Hi loves! I’m excited to kick off a new little series over here: welcome to edition one of Life Lately. I love taking a moment to reflect on moments in my life, but when it gets so incredibly busy, it can be challenging. What better way to be intentional about reflecting and excited about futuristic daydreaming than share it on the blog? Each month in my roundup piece, I’ll highlight past Instagram posts, blog posts of mine and others that I’m loving, my favorite moments from Instagram stories, bloggers that are inspiring me, trends that have my eye, and what is to come that’s keeping me fueled! I hope you enjoy following along with this new series.
Bringing it Back to Summer
Time to reflect on this summer: it’s been a whirlwind, and an incredible one at that! My summer started out with answering the biggest question I’ve ever been asked, and now I have a pretty ring to show off my answer. Read all about this special proposal here. It truly was magical.
After that, Ilir and I had a month to really let it all sink in. If you’re not familiar, he is a college football coach, so come fall, he disappears. Ha! But for about a month in the summer, he has much more flexibility and I was so happy to spend some quality time with him in Chicago. And I have to say, we did pretty well on my Chicago Bucket List.
Then we packed our bags and headed out east, traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, and Beaufort, South Carolina. Be sure to check out my travel guides – I cannot believe how much we packed into 10 days!
After some travel with Ilir, my travels continued, heading to Minneapolis, Des Moines, and Minneapolis, seeing friends and family all across the midwest.
And to wrap it all up, I rebranded my blog! What was once Little Looks & Big Pictures is now Collectively Kylie. I love this new name and look for my blog and can’t wait to continue to grow it! Thank you all for your ongoing support. XO
Fall Trend Alerts
I’m so into the fall trends I’m already starting to see! While I am definitely a summer girl at heart, these cute, chilly weather styles are giving me some serious inspiration.
- Leopard: I am loving the leopard and absolutely bringing it from summer into fall with me!
- Wide Leg Pants: So comfy. So chic. Wide leg pants have my heart.
- Panama Hats: YES to this booming hat trend! It’s the perfect way to save yourself on a bad hair day and really make an outfit look complete. I just got this hat from Red Dress Boutique and I’m obsessed.
- Snake Skin: Slowing but surely, it’s growing on me. I want to start incorporating it into my looks with belts or slides for a more subtle effect.
- Faux Leather: I am dying to get the Spanx leather leggings. What a perfect way to chic up your look while staying comfy! Loving little details like edging in faux leather too.
Instagram Roundup
Coming home to a little pink door is what dreams are made of. ? Reminiscing on our Beaufort vacation straight out of a Nicholas Sparks movie. Check out my Beaufort, South Carolina Travel Guide and What to Wear in Beaufort South Carolina.
Slowing it down and chilling it out a bit with some much needed R+R time. Nothing makes a self-care skincare night feel more luxe than some eye patches, am I right? Pass the cucumber while we’re at it, please. Currently obsessed with Skyn Iceland’s Brightening Eye Serum, Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, and Icelandic Relief Eye Cream. I’m using all three in my routine and they are so incredible at de-puffing and brightening my under-eyes.
The last of the hydrangea and the first of the fall looks. Just in time for filling your closet with quality fall staples, I’m so excited to share that Everly has launched their retail website! I’m loving this little bow blouse that is so versatile and will be on repeat from fall to winter and even into spring.
That feeling when it’s almost game day! I’m sharing some game day style inspiration and rounding up my absolute favorite jackets, jeans, layers and accessories – like my favorite clear handbag I bring with me to every game. Who are you cheering for this fall? The cute coach at Illinois has me in orange and blue. Read all about What to Wear on Game Day. Shop the look here.
Weekends with him are never long enough, but I’m counting my blessings I locked in a guy who sweeps me off my feet every day even from 150 miles away. Working on an engagement update (finally!) for you all, so tell me whatcha wanna know! I can’t wait to share. In the meantime, check out The Making of the Most Perfect Proposal + How He Asked. Shop my outfit here.
Dreaming of summer indefinitely. If you haven’t seen it yet, my Beaufort Travel Guide is LIVE! I had no idea I would fall in love with this sweet South Carolina town the way I did. If you’re looking for a relaxing, romantic getaway or girls weekend, I couldn’t recommend a trip more and you must come on over and read about our amazing stay at the oh-so-stunning Anchorage 1770. It truly MADE the trip.
