JULY FAVORITES

It's favorites time again! This past month I've loved some fashion, lifestyle and beauty bits that I'm really excited to share with you so let's hop right in. 

First up, is my new styling tool that has transformed how I do my hair.

I raved about the Amika Polished Perfection Straightening Brush in my updated hair styling routine here. 

This styling tool truly does it all - it tames flyaways while straightening, preserves hair and increases shine by locking in moisture and cuts my styling routine in half.

In less than 10 minutes I'm able to completely straighten my hair without loosing volume, for a polished look that's perfect for every day.

Next up, I have two beauty favorites that I've been loving. To highlight my face in summer, I love a natural looking product without a ton of shimmer. To achieve this I picked up the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat in shade 2.5. I love how it illuminates my face in such a natural way that doesn't highlight any skin flaws. 

When it comes to perfume you know that I have a signature scent - Jo Malone Red Roses.

I've worn this perfume for years and even wore it on my wedding because it's the perfect balance of light and floral. Plus, it doesn't irritate my sensitive nose or exacerbate my asthma. 

For these reasons I've never had a reason to sway - until now. I recently discovered Phlur through a Facebook ad believe it or not and was instantly drawn in by the clean lines and beautiful imagery. 

After perusing their website a bit I was completely in love and decided to give their sample set a try. 

I picked up testers of Olmstead & Vaux (my favorite!), Hanami (beautiful but a little to sweet for me) and Greylocke (a tad too masculine on me). All-in-all, I can't say enough good things about this brand and once I'm done with my Jo Malone I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up a full-size of Olmstead & Vaux. 

Last but not least, in the month of July I LOVED Boston! Jason and I got to spend a few hours there between our flights a few weeks ago and I am completely smitten. Not only is it beautiful, but it's also historic and clean - everything I love in a city. I hope to visit again soon and I can't wait to share it with you when that happens. 

Below, I've linked the corresponding video, and like always, I'd love to know what you've been loving this month! Let me know in the comments down below and thanks so much for watching. 

WEEKEND RECAP

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend and your week is off to a great start. This past weekend was a great one full of quality time with my sister. After arriving in town on Thursday, my sister, Jason and I all spent the weekend together enjoying the gorgeous weather, some of the best food in town and so much more.

In lieu of a play-by-play, I'll just share some of the highlights. To kick off the weekend we enjoyed a delicious meal at Edmund's Oast - one of my favorite restaurants in town. If you live in Charleston or are planning a trip, I highly recommend stopping in for a meal and some of the best cocktails and beer in town. 

On Friday, we had Mexican at Mex 1 which was equal parts affordable and tasty! For our caffeine fix on Saturday morning we got cappuccinos and an almond croissant at Revelator Coffee. For brunch on Sunday we got omelettes and french toast at Sunrise Bistro before heading to Sullivan's Island beach.

All-in-all, it was a great weekend and I'mm so happy I got to show my sister around Charleston before we all reunite in NY later this week.     

On My Radar

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a wonderful week and are gearing up for a great weekend. My week started with a lot of work and some prep for my upcoming trip to NY (I leave on Wednesday!) and ended with my sister coming to town! We've got some fun activities planned this weekend that I hope to share a little over on Instagram but mostly, it's just great to spend some time with her in our new city.

• The first thing I've been loving this week is the promise of a new live action Nut Cracker starring Keira Knightly! I'm a huge fan of both The Nut Cracker and Keira so I have pretty high hopes for this one.  

• Next up is this great list of 50 things to see and do in Charleston that is giving me some great ideas for discovering more of this new city that I'm so lucky to call home. 

• Do you ever feel completely drained after spending all day replying to and sending emails? Well, it turns out that's because email is as exhausting as exercise.

• Next up, I've been living my French chateau dream vicariously through Jamie Beck this week and I can't stand how stunning it all is. If you aren't following her yet, I highly recommend changing that. 

• Lastly, I mentioned last week that I'm in the market for a pair of cute white sneakers that I can wear outside of the gym. I originally had my eye on a great pair of classic Supergas but unfortunately, they turned out to be a little uncomfortable for me so I've turned my sights to these and these. I'll keep you posted on which I choose.

WHAT TO WEAR TO A WEDDING

Today's post is all about what I've worn to a few weddings recently and in the past. With wedding season in full swing (September has recently become the most popular month for weddings!), I started thinking about how difficult it can be to decipher what to wear. So, today's video showcases 5 looks that I've worn to weddings. I hope that these looks inspire you to rework some of your favorite dresses for any weddings you have coming up. 

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This lace dress is a piece that I've worn so many times since I picked it up for my rehearsal dinner. 

For dressier weddings and events I like to pair this classic sheath with pearls and a simple shawl. 

For shoes I usually opt for simple pumps. These are some of the most comfortable I've ever owned. 

To complete the look, I like to keep the rest of my jewelry simple so that it doesn't compete with the statement necklace. 

One of my favorite things about this dress is just how versatile it is.

For more casual, spring events I like to wear peep-toe pumps in a light shade of brown to compliment the navy lace. 

A fun way to dress this look up even more is with some statement earrings.

Here, I'm wearing my favorite Julie Vos earrings, but any bold earrings in a complimentary color would do. 

A "Little Black Dress" is always appropriate for a wedding.

By now you know that I love a lbd for a multitude of reasons - most importantly being that you can change up how it looks to suit a variety of events.

For this look, I kept things simple with delicate jewelry and a classic clutch. 

For footwear I stuck to simple pumps that give me a little height without the pain. 

This next variation of the LBD look is for a formal winter affair. 

I started with the same dress but added semi-sheer tights and a faux fur stole. For jewelry I kept things glitzy with a crystal necklace and earrings. 

The same classic pumps completed the look. 

Last, is the look I wore for the wedding we attended in Boston a bit ago - excluding the shoes. For the wedding I wore the pumps from the other looks because it was supposed to rain. 

For the actual outfit I wore this off-the-shoulder top that I picked up from Old Navy for just $9 and an old Ralph Lauren floral skirt. 

All-in-all, I was comfortable through the vows, dinner and dancing and felt perfectly appropriate for the festive outdoor setting. 

Below, I've embedded the corresponding video with links to everything pictured.