I'm so excited to be sharing my new colorful dress with you. I got it about a month ago and I'm absolutely obsessed! The colors are stunning and remind me of Taylor Swift's Lover album, which makes me love it even more. Keep scrolling to find out how I like to style it and learn more about the fit and quality. 

This pastel dress is different than anything I have. It's the Magnolia Place Pastel Rainbow Ombre Ray Swing Dress from Unique Vintage. Unique Vintage actually has a collection called "The Happiest Collection on Earth," and this piece was part fo it! It was designed to match the Tokyo Disneyland pastel ears. I don't know about you, but I think that is SO cool! Also, another reason why I had to have it. 

How to Style

When I styled this dress, I wanted to keep all of the attention on the actual dress, obviously, so I opted to keep everything else really simple. I added a cropped cardigan from the brand Grace Karin that I got on Amazon. 

If you couldn't tell by now, pink is my favorite color! However, I also chose this color for the cardigan because the exact pink hue is in the middle of the skirt. I thought this was the perfect way to make the color stand out even more. I love pairing cardigans like this with my high waisted dresses because they hit my waist at the perfect height without interfering with the skirt. Plus, they're practical for cooler days too.

My Accessories

For my shoes, I wanted to fully embrace the colorful pastel look. I chose these tie-dye Keds in the washable Chillax style. I bought these Keds six years ago, so unfortunately they aren't available anymore, but here are the same style in a different print. I really like this style because they're very slim and the color doesn't take away from the dress. They're pretty comfortable too (definitely a bonus when living in New York)!

When it came to other accessories, like jewelry and headbands, I opted to keep both pretty simple. I do this in general, but I made sure to make an extra effort to not wear anything that would be too distracting from my dress. I decided to go with my rose gold Minnie Mouse necklace. This is my absolute favorite necklace, so I bet it's no surprise that I chose this one. For my. headband--since I'm almost always wearing some type of hair accessory--I went with a solid pink bow headband. 

Quality and Fit

When I first tried on the dress, I was super impressed with the quality and fit. For reference, I ordered a size small, which is my standard size. I was a little worried if it actually would fit right, but it turned out I had nothing to worry about! I have a little room in the top, but other than that it fits like a glove. I think sizing down would have made the dress too small. 

One of the most common reviews I saw were people saying that the torso was an odd length and didn't hit at the correct spot. My torso is on the longer side, but I didn't have this issue at all; it hits exactly at my natural waist. 

The dress is really great quality too. It's thicker than a silky polyester/chiffon material, but it isn't as thick as the dresses from The Dress Shop at Disney Springs (if you're familiar with those), which makes it the perfect weight for summer. It's also lined which is really nice. You know the best part of all?! It has pockets! Whenever a dress has pockets it instantly gets even better for me. I honestly only use pockets once in a while, but these are deep enough to fit my phone.

Overall, I'm absolutely thrilled with my dress! It may be my first clothing item from Unique Vintage, but it certainly won't be my last. Everything from the colors to style to fit is perfect. You have no idea how excited I am to wear this to Magic Kingdom with my pastel ears next time I go to Disney World. 

Let me know in the comments or send me a message on Instagram if you have this dress, plan on ordering it, or just love Unique Vintage too! 

 

Minnie Mouse Hair Scrunchies

Hi everyone! I recently ordered Minnie Mouse scrunchies from Hot Topic and I had to share! When I saw these scrunchies, it was one of the quickest impulse purchases I made. So keep scrolling to find my review and how I like to style them. 

The Review

Photo Credit: Hottopic.com

To start, these scrunchies came in a set. They're only $9.90, but I had a code for 30% off, so they ended up being about $7.00. Personally, I think that's a great price for two scrunchies, especially a set that have Minnie ears. 

When these scrunchies came in the mail, I was surprised by how big they were. For some reason I was expecting the ears to be smaller, so I was a little hesitant on how I could make this work with an everyday outfit, but I was determined to find away. 

