Personalized Jewelry | Shop HandPicked

It's no secret that I love a good monogram. The motto "if it's moving, monogram it" is one that I can absolutely support. Ever since I got married a few years ago, my monogram collection took a bit of a hit since my last initial initial changed. My feelings towards personalized and engraved jewelry, however, remain just as strong!

A few weeks ago, I was introduced to the southern jewelry shop called HandPicked. We have a physical location here in Greenville, South Carolina in addition to 14 other stores in the southeast! HandPicked works with skilled artisans to create high quality unique pieces of jewelry, and they have a large selection of monogrammed and personalized accessories. They recently gifted me one of their rose gold plated bar necklaces and let me choose what I wanted engraved on the bar! 

At first, I thought it would look pretty to have my monogram engraved on it, but since the bar was a bit small for a monogram, I ended up going with our wedding date in Roman numerals. I am in love with this necklace for so many reasons: 

No. 1 - It's personalized to me, and I love wearing pieces that tell a story and have meaning behind them. 

No. 2 - It's a high quality piece of jewelry, and can be purchased at such a great price! 

No. 3 - It's the perfect length. I find that sometimes with chain necklaces, I can feel like they're tight or choking me if they don't hit me in just the right spot. The length of my necklace was just right - not too short, not too long! 

This piece would make the perfect gift for any of your best girls! You could have it personalized with a special date, a Bible verse, a word to remember, or the coordinates of a place that's special to you. I recently saw someone had bracelets made with the coordinates of the place that she delivered her children - how sweet is that! These are just a few ideas to inspire you to create your own personalized piece.

If you're local to Greenville, I highly recommend checking out the HandPicked store over at the shops at Greenridge. Take a minute to browse through the monograms and personalized jewelry on their website, and then go watch this video to get a chuckle! 

XOXO, 

Emily 

Carrie Elle Planner Review

I know I could put all of my task lists and appointments on my phone, but in my paper-loving opinion,  there's just nothing that beats a good old fashioned paper agenda. I've always been one to love paper goods, and I lived and breathed by my agendas throughout high school and college. I truly remember things better when I write them down.

For the past year or two, I had gotten away from using a planner regularly. Since my Monday-Friday usually consists of going to work for the majority of the day, its possible that I simply didn't feel the need to write things down as much as I did when I was a full-time student. However, I really want to get back into the habit of planning. Whether it be planning my blog posts, work meetings, or our daily meal plan, I want to strive to live a more organized life!

Is there anything better than a beautiful, high quality planner to get you back in the planning swing of things? I was recently sent the Carrie Elle Perpetual Planner in the buffalo check pattern, and to say I love this planner would be an understatement. I will say that it is a decent sized planner, and it's probably not something that you would toss in your handbag on the daily. However due to the larger size, there is plenty of space to write assignments and appointments.

I've really been enjoying the quality and functionality of  the Carrie Elle Perpetual Planner, and I wanted to share my review  and encourage you to check it out if you're on the market for a new agenda or juts want to get organized like me!

• My favorite thing about the Perpetual Planner is that it's not dated. I LOVE this feature, because it allows me to start the planner whenever I want (Also because sometimes I slack and don't plan things for weeks, and I can write in the dates so it keeps me from wasting pages!) 
• Can we just talk about the cover? It's what my southern, buffalo check loving dreams are made of. 
• The paper is thick and high quality - two essential features in a good Agenda! 
• I really like the layout of the weeks. There's plenty of room to make a task list for each day, write in your appointment or assignments, and set goals for the week. 
• There are inspiring quotes all throughout the planner to give you motivation for each week! 
• I really like the little box underneath the day in the weekly layout for writing in our meal  for that day. I'm not the best at meal planning, but it is something I want to get better at (check out my friend Jess's Menu Monday series or Amy Darly's Youtube videos if you need inspiration like me!) 
• Each day on the weekly layout is broken down into three sections: morning, afternoon, and evening. There are plenty of lines for your to write in appointments, assignments, things to do, your food journal, meal plan, etc. 
• Each weekly layout also has a goals for next week, weekly gratitude, positive affirmations, journaling and notes section. This is such a great addition to a regular weekly layout that causes you to slow down for just a few minutes to take time to reflect on the week.

Thank you, Carrie Elle, for making a beautiful and functional agenda! If you're on the market for a new planner, I highly recommend checking out Carrie Elle's website, and let me know if you have any other questions about this product! 

Salon Adelle Review + What to look for in a local salon

Finding a salon and hair stylist that you love working with and can always trust to do the best for your hair can be difficult. For so many years, I hated my hair every time I got it done because I simply hadn't found what I was looking for in a salon and stylist. If you're going to invest a good bit of money into your hair, it's important that the experience and outcome be exactly what you're looking for.

Not too long ago, I came across Salon Adelle on Instagram. Salon Adelle is a national award winning hair extension and color salon in Greenville, South Carolina. Adelle started the salon about 5 years ago, and since then, she has grown her company significantly and established herself in the Greenville area! One of the things I found most impressive about Salon Adelle is their assistant stylist program. All of Adelle's stylists have to go through the assistant program regardless of their years of experience when hired. This ensures that they are well trained and qualified before they're on the floor as an official stylist, and it definitely puts the customer's mind at ease to fully trust the stylist. If high quality service and an impressive experience are your thing, I can guarantee that you will enjoy Salon Adelle.

Since I am working with Salon Adelle on this post, I had the opportunity to receive a cut, balayage and a B3 treatment, and I thought I would share why I so enjoyed Salon Adelle and would fully trust and recommend my stylist Heather and the whole Salon Adelle team for your hair style needs. 

