Spring Florals and A Giveaway

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, standing and outdoor

It’s so ironic. Over the past 36 weeks, my body has done one of the most feminine acts possible, growing a child, though I for most of the time, I have not felt very feminine. As I began my pregnancy, I spent time reading multiple books, blogs and perusing baby apps. Every single one promised me the same thing – an incredible pregnancy glow. While my face has enjoyed a bit of a glow and tan thanks to chloasma, this glow and artificial tan has not left me feeling pretty.

There comes a point in pregnancy when nothing starts to fit and getting dressed, even for a work from home job, becomes a battle and teary-eyed breakdown just waiting to happen. I’ve experienced this during three different points in pregnancy:

  • Week 15 or so, when I felt bloated and as if I’d had a giant burrito for lunch that kept my pants from buttoning.
  • Week 26 or so, just when Spring and multiple trips and celebrations were about to take place.
  • Week 35 when I started retaining water and even my maternity clothes started to feel uncomortable.

These days, I find myself only wanting to wear my 25 year old XL boxer shorts (Yes, I typed the number 25 next to years and it’s true, I’ve had these Jockey boxer shorts for 25 years. I realize that in itself is a topic for an entirely separate post.) and an oversized long-sleeved t-shirt because these are the two most comfortable articles of clothing I own. Even though I have built a wardrobe of 10-15 different maternity pieces, at this point in pregnancy, many of them no longer feel comfortable. The t-shirts are getting a bit too small, the dresses a bit too short and the leggings a bit too tight, especially in my calves.

Since the pregnancy weight gain has made me revert back to some of my high school and college fashion tendancies, when I was over 200 pounds, I realize now that I spent much of my pregnancy trying to camoflauge my body. Part of this was due to being pregnant in Winter when almost all New York Women dress in head to toe black. But, even beyond that, I’ve done little to draw attention to my bump or new, round shape.

It wasn’t until Pink Blush reached out to me, offering to send me a dress for my upcoming bridal shower, that I realized many pregnant women opt for vibrant colors and prints even during their third trimester. The pictures I saw of real women on their site gave me hope that there was a place for Spring florals in my wardrobe.

image

For those of you who haven’t heard of Pink Blush previously, it is not only a maternity brand. In fact, their site is filled with Women’s, Women’s Plus and Maternity clothing ranging from their famous dresses and tops to shoes, active wear and even accesories. Their large selection of reasonably priced maternity dresses and tops have made them famous within the maternity clothing scene as their quality, selection and price point is beyond your imagination! Their variety of styles, patterns and prints allow any woman, regardless their shape or size, to find something that will make them feel feminine and pretty.

image

I fell so in love with the Pink Blush Mint Floral Sash Tie Dress that I have worn it for multiple occasions over the past six weeks.  The v-neckline flatters while also allowing for this dress to transition into a nursing-friendly dress after pregnancy. Even with my growing bump, the long length allows the dress to skim my ankles. But, my favorite part of the dress was the way the vibrant aqua and pink colors finally helped me find that elusive pregnancy glow.

Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people standing and indoorImage may contain: 2 people, people smiling, people standing and outdoor

Inspired by their 25% of Memorial Day Sale email, this week I ordered a few things to enjoy in the coming weeks and months:

Your Turn –  CONTEST OVER – WINNER IS #27 – Sarah. Want to enter the giveaway for a $75 PinkBlush gift card?  Leave a comment letting me know what ONE topic you’d like to see more of on the blog. The giveaway will end Monday at 10pm EST. 

Thank you to Pink Blush for sponsoring this giveaway and for the gorgeous dress. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Share Button
Follow:

Gift Guide for Runners & Brooks Giveaway

Even though I am not running as often as normal right now, due to my pregnancy, I’ve had an entire year to try new running products. Even though I have the opportunity to try many new products each year through this blog, I find that many of my favorite items have been favorites for years. In fact, when looking at my past Running Gift Guides (2012, 2013, 2014), I realized that I still use many of these items on a weekly basis!

running-gift-guide

<GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED NOW>

Now, as a special holiday gift for readers, my friends at Brooks  are giving one lucky reader a stocking stuffer gift pack including three of their Winter running essentials:

Brooks Stocking Stuffer Giveaway

  • Joyride Headband
  • Drift Running Gloves
  • Dash Arm Warmers

To enter, leave a comment letting me know your favorite Christmas movie! I will choose a winner on Monday at 10pm so that the winner can hopefully receive their gift before the holidays. < GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED>

Share Button
Follow:

Finding Your Perfect Sports Bra and a Giveaway

ashley-in-sports-bra

Happy Thursday guys! As some of you may have seen earlier this week on either my Instagram Stories or the Brooks Running Instagram, I had the opportunity to spend time shopping for sports bras with Brooks and Jack Rabbit. If you are a long-time reader, you may remember that I am small chested (36A).  For years, I didn’t think much about sports bras because I didn’t think that someone who was small chested needed support.  I did not enjoy wearing sports bras as I felt they made my small chest even smaller and flatter. Maybe that’s because for the first four years I worked out, from the age of 22-26, I wore a very basic sports bra that was $14.99 at Target.  It provided no support or padding, instead it was more like an ace bandage wrapped around my chest. No wonder I hated putting that thing on.
brooks

Luckily since my favorite brand, Brooks, makes wonderful sports bras, they offered to provide me with a bra fitting session in partnership with Jack Rabbit.  During my session with Leslie at Jack Rabbit, I learned so many tips that I asked my friends at Brooks if I could share the images and tips with you guys to ensure you pick the right sports bra for you, regardless your chest size.

moving-comfort-brooks

  • Women of all size can benefit from a quality, well-fitted sports bra – not just those with larger chests.
  • Women with small chests need to have a bra with support to avoid sagging and permanent damage to breast tissue later in life.
  • Get measured every year because even small changes can make big differences, especially for people with smaller chests.
  • The fit of the bottom band is the most important part of the bra as this is what provides most of the support. You want it to be tight enough to provide support but tight enough so that your girls won’t come out if you raise your arms.
  • Breast tissue moves in a figure eight pattern when you run, walk or jump. Wearing a sports bra with cups, known formally as an encapsulation bra, will support you better and help you avoid that unfortunate uniboob feeling.
  • If the bra is folding, wrinkling or has too much space in the cup that means you need to go down a cup size.
  • Your sports bra size may be different from the bra size you wear each day. Try on lots of different sizes and styles, often in one size smaller and larger than your daily bra, before choosing a sports bra.
  • A bra with adjustable straps can help ensure a perfect fit and that the bra can provide enough support regardless the exercise.
  • In the Fall of 2015, Brooks began re-branding their Moving Comfort division to Brooks. Therefore, if you have a favorite Moving Comfort bra that you’re looking for, it can be found on the Brooks site and may now have a Brooks logo on it!

brooks-sports-bra-with-adjustable-straps

During my session, I fell in love with three bras.

Fiona Sports Bra 

I have never worn a sports bra with a hook and eye closure but man did I fall in love with the level of flexibility and comfort this provided. In addition, this bra comes with molded cups so I felt supported and shapely versus flat as a pancake. The adjustable straps, which I am modeling in the above picture, also allow me to adjust the bra depending on the activity. For high intensity or running I would tighten it to limit the movement but for yoga or pilates, I can wear it a bit looser. If you are nursing, the adjustable straps can also make this a great bra option for easy access. The molded cups on this bra made me actually feel as if I had shape versus being flat as a pancake. I loved this bra so much that I bought two of them, one in black and one in blue!

brooks-fiona

Frontrunner Racer Bra

How fun and unique is the design of this bra with the plunging v-neck and seamless style? This lightweight, breathable bra is a great option as it provides support and contoured cups without sacrificing style. Even though I tried this bra on again at Jack Rabbit, I have owned this bra for three months and have worn it to many a workouts and run. It is comfortable and a great, chafe-free option!

brooks-front-runner-racer-bra

Uprise Crossback Sports Bra

This bra is the only one that I tried on which was designed specifically for A/B cups. Even though it has S/M/L sizing it still has contoured cups which provide support as well as a nice, curvy shape while the cross back allows for ventilation during your workout.  As you can see from the picture at the top of this post, I love this bra so much that I wore it throughout our Canada hiking trip, even stripping down to just the bra on an especially hot day.  The only thing that could make this bra even better would be adjustable straps.

brooks-uprise-bra

GIVEAWAY CLOSED – Winner @momsgottarun entry #47

 

Share Button
Follow: