My Dog is my Valentine

Can y’all believe tomorrow is finally February 1^st?? Does anyone else feel like January is the Monday of months? It’s always so long and no matter how busy you are or fun things you have planned it just drags on and on! Since tomorrow is officially February I thought I would share this cute Valentine’s Day tee. If you follow me on Instagram you got a sneak peek of it last week. On IG I styled with comfy shorts but today I decided to dress it up a bit. I think this is a great look for work or a fun Galentine’s brunch or dinner.

This skirt is super old, but I’ve linked some similar options below. I also decided to throw on my leather jacket because A. it’s cold and B. is adds that “cool girl” factor!

Top: Target | Skirt: Old (similar here, here & here) | Leather Jacket: Old (similar here & here) | Shoes: Target | Sunnies: Quay Australia (similar here) | Lipstick: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick | Apple Watch Band: Amazon

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Do you have a hot date or are you planning to spend it with your girlfriends? J and I will probably cook dinner at home (with Ramsey of course!!) and then Saturday I have a fun Galentine’s day brunch for my book club!

I hope y’all have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. It means so so much to me!

Lash Extensions

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is going well so far. Today I am going to talk all about my eyelash extension experience. (Say that 5 times fast. Haha) Ekkk! I’m so excited to share this with y’all!

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw a couple weeks ago that I got eyelash extensions for the first time. Since they are the new trend, and everyone is getting them I thought I would share my experience. Let me start by saying it’s very important to find a reputable salon/lash artist to go to. We are talking about your eyes here people! I don’t know about you but, that is not something I would want to mess around with. Luckily my girl RayAnna at Beautifully Bare LLC (who I’ve gotten waxed by before) started doing lashes last year. She is extremely passionate about her work and it truly shows. If you don’t follow her on Instagram, you definitely should. Even if you don’t live in Jax she shares a wealth of knowledge about eyelash extensions on her feed and stories! We happened to meet-up before hand and she answered ALL my questions (I had about a million!), plus she told me things I never would have thought about. If you are in the Jacksonville area I cannot recommend her enough! She is really sweet & fun on top of being an amazing lash artist.

Now let’s talk process, shall we?

RayAnna started by giving me a new client sheet to fill out, so she could make sure I was a good candidate for lash extensions and wouldn’t have any issues. Then she answered a few more questions I had thought of since our last meeting. After that it was time for her to sanitize her hands and start cleaning my lashes. I wore some makeup that day so she removed all that and then cleansed my lashes with lash cleanser. The cleaner your lashes are the better. After that she put pads under my eyes and mapped out my lashes. Once the pads are on she doesn’t like to talk anymore for 2 reasons. 1. She says she lashes much slower when she talks. 2. When you talk the pads can move into your eye and cause bruising! Who knew your eyeballs could get bruised? When she told me that I was happy to stop talking as well. If you have a favorite podcast, are listening to a book on tape or have a favorite playlist I recommend you bring headphones with you so you can listen while they lash. RayAnna had music, so I just listened to that and snoozed here and there. She said most of her clients do nap while she lashes which is totally fine. I tried to stay awake as much as possible, so I could share the process. Once she started lashing it honestly felt like a very light massage for my lashes. I know that sounds totally weird but it’s the only way I can describe it! The question I got the most after was “Did it hurt?” My answer…not at all. When she moves to the inner corner it feels a little weird because she tapes your eyelids. It still doesn’t hurt just feels a little odd. The initial set usually takes about 2.5 hours. Fills after that are usually about an hour. After she is finished lashing she makes sure your eyes feel ok. (She also checks throughout the process. There is a small chance you can be allergic to the adhesive so it’s important to speak up if something doesn’t feel right.) Once your eyes are opened and feel ok you finally get to see the finished product. When I finally saw mine, I couldn’t believe how good they looked! I was seriously blown away!!  I have very blonde lashes, so mascara is always a must for me. It was great to know that would no longer be necessary. They also look extremely natural which is awesome! (On me they look as natural as a blonde with black eyelashes can look. Haha) RayAnna did a signature set on me which is a cross between classic and volume. The best part is no matter what set you choose she completely customizes them to everyone. (I go back to she is incredibly talented and passionate about her work!) After about 5 minutes she cleanses your lashes one more time. If you have lash extensions, you are probably freaking out right now that I just said that. RayAnna told me most people say no getting your lashes wet for at least 24 hours. However, because its glue holding them to your natural lash the fumes and chemicals can make you think you are having a reaction if left on. Thus, why she cleanses your lashes before you leave. That way you will know you are really having a reaction and that the chemicals aren’t just sitting on your lid causing irritation.

