Tag Archives: fashion

Oct11

Vacation Purchases

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Vacation Purchases

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! I have regrettably been home from the beautiful Asheville, North Carolina for about a week now but with some fab purchases made during my vaca, it makes transporting my mind back to the fun I had just a little bit easier. I stocked up on one of my favorite beauty products as well as added some super cute new accessories to the mix so take a look and let’s discuss:

The Haul:

  • Appalachian Naturals Complexion Bar
  • Two fringe bandanas from Francesca’s

Beauty Bar: When I was in Asheville in June, my mom and I must have spent at least an hour in Appalachian Naturals which boasts a wide assortment of handmade beauty products. We still have a ton of body bars left but I was in need of another one of their complexion bars. I began using my first bar in June and I am still not done with it yet, which just shows you how long lasting their products are. This beauty bar is one of the best things that has ever happened to my skin and leaves it feeling (and looking!) like a million bucks. I can’t recommend the products of Appalachian Naturals enough and urge all of you to check out all of their amazing goodies on their website!

Bandanas: One of my favorite accessories are bandanas. I love wearing them with flannels, jackets, T’s, dresses, – basically any clothing item that you can imagine. I think that they are so fun and edgy and they add just the perfect amount of grungy cool to any look. My family went shopping at the outlet malls while in NC both times and a Francesca’s had opened shortly after we left in June. Shopping in the relatively new store was a lot of fun and when both my mom and I saw my two new bandanas, we instantly knew that they were mine.

Of course, the black one was a must for me and I’m actually wearing it right now with a black sweater and a camouflage trench coat from Urban Outfitters. But, at buy one get one half off, I figured I might as well indulge in other style as well. I don’t own a white bandana because I never really cared to but I really like my new one! What made me love it so much is that not only does it have cloth fringe but it also has metal chains hanging from it, too. I had never seen anything like these new additions to my wardrobe and I am having such fun incorporating them into my OOTDs. My new bandanas instantly transform any outfit and I am so pleased with my Francesca’s purchases.

I didn’t return from my vaca with a huge haul of goodies but I could not be happier with the items that I took home. They are the perfect little mementos from my trip and I look forward to getting great use out of all three items.

So there you have it, my Vacation Purchases! What has been your most recent treat yoself item? What is your favorite local store to shop at? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct6

Setting Up Shop Online And Not Screwing It Up

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Setting Up Shop Online And Not Screwing It Up

Setting Up Shop Online And Not Screwing It Up:

Hi everyone, this time, we’re looking at something slightly different. Everyone who loves fashion and thinking about it has probably had the same idea at one point or another. How you would like to be in the business. Nowadays, what with the internet, it’s not that hard to set up a business of your own based on what you love. In particular, we’re looking at ecommerce. Here are just a few of the things I’ve learned from great (and not so great) fashion ecommerce sites:

Smarter Sites: Hyper smart site design isn’t something that a lot of people think about regularly – but it’s important. When you’re thinking about customers, you have to think about how well you’re retaining them. Even just a few ‘off’ features can put them off. So look at things like buying without the need to sign in. Consider how smart and well placed your search function is. Breadcrumb navigation is another smart choice, which makes sure the customer knows how far along they are in the purchase process. You might also want to look into setting up a store on an existing eCommerce platform with the help of something like this Amazon Marketplace Management Agency if this is an area you struggle with or are pressed for time. You want the shopping process to be easy for every single one of your customers and even one issue can be a major setback.

Bold Ads: Advertising across different social media platforms and websites can bring in tons of traffic if they’re done right. Dynamic Product Ads can make the difference between a few sales a day to several and provide you with repeat customers. Go bold with your ads and have fun with them. People want to see why your business is different than all the rest and this is your chance to showcase it.

Photography Rules: Photography and fashion go hand in hand. A high-quality picture is going to sell people much more than a low price tag or a few lines of hype. For your site, there are two kinds of photography you should consider. First, mannequin photography, so people can inspect the item from different sides and zoom in. Second, it’s a good idea to have a model and professional photographer show how it looks being worn. You can’t go amateur with this step. Unless you’re a practiced photographer, it will just end up looking off.

Don’t Be Hard To Buy From: A big part of running an online shop is how accessible it is. How many times have you been frustrated and given up on a site because it went all wonky on your mobile? How many times have you been turned away because a site can’t accept your method of payment? That site probably lost you as a customer. So if you’re starting one, avoid that mistake. Make the site responsive in its design. Then research options like the difference between payoneer and paypal, different payment processing solutions, and payment security so you’re able to take money in a whole range of ways.

Speaking of making payments, do you have a model for the prices of your products? Is it a one time purchase or a subscription based service? On the topic of subscriptions, have you considered your payment platform and how this works? Some work on a subscription basis so you pay a specific amount each month to handle all your sales. Others work on a flat markup model basis, a markup model is where your processor takes a small percentage of every sale, so this may be better when you’re getting started out. It does ultimately depend on what you’re dealing with however.

Don’t Be Broken: Don’t launch too early! Whenever you’re making changes to the site, test it and test it again. If you can, hire some QA guys to come browsing and have them try to actively break the site. Discover any broken links and functions and get them fixed before you’re online. You will also want to pay close attention to your IP reputation score as this can be a strong indicator of cyber crimes happening on your site. Your website should be tested as often as possible because once it is compromised it will be very hard to maintain any of your current customers. This is enough to sink your business before it has even got off the ground.

The reliability of the site isn’t the only thing you can test as well. A lot of businesses also test how good their sites are at making customers. Customer rate optimization is something a lot of businesses need to think about and many use A/B testing to do just that.

If you want a successful site, it’s all about the look and the feel of it. You need to make sure it’s accessible and looks amazing. After that, it’s all about finding the right product.

Does anyone own an online business? Feel free to post the links in the comment section below! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image Provided By: Pixabay

Sep21

If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition

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If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Hump Day! Today I am concluding my Fall Haul with a brand new If The Shoe Fits article. Amazing shoes are usually the last thing you put on while getting ready but some would argue that they are the most important. So however you see it, it only seems fitting that some fabulous new shoes are what brings the Fall Haul to a close. Take a look at my latest footwear finds from Target and TJMaxx and let’s discuss:

The Haul:

  • Faux Snakeskin Booties: Target, $25
  • Studded Mary Jane Heels: TJMaxx, White Mountain, $25

Target Booties: My mom can serve as witness to the fact that when I saw these beautiful faux snakeskin booties, I literally gasped. I am usually not fond of any type of animal print but I. Love. Snakeskin…Fake, of course. For my birthday, I got a gorgeous Nine West faux snakeskin tote and these booties match my favorite bag exactly. These boots are edgy, cool, perfect for fall, and I got them for a steal. What could be better?

I love snakeskin so much because it is such a fabulous neutral. These booties literally go with everything. A true testament to that is when I paired my boots with a burgundy and floral print dress to wear to school. Instead of looking like I got dressed in the dark that day, I had a look that truly popped thanks to my new boots. Thanks to the gorgeous tans, creams, and greys in the snakeskin pattern, the contrast of the white florals against a deep burgundy dress looked much more severe and eye catching. The look was tied together with my matching tote and I seriously never felt better.

I can’t wait to continue pairing these shoes with unexpected pieces like loud patterned dresses, skirts, and tops because I am so confident that all they will do is enhance the look rather than make the patterns clash. These boots are going to be perfect with everything from jeans to dresses to cute little shorts in the summer. I am so pleased with this purchase and you can follow the link above to get a pair for yourself! #Twinning

TJMaxx Heels: I’m very excited about these sweet little heels because there was a pair on ModCloth that looked identical to them but costed at least eighty dollars more! These shoes aren’t as bold as some of the pairs that I own but I think that’s why I like them so much. I like that they are kind of simple but have edginess in their own right via the studded decal that goes around the shoes.

Unfortunately, the studs brought me a lot of woe but in the end, these shoes were so worth it. The day after I brought my heels home, I noticed that the stud on the middle of the left shoe’s toe was missing. Was it a big deal? No. But it drove me freaking crazy! It isn’t like anyone would ever notice that one stud on the shoe was missing but the fact that I knew that it was there was almost too much for me to handle.

That evening, I went to another TJ’s to see if they had the shoes so I could exchange them and had no luck. Then, I searched my home all over to see if there was anything that I could put in its place and came up with nada. After a few more days of stewing, I finally had it! I would pull a stud off of a super old and grungy pair of combat boots that I never wear and replace the missing stud.

The stud was easy to pull off of the boots because they’re well over four years old but everything after that was a hot mess. It took a good half hour to find super glue that wasn’t dried up completely and once I found one, I could not get it open for the life of me. After minutes of straining, I finally had to walk with my tail between my legs to my dad who got it open on the first try. Awesome.

*Sigh* At least the glue was open! I began to super glue away and the first couple of times didn’t work at all. After about the fourth try, the stud was finally sticking well so I decided to put a few more layers of glue on to make sure that it would stay put for forever. Bad idea. After the additional gluing, my thumbs and index fingers on both hands were glued together completely. I had no idea what to do because this had never happened to me before so I just started trying to pull my fingers apart.

