Recital

ASOS dress (in mint, here), BCBGeneration heels (similar), bag via Ross (similar), F21 bracelet, How Gorgeous necklace

On Saturday we wrapped up the year with our annual recital. I taught seven classes this year so I had seven dances to oversee that night. All of the girls danced beautifully. I was really pleased with each one of my classes.

It was also a hard night because we had several graduating seniors. I have taught several of them for the past six years so it is difficult saying goodbye to such sweet, talented girls.

This is the dress that I wore the night of the performance. I have searched for weeks for the perfect dress and finally found one from ASOS (of course). If you are looking for the perfect dress for any occasion, you should definitely look there because they are constantly getting new pieces daily.

Have a great day!

Skin Savers

I tend to blog mostly about fashion but since my blog is called Fashion and Beauty Finds, perhaps I should throw in a beauty post here and there. ;)

Recently I've started to feel old and haggard. No, really. It could be that my birthday is fast approaching. It could be that the kids I teach who are graduating from high school this year were just infants when I was about 17 or 18. Yikes. Or it could be that I'm old enough to have kids of my own... And I have three. Whatever it is, my skin is starting to show the signs of aging.

                        

But seriously, there are a few things that I have been doing to counteract the signs of aging. Like using these products:

Serum, moisturizer, brush

A Clarisonic has not been in my budget so I opted for the Olay Pro-X. It only cost $30 and has been a skin life saver! My skin was feeling rough and looking uneven (even though I exfoliate with a cream once a week). Using this every night has made all the difference. My skin feels baby soft and my complexion looks so much better. If a Clarisonic is not in your budget, make a point of getting one of these brushes. Trust me, you will wonder what you did without it!

I've also been using the L'Oreal Youth Code texture perfector serum and moisturizer. I use the serum in the morning and night and the moisturizer just at night. I think the combination of this serum, moisturizer, and brush have worked wonders. Let me know if you try them and what you think!

* When I looked online at the time of writing this post, it looked like if you bought 2 L'Oreal products (specifically these two) you would get a free $5 Target gift card. Check with your local store and see if they are running that promotion. You could use the $5 toward the brush!

Have a great day!

Sweet Summer Dresses

I don't think there is anything easier than throwing on a dress and flats in the summer. It's fast and easy and thanks to all of the fun prints available now, you can guarantee that you will look cute. I've styled a few dresses below and now I'm itching to buy them!

Necklace, bracelet, dress, flats, bag

I'm loving the light blue and gold accents in the outfit above. This would be cute for a luncheon or for shopping with friends.

Dress, bag, bracelet, sandals

I love animal prints and the oversize purple and black print of this dress is perfect. I decided to throw in a clutch with another color for a little interest. Not everything has to be perfectly matched.

Which look is your favorite?

I'll announce the giveaway winner tomorrow. Good luck!

Mother's Day Maxi

ASOS maternity dress (shorter length here), Nine West heels, Michael Kors bag, F21 earrings, How Gorgeous necklace (here)

I decided to dress up the day before Mother's Day. We typically go to church on Saturday evenings anyway, so it made sense. I'm actually wearing a maternity dress that I bought to wear to a wedding. I bought it way too small so it's actually just a regular dress now. There was no way my pregnant self would have fit in this dress!

I am also wearing one of my favorite necklaces from my online store, How Gorgeous. This piece is so much fun and will go with so many different outfits.

I hope you had a great weekend, and a relaxing Sunday to all of you fellow mamas out there. 

Don't forget, you still have time to enter my giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Layered

H&M striped tee, F21 tee, I Heart Ronson skirt via JCPenney, ShoeDazzle c/o shoes, Outrage Fashion c/o clutch,
How Gorgeous necklace (opening soon)

It's funny how before I got pregnant I thought I had nothing to wear. I thought I had exhausted every item in my closet and could not come up with any new combinations. After many months of not wearing my regular clothes, suddenly I can come up with new combos. Or maybe I've already worn this and just can't remember. That's a very strong possibility!

Can I just say that I missed blogging? It was nice to have a break, even if it was a long one, but I'm glad to be back. 

I started teaching pilates again and that was nice. I'll start dance back next week and I can't wait. I've missed my girls and I've missed dancing as well. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Matchy

F21 sweater, bag, earrings, and sunglasses, Loved by Heidi Klum maternity jeans, BCBGeneration heels, How Gorgeous necklace (opening soon)

I tried to be smart about the things that I purchased while I was pregnant. I bought a few bags, sunglasses, a jacket, and a couple of shirts. (I did buy a swimsuit when I was 8 months pregnant and I'm crossing my fingers that it will fit this summer). I pretty much know my size in tops and jackets when it comes to Forever 21 so I knew I would be safe to buy this sweater a few months ago. I have one in yellow and it is such a versatile piece.

Normally I like to wear either all black, or mix colors together. It's been a long time since I've done just one color so I thought it would be fun to match my nails, sweater, and glasses together. 

Have a great weekend!

Casual Brights

F21 top and bag, Loved by Heidi Klum maternity jeans, ShoeMint heels

I'm still sporting my maternity jeans. I actually kind of like them and don't mind wearing them because I didn't get to wear them much during my pregnancy. I was so huge they wouldn't fit! Like I mentioned in my post on Monday, I'm still limited to a certain amount of things in my closet so maternity jeans are going to be in the rotation frequently until I shrink some more.

