Cassie DeNisco

New Posts Weekly

Fall Outfit Trends I Love

I can hardly believe that fall is here! I love fall fashion because of the warmer colors and layering of outfits. Overall, fall is seriously my favorite time of year and the fashion just adds to it. I thought it would be fun for me to share my favorite and go to fall outfit trends for this fall!

Leather

fall outfit trends

I love breaking out my leather jacket for fall. It’s seriously the perfect accessory to throw on with any outfit. It gives you an edgy vibe but keeps you warm enough on a cool night. My biggest tip for a leather jacket is to really invest is one. Mine is from Topshop and was pricy but I have had it for many seasons and absolutely love it.

Statement Jackets

fall outfit trends

There is nothing I love more than a statement jacket. They are my go to fall piece no matter the outfit. I find it so important to make sure I have jackets that I love because they can really make an outfit in colder weather. This jacket is from Lulus and I am literally obsessed with using it to dress up or dress down an outfit.

Good Shoes

fall outfit trends

I am a sucker for a good pair of booties in the fall. They add to any outfit and are so comfy. If it were up to me, I would wear booties all year round because they are the perfect accessory. These are from Old Navy and I would check them out for a lot of your fall outfit trends because they are super affordable.

Basics

One area that I feel like everyone lacks in is there basics. Basics are a year round staple and it’s important to build up that collection before you even get into the fall outfit trends. I like to buy my basics from places like Aritiza or even Target because you just want pieces that you can transition into any season. You can shop this crop top here!

I hope my fall outfit trends post inspires you to build up your wardrobe of basics and trendier pieces. Fall is such a fun time of year because you can really play around with layers. It’s also not too hot so you can get creative with whatever you want to wear!

Check out more posts like these here!

My Princess Polly Review

As the fall weather starts to creep in, I wanted to start building up my fall wardrobe. Princess Polly is a site that I have always wanted to order from but for some reason just didn’t. I finally placed my first order and thought I would share my Princess Polly Review with you!

As you can tell from this haul, I like the color black. It truly is one of my go to colors especially in the fall so I wanted some nicer going out shirts which is what I got. Princess Polly reminds me of an elevated Forever 21. The prices are slightly higher but so is the quality of the clothes. Overall, Princess Polly also is pretty inexpensive for the trendy pieces it sells.

I purchased 5 things and only spent $280 dollars which isn’t bad. I also paid for the fastest shipping so that things would come in like 2 days later.

Ariah Long Sleeve

The first shirt I got was the Ariah long sleeve in black. I usually am a size 6 or 8 but I sized up in pretty much everything which I’m glad I did. The cut of this top is super flattering and it’s great to pair with a skirt or jeans depending where you’re wearing it.

princess polly review

Elouise Crop Top

I love this Elouise crop! This is literally the perfect casual to dressy top because it’s easy to pair with anything. I will note this top is not the greatest for larger chest gals. I just fit into this top even in the bigger size and I don’t have the largest chest.

princess polly review

Jamison Reid Crop

You’re probably shocked I have something white in this princess polly review. This top is so flowy and cute. Again, not the best for people with a larger chest because it doesn’t have any support at all. I paired this with jeans when I wore it and it was the most effortless look.

Charvi Mini

This dress literally wow’ed me when I tried it on. The material is actually pretty stretchy which makes this dress the best little black dress. I also think that for the price, this is the perfect staple piece to have in your closet.

Cottage Hill Mini

On to the only item I returned, this pink dress. It was just not it. I felt like there was almost too much material for it to look as good as it does on the model in the size I ordered. Definitely wasn’t in love with the color because on line it looks pink but it was much more muted and almost nude in person.

princess polly review

One of my major take aways is to order up if you are unsure. I am so glad that I sized up because most of the pieces I would have had to reorder. I think it might have been my own fault with the pink dress but other than that I was super happy with my Princess Polly order!

If you liked posts like these, check out my other hauls here!

At Home Gel Nail Polish Tips & Tricks

Last fall I shared my powder gel polish review but recently I’ve been more obsessed with the simple regular gel polish. I have finally found a good mix of tricks and products to give you the best at home gel nail polish mani or pedi so I’m going to share with you all my secrets.

Nail Prep

The first step is always to remove my old polish and then cut, file, and push back my nail beds. I use this kit from Amazon that has everything I need for this stage. I also make sure to buff out my nails very well. This is probably the most important step so that the polish will adhere and last longer.

Polish

at home gel polish

I actually randomly found these brands on Amazon but they work really well. This base and top coat set is not only inexpensive but also lasts. I usually can go about a week and a half with the polish on. This gel brand, Aimeili, is great because they have colors and have a nice formula. I feel like the polish is the perfect mix and not to thick or runny.

UV Lamp

at home gel polsih

This lamp is honestly what has made such a difference for me. I had a light before this and it was not nearly as powerful as this one is. Not only does this light have different time settings, it’s also big enough for your whole hand to go in at one time. After I cure my base coat, I go in with two coats of my color and finish off with my top coat.

My at home gel nail polish is seriously that simple. I love having my nails done but one thing that this pandemic has taught me is I value my time more. I’ll still get a professional mani pedi for a big occasion but for the other times, I’ll do it at home so I’m comfy and not wasting 2 hours of my day.

I hope this post gave you a few good recommendations to start your at home nail journey. It took me awhile to get good at doing my own nails but once you get the hang of it, you might never go back!

Shop these products:

Dog Treat Brands I Love

I am back again with another post dedicated to our furry friends. Sky is almost 2 1/2 years old and it has literally taken that long to find dog treat brands that I love and trust. She is my first dog on my own so I was starting from scratch when finding products to use.

I’m sharing my top two dog treat brands that are awesome products to feed your pet. One of my major determining factors when choosing treats is if I know all of the products that go into it. The other factor is having minimal ingredients. If I wouldn’t eat it myself, I would never give it to my dog!

Bocce’s Bakery

This brand I actually found on a whim. I was searching through the pet store and just couldn’t find treats that I felt comfortable giving my pup. Once I found this brand, I was instantly obsessed. I was drawn to these in particular beause I knew every single ingredient that was in them and the ingredient list wasn’t long.

The range of treats that Bocce’s is coming out with is also amazing. They have everything from training treats to dog biscuits as well as new wellness lines that they are coming out with. Sky loves literally every kind of treat from them so they get a 5/5 rating from us!

Sky loves these Market Greens bones! Shop them here.

dog treat brands

Full Moon Dog Treats

I absolutely love Full Moon because they are human grade. This is so important to me because I want Sky to be eating quality foods that don’t have weird hidden ingredients. Not only are they human grade but they often have like 1-3 ingredients, the first being the meat.

Sky loves these and so do I. Some of their products are even organic which is another plus in my eyes. They have a wide range of flavors like chicken and duck so you’re sure to find something your pup will love.

Sky is obsessed with these Organic Chicken Sticks! Shop them here.

dog treat brands

With any set of nutrition facts, you always want the first ingredient to be the ingredient the product is supposed to be. This ensures that the largest amount of the product is the ingredient you want it to be and not fillers.

I know this post was short and sweet but that’s how I like to keep Sky’s diet. I’ve tried so many treats with her but keep coming back to these brands because of how great they are. This post was not sponsored so all of these reviews are my own!

If you’re interested in more dog treat posts, check out my homemade dog treat recipe!

Tips for Getting into a Fitness Routine

With summer now over, I find myself wanting to get back into my fitness routine. I usually am much more laid back with workouts during the summer months, really only doing what feels good. Now that I am back into work mode after a relaxing summer, I wanted to share my tips for getting back in to my fitness routine!

1. Cute Workout Clothes

I swear this is a bigger tip than it may seem. I am most motivated to workout when I have something I feel confident. Workout clothes really help not only the workout but showing up for the workout. When I have something fun and cute to wear, I am most likely going to be excited for the workout and keep coming back. I love Amazon for workout clothes. This tank here came in a 4 pack for only 28.99!

fitness routine

2. Pre/Post Workout Snack

fitness routine

I must say, waking up and having my pre workout meal is something I really look forward to. I like to workout mid morning during my lunch break so I love to make a morning smoothie. You can check out my morning smoothie recipe here. Some people wake up and look forward to their coffee, for me I love waking up for this smoothie with my workout gear on. If your a person who workouts out later, you can have your favorite protein bar or smoothie post workout to keep you motivated through your workout.

