Uncategorized – Page 9 – District Damsel

June 16, 2017June 25, 2017

The Two Piece Set Strikes Again

As you already know, I love two piece sets. (You can see my favorites here, here, and here!) You’ve heard me say before that I love how they offer the option to mix and match the tops and bottoms to create different looks, but I’m letting you in on the reason I really love them — they are insanely flattering when they hit you in the right spot.

I’m a huge fan of skater skirts because I like how they skim over my lower stomach, hiding whatever I indulged in that day, but I also love that they accentuate the most narrow part of your waist. It looks like I legit have abs in these photos (disclaimer, I don’t. See previous post for proof.) and it’s all thanks to this set’s strategic cut. The sliver of skin from the crop top helps draw the eye up, and the defined waist band of the skirt helps further create the illusion of a smaller waist. Double points to this set because the off-the-shoulder neckline continues to draw the eye even further up!

I wore this look out to a friend’s birthday party on U Street (my debit card and dignity are still at Tropicalia from that night in case you’re wondering…), but I can definitely see myself wearing it again to a country concert or Jazz In The Garden one night. Oh and the best part? it’s only $12.

Shop My Look:

Crop Top Set | Sammy Dress

Shoes | Forever 21

Bag | Rebecca Minkoff

June 11, 2017June 13, 2017

Zaful 3rd Anniversary

If you haven’t noticed by now, I shop and work with a lot of overseas online retailers. Zaful is the first overseas company I collaborated with and they are celebrating their 3rd anniversary! In honor of the occasion, I’m rounding up some of my past favorite looks from the retailer andddd letting you in on how to win a $100 gift card! You can enter the contest to win the gift card here.

They are also offering up some great coupons and codes that you can find here!

Before you go cray filling up your online cart, make sure to check out my tops shopping with overseas online retailers here. Shop my favorite Zaful looks below!

Embroidered Rose Dress | the perfect date night look and super on-trend right now

Palm Off The Shoulder Top | I loved wearing this on vacation in Seaside and can’t wait to break it out again for brunch or happy hour!

Off The Shoulder Floral Top | I’m obsessed with this top. The choker part is not attached so you can remove it or wear it tied as a scarf instead of a choker!

Blue Velvet Cold Shoulder Top | while this look is not in season, I can’t wait to break it out again this winter. It’s the softest top and I love how it looks paired with a fur vest!

Red Lace Dress | this is the ultimate wedding guest dress. I’m going to a wedding in a few weeks and while I have a new dress on the way, I’m definitely going to wear this if the new dress doesn’t work out

June 9, 2017

Blue Suede Shoes

I suppose it’s time to break out the white jeans for the season! If anyone has tips on how to keep them clean throughout the day, holla at me because it seems like I always get a weird makeup smear or grass stains on them whenever they leave my closet.

After looking at these photos from my shoot with photographer Bruce Allen, I realized I like all of these pieces separately, but this look isn’t really my style. I feel like it’s leaning on the preppier side and I need to change something up to bring some edge into it. Next time, I think I’ll pair this Undeniable Boutique top with cutoffs and lace up sandals and tuck the front in to make it a bit more boho-y. I’m planning on pairing these HushPuppies* mules with the white denim again, but swapping out my top for a chambray tank, that I styled here.

*(Yes, you heard that right, these awesome slides are HushPuppies and possibly the most comfortable shoes in my wardrobe, even though they are heels. The first time I wore them to work I kept making my coworkers feel them because the insoles seriously feel like little cushions of air!)

Anyways, I’m letting you in on how I didn’t love how this outfit turned out because I think it’s important to acknowledge that even though I have a fashion blog, I don’t get it right every time. My blog and Instagram are just my highlight reel, so you don’t always see the WTF moments! Sometimes I show up to work and take a look in the bathroom mirror and literally cringe at what I pulled together that morning, and that’s okay. Everyone has their on and their off days! If we never had an off day, we’d never learn what we liked 😉

Thanks to Bruce Allen for capturing these photos! You can, and you should, check out the behind-the-scenes of our shoot here! Bruce sheds some interesting light on photographing bloggers and capturing the perfect shot, and you can make fun of how awkward I look. Enjoy!

Shop My Look:

Top | Undeniable Boutique

Jeans | TopShop

Clutch | South Moon Under (similar)

Mules | HushPuppies

June 6, 2017

Gettin’ Back On That Workout Grind

Growing up, I danced A LOT. Between high school dance team, studio classes, performances, and a competitive team, I never had to worry if I was getting enough exercise and took my small frame and toned muscles for granted. Then, I got to college and realized that I needed to actually start working out or else I’d gain that dreaded freshman 15. I fluctuated between becoming a cardio queen to limiting myself to 300 calories a day (not pretty), and then gaining nearly 15 pounds from partying my senior year. Ever since then, I’ve had a weird relationship with food and my body and I’m finally at the point where I’m trying to accept it as is and live a truly healthy balanced lifestyle.

