Designer Diaries: David Yurman X Crossover Ring Review.

     One piece of feedback that I received in my recent reader survey was that a lot of you really liked my past Designer Diaries blog post from last year! I meant to turn it into a regular blog series at the time, so we're finally going to make that happen now. 😊I'm not often one to really splurge on clothing, jewelry, or accessories, so when I do make a bigger purchase I try to be really thoughtful about it. I hope these Designer Diaries posts share a bit of insight into why I decided to pull the trigger on a pricier item, and also if I think it was worth it!

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

THE Dress to Pack for Thanksgiving Travels.

    TGIF my friends! Today I'm sharing what might be one of my favorite fall dresses ever in today's post! I'm also sharing an announcement related to upcoming holiday content on the blog- I'd love your thoughts on it.

Photography by Kate Greer

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

Dress c/o // Shoes // Ring // Hat {old, very similar here} // 

     In just a couple years, Shein has quickly become one of my top online retailers to shop at! I first started shopping there during my junior or senior year of college. At first it was just a destination that I'd buy really trendy pieces at (things that probably wouldn't be in style six months later), but I think in the last couple years that they've really upped the quality of products on the website! The items with slightly higher price points ($25-40) usually are very well made and have a nice fit. I've become so impressed with many of my recent Shein purchases, that I now rarely shop at fast fashion retailers like H&M and Forever 21. 

    This gorgeous floral bell-sleeve dress might just be one of my very favorite Shein purchases! I ordered the M (I'm normally an S in other retailers, but always order M at Shein), and it fits live a glove! It stretchy and so comfortable, and I think the length and bell-sleeves are so flattering! The best part about this dress is the fabric won't wrinkle! That's what makes this a perfect pick to pack for Thanksgiving travels next week. You won't have to worry about ironing or steaming it after it comes out of your suitcase! This dress is 100% coming with me on my Thanksgiving trip. 

    Shein has given me a discount code for y'all to use on their website!! If you decide to buy this dress, that'll make the already under $30 price tag even better! Use code HIMISSALK20 for 20% off your purchase. 

     Now for a brief update on holiday content on the blog. Drumroll please.... I've officially decided... not to do any gift guides this year! I know, I know... that's like breaking the blogger code of ethics to completely bypass Christmas gift guides right? A few weeks ago on Instagram Stories I did a little survey asking about what types of gift guides y'all wanted to see. So many of you responded with creative answers, so I really hope I'm not letting you down too much by deciding not to do them. There's a few factors that inspired my decision. 

     First and foremost... they take a lot of time to put together! Probably 2-3x the amount that it takes me to write any other type of blog post. Assembling the images of all the products and then making one large graphic takes a lot of time. And time is something that I don't have a ton of right now! Work has been absolutely insane lately, as what I thought would be a few days of filling in on my station's morning show has become a few weeks. In addition to work changes, I've had very full weekends (and have more on the way) and I'll be out of town for the next two weekends, so I have to really maximize the more limited time that I have to work on my blog. 

     Secondly... in addition to being time consuming to make, in past years I haven't seen the commissions that I'd like to be seeing from gift guides. (If you're not familiar with blogging affiliate programs - I use affiliate links in my blog posts to make commission on purchases made through my blog links!) Over the years, gift guides have never a high source of income for my blog, and with the time commitment involved I'm just not sure that it's worth it this year. Lastly- they seem to be very oversaturated in the blog industry right now! Just about every other blogger is doing many of them this season, so if you do like shopping through gift guides, there won't be a shortage to choose from!

    So what does this mean for my blog in the next several weeks? Don't worry, even with the craziness at my job I'll still be blogging 4x a week! 😊I look forward to bringing you holiday-specific fashion and travel content, as well as everything else that you normally enjoy on Southern Belle in Training. If you are curious about the items that I'd recommend for gifts this year, feel free to DM or email me!! I'd love to provide you with personalized gift recommendations. 

    Have a great weekend! Stay tuned to my Instagram Stories tomorrow for a fun event.

    God Bless,

    xoxo Annaliese 

Late Summer Lilly Pulitzer.

      I've been trying to share my lifestyle posts lately on Southern Belle in Training, but today we're keeping it simple with an outfit post for this Monday! I live in casual cotton Lilly Pulitzer dress styles in the summer, and I'm excited to share this pretty dress on the blog today.

Photography by Meredith Sledge 

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

Dress {from last year's After Party Sale, similar linked} // Shoes // Gold Ring // Blue Bracelets c/o // Gold Bracelets // Purse {from a local store in Maine, similar linked} // Lipstick c/o // 

     First things first- let's address the elephant in the room for Lilly Pulitzer lovers. When oh when are the late-summer After Party Sale dates going to be announced? My fingers are crossed that the news will drop this week. You can count on me for keeping you informed on when that will be as soon as I know!! (Not sure what the magical After Party Sale is? Check out this blog post of mine! 😊) 

     Alright- onto this outfit. I've been absolutely living in my casual Lilly dresses like this one during this whole summer. I love how this dress looks paired with chunky wedges and some coordinating jewelry! It's an adorable summer look that could be worn anywhere from a casual office to church to date night. It's the type of outfit that makes you feel pretty and put together, but not over-the-top dressed up. Win win!

    I share recaps of my weekends in my weekly Midweek Ramblings posts on Wednesdays, but I want to finish today's post by talking about something I did last week (before the weekend). I went to see CRAZY RICH ASIANS!!! I bought a ticket for premiere night, and I think that's the first time in my life that I've ever intentionally bought a movie ticket for the premiere (I saw Mamma Mia! 2 on premiere night this summer, but I didn't realize it had opened that day.) I've mentioned more than a few times on the blog how much I enjoyed reading the full Crazy Rich Asians trilogy this spring. The movie definitely did the first book justice, and it was a magical experience to see everything played out on the big screen. Wow wow wow. Who else saw it on premiere night or over the weekend? My fingers are crossed that the success of this movie means that more romantic comedies will finally be heading to theaters into 2019! I feel like it's been a dry couple years for them- thank goodness for Hallmark and Lifetime movies. 😉

     

   
     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese 

#IHaveThisThingWithPink: Winter Edition

     Confession time: my favorite color is blue, and if we're getting specific it's the gorgeous aqua hue that is Tiffany Blue. However- you'd probably never know that based on how much I enjoy incorporating pink in my wardrobe! Last summer, one of my favorite outfit posts that I shared I entitled #IHaveThisThingWithPink. Today's outfit reminds me of a winterized version of that look! 

Photography by Melissa Lynn Studios 

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

Sweater dress {not online, similar colored one here} // Vest {old, similar here} // Boots // Purse // Necklace {very similar linked} // Earrings // Ring // Lipstick c/o // 

     I found this sweater dress during my New Year's trip to Indiana, marked down for just $10!! I didn't even think twice before snatching it up. I'm all about adding color into my Vermont winter wardrobe, and if I can do it for just $10 that's even better. My exact sweater dress sadly isn't online, but this one is and it's pretty similar! My new Hunter boots are a shade darker than the sweater dress, but I love styling different coordinating shades of pink together. This was such a fun winter way to wear a bright hue, and it sure brightened my day to wear this outfit! For photography purposes I didn't wear tights or leg warmers with this outfit, but for wearing an outfit like this to work in the winter I probably wouldn't have bare legs! 😉

     I hope that you enjoyed your President's Day weekend! My company does observe the holiday, so since I had the day off yesterday I decided to take the day off from the blog as well. I also want to give a reminder that today is your last opportunity to take my blog's annual reader survey if you haven't yet! You can take it here.

     God Bless,

  

     xoxo Annaliese

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What I'd Wear for February NYFW.

     This week and next, I'll be combatting a fierce case of #FOMO and living vicariously through some of my favorite bloggers who are able to attend the latest round of New York Fashion Week! February 2018 Fashion Week runs from the 8th through the 16th of February, and you bet I'll be glued to Instagram and fashion blogs a little more than usual during those days. Today I'll be sharing an outfit that I totally would wear to NYFW if I was able to go! The best part about this outfit is how affordable it is. A NYFW inspired look for all of us who are ballin' on a budget... yes please!

Photography by Amanda Rose Photography

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

Dress c/o (under $30!) // Tights // Shoes // Purse {old, similar linked} // Earrings c/o // Bracelet // Ring // Lipstick c/o // 

     This.Tweed.Dress. Y'all!!! If we're excluding my senior prom dress, future wedding dress, and maybe my favorite Lilly dresses, this might just be my favorite dress. The colors of the tweed are so vibrant and beautiful, I feel like the photos don't even do it full justice. And how cute is the ruffled hem at the bottom. I have broad shoulders in comparison to my normal dress size, so I sized up for this dress and ordered an M. It fit perfectly around my shoulders. It was a little loose in the stomach area, but I feel that the style of this dress accommodated that and it didn't look too big! If you're broad shouldered as well, I would also size up. 

     The outfit that I put together with this dress is the perfect balance of trendy and preppy, and colorful and classic. It's a true "Annaliese" outfit!! If I were going to NYFW, I'd want to wear outfits that really represented my personality and style as a blogger, so I think this would be ideal. As y'all know, my blog focuses on affordable fashion, so this outfit would also be perfect since it's all budget pieces! I'm also wearing some of my favorite statement earrings and a beloved bracelet, and I was so excited both of these coordinated well with this dress.

     

     Let's talk NYFW for a second! Some of you might remember that I got a tiny taste of NYFW in September 2016- when I was coincidently in New York while it was all going on for a family reunion. I attended a presentation for a designer one evening that I was there, and got to meet up with some bloggers as well. It was so much fun and crazy how the timing of that worked out, and I'd love to go back to actually be there for much more of NYFW someday, but February 2018 wasn't my time. I'm currently saving my PTO at work for some other reasons, and I will pay off my largest school related debt this coming April, so my finances are still a bit tight until that burden will be lifted soon. Those are my realities y'all! Both aren't exciting but they are real. Sometimes in the blogging world I think we all tend to sugarcoat things a bit and make life seem too perfect... I know mine definitely isn't!! So that's why I'm sharing this with y'all today. The thing that was a little hard about all of this is it's been the first time ever that I received both show and party invitations for NYFW on behalf of my blog (without doing any pitching whatsoever!). Exciting things have been arriving in my inbox over the last couple weeks... and it's been really hard to have to RSVP back every time with a decline! I am trying to think positively and still be so honored that brands are taking enough notice of my blog and social media presence to send these exciting invitations to me, and I hope it will continue for September or next February, when I can finally go! 

     Are you also loving tweed in your wardrobe right now? Or on a different note, have you also had to say no to something exciting recently because of not-so-fun reasons? Share with me in the comments!

     I hope your week is off to a great start! Today my agenda is hitting the gym before work, getting my work week off to a productive start (I always feel like my radio shows are strong on Monday coming out of my day off), and then attending a College and Career (20 somethings) event at a neighboring church in another town here in Vermont! 

   

     God Bless,

    xoxo Annaliese 

     

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Lilly on Church Street (+ NSale Giveaway!)

     Getting to break out my Lilly Pulitzer whenever I want to is one of my favorite parts about summer! Today I'm styling this adorable skort that I found at a resale shop in Charlotte before I moved. PLUS- there's a huge Nordstrom Sale giveaway at the end of this post so don't miss it!

Photography by Melissa Lynn Studios

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

Top // Skort {old print, this year's version here} // Shoes // Purse {old, similar here} // Watch // Ring // Necklace // Lip Gloss c/o

     Lilly Pulitzer became one of my favorite brands shortly after I moved to North Carolina. I always thought that their colorful clothing was more than just a fashion statement, but also embodied a whole lifestyle! Lilly pieces always remind me of some of of my favorite Southern memories. Even though I have such strong Lilly associations with the South in particular, I knew that I had to bring my Lilly obsession with me here to Vermont! 

      I'm wore this Lilly-filled outfit for an afternoon stroll on Burlington's Church Street Marketplace! Church Street is a pedestrian district in Downtown Burlington that is filled with shops and restaurants. I've had a lot of company visiting me in Vermont over the past month, and I always make sure to make time to bring my visitors to Church Street, as I think it's one of the most quaint parts of Vermont that I've seen so far. The Church Street Marketplace kind of reminds me of a tiny version of one of Boston's streets- it's very New England! Definitely the perfect place to wear some Lilly and enjoy warm summer weather, which as y'all know can be more of a rarity here in New England!

     Outfit details (and current Lilly styles) are linked below:

    In honor of the Nordstrom Sale beginning soon, I've teamed up with several other bloggers to bring you a great giveaway to help prepare for the sale! 

   I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to give YOU a chance to win: a $1,000 Nordstrom Gift Card, just in time for the Anniversary Sale! Simply enter below by completing the Rafflecopter. You’ll receive one entry per completion. This giveaway is open internationally and runs until 7/24. Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese (or Charlotte XO on the radio!)