The Drape Dress

For today's OOTD, I'll be featuring two of my latest finds.  On Memorial Day weekend, I hit up the Grove City outlet mall to get my shop on.  Lucky for me, BCBG was having a huge blowout sale - everything including clearance merchandise was an extra 50% off.  Needless to say, I went a little cray.  I got 7 things for $230 (!!!!)  Yeah, my monthly budget's spent for sure, but the splurge was worth it since I got a ton of bang for my buck.  

The dress I'm wearing today was originally $300+, but I got it for a flat $40.  I fell in love with it the second I saw it due to the drape front, high-low hem and color.  BCBG will always have a special place in my heart - their quality's of the highest caliber and their designs are always cute.  Since I don't have a product link for you guys, here's a widget with all my current fave BCBG dresses for your browsing pleasure.

Moving on to accessories!  I paired my dress with a thin cocoon cardi and threw on heels to match. In case you were wondering, the pumps were another outlet mall buy.  I picked them up at Nine West for $30 and bought a second pair in blush because they fit me so well.  You know what they say!  "If the shoe fits, buy them in every color," ha!  Yeah, that's pretty much how I'm going to justify all my shoe purchases from here on out.  

Moving on, I topped off my look by wearing a fabulous statement necklace.  I'm a huge fan of mixed metals so when I saw this item at JWholesale, I just knew I had to feature it.  Have you guys shopped at JWholesale yet? If not, make sure you do so STAT.  They sell hundreds of amazing designs for less so you'd be saving a ton of money in the long run. As always, let me know if you have any questions! 

Choker:  c/o JWholesale || Shoes:  Nine West || Dress:  BCBGMaxAzria || Bag:  Amiclubwear || Cardigan:  Deb

How a Pair of Sunnies Can Save Your Sight

Alright guys, today's post is all about eye health so make sure you take the time to read through this post carefully.  I'm no medical doctor, but I've (very sadly) experienced enough eye problems to last me a lifetime.  I've read up quite a bit on the topic so I'm gonna drop some knowledge on y'all...in an entertaining manner, of course!  So without further ado, let's get to it!

Why should you wear 'em? 

Other than the fact that they're super stylish, they shield your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet rays - extended exposure can cause cataracts (blurs vision), macular degeneration (straight up destroys vision) and pterygium (causes astigmatism).  Yeah, all that sounds scary as hell, but the sun's not the only danger out there.  Did you know that you could burn your cornea from spending too much time in the snow?  It reflects 80% of the sun's UV rays, hitting your peepers with a ridonkulous glare, which in turn causes a condition called snow blindness.  Moral of the story: wear shades when you go skiing or mountain climbing. 

So, we've covered sun and snow, which mean it's time to address sand, dust and all that jazz. The former can actually scratch you and cause permanent damage.  I mean, I can't even deal with having an eyelash in my contact lens.  I can't imagine how much it'd suck to have sand in my eyeball.  Yeah, no thanks! I'll definitely pass on that one.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that you'll get fewer headaches if you wear shades on the daily.  I get awful migraines all the time and most of them occur after long drives - bright sunlight does not mesh well with me.  Now, if you're lucky and you don't get 'em very often, you'll still benefit - sunglasses will help reduce eyestrain so you'll enjoy your time outdoors much more.

What kind of sunnies should you get?

Obviously, you should cop designs that look BAMF on your face, but you also need to make sure that they block out 99-100% of UVA and UVB radiation to protect your eyeballs fully.  If you spend a lot of time in the sun, go for polarized sunnies to reduce glare, and if you're super sensitive, throw on wrap-around sunnies to block out light from the side Lady Gaga style!  You want your sunnies to screen out 75-90% of visible light.  Note: the color and darkness have absolutely nothing to do with your shades and their ability to block rays. 

Where should you buy 'em?

I'm currently loving AC Lens because they carry all things eye related: sunnies, contacts, glasses, drops, and so on and so forth.  They have a huge selection so I can pretty much guarantee you'll find something you love without leaving the comfort of your home.  Simply pick your frames, email your prescription or provide your doc's digits, and let AC do the rest. They'll even check in with your MD to make sure everything's in line to save you time, and most importantly - since I'm sensible and all, ha - they help you save mad $$$ because their site is 50-75% less expensive than most.

Links to the sunnies worn above:  Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of AC Lens. The opinions and text are all mine.

Sensible Stylista x Banana Republic: Part 2

A while back, I partnered up with Banana Republic for an outfit post on SS - click here if you missed the aforementioned blast.  They'd sent me two different pieces to style, but I didn't have the time to shoot part 2 until now.  So, for today's OOTD, I centered my look around my new BR top. Unfortunately, this tank's no longer available online, but I've linked similar options for you guys below so remember to scroll down.  

Anywho, I was feeling super summery so I decided to wear yellow from head to toe.  I paired my tank with a lacy pencil skirt to match for a fun yet polished work-friendly ensemble.  As you all know, I usually accessorize with jewelry but I skipped it for today's LOTD because I wanted the hue to take centerstage.  How do you guys feel about bright colors - are they a do or a don't? Would you wear a monochromatic look?  Make sure you let me know by commenting below!  Also, as promised above, here are similar tank options for your browsing pleasure (varying price points):

Skirt:  Shop Scoobie || Bag:  Chicwish || Top:  c/o Banana Republic || Shoes:  Cole Haan via DSW