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Fashion, Lifestyle, Travel

Cross Off Something From Your List And Do Something New Today

On a hot summer day in Chicago, five friends set out for a picture perfect lunch on Lake Michigan.  Honestly, it felt like that kind of day…storybook or movie perfect.  Sonia and I have been long time Chicago girls, but we have met many people who come and go that never made their way onto the iconic Odyssey on Navy Pier.  It is not uncommon to take things down the street for granted and think that you will eventually do them.  In the spirit of having a #MomsOffDuty moment, we checked out a beautiful lunch cruise aboard the Odyssey on Lake Michigan and boy did we luck out!

The Odyssey has been sailing on Lake Michigan for more than 20 years from Navy Pier which means that the party does NOT stop when you get off the boat. See a full list of things to do at Navy Pier here!

We enjoyed all the ship had to offer including, three chic climate-controlled decks with LED lighting and a lit dance floor, a premium bar menu, vegetarian friendly menu items, and a relaxing rooftop lounge with modern deck furniture.  The staff was attentive and courteous (S/O to our server Nick for finding us no matter where we were on the boat).

The Looks:

 Rina’s Floral Wrap Skirt is On Sale for $43 here | Sonia’s Floral Dress is $25 (She is wearing a Medium and it is TTS)! and linked here | Rina’s Tie Front Tank is here (size down) | Rina’s Favorite Summer Shoes are True To Size (TTS) and linked here

Sonia’s Black Fox Crossbody is $46 and linked here | Rina’s White Rina Bag comes in all colors and is $42 and is linked here

All in all, we were so grateful to take in the skyline on a day like this and enjoyed the time that we got to spend with some of our closest friends (being #MomsOffDuty of course).  We ended our cruise experience on the dance floor where we really let loose!

What is something in your town that you have been meaning to check out?

Cheers,

Rina

Chick Picks:

Thank you Entertainment Cruises for having us!

Fashion, Lifestyle

Any other younger siblings out there? Here is our story!

Any other younger siblings out there? I know I am! I am one of four children in my family. I’m number two in the order. I am almost 2 years younger than my older sister (Rina), 9 years older than my younger sister (Shelly), and 12 years older than my brother (Jay). Naturally given the age difference with my younger siblings, I have always had a different kind of relationship with my older sister.


Sonia’s Ring Purse is lined here | Rina’s Zac Posen Bag is linked here |

Sonia’s Strappy Sage Block Heels are linked here | Rina Favorite Summer Block Heel is here

Our Matching Tops are $12.99 and lined here (size down) | Wear With  A Bralette like the one here

Growing up, we fought like cats and dogs. Both being girls, there was a lot of competition. Sadly, being the younger one, I usually lost each fistfight and each debate. After all, isn’t it the job of an older sibling to be bossy and convince the parents that they should get the new clothes so that the younger sibling can wear the old ones?

But like all things, getting older comes with getting wiser.  It didn’t take us long to realize that we actually were more similar that we were different. Well into our college careers, we would often talk of starting a business together. Our original business idea was to start a daycare called “Sisters,” but life took us in different directions.  My older sister got married and moved to Georgia and I got married and stayed put in Chicago. Trying to start a daycare business from two different places seemed nearly impossible, especially after having kids of our own.

It wasn’t until about two years ago that my sister started Chicks And Salsa that we realized we had an opportunity to bring our strengths together and create a platform to and empower women. Chicks And,Salsa has been our reminder of how well we work together, what our differences are, and what unites us together despite our distance from each other.

Would you ever work with your sibling?

Love Your Chick,

Sonia

Chicks Picks:
Lifestyle, Party

Get Jazzed Up for Hosting Dinner Parties With New Dishes

When we got together in college it was so basic. You’d send a mass text with someone’s apartment location and everyone would pool together money for the bare essentials. Those essentials usually consisted of readymade mac & cheese as well as cheap beer!  Let’s face it, most of us were living on a dime and it was more than acceptable to eat off paper plates and survive off $5 Dominos pizza! I knew one day I would become an ‘adult’ and eventually graduate from disposable plates to proper table ware.

In a perfect world we’d continue to live that same carefree life, but as with most things, we get older and our taste develops based on our life experiences.  I got married at the ripe age of 24 to my childhood sweetheart.  I remember being excited at the prospect of hosting “dinner parties” with other couple friends after marriage….that’s what people do after they get married, right?

We headed to Bed Bath & Beyond armed and ready to scan items for our registry that we planned to use while hosting these “dinner parties.”  At the time what we picked seemed amazing, but folks,  It’s been 11 years and we are still using those same dishes . Just like furniture and clothing, serving ware needs updating too….who knew!?

The Dishes

We’ve recently been hosting more often and every time I pull out my dishes I cringe!    I asked around and got some suggestions on places to go without breaking the bank. I picked up some cloth napkins, napkin holders, and fun silver wear from Pier 1 and some gorgeous placemats and beautiful Ito plates from Crate & Barrel. It’s definitely not perfect, but its a start, and a fun way to feel good having people over! Is it bad that I might be addicted to wanting to have the perfect tablescape? With limited storage space in my house I’m only keeping what I absolutely need.  Happy hosting!

Your Chick,
Sonia

Oh an don’t forget to light a candle one hour before your guests arrive, my GO TO candle is Natalie by Natalie Frangrances – I know its a bit pricey but for the aroma it gives off, its totally worth it, I promise!

Chicks Picks:
Fashion, Lifestyle

From Brunch To Birthday Parties, The Wrap Dress Has You Covered (Literally!)

Ok, first off let me say that wrap dresses look good on ALL women, they just do – but they do a little more for curvy women by enhancing and contouring the silhouettes of our bodies.  Women love nothing more than that Marilyn Monroe feeling you get when you get that fit-to-flare look that comes from accentuating a girls waist.

That being said, Sonia and I have attended everything from Brunch to Birthday parties in wrap dresses.  Most recently we decided to go for a little matchy-matchy look with these floral wrap dresses by Yumi Kim and Lilly Pulitzer to celebrate the 1st birthday of our niece, Sofie.

Happy 1st Birthday Sofie!

These designers created very similar one shoulder ruffled wrap dresses that were super fun to wear and photograph.  You can see that when it comes to a wrap dresses – YOU wear the dress, not the other way around.  These both have a midi length on us that is great for showing off a fabulous sandal or stiletto.  These prints and fabrics made for the perfect outfit for a daytime event.

The colors of the flowers combined with the delicacy of the chiffon and the shoulder cut outs made these romantic and extra feminine we got so many compliments!

Tips And Tricks

We are not new to wrap dresses (hello DVF!) but we are new to these brands which made them even more special. The beauty of a wrap dress is you can go for any which look!  Some wrap dresses can be super sexy. If that’s the look you’re going for some boob tape will be your best friend! In other instances if there is a deep neckline (and/or you tend to shy away from cleavage), a bandeau can be your best friend… it gives just the perfect amount of coverage. Finally if you are more conservative then you can put a full tank underneath for full coverage in the event that the neckline opens slightly while sitting. One hack I’ve recently been seeing on many wrap dresses is a snap button to keep the neckline in place. If the wrap dress you absolutely love doesn’t have this, it’s a fairly easy addition to put on yourself!  Happy wrapping!

   Shop a similar blue pump on sale here.

Cheers,

Rina

Chicks Picks- Best Wrap Dresses UNDER $50: