Now that it’s safer to spend time outdoors at beaches and lakes It feels like summer is really here! I recently hopped one state over to spend some time by the sea and it was so therapeutic! I packed my favorite pieces from Ellos, Romans, and Jessica London Style to create summery looks that kept me cool in the Florida heat while also looking hot!
These three Full Beauty Brands are all having awesome sales right now and very item in the post is on sale! Now I the perfect time to stock up on all your summer time must-haves!
Ellos is currently offering 40% off your oder with select items plus extra 30% off clearance! I can’t recommend this Smocked Bodice Tank Dress enough! Its comes in five different colors and sizes 10-40. This Dress makes for the perfect bathing suit cover up and can easily to take you from the ocean to dinner!
Another great piece for transitioning from beach to happy hour is this Printed Hanky Hem Dress! I chose the lemon pattern but it also comes in paisley and is available in sizes 10-32. This one is light weight and perfect to pop on over your swim suit!
Jessica London is having a flash sale with select items up to 60% off! They are also having their semi annual intimates sale with buy 2 get 2 free bras and panties and if you use code JLEFRTOTE you get a free tote valued at $49.99 when you spend $75 or more! I love this bright and flirty Halter Maxi Dress! It comes in sizes 14-28 and also is available in blue and white stripes. I paired this dress with The Marley Mule By Comfortview which coms in 3 different patters and sizes 7-12, widths M, W, and, WW. These comfy little slides are perfect to slip on with any summer outfit!
Roamans is also having a flash sale with select items up to 60% off and their semi annual intimates sale with buy 2 get 2 free bras and panties! I can’t even explain how obsessed I am with this gorgeous Tiered Metallic Crinkle Maxi Dress With Embellished Neckline! I felt like a beach goddess in this flowing boho piece! This one is a bit of a splurge but is currently on sale, available in sizes 14-36, and makes for beautiful sunset photos with family! Off the beach I will pair this with a tank or bralette underneath with either leggings or bike shorts. I think a short fitted tank dress or body suit would also work really nicely under this!
Happy shopping and don’t forget to tag me in your photos of your Full Beauty Brands finds!
I get a lot of questions about my rings so I’m gonna spill all the tea!
Will and I decided to shop for my engagement ring together because I had a specific vision and he wanted me to have exactly what I dreamed of! I had a few ideas floating around my head but I knew I wanted the center stone to be pink, the metal to be white gold and I was interested in pear shaped stones. We went to a few chain jewelry stores…I won’t name names but think of the first 3 or 4 that come to mind and it’s probably them! Everywhere we went we had the same issues: we felt super rushed while trying rings on, the prices were astronomical, and we were pressured to make a payment or purchase that day. One place we went to, the sales person handed me ring number three after we had been in the building only 20 mins and said “is this your ring? I can draw up the paper work!” And I laughed at her! I spent another 20 minutes browsing and then we announced we would think about it and come back next weekend to which she replied “what’s there to think about?”. I candidly told her that we are taking this slowly and want to explore all of our options before we commit to such a big purchase and a piece that I will wear everyday for the rest of my life. She said, “well what exactly do you expect to find out there that you can’t find here?”. At this point she was just asking to have her feelings hurt so I told her, “a lower price and better customer service.” And we left!
We went to a nearby mall for dinner and the restaurant had a 30 minute wait time so we decided to browse the mall while we waited. That’s when we accidentally came upon a jewelry store we’d never heard of before. We went it to look around and we met their goldsmith Todd Michael! He was so kind, patient and explained things simply and clearly. I was instantly at ease. It felt like chatting with an old friend after a long day of talking to car salesmen! I wasn’t immediately drawn to anything on display so Todd suggested we custom design my engagement ring. He asked me what my dream ring would be and I told him, a pear shaped, pink center stone with a diamond halo and white gold band. He fit my finger for size and said he’d call his gemstone distributor and see what pink sapphires he has and give us a call when he has a plastic mold for us to try. We left feeling excited and relieved!
We went in for our next appointment and I got to try on the plastic mold to get an idea of what the setting would look and feel like! This helped me decide if I wanted space between the center stone and the halo or not and if I liked the width of band. I loved the dainty band and chose not to have space between. Next we chose my center stone from a selection of natural pink sapphires shipped there especially for us to choose from! It was a tough choice but I ultimately fell in love with the shade and shape of my current stone! I really appreciated working closely together for each step and having the opportunity to see our collective vision come to life! After this step I was excluded from the conversation so that Will could officially propose to me with the finished product! When he proposed and I saw the real thing for the first time it took my breath away! It was even more beautiful than I could have imagined! Once he popped the question I was able to see all the behind the scenes steps I missed out on, like the animated mock up, and the stages of crafting the ring! ( watch the video below!)
Months later, when it came time to choose my wedding band, we obviously needed to work with Todd again! He was no longer at the jewelry store from before so we tracked him down because there was no way we would trust anyone else! His work is so beautiful, the quality is superb, and the prices reflect that quality without the insane retail mark-ups that chain jewelry stores charge (for lesser quality stones!). Todd is our guy now and forever!
I wasn’t sure what I wanted in a wedding band so I just let Todd get creative and come up with some ideas! He sent me some animated mock ups with a picture of my engagement ring so I could get an idea of what they’d look like together! I loved them all but the tiara band with the pear shaped top was a no-brainer for me! It had “Lexi” written all over it! He made a plastic mold for me to try on with my engagement ring to be sure I liked the scale of it and then he worked his magic to make my dreams come true!
Seeing the rings together gave me butterflies (and still does!) and I couldn’t be happier! Todd got the sapphires for my band from the same contact as my center stone so the color and quality would be as close as possible. These rings sparkle in the dark they are so perfect! Every detail is immaculate and the process was stress free and fun! We paid half of what we would have been charged at a big chain jewelry store and we felt good knowing we were supporting an independent goldsmith. From now on Todd is our go-to guy for every anniversary, birthday, Mother’s Day, graduation, and someday push present! I can’t recommend him enough! Contact Todd at the Goldsmiths Bench here
Okay first things first, how y’all doing? Girl, same! Bleh! I feel like I’m bouncing from panic to naps, to delirious laughter all day. Nothing about this COVID-19 “new normal” is normal. So I’ve been trying to encourage myself to do some “normal” things every so often to keep me grounded.
I try to dress up once a week! Lately I just want to wear sweats on the couch and eat Doritos (yum) but after a while I feel icky. It’s good for me to switch it up and cute cute even even it’s just for the gram…or my newest obsession, TikTok! Full Beauty Brands sent me some lovely pieces from Jessica London, Roamans, and Ellos and they are perfect for a stylish spring look that’s still comfy to wear in my apartment or on my porch, the only places I ever go now!
Another thing I do to keep my head straight is FaceTime with friends and family! I try to look cute(ish) for this too because it helps me feel like I’m getting ready to go socialize! A fun outfit and a bit of makeup always elevates my mood at least a little and that sets the tone for a more enjoyable phone call! I’ve also been doing therapy over Zoom which I highly recommend! So even if it’s just a cute top and some lipstick, I feel like myself when a put a bit of effort into getting ready for video chats!
I occasionally need to go to the grocery store or pharmacy for essentials and while this is indeed a stressful scenario, I try to make the most of it. I’m making an effort to practice gratitude so I see grocery shopping as a privilege! I’m so grateful to essential employees who make shopping for my meals possible. Selecting my favorite snacks and small comforts have become a sacred part of my week so I look forward to my rare grocery trip and enjoy dressing up for the occasion! Obviously whatever you wear is perfect as long as you feel comfortable. Clothes can mean so much to us as a way to express ourselves and soothe ourselves. So what’s best for you and stay safe! We are in this together and I’m here for you if you need to talk!
When I was in middle school a boy asked me out and dated me for two months…on a dare. I was inspired to share this story after blogger Stephanie Yeboah ( http://www.nerdabouttown.com ) shared her personal expertise with being asked out on a dare. I highly recommend her blog, instagram, and twitter so make sure you follow her!
Me at 13 holding my baby sister
We were in 7th grade and I had just turned 13. I had previously transferred to an arts magnet school but had to transfer back to my zoned school mid year due to severe bullying (including death threats) for being fat. Kids would grab my stomach and shake it, stick pencils and markers down my pants while I sat in class, push me in the hallways, and say horrible things, most of which iv’e blocked out of my memory. When asked for guidance on how to handle the bullying, the principle at the magnet school told my my parents that I should stop drawing attention to myself and lay low…yikes. So even though I had been bullied at my zoned school as well, I didn’t rice death threats and the prickle was slightly more receptive. So there I am, middle of the year in the 7th grade, vulnerable and defeated. Then along came Zack (name NOT changed because fuck you, dude).
Zack was new to school too, but from another state so he was even newer than me and knew no one. He was small and cute with a Justin Bieber vibe (before JB was a thing). I don’t remember what class we had together because middle school was genuinely so traumatic I blocked most of it out of my memory (except that one time I left my hello kitty coffee travel mug full of coffee in my locker for a week and it got all chunky and gross. that I will never forget.). Zack was tan, word a puka bead necklace and smelled strongly of axe body spray. When I saw him I immediately passed a note to my friend telling her how cute I thought Zack was. She replied that her boyfriend and Zack were friends and she could try to set us up. OMG!
