Archives for June 2021

7 Summer Trends to Replace Your Loungewear

Who else is ready to ditch the loungewear more often and get dressed up again? Need a wardrobe update but not sure what to wear or where to start?

I am with you. Most of us haven’t been getting dressed up in almost a year – and I am ready! That is why I am so excited to share seven summer trends to swap your loungewear for in 2021.

Stripes

Stripes are the print of the summer and I’m seeing them everywhere, from bold ones to tiny stripes. It’s a classic and timeless pattern and so chic.

Beach Outfits and Bikinis

Something flowy is perfect for both lunch dates with friends and as an easy coverup over any swimsuit.

I wore this seafoam green cut-out maxi dress to Palm Beach on my recent vacation with girlfriends. It was perfect for the tropical weather!

I love a pretty feminine bikini and this black lace is a timeless style. It comes in white and red too and a few different styles in the top, including a halter.

girl with Gucci raffia bag and lace swimsuit

I bought this Prada raffia bag for myself as a birthday present in St. Barts. It’s the perfect size for a little carry all to the beach or as an everyday bag.

Little White Dresses

If you have been following me a while, then you know I love dresses. It’s my favorite outfit because it’s one and done – and it’s so girly and feminine!

The little white dress is everywhere this summer. Dress it up with or pair of heels or wedges or wear some low-key footwear – like sneakers or slides. Mini, midi or maxi – they are all the rage this season!

Sadly this white one I wore in Palm Beach is sold out! But I linked some similar to this – which would all look good dressed down too.

Pastels

Pastel colors are such a beautiful way of embracing color for the summer. It’s a fun way of being creative and looking chic at the same time.

This flowy lavender dress with pockets would be perfect for a wedding, baby shower or fancy Sunday brunch. It’s sold out in this color but available in about 5 other colors. I’m wearing an xxs, I’m 5’2″.

Puffy Sleeves

They are all over the place – on tops and dresses and I’m so here for it! It’s such a feminine style and looks good on everyone.

I love a puffy sleeve top tucked into jeans. Casual and versatile – you can wear tops like this to lunch with friends or even to the office. This pink eyelet top and white jeans are from Express and are currently on major sale! (The top runs big size down. I’m wearing an xxs.)

The Chloe pink flats have been one of my favorites to wear this summer – an easy way to add a pop of color to any outfit!

girl with sunglasses, white jeans, puffy sleeve top and chair

Florals

Give me all the soft girly vibes with this trend! It’s one of my all-time favorites to wear because I feel so pretty in them!

I will never grow tired of a pretty floral pattern – it’s just timeless and so easy to style.

I am seeing this feminine pattern on everything from tops and jackets to flirty dresses and skirts. I am linking some of my favorites here – Click on any of the images below to shop.

Two of my favorite florals this season are the two dresses below. I wore both this spring with a little denim jacket and sneakers. I also took them both to palm beach and wore them out to dinner with friends. I added wedges to dress them up.

The red floral is only $68 – it’s a great price for a dress that you can wear year-round. (Would look great for Valentine’s day too!)

The purple floral is only $20! It’s one of my favorite bargains I have found lately and comes in all these fun styles!

Midi and Maxi Dresses

I keep my midi and maxi dresses in my closet all through spring, summer, and into fall. That’s the beauty of these dresses. I throw on a jean jacket and booties with them when the weather gets cooler.

I hope this post helped you with some ideas on how to swap out your loungewear for these summer trends in 2021. If you want more fashion and outfit ideas be sure to follow me on Instagram @donnatryba or check out this article.

Have a great day and thanks for reading along and if you enjoyed reading this post please spread the love and share it with a friend!

Sending good vibes from downtown Austin, Texas.

Why Diets Suck

Are you struggling to lose weight and living and dying by a number on the scale? Tired of complicated meal prep, food restrictions, and promises of miracles? Are you an emotional eater like me? I hear you and I’ve been there y’all!

After the birth of my last child Mia, I had about 12 extra pounds to lose and boy was it hard. I did paleo, bought Suzanne Somers book and did juice cleanses. Ugh – hated them all. The majority of them left me feeling frustrated and famished!

I sat back and thought about all the different diets I’ve tried over the years. I quickly realized that dieting sucks. I’ve finally figured out why!

COLD HARD DIET FACTS

The most important way to fat loss is being in a caloric deficit. To lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than your body burns in a day. Here are FOUR reasons my diets always sucked in the past:

*It was too extreme.

*It was not sustainable.

*It wasn’t part of my lifestyle.

*I wasn’t in a calorie deficit.

The key for me was finding something sustainable that I could make part of my lifestyle. I lost 12 pounds 4 years ago through Intermittent Fasting and have kept it off.

