Palm Tree Nation: $50 or less

It might be because it's summertime, or maybe because designers have fallen in love with palm trees, but lately fashion seems to be favoring the palms. Almost every day, I see someone wearing something that has some palm trees on it. Whether it's at the grocery store, at work, on when I log on to yahoo news and they're talking about what celebrities wore; people everywhere love their palm trees. Luckily for me, I love them too. I decided to find some gorgeous and affordable palm tree wears for anyone who loves the palms just as much as I do:

Palm Tree Nation

$50 or Less

Soak Up The Sun Beige Tropical Print Tote: $33.00

Adorable yet still the perfect size for all those papers and your laptop.

Impact Palm Sporty Dress: $25.00

Pair with leggings and boots for a more casual vibe or dress it up with heels for a date or a blazer for work. This dress is mulch-functional AND perfect for the summertime.

Palm Harmony Print Flare Skirt: $47.40

 While the palm trees say summer, the colors can easily take this skirt from summer to winter when paired with the right pieces. The easy shape makes this gorgeous skirt flattering on all body types.

Palm Tree Round Sunglasses: $36.00

A slight retro feel makes these fun glasses the perfect accessory for your beach day or date outfit.

One Fine Vacay Flat: $44.99

The bright blue and white makes these flats and the cutest shoes to throw on with your beach cover-up or farmer's market dress.

Zoolander + Paris Fashion Week

When I was middle school my mother and I decided one boring night to go to the movie theater to find a movie to pass the time with. That was all we had to do for fun in the small town aside from shop at JCPenney's or go get some Dunkin Donuts (There was one every 4 miles, literally)

As we walked towards the theater, my mother saw a poster for a new movie that had just come out called "Zoolander" and she dragged me in to go see it with her. At first I was apprehensive because quite honestly, it looked boring, but I quickly realized about 15 minutes into the movie that it was going to be AMAZING. Zoolander is one of our favorite movies still to this day, and last night I saw a post on Instagram of what looked to be Zoolander & Hansel walking down the runway.

Turns out, the boys are back at it again to make a Zoolander 2 which will be coming out next year. To announce it and promote it, Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson walked in the Maison Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week.

 They also did an amazing backstage getting-ready video with Anna Wintour that made me laugh uncontrollably. 

Are you excited for Zoolander 2?

The Gold Rush of Nail Polish

One of my obsessions started back in high school when I began to dip my toe into the girly-girl pool freshman year: painting my nails. Each week was an exciting moment to choose how I wanted to express my personality and mood, on my nails that is. I wouldn't just change the color though, I would go all out and paint different shapes on each nail. One nail would be fireworks, the next fish, and the next a balloon. I blame it all on my mother when she got me a nail art design kit for my birthday one year.

My obsession has spiraled from there, and now I feel naked without my nails colored. I always try to keep it interesting, even if it's a clear base with a splatter paint effect. I love to make my nails pop. However, I don't love paying full price for nail polish. Nail polish prices can add up very quickly if you're not careful, which is why I'm always on the hunt for great deals and ways to get brands like Deborah Lippmann, Butter London, Julep and Zoya for a fraction of the cost. I've been very lucky over the years; walking into beauty stores on just the right day, having friends and family who tried the color once and didn't like it, and by scanning websites and emails religiously for that magical word "sale". 

[My collection of colors]

While I knew that beauty stores were great places to look, I would pass over stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall's because to me they were only purses, shoes and clothes. I was colored surprised last week though when I walked into Marshalls and found an entire stand dedicated to Julep nail polishes. Yep, those sparkling little beauties that normally retail for $14.00 I found at Marshall's, and guess how much they were. 

$3.99

[The pearlescent color was just too pretty to pass up!]

I did backflips and cartwheels (In my mind) and swiped a color I didn't already own (something that's getting harder and harder to find). After checking out, I felt like I had robbed a bank and gotten away scot-free. I skipped all the way across the parking lot in a dress and heels. Yep, a 26 year-old skipped because of nail polish, in heels no less.

I have no shame, and mad skipping skills.

NYFW 2015 - The highlights

I'm sure as you already realized, this past week was New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015.

At this point, most of the popular bloggers and major online publications have already written posts and articles about the trends seen on the runways. I wasn't front row, so I can't provide any more new trends that others might have overlooked.  Instead I've decided to make a quick highlighted list of my favorite trends and moments from the runway videos and recaps, cause watching every single recap video? Ain't nobody got time for that.

1.) Betsey Johnson's hilarious and perfect ode to 1950's hollywood glamour weddings:

2.) The "Normcore" hair trend has made getting ready in the morning a whole lot faster:

 

 

3.) Don't donate your designer sportswear just yet:

4.) If you're planning on wearing a skirt this season, it should have a high-slit:

5.) Ralph Lauren's 4D water projection runway show wins for this year's coolest runway presentation:

6.) Opening Ceremony put on a play instead of a traditional runway show, and it was really awesome.

7.) Platforms are huge. Literally.

8.) When I was watching the Yahoo Live stream of NYFW, Joe Zee and his guest were talking about how designers give birth to trends on their runways. Obviously designers don't all get together in one big group months before and decide on what's hot for that season, but these trends still emerge as you're watching the shows. The themes for each show can be completely different, but ultimately trends are born from various designers showing similar elements.

At one point when they were showing Oscar De La Renta's models on the runway and a gingham ensemble came waltzing down, Joe delcared "Gingham doesn't just happen!". I laughed so hard I almost snorted pizza through my nose.

It's true though: trends, and gingham, just don't happen lovelies.