Safe Tanning Tips|| a collab with Cinci Prep

Happy Spring break season my lovelies! I am super exciting to be collabing with my best friend over at Cinci Prep, Miss. Carly June! Carly is doing a spring break braid ideas post and that's live right now so go check it out! As for my post we're going to be going through some tips and tricks for save tanning this spring break and summer! Everyone loves having that gorgeous glowy skin that is perfectly bronzed but we have to make sure that we are taking to proper precautions to assure that we are not harming ourselves in the process. Skin Cancer is very serious but it is 100% preventable! Tanning is the process of your skin protecting itself, think of it like this you skin cells open tiny little umbrellas that protect you from the harmful UV! Now without further due let's get into some strategy to defend ourselves from those harmful UV rays while still gaining that glow this season!

 SUN SCREEN

I have been so stubborn my whole life about sunscreen until recently. My mom used to have to beg me to put on sun screen but now it's like second nature! I recommend the sports sunscreen because it stays on while you swim and also when you sweat! It's a very common misunderstanding that wearing sun screen will prevent you from gaining a tan but that is false! If you however do want to amp up your tanning you can add a tanning oil or accelerator on top of your sun screen!

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

The duration you are out in the sun obviously has a say in your tan but how much time is too much time to just be sitting under the sun?  Usually a 30-45 minute period of direct sunlight is plenty for your body but we all know that going on vacation means that we are going to lay in the sun as long as possible. BUT you need to make sure that you are taking breaks indoors to give your skin a break, this is where sun burn comes into play. You literally are frying your own skin in the sun. YUCK!

ALTERNATIVES

Now, while you may be able to tan outside for a certain amount of time each day you can always build your tan with some healthier options such as tanning lotions or even the occasional spray tan. These alternatives are good to use because they cause no harm to your skin! But make sure that whatever you are doing it is the right shade because we all know the fear behind the self tanner and being the color of a carrot for the next two weeks.

I hope this gives everyone a little bit more knowledge about tanning and that you are all taking the proper precautions against the sun! I will talk to you guys later in the week with a new post all about Spring Break in Hilton Head and then this weekend keep and eye out for my Spring Break Haul video!!

XOXO-

Kait

I Call These My Big Girl Shoes|| how I style my new kicks

Happy Sunday to all you beautiful souls! You all know EXACTLY how I feel about Sunday mornings by now; I am in love with them. Recently I have been on Pinterest (wow shocking right, me on Pinterest?!) and I have seen these flats that I am head over heals over. They are the Steve Madden LECREW Flats. Now, I am all about making sure that I try something out before I invest in the name brand so I went ahead and purchased the Target dupe for them and I am so happy with them! I love how they instantly add this super chic, and just professional bad @$$ look to any outfit. I am saving up to buy another pair of the Steve one's probably in Red **insert heart eyes here** I have tagged a couple different dupes and the originals at the bottom of this post so I would for sure go and check them out. Today I am paring them with a cute graphic tee and some boyfriend jeans but I also know for a fact that they look good with a pair of cuffed skinnies and a cute, simple top. If you are looking for the perfect edgy addition to your wardrobe this spring I would head to your local mall/Target and pick yourself up a pair of these killer kicks!

I hope you are enjoying your Sunday!
xoxo

Kait

Steve Madden LECREW
Target (ones I am wearing)
Top Shop

Toxic Friendships- What do we do?

Its been awhile since I have had more of a personal post up so I thought that it was time! Recently I have just felt very thankful for my life. For those of you who have been following me for awhile you would know that last year I really struggled with finding friends and being happy with myself. At the start of this year I promised myself that I would never go back to the place that I was once in. I have realized a lot this year, the biggest thing being that I am so much  happier with two or three very close friends than a large group like I had always imagined. Being as I am still in high school girls are very catty and can just be downright rude. My mom has always told me that I am very mature for my age so you could guess that I really wouldn't react well with having people like that in my environment. There are these things known as a "toxic friendship" and I found myself in so many of those and looking back now I am just thinking, "why did I ever put up with that." Even now as we are getting older and older I am realizing that I still have a few toxic friendships. Everyone has their own definition of a toxic friendship but personally mine would be someone that is holding you from becoming the best version of yourself. I find that having a small group of amazing people in my life makes me so much happier than I could ever wish to be. It can be really hard to cut yourself off from these friendships because a lot of times it'll be friends that you have had for a long time or friends that you have been through a lot with. You don't need to quit them cold turkey, you need to remain cordial with them though. Everything happens for a reason and while it may be hard it will be so rewarding for yourself. Since I have been able to move myself away from the friends that were not the right person for me I am so much happier and I have realized how much the small group of amazing friends that I have mean to me, no matter what you are not alone. I know that it can be hard sometimes but life is so beautiful and oh so worth it.

