Bell of the Bottoms

I am very much into the retro vibes that have been making their rounds lately. When trying this trend on yourself keep in mind that fit and styling is very important. You really want to make sure you keep part of your look modern so you don’t appear outdated.

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EXPRESS LACE SHIRT (SO old!! Similar here) || URBAN OUTFITTERS KIMONO (similar) & JEANS || UPHORIA BOUTIQUE HAT || REBECCA MINKOFF BAG ℅ SOUTH MOON UNDER || ROMAN LUXE RINGS

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These flares are waaaaay comfortable! They’re basically leggings, jeggings I guess is the appropriate term really. I’ll be wearing them a lot in the following weeks, months, years.

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I jumped at the chance to wear this cape while I could on a particularly warm winter day, ha. In all reality I probably won’t be able to wear it again for a few months but I look forward to it! I’ll be wearing it all summer long as a coverup but for now it works for the 70’s vibe I was going for. Don’t you love when you find pieces like this that work for more than one season? Really get your moneys worth! The kimono is brand new but I can’t find the exact one online. So check out your local store, otherwise I linked to something similar above!

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Per-suede Me

You ever try something on and love it so much you decide right then and there you have to have it in more than one color or print? Such is the case with this outfit. You may recognize this t-shirt from a pervious post  in a different color, and this skirt I loved so much I bought it in both colors I tried on. A girl has to have options, right?

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UPHORIA BOUTIQUE POCKET T || SOUTH MOON UNDER SKIRT || GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI BOOTIES || RAY BANS SHADES || TARGET BAG 

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This is one of those skirts that we’re seeing basically everywhere right now. The other color I bought was a deep olive green, much like the color of these booties. I am in love with the suede trend right now! The suede shift dresses I’m seeing everywhere are to die for! Uphoria has an olive green one that is so pretty. Unfortunately I only have these skirts (for now!), but I’m stoked to wear them both with slouchy sweaters and over the knee boots, too.

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This is the t-shirt I was telling you guys about from Uphoria Boutique. They come in so many colors, I honestly can’t believe I had enough will power to only leave with two of them! I’ve been wearing both non-stop lately. They are so soft, and as I said before, very long in length so they pair great with leggings, which I have also been wearing a lot the past couple of weeks. It’s definitely due to the weather changing. It’s a challenge for me to get dressed up and put on actual pants when it’s always so dark and gloomy outside, amiright?

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NYFW Outfit Recap Day 2

Earlier this week when I showed you guys what I wore to the Boy Meets Girl party I mentioned that I wanted to go a little more casual to this year’s Fashion Week events. Last year I put SO MUCH PRESSURE on myself to put together the most top notch outfits with my most expensive heels & bags and everything in between. After hours of romping around the city I was miserable and uncomfortable. I knew this year was going to be no different for anyone else, but personally, I wanted to enjoy myself.

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SHOP UPHORIA DRESS & HAT || H&M JACKET || LULU’S BOOTIES ℅ (sold out, similar here) || VI MONDI NECKLACE ℅ || ROMAN LUXE RING ℅ || REBECCA MINKOFF BAG ℅ SOUTH MOON UNDER

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I had no idea what I was going to wear when I RSVP’ed to Reward Style’s annual roof top party. I did know that every other blogger in the universe was going to show up dressed to the nines and beyond. I didn’t want to show up in sweat pants & sneakers, obvi, but I did want to be comfortable while looking like I did put some thought into my outfit. I stopped in my friends store, Uphoria Boutique in Little Silver, who always has the best staple pieces in stock. These comfortable midi length dresses were all over her store with different types of embellishments. I tried on about 5 different pieces but ended up going for this one based on the color alone. I am a sucker for a deep red hue. I also loved the details on the back of the dress, which I forgot to snap a picture of. The back of the dress had a racerback fit but offered the illusion that it was layered with another dress underneath.

