Summer is finally here and for me, that means bright colors and flowy shirts! I picked up these new pieces from Hugo Boss to kick off my summer style strong.
These Cotton Tapered-Fit yellow pants have the perfect high waist and tapered fit, and a really cool jogging zipper cuff. The material is perfect for summer because they’re lightweight, and the athleisure-look make them fun to style up or to just keep it casual. This pale lemon yellow color is just everything – I love everything about these pants!
If you know me, then you know I’m all about flowy shirts…specifically light-weight flow button downs! They are absolutely one of my favorite pieces to wear. Whether it’s a solid color, or a crazy pattern, I just love them all. Being a plant dad, I was immediately drawn to this Palm-Leaf Print Shirt. The mint leaves just pop and I love the color combo! I love how the navy blue looks with the yellow pants and the mint leaves just make this whole outfit really colorful, fun and summery! My new rose gold hair also helps 🙂 When I rock a button-down I usually keep it open with a tank underneath, or if I do button it up, I tend to keep the top few buttons open and layer on some necklaces to keep with the chill, relaxed vibe!
This blog post was sponsored by Zappos, but all opinions, styling, photos and write-up are my own!
By now you probably know me and that I’m known for going sockless with a lot of my looks…even in winter! But, when I do rock socks, it’s usually not for comfort or warmth LOL but instead to add a little something to my outfit! So, if I’m going to rock a pair of socks, I want them to have a little something extra: a cool design, fun colors, texture, a pattern…you get the point!
My go-to brand when I’m in need of fun, colorful & funky socks? Happy Socks! They’re known for having fun & colorful sock selections in super cool and vibrant patterns and have so many different ones to choose from! They also do really cool Limited Edition sock collabs like their Beatles and Rolling Stone socks with their iconic graphics…gotta love that famous tongue!
I’m always drawn to classic designs, patterns and icons, and it was love at first sight when I saw these Smiley Heart Happy Socks! I love the bold red heart pattern with the touch of the cheeky smiles again the contrasting sock color. I think I tend to gravitate towards bold simplistic patterns when it comes to socks, rather than overly busy and colorful…but that’s just me! That’s why these were right up my alley and I immediately knew what pieces I was going to rock with them!
I feel like some might normally think to only want to rock these during Valentine’s day, but I’m all for the love & smiles all year long. Honestly, this kind of pattern is so in right now and is the kind of classic icon that just doesn’t get played out. I mean, check out my sneakers! It was only right that I played up the heart icon with these. I kept the rest of my outfit simple but had to bring out that red! I’m digging this casual street look with these Happy Socks! I also grabbed this same pair in the red because I just loved the pattern so much, but my wife already snagged them from me! 🙂
If you head to Zappos.com you’ll find so many different Happy Sock styles to choose from! They have them for men, women, and kids. And even have some fun gift sets to pick up for the holidays. Do you shop on Zappos? I do all the time. I can’t resist a website with multiple product categories, tons of styles to choose from, 24/7 customer service and free shipping and returns. It’s nice to be able to shop for the entire family and not have to worry about being stuck with merchandise because you didn’t return it in time (ummm hello 365 day return policy)! You honestly can’t beat that!
What do you think of how I styled my look with my new Happy Socks? Head to my Instagram page @BlueCollarPrep and let me know!
Thanks to my wife schooling me on the importance of face care and me starting to notice the effects of aging, I’ve been pretty good with keeping up a routine of taking care of my skin. There are so many different products to use out there, so I always like to try and stick with brands I know I can trust. Neutrogena® is probably one of the first skincare brands I was ever really familiar with growing up and to me, they kind of feel like the OG of the skincare game! Over the years, I’ve always had at least had one product of theirs in my bathroom, and I know my wife uses some of their products, as well as their make-up, so it’s always been a go-to brand for my family. So, I was really excited to get to try out some new products from their new Hydro Boost line!
During the month of November, get a $10 rewards Visa when you spend $30 or more (excluding tax) on participating Neutrogena® products in one transaction. Click here for full offer details!
During summer months, I’m either working outside or beach & pool-side with the family, and during winter months, I’m usually working outside or skiing with the family. So, between the sun and the cold it can really beat up and dry out my skin. What I really like the most about the Neutrogena® Hydro Boost Collection is that the products have purified hyaluronic acid in them, which is meant to really replenish the water in your skin and refresh & rehydrate it. I think for most men, including myself, that’s what our skin is probably lacking the most…moisture and softness.
My current routine starts every morning using the Neutrogena® Hydro Boost City Shield Eye Serum. Not sure if this is weird or not, but I don’t wash my face in the mornings because my skin tends to be on the dryer side. So when I wake up, I like to keep the little bit of natural oils I have intact. However, I wake up with puffy eyes and the wrinkles around my eyes are definitely more prominent in the mornings—so this serum is perfect for moisturizing this sensitive part of my face. It helps smooth out my crows feet and under-eye lines, and it just helps add some life to my tired eyes in the morning. I love how lightweight it is! Nothing’s worse than putting on an eye cream that feels heavy and sticky on your eyelid! This is the one product I actually use twice a day. I use it both in the morning and at night before bed, and I love that it both treats and protects the sensitive skin around my eyes. I’ve used other eye creams before that may have been too potent because they left the skin around my eyes red & irritated, but this one from Neutrogena is amazing and a keeper. I love how refreshing this little bottle looks too…so pretty!
Since I only wash my face once a day, I do so usually right when I get home from work in the shower, or right before bed, and that’s when I use the Neutrogena® Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser. I actually only started using exfoliating cleansers these past few years, as I never really liked how a gritty cleanser felt on my face. However, this one has such a super fine texture. I can barely feel the exfoliating elements, but I feel it just enough where I know it’s getting deep down in those pores to really deep clean. I really like the fact that it exfoliates my skin and removes all the dirt and oil but also leaves my skin feeling super soft and refreshed. My wife just started using it as well and even though she usually prefers a really gritty cleanser, she loves how small the little scrubbers are and how they really feel like they’re getting in and cleaning that hard-to-get area around the nose. We both really love that is works hard but is gentle and leaves behind a soft and polished face.
After I wash my face, I immediately moisturize with the Neutrogena® Hydro Boost Gel Cream and again with the eye serum around the eyes. I’m trying to keep this area as moisturized and taken care of as possible since this is definitely where my age is starting to show the most! I like to use the gel cream at night to help prevent waking up with a dry forehead. My forehead is one of my problem areas when it comes to dry skin, and it’s probably why I have most of my wrinkles in that area—I have them there and between my eyes. So, I make sure I get both of those areas as moisturized as possible so when I wake up, they’re usually not as defined.
So far, I am really loving using these 3 products from the Neutrogena® Hydro Boost line. I love the refreshing blue color of their packaging, the lightweight texture and feeling of each of the products, and the way my skin feels after using them in conjunction with each other. They say water is the best thing for your skin, so it only makes sense that my skincare products aid in increasing my skin’s hydration as well as locking it all in! My wife and I are both such fans of the Neutrogena® Hydro Boost line and even though our skin is completely different (mine is dry and her’s is oily), it works perfectly for both of us. I’m happy to have found a skincare routine that works for me from a brand I know and trust and is the #1 dermatologist recommended skincare brand. I love Neutrogena® and will definitely be introducing my son to it soon enough!
Everybody loves denim and what’s great about denim is that there are so many different styles to choose from, that you can always find a pair that’s perfect for you. The Lee® Extreme Motion Skinny Fit Jeans from JCPenney are the perfect jean to add to your wardrobe. First and foremost…they’re super comfortable, which let’s be honest, is one of the most important things when picking out your wardrobe (in my opinion)! Because of the comfort, they’re the perfect jean for someone who isn’t really comfortable going the skinny jean route, but does want that fitted style. They have a slim fit, and you can even get them a little snugger because of the elastic waist and the stretch fabric. There’s a lot of denim jeans out there that are just so tight and uncomfortable you don’t even want to squeeze into them or if you do, you can’t wait to take them off! With these Lee Skinnies, the denim still feels like denim, but are soft and have a lot of give…which I like!
With my first look, I wore the dark blue wash or “night wander” Lee® skinny jeans and paired them with this Ely Cattleman Western Shirt from JCPenney. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a fan of western style shirts and as soon as I saw the eagle embroidery I was sold on this one…love the embroidery and piping details! Pairing this shirt with the dark denim really helped play up the tough vibes of this western shirt. I took some shots both with my black hat and without because I couldn’t tell if I was diggin’ the extra cowboy kinda vibe 🙂 or if it was a bit much. And in turn, after looking back, I’m all about the full-on western vibes with the hat! Normally when I wear dark denim with an outfit like this I almost always go with a dark denim that has a snugger fit, but with this pair, because of the elastic, I could barely tell how fitted they were. Like I said, I’m all about that comfort!
(scroll past this look for my 2nd look!)
With the lighter blue “blue prodigy” Lee® Extreme Motion Skinny Jeans from JCPenney I went with a lighter look overall, and paired them with this sunlight yellow Cubavera Button-Front Shirt, and a pair of white Converse, also both from JCPenney. I’m all about the vacay kinda vibes, so with this look it gives me all the feels without being overly tropical in the wrong setting. 🙂 I really love how all these pieces compliment each other and keep it light and casual, but still feels put-together to go grab a bite and a drink with wifey! Just like the darker wash, these jeans have just the right amount of stretch, the perfect length to fall right above my shoes just like I like them, and they keep the look fitted and clean, without feeling too uncomfortably tight. As a dad, this kinda style is a must because one minute I’ll be shooting for my blog, the next I’ll be grabbing a drink with my boo, and the next I’ll be throwing a ball around and chasing my 7 year old son, Nate! I of course like to look my best, but also like to feel comfortable. Besides the stretch denim fabric I also love the comfort of the elastic band around my waist. As I always say, comfort is the key to confidence when rocking a look!
This shop has been compensated by Schwarzkopf. #got2bPhenomenal #sponsored
Listen up…I’m gonna be real! As many of you can see, I’m not getting any younger LOL. So, it’s more important than ever for me to stay up on my grooming regimen and find great products to help fight the effects of aging, like thinning hair. Growing up I always had a full head of thick hair and a baby face and never imagined the day when that would change. I used to love shaving my head for the buzz cut look, but unfortunately, as I aged my face became a little more round and I no longer looked good with a shaved head. It’s funny because when I was younger, everybody used to always ask me why I would shave my head if I wasn’t losing my hair? Here I was shaving it all off, when people I knew who had thinning hair, were trying to get theirs thicker!
Now that I’m older, I sometimes wish I could go back to shaving my head to hide my thinning hair, but I can’t. I don’t think it would look as good without my baby face, and to be honest, I’m a little nervous that if I shave it all off. It will grow back even thinner, so I gotta work with what I have LOL!
One of the products I started using is the got2b® Phenomenal Thickening Shampoo. It’s officially time for me to start preserving all the hair that I have before it’s too thin. Honestly, I’ve noticed that when I’m using good products like got2b® Phenomenal Thickening Shampoo combined with their got2b® Phenomenal Texturizing Clay, you will never even notice that my hair is thinning. The shampoo gets a great lather and tad bit of tingle, which to me, makes me feel like it’s working and doing its job! I can definitely notice a difference from when my hair dries after this shampoo vs. other shampoo’s I’ve used before. Somehow it just dries looking a little fuller! On top of that, once I add in some of their texturizing clay, it helps make my hair have a thicker and fuller look and also brings out the curls in my hair, which in turn, also helps it to appear thicker!
I picked up my got2b® products at my nearest Walmart, so look for them at your nearest location! Also, check your local Walmart for the $2.00 off the got2b® Phenomenal Shampoo! If you’re starting to notice your hair is thinning, don’t wait, and take action while you can. You’re going to be washing your hair on the regular anyways, so may as well do it with a shampoo that you know is working in your favor!
Being a lifestyle blogger, I’m always trying to stay on my A game. Whether I’m out trying to shoot for the blog, taking wifey out for a drink, or just running around with the family I always want my look to be photoshoot ready! 🙂 So, I’m always down to try new products that are going to help the outfit details stand out, or not stand out and help me when I’m on the fly.
