Fall Fashion Savings with Savings.com!

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

Let's Travel Again! Vera Bradley Luggage Review.

      I've shared this before on the blog, but 2020 was supposed to be my big year of travel. I had tons of plans last year- from two international trips with my parents to tons of weekend trips all over the US. Obviously most of that didn't end up happening, but now it's finally time for all of us to have missed plans to be rescheduled or new plans to happen! It's finally time to welcome back travel into our lives!

Why Sending Cards Means So Much To Me.

      I am excited to be partnering with Hallmark today to share with you why the act of sending a greeting card in the mail means so much to me! I am a huge card enthusiast (and basically have been since I was old enough to write), so this partnership is truly a dream. 

My (Super Early) Current Weekday Morning Routine.

     This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleanHealthyBold

     Once people find out that my day job is working as a morning radio host, the follow-up question is almost always, "How do you wake up so early on weekdays?" Fair question! Once people get over their shock at hearing that my alarm goes off at 3:30am five days a week, they're often curious what my weekday morning routine looks like. Do I spend a couple hours before work getting a workout in and cooking a full breakfast? Do I roll out of bed five minutes before I have to leave the house and wear my pajamas to the radio studio? Somewhere in between? I'm breaking it all down today for you, and also talking about some items that make the super early mornings easier, like LISTERINE® Ready! Tabs™ Chewable Tablets!

Much Needed Summer Pick Me Ups with Babbleboxx!

     This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training!

     I have a new Babbleboxx to review today, and the theme is Summer Pick Me Ups. That couldn't have come at a more perfect time, right?! I think in Summer 2020 we all need a little extra pick me up. 😉 There are some amazing products I got to review that I've been so excited to share with you.

Best Richmond VA Hair Salon: My Experience at Rituals Salon & Spa.

     For the past few months, I've been on a journey... a hair coloring journey that is! My 25th birthday was in September, and I decided a great way to celebrate my quarter of a century would be to change up my naturally dark hair. Later in the fall, I was looking to continue going lighter with my hair, but I was also in the market for a new salon, as I wasn't in love with the first one I went to. It was perfect timing that Rituals Salon & Spa in the Richmond area reached out to me at this time! I've now been a client at Rituals for about three and a half months, and I'm excited to share a full review of my experiences and their services with you today. Make sure to read all the way to the end of the post as I have a discount code to share with fellow Virginians (or anyone if you happen to be in the Richmond area!). 

     I was gifted some complimentary hair and spa services in exchange for today's review- but all opinions of Rituals Salon & Spa are honest and my own.

The Country Guest House: A Lighthearted Winter Read.

     This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx on behalf of Harper Collins.

     One of my favorite hobbies is reading, and I feel like the two seasons that I doing enjoy it the most are summer and winter! Summer because of the opportunity for reading by the pool (I literally do this almost every sunny weekday afternoon from May-September), and winter because I can get all cozy at home with blankets and tea and warm up with a good book.

     In 2019, I set a New Year's resolution to read 52 books. I'm thrilled to share with y'all that I did in fact complete it; I finished my final book of the year on December 30th. I'll be doing another blog post soon with all of my favorite reads of the year and sharing my tips for accomplishing such a large reading goal, but for today I wanted to share a review of book number 52 for me in 2019- which was a brand new novel, The Country Guesthouse by Robyn Carr.

50 Holiday Gifts from Belk Under $50 + GIVEAWAY!

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

     When I think about all of the marvelous things that I discovered about the South when I moved to North Carolina years ago as a college freshman, a favorite thing on that list would definitely be Belk. They are the the quintessential Southern department store! They carry so many fantastic brands, offer amazing sales throughout the year, and I love the fact that they're headquartered in my favorite city of Charlotte. I've been a loyal Belk shopper for years, so it's truly a dream come true to partner with them here on the blog! Their Charlottesville store has a beautiful new mural, so I'll be sharing a bit about that, a bunch of great gift ideas for men and women under $50, and the details of the Instagram giveaway I'm currently doing for a Belk gift card!

Holiday Party Season Ready with Babbleboxx!

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

     Eeeek- it's almost holiday party season! Definitely one of the best parts about this time of year. As excited as I am for a few days off for Thanksgiving this week, knowing that holiday parties are coming up in December is already making me excited for what's ahead! My company actually hasn't picked the date or location for our annual party yet, but I'm already excited to know when and where so I can start outfit planning. I know that I'll have at least a few other get-togethers with friends too!  

     Babbleboxx recently gifted me with this fun Party Me Pretty box, filled with essentials that would get any girl holiday party ready. Some of these products have already become my new favorites for the season ahead!! I can't wait to share everything with you. 

How Jazzercise is Helping Me Staying Fit When Traveling.

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

Over the past year, I've enjoyed developing a fitness routine and prioritizing it in my weekly schedule. The one area that I was struggling with though was staying motivated with working out when I travel. I'm a huge enthusiast of weekend trips- so I'm usually out of town about one weekend a month (sometimes more!). Thanks to Jazzercise On Demand, it's now much easier for me to keep up with fitness when I'm on the go, and I can't wait to share more about it with you today!

Indoor Activities I Love in Fall/Winter.

     This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TeaProudly #CollectiveBias #FallForBenefitsTea

Making Your Summer Adventures Happen with Popchips!

Today's blog post is sponsored by Babbleboxx.com on behalf of Popchips. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training! 

     

     Want to know two things I love that both happen to start with the letter "S"? Snacks and summer! I know I can't be alone in loving both of those. 😊In today's blog post I'm excited to share more about my new favorite summer snacks, Popchips and Nutter Puffs, and I'm also chatting a bit about how I try to make the most of my summers since being a full-time working adult, and still accomplish goals during summer months! Suns out. Snacks out.

Music Festival Season Ready with Babbleboxx!

Today's blog post is sponsored by Babbleboxx.com. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training! #BabbleboxxFestivalDays

     Concert and music festival season is officially upon us! Here's a fun fact about me: a lot of people that I meet assume that I go to shows and festivals all the time because of what I do for my day job (on-air radio host). That's actually not true at all, at least currently! Despite the popular stereotype, most radio hosts aren't just automatically given free tickets to every show that comes to town. (I do get them sometimes, which is awesome, but definitely not all the time!) Anyways, it's actually a goal of mine over the next year or two to start going to more shows- what's better than live music by one of your favorite artists up close and personal? I'm looking forward to going to a country concert in two weeks to kick off this concert season! As far as music festivals go, I've only ever been to one. It was actually a Christian music festival back in New England one summer when I was in high school! I spent the weekend attending it and camping at a nearby campground with people from the church I attended. I remember that the last night we were there it started downpouring as the last band took the stage... wasn't as fun to be camping in a tent that night! 😂

     Anyways- considering that the story above is currently my only music festival experience, I think it's high time I add another music festival to my bucket list! Sometimes radio hosts are able to get media passes to festivals, and get perks like going backstage to interview artists! That sounds SO COOL and is definitely something I'd love to do in the future. Anyways- I was so excited when Babbleboxx selected me as a recipient for their Festival Days box! This box is filled with curated items that are perfect to wear or take to the next music festival or concert that you attend. Let's dive in and see what I received and reviewed! 

3 Steps to Planning the Perfect Girls' Trip.

      There are few things that I love more than a girls' trip. Not only is is fun to discover a new place (or discover new things to do in a favorite destination that you've been to before), but it's even more enjoyable when in the company of good girlfriends! Some of the most special memories that I have with my friends were made on girls' trips.

     My Charlottesville friend group and I recently got back from our first girls' trip- which was a weekend in Charlotte, NC! I lived in Charlotte for four years (for college and a bit after), so it was so fun to bring my friends from post-grad life to a city that's not only special to me, but also has a lot of fun things to do for a weekend trip. (In tomorrow's blog post, I'll be sharing everything we did in Charlotte!) All of us had a great time, and we're already chatting about doing a beach trip sometime this spring or summer. I'm so excited to be teaming up with Custom Ink in today's blog post, to share how I designed and ordered some adorable matching sweatshirts for my friends and I to take on future trips, as well as a couple tips to plan the perfect girls' trip!

Today's post is sponsored by Custom Ink. All opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training! 

Edgy Lilly Pulitzer Look for NYFW.

    The color black and the brand Lilly Pulitzer probably aren't two things that you associate together, right? When I hear "Lilly Pulitzer," I immediately think of palm trees, flamingos, and the brightest hues- and I especially think of varying shades of pink! But surprise surprise, the Lilly Pulitzer brand is always mixing things up a little bit, and after today's blog post you might positively associate the color black with Lilly as well!

