Tag Archives: favorite

Funko Pop Haul

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Funko Pop Haul

Hi!! A few weekends ago I attended Akron Comicon with Johnny and my big bro. It is our tradition to go together and we look forward to it every year! Akron Comicon is the place to be to celebrate any and all fandoms, meet new friends, and shop til you drop. From walls of Lego Minifigs to outstanding artwork and collectables of all kinds, it is so much fun to walk through the vendors peddling their wares. One of the stands was selling Funko Pops for half off which was SUCH a steal and we ended up walking away with four more to add to our collection. Check it out:

Our haul definitely erred on the side of Christmas with a side of music for good measure. I was absolutely elated when Johnny found Luke Spiller, the front man of The Struts. This is one I have coveted for a while as they are one of our favorite bands and we were lucky enough to see them in Cleveland this past August. Experiencing The Struts live was one of our bucket list concerts and it was unforgettable. I still can’t quite believe it and our new Funko is such a fantastic nod to our big night out. ❤

On a polar opposite note, the remainder of our haul paid homage to our all time favorite Christmas movies. Ever since Johnny and I started dating, it is our tradition to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol together every Christmas. I am treated to a concert starring Johnny as he knows every song by heart. I must say, last year’s performance was probably the best one yet and we were both impressed with his character voice work lol. There is nothing humbug about our new Scrooge Funko, though! How cute is that?! It even comes complete with his first gift he received – a red scarf. :*)

Last but not least was our little pride and joys from Jingle All The Way. This is not just a Christmas movie to us but a year round flick and we must watch it at least ten times per year. We love an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle and this one holds strangely sentimental sentiments. When Johnny and I had our first conversation on Facebook Messenger, I scrolled through his page and saw that the only thing he posted in literal months was a video of the “Put the cookie down – NOW!” scene. It really humored me and I knew he was a keeper! Also we just LOVE that Howard As Turbo Man is holding a little Turbo Man Funko!! 😀

This Funko Pop Haul was a collection of a few of our favorite things and we got them for a steal. You can’t beat that!

Do you collect anything? Do you have any Funko Pops? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Groovy Movies: Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Edition

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Groovy Movies: Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Edition

Hello! I absolutely love going to the movies and I have been particularly excited for the newest addition to Demon Slayer called Infinity Castle. Thanks to my brother, I am a HUGE Demon Slayer fan and have beaucoup tattoos to prove it! As you can see, Demon Slayer is easily one of my favorite animes and I knew I was in for a treat with Infinity Castle. It exceeded every expectation and I left the theater speechless as I took everything in. It has been close to a week since I’ve seen it and I still can’t stop thinking about it! As always, this review will be spoiler free and a trigger warning will be placed for graphic animated violence. Now, let’s get to it:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!!

The Infinity Castle is Muzan Kibutsuji’s stronghold. It is a shifting, sprawling dimension that seemingly goes on for all eternity. Every step taken causes the castle to move and brings you closer to upper rank demons who want nothing more than to make a meal of the Demon Slayer Corps. Death looms around every corner and it is up to Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and hashiras to defeat the upper ranks and find Kibutsuji. As the Demon Slayers make their way through the castle, their limits will be pushed to the extreme in heated battles that could end with certain doom or the glory to fight another minute. Will our beloved characters pull through in the most intense battles they have ever faced? See Demon Slayer Infinity Castle to find out!

Infinity Castle was a straight forward plot: Breach the castle and fight like your lives depend on it. Due to its simplicity, it allowed you to sit back and watch every single frame amaze you. Demon Slayer has always been visually beautiful but I view Infinity Castle as its piece de resistance. It was thrilling to see the Infinity Castle expand to no ends and change on a whim, forever pushing the Demon Slayers forward or back as it saw fit. The castle was a character in itself and you never knew what it was going to do next – provide our team with a moment of contemplation or shove them headfirst into a battle with an upper rank demon. Every second of this movie was a cause for celebration – the colors, the angles, the anguish or compassion in our heroes’ eyes. It was bold and so in your face that all you could do was enjoy the ride. I was so engrossed that by the time the two and a half hour flick was over, I would have given anything to see more.

Of course it was exciting to see the epic fights our core three got themselves into but one thing I really loved was the different hashiras who finally got their day in the sun. The Demon Slayer Corps is compiled of so many hashiras we haven’t seen extensively and it was awesome to be reunited with Mr. Giyu and meet Gyomei and Obanai for more than five seconds. Watching a showdown with Giyu and Tanjiro battling together was a major highlight and it was so cool to watch their specialties work in tandem with each other… And also fan girling about how strong they each have gotten!

My favorite thing about Demon Slayer isn’t just the fighting, but the emotion that comes with it. Tanjiro has the gift of finding the good in everyone and everything he encounters. He is able to sympathize with demons in a way that no character can and by the time you are done seeing as Tanjiro does, you find yourself feeling sorry for them too. Sorry that their lives were so dark and cruel that it resulted in a lifetime of causing other people pain. It’s such an interesting juxtaposition that Demon Slayer creates. You go from rooting for the good fight to feeling an intense rush of empathy so quickly you get whiplash. It makes for a spectacle that is both stunning and exciting to watch but leaves you rethinking how you originally felt afterwards. I sure can’t seem to get my mind off of it!

I am going to award Demon Slayer Infinity Castle with the coveted ten out of ten stars. From start to finish, this movie was perfection and I would absolutely love to see it again!

What is your favorite anime? What did you think of Infinity Castle? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Amazing Elote Recipe

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Amazing Elote Recipe

Howdy! During a grocery shopping trip, I couldn’t resist buying a few ears of corn before the summer is out. On a whim, I decided to kick things up a notch by trying my hand at making elote. I was feeling very inspired by the amazing elote I had at the Italian Fest that Johnny and I attended in July and knew it couldn’t be that hard to make. I am SO glad that I gave it a go because not only was it easy peasy but it was absolutely delicious. In fact, I’m like ninety-nine percent confident that the food truck I purchased elote from used the exact same recipe I did and I thought mine turned out even better! Check it out:

Recipes I Used:

To bake the corn: cipherbabe on Food.com

Elote: Love and Lemons

I don’t make corn on the cob very often and the few times I have, I boiled it. I genuinely had no idea if you could bake it in the oven or not so after giving it a Google, I thought that was the best way to go. After removing the husks, I wrapped each one in foil, painted them with butter and olive oil, and let it bake in the oven for about twenty-five minutes and turned them halfway through. My one note is that I wish I let them bake a hair longer at thirty minutes. The corn was fully cooked and easy to sink your teeth into but it wasn’t quite as tender for my liking.

As the corn baked, I began making the aioli to coat the ears with. This consisted of mayonnaise, lime juice and zest, and cilantro. I used more than the recipe called for for the lime juice and zest and am glad I did because the flavor was so tangy despite the creaminess of the cojita cheese. I also added additional chili powder for good measure for an extra kick. After the aioli was made and the corn was baked, all that was left to do was the assembly.

I coated the corn generously with the sauce, cojita cheese, and chili powder. I love the flavor of lime so I squeezed a couple of wedges onto my elote for good measure. The end result was just fantastic if I do say so myself. So good, in fact, that I had two ears of elote along with my veggie burger! I couldn’t believe I made something that tasted even better than the original elote I tried and was very proud of myself. The lime and chili powder were bold but not overpowering and the pairing with cojita cheese provided a sweet heat that I couldn’t get enough of. Now I know that whenever I have a craving for elote, I can make it myself and enjoy every bite.

If you love a good ear of elote too, then I truly can’t recommend this recipe enough. You will be the star of end of summer barbecues!!

