blonde rosie

Styling a Faux Leather Skirt for Date Night

Published on October 28, 2020 by blonde rosie1 Comment

Are you still working from home or back to the office? We are doing a bit of half and half in our house with Jake working a week of 12 hour days and then working from home for two weeks before he goes back to the office as he alternates with other team members. It’s always nice to have something fun to look forward to at the end of the week so we scheduled a fancy date night last Friday at Parc in Rittenhouse. For years, I’ve wanted to go because it’s a one of a kind experience in Philadelphia. If anything, 2020 has taught us that we really need to slow down and experience the opportunities around us. Right now you need to make a reservation a week in advance and they don’t stay open for long. Luckily, Jake was waking up at 5am for work that week so he was the first person to make a reservation when the slots opened up for the week. For my Philly friends, we chose to eat indoors because while there is outdoor dining it just wouldn’t be the same experience and it was our first time there. The restaurant is doing an amazing job at separating tables and doing temperature checks before you go inside. It felt like a private dinner because we had a whole section to ourselves and the wait staff was very friendly as we enjoyed a four course meal without feeling rushed.

As much fun as it was to go out to dinner, I also had so much fun picking out an outfit after weeks of wearing jeans and a t shirt. I was excited to finally wear this brown faux leather skirt that has been collecting dust in my closet since I purchased it. It may have been technically fall but it was pretty warm that day and we planned to walk to the restaurant so I wanted to dress appropriately. I found this short sleeve Max Mara sweater that I completely forgot that I even had in storage which kept me cool on our way to dinner and kept me warm on our walk back when the temperatures dipped below 60 degrees.

I’ve noticed that since we rarely leave the house these days and when we do, I get so excited to put together an outfit and pick out accessories. I’m excited to see that faux leather skirts are still in style this season because it’s such an easy way to get dressed up without much effort. My skirt is from Loft last year so I’ll link this similar skirt from Express and skirt from Abercrombie. My sweater was a consignment store find but I love this J Crew short sleeve sweater just as much!

Bye Bye Breakouts with Dermalogica Clear Start!

Published on October 25, 2020October 20, 2020 by blonde rosie2 Comments

Dermalogica Clear Start Flashfoliant Foaming Exfoliator

The secret to clear skin is being consistent with a skincare routine and using the right products that work for your skin. I’m excited to work with Dermalogica to share a new product that I’ve been using to keep my skin clear from breakouts. Flip the bottle, squeeze for foam and go! The FlashFoliant Exfoliating Foam is a fast acting chemical exfoliant that brightens, smooths and helps prevent and clear breakouts. Perfect for a quick and easy morning skincare routine, just apply the foam and go and no rinse is required! The chemical exfoliant gently removes dead skin cells and oil leaving your skin feeling refreshed and the foam quickly dissolves so you don’t have sticky skin.

This multi-tasker cleanser gives me super glowy skin. This fast-acting chemical exfoliant brightens, smooths and helps to prevent and clear breakouts. I used this every day in the summer which was great because I wanted an easy skincare routine that worked hard to prevent breakouts from sweat and from being outdoors. The formula gently remove dead skin cells and oil, leaving you with a brighter complexion. Apply the foam and go – no rinse required! How can you not love an amazing product like this ?

Products were received complimentary and as always, all opinions are my own.

Dreaming of Paris

Published on October 15, 2020October 12, 2020 by blonde rosie1 Comment

fine knit sweater // sweater with collar // skirt // faux fur jacket // pleated blouse // grey collared sweater // pleated skirt dress // pearl headband // blue headband // ribbed mock-turtleneck // puff sleeve blouse // scallop edge blouse // ballet flats // houndstooth knit cardigan // double breasted blazer // houndstooth dress //

I’ve been playing French music on our Alexa’s around the house as a way to drop subtle hints to Jake that I really want to go to Paris once it’s safe to travel. So far I think it’s working because I keep hearing him from the other room saying “we will go when it’s safe!” I blame this recent Paris obsession after binge watching Emily in Paris in a weekend. I loved how Emily mixed patterns and had fun with her outfits while walking around Paris. It’s a city that encourages you to branch out from safe outfits and wear timeless chic pieces. Since we can’t travel to Paris anytime soon, I put together some chic pieces that I would love to pack in a suitcase and jet off to Paris in. For now I’ll just throw on a chic sweater and a beret as I walk to a bakery down the street to get a croissant.

Cozy Fall Cardigan

Published on October 14, 2020October 9, 2020 by blonde rosie1 Comment

Fall is here and my closet is happy! Today I’m sharing an easy fall outfit that I wore recently to run errands. Not only is my cardigan very affordable, it looks very similar to the Madewell cardigan that was very popular last year but was a bit out of my budget. This cardigan is lightweight and very cozy making it perfect for early warm fall days into the chilly winter. My goal is to get dressed every day and this cardigan has been an easy way to make an effort and look put together without much effort. I love throwing on some jeans, a t shirt and this cardigan in the morning because it’s an easy and fun outfit! I’m sure I’ll be adding some more cardigans into my closet this fall because it’s the perfect cozy outfit for this fall!

shoes // cardigan

It’s Time for a Reset

Published on October 12, 2020October 1, 2020 by blonde rosie1 Comment

It was a fun summer in North Carolina and now we are back to Philadelphia full time! The long vacation was nice but now it’s back to the routines at home. While I am unpacking and getting settled back into the house, I realized quickly that I need to do a reset. It’s been a long time since I have been home and want to get settled into the house and my routines. I have a post it in my planner that I move to the first of each month that is a list of things I need to do that month. It helps keep me on track and organized for the month to come.

What did I like and dislike about last month?
Waking up early or hitting the snooze button too much, slacking on working out or kudos for daily walks. This helps me reflect and make the next month better.

What do I want to do this month?
I have a ridiculously long to do list that I use every day that has a list of things I want to do and then I write a daily to do list of things that I can do that day. From home projects, errands to a book I want to read, I like creating plans that are feasible and then picking from a list everyday.

Finance Check
I’ve talked about this before on the blog and I do this every month. Know where your money goes!

Make plans with friends.
Instead of making last minute plans, reach out to friends in the beginning of the month to make tentative plans.

Make note of upcoming birthdays and get cards ready.
I used to be the worst but now I have a list of birthdays in my planner that I can quickly see who to get cards for.

Organize your digital photos.
I save everything on Google Photos and then put those photos in albums on Google Photos and my photos app before I delete clutter on my camera photo roll.

Read your emails and then delete or file away.
I try to keep up with my emails every day but I spend more time at the end of the month to clear my inbox as much as I can.

Make a note of work and home projects.
I have a list of projects to do around the house and projects coming up for work. Change of decor, closet change and any big cleaning projects are written down in my planner.

Deep clean fridge and pantry.
I clean my fridge whenever we do a grocery run but I take everything out to deep clean my fridge and pantry every month. I have a magnetic notebook on my fridge to keep track of what we need to get.

Schedule fun date night ideas.
Instead of doing the same things or staying in because it’s too much energy to make plans, we are sitting down to schedule date night plans in advance. I’ve been making plans in my Google Calendar and inviting Jake so we both can make time for just us to spend intentional time together. We have a list of restaurants to try and things we can do together so we can pick an activity and a day we are free.

Start a new hobby.
Being at home so much put me into a slump so now I want to work on a new hobby every month. I’m not sure what I’m going to do the next few months but I’ve committed to reading every day, crafting, gardening and weeding the backyard.

Friday Favorites 10.9

Published on October 9, 2020 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

I am really looking forward to this weekend after a productive and busy week. We have plans to spend as much time outside and enjoy this nice fall weather we have been having lately. There is a fall harvest festival in the city and I think it’s the closest thing I’ll get to a pumpkin patch this year so we are going to take advantage of it. I’ve been going on a walk every day around the city to get my steps in and I keep going another block just to enjoy the sunshine! It’s been a great way to get some exercise in, I’ll put on a podcast and walk for an hour. It’s also been amazing for my mental health!

I’m one of those people who binge watched Emily in Paris on Netflix in 24 hours. Sure it wasn’t completely accurate but I loved that it was a fun show to watch full of beautiful scenes of Paris and the outfits left me inspired and were so fun! We are in a Pandemic right now and I prefer fantasy over reality any day.

I’ve been sticking to my routines and doing my nighttime skincare routine every night as soon as I get out of the shower. To make my life easy, I put all of my skincare products into this makeup bag so everything is in one place; serums, creams and face mask ready to go. I’ve been loving this serum at night before bed. The next morning I wake up to soft glowing skin in the morning.

For my daily walk, I like to treat myself and put on some makeup and do my hair. I’m having fun with the new makeup I got in the mail last week and even though I may not see anyone all day it’s still nice to get ready for myself. It takes a few minutes to make an effort and improves my mood for the day.

This week we did a Trader Joe’s run and got some of the fall items that we love and a few new ones to try. Wish we had a car because I would have stocked up on pumpkins and mums for the house but that will probably happen later this week. One thing I love to buy there are the fall flowers that I can dry and dried wheat that can be used throughout the year in vases around the house.