Proud to be a Tradlands Affiliate • All opinions are my own.
Tags: Tradlands • Style

Uber, Lyft, Bolt, rental cars... they're all great when you're traveling. But there's a certain charm about local public transportation that can't be replicated. It's often a little bit inconvenient, sometimes a bit uncomfortable, maybe it's warm? maybe it's packed? Whatever it is.. I kind of love it. It feels authentic. It's a glimpse at the day to day life of real people living their lives in the place you're a visitor in. 

Our first train ride in Portugal started at Boliqueime station. Okay.. actually it started with an Uber to the station. One of those uber rides where you semi fear your life and question how easily you hop into a car with a stranger whose driving you've not previously assessed, but I digress.. 

Boliqueime Station is a quiet little train station in Algarve, southern Portugal. This is not a manned station which means you will need to purchase your tickets in advance. How do you buy train tickets in Portugal?

Visit the official website for Portugal's train system - Comboios de Portugal and select "comprar bilhetes" (buy tickets). You'll be able to enter your starting point and end destination and see choices for train times and prices. Our ticket from Boliqueime to Portimão was 4.15 euro per person. This trip is about an hour long. Your ticket will be emailed to you and you can print it or show it on your phone and it will be scanned on the train. If you can't purchase a ticket in advance, you'll be happy to know you can pay with exact change on the train. After boarding and once the train departs, someone will walk through each car to verify tickets of all new passengers. 

Waiting for a train is an excellent time to catch up on reading, studying, or just take a moment to really be present and observe the little things. On this particular day I took a moment for this outfit combo that I have been gravitating toward all summer so far: 

• encircled tee
  
• tradlands linen meadow skirt 
• nisolo belt
  
• nisolo clara crossbody 
  
• nisolo huarache sandals

It's one of those outfits that feels comfortable, effortless, yet put together. Super functional with the cross body purse with magnetic closure and the linen skirt with pockets..  No wonder I keep reaching for it. 

Can't forget the shadow-engulfed shoes...

Boliqueime station is super quiet and there is not much around the immediate area, however right at the station there are beautiful citrus trees! 

And a lovely view to appreciate as you wait. 

If you cancel in advance you can get a refund and rebook. If you are at a manned station, you can talk to someone in person about exchanging your ticket. In our case, the station was unmanned and we missed our train so we couldn't cancel it in advance. We tried to buy a new ticket for the next train online but the purchase window had closed. So we were prepared to pay again on the train if necessary. We showed our ticket for the previous train to the man and he maintained silence and a bit of a stern expression in response to our apologetic tone and willingness to repay. Finally he said next time, be sure to exchange your ticket and walked away. In Portugal, things are always possible. :) 

Tradlands Meadow Linen Skirt in Olive, shown above, is a new release for 2022 from Tradlands and it is definitely a hit. With a size range from XXS-5X, almost everyone can find their perfect summer skirt in the meadow skirt! 

When I say perfect summer skirt, I truly mean it. This linen skirt is perfect for summer. It has a comfortable elastic waistband, two generous pockets, an ideal length and gather so you don't have to worry about gusts of wind, all in an elevated fabric blend of linen and tencel. It's true a stunning piece and easily one of my favorites in my entire wardrobe. 

For sizing, I went with the size chart recommendation of a medium with a 27" waist. This is definitely a comfortable size for me, though I feel I could have sized down to a small to wear it higher without needing a belt. The olive color is gorgeous and if you can save up for one olive and one black of this skirt.. you'd be set for life girl. 

This is a skirt that you can wear with flip flops, tennis shoes, or heels. Dress it up or down, wear it constantly, live your life in the comfort and effortless style of tradlands meadow linen skirt! 

Thanks so much to Tradlands for gifting the meadow linen skirt to review and share with visitors to the blog! 
Check out tradlands meadow skirt here and support this amazing brand!

Quince is a direct to consumer brand that aims to deliver quality clothing, accessories, home goods etc. at a more affordable price.

The following quince clothing reviews are based on my own personal experiences and opinions. I hope these reviews of quince items I purchased can help you pick the perfect item for you or gift for a loved one!

Quince's washable silk camis were part of my first order from the brand. A camisole always seems to be such an essential in any wardrobe... a basic staple piece that everyone needs in their closet. Hence I snagged one in ivory and one in black.