3. Do What You Love

Let me tell you, this one took awhile to figure out. I absolutely love Melissa Wood Health pilates and yoga inspired flows. They are gentle on my body but I feel so strong after them. I seriously look forward to my workout because they are just that great. You need to find a workout program or class that you love and that excites you or else you won’t want to keep coming back to it. My Melissa Wood Health Review is live here on my site if you want to check it out!

4. Build it into your Schedule

This one is so important for me. I build my day around work and my workout. Workouts keep me energized to get through the day and my mind clear. I like to workout midday so I make sure that I find time for a workout even if it’s only 5 minutes. A little movement is better than no movement so whatever you can get in whenever you have time will make the difference. It’s all about the little consistency that will make habits for you.

5. Don’t Stress!

Missing a workout isn’t the end of the world. I’ve found you just have to listen to your body to see what works for you. I like to workout Monday-Friday and if I’m feeling it, I’ll do a Saturday or Sunday workout too. If I miss one day, I don’t get myself worked up or down because it’s not a huge deal. For me, it’s all about listening to your own body and doing whatever you can to form healthy habits.

I hope these tips for getting into a fitness routine helped you. My perception of working out has really shifted as I’ve gotten older. It’s more about the habit as opposed to the actual work out. You can workout once or twice but until you get a habit formed of working out a few times a week, you won’t stick with it.

For me, these tips have helped me get into my own fitness routine and keep it going all year long. Let me know some of your fitness routine tips in the comments below!

My Veggie Couscous Bowl for Back to School

This recipe is seriously one of my favorites to meal prep. My veggie couscous bowl is so easy to make and reheats well so I love to make this at the beginning of the week. Another great part of this recipe is you can really choose any veggies you like. I picked sweet potato, zucchini, and tomato because they’re my favorite but you can use whatever you like. Here’s my veggie couscous bowl recipe!

veggie couscous bowl

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato

2 tomatoes

2 zucchini

1 box of couscous (I like instant)

Olive oil

Thyme

Paprika

veggie couscous bowl

Directions:

  1. First preheat your oven to 425 then I start chopping up all of my veggies. I dice them into about 1 inch pieces so that they don’t cook down to small.
  2. I prepare 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and place the sweet potatoes on one with a sprinkle of paprika. On the other I put my tomatoes and zucchini with a sprinkle of thyme.
  3. Bake the zucchini and tomato tray until soft for about 15 minutes. The sweet potatoes will need to be in longer for about 25 to get soft.
  4. While everything is baking, I follow the directions on the instant couscous box and then let it sit until my veggies are ready.
  5. Once everything is cooked to how I like it, I stir together and I’m all set!

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was such an easy recipe. The instant couscous seriously makes life easier because you don’t even have to do much to it. I like this as back to school or work meal because it’s somewhat healthy and gives you all the nutrients you need to continue on with your day.

Let me know in the comment if you loved this recipe! Subscribe to the blog for more recipes like these!

Follow me on Pinterest!

My Dyson Air Wrap Tutorial

I am back again talking all about my Dyson air wrap! Today I am sharing a Dyson air wrap tutorial. This post is about which attachments I use and how I achieve my go to style. I mention in my previous Dyson post that it takes awhile to learn how to use this but once you do, you life is changed! Keep reading to see how I style my hair.

Step 1: Damp Hair

This I find is the most important step. You really can’t just hop out of the shower and try to style your hair. You have to let it dry a bit first before you do anything else. Be sure to use your favorite heat protectant to protect your hair!

Step 2: Brush Attachment

Before the air wrap, I was the gal who straightened her hair before she curled it. With that in mind, it should be no surprise that I use the brush attachment to straighten and dry my hair before I get into the styling. This brush attachment leaves your hair literally so soft and smooth. Most of the time I’ll just stop here. I often don’t need a full on blow out so this still dries my hair and gives it a little style on days I just need to get out of the door.

Step 3 A: Air Wrap Attachment

I decided to mention this attachment because I use it but not often. I originally got the air wrap for this attachment but I just don’t like it as much as I thought I would. The curls this produces don’t hold for me regardless of what I do so my hair just ends up falling after all the work I put into it. I think this attachment would be better on less fine hair so try it out for yourself and see.

Step 3 B: Round Brush Attachment

The round brush attachment has changed my life. I didn’t even use this one in the beginning until I watched a Tik Tok on it. This won’t give you curls but will give you literally the best blowout ever. I am so obsessed with this attachment. Sometimes I’ll quickly go in with this on my bangs to give them some curl and body. Other times I’ll actually wrap all my pieces up and use it as a real curler. Not only does this give you the perfect blowout, it also makes it so easy to do. I never blow dried my hair because it was so hard but this attachment has made it so easy!

I know this post was short and sweet but so many of you asked for it! You wanted a breakdown of exactly how and what I use for the Dyson so I hope this helps. I know it’s a huge investment but for me it really has replaced all of my other hot tools.

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on the Dyson air wrap tutorial and if you have a favorite attachment!

My Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

As summer begins to wind down, I thought sharing my favorite chicken noodle soup recipe is fitting. I love the chillier weather that comes with fall and my go to dinner is usually a soup. I am obsessed with this chicken noodle soup recipe because it’s delicious and filling! Here’s how I make it:

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked rotisserie chicken

1 can of sliced carrots

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 white onion chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2-3 tablespoons of garlic (i love more garlic)

8 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 package of egg noodles

Directions

  1. I start by heating a large pot with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I then place the onions in and sauté until cooked down then add the garlic and carrots and cook until fragrant.
  2. Add the 8 cups of broth, cooked chicken, potatoes and spices to pot and cook for 30 minutes on a simmer covered.
  3. After 30 minutes, I remove the lid and cook uncovered for 10 more minutes with the uncooked noodles. You really just have to make sure the potatoes are soft enough for you and that you boil the noodles to your liking.

This is literally one of my favorite chicken noodle soup recipes because I cheat and use rotisserie chicken. It makes life so easy and the soup I swear tastes better. Rotisserie chicken is a serious life hack because you can get it and use it so many different ways throughout the week!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious chicken noodle soup recipe. Weather you’re trying it out this summer or holding off until the fall, let me know how you liked it! Soup is always a favorite meal of mine because of just how easy it is to make and how yummy it tastes every time!

You can see more recipes of mine here!

How I Use my Day Designer Planner

With the summer half over, I thought now would be the perfect time to share how I use my day designer planner. Back to school is right around the corner. There is no other time like the present to get your stuff together. This is going to be a bit of a mix of why I love Day Designer and how I use it.

If you know me, I am a huge planner. My resolution this year was actually to go paper less but that just didn’t work out. I need to write things down so that I remember them and see them. My go to planner is the Day Designer Weekly Academic Planner. I have tried so many planners and this is the one that perfectly fits my lifestyle.

The first step in my planning journey is to fill out the month calendar. I like to do this either a few days before the new month or on the start of the new month. I write down all of the events I know of and my work schedule so that there is no need to wonder what goes on. This post is written in July so I don’t have much other then work and a grad party on the calendar!

day designer planner

After I have everything written on the month, I go in to each week and re-add the events the day they take place. This helps to keep me in the loop each day of what is going on. It also ensures I won’t forget anything.

For each week, I actually won’t plan it out until the week of. I sit on a Monday and fill out each day with the tasks I want to get done. Sometimes I will pre-write these things down if I know they are coming up. I use my planner as almost an organized sticky note. I make to-do lists for each day and also have the bigger things like work and events too.

Because this post was prepared in June and I didn’t want to write out my whole July to do list yet, I included this picture of my previous planner. This is a day designer mini. When I was in college, this was literally my favorite type of planner. I liked how each day had the times so I could block off what I was doing when.

day designer planner

Now that I am out of school and working for myself, I need to see the whole week. It’s important to just write down a list of tasks. I also needed more room which is why I went up to the next size day designer. I also rarely use the top 3 sections so it was a waste.

If I know anything about planners, its that you really have to try them for yourself. I could tell you all day why I love Day Designer but you just wouldn’t know until you try it. This is what works best for my lifestyle and how I like to plan. It might not work for you but you never know until you try!

Let me know in the comments below how you like to plan.. are you a paper planner or a digital one?

You can read my other planning posts here.

My September Favorites

Here is my monthly September Favorites video! This month I put together everything that I love from the month for this September favorites. Let me know in the comments below if you have any September favorites.

Check out my last post here!

Follow me:

Instagram @cassiedenisco

Facebook Cassie DeNisco

Twitter @cassiedenisco

Pinterest @cassiedenisco

Tik Tok @skythefrenchgirl

Website www.cassiedenisco.com