date night white

Dress - this one is v similar and only $40! // Necklace // Bag - sold out, linked similar! // Shoes - similar and even cuter, only $75!

We stopped to take some pictures in front of city hall prior to date night the other night, mostly because it's a pretty little plaza but it ended up being a funny coincidence that my dress could double as a somewhat low wedding dress and city hall...

It was just a more romantic shoot than we had originally planned on!  We got married in a big museum wedding, which was fantastic, but it was kind of fun to dream about the more simple alternative :)

This dress is so gorgeous but I couldn't find it anywhere online, so I linked a super similar one!

Hope you're all having a lovely Monday!  

#coloringclubstl

Dress (under $25!) // Plaid // Bag // Boots (very old but Frye also released this similar style) // Lipstick

Last Thursday my creative and talented friend Jess  hosted St. Louis' first "Coloring Club."  If you hadn't yet noticed the books with intricate pages lining the checkout aisles of your local bookstore, I'm here to tell you that coloring is kind of the new knitting, it seems like everyone is doing it!  She was shocked that over 250 people replied "yes!" to her e-vite and we all filled Urban Chestnut Brewery nearly to capacity to doodle and drink.  I got dressed in a 90s inspired outfit for the evening, and was excited to wear this faux-suede dress I found at TARGET (home of all things affordable and cute, right?)  I had fun incorporating autumn's grungy makeup trends with this super dark and dramatic lip.  I linked an Anastasia lipstick in the widget but this one is actually from Colourpop - a new company I'm completely in love with!  They're an LA based cosmetics company making the highest quality shadows, lipsticks, and highlighters I've ever found at their price points.  Definitely check them out!  

Darrell is quite the "artiste" and frankly his coloring sheet turned out far better than mine did, but I have to admit that I picked up a book of pretty pages also at Target and I've been filling them in bit by bit when I have a smidgen of time to myself in the evenings.  I have to admit, one of my biggest challenges since becoming a parent has been deciding what to do with the little free time I have.  Sleep?  Coloring? Blog?  Read?  Journal?  Yoga?  Running?  Zoning out in front of Netflix?  

Yeah, it's a lot of options and I usually have time for one, maybe two things each day.  Sometimes I squeeze in my "reading" with a podcast or Audible book during my commute.  I always hope that I'm not losing my ability to be well rounded and still managing to keep myself informed and involved without compromising any time I spend with Claire or Darrell.  Okay, I'm rambling now but moms, you get me right??  

leather, suede, fur

Sweater // Leggings // Boots // Vest (similar) // Bag 

There are a ton of textures in this outfit, more than I would usually mix together, but I had a suspicion that it may all work if I kept them all in black (although Darrell would tell you there may have been an excess of trips from the closet to the mirror and back.)  I know this is the ringing chorus of all blogs right now, but I'm loving the cooler temps, it's making it so much more fun to get dressed!  

I hope you are all having a fabulous week!  

xo

Mary

treasure & bond

Shirt (sold out, similar) I wear a small in their shirts and they're still generous, so buy accordingly.  // Jeans // Booties // Necklace // Tote // Sunglasses

Confession: I bought this shirt in two colors.  It's hands down the most comfortable, best fitting, softest button down shirt I've ever owned!  I'm learning that I'm a HUGE fan of this brand, Treasure & Bond.  Like, consider me officially a hoarder of all things plaid that they make.  I've got my eye on this, this, and this.  I have this already (previously see in a blog post here.)  Also THIS is adorable.

I'm done.

I swear.

(This too.)

Plaid shirts are just BEYOND easy, for mom wear.  They hide a multitude of stains, unbutton easily for nursing, and are oh-so-comfy.  These jeans are also a repeat favorite of mine - they were $19 (yeah, NINETEEN DOLLARS) at Nordstrom Rack so definitely check there if you have one locally before ordering online, because I have worn the heck out of them.  Size down too!  I'm wearing size 26 here.

pink all over

Sweater // Tank // Jeans // Pumps (identical and less expensive) // Glasses (old, but they have lots of cute new styles) // Tote (similar less expensive) 

Today's look is a lot more typical for me, day to day.  These jeans were purchased on sale an Anthropologie for less than $100, and they've more than paid for themselves by now!  The wash has this funky variation in color that acts as a hiding place for toddler handprints and nose wiping.  It's genius!  Also, they run realllllly big.  Size down once, maybe twice - these are size 25.  

As for why I'm wearing glasses, well, some kid in Claire's class had pink eye recently and although she managed to bypass it, I seem to have acquired the germs.  Feeling supppppper cute with one eye all jacked up which is probably why I'm a one pose wonder in these shots with the oh-so-bashful "looking down with my hand in my hair" happening in all three.  I just wanted to save you having to see my eye!  

On another note, I got a box of goodies in the mail this week from Dermstore, and wanted to share my favorites since they were kind enough to send it to me.  You can get your own box ($100+ worth of beauty products for as low as $12.48, which is pretty rad!) by signing up for BeautyFIX now and get free shipping at DermStore.com. 

