Fresh Fusions

Hey guys! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! It was finally nice out--not cold--no rain--so I was able to take some overdue pictures for the blog. 

Today I wanted to talk about this fantastic water bottle I ordered from Amazon. I am obsessing over it! The Fresh Fusions water bottle has this chamber inside that you put fruit in. You then pour the water in and it washes over the fruit. Letting it sit for 2-3 hours is the minimum recommendation and letting it sit overnight really sets the flavor. It comes in six different colors! I got the emerald as you can see. It's easy to use and also easy to take apart and clean.

When you order, you also receive the book of recipes. To clarify, you receive it in an email. I prefer having a hard copy in my kitchen so I printed it out instead. The booklet is loaded with facts and so many recipes. The first one I tried was the strawberry and lemon which was delicious. Next, I'm trying the raspberry and apple and then blueberry and lemon! Yum! It was so good and got me to drink more water. To be honest before this, I could only drink water that was ice cold (i freeze my waters) and would find it difficult to drink a whole bottle just because it has no flavor. I am one of those people that cannot drink plain water when eating food so I would have to force myself to drink water the rest of the time. Now that it's flavored with real fruit, it makes it very easy to drink more because I actually crave it! I love that I can take this anywhere I go. Whether I'm at work or running errands, this will be by my side. There's a lock on the lid so that it doesn't open up in case it falls over. It also comes with the matching sleeve to keep it cool. I love that it's big enough to put ice cubes in it when I want to chill it a little more. I'm so excited to go through all the recipes! The best part....it's under $15! This is a must buy!!

p.s. Isn't this a great gift to get someone?!

Fresh Fusions water bottle 


If anyone has this or decides to try it out, let me know what you think in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!!

~Michelle


*This post was not sponsored nor was this product gifted to me. I bought this on my own and opinions are 100% my own. I just really love this product! 

Spring Picks

Hello loves! It's now officially spring! Even though it doesn't feel quite like it where I am. We will finally be in the 50s this week and I'm hoping it only gets warmer and doesn't go back down again. I am so sick of the cold and ready to break out my spring wear! There are a lot of things on my list that I want to get such as these fabulous finds! What's on your list??

1.  Cashmere Sweater ~ I loved this cashmere sweater when I saw it. Being that I had to put the collage together hours before I could link it, the sweater was gone by then which to me is crazy because it was a new arrival and it sold out that quick! So I am linking a different one than what is above in the collage. This one is just as pretty and comes in many other colors if pink is not your style. This is such a great layering piece for cooler days when you need to stay a little warmer. 

2. Tiered-Sleeve Belted Shirt ~ So this Gingham top that is pictured above is sadly gone as well--I can't even find it on the site--and it's only been a few hours! However, I linked the same shirt but in this gorgeous pink! I love the detail of the sleeves and thick belt. This top would be perfect for brunch with the girls. The color is so pretty...I don't think I'll be getting over the blush tones any time soon! 

3. Denim Skirt ~ I love nothing more than a good ole denim skirt! To me it will always be a staple of the 80s when I was growing up which is why I probably love it! I'm a fan of all 80s stuff!  I love four things about this skirt: the color, that it's distressed, that it's lower in the back, and the fact that it's AG which is one of my fave designers! I think it would look so cute with some sneakers and a tank when you're out and about. 

4. Tie Front Off the Shoulder Blouse ~ I can't get enough of the off-the-shoulder trend! So glad it's still popular. I actually don't have a white one so I really need to get this pronto! I like that it has the longer sleeves because we still get some cool days and nights in the spring time. I love the added detail of the tie front. It sets it apart from other tops and makes it that much prettier! 

5. Jenni Saddle Bag ~ I am obsessed with this bag! The Periwinkle color is perfection! I've also been on a kick with saddle bags so I am partial to this kind. If this color isn't for you, there are six other colors to choose from! This bag reminds me of the Chloe Marcie which I have also been obsessing over but at half the price! 

6. Ear Climbers ~ Another thing I've been wanting for awhile are ear crawlers or in this case climbers. I love Kendra Scott's jewelry and already have two pieces to start my collection. I think these need to be next on the list. They come in three other colors but I think I'm loving the Antique Silver. 

7. Jax Knee Short ~ So I already own two pairs of shorts like this and could not be happier that this style is coming back. Does anyone else think of the movie My Girl when seeing these?! Ha! I think this style is very flattering especially for me because my hips/thighs is where I gain weight so I don't always feel comfortable in short shorts. The medium indigo wash is perfect for an even more slimming effect.

8. Velvet Cami ~ How pretty is this?!! The color is Vintage Pink. So perfect for layering under a blazer or sweater. I love that it's velvet! I think it just gives an outfit a luxurous look to it and the pink keeps the velvet from looking to wintery. I'm sure this will sell out fast! 

9. Ruffle Cold Shoulder Shirt ~ Yes, I know...another pink top...but it also comes in a soft ivory. It was just too pretty not to put it on the list. Ruffles are a hot trend this season and I'm loving the detail on this top. The way the ruffles come down on the arm makes it look so feminine and delicate. Love it! 

10. Ribbed Sweater Dress ~ I love me some Michael Kors and not to mention ribbed sweater dresses! This also comes in the color mandarin, but I feel navy is an easier color to pull off for most people. I think the length is perfect for a slimming effect. You can put on some sneakers and a denim jacket for a casual look when running errands or some heels and a blazer for work or a night out! You also can't beat the price for under $200! 

11. Steve Madden Carrson Heels ~ I have been wanting these for months and finally ordered them last week. I got the taupe suede because I wanted a neutral that will go with everything. I got a block heel last summer and it was easy to stand around and walk in so I'm hoping these are similar and that they fit! I'm always nervous ordering shoes online without trying them on because I can go up or down on size depending on the make of the shoe. I'll just have to see when they come! 

12. Karint Layered Necklace ~  I love this look! So pretty and now you don't have to decide on just one necklace--you can pile a few on and it looks fabulous. I love all the details and the gold is such a classic color. The best part is that this one is still available (as of me writing this). My first pick is out of stock and now I'm on a waiting list. Hopefully it comes back soon! 

13. Paige Verdugo Ankle ~ What can I say....another pink item. These are so perfect for spring! A pretty white top with a neutral heel and you are good to go!  

Thanks so much for reading!

~ Michelle 

Southern C Summit Conference Review

 Hello there!

I know I have been a horrible blogger lately. Again, I apologize for my inconsistent schedule. It will get better, I promise! We are slowly moving along with the house but currently still living out of some boxes. Still painting, cleaning, steam-cleaning the carpet, etc. Never ends! Ha! I just want to be on a normal schedule. I don't have a routine down yet (I'm a very routine person so a disruption in it throws me off) so until we have completely settled down, things will still be chaotic for a bit. My mirrored dresser came last week but when we opened it, it was broken in several places. Sooo I had to order a replacement and that doesn't come until next week. Once that it is in, I will be a little more organized which will make me feel a little bit better. :)

So now that I updated you guys, I wanted to talk about the conference I attended in February. Before I begin, I will say that I originally wanted to attend the Alt Summit because I thought it would be a really good conference for me to attend as a beginner blogger. Sadly, the tickets went on sale and sold out before I could buy them. I didn't want to wait until 2018 to attend a conference so I searched for upcoming ones and found this one. The ticket price was a lot but I was dead set on attending a conference and the description of events and speakers seemed like it would benefit me.  The Southern C Summit is a 3-day conference limited to 250 attendees. It took place at The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia. To say the place was beautiful would be an understatement. The details were incredible along with the views! However, even with the discount because of the conference, the hotel was pricey for me at the time, so I stayed at The Inn at Sea Island. It was nice but there weren't many amenities such as room service and there is no restaurant in the hotel. There are some restaurants within walking distance so I was at least happy about that.

 I was initally excited for some of the speakers such as Darcy Miller, author of Celebrate Everything!, Monica Lavin, Founder of Lavin Label, Fine-art photographer Gray Malin, and Nikki Bazzani, Creative Strategist for Pinterest. Monica and Nikki definitely had some great info that I could use in what I am doing and plan to do with my blog. Another speaker that I didn't know about but found very useful was James Nord, Co-Founder and CEO of Fohr Card.  There were a few workshops that you could attend if you wanted to pay extra. I chose "Standing Out-How to Make your Media Pitch Pop" with Brian Hoffman and Brooke Bell. It was informative and had some good points. There were many other seminars and lunches/dinners, and networking opportunities during cocktail parties. I will say that I was a little upset during the cocktail parties because there was nothing but alcohol. I don't drink much because 1) I'm picky about what I like and 2) alcohol can bother my stomach and I didn't want to feel sick during the party. So I couldn't get a soda or even water. If I wanted that I had to go all the way down to the other side of the hotel and buy a soda or water to drink at the bar of a restaurant. Not for nothing but not everyone likes to drink and on top of that what if I or someone else was pregnant? I feel water should have been served along with the alcohol.

So here's my personal opinion: while overall I think the conference was nice and I learned a little bit and met some very nice people, I felt that the conference was more for people who sell something. I didn't meet one blogger who does what I do. There could have been one there but I didn't meet her. There was an abundance of interior designers, artists, and jewelry designers. So I guess I was a little disappointed that I didn't get more of what I wanted out of the conference especially paying what I paid. When I got back I actually compared my agenda for the conference compared to the agenda for the Alt Summit conference. Probably shouldn't have done that because it just made me more upset and po'd and I'll tell ya why.

First, did I mention that after the Alt Summit sold out, I got put on a waiting list just in case someone backed out and I could attend before I found another conference? So I had booked the Southern C Summit at the end of October and got an email in December or I think the beginning of January that a space opened up for the Alt Summit. Ugghhh! <Insert angry face emoji> Being that I had already booked my flight, hotel, and purchased the conference ticket nor did I have the extra money or vacay time from work to attend both, I had no choice but to decline! So yeah, pretty upset. Anyways, here are the reasons why I was more upset. The Alt Summit was not only an extra day longer but the ticket was cheaper than mine. $255 LESS than what I paid! And I thought the schedule was more in depth  and had a lot more of seminars that I needed and wanted to take and pertained more to what I do with this blog. If you go to the links I provided you can go to the agenda/schedule tabs and see the difference. It may not seem like a lot of reasons but for me the price and what is offered makes a huge difference for me.

So I try to look at it this way. It was a learning experience. I took what I could out of it. I'm not saying the conference was bad in any way, just that it wasn't what I thought in terms of MY expectations and what I need or am looking for. I still got to meet nice people, eat some great food, and got a nice grab bag full of stuff!

Scroll down to see some pics!

This is the back view of The Cloister

Inside The Cloister

Love fireplaces!

I have a thing for lights--look at the design of this! Love it!

Had these AMAZING nachos at the River Bar inside the hotel

I will surly miss eating these!

The nicest waiters/waitresses I have ever had! 

Some of our seminars/parties were here at the Sea Island Beach Club

It's a short walk from The Cloister 

Look at that view! 

 The grab bags that everyone got! They weighed a ton!!

This was at one of the luches we had. 

That's a dish towel we got to keep! It's so cute! 

One night there was a party and as you can see...Kendra Scott jewelry! 

Each person that came could take a box and there was either jewelry or a gift card in there.

 I got a $150 gift card!! One of my fave things of this conference! Love Kendra Scott jewelry! 

(It was a little dark in there--sorry--I tried to lighten up the pics as far as I could)

Dying over this chandelier! It had a disco ball inside of it that turned! 

It was gorgeous! 

Let me know if you guys have been to this conference or any others! What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading!!

~Michelle

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Morning Lavender Dress

Hi guys! So sorry I haven't posted in a week. If you read my last post, you will know that I moved in with my boyfriend last Wednesday. It has been crazy trying to pack/unpack and organize. Not to mention that we are fixing up the house at the same time and working full time. I'm still living out of boxes! Ahhh!! Hopefully in the next month or so things will be a little more settled. There is never enough hours in a day to get things done! My goal is to at least get one post out per week until things calm down a bit and then I can do more. I appreciate everyone stopping by to read this and patiently waiting for my next posts! 

Moving on to the dress now! It is from Morning Lavender which I am obsessed with! If you have not visited this site, please go now! Their clothing is so beautiful and reasonanbly priced. Sadly, I don't see this dress on the site anymore but have linked similar options below. Also, I should note that in person this dress is actually more of a burgundy but looks more red in these pictures because of the lighting. I wore this dress out to dinner on Valentine's Day and I thought it was perfect! Even though it is off-the-shoulder (which is my fave part) the material is thick so it still kept me warm. I love the length and fit of it. I also love the fact that it has long sleeves for winter! Anyone else not fond of winter dresses that have short sleeves?? Winter is cold and I need to stay warm! You can dress this up even more by wearing heels but I wanted a little more easy-going look so I went with the grey boots.  A cute little leather or suede jacket would look amazing with this too!


Dress ~ Morning Lavender ~ similar here and here  and here

Boots ~ DSW

Bag ~ Inzi ~ similar here 

Sunglasses ~ Ray-Ban


Hope you guys have a terrific week!

~Michelle

Night Time Face Products

Hello ladies! So sorry I've been MIA. Since I got back from GA, my schedule has been off and I'm trying to get back on track in catching up on things. I'm also preparing to move in with my boyfriend this week or next! Yay!! :) So now begins the great fun of packing. It will definitely be a crazy few weeks but once I'm settled and can develop a routine, I will be aiming for more than the one post a week I've been doing. I have been writing down some ideas for posts so I am really excited to work on those in the new few months! So please bare with me in the next 2-4 weeks. :)

Now that I got ya caught up...let's talk about the face products I use at night. The pictures are what I am currently using minus one or two. I also mix it up when I get samples from Sephora. 

The first step I do is remove my eye makeup with the oil-free eye makeup remove by up&up. I have tried several brands from high-end to drugstore and find that this one works pretty good for me so far. My issue is trying to find one that takes off my mascara. I don't even use waterproof and still find that there is always residue left. The one I'm using is the closest thing so far that works.

Next, I use a makeup wipe to get most of my makeup off before I cleanse. I like to use these wipes by Ology. My skin is senstive and I don't like products that are very fragrant. These are hypoallergenic and fragrance free and they don't irritate my skin. 

After that, I then wash my face. I am currently using the Purifying Face Cleanser with Probiotic Technology by Tula. I tried this after I saw it on another blogger's site. I really like and have been using it for a few months now. Another favorite cleanser of mine is the Clear Complexion Cleanser by Boscia. I'm still getting breakouts even now in my 30s so I think this one works very well too. I will also swap in some samples of different cleansers to see what other options there are. 

For eye cream I am currently using Plantscription Anti-Aging Eye Treatment by Origins. I like this product because it doesn't burn underneath my eyes as I've had some do. It also has a list of things that it doesn't contain such as parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, and more. Again, I will also try out a sample I get to see what else it out there. Another eye cream that I have used in the past and will use again is the Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream by Estee Lauder. As I approach my mid-30s (ahhh!) I need something that will help with the signs of aging. This cream fights dark circles and fine lines which is what I look for.

While we are on the subject of eyes, I had started using about a month ago, the Enhancements Lash Boost from Roden + Fields. For best results it says to use for 8 weeks. Since I've only used it for about 4, I don't want to say whether I like it or not yet. I will have to get back to ya on that. 

Another new product I started using is the Dr. Brant Skincare needles no more 3-D LIP PLUMPfix. It has one part for am which is the plumping and the other part is for pm which is the moisturizing. I like this product so far. I haven't used it consistently every night and day. I sometimes forget but I also want to same the am part on the weekends or when I go somewhere and want my lips to look a little bigger. Ha!

For serums/moisturizers after cleansing I have been trying a lot of different ones. I have a few faves so far. The first one is Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil by Drunk Elephant. I love this stuff! A lot of oils leave a greasy feel to your skin, but this one doesn't which is why I'm obsessed! Another bonus for me is that it's natural and fragrance free! If you stop in Sephora, you must ask for a sample of this to try! Another product I loved is the Indigo Soothing Triple Recovery Cream by Tatcha. I know the price is steep but if you read all the benefits---so many to list here---it's worth the price. Plus a little goes a long way. Again, go in Sephora and ask for a sample of it before buying. And throwing in one more fave which is the Pure Truth Vitamin C Youth Activating Oil by Ole Henriksen. OMG! This stuff not only smells amaaaazzing but it is great for dry skin which I defnitely have. It really does leave a glow on my face and don't we all need that?! 

And the last product you see in the pics above is the No7 Beautiful Skin Refreshing Toner. I acutally use this on my neck, chest, and back. I do this to get any residue left over and because I tend to break out sometimes on the chest/back region. I like this toner because it doesn't dry your skin out and of course it's fragrance free! 

What are some of your favorite products?

Thanks for reading!!

~Michelle 

Grey Boots

Hello girls! Happy Valentine's Day! So I am back from my conference and will do a review post on that next week. I wanted to do a quick post on these gorgeous boots from DSW! 

I have a few pairs of grey heels and booties but not an acutal boot. I saw these and loved the suede and how they hit at the mid calf. They go with just about anything...jeans, skirts, dresses! I'm acutally wearing them with a dress today! (You'll see that look soon!)

Boots ~ DSW

Jeans ~ Citizens of Humanity 

Sweater ~ H&M ~ similar here  ~ love this one!

Scarf ~ H&M ~ similar here  and here 

Bag ~ DSW ~ similar here  and here 

Have a wonderful day!!

~Michelle