First in Flight

I think I made it pretty clear to everyone that I was at the beach last week (in this post and this one and in a lot of Instagrams), but I don’t know if I made it clear which beach. We were at Nags Head in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I grew up in North Carolina, so to me, “beach” can only mean the Outer Banks. I’ve heard Florida also has a few beaches, but I see no need to check.

Nags Head is just down the road from the spot where the Wright brothers took their first successful airplane flights in 1903. There’s a memorial and visitor center there now, so we stopped to check it out before heading to the airport for our flight home. When you’re about to get on a plane in a few hours, what better time to see where it all started, right?

So this outfit was my nerdy tourist/goodbye beach/travel look.

Do you see that? It’s aviation…reflected in my aviator sunglasses. Is your mind blown? Because it should be.

Top // Jeans (on sale) // Watch* // Sunglasses // Shoes* // Nails // Lips

*Watch provided courtesy of Dainty Wrist Jewelry; shoes purchased with gift card provided courtesy of Shopbop.

WARMfest: the Outfits & the Music

Welcome back from the long weekend, everyone! I hope yours was lovely.  I spent a good chunk of mine at WARMfest, which was a pretty good distraction from the fact that I’m no longer at the beach. I relaxed on a picnic blanket, I ate from food trucks, I did some pretty great people-watching, and (obviously) I listened to good music.

Below are my festival outfits from Saturday and Sunday. They’re nothing terribly exciting – I was more worried about being comfortable than impressing anyone. You shouldn’t be disappointed…I mean “real life” is right there in the blog title. You knew what you were getting in to. If you’re looking for ridiculous, impractical festival wear, there are plenty of other blogs for that.

My outfit photos are in color, and I included some photos of my favorite bands in black & white. So if you’re just here for the clothes, that part’s easy to find. But if you’re a music fan, be sure to check out the black & white stuff, too!

Outfit 1: Shirt (on sale) // similar Skirt (only $10) // similar Bag // similar Sunglasses

On Saturday we paid a little extra to take a “cruise” on the White River while being entertained by folk rock singer Megan Maudlin. She was really great, as was her friend Dave Vogt who played with her. I’m not convinced he’s real, though. I think he had a little mouse inside his guitar, and the mouse had its own tiny guitar that was supplying half the notes he was playing. He was insane.

This was Sweet Poison Victim (great name, right?)…their sound is like a blend of African and Caribbean music. Very fun.

Of Montreal was the headliner for Saturday. I loved the music, just don’t ask me to explain the…dancers?

Outfit 2: Jacket // similar Dress // similar Belt (under $13) // Shoes (under $15) // similar Bag // similar Sunglasses // Bracelet (on sale)

These two are from the Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. This chick is the most badass washboard player ever. Granted, there’s probably not a lot of competition.

Budgeting Bloggers: August

It’s the end of another month (can you believe it?!) so it’s time for another budget report. I’m proud to say I came in under budget again this month. But…I did get a couple things for my beach trip (a bathing suit, shorts, and coverup) that I didn’t include. Because I forgot. But let’s just call those one-offs. I’m not going to beat myself up about it because I got a little birthday money that I didn’t spend. Moral of the story is: let’s call it even. On to the deets:

My budget:

• +$157 ($150 starting budget plus $7 not spent in July)
• +$122 (blog income)
• +$46 (sold old clothes)

            =$325

What I spent:

• -$15 on floral sneakers from Target
• -$22 on a striped “beach” tee from Madewell (orig. $55, on extra sale)
• -$67 on leopard print pumps by Via Spiga (retail $250, got them on clearance at Nordstrom Rack!)
• -$21 on clear frame sunglasses from J. Crew Factory
• -$21 on a statement necklace from J. Crew (orig. $55, on extra sale)
• -$25 on a gray sweatshirt from Target
• -$69 on an embellished chambray shirt from Nordstrom (orig. $98, got during Anniversary Sale)
• -$58 on black & white pumps from DSW (retail $99, DSW price $60, used my $5-off birthday coupon)
• -$20 on a monogram bracelet from C. Wonder (which I just realized I’ve never worn)

           =$318 (total retail value: $638)

What I received:

• A black dress, floral d’orsay flats, and rose gold solitaire ring courtesy of Shopbop

As always, I’m linking up with the other Budgeting Bloggers over at Franish!

