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Pampered

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A Week In Denim

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Denim Moods

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Olive You

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Target Loves Every Body

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Lilly Does It Again

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Double Duty

Feeling Casual & Cute

What's In My Beach Bag

Summer is my thing and I'd like to think that I've perfected the art of staying refreshed and stylish all day long. Summer in DC can be tricky, it's not all beautiful sunny days like California, we get a lot of rainy days too. So, that's why if it's nice out, you better bet you can find me outside and on-the-go; window shopping, on a bike ride, eating out on some outdoor patio, or hopefully laying by a pool or at the beach soaking up some rays. I recently found the perfect beach bag by Stella & Dot and I think it's the perfect beach bag that also doesn't look like a beach bag. It's a nude color, so it pairs well with anything, and it's laser cut leather can withstand any water or sand that it might (hopefully) come in contact with. I've also recently become obsessed with the Bottled Starbucks® Iced Coffee Drinks. They're the perfect pick-me-up and so refreshing and delicious, and I just love the convenience of being able to crack open a bottle and go. Today, I'm excited to team up with Starbucks and share with you what else is inside my beach bag this summer.

- Beach Bag

- Cosmetic Case

- Lip Shine & SPF

- Swim Cover-Up

- Sunglasses

- Bottled Starbucks® Iced Coffee Drink

- Beach Towel

- Headphones

- Sea Salt Hair Spray

- Hair Ties

- Flip Flops

- Oil Absorbing Papers

- Sunscreen Oil

- Leave-In Conditioner

- iPhone Case

Bottled Starbucks Iced Coffee beverages are the perfect blend of premium Starbucks coffee and 2 percent milk. Available in four delicious offerings: Coffee + Milk, Low Calorie Coffee + Milk, Vanilla, and Caramel, Starbucks Iced Coffee ready-to-drink beverages are the perfect on-the-go refreshment to get you through the daily commute, big projects such as spring cleaning, or an exciting road trip with friends. Look for it at major grocery and convenience stores, available nationwide.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Starbucks Coffee Company via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Starbucks Coffee Company.

Starting Out

This post is a little longer than the usual here on The Fashionably Broke - It's all about your first, real home and the items that make it a "real" home. Read on for more about how I started out as an "adult," or, simply scroll to the bottom for some fun, throwback pictures of me. :)

I only graduated from college a few years ago, but it sort of feels like forever ago now. So much change happen once you enter the "real world." So, to avoid all of those things, I moved to the beach! We lived in a dinky beach house [see below], equipped with enough beds for everyone to sleep in, a bottle opener, and that's about it.

It wasn't until I moved back from the beach, and my boyfriend and I moved into an apartment together [seen here], that I had a few pretty big revelations about this new chapter of my life. The biggest one being that I had to start spending my own money on things, like toilet paper and Windex.

I slowly but surely realized there were going to be some things that I had to do and buy to make our home feel like a real home. Lucky for me, I have an awesome support system and I live very close to most of my family members. Quickly, birthday and Christmas presents from them went from shoes and make-up to crock pots and bath towels. My aunt especially has been a life saver. She is an interior designer and has amazing taste. Not only has she set me up with so many great home essentials, she even comes over from time to time to help me organize things and stage furniture for me. She has been such a huge help in making my house a home, so I wanted to share some of her advice with you guys. We chatted about what she and I think are the most essential items for your home when you're first starting out and here's what we came up with!

First, buy some cookbooks because, as you will realize how expensive eating out can get, you will need them. And now that you're cooking you should get yourself a complete set of pots and pans so you don't have to rewash the same one over and over. There are great starter kits that come with everything you need. Then, buy a good wine opener, because borrowing the neighbors is simply no longer going to cut it. While you're at it, snag a nice set of glasses for entertaining purposes. Find a set that works for day and night and "nice" doesn't have to mean "expensive." Then, my aunt specifically recommends a set of white plates, because you won't get sick of them and the food will look pretty on them before and while you're eating.

I know eating on the couch or in bed is way more fun, but having a kitchen table is important. Even just a small, bistro table and a couple chairs will do.

Oxygen is an essential, so find a living plant or two for inside your home. Home Depot is a great place to find house plants, like a Fiddle Fig or Snake Plant, which are both pretty easy to maintain.

Paint can completely change the entire look and feel of your home (my aunt is known for doing this). It also gives a more "lived in" feel and is a great way to personalize a space that may be on the smaller side and doesn't have a lot of room for decor.

Good lighting is mandatory. Without light, you can't see, read, do your make-up, etc. It also helps to create mood, so we recommend investing in some good lighting for every room. A cute, inexpensive option is string lights.

Invest in a comforter that you will love for a long time and then use it as the starting point for decorating the rest of your room. If you're like me, you make it easy on yourself and go with all white. Either way, the whole room's decor can stem from your comforter as you get more money to spend. It's the perfect place to start.

Find a good chair that is comfortable, one you can curl your legs up in to. We think that you don't even really need a sofa at first, just a chair where you can sit with your feet up or down.

Images via 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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A few pictures from my Starting Out Phase:

Newly George Mason University Grads, 2010

The beach house, which I do not count as our "first home" for obvious reasons :)

I'm not sure that this counts as "Starting Out," yet?

But bring on the lamps and cooking supplies, courtesy of my Auntie Chantie of course!

Like a good neighbor State Farm is there.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by State Farm via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of State Farm.

Kitchen Remodel: Delta Touch Faucet

Our new faucet is installed and our kitchen remodel is finally coming together. I can already tell that the Delta Trinsic faucet will be the perfect finishing touch to our favorite room in the house. Our faucet before was super cool, don't get me wrong, but it just felt a bit industrial when I really wanted a more sleek and contemporary look and feel in our kitchen. Other elements of our kitchen remodel included a black and white runner and yellow accents. The style and chrome finish of the faucet complement the entire space. Check out the before and after and let me know what you think!

Besides the design element, this faucet comes fully equipped with the Delta Touch2O technology, which has completely improved the functionality of our kitchen. I loved cooking in our kitchen before and now it's only better. A simple tap anywhere on the faucet turns it off and on (even a light tap will do the trick) and it really makes for an easier, and less messy, cooking experience. I also love how you can select which stream you want and leave it on that setting. I more of a spray mode type and I like that I don't have to hold down an extra handle to use it. Another feature that I love about this faucet is the magnetic spray head dock. My plumber pointed out to me that most kitchen faucets that have an extendable spray head start to get loose over time, but the magnetic feature on this one will make sure that never happens. Next up: Backsplash!

Delta Touch2O Technology for your kitchen and bathroom is precisely in tune with your every touch. Take the quiz to learn which faucet style best describes you at deltafaucet.com

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Delta via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Delta.

Inside My Home: Kitchen Upgrade

Decorating and renovating our new home has been an ongoing process. Many hours spend on Pinterest for design inspiration to countless trips to home decorating stores with Sara for the perfect home accents have been where most of my time has been spent. Our kitchen, being our favorite part of our new home, is now where we’ve turned our focus as of late. Our kitchen redesign is going to consist of a few different things: A subway tile backsplash, finding the perfect kitchen table, and a new DeltaTouch20 faucet for our sink. I’ve been cooking a lot lately, mainly because of how fancy pants our kitchen makes me feel when I’m in it, so I am super excited about the thought of my cooking process getting even easier with this new faucet.

If you aren’t familiar, Touch 2O technology allows you to turn the water on and off with a simple tap anywhere on the faucet spout and it turns off automatically to prevent water waste. Delta has eight styles of Touch2O kitchen faucets to choose from but with their interactive “Inspired Living” tool I was able to find which of the Delta kitchen faucets best fit my style. The tool takes you through a kitchen personality quiz, mostly based on pictures, to gauge which styles fit your home best. Being pretty spot on, the quiz results told me my style was contemporary, so we decided to go with the Trinsic touch faucet in Chrome. And don’t you worry, we will be keeping you updated on the kitchen upgrade as we go!

Next stop: My full kitchen upgrade vision board. Below is a picture from the Browse By Decorating Style section of the Delta website that best fits our style aesthetic and most resembles the kitchen we currently have. It has butcher-block counters, white cabinets, white paint and chrome accents.

Image via Delta website

Delta Touch2O Technology for your kitchen and bathroom is precisely in tune with your every touch. Take the quiz to learn which faucet style best describes you at deltafaucet.com

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Delta via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Delta.

Summer Beach Tips

Summertime means many beach trips for these beach babes, but packing for the beach isn't always easy. We find ourselves pressed to consolidate our perfected routines (typically by Dad) and determined to not over pack, so it's really important to narrow down our style and beauty rituals to simply the essentials. We've found there are three main goals when packing for the beach: Stay cool, stay protected and stay stylish. See below for some of our tips and tricks when it comes to packing for your beach trips this summer!

Coffee is always a must, even on vacation, so we stay cool by swapping out our morning cups of coffee for a refreshing Starbucks Iced Coffee drink. We like to bring enough of these babies to be able to throw one in our beach cooler each morning before we head to the beach.

Sunglasses are always a must to keep your eyes protected during a long day in the sun, which is why we like to pack a few pairs, for backup in the case the ocean eats up a pair. [Made-Up-But-Probably-True Fact: The most common place to loose your sunglasses is at the beach.]

Stay stylish with a versatile cover-up, like this white one from Tory Burch. We don't know about you, but we always treat ourselves to a new bathing suit and we encourage experimenting with different brands. Just when you think you've seen it all, new brands like Marysia Swim emerge with newer, fresher styles to try out. We're so drawn to their suits this summer because of the cool, geometric edging.

SUNGLASSES: Madewell (on sale)
COVER-UP: Tory Burch Tunic
BATHING SUIT: Marysia Swim Bikini

The new line-up of bottled Starbucks® Iced Coffee beverages gives you great-tasting, energizing refreshment with premium Starbucks® coffee from 100 percent arabica beans. Starbucks® Iced Coffee ready-to-drink beverages are perfect on-the-go refreshment to help you through the daily commute, the midday slump, or an exciting road trip adventure with friends. Best enjoyed chilled from the bottle, look for it at major grocery and convenience stores, available nationwide.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, produced in collaboration with Glam and Starbucks. I received a Starbucks Iced Coffee sample to review. The opinions shared in this post are my own.