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It ended up being an extremely hot day so there was no need to carry around my leather jacket, unfortunately. I think it actually really completes the look I was going for, ha. The party was a blast except for a quick downpour that forced about 100 girls to huddle under a tiny little covering. On the bright side, It was a great way to meet fellow bloggers.

I have yet to shoot the outfit I wore to the Lulu’s party a few nights earlier, but hopefully I can manage to get that together for you guys because I really loved that outfit too. Overall I had a blast during fashion week, but I am exhausted! I’m heading off to North Carolina with my best friend today for a little R&R and girl time to recoup! See you guys when I return!

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Laces Out (in).

I was unaware of how many LBD I have acquired throughout my lifetime until my recent trip to NYC for the weekend. I needed to wear all black at the Bloomingdale’s trunk show I guest hosted and I had a panic attack thinking I had nothing to wear and was about to head out to spend more money on a dress when I had a little epiphany. I figured I should just sift through my closet one more time before heading out and realized I have like 30 little black dresses to choose from, HA. While my favorite black mini leather dress from South Moon Under (previously worn here & here) made the cut, I grabbed this Uphoria Boutique mini dress for my dinner date that night!

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UPHORIA BOUTIQUE DRESS (similar) || CLARKS SHOES (similar, similar) || DANIRISI BAG || DAVID YURMAN BRACELET || ROMAN BRIDE BRACELET (similar) || TIFFANY’S BRACELET || MICHELE WATCH

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I kept my accessories very understated for this look because I was a little too obsessed with the dress itself. The high neckline and keyhole cutout deemed a necklace unnecessary and I honestly didn’t pack any fun or exciting earrings to go with this, ha. I let my dress and my bag make their own statements. The lace detail on the back stole my heart as soon as I tried it on. Not to mention it fit like it was made for me! I swear if I could live in this dress I would.

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Also, funny story about these shoes. They are not the shoes I intended to wear with this outfit. In fact, I didn’t even own these shoes until about 2 or 3 hours before dinner. I stood on my feet for hours throughout the trunk show and by the end I could barely walk, literally. (Why I chose to wear a pair of Louboutin’s to be on my feet all day I will never know). After the show I hobbled across the street to the Clark’s store to grab a pair of shoes, and at that point I would have bought pretty much anything. However, I put these sandals on and fell in love; they’re like walking on little mini clouds. I was a little hesitant to wear them to dinner later, after all I had packed 4 other pairs of heels to choose from, but they were so comfortable I decided to stick with them. Matt and I decided to skip the cab/uber/hotel car and walk back to our hotel after dinner… about 10 blocks! My feet were not bothering me at all. I’m so glad I decided to stick with the “sensible” shoes. While it’s not normally something I would opt for, I like a little more height and edge, I would have been miserable the entire night and would have missed out on exploring the city. Let that be a lesson to ya!

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The Road Less Traveled

There is something about those places that people don’t often go to that I just love. They’re quiet, they’re clean, they’re undisturbed. Those are the places I like to spend my time… and take my pictures, ha!

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UPHORIA BOUTIQUE DRESS C/O (similar) || SOUTH MOON UNDER NECKLACE || CHARLOTTE RUSSE SANDALS || DANIRISI CLUTCH C/O || RAY BANS SHADES || ROMAN LUXE RING

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Can we just talk about this bag for a quick sec because I’m obsessed. I spotted it immediately sitting on a table among tons of other adorable accessories and if you know me, you know my obsession with elephants is real, so I knew I had to have this bag. On the back, which you will also see, it says “Take Me to Paris” – adorbs! If you’re in the central NJ area, which a lot of you are in these summer months, you must stop by DaniRisi in Allenhurst and sift through all of her accessories! You walk in and your eyes literally don’t know where to go first, there’s so much amazingness in there! AND not to mention they are totally affordable. Can’t beat it!

