It’s that time of year when I pull out my swimsuits and go through them to see what I can retire and what I might need to invest in for the summer months ahead. I dove deep into the one-piece trend last summer (which I still love), but this year I realized I needed something more appropriate for a day in the sun without unusual tan lines. I snagged this suit in March and there was already such an amazing selection at Nordstrom, it took me so long to narrow down just one!
I’ve seen these Vix swimsuits in magazines for years, so when I saw an olive green version, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. It’s extremely lightweight and comfortable, and I love how clean and simple it is. I also can’t get enough of green everything right now. I think it’s such a great neutral that looks great on everyone. It’s like… the new navy!
I’ve been loving these block heeled lace up sandals so much that I recently bought the flat version. They are so comfortable and add so much to a simple outfit – I can’t recommend them enough!
I think everyone has the one emoji they use most often and for me, it’s always been the salsa girl in the red dress. So this dress felt like a natural fit to better help my journey to get on her level!
But seriously, I love wearing red, a maxi dress or a wrap dress. Combining all three felt like the ultimate trifecta, and I was saving this pretty dress for Mexico because it felt so appropriate! I paired this dress with some earrings that my sister bought for me from a South African jewelry designer when we were in Paris. Statement earrings that are lightweight!? The best.
I’ve always been a sucker for a designer gem, and when I can score a discount on a coveted item the score is even sweeter. SO, I’m excited to share first dibs on a seriously fabulous in-store and online designer handbag and shoe SALE starting this Wednesday, April 19th at Neiman Marcus Last Call!
When I lived in a smaller city that didn’t have a Last Call, I would always make sure to pop in when I visited my girlfriend in Dallas because there are always so many amazing deals on designer pieces. I think I was nearly levitating when I had the opportunity to hop in the stock room of my local store at The Outlets of Orange to pick through all the shoes and bags that will be hitting the floor on Wednesday. First dibs meant I may have snagged three bags – a YSL wallet on a chain, this gorgeous Givenchy Antigona and a Balenciaga Velo. You guys were helping me pick which one on Insta-story (final verdict: Givenchy in first place, Balenciaga in second), and today you can tell which bag I decided to keep!
Because I had the luxury to see the entire selection firsthand, I can tell you that it is absolutely worth getting to your local store first thing Wednesday morning. I’m talking $1,000 markdowns on bags and shoes from designers like Prada, Christian Louboutin, Loeffler Randall and Miu Miu. Seriously!
Givenchy Antigona bag and Loeffler Randall heels – Last Call | similar top here, here, here and here | similar denim here and love these
Thanks so much for reading and if you plan to shop the in-store and online sale that starts this Wednesday 4/19, I want to hear what you’re on the hunt for! XO –
If you follow CBL on Instagram you’re probably like, “we get it Kat… you’re obsessed with La Paz.” I don’t even know how to begin to describe our week in paradise at the residences of Playa de la Paz. I shared a sneak peek into the beginning of the week here, but I keep calling it my second honeymoon… except with girlfriends.
We were the first group to stay in the private three-bedroom residence at Playa de la Paz, and this property is unique because there are both units for sale and rent. We had the luxury of peeking into a penthouse unit and one-bedroom unit and they both mirrored ours with incredible kitchens (complete with a wine fridge of my dreams), gorgeous marble bathrooms and tubs, multiple views of the Sea of Cortez and the options of furnished or unfurnished. I can’t imagine a more fabulous second home!
We spent the week snorkeling, swimming with sea lions and whale sharks, getting massages on the terrace, having sunset dinners on the beach (along with a mariachi band!), exploring the downtown area of La Paz, doing yoga by the beach… Carla the incredible concierge for Playa de la Paz helped organize our entire stay and provides these services to any renter or owner of the units. A dream!
La Paz is a charming and private town about two hours from the Cabo International Airport. I loved that we didn’t see a single person on the beach – it’s completely serene and private. I think this would be such a fabulous vacation spot for a family or a couple seeking some relaxing time away. There are several high profile and influential people who favor La Paz for this reason – they can get away with complete anonymity.
Some of my recommendations for anyone looking to visit this beautiful area are at the bottom of this post!
Now onto the good stuff – my recommendations, aka food and activities (!!!).
