A Not-So-Basic Bikini

Hey Cats!

Happy Wednesday! I’m getting a bit of a late start again this week…but this time I really have no excuse. But! At the end of this week (so Friday) I have a HUGE announcement that I cannot wait to share! Eeeeee!! But I’m determined to keep it in until then. So let’s jump right in!

I’m sure some of you may be tired of hearing about my trip to Miami, but honestly, I don’t care because it was fabulous. However, one thing that was not so fabulous was trying to cram all of my clothes into a carry-on. I am a severe over-packer, so even though we were there for just two days, I had trouble deciding what I needed and what I could live without. I mean, I’ve got to have options! One solution to this dilemma? A bikini that you can change every day!

This BeachGal bikini comes with different attachments you can add to shake up your look! Pictured above is the bikini by itself with no attachments, which is a fun, classic look. This is perfect for day one on the beach!

For Day 2, add a fun ruffle to both the top and the bottom- or just one! The attachments snap on quite easily, but hold well enough so you don’t lose a ruffle on the beach- no one wants that.

Looking for a little more bling? This sequin trim is perfect for laying by the pool! Keep in mind that each trim option comes with pieces for both the top and bottom of the bikini. There are also many other colors- black, coral, leopard, and hot pink. I went with Aqua since it matched my floppy hat!

I received this product courtesy of BeachGal Swim in exchange for a review, so I’m going to give my honest opinion. This bikini is very well-made, definitely better quality than the Target swimsuits I own! However, if I were to try it on in the store, I don’t think I would have taken it home with me. The bottoms fit well and have a lot of coverage, but the top did not cover everything the way I would prefer. I’m pretty modest when it comes to swimsuits, and the cut of the top didn’t exactly match my taste. But other than that, I think this is a great concept in swimwear, and is a great option for those of us with Severe Over-Packing Syndrome!

How do you save room in your suitcase? Let me know!

That’s all for meow!

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Girl’s Trip Must-Haves

Hey Cats!

Apologies for getting this up a day late! As per usual, my procrastination got the best of me, and Sunday night I was so exhausted and went to sleep at 10 pm instead of blogging. But! I’m planning on posting my regular three posts this week, so stay tuned!

Last week in my vacation recap, I promised a post detailing my Girl’s Trip Must-Haves. Miami was probably my favorite three days of the year, and going with my besties made it even better. After this, I am a firm believer in girl’s trips and am already saving for next year’s trip (or trips!). And I’m basically a girl’s trip professional. After 72 hours. Because of this, I’m going to tell you everything you need to have a fun, easy, and smooth vacation.

1. Friends

Okay, I mean obviously, but at least read the whole paragraph before you decide this is a stupid list. Truth is, the right friends are paramount to a good girl’s trip. I have a rule: never take trips with anyone you do not love. A couple of terrible weekends in college led me to this discovery, so since then I’ve been wary to just pack my bags and go. Make sure you’re not going to have to hold people’s hair back every night. Make sure you’re all on the same page about how much money you want to spend. Make sure you’re all okay with either having a plan or not having a plan for the trip. And most of all, make sure you’re able to stand the people for extended periods of time- because once you’re there, you’re stuck!

2. A Selfie Stick

I used to make fun of selfie sticks, but we brought one on our trip and they are SO FUN. Plus, everyone can be in every picture! We used it at the beach, on our balcony, and yes, even on the airboat tour. Like true millennials. HASHTAG SELFIE.

3. Groupon

Full disclosure: we were on a budget. A tight one. But! That definitely didn’t stop us from having an awesome time. We did everything we wanted to, and spent a reasonable amount of money. For every activity, we searched high and low for the best prices, using Groupon and other coupons to find the best deals. I probably spent a little over $500 for the whole trip (not including clothes HAHA), which is so great for a trip to Miami!

4. Cluster

Thanks to the selfie stick, we took an abundance of photos. Then we all liked each other’s photos better than our own, but sending mass amounts of pictures is annoying and takes so long. My friend Catherine told us about an app called Cluster, where you can just upload your photos to a private group, and everyone can have access to them! Now, we each have all of the photos from the trip to frame or ‘Gram at our discretion. Everyone wins!

5. Your sense of adventure! 

You may get lost in your rent car on the way to the Everglades. You may have to rearrange all of your plans at the last minute. You may get to do everything you want to do, and you may not! You may have to run through the Atlanta airport with moments to spare and eat box sandwiches at 10 pm. But it’s all part of the fun! I will always have wonderful memories from this trip, and it’s mostly because we went with the flow and kept our sense of adventure about us!

These are just a few things I’m glad we had on our trip! What are your girl’s trip must-haves? Let me know!

That’s all for meow!

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Mi-i-iami! Vacation Recap

Hey Cats!

Did you miss me last week? While I had an awesome time on my trip, I definitely missed blogging a bit! It’s good to be back in the swing of things! Hopefully this week will be less crazy than last week! I was on vacation Sunday-Wednesday, went to work on Thursday, where I was surprised with cookies to celebrate my one year anniversary with the company, then left early due to severe weather (more flooding in The Woodlands) and left early again on Friday due to continued flooding. I’m honestly just looking forward to a nice, normal week! And for El Nino to calm himself, because Houston is tired of all these floods. I digress.

Y’all. Miami was THE. BEST. I’ve never taken a full-fledged girl’s trip before (most likely because I’ve never been gainfully employed and if I would have asked my parents to send me to the beach with my friends they would have said, LOL, no). But it was seriously so fun. If you’ve never taken a trip with your closest friends, you need to do it. Even if you’re like, 80. The laughs, the memories, and the sass are unforgettable. Also, it was fabulous to not do work for like three whole days.

First things first, our condo was incredible. We stayed at Marenas Resort in Sunny Isles, and had a view of both the ocean and the city, which was great. Our room had a kitchen, living room, and awesome balcony that we took way too many photos on. Also, the pool was great, and each day we had our own little chairs on the beach! I got plenty of use out of my monogrammed floppy hat and breezy cover-up!

Since we were only there for three days, we had lots of adventure to pack in! We drove around in our sassy little rent car that we named Sasha, to the Everglades for an airboat tour (complete with holding a baby alligator, OMG), and to the Port of Miami for jet ski tours! We only got lost once, which is kind of a huge accomplishment considering the road system in Florida is incredibly confusing.

We had “Fancy Dinner Night”, which ended with no one loving their expensive food and McFlurry’s on the way home. But we looked real cute! As you can tell, we had a blast the entire time. No one got tired of each other (that I know of) and we even watched the premier of The Bachelorette on Monday night, complete with pizza and brackets- we’ve decided to be hardcore fans this season. It was like living with your best friends but no one has responsibilities and you can just have fun all the time. I want that to happen every day.

 

This was a great trip, for many reasons! It was a great way to celebrate one year of post-grad life, an awesome time with my friends, and a wonderful way to relax!  My friends and I realized that before we went on this trip, we’d never even spent the night at each other’s houses. By the end, we had seen it all: a 3 am wakeup call for a 5 am flight, a full day with only 2 hours of sleep, devouring a whole bag of peanut butter M&Ms in one day, forgotten clothing, and hangry attitudes whilst running through the Atlanta airport trying to catch our flight back to Houston. It’s safe to say that this trip was a bonding experience- but an unforgettable one at that!

I know reading about the beach isn’t the same as going- but I had to share! Stay tuned, as next week I will be sharing my Girl’s Trip Must-Haves, now that I’m a seasoned vacation professional.

That’s all for meow!

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Packing List: Beach Trip

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Hey Cats!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I went to the pool twice, slept in, got sub-par pedicures with my besties, and  bought the cutest flamingo tee, so I would say it was a success. But today it’s back to work!

In a few weeks, I’m headed to Florida on vacation with two of my friends, and I’m beside myself with excitement! This is my first big trip with just my friends, so it should be tons of fun! Not to mention I love the beach. I’ve had months to procure the perfect pieces to stuff into my suitcase, and I’ve honestly probably spent way too much money. But whatever. Here’s what will be in my bag:

SWIM:

 

I tried so hard to find a new swimsuit for this trip, but I couldn’t find anything I liked. But I have plenty of suits from past summers that I still love, so it’s okay! I’m bringing my monogrammed bandeau from Marley Lilly paired with coral bottoms, which is probably my favorite swimsuit ever. I’m also bringing a one piece, since one pieces are in right now. I’ve had this one since high school so obviously it’s no longer available, but I’m loving this palm print, this simple blue, and this bright Mara Hoffman suit! My third suit is from Old Navy and also is no longer available, but this one is really similar!

BEACH ACCESSORIES

I bought this monogrammed floppy hat for two reasons: my Kentucky Derby-themed Junior League party this week and the beach. They have so many fun colors, but I chose blue because it matches my Lilly dress I’m wearing to the event (insert hair flip emoji). It also matches my cover-up! I’m loving the simple white with blue stitching! I bought it at Forever 21, but unfortunately can’t find it online (I did see one in the store this weekend!), but I’m loving this similar option, this similar color scheme, or this colorful caftan!

CASUAL OUTFITS

We’re planning on going to do lots of fun things like snorkeling and riding jet skis, so honestly I will probably be wearing Norts and a tee for those activities. But I will need a few cute outfits, of course! I’m bringing my new flamingo tee paired with my favorite boyfriend shorts, which will be perfect for exploring! I’m also bringing my leopard shorts and black tank, which will be great for a casual dinner. Of course, I can’t forget this integral part of my romper collection. It’s Lilly for Target (from the kid’s section), but I love this Lilly Pulitzer option, this solid blue, and this cute print!

GOING OUT ATTIRE

I don’t anticipate going out too much, except for fancy dinner one night. But we’re still three weeks out and I cannot decide for the life of me what outfit to bring! It’s a stressor for me right now. I’m loving this striped romper (similar options here, here, and here) and nude heel combo, but I’m also loving the below options!

I bought this black romper a few months back and I’m in love! I think it’s definitely going to be a staple this summer. There’s also my bird dress that I’m obsessed with and am always looking for excuses to wear. P.S., if birds aren’t your thing but you still want to wear something out of the box, try this dress! It’s on my “to buy” list for sure.

So that’s it! Those are the only pieces I’m taking to the beach. And if you believe that, you obviously don’t know me. What are your beach essentials? Let me know!

That’s all for meow!

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Living the Beach Life-Vacation 2013!

Hey Cats!

As I mentioned, my family and I went to South Padre this week! It was so great to have a little break from work, and to just spend time with my family. I LOVE the beach, and it’s been two years since I’ve been, so I was thrilled to be back! The first day we went to the beach in the morning, and then went back to our condo to get ready for dinner, which was super fun, but we got a little too much sun! Also, one of my best friends from school (and one of my roommates for next year!) lives in the area, so she came to visit me! It was so much fun to get to see her and catch up with her, and it made me ready to be back at school living with her and our other bestie!

The next day, we did a little sightseeing!

My sister and I at the top of the lighthouse!

My delicious crab legs I ate for lunch one day! I love crab, and I only get it at the beach, because it’s fresh. However, kitchen shears were a little awkward and messy!

I’m not really one for souvenir t-shirts anymore, so I got this headband instead. I love these fat, cloth headbands, especially when I’m at school and don’t feel like fixing my hair!

It was a great trip, and I’m glad I got to spend time with my family!

Where is your favorite spot to go on vacation?

That’s all for Meow!

Beach Essentials

Hey Cats!

My family and I are at the beach this week! I love the beach, so it’s great to be in the sun and have a small break from work! Today was our first full day, and it was absolutely perfect. I personally am not one to lay out on the beach all day- I like to play in the water and catch waves with my dad and sister! I always like to wear a hat at the beach, partly because it protects me from the sun, but mostly because it just makes me feel fabulous. I tried to find a floppy straw hat (Unfortunately I dropped mine in the ocean the last time we were at the beach and it’s ruined.), but it was impossible! I reluctantly settled for a fedora, which I kind of can’t believe since I have loathed them forever- but now, I love it! it’s not as big as a floppy hat, so I don’t have to worry about it getting in my way as much! While at Target purchasing the fedora, I came across the perfect beach nail polish, and it was on sale! This is Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Man-go Team! My sister and I are both using it this week! And you know about my oversized round sunglasses that I got instead of the $290 Prada frames I loved. (I have news about this-coming soon!) All three of these items are essentials for my trip to the beach!

Everything pictured is from Target (of course).

Are you going on vacation this summer? Where are you going and what can you not live without while you’re there?

That’s all for Meow!