I've tried quite a few of these boxes out, like Birchbox, and this one definitely gives the most bang for your buck as far as skincare.  

I'd heart great things about the Dr.Jart BB cream, but alas, the Garnier I usually use seems to top it, at least for me.  I'm obsessed with all things Avene (actually, make that all French pharmacy brands) and this rich moisturizing cream is no different.  My skin just felt better the morning after I used it.  

My favorite was probably the Nick Chavez shine spray - that packaging probably wouldn't have grabbed my attention offhand, but it smells amazing and made my hair crazy soft and un-frizzy on what normally would have been a messy bun day due to the rain and humidity.  I linked to these and a few other favorites in the widget below!  

*portions of this post are in collaboration with Dermstore x Shopstyle Collective, all opinions are my own

loufest day 2

 

Dress (on sale!) // Booties (Similar colors in lots of styles under $100 on this site as well!) // Sunglasses // Bag

This was my outfit for Loufest day 2!  Since it was a bit warmer for Sunday's shows, I opted for more traditional festival wear and went with a flowy Free People dress.  I can't count the number of times I've worn Free People to a music festival, it's always a solid choice to nail the boho vibe of a festival and their dresses are just so comfy and easy to dance in.  

Sam Edelman releases these booties every year and they've been my favorite for (not kidding) almost 5 years now.  They just seem to never go out of style and the low block heel makes them insanely comfortable.

I even wore them in an (embarrassingly old and hilarious) outfit post here in 2011!

loufest day 1

Shirt // Jeans // Belt // Sunglasses // Tennis Shoes // Bag

I thought I would share my outfits from Loufest on the blog this week!  While my usual festival style leans more in the direction of crop tops + cutoffs, the temperatures this weekend were only in the 60s so I had to switch it up in a major way.  This was comfy and more importantly, warm enough for the evening shows when I topped it off with a leather jacket (that of course, I forgot to include in these pics!)  

I'm pretty obsessed with these jeans - they're Gap's new "Resolution" line of denim and they really, truly don't bag out - one of my biggest pet peeves in a pair of denim.  They were also under $60 which is a total win in my book!  

end of summer dressing

 

 Dress // Shoes // Bag // Sunglasses // Earrings

Claire is pretty well demanding my attention at the moment so this post will be short & sweet, but I wanted to post these photos we took before lunch at Olio this past weekend!  This dress is one of my very favorite recent purchases, and perfect for the end of summer.  It feels transitional, but the gauzy fabric isn't too hot for days that are still quite warm, and it was perfect for a day we pretty much spent eating (so forgiving!)  It comes in 5 colors and I'm seriously debating getting the blush or fuschia as well.  

By the time this post goes live I'll be at the lake, probably already awake with my early rising baby watching the boats fill in as the Labor Day weekend crowd starts to show up!  I hope you all have an awesome holiday weekend - I'll be back tomorrow with link love! 

denim + fringe

Jacket - (on sale, and a great spring and fall staple) // Dress (less than $30!!) // Bag (similar/less expensive)// Shoes // Necklace // Sunglasses (less expensive)

These boots twice in two weeks, with no stopping in sight - I think we can definitely call them my fall favorites.  My un-fancy camera doesn't quite capture the effect (I'm hoping to get a new one soon) but the swish they make when you walk is sort of addictive.   I'm also completely obsessed with these sunglasses, I never wear any others anymore!  When we took these pictures it was legitimately cold enough for this outfit - by noon each day, sure, it's hot again, but we've been experiencing the sort of temperature waves that come with fall mornings and it's been fun to pull some of my favorite jackets out of storage again.  A classic denim jacket is a fall style staple for me, and this one from J.Crew has been my favorite forever - I've even bought it in multiple sizes over time (through the saga of pregnant, postpartum, and now haha!)  I like the darker wash, and I find that it runs a size big (wearing XS here.)  This dress from Old Navy is one of my favorite finds as of late; you can actually scrunch it up like a tunic and it looks fab with fall's wide legged flares.  

self portrait

Dress // Booties // Necklace // Sunglasses // Bag

The title of this post is just my way of making lemonade out of lemons - my photographer (husband!) was out of town this weekend for a bachelor party so I took these photos during naptime, with the self timer function.  It is NOT easy and I have no idea how so many bloggers pull this off - I can honestly say these are 4 of like a million photos I took, most of which were um....sub-par.  

So, I'm completely obsessed with these booties, which are (as every blogger out there is saying, I know I know) surprisingly comfortable for their heel height!  I want them in every color, you need them in at least one!  

Also, before anyone asks, I am definitely wearing hair extensions in this post!  I wish my real hair was this long, but I'm pretty sure it stops growing around my shoulder blades.  I linked to the exact ones I have in the widget below - they are crazy easy to put in after watching a few youtube tutorials and I can honestly say that a long braid will be my go to style for after figuring this out!  They just clip in, I braid, I'm done and my hair is out of my face for the day.  I was getting a little tired of my constant messy bun but I'm the worst about actually fixing my hair - it's always in a ponytail like two minutes later, because #momlife.  

Thank you for stopping by!  

xoxo

Mary