triple the price just so they could say their vest is from J. Crew?

I promise I own shoes other than Bean Boots. I just never wear them...

Vest (Old Navy), Sweater (Old Navy), Jeans (American Eagle), Monogram Necklace (Etsy), Bean Boots, and socks from Target.

OOTD 2/21/15

Hey y'all! Sorry for the lack of posts... today it was finally warm enough to go outside without a coat on and not instantly turn into a human icicle. This past week, the windchill was down to -30 degrees. AND I still had school. Yikes. Luckily we had a heat wave today, and it is currently up to a whopping POSITIVE 31 degrees!! With this weather, layers have been my best friends. My go-to has been layering a sweater under my Charles River jacket, and of course my down winter coat over it.

Obsessed with my dog socks from Gap.

Monogrammed jacket (Marley Lilly), Leggings (Nordstrom), Socks (Gap), and of course Bean Boots (still  on backorder).