Kiawah Island Travel Guide

A few weeks ago, I shared a recap of my recent trip to Kiawah Island. My family and I have been visiting there since I was in middle school and it is seriously one of my favorite places ever. It is located in South Carolina, around 45 minutes from Charleston and under 4 hours from Charlotte.

The island is so secluded and relaxing, making it the perfect weekend trip or weeklong vacation. Since my family has been a few times, I wanted to share some of my favorite spots around Kiawah that you definitely should visit when you visit the island!

To Stay

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island: My family always stays at the Sanctuary as we usually only go for a weekend and we seriously love it. The hotel is gorgeous and all of the staff is so friendly and helpful. It is definitely a splurge so keep that in mind!

Rent a condo or house: If you are looking for more of a budget friendly option or want to stay for a longer trip, renting a condo or a house may be the best option for you. Even though my family and I have never done this, many of my friends and their families have and love this. Plus, the whole island is considered a part of the resort so if you stay in a condo/house, you still have access to all of the amenities.

To Eat

The Atlantic Room: Located at the far end of the island, the Atlantic Room has stunning views of the island and may be my favorite restaurant to eat out. They have two options: the Ryder Cup Bar and the Atlantic Room. Both are super good but the Ryder Cup Bar is a bit more casual while the Atlantic Room is on the fancy side.

The Jasmine Porch: The Jasmine Porch is the perfect spot for breakfast or brunch as it is very southern but still laid back. We always go for Father's Day Brunch, which is amazing!

The Ocean Room: If you want a fancy dinner while visiting Kiawah, the Ocean Room is perfect. It's located in the Sanctuary and has amazing steak. Get the Chocolate Brownie Dome for dessert- it's my favorite!

Buffet at the Pool at the Sanctuary: During the summer, the restaurant by the pool at the Sanctuary (the Loggerhead Grill) hosts a buffet by the pool each Friday night. There is so many options available and they're all so delicious.

Beaches & Cream: If you're looking for a delicious cone of ice cream, look no further than Beaches & Cream. This ice cream shop is located inside the Sanctuary right by the pool and has so many delicious flavors of ice cream to choose from (my favorite is the Sea Salt Caramel!).

Java Java: In all honesty, I've never been here but my friend Riley gave such a glowing review of it that I had to include it for y'all. This is a coffee shop located in Freshfields Village.

Freshfields Village: In addition to Java Java, Freshfields Village has so many dining options for you to choose from. Freshfields is also so cute and even though it's located just off of the island, it's perfect to stop by for lunch or dinner.

To Do

Relax by the pool and beach: In all honesty, when my family and I go to Kiawah, we spend most of our time eating or relaxing by the pool and beach. The resort has so many pools to choose from and the beach is absolutely gorgeous as well.

Go bike riding: Another fun way to take in the sights of the island is to go bike riding. Everywhere you look in Kiawah, you'll see people riding their bikes and there's bike rentals around the island, making it super convenient.

Shop at Freshfields: Located just off of the island, Freshfields is the cutest little shopping center with so many stores to choose from. My favorites are the Lilly Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines locations!

Shop at the Sanctuary: On the first floor of the hotel, there is so many cute little stores to choose from that have items that are perfect Kiawah souvenirs. Just a heads up that these stores tend to be on the pricy side!

Have you ever been to Kiawah Island before? Let me know in the comments!

Airy Peplum & Printed Pants

Happy Monday y'all! I am so excited to share today's outfit with y'all as it may be one of my favorites yet! I saw this fun Lilly Pulitzer tank on the sale rack (score!) of the Lilly store in Kiawah a few weeks ago (read more about my Kiawah trip here) and knew it would be perfect for dinners out and for going out in college this fall.

I also love it paired with a fun pair of printed pants too! This outfit would be so cute for a dinner out or days where you want to look a bit more put together. Last year, these Kelly pants from Lilly were on constant rotation as my dress code was business casual and I know I'll continue to wear them for meetings and stuff in college! Also, if your office is on the casual side, you could add a cardigan or blazer to this outfit to make it work friendly!

Top: Lilly Pulitzer Pants: Lilly Pulitzer (similar) Sunglasses: Kate Spade (similar) Watch- Kate Spade Bracelet- Lilly Pulitzer (an old Gift with Purchase) Necklace- Kendra Scott (similar) Sandals- Jack Rogers Purse- Tory Burch (similar)

Photos by Amy of Pastel N Pink

My Chic Week: June 30- July 6

Happy Friday! Between being on vacation and having the Fourth of July on Tuesday, this week has felt so short and now it's time for another weekend! My family and I have been at our lake house in New York since last Saturday and I'm so excited that we still have another week at the lake!

