Free People Lace Dress in St. Lucia

On our last night in St. Lucia, I saved the very best dress for last. We had grand plans of eating out, but ended up at a sweet little sushi place on the resort. Eh, when the fish is fresh, right? Just kidding. I'm vegetarian. 

I'm going to keep it short and sweet today - just like this dress. The romantic lace and babydoll silhouette are seriously everything I could ever want in a dress. To me, Free People can do no wrong. My only regret is that I only got to wear it once! But don't shed a tear, my friends. This girl has wild Fall plans to make this work into her fall wardrobe. Just you wait and see. ;)

On Julien: Jen's Pirate Booty dress via Free People c/o. J.Crew Mules. Samantha Wills ring (love this color!) Rachelle Celine midi rings c/o. Free People necklace c/o. Jeffrey Levinson clutch.

St. Lucia Swimsuit Roundup

It’s been about seven months now. It was a rough start but I’ve made it through. Back in April, I started on a clean eating program. To be honest, I didn’t even know what that meant when I was starting…I just knew something had to give.

So I jumped aboard the 28 Day Challenge from The Fit Girls Guide on a whim when a coworker suggested we do it together. The PDF with the program recipes and workouts was only $25 so I thought, what the heck, I’ll give it a try.

And seven months later, and 20 pounds lighter, I’m seriously the happiest I’ve ever been. To be honest, I lost most of the weight within the first two months of the program and now I’m maintaining…and trying my hardest not to eat every cookie I see. ;)

It’s amazing to me - the amount of support and love from friends, from family and from you, my readers, through this whole ordeal. Each sweet text and each encouraging conversation has pushed me to become my best self…from someone who grew out her hair to hide her insecurities to someone who is confident, energetic and might I add, ballsy.

People love to ask, ‘What are you doing?! How many miles are you running each day?” And I laugh. YOU GUYS!! It’s all about what we’re eating. Seriously. I eat oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, opt almost exclusively for whole grains, limit my salt intake, drink all the water, and eat a YOU KNOW WHAT ton of cooked or roasted veggies. I have taco, pizza made on top of a whole wheat pita and pumpkin lasagna on the reg…and it’s actually super tasty. 

ANYWAY in honor and celebration of 6 months of healthy eating, I wanted to share a little roundup of my favorite swimsuits from our trip to St. Lucia! Tune in Wednesday, when I'll be sharing my last (and favorite!) look of the whole trip! XO!

Suite 1: Cocosand Swimwear
Suit 2: Mars Vida
Suit 3: Triangl Swimwear
Suit 4: Trina Turk (cover up version)

Explore

Probably the biggest reason we chose to visit St. Lucia was for it’s VARIETY. We knew we wanted to relax and kick back, but we also wanted a little adventure. Between snorkeling, hiking, boating, (attempting but miserably failing at) paddle boarding, and indulging in a (very muddy) mud bath, I think we got our fair share. The rest of our time was spent, in what i like to call, a state of aggressive relaxation.

At the end of our trip, we thought we’d indulge in some treatments at the Sugar Beach Rainforest Spa. This is the place of dreams, my friends. It’s where your stresses and worries come to die. Each treatment room is perched within the trees, and you’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there. 

Following our treatments, we followed a trail that I secretly hoped would have no end. Through the trees we swayed (well, Shawn snapped and I swayed), crossing over bridges that led to trees taller than the eye can see. 

I felt almost camouflaged among the weeping branches in one of my favorite tanks of all time from Free People. Airy enough to run through the forest, and roomy enough for the big lunch we had after. ;) I tried it on a whim in the new Free People location in Georgetown and fell in love right then and there. The rest is history.

Wearing Free People tank top, bralette and necklace c/o, Rag and Bone shorts, Free People espadrilles via South Moon Under, Rachelle Celine rings and gold bracelet.

Boucan at Hotel Chocolat

When I visit another country, I always like to experience the local flavors. When in Italy, pasta and wine reign…in Greece, I ate feta cheese and a warm baguette just about as much as I drank water. In St. Lucia, chocolate is king.

I was so surprised to learn that St. Lucia is a huge exporter of cacao beans, which are made into chocolate. Guess where they export the majority of it? HERSHEY PARK! While I was surprised to learn that they don’t keep a ton of cocoa locally, we did find an amazing restaurant where chocolate still reigned.

Enter Boucan at Hotel Chocolat. This is basically every person’s dream. The boutique restaurant (with killer views of the piton mountains) infuses chocolate into everything they make. EVERY. SINGLE. THING. At first, honestly, I was weirded out…like I love chocolate but NOT THAT MUCH. But, I was pleased to experience, whether Boucan uses cocoa as a delicate spice or infused into the meal in a bolder way, it was always outrageously delicious. And get this - cocoa was used as a SAVORY ingredient for 3,000 years and a sweet one for only 500 years! WHAT?! Mind blown, I know.

This was by far one of my favorite food experiences ever. Between the impeccably paired wines and the chocolate shots they made us upon request (which we insisted they refer to as the G-shot given our last names), the whole evening may have been my favorite of the trip. 

For the special evening, I wore this sold-out Kate Moss X Toyshop collaboration piece I had been lusting over ever since it was released. I couldn’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on a dress with sequins, but as fate would have it, the dress appeared on my instagram feed with a “for sale” sign attached from a fellow instagrammer. I couldn’t type in my paypal email fast enough. 

I also wore the ultimate bohemian accessory, my Samantha Wills ring and my favorite clutch of all time by Jeffrey Levinson. I've also been wearing this Kendra Scott necklace on repeat - it goes with literally everything. 

Can't wait to show you guys the last few posts from St. Lucia! Stay tuned ;)

Wearing Kate Moss for Topshop dress (old), Jeffrey Levinson clutch, Samantha Wills ring, Kendra Scott necklace c/o, J.Crew mules, Claire Ashley X Makeup Meltdown lipstick in "Siren"

Rachelle Celine

They say only time will tell. 

To me, this has rung true for just about everything. Will my favorite clothes today be my favorite clothes tomorrow? Will the same sweater I bought last year still be in style this Fall? Will this necklace I just bought last through the year without tarnishing?

Only time will tell.

I'm excited to share about a jewelry company that has withstood the test of time for me...pieces I always find myself reaching for...earrings that don't turn my ears green...midi rings I wear with literally everything...and necklaces made perfect for layering.

Her name is Rachelle Celine and her jewelry line is just as lovely as her name. She's a local jewelry designer in the DC area who truly understands understated beauty. Capitol File, Refinery 27 and Northern Virginia Magazine have all featured her pieces. Take a look at her pieces and you'll see why. 

She just launched her website a few weeks ago, so today I want to raise a glass to her. For sharing her beautiful craft with the world so we could all have handmade jewelry at a totally affordable price. Cheers to you, Rachelle!

Wearing Cocosand Swimwear swimsuit, Alexis skirt and Rachelle Celine jewelry c/o.

 Note: this post was not sponsored. I just totally dig Rachelle's pieces and had to tell you guys all about her. ;)