Drybar Georgetown

After a crazy week at work last week (you know the story - sleep, work, eat, work, eat, work, sleep), I decided a little pampering was in order. I’d always wanted to try out the Drybar in Georgetown (blowouts are all only $40 HELLO!) and it was Cheralee’s last weekend in town, so we made a morning of it.

We made an early appointment so we could get a heard start on shopping. While we waited for shampoo stations to open up, we watched Mean Girls on the big TV and I decided I was never going to leave. EVER.

When it came time to get my hair done, I browsed the lookbook and waffled on two hairstyles (the Cosmo and the Mai Tai.) Luckily, my killer hairstylist informed me of the mix-drink, the Cosmo-Thai, so I could have the best of both worlds. Love her. I was amazed at how she styled my hair mostly with a round brush - I can barely comb through my hair in the morning let alone create perfect waves with a flick of the wrist. She finished off with the Sparkling Soda shine mist, which helped tame my famous flyaways. And the smell! Swoon. Am I the only one who will buy or not buy a product based on how yummy it smells? 

Here's the thing - I could write and write about how gorgeous and welcoming Drybar is, and I could tell you how obsessed I was with the results...instead, let me show you...

A free hair service was provided by Drybar for the review, but as always, all opinions are my own.  

Schutz Zeloni Pumps at Salamander Resort

This past weekend, we went to Salamander Resort in Middleburg to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday. I know whenever we go to Middleburg, there will be good food and great times ahead. We arrived at the property a few hours before dinner so we could tour the grounds. YOU GUYS, this place is gorgeous. They have a library, an immaculate sitting area, and an infinity pool I almost jumped into despite the windy, cooler weather. 

We enjoyed dinner in the stunning dining room at the resort and I can easily say it’s one of the best meals I’ve had. Granted, the antipasti appetizer I ordered only had four tiny pieces of pasta, but let me tell you…it was OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. I also ordered a spring beet dish comprised of different beet varieties and morel mushrooms. I thought I got the dish for the beets, but the mushrooms blew me away. Have you ever had morel mushrooms before?! They will change your life.

I had planned to wear this cute blue dress to dinner, but it ended up being windy and way too cold. Instead, I paired these pants (that I snagged during the most recent J.Crew Factory sale) with an old sparkly sweater and an adorable polka dot top from Express that I won during an Instagram giveaway. 

But the item that stole the show? These gorgeous Schutz Zeloni pumps that I found on Lyst. Remember when I went on and on about how much I love Lyst? When I spotted these on their app, I knew they had to be mine. I’ve been wanting a pair of Schutz pumps forever and from the moment these arrived, I knew we’d be BFFs. They’re 4 inches tall (which is a little higher than I normally go) but they’re surprisingly supportive for my wobbly ankles. These have garnished more compliments than just about anything I own - and it seems the world agrees considering they’re almost completely sold out. If you’re a size 8, 9 or 10, give into the FOMO and get these stat. They could be your new BFF too.

On Julien: Sweater, J.Crew. Blouse, Express c/o. Pants, J.Crew Factory. Pumps, Schutz via Lyst c/o. Purse, South Moon Under (on sale for $35!) Bracelet, Trina Turk via Rocksbox (get a free month subscription by using code: julienxoxo) Sunnies, Kate Spade.

This post was sponsored by Lyst, but all opinions are my own.

U Street

On Julien: Jacket, Loeil. Tank, Anthom. Jeans, Lucky Brand. Necklace, Hanuel c/o. Bag, Mimi's the Look c/o. Pumps, Schutz via Lyst c/o. Sunnies, Michael Kors.

I don’t always trek into DC to hang out around U Street…to get lost a thousand times while trying to find parking and endure the catcalls of the wild. But when I do, it’s to bid farewell to one of my very best friends.

A few of my favorite people got together last week for one last meal together before Cheralee left us for bigger and better things (cough-NYC-cough.) I wore my fave tank from Anthom with white jeans (hey spring hey) and my new Schutz pumps from Lyst. It was perfect for rooftop drinks at the Brixton, where we accidentally stumbled upon trivia night (THE WORST.) But between the instagram food shots, the 90’s era singing and the KILLER coconut curry, it ended up being a pretty amazing night. 

It’s moments like these that I choose not to focus on the all-consuming sadness I feel from loosing one of my best friends, but to celebrate the good times - no, the incredible times - I got to spend with miss Cheralee Lyle. 

All photos by Cheralee

Boyfriend Cardigan

I've had my eye on this sweater for a while now. The coziness, the slouchiness, it's like it was begging me to wear it. There was just one problem. It's on the right side of the closet - my husband's side.

One day, I casually mentioned wanting to use the sweater for a shoot. Let's just say he wasn’t wild about the idea. I can't really blame him - I’m the messy, spill-stuff-all-over-myself type. Knowing that it’s one of his favorites, I had to be very sneaky about wearing it.

Before running out the door one morning (as one usually does), I threw on my peacoat over the sweater, buttoned it up all the way and gave the hubs a quick kiss goodbye. I had succeeded! Until, that is, when I came home and completely forgot about my brilliant plan. But I wasn’t even sorry. The heart wants what the heart wants.

For a day at the office, I tucked in the sweater (just in the front) and paired it with my favorite Achro crop top from Anthom (which you totally saw earlier this week but I’m not even sorry.) Here’s the truth - I dress and shop based on emotions…Not what always matches or goes by conventional rules. I wear what makes me happy. 

And this outfit makes me very happy.

On Julien: Cardigan, Banana Republic (men's, similar.) Top, Achro via Anthom. Pants, unknown. Shoes, Call It Spring (borrowed.) Map necklace, Three Jane NY c/o (now sold at A.JAFFE) Stars necklace, Gorjana via Rocksbox (get a free month subscription using code julienxoxo.)

Photos by Meaghan

PopNod - The Fashionable Way to Give Back

Remember how I said that friends don't let friends miss out on awesome shopping websites? What if I told you that you could turn your shopping addiction into something that gives back to the community? Introducing: PopNod.

PopNod is a website that allows you to shop all your favorite brands while giving back to a charity of your choice. There are over a million items (from stores like South Moon Under, Tibi, Revolve, ASOS and more!) on the site and each one lists exactly how much money of your purchase would go towards a cause. How cool is that?!

I’ve teamed up with ten other DC bloggers to share my style story! All April-long, you can shop on the Popnod website or app and a portion of those proceeds go directly to a worthy cause. You can follow my style story (you know you totally want to) and support my campaign by clicking the “SUPPORT MY CAMPAIGN” button. Clicking this doesn’t mean that you’re obligated to buy anything - it only means that if you do decide to do a little shopping damage that a percentage of those goes to one of my favorite charities!

My chosen charity is Mission Sleep. They provide free care for newborns while local military families are deployed. If you know me, you know I have a never-ending appreciation for sleep…which is the honest-to-God truth why we haven’t joined the baby brigade yet. I can imagine it’s hard enough having your loved one deployed, but to care for a newborn on your own? I can’t even. I’m eternally grateful for the soldiers fighting for our freedoms so that’s why I’m so proud to support Mission Sleep.

Head over to my Style Story to shop this entire outfit and get all the deets on how you can be an everyday hero below!

All clothing is from South Moon Under and the pumps are courtesy of my other favorite shopping website, Lyst (you can find them here!) A big thank you to DryBar for styling my hair for the shoot!