In case you missed our last episode of An Extra Dose, you can listen to that here!
A little about this episode:
On this episode of An Extra Dose Podcast, Samantha and Alexis are sharing their travel guide to Tulum, Mexico. They talked all about getting there, where they stayed, what they ate, the best places to grab drinks, and all the must-see spots and more! The girls finish off with their favorite Housewives shows on Bravo, and which seasons they like the most and why.
Hope you all are having a great weekend! It is spring time, so we wanted to share this cute date outfit idea with you all. For a first date, or any date, you want to feel confident and cute, so we wanted to give some tips on what to wear and feel like your best self in!
When you go on a date, you want to feel cute, but not overly dressed up, and not too revealing! You want to leave a little to the imagination 😉
We recommend going for your favorite color because that makes you feel most confident. For us, we like to go for a coral color, or black is always classic. Black is usually a color that looks good on any skin tone, and it is chic. We love doing a monochromatic black look, or even white when you’re more tan!
Another tip is to choose something that looks effortless, but put together. You want to look cute, but not like you spent a ton of time figuring it out. An easy dress or some jeans and a cute top is always a good go to!
We found this cute little black dress from Express, and at first we weren’t sure about how tight it was, but we actually really ended up loving it on. It is figure hugging in the right spots, and is perfect for date night or any spring travel coming up. We are wearing xs in it, and the length hits us a little longer since we are so petite, but on someone taller, it would be right below your knee!
We paired it with some wedges and a cute round bag. We love that Express has so many options for all body types: petites, taller women, and curvier women. Their pieces are all at a great price point, which we love! If this black dress isn’t for you, we also love this black romper and this black maxi dress!
**PS- You can save $25 off your order of $100 or more in store or online with code 8144.
Happy Thursday! We get asked a lot for some affordable looks, so we are so excited to be sharing some really cute and budget-friendly spring looks with Walmart today. We found some SUPER cute pieces, and the best part is, most of them are under $50! Depending on where you are headed this spring, we have you covered!
We put six looks together, some more casual than others! Each look could be dressed up or down by swapping out the shoes or bag. We love that Walmart launched We Dress America, which has tons of styles that reflect your personal style and what the current trends like stripes and pastels. They also offer free 2-day shipping and returns for purchases over $35, which is a major plus!
LOOK ONE:
This is a great look for spring travels and we love these rose gold flats that are only $28!
This one is another great travel look, and you can’t beat joggers! This pair is only $20, and we found this cute patent sandal for only $50 to go with them!
We have shared several relationship topics recently, and we have gotten such a good response, so it was requested that we talk more about being a single twin, or it could apply to those of you who all are single out of all your friends!
Samantha styled her shorter one in this post last week, and today, I am styling this longer one that is more ivory-colored for spring. What is so great about this duster is that you can wear it with white jeans and a white tank like I did, or pair it over a swimsuit for the beach or pool. You could also wear it over a dress or romper that is solid colored!
For accessories (our fave part), I threw on this round bag, which I have legit been wearing every single day since I got it. It also comes in the reverse colors with tan outside and white on the inside, and it has a longer strap so you can wear it crossbody or on your shoulder.
These neutral wedges from Sole Society are so comfy and they are the perfect height to wear with shorts and shorter skirts. We literally wear a pair of Sole Society’s shoes a couple times a week at least just because they are so comfortable and they are a great price point–usually under $100. Also, most of their pieces are vegan!
Now, for the topic of being single: As you all know, I went through a breakup in December, so I am really taking this time to focus on myself. I have honestly never been so content with being single, and I kind of love it. So much that I don’t really have an interest right now to date, which is so unlike me, ha!
Of course, you all know that Sam is in a long-term relationship with an amazing guy, and I couldn’t be happier for her. She deserves it so much, and without sounding weird, she earned it. She had been through so much with dating, and she met a great guy, and they are a great match for each other.
With that being said, I would be lying if there weren’t times that I wasn’t envious, or didn’t want the same thing for myself. After some of my relationships, I was just angry, and took it out on her because it wanted what she had, but after my last relationship, I felt differently. I respected what she has in hers, and am so thankful to have her support and her boyfriend, Taylor’s support.
They both invite me to hang out with them all of the time, which is so sweet! They let me tag along to dinner, face masks, movies, etc. Of course, I have taken this time to be social and make friends, but it is nice to have them around, too. Taylor is like a brother to me, so I always vent to him about guys and all of that. Being twins, it is crucial that we like who each other are dating. We are so close, and know each other best, so if one of us is dating someone where there is tension, or just not a good relationship, it will never work.
Twins are such a unique dynamic, so it can be tricky to date a twin. I think it really takes a certain person to be confident enough to date a twin, and I have learned that along the way. Things happen for a reason, and while being single is not always fun, a huge factor is mindset.
You have to be as okay as you can be with being single. It is not easy going through breakups, but talking about it with friends, family members, and focusing on your happiness is so important.
For me, embracing this time to focus on me and be selfish has been everything. I am loving this time, and my sister has been so supportive. I feel like I can be open with her, as she can be with me. Our relationship isn’t perfect, but I am so grateful for her and couldn’t imagine my life without her.
When we aren’t wearing shorts or jeans, or joggers, haha, we look for the next best option: dressing up some shorts! As it starts warming up, we want to opt for something that is more comfortable and acceptable to wear to a nice dinner, but also not constricting or too covered up. Enter: dressed up shorts! This black pair from J.ING has the cutest stud detailing on the sides, AND they are higher waisted so they are amazing!
