September 2023 | the crystal press fashion blog

the newest brand you need to try: NEIWAI for activewear, loungewear and intimates.

We recently hit the court at Keswick Hall with Dr. Scholls and for the shoot, Catherine and I wanted to get some new stuff. Like, new new new. Something we hadn’t tried before! So we reached out to some friends who introduced us to NEIWAI. And wow, what a great brand. I loooooove discovering new brands. It feels like I am breathing new life into my wardrobe and adding new options to get dressed each day makes the days a little more exciting. Let’s be real, getting dressed isn’t always fun when you are rushing around with a one year old in the morning!

So new things are just that much more exciting!

ANYWAYS, a little more about NEIWAI. Think comfortable, quality pieces you want to LIVE IN that are aesthetic to boot. Basically the dream right? They have fantastic activewear, loungewear and intimates. And when I say their underwear is amazing, that is an understatement. It’s called Barely Zero for a reason. And the activewear is buttery soft. Yep, I said buttery soft. It is comparable in price to lululemon, athleta etc and I think fits even better and is more comfortable. SHOP the MOUSSE ACTIVE COLLECTION here.

AND THE PAJAMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a sleepover at Keswick and got to snap a few photos in our pajamas and I am purely obsessed with the photos. And the pajamas! I am wearing the Cafe Print Pajamas Shirt & Shorts and I have actually also been wearing the set out of the house, too. It is so chic. Catherine is wearing the Flower Print Classic Embroidered Pajama Top & Pants (selling fast!) and I love how the two sets look together!

SO, if you are looking to try something new and want to invest in some new pieces you’ll wear often, for a while, I urge you to give NEIWAI a shot! They gifted us these pieces, but this post was not sponsored! I just fell in love with them.

first birthday cake smash

I came across this idea while scrolling instagram one day (where else), and then again and again and again when I was perusing Pinterest for first birthday photo ideas. I knew we were going to get family photos taken around Olive’s first birthday, but I also loved the idea of the simple cake and cake smash. I knew we probably couldn’t do both with the photographer, so I figured we could just do it ourselves.

I knew it probably wouldn’t look AS good as if we had them done by Halle and honestly had pretty low expectations for us, lol. But, I think they turned out pretty darn good. SO, here are a few tips if you want to do it at home yourself and save some money but create some sweet mems. (and do a test run of a cake smash before the big birthday party!)

first birthday cake smash

If you have a nice camera, use it. It had been waaaay too long since I got out my “real camera.” We have the Canon G7X Mark II that I got a few years ago. It is compact point and shoot with wifi that is great for getting better photos than your iPhone. Like, way better photos.
Pick up a cheap cake from your local grocery store! For Olive’s birthday party, we had a fancy cake, but for the shoot, I just went to Publix and got a white cake, which cost me only $15. Order the $6 “one” cake topper from Amazon if you want, but obviously isn’t absolutely necessary.
Find a spot in your house (or porch, like we did) with lots of good, natural light! This is a standard for any photo shoot, but especially when you are trying for that “at home professional photographer” vibe. We did our on our screened porch, which was perfect.
Use some old white sheets to hang up behind and place underneath your baby! We all have that set of sheets in the linen closet that doesn’t get put on the bed anymore and you’re keeping around “just in case.” Use that! Its going to get messy. You can hit it with a steamer if you want the back to be smooth and crisp so it looks more like a studio shoot!
Get in a few photos yourself! Of course this is all about the baby, but these will be great keepsakes for the baby book or for you to look back on. I LOVE these photos of Olive and I.
TAG ME or send me the photos if you decide to do this!

first birthday cake smash