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See…. more elephants. Obsessed guys… obsessed! This tassel necklace from South Moon Under is one of my new favorite pieces. It’s also available in a variety of colors; a bright pink & orange combo and a light blue, which I had a hard time deciding between, just to name a few. IMG_4448 IMG_4449

I was on the fence with the gladiator sandal trend, but to be fair, I had never tried them on. When I found this dress at Uphoria I saw myself wearing it with tall gladiator sandals and was like hmmmm well now I have to go find a pair! I was determined not to spend too much money since I wasn’t sure exactly how I would feel about them and luckily I found these beauties at Charlotte Russe for only $30! Thankfully I love them and I think they ended up pairing perfectly with this tunic dress! I’m going to be wearing them aaaaaall summer long!

Visit DaniRisi’s website, instagram, & facebook!

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Skort the Issue

If your my age… 27 (gag!) fashion trends from your childhood are starting to come back in waves. I’ve seen a few girls trying to pull off the plastic wire choker but I wouldn’t count on that too soon, ha. However, many, many things like flatforms, bucket bags and backpacks, overalls, and skorts, just to name a few, have made their way into closets across the globe… including mine.

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SKORT DRESS: C/O UPHORIA BOUTIQUE (similar, similar) || SHOES: CHARLOTTE RUSSE || BAG: CHANEL || SHADES: RAY BANS || NECKLACE: H&M || RING: C/O JUNO BOUTIQUE (similar)

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When I first grabbed this off the rack I thought it was just your typical little white dress. It wasn’t until I walked into the dressing room that I realized this was a skort. I was unsure at first… but I went ahead and tried it on anyway. It fit like a glove and I’m actually really into the skort look instead of a dress. As much as I’d love to be able to run around in heels and little dresses all the time, I am constantly chasing after two small children so the skort over the dress works perfectly for me. I don’t have to worry about pulling at my dress to make sure nothings hanging out. Win!

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Oh so about my hair… hah! Last week you guys saw the cut but I went one step further and dyed it some fun colors. My stylist and I have done just about everything we can do to my hair. In case you were unaware, I have naturally very dark brown hair. We’ve been going blonde for about a year now. I’ve been toying with the idea of going dark again in the fall so while I have the blonde locks that are needed to dye your hair a wild color we decided to do it. I went for a pastel look instead of a bright look. It’s subtle but still fun, and the best part, temporary! ha If you like the look and you’re in the Red Bank area, definitely stop by Lambs and Wolves… ask for Candace ;]

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What Juno About That?

Ok, so 1. I think my husband would kill me if he knew I was out and about in these boots during our snow storm the other day, haha! Don’t worry, they’re weather proofed! 2. Rain boots are not snow boots. Learned that the hard way. 3. I need snow boots. BUT! All in all, Juno was actually pretty fun. I love how much Char loves the snow, but I mean, don’t all kids? I need to get myself some actual winter gear so I can seriously play with my little ones outside, ha.

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SWEATER: FOREVER 21 || DRESS: H&M || TIGHTS: FOREVER 21 || JACKET: H&M (similar) || SCARF: H&M || BOOTS: STUART WEITZMAN || GLOVES: TARGET || HAT: C/O UPHORIA BOUTIQUE (similar) || EARRINGS: C/O ROCKSBOX || LIPSTICK: MAC ‘DIVA’

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Believe it or not, I was actually pretty warm. After the snow settled down the sun was shining and it was pretty beautiful out. I had very thick over the knee socks on, plus the tights, plus the boots, my legs were warrrrrm. This scarf is seriously no joke too, it’s SO thick and warm! As is the sweater. Perfect for cold winter days and nights!

winter layers winter layers shop uphoria hatHave you guys heard about RocksBox yet? Whoever came up with this service is a genius. For a very low monthly fee ($19) they send you a box of insane jewelry that’s yours to borrow or buy at a discount if you really love it! Send everything back at no cost to you, (they send you a pre-paid shipping label!) and then they’ll send you your next month’s pieces! These black quartz earrings are drool worthy, I think I may have to purchase them, eek! If you want to try the service, use code RACHELBFF64 at Rockbox.com & get your first month FREE! 

