Vera Bradley x New Hope Girls.

     Starting off this new week by sharing my first spring outfit of 2020, and introducing y'all to some cute bags for a great cause. Happy Monday!

Back to Basics with Outfit Posts.

     Happy Monday! I can't believe this is my first true outfit post of 2019. Sharing a classic look that I wore for a weekend shopping day a few weeks ago, and also some thoughts on my blog's fashion content going forward.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!

Sweater {on sale!} // Shirt // Jeans // Boots // Necklace {not online, similar here} // Purse // 

     Let's start with some blogging thoughts! A couple years ago, I would say that about 75% of my blog posts were fashion or outfit related, so this is definitely a big shift. In 2018, I celebrated my 6th blogiversary, and around that same time I made the shift from calling my blog a lifestyle blog instead of a fashion blog. Fashion is a component of my blog that I definitely want to continue writing about, but I no longer want it to be the focus. To me, my travel and faith/personal posts are just as important as style content- all of those three things together are what makes my blog unique! 

    Anyways, with the difference in how I'm classifying my blog, there are going to be a few changes this year to how I share fashion content on the blog. To start, I'll be working less regularly with blog photographers. I'm definitely not eliminating professional photography from my blog by any means, but I want to be more selective in using photographers. I'll probably just continue using them for sponsored collaborations and some travel content, rather than everyday outfits. I've had a DSLR camera for years, and I actually really do enjoy having friends snap my pictures on it and editing them myself! There's just something about that whole process that seems more "real." It seems like with each month that goes by, a lot of fashion Instagram accounts and blogs get more and more staged and fake, especially in terms of photography. I want to stay authentic as possible, and for me that means starting to do more blog photography on my own camera again. 😊

    As far as the outfits go that I wear on the blog, I'm done buying stuff just for blog photos! The outfits that you see this year will be exclusively real outfits that I have worn in real life, or will be wearing soon. It'll still include a wide range of everything from casual to dressy looks, but I'll only be featuring stuff that I actually wear. I've definitely fallen trap in the past of buying clothing or accessories solely because I think they would look cute on the blog or Instagram... and then I never wear them again! That just seems so materialistic and wasteful to me now. 

    Alright- now that all that's out of the way, let's get to today's outfit details! My mom got me this light pink sweater for Christmas. It is currently on sale! It's very soft and light, and the perfect type of sweater to layer over a button up shirt. I also pulled out one of my older favorite purses for this look- OG Southern Belle in Training readers probably remember when I was obsessed with this bag for a good couple years in college! 😉 I wore this outfit a few weekends ago for a shopping day in Richmond. One of the largest shopping districts in Richmond, Short Pump, is just under an hour away from Charlottesville, so it makes for an easy weekend day trip. I love visiting bigger cities, so I'm usually in Richmond at least once every month or two!

     I hope that you're having a great Monday and start to the week so far! Last week was busier than usual for me (each weekday I had plans every afternoon or evening), so I'm hoping this week will be a little more relaxing. 

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese

Pink + Gray Outfit + Blog Plans for 2019!

     Fun fact: the pictures in today's blog post were taken way back in October! (As you can probably tell from the green grass and green trees behind me.) Fortunately, this dress is an easy one to transition into winter outfits, so I still wanted to share this look with you today. I'm also sharing today about a fun blog series idea that I'll be launching in 2019!

Photography by Kate Greer

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!

Dress // Jacket {old, similar here} // Shoes // Necklace {old, similar here} // Purse // Bracelet // Lipstick c/o 

     I think this is the first time that I've ever done an entire outfit of gray and pink, but I'm kind of liking the end result! I think this was a really fun color combo to wear for fall- a bit different than the usual earth tone colors that are popular in fall, but pink and gray still totally works together. I bought this dress at LOFT a couple of months ago and I just love it! There is a subtle leopard print in the fabric, but it isn't overwhelming. This is a perfect versatile fall/winter dress. It's actually what I'll be wearing to my work Christmas party later this week! I'm going to pair it with tights, heels, and a sparkly necklace instead of the pops of pink like I did in this outfit. 

    

     Switching gears- I wanted to share one of my ideas for blog content for 2019! The start of a new year is a perfect time to try something new when it comes to what's on the blog. All throughout 2019, I'm planning to do a different monthly series one day a week here on the blog. This is inspired by the moving out-of-state blog post series that I did last spring! I had so much fun writing those posts, and over the past few months I've realized there are a lot more topics that I'd like to go in-depth on with y'all. I decided Tuesday will be the day for these posts, and each month the topic will change! The first Tuesday series for January will be sharing a tour of my Virginia apartment- I'll share a different room each Tuesday during that month. I already have series topics picked for February and March as well! I'm excited really excited about this! Since this is my 6th year blogging, it's so important to me that I keep challenging myself as a blogger and finding ideas for content. 