WHY I LOVE INTERMITTENT FASTING

Enjoying my favorite foods, like chocolate cake and fine wine, is part of my overall diet and that is OKAY. Completely restricting the things I love never works for me!

That is why I love intermittent fasting…. it’s easier to control when I eat rather than what I eat.

Balance is the key and it’s tough to find. Intermittent fasting has given me the freedom to enjoy the foods I love on occasion while helping me slim down and stay healthy. It helps me lose the guilt and lose weight – it’s simple!

MY FASTING PLAN

I follow an 8/16 intermittent fasting plan: eating during an 8-hour window and fasting for the other 16. I eat fewer meals, which is an easy way to cut calories. I tend to snack a lot so when I am only eating during an 8-hour window, it really reduces my calories fast!

I practiced IF 5/6 days a week and I lost 12 pounds in about 4 months. Now I practice IF about 3 days a week to maintain my weight.

This is the schedule I follow: breakfast at 10 am, lunch at 1 pm, a very small snack sometimes at 4 pm, and dinner at 6 pm. Some people choose to skip breakfast and fast from noon to 8 p.m., while others avoid eating late and stick to a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.

It is basically eating in a restricted 8 hour window – choose any 8 hours and fast the other hours.

IF IS EASY TO FOLLOW

The best part about Intermittent Fasting….. no fussy meal plans or complicated meal prep. I struggled with that part when I tried to do Paleo or Keto diets.

I noticed that there were too many times in my life where I thought I should be losing weight but I wasn’t. Perhaps it was that extra bite I took off my girl’s plate, that “just one glass” of wine I had at dinner, for the 3rd night in a row.

These are those sneaky calories that add up to more than you think! Fasting keeps those sneaky calories in check! I know that after my dinner – I will not eat any calories. It makes keeping track so much easier.

I would love to you know your thoughts on intermittent fasting and if it has helped you lose weight. Please connect with me on Instagram @donnatryba for weight loss tips, quick workout routines, and daily motivation.

If you want more information on intermittent fasting please download my free intermittent fasting guide HERE. Thank you my friend for reading along!

If you enjoyed this article, please spread the love and share it with a friend. Sending good vibes from downtown Austin, Texas.

How To Protect Your Lips & Your Neck: My Anti-Aging Routine

Are you noticing visible lines on your lips and neck? Has the skin on your neck started to look crepey? Are there deep lines forming around your lip line? I know the feeling y’all!

Two places we forget to protect – our lips and neck! The skin in these two areas is very delicate – and it’s two places we often forget when doing our anti-aging treatments.

Excited to share how to protect your lips and your neck: my anti-aging skincare routine for lips and your neck.

PROTECT YOUR POUT

Lips are different than the rest of the skin on your face….they dry out quickly if you don’t keep them moist. I know that losing volume is common and y’all I’m fighting all the signs of aging as best I can!

HYDRATE

I treat my lips the same way I treat the rest of my skin. Cleanse, moisturize and apply all my anti-aging products to them every day and night.

My skin tends to be very dry….and my lips are too! I keep them moist by using an antioxidant cream day and night.

I love this product by Skinceuticals. It contains anti-oxidants to repair environmental damage, smooths fine lines, and hydrates. I apply it morning and night.

I have been using this for a few years now and have really seen a difference in the fine lines on my lip line. They are much smoother and less pronounced than before!

Revision Skincare YouthFull Lip Replenisher is my new favorite product for my lips! It has hyaluronic acid to plump lips and softens the fine lines.

I use this every night before bed – I have noticed a remarkable improvement in the fine lines around my pout. I also put this on sometimes over my lip gloss for an extra plumping effect.

USE SPF

Lips need sunscreen to prevent them from drying out and becoming chapped and flaky. I often wear lipgloss or lipstick with SPF already built-in.

Fav new product alert! This color balm contains SPF 50 while adding color to cheeks and lips and comes in three gorgeous colors: berry, blush, and bronze.

Perfect pout lipstick is one I have been wearing a lot lately. It has SPF 30 built-in along with peptides and hyaluronic acid to naturally plump. I love the colors and it feels silky smooth on my lips. This lipstick also has a built-in cap – love that design! Comes in nine stunning colors.

These are my two favorite lip sunscreens. The one by goop is clear, I put it on over my gloss when I’m out in the sun. The Kiehls Butterstick Lip Treatment has SPF in it and coconut oil and comes in five colors.

EXFOLIATE

I try to remember to exfoliate almost everywhere. Regular exfoliation of skin boosts cell turnover and improves the appearance of rough texture. Don’t exfoliate your lips more than twice a week, because you can dry them out. I always follow up with a replenishing, nourishing balm or mask.