To do a dressed up look, we suggest pairing a simple black knit tank with them (this one is tight, but also loose, if that makes sense?!) The fabric isn’t too constricting, but it is also form-fitting in all the right places. It also comes in a really pretty off-white color Sam styled below!
For sizing, we are wearing size S in the shorts, and XS in the sweater tank. The shorts do run a little small on us, so we were glad we ordered both the XS and S.
What we love about J.ING pieces is that they are higher fashion and trendy, but also functional! They have so many cute pieces that we want to order like this trench coat and this polka dot dress that is perfect for spring!
If you’re wanting to dress down the shorts, you could do a basic white tank, or even a denim button up shirt.
We are SO excited to share today’s blog post! We had SO many of you all who wanted all the details from our trip! We had a blast. This was our first time in Tulum, and it definitely won’t be our last. It is so different than any other part of Mexico we had been to before. The beach is beautiful and there are a TON of healthy spots with fresh fruits, juices, and vegan options, which was perfect for us! There are also a ton of other spots that aren’t like that, so if you’re not a health nut, don’t panic, haha.
We flew into Cancun, and then booked a private driver ahead of time, and they were at the airport waiting for us when we arrived. This is typically what we do when traveling to Mexico because it is so much easier and less of a hassle.
You can take a shuttle or bus, but this is what we would recommend. The drive from the airport is about an hour and a half, so it is pretty long. You can also rent a car, but we didn’t really feel that comfortable doing that when it was our first time going!
PS- make sure you have a lot of pesos for food! Some places take credit cards, but not everywhere! We changed over money at the bank before we left, and would avoid using ATMs there, if possible!
We usually try to pack a carry-on when we go for shorter trips. For this trip, we were there from a Monday to Thursday, which was a good length of time. We recommend 3-5 days, and for us, it is easy to fly in and out to Cancun, but for you all that have longer travel routes, you may want to be there a little longer!
Some things we recommend:
CLOTHING: cute flowy dresses, coverups, denims shorts, flat sandals (for beach, and also comfortable to walk in at night or during the day), straw hat, beach tote, clutch or bag for evenings, swimsuits
We actually stayed in an Airbnb, so if you all want the exact one we stayed in, shoot us an email. We loved where we stayed, but we did have to take taxis everywhere, unless you want to ride a bike. We don’t know a ton of spanish, so that was a little tricky at times with the taxis, but it really wasn’t bad!
Our airbnb was in the middle of the beach and the pueblo/town, so we got to try out some cool restaurants! Where we stayed was actually a condo so it had 24-hour security and a concierge, and it was very modern and clean. It also had a rooftop pool, which was gorgeous!
We were actually deciding between a few other resorts and an airbnb. In the end, we went with the airbnb because it was more cost effective and we had some friends that had stayed there, so we decided to try it out! We also stopped at the local grocery store and got some snacks, water, and fresh fruit to have for breakfast!
The beach spots are all pretty much in a row on a long road on the beach, so it is pretty easy to hop around!
If you want to stay on the beach, here are some of the spots we were looking at:
We ate at SO many amazing spots. A lot of the places we ate at were Vegan, but there are so many others, too! We used Yelp a ton to find good spots.
WHERE WE ATE:
El Vegetariano
We ate here the first night we were there. It is a really cute, little spot that has an outdoor kitchen with a lot of vegetarian options! We got the house salad, the hummus, the stuffed poblano pepper (SO good!), and the Shamde.
Burrito Amor
This spot was so popular! We went here on the day we left for lunch! They had a TON of yummy burritos and drinks!
This was our favorite spot! We ate here twice. This one is also outdoor with an outdoor kitchen, and so cute!
They have a detox water, which is warm water with lime!
For our appetizer, we got this delicious mushroom and coconut ceviche! It tasted just like real ceviche with seafood.
This is the Ensalada Verde, and was so yummy!
This Veggie Wok was INCREDIBLE!
Raw Love
We had heard SO much about this place. They have a bigger location tucked in this area on the beach with cute, bright pillows, and then a smaller stand on the actual beach!
We got this turmeric latte that was SO good!
One of us got the Pad Thai, and one of us got the Zucchini Alfredo. Both were delicious!
Matcha Mama
Y’all have probably seen this place all over instagram, and it is SO cute! We had to stop by. They have really cute swings and stuff to enjoy your drink or smoothie bowl on!
We got the Banana Nice Cream cacao and coconut flavors and it was amazing. We also got an iced matcha!
We honestly didn’t do much besides go to the beach, eat, and explore, but there is SO much you can do there. Some things we did, and some things we didn’t have a chance to do:
Do Some Water Activities: snorkeling, kayaking, catamaran, etc.
Eat Some Local Food: juices, tacos, coffee, etc.
Ride A Bike Around The Town
Shop At The Local Boutiques
Take A Yoga Class
Visit The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve
CENOTES:
We didn’t personally have time to visit any cenotes, but these are the ones we heard good things about. Also important to note that these can get crowded, so try to get there early!
Gran Cenote
Cenote Car Wash
Cenote Dos Ojos
Casa Cenote
Cenote Casa Tortuga
DRINK SPOTS:
We honestly don’t drink a lot, but saw a ton of cute spots and places a lot of y’all had recommended:
Since we were not staying on the beach, we kind of hopped around and walked a lot. The place we were staying had a nice pool on the rooftop, so we sat outside there, and then during the day we went to a few spots:
Coco Tulum: all white area with really cute swings and beach area!
The cutest seashell sink faucets!
Paraiso Beach Club: really pretty beach club that you pay to use for the day and serves drinks and food!
Ziggy’s Beach Bar: very popular spot with good drinks!
Ahau Tulum: we hung out here for a little bit and got a fresh coconut from Raw Love on the beach!
