Brandi Kimberly Style

March 8, 2017

HOW TO PACK YOUR CARRY ON LUGGAGE

Do you have trouble packing for a vacation? Sometimes it’s mind-boggling! In this post, I will provide great tips on How to Pack Your Carry on Luggage!

We all love a little getaway from time to time! I love going on little adventures and exploring new places. Spring Break is here so it is time for a vacation! As some of you may know, my husband and I recently left South Korea and we are on a journey to our new home in the United States- (more details on that later). Now, let’s Pack for a vacation!

Before You Pack

You should always pack your suitcase according to your trip. In order to pack smart, ask yourself the following questions:

Are you going on a vacation?
Is this a business trip?
Are you visiting friends or family?
Are you going on vacation?
How long is the trip?
How many destinations are there?
Is it somewhere warm?
Will it be cold?
Where are you staying?
Is there a pool at your hotel?
Do you plan on going to the pool/beach?
Will there be lots of walking?
Is it a road trip?
Will you be flying?

You need to know the full itinerary of the trip before you can pick out the necessities you will bring with you.

Personally, no matter how hard I try to pack light. I always bring a ton of stuff with me unless I am going on a 1-2 day trip! It’s almost like I need to move my whole wardrobe with me. *My Husband 100% agrees with that statement!

I’ve learned to organize my plans so that I can pack as lightly as possible. This way I can shop while on vacation and create room to come back with more stuff!

About The Luggage!

This luggage set is from Target. It is great because it comes with everything you need.

This set contains a Lager Suitcase to add a few more outfits and shoes into. It also creates room to come back with souvenirs!

It has a Duffle Bag to use as a carry on luggage, perfect for flying. I love how it has wheels.

There is also large Tote Bag to use as a purse to put my laptop, my passport and snacks into.

Lastly, the Makeup Bag is nifty so that I can put all of my makeup into but I decided to use it as a hygiene bag instead.

What To Bring:

You always want to have at least two-three days worth of clothes in this suitcase. A Carry On Bag is supposed to be filled with essentials just incase you cant get to your other bags right away.

You may pack a variation of two pairs of pants, two tops, and a dress; like I have done so with my carry-on bag. Any variation is fine; you just want to try to minimize your packing as best as you can.

Other items to put into your Carry On Luggage:

Hygiene Kit- Pictured, are Beauty Products I use daily
Jewelry- I use a zip lock bag because I don’t have a jewelry organizer
Extra Makeup
Camera – As a blogger, I need to travel with both my laptop and camera
Computer Charger
At least 5 days worth of undergarments
1 set of Pajamas
1 Bathing suit – if it fits your plans
& a Hot Tool – I always need to bring one

Your Carry On Tote can be your purse or Laptop bag, just make sure you have the following items on hand.

Your Wallet
Passport
Headphones- to watch movies or listen to music
Cell Phone
Cell Phone Charger
Laptop
Makeup bag- I linked some of my favorites down below!
Snacks- to get you through the flight

In conclusion, make sure you know your itinerary before you start packing! What are some other necessities that are important to you when you travel? Feel free to comment with your ideas below!

Shop My Outfit!

Luggage & Other Featured Items!

Beauty Products I Love!

Happy Spring Break!

-Brandi Kimberly

March 5, 2017

Spring Trends That I Am Currently Craving

What Spring trends are you currently craving?
Spring is less than a month away! We can all agree that we are so ready to hang up those bulky coats and bust out the cute flirty tops and open-toe shoes. Spring Trends are my absolute favorite because of how feminine and elegant they are.
Listed, are some of my favorite trends for Spring 2017 down below along with so many cute items to shop for!

1. Off The Shoulder

2. Dramatic Sleeves

3. Ruffles

4. Statement Jewelry

My Outfit (Spring Trend)

This ruffled pioneer top is from Target, shop it here. I am really loving their Who What Wear line, they have the cutest stuff. I’ve been out of the loop with Target for a year and I am excited to be back because it is one of my favorite places to shop. These gorgeous earrings are from bauble bar, they are currently $18, find them here. They only have the pink ones left but they would be great for spring.