Until next time,
XOXO
Kait

back in action!!

Hi loves! LONG TIME NO TALK! I am so happy to be back and blogging, I honestly missed it so much and I am so excited to be able to have the time to do what I love once again! To kick off the return I thought it would be a good way to ease back into everything with an outfit of the day post! Went shopping with my momma on our day off and got some great deals! I am wearing some Gap jeans, Gap shoes, Gap sweater and my earrings are Kendra Scott and my bag is Kate Spade!!

Talk to you real soon,

XOXO
Kait

Layers for the Season// flannels & cardigans

Tis the season...to bundle up! While we all are preparing ourselves for a cold winter I have been able to enjoy some very warm weather here in Ohio, but of course keeping in mind that its already dropped twenty degrees since this weekend. I was pairing two of my favorite winter pieces together and came up with an outfit perfect for work, school or a fun day out! Personally I feel like the hardest item in the closet to layer with is a flannel, I find it quite difficult because I am so particular with making sure that the colors fit well together and making sure that it doesnt look too bulky. So I paired this Old Navy flannel with a Gap cardigan and my J Crew Gigi pants for a fun shoot that I happened to do with my best friend Cinci Prep. I really like how simple this look is but it still looks very put together and very cute. So ready for a holiday break and to have plenty of posts. 3 more days of exams and I will be free! (for two weeks)

Hope you are all enjoying your week!

xoxo-
    kait

Goodbye Fall, Hello Winter!

Hello loves, today I will be showing you my last little post about fall which is what I wore for Thanksgiving. From now on all my posts will be winter/holiday until further notice (yay) For this lovely day of thanks I kept it simple but still a very Kait outfit. I am wearing my Gap super skinnies and I love them I wear them all the time and being 5'8 I buy my jeans from the Gap in the long style and the fit perfectly- there's just a little tip for my tall girls out there! I paired it with a JCrew top which I bought over the summer on clearance and then of course the shoes of the season my Target booties....of course. Accessories wise I just wore my aviators because it was a beautiful day and very sunny! Hope you are all having a wonderful week

xoxo-
Kait

Thankful.

The usual question "what are you thankful for?" is one that I lately have been really thinking about. Yes of course I am thankful for my family and friends but recently I really have been looking into a deeper, more meaningful answer. In today's world we really never have a lot of time to step back and truly realize how much that we have to be grateful for. However, we do have one special day a year dedicated to realizing how thankful we truly are. I don't have any pictures to go along with this post because this post isn't like a usual post here on A Dash of Kait. I have truly never felt so lucky in my entire life. I have the greatest support system that I could ever ask for and there are so many people that I am so incredibly grateful for and I feel so lucky that I have the life that I do and I take so many things for granted sometimes but lately I truly have just been so full of love and I want to share that with you and hope that you all have the same feeling. I am so thankful for all the amazing opportunities in my life right now and the best part is that everything I am accomplishing are things that I have worked for. I truly believe that anything that comes easy is not worth having. That feeling when you get that grade you wanted or you got the job or you got into the college of your dreams are all things that you work for so when they happen you just are struck with such a feeling of accomplishment. Sometimes life is hard though, we all have times when we really just want to give up and quit but its pushing yourself through the times like that which really show you how strong you are and how much you are willing to work for what you want. I know that this is ranty and quite rambly but I just want all of you to be inspired this holiday season and remember that you can literally do ANYTHING that you put your mind to because you are so able and that is so cool to think about and I guess that is what I am so incredibly thankful for this season.

Until later,
xoxo
Kait