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Brand Wins & Flops of 2018

January 8, 2019

Hello, loves! TBH, I was hesitant to sit down to write this post.
The past couple weeks have been pretty emotional for me. I am consistently really hard on myself, and I felt that I just didn’t deliver this past year. I set so many goals for myself and didn’t reach a lot of them. I don’t want this at all to sound like a pity party, because I’m also really proud of what I DID accomplish. So check out some of my brand wins & flops of 2018!

Wins!

I worked with some new AMAZING, dream brands that I was able to share with all of you and my Instagram family.

I attended NYFW twice! I still am reeling from the opportunities I was given to attend fashion shows, meet with some of my favorite brands, and explore New York.

I hosted two brunches, attended by some of my favorite bloggers. I coordinated everything from the restaurant, to the goodie bags, to tracking content deliverables. I truly enjoy connecting creatives and really think I could pursue a career in PR/events some day!

On that note, I co-hosted a shopping event at LOFT in Chicago. We had a great turnout, everyone enjoyed themselves, and I got to meet so many Chicago bloggers and followers.

I continued to work with some of my favorite brands on an on-going basis, (PinkBlush, StitchFix, Eliza J, Maybelline, to name just a few!)

I left all of my engagement pods on Instagram at the beginning of the year. You’ll get this if you’re a influencer, but it was really important to me to keep my Instagram engagement authentic. I also was so over spending 2 hours a day “catching up.”

I joined my now partner to form It Girl Marketing, which partners brands with influencers. We’re doing really well and have already completed several campaigns! It’s so fun seeing the collaborations come to life.

Flops

I’ll just start with one of the most nagging ones first.. I did not reach 10K followers. Which was also one of my goals for 2017, so it’s doubly humbling. I sometimes feel that everyone else is just sprouting up around me, and my following is stagnant.

I actually organized three brunches, but ultimately had to cancel the last one. Four of the ten influencers who had confirmed that they would be attending backed out THE DAY BEFORE the event. The restaurant decided it was best to reschedule, since I had promised them a certain exposure. We ended up moving cross-country the next month, so it didn’t work out, and I felt embarrassed, promising things to different people and not being able to deliver. It made me think twice about trusting people to follow through.

I was in a really uncomfortable position to leave a local networking group I’d invested half a year in helping to grow, or stay and continue to be bullied, talked about behind my back, put down to my face, and vastly under-appreciated. In addition to my full-time job, and my blog, I spent 4-8 hours A DAY working on brand outreach, organizing events and brand collaborations, planning a 5 day schedule for 5 girls for NYFW, along with receiving notifications from our text chain on an hourly basis. So much time put in, but in the end, I decided it was best to part ways. I’d been degraded by the founder in public, over text and in phone calls, and was told I wouldn’t be paid until there was a half million in the bank account. All of which, I was the only one contributing to, through the brand collaborations. That was the final straw. The good thing that came from my 6 months in the group, was some indelible friendships. I’ve kept in touch with so many of the girls, and we chat all the time via text and DM, and I’m so grateful for their support.

Instagram content.. I’ll be honest, I’ve posted some things I’m not entirely proud of. The worst are ones where I feel that my creativity didn’t come through, usually because I ran out of time and resources. Especially after moving, I have to take most of my pictures myself, because I don’t know anyone in my immediate area to help, especially not photographers. Mark is amazing, but works during every hour of daylight this time of year. I really hope to connect with more photographers, and continue to improve the quality and creativity of my content.

I had several posts denied by brands. These are posts that I put so much time, thought, and money in to. They’re posts I’d envisioned in my head, gone out and purchased items to help create them, spent time shooting, editing, creating a caption for, etc. All to be told by a brand they didn’t meet the brand’s vision, because I actually needed to be standing in front of a mirror and not in a bathtub, or that the product couldn’t be shot outside. All things that would have nice to know before signing on to a campaign, and I hate how much re-shoots squash my creativity and are quite disheartening. Adding this to my list of goals in 2019… I will charge for re-shoots if the brand changes their mind after the content is shot.

I didn’t post on here nearly as many times as I would have liked. I really enjoy writing. It was my major in college, and I feel that it’s such a great creative outlet for me. Definitely something to improve on in 2019!

I think it is really important to create a goals list, and I’ll be doing that as well, but keeping it private for now. Maybe, I’ll share on here when I meet one of them!
I’ll say again that I didn’t mean for this post to be such a downer, and now you can probably see why it was such an emotional year for me!

I’d love to hear about one win and one flop that you encountered last year, or a goal you’re setting for yourself!

Sweater c/o Pink Blush // Leggings / Halogen (Nordstrom) // Booties and bag / Target // Earrings / vintage // Rings / Gorjana

Our Proposal Story

December 11, 2018

In case you’re wondering why it looks like we’re dressed for a tropical vacation in these shots, our proposal story takes place in early August ? Amidst all of the craziness of NYFW, moving, buying our first home, etc., in all honesty, I kind of just forgot to create this post! Horrible, I know, because our proposal story is really special to me, and I definitely want to share it with you. I hope you all enjoy!

In late July, Mark and I flew to Columbus, Ohio, to visit with his family. His sister and her husband flew in from Florida, and the rest of his immediate family was already in town. It had been our history to fly out to see everyone at least once a year, and it’s always a really fun time. During one of our first trips, we visited the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a nature museum of sorts. It features one of my favorite types of installations, a butterfly pavilion. You can ask Mark, I’m pretty obsessed with them!

Mark told me several days into our trip that his mom wanted everyone to dress up to take some family photos at the Conservatory to frame and present as a gift for his grandfather. I thought it was a lovely idea, but I hadn’t brought anything remotely fancy to wear! Thankfully, his mom had recently thrifted a gorgeous floral maxi dress that fit me like a dream!

Dress / LOFT // Sandals / Steve Madden // Clutch / vintage // Necklace / Rocksbox

We were joined by Mark’s best friend, Joe, as well as his mom’s friend who was our photographer for the day. We walked around the park for at least an hour, exploring the different scenes. They had everything from a desert to a forrest with waterfalls.. A little bit of every type of landscape. And of course, I didn’t think anything of people taking our picture the whole time!

We took this picture during our first trip there, years ago, and I knew coming back that I wanted to recreate this shot.

OK, so not exactly the same, because they had removed the benches, but it’s the same spot!

After we finished up inside, we stepped outside to the coy pond and bamboo garden. To this day, I still don’t know where those shots went.. We were all trying to figure out the best lighting and arrangement for group shots, and it was kind of a hilarious disaster. Maybe none of them turned out? After the group shots, the photographer said, OK, now, time for couple’s shots!

It was unbelievably hot and humid that day… And at the exact moment that I was turning to Mark to tell him that I felt like I was about to pass out, I looked over to see him getting down on one knee! I was pretty much in shock, and to be honest, didn’t hear much of what he said. I feel pretty bad about that bit, but I was in shock! I remember saying “YES, YES, OF COURSE!!” and then hugging him really hard. I then looked to his family who all had this sly look on their faces… They were in on it! I called them something cheeky, and they congratulated and hugged us. I love his family! It meant so much to me that we had them there to take part in this special moment. And I love how much planning he must have put in to it all!

I told his mom that I really did need to go inside and get some water. I grabbed a seat on a bench and took a moment to admire that shiny new piece of jewelry. It’s exactly what I asked Mark for.. an emerald cut, with stones that don’t go all the way around, a gold setting, it was perfection! Sometimes, I accuse him of not listening, but this was not one of those times, haha!

We stepped outside to the balcony, and tried to make our announcement phone calls, but were only able to get ahold of one out of the three people we tried! My papa was asleep, and my mom was in a meeting, as it turned out. My papa, when he woke up from his nap, unfortunately didn’t remember by the end of the conversation why we’d called, but I know he was so happy for us in that moment. My grandparents were probably the most persistent of our family members, encouraging us to get married. They’ve both since passed away, but I know their love will be felt all around us on our big day.

That’s our proposal story, folks!
I hope you enjoyed!
Now, feel free to send those wedding prep tips my way, I’m still definitely in need of them!

Photography by Jerri Shafer.

LOFT Winter Collection Try-On

December 6, 2018

This post (LOFT Winter Collection Try-On) was sponsored in part by LOFT on Fremont. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Welcome to my very first in-store try-on session! I’m so glad that it happened at LOFT, a brand I know and trust. I was able to squeeze these shots in before a recent event I co-hosted. I literally could have shopped for hours, because there were so many cute new pieces! Here are just a few of my favorite looks. Side note, their sale has now increased to 50% off with code NEWNOW. Get these winter-perfect pieces while you can!

For sizing reference, I generally wear a size 32 in jeans/pants, XL in tops (sometimes a Large), and a 14 in dresses. I have a small bust, small waist, and wider hips, and am 5’7″ tall.

For sizing, in the sweater, I tried on an XL, which I’d say is the perfect oversized slouchy sweater fit. Size down if you want a more fitted look. The pants are a 32, and true to size.

This sweater I wore in a size L, so I’d say that it runs a bit large. I’d size down in it, as the Large was still plenty roomy on me. The pants I tried in a 32, and ended up sizing down to a 31 to take home with me. They’re a little snug, but was told they’d stretch out up to a half size. The waist of the larger size was too big and gaped a bit.

LOFT Winter Collection Try-On Session - Striped Sweater and Polka Dot Jeans

In this sweater, I tried an XL and would say that it’s a fitted TTS. The pants in a size 32 fit like a dream.

I’m wearing the pants as above in a 32 (size down), tank in XL (size down if you have smaller-set hips, and blazer in a 14 which ran true to size.

I wore an XL in this cardigan, which ran true to size for a slightly slouchier fit (how you’d want it), and would size down in the tank (I’m wearing an XL), again, if you have smaller-set hips. It was plenty roomy in the bust, but was just right in the hips for me.

Ahhh, totally regretting not getting this coat now. SO toasty! I wore it in a size 14, and could fully zip it up. The sweater is a more fitted style and true-to-size as an XL.

I also took home this sweater in a size XL, which fit true-to-size. It’s also one of the softest things I own.

And I threw in an extra one of me and this cutie. He was one of our photographers for the evening and my favorite party companion! ❤️

Testing New Beauty – Skincare Reviews

November 27, 2018

This post was sponsored in part by Neutrogena, Key West Aloe, Ecru New York, DP Hue, and NeoStrata, and contains affiliate links.. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So many new skincare products, so little time! I’ve been trying out lots of exciting beauty items, especially in the skincare realm, that I can’t wait to share with you all. I truly enjoy testing out new products and sharing how they worked for me, and I hope you all are getting some useful information from them! I know that everyone’s skin is different, and these products may work differently for you and yours. My skin is normal, with occasional dryness around the nose, and a breakout every now and then, just for reference. My main skin concerns are dullness, wrinkle prevention, and staving off those occasional breakouts.

Now for the good stuff!

Hair mask c/o DP Hue // Shampoo & Conditioner c/u Ecru New York

I was for sure in a hair product funk, and was really excited to test out a new shampoo and conditioner. I experience that product burnout with my locks sometimes, and it feels like it’s not clean or silky, even if I just washed it a couple hours prior, and volume is non-existent. The Sea Clean Shampoo from Ecru New York seemed to clean my hair without stripping it, and takes off that extra layer of junk that products can create. It smells delightful, like you’re showering in an Air BnB within walking distance to the ocean. A little bit of that salty sea air, that does stay with you. The Protective Silk Conditioner was kind of a toss up for me at first.. It’s one of those conditioners that seems like it’s not doing much at all when in the shower, not overly silky or slick, but when I rinsed it out, I could feel a noticeable shift in softness. I also noticed a lot more volume then in previous weeks. The only negative I’ve found is with the conditioner’s container.. I wish the cap was on the bottom, so the product came out easier, as it’s a little stubborn once you get down into it. Not a deal-breaker though! Both of these products, I would buy again and recommend.
I’ve been alternating using just the Ecru conditioner, and the DP HUE ACV conditioner from mid-to-end, (and Ecru from root-to-mid). When I use the DP Hue conditioner, I do notice that my hair feels silkier, bouncier, and less damaged. I also feel like there is a monstrous amount of product in the container, and overall is a great value. I’d buy this one again as well!

Cleanser c/o NeoStrata // Salt Scrub c/o Key West Aloe

I was sent four of the items from the NeoStrata Ultra Brightening line, and the Cleanser is one of my favorites. I use about a nickel-sized amount in the shower, to make sure it all gets removed, and truly have seen a change in the radiance of my complexion over the past couple weeks of continuous use. One thing to note is the scent.. The best I can break it down is peeling an orange in a tire shop. Weird, I know, and it goes away quickly, but thought I’d mention it. Will be purchasing again, if the good results continue! I also recommend the rest of the line (serum, moisturizer with SPF, and pigment controller) for evening and brightening.
Next up, from Key West Aloe, their Coconut Salt Scrub. I’m always looking for a good scrub, (and mask, and eye cream…), to slough off that dry skin, but this one honestly wasn’t my fave. The base is very oily, and definitely does leave a residue on the tub floor for the next couple showers if not cleaned right after. Also, the ratio of salt to oil is way off. It’s about 50/50, and there should be lots more salt so you actually get the benefit from the exfoliants. The redeeming quality was the smell, because I’m a sucker for anything tropically coconut. Their coconut lotion is a fave of mine, as is the mango, it’s SOOOO good. But at $30 for the scrub, it’s a pass from me.

I neglected to take a solo shot of the Neutrogena shower gel, but I definitely have some thoughts to share on that product as well. When I saw the bottle, my initial thought was “Please don’t let it smell like T-Gel.” Which, if you’ve smelled T-Gel, it’s quite a thing, and lingers until you wash again, although is completely effective. This bath & shower gel had just a touch of that herbal aroma, but it was not medicinal at all, and actually quite pleasant. It has a very high end spa-like scent, and I love that it comes in a pump container. My skin didn’t feel tight, but I do feel that I need more moisture during the winter, so I’ll probably be storing this until next year in warmer months. I still recommend it, especially if you’re in a place that doesn’t get that cold or your skin is fine with just after-shower lotion.

That’s a wrap, babes!