I can’t believe it has taken me so long to find out about Dapper Dots. Dapper Dots are a small double-sided tape in the shape of a small circle about the size of a dime, that come perfectly packaged in a small easy open & shut tin. These dots are strong enough for just about everything clothing related. Lose a button? Neck tie keep flopping around? Collar keep popping’ up? And the most hated of them all…have a floppy belt? No problem…Dapper Dots got you! All you have to do is grab one of the sheets from the pocket-sized tin, peel off one of the dots, remove the easy-to-remove backing and press the two pieces of clothing together and you are good to go!
When wifey and I went out shooting I ended up using Dapper Dots on my watch strap to keep it from sticking out. I can’t stand it when watch straps (just like belts) don’t stay tight to each other. I also used it to help show off a little chest and my new tattoo while trying to get the perfect collar crease to the top of my shirt. In the day of Instagram, these are perfect for guys and gals like me that are trying to get the perfect shot, with all the perfect details, when out and about. I can think of multiple occasions where I had to shoot a product that needed a little finessing before being shot, so my wife had to unfortunately photoshop out the safety pins and clips we had to use. How did I not know about these?! Seriously perfect for my lifestyle!
I can already think of more instances I’ll be needing my Dapper Dots for…like when I wear baseball caps that have that extra strap hanging in the back of the hat! These dots are made to just peel right off but strong enough to stay on all day. They won’t ruin your clothes like a safety pin either, and the fact that they’re clear makes them perfectly hidden! They’ve officially found a home in my glove box and have become part of my everyday shooting.
Use my code BLUECOLLARPREP to get 20% OFF your Dapper Dots order! They also make double-sided tape strips and a combo pack. Check them out so you can perfect all those outfit details!
This post is sponsored by Zappos, but all opinions and product selects & styling are my own!✌I’ve always been a fan of wearing basic style pieces. When I’m wearing basics, I try to find brands like 7 For All Mankind that make quality pieces. When it comes to basics, it’s all about the quality and fit! Their Long Sleeve Army Henley that I ordered from Zappos is soft and comfortable, with a thick quality that just feels good on due to the fabric used and the double-faced knit for that touch of texture. You can just tell if a piece has that quality feel to it when you put it on, and this Henley definitely does!
Known for their premium denim, the 7 For All Mankind Paxtyn Skinny Jeans fit perfect because of their really nice tapered fit. I’m not really into jeans that are too tight and look like I’m wearing leggings LOL so the fit on these, mixed with the knee rips is right up my alley! For this look I gave mine a slight cuff, because…well, I just like how a cropped jean looks sometimes!
I was able to pick up both of these pieces online at Zappos. They are one of the best online shopping sites and they literally have just about every brand you’re looking for. You can get everything you need for any occasion and the best part is that both shipping and returns are free! I shop online all the time. It’s actually where I do most of my shopping, so if you’re anything like me the one thing that makes me question making any purchase is the thought of losing out on money if I don’t like it or if it doesn’t fit. That’s why it’s a no brainer when shopping on Zappos! They honestly eliminate my hesitation of hitting that Complete Order button! 🙂
Check out all the 7 For All Mankind pieces on Zappos and try out a few different styles. This way you can try on, keep what fits and ship the rest back for free! 🙂
Is it me or does summer continue to get shorter every year? As soon as Labor Day ends the temps start dropping and the sun starts setting earlier and earlier. I always get a little bummed this time of year, but once the limbo of weather stops and it starts remaining cooler, I immediately start enjoying this cozy season.
This year I plan on starting to wear more sweaters. For some reason I went years without wearing sweaters. I think it’s probably because once the summer ends I tend to put on my winter weight LOL and sweaters have always just made me look bulkier than I would like. Luckily, the past year or so I have been doing a better job at staying leaner through the winter and not completely throwing my summer routine in the toilet. I’ve also been doing a better job at finding sweaters that fit me best and that are either loose enough for that oversized look or fit just right and still make me feel comfortable when wearing them.
I really love these graphic sweaters from Old Navy! They have a rugged cool vibe to them and were really fun to dress up and match with Nate (men’s | boys). I have yet to find another brand that does such a good job of coordinating the mens and boys lines. Nate and I layered our sweater with some sherpa-lined denim jackets and some comfy fitted jeans. Old Navy’s Sherpa Denim is great because it’s not too bulky or stiff, which makes it great for layering. Nate’s Sherpa-Lined trucker jacket is just too cool. We love that the arms are lined with a red flannel so we could roll up the sleeves a little to show it off. That added detail definitely made his jacket stand out from all the other sherpa’s I’ve come across and is perfect for both fall and winter.
If you’ve read some of my other Old Navy posts you know how much I like their flex denim. I think these might be my favorite pair to date. They are the perfect fit: not so skinny where they look painted on but they still look skinny enough and have just the right amount of taper. It can be really tough sometimes convincing Nate to wear jeans but I love seeing him in a skinny jean and how they fit his skinny little legs! Luckily he doesn’t mind wearing the Karate skinny jean. He’s also a fan of the comfort of the flex!
Both of us topped off our looks with Old Navy hats: my Graphic Felt Baseball Cap matching the color of Nate’s sweater and Nate’s Sweater Knit Beanie matching my sweater. I thought it was a cool way to add to the coordination of our outfits! We love these sweaters!
Since I bought my house 6 years ago I have done one to two projects every year around the house and little by little we’re finally making it our own. One of the first things we bought upon moving in were new appliances. The thought of using someone else’s appliances kind of skeeved us out…plus they were pretty beat up. We bought a base model stainless steel refrigerator, stove & dishwasher. The fridge we purchased didn’t have any features except a water/ice maker. Yeah, from the start it was definitely an upgrade from the pre-existing fridge, but I can’t tell you how bummed I am that we wasted our money on this basic unreliable fridge. The ice maker broke in the 3rd year and the drawers started falling apart shortly after. Plus, after we had finally gotten to redoing our kitchen, we wished we had went with a better looking model because our new kitchen looked amazing but the appliances just didn’t have that same wow factor!
So, when I got the opportunity to get my hands on the new Samsung Family Hub Smart Refrigerator I was ecstatic! The first thing you notice when you see this fridge is the 21.5″ touchscreen. It definitely has to be one my (and the rest of my family’s) favorite features…not just because of how cool it looks, but because of all the features it now brings into your home. When I walk into my kitchen, the Family Hub is one of the first things that grabs my attention. To be honest, even though this fridge has more cubic feet than my last fridge, when I first opened it I thought it was going to be too small for me. I think the fact that there is a separate drawer (called the Flex Zone) makes the size seem a little deceptive. However, I was completely wrong about the size. The way the fridge is set up allowing you to be able to customize the shelves and drawers really helps you keep everything inside the fridge organized and creates even more space! Honestly…it’s definitely helped to eliminate those “babe, where’s the mayo” moments LOL. Not only does my Samsung Family Hub have a water and ice dispenser, but it also comes with a built-in water pitcher that you can set to auto refill when you put it back in it’s spot! The pitcher also has a flavor infuser built in, which I love. Give me ice cold cucumber-flavored water any hot summer day!
So this might be a little weird and out of the ordinary, but what I use our Family Hub the most for (besides keeping my food cold & organized) is for my workouts. Yes, my workouts! I usually go to the gym for about a half hour and work on a specific body part while I’m there, but then when I get home, after I play with Nate for a little, I always do an at-home WOD (workout of the day). Using the Family Hub’s wifi enabled touchscreen, I go to the Pinterest app and search for workouts. I then create a to-do list with my workout. This way I’m able to save it for another day and I’m able to cross off the exercises as they’re completed. I used to have a drawer full of papers with all of my workout lists, but it’s safe to say I’ve since thrown those out. This is much more efficient for sure! I then go to one of the many music apps to stream some music to get me pumped, like iHeartRADIO.