These are my two favorite lip exfoliators. I follow them up with this Tatcha leave-on jelly lip mask. It makes my lips feel lush! Tatcha is such a luxurious brand and I love the peachy scent.

PROTECT YOUR NECK

It’s one of the first places we show signs of age and it’s often ignored during your skincare routine! I’m grateful I started seeing a dermatologist when I turned 30 who put me on a skincare routine – she reminded me to NEVER FORGET TO PROTECT MY NECK!

I cleanse, moisturize and apply all anti-aging products to my face and my neck, every morning and night! This includes retinol and sunscreen too!

In addition to a small amount of botox a few times a year, I also swear by two products to protect the skin on my neck: Nectifirm by Revision Skincare and TNS serum.

I have been using Nectifirm for about 3 years – it’s a game changer! It has peptides and several potent extracts that have helped my skin look firmer and smoother. It contains protein- and amino acid-rich serum that actually stimulates your skin to make collagen – it’s one of the only products on the market that can do that!

I hoped you enjoyed this post on how to protect your lips and neck! If are looking for more product recommendations check out this blog post for 10 tricks to help you look 10 years younger.

Have you followed me yet on Instagram? I would love to see you there! I share all things skincare, fitness, beauty, and fashion @donnatryba. Another one of my favorite articles on anti-aging skincare can be found here.

If you enjoyed this article, please spread the love and share it with a friend! Have a great day y’all! Sending good vibes from downtown Austin, TX.

My Secret to Youthful Glowing Skin with Calecim Stem Cell Medical Grade Skin Care

Are you struggling with maturing skin and texture issues? Unsure where to start in changing your skincare routine? Trust me, I understand. I recently turned 49, entered perimenopause and my skin has become dry with deepening fine lines. That is why I am excited to share the Secret to Youthful Glowing Skin with Calecim Stem Cell Medical Grade Skin Care.

I recently discovered Calecim Stem Cell Medical Grade Skin Care, a range of products enriched with growth factors and patented stem cell proteins.

I couldn’t wait to give these products a try and I’m excited to share my results with you.

The Science: How Calecim Harnesses Stem Cell Technology for Youthful Skin

These products, trusted by doctors and exclusively available in medical clinics, incorporate a “youth messaging” technology that stimulates glycoprotein production and restores epidermal cell turnover.

In this personal blog post, I’ll take you through my experience using Calecim Stem Cell Medical Grade Skin Care and the incredible changes it has brought to my skin.

The Power of Ingredients: Calecim’s Skin Care Formulation

The heart of their formulation is Stem Cell Extract (SCE), a blend of proteins, growth factors and cytokines.

I noticed that “stem cells” aren’t listed in the ingredients, and that’s because it’s the active ingredients ethically derived from stem cells (cord lining stem cells) that work their magic in the products.

Also, all Calecim products are enriched with hyaluronic acid to enhance skins plumpness.

My Daily Routine: Calecim’s Transformative Product Line

I used the following 5 products every day for a month

Professional Serum: one pipette of Serum – morning and night
Multi Action Cream to correct skin laxity
Restorative Hydration Cream with hyaluronic acid
Professional pigment solution (Hydroquinone free!)
Professional Recovery Night Complex: I covered my face in it at night and washed it off in the morning. The aloe vera, betaine and glycerin were so hydrating.

My Journey: Becoming Believer in Calecim’s Stem Cell Technology

The very first thing I noticed was the luxurious feel of the products. The lightweight textures absorbed effortlessly into my skin: not too heavy or thick to clog my pores and no funky smells or residue.

After using Calecim religiously for a few weeks, I certainly noticed that my skin appeared visibly firmer. Fine lines and wrinkles softened, especially around my eyes where my skin is the thinnest.

Calecim Stem Cell Medical Grade Skin Care is also fading some stubborn dark spots on my cheeks.

My Results: Reinvigorating My Skin from Within

The most outstanding part is how hydrated my skin looks and feels: no more dry, rough patches or flaky skin. Basically, my skin feels tighter overall and my jaw line is more defined and less saggy.

I am now a firm believer in the effectiveness of Calecim’s stem cell technology.

Why You Should Try Calecim Stem Cell Medical Grade Skin Care

If you’re looking to basically “turn back the clock” and also get youthful and glowing skin, I recommend giving Calecim a try.

Overall, I was impressed by the lightweight textures of Calecim’s products. They absorbed easily into my skin, without clogging my pores.

After religiously using Calecim for a few weeks, I noticed visible improvements: firmer skin, softened fine lines (especially around my eyes) and the dark spots on my face are fading overall.

Above all, I was most impressed by how hydrated my skin looks and feels.

