Style

Over the years, my style has become balanced. What do I mean? A little edgy and a little feminine. It used to be 100% feminine, and the look started to seem stale and overdone. I would wear outfits that were all pink, ruffles, bows, you get it. No more. Adding juxtapositions to your outfits just adds interest and it looks a whole lot more effortless. And natural.

This ‘style’ has brought me to LOVE the athleisure trend because there is so much masculinity to the trend, but you can totally put your own spin on it with colors and accessories.

So, what is athleisure? The formal definition of athleisure goes something like this: Athletic apparel or casual, comfortable clothing that’s suitable for both exercise and everyday wear.

When I think of athleisure, I think of the Kardashians — I think they made this ‘trend’ happen when they were photographed leaving the gym wearing cute Nikes, leggings, and a flannel tied around their waist.

From there it made its way to Pinterest and the rest is history. Athleisure has evolved into such a popular style because it can be chic, easy, and affordable. And you don’t have to be working out in order to wear these clothes!

My favorite way to wear this ‘trend’ is to wear a ‘normal’ outfit and pair it with one or two athletic pieces. This instantly dresses down your look and gives BALANCE. Some examples of this include: pairing a T-shirt and a denim jacket with athletic pants, or a dress paired with sneakers.

My best tips for styling athleisure looks:

  1. Color coordinate: The #1 easiest way to do this is by dressing monochromatically. Meaning: wear the same color from head to toe. This doesn’t have to mean exactly the same shade. It can be different hues of one color, like hot pink, some blush, and a little nude. Another way to color coordinate is to wear a neutral and add a pop of color.
  2. Wear flattering clothes: This one is HUGE. Stay away from all baggy, ill-fitting pieces because you will look like a hot mess. This look should look effortless, but put some thought into what fits your body well. If you’re wearing leggings, maybe pair them with a boyfriend style denim jacket.

Ok, so here is a list to get started. Think your athleisure starter pack:

  1. Black leggings
  2. Denim jacket
  3. Joggers
  4. Hoodie
  5. Fun leggings
  6. Vest
  7. Moto jacket
  8. Utility jacket
  9. Black T-shirt
  10. White T-shirt
  11. Platform sneakers
  12. Baseball hat
  13. Aviator sunglasses
  14. Tote bag
  15. Flannel

Are you guys into this trend? LMK!

xo, Lynn

Uncategorized

Attention offbeat brides: it’s freaking HARD to find invites that are not overdone and boring. At least it was for me.

Our wedding is going to be dark and dramatic, and there was not much to turn to as far as invitation inspiration goes. I am so lucky that Jeff has amazing graphic design skills, and that my dad owns a printing business.

But then they had to deal with me. The pickiest client ever. Yes, those are words straight from my dad’s mouth.

I LOVE how our invitation suite turned out. I wanted them to be modern, glam, and dramatic. The entire suite was designed by myself and Jeff, but I wanted to share some tips and steps that could be useful whether you’re designing your own invitation suite, or picking them out to be customized for you.

Step 1: Choose your color theme

One of our colors is black, and since I wanted some drama, we went with black for the main invitation and for the information card. The black paper is letter-pressed with gold foil, and I love the contrast!

Step 2: Pick your style

Picking out what style you want for your suite will help set the tone of your wedding once you have your color(s) picked. Going with a modern and dramatic theme, we picked out three fonts that reflect modern and dramatic: a sans serif font and two scripty fonts. If you’re designing your own invitations, I highly recommend using 2-3 fonts to make your suite more “design-y”.

Step 3: Include all information needed & package your suite

The information that should be included on your invitation should include:

WHO: You’ll obviously want to include your names, but also perhaps your hosts, such as your parents.

WHAT: A wedding of course! State a line inviting guests to a wedding, or get creative with different wording.

WHEN: A formal invitation would have the full date and time spelled out, but this is your preference. As long as you have the month, day, year and ceremony start time.

WHERE: Your venue location would be listed here, but not necessarily the full address on a modern invitation. But do list the city and state underneath.

