ICYMI – we are off to Disney World in Florida to celebrate my birthday + anniversary! We decided to make it a bit of a tradition after making the trip last year for my birthday + our anniversary as well and we had the BEST time. I am a total kid at heart + absolutely love Disney so that is why I couldn’t be more excited to be there in just a few days! From the fun rides, to the yummy treats to the magical experiences, Disney is my forever happy place so that is why I am getting in the magical spirit by rounding up my favorite Disney goodies here on the blog!
I am so excited to be on vacation! I have had a whirlwind of a year so taking time to relax, unwind + disconnect has been much needed. My boyfriend + I are away in Florida to celebrate my birthday + our anniversary so to get in a tropical state of mind I wanted to share some of my favorite tropical print dresses that I will be rocking on my trip!
These photos were taken before I started Jenny Craig – crazy what a difference this program has made in my life…I have lost over 40 pounds + truly feel so much better than I did when I was shooting these images 😉
Anyways, I can’t remember exactly where I got this tropical print dress but I found a few similar styles I am linking to below:
I paired my tropical print dress with a fun straw + pom pom designed clutch – I will definitely be wearing this when heading out to beach front dinners etc. Also, loving these hot pink ankle strap heels that really ‘POP‘ + make a statement when paired with a nice tan.
I am loving this clutch – I think it is a fun accessory to bring on vacation – the pom pom detailing gives me all the feel good vibes + the straw material matches with every ensemble!
If you are looking for more travel inspo I linked to some HERE.
Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away and while I am all excited to share some outfit inspo + gift guides with you all, I wanted to kick things off with a little love talk + what Valentine’s Day is all about…for me at least haha :p
Now although I am in a happy, healthy + loving relationship now, love was certainly one of the most difficult things for me to find + achieve in my life (yes I said achieve…more on that later). For years I dated both in NY + LA and while I had short lived relationships here + there, absolutely nothing compares to the loving partnership I have now. What I have now is the type of relationship I wouldn’t have been ready for a few years ago, to be completely honest I wasn’t mature or smart enough yet to open my eyes to what is really important in life… yes, I was one of those gals that felt it was all about the car you drove, the outfit you wore, would we look like a power couple, would you go all over social media with me, be the Jay Z to my Beyonce and basically take over the world wearing LV + Chanel (my boyfriend would cringe if he heard this haha but he knows I have matured since we got together haha :p).
Fast forward to now…My boyfriend is so not into designer stuff although he supports my obsession (within reason), he makes practical financial decisions I never would have in the past, he thinks ahead to the future + he is not on Instagram (crazy I know considering that’s what I do everyday haha :p) A few years ago I wouldn’t have been ready for a relationship where my boyfriend tries to avoid going out to dinner + instead encourage us to save money for better experiences or things we want or I would have been bored watching On The Money or anything stock market related, or I wouldn’t have been ready to stop thinking of just myself + actually think, care + love another person.
While I am far from old + wise, I am turning 27 in a few weeksand for the first time in my life I feel stable. I know who I am, I know what I believe in and because I truly know + love who I am (for the most part) I was in turn able to truly love someone else. I realized all of the dumb ideas I had in my head from my teens to early 20s were just that…dumb. I had a checklist of everything I wanted + ‘needed’ in a partner, I was picky as sh** + I was basically all about me + just wanted a guy along for the ride – the absolutely wrong way to find + achieve love.
While I am all about being an independent, strong woman, I realized thanks to my boyfriend that life is way better when you have a partner to experience it with who you respect + want to be with everyday because you LOVE each other not because you need each other or just because you don’t want to be alone. While every woman should find a guy that loves + adores her, that doesn’t just happen without work on BOTH sides (it isn’t just ‘if you can’t accept me at my worst you don’t deserve me at my best’…great quote but unrealistic, why the hell should a guy accept you at your worst if you don’t make the effort to get to know, accept + understand them as well, I often times find the women that post that quote all over social media do so because they don’t want to make compromises of their own – more on that later).
When I was younger I had such a fear of being alone that I was trying to fit puzzle pieces together that simply wouldn’t work. I would make excuses if a guy was an a**, I made excuses for myself if it didn’t work out + it was maybe my fault, I blamed my issues on everyone else other than me + I didn’t want to actually better myself because I thought I was the sh** + that meant a guy who truly loves me would just deal with it – WRONG.