This Springs It-Shoes & Details!

So, I did it! I jumped on the bandwagon for these beautiful Steve Madden espadrilles. I got these at DSW and you can shop them here, I have a feeling these will be my go-to items of the season. Did I also mention that these sandals are an exact dupe of last season’s CHLOE espadrilles?! Also, my Michael Kors Tote is on sale at Bluefly for $149.00 Check it out here!

About the Fit:

Top- Med – True to Size

Pants- Size 8 – True to Size

Espadrilles- Size 8- True to Size

Status Update

I am enjoying my time in Chicago! Actually, I am exploring the outskirts of Chicago. I recently had my hair, nails, and toes done! I haven’t been pampered like that in so long.

Cheers & enjoy your week!

-Brandi Kimberly

Shop My Outfit

March 3, 2017

Shop Off The Shoulder Tops + Life Update

My spring obsession for the season is Off The Shoulder Tops! I loved them last spring and I am excited to see that they have made an appearance once again! The peasant-style OTS tops are my favorite. I snagged this OTS top at the Post Exchange but I linked similar tops and OTS tops that I am crushing on, down below.

Don’t you just love the pop of coral that these bauble bar earrings add to this outfit? Get the exact earrings on sale right here! They are only $18.00.

Let’s not forget this adorable leopard clutch from Purple Peridot. Shop this exact clutch here! This clutch is only $26.99 or you can check out the links to similar ones I listed down below.

Life Update

I moved! I am no longer living in South Korea. As some of you may know, I was living in Korea for a year with my husband. We did a bit of traveling while we were there, you can read about our adventures here and here! Unfortunately, my job kept me too busy for all the traveling I wanted to do outside of the peninsula.

*These Fashion Photos were taken during our last few days in South Korea!

I would also like to announce that I am now finished with school just in time for Spring Break & I have completed my Bachelors’s degree with UIW! I graduate this spring so I will do a separate post on that. Lastly, I have a job advancement coming my way too so stay tuned for the details.

Are you guys just as obsessed with OTS Top as I am? I can’t get enough of them!

Thanks for stopping by

Brandi Kimberly

Shop Links Below!

Similar Tops

OTS Tops

Leopard Clutches

Fun Earrings (Bauble Bar) & Booties

February 25, 2017

Why You Should Create Your Own Website For Your Fashion Blog

If fashion blogging is something you secretly want to do, do it! Stop making excuses, and don’t hold yourself back. I also mentioned in my previous blog about the watch repairs I had and the great experience to recommend.

If you’re afraid of rejection or failing, don’t be! The blogging community is amazing and I encourage you to follow your dreams because you don’t know what you are cable of creating until you go out and do it!

I’ve been blogging for about two years facing a ton of rejection. At times I become discouraged but I’ve learned to channel it and turn it into determination. Even to this day, I go back to the drawing board and create a new plan with goals to turn all of my No’s into Yes!

For more tips, check out my How To Fashion Blog series – ‘Fashion Blogging For Beginners: The Mistakes I Made Starting My Fashion Blog.’ In this post, I am going to talk about how:

– I did not decide on a Blogging Platform (creating my own website), from the very beginning

So let get to it!

WordPress.0rg vs. Your Own Website

This is not exactly a mistake, however; I feel like it has set me back from my own blogging goals. If you are following my How To Fashion Blog series then you know that I started my fashion blog venture with a free account on WordPress.org. This is an amazing site however, it is recommended that you promote your brand by creating your own website for the following reasons:

Having your own website will give you more freedom with the ability to customize your blog and many other possibilities.

Google won’t rank your blog if you do not have your own website and if you wish to monetize your blog, you want that Google ranks you so that people will find your little blog in the infinite sea of websites.

Having your own website will allow you to put as much content on it as you like.

Overall, having your own website is far better to manage and get recognition with. Getting ranked by Google is easier said than done. I am still working towards that goal and trying to master the art of SEO.

If you ladies have any suggestions, I am all ears!

If you are looking for just the basics than WordPress.com is the perfect platform for you. With WordPress.com (the free version), I had everything I needed to put myself out to the public as a Fashion Blogger because they have a great blogging community to connect with.

Creating Your Own Website

If you decided to get your own website there are many domain hosts to choose from. I am using is godaddy.com. I had to pay a pretty penny for my domain and hosting but it is for the whole year and it is so worth it. There are other hosting sites you can look up like Bluehost– I recommend this one for Fashion Blogging the most.

Make sure that when you choose a title for your blog and choose a domain address that it is the one you want to keep for years and years to come. One of the downsides to getting my own website is the fact that I do not know a lot about web design. I am learning through YouTube videos and by playing with the customized features of my website.

Switching My WebSite

Switching my blog to my own platform and having to start all over again was not easy, I left the blogging community that WordPress.com offered and started posting on a website that no one ever visited.

How do you get people to start reading your blog? If you guys have any helpful tips, feel free to share them by commenting below!

To be perfectly honest, I have owned my own website for a year and 3 months and I just started receiving some traffic on it.

Point is, I wish I would have started my own website from the beginning because it would have saved me more time and it would have saved me from having to build up my site all over again.

I hope that this post has instilled some insight into Fashion Blogging for all of you who are new to the fashion blogging world.

If you ladies have any more suggestions and input please share your knowledge by commenting below!

Keep Chasing your Dreams!

-Brandi Kimberly

Shop This Look by clicking on the pictures below:

February 19, 2017

What is Like to Know it? + How to use it!

Sometimes the perfect Friday night consists of cozy pajamas, wine & online shopping! Online shopping is one of my favorite past-time activities!

I have mentioned before that getting into the Reward Style Program was one of my biggest goals as a Blogger; I’ve talked about it here and here

Now it has finally happened! *High Five*

I am overjoyed because shopping my Instagram and blog is now even better. How? Well, let me tell you!

I am going to break it down for you step by step!

Go to http://liketoknow.it/login You have the option to watch the video below and see how it all works. Signing up is easy, trust me!

Go to Instagram and Like any photos that have a #liketoknowit link in the caption.

Details of my outfit and similar items will be emailed directly to you! Click on the items you wish to shop and the link will take you straight to the product

If you don’t have Instagram, NO WORRIES! You can still shop items here on the blog or by going to my Like to Know it website at: http://liketoknow.it/cutebrandik

Wasn’t that Easy?!

Follow other bloggers with the Like to Know it feature and it will make your online shopping life a whole lot easier, trust me!

How many of you already use Like to Know it? For all of the fashion babes that just learned about this wonderful program, I hope that this post helps! If you guys have any questions feel free to leave a comment below!

Have a relaxing long weekend!

-Brandi Kimberly

Shop Exact Earrings and Similar Items Here!

February 17, 2017

5 Dresses For Spring That I Am Currently Crushing On

Today, I am sharing 5 Dresses For Spring!! I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready to trade in my coat for a sundress. I have Spring Fever and I am over this cold. Another reason why I am so anxious for spring is that I am about to finally graduate with my Bachelor’s Degree in Business! I have worked so hard for so long, 3 more weeks! Years of a full-time job and coming home to work on my assignments. This journey took me a minute but I finally did it! It is such a celebratory moment for me. I am beyond excited to finally reach this milestone.

Dress Shopping

Due to the graduation excitement, I am in search of the perfect dress like these 2024 long black prom dress styles for this occasion. I decided to share a few dresses that have potential. All of these are from Nordstrom, let me know what you guys think! I love the dresses at Nordstrom. Nordstrom has become one of my go-to stores for shopping.

Sharing 5 Dresses For Spring I found

I am aiming for a red dress because my cap and gown will be black! A pink or white dress will do too! Do you guys have any ideas or suggestions? Feel free to comment below! These dresses that I linked down below will be perfect for any spring occasion. I can see them being worn as a guest to a spring wedding, a fancy baby shower. These dresses will work for Easter or Mothers Day, so many possibilities!
-Brandi Kimberly

Click on the pictures below to shop!