Have you tried any new recipes recently? How did it turn out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Kyodan Mini Skort

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New Kyodan Mini Skort

Howdy!! This past week I made a trip to TJMaxx for a few things. I needed a reup on serum, beaucoup Bluey gifts for our almost birthday girl niece, and kept my fingers crossed to find a new skirt. The TJs gods smiled upon me because I got everything I wanted in spades! For my birthday, Johnny gifted me with tickets to see The Struts at the House Of Blues (Peep a post about the show and my OOTD soon!). I knew which top and shoes that I wanted to wear but I thought a sassy little mini skirt would take the OOTD OTT (Over The Top lol). It took a while to find what I was looking for but success was oh so sweet when I did:

^^^ Originally forty-eight bucks and I got it for thirteen! SCORE!

When I am shopping for clothing at TJMaxx, I typically follow a specific method: Make one round in the women’s and junior’s department, try clothes on, then make a second round for anything I might have missed or different sizes. During my initial trip around the store, I found several options for mini skirts that could have worked and had no such luck with any of them. After a lackluster fitting room session, I made my way back to hunt for more skirts and was coming up empty. Then, inspiration struck right in the knick of time.

As I went through my mental Rolodex of skirts in my wardrobe, I recalled that one of my favorites wasn’t found in my usual departments at TJs. It was actually a tennis skirt that I found in the athletic section. It was just the brain blast I needed and just as soon as I began browsing the athleisure, I discovered exactly what I had in mind. A bright white school girl style skort by Kyodan. It also happens to be the same brand of my fave tennis skirt!

I knew that the white skort was going to work and trying it on only confirmed it. It was the perfect neutral to pair with the crazy platforms I was going to wear and provided the best movement to dance the night away. This skort was also nice and light and I freaking loved the fact that it was a skort. I was definitely trying to let loose for the concert but I wasn’t trying to let everyone see my underoos all night lol. For thirteen bucks, this skort elevated my OOTD and I can’t wait for all of you to see it. 🙂

An amazing concert deserved an amazing outfit and I felt as much like a star as one of my favorite bands on the stage. Thank you, TJMaxx! ❤

Do you have a method you follow when you shop? What is one of your favorite brands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Cleveland Zoo Adventure

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Cleveland Zoo Adventure

Howdy! This past week, I enjoyed a wonderful day trip to the Cleveland Zoo and had a ball. Not only were a lot of the animals very active, but the whole zoo was decorated for their spectacular Asian Lantern Festival. After talking about it for years, my family finally went last year and it was awe inspiring. I assumed that a lot of the decorations and displays would be reused and I was dead wrong. Everything about this Festival was different and it is so cool to me that you will never experience the same Asian Lantern Festival twice! Take a look at some pics and be sure to follow me on TikTok for videos from this adventure:

^^^ Look at that lil face! ❤

The Cleveland Zoo is an amazing staple in my neck of the woods and is a joy to visit. It’s a sprawling, beautiful park that boasts six different areas and a seventh soon when their rain forest is done being remodeled. There is the African Savanna, Wilderness Trek, Australian Adventure, African Elephant Crossing, Waterfowl Lake, and a section of Primates, Cats, and Aquatics. Every exhibit is a sight to see and there were plenty that I simply couldn’t tear myself away from!

While the entire Cleveland Zoo outing was fabulous fun, there were some definite highlights. My top favorite has got to be in the Australian Adventure at the Kangaroo exhibit. I was able to see a tiny baby Joey outside of its mom’s pouch and that was something I had never seen before. I joked that I didn’t realize they had legs because you usually only see the top half of them lol! It was SO incredibly cute and I could have watched the mama/Joey duo all day. Speaking of babies, the Koala at the zoo recently had a little one and you could just make it out while they relaxed in their tree. The Australian Adventure was bursting with new babies and that was really cool to see.

Bear Hollow was also an exciting place to visit as the bears were all up and moving. We saw them snacking, one climbed to a high up net in the exhibit and was hanging out there, and the Grizzly Bears were play fighting in the water. One of them totally bitch slapped the other! And, last but not least, I absolutely adored being able to feed the giraffes some romaine lettuce (Just like my bunnies!). So much so, that I did it twice! Hey, when at the Cleveland Zoo amiright? 😀

Sans the decor of the Asian Lantern Festival, the Cleveland Zoo is a very scenic park. However, it transforms into somewhere magical when the Festival is in full swing. The decorations were astounding and it felt like walking in a fairy tale. I was mesmerized by the colors, the artistry, and the enormity of each and every display and felt so lucky that I could see a second Festival as I now know that it’s totally different each year. If you thought the pictures alone were jaw dropping, just wait for when you see the displays at nighttime. They light up and a lot of them have motions too. It is an absolute MUST if you find yourselves in good ol’ Cleveland, Ohio during the summer!