winter layers winter layers shop uphoria boutique IMG_3654 IMG_3652 IMG_3642 I needed a little something extra between the boots and the skirt and I’ve been dying to wear these maroon tights for a while now. The skirt is actually a dress I layered under the sweater. I’ve had it for years now, it’s one of my favorite pieces in my closet due to its versatility. It’s so cute in the summer with strappy gladiator sandals, or in the spring paired with this exact leather jacket and wedges. So yes, ladies! You can wear your favorite summer dress year round, just layer up like I did! Here’s a quick little snap from our snow day fun day! Please ignore my heinous ski mittens, they’re my moms! hahaha, seriously, I need to be better prepared for snow days going forward!

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Buns & Flats and Buns & Flats

Sounds like boots and pants and boots and pants, right? Now it’s stuck in my head. It’ll probably be there (and ruin) my whole day, so I apologize if the same happens to you, but I couldn’t help sharing.

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TOP: C/O UPHORIA BOUTIQUE* (similar) || JEANS: AG JEANS || FLATS: GAP || SHADES: RAY BAN || BAG: LINEA PELLE || NECKLACE: C/O UPHORIA BOUTIQUE* (similar here) || RING: C/O ROMAN & SUNSTONE (no longer available, similar here)

photo 1-1 photo 2-1 UPHORIA I’ve been dying to wear this shirt since the day I got it! I was going to wear it to a best friend’s birthday celebration a week or two ago and I’m glad I didn’t because when I walked in…she was wearing it. HA. We are forever twinning, so it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but wearing the same thing as someone else to a small house party isn’t always great. She looked amazing though. Paired this open back top with a long black maxi skirt and black slip on sneaks. She looked supaaaaah chic!

photo 3-1 photo 3 photo 4-1 uphoria boutique These flats are the bees knees! I scored them at a GAP outlet last fall and they quickly became my go-to’s for the season. As far as I’m concerned, leopard print is a neutral, especially in this dark mix of black and gray, they go with just about everything and they’re so comfortable. I love! I’m also loving the slight chill in the air! I’ve officially taken my first trip to Delicious Orchards, a fall staple in the state of NJ no matter where in the state you reside. With the first trip of the year under my belt I can finally put my summer sadness behind me and get stoked for fall! weeee :]

JUST A REMINDER!!! Don’t forget about the Shop Our Closets for Charity event happening THIS Saturday! Stop in and shop your fave fashion blogger’s closets! To RSVP head here. See you there!

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Fake it ’til You Make it.

As any fashion enthusiast will tell you, the first thing you need to know about your fall wardrobe is: layering is key. I’ve already touched on this in my post last week by explaining that layering is a must for fall weather since you never really know what you’re going to get. Mornings are cool, afternoons are warm, like a lady going through menopause. SO! Rock the layers, or fake them like I did with this gorgeous double layer sweater.

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SWEATER: UPHORIA BOUTIQUE* (similar) || JEANS: AG JEANS || SHOES: VALENTINO || SHADES: ANTHROPOLOGIE (similar) || BAG: EXPRESS (similar) || RING: C/O ROMAN LUXE || NECKLACE: FRANCESCA’S (similar)

* Uphoria Boutique is in the middle of updating their online store! Visit their Instagram and order through there!

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Why I love this sweater is simple: you get the flawless look of perfectly layered garments without the bunchy awkwardness of actually layering your shirts. I don’t know about you guys, but I have yet to master (or even barely accomplish) that technique. I’m always all bunched in the wrong spots, I can barely move my arms because the layers are too thick. It’s just wrong. This sweater creates the look of layering without having to worry about any of that nonsense. It’s also super light which is perfect for early fall weather but fits great under a leather moto jacket (which I totally wore it with, duh).