As far as the actual scrunchies goes, it's great quality! Both scrunchies are velvet and the ears and bow are great quality too. They're not too floppy, but also not too stiff. 

If you're looking to add magic into your everyday look or maybe you want an alternative ear option for the parks, I definitely recommend these scrunchies!

How to Style

After trying out the scrunchies, I found that simple hairstyles work best for me since the accessory is such a statement. Two styles I like wearing the most is a low ponytail and half-updo. 

When wearing the scrunchie, I personally didn't want people to see it when looking at me from the front. I thought it looked a little odd with the ears sticking out, so by keeping my styles low, I was able to solve that problem. But hey, if you don't mind the ears poking out from behind your head then wear all the high ponytails you want! 

I also think that the low updos allow the scrunchies to be seen easier from behind, making it the focal point of your style. 

Would you try out these Minnie Mouse scrunchies? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram!

My Goals for 2021 and How to Achieve Yours

 When it comes to New Year's resolutions, I feel like they get the reputation of being very cliché, but I personally love the idea of setting new goals for the year. I'm a goal-oriented person, so I love the feeling of finally achieving something I've worked really hard for. Having new goals gives me an opportunity to grow and better myself, which I'm all about. However, I think it's so important to make sure the goals I do make are actually attainable. 

Often times people set lofty goals, which is absolutely amazing, but then don't know where to start and end up getting overwhelmed, so they quit. Or, people will set numbered based goals, like hit X number of followers on Instagram or loose X pounds. It's great if you want to improve these things, but if people don't hit that exact number, they often feel like they failed even when they've made incredible progress! This is why I wanted to be more realistic with my goals this year and break them down so it's easier for me to achieve throughout the year. 

Keep scrolling to find out what I'm hoping to accomplish this year, and my tips on how you can start making your goals attainable in 2021. 

1. Reduce My Screen Time

I may be the only person who likes this, but I think it's so good that iPhones have the screen time option now. It made me realize how much unnecessary time I'm spending endlessly scrolling on social media. I go on social media the most in the morning and before bed, which are probably the worst times to do this. It can feel so draining, which is not how I want to start my day. Then on the other hand, it can make it harder for me to fall asleep after scrolling on my phone for a while.

To do this, I'm trying not to go on social media for at least the first 30 minutes I'm awake in the morning. At night, I set the downtime option on my phone to start at 10pm and last until 7am. That way when I go to check an app, I'm reminded not to. Trust me, it can be easy to just tap the "15 more minutes" button, but I'm going to try my hardest not to. Hopefully I'll get out of the habit of even wanting to check my phone at night. 

2. Post Consistently on My YouTube Channel and Blog

I'll admit, over the last year or two my blog has been on the back burner a bit. While I've never had a big following, I've always enjoyed doing it and love having a space where I can be creative, share my style, and whatever I want about fashion and beauty. 

When it comes to YouTube, I had always wanted to start my own channel after watching Bethany Mota and so many beauty gurus around that time. I was always too afraid of what people would think, but I finally started posting on my channel in 2019. I uploaded videos for a bit, but didn't for a while, and then recently got back into posting mostly regularly over the past few months. Personally, I'm more likely to watch a video over reading a blog post for certain topics, and video is so popular right now anyway. Plus, this is another way I can be creative that's a little more different  from work. 

To be more consistent, I'm aiming to post one blog or video a week. Ideally, I'd like to do one of each, but  that can be a lot while working full-time. I also don't want to put too much pressure on myself because that takes the fun out of it, but I have a lot of video ideas now, so don't be surprised if you see slightly more videos over blog posts. Basically, I just want to improve both of these all around and see what happens!

3. Journal and Meditate in the Morning

So I have the Calm app that use basically every night, but I want to start using it in the morning too. I recently realized how much better I feel starting my day off with one of the guided meditations on the app and then writing down how I'm feeling and basically anything that comes to mind. 

I feel so much more refreshed just by spending 20 minutes doing this every morning as opposed to scrolling on Instagram or TikTok. This will probably take some getting used to, but I'm looking forward to making this a daily habit!

4. Dance More

Ever since I stopped dancing after I graduated high school, I never really got back into dance for a long period of time. I did some classes in college, and then started going to classes at the Broadway Dance Center. I loved doing that, but studio closed and switched to online for the pandemic. I wasn't sure how to feel about an online dance class (mostly because I live in a small NYC apartment) but I did a few classes while I was home for Christmas and it was so much fun dancing again! I'm not quite sure how easy it'll be to do anything other than ballet in my apartment, but I'll see how it goes! I want to try to do at least one dance class or dance workout a week. 

5. Save More Money

I get it, it's weird to talk about money. It often ends up being an uncomfortable conversation for anyone. If 2020 taught me anything, it's that you never know what can happen financially. I've been so lucky to have a job throughout the pandemic, but I figured it doesn't hurt to start saving more. 

In the past, I've always saved for something specific, like moving to NYC, going on a trip, or going to a concert. This time I'm not saving for anything in particular. My goal is to save at least $50.00 a month. I know it's not a lot, but it's better than nothing! Maybe once it's safe to travel I can use it to go on a trip, or maybe not, who knows? 

6.  Do a Photoshoot for My Blog

Having high quality photos for your blog and Instagram is so important when trying to grow. The iPhone camera takes great quality photos and videos, but it's not always the same as having professional photos. Don't get me wrong, it's how I shoot my content 100% of the time and what I'll continue to do. However, I've seen so many bloggers work with lifestyle photographers in New York, I always thought this would be fun try!

Since I don't have a large following, I've never been able to justify doing this before. However, I'm kind of just like, why not? Life is short and I want to grow my social media, so I know I won't regret doing it. I'll admit, it's hard and a little intimidating to take photos of my outfits by myself outside. Plus, I always feel like I'm being annoying if I ask friends to take photos for me.

I want to do this as a a treat myself/reward type of thing. I'm aiming to do this in the summertime when the weather is nice!

What You Can Do to Achieve Your Goals

Looking for ways to achieve your own goals this year? Keep scrolling for my top tips on how you can do this. 

1. Make Your Goals Attainable

You're probably thinking, well, this is obvious. However, I feel like this is why a lot of people end up quitting their goals after a short amount of time. I'm all for achieving anything you put your mind to and I truly believe that can happen, but it helps you're true to yourself. 

We've all heard this New Year's resolution: Go to the gym and get healthier. Maybe we know a friend or family member who said that or maybe that was you one year. For this specific goal, a lot of times people will go from never stepping foot in a gym, to feeling like they need to go five days a week. Obviously, it'll be hard to keep up with such a drastic change. Instead, make it more attainable. Aim for going two or three days a week, then work up to going more often. Whether it's saving money or trying to buy coffee less, this mindset can be applied to any goal you work towards

2. Set a Realistic Amount

Have you ever heard someone who has a laundry list of goals they want to achieve? If you set 20 goals, this can become overwhelming, make you not want to do the goals, and make you feeling bad about yourself if you don't do every single one. Let's face it, who wants to change 20 things in their life anyway?

If you only have one or two goals, that's totally okay! Achieving one goal and feeling really proud of yourself is way better than giving up on a really long list of goals. 

3. Create a Realistic End Date

Setting an end date or time frame for your goal can make it a lot easier to achieve. It's also important though to make sure you're realistic with yourself. For example, say you want to start a YouTube channel and gain 3,000 subscribers. If you give yourself one month to do that, you most likely won't achieve it in that short of time. Instead, give yourself a whole year. There's nothing wrong with that. You'll be able to have fun and enjoy it more, won't feel pressured to accomplish something so fast, and you'll still be conquering a big goal!

4. Breakdown Your Goals

So, you have a goal you want to achieve? That's great! It can be intimidating to know where to start, which is why I think it's best to breakdown your goals. Try breaking down your goals by figuring out what you need to do each month or week to achieve it. If you want to save $1,000 during the year, break it up by months or weeks so you know how to how much to set a side. This will make the goal seem way more doable. This seems pretty straight forward, but it actually isn't something I really thought to do until more recently over the past couple of years. 

