Summer Accessory + Natural Beauty Haul!

 

Hola, mi amigas!

 

It's August! Can you believe we're already more than half-way into this year? School's about to start for a lot of kids, summer will soon be coming to a close, and time just seems to speed on faster and faster!

 

Well, to celebrate some of the awesome summer moments we've had so far, today I'm going to do a haul post - 3 different reviews all in one!

 

We'll start out with.....

 

An adorable JoHanna Martinez Coral Headband .  

 

This is a darling handmade accessory and perfect for summer. It's a metallic orange color. I don't usually wear a lot of orange but I have to say this is one I really like! It is a nice, bright summer-y hue and goes well with my hair color.

 

The design of the headband is very unique. It almost has a vintage feel to it.  The headband has an adjustable strap in the back, making it a comfortable one-size-fits-all. It stays put well in my hair, as I've already worn it numerous times, doing various different activities.

 

My new favorite thing to do with this hairband is to wear it with braids.

 

Overall, I love it! It's a very unique, chic piece and I enjoy wearing it as it's both practical and pretty.

 

 (Click the link above to go to the Etsy listing where you can get one of your own!)

 

 

 

Next up, a very charming vintage fish necklace from Iris Jane . 

 

Oh my goodness. This is such a cute piece! I have nothing bad to say about it. Nothing at all.

I simply adore the fish pendant. From the turquoise/gold color scheme to the little intricate details of the fish scales, tale and eyes, it's definitely a favorite piece. Once again, it's an accessory perfect for the summer months, or family vacation at the beach.

 

The chain is a gold color, and has it where you can adjust the length. I like wearing it semi-choker-esque, where the pendant just barely drops beneath my shoulder blades.

 

It's an eye-catching necklace and I love everything about it. The uniqueness of the fish pendant is the main draw for me since I like fresh, different-looking things.

 

Sadly since it's vintage I'm not sure where you could find one like it of your own, but you could check out the Iris Jane shop above anyway and maybe inquire about it if you were really interested.

 

 

 

Last but not least we have some awesome natural hair products from NightBlooming.

 

I first discovered NightBlooming by way of their fabulous hair sticks, but little did I know they also made some fab hair treatments and the like!

 

We'll start with the Panaceas Sample Salve Trio. Each of these salves above can be used on the tips of your hair to help strengthen the fibers and even help repair split ends and other damage.

 

I tried each of the three and didn't notice a very big difference between the three. You only use a very small amount each time, and it's always after you shower. I look forward to seeing long-term effects of using these salves! It looks like a promising concept.

 

 

 

I was also sent a Triple Moon Hair Annointing Oil , a beautiful handmade hairstick, and Moondust Herbal Dry Shampoo from NightBlooming.

 

To be honest, I'll admit I was a little skeptical of the hair oil in the beginning. For one thing, my hair is already VERY oily so I doubted this oil could really benefit me in any way.

 

I'm still testing it, so it's a work in progress so to speak. So far, I've been trying to follow the directions listed on the Etsy listing.

 

You rub a small amount into your scalp, an hour before showering. It is supposed to help strengthen the roots of your hair. (Of course, you wash it thoroughly when showering.)

 

I haven't been able to see any difference "before and after" using this, yet, but as I said I'm still testing it. It could be more of a long-term result for all I know. 

 

The hair stick was absolutely gorgeous. I really loved the colors - a bright, cheery blue base and mesmerizing transparent/milky blue fixture at the end. Very, very pretty. Also it's a good length - almost too short for my amount of hair to fit in, but it still worked. It came tucked primly in a felt case which I thought was a nice touch.

 

The Moondust herbal dry shampoo really interested me. I'm always curious to find out natural shampoo/conditioner alternatives.  However, the dry aspect of it doesn't thrill me too much. Mom tried it, and didn't really like that it was to be used in that way. She thought it was too messy.

I'm going to try it in more depth but so far I have to agree with her.

 

-

 

Thank you to these wonderful businesses for providing the products for today's haul/triple review.  

 

On a random note, next month I'm going to the Great Ozarks Mountain Shindig with my family for four days! I'm really, really, reallllllyyyy excited about it. I found out the other day that there will be a line dance on one evening, and that the dress code/suggested dress attire is semi-dressy/long dresses etc. I really would like to dress a bit more formally for it, but can't decide whether to go with a vintage/retro/'50s theme or a Western/country girl theme...eeek, help!

 

I've been looking for retro/50's style party dresses, but it seems like everything is either too expensive, not modest in some way or the waistline is incredibly small. Does anyone have any advice? 

 

Hope everyone is having a very blessed summer!

 

Note: I was provided these items from JoHanna Martinez, Iris Jane and NightBlooming in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed remain mine and mine alone.

What I Wore to The Beach + My Swimwear Story {ClassyGarb}

 

Aloha, ladies!

(Haha, I never actually say aloha, but since this is a post about the beach, well, what could be a better way to start it off?)

 

So, my family and I just returned from our weeklong summer vacation and I wasn't feeling very inspired on what to write or post today. It's always difficult to get back into the flow and swing of things when you've been completely off-schedule for a whole week, you know? While I had several encounters at the beach which gave me ideas on things I might want to write about sometime in the future, (think stalkers, the consequences of both modesty and immodesty, etc) none appealed for today. So instead of a full-fledged article, here's a make-shift outfit post.

 

A while back, we had a post on modest swimsuits and it made me want to do something furthering the topic, since in my short life so far I've already gone through a number of various 'modest swimwear' and have had the chance to somewhat 'review' each one as I had it.  Okay, well duh. If you possess something *of course* you have 'the chance to 'review' it'...that wasn't a terrific way to get my point across, I know.

 

Anyway. My swimwear story. So this swimsuit I currently have, I really like. You can see where I'm wearing it in these pictures, above and below. I bought it two years ago from Meant to be Modest, and had it custom made to my measurements. I had the leggings lengthened to just above ankle length, because at the time I ordered it I was really obsessive about not letting my legs be visible at all. (My views have changed concerning that, since then, and now I'm okay with my calves being visible. I rolled up the leggings a little in these photos.)

 

It's amazing how much your views and standards can change in several years, or throughout your lifetime. I don't really understand why I was so concerned about my lower legs showing, but I do think it was a bit too much.

 

This is me, with my lovely mother, who got her swimsuit from Swim-Modest. That was actually where I got my very first modest swimsuit, at about age 10. (Before that, I wore one pieces and even bikinis/tankinis as a very young girl...back then I had no idea about modesty and even if I had known, I was completely lacking any form of self-consciousness, being just a little kid.) I liked it for a while, but then I wanted more coverage on my legs so Mom and I started investigating other options. We then found Simply Modest., got a pattern, and some sweet friends of ours, actually Evangela and her mother/sisters, had some fabric already on hand and they helped sew me my suit, which turned out beautiful.  

 

 

(Here is the Simply Modest suit, I was about 12 here.)

 

And here is the first Meant to be Modest suit I got, in 2010. I liked this one a whole lot and was sad when I wore it out. (literally)

 

Back to the present again, I would very much recommend Meant to be Modest. Their suits are very comfortable and practical, plus they look cute! I literally can do any sports activity in this suit. I can do flips and cannonballs into the pool without anything coming up which needs to stay down. I can run, climb trees, body surf, you name it...and during the entire time, I don't have to worry about looking or feeling immodest.

 

I think that they next time I order from them I will ask for shorter leggings and perhaps sleeveless bodice, because the only negative is the awkward tan lines I get wearing this...e.g., my shoulders remain all white while the rest of my arm gets tan. I wear tank tops relatively often, so you can imagine how this looks rather...funny, to say in the least. 

 

These swimsuits last a while though. I bought my current one (the blue floral one above) two years ago as I already stated, and it's still practically brand-new despite all the wear it's gotten. After 3-4 years, depending on the usage, the suit material will start to stretch out and become faded, but it also depends on how you take care of the suit. And this one has double lining on the bodice, so it should be a long while before it stretches out bad enough for me to get a new one entirely.  

 

So, while I was at the beach my cousin got some pictures of me at our annual family picnic/reunion. I figured I'd post them because this is one of my new favorite summer outfits and I thought y'all might like to see it.

 

I really like this blouse. It's so summer-y and I love the color scheme.

 

I just loved this view! It was so cool, the trees and shoreline combined like this.

 

My hair was a mess, because it was hot out, yet quite breezy. And in this last photo I had actually just gotten my face painted...Don't laugh.

 

What I Wore

 

Blouse: Absolutely Famous - Sears

Skirt:  St. John's Bay - JC Penny's

Flip flops: Union Bay - Bealls

 

 

Well, I hope y'all are having a wonderful summer so far! Time for some feedback: What do you like to do for swimwear? Do you have a 'swimwear story'? And what would you like to see in a future post?

 

Blessings,