     Gentry and I were so happy to team up with Pink Colony, a Lilly Pulitzer specialty boutique in Stowe, VT. I first connected with store owner Jessica and the Pink Colony team when I lived in Vermont! (You might remember this blog post that I did with the store!) I've loved following along with the growth of the store in the months following, and it was so much fun to partner with Pink Colony for Fashion Week. Kind of like how the color black isn't usually associated with Lilly, NYFW probably isn't either! But Gentry and I are both huge Lilly girls, and we wanted to change that. 😉 If you truly love your Lilly Pulitzer, I guarantee you can find a Lilly clothing item to work for any type of fashion situation!

    You'll notice in today's photos that I have two different hairstyles- we took photos both before and after our hair appointments at Palms Salon! (Side note: I highly recommend Palms Salon for a blow out or other hairstyle if you're in NYC!)

#CatMom: Finding Delilah's Food + Fun With an Indoor Cat.

     This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #proplanprobiotic #CollectiveBias

     Many of you know that I adopted a sweet rescue kitty named Delilah back in the fall! She has brought so much joy to my life since coming home with me, but there's also a lot that goes into being a cat mom that I didn't realize before I got her. Today I'll be sharing a few ideas for how to have fun with an indoor cat (keeping games and toys exciting for them), and first I'll also be chatting a bit about how I made the decision to change Delilah's food and start feeding her Purina® Pro Plan® Savor®! 

The Easiest Half-Up Hair Tutorial Ever!

     This post was sponsored by Revlon Hair Tools as apart of Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. 

Photography by Kate Greer

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

Glo-ing My Way Into The Holiday Season...

   This post was sponsored by wet n wild as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training!

Modern Classic Fall Style with Talbots.

     This might be one of my favorite fashion collaborations of the year! I'm so excited to share this modern and classic fall look with y'all today.

Photography by my mom 😊

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

Coat c/o // Turtleneck c/o // Purse c/o // Earrings {old, but also from Talbots!}

      What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "Modern Classic Style"? For me, it would be wearing an outfit that is both current yet timeless. Something that I could wear five or ten years ago, or five or ten years from now, and still feel stylish wearing. The store that comes to mind? Definitely Talbots! Modern Classic Style happens to be their store slogan, and I think that it fits perfectly with their brand.

     Talbots is able to accomplish something that I believe few women's fashion retailers can in this day and age. They're able to successfully appeal to women of all ages. I began shopping at Talbots early in my college years, and fell in love with some of their more feminine and preppy styles of clothing, as well as the accessories. I know that I will continue shopping at Talbots without a doubt for years to come.

    The Talbots Friends & Family Event is currently going on now! They're offering 30% on all of their favorite styles, and this does include the new arrivals!! This is a great time to invest in some classic pieces for your fall and winter wardrobe. I am just obsessed with this gorgeous coat. It's called the Italian Wool Coat, and it comes in a few colors. I felt that this beautiful tan color would be the most versatile for my wardrobe! It also coordinated perfectly in that color with this chic purse and my black turtleneck sweater.


     My mom took the blog photos for today's post when she was in Charlottesville visiting, and I just wanted to add in a quick extra note about why that was special for this campaign. As I've gotten older, my style has evolved and changed (which I suppose is normal for any girl growing up). Anyways, my adult style often tends to be different from my mom's. Her sense of style is very classic, and she prefers minimal or more dainty accessories and jewelry. I tend to favor really bold (possibly flashy) colors- there is definitely lots of neon in my wardrobe. And as far as jewelry...  the bigger the earrings and necklaces the better!

     Anyways, Talbots has consistently been a retailer that my mom and I can both shop at together, and each leave with a full shopping bag of new clothes and accessories. This store is ideal for mothers and daughters to shop at, and each one would find things that they like. My mom has generously bought me so many things from Talbots through the years- the earrings that I chose to wear in today's post being one of them. I've also bought her things from there for occasions like Mother's Day! When I think of my love for Talbots, I always think of my mom, so it was extra special that she got to take the photos in today's post. 😊



     God Bless,


     xoxo Annaliese



     Thank you to Talbots for gifting me the items marked as c/o in today's post. All opinions in today's post are honest and my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training!