New Flash – LOVE is not just accepting every single part of a person the good, bad + the ugly without speaking up, compromising or possibly changing a little…love is truly understanding each other + becoming better people together and independently of one another. LOVE is when you feel crappy the other person is there to pick you up + help you overcome that challenge, LOVE is when you are annoying the other person, you make efforts to fix that, LOVE is doing things you may not have wanted to do but because you care deeply for the other person you compromise + do them (shout out to my BF for becoming my photographer, something he certainly was against but now has become so supportive with it), LOVE is understanding who your partner is + wanting to be together because life would be not as fun without them not because you couldn’t ever survive without them. That is why I say you find but also ‘achieve‘ love. Even if you have love at first site, in order to sustain it you have to put the effort in + that is what, I truly love about love. I enjoy putting the work in, as my boyfriend always says, you get what you give…that principle is one that should be applied to ALL aspects of your life. Think about it, at work you get a promotion or you get hired based on the effort you put in, you make more money when you bust your butt to do so, you loose weight by working out, eating right + making the effort to do so. LOVE works the same way, it doesn’t just happen, it happens because YOU make it happen.
When I see my boyfriend everyday he makes me smile without even trying, when he asks me to not do a certain thing (like mention his name on my blog or post photos of him on my social media) I respect it + him and don’t do it (trust me this was hard because all I wanted to do was show the world how in love we are but I realized other people aren’t needed to validate our love + that was my immaturity coming out), when he says he has my back, I truly believe he does + he actually does (and I have his).
In my opinion that is LOVE. That didn’t happen overnight. We have been together 2 years now + while we rarely argue, there are definitely times we don’t see eye to eye, times I freak out or over react, times I am trying to communicate + feel like I am hitting a wall BUT rather than us get frustrated we always work it out – that is a relationship + that is LOVE. LOVE is not easy, LOVE is not just finding a person you are attracted to + have things in common with, LOVE is actually being a better person with your partner + together you both put in the effort to make that LOVE grow.
I know Valentine’s Day is supposed to be all about ‘LOVE‘ but when you find love + (achieve) it, it happens everyday, you don’t necessarily need a holiday to acknowledge it (I am in no way being a sour sally + trashing Valentine’s Day haha I enjoy it but it just isn’t crucial). I think when I was single I was so harped on having a partner to celebrate Valentine’s Day with (because I saw it in my face all day in person or on social media + had major FOMO) but now that I am truly in a loving relationship, Valentines’s Day has just become a day for me to post red, pink + heart themed photos and a day that I look at my boyfriend, smile + say let’s stay in and avoid busy restaurants ♥
*This post has been sponsored by Palmer’s . All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
Got the winter skin blues? Yea, I feel ya…with the harsh winter months my skin has been in desperate need of a little refresh + I found the perfect product to do just that, Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Original Solid Jar.
Whether your skin is feeling dull + dry or you have some scarring or stretch marks you want to clear up before the warmer weather hits, I have found that Palmer’s Cocoa Butter has been the cure to all of my problems (at least for skincare that is hehe :p). The best part? You can pick up Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Original Solid Jar for $1 off – click HERE for details.
What I love about the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Original Solid Jar are all of the amazing benefits it has for your skin. While using it consistently is key if you ask me, you can see results in just one use overnight.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Original Solid provides deep hydration all over. This unique formula melts into the skin, creating a protective moisture barrier that locks in moisture – this is ESSENTIAL for cold weather months!
From normal to dry to eczema prone skin, the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter rich solid formula effectively heals and softens, leaving your skin smooth, supple and beautiful. Ideal for deep moisturization, including overnight treatments – that means if you need to get glowing and moisturized legs + heels before a big event or date night, this product will be key for your wintertime skincare routine.
A little fun fact, developed in 1973, Palmer’s was the first cocoa butter product launched for the mass market! Can you believe that? Pretty awesome if you ask me. I have been using Palmer’s products for years. From lip treatments to body treatments + more, Palmer’s has become my go-to whenever my skin needs a refresher + that extra added moisture. Why does Palmer’s work? Because Cocoa Butter is a rich, natural moisturizer that hydrates and softens even the driest skin!
Get your hydration on this winter with Palmer’s Cocoa Butter…you will be happy you did!
Winter weather got ya down? Even though it has been a bit chilly here in LA, winter blues aren’t keeping me down. Instead of wearing neutral colors + always dressing cozy, I love adding a bit of chic to my winter wardrobe, especially with a great Pop Of Color like this one! 2019 is gearing up to be a busy year with business, the blog + travel so I am investing in multipurpose pieces that stand out + help me feel beautiful + confident. Funny to think a few years ago I would avoid maxi dresses like the plague (I always felt I was short + they would make me look stocky) but when I found this cobalt blue beauty it was love at first try on 😉 hehe Safe to say I will be wearing this beauty all season long + well into the spring.
I absolutely love this dress + while I got it at Rainbow Shops, I found a bunch of similar styles at varying price points below. Cobalt blue has always been a favorite color of mine. When I look at blue it just makes me happy + it really pops when you wear it!
I kept my shoes + bag simple since the dress really steals the show. You can’t go wrong with simple black ankle strap heels (definitely a pair of heels every gal should have in their wardrobe) + a classic black Gucci bag. This Gucci mini bag is great for night events, date night etc – it is convenient in size + has room for all your essentials.
