Skincare Routine: AM

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know lately I have been getting into skin care. I’ve always been pretty #blessed when it comes to skin. Not so much in the breakout department but I’ve always had makeup artist and estheticians tell me I have great skin. (To be honest I still don’t know what they mean but I just take their word for it.  Haha) Now that I’m getting older (late twenties); I think it’s important to try and keep my skin looking good. I’ve finally got a pretty good morning and nighttime routine down so, I thought I would share just what those are with y’all. I’m going to break it up into two posts: Morning (today) and Night (next week).

Step 1: Ice Roller 

(Sorry I don't have a photo of this. I shot this in my friends apartment in NYC and didn't bring my ice roller with me.)

I ordered an ice roller about a month ago after seeing everyone rave about them. Now that I’ve been using mine I totally get the hype! (I actually understood it the first time I used it.) It helps depuff, reduce redness and just really wakes me up. It’s almost like getting a little jolt of energy in the morning because it’s so cold. And if you drank 1 too many glasses of wine at HH on Thursday the ice roller feels even better the next morning. Haha! Best $10 I’ve ever spent!

Step 2: Cleanser

I’ve talked about Tula before and it’s by far one of my favorite brands. Whenever someone asks me what I recommend for cleansers or moisturizers, I immediately tell him or her to go on tula.com and buy the discovery kit. I love the cleanser because it’s so gentle, and leaves my face feeling fresh & clean. Another great thing about Tula is it should work for everyone no matter his or her skin type. It was developed by a gastroenterologist and is probiotics based; which means it balances what your skin is missing. You can read all about it on their site. (I’m a total nerd and find this really interesting!)

Step 3: Eye Cream

I will be the first to admit that I do not sleep enough. (There just aren’t enough hours in the day!!) Because of this I tend to always look tired, even if I’m really not! I also have bags under my eyes (thanks mom!) so, that makes it worse. However, since I’ve been using the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream, I have noticed a HUGE difference. This helps brighten and depuff, which is why it’s perfect for your morning routine! It also helps my concealer go on really smooth and crease free!

Step 4: Serum

I got a sample of Olehenriksen Truth Serum in my Sephora Play box a few months ago and have been hooked ever since. It has vitamin C which helps brighten, and that is always a good thing in the morning. It also is a collagen booster, and I am all about that! When I put it on I can feel my face tighten. Not in a weird or uncomfortable way but, in a “this is totally working” way. I love when you can actually feel or see a product work. It helps me feel like I’m not wasting money. 

Step 5: Moisturizer

(I usually let my eye cream & serum soak in for a few minutes before this step.)

Another Olehenriksen product I love is their C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème. It’s pretty new however; I heard rave reviews and love my truth serum so much, I thought I would give it a try. First of all it smells amazing! Literally smells just like a creamsicle. It also helps brighten and like I said above you can never have too much brightening in your morning routine. I also love that it doesn’t leave my face feeling sticky or oily. That is my biggest issue when I use moisturizer so, if a product doesn’t do that it’s a winner in my book.

And there you have it. After this I put on my makeup and out the door.

What is your morning routine? Do you use any of these products or have any others I need to try. I would love to hear about it in the comments below. As always if you have any questions you can leave them below or shoot me an email at fashionablylateblonde@gmail.com

Summer Workwear

Happy Tuesday friends.

I’m currently writing this from NYC. I arrived on Saturday, and will be here until next Monday. If you follow me on instagram you probably saw that we actually went to the Hamptons this weekend. It was really fun, and something I’ve always wanted to do. I plan on doing an entire NYC recap so I will post more about that in a week or two.

Now let’s talk about today’s outfit. If you saw this post you’ve seen this sweater shell before. But as I said in that post I LOVE sweater shells in the summer so, I decided to style it again for y’all. I also love these pants and since they are still available on Nordstrom.com, I thought I would style them again. (Last seen here.) I paired this look with my favorite Steve Madden heels for a great workweek look. I think it’s important to be able to make a majority of your closet work during the week, and also on the weekends. It’s too hard, (not to mention expensive), having 2 completely separate wardrobes.

Sweater: Loft | Pants: Nordstrom | Shoes: Steve Madden | Sunnies: Lulu's | Necklace: Gift (identical here) | Lipstick: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Hideaway

How’s everyone’s week going so far? Since I’m in NYC I’d love to hear if you have any specific post requests. I’m always so inspired when I’m here, but I want to make sure if there’s anything specific y’all want to see that I cover it here. Whether it’s certain outfits, food, activities or anything else, leave me a message in the comments below and I will see what I can do.

Summer Maxi (& How I Shop Certain Sites)

Happy Thursday!