A Walk to the Pier

My vacation is coming to a close, but I’m not ready to accept it yet. So instead let’s admire these photos from earlier in the week when we took a walk down the beach to the pier. Naturally, once we got there, we sang the Dawson’s Creek theme song. Not exactly the same pier, but close enough.

A couple days before we left for vacation, I realized I didn’t really have a cute coverup, so I went to Target to grab one. There aren’t a lot of options left at the end of August, but I found this maxi dress on the clearance rack. I didn’t even try it on. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it fit like a glove. I wore it for several hours on the beach, went inside to shower, and put it back on for dinner. Don’t be surprised if you see me wearing it again before summer is out!

Dress // similar Hat // Sunglasses (under $15)

Beachwear. Obviously.

Does anyone know where the beach is? Oh, I think it’s this way…

VACATION. I’M ON IT. When I went to the beach house kitchen to get my coffee in this outfit, my aunt complimented me on my cute pajamas. I guess these do look like pajamas, but when you’re at the beach, this is an outfit. It’s been pretty windy and not super hot, but that’s a good excuse to forgo the bikini and just take a long walk on the beach in comfy clothes.

Pardon my brevity on this post, but I have wine to drink and naps to take.

Top (on sale) // similar Pants (under $30) // Sunglasses (under $15) // Ring* // Nails

*Ring purchased with gift card provided courtesy of Shopbop.

#FriendsGettingMarried

This was the last outfit I wore before heading out to the beach – my friends Christie and Amy got married on Saturday, so I delayed my vacation by a day so I could be there. That’s how much I like them. (Take note, ladies.)

It only seems appropriate I tell you the story of how I met Christie and Amy, and I’ll try to do it in a way that is less embarrassing for Christie. So they moved to the Indianapolis area last spring, and they went to the Pride Parade. It just so happens that I was there too, and being the Instagram addict that I am, I posted a couple photos using the #indypride hashtag. Christie looked through that hashtag and saw my photos, which led her to my profile, which led her to my blog. From there she figured out that (a) I live in Indianapolis, and (b) I’m obviously super awesome.

Running the strong risk of coming off as a total creepster, Christie emailed me (she told me later that she read the email over and over and made Amy read it too before sending). I guess I was feeling nice that day, because I emailed her back. Not long after, the 4 of us met up for brunch, and the rest is history!

So if I get nothing else worthwhile out of this little adventure that is blogging, at least I have 2 great new friends. You can make fun of hashtags all you want, but without them, I probably never would have met Christie and Amy. They’re both fantastic people, and they make a fantastic couple. A million congratulations to the newlyweds, and thanks for stalking me!

Top (on sale) // similar Skirt // similar Shoes (on sale) // Sunglasses // similar Bag // similar Ring // Nails // Lips “Whimsical”

My Kind of Outdoorsy

Guess what? I’m on my way to the beach today! No, I’m not trying to rub it in your face. At least not in this post. Later in the week and on Instagram I totally will rub it in your face, though. Today I’m actually looking ahead to the one thing that will make me happy to come home from the beach: WARMfest! Indiana is very into festivals. Popcorn festivals. Covered bridge festivals. We’ll festivate anything. I’m usually more of an art and wine festival kind of girl, but last year WARMfest opened my eyes to the world of outdoor music festivals. It was so much fun, and I can’t wait to go again. Naturally, I’m already thinking about what to wear. When you’re going to be outside in the summer for an extended period of time you have to be strategic, and I think I’ve figured out the recipe for the ultimate festival outfit…

1. Maxi dress. It’s less binding than jean shorts. Breezy, breathable, comfortable. And maxi is better than mini, because if you’re going to spend any time sitting on a blanket, you don’t want to worry about who’s seeing your business. A tank top and maxi skirt works too.

Dresses: Soft Joie, Splendid, BB Dakota

2. Straw hat. Style and function! Don’t be the girl with the sunburn along her hairline (not that I would know anything about that). Straw is a good option (as opposed to a baseball cap, for example) because it still lets in a little airflow.

Hats: Eugenia Kim, Bop Basics (#2 & #3)

3. Delicate jewelry. I don’t know about you, but I feel naked without accessories. And public nudity is generally frowned upon. So being out in the heat is no excuse not to add some jewelry – it’s just not the best environment for heavy, chunky stuff.

Necklaces: House of Harlow 1960, Jules Smith (#2 & #3)

4. Flat sandals. If you do a Google image search for “Coachella fashion,” you’ll see a lot of girls in chunky boots. I don’t know if that’s badass, or just idiotic. Don’t be a hero. Wear comfortable, non-sweat-inducing shoes at an outdoor festival.

Sandals: Laidback London, Soludos, Ipanema

Other necessities include sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hands-free bag.

WARMfest details for my fellow Hoosiers: In case I didn’t make it clear, WARMfest is awesome. This year it runs from Friday, Aug. 29 through Monday, Sept. 1, in Broad Ripple Park. A basic weekend pass is $75, or you can get individual day tickets for $10-35 depending on the day (buy tickets here). You can find the whole band lineup here, but it doesn’t even matter if you’ve never heard of any of the bands. Last year there was only 1 that I knew, and it was still fun. Plus, the food truck situation is on point. Come hungry!

Disclosure: All of the products included above are from Shopbop. Shopbop did not specifically sponsor or pay me for this post, but I do have a partnership with Shopbop. In addition, WARMfest is providing me with media passes in exchange for coverage of the event (but I would have been going anyway!)

Double Navy + a New ‘Do

Every once in a while I dig the whole monochromatic thing. Yesterday was one of those days, apparently. I felt like a had a brand new dress just by doubling up on the navy. And speaking of colors, if it looks like my hair’s a little darker, that’s because it is. Maybe I’m just looking forward to fall, but I felt like switching it up a little. I wore this hair and navy out for a pizza date last night.

That’s all for today, folks! I have a wedding to go to on Saturday, then I’m leaving for the BEACH! My mind is already on the weekend, hence the lack of the fantastic wit to which you have become so accustomed. Hang in there; it’ll be back.

Top (on sale) // similar Skirt // Bag // similar Necklace // similar Sunglasses // Shoes (on sale) // similar Ring (on sale) // Fingernails // Toenails

Wanted: Uniform

Some people have a sort of “go to” formula or uniform for getting dressed. I should probably get one of those. Because I don’t dress well under pressure. On Sunday we got up early for “members only” hour at the zoo, and I was a dummy and hadn’t planned an outfit the night before. It took me like 11 tries to come up with this…yes, this groundbreaking jeans + shirt combo. Is it even worth showing to you? I don’t know, but it’s what I wore in real life, so here we are.

Shirt (on sale) // Jeans (on sale) // similar Bag // Shoes (on sale) // similar Sunglasses // Watch* // Nails* // Lips “Whimsical”

*Watch provided courtesy of Dainty Wrist Jewelry; manicure provided courtesy of The Beauty Bar at Geist.

Beauty & the Booze

Shirt (on sale) // Necklace (on sale)

Over the weekend I had my first manicure in more than 3 years. My last one was horrible and left me with a bloody cuticle. Yes, I said bloody. So what made me willing to give manicures another try? Well, I got an invitation to try out the Beauty Bar at Geist, a salon that has a liquor license – the first of its kind in Indiana, apparently! So you can go get a manicure, pedicure, haircut, whatever…all while sipping a glass of wine or a cocktail. (In case you’re wondering, the people giving you the manicure, pedicure, or haircut do NOT get tipsy while they serve you. Probably a good call.)

My appointment was in the morning, so I went with a mimosa. Vitamin C, yo.

Shoes (on sale)

I’m very happy to report that my manicure at the Beauty Bar was 1000% better than my last one. And that’s not just the booze talking. I told the nail technician (is that what they’re called?) my horror story, so she was very gentle on my sensitive cuticles. She also gave a kick-ass hand massage! Very relaxing.

The color I chose was “Mint Convertible” by CND Vinylux. It claims to last 7 days. We shall see! I’m on day 4 now and it still looks as great as it did day-of. Here’s the finished product…

Ring

Besides the great manicure and cocktail, I also liked that this place didn’t feel like a typical salon. They’re usually so clinical-looking, you know? And they smell like weird chemicals. This place was super cute and more inviting than my own apartment.

You know what all this means? The Beauty Bar gets the coveted SASS (Sarah’s Awesome Stamp of Satisfaction)! I don’t hand these out easily, folks. So for my central Indiana folks, I definitely recommend a visit to the Beauty Bar. I’m sure it would be a great place for a bridal party to get their nails done together. You can also get massages and waxing; see the full list of services here.

Disclosure: I was given a complimentary manicure and cocktail in exchange for a review. However, all opinions are my own, as I have not figured out how to have anyone else’s opinions.