In conclusion, Calecim’s stem cell technology has truly reinvigorated my skin and I’ll continue using these products daily.

I loved my results and I know you will too! Want to learn more? Click here to read all about Calecim’s Stem Cell Medical Grade Skin Care.

Thanks for reading this post about My Secret to Youthful Glowing Skin with Calecim Stem Cell Medical Grade Skin Care.

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All About My St. Barts Island Vacation

Looking for a fun beach getaway that offers amazing shopping and stunning beaches? Want to avoid the touristy crowds and walk among the see-and-be-seen crowd? I suggest heading to St. Barts Island! We went last week and y’all…..there are no words! This place is a tropical destination like no other – can’t wait to share the details on this luxury destination!

(Click on any picture widget to shop the items I wore on my vacation.)

It was a trip like no other! Three other couples joined us for a 5-night stay in a hilltop villa with a stunning view! (We rented the villa through Eden Rock….contact them if you want to have them arrange your trip – their customer service was amazing!

Flying commercial, it’s normally an all-day trip from Texas since you have to fly into St. Maarten and take a little jumper plane into St. Barts. We were so dang fortunate to hitch a ride on our friend’s plane. It was a quick 5-hour flight from Austin into St. Maarten.

The puddle jumper plane from St. Maarten into St. Bart’s is a real nail-biter you guys….we had to land on one of the shortest runways in the world! As you can see, Andy and I are super excited to be on the ground – haha we made it!

I shared our trip on IG and saved it to a highlight if you want to see more videos from our villa and the island.

It’s a smallish island with 16 beaches, all with soft white sand and clear blue warm water. I’m including a list of the different resorts, restaurants, and beaches we went to:

EDEN ROCK RESORT

This resort is beachfront and offers a great view for dining and daytime lounging. We spent the day hanging here and enjoying the view.

It’s also a hotel with beachfront rooms right on St. Jean beach. Again, amazing service and yummy cocktails.

NIKKI BEACH

Sunday afternoon at this lounge is the place to be in St. Barts. We first ate in the restaurant while a played some cool tunes. The giant sushi boat was surprisingly yummy! Andy, who is from Japan, even commented that the fish tasted fresh. We really needed a good meal to sustain us for the day because it turns into quite the party once the crowd gets going!

We rented a lounger on the beach for the afternoon and sipped cocktails and swam in the warm water. We really enjoyed the “rose all day” vibe and fun party atmosphere. Never been anywhere like this before and it’s for sure a place to people watch and let loose!

CHEVRAL BLANC

This is a boutique luxury hotel right on the beach. Amazing service and the best meal we had on our trip. Yummy seafood, delicious hummus, salads, and one of the best views while dining. They have a cute little boutique shop full of swimsuits and resort wear too!

BONITO

Peruvian-style food with a french flair. I loved the chic all-white decor, it created the perfect ambiance to celebrate my birthday! Be sure to go at sunset and enjoy the view! The cuisine was amazing and Bonito had one of the best wine lists I have ever seen.

BAGATELLE

We went on a Tuesday. It was quiet and almost empty. Probably the most unimpressive meal we had during our trip. It’s more of a party scene on Sundays I hear, with people dancing on the tables and a live DJ. It’s not a place to go for the food!

YACHTING

What a splurge you guys and totally worth it! Touring the beaches by boat is an experience like no other!

We cruised around for half a day in the afternoon and swam in the warm water. We cruised by Shell Beach and Gouverneur beaches….y’all it was gorgeous and unlike anything I have ever done! I made a video if you want to see more of the yachting experience.

COVID INFO

You must have a vaccine card and a negative test to enter the island. Otherwise, the entry was easy and nearly all places were pretty relaxed about Covid restrictions.

TIPS TO NAVIGATE THE ISLAND

1. We chose to rent a villa – this is the way to go if you are traveling with a group. There are only a few hotels and they are super expensive! The island does this intentionally, they want to keep the crowds small. They only have a few beachfront rentals on the entire island and they are super pricey
2. Our villa was at the top of the island with a stunning view. We had to rent a car (or take a taxi) to and from the restaurants etc. Again, the island is small so it’s only about a 15-minute drive to get anywhere on the island.

3. Eden Rock resort rentals was great at helping us set up our villa. We pre-ordered groceries and the concierge made all our dinner and boat rental reservations. I recommend renting through a service like this as they will help you make your reservations etc.

For more travel inspiration, head to Instagram and follow me @donnatryba. I really have the travel bug now that things are more open again – I’m always posting my travel tips and destinations in my IG stories.

If you enjoyed this post, please spread the love and share with a friend. Have a great week y’all and thanks for reading along!