Tag Archives: shopping

Oct10

Crochet For Days OOTD Bloopers

Posted on October 10, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Crochet For Days OOTD! Every once in a blue moon, the photo gods are not in my favor and this photo shoot was a prime example of that. I wasn’t feeling 100% as I was recovering from COVID, but I was looking 100% and it just didn’t translate. As frustrating as this phenomenon can be, it really does happen to the best of us. On the bright side, at least some of the pictures worked because it was looking pretty bleak lol. This shoot did leave me with a lot of bloopers so let’s take a looksee:

Why does it look like I’m mooing in this pic?

Timber Top say heyyyyy say ohhhhhhh

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COVID fatigue got me like

LOL wtf is this face?!

Sending a lil smile to all of you xoxo

Lumbering over to see the latest batch of disappointing pictures

Like everything in life, you just have to roll with the punches. When life handed me COVID, I took it upon myself to watch every Saw movie. It was a tough job, but someone has got to do it. 😉 When life handed me a major yikes amount of major yikes pictures, all I can do is laugh. When things go 100% according to plan, that’s awesome. But, that doesn’t always happen and you have to keep on truckin.

These past few weeks have been pretty weird in Lil Red’s world. Being sick sucked, ending up in the ER sucked, and also not having a lot of taste or smell sucks ass haha. However, just because life feels below average sometimes doesn’t mean that it’s not going to get better. And, I know that to be true! I have not been feeling myself and after one single appointment with a new therapist, I feel more like myself than I have in a month. Solutions are often available to something giving you grief so get creative, put a smile on your face, and keep on going. I believe in you! ❤

Fingers crossed for a much more successful OOTD shoot for my next look. Fingers crossed for GREAT SUCCESS for all of you and for me too. I love you all!

How are you today? How do you get creative when life hands you lemons? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct9

Crochet For Days OOTD

Posted on October 9, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! It has been a minute since I shot an outfit because COVID and I am a little late to posting these pics because there was a lot of updates to discuss. But, I’m back at it baby and you can expect more fall looks regularly on my page. While I love my Crochet For Days OOTD, this was a classic case of “looking good, but can’t take a good picture to save my life”. Lol, these were taken the weekend before I went back to work and I still was experiencing fatigue something fierce. I was left with minimal pictures that I actually liked and an endless amount of bloopers SMH. They can’t all be winners, though, and that’s okay! Let’s get to it:

Who? What? Wear?

Crochet Sweater: Debut, TJMaxx

The jeans are Johnny’s and are from Hot Topic

Platform Loafers: ModCloth

The earrings are a hand me down from my sister and are from Francesca’s

Ever since buying my Debut crochet sweater from TJMaxx, I have been really eager to wear it. It was purchased at the end of July, however, and it has just been too hot in my neck of the woods to break it out. With the temperature in Akron shifting into fall mode, I was finally able to style a look based around it. What I love about this sweater other than everything is the shape. It’s baggy without being oversized and it’s perfect for cozying up or stepping out in. And, of course, the mishmash of colors used is nothing short of a delight!

To play off of the shape of the sweater, I decided to wear a pair of Johnny’s jeans instead of my own. I don’t own any boyfriend fit jeans so I went with husband fit lol. While I could have easily worn this sweater with skinny jeans, I wanted to embrace the bagginess of the sweater by wearing looser fitting denim. Not only were Johnny’s jeans insanely comfy, but they emphasized the relaxed vibe that I wanted to invoke. This is not the first time I have worn my husband’s jeans and it definitely won’t be the last. 😀

With the base of the outfit sorted, it was time for shoes and accessories. Since my clothes weren’t form fitting, adding height was essential to keep from being overwhelmed in the fabric. I went with my platform loafers from ModCloth for the assist. They are old as dirt, but they still serve me well and were a laid back option to keep things cohesive. And, with not much real estate available for jewelry, I chose a simple pair of flower dangle earrings and called it a look!

Despite not having much photo evidence of my Crochet For Days OOTD, it still turned out great. It gave me all of the comfy cozy vibes for fall and is a fit that I plan on rocking again. Stay tuned tomorrow for the blooper reel!