One of my other favorite features is the Shopping List app. This is an all-around family favorite! I hate going to the supermarket and hate wasting an hour or two with the whole process in general, so anything that can help speed it up is a win. Once you download the hub’s shopping list app on your phone, it all gets synced up. This allows you to create a shopping list which will then show up on the hub, my phone, and my wife’s phone. When anyone edits the list it will update across all devices! Now when you’re doing your shopping, as you grab what you need, you can cross it off the list and it will cross off on everyone’s list. It’s amazing! This way we can split up the shopping and really cut our time in half. No more screaming across the store, “babe, grab bananas”, or “did you get the milk?!” LOL. If I’m at the supermarket alone, while my wife’s at home, she just adds new grocery items she remembers to the hub app and it will pop up on my phone. We really love it!
The app will also take things like strawberries and let you know that in 2 days they are going to go bad. These little reminders are super cool because in the past we’ve definitely wasted way too much fruit in this house, but since the hub have become a lot more aware of our fridge items. Did I mention I can also see inside my fridge from the outside? If I’m at the store and can’t remember if I’m low on mike, I can just view the inside of my fridge on my phone and check. My family hub has 3 interior cameras that takes a photo every-time I close the door and keeps me up to date!
There are seriously so many cool features to my Samsung Family Hub, that I could go on and on, but another one of my faves is the Memos app. I hate waking up so early to go to work and leaving my family without getting a chance to talk or say goodbye in the morning before I leave. So I love that I can quickly type them a cute note that will show right on the fridge’s screen. It might just say “I love you” or “Sorry, I’m busy, but I’ll call you later” or silly things, but just knowing I was able to drop them a line for them to know I’m thinking about them makes me feel better and they love getting my surprise notes throughout the day!
We seriously love our Samsung Family Hub and little by little are incorporating more and more features into our everyday routines. Besides keeping us all connected and making some of our tasks a lot easier, overall we just feel more organized. And in this house with all the running around we do, between work, blog projects, events, everyday commitments & activities and just life in general, feeling more organized and connected definitely helps keep you feeling on task and able to get things done a lot quicker!
These days I rarely carry cash on me. I use my debit card and credit cards for everything. So when using a card, I want to make sure I pick one that has the best incentives and rewards. When the wife and I are out shooting on the weekends we tend to eat out a lot, kind of as a reward for the work we’re doing, and to make it feel like more of a nice day out rather than just a work day. I recently came across the Uber Visa Card and saw that when dining out, you get 4% cash back*! Besides restaurants, it also includes takeout, bars, and even Uber Eats. That would make me feel a lot better about having ice cream (LOL).
With the Uber Visa Card you can also get 3% back on hotels and airfare*, 2% back on eligible online purchases*, and 1% back on everything else*. I love cards like this because if you pay your balance off on time every month, this is just like free money! Now you can take this card and then find other sites that also offer cash back and double your savings.
Cash back is just one of the perks. The Uber Visa Card also offers $600 phone protection if you pay your phone bill with the card*. Honestly, this alone is going to get me to apply for the card. I always have my phone bill on autopay with my credit card, and I also misplace my phone about 5 times a day. It’s a guarantee that eventually I’m going to lose my phone (LOL). This phone protection gives me a little piece of mind.
I also love that there are no foreign transaction fees*. I travel outside the U.S. at least 2 times every year and I’m always turned off when credit cards charge you these extra fees. They make me feel like I’m being taken advantage of and usually make me cancel the card and look for one without extra charges like these or annual fees. Guess this card is officially in the running for my new go-to credit card!
* Terms Apply. Please review the FAQS and Rewards Summary for important information about program benefits and features listed above and the Terms and Conditions for full details about the rewards benefits (such as how points are earned), interest rates and account fees and terms for this particular offer before applying.
This post is sponsored by 
Is it me or does summer continue to get shorter every year? As soon as Labor Day ends the temps start dropping and the sun starts setting earlier and earlier. I always get a little bummed this time of year, but once the limbo of weather stops and it starts remaining cooler, I immediately start enjoying this cozy season.
These days I rarely carry cash on me. I use my debit card and credit cards for everything. So when using a card, I want to make sure I pick one that has the best incentives and rewards. When the wife and I are out shooting on the weekends we tend to eat out a lot, kind of as a reward for the work we’re doing, and to make it feel like more of a nice day out rather than just a work day. I recently came across the