Adding Color

Hey everyone! Today I am posting my outfit from a couple days ago, I would have added it earlier but my grandfather had to finish editing and putting up the pictures he took for me. By the way if anyone needs a fantastic photographer, he is absolutely amazing and I could definitely refer him to you. He has taken pictures of all my sporting events, prom pictures, senior pictures, family events, and even landscapes over the years. He produces great work and loves getting any opportunity to take pictures! Now, back to my outfit, since it is summer, it is always bright and sunny out, I decided to add color instead of my usual neutral toned ensembles (yes I am very pale, so dark tones compliment my skin well, plus I love winter fashion haha.) First, I chose a tight, short white crop top that I purchased from Urban Outfitters about a year ago. But, in all honesty, I would try to buy a basic crop top like this from a cheaper store such as Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, or Love Culture because in my personal opinion no one should pay twenty dollars for half of a shirt. I think if you were to buy a crop top, the most you should spend is between $12-15 but Forever 21 always sells them for five or less. The most eye catching piece of this outfit is of course the pants! I am wearing a multi colored, tribal/geometric patterned pants that are super light weight and perfect for the summertime, they are very easy to walk around in without getting overheated. They also have a built in tie band at the waist for adjusting as well. I bought these vibrant bottoms from a boutique called Diane's Beachwear located in the lovely and quaint town of La Jolla, CA. After traveling there for a soccer tournament I fell completely in love with the tranquil lifestyle and beautiful beaches of this city right outside of San Diego. I hope to finish grad school out in California and possibly live there full time but we'll see where the wind takes me. The brand of these pants are called Vintage Havana, which is an awesome beachwear line. Even though I bought these pants a year ago, they are still on the Vintage Havana clothing website on sale for $28 so I will send the link below for them! For my shoes, I decided to wear a neutral brown sandal from DV by Dolce Vita. As for the jewelry, I'm wearing my everyday rings (of course), Alex & Ani bracelets, Michael Kors watch, and Forever 21 earrings. The necklace I'm wearing is a part of one of the Lucky Brand "Lucky Layers" necklaces I own but I took off two strands and left just one necklace on to wear. Lastly, I chose to add a bronze cuff from Lucky Brand as well that I got on sale. The cuff is not online but I was at the store not too long ago and still saw it there so if you want to purchase it, I would go check it out! I hope you enjoyed my post. :)

Pants: Diane's Beachwear- Vintage Havana

xoxo Anna

Cute and Casual with Topshop

Hi Everyone! Today I am posting one of my favorite summer outfits that I actually wore yesterday but I didn't have time to post it then so I'm doing it now! This outfit features one of my top favorite fashion brands- Topshop. Topshop is a UK based brand that offers mod styled clothing; their style is more quirky and "hipster" (I thought this was appropriate since so many people use this term.) They do tend to lean towards the pricey side but I promise you, it is 100% worth the splurge! Nordstrom now sells this brand and I purchased these items from the department store rather than ordering it online. I chose to wear a cute little cropped top with light blue and white flowers with just a hint of yellow as the print. Since the crop top was so bold and printed I kept the rest of the outfit simple to illuminate the top. I paired it with ripped, black, high rise jean shorts and a textured skinny black belt from Target; this belt actually came in a set of two with a brown one for fourteen dollars. In addition, I paired this outfit with a pair of really cute high top white Converses that I actually bought from DSW! This summertime  outfit can be worn anywhere during the day whether you're going out to lunch with friends or just running daily errands. Sometimes keeping it cute and casual is the best way to go, especially on a hot and humid day like yesterday. I accessorized my outfit with the Alex & Ani bracelets and rings I always wear. Also, I added on my rose gold Michael Kors watch that I absolutely love and adore; the rose gold watches are still very popular and adds a great finishing touch to any outfit! Since it was so sunny yesterday, I decided to wear my new sunglasses that I got from Nordstrom for only $12! The BP brand has great deals on accessories, shoes, and clothes considering that department store is usually expensive. Lastly, I  wanted to share with you my favorite blushes that I wear everyday; I wore a shimmer blush by MAC in Love Day and a pinky shimmer blush by Tarte in Glisten. What I love about these two blushes is their longevity, especially the Tarte one because it is an amazonian based clay blush so it lasts up to  12 hours. You can purchase the Tarte one at your local Sephora so go get it while you can! In addition, I did go to the mall yesterday and purchased two pairs of really cute and versatile heels from Call it Spring as well as a new blush by NARS and my everyday tinted moisturizer, I will post that tomorrow for you all! I hope you all enjoy my post for today and feel inspired to style an outfit similarly!

Top: Nordstrom (Topshop), Shorts: Nordstrom (Topshop) Belt: Target, Shoes: DSW (Converse), Sunglasses: Nordstrom, Watch: Michael Kors, Bracelets: Alex & Ani, Rings: Ones I wear everyday (on last post), Blush: MAC, Tarte



xoxo Anna 

Summer Post #2

Hi everyone!  Today I'm posting another summer outfit post. Last week my friends from high school and I went to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a beach vacation which was one of the most relaxing and fun experiences I have had in a while. Seventeen of us all piled into one beach house and we really just enjoyed our time laying on the beach (I got sun poisoning- of course), walking around the local shops and boutiques and even making friends with the surrounding neighbors. We hope to make a similar trip next year since we all go to different colleges and getting everyone together again to catch up on old times is always nice. On our last night, we all decided to treat ourselves to a fancy seafood dinner in Corolla at the Oceanfront Grille. I ordered the tuna which came with mashed potatoes with the skin- my favorite- and steamed broccoli, later I got homemade coffee toffee chocolate chip ice cream on a chocolate dipped and sprinkled cone. It was so delicious and worth it! Anyways, we dressed up and I am sharing with you what I decided to wear to this lovely dining experience. I chose a long, spaghetti strapped navy blue maxi dress with a chiffon bottom and an embroidered navy blue, red, and white tribal printed bustier top. This dress was incredibly comfortable and flattering on my small frame as well. I was a  little hesitant purchasing this number because I was not confident if I could pull it off but I discovered that short girls can wear long skirts and dresses too! I'm only 5'3" but I managed to pull it off haha so if you're short, do not be afraid to wear a long piece of clothing! I found this dress at Marshall's actually and it was only $25 so I believe that was a steal and I had to buy it. The brand name of the dress is called Flying Tomato too. Since the top had a print I kept the accessories simple so the attention was emphasized on the dress itself. I paired my outfit with gold aztec/ triangular earrings from Forever 21 and three of my Alex and Ani bracelets that I adore. I really love them because they are so versatile with outfits and I even mix and match different metals. I will give you links to the ones I have; my most recent one was a gift from my grandmother and it's my favorite because it's a cupcake which symbolizes celebrating the little things in life:). I think cupcakes are so cute and I have a little bit of an obsession with them, I actually just found a recipe on Pinterest to make sangria cupcakes too! I also chose to wear tan, braided wedges by Dolce Vita that i got on sale on Piperlime.com and a simple tan and black crossbody bag that was given to me as a gift by my cousin. I hope you enjoy my post for today!

Dress: Marshall's. Wedges: Dolce Vita (piperlime.com), Crossbody bag: gift, Earrings: Forever 21, Bracelets: Alex and Ani
Cupcake Bangle, Birthstone Bangle, Feather Bangle

Also, here's the link to the sangria cupcakes if you want to make them! I will definitely be baking them soon: http://thefirstyearblog.com/sangria-cupcakes/
                                                              xoxo Anna