SOCIAL MEDIA

1.30.2017

Fuzziest Teddy Jacket

Jacket: Collection B (sold out, similar here and here), Jeans: Joe's Jeans, Hat: H&M (also similar here in other colors), Booties: Vince Camuto (sold out, similar here), Bag: Rebecca Minkoff
Happy Monday y'all! Hope you had an awesome weekend. Linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston and How I Fall for today's post! Our weekend pretty much consisted of wedding shopping. We were looking for the perfect ties for the groomsmen and no luck so far. Needless to say, I'm being really picky about the color. We also wanted to look for gifts for our parents and I wanted to get something small and special for my MOHs! Aside from that, we just deep cleaned the house which always feels SO good. This was one of the last weekends where I don't have wedding stuff going on until the big day!

To say that I stalked Nordstrom's website until this jacket came back in stock would probably be an understatement. It was definitely worth the wait and worth the stalking because I'm obsessed. This jacket and my black bomber have been my go-to on the weekends! This jacket is SO cozy and the material is super soft. It's sold out again but I linked to a couple other really cute teddy jackets that are similar!
1.27.2017

Whole 30 Week 3 Update + Meal Plan!


image via
Happy Friday guys! Hope you had a great week and have some fun weekend plans ahead! I'm just going to jump right into today's post because my last Whole 30 update was a little long-winded.

Just a small summary of Week 2 since I wasn't able to do a full post--Week 2 was definitely the easiest so far! We just blew through the week and didn't really think twice about anything we were cooking. The meal ideas came pretty easily and I didn't have a lot of cravings for sugar/carbs/dairy.

Week 3 on the other hand...has been a whole different story! It's crazy and sort of eye-opening to see how dependent I've become on certain food groups. So far, not being able to have added sugar and carbs (aka sugary carbs) has been the hardest. I don't eat a lot of candy or anything like that but once a week I typically indulge in a doughnut or a muffin or some sort of breakfast pastry. Not being able to have that and then not being able to have my morning oatmeal has sucked. I did come up with a pretty good alternative I'll talk about below but it's just not the same! Lunch is never a struggle because I pretty much always eat very healthy and very low-carb for lunch even prior to Whole 30. Dinner during Week 3 was difficult because we were so busy at work and with wedding stuff so coming home and having to creatively cook every night was a struggle. Monday night was the closest I've come to quitting! All I freakin' wanted was a slice of pizza!

Physique/Mental State: My energy is probably about the same--I haven't seen a real increase or decrease this week. Week 2 I would say my energy was definitely higher than normal then I saw a little bit of a drop this week. At this point, I have lost 5 pounds total which is motivating. It definitely hasn't helped my acid reflux issues--if anything I would say it's made it worse because I'm eating so many acidic fruits! Fruit is all I'm craving on this diet. And guacamole!

Meal Plan:
Monday-Breakfast: Banana + Unsweetened Almond Butter mashed and microwaved (sounds gross but its SO good), Lunch: Meal Prepped Chicken + Green Beans + Potatoes (small portions), Dinner: Lettuce Tacos
Tuesday-Breakfast: Banana + Unsweetened Almond Butter, Lunch: Leftover Lettuce Tacos, Snack: Plantain Chips + Guacamole, Dinner: These Whole 30 "Pizza" Potato Skins
Wednesday-Breakfast: 1 Clementine + Green Juice Lunch: Leftover Pizza Potato Skins, Snack: Dried Banana and Almonds, Dinner: Chipotle (we order the salad with steak, peppers/onions, pico and guacamole...not very exciting haha)
Thursday-Breakfast: Hardboiled egg + a pear, Lunch: Went out with co-workers and ordered a salmon salad with oil and vinegar as dressing, Dinner: My version of shrimp stir fry (I used cauliflower rice, shrimp and mixed veggies then topped with coconut aminos)
Friday (tentatively)-Breakfast: Banana/Egg Pancakes with Strawberries/Raspberries on top, Lunch: Egg Salad (made with avocado instead of mayo) + Plantain Chips, Dinner: Lettuce wrapped burgers

Beverages: This week I still stuck to only drinking water, green juices, different teas with lemon or almond milk, coffee on the weekends with almond milk, and sparkling waters with no sugar added.

Sweet Treats: If I'm craving something sweet, I either go for a banana smoothie (which is literally just frozen banana, almond milk and unsweetened almond butter), Trader Joe's fruit bars (the only ingredients are apple and strawberries), or grapes. Those (typically) satiate my sweet tooth!

Hope y'all enjoyed this post! Have a wonderful weekend!
1.25.2017

Styling Mom Jeans + Fashion Frenzy Link-Up!

Coat: Chicwish (also similar here), Tank: J. Crew, Jeans: H&M, Booties: Aldo, Hat: Zara
Happy Wednesday y'all! Hope you're having a great week so far. I'm not going to lie--going into the third week of Whole 30 has been a STRUGGLE. Week 2 was an absolute breeze--I feel like we didn't even think twice about it. This week all I want is a DOUGHNUT guys. Just ONE DOUGHNUT haha! Friday I'm going to do a Whole 30 update and talk through more meal ideas.

I talked about these jeans in my Winter Clothing Essentials/Haul video (linked here if you haven't checked it out yet) and I still don't know if these would be classified as mom jeans/boyfriend jeans? If you guys have any idea I would love to know. I'm going to call them mom jeans for now because they are that high waisted, light denim and pretty straight legged style. I LOVE the amount of distress on these and the trendy uneven hemline. I can't find this EXACT pair online but again with H&M, if you go in-store you should definitely be able to find them. The ones I linked to are still SUPER cute and a little less distressed.

Jumping into today's link-up....[Also linking up with The Blended Blog, Trend Spin]


1.23.2017

Lace-Up Sweater + New Video!

Sweater: Ooh La Loft (identical in grey here), OTK Boots: Steve Madden, Bag: Vince Camuto (sold out, OBSESSED with this one), Hat: J. Crew
Happy Monday guys! It's so weird actually being back at work on Monday. I don't think I've worked a Monday so far in 2017 haha! Linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston, Style Elixir, and Trend Spin for today's post! We had a pretty relaxing weekend for the most part. I ended up not going to the Women's March because you pretty much couldn't get within 2 or 3 miles of the nearest metro stop. Everything was so backed up because SO many people were heading into DC! So instead I spent Saturday filming ANOTHER video (linked below) and met up with my bestie/MOH Kate for dinner and shopping that night. Sunday, I picked up a couple decorative things I still needed for the wedding and meal prepped for this week (yep we're still on the Whole 30--starting week 3!!).

I have to attribute this adorable sweater find to my love for all things Bachelor. I follow JoJo (who was by far my favorite Bachelorette) on Snapchat and she talked about this online shop and showed a few sweaters from there. I had been looking for a good lace-up chunky sweater and I loved that this one was long enough to wear sort of as a dress/tunic. This one is sold out in some sizes but there is one almost completely identical that I found and linked to!

1.20.2017

My Perfect Wedding Smile with Smile Brilliant!



Happy Friday guys! Hope you had a great week and have some fun weekend plans ahead. I'm going to just jump right into today's post because I have so much to share on my experience with Smile Brilliant!

Obviously with the wedding coming up, there are so many beauty maintenance items to check off the list like making sure I get my hair color touched up, making sure I have the perfect spray tan and the perfect manicure. I was trying to figure out how I'm going to squeeze an appointment in with the dentist to get my teeth whitened because every weekend from now until the wedding is pretty much booked! That's why I was so excited that Smile Brilliant reached out to me to try their at-home teeth whitening system! Not only is it super easy to use but you can do it all from home so you don't have to worry about making an appointment.

How it works: Smile Brilliant sends you a package with everything you need including the clay to make the mold for your custom-fitted trays! They even include a pre-paid envelope to send back your trays so it's really REALLY convenient. I received my custom trays back within at least a week of sending back my molds and they fit perfectly! It's really neat to have trays that are customized and so comfortable to wear.