The real magic for me came the next day. I woke up and had lashes right out of bed. Haha. All I had to do was put on face makeup and do my brows!  Then later that day I did Orange Theory and after I would normally have mascara melting down my face. But with my lash extensions I still looked halfway put together! It has cut down on my morning routine so much. For instance, I really haven’t been wearing eyeliner which if you know me you know is absolutely crazy. I just don’t feel the need. I’m also more comfortable with ZERO makeup because the dark lash extensions create depth on my face!

Overall, I cannot recommend them enough. I also cannot recommend RayAnna at Beautifully Bare LLC enough. If you are in the Jacksonville area you should definitely go see her! Also feel free to leave any questions in the comments below or shoot me an email @ fashionablylateblonde@mail.com because I will be doing a HUGE Q&A post in the next couple weeks. Seriously, ask me anything about lash extension!!

Top: Before | Bottom: After

Top: After | Bottom: Before

Top: Before | Bottom: After

I hope y’all enjoyed this post. I hope you have a great week and thanks for reading!  

P.S. If you book an appointment with RayAnna use my name (Katie or Fashionably Late Blonde) for $10 off your service! Let me know if you go to her!

Seeing Stars

Happy Tuesday!!! 

I made it to Vegas yesterday and have a very busy next couple of days! Should be a lot of fun though.  

Let’s talk about this sweatshirt shall we? I have been seeing stars EVERYWHERE recently and especially in lounge/atheleisure wear. When I saw this sweater while browsing at Target last week I just had to have it! I was surprised by how soft it is. They have TONS of other graphics, but I really wanted to jump on the star trend! This was the perfect outfit for a full day of travel yesterday. I was comfy, but still felt put together. Y’all are in luck too, because this sweatshirt is on sale for under $15 this week!! So hop on your computer or run to your nearest Target and grab this sweatshirt (and maybe one more) while it’s still available! I promise you won’t regret it! 

Top: Target | Pants: Victoria's Secret | Shoes: New Balance (not available in pink but love these & these) | Sunnies: Ray-Ban | Lipgloss: Bare Minerals Get Nude Patent Liquid Lipstick in Major

2019 Outfit 1

First outfit post of 2019!! Woohoo!

As you can clearly see from the Christmas tree I shot this outfit a while ago. It's totally fine though, because it's a great outfit to get you through the rest of winter. (aka January & February)

This sweater is really old from Forever 21 but it's so warm! I've seriously had this thing for 6+ years! If I throw a tank on under it I don't even need a jacket!! Even though my sweater is really old I have linked a bunch of good options for y'all below! I paired it with my Spanx leggings and heeled booties for a look that can work for the office or drinks on a Friday night. I know I say this every time, but if you don't have the Spanx leggings you seriously need them in your life. They are that good!

Sweater: Old (similar here, here, & here) | Leggings: Spanx | Booties: JustFab (similar here & here) | Sunnies: Old (similar here &  here) | Lipstick: Sephora Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick in Always Red

How is everyone's 2019 going so far? Are you sticking to all your goals? Have you completely accomplished any of said goals yet? (If so, you are a Rockstar and please tell me how you did it so fast!) Hope y'all have a great week! Thanks for reading!  

Wedding Wednesday: First Things First

This past Saturday marked exactly 1 year until our wedding. It feels like just yesterday I was calling all my family & friends to tell them J had proposed. Since we are officially less than a year out I thought it would be the perfect time to start my Wedding Wednesday series. Not sure how often I will post these, but I definitely want to share some insight on planning a wedding. Since this is my first Wedding Wednesday I thought I would share some of the first things you should do. Here are my top 3 things to do at the very beginning of your planning.

1.     Make a budget

I know this doesn’t sounds very fun, but it’s very realistic. Your budget can dictate a lot of aspects about your wedding. It’s also a good time to talk with your fiancé, your family and their family about who is going to pay for what and what everyone is willing to contribute. Things are so different from back in the day when it was the bride’s family who paid for almost everything. Now many couples pay for their own wedding or there is contributions from both families. There is also even a combo where both families contribute what they can, and the couple makes up the rest. Whatever your situation ends up being you will be very happy you had this conversation up front and that it’s out of the way. (Tip: Have these conversations however you two are comfortable. If you want both families to sit down together that’s great. If you think it needs to be a more one on one thing that works too. Do what feels best and the least stressful!)

2.     Guest List

This is important to do next for a couple reasons. First of all, remember that budget? Well more people = more money! I’m not saying you shouldn’t invite the people you want to be there on your special day. Just keep in mind the more people you have the more food, booze, & favors you will need. There are tons of ways to get creative if you do have a larger guest count and don’t have an arm and a leg to spend on said food, booze & favors. The second thing your guest count can have a huge impact on is your venue. I didn’t even think of this until a girl at work mentioned it. If your guest count is going to be 300 people you don’t want to start looking at venues that have a max capacity of 150. You will never get enough regrets or be creative enough with a seating plan to make that work. Nor would you want to. You don’t have to have exact numbers, but a rough estimate will be really helpful.

3.     Venue

In my opinion your venue should be one of this first if not the very first thing you book for your wedding. Your venue is one of the biggest parts of your wedding. It can have an impact on your style. For instance, you don’t want to look at super rustic barns if your vision is a 1920’s glam wedding. Not saying this couldn’t work, but your venue will really help your vision come together. They also book up super fast! True story: I called a venue back in July to tour and the first thing all of them ask is if you have a date in mind. We were thinking January 5^th, 2020 but weren’t married (haha) to the exact date yet. (Mind you January 5^th, 2020 is a Sunday.) When I told her January 2020, she goes “Ok. We have all weekends open except Sunday, January 5^th and Saturday, January 18^th” I remember thinking are you freaking kidding me?? What crazy person already has a Sunday booked a year and a half out?! No offense to anyone that plans really far ahead of time but let that be a lesson that venues (especially popular ones) can book up QUICK!

So, there you have it. My top 3 things you should do first on your wedding planning journey. I am no expert, but just thought I would share what worked for me and some things I encountered and tips I was offered. If you have any other questions I would be more than happy to try and help answer them. Feel free to email me @ fashionablylateblonde@gmail.com. And if you have any wedding tips please feel free to also send those my ways.

Goodbye 2018...Hello 2019

Happy 2019!

I hope everyone had a great holiday with family & friends. I decided to take a little extra time off from blogging last week and start refreshed this week. To kick things off I thought I would reflect a little on how AWESOME 2018 was and share some goals for 2019.

Let’s start with how 2018 was for me. I can honestly say 2018 was an amazing year. In January we picked up our puppy that I had been begging J to get me for years. It was a learning experience and we for sure lost some sleep, but he is so cute and makes every day better, so he is totally worth it.

I also got to travel a little this year. We started the year by taking a trip to Mexico with 8 of our closest friends! It was such a fun trip and the hotel we stayed at was the nicest place I’ve ever stayed. I also got to visit NYC for 10 days and spent 2 of those days in The Hamptons. This was my favorite trip to NY yet!! After that it was off to California in October. I haven’t been to Cali since I was a kid. We had so much fun checking out the beach, eating lots of food, exploring and watching our friends tie the knot. I ended my travel with a Bachelorette trip to St. Thomas. The trip was so much fun. The best part was when we rented a boat to take us all over for the day. We got to go snorkeling, see other parts of the islands, eat a delicious lunch and had some great drinks! 

I also had a really great year at my day job. I got promoted in April and then again in October. I’m really excited for this next adventure in my professional career.

I also had a pretty good year with the blog. I wrote more posts than I ever have, and I gave more focus to the blog than ever before. (I still want to do so much more but we’ll get to that in a minute.)

Lastly and DEFINIETLY my favorite moment of 2018 was on my trip to NYC when J surprised me and proposed. It was such a great day and means so much to me that he did it in my favorite city. I can’t wait to plan our wedding this year and marry him early next year!

Now let’s talk about 2019. I never really make resolutions. I don’t believe in them and I feel like they usually go out the window by the time February comes around. I do however want to set some goals for myself.

1.     Plan our wedding without going completely crazy. This seems easy, but there are so many things that go into planning that I never thought about. I will share more of this with y’all throughout the year in my Wedding Wednesday series so stay tuned.

2.     I want to grow the blog even more. I did my best to stick to a consistent schedule last year, but I slipped up more than a couple times. This year I want to do my best to post every Tuesday & Thursday and do 1 Five on Friday and Wedding Wednesday per month. This may sound easy to some, but it will definitely be a little challenging for me. However, it’s a challenge I am willing to take on. (If you have any post ideas please feel free to leave them below.)  

3.     Same goes with Instagram. I want to post on their more often. I’ll be so good about posting every day and then I’ll skip like 5. I want to be very consistent and share more on stories. Even just day to day things. I follow so many bloggers and I love when they just talk about random day to day things.

4.     Lastly, I want to be really healthy. I obviously would love to drop a few lbs before our wedding, but I want to do it the healthy way and the right way. I want to lose weight and keep it off. I want to eat more fruits & vegetables and maybe a little less pizza & doughnuts. I also want to find a workout routine that I like and stick with it. I want to continue running after I train for and run my half marathon next month. I also want to find some type of group fitness that I enjoy and can stick with. (If you have any favorites leave them below for me to try.)

So, there you have it my thoughts on 2018 and my goals for 2019. It’s safe to say that 2018 was a great year and 2019 has some pretty big shoes to fill. However, I have a feeling that 2019 is up to the challenge!