From start to finish, my day at the Cleveland Zoo was the best. I cannot wait to see their remodeled rain forest because construction was underway and it is HUGE!!

What is your favorite zoo to visit? What’s your favorite animal? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Bath & Body Works Freebie Haul

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Bath & Body Works Freebie Haul

Hello! On Tuesdays, I have an hour and a half or so break until my last shift of the day. During that time, I will work, read, run errands, have coffee with a friend, or an impromptu shopping date. It’s such a nice little hiatus and I always look forward to it. This past Tuesday, I had a few errands to run before posting up at Starbucks with my Passion Fruit Tea and a good book. I needed bunny supplies and a trip to Bath & Body Works to cash in on all of the freebies. I had a free travel size coupon as well as two free full sized products from their rewards program. It truly couldn’t have come at a better time because they just launched their Halloween line!! Thanks to a helpful employee, I found my new favorite thing and I seriously can’t wait to use it! Check it out:

^^^ You can peep my review for Gingham All-American here!

When it comes to B&BW freebies, I have a system. I always alternate between a shower gel and a lotion so that my stockpile is relatively even Stevens. I had every intention of doing the same with my freebies and that got turned on its head! As soon as I walked in the store, I couldn’t help but share my excitement for the Halloween line with the first employee who talked to me. She asked if I wanted to see her favorite new product and I said ABSOLUTELY. I have been missing the Halloween collection since it left the shelves last year and wanted to see everything B&BW had to offer!

The employee returned with a Shimmer Fizz Body Lotion in my absolute favorite scent of Vampire Blood. When she put some on for me to sample, my mind was blown. This lotion looks like shaving cream when you use it and quite literally fizzes on your skin. It felt like little bubbles dancing and it was the most delightful sensation. Not to mention it was insanely light and hydrating to boot. The piece de resistance, however, was the shimmer. The lotion left behind a sparkly trail of glitter and I was totally and completely sold. So much so that I just had to get another bottle in their newest scent, I Scream Float.

You can check out my Vampire Blood review here, but let’s discuss the brand new addition to the Halloween collection:

I Scream Float: Thanks to Facebook ads, I knew that I Scream Float was going to be hitting the stores and I was SO excited to take a whiff lol. The fragrance notes offered are “fizzing cola, frightful vanilla float, and spooky sugars” and I couldn’t agree more. I Scream Float really does smell like a Coca Cola float with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream and sugar crystals on the rim. It is absolutely delicious and speaks to my Diet Coke addicted heart. I never thought I wanted to smell like my favorite bevvie but here we are now and I can’t get enough. And, yes, I feel that way about I Scream Float and my beloved Diet Coke!

The Shimmer Fizz Body Lotion from Bath & Body Works is going to be oh so sweet for summer concerts and complimenting Halloween costumes. I can’t wait to use it with my summer OOTDs! My freebie haul totaled out to forty-seven bucks in product and I am beyond happy with it. So much so, that I actually might pay full price for more Shimmer Fizz. RUN don’t walk to get a bottle for yourself!

What is your favorite holiday collection from B&BW? Have you scored any good freebies recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feeling Lucky

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Feeling Lucky

Hello! At the beginning of April, I was in need of some new sunglasses and bought two new pairs at TJMaxx. I was especially partial to the pair by Lucky Brand because it is one of my favorite brands and the sunglasses fit me to the T. In fact, I loved them so much that I almost considered buying two pairs of them. I wore those babies everywhere and I just felt so cool in them! Because I wore them everywhere, it’s no surprise that they accompanied me to the Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson concert. It was one of the craziest nights of my life and I ended up losing my beloved pair of Lucky Brand sunnies in the mix. I was absolutely devastated. I went from wearing them every day to not having them at all and I was kicking myself in the butt for not buying that back up pair.

I was feeling fairly confident that if I went to TJMaxx, they would not have another pair of my beloved Luckies. It had been well over two months since the initial purchase so why would they? However, I just had to see for myself so I made a pit stop to the happiest place on Earth. Rather than browse through the store, I made a beeline to the sunglasses department and began scouring the shelves. I started at the left hand side, looked through the rows from top to bottom, and was seeing nothing. I continued the hunt to be one thousand percent sure and, as luck would have it, one pair of Lucky frames remained at the very end of the display. I couldn’t believe my good fortune and snatched them up!

Had there been more pairs of these sunglasses, I would have bought the lot of them. Sunglasses can get broken or lost so easily and I have experienced both firsthand. So the moral of the story is: There is no shame in buying back ups of anything you really love. It could be a great pair of ballet flats, your favorite T-shirt in different colors, and yes – sunglasses too. I learned my lesson when my favorite pair of sunglasses I have ever owned almost got away from me and I am not making that same mistake twice!

The fashion gods were truly smiling upon me when they returned my Lucky frames to their rightful owner. I was feeling so lucky I should have played the lottery! 😀

Do you buy back ups of anything in your wardrobe? Have you ever lost a favorite fashion item? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Country Cutie OOTD Bloopers

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Country Cutie OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Country Cutie OOTD! This look was worn to Outlaw Fest to see Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson at Blossom Music Center. Honestly, the whole night was a blooper reel in itself and Johnny and I are still laughing about the antics we got into. I haven’t had a night that wild since the after party at our wedding lol. The bloopers didn’t begin at the concert but during the photo shoot beforehand so take a look at some yikes pics that really helped set the tone for the festivities:

As you can imagine, Johnny and I were definitely feeling the hangover blues the day after the concert. Luckily for us, we have concocted the perfect cure – AKA: A Day of Lay. Lay days are exactly what they sound like: Staying in bed, watching TV, and moving as little as possible lol. And, luckily for us, we have discovered a new “warm blanket” show (Johnny’s definition of a comfort show) to enjoy. A few weeks ago, we started watching Fresh Off The Boat and have been plowing through it at a speed of light pace. It is absolutely hilarious!

Fresh Off The Boat is based off of a book of the same name by Eddie Huang (I can’t wait to read it!). Eddie’s family is Chinese American and the book and show documents their move from Washington D.C. to Orlando, Florida to open a steakhouse in the nineties and get their own slice of the American Dream. The Huang family is comprised of proud parents, Louis and Jessica and their three boys named Eddie, Emery, and Evan. Louis’s mom, Jenny, also lives with them. She speaks no English but lives for Garfield comics and cruising in her electric wheelchair. 😀

From start to finish, every single episode has Johnny and me in stitches. The Huang brothers are all cute as can be and the littlest, Evan, is our favorite. He is just a doll! We also revel in the pure “Louis and Jessica” of our own relationship. Johnny is a Louis for sure. He is spontaneous, silly, and always has a new big idea. I am one thousand percent Jessica and I own it – strategic, thinks in black and white, never backs down from a challenge, and tears it up in a game of Scrabble. Fresh Off The Boat is the most delightful mix of funny and downright heartwarming and when we aren’t in hysterics, we are going “aww” at how sweet it is lol. It was easy to forget how hungover we were during our marathon when we were laughing the entire time!

Our daily viewings of Fresh Off The Boat are something I really look forward to and it came through in the clutch the day after the concert. We finished a full season in one day! 😀

What is your favorite comfort show? How many times have you seen it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

June 2025 Finishes

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June 2025 Finishes

Hello everyone! June is drawing to a close which means bye bye birthaversary month and hello to more summer fun in July! It also means that it’s about that time to discuss my beauty empties. This month, I finished up two long term products. Normally, I am excited about that because I always look forward to trying more new to me bath and body and skin care. This time around, however, I am royally bummed out because these products were easily two of the best that I have used in recent memory. Take a look and let’s discuss:

Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

Provence Beauty Hyaluronic Acid + Retinol Eye Cream: YES!!