Let's start with a few things I personally look for in a salon. I'm sure you can relate to me on this list, and if you're not local to Greenville, then I would say to consider that list before you book an appointment at a local salon. 

1. I look for my hair stylist to have good hair herself. I find it hard for me to trust someone to chop my locks when they don't take care of their own hair. 
2. I look for a stylist who is willing to listen to what I want in a hair cut and color. 
3. I look for a stylist who is knowledgable about hair and is willing to educate me on how to best handle my own hair.

I headed out to Salon Adelle on a rainy Tuesday to meet Heather for my hair appointment. Heather was my main stylist, but all of the stylists work together throughout the whole hair cut and color process. Heather started out by going through a questionnaire to get an idea of what I like and don't like about my hair to best serve me. She asked me questions involving things like what I like best about my hair, what I would change about my hair, and how happy I was with my length. She then let me show her a few inspiration pictures to see what I had in mind. I knew I wanted to keep my length, but I wanted and icy blonde balayage to give my hair some dimension.

Heather and her assistant stylist Christen started by teasing small strands of my hair to make sure my balayage was diffused well. They then applied a lightener and wrapped the strands in foil. I then headed to the processing room to let the lightener do its thing. The processing room has snacks and coffees, which is such a nice amenity while you wait. Christen then rinsed out the lightener and combed out my hair to prepare it for the toner and B3 treatment. The B3 treatment was applied at the same time as the toner for my balayage. It's essentially a smoothing conditioner that keeps your hair feeling soft and smooth for weeks to follow. It made my hair feel so nice! Finally, I got a nice blowout, cut, and style! Ya girl loves some dry shampoo, and Heather taught me how to correctly apply it to prolong my time between hair washes.

I think what set Heather apart from other stylists I've gone to before was her background in education. From the very beginning, she walked me through each step of my appointment, and gave me tips and tricks for working with my hair. She taught me different ways to do things, and that's such a valuable quality in a stylist.

Heather and her team gave me exactly what I was looking for. I got an icy balayage, some layers and shape to my long locks, and smooth, healthy hair. Adelle and her salon really work on making the experience exceptional. From the moment you check in for your appointment, you're offered a beverage. It's the small touches of hospitality that make the experience something to look forward to. If you're local to Greenville, I would highly recommend booking your next appointment at Salon Adelle. If you're not local to Greenville, but you're looking for a salon you can trust, make a list of what you're looking for in a salon, and call and ask questions before you visit. You'll be glad you did.

Thank you, Adelle and the Salon Adelle team for giving me the best experience and hair refresh! I'll be back!

XOXO, 

Emily

Perfect Products for Summer Skin Hydration

It's easy to remember to try to keep your skin hydrated in the winter when everything is dry and flakey, but it's just as important to moisturize in the summer, even though you might think your skin is just fine! It wasn't until recent years that I truly made moisturizing a priority in my skincare routine. I've never been a fan of the sticky or oily feeling that I get after using certain moisturizing products, so finding the perfect hydrating products that work for my skin is important.

I was recently sent the a few Lancome products to test out from Influenster, and y'all, these products are gold. I apply the Tonique Confort Comfort Hydrating Toner with a cotton round each morning and evening. The Hydra Zen Anti Stress Cream Dry Skin is a 24 hour moisturizer that you apply every morning after using the Tonique Confort! I love that these products hydrate my skin, without making it feel sticky or oily. If you're on the market for products that will keep your skin plump, fresh, and hydrated, be sure to pick these up on your next trip to Ulta or Sephora!

XOXO,

Emily

Gold & Ivy | Lauren Connelly | Vintage Now Modern Collaboration

One of the things that I so enjoy about blogging is the opportunity to meet and connect with other creatives and entrepreneurs pursuing the things they love most. Community is so important since it allows different people with different skills to come together and utilize their strengths to create something so beautiful! I recently had the opportunity to work on a styled shoot for Gold & Ivy candles with a few other locals including Lauren Connelly and Vintage now Modern.

Now, I love me a good scented candle. I don't know about you, but scents have a way of bringing memories flooding back to my mind. We love burning candles in our little brick ranch to keep everything smelling nice and fresh. They make the perfect addition to your home and also serve as excellent gifts for any occasion!

Gold & Ivy candles are handcrafted soy candles that smell as lovely as they look! New Jersey native, Alexis, started Gold & Ivy after utilizing candles as a way to unwind. I personally own the Gold & Ivy lemongrass candle, and it has such a nice clean scent. I love burning it in our kitchen to keep it smelling fresh and crisp!

If you've never been to Vintage Now Modern, what are you waiting for? Run, don't walk to the cutest home decor and antique shop in Greenville. All of these photos were taken in their shop, and I can say that I would be 100% happy if I could just move in to this cute little downtown shop! This was such a great location for our styled shoot, and it will most likely give you all the Chip and JoJo vibes!

All of these lovely photos in today's post were taken by Lauren Connelly over at Writer Lauren Connelly! Lauren is a Florida native living in Greenville, SC, and she is a great local content writer and product photographer. Lauren was so sweet and easy to work with. Be sure to check out her gorgeous portfolio, and browse her website for more details on what she has to offer!

This styled shoot was a great experience, and I loved being exposed to other local creatives. Be sure to check out Lauren's content and photography services, stop by Vintage Now Modern when you're in downtown Greenville, and pick up a Gold & Ivy candle from their Etsy shop!

XOXO,

Emily