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Trunk Club Try-On May 2019

Happy Monday! So excited to share another round of try-ons. Today, I’m sharing my Nordstrom Trunk Club. My stylist sent me a bunch of new on-trend favorite pieces to check out. Some were total hits and some were major misses (for me), but it’s always fun to try on new things. Whatever you love, you keep and whatever you don’t, you just send back! You have a chance to review the trunk before it ships and you can also let your stylist know about specific items you may desire. There is a $25 styling fee, but you can use it as credit if you purchase anything from the trunk. So here we go!

The first outfit was a win for me. I own the mom jeans (Target), and decided to style them with this breezy button up, cotton jacket and leather espadrille slip-ons from the Trunk. Loving this casual look! Comfortable and also nursing friendly.

Madewell Surplus Cotton Jacket

Halogen White Leather Espadrille Mule

Treasure & Bond Breezy Striped Boyfriend Shirt

I’ve been seeing these button down dresses everywhere, and I LOVED this chambray version from Madewell. Very comfy and loved the pockets as well! The back straps criss-cross in the back as well which was a nice added touch. And of course, also nursing friendly.

Madewell Button Front Chambray Tank Dress

This was called a utility jacket, but it felt more like a shirt. It was super lightweight, but definitely really comfortable and soft! The striped tee underneath was comfy and great as a basic tee!

Treasure & Bond Utility Jacket

Madewell Striped Pocket Tee

I also loved this button down thread dress from Madewell. This is an XS, the material was super comfy, and it fit well! These nude suede slip on sandals by Halogen were also great. The heel is a good height where it doesn’t hurt your foot and bonus: it’s currently marked down!

Madewell Texture & Thread Front Button Dress

Halogen Slide Sandal

I got majorly excited when I saw this white denim jacket in the trunk! I don’t own anything like it, and it seems like a great spring and summer staple! Bonus: it’s really soft and comfortable as well. I think I’m keeping this one.

Kut from the Kloth White Denim Jacket

The dress hugged me in the wrong places and was a little too loose up top, but I like the print, and would make a sexy date night dress! Just not a great fit for me.

Leith Wrap Mini Dress

I loved this button down dress when I pulled it out of the box, but it ultimately didn’t work for me. The buttons in the chest area pulled too much and you could see right through the holes to my bra which wasn’t flattering. Super bummed, because I loved the color, pockets, and fit of the rest of the dress. Shame the buttons were weird!

Hinge Button Front Midi Dress

This dress was really cute online, and I wanted to love it, but the material wrinkles really easily, and it was not flattering on my body at all. I LOVE the color, but between the wrinkles, the fact that it hugged me in all the wrong places and since it’s not nursing friendly, it’s just not gonna work for me.

Something Navy Flirty Mini Dress

Definitely keeping this black bralette from Free People. Perfect to wear under those summer tanks or shirts where your bra peeks out, because it has such pretty detail you don’t mind showing it! Perfect summer staple.

Free People Bralette

This simple rose bangle was also included in the Trunk inscribed with “Stop and smell the roses.” Classic and chic. Goes with anything. Keeping this for sure.

Kate Spade Rose Bangle

I liked the idea and style of this top, but for the price, I didn’t think it was worth it. It was a little short and a little sheer. It was okay, but I didn’t love it.

Madewell Woodland Floral Smocked Waist Top

This top was a little large and didn’t really do me any favors. Loved the print, but not the fit. Just kinda made me look wider than normal.

Madewell Striped Peasant Top

Thinking my stylist doesn’t really understand the “mom bod” going on right now. Haha. The color of this top was pretty, but way too low cut for me. I spend a lot of days at the playground with my kids and unless I’m nursing my baby, I don’t really want my boobs hanging out, ya know? So this was a no-go, but I felt like striking a pose anyway. 😉

Hinge Button Front V-Neck Top (similar)

FYI – jeans and shoes are mine and I linked them here:

Zara High Waist Black Jeans (similar)

Chinese Laundry Carnival Sandal

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And that’s it for my May Trunk Club Try-on! I need to send back what I don’t want today, so if you have any suggestions for what I should keep and what I should return, PLEASE let me know!!!

I have the full try-on behind-the scenes posted in my Instagram Stories so feel free to check that out as well. All the items are linked here in case you want to purchase them (I do receive a teeny tiny commission if you use my link, so THANK YOU for using it – it helps me to continue doing these types of try-ons!) OR sign up and get your own personal stylist to have a trunk delivered to your door! I love a good package, and the fact that I don’t even have to leave my house or bring children with me shopping is clutch!