What is something that frustrates you about taking pictures? Can you relate to not being able to take a good pic even when you’re looking your best? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep23

Whatever The Weather OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 23, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Whatever The Weather OOTD! This past year, I have made it my goal to do weekly OOTDs and minus a few misses, I feel like I have been achieving it. I trudged through summer looks even though it’s not my favorite season to style for and now it is officially fall – AKA the best season for fashion ever. Although the weather doesn’t feel fully fall yet, I welcome a crisp morning any day of the week and have been creating outfits for fluctuating temperatures. Whatever The Weather, however, some pictures definitely don’t make the cut… Until they have their day in the sun during the blooper reel! Let’s check it out:

Something STANK

Don’t mind me doing the potty dance

Showing off my dazzling smile 🙂

WERKING that wind in the hair, baby

My signature, adoring “wtf” face to whatever it was that Johnny was saying ❤

To pop the foot or not… that is the question

… The answer is not -_-

Johnny and I had quite the adventure around TimberTop finding a place to take these stunning pictures. We went to the location seen here first and was greeted by a HUGE pile of dog crap because no one in TTop cleans up after their dogs and it’s so foul. So, we began to walk and ended up on a charming path that we didn’t even know existed. It was a wooded area and offered a view of the charming, dirty creek that runs through the apartment community, appropriately named Mud Creek lol. You can’t make this stuff up!!

This location was much more like it, but the lighting sucked butt so we continued on our quest for another OOTD spot. Then, we found a clearing that I thought might work, but it was a Red Herring. You guessed it – the lighting sucked butt there too! On the bright side, we did meet an adorable puppy named Kody – short for Kodiak – short for Kodiak The Maniac according to his owners. This was a huge plus, but we were still struggling to find a good spot to shoot at.

Finally, we went back the way we came and when we exited the woods it was a total “let there be light” moment. There was perfect lighting shining down on the super cool stone base of one of the apartment buildings. I think it looks so neat! We were derailed by dog poop, poor lighting, and a cute pup (which was a most welcome reprieve!) but we ended our trek victorious. The things I do for this blog! 😀

Whatever The Weather during the fall is thankfully always pretty good for a walk and did we ever for this shoot. Johnny was SO ready to go inside afterwards and so was I!!

What are some of the names of bodies of water in your area? Do any of them top MUD CREEK?! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep21

Whatever The Weather OOTD

Posted on September 21, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! No matter the time of year, everyone in Ohio knows the weather to be temperamental at best. For the past several weeks, we have fluctuated between hot AF, breezy, and rainy days. Most mornings, I am freezing my nads off only to be having a hot flash by mid afternoon! For flip flop weather, the best thing that you can do when you get ready for the day is layer. Then, as the temperature changes, all you have to do is add or remove your layering pieces to your liking.

Last week, my Early Fall OOTD began the saga of the switching weather and we are going to continue on with that theme. At this current juncture, cardigans are my layering BFF. It’s not cold enough for a coat, but you definitely need something to keep you warm until the day heats up. Whatever The Weather, I know that I will be rocking all the fall fashion – my favorite! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Emerald Green Cardigan: Candie’s, Kohl’s

White Tank Top: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx

Floral Pants: Nicole Miller, TJMaxx

Denim Platforms: Bamboo/Cape Robbin, TJMaxx

The necklace is handmade and was purchased at a vendor fair

The earrings are Lucky Brand and were a gift from my mom 🙂

Whenever I am styling an OOTD, I tend to start with one piece of clothing and build from there. In this case, I began from the bottom up in the pants department. Although I am forever partial to my black skinny jeans, I don’t want to wear them all of the time! I have many a patterned pants that deserve their day in the sort of sun and I decided to go with my floral pair by Nicole Miller. These pants were a strategic choice because they made styling SO easy. All I had to do was pull from colors that were featured in the pattern!

With something as bold as a patterned pant, it is wise to go simple for the rest of the look. Patterns on patterns can work, but they also can make for a haphazard appearance if not done properly. I don’t own anything patterned that would have even remotely gone well with my pants so I opted for a plain white tank by Rachel Zoe. Afterwards, I examined the pattern in the pants and pulled from the green in the leaves which helped me choose my emerald green cardi on top. Remember, the colors don’t have to be a perfect match – as long as they are from the same color family, you are golden.

(A little side note about the cardigan: It is old as dirt lol. I bought it when I was twenty I think? I needed business casual attire for a new job and felt oh so grown up in black slacks and the cardigan!)

Finally, it was time for accessories and shoes to complete the look. Since the top portion of my OOTD was completely plain, I added the gorgeous, feather adorned handmade necklace. It fit in beautifully with the earthy palette that I had established. Then, I put on turquoise Lucky Brand earrings to pull from the blue in the pants pattern. To create cohesion from head to toe, I went with my deep denim hued platforms to compliment the dark green on top and I was ready to go!

To end this Whatever The Weather OOTD, I will leave you with a little tongue twister we would warm up with when I did theater… Whether the weather is cold or whether the weather is hot, whatever the weather we’ll weather the weather, whether we like it or not. Try saying that five times fast!

