Author Archives: the.B.Law

lifestyle, Style, the.B.Law

4 Year Blogaversary!

I can’t believe the blog is 4! Sometimes is seems like only yesterday… haha but really, time is going by so fast. For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, you know the.B.Law started off as Tragic Girls with my old roomie/best friend/sorority sister/style panelist Heather and I living together and tracking our tragic stories. A year and a half later I changed the name to the.B.Law to start the change in direction of the blog. Although I loved tragic girls, and yes we are both still tragic… very much so, but my passion is style. I blame it on working in retail for almost 8 years, but it is really something I want to do with my life, and I want to write and actually use my college degree. So why not combine them and write about style? I know the style blogger community is highly saturated, but I believe everyone has something unique to bring to the table. No two people are alike just like no two people’s sense of styles are alike. For example I have a lot of style ideas in common with both Heather and one of my other best friends, Cher (style panelist), but Heather and Cher both have completely different styles than each other. I love getting inspiration from all of my friends, models, movies and TV shows, strangers, and other style bloggers, and turning it into something of my own. Style to me is the best way to express myself. It is literally all up in your face and you can really read someone by what they are wearing. You can tell if I am feeling confident, lazy, bold, safe, and so much more. I have also said this before but I LOVE they way a good outfit makes you feel. When you are super excited about a look and you know you look good in it, it is like an adrenaline rush. You end up with a completely different sense of confidence that can last all day.

I really feel like this is a good year for the.B.Law. Last year had some good growth and I learned a lot and I got to try quite a few more collaborations, but this year I know it is going to get even better and bigger. Just in time for my 4 year blogaversary, I hit one of my blog goals… I got accepted to rewardStyle!! I would talk about it all the time that I just want to be cool and be on LIKEtoKNOW.it. I gave it a try and applied and got denied, as expected. I grew some more and tried again, and again denied. You can bet I wasn’t giving up though! I applied last Thursday just for the heck of it because I was impatient to wait any longer and Friday I got an email THAT I WAS ACCEPTED! I was so excited I danced around my office at work and told my three coworkers AND THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS! I literally went downstairs just to tell one of the receptionists about it because I knew she knew LIKEtoKNOW.it and would be excited with me LOL (You always got my back!). Anyways, AHHHHH! I am literally so excited, I feel so legit now! Next goal, get to “swipe up” on my stories, I will get there!

There will be so much more style coming to the blog and I am so excited. There will be another change though. My focus for the last year and a half has been office style and how to keep your personal style at work. Although that will still be very present as I work in an office, that will not be my main focus. I have felt myself evolving more and more away from that and I want to see where that takes me. A couple years ago I did this online blogger class and she really stressed to start off with a specific niche before being so broad. It was 100% true. I got way more traction and followers by being a sort of “expert” in my niche, and then eventually you will grow out of it. I think my growing has begun. Now I will need to create a new graphic for my blog so look for that change too!

Lastly, this is more me related than blog related, but I applied to be a contributing writer for LOCALE Magazine and I got accepted! I am super excited and nervous but this will be great experience and may even open some new doors. The start of 2018 completely turned my world upside-down (I promise I am finally ready to talk about it, hopefully next week), and finally I feel like things are starting to settle and get good again. The news of rewardStyle and LOCALE made me feel like I have something to look forward to again. I am excited to see what the rest of the year will hold for the.B.Law, I feel like things can only keep getting better! Thanks for sticking around! Comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or want to share anything! Also… follow me on the LIKEtoKNOW.it app! (new line in every post haha, SO EXCITED!)

Fun fact: this is my 300th post! (not planned, just a coincidence =] )

xoxo – Britt

Shop the look: Hat | Dress

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Friday 5, lifestyle, Style, the.B.Law

Friday 5 – Places to be Basic in Downtown Palm Springs

Taking photos in cute places is just what we do. Do you ever go to a hip and trendy place and NOT think to take a picture? Of course not. It is part of our society today. Capture the moment and post it on Instagram so all of your followers can see how cool you are. Apparently now that means you are “basic”. It is funny to think how the word basic has more of a negative connotation now than a positive, or that it can mean anything other than what it actually means. But you know what? If I am being honest, I like being basic. I like taking pictures where ever I go. I like going to places JUST to take pictures, and who cares?! Want to know who cares? ME! I know, I’m a walking hypocrite. I have been working on it though. When you just suck it up and have your friend take the “basic” photo of you like you don’t care what other people think because you are a confident woman, you realize everyone else around you is trying to be just that and is waiting for the right moment to not feel lame enough to take their photo in that exact same spot. Start giving others around you the confidence to just take the picture already! 

Well now that we have that out of the way, I want to embrace being basic. My girlfriends and I started using the term “elevated basic”, which is what is used to describe the new line coming out exclusively at Nordstrom from style icon/blogger powerhouse Something Navy by Arielle Charnas. So I am starting something new. I want to start going places and finding five spots to be basic and take good photos in, sort of a Basic Girls Guide. So I grabbed my babes and we headed to downtown Palm Springs, my obvious new favorite place. Even though I have been downtown plenty of times, each time I find new spots to go. There is just so much down there it is hard to choose! We narrowed it down though. This is the.B.Law’s first Friday 5: places to be basic in downtown Palm Springs:

 1- Farm, the cutest restaurant I have ever been to this far in my life. It is tucked away so you could pass right by and not even notice it. Before one of my girlfriends suggested it, I had walked by it numerous times. During the week and Sunday it is only open 9am-2pm, Friday 9am-2pm and 6-9:30pm, and Saturday 8am-2pm and 6-9:30pm, so you have to plan, you can’t just show up whenever you want. Side note: they only take reservations for dinner. When we were shown to our table I was in awe. Majority of the restaurant is a patio, but not just a plain patio, oh no. They have trees, vine covered trellises, and umbrellas. The tables are set with mismatched colored and shaped glasses, the napkins are different prints, all sorts of shaped and sized bottles as vases with simple flowers, even the bathroom was cute! I was in love. It was like we had just left the downtown strip and got to sit and relax in a secret place. The ambiance was very laid back, it was quiet and cool in the shade. Through all of this Instagram heaven haze don’t forget there is food here too! My girlfriends and I have been to Farm twice now and got the same appetizer both times that we spied on our neighbor’s table the moment we first sat down. Baked brie with brown sugar and hazelnuts, toast points, fig jam, and apples, need I say more? I wish I could eat that every day for forever. Farm is definitely the place for good food and good photos. Add it to your list. (Farm – 6 La Plaza, Palm Springs, CA 92262)

 2- Ice Cream & Shop(pe) is connected to the ever so popular hotel Arrive. I found this place on Instagram and decided I wanted to go there just for a picture with their neon sign, “#Palm Springs is Better”. It turns out the rest of the shop is cute too and they have really good ice cream, which is good news considering it is an ice cream shop… The three of us ended up getting the same, LAVENDER ICE CREAM! It tasted amazing! I was kind of expecting it to taste like a lavender latte, you know, kind of perfume-y, but it didn’t. It was sweet and creamy and the prettiest color. I love that the shop doubles as a little gift shop with super cute and trendy things, like flamingo pool floats and tumblers. (Ice Cream & Shop(pe) – 1551 N Palm Canyon Dr Ste A, Palm Springs, CA 92262)

 3- Ernest Coffee, because you can’t start Sunday (or any day) without a cup of coffee. To be honest I wanted to go to this specific coffee shop just for their book wall. I love book stores so of course I want a photo in front of what looks like a million vintage books. Getting a coffee and getting properly posed on the booth side is a must. Ernest doesn’t just have a cool booth with a book wall though, they also have a super cute patio with palm leaf print cushions! I’m just saying, if we are talking Instagram opportunities, then get yourself a mimosa because yes they serve those too, head to the patio and sit candidly on the palm print soaking up the glory of a Palm Springs morning. Darn I wish I would have thought of that one while I was there! (Ernest Coffee – 1101 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262)

 4- The Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium, a cacti haven! I am sure you have seen this on Instagram already, but we went to the botanical garden basically for the cactarium. Along the path to the cacterium enclosure is pretty cool too though. They have cacti and succulents from all over (with some good photo ops obviously), and at the end was the cactarium in its own sort of greenhouse with rare cacti. Let me tell you, I want a greenhouse just to have the perfect lighting inside. Don’t worry, we actually looked at the cacti too. (Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium – 1701 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264)

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 5- The Palm Springs Art Museum, to look at art and stuff. We had been wanting to go here for a long time and the weekend we went happened to be the start of the Andy Warhol exhibit so that was really exciting. His art is so fun and colorful, and I feel like it just really fits today’s scene and Palm Springs especially. Regardless of the exhibit, doesn’t taking a photo at an art museum just feel so New York? (Palm Springs Art Museum – 300 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262)

I cannot sum up downtown Palm Springs in just five spots. I could probably do four or five of these posts because there are seriously so many places down there, I already have two more for the next time. If you have any Palm Springs suggestions, please let me know! I am always up for a new place. Stay tuned for the next Friday 5!

 

 

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lifestyle, Style, the.B.Law

Pineapple Dole Whip!