To be honest, taking photos in a swimsuit was a pretty terrifying thing for me to do, as I’m not 100% comfortable with my body, but I’m trying to keep it real on this blog — plus I owed pictures for a collaboration with Rose Gal. I’m working on my relationship with my body, and it’s not easy, but it’s getting better.

I’m the first to admit how hard it is work out and eat healthy with a full time desk job. I can’t force myself to get up early and hit the gym, but then there’s the struggle of getting yourself there when you’re tired from the work day. I know it’s a matter of sheer willpower to get the kind of body you want, but I guess I’m just not that disciplined! I have however come across a few tips/tools that are helping me get back into the healthy lifestyle I want to live, and I figured what better post to share them on than one that shows pictures of me in a swimsuit. Also, if you ever want to do a workout class together, I go to VIDA and I LOVE their group classes so hit me up!

Lifting is not the enemy: as a woman, lifting weights can seem intimidating, but I promise they will not make you bulk up like men do. I used to be obsessed with running, but now I would much rather take a 60 minute barbell class any day over running two miles. Look up the Kayla Itsines workouts if you want to follow a routine that involves lifting, or pick up a Julien Michaels DVD to learn some movements in the comfort of your apartment before hitting the gym

Find a class you actually enjoy, and make it part of your weekly schedule: for me, I do everything in my power to make it to Gregg’s RX class on Friday nights because I absolutely adore his music selection and he totally kicks your butt. I also recently starting doing Zumba classes and am loving that I burn a ton of calories doing cardio that doesn’t involve running

Track meals on My Fitness Pal: I will admit that this app was what fueled my massive weight loss and 300 calorie intake in college, but when used correctly, it’s a great app to track your daily nutrition and it opens up your eyes to how high-calorie certain foods might be. Those yummy Panera cookies? 400 calories, yikes! I used to eat one nearly every day on my lunch break when I worked at Nordstrom until I found out how many calories they were!

Get your steps in: my mom got me a FitBit for Christmas, and I love the challenge of trying to hit 10,000 steps a day. It’s also very insightful to see how many calories you burn throughout the day, and you can do challenges with your friends to see who gets the most steps per day!

Get off the Metro a few stops early: I live in Shaw and work primarily in Bethesda, but instead of hopping on the Metro at Mount Vernon Square and transferring at Chinatown, I walk 1.2 miles each way to the Dupont Circle station. It forces me to walk an additional 2.4 miles a day, and then I don’t feel as guilty about skipping a workout if I don’t make it to the gym

Don’t diet, but make healthy choices: I hate diets. Every time I try to cut carbs out, I last about a day and a half and then freak out and carbo overload the next day. As a vegetarian, I do tend to eat fairly healthy, but I also drink and have a total sweettooth. Don’t deprive yourself of certain foods (unless you’re allergic or have other health issues), but know that if you’re going to go out for pizza, you need to eat a salad for lunch the same day to help balance it out. Skip the bagel Friday at the office and pack yourself a fruit and yogurt parfait, your coworkers will judge you, but you’ll be happy with the choice!

Invest in well-fitting workout gear: this seems like a no-brainer, but nothing kills my workout vibe faster than catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror and thinking that I look fat thanks to an ill-fitting top. Work out in things that make you feel cute and comfortable and I promise you’ll feel more confident at the gym

Shop My Look:

Bikini | RoseGal

Kimono | RoseGal

Shorts | Levis

June 1, 2017June 1, 2017

Natitude Style

I truly thought I was only into Nats games for the beer and a potential 50% off Papa Johns pizza the next day (you get half price pizza if they score 7 runs!), but after Bryce Harper’s punch heard round the world (internet) last weekend, it turns out I’m actually a legit fan. For some reason I’m really invested in what went down and what that means for his playtime this season — the manfriend caught me on ESPN researching it and I think he nearly fell over from the shock.

Since we started dating a little over two years ago, Gerald’s taught me a lot about baseball and it turns out it’s way more fun to watch the game when you can actually tell what’s going on! We went to the Saturday game this past weekend and I was pretty proud of myself for not complaining when it started raining, and I think it earned me some major brownie points with him 😉

In all seriousness, baseball games are a lot of fun and I love being around the fan energy. While I don’t have any official Nats gear, I always try to wear red, white, or blue and pull out my trusty Papa John’s cap. I kid you not – this is the hat I used to wear as part of my uniform for the five years I worked at PJs on weekends and during college breaks to earn my spending money. Yes, I made pizza. Yes, I can do the thing where you toss the dough up in the air. And yes, I still eat Papa John’s pizza today.

