The Best Teddy Jackets + a Sephora Giveaway 11.20.2018

As you may have noticed, I'm just a little bit obsessed with teddy coats and jackets! I've always hated wearing coats and feeling stuffy/bulky, but this is a trend that's equal parts comfy and chic. This is the coat I'm wearing in these pics (highly recommend grabbing it before it sells out again). I also own this budget-friendly tan jacket, and just added this black teddy jacket to my collection (use code BRI20 for 20% off).

Most of these are under $100 and quite a few are under $50!

Outfit Details

Coat  |  Sweater (so soft!)  |  Jeans   |  Hat  |  Sunglasses  |  Backpack  |  Similar Boots

Winter has definitely arrived here, and while I'm pretty sad about that, cute new clothes do help to make it better! I try to venture into color more often these days, but I can't lie...I still love my neutral outfits like this one the most.

New makeup and skincare help too, so be sure to enter this awesome giveaway!

To make your holiday shopping a little bit easier, I've teamed up with a group of bloggers to give you a chance to win an $800 Sephora Gift Card!

To enter: complete the steps in the Rafflecopter below. The more steps you complete,
the more entries you receive, and the better your chance at winning!
This giveaway runs until Tuesday, December 4th at 12am PST

Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!
*this giveaway is in no way sponsored by Nordstrom.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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We Are What We Eat 8.21.2018

Do you remember hearing this phrase as a little kid and imagining yourself turning into a slice of pizza or an asparagus and thinking it was a bizarre thing to be told? Fast forward to adulthood and I get it now. While it’s still a funny little saying, there’s definitely truth to it. Eating a piece of fried chicken versus a piece of grilled salmon will definitely have different effects on your body and how you feel! 

What we eat determines so much about how we feel and how healthy we are - if our hormones and blood sugar are balanced, if our organs are working optimally, if our body is detoxing on its own, if our hearts are healthy, if our skin is glowing and clear, etc. So often we look first to medications and topical treatments to solve issues, instead of looking first at our diets and lifestyles. 

When I started looking at nutrition as fuel it made it much easier to choose lean protein and leafy greens over white pasta and other starches. And the same goes with beverages… When I thought about cleansing my body (internally) and having clear, plump skin it made it easier to choose water over a soda. Think about this… if you put a bad quality gasoline or oil into your car, it’s not going to run optimally right? The same goes for us. We can’t expect to be running at our best off of soda, sugary granola bars, and french fries. What we choose to put in our bodies fuels us for our busy lives!  

Do you want to feel energized or tired? Do you want to look refreshed or dull? Do you want to feel bloated or lean? These are questions I sometimes ask myself when I need to refocus. 

Focus on putting a balance of good quality protein, fiber, healthy fats, and greens + non-starchy vegetables on your plates every day and that leaves little room for the rest! Drink tons of water; It’s absolutely essential to every single part of your body. Then get ready to feel (and look) amazing.

location: Hillside Farmacy in Austin, TX

photos by Jo Johnson

dress (c/o Lulu's) |  sandals (c/o Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn)  |  sunglasses  |  earrings  |  necklace  

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Being Fashion Forward in a Small Town 5.11.2018

I'll be the first to admit that being super into fashion and living in a small Midwest town are not exactly a match made in heaven. Photo locations can be hard to come by, I get all kinds of looks and comments, and shopping isn't readily available. 

But I'm a definite believer in blooming where you are planted! Since living here I've been determined to not let my location dampen my style and what I'm inspired by. As my confidence grows, fitting in becomes less important to me, and being true to myself and my style become increasingly important and empowering!

How I deal with the looks and comments...

Honestly, I've just gotten used to them and grown to care less and less over time. I internally roll my eyes at the "wow, those are some shoes!" types of comments. Or the misogynistic, "you need to ask Trey to buy you some jeans without holes in them!" Gag. I've been known to flip off the creeps who harass me as I'm trying to take photos of my outfits (I'm sassier than you might think haha). And now I find the mystified looks to be pretty amusing! To me, it means I'm doing my own thing and owning my style!  

How I shop...

ONLINE! As I'm sure you've noticed, online shopping is kind of a big deal these days 😉It's definitely made it easier to adapt to a town where we don't even have a Target or a Chipotle, and helps to put me on a more level playing field with other bloggers. That being said, it would be really nice to run to Nordstrom or Sephora here and there haha. Fortunately, we do have an awesome boutique here called June and Beyond that gives me a great local shopping option! 

Why I refuse to conform to where I live...

To me that would be giving up and just blending in. I've loved fashion and been super inspired by the industry since I was 14 years old, and I'm not giving up on that anytime soon. I have a feeling I'll love it my entire life. I started my blog years ago because I felt like I had a unique perspective and style, so it would be a shame to drown that out just because we ended up in a smaller town for the time being. Here's what I think: Don't let where you live define you. Dress how you want to dress, believe what you want to believe, and live your life how you want to live it!   

How it's built my confidence...

I think in a way I've been forced to become more confident by living here. I stand out at times, and I've had to become more comfortable with that! I no longer feel embarrassed about my style and personality, and feel empowered to be uniquely me! 

dress (c/o - use code LOVELENORE20 for 20% off your Maude orders!)

shoes  |  sunglasses (c/o)  |  similar bag  |  similar bandana  |  hoops

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Updated Gingham 4.25.2018

I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm loving gingham lately! I love all of the updated and non-preppy variations (nothing against preppy style - it's just not me ;). I recently got this dress (which you may have seen on my Instagram) and I've had my eye on this dress too. At the bottom of the post I've shared some of my favorite gingham finds!

Fun fact about the photo location... This is the original sign from a Route 66 Motel that's still in business. And, my previous office was actually located on Route 66, and I thought it was so cute that it was our address!  

top (c/o)  |  similar jeans here & here (mine are Agolde)  |  sunglasses  |  mules (c/o)  |  similar bag

Some of my favorite gingham finds...

And here are my very favorites (sadly couldn't put them in the widget) here, here, here and here.

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The Trend I'm Obsessed With Right Now 4.16.2018

I'm not sure what's gotten into me, but I can't get enough of breezy wide-leg pants and jumpsuits these days! When I saw this matching set I knew I had to have it. I love the button details and the tie in the back of the pants!

Maude Boutique has been one of my favorite places to online shop for unique finds this spring, and they were kind enough to give me a discount code for you guys! Use code LOVELENORE20 for 20% off your orders! Here are some more items I'm obsessed with from Maude: these gingham shorts, this wide-leg jumpsuit (looks so comfy!), these floral wide-leg pants, this round straw tote, and this one-piece swimsuit.   

set (c/o Maude)  |  sunglasses ($10!)  |  sandals (c/o)  |  earrings  |  |  similar bag

On another note, spring weather has not been easy to come by in the Midwest this year! Looking at last year's photos, things were green and blooming by, but aside from the trees I found for these photos, everything is still pretty dead looking around here and it was frigid here this weekend. This week is looking a little bit warmer though, so fingers crossed!

Since it was quite wintery this weekend, all three of my photo sessions got rescheduled, which left us with a free weekend to be home (my favorite)! On Saturday I stayed in my PJs all day and did virtually nothing. I felt super lazy, but sometimes you just need a day like that to let your body rest! Yesterday I started Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body Guide, we each went through a bunch of clothes and gathered quite a few bags of donations, we completed our taxes, and celebrated our nephew's birthday. So all in all, it was a good weekend with a balance of relaxation and productivity! Now, to get through a long Monday...    

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My 5 All-Time Favorite TV Shows 4.04.2018

I did a little get-to-know-me post on my photography Instagram and made myself narrow down my 5 all-time favorite tv shows! It was hard, but I feel pretty good about my list and thought I would share 😜 Trey and I are huge tv show people (I love them so much more than movies), and I love talking about them with others too. So definitely let me know your all-time favorites!

The Office (probably my numba 1)

Parenthood

Friday Night Lights

Grey's Anatomy

Parks and Recreation

Some honorable mentions: Friends, Scandal, This Is Us, and One Tree Hill (embarrassing, but I loved it so much). Also, I'm sure I'm forgetting a show I absolutely love and it will hit me at a random time next week. Time will tell...

I wore this outfit for a day of exploring LA last week! It was perfect for the sunny, 70 degree weather. I actually bought this top from my friend Brianna because she had a brand new extra, and it's even better than I had hoped! The fit is so flattering and breezy. However, if you don't want to shell out the Show Me Your Mumu dollars, I found an awesome dupe for $15! I actually have it in the yellow :) 

Confession: totally did not realize that this tie is supposed to be in a bow, so I wore it long all day :)

top (look for less)  |  similar jeans here (want!) & here  |  similar slides here & here  |  sunglasses  |  similar bags here, here and here  |  similar hat

Be sure to let me know your favorite tv shows, and any you think I need to watch!
 

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Simple Things that Make me Happy 4.02.2018

We got home from vacation at about 2:30am on Sunday, and while I'm not excited about going back to work today, I am feeling refreshed and energized and so much more positive. I needed some time away with just my husband, and I also needed some warm sunshine and a change of scenery! It's amazing what those simple things can do! So, in that spirit, I thought I would share some simple things in life that bring me joy...

Seeing sunshine after days of clouds

Coming home to packages on the front porch

Taking a long, hot shower after a workout

Walking into the office and not having any voicemails

Getting the randomest of texts from my dad

Having meals planned out and groceries purchased for the week

How happy Russell and Lulu are when I get home

Having fun weekend plans to look forward to

Getting fresh farm eggs

When Trey shares funny tweets & Instagram posts with me throughout the work day

De-stressing at my weekly spin class

Sleeping in our own bed after traveling

Pulling off a new recipe and deeming it a "keeper"

That Russell sleeps curled up against my stomach every night

top & culottes c/o Sage the Label  |  similar sandals here & here  |  similar bags here, here & here  |  sunnies

Trey and I shot these photos in Manhattan Beach, where we stayed for a couple of days last week! It's such a dreamy little town! I'll be sharing more about our trip soon though :)  

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