OPTIONAL: Add a quick note about reception to follow and/or make a note about attire on the very bottom, if you want to communicate this information.

The information card includes an invite to our welcome party and our wedding website details, along with our wedding hashtag. And then there’s the map. A map is definitely not necessary, however, since our wedding is a destination wedding, we thought it would be helpful for our guests.

Packaging: I have always loved the look of vellum (transluscent paper), and knew I wanted it included with the suite. I had researched so many different ways to tie all of the paperwork together neatly, I really love the look of a simple tri-fold envelopment. The vellum outer layer gives a little sneak peek at what’s inside, sealed with a bronze wax seal.

P.S. If you want to see how we did the wax seals, watch my Instastories under my “wedding” stories on Instagram.

Hope you found this helpful!

xo, Lynn

Beauty, Real Sh*t

Hair Podcast

Noelle Goodrich is an amazing artist, and a total boss.

I met Noelle about 4 years ago when I was having a hair crisis, and after reading her reviews, I knew I’d be in good hands to have my banana yellow blonde hair fixed.

Yep, BANANA YELLOW. My sister told me after seeing me before Noelle that I looked like a banana. LOL! But that is a story for a different day.

Noelle has been my go-to hair gal for years, and she has a loyal following of women who trust her with their hair because she is incredibly talented at her craft. Not only is the talented when it comes to hair, but she’s also a savvy businesswoman who just opened her own chic and cozy salon, ash. in Lafayette, CA.

Noelle was the very first guest that I interviewed on the All Gussied Up podcast, where she talked about her favorite hair products, what’s trending with hair right now, how to go blonde if you’re a brunette, high-vibe energy, and a lot more. Make sure you give it a listen — there are so many amazing nuggets in there!

+ Listen here

+ Follow Noelle on Instagram @hairbynoellegoodrich

+ Subscribe to the podcast

Real Sh*t

Ooh la la! Valentine’s Day is almost here, and that means giving and receiving sweet, fun, and maybe naughty gifts. I mean…what better day than to give or get a naughty gift?

Here are some fun, kinky, and useful gifts that I think you’ll love.

♡ Roses Damascena Scented Candle

Each year, Diptyque releases a signature Valentine’s Day candle, and I have loved every single scent. I ask for this candle every year, and am loving this year’s look. The hot pink adds such a fun vibe to any space. AND it smells amazing. Like roses without smelling like Grandma roses. It smells expensive, and not chemically like some rose scented candles can smell.

♡ Pink handcuffs

Why not spice things up a little? Loving the pink color! If you read the Amazon reviews, you’ll see that these are in fact legit handcuffs used by cops too. 😉

♡ Tassels

These are so Dita Von Teese, right? I have this pair and they’re just so fun. If nothing else, wear them for yourself!

♡ Crotchless Panties

I am all about these underwear because they look elegant yet they are totally naughty with the opening at the bottom. The lace and the cut makes them sexy without being totally over the top (read: G-String), but then…they leave very little to the imagination.

♡ Kesh massage oil

Massage oil is the perfect V-Day gift because it benefits both people. An added bonus: this oil can also be used in your hair. It smells amazing, and is paraben and phtalate free. It’s like the Bentley of massage oils.

♡ Santal 33

This fragrance will forever be one of my favorites. It’s also unisex, so extra score there! The scent just smells like luxury. Not chemically or overpowering. Almost everytime I wear it, I am asked what I’m wearing. You really can’t go wrong!

♡ Locket necklace

Locket necklaces are so romantic and can make a truly meaningful gift. Bonus points: have a photo printed to fit of yourself or a loved one that your s/o would treasure forever.

♡ Penis coffee mug

I was drawn to this mug because to me, it totally looked like a Dior mug. You know the print I’m talking about? But upon a closer look, the “flowers” are actually penises. LOL! Totally showing my immaturity here, but I love that it looks like a classy mug being totally inappropriate.

♡ Satin pillowcase

A satin or silk pillowcase is a must because it keeps your hair and skin from pulling while you sleep. If you don’t want wrinkles and frizzy hair, you need this pillowcase. I get mine from Savvy Sleepers because 1. I know and respect Dale, the founder (she is amazing!), and 2. They are vegan.

♡ That’s what she said

This game is described as “an outrageous party in a box, perfect for your next get-together or adult game night. It’s the board game equivalent of spiking the punch!” And it’s true. Jeff and I played this game for the first time a few weeks ago with some friends, and it was hilariously inappropriate.

Do you have any other naughty or fun gifts to recommend? Let me know!

xo, lynn

Wellness

I have been studying successful people’s morning routines lately and trying them out. Why? Because your morning is so important — it sets the tone of the entire day…so if you can control your morning to be amazing, most likely, your entire day will also be amazing. At least that’s the goal. Ever since I can remember, my mornings have been chaotic. Whether it’s waking up later than I intended, or having to race somewhere, or feeling like I need to check my emails, it is NOT a good way to start the day.

I am still guilty of checking my phone first thing in the morning, and I know that is so not recommended because checking your emails and texts causes a reaction…sometimes negative, which is just the worst way to start the day.

I am still perfecting my morning routine, so I’m not going to share all that I am doing quite yet, however there is one thing that I have been doing consistently for months that HAS made a difference in the way that I feel.

GETTING COLD.

Yep, getting physically cold with an ice cold shower and/or using an ice roller.

“When practiced on a regular basis, cold water immersion can even provide long-lasting changes to your body’s immune, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive systems that enhance the overall quality of your life.” – Tony Robbins

The benefits of cold water:

Improves Lymphatic System:

The lymphatic system is a network of vessels that run throughout the body, helping take away waste, bacteria and microbes from your cells, essentially cleansing your body. Unlike your blood, which is constantly pumped through your body by the heart, your lymph fluid doesn’t have a central pump. Instead, your lymphatic system relies on muscle contraction to pump the lymph fluid through the vessels. So if you don’t exercise or your lymphatic system itself becomes slow or inefficient, the fluid stagnates and toxins build up, manifesting in colds, joint pain, infection and, in more serious instances, disease.

Cold water immersion causes your lymph vessels to contract, forcing your lymphatic system to pump lymph fluids throughout your body, flushing the waste out of the area. This then triggers the immune system’s white blood cells to attack and destroy any unwanted substance in the fluid. In a way, it’s sort of a domino effect – the cold water affects the lymphatic system, which in turn affects the immune system, which ultimately keeps you feeling happy and healthy.

Improves circulation:

Cardiovascular circulation is rarely something that crosses our minds, but it happens to be one of the most critical components to our overall health and well-being. With poor cardiovascular circulation, not only is the blood flow compromised, the heart becomes stressed. And this can ultimately lead to health problems like fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure, muscle cramping or even heart attack and stroke. With improved circulation, on the other hand, we can improve heart health, enhance mental performance, boost the immune system and the body’s metabolism, and simply give ourselves more strength and energy to live our lives the way we want.

Boosts Happiness:

A 2007 research study found that cold showers can help treat depression symptoms, and if used on a routine basis, may be more beneficial than prescription medications in lifting moods. The reason for this, in scientific terms, is due to the stimulation of the dopaminergic transmission in the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal pathway. Or, in layman’s speak, cold water triggers a flood of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, which make you feel happy. A separate study that analyzed the effects of regular winter swimming on the mood of swimmers showed that after four months of routine cold water swimming, the subjects felt more energetic, active and spritely than the control group.

{via Tony Robbins}

Taking your first several cold showers is fucking miserable, while you’re ‘in’ it. However, it does become easier. If you try this out, make sure you do it in short bursts, and then get warm again. I will stand under freezing cold water for 10-30 seconds, and then turn it to HOT again.

If you’re apprehensive about the cold shower, try splashing cold water on your face in the morning or use an ice roller. I love my ice roller first thing in the morning because it reduces puffiness. This one from Amazon is amazing!

xo, Lynn