Style

Cancun Travel Diary

/ Style, Travel

Happy Cinco Babes!

As promised (so late I know) I wanted to share a little bit more about our trip to Cancun.

So, I’ve been to Mexico lots of times. But, we’ve always just used Cancun as a jumping off point, traveling to Tulum or Playa del Carmen. We’ve never actually stayed there. I’d heard lots of varying things about Cancun, so we decided to check it out and see for ourselves. Raleigh has a direct flight right into Cancun so it was the perfect quick little getaway.

Where we Stayed

We stayed at the beautiful Grand Fiesta Americana Cancun. We booked a beautiful suite with a huge rooftop balcony. The views were unreal and the water was just the prettiest shade of blue. We had unlimited access to the VIP lounge at the very top of the hotel. There they had daily breakfast, lunch and happy hour with heavy hors d’oeuvres.

The pools at this hotel are crazy. We lost count, but it seemed like they went on forever and ever. We mainly stayed at the pool bar. There was also a VIP area on the beach and at the pool. They have a variety of water activities as well. We went jet skiing and swam out to the anchored dock.

SWIMMIE: Amazon SUNNIES: Amazon

The hotel has the largest spa in South America, so we had to check it out. It was beautiful and beyond relaxing. The eucalyptus steam room was SO good.

COVER UP: Gianni Bini (old) SANDALS: Tory Burch BAG: Amazon PHONE CASE: Etsy

Where To Eat

  1. Porfirio’s: Freaking yum. Porfirio’s sits right on the water and we caught the sunset our first night in Cancun here. The food is traditional Mexican cuisine with GOOD drinks. This was my favorite restaurant we ate at while in Cancun.
  2. Limoncello: Yum. Italian restaurant right on the water. The seafood pasta dishes were so good.
  3. Lorenzillo’s: Lobsta, lobsta. SO good. We came here for the lobster, we ate the lobster and we were not disappointed.

What To Do

  1. Coco Bongo: So freaking FUN. We actually went both nights, because it was just too good. Think Vegas on steroids. It’s a LONG show (close to 3 hours) with acts for everyone. Performances to Queen, The rollings stones and more current song.. Think dancing, performers swinging from the ceilings, flames… All the good stuff. I honestly could not look away. Highly recommend.
  2. Private Sail: I really wanted to take a boat out to Isla Mujeres. I found the BEST private boat company on trip advisor. We met them at the dock and sailed around for a private 5 hour boat tour. They provided endless alcohol and lunch. We left around 2 because we wanted to see the sunset from the boat. The tour is completely custom. You can basically leave at whatever time works for you. This was probably my favorite part of our trip! Highly recommend.

All in all, we were super pleasantly surprised about out trip to Cancun. I am SO in for any tropical location that’s just a short direct flight away. I never felt unsafe the entire time we were there. We ventured out into downtown Cancun every night we were there. We even ate tacos at 2 am and I never even felt uneasy.

Questions? Feel free to email me or DM me!

xoxo

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Miami Travel Guide 2019

/ Style, Travel

Happy Tuesday Babes!

As always, wanted to share a little bit more about our trip to Miami. Miami is hands down one of my favorite places to visit in Florida. It’s just so extra. Sorry, there just really isn’t a more fitting word for Miami. We always have the best time and the shopping is to die forrrrrrrrr. Picked up a new baby while we were there. More to come on that.

DRESS: Amazon│SHOES: Schutz

Where We Stayed

1 Hotel South Beach

SO SO Good. This hotel was rated the #7 hotel in the U.S. last year. Yup, it’s that good. There are four pools and the hotel sits right on the beach. The beach club is private and beautiful. The staff is super accommodating and ready to help. I loved staying here, highly recommend.

Where We Ate

Baoli

Ok, head to Baoli where all your boujee dreams will come true. Many, many celeb sightings here. It’s a restaurant/ bar that gets club-y at night. We had dinner and if you’re heading there for dinner you NEED a reservation. They weren’t even letting people in the door without a reservation when we went.

The food is Asian fusion and it’s GOOOOOD. We had the omakase which is Japanese for “I’ll leave it up to you”. Basically, the chef decides all 12 (yes, TWELVE) courses for you. It was honestly one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

I LOVE to people watch and Baoli was SO good for this. Bach or bachelorette parties, influencers, just people watching galore.

Il Gabbiano

Il Gabbiano is a Miami institution so we had to check it out. You need a reservation for dinner. We made ours 2 weeks in advance and still were stuck with a 9 pm reservation. That’s fine though – go early for some prime people watching (I feel like there’s a theme here). It’s Italian food and it was super good. Homemade pasta, and bread. Just call me Carbie.

Orange Blossom

I’m not a huge breakfast person but HOLY YUM. Avocado Toast to die forrrrr. We also had to huevos rancheros which were really good. &&&&& the coffee!!!! The restaurant is super cute too. It’s small, so either make a reservation or be prepared to wait.

Things To Do:

MERMAID ONE PIECE: Amazon │ BLACK ONE PIECE: Amazon │ SUNNIES: Amazon

BIKINI: Amazon│ BAG: Chanel│ SUNNIES: Ray Ban

ONE PIECE: Amazon │SUNNIES: Amazon│ WATCH: Michele

We really just wanted to hang poolside and beachside for the weekend. It has been really cold in Raleigh, so we wanted to soak up the sun. On Saturday, we stayed at the Rooftop pool the entire day. It’s adults only and the view is perfect.

Questions? Email me, DM me! We love Miami and I highly recommend making the trip!

xoxo

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All About Tape in Extensions

/ Style

Happy Tuesday Babes!

I’ve received SO many DMs and comments about my hair, so I had to share with y’all what I did. I recently had tape in extensions placed and I’m BEYOND obsessed, so I wanted to tell you guys a little bit about the process.

Tape ins are a great way to change your look completely without a ton of commitment. I’m super low key and low maintenance about my hair and I want to keep it that way. I’ve never dyed my hair and I only cut it about once a year (good products are the key to that!!!!).

I went to Douglas Carroll Salonh in Raleigh. I was looking for a new salon and GUYS I found such a good one. I had a really bad experience looking for a new salon last year, so I was super hesitant to let anyone touch my hair. But, YALL, Douglas Carroll is gold. If you’re in Raleigh, hands down, where to go. Trendy and chic, but also a super talented and experienced staff. Brandon did my extensions and held my hand (literally) through the entire process.

What to Expect:

First, Brandon brought me in for a consultation. He color matched my hair and ordered extensions. A few weeks later, I went back to have the actual extensions placed. The entire process took about 1.5 hours. Extensions are placed using a medical grade adhesive. The extensions themselves are about an inch to 1.5 inches long and they lay nice and flat against your head. A very thin layer of your own hair is sandwiched between two extensions. They’re super light weight, I was slightly worried about having a permanent pony tail headache with extensions.

Maintenance:

The extensions do need to be moved up as your hair grows. How often they need to be moved up really depends on how fast your hair grows. Generally, every 6-8 weeks. I am going to have mine moved up in 2 weeks, which is a little past my 8 week mark.

Any type of glue is affected by moisture, so washing your hair less is recommended. This wasn’t an issue for me, I generally wash my hair about once or twice a week. Time to invest in a good dry shampoo! Some professionals recommend buying a special brush to use with extensions. I didn’t and never had any issues. I did invest in a good sulfate free shampoo to use. Linking my favorite Dry Shampoo Here and the Sulfate Free Shampoo Here.

The process sounds easy, which might make you tempted to try DIYing some tape ins. Word to the wise: Just don’t. The extensions have to be placed evenly to make them look natural. They also need to be removed by a professional as well.

I’m going to video Brandon moving up my extensions on my story when I go in two weeks. Stay tuned if you’re interested in the process.

Questions? Email me, DM me! I was beyond impressed with Douglas Carroll and Brandon.

xoxo

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All About MicroBlading

/ Raleigh Guide, Style

Happy Wednesday Babes!

I am team get ready in under 30 minutes in the morning. Forever looking for ways to cut down on my morning routine. Aren’t we all?

A few months ago, I decided I wanted to try Microblading. & it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. You probably saw this on my stories, and were like is Heather ever going to talk about this? The truth is, I never jump on here and sing praises until I’ve really vetted the process and results.

I don’t have any tattoos, so the idea of semi permanent makeup freaked me out for the longest time. So, I’m here for tell you it is 100% a good idea if you do your research.

Let’s jump right in.

Why did you want to try microblading? Good question. My brows pre-microblading weren’t thin or a weird shape. I didn’t hate them, but I was looking for a more defined shape without eyebrow fill. Now, my brows look picture perfect everyday and I do nothing to them.

Where did you go / Where should I go? In my opinion this is HANDS DOWN the most important part of the process. & You need to do some research/ ask some questions. The studio itself needs to be licensed to tattoo by the Board of Heath and you want a certified cosmetic tattoo artist. Pick someone who’s experienced and who is consistently being trained on how to perfect their craft. It’s great to have a bunch of pretty before and after pictures, but remember anyone can tailor which pictures they show you. Always, always go for a consult and if you get a weird vibe, move on. This person is working on your face and I’ve heard tons of horror stories.

I chose Jen at Altered Aesthetics. If you’re in Raleigh this is where you need to go. Jen is a perfectionist and I was BEYOND impressed with her work. She is consistently flying all over the world (yes, world!) to be trained on new techniques in the semi-permanent makeup world.

Does it hurt? This is everyone’s first question. A topical numbing cream is applied prior to the procedure. I always think pain is a personal experience (L O L). I have a pretty high pain tolerance and didn’t think microblading was painful at all. The worst part to me was the sound the blade makes. Jen warned me about this and I got used to it pretty quickly.

How long does it take/ What should I expect? The entire process takes between 2-3 hours. Prior to the actual microblading, eyebrow mapping is done. The shape, arch, length and width of your brows are determined during this process. Jen gave me lots of sneak peaks during this process. You will okay the map before the process starts. The mapping took about 30 minutes for me, but will vary from person to person.

While the topical numbing cream is working it’s magic, you and your artist will pick a color. I trusted Jen and she really came through. After all, she’s the one that does this all day long and what do I know about brow color (nothing, actually).

For the week following mircoblading, your brows will look darker and wider. This is because the pigment hasn’t fully settled into your skin. Pigment will fade and become more natural looking over time. Honestly, I never thought my brows looked ridiculous or overdone at any point in the process.

Some clients scab during the healing process. I heard this and was super nervous about it. I never scabbed or even had dry patches. But, I was super, super diligent about the aftercare process.

How long does it last? This also varies from person to person. Typically results last between 12-36 months. Lighter colors fade faster and sun exposure also causes the pigment to fade faster.

Maintenance? After the initial session, Jen recommends you blot your brows with cottons swabs every 15-30 minutes to remove any fluid. Jen gave me an aftercare kit with very specific instructions. Following after care guidelines is really important to ensure lasting beautiful brows. You’ll wash your brows twice a day with a fragrance free antibacterial soap.

About 6-8 weeks after your initial appointment, you will go back for a touch up appointment. This is where Jen really works her magic. My brows looked good after the first appointment, but my brows look AMAZING after the perfecting session. I get compliments on them all the time.

Right now Jen is offering $50 off her services with CODE: ATTBLOG. Trust me, if you’re in Raleigh go see her. Summer is right around the corner and think about how nice it would be to skip the eyebrow fill forever!

Questions? Email me, DM me, drop em here!

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Leopard Swing Dress

/ Style

DRESS: Amazon│BOOTS: Amazon│BAG: Louis Vuitton│WATCH: Michele│ BRACELETS: The Styled Collection│ SUNNIES: Amazon

Happy Thursday Babes!

I know I haven’t been writing on here as much as I used to, so I wanted to do a quick life update.

The one year anniversary of All The Trouble is next week! So crazy! I’m writing a full post on ALL my thoughts on my first year of blogging. The good, the bad and the UGLY.

We have some super fun trips coming up. I love to travel and I especially love bringing you guys along. These will be shorter, closer trips. We are planning a bigger trip across the pond for the summer.

Ok, back to the clothes. I don’t think I’ve said enough good things about these boots. They’re an Amazon find and trust me when I say you need them. They don’t fall down (PRAISE) and the heel isn’t ridiculous so you can wear them all day or night.

I’d love to hear what you guys are wanting to see more of. I have a ton of Vday content coming and SPRING. Can’t wait. So email me, DM me, hit me up 🙂

xoxo

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