Waking to Dinner in Soufriere

I don’t know about you, but typically, I’m a terrible packer. I bring far too much and end up with so many options that overwhelm me when I’m trying to decide what to wear. This trip though, I felt like I really had it together and packed JUST ENOUGH outfits. Or so I thought.

During the day, it’s SO easy. Swimsuits all day, cute clothes (aka look presentable) for dinner. Seems like it wouldn’t be that hard. But this one night…I realized I had packed ONE OUTFIT UNDER what I’d need on the trip.

Cue mini meltdown. Since we were walking (more like trekking) into town (we thought we’d save money on a taxi this one night and it was NOT WORTH IT - always hire the taxi if your destination is more than 2 miles away), there were lots of things to consider. Comfortable shoes (I’d brought five pair of shoes total - one heeled sandal, one sneaker, one slip on and two pairs of sandals.) Plus I had to wear an outfit that was nice but walkable. I was stressing out.

I finally landed on this skirt/top combo that ended up being one of my favorite from the trip (figures.) I’m going to let you guys in on a little secret - I scored this Alexis skirt for $40 on Thredup. WUT. Yes. A $400+ skirt lives in my closet and I only paid 10% of that. 

Totes didn’t mean for this to end up like a thredup infomercial, nor did I mean to get all crazy pants with my stressful getting dressed situation, but hey. It’s MONDAY. And on Mondays, anything goes. (Especially my sanity.) ;)

On Julien: Skirt, Alexis (similar.) Top, GAP c/o (similar.). Necklace, Take 5 Boutique. Bracelet, Sophie Blake. Purse, VASKA via Estiletta c/o.

Tet Paul Nature Trail - St. Lucia

One of the big reasons we choose to go to St. Lucia was because of how lush the island was. We didn’t just want a beach - we wanted mountains to accompany it. I wouldn’t say I’m outdoorsy by any means, but I do love myself a little adventure now and then.

After a few days of beach lounging and a whole ‘lotta soaking in the sun, we decided to hit up some of the local hotspots.

We started off at the sulfur springs mud bath right when it opened at 9 AM to beat the tourists and sure enough, we were the first ones there. What an awesome experience - my skin was the softest ever after rubbing down in the volcanic mud. Afterwards, we went to a tiny waterfall, Piton Falls, afterwards and it was ok. Not to be a downer over here, but I’ve swam in quite a few waterfalls and this one just wasn’t my fave. It had a warm pool of water and I have to wonder - why is the water so warm? 

Next up was the Tet Paul Nature Trail. Let me be honest for a sec here - we had these grand plans of hiking a much more intense hike, the Gros Piton, while we were in St. Lucia. It wasn’t the length that scared us, it was only 3-4 hours. Maybe I’m making excuses over here, but we got so caught up in doing nothing (oops) that we opted for a much easier hike (a walk, really) that boasted incredible views of both piton mountains. #noregrets. Well maybe just a little ;)

This was definitely one of my favorite activities of our trip. We learned all about the fruits, vegetables that grow in St. Lucia and got to see the island from the coolest vantage points! 

For the hike, I wanted to wear a piece from my new favorite sportswear company, ADAY. They were super new to the athleticwear world, but they’re already making a splash.

Their carefully curated collection of pieces are wearable, comfortable and insanely cute. Sorry there’s not a whloe ‘lotta face photos in this, but DID YOU SEE THE BACK OF THIS SPORTSBRA and ARE YOU DYING RIGHT NOW?! Because I am. 

I'd highly recommend you check them out if you're an active girl like me. And stay tuned for SO MANY MORE St. Lucia posts next week. It might be rainy on the East Coast, but it's always sunny on itsjulien.com ;)

Wearing ADAY sports bra and everything else is so old that you wouldn’t want it anyway ;)

Anse Chastenet Beach

Before I get into all the juicy deets about this day in St. Lucia, I wanted to share a little story about how we decided to go on this trip.

It was mother’s day. After many weeks of evaluating the trip options we had come up with, we had decided - we weren’t going on a big trip this year. We’d go to Florida, get a beach house with some friends, take it easy.

But then, over dinner with Shawn’s family, his brother and sister-in-law announced they were going to have a baby! GAME CHANGER. All of a sudden we all looked at each other and instantly knew - this was our last chance.

Not to sound like a downer here…I’m sure you can take your baby lots of places. But it would be the last time the four of us took a trip together. So we knew it had to be somewhere amazing.

We went through a few ideas, Aruba (mainly because we had milage points but ultimately decided against it since we wanted more than just a beach atmosphere) and St. Lucia (which I discovered existed during a season of the bachelor many moons ago.) After seeing a few photos my favorite bloggers took there, we decided that it would be the perfect spot to celebrate our anniversary and our siblings-in-law’s babymoon.

On our first day on the island, we took a little boat to Anse Chastenet Beach, right around the corner from where we were staying. We spent the afternoon snorkeling, eating at Petit Peak (thanks to a rec from Gal Meets Glam) and soaking in some much-needed sun. Taking the boat ride was a perfect way to get a little introduction to the island where we’d be spending the next week.

Stay tuned for more St. Lucia posts in the next few weeks!

On Julien: AMI Clubwear dress and sandals c/o, South Moon Under necklace, vintage straw bag via Snobswap and borrowed hat.

What to Wear for An Engagement Shoot

Hi guys! I'm still getting over a wicked bad cold (any New Englanders out here?!) and slowly sifting through tons of stunning photos from our trip to St. Lucia that I can't wait to share with you next week! ALSO yesterday was our anniversary! I can hardly believe it's already been three years since we tied the knot. They say time flies (and they're right!)

In honor of the special occasion, I put together a guest post on what to wear for an engagement shoot over on the blog of my good friend, Alicia Bruce! I'm obsessed with Alicia's work with her business, Love Knot Photo, and so excited she invited me to guest post.

Head over to the Love Knot Photo blog to read all the tips! (And see my engagement shoot three years ago here!)

Alice + Olivia

Shop this post

Friends, the day is finally here! Not only is tonight my big event at Alice + Olivia (have you RSVP’d yet?!) but I’m sharing my favorite shoot of ALL TIME. #sorrynotsorry for the overload of images but I HAD TO BECAUSE JUST LOOK AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. Like did I even have a choice?! 

Today’s look is all about having fun with fashion. Practicality goes out the window and in enters pure, unadulterated JOY. You can see it on my face. I actually tried to be serious in a few of these but that didn’t last long. Obviously. How could you not be smiling when you’re wearing a feather skirt and sequin jacket?!

I’m going to stop blabbing and let the clothes do the talking...

On Julien: Skirt, jacket, body suit (similar) and boots, Alice + Olivia. Lipstick, Makeup Meltdown X Claire Ashley in Manhattan.