Friday, March 30, 2018

Friday Fashions

Happy Friday! And welcome to the first Friday Fashions Instagram round-up! I figured and fun and easy way for you guys to access what I wear and sales would be to put them all in one place weekly. All of the photos by me have "widgets" or pictures that take you to the links of the pieces I style.



















This weekend has a lot of sales in your future. Old Navy, Loft and Abercrombie & Fitch are all having blow outs! I'm going to share some quick finds that I'm so excited about!

Abercrombie & Fitch has reinvented itself and I'm here for it. I'm so excited for these bow slides and there new, more modern and edgy pieces!


Old Navy has so many great, trendy neturals and their whole site is up to 50% off right now! In store they even have Chicago Cubs gear here, so I will for sure have to go grab some new stuff to cheer on my favorite team this season.







My favorite sweater is also 50% off! Better grab it before it's gone.

The Loft is doing 40% off your entire purchase! I love their feminine but modern style. There are so many different styles that can be blended at loft!




I hope your holiday weekends are filled with family, love and joy. A little bargain never hurt either! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Please subscribe so you can get all the the sales dets sent straight to your email.

As always, cheers!

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Instagram Round-Up!

                


Since I just started my Shopstyle Collective journey, I figured that I would share where you can find everything that I've been styling with a few simple clicks! The widgets below all of these photos are shoppable, just click on them. If a piece isn't available anymore, I've tried to find similar things and attached them below the photo as well.  This first outfit was actually inspired by my mom's old Adidas windbreaker! I love the style of it and how warm it is! These sunglasses from J. Crew make me feel instantly more glam and always spice up an outfit.



This is one of my favorite looks. I was not 100% sure what this sweater would turn out after I ordered it because it is described as being "cropped" or shorter, however it quickly turned out to be one of my new favorite pieces. If you've been following along on Instagram, it's pretty easy to see that I love mixing and matching different neutrals to create new outfits. Investing in a few great pieces (or even finding them at a steal) is so worth it. I cannot speak highly enough of all the items in this photo.



As one of my very first outfits, this was a great combo of a lot of textured pieces that are also super comfy. This Brandy Melville jacket is super great and I wear it almost everyday! I attached some similar jackets. These leggings are eye catching and comfy. PrismSport leggings are so high quality and their patterns are so fresh. The lace cami from Loft is a great subtle accent for any outfit. And these Steve Madden slides have survived a few Mardi Gras', so I'd say they're a great purchase. 




Whenever I head to the city for a day of adventure I make sure that I'm going to be comfortable. These Ray Ban's have lasted me almost three years! Investing in these while I was in college and taking care of them (not losing them on Game Day, etc.) was so worth it! I've also been obsessing over this v-neck and Steve Madden lace up sneakers! All so cute as well as comfortable. 






You can never go wrong with a Canadian tuxedo. This past few months I've experimented more with layering different textures and washes of denim. I got so many questions about these boots! I bought these a few years ago, but I linked similar ones from the same brand (Dolce Vita) in a separate gallery. 

If you've been following me for awhile you know that I love La Croix! This was a huge exercise in not caring about what others think! Kristen and I realized that the La Croix wall at our local grocery store would be a great background. Navigating through the Sunday shoppers wasn't easy but it produced a great photo in my opinion.



I'm so excited to have been accepted by Shopstyle Collective! All of the photos beneath my pictures are shoppable links for you to use! Please explore them and let me know if you have any questions. I think that once a week I'm going to do a round up of my outfits from the week that you've seen on Instagram in addition to a weekly post.

If you think that's something you'd like to see, please let me know!

As always, cheers!

Thursday, March 22, 2018

A (Early Spring) Travel Guide to Chicago


Chicago, Chicago, what a place. Chicago and its neighboring suburbs have over 9.5 million residents. With so many people, every experience is different and you’ll always get different suggestions. These are just the things that I like doing and highlighting to my visitors, but if you have another activity you enjoy please let me know in the comments. I love finding out new things about my city!

First things first - food. Chicago has many signature dishes that visitors have to try. Once my boyfriend, Parish, got off the plane, we headed straight for Lou Malnati's. There’s a lot of options for deep dish pizza: Uno’s, Pequods, Giordano’s; but this place is one of my favorites. Their house salad is also one of my favorites.

Parish also really wanted to try an Italian Beef. There are a few places to do this. I took him to Portillo’s. I’ve never had anything I didn’t like at Portillo’s - hotdogs, onion rings, chopped salads, chocolate cake, ribs. I’m not kidding - it’s all good! I always go for the chopped salad, but you won’t regret anything you order there. Johnnie’s Beef is also a great place to get beef if you find yourself in the suburbs.

If you’re ever feeling a little fancy but are unsure about where to eat in the city, Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group has great options. They own restaurants with all different kinds of flavors all over the city. Beatrix, Wildfire, Joe’s, and so many more restaurants are part of this company and are all super tasty! Over the weekend, Parish and I tried one I’ve never been to. Ēma is a more Mediterranean feel with hummus and small plates. I had never heard of it, but knowing it was a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, I figured it was worth a try. The brunch was delicious!


I titled this blog post “early spring.” Although the food is available all year round, activities shift depending on the season - if you can brave the cold! This trip, Parish and I did both outside and inside adventures because the weather was bearable. However, you never know with this time of year. One day it can be 65 and sunny and the next it can be 23, windy and snowy.


Friday afternoon we headed to the Chicago Art Institute. There’s so many great museum options but for what we wanted to do for dinner and drinks, the Art Institute made the most sense geographically. There’s so many famous and amazing works of art that you realistically need a few days to take it all in. Rodin, Picasso, and O’Keeffe, all have Other museums I highly recommend include the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry.


The Art Institute has an impressive Modern Art Wing that is connected to Millennium Park by a bridge. If you’ve ever had a friend go to Chicago, chances are they shared pictures of Millennium Park. It’s home to Cloud Gate, which you might know as the Bean. I had to be a good tour guide and make sure Parish had his touristy pictures with the Bean. (He was also a great stand-in photographer for Kristen. #instagramboyfriend)


We wanted to go warm up inside. I thought a great place to show Parish was the Chicago Athletic Club. The Game Room in the Chicago Athletic Club used to be a men’s only club and now is a beautiful hotel with many accents of its history. The beautiful old Chicago architecture can be seen in the lobby as well as the Game Room. The Game Room is on the second floor. You can have signature cocktails while playing on their full-sized, indoor Bocce Ball court or slide in one of the many cozy booth areas and catch a game. I loved taking Parish there because it’s one of my favorite bars in Chicago.

I also love showing people the different styles of architecture in Chicago. Since the boat tours of the city don’t usually open up until about about mid to late April, a quick and easy way this time of year is to go through the buildings on your own. I love showing people the Palmer House Hotel. The detailed and decadent design is perfect to take in while sipping a cocktail in the lobby. Walking by the Chicago Board of Trade building and seeing the statue of Ceres atop the building is another great piece of Chicago history. I would have to say my favorite building is the Wrigley building along the river.

I grew up near the Frank Lloyd Wright Oak Park studio, but had never actually gone on a tour of the home in the area. Parish and I went this past weekend. The rates are super fair and it’s a really easy way to see some history! I think the more travel guides I do, the more y’all will come to realize how obsessed I am with history!

After the Game Room, I took Parish to Italian Village. This traditional Italian restaurant is so old school they don’t take reservations! It’s frequented by play goers, since Hamilton is being performed down the street. The restaurant is set like an Italian village - complete with a starry night scene with twinkling lights, and little alcoves with a more private dining experience. The service is professional and the food is delicious!


Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day, Chicago’s version of Mardi Gras. The whole city celebrates and we even dye the Chicago River green! We headed down to the city to the River North area. When people ask me about being from Chicago, they usually ask what the most popular bar is, and like I mentioned before, since the city is so big and there are so many different kinds of people, you’re always going to get a different answer.


I would say that when I think of going out, I think of three areas in particular: Wrigleyville, Old Town and River North. We decided to hang out by River North since that is where they dye the river green. The Riverwalk was open even though it was a cold day so we got to see the river up close and personal. The Riverwalk is a relatively new achievement for the city. Open in the warmer months, this area is as you might guess, along the river. There’s a wide variety of restaurants and bars that line the Riverwalk so you can either walk down or boat up to the dock and hang out. We hung out for a while by the river before heading to get some food.


The bars were super packed and had really long lines, so we did not really try to go in anywhere, however the House of Blues was open. The House of Blues is easy to distinguish by the pringle-like roof. We went in there, had some green beer and enjoyed the live music. We bar-hopped a little bit before heading home. Getting home in one piece was truly the luck of the Irish.


No matter what time of year you come visit, Chicago always has something to offer. This is only a small sliver of stuff that we fit into a weekend in the late winter, early spring. But I hope that as the seasons change I can continue to show you guys more of this city. Come the spring and summer months, my friends and I will be going to Cubs games, the Oak Street beach, and probably spending more time outside in general! But until then, I will be bundled under many blankets with an extra-large mimosa. Cheers!


To new beginnings and new friends. Cheers!

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

If you like Pina Coladas


I mean we’ll for sure get along but I’m not a huge fan of getting caught in the rain.

Hi, I’m Hannah, I’m a 23 year-old and a recent graduate of LSU (Geaux Tigers!). I’ve always loved writing - whether it was poetry club, writing for various college publications or journaling. I feel that if I can share enough of my own experiences and if I help just one person then I’ve done my job.

I’m really excited that you’ve happened upon Mimosas and Lipstick and I hope that we can learn from each other!

A little about me...

I’m originally from River Forest, Illinois. It’s about 15 minutes west of the city of Chicago. Almost every member of my family lives within about a ten block radius of each other so we’re always together. I graduated with a marketing degree and I’m adjusting to adult life in the working world. So far I’m really liking it.

Things I love: seeing a dog, Trader Joe’s, Taylor Swift, a mean mimosa, a Louisiana Saturday Night, the stair master, bread, La Croix, the Northwoods, and making my grandpa laugh.

I have a lot of hopes and aspirations for Mimosas and Lipstick, but my overall goal is that this can become a space of sharing and learning and that we can create of community of people who all have a passion for getting the most out of life! I hope to share my life and a peek behind the curtain of what it means to be me. I hope that you’ll do the same for me.

I would love for you to subscribe to my weekly blog post so we can keep in touch, and I would enjoy hearing from you. What do you like? What do you not like? What tips do you have? I want to hear it all! 

To new beginnings and new friends. Cheers!
© Mimosas and Lipstick. Made with love by The Dutch Lady Designs.