*This post was made in partnership with Nakturnal.  Thank you for supporting brands I feature*

I haven't been getting out much these past few (aka FIVE) months, because we're staying safe at home, but when I do it's with minimal jewelry due to the heat.  How adorable are these small stackable pinky rings from Aurate? You can get them in sizes ranging from 3 to 10 so they're fit for any finger. I definitely want to add more of their thin rose gold rings to my jewelry box.
If you are a long time follower of the blog you'll know that I used to wear a LOT of rings, almost one per finger. But since getting engaged and married I've worn a lot less. These thin rings are a great accompaniment to my wedding rings. I went with rose gold vs white gold to add a bit more fun. Who says you can't mix metals?!
Both rings (and my cute twist huggie earrings) are made with ethically sourced and sustainably made Rose Gold Vermeil. Similar to yellow gold, rose gold is made with a blend of color-saturated alloys with a bit more copper for a rosy hue. Vermeil is basically a fancy name for gold-plated. Aurate goes above and beyond the required amounts and uses 14-karat gold with over 2.5 microns (thickness) and finishes with a top coat to ensure durability and shine.
To make your purchase even better, Aurate has a lifetime guarantee! They'll re-plate, polish, and repair your jewelry when needed. Additionally, for every piece of gold purchased, Aurate donates a book to a child in need in your name.
Summer and hot temps are the perfect time for bold prints! You don't want to have a lot of fabric covering your body so why not make it fun and vibrant. This dress by Farm Rio is so much fun, I was looking forward to wearing it at Disney this Spring but sadly that trip didn't happen. Rather than let it sit in the closet until next year, I decided to wear it for a day of nothing.

I finished the look off with a pair of sandals - I live in my Ancient Greek Sandals all Summer. I'm up to 9 pairs so far - with another possibly on the way, wow! I didn't need a bag since we were just going on a walk but if walking is the only activity on the schedule for the foreseeable future why not make it a complete outfit. This Madewell crocodile effect bag was a pre-quarantine purchase that I never got to wear before lockdown. So glad I was finally able to use it, even if it was just holding my phone, mask and hand sanitizer! Last minute I threw on another new piece. A layered necklace that I got my Mom for Mother's Day. And no, I didn't steal it from her - I got one for my sister and I too so we could all match!

Dress: FARM Rio Amazonian Ombre Mini Wrap Dress c/o Shopbop, Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Apteros' in Crosta Wine (bought in Athens), Bag: Madewell Medium Slim Saddle Bag c/o Shopbop, Sunglasses: Ray Ban Erika c/o Shopbop, Necklace: Shashi Princess Leia Necklace c/o Shopbop, Rings c/o Aurate - Stackable Twist Ring & Mini Infinity Ring in Rose Gold, Earrings c/o Aurate - Gold Twist Huggie Earrings in Rose Gold

Wall-E and Eve Ring Box

Growing up I never pictured myself with a big diamond engagement ring. I wanted something more unique if I was ever going to get married - which I thought was a very small possibility because I was far too shy to talk to boys. My parents would joke to the rest of the family that I would be the one taking care of them in their old age because I would be alone. Then Christian came into the picture and the rest is history. We knew fairly quickly that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together so we started researching rings.

Quick backstory - The first "date" we ever had was watching Wall-E one night during the Game of Thrones convention we met at. It's one of his favorite movies and we all know how much I love Disney/Pixar. Needless to say, we're very into space representing our relationship.

We came upon Sofia Zakia while browsing Catbird for ideas, not thinking I'd find a ring there.  I didn't want Christian to have to spend a lot on my ring but we both fell in love with her Wandering Star ring featuring an opal (my birthstone!) It's an opal surrounded by diamonds (as the stars) and 2 crescent moons on either side. On Catbird it only came in regular gold and rose gold but I wanted white gold so we set off to find something else. Here is an early inspiration image I made. Notice how large the Sofia Zakia Wandering Star ring is featured ;)



In the end, Christian found her website and saw that she did white gold versions of her rings. He also customized the ring by trading out some of the diamonds for sapphires, his birthstone. It was such a wonderful surprise to see the ring of my dreams when he opened up the adorable Wall-E & Eve box he ordered to put it in. It's the perfect ring to represent us and our story.

Sofia Zakia makes special wedding bands that fit around the interesting shape of the Wandering Star ring. We had a few to choose from but thought the Altair was the prettiest and most complimentary.  I insisted on buying my band because it was a lot pricier than we would have spent with any other ring. Luckily Catbird offers a 10% discount when signing up for their newsletter so I was able to save a bit of cash that way.

For Christian's ring, he wanted something a bit more unique and in a darker metal. Originally he wanted something with meteorite or a textured metal but decided that would be too fragile to wear every day based on research. He went with a dark gray ceramic ring with a blue inlay so it would sort of match the sapphires in my ring.

We used the ring box Christian proposed with to hold our wedding bands on the day.

Wedding Band: Sofia Zakia Altair Ring (Catbird), Engagement Ring: Custom Sofia Zakia Wandering Star Ring, Opal

Sofia Zakia Altair Ring, Custom Sofia Zakia Wandering Star Ring, Opal

Dark Gray Ceramic Wedding Band with Blue Inlay, Sofia Zakia Altair Ring, Custom Sofia Zakia Wandering Star Ring with Opal, Diamonds and Sapphires

Wall-E & Eve with Custom Sofia Zakia Wandering Star Ring, Opal

Another day, another outfit, another blazer.  I do love my blazers, definitely an addiction. Whenever I see a new one I want to buy it, most of the time I resist.  A couple weeks ago I inherited this gorgeous topaz and diamond necklace from my Grandmother and I never want to take it off. It is so gorgeous and makes me feel like I always have her with me. I can visit her whenever I want since she lives next door, but it's fun to have a piece she used to wear.

