I always get comments about how readers appreciate the fact that I change up my hairstyles on a daily basis. It becomes very apparent especially when I share weekly roundup photos. I've been wanting to put together tutorial videos so you all can see how quick and easy it is for me to style my hair, and I'm happy to say that I've *finally* took the plunge to start this hair series. Every Tuesday for the next 5 weeks, I will be sharing hair videos of my most frequently worn hairstyles. Changing up my hair isn't just for the purposes of completing an outfit, it's mainly my way of pushing my hair to last up to 5 days between washings. Today, I shall start with day 1!
I'm back for week two of my hair series where I'll be sharing my most worn hairstyles for real life, everyday stuff. If you missed week one, you can get yourself caught up here.
I'm back for week three of my hair series where I'll be sharing my most worn hairstyles for real life, everyday stuff. Today you'll be seeing what you can consider my "day 3 hair" or more simply, "the half up poof."
I'm back for week four of my hair series where I have been sharing my most worn hairstyles for real life, everyday stuff. Today you'll be seeing how I can cheat the system a bit by only spot curling my hair in the morning while still having an overall wavy look.
Over the weekend, I was wanting to put together a post full of my different hairstyles and earring combinations. It's not rocket science, but there is definitely intention behind what hairstyle I choose for the outfit and then what earrings I choose to complement my do! I thought it would be helpful to explain the method behind my madness! So, no, you're not seeing things! I'm actually posting on a Tuesday, just because I felt like it!
If you missed my hair series last year, I shared a handful of tutorials for my basic day-to-day hairstyles. The dirtiness of my hair is definitely the first factor in deciding how I want to style my hair for the day. The next factor, naturally, is my outfit. I'll talk through these points with each of the outfits below.
So I am ending a series and starting a new series all in the same post! That may or may not be bad planning on my part, if I'm being honest. For some reason I was thinking I had 5 Tuesdays in July to work with, but since there were only four, that leaves this last post on the first Tuesday of August! It all kind of works out though because the last hair style of my series is the top knot, which subsequently is always the best for a beach/pool day! Let's get started with the tutorial first.
Sunnies: Ray Ban (similar) | Necklace: BaubleBar (option) | Bag: Chloe (other colors here) | Top:LOFT | Bracelet: Banana Republic | Shorts: One Teaspoon Hendrix Bandit shorts (shop more One Teaspoon shorts here) | Shoes:DV Dolce Vita (similar)
I always enjoy linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for What's up Wednesday because it gives me a platform to share some randoms with you that I don't think to otherwise share on the blog! If you ever want a full dose of randomosity from me, Snapchat is probably the best place to get all that stuff! Maybe even too much stuff! My handle is the same as my Instagram - carylee07. If you'd rather just stick with the blog, that's fine, too! Let's get started with the question and answer sesh!
I can't believe we're already at week 3! We're halfway through this series - it's both exciting and sad at the same time because I am having so much fun! This week our focus is on Holiday Travel. My family lives out of state, so we are normally having to travel for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year, we are traveling for Christmas - we will be in southern California. I've had a couple of posts about packing already (cold weather packing here and warm weather packing here.) I've shared a couple of travel outfits - this one here happens to be my most re-pinned outfit EVER on this blog, by a long shot; which of course happens to be a gym selfie. Oh the irony.) So for this post, I not only wanted to post an airport outfit, but I also put together a little video with tips on what to expect when you're going through security, and how you can streamline the process.
Let's start with the outfit. As I've said in other posts, I always choose something wrinkle free. The flight to Cali is a pretty lengthy one, and since we arrive late morning, I still have the rest of the day I need the outfit to look fresh for. I tend to reach for dresses or skirts first because they are a lot more comfortable and less constricting for the plane. And layers are key. The scarf can double as a blanket on the plane if needed. Or if it's too hot, both the jacket and the scarf can easily be folded and put away in one of my carry on bags. The flat boots are great for comfort, and the tights are awesome because they won't come off when you pull your boots off - one less thing to fuss or worry about.
