Product Review – Collectively Kaitlyn

Gift Guide #3: For The Person Who Has Everything

gift guide

Case App – With so many of the same, types of phone cases and laptop skins on the market, it’s often hard to find one that you haven’t seen 100 times before. If you’re shopping for someone who “has everything” chances are they probably have the latest and trendiest tech accessories. Well, Case App allows you to design and create your very own, customized phone cases and laptop skins! This means you complete and total creative freedom to really give that special person on your list exactly what they’re looking for. Use my code ” KAITLYN20 ” for 20% off until December 22nd!

Amazon Prime subscription – With everything accessible at the touch of your finger tips, Amazon Prime has quickly become one of the most useful services to purchase. What better way to say, “Happy Holidays” than with a year of free Prime! The best thing about Amazon Prime is that having access to Prime doesn’t just mean fast shipping and awesome discounts. It also means having access to Amazon Movies and other fun Amazon features that are sure to bring delight for months to come!

Monthly Subscription Box – I am all about monthly subscriptions and I love giving them as gifts! I think it’s so fun to open a little present each month that gets delivered right to my door. Some of my favorite monthly subscription boxes include UnderClub Co, Hum Nutrition, and Sephora Play!. Let me dive a little deeper into each box and give you the low down on why I love them all.

1. UnderClub is a luxury underwear subscription service for women. They pride themselves on delivering the best products to women to help them start their day off feeling their absolute best. I love the high quality items I’ve received and I love how simple it is to try new products because they’re delivered to me each month. I highly recommend giving this subscription service a try! You can sign up for 3, 6, and 12 month services on their website! Grab your UnderClub gift here

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2. Hum Nutrition is a monthly vitamin subscription service that, in my opinion, trumps all the rest. I have been obsessed with Hum Nutrition for years and I absolutely love getting new products in the mail each month. The sign up process is super easy and literally as simple as 1, 2, 3 …! After signing up for a subscription, you’re paired with a nutritionist that helps guide you through your journey to better health. You can customize your monthly box each month which makes giving this subscription as a gift to someone who has everything, the best possible!

3. Play! by Sephora It’s no secret that I’m a long time Sephora lover. I’ve tried allll of the other makeup subscription boxes and, while I like them, none of them have ever compared to the value I find in my Play! by Sephora box. What I love most in comparison to other monthly makeup subscriptions in the same price range is that with Play! by Sephora you’re promised 6 of their best selling or hottest trending products. One of those products will be a perfume sample and the other five will be something that you’ll actually use instead of throwing in your sample drawer and forgetting about it. For only $10 per month, I think this is a steal!

The best thing about giving a subscription of monthly boxes to someone that has everything is that they’re getting something new each month.

S’well Bottles – I am obsessed with S’well bottles and I have amassed quite a collection … good for me but not good for my cupboards and to be quite honest, lack of storage space. Anyway, with so many different designs and sizes of S’well bottles, there’s sure to be something for everyone. The best thing about S’well bottles is that they encourages you to drink more water and who doesn’t want that? They’re perfect to take on an airplane, to a workout class, to the office, or even just to keep in your car to refill at your connivence.

Popsocket – THE MOST UNDERRATED PRODUCT OF 2017! I am in love with my popsocket and I truly cannot imagine going back to the days before I had a popsocket on my phone. You know; the days of laying in bed, looking at your phone, and dropping it on your forehead? Or, how about, trying to take the perfect group selfie but your phone slipping out of your hand and cracking your screen as it falls onto the cement? Sound familiar? With a popsocket, you’re able to stabilize your phone and give your poor pinky a rest while texting. Not to mention, for less than $15 you can completely customize your popsocket and give one of the most practical and meaningful gift this year!

Tile – Never lose your things ever again! This little device pairs with your phone via bluetooth to help you track down anything it is attached to. If your item is within a 100-foot bluetooth radius of your phone, Tile plays a loud tune until your find it. This is literally the best gift anyone could give in my option, because I can’t even count how many times I’ve lost my keys, purse, sunglass case, etc… and have wasted hours looking for items that were right in front of me all along.

An Experience – If you think about it, the reason why someone claims to “have everything” is because they’re just craving an experience or just itching to spend some quality time with you. Ticket to a concert, or a show like cirque du soleil, or a fun night out at a food and drink tasting festival are all really incredible gifts that can be shared together making memories.

xx, Kaitlyn

Gift Guide #1: Self-love

Happy December 1st! Can you believe that December 2017 is already here? Like, I’m still trying to get over the fact that 2005 was literally 12 years ago (who’s with me on that?). So, to welcome December with open arms, I’m kicking off the month with a series of themed gift guides for those special people in your life.

gift guide

Self-love is something that I take very seriously. I think it’s so important to take time out of each day to do something that fills you with joy, no matter what it is. Too often we forget to love ourselves first, we forget that we’re the only version of us that we’ll ever have. Mentally, physically, and emotionally, it’s critical to fill our souls with good energy. There are many ways to show yourself some good old self-love, I personally like to take time out of each day to decompress from the day and calm my mind. The best part is that, because there are so many ways to relax your body and mind, you’ll never have to fall into a stagnant routine.

One of the best ways to completely relax is to make a date with your favorite, local spa. I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with Mojo Spa in Wicker Park to bring some of the best deals of the holiday season to my readers. Mojo prides itself on their handmade soaps, skincare, and cosmetics that are made in small batches with good-for-you ingredients and formed into fun, creative designs! This Chicago-based beauty company has shared their ideals of merging beauty and comfort with celebrity fans and customers all over the globe. For over ten years they have been manufacturing, developing, and testing their own recipes! I’m all about handmade products that are made with fresh ingredients which makes this collaboration with Mojo a perfect fit!

I received my very own pumpkin pie bath soap, which is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. The time, dedication, and attention to detail is just phenomenal! The best part about this soap is that it has anti-inflammatory benefits and is packed full of antioxidants.

With the holiday season in full swing, Mojo has launched their special Golden Ticket offer with any $200 in-store or online product purchase! A Golden Ticket could be anything from a $25 signature mani/pedi to 30% off products. This offer is only valid until December 24th so jump on this opportunity while you can!

If you’re a Chicagoland local, you can book a nail appointment at Mojo or stop by the store to pick up a few of their products. Gift sets are available for any occasion but especially for the holidays and at such reasonable price points. If you’re not local, no worries! They ship worldwide!

I am so excited to continue this gift guide series and I hope you are too! Other guides you should be on the look-out for include a gift guide for her, a gift guide for him, and a gift guide for the person who has everything! Happy Holidays!

xx, Kaitlyn

NASH-ing!

Hey hey! Before I get into the blog for today, I wanted to touch on something I think is so important. I took a little time away from my blog to focus on some self-love. I think unplugging and removing yourself from the internet is so incredibly important especially if being online all the time (social media included) is a huge part of your job and one of your favorite hobbies. It’s perfectly okay to take a step back whenever you feel the urge to because there’s only one of you and you need to take care of yourself! One of my favorite self-love books to read when I’m trying to detox from the chaos of the internet is Light is the New Black. I linked it for ya, so feel free to check it out!

Okay, on into the goods. One of the things I love most about traveling is experiencing the sense of community a new city has to offer. I adore the feeling of being surrounded by people who just absolutely enjoy the place in which they live. It’s empowering! Recently, you all know I visited Nashville and I saw these adorable NASH hats at a boutique in The Gulch. I absolutely needed one! In addition to hats, there were tees and tanks with the words NASH or VILLE on them, cute right?. These simple yet oh so chic items won me over immediately. I had to learn more about this brand and that’s when I knew I needed to know more about how this company blossomed.

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The Nash Collection was started based on the lack of non-cheesey, chic, souvenir-type apparel items in Nashville. Aside from pleasing the tourists, there was a serious need for locals to feel a sense of identity with their city. I was so lucky to have the opportunity to talk one on one with Laci, the founder of The Nash Collection. Before launching The Nash Collection, Laci was able to do some recon through a boutique called Revv in Nashville to determine just how strong the demand was and, because of that, was able to deliver the products so many customers were dying to have. Their first round of NASH hats hit the shelves at Revv in July 2016 and it’s been a booming market ever since! One of the coolest aspects about The Nash Collection is most of their items are unisex so it’s not geared towards one specific gender.

While I’m not a local to the Nashville area, I do feel at “home” when I’m there. Is that weird? Do you ever have that feeling like you’re just supposed to be somewhere? Nashville is truly such an inviting city with so many quirks and a whole lot of spunk. Not to mention tons (literally because they’re building so many new buildings with tons of metal, haha) and tons of new developments popping up all over the city. Nashville is an emerging, growing city with thousands of individuals and families moving to the area each month. Talk about an awesome influx!

So, maybe you’re not in Nashville and maybe you have no desire to move there. Well, have no fear because The Nash Collection has expanded beyond Nashville and has plans in the future to keep expanding their brand. The best thing about this collection is the fact that you can sport these pieces literally any time of the day. If it’s at the gym, pool side, or throwing a VILLE tank on with a cardigan to run errands – there’s something for everyone! Be sure to check them out online and see what cities they’ve already expanded to. The Nash Collection didn’t just create a brand, they created a lifestyle!

xx, Kaitlyn

Tanning for Pale Gals

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by the sun.

Pale Gals

We’ve all been there. Sunburnt, red as a lobster, in pain … you get the picture. If you’re lucky, your sunburn fades and a beautiful bronze glow appears, taa-daah, you’re tan. For some of us less fortunate than most, our skin burns (really badly I might add) and then fades back to the lovely shade of off white that we once were. Hey, maybe if you’re one of the chosen few your freckles will come out in full force. Freckles on fleek. I feel you. I am that person.

Now, I don’t hate being pale, I’ve learned to embrace it … for the most part. However, we can all agree that it’s nice to look sun kissed once in a while especially in the summer. So, being that I’ve had my fair share of self tanning mishaps, I thought I would share my absolute ride or die self tanning products with you! We can all always use options, right?

If it’s a self tanning product, I’ve probably tried it and I’ve probably been orange because of most of them. It’s fine, high school was hard for all of us. There are two products that I will always reach for when I’m looking for a quick, natural tan. One is a lower price point and the other one, well, you might have to sell your soul (I’m kidding) for it but it’s worth it!

I’m sure we’ve all heard the hype about St. Tropez bronzing lotion (or bronzing mousse) and I’m here to say that the hype is completely true! St. Tropez retails for around $40 per bottle and truly gives a beautiful bronze glow without that icky orange hue that so many self tanners have. This is a product I’ll use if I’m going to an event or prepping for vacation, it’s not my every day self-tanner but it’s the one I gravitate towards when I’m in need of a quick, flawless tan. Bonus Tip: Use a self tanning glove when applying this lotion because it is pigmented!

Jergens Natural Glow. Commonly found on the shelves of Target, Walgreens, etc… Skeptical? Don’t be! I use Jergens almost every day and have for over 10 years. Jergens Natural Glow typically retails for around $9 per bottle and glides on evenly like any normal lotion. I like to use Jergens for my “every day” self tanner because the subtle color pay off gives me a very natural tan that compliments my skin tone nicely. Recently, Jergens launched their Wet Skin Moisturizer in shower self-tanning lotion which is awesome because you can literally apply this product to wet skin! I jumped on that bandwagon early and let me say, I am in love with it. I like that there isn’t a wait time between showering and applying tanning lotion but more importantly, I really love the quick drying time. I’m a busy lady and I don’t have 30 minutes to stand in front of a fan or hang out in the robe waiting for my tanning lotion to dry. Thankfully, Wet Skin Moisturizer only takes 5 minutes to dry and I’m not even joking.

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So, there’s the skinny on my opinions of the best of the best self tanners on the market. If you’re new to the self tanner world or if you’re a pro, I know you’ll be happy with the results of my favorite tanning lotions!

What’s your go-to self tanning lotion?