After a few minutes, the glue finally started to give way and I was able to get my fingers separated. But, my god, did it hurt! The one good thing that came out of this story is that my studless shoe finally had a replacement and I no longer had to go crazy thinking about it. However, I think the craziness that I endured to get said stud onto the shoe was worse than just letting the fact that my shoe was missing a stud go! That just shows the great lengths that I will go to for my shoe babies. But hey, if the shoe fits! 😉

So there you have it, my latest issue of If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition! What is the craziest thing that you’ve ever done for a piece of clothing? How far would you go to fix a pair of shoes that you deeply loved? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep19

TJMaxx Fall Haul

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TJMaxx Fall Haul

Hi everyone and happy Monday! As you read in my last article, Hats Off, I did some major fall shopping this past month. TJMaxx was oh so good to me and I ended up with a hat, shoes, sweater, jacket, and dress for under one hundred dollars!! I’m so obsessed with everything and I’m wearing my new dress as I type this, so let’s take a look at the latest additions to my fall wardrobe:

The Haul:

  • Patchwork Jean Jacket: Ci Sono, $20
  • Patchwork Sweater: Monteau, $16
  • Paisley Pattern Dress: Pink Rose, $13

In case you guys haven’t noticed, I. Love. Fall. Clothing. The styles, the colors, the potential to layer and mix and match – I love it all. So needless to say, when autumn comes around I shop like a mad woman! It’s no exaggeration when I say that at least seventy-five percent of my wardrobe is fall clothing and like a woman possessed, I have no problem adding to my vast collection.

During a shopping trip at TJ’s with my mom, I was simply swooning over the fun patchwork pieces that I got and the adorable patterned dress which will be perfect with tights and booties. I have seen patchwork all over the runways lately so when I had the opportunity to snag two sweet patchwork pieces for thirty-five dollars, I just had to indulge!

I look forward to pairing my cream colored sweater with everything this fall once the weather cools down. Jeans, maxi skirts, a-line skirts, over a dress – I CAN’T WAIT!! The weather has been perfect for my dress and jacket, though, and I’ve already had so much fun sporting both pieces on campus both together and separately. There is nothing better than finding clothes that make you feel confident, chic, and perfectly ready for fall. And at just the right price, how can you say no?

Make sure you keep it posted on lifewithlilred to see the conclusion of my fall haul with a brand new If The Shoe Fits article for my latest finds from TJMaxx and Target! There will also be a new Bath & Body Works Freebie article on the horizon to discuss my three September freebies. Stay tuned!

So there you have it, my TJMaxx Fall Haul! What is your favorite type of fall clothing to wear? What have you splurged on recently to welcome the fall weather into your wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep16

Hats Off

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Hats Off

Hi everyone and TGIF! The next few posts on lifewithlilred are going to be all about my fall fashion haul that took place last weekend. I thought we would start from the top by discussing two gorgeous new hats that I can’t wait to top off my looks with this fall! Take a look:

Hat Haul:

  • Black Calvin Klein bobby hat: TJMaxx, $16
  • Mustard Yellow turban: Forever 21, $7

TJMaxx: While shopping at TJMaxx with my mom to find some new fall staples, my eyes locked in on my gorgeous new CK hat and I knew that I had to have it. I have never owned anything Calvin Klein before and at sixteen dollars, I thought the hat was a steal. The fit of the hat screams London Chic and the chain accent on the front is a great edgy detail to complete the look. I am planning a European trip for the spring of 2017 and I can totally picture myself ambling about the streets of London in this darling bobby style hat.

Forever 21: One of my favorite things to do when I have some spare time during the day is online shopping! I love browsing the pages of my favorite stores and drawing inspiration for spicing up my wardrobe. On Forever 21’s website I saw quite a few turbans that I was obsessed with so on Monday, my boyfriend and I went to the mall to check them out. Even though he told me that shopping in F21 with me was what purgatory must be like, he did treat me to this pretty crocheted, mustard yellow turban! Mustard yellow is one of my favorite colors to wear and this turban looks perfect against my bright red hair and pale skin. Shout out to my boyfriend for braving Forever 21 with me for this fabulous new addition to my fall accessories! ❤

So there you have it, my latest fall accessories haul in Hats Off! What fall accessories are you most looking forward to wearing? Who else loves sporting hats of all shapes and sizes during the cool weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep11

What’s In My Bag?

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What’s In My Bag?

Hello all and happy Sunday! Today’s post in my fall guest bloggers series is compliments from my friend, Natasha, at Ninjette Natasha. In Natasha’s post, we get the breakdown of all of the goodies that she stores in her most gorgeous Gucci purse! Take a look and try not to drool too much:

What’s In My Bag?

Hey everyone, so I’ve never done a ‘Whats in my bag?’ post before and I absolutely love reading them. So what better opportunity than to do this as a guest blogger on LIFEWITHLILRED’s blog!

To start with I recently got the Gucci Dionysus bag in blue suede which is stunning and so beautiful. You can find the review of the bag over on my blog here. It is very roomy, and has a few compartments to keep things in so you can fit quite a bit in there. The chain is very sturdy and the bag itself is quite heavy. This can be off-putting to some, however I prefer it as I feel it really reflects the quality in the materials used. I bought this bag from a concession in Harrods in Knightsbridge. I couldn’t find a link to the exact bag online but here is a link to the tan version. I’m sure you could go down to your nearest Gucci store and ask them if they have it in stock.

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I always keep my purse with me as it’s a standard handbag essential due to the fact it has all of my cards and money inside of it. I also like to keep my points cards in there, as well. The make of my purse is ‘Floozy’ by Frost French, this brand is exclusively sold in Debenhams. Its made from polyurethane and I’ve had it for around 6 months. It’s held up pretty well and there hasn’t been too much wear and tear apart from the metal branding at the front which has gotten a little scratched.

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I always make sure I have some kind of lipstick or lip product in my bag when I go anywhere, so the lip balm ‘Smooch Operator’ by Soap and Glory is a must have. It makes your lips feel all tingly and plumped up and I love that feeling. It also doesn’t make your lips feel too sticky which is a godsend especially when it’s windy outside. The lip balm is also completely transparent.

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Another lip essential is a trusty lipstick. I have recently ventured back into my MAC collection and have had this old favourite in my bag ever since. ‘Faux’ is a beautiful mauve pink colour and works on any skin tone and with any outfit. I absolutely love it.

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Then I have a whole concoction of different little bits that I keep handy in my bag. Apart from another obvious essential being keys, I also keep a little cat mirror which was bought for me from Tiger as a gift. This is great for applying makeup and for looking at yourself after you’ve eaten a big lunch to make sure you don’t have food on your face!

I also keep a Tokidoki pen which can change colour, just in case I ever need to write anything down. Note – I don’t have a notebook to use said pen, I usually use my hand haha.

Unfortunately I am asthmatic so I keep my inhaler on me just in case I need it. My train pass as I use the train all the time so this is essential for me to get around. Paracetamol for any aches and pains. Gum for after lunch, tissues for…well…to blow my nose. A hair band, specifically the ones that don’t leave kinks in your hair, I use this for when I go to the gym, karate, or if I just want to keep my hair out of my face when it’s windy. Last but not least, my earphones. I got these in Tokyo last year so I’m not sure what brand they are, but I bought them from Tokyu Hands which is a bit like Japan’s version of TK Maxx.

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I really hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! What would you say is your favourite handbag essential? Let me know in the comment section below.

Ninjette Natasha xx

^^^ Thank you so much to Natasha for such a wonderful post! Once again, please make sure to check out her blog and give her some love! What is the most random thing that you have in your purse? What is one thing that you could not leave your home without? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep9

One Top, Five Fall Looks

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One Top, Five Fall Looks

Hi everyone and welcome to Miss Danielle’s OOTD post for my fall guest bloggers series! Danielle from Ride The Waves is going to teach us how to style five gorgeous fall looks with one simple top. This post takes the hassle out of getting ready and will have you on your way to being a fall fashionista in no time. Take a look and TGIF:

One Top, Five Fall Looks:

These looks feature an off white neutral top that can be worn five different ways to achieve five very unique fall looks. The looks go from casual to semi formal. Something for a day at the park, a nice dinner, and a night of dancing. Mix and match without the hassle of piles and piles of clothing…which later leads to a very messy room. (I know from personal experience!) Have fun with your fall looks – it’ll be here before we know it!

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^^^ Thank you so much again to the beautiful Danielle for showing us some fabulous looks for the fall. Once again, please check out her blog at Ride The Waves! What is your favorite outfit that Danielle created? Which look can you see yourself sporting this fall? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep6

Street Chic OOTD

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Street Chic OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a guest post created by my new friend, Andrada, over at Miss Andrada! For this look, Andrada treated us to an OOTD that can be dressed up or down for an autumn day or night. This look transitions perfectly from an outfit worn for an errand filled afternoon to a sweet coffee house date night. The magic being that all you have to do is change your casual cool Converse to a pair of heeled booties and you’re a whole new woman! Take a look at how Andrada styled her fall look:

Street Chic OOTD:

Hello everyone,

My name is Andrada and I run a blog on fashion and accessories. I would highly appreciate if you would follow my blog because I am very passionate about it and hope that it will inspire you (I will follow back so we can support each other).

Today, I have an autumn outfit idea that can be worn in September for going out during the day and night. For this look, I combined a pair of elegant earrings with a casual shirt & ripped jeans. I tried to give the outfit that ‘street look’ that everyone is going for in September.

For me, accessories are really important. They can add dimension to the look as well as the perfect finishing touches to any outfit. Therefore, I accessorized my OOTD with a traditional handmade Turkish bag which I bought last year while on holiday and a pair of statement earrings.

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This is a super easy outfit to pull together and I’m sure that if you check your wardrobe now you’ll find the pieces that you need. Don’t forget to follow me for more similar posts!

What I’m Wearing:

  • River Island shirt
  • Zara jeans
  • Handmade bag
  • White Converse shoes
  • H&M earrings

What is your statement item for the beginning of autumn? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂

Until next time,

Andrada xx

^^^ Thank you so much again to Andrada for her participation in my fall guest bloggers series! I love your Street Chic look! How do you transition an outfit from day to night? What are your must have accessories for fall? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep5

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice OOTD

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Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice OOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to my fall guest bloggers series here on lifewithlilred! My absolute favorite season is fall. The fashion, the weather, holidays, and traditions – I love it all. Because summer is finally drawing to a close, I thought that it would be a perfect time to call upon a new group of guest bloggers to help me ring in the season with some of their favorite things about autumn. To kick start the series, I enlisted the help of my blogging BFF, Nida, of Shopaholic Blogs to create an OOTD that’s perfect for fall. As always, her post is amazing so check it out and enjoy:

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice OOTD:

🍂 Hello Everyone! Welcome to another fabulous OOTD collab between Life With Lil Red and Shopaholicblogs. When Sarah asked me about doing an autumn collab post I was thrilled because I hadn’t done an OOTD post in quite a while due to the horrendous heat wave we were having.
🍂 What I had totally forgotten was that in Dubai there is no such thing as autumn since summer is here year round with scorching temperatures and laughably short winters. Being from California I truly miss experiencing the beauty of the changing seasons. Nevertheless, I scrambled to put together an autumn appropriate look as I had promised my blogging BFF. 💟
🍂 Back home in California this is exactly how I would picture myself on a lovely day in autumn, surrounded by fallen leaves and the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin spice latte lingering in the air. ☕️
🍂 So here’s presenting Shopaholicblogs take on an autumn OOTD in the desert: 🌵

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OOTD Details:
🍂 Dress: Old Navy – I love this dress. It has full sleeves which are perfect for a chilly autumn day and it has splashes of orange which is perfect for the season.
🍂 Boots: Minnetonka – These were the very first boots I ever bought and I adore them. They are perfect for fall and winter and I love the movement and detail the fringe adds.
🍂 Leggings: Hollister –  These leggings have the perfect amount of stretch and they haven’t lost their shape despite countless washes. Plus I got them for $17 on sale!
🍂 Vest: Old Navy – This is a perfect transition piece that you can wear over a dress or Tshirt in the fall and layer it over a turtleneck in the winter.
🍂 Bag: Oryany – I love the whipstitch detail on this bag and it’s a great accessory to use year round.
🍂 Props: Pottery Barn
🍂 Accessories: American Eagle

I hope you guys enjoyed this OOTD post! Never mind the fact that it was shot in 112 degree weather! Many thanks to Sarah for this opportunity to be featured on her blog. 💞
Until next time xoxo 💋
^^^ Thank you so much again to Nida from Shopaholic Blogs for another fantastic OOTD post! What is your favorite piece of fall clothing? How do you rock a fall OOTD? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Sep2

Hello, It’s Me

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Hello, It’s Me

Hi everyone and TGIF! Welcome to the month of September here on lifewithlilred! My first week of the fall semester went as good as it can get but I am so looking forward to the three day Labor Day weekend! With summer coming to a close, I had to squeeze in wearing as many dresses as I can sans tights before the cold weather begins. Because I was feeling pretty, witty, and gay I enlisted the help of my lovely mother to take some new pictures of yours truly. I feel like I haven’t posted some Lil Red pics on here in a while so it was long overdue! Check them out and have an awesome weekend! Also, be on the look out for my fall guest bloggers series that premieres this week. The posts are amazing and I am so excited! Much love. -Sarah

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