I am always curious about what trends other people are watching and what people have their eye on…am I weird? I know what makes me feel good about myself, but I wonder how that aligns with what someone else may like. If you have followed us for a while, then you know that we have shop-able looks that we share with you almost daily. You can also see what we have been buying on Amazon on our influencer page too!
With the long weekend coming up I am grateful for what a chill month August has been. September has a lot going on and in life I feel like you need both busy periods and chill periods to appreciate each for what they are, you know what I mean?
This week was particularly fun since I was able to catch up with several old friends and do some online shopping. There are so many looks I have been lusting after that I finally looked up bucket bags and found one that is just right for me. A look that I also have been rocking a lot are dresses with sneakers. With sales blowing up my inbox, I thought I would share with you what is in my bag and what all is on sale this weekend.
We’ve reached the 8 month mark with our second child, Ayan, and now that we’re in a groove with sleeping, nursing and hormones have even balanced out, I wanted to share a few of my favorite newborn necessities. The 4th trimester is no joke and while it’s easy to accumulate so much unnecessary baby gear, I 100% recommend all of the items here.
The first few weeks are such a struggle and blur. The endless nursing, the long nights, and over fatigue from birth recovery. The snuggle nest goes directly on your bed and it’s so easy to just reach over to grab baby in the middle of the night to feed. No need to get out of bed!
We bought this stroller with my daughter, Nara, in hopes to expand it when we had our next child. It has been the perfect double stroller for my two littles! My toddler sits in the front and the baby goes directly on top with the car seat adapter. LOVE this stroller and how it has grown with my family.
The battlewounds of breastfeeding are real. SO REAL. The first two weeks of breastfeeding are never fun for me. In fact, they’re down right painful. Even with my second, I just know I have to make it through those two weeks. This nipple butter is god-sent: easy to apply and don’t need to wipe it off before feeding. It healed me overnight!
Why I didn’t think to buy these with my first child beats me. IT HAS SAVED MY BABY’S TUMMY AND MY PEACE! A gassy baby is a cranky baby. Occasionally we have used the windi to help immediately relieve Ayan’s gas pains. It literally whistles as they pass gas. It’s the craziest thing only parents find amazing.
The amount my newborn sleeps vs. the amount of noise my toddler makes. A constant battle. Having the dohm sound machine in my newborns room during the day has helped drown out my toddlers loud, high pitched, voice. Results: A well-rested baby. WIN.
Used this pillow with both kids. It really helps with support in holding baby while nursing and not putting as much pressure on your arms. It is also great to use for tummy time and casual laying post feeds since it keeps the baby elevated
Baby wearing is something I love to do. Especially when we go out in the early days with a newborn (no one can get in their face with germs), but also around the house when they are napping and you can’t afford to hold them for endless hours. It provides a great opportunity for skin-to-skin in the early days.
I’ve never been more thirsty in my life. Having a water bottle by my side is 100% a must-have. I need one that I can hold a lot of water and can operate with one hand—because let’s face it, that’s all I have these days.
I use this daily on Ayan. I mix one drop with almond oil and massage his whole body before bed. It really calms him down and he smells glorious. I give credit to this oil for making bedtime so easy with my little.
Lactating stains are not hot. I’ve been there with my first – sitting in a restaurant with a huge milk spot on my shirt. I quickly invested in these disposable nursing pads and still using them with my second.
I cannot say enough about this. I came across it with my second child and did not have to pump for a very long time. While I was nursing on one side I would attach the Haaka on the other breast to catch all the leaking milk. I just don’t have enough good things to say about it. TRY IT!
The most compact and easy to travel with pack and play. I can even move it around my house with easy or place it in the back yard while I play with my toddler. It really is the most efficient pack and play.
There are a ton of great baby items out on the market! I surely have not been able to try all of them. Pick the ones that suit you and your parenting style. Check out some of our other posts on parenting here.
The Boutique
Hope that you found this helpful!
Your Chick,
Neema
Check out my post on the importance of Dry Bushing here.
I recently watched an interview with Priyanka Chopra (side note: I’m a HUGE fan). She was talking about what she was wearing to an upcoming red carpet event. She spoke on how when you wear something that you are comfortable in you will exude confidence. Duh! It’s seems so simple, but I know I’ve been guilty of wearing something that might not fit just right and I’m pulling and tugging and it affects the way I carry myself.
Confidence comes in so many forms. In fashion, it’s truly in how you carry yourself and it starts with wearing something that fits your body type. Fashion is so fun, there is no one size fits all approach. There are a few things I look out for when shopping for what’s right for me. Let me start with my body type. I’m 5’8”, 140lbs and an on again off again gym goer. I don’t have a super models body and have what I would consider to be a curvy build. As with many women, there are certain parts of my body I am more comfortable with than others. I don’t love my legs from the knee up so I try to go for midi-length dresses, maxis, capris, jeans or midi skirts. The high waisted trend suits my frame because it gives me the tuck I need while accentuating my waist.
High Waisted Pants
Midi Dresses
Midi DressesHigh Waisted Swim
As women we can often fall prey to what we are “supposed” to look or dress like. If we let go of the expectations and just dressed and acted in the way that was authentic to ourselves we would not only carry ourselves with confidence, but would also inspire others to do the same.
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.
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!
