niknikstyle

A fashion and lifestyle blog

Easy Leopard Last Minute Halloween Costume

Shop my sweater HERE!

Happy Halloween! I almost didn’t dress up this year, but my birthday fell on the Saturday before Halloween, so if I was gonna go out, I needed to find something Halloween-ish to wear. I searched Pinterest forever, but couldn’t find anything that wasn’t too over the top. I think this is a great look if you want to do something fun, but it’s also not too much. I got my sweater at Target and sized up from a small to an extra large since I wanted it to fit oversized. This is a little more dressy version of the look with a skirt and booties, but I also tried it on with some black shorts/jeans with my Steve Madden quilted slip-on tennis shoes for a more casual look.

Making the ears:

You need: (all from Hobby Lobby)

a headband

leopard felt

black felt w/ sticky backing (it’s thicker so it helps the ears stay standing up)

glue gun

 

Step 1: cut out a piece of cardboard in a triangle shape with rounded corners to make the pattern

Step 2: trace it onto the felt (2 ear shapes in the leopard felt & and 2 ear shapes in the black)

Step 3: cut them out and make sure you leave the stem-like part kind of long for attaching it to the headband

Step 4: glue the rounded triangle part of the ears together. The black will be the back part and the leopard in the front

Step 5: then glue the long part around the underside of the headband

You’re done!

TARGET TRY-ON HAUL

You cannot beat this price ($12) of this adorable bubble dress! I can see it casual with some brown booties and a cardigan or dressed up with some black heels!

Sometimes, it’s so hard to find a good, lightweight cardigan! This on is perfect, comes in a couple other colors, and is great for layering over camis! Speaking of camis, this $14 black button up cami is a great cropped layering piece that would be cute with anything high waisted!

Love the lace-up detailing on the sides of this romper! Looks adorable with that pink cardigan too!

Pink corduroy overall dress. Nuff said! This adorable piece has adjustable straps and can easily be worn into fall with a long sleeve thermal and booties!

Cheap and Easy Shoe Organization

Does anyone else feel less stressed and more productive when things around them are clean? I work from my bedroom a lot, so if it’s not picked up, I have the hardest time staying focused on what I’m doing. So, I decided I needed to tackle my closet organization to make things a little neater. I have TONS of sandals. It’s kind of a problem.  I was keeping my shoes in big bins like you see on the bottom, but I decided to put them in smaller bins so I wouldn’t be digging through and scattering shoes everywhere each time I was looking for a specific pair. I can fit 3 flat sandals in each, or 1 or 2 pair of heels. In the slightly larger containers, I put 3 pair of booties or 2 pair of tall boots. In the larger bins on the very bottom, I store my Bearpaw boots because they’re so big and bulky.

CATEGORIES // Life

Target Try On Haul

Every time I go to Target I HAVE to see what’s new in the clothes department. Today, I found some cute transitional pieces and also some really cute lounge wear. I live in lounge wear when I’m not at work. Everything is linked below and sizing info is under each pic!

This top is a little bit longer in the back and has the adorable buttons and tie front that are so trendy right now. The color is so pretty and it comes in a couple other ones too. I took an extra small in this (I’m 5′) and could probably do a small for a little more oversized fit.

This top is adorable and the perfect color for getting into fall. It would be great in warm places for the beginning of the fall season (like Texas) and would be very cute under a denim jacket. But, wear it while it’s warm too, cause the straps are just too freaking cute! I took an xs in this too. It’s pretty roomy.

These jeans are something else! I couldn’t decide if wanted them or not, but I love the colorblocking detail of them. They fit great and have a slight bootcut hem. I took a zero and they have a good amount of stretch to them. Also a great option for shorties like me!

This terry cloth top is super soft and has comfy cozy bell sleeves, a kangaroo pocket, and hood. I tucked in the front, but it is a little longer. I’m wearing a small, but I think I needed an xs cause it does fit pretty roomy. I’ve found that a lot of Target’s lounge wear type of pieces tend to run bigger.

These shorts! The picture really doesn’t do the cute stripe color justice! I really had to hold back from buying these. The blue is pretty much identical to the color of the terry cloth top. I took an xs in them and they fit great with plenty of comfy room!

 

Fall Transitional Styles

While it’s still in the 100’s in Texas, I think a lot of people are so ready for fall. I’m not a huge fan of colder weather, but I am a fan of changing up my wardrobe, so I picked out some cute and affordable transitional fall styles. I personally own a few of these (those Marc Fisher wedges being my favorite!) and think these are some great everyday fall styles. The dresses, camis, and rompers can easily have a jacket thrown over them for those cooler days. The long sleeve tops can easily be worn with some denim shorts while it’s still warmish during the day.

5 Simple Beauty Tips

One of my favorite things is learning new beauty hacks! Every time I learn something new, I’m amazed. (It doesn’t take much to amaze me.)

  1. Add drops of contact solution to your mascara to make it last longer. I know it sounds strange, and I’m honestly not sure how it works, but if you add 3-4 drops when your mascara starts to dry out, it rejuvenates it and magically, your mascara’s life is extended for a couple more weeks or so.
  2. Use conditioner as shaving cream. Once I learned this I never turned back. Shaving cream is so expensive and this girl will do just about anything to save some mula. (Well, maybe not anything.) I buy Suave Coconut Conditioner because it’s inexpensive and the bottle lasts forever! It works because it softens the hair, making the shave nice and close and leaving your skin pretty soft too!
  3. Use a kabuki brush for applying self tanning mousse to your feet and hands. Guys, this is something I can honestly say I came up with myself. Tanning mitts are SO hard to use on the crevices of your body. (Is crevices the right word for fingers and toes? That makes them sound kinda gross haha) So, I bought a cheap ELF kabuki brush from good ole Target and just apply the tanning mousse in a circular motion all over my hands and feet. It’s a game changer for stark white girls like me who really can’t afford to miss a spot.
  4. Use dry shampoo BEFORE your hair is greasy. This is one that I wish I had learned years ago. You probably know about how long it takes before your hair starts getting greasy. Mine is day 2, which really sucks. So, I just add some dry shampoo the night before, and to my amazement (once again, it doesn’t ever take much) it’s not greasy the next morning.
  5. Hold a cotton pad with toner or micellar water on your zits. I swear by this technique, especially if you are prone to dry skin and don’t like using salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. I wet the cotton pad and then put pressure on the zit. I do this in the morning and at night and it goes away within a couple of days, without leaving a dry spot.

Smile Brilliant cariPRO Ultrasonic Toothbrush Review

A few months back I tried out Smile Brilliant’s whitening system after never trying out a whitening product before. If you haven’t heard of them, you can learn a little more here. I loved it and the results it gave me, so when I got the opportunity to try out their cariPRO Ultrasonic toothbrush, I was excited to see how I’d like it. I had actually been contemplating getting an electric toothbrush after years of using a manual one. The first thing I noticed about the toothbrush while doing a little research was that it is significantly more affordable than other electric toothbrushes out there. For someone like me who is on a budget, affordability is a huge factor.

This toothbrush has multiple different settings on it. Clean, white, massage, gum care, and sensitive. I tried out all the different settings. I love that there are so many, especially because sensitivity can be an issue for a lot of people, including myself. This makes it a great option if you’re wanting to get a little more out of your daily oral care routine. And this is definitely a feature I haven’t seen on an electric toothbrush before, so I was really impressed by that.

Another thing about it that I love is that it pauses to let you know when it’s time to move on to brushing a different section of your teeth. This is my favorite feature because it’s always so hard to figure out if I’ve brushed  long enough. I didn’t realize that I didn’t take enough time to hit every little area with my manual toothbrush. I know I’m getting a more thorough clean this way.

Lastly, I really like the softness of the brush. It feels so much more gentle on my teeth than a manual brush, but at the same time, it feels like it’s cleaning every little nook and cranny of my teeth. I could definitely tell a difference. I tried the electric toothbrush for several days and then switched back to my manual for a day to see the difference and I definitely felt more confident in the electric toothbrush and how it cleans.

I can honestly say that this toothbrush does a much better job than a manual and I feel more confident with my smile. Not only do I feel like this toothbrush will help my teeth look cleaner, but I also feel like the overall health of my teeth and mouth will be better.

If you want to try the cariPRO toothbrush out for yourself, use code: nikki20 to get 20% off!

Tooth Whitening Gel

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Items Under $50

I love a good sale, but sometimes even sale prices are out of my price range. I like things to be under $5o. I like them more under $25… Maybe I’m asking for too much, but I refuse to pay $100 for a pair of jeans or $45 for a top. So, with that being said, and with all the talk about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I thought I’d check it out and pick some things that I would actually buy that are within my price range. Everything I’m linking below is under $50, and lots of things are even under $25! I picked out everyday wear types of pieces that are good for wearing with jeans or just lounging in. There’s even a cute pair of PJ’s!

                

HOTEL NYLO SOUTH SIDE + THINGS TO DO

Image: zomato.com

It’s not everyday that I do exciting blogger things like go on trips and go out to eat, but I actually did for the Fourth of July this year. My two friends and I stayed at Hotel NYLO Southside and had so much fun exploring the area and relaxing in the rooftop pool. The hotel has a modern, hipster vibe to it. But it’s super cozy at the same time. In the room, there’s tons of seating, which would great for a bachelorette party or girls’ night like we had. Plus, the pull out couch was by far the most comfortable couch I’ve ever slept on. (It’s the little things, right?) But the best part was the rooftop infinity pool and bar area. We had a great view all around us and it wasn’t too crowded considering the holiday.

Image: nylohotels.com

Image: nylohotels.com

For dinner, we decided to explore downtown Dallas. We ended up having dinner at Chop House Burger and I highly recommend the chicken friend chicken burger. It was so good and not too expensive! After dinner we decided to have a cocktail at The Crafty Irishman Public House. It was such a nice, not-too-crowded place to sit down. We ended up having a shot of moonshine (which I DO NOT recommend) and then a mixed drink to wash it down. We spent the evening in the pool having drinks and looking at the view. The next morning we ventured out to Bishop Arts and had breakfast at Jonathan’s. It’s a little place, but the food was so good and you get a lot for your money.

The whole trip was a lot of fun. If you’re looking for a small getaway you can do with your significant other or your girlfriends, the NYLO is a great option. There’s so much you can do and see and so many ways to just relax and enjoy Dallas.

CATEGORIES // Life

4 WAYS TO WEAR FLORAL SHORTS

Happy Monday, guys! Ok, Mondays aren’t always happy, but we can try to make them that way. My Mondays aren’t so bad because I get off work early so it eases me into the workweek a little bit. And today I wanted to share a few simple ways you can wear floral shorts. I love this pair that I found at Marshalls last summer. I actually didn’t start wearing them until about a month ago and now I feel like I haven’t taken them off! I couldn’t figure out what to wear with them for the longest time, but I started throwing on some different top and figured out that a lot of stuff actually goes with them.

The first way is with a loose-fitting cami and a bralette. I feel like this way is good for dressing up the shorts a little with the lace from the bra. If you add a long necklace and some wedge heels you could dress it up a little more.

This next way is just with a knotted muscle tank. It’s a casual look that you can easily throw on to be cute and comfy. I would probably add a choker to this look and maybe some dainty stack rings too.

Can you tell I’m a tee shirt girl? Again, this is a casual look with a plain tee that knots in the front. This top is a little bit longer and I think you could do a choker or a long necklace with this top to dress it up a little. I would wear sandals or my white Adidas with this look.

Last, but not least, I would wear a crop with these shorts. Denim is so popular right now and you’d be amazed at how much you can wear a denim crop top with! I think the little ruffle on this one helps dress up the look a bit and again, it’s very comfortable. I would do a dainty short necklace with this look and either wedge heels or some cute flat sandals!