Last Friday was our last day before our trip and since I had the day off from work, it was my big day to get everything done before our trip. I had a few errands to run, did a lot of packing, scheduled my blog posts for my trip, and went to barre with my mom.

Later in the afternoon, I took a packing break to grab coffee with one of my friends. It was good to catch up and, of course, have a delicious vanilla latte.

Saturday was our big travel day and we woke up at 3:30 AM to sit in the car for fourteen hours, which honestly wasn't the most exciting day ever. I did watch a record number of episodes of Grey's Anatomy though haha!

Sunday was our first full day in NY and we went to Church in the morning before going to the grocery store and having lunch. We went out on the lake for a few hours before coming back home for dinner.

The lake has been so high this year- this is typically a beach!

Monday was another lake day and we did a lot of tubing and cruising around! A lot of our days have been generally the same, which I won't complain about because that's what you're supposed to do on vacation (in my mind at least haha!).

My mom and I took the pups for a walk Monday morning and it was great to get a little workout in!

Tuesday morning, my entire family was up earlier than usual to go run a 5k in town for the Fourth of July. I decided to run the 5k at the last second and it was definitely tough as I can't tell you the last time I ran but it was a great way to kick off our day.

After the run, we went to a local coffee shop to refuel and then went to the grocery store before heading back home. We spent the afternoon on the lake and then came back for dinner with our family friends.

I made these cookie bars that I found on Pinterest (follow me here!) for the Fourth, which were delicious!

Our family friends did a big fireworks show at their house, which was so much fun to see. My family has the worst luck when it comes to seeing fireworks on the Fourth so I'm glad we got to see some good ones this year!

After a busy day on Tuesday, we decided to have Wednesday as a relaxing day. My parents and I went into town to go to Walmart (#glamorous) and then we pretty much did nothing all day, which was amazing!

Thursday morning, I slept in (again!) and enjoyed a relaxed morning before heading out on the lake in the afternoon. We went to one of our favorite restaurants in town that night for dinner and then grabbed ice cream afterwards, which I will never turn down haha!

On my Radar:

1. I ordered my bedding for my dorm this week and I'm so excited for it to come! I decided to add a monogram by taking it to a local boutique but I can't wait to see how it turns out!

2. Obsessed with this top from J. Crew Factory!

3. Regardless of where you are as a blogger, Brighton's tips for managing blog content is so helpful!

4. Lilly Pulitzer has new arrivals and, of course, they're gorgeous! My favorites are this shift dress, these pants, these shorts, this dress, and this skort

5. Loved reading about Shannon's June Favorites- I may need to purchase the phone sanitizer!

This Week on Chic in Carolina:

June Favorites ⎢Happy Fourth of July! ⎢Dorm Room Inspiration ⎢My Skincare Routine

Happy Friday!

My Skincare Routine

After sharing my makeup routine with y'all not too long ago, I wanted to share my skincare routine as well. I like to think of skincare as the foundation for your makeup as if you don't properly take care of your skin, your makeup won't work to its full potential for you. Not to mention, a good skincare routine helps your skin look its best even when you're not wearing makeup, which I definitely won't complain about.

My skincare routine is fairly simple and to-the-point, which makes it easy to follow for me as it doesn't have a million and one steps to follow!

My Morning Routine

1. First, I wash my face using the Cetaphil Daily Face Cleanser. My morning routine used to be super complicated with lots of steps but I recently switched to only using one face cleanser and it makes my life so much easier in addition to being better for my skin. I also use my Clinique Brush to make sure my skin absorbs the cleanser before drying off my face.

2. I've been using First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream as my moisturizer for the past year and a half and love it. It helps with dry skin without feeling too "heavy" at the same time.

My Evening Routine

1. Just like in the morning, I use the Cetaphil cleanser with my Clinique Brush. Nothing too crazy here!

2. If I wore makeup that day (sometimes I like to let my skin breathe if I don't have any major plans that day), I will then take off my makeup using the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes or the Boscia Charcoal MakeUp Melter Cleansing Oil Balm. I received the Boscia Oil Balm as a sample from Sephora and really like it so far. It is a bit odd as you apply it all over your dry face and then rinse with warm water to remove your makeup but it does a really good job. On nights where I'm feeling a bit more lazy, I'll use the wipes as they are always such a good go-to!

3. At night, I use Clinique's Moisture Surge as a moisturizer as it's a bit heavier but leaves your skin so soft and refreshed. I feel like it makes my skin look a bit more vibrant, which is always love to wake up to in the morning.

4. Even though it is primarily an anti-aging cream, I do apply a little bit of Fresh's Loutus Youth Preserve Face Cream underneath and around my eyes for a bit of an added boost. Anti-aging and wrinkles obviously aren't a current concern of mine but I do occasionally get bags underneath my eyes from a lack of sleep or stress and this cream really helps with combatting those.

What does your skincare routine look like? Let me know in the comments!

Dorm Room Inspiration

With a little over a month until college move in, dorm room prep is in full swing! I cannot wait to share with y'all the finished product but until then, I thought it would be fun to share some of the pieces my roommate and I have picked out and some I seriously love!

We actually stayed in a room for orientation that has the same layout of our actual dorm, which was so helpful in figuring out the configuration of the room. We decided that lots of fun color would make our dorm feel a bit more like home and decided on the Lilly Pulitzer print "Blue Heaven" as the main focus. Irene of My Pink and Green Garden is too sweet and is sending me a few items for my dorm, which I'm so excited about!

I have always wanted a headboard for my dorm and decided on this one from Room 422 as it is fun but not too overwhelming and a great price as well (headboards can be so pricy!). We also decided to do a little gallery wall, so I know I will have to purchase at least one Evelyn Henson print because they are so cute!

headboard ⎢rug ⎢lilly pulitzer banner (in this print) ⎢monogrammed comforter ⎢art print

If you're going to be a freshman this year, what are your plans for your dorm? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July y'all! Even though many other bloggers have shared Fourth of July outfits already, I figured it would be fun to share one that is perfect if you're looking for a bit of last minute outside inspiration (I did share a few other fun outfit ideas for the Fourth a few weeks ago, which you can read here!)

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays and even though our plans are super casual, I'm so excited. We're probably going to go to a Fourth of July parade, hang out on the lake, watch fireworks, and, of course, eat yummy food!

These J. Crew shorts have been a go-to for me this summer and even though they have since sold out, the solid version (which are just as cute!) are currently on sale. I bought this J. Crew top when the Warehouse Sale came to Charlotte a few years ago and love how casual and versatile it is!

Top: J. Crew (warehouse sale find, similar) Shorts: J. Crew (sold out in this print but available in the solid version and is on sale!) Sandals: Jack Rogers Purse: Tory Burch (similar) Watch: Kate Spade Bracelets: David Yurman (similar) & Lilly Pulitzer (a recent Gift with Purchase) Earrings: Marley Lilly

Photos by Amy of Pastel N Pink

June Favorites

Happy Monday y'all! I hope y'all are enjoying your holiday weekend so far with lots of time spent by the water, yummy food, and, of course, family and friends!

I definitely say this every month but I can't believe it's already July (definitely wrote June while typing that). The summer is flying by but I'm excited that I do have a bit more time at home before heading off to Clemson in August. At the start of each month, I love to share my monthly favorites with y'all to introduce y'all with what I have been loving lately and it's also super fun to look back on as I have been sharing these posts for over a year with y'all!

Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Purse- I shared a whole blog post about buying my Louis but it has been such a go-to this month (and will be for such a long time). It's such a classic and I love that it can be worn so many different ways with so many different outfits.

MacBook Pro- My parents gave me a MacBook Pro for graduation and it has already come in handy already. I did a blog post comparing the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air last week but I love my new laptop (just need a few more stickers!).

Lilly Pulitzer Buttercup Shorts- I've owned other pairs of the Buttercup Shorts before but decided to get a pair in white, which was such a good idea. They are so versatile but I love that the scallop adds a bit more of a flair than a traditional chino short!

Day Designer- Even though my Day Designer arrived back in March, June was the first month I was able to use it and it has been so helpful in balancing my nannying job, the blog, things I need to do for college, and life. I'll be sharing an agenda organization post this fall but I really love it so far!

iPhone 7- I had my iPhone 6 for a few years but had been struggling with storage space on it so my mom and I headed to the Verizon store a few weeks ago and I walked out with a new iPhone. Even though the change isn't too crazy from my old phone, I love the extra features (and the

bareMinerals Matte Liquid Lipcolor in Luxe- I'm not usually a big lipgloss/lipstick girl but when I was in Sephora recently, I decided to try out this one. I love that it adds a bit of color without being too overwhelming!

Vineyard Vines Gingham Baseball Hat- I picked up this baseball hat while in Kiawah a few weeks ago and seriously love it as it adds a bit of flair to even the most casual outfits. I've worn it a lot lately for nannying and running errands and I know I'll get a lot of use out of it in college.

Tuckernuck Monogrammed Weekender- My parents gave me this weekender bag for Christmas last year and I've gotten so much use of it this month with all of my travel. It holds a surprisingly large amount of clothes and I can never say no to a cute monogram!

What were your June Favorites? Let me know in the comments!