With the Fourth of July being this weekend, I started to think about what I was going to wear to all the BBQs, parties + fireworks.
I get really excited about holidays because they can inspire some pretty great + creative outfits. Hey, any excuse to dress festively!
When I think about Independence Day, I think red, white and blue, so I styled four different red, white and blue looks. While I don’t expect anyone to want to copy any of these looks exactly, I hope that they can still spark (pun fully intended, ain’t no shame in my game) some outfit inspo!
Nothing in this post is new or even recently purchased, everything was already in my closet (or on my bedroom floor)…except for the Birkenstocks, I got them on Poshmark about a week or two ago + have worn them pretty much everyday since.
After Alt Summit, I really wanted to at the very least attempt to get back to the heart of why I started blogging.
Simply put, I like to learn + to want to push myself to try new things.
At Alt Melissa Esplin hosted a DIY booth and shared some pointers about calligraphy. I chatted with Christa of Beatrice Clay and decided that I would redeem my Bing Rewards points for Amazon gift cards, which I used to purchase Modern Calligraphy.
Since then, I have been practicing calligraphy and painting with watercolors daily. (The two arts kind of go hand in hand, so I figured why not.)
My work is pretty rough, but since I’m only just starting out, I don’t mind it so much. I find the process rather meditative + thoroughly enjoy it, so it’s totes worth it!
Do you have a summer hobby or have you started learning something new recently? Would love some ideas of what to look into for my next something new!
Attending Alt Summit SLC Summer was one of the best experiences of my life. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I’ve done several free online classes through Alt Summit + Alt for Everyone. These were pretty great too, but if you ever get the chance to attend Alt Summit SLC, you NEED to take advantage of that opportunity!
The things I learned at Alt are things that I plan to use. I have gone to countless conferences where I had some good takeaways, but Alt actually taught me things to better myself + my blog. I won’t go into everything thing I learned, but I do want to sum up my Alt experience with 10 things that I learned.
1. Go out + make opportunities.
Joy Cho gave a extremely motivational keynote. She shared her experience and made it clear that you have to be a go-getter to get what you want. Figure out what you want to do and then do it!
2. Know your numbers.
Ryan Stern (@collectivelyinc) + Ashlee Prisbrey (@imtopsyturvy) showed the averages of blogs in the various stages of blogging. They encouraged us to use Google Analytics because of the information it can provide about your blog + your audience.
3. Dream BIG!
Alice Yoo + Eugene Kim of My Modern Met taught about growing your community. You should set goals, long term, and then break them down into steps. Believe in yourself and work hard! They showed this video during their session and I’m sharing it with you!
4. Share your story.
Sarah Deragon of Portraits to the People + Lisa Anderson Shaffer of Zelma Rose really broke Instagram down! I came away with SO many tips and tricks to really step up my Instagram game. They also gave us a coupon to Photojojo and I plan to use mine to get the Foldio that they showed us.
Practice, practice, practice. I’m thinking a photo challenge may need to happen…Maybe I’ll come up with my own!
5. Stop + smell the roses.
Audrey King of French Knot Studios made us get hands on with photo styling. She gave us supplies a few basic tips and said that the best way to learn is to do. So we did! The pointers she shared allowed me to take a step back, see what I was working with, and gave me the confidence to try all kinds of things…I was even asked if I was a photographer a couple of times!
6. Get growing!
These ladies (PJ Feinstein of A Girl Named PJ, Tan Rutley of Squirrelly Minds, Ciera Holzenthal of Ciera Design, Mariah Danielsen of Oh What Love, and Melissa Bahen of Lulu the Baker) kill it when it comest to collaborating, period. They inspired me to think outside the box and consider new ways to engage.
7. Media worth considering.
I use social media. Mostly Instagram + Twitter. I’ve tried Google+, but Jamie Dorobek of C.R.A.F.T. really made me want to give it another go! And Meg Conley of Meg in Progress + Kris Schoels of Young Married Chic talked about break into radio and TV. I plan to try more videos and now maybe even podcasting…
8. Sponsors are your friends.
All the Alt sponsors were amazing! I learned to see them as people, because they are, and that changed everything for me. During her keynote, Martha Stewart even spilled that Home Depot loves to work with bloggers.
I’m sad Alt is over, but it was just the spark I needed!
While I feel like I am still processing my Alt Summit experience as a whole, I have some Alt tips that I want to share in case you plan to attend Alt (or any other conference for that matter).
1. It doesn’t matter what you wear. Dress for you + have fun! I cannot stress this enough. I packed an outfit for each day and due to the weather ending up wearing clothes that were for my flights instead. No one noticed. The world didn’t end. (Unless less there’s a dress, then please follow it, just don’t stress out about it!)
2. You will regret overpacking. Especially if you are trying not to check any bags. You get A LOT of stuff at Alt. from business cards and coupons, to samples and door prizes. Having space in your luggage is a MUST. Unless you’re local. Then I envy you.
3. Sit in the front. This was a personal preference, but here me out. By sitting in the front row during sessions when ever I raised my hand the presenters noticed and I always got my questions answered. I could hear + see everything. After the sessions I was able to quickly run up and chat one-on-one with the presenters if I needed.
4. Have a thought or idea while at Alt? Write. It. Down. You do not want to forget it, and who knows you may get inspired to do the next big thing!
5. Step out of you comfort zone. If you have ever said you’re really fun or loud once you get to know me, then I’m talking to you! That’s me + typically I avoid social interactions at all costs. Unless I’m drunk. But by forcing myself to speak to others at Alt I made a ton of great connections. Like, I saw someone with the same camera bag as me. I went over to say hi + turns out it was Candice Stringham who is teaching a DSLR class via A Beautiful Mess! She even gave me a discount code to use in the A Beautiful Mess shop, which I will obviously be using to take her class. Like, what?! Imagine if I had missed that opportunity? I’d seriously have to kick myself.
Have you ever attended Alt Summit or another conference of some sort? What tips or takeaways do you have?
When I heard that Martha Stewart, yes THE Martha Stewart, was going to be a keynote speaker at this year’s Altitude Summit Salt Lake City I died. And then I entered every single contest in attempt to score the chance to attend.
I must be a cat, because I then found out that not only did I win (Thank you, Instagram and #altsummit_yellow!), but also that Joy Cho, yes THE Joy Cho, was going to be the other keynote speaker (Note to self: Make sure to pack Blog Inc.)! I died twice more.
Booked my flight, roundtrip. Had a minor panic attack (literally, anxiety will do that to you) after learning that the hotel where Alt SLC is taking place was full. Thankfully, I was able to find a hotel right down the street.
Prepping for Alt SLC was more or less a breeze. Blog cards? Check. Print schedule + highlight first, second, and third choice sessions? Check + color coded.
Packing is another story.
Did you know that you can only have one (1) quart sized ziplock bag for liquids? AND that each of those liquids must be in a container of less than 3.4oz? Seriously?? Who came up with this?! Clearly not a female + at the very least not me!
I have only ever flown internationally, and this trip I do not want to risk checking any luggage as I’ll only be in Utah for four days.
Now what to pack? What should I wear?
Slightly larger minor panic attack.
Others attending the conference (including Thrift Me Pretty’s Stasia Savasuk) have been very reassuring about not worrying about what to wear, but I can’t help it…t’s what I do on the daily!
I almost always overthink my outfits, have been known to over-pack, and now I’m trying to fit it all into a carry-on. This should be interesting…
Almost too often we are criticized for using the internet for, well, everything. And as much as I’d like to argue that that’s not true, quite frankly, I can’t, because it is.
If I want to try a new restaurant, I look it up online and find reviews to see what others are saying about it. Same goes for movies, I need to know the ratings.
Living in a small town, I want to know how to get where I’m going before I drive an hour plus away, so I don’t waste gas. Gas is expensive y’all.
And also products. I must have looked into every single DSLR camera before investing in my Canon EOS Rebel SL1.
No one likes to waste their time or their money, and the internet, more specifically search engines, have helped us in our efforts to not do so. Except for when we want to, even if we shouldn’t…
When I need to know something, I often turn to my friends and family for their opinions or advice. How nice would it be to know what they like while I’m surfing the web?
Well by connecting my Facebook to Bing, I can! AND with Bing Rewards , I can even earn rewards simply for searching the web!
(I personally love that fact that a Sephora gift card is one of the reward options + I can even set it as a goal on my dashboard.)
How I use Bing…
I recently got a ficus. I was stoked. So stoked that I shared it on Instagram when I was doing the #100happydays Challenge.
I must have had it for about a week, maybe two when I noticed the tips of the leaves were turning brown. Not cool! I had no clue what I’d done so I looked it up using Bing.
The leaves are still brown, but at least I know how to prevent more leaves from turning brown and how to properly care for my beloved plant.
I have been thinking about getting tatted up for a while now. My little sister has over 10 tattoos (that I know of)! I just want one, OK, maybe two…and tiny ones.
I am pretty sure I want a tiny cross on the inside of my right wrist, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I would want it too look like.
I knew I’d want something small and simplistic, but much like requesting a particular hair style at a salon, I want to have a picture to bring with me, should I decide to actually get inked. I’d seen one that I liked on Pinterest, but I pin so much that I couldn’t find it, so I searched Bing Images and found it and several others that I liked just as much if not even better.
Bing has seriously made my sometimes confusingly chaotic life much easier, while at the same time rewarding me for it + in the form of makeup none the less!
Are you ready to start getting rewarded with what you want for doing what you already do? Then join Bing Rewards, it’s free!
I’m required to disclose a sponsored partnership between our site and Bing. I have been compensated in exchange for this post in the form of payment, product or experiences.
As promised, here’s the BeautyCon swag I scored while attending BeautyCon NYC 2014!
The tote + these sunglasses + a shirt were the only things thatI knew for sure I would be getting. I knew the tote would be filled with products, but didn’t know brands, or quantities, or anything like that.
Contrary to lip products, I am not very adventurous when it comes to primer. I never really understood the different types. bareMinerals changed that. (There was also a bareMinerals booth and they gave out products + pointers. I didn’t get any additional products but the pointers were very useful. Also, I was not upset about missing out on the extra products because I had already splurged on all things bareSkin, their new liquid foundation…but more on that later, maybe.)
Maybelline was the first brand of mascara I’ve ever tried, and I still use it to this day. Why? Because it’s good. As is this lip color!
This NYX eyeshadow in Psychedelic is the perfect dupe for Urban Decay’s Thrash + I am a little too excited for fall to start rocking the heck out of this OPI is just perfect.
Given that I have started to dabble in video, this was a nice little surprise from YouTube.
I collect sunglasses/shades/sunnies/whatever you call them. Thank you StyleHaul for the extra pair!
You can never have enough bronzer! I use bronzer that’s a little too light for me as an illuminator. Too Faced in Chocolate Soleil
Who doesn’t love kettle corn?! So good + the bag is super cute!
I don’t like diet soda. I should not have expected to like this zero calorie soda. But I did. And I did not like it. I gave it to my mom to finish, she liked it. Then again, she likes diet soda.
Thursday Friday designed the BeautyCon swag bag tote, so this coupon made perfect sense.
Me Undies tee shirts are my favorite! And while I don’t think they were at Beautycon, it was still cool to see a gift card from an upcoming brand that I love in the swag bag!
Elle was a major partner for BeautyCon NYC, and as an Elle Magazine subscriber, I found this cover to be utterly flawless (I’m still not over the Jennifer Aniston + Brad Pitt breakup, but I can’t hate Angelina…She has ageless beauty and is an amazing actress)!
Three of these will be included in my next giveaway! Which three do you hope they are?
I was very fortunate to be able to hit up NYC for BeautyCon!
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but after reading up on it, I wanted in.
And, thanks to the manfriend, I was able to snag a PRO ticket + some BeautyCon swag, along with my two besties.
What is Beautycon? Well, put frankly, it’s a beauty convention.
What does that mean? It means you get to stand in a lot of long lines to get to try makeup and beauty products from various companies, if you are 21+ you get free drinks, and you get to hear panelists speak on various topics such as social media and being a diva, as well as meet some of your favorite makeup and hair gurus, bloggers, vlogger, etc.
In other words, it is EVERYTHING!
Was BeautyCon NYC worth it? I would say so!
Johnny Wujek selected me as one of his choices for the walk off contest! While I didn’t win, I werked it.
Not only did we have an absolute blast, but we are already looking forward to #BeautyConNYC 2015!
My next blog post will be all about my BeautyCon swag, so may sure you don’t miss it and subscribe!
I always look forward to getting my monthly Birchbox. I especially love it when I get a new product that exceeds my expectations, even if some of the other products don’t. My May Birchbox included a few products that had me freewheeling!
Birchbox bases the products you get in your box off of a profile that you fill out. My profile mentions that I have color treated hair so I often find myself getting color care hair products. What I found surprising about the shampoo + conditioner set I got this time, is that there was also a hair primer, which you apply before washing your hair. I was happy with the results, but hope that my next box does not include any color care hair anything.
My favorite product in my box this month, was the PIXI Beauty Shea Butter Lip Balm. I majorly heart getting full sized products especially lip products. As much as I swear that I adore eye makeup over all, I own way more lip products. What can I say? I have big lips and they need the extra TLC…
The color was much bolder than I expected for a lip balm, nothing too shocking, but I was pleased that the color was visibly detectable.
The other product that surprised me was the CōTZ Face Tinted Natural Skin Tone SPF 40. After I posted about my huge disappointment with Benefit’s Big Easy, I was very skeptical about trying anything tinted that didn’t say for dark skin. However, this wasn’t so bad. I mean it was light, but rubbed in and didn’t leave me looking ghostly. That being said, less is more. Even though I do not plan to buy this, I didn’t hate it.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
This month’s box even included a $25 off coupon to Kate Spade Saturday + if you subscribe to the Kate Spade Saturday emails you get 15% off your next purchase!
Enjoy my Birchbox posts + want in? Click here to sign up + give Birchbox a try!
My travel face: 