     One last note not related to today's outfit or future blog content- thanks to everyone who checked in on me and sent such kind messages after I shared on Instagram Stories yesterday that I was in a weather related car accident! I will share the full story of what happened in Wednesday's post, but for now I am just so touched by everyone who reached out! I'm thankful I am okay and that there were no injuries- accidents are always scary. No blog post tomorrow as having that happen this weekend shook up my schedule a bit, but I'll talk to y'all Wednesday!

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese 

Fine Jewelry Shopping For The 20-Something With Diamonds Direct!

     I headed down to Richmond this weekend for the most fun event that I'm so excited to share about with y'all today! I attended the Diamonds Direct Designer Holiday Trunk Show. It was an afternoon filled with the prettiest jewelry and lots of sparkle, and I also was able to seriously brush on up on my find jewelry education. Let me show you all of the stunning jewelry pieces and jewelry designers that I got to know on Saturday: 

Today's post is sponsored by Diamonds Direct. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training!

     Diamonds Direct has stores across most Southern states and a few midwest/western states as well. I remember hearing a lot of radio advertising for their Charlotte, NC store during the years that I lived there! I was absolutely thrilled when the Short Pump location reached out to me to partner with them. Short Pump is a high-end retail neighborhood in the west part of the Richmond metro area, and it's become one of my favorite destinations for weekend trips, as it's very convenient to get there from Charlottesville! Their annual Designer Holiday Trunk Show is a grand event, with representatives from some of the most popular fine jewelry lines visiting participating stores with special merchandise. Almost everything in the store was 20% off over this weekend's event. What an amazing deal to purchase a fine jewelry gift for someone or yourself Christmas, or an engagement or wedding ring! 

     I had a couple goals in mind for attending the Designer Holiday Trunk Show event. 1.) I thought it would be really fun to try on a few engagement rings! I've never even given much thought to the type of ring that I'd like someday if I get engaged, so I thought it would be cool to try a few on and see what types of styles that I like, for when that time comes someday! 2.) I was really excited to check out their selection of gemstone pieces, and especially hunt for those under $500. As I'm getting into my mid 20s, I'm realizing that while I have a huge collection of fashion and costume jewelry, I have just a couple of fine jewelry pieces. With the years to come, I'd like to save up for more fine jewelry that will last through the years, rather than just cheap trendy pieces. I was excited to see the types of gemstone pieces that Diamonds Direct had in-store.

    First- a recap of the engagement ring "search" process. (So funny to type that as I'm very single!) First up was a ring sizing! I learned that I'm in between a 6.5 and 7 (6.75? Haha!). My friend Abigail, who came with me to help with the photography in this post, had her ring finger sized as well. She learned her finger was smaller than she thought- which shows how important it is to know your accurate ring size!

     I tried on beautiful engagement rings from Tacori and A. Jaffe. Another line that I absolutely loved looking at were the engagement rings from Henri Daussi. I think that as of now, my dream enagement ring would be either a halo, or a solitaire with a larger karat diamond!

    

     Good news for us single ladies or anyone already married- Diamonds Direct has many more varieties of diamonds than just engagement rings! They had the most stunning diamond earrings, right hand rings, bracelets, necklaces... everything diamond that you could possibly think of, and more! Many of the stunning diamond jewelry pieces are from the store house brands.

     I wanted to try on a pair of diamond hoop earrings, and I was just in love with the ones that were suggested for me to try! Such a timeless and classy piece. The current silver hoop earrings that I own I purchased at least 10 years ago in high school, and I'm 99% certain they were under $10. So it's safe to say these gorgeous hoops from Diamonds Direct were a big step up for me!

     You can see here that there are diamonds on the inside of the earrings as well- Diamonds Direct goes the extra mile to make sure their hoops have the most sparkle!

     As stunning as all of the Diamonds Direct diamonds are, this store has so many gemstone jewelry pieces as well! I couldn't wait to head over to those cases and explore.

     My birth stone is sapphire, so I adored getting to try on these two pieces! The brand on these is Real Gems. The bracelet is pink sapphire and diamond, and the ring is classic blue sapphire. These might be two of my favorite things that I got to try on!

     The next ring, pictured below, is an incredible morganite stone. I love the rose gold tones of this amazing gem! Now I really want something with morganite. 

     As I shared earlier in this blog post, one of my goals for my store visit was to find several gemstone jewelry pieces that would be perfect "treat yourself" gifts, or nice gifts for a special woman, like your mom, sister, or best friend. It became pretty clear to me that Tacori is a fabulous jewelry line for these types of pieces! Tacori is sold at fine jewelry retailers nationwide, and Diamonds Direct Short Pump had a fabulous in-store selection. I loved these amethyst drop earrings and the long gemstone necklace, shown below! 

     I also loved this gemstone bracelet from Tacori. Look at how it's adjustable so that it's easy to put on and take off your hand! 

     And finally, this stunning gemstone ring from Tacori. Ahh! I love pretty much anything that is teal or aqua in color, so this ring was definitely one of my favorite pieces in the entire store. This would make a beautiful right hand ring, or cocktail ring! 

    The Tacori selection at Diamonds Direct Short Pump includes many pieces that are under $1000, and a fair amount that are under $500 as well! One beautiful ring that I tried on was $325. This is a great price point for one of your first pieces of fine jewelry- it's definitely an investment, but if you save up for it you won't break the bank! 

     The Designer Holiday Trunk Show also featured some delicious treats (think gourmet mini cupcakes!), and they even had a photo-booth company on-sight for the later part of Saturday afternoon! The whole store was bustling with activity during the time I was there. It's clear that the Diamonds Direct team goes all out for this annual event, and there was definitely excitement in the air! 

     To my Virginia friends- if you have any engagement ring or fine jewelry needs during this holiday season, I highly suggest an in-store visit to Diamonds Direct Short Pump! If you're a Charlotte reader friend, they have a store there as well.  And if you're not in Virginia or North Carolina- don't fear, as Diamonds Direct has stores in 12 states! Thank you so much to Diamonds Direct Short Pump for the invitation to this holiday event, and for letting me play dress-up with such beautiful jewelry! I'm already dreaming of so many pieces to start saving for.

     God Bless,


     xoxo Annaliese

If You Told Me 5 Years Ago...

    Today's outfit is about as classic and preppy for fall as you can get! I'm excited to share it with you. Also in today's post I'm talking about some of the ways that I've noticed myself change on certain things in the last five years- it's always fun to do some self-reflecting. 

Photography by Meredith Sledge

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!

Sweater {similar} // Shirt {similar} // Jeans // Shoes {sold out, similar here} // Necklace // Purse // Bracelet // Lip Gloss // 

     I am loving this combination of a white cable sweater paired with a gingham oxford shirt! It's an ideal fall look. You could pair it with a pencil skirt for work or any business casual occasion, and I love pairing it with skinny jeans and metallic mules for this casual look. I also want to make a quick note about my necklace! It's a classic J. Crew Factory piece. I asked for it for Christmas a few years ago, and I remember being so excited to find it in my stocking. To this day, I still wear it at least once a week. It's the most versatile piece of jewelry, and can really elevate an outfit! Do any of you also have this necklace?

     I thought it would be fun in today's post to do some reflecting! My 24th birthday was in September, but I feel like it really hit me the other day that I'm 24. Like... I've been an adult for a few years now, and I'm well out of college! When I'm by myself, I often think I feel a lot younger than I am. I feel some days liked I blinked and college was over! Anyways, the more that I thought about my recent birthday, the more I realized that I have changed and matured more as a person in the last five years than I realized. I thought I'd share a bit of that on the blog!! Five years ago, I was entering my sophomore year of college and had recently turned 19. I had been blogging for just over a year! I had just moved to Charlotte and transferred colleges. Here are some things that 19 year old Annaliese wouldn't believe about 24 year old Annaliese:

     *I'll become a morning person: True story- I was one of the biggest night owls ever until January 2017! During all four years of college, I think I can count on one hand the number of times that I went to bed before midnight. I remember that I had 8 am classes for most of my senior year and it felt like torture! 

     In early 2017, I began a three month long morning radio internship (I needed to complete it to graduate from broadcasting school). I had to wake up at 3:15 each morning to arrive there on time! I remember how rough the first week was, but I adjusted better than I thought I would to the schedule. I moved to Vermont pretty soon after the internship ended, and the whole morning person thing stuck when I started my first job. I wasn't waking up at a time as drastic as 3:15 anymore, but I began to love waking up early and being productive before work.

     *I'll still be driving the same car: This is just a funny one! I truly believed well into my college years that as soon as I graduated college and had my first job, I'd be able to lease or buy a new vehicle. HAHA! Naive little Annaliese wasn't considering things like a low entry level salary, and having to pay for rent and student loans. I'm still driving the same car I had in high school, and probably will be until whenever it kicks the bucket.

     *I'd move to Vermont for a year: Oh goodness if you told me at 19 that I'd move to Vermont for a year, I would have laughed in your face! I grew up vacationing in a rural part of Vermont with my parents (about two hours away from where I ended up living in Burlington area), and my only associations of the state were memories of staying at a very rustic bed and breakfast on family vacations! At 19, I was still pretty new to living in the South, and so obsessed with Southern culture. I did end up moving North for a year, but thankfully my obsession with the South stuck around, and now here I am in Virginia!

     *I'd still be single: Not going to go into a ton of detail on this one since I share more thoughts about being a single woman in my Relationship Monday blog post series- but let's just say at 19 I definitely wouldn't have believed that I'd still be riding solo. I also wouldn't have believed that as a single 24 year old, I'd actually be content! 

     *I'd still be blogging, and I'd have so many exciting opportunities come from it: My 1st blogiversary was on my 19th birthday, and at that point in time I was trying to squeeze in blog posts when I could with my busy college schedule. If I had the opportunity to receive a product for free to do a blog post about, I'd be over the moon! I never would have imagined that I'd stick with blogging long enough to make a decent side hustle income from it, and even get cool opportunities like attending a blogging conference and do travel writing opportunities! 

     *I wouldn't be allergic to cats anymore: This one is still so exciting to me! In high school (after volunteering weekly at the local animal shelter in the cat rooms), I developed severe cat allergies. After college I ended up outgrowing them, and this summer I had allergy tests to prove it. I'm now a new cat mom to my Delilah! 

     *I'd still have the same hairstyle: At the end of my freshman year of college, I cut about nine inches off my hair. It went from being very long to falling just above my shoulders. I started hating the haircut pretty soon after, and I became determined to grow my hair out long again. I've kept it long ever since then! I still don't dye it either. For now, I'm still very happy with my long brunette locks!

    *I'd grow to be proud of being a Mainer: I was so excited when I moved South for college and got to experience a different type of culture. I'd had such rough high school years that for a long time, I associated that with everything to do with Maine. It took making peace with the past and truly appreciating the beauty of my home state to finally say that I'm proud to be a Mainer. (Still glad I reside in the South though😉)

    *I'd enjoy reading thrillers: I was very sensitive to anything scary when I was growing up. To this day, I still hate horror films! For years, I really only read books for fun that were chick-lit, romance, or uplifting. Lat year I picked up my first thriller from the library, and I was hooked! The creepier and more mysterious the plot, the better. Joy Fielding is currently my favorite author for the genre. 

     *I'd love country music, and love working in country radio even more: During my freshman year of college I went through a slight country music phase (The prime moment was seeing Florida Georgia Line play at a bar before they made it big!), but when I transferred colleges at the start of sophomore year and moved to Charlotte, that phase quickly died. I was all about Top 40 and urban music for the rest of college. Last year in Vermont, I found myself starting to enjoy listening to the local country radio stations when I was outside of work, and realized how much I enjoyed the music! When I decided to look for new jobs, I specifically searched for ones in country radio. Now I adore country music and love my job as well! 

     Have you noticed any things about yourself that have changed in the last five years? Let me know in the comments if we share any in common! Or let me know if you also love a classic and preppy fall outfit. 😊

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese

     

     

  

     

The Closet Item I've Been Searching For.

     Fellow fashion lovers- I don't think there is anything better than finally finding the perfect version of something that you've been wanting to have in your closet! Today I'm sharing all about a beautiful tweed blazer that I found completely by chance. I'm also sharing some blog post ideas for the upcoming weeks- I've been feeling in a bit of a "same old, same old" rut for blog content over this month, and I'm ready to write some really fun posts! 

Photography by Meredith Sledge 

Today's post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training! 

Blazer {sold out, very similar here} // Top {under $20!} // Jeans // Boots c/o // Necklace {old, similar here} // Purse // Lip Gloss //

     For years now, I've wanted a tailored pink tweed blazer. This just seems like such a chic and versatile piece of clothing, and one that can get a lot of wear especially in the fall and spring months! I'd looked at some in stores occasionally over the last couple years, but all of the tweed blazers I found were either not a good fit, or too expensive for me to justify purchasing. I had faith that if I was patient, I'd eventually find the perfect one! 

     When I was back visiting Charlotte over Labor Day Weekend, I treated myself to an afternoon of solo shopping at SouthPark Mall. The Labor Day Sales were fantastic this year, and SouthPark has the best store selection in Charlotte. Ann Taylor has been one of my favorite retailers for a few years now, but I always prefer to shop there in-store rather than online. We don't have a store in Charlottesville, so I knew I had to visit the SouthPark store! Way in the back on the clearance rack, there was *one* beautiful pink tweed blazer hanging on a random rack. I quickly snatched it and took it to the dressing room, and it fit perfectly. I couldn't believe my luck- I'd finally found THE blazer! Even better, I found it for 70% off. Patience paid off, literally! Since I found this one on clearance, I unfortunately can't link it for y'all. This one is also from Ann Taylor and is very similar though! 

     I also want to give a quick shout-out to these cute faux suede boots that JustFab sent me to style. They arrived to me shortly after I found my dream blazer, so I knew I wanted to pair the two together! I love how this look turned out, and it will probably be on repeat for me at work this fall season.

    On a personal note- the month of September has been absolutely nuts for me! There's been a lot going on behind-the-scenes in my life that I'm still not able to share on the blog quite yet, but hopefully I can soon. My mind has been going a million miles a minute this month and hasn't been focused on Southern Belle in Training as much as it usually is. I'm hoping that October will bring the good news that I've been praying about, and that I'll be ready to tackle the rest of the fall blog content season in full force! A few upcoming blog post ideas that I have include an updated list of podcasts that I love, a big fall book reviews post, a post all about my US bucket list travel destinations, some honest thoughts about my personal experience with situation depression last year, and an October post for my Relationship Monday series! If you have any blog posts requests for the next month, let me know in the comments. 🙂

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese 

Fall Transition Look + 3 Things I've Been Loving in September.

     Now that the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is behind us, I'm officially making the transition to fall fashion on the blog today. This outfit is a great transition look for living in the South- it's fall colors and super trendy, but it won't make you too hot for the days that it's still in the 70s or 80s outside!

Photography by Kate Greer

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!

Top c/o // Skirt {old, identical here} // Shoes // Purse // Earrings c/o // Bracelets // Necklace {old, similar here} // Lipstick c/o //  

     I am really excited about how this outfit turned out, and I see myself repeating it a lot this fall. If you've been reading here awhile, you know that my favorite outfits in all seasons are ones with a lot of color, but sometimes I do wear darker colors or neutrals, and sometimes I even like it! 😉The gold jewelry that I've accessorized with here makes this outfit a little brighter. I've had my skirt since college, but plaid skirts are always trendy in the fall, so I've found an almost identical one here! My t-shirt is from Mott&Bow. They make premium denim, and just expanded into t-shirts as well. The shirt I'm wearing is called the Marcy. It's fitted very well and extremely comfortable to wear! A well-made, solid colored t-shirt that you'll get tons of wear out of in all seasons can be a worthwhile investment. 

     I've had my Tory Burch Parker tote (pictured) for just over a year now. Since I got mine, the Parker style has been discontinued, but they're selling the Robinson tote instead, which is very similar (and available in the same color as mine!). I'm curious if y'all would like a dedicated blog post review on this bag? I know that some bloggers do designer bag reviews, and I always find those interesting to read. Even though my exact bag isn't available anymore, the Robinson tote is really similar. This is my work bag, and it's served me very well for that! 

     Wrapping up today's outfit post with three things that I've been loving this month! September has been off to a rough start for me. I know that I've been teasing that on social media and in past blog posts without much detail... hopefully by October I'll have enough information to be able to share what's been going on in my life outside of blogging. Anyways, even though the past few weeks have brought a lot of anxiety into my life, I've been trying to make a conscious decision each day to choose joy and take delight in the little things. Here are three random things I've loved this month! 

     *Superstore (NBC TV show): I know I've mentioned this show in a few other blog posts already, but I gotta give it even more love. This is 100% the funniest and most relatable comedy that I've found in 2018. The show follows the work adventures of various employees at a fictional megastore called Cloud 9. I am obsessed with the show- I only wish I'd started watching this when it was new on TV a few years ago! I adore the characters especially, and since I've worked a retail job in the past, I can relate to some of the situations in the show. All of the jokes are just hilarious, and watching this show on demand has really been a bright spot for me these past few weeks.

      *Peppermint tea: I drink a cup of hot tea every afternoon at work in the 1pm hour, before I go on-air for my afternoon show! Up until recently, I'd usually pick something caffeinated for that afternoon boost, like Earl Grey or English Breakfast. Over the past few weeks, I've started bringing caffeine-free peppermint tea to enjoy at work. I've found that most days I'm find without the afternoon caffeine, and peppermint tea is just so delicious either sweetened or unsweetened! This type of tea leaves me feeling even more refreshed to conquer the busy part of my workday. 

     *SNS nails: I got bi-monthly gel manicures during last year when I lived in Vermont, and when I first moved to Virginia I tried SNS dip nails instead. I LOVED SNS manicures initially- it lasts longer than gel, and there aren't any UV rays involved! A couple months ago I let the SNS grow off my nails though and started painting my nails myself again- as much as I love going to the nail salon, it gets pricy, and that seemed like an easy way to cut my budget. Anyways, for my birthday weekend in Charlotte, I finally got an SNS manicure again, and now I'm hooked! These past couple weeks have been very stressful, but one thing that hasn't been is the beautiful color that is lasting so well on my nails. I think I'm hooked back into salon visits for now! 

     Before I go- a quick Hurricane Florence update! A few of you checked in with me last week as the hurricane neared the East Coast, and that was so sweet. Thankfully the path of the hurricane went away from Central Virginia, so while it was a rainy weekend here, there wasn't any life threatening damage in this area. I still stayed indoors for the majority of the weekend. I am still praying for those in the NC/SC coasts who ended up having a lot of damage- so sad to see the news coverage.

      Thank you so much for reading Southern Belle in Training today, and making this post apart of your Monday! I do appreciate everyone who reads here. No blog post tomorrow as I have some busy stuff going on at work- but I'll talk to you Wednesday for this week's Midweek Ramblings!

     God Bless,

     

      

     xoxo Annaliese 

NORDSTROM SALE 2018: My Three Purchases Styled!

     Yes- you read this post title correctly! I'm a fashion blogger... and I only purchased three items from this year's Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! That's right- I didn't blow my whole shopping budget for 2018 or go into debt shopping this sale, haha. 😉I'm proud of the self-control I exercised during this year's NSale, and I'm really happy with the three items that I now own. Check out today's look to see how it all styled together!

Photography by Kate Greer 

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!

Cardigan {NSale} // Top {NSale} // Jeans {from Zara, similar linked} // Shoes {still in stock this year!} // Short necklace c/o // Long necklace {old, similar linked} // Purse // Lip Gloss // 

     Here you have it friends- my purchases styled! (One of them you can't see pictured- the Natori Feathers Contour Bra. But I am wearing it here and I have been wearing it a lot since I got it- it's very comfortable!) I'm absolutely obsessed with the Barefoot Dreams cardigan and this Caslon striped shirt. 

      Let's talk about the cardigan first. I am so glad I decided to spluge on a Barefoot Dreams cardigan in this year's NSale! One thing that you may or may not know about me is that I'm a bathrobe enthusiast. No- seriously! I have a ton of bathrobes in all different lengths and fabrics- but my favorite ones in my closet are the fuzzy and warm ones.  This cardigan literally feels like a bathrobe- except it's of course appropriate to wear out of your house. WIN WIN. This will sell out fast when the NSale opens to the public tomorrow, and I highly recommend it! I ordered size XS/S.


     I'm also loving this simple but cute striped long sleeve top! It comes in a variety of colors in the NSale in both striped and printed options. I am already thinking of endless ways to style this come fall and winter- with skirts and tights and a statement necklace, or dressed down with leggings and sneakers for a weekend look. There's so many options. It's under $20- which is a great price both for Nordstrom and also just for such a staple piece! I ordered size S and I liked the fit.



     So there you have it- my 2018 NSale purchases. I'm proud of myself for really sticking with a budget in this year's sale, and I know I'll be using and wearing all three of my purchases often. I can totally justify making a spluge on something if I will wear it all the time- like with the Barefoot Dreams cardigan!



      With the sale opening to the public tomorrow- I'm so curious as to what you'll be buying!! Did you also shop the sale Early Access? Or are you planning to after tomorrow? Or just avoiding it in general this year? You can check out my 2018 NSale guide to my favorite brands included in the sale in this post, and some NSale beauty picks as well in this post!

     Happy Shopping!



     God Bless,



     xoxo Annaliese