Eyelet and Blue

I love white tops in the summer. They go with everything from printed skirts to bright pants and this white top is the next on my wish list. The eyelet fabric is the perfect summer weight and the collar is just a tad bit retro, which I love. Pair it with these fun printed shorts, a bright blue tote to match, and a pop of turquoise in the earrings and you're all set for a day at the farmer's market.

Top - Shorts - Flats - Tote - Earrings - Bracelet 
 

 

Tuesday Recipe + Mini Blog Sale

Check out my post for Sweet Lemon this week! I decided to share my favorite pimento cheese recipe.

Also, I'm selling the following items that I just never wear though they are adorable! Comment below or email me at hmbien@gmail.com if interested!

Lilly Pulitzer skirt size XS. Paper bag style waist with sash in same fabric. Belt loops so you could also use a cute skinny belt. Hits about mid-thigh. Gorgeous pink and turquoise print with metallic thread running throughout. Only worn once (to brunch!) $62 shipped.

J.Crew mint tweed skirt size 2. A great spring tweed in great used condition. I've only worn it a handful of times. $30 shipped.

J.Crew floral blouse size 0. Really fun floral print that looks great with white pants in the summer or jeans in the fall. In great used condition. $24 shipped.

Gap size XS fuschia and white striped shirt. Adorable stripe. Never worn. $11 shipped.

Sail to Sable Spring and Summer

I was introduced to Sail to Sable last summer after winning a giveaway on a blog for one of their darling tunic dresses. That dress quickly became one of my summer staples for brunch in the city, dinner out at the beach club, or a casual girls night. Now that their Spring and Summer lines out, I've become an even bigger fan of Sail to Sable. I'm in love with all the pinks, line greens, and turquoises. Check out a few of my favorite below. 

DC GALS - I'm helping out Sail to Sable at a trunk show this weekend in DC, so all of you in DC, let me know if you're interested in any of the dresses!

Monogrammed Clutch

A friend just emailed me a great deal... Social Monograms is offering their Monogrammed Clutch for $24 on Living Social. It's both a clutch and a crossbody bag and is absolutely adorable. I've seen these around the blog world for a while now and this is definitely a great time to pick one up. These would make fabulous bridesmaid or shower gifts!

Pineapples for Spring

Given the name of my blog, it's only fitting that these new spring pieces from Kayce Hughes are at the top of my wish list.

Top to Bottom: Lyndal Dress - Sleeveless Belted Tunic Dress - Pineapple Skirt

And how cute would that pink Pineapple skirt be with these adorable  Land's End sandals that are $12.99 + an extra 30% off right now (originally $70). All the reviews say they are great so I'm not sure why they are so inexpensive but it's a fabulous deal!

Sweet Lemon Posts + Weekend Wrap Up

I'm finally start to recover from a whirlwind few days. I went home to Richmond Friday, got a bunch of errands done, hung out with the family, etc. Saturday was my old roomie Lauren's wedding which was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect and she looked stunning. Sunday morning I woke up at the crack of dawn (well, before the crack of dawn really) and drove back to DC to help with a project for Sweet Lemon. Running on about 4 hours of sleep, I somehow made it to the Kennedy Center that night to watch the Washington Ballet's performance of The Sun Also Rises. I got home thinking I would finally have a decent night's sleep until I remembered I had a dentist appointment bright and early the next morning... and I had scheduled one of my Junior League Advisor Group meetings for right after work (we went pottery painting and I made a spoon rest! Check it out below - it totally goes with my turquoise and coral decor plans!) and then I had dinner plans after that. Needless to say, I desperately needed the 9 hours of sleep I got last night.

Top Left: Georgetown Waterfront as seen from the Kennedy Center Top Right: Beautiful evening at Lauren and Patrick's wedding Center Right: Pink and Green Bottom Right: My painted spoon rest Center Bottom: Hydration and caffeination at DryBar Bottom Left: The DC (and former DC) girls at the wedding

And, in case you haven't had a chance, be sure check out my most recent Sweet Lemon posts:

The Coffee Table Book

 

Vintage Lilly 101 

Primary Colors, Perfect Dress

As you all know, I had quite the quest for shoes for my sister's wedding. Now that those are in order, I have to move on to the Rehearsal Dinner outfit. While I will likely wear something I already have, it's always fun to shop around for other options.

I tried on this dress earlier this week and it's absolutely adorable. I'm usually not a red person, but the primary colors with a little bit of pink thrown in creates such a fun, slightly retro floral. It reminds me of a print that my mom would have made a sundress out of when I was little. Also, the fit is just plain cute. The skirt is full, the neck is wide, and the back has a little cutout with a bow at the top.

I would, of course, pair this dress with very simple accessories. A nude flat (it's a short dress, no heels with this one!), a simple blue clutch to bring out the bright blue in the dress, understated gold earrings, but make it all pop with a bold red lip (a look I have yet to pull off in public...)
 

Dress - Flats - Clutch - Lipstick - Earrings

Hair How To

I feel a little awkward doing this post because I am in no way, shape, or form a beauty tutorial blogger. You'll never see me do a video or anything like that, but I'm asked all the time how I do my hair so I thought it might make a helpful blog post. Plus, it's super easy.

I used to think that my hair would not hold a curl under any circumstances, and, I swear, for years I tried to curl my hair with absolutely no luck. I think the real problem, however, was the curling iron and hairspray I was using. These make all the difference and now I couldn't tell you the last time I wore my hair straight (grass is always greener?)

I start off by spraying John Frieda Root Booster on my roots while my hair is still soaking wet. Sometimes I'll put a bit of glossing spray on top but honestly that's only when I've gotten a sample of something in my Birchbox.

I typically try to let my hair air dry for about 45 minutes to an hour simply because my hair is long and thick and can literally take over 20 minutes to blow dry. Once I do decide it's time to blow dry, I just use a regular hair dryer and when my hair is about 95% dry, I'll use a round brush to perk up the areas around my face. I use a ceramic brush because they conduct heat better than others and add a little bit of bounce and volume.

With completely dry hair (literally, there can't be any moisture left), I split my hair into 4 layers, clip it on top of my head, and curl each layer, piece by piece, with a ceramic 1.5" curling iron. I generally try to hold the curling iron for about 15 to 20 seconds, but in a pinch, I will sometimes just do a second or two, though the result from this is more volume than curl. After every 3 pieces of hair, I'll blast my hair with hairspray. I go for the highest hold, anti humidity hair spray there is. Everyone always asks if this makes my hair crunchy, but as long as you don't go totally overboard, you'll never notice it feeling hard or crunchy.

After curling all 4 sections, take the curling iron and hold it right under the top layer of hair at the crown of your head. This give you a little extra volume at the top. Give your hair one finishing spray, then flip your head over and do the same. I always run my brush back over the curls to loosen them up a bit, and you're done!

And, the finished product! (Taken from Gold Cup last weekend)