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Ok guys, if you have been debating whether or not to splurge on some sort of Valentino rock studs, whether it be flats or pumps, do it. JUST DO IT. Nike wants you to. But seriously. I used to think my Jimmy Choo’s were the most comfortable shoes in my closet (don’t even get me started about Louboutin’s, those shoes are not made for human feet), but these Valentino’s change the game. They’re comfortable and flattering and the colors are so fun! They also go with just about anything! See how I wore them to NYFW here. They are worth every penny, promise!

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How cute is this pup? She was walking by and just decided to sit right smack dab in the middle of our shoot and look all stoic! She totes wanted her picture taken. She’s rocking the fur trend this fall…. ha ha ha ;]

Photography by: Drew Elia

Speaking of fall and layers, shop my latest collection with Mavatar to score some of my favorite pieces for the season! Happy shopping!

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April Faves!

Good morning kids, Happy May!! Can you believe it’s May already? I feel like April just stopped by to say hi and left. May is probably going to fly by as well as I have a ton of things lined up this month. Pretty much everyone I know has a birthday this month… I have family parties, I should be visiting school this weekend to support my Sorority and see some sisters I haven’t seen in forever, I should be having a baby shower (cough, cough), and Bamboozle! At which I hope to meet the one and only Dave Grohl. My old boss has come through with All Access passes to this wondrous event and I plan on stalking Dave the entire time, haha. Not seriously, but I am most excited for that! I can never pass up an opportunity to see the Foo Fighters, even if I will be over 8 months pregnant. Whateva, ya know?

Anywho! April is already gone, which is crazy to me, but which also means it’s time for April Favorites! Let’s get to it. I have a few oh-so-random items to talk about this time hah.

Bling! I picked up these two awesome bracelets from a little boutique in Little Silver, NJ called Uphoria Boutique. They have ALL of the cutest stuff and I cannot wait til I lose this baby bump + baby weight, I will be shopping there all the time. In the meantime, I stick to the jewelry because at least that I can still wear, hah. This little shop has the best jewelry, too. Neon watches that are totally in right now, big bangles, wrap around bracelets, everything. I literally went back and forth between these bracelets and a few others for about 15 minutes. It was torture, but eventually I ended up going with these two. “LOVE” jewelry is very in right now and I am a sucker for anything with skulls on them. I liked these two as well because the turquoise bracelet will look beautiful with a coral manicure and some bright jewelry for summer, and the white marble skull bracelet literally goes with anything. Right now I’m wearing them together and they look awesome.

COLOR! I have had most of these YSL eyeshadow pallets since Fashion Night Out last year but I hardly ever play around with them anymore. Recently I’ve been using them more and more mixing and matching colors from each one. I used to be a big lover of eyeshadow, every other day I’d have some other wacky combination of colors adorning my eyelids. Somewhere along the line I kind of grew up too much and started taking myself too seriously. I got way too into the whole “we must look like grown ups and everything must match” thing that was going on for a while. Now, I say fack it. Play with color, have fun. I have a collection of eyeshadows so big I could open up my own beauty supply store and I was using the same “Natural Eye pallet” every day. That should seriously be considered a crime. These bad boys look bold but are subtle enough to play with color without going overboard. They’re obviously a little on the expensive side, but look how pretty they are!

Self tanning Lotion! As we all know by now, since I got pregnant I have clearly given up tanning. (As everyone should, it’s so bad for you and there are a million alternatives out there!!!) Sorry, I don’t usually force my opinion on people but tanning and smoking are two things I will just never understand why people do them. ANYWAY. SO as you might all remember, since I gave up tanning I have been looking for the perfect at home spray tan which has been an epic battle to say the least. I have finally given up on that search as I am pretty sure that product does not exist, at least not within my budget. But one thing that has never done me wrong? Jergens Natural Glow tanning lotion. This stuff is a gift from the Heavens. It provides just the right amount of color, it’s not streaky, it doesn’t clump up at your elbows and knees, it doesn’t smell so bad you need a gas mask to apply it… it’s just phenomenal. I have been using this for the past month or two and although I’m not super tan anymore, it still keeps me looking like I have a healthy glow, and that my friends, is the point. We’ve been lucky enough to have SOME nice weather here in NJ so I’ve been able to lay out a few days here and there and seal in the color with this lotion. I love it! I definitely recommend it!

