Yeah I know it is fall in New York and I am still posting summer outfit pics. Well hey it is summer somewhere in the world no?  It is also still a bit warm here in New Yorks (hitting the 80s later this week) so I am not quite ready to let go of my summer pieces. 

Now lets talk about Santorini.  I have to say this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in the world.  We spent the day sailing to different parts of the island. I had an opportunity to hike a volcano, swim in hot springs and eat soulvaki on a black pebble beach.  So what does one wear for such crazy activities. Well I traded in the my maxi dress for a pair of cut offs and a white blouse. Cannot go wrong with that. 

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After spending most of our morning hiking up to the Acropolis we went off to explore the rest of Athens. Our next stop was the Panathenaic Stadium. This was the place of the first modern olympics and being that DH is a bit obsessed with the Olympics it was a must see for us. We spent a good amount of time exploring the Stadium and DH even went on to run the track which was an amazing feat given it was about a million degrees.  

After the stadium we made it to Syntagma Square just in time for the changing of the guard. 

After the changing of the guard we headed back towards Monastiraki square for gyros and Soulvaki's before making one last stop for sightseeing before heading back to spend the rest of the day drinking by the pool. Athens was just perfect for a day visit. By this point I was ready to hit the islands of Greece for some sun and sand. 

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I am taking a bit of a break from the Euro Trips posts. They will resume in a few days. One of my favorite summer past times is spending my weekends at the beach. Lucky for me I am only an hour drive away from my fave destination Fire Island. Because I spend so much time at the beach I try to keep my summer style as natural as possible with my makeup routine, hair and clothes. Here are some style secrets that I like to stick to when I go to the beach. 

(1) Face:  Sunscreen is always a must. I use sunscreen in anywhere from 70 to 100 SPF. On my most recent trip to the shore I mixed my sunscreen with Seventh Generation Skin Serum and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was my skin super soft (even with the salt water and sun) but the scent was amazing.  Will definitely be adding that to my routine. I finish up my look with a little bit of lip gloss and I am good to go. I am not a fan of wearing makeup to the beach. It is a bit of a waste of time in my opinion. 

(2) Hair: You all know I like to keep it simple with my hair most of the time. Check out my hair routine here.  The beach is no exception. I travel with conditioner in my bag and rinse out my hair with clean water and apply a bit of conditioner and I am good to go. Once again no need to pile on the products that will only eventually dry you hair out. Depending on your hair texture after swimming rinse your hair with cool clean water and apply your favorite conditioner. You can either let it air dry or put it in a nice braid or bun and you will be ready to go to your next destination.

(3) Trying to look presentable after the beach can always be a challenge. I always try to pack a fun summer dress that can go from the beach to dinner easily. Anything from a maxi dress to a cute flowery mini will work. 

What are your favorite go to tips for looking chic at the beach and after? 

I received a free sample of this product from Lucky and Seventh Generation for use in connection with this blog

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Everyone has asked me which of the places I visited was my favorite. I really cannot decide which qualifies as my favorite since there were several but every time I am asked that question the first thing that comes to mind is Sicily. We only spent a day in Sicily but it felt like we were there forever. There was so much to see and do and every moment was amazing.  Upon arriving in Sicily our first stop was a town called Taormina. We spent a few hours exploring the town but the highlight was the Greek Theatre which offered amazing views of Mt. Etna. 

After our visit in Taormina we drove up towards Mt. Etna and stopped at a lava flow.  It was amazing to think that what I was standing on could cause and did cause so much destruction. It was a bit of a surreal experience. 

Our final stop of the day and of course my favorite was at a winery.  The surrounding areas of Mt. Etna are covered in volcanic soil which is very rich therefore I wasn't surprised by how lush and beautiful the grounds were. In addition the wine was fantastic. I had a chance to try a sparkling rose among others varieties that is made using the same process as Champagne (but with different grapes of course).  

Top: Old Navy Available here
Shorts: Forever 21 Similar here
Sneakers: Adidas Similar here
Bag: Cole Haan Available Here 
Hat: Street Vendor Similar here
Sunnies: Kate Spade Available here

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I'm back!!!! Now let me warn you that most of the next 15 or so blog posts are going to be about my Euro trip. I promise I will throw in some fashion here and there. There are over a thousand pictures to sort through. I honestly don't think that is too bad considering we were away for almost two weeks. Time to get right to it. 

We started off our Euro trip in Rome where we spent about 3 days. By the time we found our hotel (we got lost), freshened up and got something to eat (pizza of course) it was well into late afternoon. Our first stop was the Colosseum. This was not my first time in Rome but you would never know by how excited I was when I stepped off the metro and saw the Colosseum. It was just as amazing as I remember. The last time we were there it was raining so it was nice to see it on a nice sunny day. 

Next stop was the Roman Forum. These ruins represent the center of ancient Rome and they were quite amazing. Unfortunately it was getting late in the day so we kinda rushed through it. 

After the Roman Forum we were a bit over sightseeing so we decided to take a walk. 

We found our way to the Spanish Steps where we lounged for a bit. We were so tired from our flights and walking around that I felt like we could have spent the entire evening there.  It is a great place to people watch. Men's fashion in Italy was quite the treat. 

After the Spanish steps we took a walk over to Trevi Fountain. It was quite crowded but we managed to squeeze in for a few shots. We decided to move on and come back later in the evening. By this time we were starving so we stopped at a cafe off of one of the side streets near the Trevi Fountain for spagetti and wine. Unfortunately the food was not too memorable but the wine was. We ordered a carafe of wine for about 4 Euro which kept us entertained for most of the evening. Let's just say our walk back to the Trevi Fountain was quiet entertaining. 

We ended out night with gelato by the Trevi Fountain. We were quite exhausted by the point so afterwards we headed back to the hotel to get some rest and prepare for Day 2 in Rome and Vatican City. 

With regards to my outfit for Day 1 I wore what would become my uniform for the trip. The dress was super light and perfect for the weather. It was quite warm but the temperature dropped a bit in the evening so my denim jacket worked perfectly. 

Dress: True Rock Similar Here or Here
Shoes: Crocs Available Here
Jean Jacket: Old Navy Available here
Bag: Cole Haan Available Here 
Sunnies: Kate Spade Available here

Today I am linking up with: 

A few weeks ago on a Sunday morning  I got up early and headed down to SoHo for a little bit of shopping. I am always looking for a deal as you all know and I found some really great pieces (most of which will be coming with me my travels later this month).  I managed to get 9 pieces for well under $100. You will be surprised at my grand total. 

Here is what I picked up: 

First stop was Necessary Clothing. I picked up two dresses and a top that set me back a whole 26.97. The store that is located on Broadway between Howard  and Grand has a great clearance section downstairs. I always hit those racks first when I go there and have managed to score lots of great stuff. The retail price for all my goodies would have been 91.97. I ended up saving  71%. 

After Necessary Clothing we went to  a bunch of other stores but I managed to pick up some stuff at Old Navy. Once again I shopped the sales. I picked up three bikini pieces and a pair of neon shorts. Grand total was 18.47. Retail these pieces would have all came in at 79.93, a  77% savings.  Here is a poor in a private plane hint. I ALWAYS mix and match my bikinis. I rarely wear matching pieces. This helps me save tons of money because when bathing suits go on clearance its hard to find matching pieces.  I just buy what I like and is in my size and worry about putting it together later. I have managed to collect tons of pieces and rarely pay more than $10 for each piece. 

Our final stop was a leather store on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side where I find two genuine leather skirts for $10 bucks each. Retail Price is 79.99 for each so that is a 87% savings. Now I am not planning on wearing these skirts anytime soon but they will be great for the fall. I am already thinking of how I am going to style them. 

So here are the numbers: 
I got a total of 9 pieces. 
I spent 65.42. 
If bought at retail I would have spent 331.88. 
I saved 266.46 (80% savings). 
Enough for another few shopping hauls if you ask me. 

Can we briefly talk about how I am off to Europe in about two weeks and I am starting to get anxious. I am excited about the trip but I am anxious about the packing. I promise I will work  on it this week. 

This past weekend I took a little road trip with my parents to Atlantic City. The weather was icky on Friday but Saturday and Sunday were amazing and I made the best of it. I also did a little shopping  for my trip that I will posting about later. 

Today  I am linking up with: 

Happy Summer.  The unofficial start of summer was this past weekend and I had the opportunity to celebrate with some wonderful friends in Cape Cod. Although the weather did not exactly cooperate most days we made the best of it and had a great time. Here are some highlights from my week and weekend. What did you do for Memorial Day Weekend?

Special thanks to Emme, Kati and Lizzy for putting up with me and also taking some of these pics :)

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This was an extremely LAZY week for me. Outside of work I did a whole lot of nothing this week. There was a lot of sleeping, bad eating and no gym.  I did get a lot of rest this past weekend though so I am ready to hit the ground running this week. Also have Memorial Weekend to look forward to. That is always a plus. 

Even though I have some new found energy and plan on posting a bit more this week it is going to be busy work wise so I will try my best. (Glad I enjoyed a lazy rainy weekend in bed).  Here is how this past week went. 

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Can you believe that it is almost May. I cannot. Where has this year gone. I am officially now starting to get excited though. The weather has finally started to warm up which means there are lots of great things to look forward. I am counting down the days until I am at the beach.