Author: BriAlys

Engineer by day. Blogger by night.

Designer Arm Candy

Published on by BriAlys

 

pic from google images. not my arm (sadly!)

There are some things you look at that make your heart sing! 🎼🎤 (I borrowed this phrase from a prominent YouTuber, Minks4All). Today’s topic is bracelets, also known arm candy when strategically stacked/positioned to create what some consider to be a work of art! In this post I am including my FAVORITE designer bracelets from:  Lagos, Cartier, Hermes, Gucci, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and Van Cleef. These items ARE on my #wishlist – some things never come off because they are #SUPERexpensive 🤑 A girl can dream can’t she?!

Click images to shop.

LAGOS – Absolutely LOVE the subtle, yet classy way they mix metals, particularly black (caviar) 🖤 with silver, gold or pearl. All are stunning!

 

Next up is the infamous CARTIER love bracelet, obviously in gold (DUH!) WITH diamonds! No additional commentary needed here. 😩

 

HERMES H bracelet. Many colors available, take your pick! I prefer narrow (0.5 inch) in some combination of black, silver, white or gold. Their signature orange is also a go.

 

 

 

GUCCI Loved pendant bracelet with pearls. Great for a night out on the town!

 

 

 

 


TIFFANY HARDWEAR Link Bracelet in gold, medium.

LOUIS VUITTON Idylle Blossom Bracelet, Yellow Gold with Diamonds.

 

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Vintage Alhambra bracelet. This is a new brand for me; but, I LOVE this bracelet and it looks SO good on!

 

 

 

 

You don’t have to be rich to get these looks. Find something similar in your price range and rock with it!

#girlboss

Published on by BriAlys

It’s a term I absolutely love! According to a popular Netflix movie, a #girlboss is strong, smart, resilient, opinionated, confident and feisty! Do you agree? If not, no worries! Everyone has a different definition. While the point is to define what being a #girlboss means FOR YOU, the more important thing is to BE THAT. In your personal life, work life or however else you define your life.

BE. THE. BOSS. OF. YOUR. OWN. LIFE.

Not someone else’s. Live your best life. Stay in your lane and mind your own business. 🙋🏽 If you need to find (or re-find) inspiration you can listen to a #girlboss playlist (Spotify), read a #girlboss book, check out #girlboss quotes on Pinterest, set up a #girlboss lockscreen on your phone or take a #girlboss trip. #whateverworks

LIVE. THE. LIFE. YOU. WANT. MAKE. IT. HAPPEN.

You can be 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 or 100+! Just know that while you are doing all those things, so are others and it’s okay! For me, being a #girlboss means protecting my space and my peace. I guard that very closely because most times I just CANNOT!!!! 🚫

FIND. YOUR. PASSION. AND. DO. THAT.

FACT: I like writing and paper. And guess what? So do A LOT of other people. As normal, we take the things we love whole new #levels! See also: Planner Situation, my current favorite pen (there’s nothing wrong with a little bling!) or Shop PaperSource. Another one of my personal #girlboss criteria is to have order in my life – in written form of course – (and to look the part 😉)! The essential item I use to do this is an agenda. Mine is currently being repaired and I feel SO VERY stifled. 😩

You may have noticed I underlined a few words above: FIND, BE, DO, LIVE. They are all verbs because at the heart of being a #girlboss is to take ACTION.

GO. GET. IT. 🖤

DIY Travel Journal

Published on by BriAlys

Do you have any trips planned this summer? I certainly do! If you want to chronicle your experiences in a unique way, check out the video below for inspiration!!!! I only wish I had started this YEARS ago when I traveled to exciting cities like Prague, Rome, San Francisco, New York, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Brussels, Beijing, Budapest and more! The good new is, IT’S NOT TOO LATE!!! You can absolutely GO BACK and document all the places you’ve been – just go online and find clip art or pics of all the places you’ve been OR of all the places you want to go! 😍

Check Amazon or The Paper Source for cute journals. YouTube Pinterest for more inspiration.

Best of Chloe

Published on by BriAlys

Chloe. A French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 and sold in high end stores like Nordstrom, Saks (best collection) and Neiman Marcus. I absolutely LOVE this designer’s sophisticated pieces and clean lines – mostly their accessories like handbags, shoes and jewelry. Chloe has the absolute PERFECT shade of gray and THE prettiest pink for Spring. The calfskin leather is also amazing. Here are a few of my favorite pieces from their current collection. #wantitall 😩

Consider Chloe’s most popular handbag, The Marcie Medium Satchel. It comes in 12 colors (red not shown) and I can honestly see myself carrying most, if not ALL of them depending on the time of year. Pick ANY color… you can’t go wrong!!!

While we’re at it, take a look at Chloe’s 2017 Fall/Winter Runway on YouTube 😍 or check out #chloegirls on Instagram for the latest fashion trends.

Small Things (tech, fashion, beauty, accessories and more!)

Published on by BriAlys

I am not a fan of large things: from pieces of meat (i.e. steak) to handbags to jewelry, large (desktop) computers, bottles of lotion, you name it. Yes, I know that in most some cases you get a better “value” by purchasing things in the larger size or in bulk as we like to call it – I just tend to not do that. Particularly when it comes to beauty, my Small Things approach allows me to “cycle trough” products faster and try new things more frequently (fun!) without becoming a hoarder! When you purchase the big/value size you are locked in for what feels like forever!!!! 😩 The smaller version also makes for easier travel – you don’t have to spend time figuring out “what fits” in this bag or what fits in that bag, you can just take everything! One other factor that has recently become a bigger influence in my purchasing decision is packaging. For example, beauty products with no pump, spray or that doesn’t come in a tube? Count me out!

This post features a few of my favorite Small Things in tech, fashion, beauty, accessories and more! Some items I own and a few are on my *wish list. Most are also great ideas for Mother’s Day. 🌸 Enjoy!

 

Compact mirror – Yes, darling! A super cute item to splurge on. Keep it in your purse or give it as a gift!

 

 

 

 

 

Key pouch – This is my wallet… really! Why carry around 10 or 20 cards everyday?? On a typical day I only need 3 cards (ID, credit card, insurance card) and they all fit comfortably in this pouch with room to spare. Hook this to my keys and I’m out the door! Need to add cash? Also no problem. (I do own one regular-size wallet but I rarely use it!) #downsize

 

 

 

 

 

Hand cream and hand sanitizer in the smallest sizes available. OK, this one is really a twofer; but, they go hand in hand (get it? ha!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TSA Approved Quart Size Bag. Great for short weekend trips home or take it with you to the beach!

 

 

 

 

 

Bluetooth Speaker – Compact,  cute and the sound is good enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyday Handbag: LOVE! Do I have larger handbags? Yes (a couple)! BUT if I’m not traveling or going to work this beauty will likely be at my side.

 

 

 

 

*Jewelry case. How much jewelry do you own? (I’ll wait…….) How many pieces do you consider to be staples, meaning pieces you wear regularly…. 🤔 For me, it’s 2-3 rings, a couple of bracelets, 2 pairs of earring studs (pearl, *diamond) and 1-2 necklaces, that’s it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laptop – Small, portable, gorgeous! Get rid of your dinosaur and DOWNSIZE!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Moisturizing cream (night time only) – This is 1 of 2 of my pot-type exceptions for packaging; but, I do always buy the 0.5 ounce size for maximum freshness. This is one of very few exceptions for me when it comes to packaging, thanks to these mini disposable spatulas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch box. The perfect size, easy to clean and also includes a fork, knife and spoon. Plus it looks cooler than the typical tupperware 😬