In the kit they obviously include the whitening gel but they ALSO include a desensitizing gel which I did use. I have VERY sensitive teeth which honestly made me nervous about trying the system altogether. I have done the Crest whitening strips in the past and they make my teeth hurt for days. My teeth didn't hurt AT ALL after using this system and guys--that's a huge deal! My teeth look significantly whiter after just one use so I definitely plan on maintaining that over the next few months up until the wedding. I think my teeth will be practically sparkling by then! See before and after results below:

I definitely recommend Smile Brilliant! AND I have super exciting news because Smile Brilliant has been generous enough to host a giveaway for my readers! Enter here to win a free teeth whitening kit! They were also so kind as to give me a 5% off promo code to share with y'all. Just use Coupon Code: rosyoutlook at check-out! If you guys are thinking about purchasing their kit, feel free to comment below or email me any questions you might have. I would be so happy to answer!

As always, thanks for reading and thank you to Smile Brilliant for collab'ing with me on today's post!

1.18.2017

High-Low Sweater + Fashion Frenzy Link-Up!

Sweater: BP, Jeans: Topshop, Boots: Steve Madden, Sunnies: Quay, Bag: Tory Burch
Happy Wednesday loves! Hope your weeks are going well so far. I don't know what I'm going to do next week when I have a full week of work because I'm so used to having 4 day work weeks at this point! We don't have too many exciting plans for this weekend EXCEPT I think I am going to be participating in the Women's March on Washington on Saturday. Not to get political--I do just think it's a great mission for female equality! Plus I think it's just going to be such a historic movement to be a part of.

In other news--this is the outfit that I wore to the meeting with our wedding coordinator and these photos were again taken right by our wedding venue! I know over-the-knee boots have been on trend for the last 2 years and I have owned 2 pairs for a while but didn't really get a lot of use out of them. The past month or so I have been OBSESSED! I can't stop wearing these Steve Madden boots. They're such a great dupe for the Stuart Weitzman pair and are just awesome quality.

Jumping into today's link-up....[Also linking up with The Blended Blog, Style Elixir, Trend Spin]


1.16.2017

Faux Fur Bomber

Bomber: New Look via Asos, Tee: J. Crew, Jeans: Hudson, Booties: Aldo, Hat: Asos
Happy Monday guys! Excited to be writing this post on another day off. It has been so awesome to have a super long and relaxing weekend. Linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston for today's post! Sorry for being sort of absent in replying to comments/commenting back on Friday. Like I mentioned in my post, we left first thing in the morning to meet with our wedding coordinator at our venue and then right after our meeting we went to pick up our marriage license. I feel SO much better after our meeting with the coordinator now that I have clear expectations for how the day will go and what she needs from me beforehand to get everything done! We also picked our menu so we're going to be mailing out the invites this week. The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing. We just did a lot of meal prepping for the week and went to see Passengers which I really loved!

This faux fur bomber is such a fun statement and I have been super impressed with the quality. The faux fur feels SO soft and it actually keeps you REALLY cozy during these winter months. Actually, the main reason I purchased this bomber is because there was one almost identical I wanted from Topshop for months but it was $150. This one is SO SO similar and I got it for less than $60 on sale!

Also--I uploaded my second YouTube video over the weekend! Make sure to check it out below!
1.13.2017

Whole 30 Week 1

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Happy Friday loves! I'm getting ready to head out the door to our appointment with our wedding coordinator but I want to try to do weekly check-ins (if I survive the full 30 days haha) as I'm doing the Whole 30. Honestly, reading what other people are eating throughout the diet and getting ideas from others is what is getting me through right now! I hope that this is helpful for some of you that are thinking about doing it or are currently doing it.

Thoughts/Feelings/Tips:
Overall, I definitely am already seeing results with regard to my physique. Whole 30 says not to weigh yourself but I'll be totally honest and I'm breaking that rule 100%. I knew going into it that I wasn't going to follow that rule because at the end of the day what motivates me is results. When I work-out, I'm more motivated to continue working out because I see results and same goes for a diet. So no-go on the whole not weighing in! My first few days, I definitely was not consuming enough and felt VERY low-energy and had an urge to quit every time meal time rolled around because I was SO hungry. On Tuesday, I did a lot of research on Whole 30 approved snacks and that really helped get me through the week. A ton of people snack on Lara or Rx bars during Whole 30 but I'm allergic to dates so....not an option for me! I did find a few snacks that help keep me full like apples or bananas with unsweetened almond butter, prosciutto and apples, and plantain chips (ARE A GODSEND) and guacamole. I think my attitude from the beginning of the week to now has actually changed a lot. I feel like I'm not DYING for a bagel or a slice of pizza like I was at the start and I actually get a little more excited about all of the other Whole 30 approved meals/snacks we've tried this week. I'm CONSTANTLY craving plantain chips and guacamole guys. You have to try it whether you're on Whole 30 or not! I mean let's be real, I'm totally going to incorporate some carbs back in after this diet though.