Things are looking a little different around here… Little Looks & Big Pictures got a new look, and I am excited to OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE Collectively Kylie is HERE! My brand has done a lot of evolving with me over the past few years and things felt ready for a little refresh. Here we are! New name. Updated look. Same me. Can’t wait to share with you all A LOT of exciting things to come soon over here on the ‘gram, and of course, over on the blog! Thanks for following along, friends!
Unpacking one suitcase, packing another. I came to the realization this week that I’ll be traveling FIVE weekends in a row! My homebody self doesn’t know what to do with that. Heading to Des Moines this weekend to see some of my best gal pals and cannot wait for a much-needed girls weekend! Traded in this big suitcase today for my white vintage-styled one that’s perfect for quick weekends away.
Charleston dreaming. Excited to share my updated Charleston Travel Guide is LIVE! After three trips to my favorite southern city, I’ve rounded up my favorite things to do, places to eat, where to grab a coffee or a cocktail, and where to simply relax in the prettiest city. Read about What to Wear to Charleston.
Rosé all day, or at least until you need to go home to take a nap before the night. Spent last night recovering from a busy Diner en Blanc planning week (see my Instagram Story highlight under PR!) and had so much fun brunching with my babes this morning. Cheers to a much needed weekend. $3 pearl clips are linked along the rest of this look here.
Sunday morning vibes: vacation style. Take me back to The Duke Mansion where the mornings were slower and the coffee was stronger. My favorite little PJ set is under $25 and comes in two colors! Also linked another vacay fav. All about the cute jammie sets.
The FIRST of my series of Carolina travel guides is LIVE! Come join me as I walk you through our dreaaaaamy Charlotte adventures. From our luxe stay at The Duke Mansion to the most amazing celebratory dinner at Angline’s Charlotte it truly was one spectacular way to kick off this little “engagement-moon.” Read my Charlotte Travel Guide. Read What to Wear to Charlotte.
You can find us with the flowers. Had the greatest time at the Art Institute’s Evening Associate’s Garden Party with these beauties and my cute date. Cheers to another fun Chi summer night. Read my Chicago Summer Bucket List. Check out these cute girls’ Instagram handles below!
Playing with palettes and getting ready for a fun evening out. The boy is in town, the weather is gorgeous, and I’m putting together my best garden party look for a night at the Art Institute of Chicago put on by the Evening Associates. Check out these Pixi Beauty palettes and some of my other favorite products here.
All my vacay looks are LIVE on the blog! Stay tuned for alllll the travel guides, but in the meantime, I’ve got you covered with affordable summer style inspo! Dresses from $15, scarves and headbands from $3, shoes from $17, earrings from $3 and lots, lots more. Read my Summer Vacation Styles post.
And we’re back to regular programming! Between the most incredible surprise engagement followed by vacation prepping for our trip to the Carolinas, content has looked a little different around here. But we’re back to it with another CLEAN BEAUTY BREAK DOWN! I’m giving you a simple list of ingredients to avoid in your beauty products for a cleaner routine. ? If you missed part one, you can read all about what a clean beauty routine really means and why it’s so important. Check out this pretty palette here.
Life with you makes perfect sense. Had the most incredible vacation with my best friend (or engagement-moon as I liked to call it ). Cannot wait to share more with you all from our trip that took us across the Carolinas from Charlotte to Spartanburg/Greenville to Charleston to Beaufort. Stay tuned for lots and lots of travel content. Meanwhile, I’ll be daydreaming of the beach with my boy the whole flight home. Read my travel content here.
The face of one proud guy who pulled off the greatest surprise of my life. Honored to have our story shared on How They Asked by The Knot. Read all about the making of the proposal that continues to give me butterflies on How They Asked.
It all still feels like a dream. Thank you all for your incredibly sweet notes! We are so happy and feel so overjoyed with love. The fairytale feeling is here to stay. I’ve gotten a million questions about how this all happened and if I truly was surprised, so of course I’m going to fill you all in! I spent quite some time pouring all my thoughts into my latest blog post which talks all about Ilir’s sneaky little plan. I truly cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with this man. Let the engagement fun begin! Read Our Proposal Story.
Here’s to the happiest forever with you! Read How He Asked + The Making of the Perfect Proposal. Check out outfit details here.
It’s here. It’s time. Let’s chat CLEAN BEAUTY. I’m so excited to launch the start of my clean beauty series with PYT Beauty today! After exploring the world of clean beauty and teasing my learnings, I discovered so many of you are also looking for beauty answers. Part one of my three-part series is live: What Is Clean Beauty + Benefits of a Clean Beauty Routine.
A weekend well spent in this pretty city. I started tackling my summer bucket list with a rooftop evening and a visit to the Lincoln Park farmer’s market. Read my Chicago Summer Bucket List for lots of summertime Chi inspiration.
First Seen on Instagram Stories
- Ilir’s Viral Catch: Throwback to Ilir’s viral catch! When he was in college, he made this “kick catch” that was all over ESPN! Mems.
- Winc: I recently received a Winc box and am in LOVE with the service. Winc is a wine delivery service where you take a quiz and they select and send you wines that match your responses!
- Trader Joes Finds: Lately I’m loving all of their fall items. Favorites include the pumpkin ravioli and sweet potato gnocchi.
- Champaign Trips: Been loving my trips to Champaign to watch my coach do his thing! Go Illini!
- Kansas City Trip: Five of my college girlfriends and I took a trip to Kansas City, where one of the girls lives, and we had the best time reuniting. Also saw the Backstreet Boys and it was life-changing.
- Des Moines Trip: I also took a trip to Des Moines to visit some college friends and loved exploring this cute town! It’s so charming and SO much fun. If you live in the Midwest, you should definitely make the trip.
- Minneapolis Trip: And to round out my midwestern trips this summer, my family and I traveled up to Minneapolis to visit other family. If it didn’t get so cold in the winter months, this city would be a dream to live in. I am in love!
- Wedding Inspiration: Follow along on my dedicated wedding Pinterest account, Collectively Weddings! I’m over there pinning all of the inspiration.
- Diner en Blanc: I love my career in PR, and event nights are some of my favorite nights. Go check out my PR highlights on Instagram to take a. peek behind the scenes of the most incredible pop-up secret soirée. It was so much fun to be a part of!
- Masking: Loving my Patchology Just Let It Glow Sheet Mask, Patchology Flash Patch Lip Gels, and Pixi Beauty DetoxifEYE Eye Patches.
- Chicago Adventures: Summertime is my favorite in Chicago! It is truly a magical place. Check out my Chicago highlights on Instagram.
Chicago Happenings
- Yellowtail Sushi: Such a fun Lakeview restaurant with delicious sushi, a cute environemnt, and it’s BYOB! Ilir and I took a bottle of wine from my Winc box.
- ReLuxe Nail Salon: Located in River North, this nail salon is truly SO luxe. You basically sit in a throne and rose petals are in the water. Definitely recommend for a treat!
- Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba: This Lincoln Park gem is always a favorite of mine! It is tapas style and has incredible sangria. Such a fun Chicago girls night destination.
- Pizzeria Bebu: I came here with my family to celebrate my dad’s birthday and it was some of the best pizza we have had in Chicago – and that says a lot!
- Waydown: This West Loop rooftop on top of the Ace Hotel has such a beautiful view of the city! Make a stop here before the weather gets too chilly.
- Cafe Bonhomme: I’m obsessed with this cute little restaurant that’s located in the Loop! They also have a fantastic happy hour. Grab your girlfriends and head over for some sparkling rosé and baba ghanoush.
- Au Cheval: This West Loop spot deserves its title as best burger in Chicago. Ilir is my burger connoisseur and he is obsessed. Be prepared for a long wait though. It’s inevitable.
- Cabra Chicago: This new Peruvian rooftop restaurant and bar is one of my favorites. It’s SO cute and the drinks are fantastic!
- Hutch: Hutch is a Lakeview classic and a perfect place for brunch with a great mimosa deal.
- Barcocina: I love this Lakeview game for drinks out or a fun dinner. I highly recommend!
Creatives I’m Crushing On
At the Garden Party I talked about above in my Instagram roundup, I met three incredible girls who have become my blogger besties! Not sure what I did without them, but so glad to have them in my life now! Give them a follow: