What Nicole Wore

style + beauty blog in the dc metro area

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Bluegrass Unbridled: Event Recap with the Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass

As most of you know, I hosted an event at the Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass this past weekend with my good friend Tif of Bright on a Budget.  We had a blast talking about the hottest trends for spring & our Bluegrass Unbridled finds.  Today I’m sharing an event recap as well as what I wore; stay tuned for another post on Thursday about how to outlet shop like a blogger!

Bluegrass Unbridled with the Outlet Shoppes

Bluegrass Unbridled: the Horses

Just in time for Derby, the Outlet Shoppes installed five horses sculptures in four different locations of the outdoor mall.  The event was kicked off by the unveiling of the Center Court horse which was painted with vibrant colors.  Tif and I both made a point to coordinate with this horse and after our presentation got to go around and check out all of the sculptures.  {Huge thanks to Tif and her husband, Chauncey, for all these photos; be sure to swing by her blog tomorrow morning for her event recap!}  My favorite sculpture is the cute calf down below!

Bluegrass Unbridled with the Outlet Shoppes

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Work Wear with the Outlet Shoppes

My personal style is pretty casual these days but today I’m sharing a work wear look that takes your favorite work staples and updates them with the best trends for spring.  This past weekend, Tif and I went shopping at the Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass in preparation for our event this Saturday.  I was able to add some great pieces to my closet and am excited to share them with y’all.  Keep reading to hear more about our shopping spree and to get all the details on a fun giveaway we’re hosting!

Work Wear with the Outlet Shoppes
featured: brooks brothers: peter pan collar shirt c/o {similar shirt in black} + ny & co: dress pants {similar} + wanted shoes: mia pumps c/o {comes in three other colors} + vera bradley: meredith crossbody c/o {ON SALE & AVAILABLE IN BLACK} + karen walker: number one sunglasses {20% OFF – use code EVENT17} + ny & co: spherical drop earrings c/o {also come in white!} + kendra scott: adjustable meghan necklace c/o {rent my necklace for free by signing up for rocksbox with code whatnicoleworexoxo} + fossil: boyfriend watch c/o {similar} + francesca’s: tassel bracelet set + opi polish: nail polish c/o + nars cosmetics: blush + mac cosmetics: retro matte lipstick

SHOP THE POST | OUTLET SHOPPES


Work Wear with the Outlet Shoppes

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Ivory Floral Dress for Spring

I hope y’all aren’t tired of Derby looks! Today’s look features a super cute ivory floral dress that also would be perfect for Easter.  I wanted to share it this week in case you haven’t gotten to pick out a dress yet because there’s still time to order.  Read on to get all the details plus me confessing my love for The Hat Girls & Impromptu Boutique, two local businesses that have teamed up to get you Derby ready.

All photos courtesy of Jordan Mannel of Impromptu Boutique.

Ivory Floral Dress
featured: impromptu boutique: always on vacation ivory floral dress c/o {UNDER $50} + the hat girls: blue fascinator c/o {available to order – shoot the Girls an email and ask for style THG0155} + kelly & katie: coderno pump {UNDER $40} + eBay: turquoise statement necklace {similar linked, here and here} + kendra scott: brook stud earrings c/o {UNDER $75} + opi products: infinite shine nail polish c/o + nars cosmetics: blush + mac cosmetics: matte lipstick + urban decay: eyeshadow

In This Post | Ivory Floral Dress:


Ivory Floral Dress

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Packing Up Spring Beauty Favorites with Vera Bradley

In the spirit of spring break, today I’m sharing some spring beauty favorites and how to pack them up with Vera Bradley.  I’ve been using Vera’s cosmetic bags for years now; my typical go to is the Medium Cosmetic!  I got a change to try out a newer style, the Travel Cosmetic Set, which now comes in seven colors.

Spring Beauty Favorites
featured: vera bradley: travel cosmetic set c/o {UNDER $75}

Shop My Spring Beauty Favorites:


Spring Beauty Favorites

With as many lipsticks as I have, keeping them organized is really important.  This acrylic makeup organizer has pull out drawers and you can purchase more of the drawers as your makeup stash grows.  I have a couple drawers for lipsticks and use the rest for palettes and blushes.  One drawer also acts as a home to my samples and travel size goodies.

Spring Beauty Favorites
featured {left to right}: bare minerals: full flawless face brush + lime crime: matte velvetines lipstick + colourpop: ultra satin lipstick + kylie cosmetics: matte lipstick + stila: liquid eyeliner + anastasia beverly hills: brush #7b

This part of the cosmetic set features a magnetic snap closure and eight different sized elastic bands to hold brushes.  As you can see, I use mine for brushes as well as tubes of liquid lipstick and eyeliner.  The lining can be wiped down with a rag or wipe so you don’t have to worry about makeup getting all over.

Spring Beauty Favorites | The fail – LimeCrime Velvetines lipsticks

When it comes to liquid lipsticks, I tend to switch between ColourPop and Kylie’s lip kits.  I like Kylie’s mattes better because I think they last the longest, but ColourPop has a much wider variety of colors and I love their satin formula.  I recently decided to try some of LimeCrime’s mattes; the Velvetine lipsticks are incredibly pigmented but wear quickly and don’t have much lasting power.  The darker shades I ordered were patchy when applied and started wearing pretty quickly which was a huge bummer.  While the lipstick’s sell for $20, shipping is not free for domestic purchases under $50 and I feel like I could get a better product for comparable pricing if not cheaper.  Can’t say I’ll be buying anymore LimeCrime lipsticks.

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Social Media + Mental Health

Living with Anxiety & Depression in the Social Media Age
It’s 3:17 in the morning and I’ve been thinking about writing this post all night. If I’m being completely honest — this topic is one I’ve wanted to write about for the two years I’ve been writing What Nicole Wore but always shrank away from. What does mental health have to do with fashion? Not a whole lot friends, not a whole lot.

Lately though opening up about my personal struggle with anxiety and depression has weighed heavier on my heart than usual. I hope that someone reading this will be able to relate and take solace in knowing they’re not alone; I also feel like I’ve reached a point where I can’t continue to ignore the elephant in the room. So let’s start at the beginning shall we?

I’ve always hated change. I’ve always cared far too much about what other people think. I’ve always gotten too worked up about things. Up until four years ago, I didn’t think much of it. It was just part of my personality and who I was. When I was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, I felt crushed. To me it felt like a big red label slapped across my forehead that said, ‘this girl is psycho.’ I remember my mom holding my hand in the car after we left the therapist’s office and listening to me sob before she said, “Nicole this is just the first step. This means things can be better.”

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