My review of Quince's Washable Silk Cami:

The Quince camisoles are of nice quality and I appreciated that the ivory option is double layered so it's not so sheer. It's hard to find a light colored silk that isn't see-through.

Another nice feature of the cami from Quince is that the straps are adjustable. The sliders are made of metal so they should last well over time. Adjustable straps really appeal to me as a petite person who prefers a modest neckline. 

What I learned: This purchase helped me realize that I generally only wear a cami as a layering piece for modesty with a v neck or a wrap style top or dress. I'm not someone who really wears spaghetti straps even in the summer. I prefer a strap that is thick enough for a 'normal' bra strap to be covered because I rarely want to be bothered with a strapless bra. 

However, in the event that one did want to wear this cami alone as it does have a lovely drape, I would recommend these or these over bra straps hanging out or an uncomfortable strapless bra. 

Overall I think if you are a cami person you will love quince's silk camis. Right now you can get the quince washable silk cami in 6 colors.

As for me, I thought I would be reaching for these camis more often than I do. They are still a piece I will keep in my wardrobe because there is a time and place for them in my personal style! 

For a discount on Quince washable silk camis, bundle 3 items for $5 off or 4 items for $10 off automatically at checkout. First purchase? Stack with my friend link for an extra $20 off!

Materials: 90% Mulberry Silk Double Georgette / 10 % Spandex
​Size: XS

The Quince Washable Silk Stretch Blouse is a piece I wear regularly. It is a shiny silk, unlike my everlane clean silk button up (review here) I think overall my personal preference is the more matte silk, but I still get a lot of wear out of this piece from Quince clothing. 

How I wear it? Most often I wear the Quince silk button up shirt with skirts, under a dress, or under a sweater or other long-sleeved top. I rarely wear it completely on it's own as it's a little bit sheer, so I prefer to use it is a layering piece. There's something about a collar peeking out that makes me feel so confident and put together! 

Are Quince's silk blouses worth it? I think so! I would consider adding another color (maybe magenta?) as there are 6 color options currently! 

As always check out the photos on the customer review photos to envision how it may fit on your body! 

And consider protecting your silk investment with Numi Sweatproof Undershirts!! 

Pro tip: Be careful what you wash with this top. This isn't specific to this silk blouse, but in general. One day I washed all my washable silks together without even thinking of the color. When I went to hang them to dry I realized that my ivory silk blouse is now more of a cool white with the slightest touch of blue. :-( If you didn't know how it looked originally, you may not notice it. But since I know... 

Materials: 100% extra fine Australian merino wool; 19.5 micron yarn
​Size: XS

I love my Quince Australian Merino Wool Cardigan. I tend to run cold but also have a hard time regulating temperature so layers are my best friend. Easy layers. Layers I can take on and off near constantly. lol. For that reason I really like this merino wool cardigan. It's my first merino wool piece and when it arrived I remember my first thought was "this is so soft and feels luxurious!" Since I have worn it 3-5 times a week for the past year I  can confirm that it is a great piece that holds up well. It's meant to be hand washed or dry cleaned, but I did throw it in the washer many times with no issue. YMMV. Just be sure not to put it in the dryer or it may shrink a bit and the feel may change a bit.... Not speaking from experience at all.. ;) 

I ordered this merino wool cardigan from quince when it first launched and it only came in Navy. Now you can grab it in other core colors like black, gray, and camel!

For a discount on Quince Australian merino wool sweaters, bundle 3 items for $5 off or 4 items for $10 off automatically at checkout. First purchase? Stack with my friend link for an extra $20 off!

100% Grade A Mongolian cashmere; 15.1 Micron

100% Linen

50% cotton / 50% modal

Material: 97% cotton / 3% elastane

When it comes to pants I currently wear these jeans or comfy-cute dressy sweatpants and dressy leggings from this brand. I thought it could be helpful to add another neutral pant so I opted to give Quince girlfriend chino pants a try in this olive green color. 

These are not my jam. I keep trying to wear them to see if my opinion changes, but I just don't feel comfortable in them. I don't like the way they fit my body. I don't like the style stripe down the side. (The original product image did not show the stripe and after ordering they added more photos. Although it was probably in the text description and I didn't notice)

As an alternative I may try the Prana Halle pants sometime. They would be great to have on hand for hikes and other outdoorsy activities I think! 

Tags -  Quince • Style  •  Silk • Cotton • Petite Style • Review • Try Ons • Modal • Merino Wool •  Linen • Style • Numi • Cashmere •
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