I'm still getting used to my short hair so, for this outing, I tried a mini french braid in front to keep the shorter hairs out of my face. I find it easier than using a barrette, I can never get them to stay properly. BUT then when I take it out I have crazy kinky hair. Funny that I used to WANT my hair to look like that back when I was in middle school. It was all the rage! So for gymnastics I would french braid my hair, and then take it out for school the next day.

Blazer: Gap (Coco's), Sweater: Vanessa Bruno (Coco's $10 sale), Jeans: Michael by Michael Kors (Marshalls), Flats c/o Joie, Topaz Necklace: Grandma's, "M" Necklace c/o Gorjana Griffin, Watch: Skagen (Rue La La),  Rings: vintage, Brilliant Imports snake ring & Mom's

Who doesn't love a good diamond? Exactly. Anjolee recently let me choose a diamond necklace from their site to review. I chose this GORGEOUS three stone horizontal pendant. I am a big fan of the less is more mantra when it comes to diamonds (if they're too big they look fake, in my opinion,) so these smaller ones are perfect. The quality of the necklace is superb, although I had a little trouble putting it on (I blame it on the fact that I couldn't see the clasp and it is smaller than average.) The necklace is the perfect size and is a great classic, dainty piece that I will wear for years to come.  This necklace will definitely be in my rotation for daily use, it will compliment any outfit it is paired with.

The best thing about Anjolee is the fact that you can customize each piece exactly as you want it.  So you can go for the best of the best or a more budget friendly option depending on your needs. They offer 7 types of metal, various total carat weights, diamond quality and size, for each jewelry item on their website. Many of the pieces also include colored gems which you can choose making them great for gift giving: birthstone jewelry is always a good idea in my book. For example, the diamonds in the necklace below can be switched out for gemstones (either the center one, or the sides.) I toyed with the idea of making the center diamond an Amethyst (my favorite color) but decided to keep it basic.

Check back tomorrow for the outfit post featuring the necklace!



* Mine are not actual diamonds; for the purpose of the review I was sent a sample with cubic zirconia rather than diamonds.

** I received the necklace free for the purpose of this post, all opinions are my own.

Capes, purple and cashmere. Put them together and you have one of my new favorite pieces! I scored this cashmere cape at Roundabout Resale on Saturday! I went in just planning to look around and spotted some purple in the clearance section, pulled it out and was greeted by this amazing cape!  It was only $35, must be the fates telling me it had to be mine. I had been on the hunt for an affordable cape for a couple years and finally the fashion planets aligned to find my perfect match. I think I've found my new Fall weekend outfit.

Earlier this week I received an awesome name necklace from O Necklace! I have been wanting a name necklace for a while and they have so many styles to choose from, I ended up deciding on the 24k gold plated Alegro style. It is the perfect size and the chain is durable but dainty at the same time. I'm a sucker for packaging so I really enjoyed the textured gift box the necklace came in. (see more photos of the necklace and box at the bottom of the post)

Song of the Day: I Call Your Name by The Beatles

Cashmere Cape: b chyll (Roundabout Resale), Tee: Everlane, Leggings: H&M, Flats c/o Joie (also here), Necklace c/o O Necklace, Watch: Skagen (Rue La La), Rings: vintage & Mom's

We also tried to take some spinning/leaf throwing pictures, but they didn't work out too well.

Some more necklace photos:

This past Tuesday I was lucky enough to be invited to an event hosted by Lucky Magazine and Movado watches to celebrate their ESQ One watch, "an eye-catching watch of unisex appeal that’s cool, colorful, fashionable and fun."  I'd say that description is about right; I can girl the watch up for myself & my guy friends could borrow it.  At the event we got to choose a watch and select from a wide array of bracelets to create an arm party.  They even had a candy bar!

I was nervous about going to the event because I didn't know anyone that would be there. Fortunately, I happened to sit near two girls and asked if they were going to the event - turns out they were!  An instant bond was formed between myself, Krista and Jackie.  Before the event we took some outfit photos (thank goodness for them or I would have none.)  Then we headed to the event where I met a bunch of other amazing bloggers including Jen and Tracy!  I was very proud of myself for talking to people at the event, normally I'm super quiet and keep to myself.

Clockwise from top: Krista, Jackie, Me, Jen

On to the outfit!  I'm wearing my new safari print Madewell tee and my freshly shortened leather skirt (thanks to my mom!)  I'm also sporing some new penny loafers gifted from Joie at the RewardStyle party which I will be posting photos from next week!  My new (well, a month old now) bag got tons of compliments at the party - gotta love Marshalls for unique on-trend pieces!

Tee: Madewell (on sale!), Skirt: Siena Style (Coco's $10 sale), Flats c/o Joie (also here), Bag: Gianni Notaro (Marshalls),  Sweater: Ami dans la Rue (Shopbop Gift Card), Sunglasses: : Ray Ban 'Emma' (Marshalls), Necklace: Geoclassics, Watch: Skagen (Rue La La) and later c/o Movado, Rings: vintage & Mom's

Thanks to Lucky and Movado for the great evening!