One HUGE tip if you try or are trying the Whole 30 is to check out your nearest Trader Joe's. They have a TON of Whole 30 compliant snacks and that is where we purchased our plantain chips, guacamole, salsa and marinara sauce. We plan to do all of our grocery shopping there for the rest of the 30 days.

Whole 30 Week 1 Diet:

Sunday--Breakfast: Banana/Egg Pancakes with Strawberries on top, Lunch/Dinner: Sausage and Cabbage with French's Yellow mustard (which is Whole 30 compliant)
Monday--Breakfast: 1 Egg Muffin (recipe here), Lunch: Beef Stew (recipe here), Snack: Pineapple, Dinner: Tilapia (with lemon and pepper), mashed potatoes, and green beans
Tuesday--Breakfast: 1 Egg Muffin and a banana, Lunch: Beef Stew, Snack: Pear, Dinner: Meatballs (no breading) with Whole 30 approved marinara sauce overtop zoodles (zucchini noodles), Snack: Plantain Chips & Guacamole
Wednesday--Breakfast: 1 Banana and some almonds (was super tired of eggs at this point), Lunch: Leftover meatballs and zoodles, Dinner: I easily get tired of meat if I eat a lot of it so all I had was mashed potatoes (no dairy added) and guacamole. Sounds pretty disgusting but it's all I wanted!
Thursday--Breakfast: 1 Pear, Snack: Banana Chips, Lunch: Grilled Chicken and Mashed Potatoes (no dairy added), Snack: Trader Joe's Fruit Bar (only ingredients are Strawberries and Apples), Dinner: Stuffed Peppers (only stuffed with very seasoned lean ground beef)
Friday (tentative)--Breakfast: Smoothie, Snack: Grapes, Lunch: we'll be eating at a seafood restaurant near our venue so I plan to get fish with a veggie, Dinner: I'm going to try to find some Whole 30 approved sushi...Snack: Plantain Chips and Guacamole

For Beverages: I have only been drinking water, seltzer water with natural flavor like grapefruit (my favorite is either La Croix or Pellegrino), coffee with unsweetened almond milk, and tea with lemon (usually either green tea, peach tea or passion tea)

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post!
1.11.2017

Styling an Oversized Coat + Fashion Frenzy Link-Up!

Coat: Zara (similar here, LOVE this one), Sweater: H&M, Leggings: H&M, Hat: J. Crew, Boots: Topshop
Happy Hump Day loves! Can I just start off by saying--GO TIGERS!! Even though I wasn't fortunate enough to attend the game in person, I'm so SO proud of my alma mater and just am still in total awe that we won the National Championship. If only I was still in college! I'm excited because tomorrow is technically my Friday. We are meeting with our wedding coordinator for our "planning session" on Friday and we're also picking up our marriage license while we're out that way. I also just realized we have off this upcoming Monday so it's going to be an extra long weekend for me!

To say that I'm in love with this coat from Zara would be an understatement. I picked it up during the Zara sale (which is still going on) for a great deal and it is sold out in a few sizes but I also linked to a couple that that look very similar and are super cute. If you haven't checked out the Zara sale yet, I would definitely recommend you do! There isn't a ton left but everything that is left is super cute and such a good deal!

Jumping into this week's link-up....[Also linking up with The Blended Blog, Oh Hey Girl & Trend Spin]


1.09.2017

Suede & Black

Jacket: BlankNYC, Turtleneck: H&M, Jeans: Topshop, Belt: Urban Outfitters, Booties: Aldo, Hat: Zara
Happy Monday loves! Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston, Style Elixir, Trend Spin, and Pink Sole for today's post! We had a snowy weekend but it actually was kind of nice because we didn't really have anywhere to be and it wasn't too much snow that you couldn't go out and drive! Steven and I started the Whole 30 yesterday so we spent most of the weekend meal-prepping. Are any of you guys doing the Whole 30? I feel like so many people are with the start of the new year. I tried it once in the past and only lasted a week (LOL) so this time I'm really hoping to do it the full 30 days. This is sort of a trial run so that I'm prepared and have tested out a ton of meals for the month leading up to my wedding! I do have my dress fitting in early February so that is a good motivator for this time around.

I have raved about this jacket a million times but I just have to say again how much I LOVE it. It's such a versatile jacket and the color is just perfection!

If you guys didn't catch my post on Friday, I filmed my very first YouTube tutorial on how I create my super beachy loose waves! Thank you SO much to everyone who was so encouraging and sweet. I so appreciate it and it has made me so motivated to make more videos! Make sure to check out the video here if you haven't already!
1.06.2017

My Very First YouTube Tutorial--Effortless Beach Waves!



Happy Friday guys! I'm so excited about today's post because I'm sharing my very first YouTube tutorial. Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out but it's so funny/awkward to see yourself on video. There are things I didn't notice that I do--like say "um" or "anyway" a TON so bear with me on that in this video. When I sent it to my friends, I told them to make a drinking game and take a sip of their drink every time I say "um" haha! Self-awareness is a good thing! I actually had so much fun editing it (not that it's anything earth-shattering in the slightest) but I love learning new software and new tools and I'm excited to learn so much more as I go.

I chose to do a tutorial on how I style my hair mainly because over the last year I have seen SUCH an improvement in the health of my hair. I used to blowdry and straighten my hair almost every day on top of coloring it or putting highlights or balayage in it. I think that washing my hair less and using this curling iron has made a huge difference. I only have to curl my hair two times a week (which is how often I wash my hair) and the curls/waves hold up so well in between washes. If you're struggling with dry or damaged hair, I really recommend locking away the straightener and trying to rock the beach wave!

Hope you guys enjoy watching. Hoping to have a new video up in a few weeks! If you guys have any suggestions for video topics I would love to hear. I'm thinking about doing a haul because I did buy quite a few things during all the winter sales as my last hoorah before the wedding haha!
1.04.2017

The Cutest Fuzzy Bomber + Fashion Frenzy Link-Up

Bomber: Who What Wear via Target, Top: Zara, Jeans: Hudson, Boots: Steve Madden
Happy Wednesday loves! Hope you're having a great week so far. I feel super grateful for the two long weekends in a row because I came back to work so refreshed! It was definitely needed because the month leading up to the holidays was the busiest we've ever been. I'm glad to start the new year on a positive note. I mentioned in my Resolutions post that I'm hoping to take a couple online graphic design courses and I also think I might try to take a few photography courses as well. Since we're all bloggers and design/photography is an important piece of it, if any of you have taken courses or watched tutorials that you have found helpful I would love to hear!!

This fuzzy bomber was SUCH a great find at Target. I haven't bought clothes from Target in years but I went in for groceries (as we all do) and decided to peruse the clothing section (as we all do). Target did a collaboration with Who What Wear and this bomber was part of it! I'm super into the faux fur/teddy coat trend and I love that this is a bomber version. I've already worn it a TON!

Jumping into this week's link-up....[also linking up with The Blended Blog, Trend Spin, Layers & Lipstick]


1.02.2017

Staple Sweater Dress

Dress: H&M (not online but definitely in stores--also similar here, here, and here), Booties: Aldo, Bag: Tory Burch
Happy Monday guys! Can you believe it's actually 2017?! I'm still just blown away. This post is going to be a little short because I'm off today and I actually have to run to a hair appointment shortly! We had a super laidback NYE and just stayed in to watch the Clemson game. We did a lot of fun day activities over the long weekend like yummy brunches and ice-skating! It was a good, relaxing way to start the New Year. Oh--and I also filmed my very first video. I actually am almost done editing it so I'm hoping to have it up by Friday!

This sweater dress is pretty much perfection. It's so cozy and such a great length. I couldn't find it online but they have it in several colors in my H&M store. I also linked to a few that are pretty similar!

[Linking up with Pink Sole, B Loved Boston, Style Elixir]