spring break Archives - Popcorn and Pandas

Spring Mini Try-On

Express Black Top / Snake Print Pleated Skirt / White Strap Flat Sandals

This tee is so comfy and fitted yet stretchy. I sized up to a Small and it fit perfectly. They didn’t have this skirt in my size, but I loved it, so I ordered the XS in store and they are going to ship it to me. These sandals were so comfy and had to have them. I also got them in black.

We are leaving for our trip to Punta Cana in less than 3 weeks (Thanks Beachbody!), and while I ordered a bunch of online cuteness for the the boys, I wanted to hit brick and mortar to do a little shopping for myself. I didn’t have a ton of time AND I had to bring my littlest with me (and you all know how THAT goes!), but I did find a few items to take home and some cute things to try.

I will say that most of what I saw in the stores today was a lot of beautiful, crisp neutrals…black, white, tan, brown, blush and other light neutrals and animal prints for spring. LOVELY….definitely not your typical spring styles, but also not totally what I would go for to bring on a spring break trip. You guys know I’m a little sassy, and love some BOLD prints especially for a tropical vacation!! So it was tough to find what I was looking for today in terms of this specific trip, though not impossible, and it also didn’t deter me from buying things LOL. Spring is definitely looking classy in the stores this season, but I may need to hunt for a few more tropical style vacation finds, especially since I have a trip to Barcelona + Ibiza coming up this summer as well!

Alas, here is what I tried on at Express + American Eagle today:

I TRULY loved this one, and it fit really well aside from the length. It was dragging on the floor with me at 5’0 and I would have to wear a high heel with it for sure. If you are a bit taller than me, it’s really lovely! They also had it in WHITE with colorful flowers which would be perfect for my trip to Spain coming up.

I saw this top online first and loved it. I wasn’t sure about this top in the store when trying it on. I sorta felt like it was forced or awkward, but looking back at the pics I kinda like it now! Haha. I think the color is just out of my comfort zone, but maybe I need to embrace it! That said, this top comes in a ton of colors.

My little guy is in the background. Hehe. He was a good sport.

You all know I love a good romper! This one was super cute, but it was a little baggy on me in the XS, so I would definitely size down. I also wasn’t sure about the material. It was VERY comfortable, but seemed like something I would wrinkle or ruin when I washed (I am not into ironing/steaming my clothing, I’m just lazy when it comes to that stuff haha). But I did like the look of this one!

High Waisted Floral Print Front Tie Pleated Shorts

Now THESE shorts are exactly what I am talking about when I think of a bold print for a tropical vacay! And they are a black base, so I would wear these in a NY minute this summer too. The size 2 fit me perfectly, and they were really comfortable, so they definitely came home with me. I also swapped out the sandals for the black ones and took those home too!

Before leaving Express, I snagged some amazing earrings as well. I feel as if I’ve been neglecting the accessories lately, and they always used to be a big part of my style. So I stocked up a little. I don’t have photos but here are the links to the earrings I purchased as well:

Metal Resin Circle Drop Earrings

Faux Leather + Metal Disc Earrings

Set of Three Resin Hoop Earrings

Twisted Textured Hoop Earrings

American Eagle Striped Denim Jumper – Cross Body Bag

I loved this on the rack, and it was extremely comfortable, but it was too baggy on me in the back. There was a ton of room, and combined with the wide leg, the way it settled wasn’t flattering for my body and made me look much wider and boxier.

And then I found THIS one! This jumpsuit was a much better fit, and super comfortable. It’s a little long here, but I have the shoes at home to pair with it so I knew I could make it work! The photo online show the model tied it in the back, but I tied it in the front here and I think it could work either way. This one came home with me for sure. The cross body bag came home with me too.

Lastly, it wasn’t part of spring attire, so I didn’t include a photo here, BUT this incredible multicolored sweater was 50% off on the sale rack in my size and it’s still available online, so I figured why not link it here. It is SO comfortable and even though I won’t get a ton of wear this season, I will still rock this during the cooler months next winter! It’s VERY oversized, but I went with the XS and really love it.

Alright, that’s it for now. Any suggestions on where I should do a try-on next?

Hope you’re all having a great week so far!

XO,

Gina

Top Knot

IMG_9725_Layers_v1

IMG_9742_Layers_v1

IMG_9756_Layers_v1

IMG_9739_Layers_v1

IMG_9700_Layers_v1

IMG_9753_Layers_v1

IMG_9693_Layers_v1

IMG_9713_Layers_v1

Floral Bomber: Macy’s (now on sale! – and yes, I got this from the Junior’s section haha) / Denim: AG Jeans (old) / Foral Tennis Shoes: Forever 21 (similar here, here, and here / Sunglasses: Brickyard Buffalo / Lip: MAC Snob / Nails: Essie Mint Candy Apple

I’m still playing lots of catch up over here on photos I took from our April vacations! On the way down to Asheville, North Carolina, we made an overnight stop at a little mountain town along the way called Staunton in Virginia. And just so you know…it’s pronounced STAN-TON. The “U” is silent, as we found out from a local photographer right before we left town. Yes, we had been saying it wrong the entire time.