It’s been another crazy week for this gal! I am so ready for my vacation on Saturday!

Today I’m sharing this really cute maxi dress from Shein. I bought it for my vacation to Mexico earlier this year; and I’m so glad I did, because it’s a great summer piece. When I saw it online I thought it was a much thinner fabric, however, upon receiving it I was pleasantly surprised to find it was pretty thick. Not too thick that you can’t wear it as a cover-up but, thick enough you can wear it to dinner and not worry if everyone can see right through it.

Dress: Shein | Sandals: Target | Sunnies: Ray-Ban | Necklace: Gift (similar here) | Lipgloss: NYX Butter Gloss in Praline

Since it is from Shein I wanted to take a minute to talk about how I shop their site. People are always asking “Is that site legit?” “How do you know if it’s a good buy?” “Is the sizing WAY off?” The list goes on and on. So here are some of my tips when shopping sites like Shein.

1.    ALWAYS read the reviews. (If there are photos from reviewers that’s even better.) This is my biggest thing. If there are no reviews I immediately hit the back button. If there are reviews I check to see how many. (The more there are the better!) Then I proceed to read at least the first page. The reviews are a great way to find out how it fits, if the color is true to what’s pictured and the type of fabric it is.  Bottom line: If there are no reviews I’m not buying.

2.    Have realistic expectations. If the dress is $15 it’s going to be $15 quality. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, I hate when people are like “This was $15 and that fabric wasn’t the best!” Well of course it’s not. This is a massed produced product not a one of a kind Gucci bag!

3.    Shipping expectations. Shein is based in Asia. That’s where your product is coming from. If your vacation is Friday, and today is Wednesday, you will not be receiving your order in time. I did upgrade to expedited shipping this last time and I think I got my stuff in a week. I was very surprised but, again have realistic expectations.

4.    Don’t discredit these sites just because they are cheap. Don’t get me wrong, I know if I buy a similar blouse at Nordstrom that one is going to be better quality and last so much longer. However, sites like this are great for trying new trends without breaking the bank. Think about it, no one knows if that new trend is going to take off, and not everyone can afford the high-end version of said trend. Sites like Shein are a great resource to buy trendy pieces if you’re a fashion lover on a budget.

And there you have it; some of my tips for shopping budget friendly sites! This was in no way sponsored. I just constantly get questions when I wear pieces from their site so; I thought I would address some of them.

What are your thoughts on sites like this? Are you a fan or do you stay away? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Not So Short Shorts

Y’all I am so excited about today’s outfit. 

Lately I’ve been looking for shorts that aren’t denim. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good denim short for Summer as much as the next gal; but I feel like I have that area of my wardrobe covered. I was browsing Loft the other day when I spotted these. I immediately fell in love with them because they weren’t denim, and they had a slightly longer inseam. Don’t get me wrong the inseam isn’t that long (they aren’t Bermuda shorts or anything), however, I feel like it’s so hard to find shorts that cover everything anymore. (I am not a fan of the cheeky or wedgie fit!)  Since they were running 40% off, I kept browsing their site, and found this cute sweater. I love a good sweater shell for summer. It keeps you looking polished, and also keeps you cool. 

The two paired together is just perfection in my book! I hope you like this outfit because I will definitely be repeating it ALL Summer long!

Sweater: Loft | Shorts: Loft | Shoes: Steve Madden | Bag: Amazon | Sunnies: Lulu's | Lipstick: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Hideaway | Necklace: Gift (similar here)

Today I'm linking up with Walking in Memphis in High Heels, The Fashion Canvas, & With Love Claudia for the Trend Spin Linkup. 

Certain links in this post contain affiliate links. This means I will receive a small commission from these links. All opinions are my own. 

Tie Dye

Hi loves!

I’m writing this on Tuesday as I’ll be traveling the next two days and this week already feels like a whirlwind! I am so ready for vacation in a week & a half.

Today I wanted to share a favorite summer dress of mine. I bought this guy about 3 years ago, and Lulu’s keeps bringing it back year after year. Every Summer I want to post it, however, by the time I get around to it the dress is sold out. Well not this year! It’s still almost fully in stock (XL is sold out), and it even comes in a second color. This is the PERFECT dress for a summer night out. It’s so light and airy, and I love the high slit! It makes it slightly sexy, and looks great while you’re walking. I usually pair mine with wedges and a bold lip; then you’ve got the perfect look for a Friday night out with your girls or your guy!

 

Dress: Lulu's | Shoes: Steve Madden | Sunnies: Quay Australia | Lip Gloss: Hikari Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Merlot
How’s your week going? Like I said above, mine has been BUSY to say the least. And it won’t be getting any less busy, since I leave for NYC in a week. Lots of things to get done between now and then!