Few things pair better with baseball games and brews than cut offs, so I typically reach for jean shorts to pair with comfortable shoes (team Taylor Gang) and some sort of summery top. Since this past weekend’s game was a little cooler than usual, I opted for one of my new long sleeve tops from SammyDress and gave it a half tuck to help define my waist.

Shop My Look:

Palm Print Two Piece

Palm print is everywhere this summer and I’m so into it. When Vestique launched their spring/summer collection, I nearly flipped out because I wanted everything, but once I laid eyes on this two-piece set, I knew I had to have it. Two piece sets are great because they give the illusion of a dress or romper, but are more versatile and you don’t have to deal with wrestling in and our of your look like you do with a romper! (You can see my other favorite sets here and here.) I’m planning on pairing these shorts with my Naomi top from Twin Ray and possibly a teal bodysuit — post featuring that to come soon!

I wore this to dinner one night we were in Seaside and felt like a total beach babe. I’m a huge fan of florals and I love that palm prints are a bit of a spin on my favorite pattern. I struggle with finding prints that are outside of florals because I’m not into preppy patterns a la Lilly Pulitzer, so the palm print is a perfect balance between boho and summery.

My heels are also from Vestique and I wore them SO much last summer that I’m going to have to get a new pair because they’re looking a little rough! You’ll definitely be seeing these more and more on the gram and the blog throughout the summer.

Shop My Look:

Top | Vestique

Shorts | Vestique (sold out, but you can shop them here too)

Shoes | Vestique

May 25, 2017May 25, 2017

Trying This Thing Called Hair Accessories

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I go through phases. Clothes, makeup, hair, workouts, shoes, foods, etc. In case you are wondering, my Chipotle obsession has been replaced with an &pizza everyday craving which is NOT OKAY and it needs to stop for the sake of my waistline. Anyways, in terms of hair phases, I’ve gone through quite a few. Shall we take a walk down memory lane?

When I was in 7th grade, I wore my hair in a ponytail EVERY SINGLE DAY. Why? I literally have no clue. I wasn’t even a tomboy! I had pretty wavy/curly hair back then, so I guess I just didn’t know what to do with it. (Do I still even know what to do with my hair?) Anyways, I used to get these little frizzies around my hairline and someone took it upon themselves to tell me it looked like a lion’s mane and called me Simba. Of course — the nickname stuck. For two years that was literally what everyone called me. I’d probably still respond to it today if someone yelled “Simba!” on the streets — no wonder I rejoiced when I discovered straightening irons.

Nowadays, when it’s humid out – or I just don’t feel like doing anything with my hair – I opt for a messy bun. The manfriend likes to call this my “Cindy Lou Who hair.” I don’t have thick enough hair to toss it up on top of my head and call it a day, so I actually strategically bobby pin pieces into place and fluff it up to make it look more voluminous.

When Fromm Beauty (available at Ulta.com) reached out to me to try some of their hair accessories, I took it as a challenge to try and elevate my newly beloved messy bun look and brought the accessories on my trip to Seaside. I ended up wearing the leather bow hair ties more as bracelets throughout the trip instead of in my hair — but they were perfect for pulling back my hair on the walks home from dinner when the Florida humidity decided to have a party. I’d also wear them to the pool to toss my hair up after a dip in the water — is it just me or is there something so satisfying about seeing a tan line from where your hair band was? I’ve actually been wearing this white hair tie as a bracelet even when I have my hair up because I think it’s so cute!

My favorite items are the big bobby pins. I wore them on the bike ride I insisted we go on to the neighboring beaches when it was SO FREAKING HOT OUT and I probably sweat out 3 pounds — but these babies held up my hair off my neck for 18 miles and looked pretty chic while doing it.

Check out the rest of this quirky (and vegan!) line here or shop it in store at ULTA!

May 23, 2017

6 Tips For Combating The Sunday Scaries

The Sunday Scaries are real, and they’re terrible. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it’s a cute name for the intense anxiety that sets in on Sunday afternoons about the impending work week ahead. The Sunday Scaries often keep me up late at night and create this horrible pit in my stomach that makes me question pretty much everything in existence. If it sounds like I’m exaggerating, I’m not! Anxiety is a struggle – even if you mostly have your shit together at work the thought of upcoming events or what you’re wearing the next day can trigger it. (Chelsea Handler had a great piece in InStyle about anxiety, it’s worth a read.)