As for hair and makeup - I usually keep makeup pretty minimal as somehow the plane always ends up sucking the life from my face anyway and I have to reapply when I land. I'm mindful of how I do my hair - knowing that I'll be resting the back of my head on my seat. Updos aren't really ideal, unless it's a low pony, and even then, it can flatten. This is my easy hairstyle, I know I do it way too much - but it keeps the hair out of my face, it's faster to do when getting ready (I only haphazardly flat iron my hair), and it keeps its shape just fine on the plane.
I've gone through life checking my bags over and over because I overpack and/or I have too many liquids. You have no idea how many times my bag has gotten "lost." I've finally come to realize that I would rather be doing other things with my time than waiting in line to check my bag or watching the carousel turn a million times before my bag comes out at my final destination. This roller bag has gotten me comfortably through a one week trip - it deceivingly holds lots of stuff. And it's truly all about remixing the items you pack. Although this was a forced situation where I had to remix to the max, I prove here that a few pieces can go a long way.
Alright, so that being said - here's the video I put together about going through security. It all seems second nature to me, but I am amazed at how many people look lost and ask questions while I'm at the airport. Just because I may travel a lot, doesn't mean the majority does. So, I hope you'll find it useful whether you're traveling now for the holidays or for whenever your next trip may be!
It's the last Wednesday of the month which means it's time for another dose of What's Up Wednesday, the linkup hosted by Mel, Shay, and Sheafer. I really don't have an editorial type blog, if you didn't notice. Because work can be stressful, I often keep my content on the blog very light and easy to read. But, it's also nice to share actual life stuff with you guys once in awhile, and these prompts are the perfect conduit to allow me to share! Let's get started!
Alright! Post 3 of my Mexico 2019 series! If you missed the other two posts, you can read all about my sister-in-law's wedding HERE and every last detail of the resort HERE. Ironically, I didn't feel that I took as many photos on this trip that I normally do, but I still had to separate all my content into three different posts! This post is dedicated to everything I packed/ wore. In general, my focus was bathing suits. I think I brought 3 extra suits than I actually needed. Otherwise, I threw a ton of tee shirts, off the shoulder tops, and shorts in a bag and called it a day! I did bring a couple of dresses knowing we usually have a couple of nicer dinners. Anyway, let's get started!
What a week! Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me. All my fashion week posts, and then my sporadic posting this week while I was sick. Hopefully I can somewhat make it up to you with this installment of Random Roundup. These are all the random outfit selfies that didn't formally make the blog, but usually make it on Instagram for those of you that prefer a real time update. As always, I'm only linking to those pieces that are still available, and hopefully haven't sold out by the time this post goes live! Let's get get on it!
Oh how I love this dress. You've seen this twice on the blog already. The first time was winterized here, and the second time was worn as a top here. I wanted to simply wear it with bare legs and pumps, so here you go. The weather was cool but still "warm" enough to go bare legged. This dress is such a happy piece. The saturated colors make me fall in love with it over and over.
Really not much to say about this outfit. The husband and I were running out for weekend errands. My hair went up, I reached for my foolproof top, easy skirt, and loyal leopard sneaks. Honestly, I may as well be wearing pajamas because this outfit is that easy and required little thought or effort.
Oh look, yet *another* time I am wearing wine color skinnies like I talked about last week. The day I wore this was the day of the blogger awards. I needed a more casual outfit with flat shoes I could wear for work so I could preserve my feet for my heels that night. I just needed a neutral canvas for my face and hair that I could easily supplement and get all gussied up for the evening. I loved how the metallic cap toes of my shoes brought out the shine in my necklace.
And so begins scarf season. I can't help it guys, I'm addicted. And when they drape beautifully like this, it just makes me happy. Anything + a drapey scarf equals an outfit. And because two pairs of destroyed jeans are not enough, I recently bought these from American Eagle. This is my most happiest outfit formula.
Tee: Cardinals store | Jeans: Express Rerock | Shoes:Isabel Marant
October is so stressful for me. Baseball in general is so stressful for me. And yes, I am sad that the Cardinals didn't make the World Series, but I really can't complain about the season they had! I figured I'd post one last Cardinals outfit to officially close out this season. Crazy because it feels like just yesterday I was blogging about the shopping I did in Florida while I was there for Spring Training!!