Soap….. This is probably one of the more random items on my list, but I just feel the need to express my love for Dove products, especially their soaps, haha. I HATE using a bar of soap that leaves my skin feeling almost sticky? Like seriously, how does that make anyone feel clean? The only soap I’ve ever used that never made my skin feel like that is by Dove. They have perfected the art of the good soap. And these go fresh items they carry? Superb! They smell amazing and seriously get the job done of waking me up in the morning. I love these things.

Nails! Ok, but now it is really no secret that I am beyond obsessed with this shade of nail polish by Essie. It is called “Fiesta” and I feel like my hands are having a fiesta every time I put this shade on. It’s a bold pink, but not over the top girly and like, “ew that’s so pink,” pink. You know what I mean? Every time I paint my nails I find myself having an internal fight with my subconscious not to pick out this color for the 100th time in a row. Much like my eyeshadow collection, I have a vast nail polish collection as well so I try to use as much color as I can but this shade makes it so hard! It literally looks perfect on. If you haven’t done so already, go to the store and grab this shade. I think it’s the perfect pink for people who really aren’t THAT into pink, like myself.

LIPS! I have this really weird obsession with lipstick… I am not really a lipstick person. I’m more of a put on a coat of chapstick and then top it with lip gloss kind of person. However, every time I go to the store I find myself pouring over the lipsticks like all of the sudden I’m going to be into them. I trick myself into believing it and I usually buy one or two shades that I’ll never wear.

HOWEVER! I have found about 4 shades that I do wear, not all the time, but out of the 100 I own, if I’m in the mood for lipstick I can grab one of four shades and feel satisfied. These two are the perfect shades for Spring. Both by Revlon, they don’t make me feel like a circus clown when I have them on. I am always looking for a pretty peach color that almost looks like you’re not even wearing lipstick, but that maybe you just bit your lip? Peach Parfait, that shade! Well done Revlon. It’s almost a little rosy colored which adds a little color to your lips natural hue. The second color is, for me, the perfect shade of pink. I bought this when the whole neon pink lip trend was in, and it is in no way a neon pink, hah. Which… Thank god! I would have looked ridiculous as I never ever wear lipstick and my first attempt would have been with a neon pink? Who am I? In any event, this pink is soft but still punchy. Not too babydoll-ish but pink enough to stand out. Gorg for Spring!

Last but not least…. SMELL! One of my best friends bought this body spray from Victoria’s Secret for me 2 years ago as a bachelorette party gift. I got married at the end of the summer and she said “wear this on your honeymoon and then every time you use it after that it will always remind you of that time in your life.” And my god was she right! I try not to use it that often because I don’t want the smell and memory to go away, haha. But it’s called Island Escape and it’s a mix of “Beachy Coconut” and Sugarcane. It smells like pure amazingness. I only use it on the brightest and sunniest and warmest days as I always want to feel like I am back in Hawaii on my honeymoon whenever I wear it. Victoria’s Secret has the best of everything don’t they? Underwear…body sprays… they’re really just perfect at everything they do. If Victoria’s Secret were a woman she’d be that bitch everyone hated in High School because she was beautiful and never sucked at anything… even her grades were perfect. I hate her just thinking about her. Anyway… like I said we had some really amazing weather this past month so I’ve been wearing it a little more here and there and it’s only getting me more ready for Summer. If you need a new scent for summer I suggest snooping around the Victoria’s Secret body sprays, you are sure to find one you like that won’t break your bank!

So those are my favorites for April kids! Now I have to ponder what song I am going to post later. It’s a dreary rainy day here on the East Coast so it’ll probably be something really calming that will make everyone want to go home, put on their pajamas, and cuddle up. Or maybe it won’t…. who knows? Until later… ;] xo