Newest Spring Break Swimsuits

Today’s post is all about the newest swim that has hit the shops in time for Spring Break destinations! As a stay at home mom, I no longer get to indulge in the “Spring Break” trips but that doesn’t mean I don’t know my way around some swimmies! (Living at the Gulf Coast has given me tons of "swim attire" experience).

As a casual reminder before you scroll down the see what the new swim trends are PLEASE follow the Instagram page! I post daily on fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. I also give some peeks into my daily life living in the Gulf Coast.

Ready to see the Newest Spring Break Swimsuits -


American Eagle - This store has swim for all body types. From one piece, bikinis, to cheeky and Brazilian cut. Size range is amazing and if you can’t find your size in store have an associate order one for you with free shipping to store! I noticed a big trend is bold colors.

Abercrombie & Fitch - This store is a personal favorite of mine (not because I worked there for a decade) but because their swim is high quality and the styles are always on-trend yet preppy. My local A&F was stocked with tons of sizes and they do free shipping when ordered in store. The associates at my local store was super friendly and gave me tons of swim to try on.

Red Dress Boutique- This shop I’ve recently became a fan of. I noticed their swim is very boho and also super girly. The sizes are a bit odd (only small, medium, and large) so look closely at a size chart.

Everything But Water - This store is literally all swim. So the associates know what the trends are and how to direct you to the best fit. Their swim is of nice higher quality brands and a lot of their pieces have a classic feel.

Forever21- One of my favorite cheap thrills places. I would grab swim from here if its for a quick and carefree trip. Never expect a F21 swimsuit to last ages. This is a fast fashion store so its garments are made to be worn only a few times. They do keep up with the newest trends and they have some bold ’show stopper’ pieces.

H&M- This store is also known as a fast fashion store. So the swim isn’t going to be the quality of a store that invests more in their products. This year I noticed a lot of banded detailing and unique cuts in their swim (look below).

Places to Visit: Bellingrath Gardens

Recently Bryce, Holly and I went on a small day trip to the Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile, Alabama. Let me tell you, this is truly a hidden gem. On 65 acres of land with tons of different and very unique gardens to walk through (something beautiful is blooming all year), a gorgeous home that you can tour to see the countless porcelain collection Mrs. Bellingrath collected, and even visit the small chapel right next door. Don’t forget to have lunch at the Cafe! 
I don’t want to give away all the information of this house but there’s many features that was built for this house that made it "ahead of its time". Also many of the people who still works here met Mr. Bellingrath before he passed away (so they have lots of information about the family and what they enjoyed doing). There’s a large collection of Coke-A-Cola memorabilia since Mr. Bellingrath was one of the first to bottle Coke-A-Cola (this is where a majority of his wealth came from).
Best of all, the Gardens play host to beautiful Christmas lights if you’re in the area during the winter months. Below you’ll see some photos we snapped during our tour.
I definitely recommend visiting this hidden gem if you’re a fan of architecture, history, and the magic a secret garden can bring.
 - Brittney 

Beauty EMPTIES!

Today's a quick post on some beauty products I emptied. When I’m bored I’ll check up on my favorite bloggers when they make this style of post because I always love reading about products and getting new recommendations! So today I thought I’d do the same.
This post is going to be simple and sweet. I’ll list where I purchased each item as well in case anyone wants to try these!
 As always follow the Instagram for daily posts on fashion, beauty and lifestyle!

1. Bastiste Dry Shampoo - This worked well when my hair felt oily or sweaty (especially in the summer time!). Love the scent and the packing is super cute. I’ll be mentioning in more details about this in a future post. Purchase anywhere beauty items are sold!

2. HUM Collagen Pop - At first I didn’t enjoy this. In fact I wrote a negative review about this because of the taste. After day 6, I was able to handle the taste and plan to get more. Its a 10 day drink mix tablet. I’ll be mentioning more on this in a future post! Purchased at Sephora.