Last but not least is this "work" outfit. I've said many times before that I can wear anything I want to work - hence the outfits above. But when I know I have to meet with people outside of the office - I do try to wear more of the traditional work pieces - slacks, button ups, and in this case a good old pencil skirt. How adorable is the peplum on this thing? A subtle detail that makes it a little more special, and you know I still need to keep it interesting with my heels.
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I feel like it's been awhile since I've done this yet I didn't feel like I had as many outfits as accumulated as usual. Guess it just comes and goes in waves! Have a great weekend! Can't wait to get back to normalcy next week!
Happy Monday! May is about halfway over and it's already feeling like summer in these parts. I'm not sure if I'm quite happy about that or not! It's nice to feel some warmth on my skin, but it would have been nice to enjoy a bit of spring before we just jumped head first into summer!! Regardless, I found this dress a couple of weeks ago and I fell in love with it instantly. It made for the perfect brunch-style outfit, too, for Mother's Day yesterday!
Well, I have inadvertently created a series, so to speak, for my blog called "random roundup" where I share all the random outfits that haven't made the blog. I do make it a point to photograph every outfit I wear - these are the outfits that just made it to selfie mode vs. big girl camera mode. I thought I could do this the last Friday of every month, but I noticed I've already accumulated a lot of looks over the last couple of weeks so I'll go ahead and share what I have now. Figured this would be fun for a What I Wore Wednesday type of thing vs. a random Friday. Spreading the wealth to other days of the week since these posts seem to be well received by my beloved readers! As a reminder, since there are so many looks, it would take me forever to find dupes for everything that isn't available anymore, so I'm only linking to the pieces you can still buy today!
This is that same romper I showed you guys in my Memorial Day post. (geez, how was that 3 months ago already?!) I had been lounging around the house trying to get blog posts done that day, and then the husband and I decided to go to the movies, so I just threw on my favorite denim jacket (since I'm always incessantly cold in theaters) along with my trusty leopard sneaks!
Necklace: Express | Top: Rubbish | Shorts: American Eagle | Sandals:DV Dolce Vita
This is another weekend look, specifically a casual Sunday dinner out with the husband. I love pops of turquoise, don't you? I honestly forgot I had these sandals. You last saw them here. When I saw them in my collection, I decided to dress around them, and I knew grey and white would highlight them nicely! I wish this top were still available, because it's the next best thing to a chambray and a portofino.
Here's another random workout one for you. I've had this top for years. It was a top that I wore for real life, not for working out. But it's pretty old and beat up, and I saw it folded in my pile and thought it would be great for working out. All of a sudden, it's my favorite top to work out in. I love that anything goes when it comes to workout wear.
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs | Top: Annie Griffin | Bracelets: Stella and Dot (1,2) | Bottoms: Express | Booties:Sam Edelman
I seriously agonize over what to pack for work trips. It's one thing if I'm going to a City meeting, because then I can do my usual dress and heels. But when I know I will be walking around job sites, it's a little bit more difficult. I left the steel toed boots at home this time, and just decided to wear my Sam Edelman booties. Oh, and by the way, in case you missed the story on Instagram - our plane got struck by lightening this day! Luckily we weren't on it yet, but we totally saw it happen. The lightening caused a surge in the cabin which blew an electric box. They still boarded us and kept us on the plane for TWO HOURS before they finally gave up. They couldn't fix it without flying in a part from Atlanta. So instead of arriving at noon, we didn't get to Greenville until 5pm. And my morning started at 3am! It was a LONG day.
This was day two of my work trip. No, it's definitely not my first choice to wear a dress when I'm going to be around drywall dust, BUT, Aunt Flo was visiting (of course), and it was my heaviest day, and let's just say, I never ever wear pants on this day because it is just asking for disaster. So, I'm sure I was getting weird looks for being in a dress, but it truly is a matter of life or death. That's also why I chose these booties as my shoe of choice for the trip-- because they're closed toe, they're comfy for all day on my feet, and they don't look awful with bare legs.
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs | Vest: JCrew Factory | Bracelets:Stella and Dot (1,2) | Dress: Express | Booties:Sam Edelman
And this is day 3, the last and final day of my work trip. Again, I wore the dress for precautionary reasons. The vest is great, not only for layering, but for all the pockets - comes in handy at the airport. Coincidentally (totally not planned, or even Pinspired, just great minds), Jenna did a much more girlie version of this look here.
After traveling for work all week AND being visited by Aunt Flo, by the time Friday morning came around, I was at a "Sweatpants are all that fits me right now" time of my life. I walked around my closet room aimlessly, just wearing these leggings and trying to figure out what top I wanted to wear. Nothing felt right until I saw this lace tunic still laying on the back of my chair from when I wore it last here. (#sorryimnotsorry) I had an "aha" moment when I realized it would look great on its own over a cami. I loved it so much this day, that I ended up ordering it in black, too.
Necklace:Express | Top: Express (other colors here and here) | Dress (worn as a skirt): Express | Wedges:Steven by Steve Madden
And last but not least (told you I had a ton of outfits), this is what I wore over the weekend for my hair appointment. Apparently, I must normally dress pretty bummed out for my appointments because my stylist asked why I was all dressed up with my makeup done and everything. I don't even wear that much makeup! This tank dress is like my favorite midi skirt, just with a little more give, thanks to the side ruching. I originally wanted to throw a graphic tee on over this, but nothing looked quite right, which is finally why I decided to grab my anchor print portofino (last seen here.) Oh but speaking of getting your hair did, do you always have to take post-haircut selfies like I do? Here's my latest. Not that you can tell I got it cut, but she did take off about an inch.
And that's all I have for you today, folks. Hope you enjoyed this installment. I guess weekend outfits and other randoms add up pretty quickly on my phone. As I collect 5-8 random outfits, I shall share them with you, however that timing works out! And you can always follow me on Instagramif you'd like to see these in more real time. Happy Wednesday!
Earrings: Express (option) | Top: MSSP (option) | Necklaces: (Short) Express (option), (Long) Express (option) | Pants:BlankNYC | Ring: Stella and Dot (option) | Clutch: Saks (option) | Shoes: Alice + Olivia (other colors here, similar just no studs here)
Dressing up for New Year's Eve is much like dressing up for Vegas - anything goes. There is no such thing as too much glitter, too much sparkle, too much of anything on New Year's Eve. I'd say I "toned it down" a bit for this outfit. Our plans aren't solidified yet, but if we do go out, it will be to a bar to watch a local band play. Therefore, I wanted to be in something festive, but bar appropriate. I *wish* I had an extra fancy party to go to, but that's not happening this year. I don't want to down play this look at all though because I'm in love with it. I had been on a hunt for faux leather pants. Actual pants, not leggings. I ordered two pairs with my Christmas money and crossed my fingers that one pair would work. Both pairs were meant to be ankle length on regular sized people, and as you can see, the length is perfect on me as normal pants. This pair just felt and fit better, AND it was less than half the price of the other pair, which ended up being an added bonus!
I decided to keep the top loose and light, and reached for this wine colored one, which I knew would be a perfect backdrop for layered necklaces. I love mixing metals as you can see with this outfit from my jewelry to the pants hardware to the studs on my shoes. Since we are going to a bar, and dancing/sweating is inevitable, I wanted my hair out of my face, so this side swept do was perfect - fancy enough for a dressier night out, but still pulled back and in place. And then the shoes. Sigh. The shoes. I had to include both the side and the back views so you can fully appreciate how awesome these are! They were a birthday purchase back in August, and they're just now going out for a spin - I know, I know. I'm so bad at that. They do slip off my heel a bit, so I'll have to experiment with some ball of foot and heel pads to eliminate this. It's just amazing how these leopard pumps tie everything together!
What do you have planned for New Year's Eve? Have your outfit all picked out yet? Do tell!
