Friday Favorites: Get Ready for my Louisville City Guide

Happy Friday y’all!  This week’s Friday Favorites has my favorite reads, a recap of what’s been going on at What Nicole Wore, my favorite sale picks going into this weekend, and some news about at a fun project of mine that goes live TOMORROW!

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Friday Favorites | Life Lately:

• Sigma Kappa Sunday.  Recruitment weekend for the chapter I advise is coming up quick; last weekend, I headed over to New Albany for their Mock Recruitment and for a quick styled shoot.  Being behind the camera instead of in front of it is ALWAYS nice & I loved picking out fun props for the shoot.  {If you don’t have a blogger friend in your life, you’re really missing out on getting the best photos for your ‘Gram.  Don’t believe me? Check out their Instagram to see how I used the party poppers from Thoughtfully Gifts!}
• Lunch at Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen.  This has become my favorite lunch spot since the Louisville location opened.  All of the salads I’ve tried have been delicious but I love the classic chicken salad {shown above} with the blueberry vinaigrette dressing.
• OPI Iceland Collection.  OPI’s new collection for fall/winter 2017 just dropped and they were kind enough to gift me the whole collection in the Infinite Shine formula that I love.  I just put on Turn on the Northern Lights and love all the shimmer in the shade.
• Bluegrass Blogger Meetup.  Tomorrow night, 8UP is hosting a handful of bloggers from across Kentucky for a meet up! Be sure to follow along on Instagram as I’m sure I’ll be sharing some BTS on Stories.
• Peanut Butter Feelings from Louisville Cream.  Ok, I know I talk about food A LOT during Friday Favorites, but this ice cream is chocolate with peanut butter cookie dough aka life changing you guys!  Plus some jerk bashed in Louisville Cream’s window so if you’re local, you should totally go grab a scoop this weekend.

Friday Favorites | What I’m Reading:

• Bloggers, You Need to Stop Bashing Brands |  Rachel addresses some very important points of why bloggers need to start remembering that their brands are businesses.  If you went shopping somewhere and heard an employee saying that you smelled or they didn’t want to help you, you would probably stop frequenting that business.  When bloggers publicly bash a brand {regardless of the situation}, they’re essentially doing the same thing to their business.
• Stone Vows by Samantha Christy | This week was kind of rough so I took some quiet time to myself to curl up with my Kindle.  I read Samantha’s Mitchell Sisters series back in December and loved the characters and her writing style so I was excited to see a new installment in the spinoff series.
• Why I Gave Up Instagram Comment Pods | If you don’t follow me on Twitter, you may have missed it, but this week I quit using comment pods!  Now I’m wondering why it took me so long, but it just feels like a huge load off my back.
• Using Instagram Stories to Grow Your Brand + Content Ideas | Jamie shares 10 ideas of what you can share on Instagram Stories plus a few hacks for you to try out.  I’m really able to extend my audience through Stories and see awesome engagement; if you’re a blogger, brand or business and not using stories — you’re missing out!
• 16 Phrases to Energize Your Copywriting | The graphic at the bottom gives examples of powerful wording you should use instead of several commonly used phrases.  With writing being such a large portion of blogging, I’m always looking to see how I can make my writing resonate better.

BTW, love seeing my blogging reads? Be sure to follow along on Pinterest as I always share my favorites to my blogging board!

Friday Favorites | Currently Crushing On:

• This camel graphic tee is only $12.49!  Right now LOFT has free shipping when you spend $50+ but since this is currently all I want, I’m heading into the store to order the online exclusive for free shipping. #Cheap
• This 3/4 sleeve blouse with ruffle cuffs | I’m really loving this new arrival, it’s $35 and while the green and navy are perfect for fall, I’m crushing on the pink.
• Speaking of fall, how cute is this olive shirtdress?  I love utility vests and jackets so it’s no surprise that I’m loving this dress.
• It’s Clear the Rack time.  Save an extra 25% off clearance items at Nordstrom Rack, except dresses which are an extra 50% off!
• This embroidered bell sleeve, stripe top!  I’m thinking a trip to J. Crew Factory may be necessary this weekend — so many good new arrivals.

Be sure to check out the SHOP tab to see more of my favorite picks.

Friday Favorites | Here’s What You May Have Missed:

Here & Now: What You Can Wear Now From the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale | My favorite ready to wear picks that are mostly under $50.

TAG – You’re It! One Shoulder for Summer | This one shoulder top has gotten quite a bit of wear this summer so I had to show you the casual way I’ve worn it for warmer weather.

$500 Nordstrom Giveaway + My Top Home Picks from the NSale | There’s still time to enter to win a $500 Nordstrom gift card!

How to Make It as an Introvert in an Extrovert’s Field | I shared my tips for surviving as an introvert in blogging and how you can overcome being an introvert if you work in a field tailored to extroverts. Bonus: this skirt is on major sale right now.

Where to Buy Designer Bags Secondhand & Chloé Tote Review | Have you heard of Trendlee? I’m giving you the scoop on why they’re a great option for purchasing pre-owned luxury handbags.

Colorescience Beauty on the Go Palette Review + Swatches | Does a universal, all in one palette sound like something you need? Be sure to read the review for my thoughts on using it on my skin tone plus a look at it in action.

Finally, be sure to check out the Draper James blog tomorrow as they’ll be sharing my Louisville City Guide!  I’m very excited to share my Louisville favorites & will be recapping some on Monday!

Let me know in the comments how your week was & what you’re up to this weekend!