What is your favorite jewel tone color? How do you rock patterned pants? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep15

Early Fall OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 15, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Early Fall OOTD! Similarly to the transition from spring to summer, dressing for early fall can be a head scratcher. Is it going to be chilly? Is it going to be blazing hot? Do I need a coat? Do I wear shorts? It can be a big fat question mark and I wanted to create a look that would be comfortable during crisp mornings and a warm afternoon. Let’s take a look at some of the shots that didn’t make my first, second, or third cut and discuss bellies. We all have them! Here we go:

Focused, flourishing, thriving.

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Definitely was getting distracted by a dog being walked 🙂

Luring you all in with my seductive gaze 😉

Wait…….. what???

Okay, seriously guys. WTF is this lol

Who, me? 😉

A conversation that I have frequently with my girlfriends is our changing bodies. Lol, weird but true and it makes sense. As all of my friends are in their late twenties/thirty somethings, we have noticed little things that we weren’t complaining about fresh out of high school. We feel tired constantly, our metabolism might have slowed, and areas that used to be toned are not the way it used to be. My “problem area” – my belly!

I will be the first to admit that when I wore this crop top, I was thinking a lot about “sucking it in”. Then, I remembered the advice that my girls and I always end our “body talks” with. Bodies change. Damnit, we are all almost or past thirty and our bodies simply aren’t going to look like they did in high school. They just aren’t and that’s okay. I also reminded myself of my golden rule when I briefly second guessed the top… Wear the clothes. Wear it, strut, and rock it. Am I going to have six pack abs? Hard no! That doesn’t mean I’m any less worthy of wearing a crop top than someone else.

As I get older, I feel more and more confident in myself than I ever did in my youth. In my early twenties, if I wasn’t wearing something that looked just so, you could forget about it. Now, I dress for me. I had a minor faltering when I put the crop top on and then I recalled sound advice from my friends and myself. Conclusion? Everyone has bellies. Everyone has butts. Everyone is not going to look the same and that’s a beautiful thing!

This Early Fall OOTD was made to teach everyone about styling a look for changes in weather. I like to think it did, but it also taught me a refresher on my golden rule and self confidence. What a win/win!!

How did your body change as you got older? What is something that you used to feel self conscious about? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep14

Early Fall OOTD

Posted on September 14, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred!! The weather in Ohio is slowly making its way towards fall like temps. The mornings and evenings are chilly, but it still is getting close to the eighties during the daytime. With this fluctuation between fall and summer temps it can be hard to decide what to wear. So, I decided to create an Early Fall OOTD to make the most of the weather, whether it is warm or cool! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Ivory Sweater: Jessica Simpson, TJMaxx

Floral Crop Top: Altar’d State

High Waisted Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Barbie Pink Platforms: Marc Fisher, TJMaxx

The bracelet ring is from Claire’s and I have no idea where the earrings are from lol

When I began styling my Early Fall OOTD, I already had my Jessica Simpson sweater in mind. It is brand new and I couldn’t wait to wear it! A sweet sweater or cozy cardigan is also an ideal way to go when creating an outfit for a questionable temperature. All you need to do is slip it off or on at your convenience! An important thing to note about this layering piece is to make sure what you have on underneath still forms a cohesive look in case you want to take it off. The rest of the OOTD still matters even if it’s covered up at first!

With the sweater already a must for my outfit, it was onto forming the rest of the base. I pulled from the creamy color of the sweater and chose a lavender crop top with white flowers from Altar’d State. This crop top is cute as can be and is a great piece to keep cool in once the day begins to warm up. Remember when you are layering that you never want two heavy pieces together – IE a thick sweater underneath a cardigan. All this does is create width. This crop top was just right for underneath my sweater because it laid comfortably without competing in color, shape, or style.

Since the top half of this look was oh so sweet with the soft colors and florals, I wanted to edge things up with the jeans. I went with my distressed high waisted skinnies from American Eagle Outfitters to help the cause. The high waist complimented the crop top and sweater alike because its waistline hit close to where both of the hemlines ended. The huge holes in these jeans also provided some extra ventilation in case the day started getting hot!

With the base of my Early Fall OOTD settled, it was time for shoes and accessories. For shoes, I put on my Marc Fisher platforms. I thought the Barbie pink heels paired with the lavender crop top looked darling. It also matched my nails beautifully! To complete the look, I chose a pair of dangly owl earrings and my ring bracelet. I didn’t feel the need for too many pieces of jewelry since my arms were covered by the sweater for most of the day. I also didn’t want to take away from that fabulous square neckline on the crop top!

The beginning of fall is the time to give those summer clothes a final hurrah and I consider that mission accomplished for my Early Fall OOTD. This blended look of seasons was exactly what I needed to keep me both warm and cool throughout the day!

