Praise the Lord it’s bikini weather, y’all! Every year I let myself purchase one name brand swimsuit and then limit myself to a couple budget friendly options which if I’m being honest, I’m usually not too thrilled about. This year while making a Walmart run, I decided to try on a few swimsuits and literally had to refrain from buying the entire swimsuit section. You’d never guess that all of these swimsuits are under $20 and cute as can be! Unfortunately I couldn’t find a few of these online but they should all be available in store if not on walmart.com AND most come in plus sizes too.
Sizing: For women’s brand swimsuits like Time and Tru, sizing runs true to size with the smallest size starting at a size small (4/6). If you are a true XS, the swimsuits will likely be too big on you. For junior’s brands like No Boundaries, sizing runs on the smaller side. The smallest size is a size small(3/5) but it fits more like an XS.
NOT ONLINE
I’M REVERSIBLE
POOL FLOATS
ADDITIONAL SWIMWEAR
ACCESSORIES
*Thank you Walmart for sponsoring this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
For those that are new around here, I worked in corporate America for 3 years after college. It’s actually where I started my blog and first shared my love for putting together outfits, which at the time was all work wear since I was working that 9-5 life. After I quit my corporate job, I still made a point to share office wear because frankly there aren’t enough bloggers that do and isn’t that what most women wear on a daily basis? I got you girl.
For me: a 20 something, single, city girl; I was always ready for happy hour or some social event right after work which meant wearing something to work that I could easily transition to after 5 attire. Even now, I firmly believe in purchasing clothes that are wearable for many occasions for example work to weekend or church to wedding. You get what I mean! I will not purchase a piece of clothing if I know I will only be able to wear it one time or for one specific purpose which is why I started my Day to Night series. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you can do so here.
LITTLE BLACK DRESS
There is nothing more classy or timeless than a little black dress am I right? Even better if it’s office appropriate! See below for a roundup of some of my favorites.
STATEMENT TOP
If dresses aren’t your thing, you can’t go wrong with a statement top and a quick change-a-roo from your work slacks into a pair of jeans for date night. I used to always keep a pair of jeans, black heels and red lipstick in my car for emergencies and I highly suggest you do the same 😉 Some of my favorite statement blouses below!
After wearing this $25 maxi dress all weekend long, I figured this week’s Tuesday Trends post would be dedicated to maxi and midi dresses, mainly because I obviously need to purchase a few more so I don’t have to wear the same one three days in a row. Rounding up a few of my favorites below!
A couple weeks ago I asked you ladies for your favorite skincare and make up products that contained SPF and boy did y’all deliver! There were hundreds of answers so I tried out some of the top recommendations and I’m sharing my review of all of them below.
I can honestly say it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I started realizing the importance of taking care of my skin and investing in products that will do just that. A large part of that was due to the fact that my mom had a melanoma and a large part was also the age spots and skin damage that I was starting to notice on my own skin. It’s never too early to start protecting your skin so that will look better and younger longer!
I first raved about this product in this extensive beauty routine post. I am now scraping out the very last bits of this product and will 100% be repurchasing. It has replaced all of my other primers and doubles as a moisturizer too. It helps fill in pores, even out your skin tone and make you foundation go on much easier and smoother. I actually end up using less foundation because the primer really makes the foundation go a lot further than it normally would.
On days that I just want a tinted moisturizer for a no-make up, make up kind of look, I reach for this product. I will say this product probably will only work for my fair skined ladies as it only comes in one shade which is not super dark. It also has a pink undertone to it. With that being said, it does blend very nicely and provides a very light coverage. I usually just apply bronzer over this and call it a day!
I have used this moisturizer for years. You can find it buried in the same beauty routine blog post that I mentioned before. It is my favorite moisturizer especially if you have normal to oily skin. It doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy or oily one bit so I love using it in the mornings and at night. It smells like ginger and has a pretty liquidy consistency which makes it great for mixing in tanning drops. I am currently using the Isle of Paradise tanning drops in shade dark.
I somehow always forget to put sun protection on my lips so during the Summer months I switch out my normal chapstick for one with SPF. I’ve tried several but this Kiehl’s one is by far my favorite. It is SO moisturizing and true to it’s name, like butter! It comes in a few different tints but I personally just use the untinted.
I’ve used this product for over 5 years now and cannot say enough good things about it. The CC Cream comes in a few different formulas: matte, normal and illumination. My personal favorite for the Summer or if you have oily skin is the matte formula which has SPF 40. I usually use the normal formula (SPF 50) for the rest of the year. If you do not have oily skin I would suggest getting the normal formula. This is a full coverage foundation without being too heavy or cakey. I use shade medium in the Summer months. If you haven’t tried this yet, you are missing out.
While the CC Cream is my #1 bae, this Tarte foundation is a close second for the Summer. It’s a little bit lighter and more whip like in consistency. I would say it is a full coverage foundation again without feeling heavy or looking cakey. I use shade medium beige.
While I don’t love the applicator on this product, I do like the product itself. The metal applicator is fine for applying to product but to actually work the product into your skin, I suggest using a beauty blender or a small brush. As far as coverage I would say it is a light to medium coverage. I use shade fair.
If you are looking for a liquid bronzer (aka don’t want that powder look), this is a great option that has SPF built in! On days that I am out in the sun, I usually skip the powder products and opt for the liquid ones so that they aren’t as cakey and provide more of a natural, dewy finish.
There are very few setting sprays that also have SPF in them. While I definitely would choose my Urban Decay All Nighter spray over this one majority of the year, I always reach for my coola setting spray on days that I know I will be in the sun. Setting spray is meant to be the last step after applying your make up. It locks everything is place, making your make up stay all day. And if you are going to use a setting spray anyway, why not make sure it has some protection in it? I will not that it does have a sunscreen smell to it.
If you have a full face of make up on, the last thing you want to do is slather sunscreen on and mess it all up. The Tarteguard powder is a translucent powder that has SPF already in it. The applicator is genius and really does work so well. Depending on your make up routine and how many of your make up products actually have SPF, this would be a great product to work into your routine in place of a liquid sunscreen.
If you are shopping for any skincare or make up products not necessarily just with SPF, I urge you to check out QVC’s selection. I am officially converted and always check their website before I make the trip to Sephora. Why? Because QVC almost always have some sort of deal on a skincare or make up product that I am wanting to buy. Usually it’s either a significant discount or a “free” product with purchase (for example: a make up brush or travel sized mini). Plus, if you haven’t shopped on QVC’s site before you can use code TAKE5 for $5 off your first purchase!
Photos by: BanAvenue
*This post is in partnership with QVC. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
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With Father’s Day right around the corner, it’s time for some gift inspiration! If your dad is anything like mine, he is impossible to buy for. I’m not kidding when I say my dad has returned almost every single gift that we have ever given him. No joke it’s the same story every year (Father’s Day, Birthday, Christmas, etc): he unwraps his present, smiles, thanks us, and then promptly says “you can return it”. But over the past couple of years my sisters and I have hit the nail on the head a few times. I asked Papa Adams to help with this gift round up and I’m pretty confident any father figure in your life would love any one of these gifts!