AllAboutSkin Hyaluronic Acid Night Cream: YES!!

Why/Why Not?

Provence Beauty Eye Cream: I began using this eye cream in April and after almost three months of use, I am so sad to see it go. Usually, I don’t find myself getting attached to products but this one was so good that it was hard not to! This eye cream was a fantastic water gel texture. It was cooling, incredibly light, and I could feel optimum nourishment with the tiniest dab. While using this eye cream, my under eye designer bags decreased significantly and I definitely noticed fine lines getting tighter too. It is an excellent year round product but would be especially nice during the summer because it is so lightweight. I cannot recommend it enough and am keeping my fingers crossed to find another jar or ten at TJMaxx!

AllAboutSkin Moisturizer: Despite the AllAboutSkin Hyaluronic Acid moisturizer being technically a “night cream”, I considered it my all day moisturizer and applied it morning and night. I started using this jar in mid April and literally just finished it. I have never had a moisturizer last me that long before which was, in itself, very impressive for the value of my money alone. Like the eye cream, a super small amount of this moisturizer went a very long way – I used a nickel sized dollop with every use. This was just the right amount because this moisturizer is a bit heavier in texture. Regardless of that, it absorbed really quickly and achieved maximum hydration. My skin felt and looked soft and smooth and transformed into the prettiest peaches and cream complexion. This is the moisturizer to have and I highly recommend it!

Parting was such sweet sorrow with my two new favorite products and I will be keeping my eyes peeled high and low to find them again. How do you say goodbye to the best?!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Max Studio Maxi Dress

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New Max Studio Maxi Dress

Howdy!! The final item from my TJMaxx summer wardrobe refresh haul is truly the piece de resistance. Other than a couple of new tops, I was really hoping to find a sun dress or two. What I ended up with, however, was a maxi dress that caught the corner of my eye. I walked past it while I was heading to the dressing rooms, did a double take, tossed it into the cart, and knew it was a winner as soon as it was on. This Max Studio maxi dress is serving all of the Midwest Princess vibes and I am a thousand percent there for it! Check it out:

^^^ Peep that original price tag! Talk about a STEAL!!! 😀

During a recent trip to Bath & Body Works, I noticed a new scent called Heirloom Tomato or something or other. It smelled like ass, but the packaging was so pretty. It featured deep reds and greens for the fruit/vegetable and was the first thing I thought of when I saw this dress. The color palette is almost identical! When I put it in the cart, I honestly didn’t think it was going to work out. As a petite gal, maxi dresses can be hit or miss for me. If they are not the perfect length and fit, I will drown in fabric. The maxi dress has to be “just right” and they have been few and far between in my extensive shopaholic tenure. My rule of thumb when shopping has always been to try clothes on anyways. Regardless of fit, style, or assumptions, if I like what I see, I am going to try it on. I am so glad for that because this dress would have been bypassed and I never would have found my new favorite thing!

From top to the flowy tiered bottom, this maxi dress is dynamite and I was so delighted when I fell in love with it in the fitting room. Not only was the length of this dress questionable to me, but the pattern was as well. As a heavily tattooed chick, loud patterns can look cluttered over all of my artwork. The full coverage on the legs and torso that this dress offered put a limit on my own color palette and allowed for the pattern to fully do the talking rather than work against the tattoos. I felt like a country music star in it and couldn’t help but do a twirl in the fitting room! I cannot wait to pair it with a deep blue denim jacket and a pair of heeled cowboy-esque boots. This dress is so different than anything I own and I know I am going to have a total blast styling it!

There’s a new country cutie in town and her name is Lil Red! You already know an OOTD with this Max Studio masterpiece is coming so keep your eyes peeled! ❤

Do you update your wardrobe with the change of the seasons? What are your summer wardrobe staples? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah