Tag: purse

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Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #48

Hello All! 

It’s the final day of June, but no fear, we still have plenty of summer to enjoy! I just got back from some time with my family at the beach.

The beauty of the beach!

It was great to see some extended family, catch up, and enjoy some time in the water and in the sand. The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to make time for family. 

Ending June with ice cream.

This next week will busy between getting back into the swing of things and heading back to work.

Plus, we have the Fourth of July next week, in the middle of the week, no less and then I have plans to see some friends from college. It will be a busy but good week coming up.

Now, that I have caught you up on everything in my world this final Friday in June, it’s time for a new edition of Friday Favorites as I link up with Erika and Andrea!

Super Goop Sunscreen– I know I am so late to the party on this one, but I am on the team Super Goop sunscreen train! I have heard about it for years and got a face sunscreen for my birthday and have worn it a lot. It goes on so easy and has a bit of a glow which I really love. The sunscreen protects you from the sun and acts as a primer for makeup which I found to be super helpful too. On days when I know I am going to be outside all day, I always apply it to my face, do my makeup and then I am good to go. This is easily becoming one of my summer favorites. 

And Just Like That Premiere– The girls are back! I loved watching the premiere of And Just Like That last week. I like how episodes are once a week, they are the perfect mid-week pick me up. I have read a little bit about some cameo appearances and I’m looking forward to see how the storylines make their way into the show. From the setting, the fashion, the nostalgia and the friendship, plus some fun relationships, I know this will be a good season. If you are watching, what are your thoughts so far?

Lululemon Purse– I got my Lululemon cross body purse for Christmas and have been loving it this summer. I brought it on day trips, running errands and out on walks. It’s the perfect size to hold a wallet, keys, a sunglasses, head phones, even a charger. It has come in so handy this summer. I’ll be sharing more about my love for it in next week’s post!

The best summer purse!

New Scent– It’s time for a new scent for summer. I am currently wearing Gingham Gorgeous! I love the fresh, floral scent it brings whenever I put it on. I got it from Bath and Body Works and it will last me months. The perfect, fresh summer scent as we enter July!

New month, new scent!

A Man Called Otto– Have you seen A Man Called Otto? It came out a few months ago, but just recently came onto Netflix. I really love Tom Hanks so I was excited to see this film, plus some of it was filmed in Pittsburgh, how cool!? We started the movie as a family and I finished it on my own. It was definitely a heavier movie dealing with deep topics including suicide, just as a warning. It’s all about a grumpy man who befriends new neighbors and how they get him to come out of his shell and start to enjoy life again. There were a lot of happy and joyous moments, but it was mixed with some adult topics too. I thought it was a good movie, but not the best Tom Hanks movie. If you have seen it, what did you think of it?

That’s a roundup of life this week. It’s always so busy coming back to reality after time away, but I’m ready to hit the ground running and get back into a good routine. As we say hello to July, how are you spending the weekend? Let me know in the comments below! Enjoy the last day of June!

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize

Makeup Bag {Re} Uses

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are all having a great week and soaking up these final weeks of August. 

One of my goals for 2022 was to do better with recycling and using sustainable products. Besides using reusable bags at the grocery store, I have been trying to repurpose things at home, instead of buying new, I’ve been looking on ways to use things in other areas of my life.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has gotten small makeup bags or totes for free after spending so much on beauty or makeup products. Rather than just having these free little makeup bags sit on a shelf, I decided to find different uses for them. If you have some bags or totes that you don’t know what to do with anymore, here’s a few suggestions of how I use mine.

Makeup bags holding more than cosmetics.
  • In my purse to hold toiletries or cosmetics. I sometimes use a small makeup bag to catch a few essentials I always carry in my purse. This also makes it easier to move things from purse to purse, in a pinch. Here’s a few things I put in this bag: hand sanitizer, mask, perfume, and chapstick. Just a few essentials that all fit nice in one place and I don’t have to dig through my purse for things.
An inside look of things I keep in my purse.
  • In my desk to hold essentials so they don’t get lost. A lot of the things I keep in my purse, I also keep in my desk such as hand sanitizer, hand lotion, and chapstick etc. But, at work, I also have ear buds, memory cards, a jump drive etc. Rather than have them float around in desk drawers, I like have a place to put all my small things that can get lost elsewhere.
A look at what I keep in my desk drawer and how I keep it contained.

  • In my room to hold wires and chargers. If you are like me, my guess is that you probably have lots of chargers, wires or cords floating around your room, car, or house. Instead of always losing them, I keep them all contained in a small makeup bag.This makes it easier to grab my headphones, cell phone charger, watch charger or speaker cord. I’m not searching high or low for them and this tiny purse makes it easy to travel too. 
My technology grab bag.

Those are just three ways to use or reuse bags, especially those tiny ones, you may already have around your home. Rather than buy new or lose things, it’s great to see what you have and how you can use it in a different way.

What are your favorite ways to reuse items you no longer use? Let me know in the comments below! Have a great day and happy recycling or reusing!

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Fabulous living

Three Favorite Things

Hey guys!

Happy Tuesday. I found this fun quiz/ survey from Mix and Match Mama’s Blog. I love learning things about other people, especially fun or unique facts and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do one for myself. I borrowed some from Shay’s blog and made up a few on my own. Let’s get to my three favorite things!

MOVIES (This one is soooo hard-but current favorites)

A Star is Born

Such a good movie

Life Itself

Again, another life changing movie

Love Actually

One of my favorite movies of all time especially around Christmas time.

           BOOKS

                                     Year of Yes 

Another life changing book

                                     Grace not Perfection

Grace Not Perfection- an inspiring book for all

                                     Pride and Prejudice 

A romance that never gets old

                                     TV SHOWS (OF ALL TIME)

                                     Bones

One of my favorite shows of all time

                                      Grey’s Anatomy 

Old photo but I can’t get enough of this show

                                     This is Us

Another fantastic show

                                     RESTAURANTS (FAST FOOD-ISH)

                                     Chipotle

                                     Panera

                                     Chick-Fil -A

                                     PLACES I’VE VISITED

                                     Rome, Italy

                                     Hershey, PA

Getting away for a bit at my favorite place-Hershey, PA

                                     New York City, NY

One of my last visits from NYC, can’t wait to go back soon

                                     PLACES I WANT TO VISIT

                                     Paris, France

                                     London, England

                                     Dublin, Ireland

                                     FAVORITE HOLIDAYS

                                     Christmas

Christmas morning spent well, the tree all lit, a warm cup of hot chocolate and time spent with family

                                     Thanksgiving

Forever thankful for family on Thanksgiving

                                     Fourth of July

Rocking my Red, White, and Blue for the 4th

                                     THREE THINGS I ALWAYS HAVE IN MY PURSE

A closer look at what’s in my purse

                                     Earbuds

                                     Phone Charger

                                     Wallet

                                     FAVORITE DESSERTS

My favorite fall dessert made by my mom

                                     Warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies

                                     Chocolate cake

                                     Apple Crisp

                                     FAVORITE WAYS TO MAKE TIME FOR MYSELF

                                     Read

I always like to read after a long day

                                     Do my Nails

Nothing makes me feel better than a fresh coat of polish

                                     Watch a movie/latest tv show I’m binge watching

Such a good mini series that I just finished watching

Well there you have it, some of my three favorite things. If you guys liked it, let me know and I will do it again, this was so much fun and it really made me think about my favorite things. Pick a few things and add your responses to the comments below! Have a great start to your week!

Categories
Travel

Packing for a Trip Overseas

Hi All!

Happy Thursday! I hope you had a great weekend. I had a fun weekend full of hanging out with friends, going to a semi-formal dance (my last one in college), and volunteering. Overall, it was a well-balanced weekend full of lots of fun. More about that on Thursday. 

Are you tired of my posts about traveling and Rome?! Well, I have one last post for you today about travel and then it will be back to my regular posts about college living. After traveling over Spring Break, I have definitely got the travel bug and I am eager for my next adventure. I’ve already made a list of places I want to go and things I want to see and in order to travel more you need to pack smart. Today’s post is all going to be about travel must haves. This post is going to be geared more towards traveling overseas, but a lot of the things I will talk about can be used when traveling by plane, train, or car. Here are my top 5 tips for traveling abroad. 

  • Leave Extra Space

No matter the size of your suitcase or the length of the trip, leave extra space for souvenirs or things you may bring back with you. When I left for Rome, I only had half of my large suitcase packed, I knew I would be buying gifts for people when I was away and wanted to make sure I had the space to buy what I wanted without the stress of not having enough room to bring it back. Also, be sure to weigh your luggage before you leave, you don’t want to pay extra or be forced to move things to other bags. Thankfully, I didn’t buy too much stuff that this was a problem but I had friends who had to put things in their carry-on or other people’s carry-ons since they didn’t have enough room in their own luggage. 

My organized suitcase-half the suitcase is open space
  • Put Important Things in Your Carry-On

If you have a long trip planned and you have a checked bag, be sure to have the essentials with you in case your luggage gets lost. I have never had to deal with lost luggage and I hope I never have to, but just in case I always pack a few essentials in my carry-on.

These essentials include an extra outfit (Just a simple t-shirt and leggings-but when we arrived we didn’t have access to our luggage before we headed out so I was glad I could put on a fresh shirt), my tooth brush and tooth paste (you can call my crazy but yes, in order to make sure I got some sleep on the plane and in order to do that I went through my nighttime routine, which included taking off my makeup-yes I reapplied the next day, brushing my teeth and wearing an eye mask to get some shut eye on the plane) make up wipes (to remove my makeup), my basic makeup (I had all my stuff in my suitcase but I had my mascara and concealer just to brighten up my face when we landed), some medicine (just in case I got a headache or needed help sleeping-I wanted to make sure I had it with me 

Up close of my Suitcase
  • Dress in Layers 

This is a must have when traveling on flights, if you are a frequent flyer or flying for the first time, you never know how hot or cold the plane will be especially if it’s a red eye or international flight. Dressing in layers also saves spaces in your luggage too. For this trip, I wore a blanket scarf when traveling and it was the best decision. We left Pittsburgh when it was snowing so I wanted to dress warmly. I also wore a three- quarter zip sweatshirt and had a north face jacket on. Yes, it may seem like a lot but I was comfortable when I tried to sleep and I wasn’t too hot, but if I did get a bit warm, I had layers which was helpful. My blanket scarf could also double as a blanket or pillow when I tried to sleep. Layers is best when traveling. 

My Purse-All Organized
  • Be Clean

I am a neat freak and when it comes to traveling and planes, I try to be as clean as possible. I made sure I brought wet wipes with me to make sure I could clean my seat, tray table and arm rest on the plane. This gave me comfort that the area I would be sitting at for the next several hours were as clean as possible. Germs are everywhere so having hand sanitizer is a must too. There are so many germs in an enclosed space. 

My Carry-On all packed
  • Necessary Items

I hadn’t thought to pack these things at first but when I did, they were a game changer. First, plastic bags were a must. Not only are the great for storing shoes to make sure they didn’t get on your clothes, but they were super useful for separating dirty clothes with lights and darks. I had a few plastic bags and had them separated with lights and darks so when I got back I just had to pop them in the washer. Ziploc baggies are also super important to have on hand especially when storing small items like jewelry or makeup in your carry-on.

All Packed for my Next Adventure

I am by no means a professional traveler and I don’t have all the answers, but these five tips did wonders for me and were so helpful when I traveled abroad. What are you must haves or tips for traveling? Leave them in the comments below! See you on Thursday for a fun look of the day!

Categories
Fashion

Look of the Day #84

LOTD

Hello all! Happy New Year! 

I hope you all had a restful holiday! On Tuesday, I will be sharing my New Year’s Resolutions, but for today, I have a fresh new look for the new year. Today’s look it’s all about turning a simple black dress into a full outfit. 

A perfect winter outfit

I got this simple black dress from Old Navy. It is a great dress that can be dressed up for Church, or a formal dinner as well as dressed down in a jean jacket and boots. I wore this ensemble to Church over the weekend. I decided to dress up this simple dress with black tights and shoe boots. I love the wedge/heel that these shoes offer. 

A warm scarf and cute purse for the winter months

I didn’t want my whole outfit to be dark, so I brought in some pops of color. I got this scarf this past Christmas. I love the dark colors of brown, deep red, navy, and black. These are perfect winter colors to compliment the black dress. This scarf would also very nice to pair with a pair of jeans or a simple t-shirt or even with a more casual look of leggings and an oversized sweater. 

Up close of the accessories

I also couldn’t help but not share this new purse I got for Christmas. I love anything monogrammed and this is the perfect size to hold your cellphone when you don’t want to carry a big purse. I got this small purse from Marley Lilly. 

Perfect place to hold your purse

That’s a look into my closet for the new year. I have a lot of fun outfits planned for you these next few weeks. Stay tuned. See you on Tuesday for my New Year’s Resolutions!

All dressed up, ready to go out


Categories
Fashion

Look of the Day #24

LOTD

A fall outfit for a fall festival

A few weeks ago, I went home for Fall Break. As much as I like school and everything I am doing, there is truly no place like home. While I was home, I ate a lot of good food (cafeteria food doesn’t compare to mom’s Shrimp Alfredo), spent time with family, did some retail therapy, and did lots of fall activities. From a fall festival, pumpkin patching, and fall treats, I did it all. Here is one outfit I wore to a fall festival and with cooler temperatures and the leaves changing colors, this outfit was perfect.

I wore my go to converse for this fall outfit. They were comfortable and worked great for a lot of outdoor walking. I also wore my favorite black leggings to compliment the outfit. My top was a neutral white long sleeve t-shirt. Both my t-shirt and leggings are from GAP. I wanted comfortable clothes since I would be outside and doing a lot of walking. I also wanted to wear layers in case the temperature changed. With fall and spring you never know how the weather will change from morning to afternoon.

My mustard sweater really completed the outfit. I love a long sweater especially in the fall. I got my sweater from GAP as well.  I matched my purse and hat with my outfit. Both my purse and hat are from Vera Bradley. I love this mustard color and I am finding more and more pieces like this in stores and online.

My leggings and t-shirt are simple and neutral colors but my sweater, hat, and purse tie the whole outfit together. It only takes a few small pieces to make your outfit stand out. What accessories do you add to your outfits that make them feel complete? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Fall everyone!

 

 

 

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize

How to Organize: Your Purse

It’s the accessory that makes or breaks your outfit. Yes, ladies, I am talking about your purse. Whether you are a wristlet lady, backpack lover, or large tote type of gal. We all use purses. They may look cute and fashionable on the outside, but the inside is a different story. Today is all about organizing your purses or handbags.

This post will be geared more towards handbags, totes, and purses. Sorry wristlet lovers, but I don’t have a lot of advice for you. I personally like totes or bigger handbags. I like to fit more things in one big bag rather than have several smaller bags. I like to change my bags a lot. Reasons? Various occasions, changing seasons, different purposes. My solution to keep me organized is by using lots of little bags to put in one bag, that way you can change bags with little hassle, stay clean, and organized all at the same time. Let’s get started!

Dump It.
I like to start out by dumping everything out. Empty out your entire purse and clean it out. Throw away any old receipts, gum wrappers, and clutter that takes up your purse. This way you are left with a clean slate to get started

. Before. A peek into my purse!

Sort it.
I like to see what I have and then put it into piles that work best for me. Sort everything in your purse into groups. For example; all loose change in your wallet along with money and credit cards. I put all my travel cosmetics in one area (lip balm, brush, mirror, hair ties, lotion, sanitizer etc.

Separating and organizing into piles. All my cosmetics/beauty stuff on the go.

All organized in one medium cosmetic bag from Victoria’s Secret PINK collection.

A mix of gum, tic tacs, headphones and keys.

All organized in a small bag from Thirty One.

Bag it.
I like to put all my piles into bags so they are easy to find and accessible. I mix and match small and large cosmetic bags but it all depends on how you like you things organized. I have found great travel cosmetic bags at Target for under $5.00 and they are so easy to clean

Sunglasses are always a must in any season. I keep mine safe in their own case.

All my cosmetic bags along with my wallet, some snacks, and my current favorite read.

The finished product.

After. The inside all organized.

Lastly, keep it clean and organized. Use whatever method works best for you and try to keep up with it. An organized purse= an organized mind. Leave your favorite tips for organizing in the comments.