Category: Style

Home Try On + In-Depth Style Reviews, Style, Travel, Travel Products

Home Try-On: A Review of Amazon Prime’s “Try Before You Buy” Program

A bag from Amazon Prime Wardrobe sits next to a wooden door

Real talk: I hate in-store shopping for clothes. (It’s probably a bad idea to start a blog post with a negative statement, but it’s a very true statement). The salespeople are either too pushy or refuse to help you, the lighting is awful, the music is too loud, and there’s never enough time to really …

Style, Travel, Travel Products

40 Essential Summer Travel Shoes for Women

Alyssa holds a pair of black sandals in her hand

One of the toughest packing challenges most people face involves shoes. What kind? How many? I’m often asked about this topic and it’s definitely time for a travel-friendly shoe guide. As an advocate for packing light and a frequent budget airline passenger, I tend to stick to two pairs of shoes per trip, wearing one on …

Destinations, Florida, Packing Lists, Style, Travel, USA

Traveling Light: A Summer Packing List for Destin, Florida (30A)

A Basket Backpack with sunglasses and sandals

A real-life packing list for Destin, Florida (30A)

Destinations, Mexico, Packing Lists, Style, Travel

A Carry-On Packing List for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

A cover photo that reads "Puerto Vallarta Packing List"

Typically I title the posts in my packing series “Traveling Light,” but I didn’t feel that was a fair statement to apply to my Puerto Vallarta packing list post. In fact, I could almost title this post “summer travel capsule” as it includes nearly all of my warm-weather items! This post contains affiliate links and …

Destinations, Florida, Style, Travel, USA

Underwater Enchantment: A Day with Real Mermaids at Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs

A wide view of the waterpark at Weeki Wachee

I was a little surprised by the results of an Instagram Story poll I conducted recently: most of the respondents indicated they had never heard of Weeki Wachee before. For the uninitiated, I highly recommend this gifted New York Times article as a starting point. I remember my grandmother speaking of the mermaids’ magic and …

Beauty, Style, Travel, Travel Products, Travel Tips

My Five-Minute Travel Makeup Routine

Mini bottles of makeup products on a tray

Confession time: I used to bring way too much makeup with me when traveling (actually, I used to bring way too much everything with me). But once I started unpacking mindfully, noting everything that was used during the trip and everything that was not used, I was able to whittle it down. This post contains …

Destinations, Packing Lists, Pennsylvania, Style, Travel, USA

Traveling Light: A Packing List for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A closet of garments worn in Pittsburgh

I’ve always found packing for cities with a more “classic” style (say, Rome, Paris, or almost any Southern U.S. city) easier than packing to visit “cool” cities (New York, London, or San Francisco all come to mind) since my wardrobe is very low-key and contains very few “trendy” items. Still, I find I feel more …

10 x 10 Capsule Wardrobe Challenge, Home, Reflections, Style

Spring 10×10 Wrap-up

Eight garments and two pairs of shoes sit on and next to a white Eames chair

Another 10×10 Challenge is in the books! Find the previous Spring 10×10 posts here: Preview | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-10 I wanted to share my thoughts on the Spring 10×10 with you after I’ve had a little time to mull it over. On the agenda today is a look at all ten outfits, my …

10 x 10 Capsule Wardrobe Challenge, Home, Style

Spring 10×10: Days 7-10

Alyssa wears a black dress with a white tee on top, and a pair of black loafers. She walks in front of a colorful mural, and she is crossing her arm in front of her

Whoosh – and another 10×10 is gone! This one flew by for me; I’m not sure if it’s just this time of year, or if time is simply beginning to move faster. I’ll share my final thoughts on the challenge as a whole on Thursday after I’ve had a few days to mull it over. …

10 x 10 Capsule Wardrobe Challenge, Home, Reflections, Style

Spring 10×10: Days 4-6

Alyssa wears a white tunic underneath a black dress with tan mules. She is standing in front of a floral wall and facing away from the camera

Wow, we’ve crossed the halfway point! This 10×10 challenge is flying (I’ve seen others say that, too, so I’m glad I’m not the only one!) and I’m looking forward to returning to my full closet. I’m not necessarily desperate for any item in particular; I’m just ready to not feel boxed in. No clue what …