This last weekend I went to stay with Heather out in Palm Desert (per usual) and it was hot (per usual!). Summer has definitely started out in the desert. Both Saturday and Sunday were 104° yet it felt like 120°. On Sunday we went to the last Vintage Market of the season over in Palm Springs, and we slacked and didn’t get there until 10:30am when it was already around 95°. We browsed the flea market faster than we ever have because we felt like dying. When we were done we headed to downtown just to get pineapple Dole Whip from Lappert’s Ice Cream. We had been talking about getting this all weekend. Have you ever had the Dole Whip from Disneyland? It is the place by the Tiki Room that has the longest line? IT IS THE SAME STUFF! I probably could have eaten an entire pint by myself, but we were good and got smalls. It was the perfect thing to cool us down.

Aside from the Dole Whip, I was super excited to wear this outfit! These are now my fourth pair of high waist denim shorts from Topshop, the “Mom” shorts I have mentioned before (all of which I have bought on sale). I just couldn’t help it with the cute little embroidered flowers! I love that the embroidery isn’t too loud on these. When I originally planned this outfit I wasn’t sure what top I wanted to wear and I was in a rush so I just grabbed this sleeveless button-up from Target. It ended up working quite nicely, besides I love mixing stripes and floral prints. I first tried to easy-tuck the front but that just looked weird, so I tied it instead. It ended up perfect! Find the shorts by Topshop from Nordstrom here, a couple similar tanks from Target are linked here and here, and the sunglasses are BP from Nordstrom linked here! Enjoy and happy Tuesday!

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lifestyle, Style, the.B.Law

The Flower Fields

Two Sundays ago, my sister, niece and I went on a little adventure down to The Flower Fields in Carlsbad! I kept seeing photos on Instagram of this place so of course I wanted to go, basic as charged. I didn’t realize when I looked it up though that it was an actual place. That seems silly that I thought it was just a flower field people found, but oh no, it is a real place with vendors and admission to get in (it is $16 for adults but you get $1 off with AAA WOOO! $8 for kiddos). We drove the hour+ to go down there, yes just to take cute photos with flowers and I totally think it was worth it. These fields are huge! They go on for so long. Another silly aspect, yet again I was surprised with how many people were there with the same intentions as us. I need to get over the fact that half of my ideas are not really just mine. Instagram is full of influencers and it works, I get influenced all the time!

Taking photos in the middle of the flowers was a bit of a challenge because there is caution tape warning you against crossing. The warning was no joke as a fierce old man drove up to the girl next to us who dared to cross the green line and yelled at her and asked if she could read what it said. Tip to take a photo along the edge: squat low enough so your whole picture frame is flowers, doubles as leg day. Down the center rows, little paths jut into the fields, with green caution tape of course, so you can get a photo actually in the fields. Those posed a bit of a challenge as well. There are like 100 people behind you also waiting to take a photo so you feel pressure, and waiting for your position (either corner or center on the bench) needs to be planned according to the sun. We planned poorly because we got a bunch of shadow on our faces but it was okay.

All in all it was a fun little girls’ day and I recommend it if you have nothing to do or want super cute photos. Another tip: wear sunscreen even if it is overcast… I got burned. Third tip: buy the kettle corn. Go be basic and check out the fields! It closes this month!

OH! Also how cute is my dress? I know, adorable. It is from Target and so is my hat! Linked here: Dress / hat

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Style, Style Panel, the.B.Law

Lunch Date Look!

I have multiple outfits that I love for going on dates, but I really love dressing for lunch dates. One of my current favorite looks for a lunch date includes this red off the shoulder top I bought from Nectar Clothing (current alternative linked) in the Claremont Village. It is perfect for lunch because you can dress it up or down. Here I paired it with white shorts from Old Navy, and my indigo rd. wedges from Macy’s. Another option could be brown sandals in case you don’t want to look too overdressed. This top could also be paired with blue jean shorts, regular pants, boyfriend jeans, or even white jeans. If you are doing normal blue jeans, you can also try pairing the top with white sandals. I have worn this top with boyfriend jeans, and my wedges out to a dinner date with a friend and it was so perfect for the occasion! Even though this specific top is from last year, this simple look can be easily recreated with most off the shoulder tops, especially since they are still very popular this year. Aside from it being a great date outfit, it is a great spring and summer outfit in general whether on a date, out with the girls, or at a family gathering!

Xo- C

 

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Style, the.B.Law

THE Pants

Here I go with these pants again! It has been a while so I was due anyways right? These are my FAVORITE work pants! I always say it but I am so happy I bought these.  I had one outfit in mind when I bought them, only one! Which wasn’t the smartest idea considering how much they costed, but I am so happy I convinced myself to splurge. My newest pairing is with my chambray collard button up from Target! I feel a tad 80/90’s mom in this but I think that is just my new jam: mom jeans, high waist, tons of colors, all of the above.

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Anyways I do not know why I didn’t think about my chambray top with these pants before. Maybe I thought the colors would be too much, but really, is denim even a color? When you consider denim pants then they are kind of “colorless” right? Because we all (usually) say anything goes with denim. I definitely do not think a normal long sleeve button up chambray would go, but the sleeveless worked perfectly. If you have any other ideas for these pants let me know because I think I am finally running out of ideas…

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Links! Soo, these pants are long gone, and I can’t find anything super similar BUT PLEASE LOOK AT HOW CUTE THESE ONES ARE! They are Topshop from Nordstrom and are most definitely on my wishlist now. Topshop Belted Stripe Roll-Cuff TrousersTop from Who What Wear from Target linked here but it is on clearance and mostly sold out so a new similar one is linked here.

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Style, the.B.Law

The Blogger Dress

My sister Tabitha and I have come to call this dress “the blogger dress”. It earned its name when the last Nordstrom anniversary sale happened. The dress wasn’t on sale but almost ALL of the bloggers we follow were wearing and talking about this dress by Leith. When I finally went to Nordstrom to try it on I understood why. This is probably the best dress I have ever owned. All the other bloggers kept talking about how great the fit was and how the ruching in the front covers any bloating or lack of abs. They were absolutely right. I feel so comfortable and good in this dress. It is long enough for work but still short enough to dress it up to go out. The crossed V front makes it a little sexy without being inappropriate. The best part is I feel like I can be relaxed in it and not worry about sucking it in all night or pulling it down so my butt doesn’t show like in a typical body-con. I am tall, like around 5’8″, and I can still wear a small in this dress and not worry about it being short. I already have it in black and this peach color, but I still want to get it in the navy… and possibly the green. It is just so versatile! It can seriously be worn for any occasion. Like below I just wore it with cheetah espadrille mules from Target to keep it casual to walk around Fremont Street. If you are looking for a good fitted dress I promise you, go try this on and you’ll probably want to buy it.

Outfit details linked here: dress (Leith), sunglasses (BP), shoes (dv for Target)

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Style, Style Panel, the.B.Law

Baseball Season is Here!

It’s time for one of my favorite seasons, BASEBALL! There is almost nothing better than sitting in a stadium with a drink in your hand, a hot dog in the other, and rooting for your home team… the Angels of course!

Baseball season is also a great excuse to go on a date, whether it is your hubby, boyfriend/manfriend, or someone you are just getting to know. I mean I’ve gone with friends, family, a first date, and it’s actually where I met my boyfriend. I mean what guy doesn’t love baseball?!

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I have seen many different styles showcased at The Big A, from girls in dresses and heels, to shorts, sandals, and crop tops. I personally like to usually go with my vans, converse, or rainbows; or in my case my pink Adidas. These three shoes are great for walking around the stadium, and aren’t too heavy if it is hot outside. Nothing is worse than having hot feet!

What I wear for bottoms are usually jeans or jean shorts, sometimes I roll the ankle if I need to try to get a breeze. I have occasionally worn white shorts but be careful if you do because they can get dirty easily. My tops vary, I used to have a kids’ jersey because it was a give away, but you can find kid or adult jerseys many places; they are just a little pricey if you aren’t a diehard. I usually go with an Angels shirt, which I found at Target and Old Navy. The one from Old Navy is a great material and works for day or night. I also have gone with plain color shirts or tanks and then added a bow or hat of the Angels. I personally love hats, but I almost ALWAYS wear them backwards, there is just something I love about it at a baseball game.

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Lastly, do not forget your team jacket or a team blanket if you are going to a night game. Or any jacket and blanket will do but it is more fun to have a team on it!

My rule for baseball dates is the simpler the better; guys aren’t going to games to stare at you, so keep it to team themed clothes or do colored tops that are the same as the baseball team you are going for. You will fit in, be comfy, and hopefully actually enjoy yourself!

xoxo- Cher

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Style, the.B.Law

Bringing Cacti to the Office

It was only a matter of time before I brought my love of cacti into my office wardrobe, I was just waiting until I found the perfect way. I had seen a couple cactus tops but they were all kind of pricey. Finally, thanks to a blogger I follow on insta, The Sister Studio, I found a cactus print button up from Old Navy that full price is $26.99 and I got it on sale for 40% off. Score!

Although I could wear this classic button up by itself will slacks, that just seemed a little boring. I have a yellow blazer I got from one of the $10 stores in downtown Palm Springs that I haven’t worn yet. I figured now that it is spring, it would be the perfect addition to my cactus outfit. It actually worked great together! The cactus print is pretty small and spread out so it wasn’t too loud with a bright yellow blazer. I just paired my navy slacks with it but really I could wear either my navy, black, or gray. On the weekend I am excited to try my button up with a pair of high waist denim shorts and sandals or wedges (well before it gets too hot to wear a three quarter length sleeve outside in the sun). Find the top linked here!

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Happy Monday! Sorry I have been slacking on the work outfits post, I have just been doing so many fun things on the weekend! I will plan some more, promise!

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beauty, the.B.Law

Smiling Bright with Smile Brilliant

I got the opportunity to use the custom whitening kit from Smile Brilliant and I have to say I am impressed. To be honest I was a little nervous to try it. One because my teeth are not all that straight and I was worried the whiting gel wouldn’t be even on my teeth. Two, every time I’ve ever tried to whiten my teeth, which has only been with either the strips or the mouthwash, I got shooting pains up my teeth and gums (mostly from the strips). I have really sensitive teeth. I can’t bite into ice cream and I prefer cool or room temperature water to ice water because I can’t handle the cold. I was determined to try it though, I am a coffee drinker and we all know how great that is on your teeth. With Smile Brilliant I ended up being pleasantly surprised on both of my concerns.

I received my kit in the mail and was a little intimidated by it! The kit comes with the material (two part) to make your custom tray fittings, the holders, the whitening gel and desensitizing gel, and I was just thinking what do I do?! Before I completely worried I read the directions, which were simple and made me feel better. First step before anything was molding my teeth so I could mail in my impressions to get my custom trays. You have to make a top and a bottom impression (obviously) but you get three containers of the impression material. I understood why after my first impression came out wrong. There is a blue and a white material. You have to mix them together within one minute until you see no more white. I was frantically mixing until I realized how easily they mix. Then you roll it “hotdog style” and lay it in the tray. You put the tray in your mouth and bite down being careful not to scrape the front, not to bite down too hard but also making sure you bite down enough. The mold and tray stays in for three minutes, yes you will drool! I did my top first and when I got it out I noticed I bit too hard in the front because my front tooth broke through the mold and there was a hole in it. I did the bottom next and those came out perfect, then I used the third and last set of material and redid my top. Thank you Smile Brilliant for thinking about people like me who sometimes need a second chance because they overthink. Molds were complete! Next step was to send them in the prepaid envelope to Smile Brilliant so they could make my custom trays.

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The turnaround on the trays wasn’t long at all. I got a notification that my impressions were received and not long after, maybe a week give or take, my trays arrived in the mail. Now I was ready to try it out. I read the directions again to be sure. First you brush your teeth with just water, then put the whitening gel in the trays (1/4-1/3 of the syringe), dry your teeth and put them on. It was pretty simple and the trays were surprisingly comfortable. You can leave them on for 45 minutes up to 3 hours. I started off with 45 minutes as 3 hours seemed a bit ambitious for my first time. After your timer goes off you take off the trays, rinse them well with cold water, then brush your teeth with toothpaste. After that you dry your trays, then put the desensitizing gel in, dry your teeth, and do it again. This part is only 15-20 minutes. The desensitizing gel is to help with tooth sensitivity and help prevent re-staining. It was recommended to do this whole process at night that way after you finish the desensitizing gel you can just go to bed. When you take the trays out that time you just rinse them and leave your teeth alone, no need to brush. You also don’t drink anything after. That was it, so simple! I noticed a slight difference even after my first round!

I started whitening every other day, or I attempted every other day, there were a few longer gaps, as my teeth probably couldn’t handle every day. Towards the end my teeth were getting a little more sensitive but still bearable. I was actually able to up my whitening time to an hour! So proud. Now I have whitened I think 10 times and I am so happy with the results! I smile in the mirror a lot to see the difference. I have even gotten a few compliments that my teeth were white. That has totally helped with my confidence as I have always been self conscious about my teeth because they are not straight. I am happy to say though that in the next month or two I am getting braces and you can bet when I get them off I will be using Smile Brilliant again! I totally recommend them. Once you have your trays you can always buy refills of the gel later so this is a system you can keep and use for a long time. I love that I will be able to keep it for when special events are coming up or just to maintain a white smile. I am smiling bright now!

GIVEAWAY!! —> Click the link to enter to win a whitening kit of your own from Smile Brilliant! www.smilebrilliant.com/g/theblaw or use my code theblaw15 for 15% off your order!

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Before and After

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