Transitioning to Fall with Bright Dresses and Jean Jackets

Dress // Jacket // Necklace // Earrings // Shoes are sold out in blue but black and taupe are on sale!

Okay y'all I have a confession to make that might make some of y'all hate me...
I am SOO not ready for Fall!!! Super unpopular opinion, I know. (I also hate PSL's -- gasp!) I wish it could be Summer forever. I hate being cold, being pale, and struggling daily to pull my jeans up. I'm obsessed with Christmas though so if we could fast forward to that then that would be okay.

It's still super hot here in NC, so I wore this dress to church without the jacket -- and because how sassy are those sleeves?! but Fall will be here before we know it and it's time to talk about transition outfits. As y'all know, I LOVE color. Even in the Fall and Winter I try to stay away from dull colors and keep brights and colors in my wardrobe. Like pink sweaters are probably my favorite invention.

So one of my favorite transition outfits is brightly colored dresses paired with a jean jacket. I'm a little late to the game because it took me a while to find THE jean jacket, but I finally have one and I love styling it so much that it might make me a teeennsy bit more excited for Fall. I am wearing mules here but on chillier days this look would also be cute with booties. I actually got these shoes from the clearance shoe rack at TJ Maxx for 10 bucks! If you really like them I would check your TJ Maxx first but i'm also crushing on the taupe ones that Nordstrom Rack has that I linked above. They're on sale!

This dress is only $14!! It also comes in pink for only $13! I just realized it comes in pink or I would have that too! It can be dressy or casual and because it's a solid color you can wear it so many different ways to make lots of different outfits. It's both cute and classy, just how I like it! ;)

I mentioned this on Instagram but I wanted to remind y'all of how much I love Akola Project and give y'all the link to this necklace. Their jewelry is handmade (paper rolled beads) by poverty stricken women in Uganda and Dallas. 100% of your purchase is reinvested to empower those women and their families. And it doesn't hurt that their jewelry is freaking beautiful!! I have a bunch of these and these in different colors that I wear ALL the time. I'm currently obsessing over this one in seaport with the gold pendant.

God bless, y'all!
mDk
You'll eventually get a "Happy Fall, y'all" out of me, but not today ;)

My Favorite Palm Leaf Top

Top // Similar Skirt (on sale!) // Shoes ($35!) //Ram Bangle (Go Heels!) // Cuff Bracelet // Link Bracelet // Sunnies are Prada found at Nordstrom Rack

Y'all! With palm print being so in right now, this is the best buy i've made in a while! This top is so cute and only $14!! I'm a pink girl, but if the colors are too much for you then this would also go so great with a white mini skirt like i've linked above or with white shorts or jeans! Another white skirt that I also have and love and that is on sale from $35 down to $18 would also pair perfectly with it, which is how I will style it next. It's super lightweight so I can wear it now but because it has sleeves it can be such a great transition piece when nights start getting chillier. I love tops that are such statement pieces but can be worn so many different ways to make so many different outfits/looks! You can go preppy, glam, or boho with this top. And even if you only wear it once... it's only $14!

There are other palm leaf tops and dresses on this site that are also super cute that you will see once going to the link, but how could you say no to bell sleeves?! 

xoxo,

mDk

The Natural and Yummy Way to Healthy Skin

  If you want healthy, glowing skin, exfoliation, about twice a week, is a must! As our skin ages (and p.s if you're like me and tan in the sun then we're only accelerating that process), the process of cell regeneration slows down. Which is basically our body naturally shedding dead skin. If we don't exfoliate, then dead skin piles up on the surface of our skin making it look dull and dry. And basically, without exfoliation, all these amazing and expensive moisturizing and anti aging skin products we're all obsessed with these days is doing no good whatsoever because we're putting it on dead skin cells so we can't absorb it. If we exfoliate first and slough off that dead layer, we're putting it where it needs to be, which is the fresh and generating skin cells, allowing it to penetrate deep into our skin.
     All that being said, I want to share with y'all my new favorite way to exfoliate my body (we can talk about face exfoliation later if y'all want). With all the sun and salt we are getting in the summertime, exfoliation is super important for soft and glowing skin. Who doesn't want that?! I'm not kidding when I say I can look at my skin and know when I've been lacking on exfoliation because it looks so dull and just plain ugly! And what we do for our skin now we will be thanking ourselves when we're older! Trust me, ask your moms.
     This coffee scrub is the NATURAL way to exfoliate. Unlike the list of ingredients of things you can't pronounce in an exfoliator on the shelf, this scrub has three simple ingredients without all those added chemicals and toxins that our skin absorbs directly into our bloodstream. Yuck! And it literally didn't even take me five minutes to make. When I was in the Bahamas, I went to an all natural skin care store and the lady that owned the shop had the most beautiful, young, and glowing skin I have ever seen! She was like 60 and had wayy better skin than me with hardly any wrinkles! I asked her what her secret was and she said "honey, everything I have ever put on my skin is all natural. All these chemicals in skin care products is doing more harm than you think. Your skin is simple and it just needs simple and natural things to stay healthy." The conversation I had with her was such an eye opener and has made me pay so much more attention to what I put on my skin!
     In addition to the exfoliating properties of coffee that is in this scrub I also want to share with y'all the benefits of putting coffee on your skin. (And from drinking it, ohh yeahh)

• It's a rich source of antioxidants, which bolsters our body's natural defenses against the free radicals in he environment that wreak havoc on our skin. 
• Protects against skin cancer!! 
• Makes skin smooth and bright 
• Minimizes the appearance of CELLULITE by drawing fluid from fat cells and dehydrating them. Heck yes! 
• Protects skin against aging 

     Brown sugar is a gentle exfoliator (because exfoliators that are too coarse can actually irritate your skin) and coconut oil penetrates your newly exfoliated skin with a surge of intense moisture.
Here's how:
1 cup of coffee grounds (I used leftover coffee that I didn't use)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of organic, unrefined coconut oil - I found a jar at tj maxx for $5
Some people will say to melt the oil so you can mix it, but I just mixed it with my hands and the warmth from my hand has it all mixed up perfectly in seconds.
WARNING: It smells so good you will want to eat it. Hence Laylo's interest in it LOL
Wet your skin and rub the scrub in a circular motion all over your body, focusing especially on areas of cellulite and extra dry skin. If you're patient enough, let it sit on your skin for a few minutes to give the coffee some extra time to work its magic. Then rinse it off with water. I like to wash my skin first instead of after because the coconut oil is left on your skin and makes it soooo soft and shiny but not that greasy feel you get when you put coconut oil directly on by itself. Your skin will eventually absorb the oil, leaving you super moisturized.
P.S. be careful not to slip in the shower/tub on the oil!
You can also use this on your face if you would like since it's a gentle recipe, but my face is super acne prone so I try to avoid a lot of oils.
     Y'all try this out and let me know what you think! I'm super excited about using it this weekend at the beach for smooth, soft, healthy, glowing, tan skin just in time for the 4th! What are y'alls plans for the 4th?!
xoxo,
mDk

The Cutest and Cheapest Summer Dress

Dress // Necklace (on sale) // Shoes // Julie Vos Link Bracelet // Julie Vos Cuff Bracelet 

          Hey Y'all! I hope everyone's summer is off to a great start! My life update is that I graduated UNC Nursing School, passed the nursing boards (the worst three weeks ever of endless studying!), and am waiting for my start date on July 10th at Duke University Hospital's Pediatric ICU! Until then, as y'all can tell from these photos, it's tanning and exercising to make up for the lack thereof during those long weeks of studying!
          I am so excited to share this dress with y'all! I have come to really enjoy shopping with Shein. Not everything is perfect and not everything fits me #biggirl, but the past few times I have ordered from them I have been super happy with my purchase! (See one of my other favorite summer dresses on my last post). This dress looks so stylish and expensive, but is only $20!!! (17 if you give them your email address!)  I am SO impressed with the quality and am loving these colors. I ordered a large and it's a little short but I think the sizing is perfect. I love finding quality and cute dresses for so cheap because I tend to only wear things 1-3 times so I don't like spending a fortune on clothes. I will be wearing this dress out and about with these wedges for a more sassy look and to church and orientation with flats for a more professional look.
         They are also having an independence day promotion where you get $5 off $55, 15 off 105, and 40 off 200. Some of their pieces I am currently eyeing right now include this perfect and sassy white top for $13 because white tops are a summer necessity since they go with everything, this top for $16 that is perfect for July 4th, and this top is so stinking cute and only $9! Also, if you don't have the pink and green palm dress that literally every blogger has this summer, Shein has it for only $14. And I am obsessing over this $13 pink and white off the shoulder dress and really need this palm leaf top in my life. I seriously could spend hours on this site, y'all. So much fun! A lot of people have asked how long it takes for things to get shipped (P.S they have free shipping) and I would say it takes about a week and a half.

Thanks for visiting! 

xoxo,

mDk