I know it is freezing cold here in NYC and the northeast however I cannot avoid wanting to look forward to spring and summer. Now with the winter sales in full swing it is a great time to score some goodies that can be worn when the temperatures start to warm up. My biggest summer go to is the little white dress. This year I am actually looking for a white maxi dress  (does that count?). Here are some dresses I found that are on sale now but would be great for the spring/summer. Best thing is they are all under $50. 

The last stop on my two week long Euro trip was Naples and the Amalfi Coast. We started off the day with wine and cheese and ended the day touring the ruins in Pompeii. Even though we were exhausted from our two week long trip around Europe we couldn't help but try to soak in every moment of our last day.  I spent my day sipping on wine, trying fresh made mozzarella, eating pizza and just taking in the beauty of the Amalfi Coast. I hope to return sometime soon. 

Hey everyone. I know I have been MIA for a while but between work and travel it has been almost impossible to devote anytime to the blog.  I am back though and picking up from where I left off with my Euro Trip pics. I am almost done and hopefully can start posting some more weather appropriate stuff. In the meantime enjoy what I have left to share of my summer Euro Trip. 

As the temperatures start to drop here in New York I cannot help but reminisce of my days spent on the beautiful beaches of Greece earlier this summer. Even though I just back from vacation (Europe) I am counting down the days when I can be back on a beach. Call me spoiled but this girl really needs a break from the cold. I just want to sit on a beach with a cocktail in hand. 

Everyone always asks me how I am able to afford to travel as much as I do. One word "BUDGET". Every single dollar counts when it comes to budgeting and boy do I have it down to a science. You will rarely see me at Starbucks (savings of about 3 bucks a day), I usually pack my lunch for work (savings of $10-$15 a day) and I still use the public library (savings of $20 a book). In the coming weeks I will try to put together a post about traveling on a budget but in the meantime here are some shots from my visit to Mykonos, Greece. 

Outside of spending the day at the beach one of the best parts of the day was our mode of transportation for the day. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Mykonos make sure to get your self some ATVs. It was a lot of fun and also an easy way to get around. We were able to to zip around the island in no time. 

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 Athens we made a quick stop in Turkey before we were back in Greece. Our next stop was Rhodes. We spent the first part of our day sightseeing in the Old Town. I have to say that by this of our trip we were so over sightseeing that we pretty much raced by all the sights on our way to the beach. It was our first beach in Greece so we were very excited. When we arrived at the beach we all managed to fall asleep while DH decided to jump off a platform in the middle of the ocean. It ended up being a great day for all of us. 

I have been spending a lot of time on the blog posting pictures of my Euro Trip but have not really taken the time to talk about my outfits. For most of my trip I wore a uniform of colorful maxi Dresses and Denim.  I have to say if you are traveling to a warm destination and you are tight on room in your luggage maxi dresses are the way to go. They are an instant outfit and can be dressed up or down. I had this brilliant idea on my trip that I was going to change about three times a day. That did not exactly happened. Most of time I freshened up my makeup and just kept it going into the evening with my maxi dress.  Gotta love the versatility.

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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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Our first stop in Greece was Athens. All I have to say was it was HOT!!!. I mean not warm but HOT. I managed to survive. Our first stops were the  Agora and the Acropolis.  WARNING: This post is picture heavy. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Stay tuned for Part II of Athens. 

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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