3. Clarins Hydra-Essential Eye Mask - This lil’ guy was a sample from a Nordstrom purchase. I actually got 5 solid uses from it! Overall it's nice. I feel if I purchased a full size I would see more results on my under eye area. Considering purchasing again soon at Nordstrom.

4. 14 Karat Gold Rush Tanning Lotion - This is my go-to tanning lotion. The smell is heavenly and the amount of bronze color you get is amazing! Purchased at Amazon.

5. Sexy Little Things Perfume - This was my signature scent throughout college! Once I got married I felt I needed a ’signature scent’ change (but wanted to finish using my stash of S.L.T. Perfumes I built up in my closet!) This is now Discontinued.

6. MakeUpForEver HD Primer - The quality this primer gives is 100%. I’m definitely going to restock on this one soon! Purchased at Sephora.

7. Clinique Mascara - This mascara is surprisingly a good one. It doesn’t do a lot of volume but it's a great lengthening mascara. I’ll most likely get another small size with my Sephora points; but probably won’t purchase a full size. Purchased at Sephora.

8. Pacifica Kale Detox Face Wash - I really enjoyed this face wash! I even made my husband use it! The only downside is I couldn’t stand the smell (its the least pleasing smell in the Pacifica Collection) but the product WORKS wonders! Purchased at ULTA.

Get the MOST out of your Lush Cosmetics Experience

Like most people, I love treating myself with some skincare/bath items and a store I can’t avoid is LUSH Cosmetics. First of all, the smell! Ya’ll complained about smelling Abercrombie and Fitch a mile away, oh LUSH has that same effect. And like most, I notice the prices of these bath bombs and bubble bars... These things aren’t cheap! 

Today I’m giving out my tips on getting the MOST out of your Lush! So you too can enjoy LUSH the way I do.

1: Check the web-shop beforehand
This tip is major. If you walk into a LUSH without an idea on what you want - the associates will take you for a spin and your shopping basket will be packed to the top. What I do is browse the site to see what is new, the prices, and create a list on what I really want and what I just want to ‘look’ at.

2: Pick a side and shop in a circle
If you run around in circles the associates quick thinking is “oh she’s lost. Let me guide her to products” and that is where you can feel pressured or overwhelmed. Pick one side (left or right) and work your way around until you make a full circle of the store.

3: If you need help, ask the associates 
These workers are TRAINED to know everything about every product. So if you are confused or curious about a product - ask.

4: Wanna facial? Foot Treatment? Hand Treatment? Makeup routine? Get one on demand!
The staff is trained to do any type of in-house spa treatment free of charge! They do appreciate if you are purchasing something (it can be an item they used or something else) but do indulge on some spa time if you wish!

5: They are always down to give GENEROUS free samples!
See a soap bar you want to try? Or a face wash? Maybe a lotion? They're always down to give you a product to sample. Just ask. I noticed if you have good vibes and conversations with the associate they’ll give multiple samples (I left once with 5 samples!).

6: Don’t be fooled by the gift sets
Remember when I said visit the web-shop first? Compare prices on buying the products separately VERSUS a gift set. The year round gift sets are a better deal than buying the products separately. But the Holiday gift sets are MORE EXPENSIVE than buying each item separately. I was told this by an actual associate at my local Lush. 

7: Once you’re home, break up the bars
You heard me right! Those giant bubble bars can be cut up into 3, 4, even 6 pieces to create multiple baths! Lush associates will tell you to just crumble a chunk off; but I prefer cutting mine. 
My TIP - get a sharp metal knife, cutting board, and carefully cut slices to the size you wish. Put the pieces into zip bags for easy and dry storage.

8: Bathbombs can be chopped into 2 pieces
Be VERY VERY careful but you can separate bath bombs. My biggest tip if you want to separate your bath bombs is select bath bombs in store that are already separating or have a drastic crack in the middle. Take a butter knife and carefully separate the two. *You can also find videos on Youtube for guidance!*

So there's a few of my tips to get the most out of your LUSH visit. If you have any questions please ask me! And as always follow the instagram for daily posts on fashion, beauty and lifestyle!

-Brittney