We chose this particular town, because hubby read the book, Omnimore’s Dilemma, and was really interested in getting local food from Polyface Farms. It also seemed like an interesting place with hiking nearby. On the way down we hiked in the Shenandoah Valley along the Dark Hollow Falls Trailhead, which was beautiful and so nice this time of year. We celebrated our hike by checking into the beautiful Stonewall Jackson Hotel and getting ready for an AMAZING dinner at Zynodoa. We had impeccable southern inspired food all locally sourced from Virginia’s best farms. If you ever find yourself in this little mountain town, this spot is a must!

The next morning, after my hotel room workout sesh (thank you Beachbody on Demand!) and after getting a little work done, hubby brought us back coffees (oh how I miss coffeeeee! If you don’t know, I am doing the Ultimate Reset program right now, which means no coffee ahhhh). Anyway…for breakfast we walked down to a little health food store called Cranberry’s that had a restaurant inside as well. We got the orangest (is that a word?) eggs I have ever seen in my entire life! And yes…they were from Polyface Farms! Hubby was so happy. The food was on point and super delicious. We walked around town a little more, met a few interesting local folks with some great recs for rest of our trip, and continued onward to Asheville.

I have to say this little town of Staunton, Virginia was quite a nice surprise!

Hope you all had an amazing weekend celebrating Mother’s Day!!! We had a wonderful day celebrating all the mamas and also our wedding anniversary!

Today starts Week 2 of the Ultimate Reset for the myself and the hubby. Feeling a lot more prepared both physically and mentally this week, and ready to rock it.

Make it a great week everyone!

XO,

Gina

Tulum Diary

Happy Hump Day everyone! These cold temperatures are still lingering here in NYC, and it’s making me miss the weather from our trip to Tulum, Mexico. I’m excited to share these photos and a little bit about our adventures down there. It was honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Boho hippie chic in style, completely relaxing, but adventures around the corner for those who want to partake. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of the trip sick (from the food I’m guessing? God only knows), so we didn’t get to do as much as originally planned, but we still had an amazing time and at least enjoyed the warm weather! We stayed in Tulum for a week and then ventured to the town of Akumal for three nights. We also explored around to different areas to visit Mayan ruins, cenotes, and Playa del Carmen. The first photo is from the Mayan ruins in Tulum. Simply gorgeous!

This photo is also from our trip to the Tulum ruins.

My little monkey hanging out in the carrier! He is such a good traveler!

Pool at our condo in Tulum. We rented it off airbnb.

This was taken before our private dinner right on the beach at Momo Hoja. Never thought the most romantic dinner of my life with be with a toddler in tow, but this place took the cake!

Doesn’t get any more amazing than this. It’s basically paradise at Papaya Playa Project. They are welcome to outside guests, free parking, and fabulous beds as long as you place an order for food or drinks. Done and done.

Decided to drive out to Coba for the day to explore the Mayan Ruins. I definitely recommend getting a tour guide here as it was extremely helpful to understand what we were looking at and we learned so much about the ancient history, language, and culture of the Mayans. They allow you to climb to the top of one of the pyramids here. I climbed it with a baby in my belly and baby on my back. A little steep and a little scary, but pretty awesome!

Crystal clear blue waters of Tulum = heaven.

Spelunking at Aktun Chen. This was really fun and kid friendly. We toured the spectacular cave, saw lots of animals, and then went swimming in the underground river cenote. Pretty amazing.

Lounging for the day at El Paraiso. Zack also took a boat off the beach here to do a snorkeling tour and had a great time!

Sopes for lunch at the incredible Le Zebra beach club. This place was absolutely gorgeous, and I would recommend people stay here! Fabulous food, rooms, and scenery.

They had BEDS in the restaurant! I meeeean…it doesn’t get any better than this! Haha.

View from our Villa in Akumal – Villas Flamingo

Didn’t get fancy at all in Tulum, so decided to glam it up a bit in Akumal for dinner on the beach.

Day trip to Cenote Azul for some fabulous swimming and snorkeling! What a gorgeous place!

Don’t want to leave!!!

Ahhh, I am craving this warm weather right about now! Take me back!

It’s been a busy week here in NY, working away with fitness challenge groups, freelance writing, and running around with my Nico. We had so much fun over the weekend capturing our gender reveal and we are so pumped for Nico to have a little bro!

Hoping warmer weather is in our future. We are ready to play outside again! How about you? What are you most looking forward to for the spring season?

XO,

Gina