Since the Sunday Scaries are pretty unbearable, I’ve come up with a few ways to try and beat them. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t – but it’s definitely worth giving them a shot if you experience weekend anxiety as well!

Side note: I wore this rose embroidered dress from Zaful out to dinner (see tip #5) to try and cure my Sunday Scaries after our trip to Seaside. You might recognize it from my off the shoulder dress roundup! Embroidery is so in right now and I love that it elevated a silhouette that everyone is wearing to make the piece a bit more memorable. Plus at $20, it’s a major steal.

Tips for combatting Sunday Scaries:

Cut back on the booze on Saturday: waking up with a hangover is never fun, and the combination of not feeling great mixed with thoughts of “did I do anything stupid last night?” Is definitely not going to make you feel like your best self! Sometimes, my anxiety is so bad when I’m hungover that I make gerald take me on a walk around the neighborhood and tell me that I’m not a waste of space just to make me feel better. (IDK why he puts up with me either)
Get up and start your day early: I get it, weekends are your time to sleep in, but if you can accomplish grocery shopping and a workout before noon, you’re going to feel so productive and then you have the rest of the day to do whatever you want!
Get a workout in: Elle Woods was right, working out increases your endorphins and happy people don’t kill their husbands! Just kidding, but getting in a weekend workout will help relieve stress and release those feel good endorphins to help combat the Sunday blues
Meal prep for the week: there is something SO satisfying about seeing all of those Tupperware containers lined up in your fridge! Meal prepping isn’t just for body builders, to me it’s as simple as making my lunches for the week to take to work. It feels good knowing that getting ready in the morning will go faster and that I’m saving money AND eating healthier during the work week
Plan something fun: Gerald and I love going to dinner or the movies on Sunday nights. Planning a fun activity takes your mind off the next day and by the time we get home I’m usually so full or tired I konk out. If we don’t go out, I like to make a big dinner for us because we don’t typically eat together during the week
Clean your house: I bitch about cleaning, but having a tidy apartment helps create a sense of zen for me and I’m always happy I did it afterwards. Plus having a full closest of clean clothes makes getting dressed in the morning easier!

Do you have any tips for combatting the Sunday Scaries? I’d love to hear!

Shop my look:

Dress | Zaful (similar here)

Shoes | Amazon

Clutch | Cuyana

May 21, 2017May 21, 2017

Beach Hair, Don’t Care

The manfriend and I just got back from a trip to Seaside, Florida and I’m in serious denial. I’ve since declared the southern beach town my happy place. (Stay tuned for a guide on what to do down there!)

Since Seaside is a beach town, it was just as appropriate for someone to roll up to dinner in shorts and a t-shirt versus wedges and a dress. This beachy look was one of my more casual dinner outfits, but I loved the fun print on this Zaful off-the-shoulder top!

To elevate my look, I added my favorite lace-up heels and honestly didn’t realize how long my legs looked until I saw these photos. I was wondering if it looked a little silly to pair heels with jean shorts, but from now on, I’ll definitely consider adding a block heel to my more casual looks. You can’t really tell from the photos, but I also added a swipe of green eyeliner on top just for fun!

The best part about this look? This top is under $20! It also comes in red with the palm print. On the site, it says that it is “one size fits all” and while the top is very stretchy, I’d say it would probably be good for women who are a S or M and not super busty. For reference, I typically order size S from Zaful.

Shop My Look:

Top | Zaful

Shorts | Urban Outfitters

Shoes | Vestique

May 17, 2017May 16, 2017

RoseGal Bikini Wish List

Apparently, I go through clothing phases where I’m fixated on one particular item. A few months ago it was bodysuits, once it was jumpsuits, and now it’s bikinis. Last year, I felt really uncomfortable about my body so I only bought one pieces, but as I become more comfortable in my own skin, I’m back to shopping for bikinis! Side note: bikinis are for everyone. One of my favorite quotes is “how to get a bikini body – 1) have a body 2) put a bikini on”.

There are SO many websites out there now offering swimsuits, but I’ve been ordering a lot from RoseGal lately! We all know swimsuits don’t hold up for too many seasons, so I’m all about affordable options. Plus at these prices, you can order a ton! Some of my favorites are below but the site has a TON of options. They also have some super cute towels and throws that are super Instagrammable.

When ordering swimsuits online, make sure you check the sizing guide, each of the brands tend to fit differently. I also like checking on Instagram to see what “real people” are wearing and making my decisions based off of their body types!