Have a great day!

Date Night

Since I had so much fun on my first date night since Mark was born, I started dreaming up other date night outfit combinations.

Top, skirt, heels, clutch

I love the idea of mixing two different leather textures together. And you just can't go wrong with leather, period.

Top, clutch, heels

As much as I love black (it is my favorite color), I love fun, bright colors almost as much. The scallops on this top and clutch are so cute and add a touch of sweetness to this date night look.

Stay tuned for some exciting news in the next two weeks or so. I've got a big project in the works and can't wait to share it with you!

Transitioning

H&M tee, F21 dress and clutch, BCBGeneration heels, Lilac Bijoux c/o necklace

Not only are we transitioning from winter to spring, but I am transitioning from being pregnant to a post-baby body. My little man is three weeks old (he's so cute!) so I can't quite fit into all of my old clothes just yet. If you have had a baby before, you know that it usually takes awhile for your body to return back to its regular size. For now I will wear simple things like dresses and anything with a lot of stretch!

I wore this outfit on my first date night with my hubby since Mark was born. I can't tell you how FAB it was to get out of the house with my husband and have a conversation. I spent the whole first ten minutes just giggling at the table. People probably thought I was tipsy even though I had not been drinking. I was just so excited to be out!

Have a great day!

All Black

ASOS top (old), faux leather pants via Target, ShoeDazzle c/o flats (here), Francesca's bag

I think these shoes are going to be the most favorite pair that I have ever owned. Not exaggerating. They are so cute and can be worn with pants, dresses, shorts, and skirts. And the best part is... they are comfortable. Normally when I put on a new pair of shoes I get a little blister after wearing them for an hour or more. Not so with these! 

Things are going pretty well here. I have about a month left of Pilates training and am starting to feel more comfortable with it. I've practiced on a few friends who are already certified so that was helpful because they were able to tell me what I was doing right/wrong. 

My son's second birthday is this week and we will be having his party this weekend. I also start Christmas rehearsals....which means I need to make up the six dances this week that I will be teaching on Saturday. No pressure.

Flowers

ASOS maternity dress, BCBG flats, F21 clutch

Well, these aren't the best pictures I've ever taken, but I guess it's better than nothing. I grabbed my nice camera Sunday before church and checked to make sure that it was charged (it was). However, once we finally got around to taking pictures, the battery was dead. I almost just told my husband to forget it until I remembered we could use his phone. So there you have it; pictures on a rainy day with an iPhone.

I'm almost at the halfway point with this baby! It's definitely getting harder to do simple things but thankfully my boys are pretty capable and I can rely on them to feed themselves, dress themselves, and clean up. Pilates is going well - I had my first 'teaching' experience on Saturday. I gave my husband a lesson and he did really well. Once I practice on a few of my friends and family, I will feel more confident about taking on a client for a private lesson.

It's another busy week for us! I have training and have to start making up six dances for the upcoming Christmas show. Hope you guys have a great day!

Easy Look

ASOS maternity dress (here), Wallis c/o blazer (here), Outrage Fashion c/o clutch (here), Zara flats (here), Charming Charlie jewelry, sunglasses (here)

I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago so my tummy isn't as big here as it is in real life. This is a maternity dress but I'm hoping that I will still be able to wear it much later after the baby comes. The only problem is that everything is just always bigger when you aren't pregnant but maybe wearing a jacket or blazer over dresses, such as this one, will help disguise any bagginess. 

In other news, the Pilates training is going great. I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable with the exercises and am looking forward to teaching eventually. Things at the dance studio are starting to get busy as we have a performance coming up in the next few weeks and we also have a huge Christmas show to prepare for.

I could also use prayers for two family members who aren't doing so well right now. I hope you are all doing great! Thanks for your support!

Maternity Stripes

ASOS dress (here), F21 jacket (here) and clutch (here), BCBG heels (here), Old Navy sunglasses, belt via TJ Maxx

I can't tell you guys how much I needed that blog break last week. I feel like my life has become so consumed lately with this blog and it was nice to be able to not think about it for a week. I have had a few changes in my life lately and it has made me question my ability to keep up with this blog. It has almost become a chore. Something that I feel like I "have" to do and get annoyed when I have to do a post. Did I miss blogging last week? Not one bit. Am I ready to quit? I don't know. 

Thinking about the new baby coming makes me question whether I will have the time and energy to pour into this blog. With three children that need my attention, I wonder if I will have time. What do I get out of blogging? I don't really know. So with that being said, it makes it hard to want to continue when I'm not really sure what I get out of it. Yes, I have met some great women and I am totally grateful for that. Blogging has also helped me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things so I am grateful for that as well. 

I have also decided to become certified to teach Pilates. It is something that I have gone back and forth about for the past five years and have finally decided to do it. It is something that will take less effort than blogging (and pay really darn well) and will not take up nearly as much time. 

So with all this being said, I'm not throwing in the towel, just backing off a little. You can definitely expect less posts from me and a little less consistently. I don't want to feel tied down to this blog anymore. Thanks for sticking around through this transition in my life!

Have a great day!