The One Pink Sweater You Need For Spring

Knit Sweater: H&M / Dress Shirt: Old (Similar) / Jeans: Old (Similar)
Heels: Sam Edelman / Handbag: Chanel / Sunglasses: Nicole Miller (Similar)

Right now I am craving everything and anything spring! I am totally loving this beautiful pink loose knit sweater from H&M which is a total dupe for this $475 knit sweater from Ganni!! The thing I love about this knit sweater is that it is so versatile and looks great paired with just about anything - jeans, white jeans, shorts! (Can you tell I'm all about versatile pieces?!).

Since it was a little chilly out, I paired this knit sweater layered over a dress shirt. This knit sweater is seriously so cozy and just looks so much more expensive than it really is. I really like that the knit pattern is a loose hole pattern and balloon sleeves.

So this upcoming weekend I am heading up to Connecticut to my parents house to spend Easter with them! I haven't been back home since January so I am super excited to spend some quality time with them! Anyone have any fun things planned this weekend?

Review of Chanel Classic Mini Rectangle Flap Bag and Photos

When you think of Chanel you instantly think of the iconic Chanel Classic Flap Bag which is absolutely gorgeous and timeless. The Chanel Classic Flag Bag comes in 7 different sizes (ranging from Maxi to Extra Mini), and the Chanel Mini Rectangle is one of the smaller sizes.

Let’s chat about the highly sought-after Chanel mini bag and my experience on how I came to get my hands on this sought after mini bag!

I really had my heart on buying a Chanel bag from the Chanel store. The number one reason being that you know that the item you are getting is 100% authentic complete with an authentication card and of course, the beautiful packaging. I was initially looking into purchasing the Chanel Wallet on Chain (WOC) but I really wanted a bag that had the look and feel of the Chanel Classic Flap Bag. I love the size of my Saint Laurent Monogram Mattelasse Leather Chain Wallet which is: 8.75” x 5.5” x 1.5” so I knew I wanted a similar bag but in silver hardware. So in came the Chanel Classic Flap Mini Rectangle Bag with dimensions of: 8” x 5” x 2”. 

For material I decided to go with calfskin. It’s honestly all about personal choice and use. Lambskin is very soft but is fragile and can easily scratch.  Calfskin (or caviar) is a harder material but is durable and doesn’t scratch easily.  I went with the grained calfskin with silver hardware as it is more durable than the lambskin and not as prone to scratches. Since this Chanel Classic Flap Mini Rectangle Bag would be one I would wear out at night I wanted something that wasn’t as prone to scratches.

Here is a size comparison of the smaller Chanel Bags so you can see how these smaller bags compare to each other in size:

Now something that people never tell you is that tracking down these bags are not easy. Unfortunately in Philadelphia there are no Chanel stores and not even the King of Prussia mall has one. The nearest location is New York City but I did not want to take the chance of going all the way there and leaving disappointed. So I literally picked up the phone and started calling every Chanel store without any luck. Well in the meantime my wonderful husband had a contact over at the Chanel store in New York City! The associate had white, pink, and red in the Chanel Mini Rectangle bag but I really wanted to wait as long as it took for the bag in black. I literally waited months until the sales associate called to say that they were getting the bag and if I was still interested.

Once the bag arrived I was so excited to open it up! After opening up the box and seeing the bag in person it was definitely love at first sight and this mini bag is such a beauty. I definitely made the right decision.

The Chanel mini has enough space for all your day to day necessities. I am able to store my ID, credit cards, iPhone 7, lipgloss, and any knickknacks comfortably in this bag. Some of my initial thoughts on the bag - it’s seriously the perfect luxury addition without it being too much. The bag is built very well and is sturdy (with the pricetag you wouldn’t expect anything less). The purse has the classic CC interlocking design and a back pocket.  The bag is also very versatile. It can be worn long, crossbody, or as a clutch. Also the chain can even be wrapped a certain way for you to carry it as a shorter shoulder bag which can be used as a formal look.  I am 5’7” and the chain length of the bag is perfect for me (I believe the chain length is 23”).

Overall, I love the Chanel Mini Rectangle bag. It has a the look and feel of a bigger Classic Chanel Flap Bag but at a smaller size. I love that it’s such a versatile bag and that I can wear it many ways. The price of a Chanel bag increases each year, however, it’s definitely an investment piece!

