Dressed for Time | Spring and Summer Style Tips from a Chicago blogger

Twirling in to a new season with Anthropologie (and a link-up!)

October 22, 2019

Items in this post were provided to me by Anthropologie (one of my favorite brands!) to promote their new Plus Size Collection. I was honored to participate, and share this more inclusive size expansion! Affiliate links may be included, which may provide me with a small commission, should a link be clicked, or if items are purchased through it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Scroll on to read more about how I’m twirling in to a new season with Anthropologie (and a link-up!)

Hello, loves, and happy Tuesday!
I didn’t want to start another post by saying how long it’s been since my last entry, or how busy I’ve been, because we’re ALL busy. Just know that I miss coming on here and sharing my favorite things with you all! A few lovely ladies asked if I wanted to join them in sharing how we all style midi-length skirts and dresses, and the answer was a resounding yes! I find the cut so flattering, and it’s pretty much my go-to.

I paired the embroidered midi dress with the softest faux suede moto jacket, a vibrant clutch, and neutral knotted mules. I honestly couldn’t say which is my favorite piece from this look, but I think I will probably get the most use out of the moto jacket and the mules. Both can be paired with more complicated pieces, or even worn with other solid basics for a chic, more understated look. After you check out these gorgeous pics taken by Rachel Kingsley (@rachel_liv) at the Fountain of the Great Lakes in downtown Chicago, scroll down to check out the other midi-inspired posts as well!

Jacket, midi dress, clutch, rings, and mules C/O Anthropologie.

Now, on to the fun part!
Be sure to visit the blogs of each of these lovelies to see how they style midi looks!

Jen of Paisley and Sparrow – Amazon Midi Skirt
Jennifer of Pretty Little Details – Fall Fashion Trend: The Pleated Midi Skirt
Azanique Rawl of Lots of Sass – The $20 Midi Dress I’ll Be Wearing All Season
Katie Kennedy of Orange to Apple Blog – Black Plaid Midi Dress
Courtney Hastings of Kentucky Girl Ramblings – Hello Pumpkin Tee & Leopard Skirt
Caitlin Houston of Caitlin Houston Blog – Two Ways to Style a Maxi Skirt for Fall
Annie Fairfax of Annie Wears It – What to Wear in Japan
Roxy Turtle of Effortlessly with Roxy – Please Pass the Pleated Skirts for Fall 2019
Abby Haynes of Abby Savvy – Five Fall Fashion Trends that I Can’t Wait to Wear
Kirsten Ortez of Curated by Kirsten – Key Components of a Perfect Early Fall Outfit

Seeking Pain Relief with CBDMEDIC

September 26, 2019

This post is sponsored by CBDMEDIC but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Hello, my dears!
Even though we’ve just entered the new fall season, I’m making the most of the last sunny days while I can. Although I have joined a gym, I’ve also been taking advantage of the gorgeous local trails and hiking spots I’ve discovered nearby. Some are definitely for beginners, and are quick and mostly flat/paved. Others are quite a bit more involved, steep, and challenging even on one of my good days.

Speaking of, I’ve struggled with occasional to frequent back, ankle, and neck/shoulder pain since I started working. Admittedly, more of my neck and shoulder pain is probably from the excessive amount of screen time I get. Hunching over a computer or craning to read texts, etc. Stretching before and after a workout definitely helps, but I’d been looking for something to help during a workout.

I went to my local CVS to check out their selection of CBD products, after hearing so many people talk about it’s many uses. I’m someone who despises taking pills, so I wanted to seek out something that I could use on-the-go as needed and where needed. I found the CBDMEDIC line, which includes their Active Sport™ line. They have an ointment that needs to be rubbed in with your fingers, which is not ideal for using when working out, but great for use at home. I instead picked up the Pain Relief Stick. It’s a travel-friendly and mess free solid that has camphor, menthol, hemp oil, along with several other emollients. I also liked that everything in the product is naturally derived.

Now to put it to the test!
There are some forest preserves near my house that I’d been wanting to check out for a while. It’s mostly flat but several miles long. As predicted, my ankle started to hurt after walking for a while at a brisk pace.

I also applied some to my shoulders and neck. I loved that the balm went only where I applied it, and that I didn’t have to rub it in. I felt the pain-relieving element pretty quickly. My ankle pain kind of just faded away. While I wouldn’t say that my neck pain went away completely, this stick definitely helped. I’m working up to completing the entire loop, and will be sure to take this stick with me to help keep me going.

If you’re looking for a powerful and effective way to help with muscle pulls, strains, and joint distress, definitely check out the CVS store locator to see where to find their products. They also have CBD massage oil, sprays, and even ointment for arthritis.

Tell me in the comments, is there anything that holds you back when you work out?

What to do (and eat) in Asheville, NC

August 13, 2019

Hello, loves!
I can’t exactly claim to be an expert on the area, but I wanted to share what myself and my two besties got up to a little while ago. We took an extended weekend away with just a couple of set plans. We went with open minds to explore whatever popped up, and it turned out to be just what we needed! Enjoy my take on what to do (and eat) in Asheville, NC!

We started with an adventurous road trip from Raleigh, which took us about 5 hours with expected traffic. We took some realllllly windy, dark roads to get to our Airbnb. It wasn’t clearly marked and set far back off the main road up a gravel path. If you caught my stories, you’ll see it was actually quite scary! We settled in, shook off our nerves with a glass of wine, and went to sleep.

The next morning, and by that, I mean early afternoon because 3 girls and one bathroom has it’s drawbacks, we hit the ground running. Our first stop was the famed Biltmore Estate. I’m going to do my best to not overdo it on the imagery here, but it is truly stunning. See below for my tips on how to best experience it!

We were asked a couple times not to take pictures, hence the blurriness of some of these shots taken in haste!
Outfit details:
Tank / Abound from Nordstrom Rack // Skirt / Costco find // Sandals / Target // Necklace / Gigimey // Bag / Amazon (my lifesaver, LOVE this bag so much for travel! I also have it in blush and considering getting it in other colors.)

Tips for visiting the Biltmore Estate:
Wear comfy shoes
I can’t stress this one enough! All you’re doing is walking, there is limited seating, and there are also a LOT of stairs and uneven surfaces to tackle.
Plan your day around the visit
If you want to visit the gardens, tour the house, and sneak off for a meal or wine tasting, budget 6-8 hours for the trip.
Check out Costco
We ended up buying tickets from a local Costco that included a two-day pass AND wine tasting for under $70. That’s less than anything else we found online by half.
Don’t plan more than two outfits to shoot in summer
If you’re a blogger, or just wanting to take some cute pics for the gram, don’t overestimate how many looks you can fit in. In summer, it is sweltering with limited shaded areas and no AC inside the house, your face will be melting off within 30 minutes, and there aren’t that many areas for changing. Knock your cute pics out right away and then just enjoy the grounds.

We had a brewery tour at New Belgium scheduled for 4:30, so we skipped the wine tasting the first day and headed downtown. I have to say that it was the MOST fun I’ve had on a tour, and that’s not (just) due to the amount of free beer that they give out. Our tour guide, Glen, was SO funny and informative. There’s also a slide that everyone goes down to get to the lower level, which I tried very unsuccessfully to take a video of 😆 We sampled about 5 different beers throughout the hour-and-change tour, and got a great history of the brand. It actually encouraged me to seek out New Belgium beers from now on. We grabbed another round and sat on their outdoor benches to people watch, which also included a lot of dogs and babies, and to have a good old-fashioned girl talk.

Feeling understandably peckish after all that beer, we drove to downtown Asheville for dinner at Wicked Weed Brewpub, a popular eatery known for their beer and innovative menu. I had a very off-putting cold soup, followed by a tasty salad, and yes, more beer. I highly recommend the Lunatic, which is a Belgian Blonde. Very light and refreshing, and highly drinkable.. Are you sensing a theme?

The next morning, we slept in probably a bit later than we should have, and didn’t get on the road until almost noon. We drove up the incredibly scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, and did a little light hiking at the Nature Conservancy. I HIGHLY recommend making a stop here. The parking was a bit steep at $14, but admission is otherwise free. Wear comfy shoes and stretchy, breathable clothes, and DON’T FORGET BUG SPRAY! You’re basically walking around a forest, which is lovely, but that comes with lots of little flying critters. We took a couple of different paths, and found the trails to be well-marked (with distances at every post, which was super helpful). They also have quite luscious gardens, if you’d rather not “hike” and still take in some nature-like settings. We didn’t eat there, but their cafe was open and serving salads and sandwiches.

We raced back to the AirBnB and got ready in record time, and headed back to the Biltmore for wine tasting. Unfortunately, as we were walking (ahem, running), up to the tasting area, they were JUST putting the closed sign up. So my tip there is to leave a half hour buffer for driving in to the Biltmore estate, finding parking, and walking to the tasting area. We ended up having one of the BEST meals at Cedric’s Tavern. Don’t let the name (in honor of the Biltmore family’s beloved dog), fool you. This place serves up some of the best fine dining-esque food I’ve ever had. We split the Spicy Buffalo Calamari, Beer & Bacon Almonds (a must-get!), the deviled eggs, and the pimento cheese. Our entrees were equally as good, but before this turns into a Yelp review, let me just say that I don’t think you can go to wrong here.

Sadly, I only got videos of the food, but here was my look for the evening!

We went back downtown to do a bit of bar-hopping. A tip here is to use rideshare whenever possible if you’re staying nearby to downtown Asheville. Parking is no joke.. It’s expensive, difficult to come by, and you’re going to end up parking blocks away from your destination on a weekend. First nightlife stop was Pack’s Tavern. Not “clubby” in the slightest, more like a sports bar, but they had a frozen drink called the Pack’s Orange Crush. It’s basically frozen boozy Tang, and it’s just so good for no reason. Tread lightly with that one though 😆

We tried to go to a salsa club down the street called The Block, but not only was it packed (in my opinion, beyond capacity), but they were charging cover, and none of us are about that life. We made our way back to Wicked Weed and chatted up a table of guys in town for a bachelor party. Always fun! More Lunatic Blonde ale. Lastly, we headed to Foggy Mountain Brew Pub. I’m not going to sugarcoat, this is definitely a place where you end your evening. It’s a bit more divey than the other spots we visited, but the drinks were cheap and stiff, and it was a perfect way to end the evening.

The next morning was checkout, so we packed up and said goodbye to our little home away from home. I can’t lie, the bedroom I was staying in kind of grew on me throughout the stay. The walls were painted a soothing aqua, and I felt inspired to look in to painting the bedroom walls at my house the same shade. Our last meal of the visit was brunch at Rhubarb. MUST VISIT. One of the best meals I’ve had in a while, and I’m not even generally a fried chicken person.. But their Quan’s Chicken Biscuit had me singing a different tune. We split the herb-baked ricotta to start and I probably could have eaten JUST that for my meal. A tip is to not come starving, because it took our meal a good 40 minutes to come out on a busy Sunday morning, which I have gathered is the norm. I’d still go back, the food was that good.

Places we’d like to try next time are Early Girl (breakfast spot), French Broad Chocolate Lounge, and White Duck Taco Shop.

How do you like these mini/weekend guides? Mark and I go to Columbus about every other month, and I’d love to do one to cover our must-do’s and must-eats. It would also be great to share an updated what to do (and eat) in Asheville, NC in a couple years after Mark and I visit together!

Outdoor Summer Essentials with BabbleBoxx

July 23, 2019

This post (Outdoor Summer Essentials with BabbleBoxx) was created in partnership with Babbleboxx and the brands mentioned. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello, loves!
I don’t know about you, but I am LIVING for these warm summer vibes. In Chicago especially, we’ve waited months upon months (feeling like years), for the time without rain and snow. Now, a day spent inside feels like wasted time, so why not get out and enjoy it! I’ve partnered with Babbleboxx to share some great items you can use all throughout the summer season.

So speaking of warm temps, one of my favorite ways to cool down is with iced tea! So refreshing, and it gives you a little boost of energy. I prefer an unsweetened or lightly sweetened version to keep my cals in check. Thankfully, Straight Up Tea makes both versions. They don’t use any artificial ingredients and the taste is super fresh.

I’ve used Colleen Rothschild Beauty products before in my skincare routine, and I know already that I’m a fan of the Cleansing Balm. I was also sent the Sheer Renewal Cream (for weightless hydration and restore luminosity), and the Matcha Tea Treatment Toner. The toner has antiseptic and oil-absorbing ingredients to fight against future breakouts, which I’m definitely prone to more so in summer. If you’re looking to try out some of their products, be sure to use code BOXX20 until the end of this month to save 20% on your purchase.

Great hair care products are totally must-haves with all that we put it through in summer.. The heat, the pool, the sun.. I’ve been using the White Wine Shampoo and Conditioner from Hask, and it’s been helping keep my hair shiny and so smooth. Frizz is another thing we battle in the midwest and the grape seed oil in these products work to seal the cuticle and make frizz less noticeable. Check them out next time you’re at Ulta 😉

You can’t really enjoy a day in the sun without a great pair of sunnies! I’m always searching for the perfect pair and have found tons of cute styles that are fingerprint resistant and anti-reflective at Zenni Sunglasses. Affordability (and cuteness, duh), is something I look for in all of my glasses, and they have both in spades. The style I’m wearing has a fun oversized cat eye shape and gold accents (my fave!)

Now, for something you shouldn’t even think of leaving the house without, sunscreen! My skin is really important to me, and sun protection is the first step to achieving great skin. This Anti-Aging Antioxidant mineral sunscreen from Ozeaderma is plant-based and formulated without dyes, parabens, sulfates, and synthetic perfumes. I apply it after moisturizer and go light on the face makeup so I can reapply it as needed. Take 10% off of web purchases with the code SUNNY at checkout.

I hope you enjoyed my Outdoor Summer Essentials with BabbleBoxx! I’d love to hear in the comments, what are your summer essentials?