Food – we ate at our rental unit for several meals but did make it out and these were definitely my favorites:
Cafe Santa Fe – maybe the most delicious caprese salad freshest ahi tuna I’ve ever had. I even loved the steak tartar and I never eat steak tartar! Not to mention their lobster pasta left this carb-lover speechless. Yes – we had all of these dishes in one meal and it was beyond!
Restaurant Playa Pichilingue – this may have been my overall favorite. It’s no secret I could eat Mexican food everyday and the guacamole, shrimp and salsa at this open-air restaurant hit the spot. It’s right on the turquoise water of the Sea of Cortez, so we just pulled up by boat after snorkeling all morning. Heavenly!
Nim – this was our last dinner in La Paz, and the atmosphere was adorable and the food (and margaritas) were fantastic. The menu varies from traditional dishes to oysters, ceviche and daily fish catches. The menu was also in both Spanish and English which was amazing!
Activities:
The Cortez Club – I can’t begin to share how much I enjoyed Fisher and Lorenzo. These two guys were our captains, and they took us on an all-day adventure at sea that I’ll never forget.
If you look into activities in this area of Mexico, you’ll see that snorkeling and diving are probably two of the biggest “must see and do” things to conquer during your visit. They were extremely knowledgeable with all of our questions (and spoke excellent English), and they managed to guide us to areas full of swimming dolphins and manta rays. I’ve never had an experience like this in my life and if you read this post you know that I literally had tears in my eyes being surrounded by so many dolphins! Pretty sure that will never happen again in my life.
Museo de La Ballena – this is a whale museum that is new to the downtown area and quite impressive!
Pichilingue Beach – this is where we had lunch, but it’s also a gorgeous beach that I think is definitely worth visiting. The color of the water is like a painting – doesn’t seem real!
So all in all, I think it’s safe to say that visiting Playa de la Paz was one of the best vacations I’ve had in quite a while, and now I’m peer pressuring my dad to look into properties. I mean, a girl can dream, right?!
Have any of you been to Cabo or La Paz recently? I’d love to hear some of your favorite things you did during your stay! Thanks so much for reading! XO –
I love a great sale, and Shopbop is one of the queens of amazing designer sales! Per usual, the more you buy the more you save, so it’s a great time to get a nice discount on that spring lust piece.
I can’t get enough of all of their fun earrings, this swimsuit is maybe the cutest suit I’ve ever seen and these espadrilles would go with everything!
There are a few high-end designers that are excluded, so be sure to check to make sure your picks are included. Use code EVENT17 to get 20% off on orders under $500 and 25% off orders over $500. And of course, if you have your eye on something, you know I want to hear about it!
Lastly – so random, but I think my commenting for yesterday’s post was somehow turned off? I couldn’t figure it out all day… but today it appears to be normal. SO if you had anything to say about my wearing a spring outfit with snow on the ground, I’d still love to hear!! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
So before I get into this outfit… let’s just state the obvious. There’s snow on the ground and I’m wearing open-toe sandals and a one-shoulder top.
I think this might be the definition of basic or a blogger (or both!), but I really wanted to style this spring outfit and I happened to be in NY in March and there happened to be a random snow storm (even though it was actually like 40 degrees when we snapped these photos)… so here we are!
Now that that is out of way, this top (like this bag) is a piece that I saw all over my social media feed and computer on so many girls and I couldn’t help but love it. I held off for a while and then was like… screw it, I love it too – I surrender! Not to mention… it’s under $60.
One of the fun things about seeing the same piece of clothing or accessory on lots of different girls is seeing how everyone styles it in their own unique way. You could tuck this top into a skirt, wear it with boyfriend jeans or pair it with shorts and lace-up sandals. It is such a fun top and a piece that is sure to steal the show.
If you guys follow along on Instagram or Snapchat (CBLied), you may have seen that at the end of March I went on a whimsical interior dream to Aurora, New York to see the headquarters of a long-loved brand, MacKenzie-Childs.
As a creative woman herself, my mom has always loved this brand. We grew up with several of their pieces in our family home, and when I moved into my own house I knew I had to have a few pieces of my own! Over the years I’ve purchased pieces here and there, so when I connected with the team behind this artistic company about experiencing a visit to HQ (aka “#CampCourtlyCheck“), I really couldn’t believe it. MacKenzie-Childs is not only artistic and fun, it’s really nostalgic for so many who grew up with moms, aunts and grandmothers loving the different collections.
We toured the gigantic warehouse where the artisans create the pottery and saw the employees individually painting each piece delicately and meticulously. These days, when you own items in your home, you assume it’s a factory machine/assembly line situation creating it. I was so impressed and amazed to see each person putting their personal touch on the pieces… no two items are identical! It made me want to go home and really look at every piece I own to see the different brush strokes and unique touches.
I even had the opportunity to team up with Tish and Eileen, a part of the pottery decorating team, to paint my own mug. I can’t wait to share it once it’s been cooked and glazed!
Patients flock to Turkey everyday for dental surgeries and procedures.Periodonta is the best dental clinic there is in turkey!
You’ll see some of the photos from the warehouse below, but you’ll also see photos from the bed & breakfast we stayed in that is a little slice of heaven, the E.B. Morgan House. It is a part of the Inns of Aurora properties and with a fireplace in my room and gorgeous marble tiled bathroom… checking out was nearly a tearjerker.
I’m also sharing photos of the inside of the MacKenzie-Childs Farmhouse (the first photo above of the white house is the farmhouse!)… which is basically my version of Candy Land. Unbelievable!
I’ve fallen in love with the Parchment Check collection. A little hint of the inspiration behind this pattern… inspired by aged loved letters. So romantic!
Honestly, I could have taken 800 photos of this week, but I tried to both capture it and experience it’s majesty. Such an inspiring and creative trip that I’ll never forget! I’ve shared some of my MacKenzie-Childs pieces here and here, but I’ll be sharing more ways I style the collections into my home, and after years of admiring my mom’s pieces, it is so much fun to begin to collect my own.
Some of the pieces I’m admiring below… (insert heart eyes).
Do you have your own nostalgia with MacKenzie-Childs? Or is this your first time seeing the whimsy of this company? I’d love to hear! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
It’s been two years since I’ve visited Mexico, and I am beyond happy to be back in this gorgeous place! I always love the people and energy of this country… not to mention Mexican food has always been my favorite thing to eat. All day, every day – anything and everything!
We are visiting the residences of Playa de la Paz (full posts and a review coming soon), and I had no idea this gorgeous little town existed a few hours outside of Cabo. The water is so clear, the beach is in our backyard and extremely private and with units for sale and rent… I think La Paz is calling my name (Christian – are your reading this?). We spent a full day out on the water this week, and I had the opportunity to snorkel with all of these gorgeous sea animals – an experience I’ll never forget. You guys know I love any and all animals.
While we were riding in the boat to the snorkeling destination, we found ourselves in the middle of what looked like over 200 dolphins swimming together and guiding us. I took some video and posted on Instagram’s Insta-Stories and Snapchat, but I have never seen anything like that in my life. Absolutely incredible.
I was the only one who wanted to swim with the whale shark, and I called it the gentle giant of the sea. Apparently they are completely fine with you swimming alongside them, but if you touch them they will quickly swim to the bottom of the sea because they get “embarrassed.” So I was a little timid to get too close because I didn’t want to startle him, but my snorkeling guide grabbed my hand and pulled me right alongside. My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest!
I can’t wait to share some of the photos from the experiences we have had here – candlelit dinners on the beach, dancing with a mariachi band, doing yoga by the sea – but until then I had to share a few photos from our day on the water. A day I’ll never forget.
Do you have a snorkeling or scuba diving experience that left you speechless? I’d love to hear! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
When I saw this dress online, it gave me all the spring feelings. Navy, floral, peplum hem, just enough slit… I think this would be such a great dress to wear to a spring wedding.
This is a question I get from you guys a lot – what to wear to weddings. I think most of us know the ultimate rules are…
1) No white, cream or anything remotely resembling white. This applies to wedding parties as well (engagement parties, showers, bachelorette parties, etc.). This is the bride’s time to wear white! However… I think silver or gold is always a good idea.
2) Nothing too showy. Save that for date night, girls night or the bachelorette party. Dads and grandfathers are probably going to be there… you don’t want to be self-conscious that you’re showing off more than Uncle Carl needs to see.
Not to worry – that still leaves us so many options! If the ceremony and/or reception is outdoors, a maxi dress is a fun option. I’m always a fan of a formal jumpsuit or pantsuit, and of course a cocktail dress is fool-proof.
I’m sharing some of my favorite spring wedding picks, along with this dress, at the bottom of the post. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Some other outfits I’ve shared recently that I think would be fabulous for a spring wedding are this yellow lace dress and this pink sleeved dress. Thank you so much for reading! XO –
When in doubt, a black-on-black ensemble cannot fail you. It’s clean, chic and always put together. So when I saw this ruffled top at Neiman Marcus Last Call, I thought it would be a great spring and summer piece.
I styled it with black denim for a date night look but you could make it more casual with denim cutoffs and black strappy sandals (with a summer tan, #yesplease). It also comes in a beige and a soft pink that is nearly irresistible… I think I’m going to need to order the pink! This line always gets me – so many pretty pieces at totally affordable prices.
So when everything for her at Last Call is 30% off through 4/11, it’s a great time to pick up some of these fun spring pieces. Is there anything better than getting something super cute at a discount? The best feeling!
top – also love it in blush (runs true to size)! also love this one and this one – all 30% off | similar denim – 30% off | similar heels – 30% off | similar jacket – 30% off | similar clutch – 30% off
And don’t forget that through 4/11 you can get 30% off everything for her, both in stores and online! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
I had a lot of questions about the boutique hotel we stayed in when we recently visited New York for a long weekend, so I’m excited to share the details! Truth be told, Christian has never been a big fan of the big apple. He’s been three times (two of those three were interviews for residency and fellowship so they were slightly stressful), and he’s just more of an outdoorsy, land-lover kind of guy. His family owns a farm and he’s happiest at the beach or camping in a National Park.
SO, for this trip I was determined to “wow’ him with NY’s beauty! I’ve always loved this city and have been visiting with my family for years, even living here for a summer in college. We’ve had Thanksgiving dinner in Central Park, ice skated in Rockefeller Center in the snow and stood with the crowds for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – so I have countless wonderful memories in this magical city!
I wanted to stay downtown in a charming and unique hotel, so after some research I discovered The Marlton Hotel. It looked very European and nestled in the heart of Greenwich Village, which was exactly what I was going for. For the record, this is not sponsored whatsoever – I wasn’t even really planning on talking about the hotel but I got so many questions I wanted to share the details!
The hotel reminded me so much of the darling spot we stayed in when my sister and I visited Paris, and breakfast and coffee was complimentary each day which was really nice and convenient. It’s certainly not spacious (I don’t think any hotel downtown is), but it was everything we needed and I will absolutely be staying there again. The bar in the hotel is also really cute, they have fireplaces and a restaurant as well. A great spot for a chilly New York visit!
I also loved the marquee lights of the awning because it was so easy to locate once we turned on the street, bonus!
And of course to mention the dress, I was gifted this dress and have been trying to find it everywhere online! No such luck, but I found a lot of great similar styles!
Thanks so much for reading, and if you have your own NY love story (or favorite hotel), I’d love to hear! XO –
PS – the winners of the Votivo giveaway have been announced in the original post!
I tend to lean on neutral accessories (especially in winter), but sometimes a pop of color is just what I need for a cheerful change and a welcome of a new season. It might sound crazy but wearing a little color, whether it be a bright yellow handbag or a hot pink lipstick, can make me a little more friendly and upbeat than an all-black ensemble.
This year Henri Bendel’s spring handbags and accessories are packing some serious color, and when something has pink or tassels… you know I’m fully onboard. I’ve shopped at Henri Bendel for as long as I can remember because my mom has always been a big fan, and over the years my collection has grown from laundry and toiletry travel bags to luggage, accessories and more. Their unique and fun pieces always make me happy!
I had to pair this hot pink backpack with my new favorite tee, because fun fact: I’ve been a huge Michael Jackson fan ever since I was in elementary school. I have the vinyls, every single album, tshirts, etc. So this shirt feels perfect!
Thanks so much for reading – and tell me, are you a color lover or do you tend to keep it neutral? XO –