Best Neutral Pieces for Endless Spring Outfit Combinations

Wrap Blouse: ASOS / Jeans: JCrew
Heels: Levity (Similar) / Handbag: Tory Burch Crossbody
Initial Necklace: Kate Spade / Sunglasses: Sperry (Similar) / Earrings: Givenchy

Spring is officially here and it’s nowhere near close to warm weather yet! There was a big snowstorm that came through Wednesday and we got about a good 5 inches of snowfall here in Philadelphia. Luckily I was able to work from home with my laptop and was cozy at home (for those of you who are new followers here is a little background about myself).

At the beginning of each new season I go through my wardrobe and either keep, toss, or donate my clothes (this reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw from the first Sex and the City movie.. of course minus the closet fashion show and champagne..). I do tend to wear neutral colors year-round such as white, black, gray, beige, blush so I make sure to do a refresh of these pieces.

Neutrals are so easy and simple to pair with just about anything. I love this white wrap blouse from ASOS by River Island. I like the bow wrap detail on the side which really elevates this neutral blouse. The material of this blouse is lightweight chiffon and the blouse is slightly sheer which is perfect for those spring days. I  paired this look with my favorite high rise ankle jeans from JCrew. These jeans honestly fit so well and I just love the skinny fit. These jeans don't have a gap in the waist which is soo important to us curvy women! Also, a neutral purse is always a good addition for spring.  One of my newer purchases is the Tory Burch Robinson leather wallet crossbody bag in the camel color. I know I will be getting alot of use out of it!

Let’s talk about my hair. So I always use this 1 1/4 inch curling iron by Hot Tools to create the waves in my hair. However, I had bought a 1 1/4 inch tapered curling wand by Hot Tools from Ulta a while back and realized I had never used it so I figured since I had some extra time to get ready so why not try it out? I really loved the waves that the wand created and will definitely be using it more! Also, I am really loving the half up top knot trend and it’s so simple to do! Let me know in the comments below if you would want to see a video on how to achieve this hairstyle!

Colorful Striped Dress For The First Day of Spring

Striped Midi Dress: Zara / Jacket: French Connection
Shoes: Sam Edelman (On Sale!) / Purse: Saint Laurent
Aviator Sunglasses: Nicole Miller (Similar) / Earrings: Givenchy

Happy first day of spring! One of the trends for spring I am loving are colorful striped dresses. This striped midi dress from Zara is seriously giving me life especially since the current forecast in Philadelphia is about 9 inches of snow!

Zara is one of my favorite places to shop for affordable fun pieces and I never fail to walk out of there without a few new additions to my wardrobe. Before every new season I love popping by Zara for updating my wardrobe. I’ve started building my spring wardrobe one piece at a time and thought this striped dress would be a great edition. It’s such a fun and easy knit dress to throw on and works perfectly for any occasion. This dress would also be perfect for any casual occasion paired with white sneakers and a simple jean or leather jacket.

I also love that the length of this dress is midi with a touch of detail with the gathered material. This dress comes in three colors: black and two different colorful prints. I think I am going to get the black one also! I also linked a few of my other favorite colorful dresses below!

Resort Review: CHIC by Royalton Luxury in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Today on the blog I am sharing my resort review of the CHIC by Royalton Luxury in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  But first, a few outfit photos as requested from our trip!

Floral Off The Shoulder Dress: Express / Sandals: ASOS (Similar)
Crossbody Purse: Tory Burch / Sunglasses: Sperry (Similar)

Tassel Beach Romper Coverup: ASOS / Sandals: Steve Madden (Also here)
Sunglasses: Sperry / Straw Tote: H&M (Not pictured)

Full blog post on this look is HERE.

Dress: Tularosa (One of my favorite dresses!) / Sandals: Steve Madden
Crossbody Purse: Tory Burch

Now onto the review of the CHIC by Royalton Luxury in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic.

My husband and I have been to Punta Cana several times and this time we decided to switch it up and stay at the CHIC by Royalton Luxury.  One of the reasons we love visiting Punta Cana is because it’s only a 4 hour direct flight from Philadelphia so if you leave early enough in the day you will still have a full day ahead to enjoy yourself!

