Daily Dose of Design: May 2017

Friday, May 26, 2017

Memorial Day Style + Can't Miss Weekend Sales


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Memorial Day is such an important day to honor our great military, and I love rocking red, white and blue while doing so! It's also the unofficial start of summer and such a fun day to spend with friends and family honoring those who have served for our country. These picks are perfect for the day and for all summer long - I love looking patriotic! There's also some really incredible deals and steals going on this weekend and I've rounded up the best ones so it's a one stop shop!

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

The 8 Must Have Pool Floats to Buy on Amazon for Summer


It's getting closer and closer to pool and beach season!! I'm so excited and the first thing I do every season is check out the newest pool floats. I have so much fun buying adorable pool floats for parties, BBQs and just hanging around the pool and I always get compliments on my fun floats! My go-to for anything pool related is Amazon - they have the best selection and they always have the newest designs available all season long! Here's some of my very favorites to grab this season - fair warning, some of them may make you a little hungry! ;)

Monday, May 22, 2017

10 Tasks to Improve Your Blog in 10 Minutes Each


What would you do if you had 10 minutes to spare on any given day? If we're being honest I really wish we could tack a few hours onto each day, but when I find myself with a few minutes in between events/errands/work/etc., I try and get little things done as much as possible. My brain is constantly running with the little things I want to get done for my blog - and while a lot of things require a longer time frame (like writing a post in full or shooting pictures) there's definitely a long list of things that you can accomplish, even when you only have 10 minutes to spare. I like to spend these 10 minutes being as productive as possible, so I put my phone aside, turn the TV off and even set a timer for 10 minutes. These 10 minute tasks are a great way to get you back on track when you're feeling unproductive. Here's 10 great ways to help your blog when you have 10 minutes to spare:

Friday, May 19, 2017

The 2017 Swimsuit Guide: Swim Under $200


With the weather heating up, I'm all about getting beach and pool ready! The sangria and pizza may be telling me otherwise, but I AM working on that beach bod! ;) If there's one kind of shopping that I know a lot of women hate, it's bathing suit shopping. I love cute suits but hate all the insecurities, and love getting cute summery swimwear but the price tags are usually much less than favorable. It's a love-hate relationship, but it doesn't have to be all bad! I try to have a positive outlook on bathing suit shopping, so to do so (for us ALL!) I put together a great guide of swimwear for everyone - one pieces (without looking old and frumpy), bikinis, tankinis - the whole nine yards. The other best part? All of these picks are under $200! Good quality bathing suits don't always come cheap, but you can get quality pieces that are still in-budget. Whatever you're looking for, I got you covered! ;)

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Everyday Makeup Must Haves

This post contains affiliate links and some gifted products provided for consideration. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me!

I share a lot of the beauty products I love, but never have really talked about my everyday makeup! I had a couple of people ask me what my daily routine is like, so I wanted to put together my favorites that I use every single day. I'm the kind of person who, unless I'm going somewhere really nice/fancy/exciting, I don't like to look like I'm wearing a lot of makeup. Especially in the summer and warmer months, nothing is worse than a heavy face full of product! On an everyday basis, I wear minimal makeup and love nothing more than a simple, clean look. Here's the perfect must haves for a simple (and fairly quick too!) makeup look:

Monday, May 15, 2017

DIY Pom Pom Sun Hat


Pom poms are all the rage this season and I don't know that there's anyone who hasn't already fallen in love with this trend! They're so festive, fun and make the spring and summer so much more fun style-wise. ;) I've been seeing lots of embellished tops, accessories and shoes lately and I've also noticed that sometimes these pommed-beauties are expensive! Well worth it yes, but not everyone wants to drop $100 or more on a sunhat. Get in the DIY mood, because I'm sharing a super simple, quick and inexpensive way to make your very own pom pom hat! It couldn't be easier and it costs as little as you need it to!

Friday, May 12, 2017

The Fine Line Between Work and Life When You Work from Home


Many of you know that since graduating college last spring, I've been blogging full-time. Along with a fun little side hustle of VA work/social media managing, blogging is my full-time gig and I couldn't be any more in love with what I do! Never did I imagine that this would be my work AND fun, but now that it is I'm grateful every day. But besides all the sappy stuff, the truth of the matter is that when I have busy days, I have BUSY days. Every day is busy, but some more than others and let's be honest - some I'm more motivated and productive than others. ;) Now while working for myself means that being busy is a good thing, it's still often hard to recognize where exactly that super fine line between your life and your work is. Some days I work at my dining room table, others I'm at my desk (I really need to work on that!). I even find myself getting work done at all hours of the day - I break when I can and while I don't hate that, I know how important it is to prevent burn out or feeling anything but love for my job.

If you're anything like this, you know all too well that work doesn't always end - you more so take a "break" to grab dinner or go run errands or once in a while, sleep. I always find myself watching TV at night and paying half attention to Scandal as I write a post or finish some work, then have to re-watch because I didn't allow myself some down time - anyone else?! Side note: if you're a fellow Gladiator, you know all too well you can't miss a second of that show!!

Monday, May 8, 2017

The Best Spring Fashion Finds on Amazon Prime

*affiliate links

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So we're all in agreement, Amazon is the best thing to happen pretty much ever, right? ;) Just when you think you've seen everything that they have to offer, you come across even more incredible finds. I would have never thought that Amazon would be one of the places I went to for spring fashion finds, but I was wrong! There's so many trending pieces and styles, here's some of my favorites right now:

Friday, May 5, 2017

How to Make Shopping for Skincare Easier Using the HiMirror Plus

This post has been sponsored by the PRIMP Network. All opinions, as always, are my own.
 

With as many skincare products, brands and different "quick fixes" there are on the market today, it's hard to know what will work for you, what you should spend/splurge on, what isn't worth the steep price - you get the idea! If you search "cleanser" on Sephora's website, you get pages and pages of results. Whose to say which will work best for you? You can read reviews and sort your search based on best sellers, etc., but a quick search isn't customizing products for YOUR skin. All of us have totally different needs when it comes to skincare and a product that works for your sister may not work for you. Ever since I began using the HiMirror, I've had a much more personalized shopping experience and I've even found new products I've grown to LOVE! Now, Hi Mirror has a new Plus version and it's better than ever:

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Mother's Day Gift Guide


Mother's Day is getting so close! If you're a procrastinator shopper, didn't realize it's already next weekend (*raises hand*) or are just completely stumped on what to get the special women in your life, I have you covered! I've been searching high and low for gifts for my mom that aren't repetitive to everything else my sister and I always get her, something different and something she'll love for a long time. Whether you're on a tight budget or want to splurge a bit, the things I found are in a large price variety! Here's my favorites and what's definitely on my radar for my mom this Mother's Day: