Prep for Less: Dressing on a Budget

 

 

Preppy to me means dressing in a clean, classy, sophisticated manner. A huge misconception about dressing preppy is that it has to be expensive, and that's actually not true. Yes, you can shop at Lilly, J.Crew, and Vineyard Vines, but a lot of people just can't do that or don't want to spend $250 on one dress, and I completely understand. The trick to dressing preppy + saving your wallet is knowing where to look!
A great way to get those preppy trends in your closet for less is to buy all you basic must have pieces at cheaper stores and then splurge on the accessories or statement pieces. For example buy all your basic striped tee's at Old Navy and then splurge on a statement necklace at J.Crew. You still achieve that preppy look but for less and you can get more for your money.

J.Crew & J.Crew Factory- I love J.Crew, they have great quality clothes but it is are a ridiculously expensive store. Instead of buying all your clothes there just get those splurge items such as jewelry or a Chambray top. A great alternative is J.Crew Factory, they have the current products but for less.

Old Navy- This is a great store to find your basic preppy basics. It's also an ideal place to experiment with preppy trends without spending a ton of money.

H&M- I LOVE this place! I got my very well loved and used black pencil skirt here + they have the cutest tops. This is also a great place to score some awesome deals on a more professional attire.

Rue La La- This is similar to Hautelook. Everyday they pick a different designer and display a bunch of their items for some pretty great deals. They sometimes have a lot of  discounted Lilly products which is awesome because a regular Lilly shift dress is like $200 which is crazy. So you can pretty much find some great deals on Rue La La!

Forever 21- I love shopping for dresses and accessories at F21. They are a reasonable price and you can find some great trendy styles here.

Target- You can always find a lot of classic items here for a pretty reasonable price. Oh anddd speaking of Target, starting April 19th they will be opening up a Lilly Pulitzer line! Ahh! Imagine getting a $250 Lilly shift dress for $30! Um YES please!

Thrift stores- Yes I am bringing up thrift stores. A lot of people detest the idea of buying clothes that someone else has worn, but really all you have to do is wash it when you get home and it's as good as new. This is an AWESOME option for finding flannels, button-ups, and cable knit sweaters. You can also find a lot of high end brands for like $5, which again means you can get more for your money. 

via

The most important tip to dressing preppy for less is to invest in key pieces.  For instance instead of buying a pair of rain boots that might only last one winter go invest in a pair of Hunter boots that will last pretty much your entire life.

"S t y l e isn't just about what you wear,

it's about how you l i v e." 

-Lilly Pulitzer 

If you have any tips for me, please leave them in the comments! 

Holy Week

Take a look now at Calvary. Jesus has died and there is as yet no sign of his glorious triumph. It is good time to examine how much we really want to live as Christians, to be holy. Here is our chance to react against our weaknesses with an act of faith. We can trust in God and resolve to put love into the things we do each day. The experience of sin should lead us to sorrow. We should make a more mature and deeper decision to be faithful and truly identify ourselves with Christ, persevering, no matter what it costs, in the priestly mission that he has given every single one of his disciples. That mission should spur us on to be the salt and light of the world. 

-St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By

What Fashionista Inspires Me || Lauren Conrad

Welcome to the third post of What Fashionista Inspires Me! Today's fashionista is boho-chic, Lauren Conrad. She has such a flawless fresh style, between her hair, makeup routine, and clothes. And we can't forget her style + beauty books which are packed full of every beauty tip imaginable. I highly recommend checking those books out.

Casual

 I love that even for casual days she still looks presentable and makes sure to add in a fun pattern or chic shades. Her casual style is definitely one for me to adopt.

Dressy

I love all of Lauren's cute fit & flare dresses. They are such a fun, flirty style option that is great for the upcoming Spring & Summer months.

 Lauren always rocks the cutest hair styles, whether that be a milk-maid braid or some beach waves.

This girl can definitely pull off a winged eye!

Check out my LC Pinterest board for more inspiration.

Emotional Chastity #WomanOfChristWednesday

 via

"Become the woman of your dreams, then you will attract the man of your dreams."

-Sarah Swafford 

Emotional chastity is not to prevent love, it's to give you authentic love.

Emotional chastity, like physical chastity, requires discipline. We all have sexual desires, but by living out the virtue of chastity, we don't let those desires control us. Since we aren't just bodies, but also hearts, minds, and souls we are called to practice chastity in all those areas. Emotional chastity means guarding the gift of purity of our hearts and minds.

It is very easy for woman to fall into this emotional mind game, especially when it comes to guys. You see some random (cute) guy at church and you start planning your wedding colors. You are introduced to a great Catholic guy and you start putting your name with his last name to see how it sounds.

Many of us have been guilty of this and when we first think of it, it may sound just like innocent school girl fun. But what begins to happen is that we start to know longer see them as a whole person with a mind, a heart, and a soul. We only see them only as a physical being, we begin to see only their body.

"You can never use another person as a means to an end."

-Pope John Paul II in Love and Responsibility  

 

We may at times before even meeting this guy, create in our mind this perfect person from his personalities to his looks. We have created this character that only belongs in a Nicholas Sparks film not real life. Nothing against chick-flicks, I am admittedly a huge fan. But don't let your Pinterest-filtered mind take over reality, because that is dangerous for your heart and soul.

So far what does all this mean? It means no imaginary boyfriends or comparing your actual boyfriend to a fictional character.

You want to cultivate a pure heart for your future vocation. For those called to marriage you want to be able to give your whole self to your future spouse in both your body, heart, and soul.

Use this time that the church calls remote preparation, as a time to grow in virtue and knowledge.  A time to understand who and what God wants of you. And then when He sees fit he will reveal where and who He wants you with. We will receive many more graces when that does happen if we take the time now to sanctify ourselves in body, mind, and soul. 

"Only the chaste man and the chaste woman are capable of real love."

-St. John Paul II

 

What Fashionista Inspires Me || Blair Waldorf

Happy Friday ladies! Today for WFIM I wanted to share an iconic fashion figure in the Upper East Side commonly called Queen B, aka Blair Waldorf. Blair's style is very classic, preppy, and polished. She has such a flawless style and she never has a hair out of place. Here are some of Blair's signature looks.

Dresses & Skirts

When I was looking through pictures of Blair I couldn't find a single picture of her wearing pants and I definitely could not find a picture with her wearing denim! Blair is all about skirt and dresses, worn with tights in the winter and bare legs in the warmer months.

To get a look like Blair look for structured dresses in high-quality materials, with fun details like ruffles and belt.

Pops of Color

I love ow Blair keeps her look fresh with brights. No matter how subdued Blair’s outfit may be, she always incorporates a pop of color in some way. Whether it’s a bright green trench coat, a technicolor bag, red leggings under her school uniform.

Girly Details

Blair is a total girly-girl at heart, and because of this, she loves to incorporate feminine touches like lace, bows, and ruffles, into her outfits.

Professional 

One of my favorite styles of Blair is her business look. She balances it with enough professionalism and femininity.

Blair's Accessories

Headbands

Blair’s signature hair accessories are her hundreds of different headbands!  From plaid to satin, Blair wears her headbands in every style you can imagine. She usually wears them with her hair down, but occasionally pulls a headband over a sleek bun or ponytail.

Tights

In the winter months, Blair rocks tons of different pairs of tights. From bright red to black opaque. The possibilities are endless!

 And lastly, Blair pulls of a stunning makeup routine! It has a soft, natural look that draws you to see her natural beauty.

-Grace

All About That Grace // Review

 "Where Style Meets Virtue"

***

 About a week ago Clarrisa contacted me about a possible collab. I of course said yes and then was given the difficult task of choosing just what I wanted to review. In the end I chose this beautiful t-shirt, and I'm guessing everybody knows that it's a play on words from the oh so popular "all about that bass" by Meghan Trainor, but just in case you've been on a media fast for the last 6 months there you go. Your welcome! :) First off it has my favorite color combo of gold+white and it has my name in it! So it's kinda perfect! I love that I can layer it with colored cami's or maybe style it with a blazer. I am able to dress it up with a pencil skirt or pair it with some jeans for a more casual-running-errands kinda outfit.

I can't wait to see what else she adds to the shop, but in the mean time you should really check out the amazing shirts that she does have ready.

Clarissa was so sweet and easy to work with!  I look forward to seeing what doors the Lord will open up to you through this shop!

Make sure to follow Glitter and Gospel on social media:

Esty: Glitter and Gospel

Instagram: @glitterandgospel

Now on to the pictures...

T-shirt // Glitter & Gospel
Cami // JC Penny
Blazer // old
Jeans // gift from friend
Heels // Amazon
Watch // Amazon
Earrings // Amazon

-Grace