TRANSPORTATION + TRAVEL

Once we arrived in Punta Cana, our travel agent had booked us a private car so we were able to get through the airport quickly and were off to the resort in no time. I highly recommend a private car in Punta Cana because if you book a shuttle service there will be other people on the shuttle with you. The shuttle will make stops at other resorts.. so what may seem like a short trip will end up taking anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours. From the airport to the resort it was about 45 minutes in our private car.

CHECK-IN PROCESS

Once we arrived at the resort we were greeted with hand towels and a tropical drink. We were escorted over to the Diamond Club to check in (which we paid extra for and highly recommend – more on that below). Check-in was a breeze. I liked that instead of a room key you have a bracelet which you swipe to get in and out of your room – makes life so much easier than having to remember to carry around a room key! The Diamond Club definitely made the trip. I think without this amenity our stay would have fallen flat. In the Diamond Club you get your own butler (shoutout to Omar and Samuel who went out of their way to take care of us), top shelf alcohol, and access to Diamond Club lounge – drinks and snacks always stocked from the morning to 11PM, your own beach and bar area, access to the Mermaid pool and a few other amenities which we didn’t use (i.e. unpacking and packing luggage service, ironing, etc.).

ROOMS

The resort has 320 rooms which all have modern touches and are very spacious. I did wish that the dresser was larger since it only had three small drawers. I did like the bathroom vanity area – there were two sinks and also a magnified mirror. There was also a large tub next to the shower in the middle of the room. We would have to remember to close the blinds if you were showering since we had a swim up room next to the beach area so people can definitely see into your room. There were also a lot of bugs outside. I didn’t notice them on the first or second day but by the third day we made sure to keep the swim up pool side doors shut at all times. The cleaning service also came by twice daily – once in the morning and once at night. Another feature which I really liked is that you could order room service straight from your television! Another added bonus, an in-room, ready pour drink dispenser! WiFi was also great through-out the entire resort!

BEACH + POOL AREAS

The beach was extremely clean and I didn’t see any seaweed that was on the shore. The waves were high though so there was either a yellow or red flag out each day. There were plenty of chairs and huts to sit under at the beach. The Diamond Club also has their own beach area complete with their own bar. So you could essentially sit in a cabana on the beach without having to pay extra which is an amenity I really liked.

There was one big pool, a smaller pool next to it with a swim up pool bar, and the Mermaid pool (for Diamond Club members). The activities near the pool area were fun. I participated in Zumba and Spin aerobics. There was a foam party during the day on Saturday (I believe these parties happen twice a week). We did have to play the pool chair game so if you were at the pool after 11AM you won't be able to find a chair. So one of the days we did end up purchasing a bottle and a cabana since there were no available lounge chairs but it was worth it to have your own area especially if you are with a group.

FOOD + DRINKS

One of my favorite things about the resort was that they had a specialty coffee shop. Every morning we would try a new drink – from lattes, to cappuccinos, to frappuccinos - they had it all. I thought that the food was very good at the resort! We tried the Middle Eastern restaurant the first night. The tabbouleh, wings, lamb with couscous, chicken with rice were amazing. The next night we tried the Italian restaurant, Vespa, which was also great. Our favorites were the Diablo pizza and Lasagna. The last night we had dinner at the Steakhouse, Hunter. We had the tuna carpaccio, Cesar salad, French onion soup, and filets. We were able to arrange our dinners seamlessly through the Diamond Club. During the day we primarily ate around the pool. We had the most amazing chicken burgers everyday and fries (just thinking about this is making me hungry.. it was THAT good!).

RESORT ACTIVITIES

We participated In a few of the activities. As I said before I did the Zumba in the pool and also the Spin class in the pool. There were nightly parities set up each night. My favorite was the circus themed party on the first night (Wednesday) which was in the lobby area. There was also weekly foam parties. To our disappointment, the Casino was also closed randomly on Wednesday and Thursday and then randomly opened Friday and Saturday night. Lastly, we also got massages at the spa. The Spa was really nice, however, the sauna/steam room weren't working also to my disappointment.

All in all we had a good time. There were a few things that should have been told to us when we checked in about certain amenities not being available instead of us having to find out ourselves later on (i.e. Casino + Spa) but other than that we had a great vacation! It's always nice to get away someplace warm during the winter!