Lloyd Local

Shopping Local this Holiday Season with Lloyd Center’s Lloyd Local Initiative

This holiday season, I paired up with Lloyd Center to introduce their Lloyd Local movement! Growing up, Lloyd Center was the mall closest to my house and I have many fond memories there. It is where I took ice skating lessons, where I have gotten all of my piercings and where I would head at midnight to wait for the release of the newest Harry Potter book. Therefore when Lloyd Center reached out about their newest initiative, I was excited to be a part of it! The Lloyd Local movement is a new thing this year starting just in time for the holidays!

What is Lloyd Local?

Lloyd Local is a new initiative starting this year where a wide range of local businesses are doing pop-up shops throughout the mall. The local businesses range from restaurants to plant shops to clothing boutiques and several will remain past the holiday season.

When it comes to holiday shopping, I love being able to go to one place, on one day and check off the majority of my shopping list. In the past, I have had to divide up my Christmas shopping into a trip to the mall and then many trips to all of the local businesses around Portland that I want to buy gifts from. By having both local and larger stores in the mall, I am able to do more of my shopping during one trip while also supporting local entrepreneurs.

What Businesses are Included?

Adorn/Rachelle M/Gild Shoes

Animal. Plant. Mineral

B Store

Bobablastic

Bricks ‘n Minifigs

CBD World

Cracked Pots

Cultural Blends

Five O’ Tree

Frock

Migration Brewing’s Burger Shack

My People’s Market/Pallet42

Portland Pedal Power/MUJI

Reis & Irvy’s

Seven Virtues

Shoeshineboyz

Sock It To Me

Stubborn Stiles

Ugswea

Xray Radio

The Lloyd Local Incubator (rotates different businesses)

{I’ve tagged all of the Instagram accounts so just click on the name to check them out!}

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For more information on Lloyd Local and all the fun events coming to Lloyd Center this holiday season, check out Lloyd Center’s website and follow along on Instagram.

You can also shop this outfit and many others here.

[This post is sponsored. Photographs by Shauna Dullanty and Linnea Havener]

Overnight Oxygen Eye Mask

As I have gotten older, I have noticed my body craving more and more sleep! These days, I would ideally get an average of 10 hours each night. I would also ideally wake up looking well rested and not feel the need to drink caffeine each morning. In reality however, I am pretty busy and very rarely do I get to sleep that much. Only getting an average of 6 hours of sleep each night has definitely taken a toll and I have started to notice the development of some dark circles under my eyes. Because of this, I have been on the hunt for some under the eye masks for awhile to help eliminate my dark circles. Although I had heard of VIIcode eye masks, I had personally never tried them before. Considering I had only heard good things, I figured I should try them for myself!

One thing that really sold me on the VIIcode Oxygen Eye Masks are that they can be worn while you are asleep! Since I am pretty busy during the week, I am all for products that make a difference while you do nothing! It is recommended to wear the masks for 8 hours max at night or you can wear them for 2-4 hours during the day - this is a great alternative for all you ladies out that who don’t like sleeping with something on your face!

Each box has 6 individually wrapped packages containing one pair. I definitely appreciate that they are individually wrapped because this way you don’t have to worry about them drying out and they are perfect for travel. I know some people will wear one of these masks every other night (or about 3 times a week) in which case one box will last you 2 weeks.

One side of the mask is made from white breathable fabric while the other side has a thick clear jelly layer. The gel is sticky enough to keep the masks from moving on your face during the night but is mess-free and does not leave any residue or cause any irritation making them very comfortable to wear for the full 8 hours. I’ve noticed that the skin under my eyes feels hydrated in the morning and I wake up with no signs of puffiness! In the winter, the skin under my eyes can get a bit dried out so these have been perfect for that.

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For more information on VIIcode Oxygen Eye Masks as well as VIIcode as a company, you can check out their website here as well as their Instagram

[sponsored post - all opinions and photos are mine]

Faux Fur Coats

Tis the season for fur coats! Although one could argue that fur coats are meant more for the winter and holiday season, I personally start wearing them as soon as the weather gets cooler. Last year I also found that waiting too late into the winter season made finding the person coat more difficult since many of them were already sold out. There are currently A TON of options out and a lot of affordable options at that. I should first note that when I say “fur coat” I really mean faux fur! As the owner or a rabbit which is an animal that many companies still make clothing items from, I am completely again real fur. With that out of the way, I have decided to share with you all some of the amazing coat options I have found. All for under $100! Since there are so many types, I have divided my findings into three general categories: colored/pattern fur, longline fur and short fur.

Colored & Patterned Fur Coats:

Short Fur Coats:

Longline Fur Coats:

I already have quite a few fur coats as you can see in the photos above but they are just so perfect for someone who is always cold but still wants to look cute A.K.A. me! This year is definitely the year of the colored/patterned fur so you’ll probably see me with a new addition sometime leading up to the holiday season!

Co-working with Industrious Portland

I recently partnered with Industrious Portland to give you all a sneak peak of their new space located in the center of Downtown Portland. Industrious is a co-work company with offices in many major cities across the country. They just had the grand opening of their Portland office in mid-September and are set to have two more floors become available soon. Industrious takes pride in offering co-working redefined. They focus on stunning and aesthetically pleasing office spaces, inviting hospitality and creating an inspiring community

What is Co-working?

Co-working is a work approach where an office space is shared among individuals who are usually self-employed or employed by different companies. The idea is to give individuals who normally work at home the opportunity to be a part of a working community. Co-working offers the best elements of working in an office! You get to be a part of a community and have “coworkers” but since everyone is from a range of different fields, there is less competition. There is also the option to work in a communal space or your own office depending on how social of an environment you want to work in that day.

How does it work?

Industrious offers all-inclusive, super flexible memberships. This includes high-speed wifi, daily breakfast, 12 member events a month, conference room time, and unlimited black and white and colored printing. They offer on-boarding for 30-day, 60-day, or 12-month term. The Portland location offers a limited number of co-working memberships ($430/month) and dedicated desks ($610), but the private offices ($740 and up) are the biggest value for the cost. Members can also host their own complimentary events in the space.

Who is it for?

This set-up is great for bloggers, photographers, influencers, start-up companies, freelancers and anyone who works from home. Anyone in any field who needs a quiet place to work or needs an office for meetings with clients. Some offices are larger and have multiple desks which would be great for a smaller company that does not have their own office building yet but still wants to give their employees a place to work together.

These past few weekends I got to spend some time at the Industrious office getting some much needed work done. Getting to use the office spaces has already been so helpful for my workflow! Back in College I quickly realized that I am absolutely terrible at getting work done at home. As much as I love the idea of not leaving the house, my focus quickly dwindles and I get distracted by anything and everything. Getting dressed, packing up my laptop and going to a new environment definitely helps. I’ve even found that after a few hours of work in one spot, moving to new scenery can help me refocus.

I used to try to get out of the house by heading to one of the many coffee shops in Portland. Unfortunately there are a few flaws with using coffee shops as your office. First of all, you have to spend money or at least you really SHOULD buy something if you are planning on setting up camp in a business. I’ve never not bought a drink or a snack so I don’t know if they would kick you out if you didn’t but I also don’t plan on testing that out. Although one coffee isn’t too expensive, that is quite the price to pay every time you want to get some work done. Trust me, over time those croissants and lattes add up!

The other issue I have with coffee shops is how unpredictable they are! I have definitely had times where I lugged all of my work stuff to a coffee shop only to find out that there was no room or no wifi or the internet connection was terrible. On days when you really need to get work done, you don’t want to be wasting precious minutes jumping from coffee shop to coffee shop. Thankfully there is a coffee maker in the kitchen of Industrious so I can still have my caffeine but without the hassle.

I also have trouble writing when there is background noise. Although I can easily listen to music while editing photos and formatting posts, when it comes to writing, I can’t have discernible words in the background. Not only is it distracting, but I often will find myself subconsciously typing what I am hearing! When I want absolute silence, the office spaces are the best! Most of them include great natural light and there are so many office spaces, it is easy to move to another one for a change in scenery after awhile.

For the times when I don’t mind some background noise, I like to move out into the main area. Near the back window is a lounge area that includes several chairs and a couch. Another favorite spot was near the kitchen where there are tables and booths. Perfect for continuing your work while also have a table to eat lunch or a snack at.

I would have to say my overall favorite part of the space though is the view! The office has one of the best 270 degree views of Downtown Portland! Most of the offices as well as the main communal space include lots of natural light and great views of the nearby buildings. When taking a break from working, I love getting to look out across my city as well as people watch the tiny moving figures in Pioneer Square.

More Views of the Office:

If you have the chance, I definitely recommend checking out! By co-working rather than working at home, you get to work in a beautiful space while also being surrounded by other motivated individuals. Industrious also offers breakfast every weekday for its members as well as a weekly happy hour which is a great way to start and end your day as well as meet other members.

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You can learn more about Industrious through their website or by visiting their Instagram. They also have a Portland specific Instagram as well which you can check out here.

One Set, Three Outfits

For the longest time I have been trying to find the perfect set! The struggle I always came across was that either the top was too cropped, something was see through or the set was really fun but not something I would actually wear out in public. Luckily this cute set from Forever21 ended up coming back in stock and I bought it right away! The key with sets is to find the option where you can buy the top and the bottom separately. I wasn’t sure about my size so I ended up buying the top in two sizes. I’m honestly super happy I did because I ended up picking the larger of the two. The great part about sets is that you can style them so many different ways which I wanted to share with you all below!

Look One

The first and simplest way to wear the two pieces is together. They were literally made for each other and so it is pretty much guaranteed that they will look cute together. Kind of like a romper or a dress except that it is cute in half so you don’t always have to wear it as your whole outfit.

Look Two

Another way I styled this set was by pairing the top with jeans and a hat. It is a great way to transform the outfit for fall and you can easily add a sweater or jacket if it is cold that day. The funny thing is that seeing this outfit alone, you would have no idea that the top is part of a matching set. It really just looks like a cute top that you paired jeans with. When picking out bottoms, I made sure to choose ones with a similar rise. The shorts are high waisted so I paired the top with my high waisted jeans so the hem would hit at a similar spot.

Look Three

The third outfit I created was using just the shorts. i paired them with a neutral colored top since there is already a pattern on the shorts. Although I could have added a different crop top, it can be hard to find one where the hem hits in the same spot with the high waisted shorts. I love crop tops but I like when the do not actually end up showing my stomach. To avoid this problem, I picked a longer tank top and just tucked it into the shorts.

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