Monthly Archives: April 2016

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

DETAILS
1) Kiehls Starter Kit  2) Kiehls Mask Kit  3) Origins Energizing Essentials  4)  Fresh Skin Care Collection 5)  L’Occtaine Soft Skin Essentials  6)  Gorjana Pendant Necklace  7)  Nadri Bracelet  8)  Kendra Scott White Necklace  9)  Kendra Scott Carla Earrings  10)  I Love Mom Pearl Necklace  11) Kendra Scott Skylar Earrings

Mother’s Day is May 8th which means it’s time to start looking for that perfect gift.  My friends and I were all on the hunt for the perfect gift while in Charleston.  I did find part of my mom’s gift while I was there, but want to get a little something else to go with it.  I based these gift ideas on either pampering or sparkling, because I usually buy gifts in one of these categories.

I love all these little gift sets to spoil mom.  I just started using the Kiehls facial cleanser in #1 and love it.  I have read good reviews on their products so I included to kits from them.  All these sets are under $50 except for #1 which is $54.

Last year, I purchased the Kendra Scott Elisa necklace for my mom.  I love this necklace and own it in both silver and rose gold.  The white and gold was perfect for my mom.  Her jewelry style leans more towards simple and delicate jewelry, and the white stone is super versatile and can be worn with all colors.

One of my other favorite go-to gift’s for Mother’s day is spa gift card.  My sister and I will give her massages, mani/pedis, or just a gift card to her favorite spa so she can choose her own pampering.

Thanks for swinging by the blog today and hope you found some great Mother’s Day gift ideas!

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Spring Trend: Off The Shoulder Top

spring outfit idea - off the shoulder top blush pink

spring trends - off the shoulder top in blush pink

fashion - blush pink and white denim

what to wear in Charleston on Vacation

Seychelles Nude Wedges with 3 straps

Vince Camuto off the shoulder blouse

spring outfit - pink blouse and white denim

brunch outfit for spring - pink top, white jeans and wedges

spring trend - pink off the shoulder blouse by Lady in Violet

What to wear on a vacation girls trip - Lady in Violet Blog

spring or summer weekend outfit inspiration

| DETAILS |
VINCE CAMUTO Off The Shoulder Top  | PAIGE DENIM Skyline Skinny Jeans  | SEYCHELLES Wedge Sandals  | CLARE V Foldover Clutch  | SWELL CAROLINE c/o Signature Bracelet (similar)|  BAUBLEBAR Horseshoe Pendant Necklace,  Cuban Links Bracelet  | KENDRA SCOTT Sklyar Earrings  | Lipstick: MAC Craving  | Nails: JULEP Shari

My girlfriends’ and I had an amazing time in Charleston! The first full day we were in town was a bit rainy and cold, but day two the sun came out and we were able to experience all the southern charm of the city.  I took tons of photos and can’t wait to go through them all tonight.  I’m hoping to put a little travel guide together and post next week, so stay tuned!

I opted not to take any outfit photos while I was there unless I had some good downtime, so I pre-shot a couple of the outfits I planned on wearing before I left on my trip.  I actually ended up not bringing this clutch, but went with my Vera Bradley crossbody instead for all my night outfits.  I wore this outfit our first night in Charleston for dinner at Fig and drinks at a wine bar off King Street.  This top was originally on back-order to arrive after my trip, but ended up coming in a week or so prior to my trip.  Yay!!  Off the shoulder tops are a hot trend for spring and summer.  Bonus this one comes in both Pantone colors of the year.  I opted for the pink because I knew it worked with all my different Jean shades.  I love that it has the two shoulder straps to help hold the shirt up too.  I’m really loving this off the shoulder look and hope to add one or two more to my closet this season.

Our flight landed late last night, and I have to go to work today.  I’m pretty sure all my friends and I will be living off of coffee today!I can’t wait to share more about my trip with y’all so stay tuned.  Until then, thanks for swinging by the blog!  (update: due to major flooding in Houston, it looks like I am getting an extra day off.  I’m so grateful we flew in last night and are not stranded out of town since all airports are currently grounded.  Stay safe all my Houston area friends!)

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MORE OFF THE SHOULDER TOPS!

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What I Packed for My Girls’ Weekend

What to Pack for a Girls' Trip

What to pack for Charleston

What to pack for summer vacation

Hello from Charleston!! Ok I actually wrote this two days ago because I didn’t want to bring my computer with me. #truth 🙂  I am a notorious over-packer because I always love to have lots of options on a trip. Plus, I have a fear of forgetting something so I just bring everything.  I am working on packing lighter especially for this trip since I have to pay for each bag I bring. I fly about two times a year, so over time I have learned a few methods to help me pack lighter!

MY TOP 5 PACKING TIPS

1- Try to bring outfits that can share the same shoes and jewelry.  For this trip, I am only bringing nude shoes because they work best with all my outfits.  I also usually will bring either all gold or all silver jewelry, so it can easily mix and match.

2- Plan your outfits ahead of time.  I write down every outfit I will need like fancy dinner, all-day walking, beach day, etc and plan everything out.  Sometimes I will also try on each outfit to make sure it looks ok.  I also plan a few backup outfits that can work for multiple events.  Try to find pieces that can work in multiple outfits too.  I plan on wearing some of my jeans twice and my denim jacket works with most of my evening outfits.

3- Coordinate with your fellow travelers.  Everyone in your room doesn’t need to bring a curling iron, blowdryer, and other similar items.  Break up some of those items so you each bring one.  If you and your friend use the same shampoo or other toiletries products, you can also agree to share those to save weight.

4-  Think about what you won’t need.  If I could I would probably pack my whole closet, so sometimes I think what I for sure do not need to put in my bag.  For example, I am not bringing any heels on this trip or fancy dresses.  It makes it easier to kind of ignore that area of my closet if I already know I don’t need them.  Since I am only gone for 3 nights, I am scaling back on my skincare routine too.  I plan too only bring my day moisturizer and use it for day and night, because I can go 3 nights with just the one.

5-  Edit your suitcase.  Ever heard the Coco Chanel quote “Once you’ve dressed, and before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off.”  I do something similar when I pack.  Once I am done, I go back through and see if there are any items that I really don’t need.  Sometimes if I see my suitcase still has room, I will try to cram a few more dresses, shoes or tops in.  By stepping back and looking at everything, I can usually find a few things that I really don’t need.  Sometimes I will even walk away for 30 minutes to an hour and come back to edit when my mindset is different.  Suddenly having 3 backup options for one dinner doesn’t seem as practical as it did an hour ago.

WHAT I PACKED

For my clothes and jewelry, I tried to stick with spring dresses, light tops, and some great basics and layering pieces.  I am only bringing crossbody bags because they are easier to carry on days of long walking and being the ultimate tourist, plus they will work with my dinner and drinks outfits.

For shoes, I decided to go with all neutral shoes as mentioned above.  I also only packed flats and wedges.  Charleston sidewalks are not most ideal conditions for all my cute heels.  We also plan to do lots of walking on this trip, so comfy sandals and flats were a must-bring.  By the way, the gladiator sandals zip down the back which makes them work for easy slip off/on for the airport.  I like to bring an easy slip on flat for both the airport and for walking around the hotel.

I’m sticking with my basic beauty items for this trip. I skip on certain items like a blow dryer that hotels typically keep in the room, and for this trip a curling iron because I am sharing that item.  I usually bring travel sizes of all my favorite toiletries to save bag weight for more important things like souvenirs. One definite must bring is my dry shampoo!!

I hope ya’ll enjoyed the small sneak peek into what I brought for my trip and some of my favorite packing tips!  If you want to see more from my vacay, you can follow along on Instagram!

Outdoor Party Outfit

Outdoor Party Outfit - black shorts

Barbecue Party Outfit - shorts

Fringe Heels in yellow

summer party outfit idea - shorts and heels

Boxy Blouse gold jewelry

summer outfit idea - boxy top and black shorts

spring outfit idea - black shorts

baublebar gold fringe earrings - pink lipstick

yellow fringe tassel sandals

pink clutch and hair tie bracelet

Outdoor party outfit for spring or summer

| DETAILS |
SHEIN c/o Crackled Top  | H&M Black Shorts (similar) | STEVE MADDEN Sassey Heels  | GIGI NY Magenta Clutch  | BAUBLEBAR Aretha Earrings, Cuban Links Bracelet  | BANGLE BEAR c/o Hair Tie Bracelet  | RAYBAN Mirrored Aviators  |  Lipstick: BOBBI BROWN Neon Pink  | Nails: ESSIE Fiji

April in Houston is outdoor party season! It’s normally so hot and humid in Houston that most summer parties are either indoors or a pool party.  I love this little outdoor party outfit for a backyard barbecue or a little patio party.

I hate buying shorts and don’t wear them too often, so most of mine are a few years old.    I bought these from H&M a few years ago and linked a similar pair from them above.  My favorite thing is the length.  I’m not a super short shorts kinda gal, but I also don’t want them to look like my mom’s shorts. 🙂  This is a good in between length for me.  I like wearing black dress shorts to evening outdoor parties.  I think it gives it a dressier look than regular jeans shorts and is a great alternative to a spring dress.  I like playing with proportions, so I paired them with this boxy top.

Okay, so first things first if you are heading to an outdoor party that will be in grass, DO NOT wear heels!!  I would recommend opting for wedges or you will spend the whole party sinking into the ground.  However, if you are heading to a party that will be on a patio or deck, why not pull out a fun pair of heels!  If you aren’t sure, either bring both and go with the best option when you get there, or just go for wedges to be safe.  I loved how this outfit looked with the pop of yellow, so I went with heels.

I am officially leaving for Charleston tomorrow!!!  I’m so excited and cannot wait to be there!!  I have a fun post planned for Friday to give you a sneak peek at what I packed for the trip. AND If you want to follow along, check me out on Instagram (@karen.rock) or Snapchat (ladyinviolet) for a inside look at my vacation. Thanks for swinging by today!

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