Pastel Midi Pleated Skirt

Pleated Skirt: H&M / Crewneck Shirt: GAP / Denim Jacket: H&M (Similar)
Heels: Sam Edelman / Crossbody: Tory Burch Robinson
Watch: Movado / Sunglasses: Sperry (Similar)

Happy Thursday everyone! I’m happy to say that spring is FINALLY here and as you can see I'm all about spring fashion! The temperatures have been in the 80’s here in Philadelphia and I’m loving it! I can finally say that I am ready to put away my winter clothes and do a spring cleaning! Who else does a wardrobe switch-out each season? I usually try to do it twice a year – once in the fall and once in the spring. The way it works is that I take out all my clothes for the season and create three files - toss, donate, and keep. It honestly feels so good afterwards when your closet is clean and organized!

I'm also happy to say that pleated skirts are back for spring but updated for the season with pretty pastel colors! One of my new editions to my spring wardrobe is this beautiful mint colored midi pleated skirt. When I put it on my husband was like wow “I love that color and skirt on you!” It’s honestly perfect for spring and it’s under $50! I paired this look with heels to keep the look dressy for the evening but this pleated skirt would also be super cute paired with white sneakers!

I’ve linked a few other of my favorite pastel pleated skirts in the widget below.

The Blog Connect Conference 2018

This past weekend was the third annual Blog Connect Conference #theblogconnect hosted by PHL Bloggers. PHL Bloggers is an amazing community of bloggers and small business owners from the Philadelphia area. The conference was held at the lovely Saxby’s Headquarters at 2300 Chestnut Street. As the event was located at the Saxby’s Headquarters there was free tea and coffee all day long (including latte, espresso, etc. in any size)!

Once you arrived and checked in, you could get your headshot taken by Julia Dent (which I definitely got taken!). Breakfast which was provided by Saxby's consisted of bagels and cream cheese, fruit, and pastries. There was a chance to mingle and get settled in before the conference started promptly at 9:00AM. As this was my second year attending the conference it was so nice to see both familiar and new faces!

This year’s blog theme was: Find Your Roots. It’s all about going deeper into the skills you already have, developing good habits and creating content. There were many wonderful speakers and sessions all day long!

Listing of Speakers:

Emcee

Andy Shaw // Instafather

Keynotes

Sarah Von Bargen // Yes and Yes

Tara Gentile // CoCommercial

Speakers

AK Brown & Diamond Hudson // Just Bloggers: No Explanation

Len Markidan // Podia

Antoinette Minor // The Young Professionalist

Michelle Conron // Cashman & Associates

Judy Freedman // A Boomer's Life After 50

Amber Burns // Space on Third

Panelists

Jessica Lawlor Jessica Lawlor / Melissa Alam Femme & Fortune/ Sarah DeGeorge Socially Dedicated

After the morning speakers, we had lunch catered by Snap Kitchen. Snap Kitchen provides fresh, prepared meals using high quality ingredients. After lunch came the afternoon session with more speakers and breakout session. There was also a mid-afternoon snack break with Federal Donuts (seriously they are SO yummy!).

Here are the FIVE biggest takeaways which I took from the conference:

Morning keynote speaker, Sarah Von Bargen from Yes and Yes made us think What does blogging success look like to you? Success looks and feels different for everyone. In order to reach your version of success, you need to create habits which set you up for success. Those habits can be daily, weekly, monthly, etc - whatever it looks like to you. Success is not measured in how many likes you might get on Instagram or how many followers you have (which is SO important especially in today's world!). It's what makes YOU feel successful.

Len Markidan from Podia did a great presentation on How to earn a living from blogging without sponsors, advertisers, and affiliates. He discussed useful tools and steps in order to come up with a profitable course idea and using Google.com and Reddit.com to do your research in order to find a topic worth teaching. I thought was very informative and this got me thinking how I can apply this to my blog.

Judy Freedman from A Baby Boomer Woman's Life After 50 discussed How to avoid blogger burnout. And YES blogger burnout is a real concept! Judy spoke about mindfulness and certain techniques we can use everyday. One of my favorite techniques she taught us was
STOP – BREATHE – BE.

Antoinette Minor from The Young Professionalist spoke about What to post and how to post on social media. She suggests posting 1x day on Instagram, 2x - 1x day on Facebook, and 3x - 5x on Twitter. I have to admit I never gave much thought into how often or how less I was posting on these social media websites and it's so helpful to have a guide!

Michelle Conron from Cashman & Associates gave us insight into How PR agencies work with Influencers and Clients. Michelle gave us tips on what they look for when vetting through bloggers and influencers. It's also important for bloggers to have consistency among social media platforms (for instance when it comes to branding) and be able to back up your numbers.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, if you ever have the chance to attend a blogging conference I highly suggest it! It may seem intimidating but it’s really great to get out there, network and to meet new people! You honestly never know who you may meet and what new things you may learn. It’s also awesome to be in a room full of individuals who have similar interests with you!

The Suede Skirt You Need for Spring

Suede Skirt: LOFT / White T-Shirt: GAP 
Denim Jacket: H&M (Similar) / Greece Sandals: Steve Madden
Watch: Movado / Sunglasses: Sperry (Similar) 
Necklace: Kate Spade / Crossbody Purse: Tory Burch Robinson

I’m happy to say that I’m in full spring mode and finally wearing my spring outfits! Speaking of spring, I am LOVING this suede skirt from LOFT. It looks like a wrap skirt but it isn’t! I also love the tie detailing and the soft material. I would honestly consider this skirt a neutral piece so I went casual and wore it with a plain tee and a jean jacket. It’s honestly soo easy to re-create this look and I can’t wait to get a lot of use out of this skirt during the spring and summer. I also am also loving these Greece Sandals from Steve Madden. I rarely buy white shoes since they get dirty easily but these have held up really well so far! I can't wait to wear them when we go to Greece next month!

This weekend is The Blog Connect Conference in Philadelphia from Saturday to Sunday! The blog kick off party is Saturday and the actual conference is all day Sunday. This is my second year going and I am super excited! It’s really a great way to meet other bloggers from the area and to listen to some really awesome motivating speakers about various blogging topics! The best part? All the unlimited coffee from Saxby's you want and some awesome serious swag bags!

Asymmetrical Top for Spring Under $100

Top: Endless Rose / Jeans: JCrew
Nude Heels: Sam Edelman / Purse: Tory Burch Robinson
Initial Necklace: Kate Spade / Earrings: Givenchy / Sunglasses: Nicole Miller (Similar)

It’s FINALLY beginning to feel like spring! On Sunday the weather was absolutely gorgeous so the hubby and I decided to venture out for dinner. I love the energy in the city when the weather starts to get warm. It always feels as though everyone is hibernating in the winter and then all at once everyone decides to come out and play. There are always so many people walking around and one of my favorite things to do is to sit outside and have a meal (and of course people watch)! We ventured to Pub & Kitchen on Sunday which is one of my favorite spots for a burger and a  chilled glass of rosé.

I wore this outfit during our dinner outing on Sunday and I just have to talk about how much I love the details on this asymmetrical top. This one is currently on sale for under $100 and is a must have for the spring! I really love fancy tops because I can just throw them on with any jeans and yet look put together. There are also so many similar asymmetrical tops I've been seeing which I am linking below!

What to Buy from the Spring 2018 Sephora Sale

It’s back better than ever! The sale at Sephora starts again today for the spring season! Starting today, April 20 until April 23 all levels (Yes ALL levels!) – Sephora Rouge, VIB and Beauty Insider - can shop the sale of the season!

The reason this sale is so epic is that department stores will never give you this much of a discount off of beauty products! So if you’ve been thinking of splurging on the Clarisonic or Dyson Hairdryer now is the time to buy those investment pieces (there are a few exclusions which include: The Ordinary, one Dyson product per purchase, and three Drunk Elephant products per purchase). 

How to Shop the Sephora Sale

First off, you need to be a member of the Beauty Insider program (you can sign up here).

The way the sale works it’s in a tiered format:

To receive 15% off Items:

• Must be a Rouge or VIB member
• Rouge members – Receive 15% off April  13-16 and April 20-23 in store and online with code YAYROUGE
• VIB members – Receive 15% off April 20-23 in store and online with code YAYVIB

To receive 10% off Items:

• Beauty Insiders – Receive 10% off April 20-23 in store and online with code YAYINSIDER

If you aren’t familiar with the tiers here is a run down on how it works. The top tier is VIB Rouge which is for those customers that spend $1,000 a year. The next tier is VIB for customers who spend $350 a year. The third tier is Beauty Insider which is for any customers in the program who spend less than $350 a year.

What to Buy from the Sephora VIB Sale - Top 10 Items

1. Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer - Alright ladies, how many of you HATE blowdrying your hair? I know I definitely fall into that category with my long locks! What's worse is that I've gotten my hair stuck in a hair dryer.. seriously it's time to stop investing in cheapo hairdryers. The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is one of the hot items this year with its high-speed, powerful, brushless digital motor and intelligent heat control for shine. I own a Dyson Hair Dryer and I LOVE IT! If you have any questions about this hair dryer feel free to ask!

2. T3 Styling Wand - This curling wand does WONDERS to your hair and creates long lasting curls! I always struggle with curls falling out soon after I've curled my hair so this item is definitely in my shopping cart! What's even better is that this comes in a set of THREE barrels so you get more for your money!

3. Clarisonic - Another must buy to have during this sale! This Clarisonic features a two-speed cleansing device paired with a radiance-boosting brush head and a makeup brush. This is seriously a game changer if you want your skin looking flawless!

4. Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder - This loose setting powder is the KEY to setting my makeup especially under my eye area. I use this setting powder to set my under eye makeup so it doesn't crease or look cakey. It's seriously fool proof and makes your makeup last longer! There is also a mini travel size which I bought as part of the sale so I can toss it into my purse!

5. Foundation - These two foundations have been on my radar (and I'm sure alot of you as well!) Huda Beauty Foundation and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. I've heard so many great things about both of these foundations and ca't wait to try them!

6. Contour Kit by Smashbox - Contouring has seriously changed the way I do my makeup every day. The kit contains a contour, bronzer, and highlight shade. It also comes with instructions if you are a newbie!

7. Shimmering Skin Perfector Highlighter by Becca - This is hands-down one of my favorite highlighters of all time. It gives you such a beautiful highlight and glow. I use this on my cheekbones and it really pulls my makeup together.

8. Beautyblender - Stock up on these beautyblenders NOW!! I can't even begin to tell you how many beautyblenders I've gone through or have lost. The beautyblender is essential to a flawless makeup application. I use it every single day to apply my make up!

9. Chanel perfume - Okay ladies, when does Chanel perfume EVER go on sale? I have both the COCO Mademoiselle and the Gabrielle CHANEL they are both amazing. I've gotten so many questions about what perfume I wear so these are must haves!

10. Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eye Shadow Palette - During the Sephora sale I always make it a point to pick up at least one new eye shadow palette! This palette is a beautiful everyday to night palette with 14 shades, including essential mattes and glam shimmer finishes.

I hope you enjoyed this type of post of what is in my Sephora cart!

Will you be shopping the sale and picking up anything? I would love to hear your thoughts!