When do you put your summer clothes away for the season? What is your favorite sweater or cardigan like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep13

New Jessica Simpson Sweater

Posted on September 13, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Johnny was a real champ during our Labor Day shopping trip at TJMaxx. I, admittedly, spent forever looking for skin care, perused through Halloween goodies, and tried a bunch of clothes on and he only complained a little. What a guy!! It was a glorious sight in the clothing departments at TJs because it was filled to the brim with fall clothing. There were cute cardigans, warm jackets, and snuggly sweaters galore. I was originally shopping for an outfit to wear to an event that Johnny and I will be attending soon. I couldn’t find jack, but ended up walking away with this gorgeous sweater by Jessica Simpson:

I am a highly experienced shopper and with that experience comes knowledge. When I see a piece of clothing, I know almost immediately if it will work well for me or not. Nine times out of ten, I am right and these pieces end up coming home with me. It’s a gift, really. When I saw this lovely, ivory hued sweater, I gasped. I have never seen anything like it with those beautiful raised flowers and could have bought it without even trying it on. Like I said, I just know!

On the off chance that I was wrong about this sweater (obviously I wasn’t lol), I tried it on anyways and loved what I saw. This sweater is perfect. The color is so creamy and rich, it’s soft as can be, and offers endless styling possibilities. It hits right at the top of the waist, which makes it an ideal candidate with high waisted skinnies. It could be worn over top of a sweet dress, paired with a skirt, or even with a jumpsuit to extend those fun summer staples into fall. This sweater can be worn with any color or anything and it’s exciting to find pieces that are so versatile. 😀

I cannot wait to feature this little Jessica Simpson number in an upcoming OOTD so keep your eyes peeled for it. Hurray for fall clothes!!!!

Are you revamping your wardrobe for fall? What are you shopping for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep11

Early Holiday Shopping Pro Tips

Posted on September 11, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! I constantly have Halloween on my mind, but I am also thinking about the holiday season something fierce. With a big family to shop for, I like to begin my Christmas shopping early and have already begun as of last month! The mere thought of last minute holiday purchases gives me anxiety and come December, I love being able to fully enjoy the season thanks to a fully complete shopping list. If you are an early holiday shopper too or are trying to get a head start for the first time, here are some of my pro tips:

Make your list:

Before I begin my holiday shopping, I write out a list of everyone I need to shop for. Then, I add vague gift ideas and the hobbies of each giftee for inspiration. This is one of the most obvious tips, but it really does help! With gift ideas clear in my mind, I can then pick up items that fit the bill in stores I’m already going to go to like TJMaxx and Target. Without a solid game plan, it makes it easy to pass by options that would be perfect. Chances are that if you think about it after the fact, the gift you could have bought will be out of stock.

Establish a budget:

After making my list, I create a budget that works for me. This usually looks like “spending X amount per person” and I tend to follow the formula of one bigger gift and a few smaller ones. Of course, I may go over or under budget a little and that’s okay! Having clear guidelines established through a shopping list and budget sets you up with a perfect game plan before you start shopping. A strict budget will also keep you from overspending, which is SO easy to do during the holiday season!

Make the most of rewards:

Every little bit helps during holiday shopping and rewards programs are my best friend. For example, I stockpile my points on Amazon that I receive from my credit card throughout the year. By the time I’m ready to start purchasing presents, I can get some of them for free! If you are a gift card giver, your grocery store might offer bonus points on your rewards card like mine does. The moral of the story? Learn about the rewards from each place you plan on shopping at and other stores too. Just by signing up, you can usually get a free product or a percentage off of your first purchase. Even if you never shop there again, it’s great to get deals and you can give yourself some extra wiggle room on your budget.

Peck away:

What helps me the most with managing my budget is making purchases here and there. While I might do some bigger hauls later in the season, I try to buy a handful of gifts each month leading up to the holidays. There is nothing worse than being stuck with a huge bill and breaking up your buying into pieces eliminates that possibility. Throughout September until mid November, I peck away at my list and then do a bigger order or shopping trip for the remainder of what I need. This has always worked really well for me!

My heart says Halloween, but my mind says shopping smart for the holiday season. All of the tips above are what I use to make my early holiday shopping successful. There is nothing better than being done way ahead of time! 😀

Are you an early or last minute holiday shopper? What are some of your holiday shopping pro tips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep8

YAS In Yellow OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 8, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my YAS In Yellow OOTD! Despite the fact that I am in a perpetual state of fall and have already begun my Christmas shopping, it is still hot, hot, hot in Ohio. I am not a fan, but at least I have gotten to wear lots of pretty little dresses sans tights for my past few OOTDs! I felt great in my YAS In Yellow look and I know I look it in all of these shots:

Lol, my bottom lip looks HUGE

Taking a brief moment to contemplate my life

When Johnny says my phone is out of storage smh

Practicing my Frankenstein for Halloween

Electrocuted or just excited… the world may never know

Omg haha definitely a YIKES shot!!

Can’t wait for Johnny to give me my phone!!! 😀

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned how my dress from Target shrunk in the wash. It only came up in length a few inches, but I knew what happened and I just never wore it again. When I tried it on for the first time in forever, I was pleased to see that it wasn’t as bad as I remembered it being. However, it still felt a little short. I would be a liar if I said that I wasn’t a tad self conscious about it, but I kept on wearing it anyways.

After having the dress on for a while and seeing myself looking awesome in it, I realized that I shouldn’t be self conscious at all. My logic? I have shorts that are shorter than this dress and I have been wearing them all summer long! When I thought about it that way, I went from self conscious to self confident. The moral of the story? This is something that I say often, but it needs repeated: Wear the clothes. If something is putting you out of your comfort zone, wear it anyways. Of course, there are exceptions to this golden rule – but nine times out of ten it will do you a world of good to rock that look!

Thanks to my YAS In Yellow OOTD, my old favorite dress turned into my new favorite. I took my own advice and it definitely paid off!

What is something about clothing that makes you feel self conscious? How do you remedy it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep7

YAS In Yellow OOTD

Posted on September 7, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Even though it has been hot as BEJEEZUS for the past several days, I have been in a complete fall state of mind thanks to my new hair. During last week’s OOTD, I created an outfit to fully compliment my new do and I loved how it turned out so much that I wanted to go that route again. I also want to take all of the opportunities I can to wear dresses without tights before the weather gets too cold! Take a look at this look and let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Yellow Floral Dress: Xhilaration, Target

Denim Platforms: Bamboo, TJMaxx

Double Strand Earrings: I think these are from Target?

Can we all just talk about how great dresses are for a minute? They are one of those pieces where literally all you have to do is throw it on and you have an outfit. Also, bonus points if the dress has pockets like the one I’m wearing in this OOTD! It feels so weird to not see a huge list of clothing and accessories under Who? What? Wear? but I simply didn’t need anything more than what I had. That’s the power of a patterned dress because the last thing a bold print needs it to be bogged down with anything extra.

After rocking a navy blue dress last week, I decided to show attention to another color in my hair – Pulp Riot’s Satire. This yellow shade is my absolute favorite and it feels perfect for the last days of summertime and the approaching fall season. I mentioned in the Fabulously Fall OOTD that I thought the dress I was wearing shrank but, alas, it wasn’t the one I had on. It was actually the Target dress I have on in this shoot lol.

After assessing my options, I decided to try the lovely yellow frock to see if it was as badly shrunk as I remember it being. Happily, that wasn’t the case even with platforms on so we were in business! I love this dress so much and I have yet to find anything similar to it in stores. This dress is old as dirt, but it still feels brand new – especially since I just didn’t wear it for years straight lol. Of course, the color is great but there is so much more to this little number than that. The bell sleeves, for example? Darling! The burnished gold buttons down the front? Adorable! Flowy A-line skirt? Too cute! This dress is a statement in itself and when you break down why, it makes sense to style the rest of the look minimally.

For shoes, I went with my denim embroidered platforms by Bamboo. Although there were no perfect color matches to the shoes in the dress, that was okay! Denim is a neutral – this is why you can pair anything with blue jeans and it’s going to look good every time. These heels added fantastic length without making the dress too short and they are also comfy as can be. I could walk for miles in them… I think, anyways. 😀

All that was left to do for this look was accessorize and with the patterned dress, I didn’t need much of anything other than earrings and rings. However, there is more to keeping things minimal than just the pattern of the dress. Notice the neckline, for instance. It’s almost nonexistent and there are already tie down strings so you can tie it with a bow if you want. Would it be smart from a styling standpoint to put a necklace there anyways? No! Same with the sleeves of this dress. Sure, you could wear bracelets but I would rather the focal point be on the gorgeous bell sleeves!

Styling killer OOTDs is all about common sense and if you are struggling to create something, it helps to look at your clothing objectively. You can then see what parts of the outfit needs built up and what parts you can leave alone. This YAS In Yellow OOTD was all about minimal styling because the dress required it to be. When you can establish how and why you need to style specific pieces, you’re outfit building game will improve tenfold!

What is your favorite thing to shop for at Target? What is something you struggle with when styling OOTDs? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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