by chelsea | Jul 19, 2018 | Travel
I love sushi! Ever since I was young, I have been an adventurous eater. I love trying new foods, sometimes just to say I have tried it! Sushi, is a staple in my diet. When I first moved to Charlotte I had to find all new favorite sushi spots. It has taken a lot of research to develop my top five sushi spots and orders, but I was happy to do it!
1. Yamazaru- This is a great spot in South End. I love the atmosphere here, it is really intimate is was decorated so cute! I think they came up with some really original rolls and have enjoyed everything I’ve tried. My top two rolls here have been Mango de Tango and West Woods.
2. Ginbu 401– This place is a little further out of the city so I don’t head that way as much. When I do it’s totally worth it! It’s located in Myers Park near the Pure Barre (but not in that exact plaza). I love a lot of the rolls here, they’ve all been super tasty. My go-to’s are probably the Salmon Dream Roll and the Rainbow Roll.
3. Room 112– This is the first sushi place I tried in Charlotte. It has remained my tried-and-true favorite because of that, the fact that I can walk there, their price, plus the great (quality and size) of sashimi you get. My two favorite rolls are 112 Roll and the Sapporo Roll (photographed above).
4. New Zeland Cafe– This is a not-so-secret, little spot. It is in Matthews and is an unexpected strip mall. The rolls are so yummy and the prices are so low! I can’t make it out there very often but when I am in the area, I always make sure to stop-in. The prices are great here and they’re normally running specials– I normally order based on the specials that day!
5. Pisces Sushi Bar– Pisces is located in the Metropolitan area (there’s another location at Lake Norman), right across from the Trader Joe’s parking garage entrance. This place is great because the ambiance. Often during the weekend they will have live music. I also have some special nostalgia toward this place because Addison and I had our first date here! Two of my favorite rolls are the Screaming ‘O’ Roll and the Panthers Roll.
by chelsea | Jul 14, 2018 | Style
Yay! I have been keeping my eye out for a new swimsuit all season. I finally found a suit that I was I obsessed with! I tried to order it from Nordstrom where I originally saw it unfortunately, it was sold out in most sizes. I decided to check Amazon (my go-to website). I was able to find it on Amazon for the same price. It was available in all sizes + FREE 2 day shipping as an Amazon Prime member! It came in on Thursday and I was so excited to wear it to the pool this weekend! Here’s a peak at my favorite 2018 swimsuit (and links to purchase for yourself)!
I love this bathing suit top! I try to avoid any bathing suits that provide support by going around the neck. I end up with a headache or neck pain by the end of the day anytime I wear a halter bathing suit. This one stays up well as a bandeau and the arm pieces help provide a little support as well. It has a really great comfortable lining so that you aren’t worried about shape or how cold the water is. I also love the amount of coverage it offers, and the nice fit of the off-the-shoulder (OTS) sleeves. It is super stretchy which makes it move really well with your body.
The bottoms totally rock too! They have a ton of stretch in the smock so the don’t feel saggy when they get wet or start to pull away from your waist when you bend. The bottoms also provide decent coverage, which is important to me.
This coverup would have been perfect for a Fourth of July pool party or boat day! It’s from Anthropologie and is on sale right now. Snag it for next year! I love the red, white, and blue colors with the metallic threading. It’s a cute patriotic cover-up that you can wear any day of the year and isn’t too over-the-top. My hat is also on sale from Banana Republic. It took me a little too long to get down with the hats but now I am in love! A great thing about this pick is that it comes in two sizes S/M and L/XL and is “packable”. Packable means that you can fold it up and flatten it in your suitcase and know it will bounce back to its original shape!
// Shop My Look //
// Swim Top
// Swim Bottoms
// Hat // Kimono //
by chelsea | Jul 12, 2018 | Beauty, Home, Style
It’s finally here!
The Nordstrom Anniversary sale is finally here! I scoped out some great finds at an early shopping event yesterday and checked out everything that went live on the site this morning. You can start shopping today if you’re a Nordstrom credit card holder… if not you can apply for one today and start to shop! I rounded up my favorite finds below. I put all of the items in my cart but obviously had to sift through a few before check out. Check out my fav dresses, tops, bottoms, beauty essentials, accessories, and home decor. I would buy EVERYTHING here if I could!
Everything in the sale is a new, fall item, so prices will drop for the sale and then return to normal price as fall merchandise.
Here are the items I put at the top of my must-have list!
// Dresses //
I am a huge dress girl so most of my favorites were in this category! There are a ton of amazing dresses in the sale this year. I am sharing some dresses that are great for everything from work to play!
1. I absolutely love this Tahari Cape Dress for work. I ordered it in black (pretty much my go-to) but am in love with the red as well!
// Sale Price $84.90 // After Sale $128.00 //
2. The cutest work dress! This Chelsea28 Fit and Flare dress is perfect for a day at school or the office. I like the Navy Sapphire but think all three color options are super flattering!
// Sale Price $92.90 // After Sale $139.00 //
3. How amazing is this flutter sleeve dress? I am so excited to head to work in this dress! I love the blue but ordered the …. black!
4. The perfect work or dinner dress this fall is this Bell Sleeve Dress.
5. I love that this Stipe Faux Wrap Shirt Dress can take you from work to brunch. It’s cut is super flattering and has a glam-meets-modern look that I adore.
// Tops //
I’m sharing my favorite tops from the sale. They had so much options that will be great to rock in the fall!
1. This off-the-shoulder eyelet blouse is super cute! It’s the perfect top for just about any occasion.
2. When it gets cold and you want to be comfortable, this cinched waist sweatshirt will be your staple!
Comfy and cute, yes please!
3. I love the draped look of this Leather Jacket. It looks a lot like the one I got last winter.
4. This casual Ruffle Sleeve Tee may become a teachers best friend.
5. How about thisScallop Sweater? Scalloped, need I say more?
// Bottoms //
I skipped the jeans this year because I have some hard-and-true brands I stick with that were excluded from the sale. Instead I am posting some great fall skirts, pants, and leggings (of course)
1. If you’ve never tried Alo’s yoga pants, you should! They’re definitely pricey so now would be a great time to try a pair. These Alo Godess Ribbed Leggings are super cute and on sale!
2. I have a similar pair of Utility Pants and love to wear them with a tee and wedges. I love these ones and the price!
3. Last year, I purchased theseBP. Moto Leggings in a similar green color. I wear them all fall and winter with different boots and booties.
4. I am all about the camo right now! This Camo Utility Skirt completely does it for me!
5. Like I said, all about the camo. I purchased a pair of faux leather leggings last winter that quickly became a go-to. They’re comfortable and easy to dress up. I am excited about these Faux Leather Camo Leggings by Spanx.
// Shoes //
This years sale-shoes were to-die-for! There were so many adorable sliders and booties so I am just sharing some must-haves.
1. Here are two similar booties. They are both wedge booties that are great for the snow, rain, or sludge! The first is the Sorrell Waterproof wedge booties and these UGG Waterproof Wedge booties . I love them both but prefer the monochromatic look of the UGGs.
2. These Casper booties are the perfect fall shoe.
3. These slides pretty much came in a bunch of colors. I loved two but based on instagram you all preferred the black Bow Slide.
// Sale Price $84.90 // After Sale $129.95 //
4. I know I want these Delicious Heeled booties but I haven’t been able to decide between the black or nude suede.
5. I love these easy Lash Split Shaft Booties . They’re easy fall boots that can dress up and outfit and would pair great with a cute fall dress!
// Beauty //
One of my favorite parts of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale every year is the beauty. I stock-up on products I use throughout the year because you can find great items at that otherwise never go on sale! If you’ve read my “My favorite Hair Products” post, you’ll see a lot of my favorite items are part of the sale!
1. If you haven’t tried the Beachwaver yet you should! I love that this is a 1 1/4 inch barrel. It will give you perfect big waves. It’s on the anniversary sale, 1 1/4″ beachwaver.
2. I love the Oribe dry texture spray. This is a great price for the Oribe Spray duo, and I am excited to try the other product!
3. I love Philosophy facewash. My face always feels so clean after using this face wash. It rarely goes on sale so I snap up the Purity Trio Set at the anniversary sale.
4. I’ve been dying for a light controlled mirror. This is one of those things your mom probably has that you’ve always wanted. I love the size of this 8 inch mirror with brightness control .
5. A couple years ago I started getting lash extensions. They were really great most of the time! To save time and money I quit and started purchasing neuLash. This stuff works so well and I only buy it during the sale each year!
// Accessories //
There are a ton of beautiful accessories as part of the sale this year! Of course, many of the ones I liked the most were well out of my budget ($400 earrings). Here are a few more affordable options that are super cute!
1. This suitcase is probably my favorite purchase from the 2018 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I’ve never had nice luggage and the price for two is a pretty good deal. Plus, I love how easy the blue will be to find at the luggage claim!
2. Check-out these super cute Halfmoon Fringe Earrings! I am obsessed!
3. I’m a huge fan of the blanket scarf. I love this Stripe Blanket Scarf.
4. If you’ve been needing a new carry-all, check out this monogram Oversize Tote. It is full of things I love: stripes, monograms, and big enough to tote all I need. I linked the black but my instagram showed the white as more popular so check that one out too!
5. There’s nothing catty about these Oversize Sunglasses .
Quay’s been super popular for oversize sunglasses and I am loving these cat-eye ones!
// Home //
Last year the “home” part of the sale really got me! It was the first year during this sale that I was a homeowner and was so excited to be able to purchase some high-end pieces while they were on sale. I am sharing a few favorites that I will add to my place.
1. These three coasters are all adorable. Check out these coasters and these ones that are marble and wood. They’re perfect for a modern or contemporary living room! These home state coasters are perfect for the proud local or girl who is new-to-town!
2. I found two towel sets I thought were super cute! These kitchen towels and these turkish towels.
3. As I said, I love marble! I am super excited about this soap dispenser. I ordered it for my downstairs powder-room.
4.I ordered this Herringbone Rug from the 2017 Anniversary Sale. It has held up really well and has a great modern look!
5. I love using an aromatherapy diffuser in my home. This one is super cute!
I tried to keep all my favorites down to five so they were easier to shop. Did you find this post helpful to navigate the anniversary sale? Wish I had talked about some different merchandise? Share you thoughts below so I can make future posts more helpful to readers!
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