Ready for the 4th?

1. Paddles  2. Sunglasses 3. Socks 4. Skirt  5. Towel 6. Swimsuit  7. Headwrap  8. Phone Case 9. Converse 10. Cut-Off Shorts 11. NY Tank 12. Leather Handbag 
13. Platforms

Time to get patriotic with America's favorite holiday: 4th of July!  The TSS team got together and compiled our favorite red, white, and blue items!  Everybody needs some patriotic ensembles to represent for America, so we were obsessed when we found these cute shorts from Singer22.com. Pair that with a plain white tee and some converse and you'll be star-spangle bannered out! Since we're all headed somewhere hot to celebrate the 4th, we knew that bathing suits and sunglasses during the day would be a necessity. Wildfox has the cutest bathing suits like the one you see above. Pair that with a patriotic beach towel, and you will be fit for the occasion on the beach or at the pool. To keep the patriotic party going at night, match this cute skirt from Top Shop with these pretty red, white, and blue platforms and the Rebecca Minkoff MAC Bag from ShopBop to tie the whole outfit together.

However way you decide to look on the 4th, make sure you're rocking the red, white, and blue!

Happy 4th of July!

A Patriotic Dessert

We always love a good delicious recipe, especially when it is a healthier version, making you feel less guilty with each bite. One of our favorite foodies and bloggers, Arantha of Gourmet Beauty, shares with us her adapted recipe of the yummy skinny red, white, and blue lemon cheesecake cups. These treats are perfect for the upcoming patriotic holiday! Thank you Arantha!

Skinny Red, White,  & Blue Lemon Cheesecake Cups

Adapted from Skinny Taste 

Ingredients

12 reduced fat Nilla Wafers

8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt

2 large egg whites

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tbsp all purpose flour

strawberries sliced thinly

blueberries

powdered sugar

Directions

 

Step One: Heat oven to 350°.
Step Two: Line cupcake tin with liners. Place a vanilla wafer at the bottom of each liner.

Step Three: Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest and flour. Do not over beat. Pour into cupcake liners filling half way.

Step Four: Bake 15-20 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature. Chill a few hours in the refrigerator.  Top with fresh berries before serving and sprinkle some powdered sugar on top if desired.

Enjoy!

Check out more of Gourmet Beauty's healthy recipes on her site now. What's your favorite dessert to whip up during the 4th of July?  

It Girl Interns Trend Report: Patriotic

It may be June, but we're counting down the days until we can celebrate one of our favorite holidays: The 4th of July! With this patriotic holiday just around the corner, we asked our It Girl Interns what patriotic pieces inspired them and we couldn't get enough of their red, white, and blue choices. Marisa's favorite patriotic piece of clothing is her American Eagle Outfitters "Hope and Peace" shirt. Pair that with some cute jean shorts and a Swanky Doll Couture red, white, and blue bow and you have Serena's favorite patriotic look. For Victoria, she opts for the red, white, and blue color scheme in her patriotic wardrobe as she pairs a beautiful blue dress from TJ Maxx with a nice red belt and the good old American flag. Cristina loves to rock the stars in her star-spangled banner swimsuit. What's patriotism without some homemade American apple pie?! Avery's favorite way to show her patriotic spirit is by baking a delicious homemade American apple pie... yum!

What red, white, and blue pieces inspire you for this 4th of July?

Hey Sailor

Photography: aMaes Photography
{On Ali} Blazer: Forever 21 (similar here).  Tank: Forever 21, old.  Shorts: Urban Outfitters.  Necklace: Forever 21 (similar here).  Hat: Amazon.  Sunglasses: Ray Ban.  {On Sakura} Dress: H&M (similar here).  Shoes: Sperry.  {On Karen} Jacket: Forever 21.  Tank: H&M (similar here).  Shoes: Sperry.  Lips: Make Up Forever.  Sunglasses: Jimmy Choo.

Hey there, sailor.  This week, we're getting back to the nautical basics: classic prep, classic Americana.  We're feeling the red, white & blue spirit, topped off with some gold touches and bold stripes.  While we were at it, we decided to have some fun playing up the look with accessories.  Sakura picked an oversized hair bow, and Ali wore her captain hat (yes, she wore it for Halloween one year-- but why not).  Shorts pair nicely with tailored jackets, and short hemlines pair nicely with... Sperrys!  Yes, both Karen & Sakura showed up to our photo shoot rocking the exact same pair of metallic boating shoes.  Great minds think alike!  Another thing we all agree on?  You can't go wrong with all-American preppy style.

Opposites Attract

Jacket: Urban Outfitters (similar here).  Shirt: Chloe K (similar here).  Jeans: H&M.  Lipgloss: Victoria's Secret.

Black & white is our go-to when we want to look polished.  It's chic, crisp, and looks great for any occasion.  Our TSS It Girl, Rachel, sure knows how to rock the look!  We love how she paired these basic staple pieces to create her ensemble.  The style is complete with hot pink lips (we love her Victoria's Secret lipgloss!) to add a dash of color.  When it comes to black & white, opposites sure do attract!

Contrast

Blazer: Thml Clothing (sold out, similar here and here).  Tee: Splendid.  Jeans: J Brand.  Hat: New Era.  Sunglasses: Ray Ban.  Shoes: Forever 21 (old, similar here).  Belt: Nordstrom (similar here).  Lipstick: Revlon Really Red.

Spring 2013 is white hot!  One of our favorite trends for the season is the classic black & white combo.  It's effortlessly chic, and looks extra polished when worn in the form of a structured blazer.  Black denim is one of our top staple items, as we talked about in the boho leopard post.  Wearing black and white together is a bold contrast that makes a statement.  But, we wanted to make the look even more of a contrast.  We paired a grown-up piece (the blazer) with an unexpected piece (the hat).  With a personal touch, the outfit becomes your own!  What spring trend are you most excited to wear?

We also found a super cute white blazer from Boutique To You, which is perfect for this look!  Use our promo code SECRET15 for an extra 15% off of your purchase.