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Hope you guys had a great weekend! We celebrated my nephew’s 1st Birthday, Knox was Baptized into the Catholic Church, and my boys made my mom and I breakfast in bed down in Maryland! The boys were seriously so super sweet to me all day, and we had a wonderful weekend celebrating lots of great things! I was also able to keep up my workouts while away and got in a sweat sesh with my mama!

Back in Brooklyn today and it’s a gloomy, rainy one here, but going to make the most of it! New clothes always help. 😉

Make it a great week everyone!

XO,

Gina

Army Green

Boyfriend Button Up: Target / Black Denim: ZARA – similar / Booties: H&M (old) / Sunnies: Brickyard Buffalo / Engraved Bar Necklace: Stella & Dot / Earrings: World Market / Lip: MAC Dark Side

I don’t know what it is about this color green, but I was all over it this past fall and into the winter. Many of my new items this past season came back to this color, and I’m not mad about it. This particular boyfriend style button up is not only comfortable, but it’s also super affordable. Unfortunately, you may need to check the stores for this bad boy as it says they are no longer shipping. Here is an alternative if you can’t get out to the stores.

The past few days we have been hanging with family and doing a little bit of work from the coffee shop. It’s always nice to spend a little bit of extra time down in Maryland to spend quality time with the ones we love. But it’s also the busiest work season for health + fitness with people signing up for my Challenge Groups getting ready to rock those goals in 2018!

I have 3 groups opening up including one for our brand new ab + booty focused program and another featuring multiple programs. For each you would have the access to over 600+ at home workouts, a nutrition plan, super food shake, and a spot in my support/accountability group. It’s a ton of fun, and we help to motivate everyone to be happier + healthier!

My last group is for those who want to take things to the next level as a COACH! I will be offering a mentorship to help other women or mamas like me to build a health/wellness/fitness business from your kitchen table (or iPhone, or coffee shop, or wherever else you desire to work from). I will give you all the tools you need to succeed and all the tips + tricks I have picked up in the last 3 years. From there it’s up to you to take action and take that leap to achieve your goals! It’s one of my favorite parts about coaching, and I’m excited for what 2018 has to bring.

So don’t hesitate to reach out with questions even while I’m on “vacation” because when you have a job like this that you love, then you seriously are happy to make time to talk about it!

Happy Friday friends! Only a few more days until that ball drops and we are in the New Year!

XO,

Gina

Mad for Plaid

Buffalo Plaid Button Down Pop-Over: Target (on sale!) / Black Leggings: Target / Booties: H&M (old) – similar / Lip: MAC Up the Amp

I can never get enough plaid during the fall and winter months, and this flannel pop over from Target is super comfy. Button downs are also a staple uniform clothing item these days as I am nursing my little one and need easy access hehe. What are your go-to fall wardrobe items?

Spending a short week here in NY and then heading back to MD again on Friday for the wedding of a childhood friend and his beautiful fiancé. Busy busy as usual! Very much looking forward to this event as they are essentially family of mine 🙂

Hope you are all having a great week so far!

XO,

Gina

Back in Action

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Striped Blouse: H&M – similar here, / Absolute Legging: AG Jeans / Booties: ALDO / Locket: Vintage via Etsy – more from the shop here / Clutch: TJ Maxx / Bracelets: Wanderlust + Co., ASOS (sold out – similar here), Baublebar

2014 has had a crazy start! I started back up to work, and have been trying to figure out how to be a working mom. Right now I’m trying to cram all my work into three days and still have time to pump three times a day to make sure my boy has enough to eat while I’m gone. When I am home with him, he is more awake than ever, and he keeps me busy all day long. It’s a lot of fun watching him grow (He rolled over for the first time this weekend! And he’s sitting up for long periods of time on his own now!), but it can definitely be exhausting! On top of that, we have been dealing with some house issues that need crucial hands on maintenance, and I’ve also been planning Nico’s upcoming Baptism. Whew!

Needless to say, my poor little blog has been getting neglected. I’ve had ideas for posts and outfits that I have wanted to blog, but life has just been getting in the way, and p + p unfortunately had to go on the back burner the past few weeks. Hopefully as we settle into our new routine, I will be able to find some time to keep things going, because I really do love having this little creative outlet!

Onto this outfit. Although, I do adore some pops of color every now and then, I do tend to go back to my comfort zone of black and white quite often! Maybe it’s the New York in me. I’m now back in my original size jeans (yay!) which called for a shopping celebration, and I scored this striped blouse at H&M while out. The vintage locket I am wearing was a Christmas gift from my husband, and I’m absolutely in love with it. There is a family photo of the three of us inside, with three other spaces to put photos when I want to add them.

Hope you will be hearing more from me in the coming weeks! I am glad to be back in action.

XO,

Gina

First Family Dinner Out

With all of the craziness of figuring out life with a newborn, I sometimes find myself not leaving the house for days on end. I also find that this isn’t very good for my sanity. The constant 24/7 loop of feed, change, sleep, repeat can be a little mind numbing, and as adorable as that little face is to look at every day, living in a constant loop can drive you a little nuts. Therefore, to break up the monotony, I have been trying to get out of the house for walks whenever possible. Nico loves the stroller, and we have been super blessed with amazing weather these past couple weeks. Two weekends ago, I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to take advantage of one of these walks and go out for our first family dinner. I put on “real” clothes (the pants are still maternity, but at least they weren’t sweats!), make-up, and even semi-did my hair…that’s as good as it was gonna get that day. We tried a new place in the neighborhood called Dogwood, which boasts southern comfort food, and was absolutely delicious. At three and a half weeks, Nico was an angel the entire time. It was as if he was allowing Zack and I to actually have a date night. Amazing. I know they say these “quiet sleeping times” won’t last forever and eventually he will be a toddler and impossible to bring out to dinner, but I am living in the moment, people…living in the moment and loving it.

On me / Shirt: StyleMint – similar / Pants: Motherhood / Shoes: Nordstrom Rack / Bag: ALDO – similar / Watch: Michael Kors / Necklace: Baublebar / Bracelet: Baublebar – similar

On Nico / Shirt and Pants: Carter’s / Socks: Gymboree

Happy Monday everyone! Have a great week.

XO,

Gina

Preppy With A Twist {Guilty Jean Series #2}

Here is my 2nd look from the Guilty Jean photo shoot over the weekend. I was definitely enjoying the sunshine on this beautiful, glorious Saturday! For this look, I purposefully chose the same Guilty Jean jewelry pieces as my last outfit post to show how versatile this line can be. Even if you don’t see yourself as someone who is “edgy” or “punk rock,” you can still glam up your look with Guilty Jean’s designs. This particular look gives the preppy business casual girl a little edge. I love how these pieces work so well with a variety of different personal styles, and I plan to rock these jewels no matter what I’m wearing!

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Yellow Button Down: GAP / Blazer: GAP / Jeans: Motherhood Maternity / Pretty Little Evil Necklace: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Turquoise Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Sinner & Saint Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Clutch: Express – similar / Sparkly Flats: Nordstrom Rack / Watch: Michael Kors / Ring: Banana Republic – similar here and here / Sunglasses: Ann Taylor LOFT / Lip: Mix of MAC Candy Yum-Yum and Lancome Fuchsia Clutch / Nails: Essie Smokin’ Hot

Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far! I have been busy busy, so I am looking forward to a little R&R tonight.

XOXO,

Gina

Kiss Me I’m Irish!

Hope everyone had a HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!!! Being half Irish, this holiday always means a bit more to me than the typical American “let’s get wasted” mentality. I make sure to call my off-the-boat Irish Granny to wish her a great day as well as my mother, sister, aunt, and uncle. I dream of my roots, and wish to someday actually visit Ireland. Of course, I also usually take part in the fun festivities as well, but obviously this year was a bit low key! This weekend, I ended up going to church instead of the bar, hung out with my guy and some friends, went shopping for new clothes (that fit–yay!), and of course, still sported some green in my attire. It was a nice switch up to St. Paddy’s Day this year.

In addition, my photography class assignment this week was to do self-portraits. Ahhh!!! Scary! Definitely out of my comfort zone, but it was good for me to actually take my tripod out of the box and learn how to set it up. I decided why not use this as an opportunity to learn how to take my own blog outfit photos if I get in a crunch or the hubby is unavailable. I was limited in my ability in the sense that I could only do the landscape set up (as opposed to the long-ways portrait set up) with the tripod. It was also difficult to focus the lens without having anything to focus on, so I had my hubby stand in for me while I focused, and then I mind-marked the position he was standing so I knew where to go. Trust there was a lot of trial and error, blurry shots, etc. But I eventually ended up with a few shots that I was satisfied with. Of course, you are your own biggest critic. To be the subject AND the photographer at the same time was something very new and different for me. However, I am glad I was presented with this challenge as it ended up making me more confident in my abilities.

Top: ZARA / Skinny Jeans: Motherhood Maternity / Boots: Steve Madden / Watch: Michael Kors / Claddagh Ring (Irish Ring): gift – similar / Madonna Necklace: gift / Shamrock: Wedding Gift – here / Pearls: gift – similar / Lip: Lancome Luxe

Let me tell you…I think ALL jeans should be made like prego jeans…they are ridiculously comfortable!!! Haha.

Anyway, hope you all had a great weekend, and wishing you a wonderful week ahead!

XO,

Gina

Accessorize Me {Flair Accessories Series #1}

Here is the first outfit post for my Flair Accessories series. I started off with a simple business casual look — colored button down, black denim skinny jeans, black pumps. Simple right? What brings this look to the next level is the accessories. A little leopard print belt and gloves take this look up a notch as well as the vintage sunglasses. And lastly, the fabulous flair that was added to complete the look. Take note of the purple pop to my ears and the chain bling around my neck. I also added this fun cage style ring. Without the accessories, the look would honestly be quite boring in my opinion. Accessorizing is a key element to my getting ready process and can turn a look from “nice” to “amaze” in a matter of seconds. Definitely check out Carly’s amazing store online. I guarantee you will find a piece of flair you adore!

Photos by: Zack Notes

Coat: ASOS / Button Down: StyleMint / Pants: ZARA / Belt: J. Crew – similar / Shoes: Cynthia Rowley / Sunglasses: Vintage / Gloves: Dorothy Perkins / Necklace, Earrings, Ring: Flair Accessories / Lip: Lancome Red Haute

It’s a busy week here with work conferences, clients in town, movie nights, meetings, photography class, photography homework, etc. Hopefully I can find some time to fit some sleep in there. Right now I’m just whirling on through.

I saw Argo over the weekend and Beasts of the Southern Wild last night, which are two more Oscar nominated films to check off my list. Both were absolutely amazing. Beasts was especially impressive coming from a first time director, and that little girl was such an amazing actress. I would recommend both films though!

In other news, how was everyone’s Super Bowl? I really didn’t have a team to rally behind (since my beloved Redskins did not make it), but being from Maryland, I must say I have a lot of happy friends this week!

Hope everyone has a Happy Hump Day!

XO,

Gina

Marvelous Mustard

Mustard Blazer: Piperlime by Tinley Road / Blouse: Piperlime by Ark & Co. / Jeans: Seven for All Mankind / Sequined Ballet Flats: Nine West Outlet / Chevron Ring Stack: BaubleBar / Bracelets: J. Crew, BaubleBar (black sold out – in light blue or light pink), BaubleBar, Wanderlust + Co / Lip: Lancome All Done Up / Nails: Essie Over the Edge

I’ve been scouring the world wide web for a yellow blazer, and I finally found the perfect one at Piperlime! As much as I love going shopping, I rarely get out to the stores as much as I used to because of my busy travel schedule. So lately, I have resorted to internet shopping. I know that can usually be hit or miss, but recently, I have managed to get a lot more hits! I have found that the more reviews on the product the better, so you can see beforehand if it’s worth the buy. I hit gold at Piperlime with both this blazer and the blouse underneath. And to top off the look, I recently purchased this Chevron Stack ring from BaubleBar. They did a collection with blogger Blaire Eadie of Atlantic-Pacific, and there are tons of amazing pieces I suggest you check out. I liked this one in particular, because it comes with 5 colors of stackable rings which you can mix and match according to your outfit or preference that day.

A lot of people have been asking how they can help with the Hurricane Sandy relief. I have listed a bunch of websites with tons of information on how you can participate.

Terps Sandy Service Day

Village Voice lists opportunities

NYC Service

Team Rubicon

Style blogger Keiko Lynn lists opportunities

Occupy Sandy

Join the Sandy Swap group on Facebook for Staten Island updates

List of shelters from Red Cross

NY still needs your help, so if you haven’t already donated or volunteered, please do!

Color Pops & Polka Dots

I found this bright red-orange trench coat down at the outlets this summer when I was on vacation in the OBX. I love how it pairs with the mint green pants and the navy and white polka dot button down. For me, this was a great transition into fall, because you can cover up to keep from getting chilly, but you still get those bright color pops! I chose these sparkly ballerina flats because of all the walking I have to do in the city, and they are so comfy!

Jacket: Gap Outlet / Shirt: J. Crew Outlet / Pants: Zara / Shoes: Nordstrom Rack / Bag: Longchamp Le Pliage in Graphite / Elephant Ring: Noir – similar also here / Watch: NYC Street Vendor / Bracelet: NYC Street Vendor

Photos by: Zack Notes

This week is going by super fast! I can’t believe it’s already Thursday. The hubs and I are looking forward to a camping trip to PA this weekend with one of our fav couples, Erin & Rai (who made an appearance on the blog yesterday).

This week, I cannot seem to stop listening to this new song I was introduced to by Ben Kweller called “Full Circle.” It’s definitely a feel good jam, and I’ve been bouncing around to it on repeat all through the city and the subway. Check it out!