Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! 

xo

r + j

our first vlog

You're welcome! 

xo

j + r

Sisters

Take time to catch some photos with your loved ones as often as you can. It's so fun to look back on them and laugh and play "remember when.."

Sisters are the best aren't they? ♥

xo

Bar Styling

 

Having a fun space for wine and spirits in our home was something we always wanted to make room for. We like to entertain and we also like wine, so that pretty much made the decision for us. After a trip to HomeGoods and Target (duh) our Merrily Mom helped me set up the perfect space!   Merrily J also helped by being in charge of the chalkboard art. Live. Love. Wine. That really says it all, in fact, that's pretty much our life motto. Now we just need to line up our special occasion glasses on the shelves and we're ready for a party. With there only being 59 days until Christmas, I think we have the perfect reason to break it in! What do you think of our bar styling far?

xo

r

casual weekend wear

// r: top- old navy, earrings- francesca's, scarf- francesca's, jeans and shoes- target, handbag- francesca's // j: top- h&m, scarf- world market, jeans- target, boots- macy's//

Casual weekends in our hometown is our favorite. 

Good food, family, wine, and so much laughter is really what it's all about, friends.

Take it all in and enjoy every single second. 

xo

r + j

(photo credit::: Jenna @jennaismerrily)

gray + mint all day long

One of my favorite combinations happens to be gray + mint. Let's be honest, gray + pretty much anything is A-OK in my book. Gray is such a comfort color to me. A good old fashioned gray crew neck is like a staple in my closet. I have to have one. Not to mention you can pair a gray t shirt with just about anything. Seriously, just try it. 

I also love my gray booties, they go with everything! The fringe just adds a little fun to my mostly simple outfits. And if you don't have a pair of boyfriend jeans of some kind you are missing out. Although I usually like my jeans to fit pretty tight, these are nice to wear on a chill day. I like to add a touch of color somewhere in my outfit if I can. A colorful scarf and necklace adds the perfect pop!

What's one of your favorite color combos? 

xo, r

[outfit deets]

Top: Target | Jeans: Hollister | Booties: francesca's | Necklace: francesca's | Scarf: francesca's

April Sun Brings Color Fun

Holidays are special to us and since we couldn't all be together we spent the day napping, eating delicious lasagna (made by merrily r), drinking wine, and laughing. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful Michigan day and get a outfit post in! None of these photos have been edited or filtered. 

 J: Top: francesca's, Scarf: francesca's, Red Denim: Target, Shoes: Target

R: Top: francesca's, Denim: Target, Shoes: francesca's

xo - j & r

Merrily Favorites: Midi Rings and Monochromatic Color

R: I am in love with Midi rings right now! A midi ring is a ring that fits right above your knuckle. You can wear it on any finger, but most people wear them on the ring finger, middle finger or pointer finger. They tend to come in sizes 3 or 4 and are so trendy right now! I am always afraid that it will fly off my finger because it's so close to the end, but they never do! You can find them at a lot of women's clothing and accessory stores right now for pretty inexpensive...so go get a few, they are too cute not to!

photo source

photo source

photo source

photo source

J: Monochromatic color anyone? Think Spring!

I'm loving this right now. The color, the simple yet dimensional style, the twist to the classic black and white monochrome. Looking just makes my heart happy.

Enjoy Merrily's!

Seriously, are you swooning yet? 

I found this adorable floral peach top by Lauren Conrad from KOHL's for....wait for it....$21.99! Pair it with an adorable peach tulle skirt like this beauty. 

If I saw you rocking this sweet and girly monochromatic color scheme, I'm not going to lie, I'd definitely be envious! 

We'd love to see your monochromatic color style, lovelies. Email us pics at merrilysisters@gmail.com and we'll post them. 

Stay beautiful and full of color this spring, Merrily's. 

xoxo

r & j 

5 Things In My Closet I Can't Live Without

You know when you’re at the mall and you see something super cute that looked awesome on that tall skinny girl that just came out of the fitting room? Well that happens to me on the daily. I mean, It’s extremely hard to work in a mall and not want to buy ALL THE THINGS. I always see pieces that I wouldn’t normally wear and I think to myself “I don’t have anything like this in my closet, I’m going to go for it!” Then fast forward to the one night a month that I am getting ready to go out and right before I walk out the door I quick change into my go to skinny jeans and a plain t-shirt.

I’m learning to take more risks, but sometimes I just can’t help feeling the best in the pieces that are comfy and easy. If I had to choose five things that I really couldn’t live without from my closet they would probably have to be:::

1// Skinny Jeans

2// A Chambray Shirt

3// A Simple Blazer

4// Printed Scarves

5// Comfy T-Shirts+Tank Tops

It wasn’t hard to find (ahem, mostly mirror) pictures of these items since I literally wear them ALL the time. What are some items you can’t live without? Maybe I need to add to my collection! We are also going to start posting some of our outfits up on the blog (sans the mirror, haha) & hopefully we can inspire you to step outside your comfort zone when it comes to fashion too!

xo - R

Your Smile Is Your Best Accessory

I opened a Dove chocolate one day and this message was inscribed on the inside of the wrapper, staring back at me.

Your smile is your best accessory. 

I had an amazing conversation with a good friend last evening and she said something profound that really resonated with me. She said: "Everyone talks about their hobbies. Well I believe that my hobby is connecting with people." Wow, I think that is so profound, and it stuck with me because I never had the thought to describe one of my greatest passions in that way, and although I would consider this little blog so much more than a hobby, it is definitely a catalyst to share something with you all that is so much larger.

Happiness. This is what I'm referring to. I do not know if I could ever fully describe the joy and elation that my heart feels when I see someone smile, and even more importantly when I can be that human making another smile. 

My sister and I love this blog because we enjoy the essence of the content that we write about: clothes, hair, skin, makeup, and we can post 1,000 blogs on different skin care products and make up and fashion trends, but I'm here to tell you that our vision is so much more than that. Our vision is to encourage every single beautiful and gorgeous woman (and men!) who read this blog to KNOW that you are already beautiful. Because what matters at the end of the day is not the perfect lipstick, or the new color trend, or the best conditioner you can buy, it's your happiness my Merrily readers. Because happy people are so beautiful, and happy people have the ability to change this world.

I will share something that's very personal, and that is when I opened that divine piece of chocolate and saw that message, I was in a period of my life where the last thing I felt like doing was smiling. It seems so miniscule, this silver piece of wrapper that millions of others who went through the same motion of opening that Dove chocolate found inside, but to me, it meant something. It reminded me that if I did not have anything to FEEL happy about, I had my smile. That one thing, I could never ever lose. It was an asset that I realized I had (and always did) that could be an inspiration to make other people happy even when I felt no happiness myself. That was almost a year ago, and as I reflect back on that exact time of my life, I thank God for every second from that point on until right now as I sit here writing this. I did just that. I used my smile to inspire others, to lift a bad day, to say silently "I care about you". Somewhere along the way, my heart shifted. Even though I went through many more rough moments in time, they became less and I started to feel stronger, until one day I realized that what I shared with others on the outside, I actually felt that on the inside too. 

My smile saved my life.

It's now my mission to continue using this amazing gift that I have to save others, and that is what I am set out to do.

Never underestimate the power of this beautiful gift that you were given on the day you were born. Get out there and change the world, Merrily's. You may not realize it, but the simple act of smiling at someone could be the little miracle they need to keep going.

I still have that wrapper, tucked away. Anytime I catch a glimpse of it, I remember where I was then and how far I've come, and it makes me smile.  

At the end of the day, as I see it, this is the best piece of fashion advice I really think I can ever give:

Your smile is your best accessory.

Keep living, loving, and smiling, my dear friends.

Much love and happiness always,

xoxo

~ j 

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."       ~ Mother Teresa 

    

Seeking: Mascara BFF

I'm on the hunt for the perfect mascara.

Since I'm pretty low maintenance on the whole make up regimen (meaning I throw on some mascara and maybe even some eye liner if I'm going somewhere special and BAM!) I really don't know where to start. I wouldn't mind spending a good chunk of money on mascara if it's worth it, since that's really the most of what I currently wear. I have been told to watch some YouTube tutorials to learn how to use my eyeshadows that I have. I'm looking in to that, and trust me, I'll let you know see the results because you'll probably laugh really hard. 

Back to the search for my new mascara BFF...

Qualifications: Be a mascara.

Pretty easy right?

So here's what I've tried so far:

Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara + Lash Building Primer

Benefit They're Real! Mascara (mini size, because what if I hated it?!)

Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara (sample size, because it was free - win!)

I'm honestly not in love with any of them so far. I like them, but I really want to find [the ONE]. I thought I was going to be head over heels for the Benefit Mascara because so many people had recommended it to me, but the one thing I don't like about it is that it it so hard to wash off! If I want to jump in the shower and just wash my face with water I come out looking like a raccoon and then spend quite sometime out of the shower washing my face again just to put mascara back on. 

I need your help! If you have any suggestions at all please let me know! I'm willing to try almost anything and I'll let you know what I think. If you suggest the one I fall in love with I might even send you a little something. I am, after all, trying to send more love notes in the mail.

xo - R

Birchbox

Hey friends! It's been awhile hasn't it? Sorry about that - but we're getting back to business! 

I just signed up for my first Birchbox EVER!

I literally just got it in the mail a few hours ago. I'm so excited to try everything that was in this month's box! Basically, I signed up for Birchbox to expand my beauty routine and knowledge. I always hear about all these great products, but who wants to buy a $30+ bottle of something you have no idea about? Not me! As a mom I've always felt like I didn't have a ton of time to even deal with a beauty regimen - but then I decided that I really need to make more time for myself and things that will make me feel healthy and beautiful...

Enter:::Birchbox

Now I am able to get samples of some of the best products out there and decide for myself if I want to invest in them or not. If I find a product that I really love, you bet I'll be treating myself to it. Why the heck not, I think we all deserve it! 

So here's what came in the box for March:::

1// Air Repair Rescue Balm

2// COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face (I'm really excited to try this one!)

3// Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper

4// Vasanti Cosmetics Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (this one too!!)

They also sent along Mighty Leaf Tea Pouches and some Ghirardelli chocolate that I so graciously gave to the husband. I know, I'm too kind. 

 I'll be trying these products throughout the next couple weeks and I'll let you guys know what I actually loved and what I could seriously live without. If you'd like to sign yourself up for Birchbox (why not!?) use this link here. They also have boxes for men, you know, if your guy is looking for some cool new products as well.

xo - R

*this post is based entirely on my opinion