Irresistible Braids

Over the past year/year in a half, I've tried a variety of different hair lengths - shoulder-length, a lob, an actual bob, very long with extensions, longer in the front and so on. I change my mind often, never on the color, but always the length - When I see Lucy, I immediately want to cut my hair short with blunt ends. But then I come across yet another flawless picture of Blake and lusting after the short bob becomes a thing of the distant past. At the heart of my personal style, I am just a girl who loves long, beautiful hair…but for those brief moments in time when I change my mind, there is a simple solution: Extensions. 

As you guys know, I had beaded weft extensions in previously for about 3 months and I had so much fun with the process…the only thing I didn’t love was sleeping on them so to combat that, I decided to try clip-in extensions from Irresistible Me which you can put in and remove any time you want. I had been following them on IG for awhile and was really impressed with how natural they looked on everyone. The best part of these is the ease of use...Even if you just want longer hair for a few hours or a certain event, it takes no more than 10 minutes to attach the whole set, making for a fast new look!

I would wear a different style braid every day (if I didn’t hit the snooze button so often) and the extensions make braid looks so much more fun to play with! Not only is the length gorgeous but you have so much more hair to work with so you can make them as fat and messy as you want. This was my first time styling these, so I look forward to mastering the process and trying different looks. Next on my extensions list, I'm aiming for a fishtail or pull-through braid…stay tuned!

P.S. - If you have liked Sisters Marie on Facebook, you can see all the ways we have styled extensions in the past...Warning: Waves ahead.

How do you change up your look?  Have you ever tried extensions?
Wearing:
Top: Target (old but similar here) Jeans: Old Navy Jacket: J. Crew (similar) Boots: Gilt (old but similar here) Bag: Just Fab Hat: Neff via Amazon Necklace: Target (similar) Glasses: RayBan via Ditto (Get your first designer pair free with code SISTERSMARIE)

Saturday at the Shore

You know when you take a drive up north for breakfast then suddenly come across to a gorgeous beach that backs up to Lake Michigan? Okay, right, this isn't an everyday occurrence, especially in February, but it made for a truly amazing Saturday. During our last visit to Winnetka, my Mom and I stumbled upon a charming, tiny cafe (and when I say tiny, I mean 10 tables with a chalkboard menu) where we enjoyed pancakes and coffee. 
We loved it so much that we made a date to go back but this time, we explored a bit more and found public access to the lake. Gorgeous houses back up to this beautiful blue view and I think, how cool that you don't even have to live in the city to take advantage of a scene like this in your backyard. We were the only people there, so we just relished the silence, sound of the waves and even the cold which felt unusually refreshing. We walked on the sand but at the same time, noticed the icicles still forming on the driftwood along the shore. It was a very cool experience to be there in the winter...made us remember how exciting it is that Spring is yet to come. And all along, I couldn't stop imagining this scene/song from Across the Universe...The whole experience felt very cinematic. 

Side note, I am loving this pom pom pouch - I picked it up from a boutique during a sidewalk sale in our downtown. I also purchased a pair of texting gloves that day, not knowing they were from the same brand. Think I found a new love! This pouch will be so much fun to style in the Summer...I look forward to wearing it with white dresses, sandals (and a tan!)

P.S. Hubby, what are your thoughts about moving to the north shore? I promise I'll quit shopping to make it possible ;) Bonus - We can join the north shore mathletes!
Wearing: 
Sweater: Old Navy (old, similar here) Pants: Old Navy Boots: Choies Beanie: Purchased in Ireland (similar) Clutch: Verloop (love this design too!) Sunnies: Rayban via DITTO (get your first pair free by using code SISTERSMARIE)

Back in Black

I'm all for soft colors, delicate materials and feminine cuts but sometimes, wearing black on black just makes you feel like a bad ass and we all need that now and again. I styled this look around my shoes and beanie with Sincerely Jules as the inspiration. 

I've talked before about how I admire her ability to style pretty much anything with sneakers and still make it look chic (also, here and here) To me, there's just something so "cool girl" about this kind of look that comes off as approachable yet completely confident. High heels provide a certain tenacity as well but when you can rock gym shoes and make an impact, that's when I'm impressed.

Jacket: BISTM (Mary's Closet) | Striped T: Old Navy (similar) | Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: DSW (similar) | Bag: Shopbop | Hat: ShopLately

Glasses: Ray Ban | Necklace: E Street Denim | Ring: T+J Designs

Pattern Mixing While Getting Blown Away

I love pattern mixing! I think my favorite part is unexpected pairings gone so right. I was wearing my polka dot blouse and skinny jeans when I walked outside and all of a sudden, the wind hit and I was so cold...I mean, "lets hope I can keep my feet on the ground" type of windy and cold out. I quickly grabbed the closest coat I could find and it happened to be the plaid one Kaitlyn and I share.

It was pattern mixing love at first sight! I went to the local park to take photos and the wind just got worse and worse as you can see below...

Jacket: c/o Sheinside // Blouse: c/o Oasap // Jeans: Old Navy // Boots: c/o Sole Society // Necklace & Earrings: House of Gemmes // Sunnies: Ray Ban 

Right after these shots, I ran to my tripod as it was falling over and thank goodness I caught my camera! No more windy photo shoots with a tripod (note to self)! ;)

What do you think of this pairing? How do you mix patterns?

It IS Easy Being Green

This is one of those days where I was pretty much decked out in "Lisa" from head to toe - I found this great sheer midi dress in my most recent #swap bag and it was perfect for our al fresco dining experience at the lake and I chose to pair it with her gold belt and blue sunnies for a few photos. I love this dress length because it's appropriate enough for work with a jacket or blazer but also just right for the beach. 

The night before this, we had some fun with hair chalk by testing out different hues in our hair. I've always wanted to dye my hair a different color but I will never let myself because I'm too afraid I'll never get my original color back -- my hair stylist  (slash amazing photographer) pretty much refuses to let me touch it so the temporary chalk is a great way to mix it up when you're bored. 

I think the pink was a good choice for me though I'm tempted to try the purple next ;)

Dress: Shop Frankies // Sandals: Old Navy // Purse: Persunmall // Belt: ASOS (similar) // Bracelets: It's a Bling Thing  Jacket: J. Crew // Brown sunnies: Old Navy // Blue sunnies: Ray Ban // Necklace: Rachel Roy// Hair chalk: Amazon (similar)

Which sunglasses look do you prefer on me? I like both styles, depending what outfit I'm wearing.

Have you ever tried hair chalk?

Rocked it & Swapped it

There is something so perfect about a short sleeved dress. When Kaitlyn wore this beautiful stripe number for a night out in Nashville I knew I would be keeping the styling similar with blues and browns when it came my way. 

It just so happened that in the same swap bag, she sent me a beautiful blue, white, and gray scarf. If that's not a pairing made for each other, I don't know what is! 

Here is how we both styled the dress:

I love that it is versatile enough to be worn for a day event or even a night out on the town.

When I wore it, I had my son's Kindergarten recital so I wanted to be daytime dressy. By adding a flat sandal and the scarf I think I did just that. 

Dress & Scarf: Swap w/ Kaitlyn // Necklace & Bag: Piperlime // Shoes: Target // Sunnies: Ray Ban // Ring: EG Jewelry // Love Ring & Bow Bracelet: T+J Desnigs // Buckle Bracelet: c/o It's a Bling Thing // Watch: Fossil 

Do you own a short sleeved dress? What do you think of how we styled it?

Beach Bliss

Memorial Day (Weekend) is one of my favorite holidays because it's the official kickoff to summer and more importantly, a celebration of all those very brave people who have served us well. I have spent every #MDW at our lake house for as long as I can remember and each year I become more thankful to have this time with my family in such a wonderful place. 

I look forward to revisiting our traditions each summer which includes s'mores by the fire, an intense game of blockhead and gathering at the dining room table multiple times a day for a filling meal and silly stories. This year we made some new memories by spending a few days at the local beach, visiting an AMAZING antique/restoration store and trying out a new coffee shop. 

Top: H&M // Swimsuit top: H&M // Shorts: Target // Ring: Forever 21 // Necklace: E Street Denim // Hat: Forever 21

Sunnies: Old Navy // Ray Ban (swap w/Lisa)

How did you spend your Memorial Day Weekend?

Because Lisa Loves Peter Pilotto for Target

Did anyone else run out on February 9th and buy pieces from the Peter Pilotto for Target collection? I did! And I had to stop myself at the four items I got. I actually wanted more but they sold out of the dresses on my wish list. Thankfully, they have restocked and you can find most items now.

I got this blouse with the matching skirt, but wanted to style it a bit more casual for this Sunday afternoon. And can we talk about my hubby's new Ray Bans? Since I gave them to him for his b-day, I feel like I can borrow then whenever I want. Wait, isn't that how marriage works? What's mine is yours! ;)

Top: Peter Pilotto for Target // Jeans: J Brand // Boots: c/o Just Fab // Sunnies: Ray Ban // Bag: Forever 21 // Bracelet: c/o Sole Society // Watch: Fossil // Ball Ring & Necklace: House of Gemmes // Stackable Rings: Stella & Dot // Diamond & Black Diamond Ring: Jared // Hair Extensions: Hair by Suzie  

What do you think of the Peter Pilotto collection? Did you buy any pieces yet?