No matter what goal or goals you're hoping to accomplish in 2021, remember not to be hard on yourself. This should be something that feels rewarding and you're proud of, you shouldn't dread it.  

Taylor Swift Album Inspired Outfits

I can't believe how long it has been since I've blogged. I was looking back at my old posts and realized I've only posted about three times in the past year. Recently, I've started posting a lot more on my YouTube channel and Instagram Reels. Since I write and edit a lot during work, creating videos has been a super exciting way for me to stay creative and share my love for fashion and beauty in a different way. I'm hoping to start a regular schedule of posting on here and my YouTube channel. I know I've said this before, but this time, I'm extra motivated to stick with it. 

In this post, I'm sharing Taylor Swift outfits inspired by each of her albums. I put together eight outfits, one for each album. Keep scrolling to check out each outfit. 

Self-Titled Album

This is obviously Taylor Swift's most country album, so I decided to go with an outfit that felt classic, innocent, and country. The white eyelet dress is a classic piece, which felt summery and added a little bit of youthfulness to the outfit. 

To amplify that country feel, I added a denim jacket and cuffed the sleeves. This look is pretty simple, but I felt like it went well with the album.  

Fearless

When I think of Fearless, girly dresses, cream, tan, and gold colors come to mind. So, that's exactly why I went with this off-white ruffled lace dress. I remember when I bought this dress, my mom told me it reminded her of something Taylor Swift would wear, so that could've played a role in my decision too. 

Speak Now 

Alright, so Speak Now is my absolute favorite Taylor Swift album. Her style during this era is

full of floral dresses, sequins, and headbands. For this outfit, I chose this white and blue floral printed dress because it looks almost identical to a dress I saw Taylor Swift wear during this era, so it was kind of a no-brainer. Plus, The romantic style of the dress completely encapsulated the romantic feel of the album.

Red

During the Red era, Taylor Swift's style was very classic with vintage-inspiration thrown in. She was often seen wearing stripes, high-waisted skirts and shorts, and a-line silhouettes. I obviously had to include the color red in this outfit, so I chose my red high waisted skater skirt and paired it with a black and white polka for sweater. Of course, I needed a headband to match, so I added my red bow headband. 

1989

The 1989 era, was full of two-piece sets. You know, the matching cropped tops and mini skirts that were super popular and still are today! I don't have a specific matching set, but I still went the cropped top and mini skirt route. I chose my hot pink skirt and paired it with my white lace crop top. During 1989, Taylor Swift wore a lot of brighter colors, which is another reason why I wanted to go with this specific skirt. 

Reputation

Reputation was very dark and full of snake print. Honestly, I wasn't crazy about the style of this era, so creating an outfit based on this album was a little out of my comfort zone. I don't normally gravitate towards a completely dark colored outfit, so it was neat to try something new! I decided to go with a dark green body suit, black high-waisted jeans, and added a black leather jacket for extra edge. 

Lover 

So Lover was very much my aesthetic too. This era was full of pink and pastel colors, which if you know me, you know I absolutely love! To tie in the watercolor look from the album, I chose this chiffon button up shirt, which I tied to make it look cropped. I've had this shirt since high school, and hadn't worn it in a very long time, so I feel like this era gave a new life to this piece. To go with the shirt, I opted for my high-waisted yellow shorts. I thought these were perfect because it helped tie in yellow, which Taylor Swift wore often during this era and the fact that they are high-waisted is a plus too. 

Folklore

First step? Find a cardigan. I'm sure it's a no surprise that I've included a cardigan in this outfit. The aesthetic of Folklore is cozy, cottage core, and floral prints. Oh, and some oversized pieces mixed in too. To go with my cardigan, I chose this midi pink floral print dress. I felt like the midi-length, pastel color and print, and puff sleeves completely covered everything needed for the aesthetic. So, the fuzzy cardigan was like the cherry on top!

I find it so fascinating that inspiration for fashion can be taken from anywhere. Have you been inspired by Taylor Swift's style or her albums when it comes to fashion? Let me know in the comments below if you have and which outfit was your favorite!

LoveShackFancy x Target Collaboration Haul

Okay, so I can't believe I haven't posted on here at all this year. I definitely want to start posting motor consistently on here.

I'm so excited to share the LoveShackFancy x Target dresses I recently got. I have been wanting to get some new pieces for summer, so this collection could not have dropped at a better time.

If you aren't familiar with LoveShackFancy, it's a high end clothing brand that has the most adorable clothes. Everything is pastel and floral, it literally screams me. Even their stores are a romantic dream. However, the brands is very expensive. I'm talking, like $400 - $800 for some of their dresses. So, I haven't been able to buy anything from the brand, but when I heard they were collaborating with Target I was thrilled.

The dresses in the Target collection ranged from $40 - $60, which is way more affordable. The fabric is different than the typical dresses, but I was expecting this. For being Target clothes, they're an amazing quality.I set my alarm, got up at 3am when the collection dropped, and it was the best decision I made all month. I ordered three of the dresses, and I'm truly so obsessed with all of them! Keep scrolling to check out each dress I got and even watch my try-on haul.

Lou Double Ruffle Dress

This light purple dress is LoveShackFancy's signature look. This dress has a ruffle skirt and ruffle detailing across the shoulders, which is definitely my favorite part. I was drawn to this dress because I don't own a lot of purple, and I really like this light lavender hue, so I thought it was about time I added more of it into my wardrobe. 

This dress is on the shorter side, but it's definitely still wearable to so many various occasions. For me, I would wear this everywhere from work to brunch with my friends. The garment has a smocked waist, which means it's stretchy, making it very flattering on a lot of body types. I love this aspect because it can help emphasize your mid section if you like to highlight that area. 

I ordered this dress in a small and I would say it runs pretty true to size. According to the size chart, I was an XS, but since the dress is 100% cotton and I'm usually a small in Target clothing, I went with that size. I'm so happy I did because I think the XS in the style would have just  fit me, and then it may have been too small once I washed it. 

Elise Smocked Ruffle Dress

As soon as I saw this dress on Target's website when I was planning out what dresses I wanted to buy, this one was a no brainer. I absolutely love the silhouette and pattern of it, and I instantly pictured myself wearing. I'm not going to lie, I want to wear this to brunch so badly. As soon as Ladureé opens up, you'll probably see me wearing this there.

This dress runs slightly bigger than the dresses that are 100% cotton. I actually ordered this dress in a small and XS because I wasn't sure which size would fit. I ended up keeping the xs because of the smocked bodice. The stretchiness on top allowed for more give, so the smaller of the two sizes ended up working better for me. 

I really like how this dress hits at about the mid-calf, making it very wearable. I would definitely wear this on a normal day, but I could also see someone wearing this to a fancier event like a wedding. I love the contrast of the yellow patterned bow against the while and pink print--LoveShackFancy mixes prints in the best way possible. 

Jeanne Tie-Strap Dress

Just like the Elise dress, as soon as I saw this one, I knew I had to buy it! This dress has a tiered trapeze silhouette, which is actually super flattering on basically every single body type. So, if you're thinking of buying this dress, you most definitely should. I was a little worried this would be too boxy and make me look like a potato. I was so wrong, and I'm obsessed with this piece. There's elastic around the top hem, which helps the garment stay in place and maintain a flattering shape.

I love the combination of pastel colors and mixed patterns. My favorite part of the dress is the bow straps. I've never seen straps like this before, and I think it's such a unique and interesting detail. Hey, I'm definitely a sucker for bow details. Also, after wearing this the first time, I realized there are pockets on the dress which makes in 10x better than it already was. 

One thing to note though, this dress is on the short side. Don't worry, it's supposed to be! Because of the flowy silhouette, this dress will blow up with the slightest bit of wind (I may know from personal experience) so I make sure to always wear dance shorts under this when going out in public. 

I would definitely recommend these dresses to anyone. They're absolutely perfect for the summertime. I know a lot of sizes are sold out right now, but if there's a dress in-stock in your size that you're thinking of getting, definitely try it out! Have you purchased any of the LoveShackFancy x Target dresses? Let me know in the comments below.

Fall Fashion: Timeless Tweed

While everyone (myself included) is pretty much in full-on Christmas mode, it's technically still fall, so I'm finishing up my fall fashion series with my third outfit! This is an outfit I've been wearing so much these past couple of months!

The tweed skirt is my favorite part of this outfit. I got it back in September this year from Anthropologie. It has made so many appearances on my Instagram, so that's how you know I really love it! I paired it with This white ribbed turtleneck, which is also from Anthropologie. This turtle neck is such a great piece because it matches all of my skirts, and is absolutely perfect for layering.
In this outfit, I really wanted the focus on the skirt, so that's why I opted for the solid top. However, I do love a good Blair Waldorf moment, so I couldn't help but be a little inspired by the Upper East Side character when I put these two pieces together.

To carry on this whole preppyish vibe I had going on, I paired my black riding boots with the look. These boots are by Ralph Lauren, but I got them at Macy's. They have been a staple in my fall wardrobe for the past five years, but honestly, I haven't worn them quite as much as I used to. It was so nice getting to break them out again.  I mean, you can never go wrong with a riding boot--it's classic!

I wanted to add a little bit of color to my look, since my top was pretty plain and the pattern on my skirt wasn't too crazy. I decided to pull out the pink in my skirt my adding a pink scarf from Forever 21 to my outfit. The great think out this outfit is that I love it both ways: Scarf and no scarf. It's nice to have the pop of color or extra warmth, but since the scarf would look funny wrapped around a turtleneck, it sometimes gets annoying hanging down, so that's when I just go scarfless with this look.

To finish everything off, I added a light pink scrunchie to my hair, which coordnated really well with my purse. Maybe it's because pink is my favorite color, but there's soemthing about this light pink and medium shade that look fantastic together!

I'm so happy to hav wrapped up this little fall fashion series. Now that it's getting colder, I've been wearing so many sweaters. I can't wait to share all of my fluffy favorites with you soon! 

Fall Fashion: Another Floral Outfit

I’m back with my second outfit for my fall fashion series! For this look, I chose a lightweight floral sweater, paired with a burgundy skirt. This outfit has been such a go-to look for me this season. It’s very comfortable, can be worn for a casual or dressy occasion, and it's super simple—just two pieces!

If you read my last fall fashion post, then you might remember that I mentioned some of these pieces are items I’ve had for many years, but recently rediscovered (definitely one of the best feelings, right?!) and my sweater happens to be one of those! 

My floral sweater is from Garage. I've had it for four or five years, and now it's reemerged from the back of my closet. Since this piece is a basic crewneck sweater, it's extremely wearable and the pattern helps elevate it. I can wear it with high waisted skirts, which are a wardrobe staple for me, layer it underneath my jumper and heavier weight items, and pair it with a solid-colored scarf. Plus, the burgundy floral print gives me all the romantic fall vibes. 

For my skirt, I picked this high waisted burgundy skirt. I like how this skirt is a thicker knit and is a little longer than a typical mini skirt, so it’s appropriate for such a wide variety of events! 

Moving on to the finishing touches of my outfit, the accessories! I opted for the same burgundy suede headband that I wore in my first outfit because it seriously gives me all the fall vibes--I just couldn't leave it out. I also decided to go with my black ankle boots again. Black booties are my go-to shoe throughout fall and even wintertime, so I'm sure you'll be seeing these shoes make many more appearances over the next couple of months.

I can't wait to wear this outfit even more during these next few months! Stay tuned for my next fall fashion outfit coming next week!