After many notes passed and flirting at the local skate park where Zack and my friends boyfriend made very failed attempts at skate boarding, Zack asked me to be his girlfriend. For about two months the four of us went to movie and coffee shops and had inside jokes. Zack was the second boy I had ever kissed but the first one I had other physical experiences with, making our bond feel very real and intense to my naive teenage brain. Everything was so perfect and such a relief from the abuse school environment I had escaped. I felt like I belonged and maybe the years or relentless bullying were behind me. Little did I know Melanie had other plans for me (name NOT changed because fuck you Melanie!).
I don’t remember how Zack dumped me. I don’t know if it was over the phone, or in a note, or to my face. All I remember is sitting in the bleachers in gym glass sobbing like there had been a death. I was surround by a few girlfriends one of which was my best friends friend Melanie. Melanie and I were friends in 5th grade but some odd unspoken rivalry began to brew either because she was bored or because we were both actresses and she felt threatened. She was always catty and snarky to me but in a subtle enough way that kept her from getting in trouble at school and tricked our other friends into thinking she was nice. Sounds kind of like Regina George from Mean Girls, right? Well Melanie would have taken that as a compliment. If your familiar with Mean Girls, Melanie was Regina, I was Caddy and my best friend was a combo of Karen and Gretchen. (It was 2005 so obviously Mean Girls was a huge part of our lives.)
While comforting me on the bleachers with the other girls, Melanie called Zack over and told him to hug me. It was super awkward and strange that 1. my ex was comforting me about OUR breakup and 2. he did what she told him to do. After school I was supposed to go to drama club, which consisted of mostly 5th graders who had no idea what they were doing, Melanie, and me. I considered skipping but decided it would be a good outlet for my emotions. When I arrived everyone was seated in a circle of chairs and sitting right next to Melanie was-Zack!? I sat down, totally in shock and the drama teacher says “Everyone, welcome our new member Zack!”. People clapped. I held back vomit. Melanie then puts her arm around Zack and gently touches his nose saying “Alexis, don’t you think his little sunburn is cute? I think its cute.” Some one call a priest to exercise the regina George demon out of this bitches body!
I ran out of the room crying, and had a full blown panic attack in the bathroom. My best friend got out of cheer practice and I rode home with her, still sobbing uncontrollably. I remember her dad sweetly asking “is there anything I can do?” and my best friend saying “I don’t think so.”. We watch Selena and Gilmore Girls and I cried so much I’m surprised I didn’t need IV fluids. Later that night Zack called me to apologize. Thats when he told me that he had asked me out on a dare. He asked Melanie out months ago and she rejected him. when he persisted she dared him to ask me out instead and said if he did and reported every little detail of our relationship back to her and then broke up with me, that she would reward him by going out with him. I had never felt so violated before. Even all the verbal and physical abuse and the death threats at my old school, this was the most demoralizing thing that had ever been done to me. Our entire relationship had been a lie and a joke. I was broken.
Thankfully High School was a different story. I had boyfriends and good friends and people thought I was hot. There were plenty of people who hated me and thought I was gross but It was much more even. But I never really shook that shame and humiliation from years of extreme bullying and it manifested in codependent and paranoid behavior in my relationships and friendships. Thats because people thinking you’re hot doesn’t fix your problems. You have to love yourself to be happy. It wasn’t until the past few years that I finally became the strong unbreakable woman I am today. COME AT ME MELANIE.
Something I need people reading this to understand is this happens to fat poeple all the time. I promise almost every single fat person has a story about being the butt of a dating dare or joke. When I read Stephanie Yeboah’s story online and read the comments they were divided into two types of people. People who are/were fat and had a similar experience and people who are not fat and blame HER for what happened to her. Let me make this very clear: a person being fat doesn’t give someone that right to abuse them verbally or physically. Someone else weight is not only none of your business but its absolutely not free pass to say or do whatever you want to them. Fat people deserve respect, period. We don’t owe you thinness. Being thin is not a requirement from being treated with basic human decency.
To my fellow plus size girls and women, you are beautiful. You’re more than a body and you are worthy of respect and love. There are more people in this world who accept you than there are who don’t, but unfortunately hate is louder. #standuptobeautystandards and show the world you don’t need anyones permission to love yourself. They don’t like like it? They can kiss our fat asses!
Stand Up To Beauty Standards 