SJB Series Part 1: Royal Pains of Winter

I know I have thoroughly complained and expressed my frustration with this season of winter. As a blogger, the colder months can so uninspiring. Quite frankly, I don’t love what the cold does to my skin. Somehow I always neglect to put enough moisturizer on my hands and other 2000 parts (insert eye roll) lol. I personally prefer my hair curly but in the winter I wear it straight. My hair is tailbone length and is quite time consuming to straighten. When I straighten, it’s poofy probably in the first 24 hours. I don’t re-straighten so I end up “bunning” or doing the ponytail thing which isn’t the most glamorous style. I honestly am simply not a fan of boots, I prefer open toe because they offer more detail in design but I digress.  I know what you’re saying “girl those are personal choices that you’re complaining about”. You’re so right but hey, I’m explaining the royal pains right? 

I completely inspired by my beautiful necklace from Sassy Jones Boutique. When I received this necklace I was definitely impressed at how beautiful it was and also the great quality. I LOVE this necklace. Had it been summer, I probably would have styled this look much differently…much more to my personal style but this look is to showcase the royal beauty of this statement necklace. I paired it with a free flowing vertically striped top and a black fur jacket to exaggerate the regal bold “centerpiece”. To bring the look to a casual balance, I wore a pair of jeans and thigh high boots. 

Had it been warmer weather, I would have worn a skirt instead. Not to take away from the necklace, I decided against a belt. I added a headpiece to further emphasize the “regalness” (I made that up lol) of this look. This is a bit out of my personal style but I am showing a style of how to wear this necklace. MY personal style with this necklace will be shown in a lookbook next week! For now, let me know what you think. Link to this gorgeous necklace, click here: (direct link). 

Shirt: Thrifted. Headpiece: Neon Wild. Jacket: Burlington (similar here). Jeans: Fashion Nova

     

   

Urban Runway

I’ve a bit uninspired partly due to this tragically bland weather we call winter. (Insert eye roll) Beyond being too cold to garner the gusto to get out, I’m just ready to wear sandals and summer maxi dresses. I miss curly hair and lighter hair color… I could go on and on. In order to grasp a teeny bit of spring, I grabbed a bright, bold colorful scarf from Target. 

I wore the scarf in a Rosie the Riveter kind of way. I added hoops to emphasize the “casualness” of the look. My outfit is pretty casual anyway but I added extra “leather” to create a bit of an edge so the look isn’t basic. Nothing wrong with jeans and a tee but that wasn’t the goal here. Since the look is so casual and edgy, I decided against a handbag of any sort. 

I’m finding inspiration in the cityscapes and surroundings in the city so my muse was a gritty but “tattooed” alley. I felt this alley was perfect as my runway. It had been years since I’ve seen actual alley cat but I saw one this alley. A true sign of vitality in the area. Anyhoo, the walls of this alley lended the perfect scene around my runway. Check out my catwalk…

Later Cupcakes…

(Scarf: Target)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

(Edited) Candy Paint Color…

I am a true lover of color. Color adds so much personality, life and depth to….well, life! How boring would everything be in black and white? Remember those black and white televisions? Whew, so very glad that we’ve moved on to better technology lol. 

It seems nowadays so many folks are dressing almost the same, unidentifiable in their own style and totally mimicking what seems to get attention. I miss the colorful world of fashion, one that allows plenty of color and the silent description of every clothing piece through it (color). The (public) world of fashion seems to applaud the look of only blacks, nudes, grays and whites. Not that those aren’t colors, it’s just that as of recent, these are the ONLY colors some look to for outfit options. In an age where the Kardashians rule the looks in plenty of “wardrobes”, it’s awfully nice to see color. 

Well, I tend to wear the things that make my eyes and soul happy. I feel like I have to incorporate color (bright color at that) in almost everything every look! Spring is around the corner (gosh it feels marvelous to say that) and it causes me to dress up in spring/summer attire. But, it is still winter. That being said, color is the best way to dress for spring and summer during the winter! Grab a vivid color for a pop of fun with any outfit! 

I decided on a bold vintage bucket bag and a mustard tunic as the pops of color (to motion for spring and promote the liberties of wearing color freely). I love the thickness of the tunic, I was so warm. Despite the weather being warm that day I felt cozy. My denim trench coat was purchased from Off Thrift (of Thrift On the Ave) in Detroit, MI. You can totally check them out online and on their Instagram page. It is truly a one of a kind coat and adds an urban flair to any look. It’s quite amazing how this one piece adds so much personality. My boots are new and have appeared in a recent post. The fringe and gray adds another layer of style but is muted at the same time. I don’t have on a ton of pieces and the abundance of color makes up for that. How do you wear color? I’ll be back here tomorrow Wednesday for style lusts…

Later Cupcakes!

Denim Trench: Thrift On The Ave (similar here). Tunic: Fashion Nova. Leggings: H&M. Boots: Shoedazzle. Glasses: eBay (similar here). 

 

   

  

 
  
  
  
  
 

Boho Street Style

I have seriously not been in the mood for dressing up. I want to wear some jogging pants. I’ll tell you one thing, I will be on the hunt for a new pair of kicks, possibly Addidas of Nike Air Max. I just need stylish kicks because I’ve not been in the mood for heels lately. Today I wore my broken in and long loved wedges from Justfab. I love these because they are so comfortable and I can run and jump all while looking stylish. My hair is all wrapped up so I put a scarf on because the wind has been so unforgiving this past week and I couldn’t get a flattering picture with my hair disrespectfully blowing every where.  Anyhoo, I’ve been wanting to rock this vintage Jordache jeans sweatshirt for months but I planned on wearing a skirt. Since this look happened before the warm up, wearing a skirt (with this look) and then another skirt a few a days later is a “no go” for me in this kind of weather.

I decided on a pair of denim pants from Top Shop. These are the Joni jeans. They are super comfy for those days when you would like to wear jogging pants but want to look a bit more polished than just wearing leggings. I wore a striped dress underneath my sweatshirt as a tunic for layering and dualing duties of combating the cold as well. To jazz up my look a bit, I am wearing a statement necklace.  I threw on a black leather jacket for warmth, edge and good measure. This look is quite boho chic with and edge and I’m ready for spring so this is also a lazy day outfit. Share your thoughts below!

Later Cupcakes!

To be Updated:

Jacket: Forever 21. Sweatshirt: vintage. Denim pants: Topshop. Dress/Tunic: Zulily. Wedges: Justfab. 


 

90s Look: Fringe Benefits 

Friday’s are days that I love! My children are off for the weekend, my hubby is too (even though I’m always working) and I get to enjoy my family! Now this weekend things will be a lil bit different. We have some work to do but we are still going to spend quality time together. Very simply put, I wanted a fun and stylish look! Fringe is always easy way to make an otherwise boring outfit fun!

The fringe I chose are fringe boots. They truly add a little bit of funk to my look. I didn’t feel like doing too much with my look because this seems like the perfect day to watch a movie and munch on a good crock pot meal lol. Honestly, I hadn’t noticed until my hubby pointed it out that I look like I belong in a Lil Kim video lol. Well, that goes to show that the simplest looks can say the most right?! Ha!

Welp, I gathered a few things that I had in my closet, some new, some old and put them together in this look. So there really is no concept in my looks during the winter beyond warmth and comfort honestly (which I know I’ve said before). For warmth, I really do love a fur jacket, coat, cardigan, etc., so that’s what I reached for in this look. I have a few furs, a couple which are jackets. Since this look is intended to be casual, I didn’t want to wear a fur coat which seems to be worn in a more formal fashion historically. Now of course you can break the mode and wear a maxi length coat if you like but I declined to do so.

My jacket was purchased years ago from Burlington Coat Factory on the clearance rack for under 20 bucks! Yes!! 20 bucks!!! It was extremely cheap because there was a genuine suede belt that accompanied the jacket in two loops but one of the loops was “broken”.  I decided to cut both loops off and not wear the belt at all. I think it gives the coat a more luxurious look (beyond the black color). I grabbed a turtleneck dress that I bought on clearance from American Apparel last year. I saw this dress on Adrienne Bailon and fell in love with this dress. I bought the exact same color which is a sort of sea foam green. It balances the black of the jacket out pretty well. I’m exhausted with wearing dark colors in the winter and quite frankly I’m just ready for winter to be over lol. The turtleneck dress is a fitted one and really accentuates anyone’s curves that would wear it. My accessories are minimal. Since my dress comes a bit above the knees, I found the opportunity to wear thigh high boots (again for warmth) and even though they are open toe, I was warm because my thighs are covered. I wanted a sleek look so I opted for a bag I grabbed from H&M. The clean lines and contemporary look of the bag is exactly what I needed to balance the modern simplicity of this outfit. Let me know what you think of this outfit and also, let me know how you wear your furs!

Til next time,

Later Cupcakes!

Fur jacket: Burlington (similar here). Dress: American Apparel (similar here). Denim shirt: Walmart (similar here). Boots: Shoedazzle (similar here). Bag: H&M


Casual Friday: Office Appropriate 

This is dedicated to all of my style friends out there that work in the office environment. When I worked in an office (I do still work in my own office), I couldn’t wait for casual Friday because I hated business wear. The thing is, even though as a staff we got to wear more casual attire, we still had guidelines to follow. The point of this outfit look is to actually show how you can be casual and stylish while still dressed appropriately for the office environment.

Since long line jackets are among my favorite pieces to keep in a wardrobe, I think incorporating such a thing in an outfit can automatically keep your look business-like without looking boring. Naturally, anything can rock a fresh pair of jeans I will so I opted for a pair from Forever 21. They cost about 10 bucks and are a basic wash denim. A basic wash doesn’t look to “decorated” that they detract from the business aspect of your look. I paired the jeans with a mock turtleneck top, white in color for a clean, fresh detail of the look. I added a scarf for esthetic and and comfort, another layer as well as an extra bit of (depth of) color. My boots are the rugged yet chic detail of my look. They boast an overt stitched, thick sole and fur at the outer inside area of the shoe as well as the tongue. I love this design of boot because it’s wet and snowy out. I won’t risk breaking my neck in heels with these! Let me know if you likey! I will see you guys back here tomorrow for a special (not really lol) post!

Later Cupcakes!

Jacket: Thrifted (similar here). Turtleneck: Thrifted (similar here). Scarf: (New) Goodwill (similar here). Jeans: Forever 21 (almost similar here). Boots: Target. Bag: H&M

 

L-A-Y-E-R-S-!

Preface: I was supposed to upload this post yesterday but the post somehow got erased. I’m sorry guys. Trust me, I was beyond frustrated for the lack of a better word. Regardless, I still will be uploading Friday’s post. 

There is no doubt in my mind that winter’s cold somehow forces the unintentional organic act of layering clothes and outerwear. The thing with layering is that it can be stylish regardless of the intentions of keeping warm. The beauty of being stylishly comfortable is that can evoke a major sense of creativity. You can truly find your sense of style in the process of layer clothing. Now, personally my sense of style has been evolving lately by each month but that is to be expected and moods of what you may like to wear for months, maybe even years at a time does indeed occur. My advice when layering is to be willing to experiment. For instance, don’t be afraid to mix not only prints but colors and even “styles”. I will discuss the generalized types of styles that exist in fashion in a (very near future) later post. Perhaps then, I will do my very first look book!!! Layering can involve more than one piece of outerwear, more than one shirt, more than one kind of bottoms and even only layering accessories. I chose to layer with outerwear and a blazer.

The weather has indeed been frightful, in fact it decided to snow on the day I wore this look. That being said, I knew that I wanted to wear my fur vest. This vest is so incredibly warm and allows for the rest of my look to still shine through. My blazer is an old one from Forever 21 and it also very warm. I didn’t feel the need of a coat seeing as that the vest and blazer provides so much warmth from the brisk air. I am wearing thermal leggings…tis the season for cozy (and publicly accepted) pants lol! I wore a ruffled front ribbed tunic to further block the cold air. I opted against jewelry because the focus is truly on my layering and the comfort of this look. I chose my fave clutch, very simple and doesn’t detract from the look at all. My boots add another layer to the look in that it seems to add “weight” to the bottom of the outfit by the look of the wedge. I hope you guys get where I’m going with this. Anyhoo, even the suede of the boots offers a layer sort to speak against the look of the fur. My goal was to create a balance throughout the look and still be cozy. This look is intentionally slightly masculine because I am in the woods (and I wanted to portray a lumber jack effect {insert wink smiley face emoji}) but you can make this look a bit more feminine by simply changing the hat and the color of the plaid shirt or blazer. So let me know what you think of this look!! How do you layer? What is your favorite way to keep warm? I will see you back here tomorrow…yep, I am still uploading Friday’s look!

 

Later Cupcakes!!

 

Black Ribbed Tunic: DOTS, (similar here). Vest & Blazer: Forever 21 (similar blazer here). Boots: Justfab (similar here). Leggings: . Hat: Boohoo (similar here). Earrings: H&M (similar here). Clutch: American Apparel

Anti-Prep 

Disclaimer: I apologize for the extremely late post.

I finally look my height (5′ 4″), and I must say that I’m excited lol. I just had to throw that in there. Okay, so business as usual. My look. I wanted to wear a sweater/button up blouse look but the problem with that is you end up looking preppy whether you want to or not. That is definitely not the look I am going for. That being said, I opted for sleeveless sheer blouse with a collar instead of the predictable non-sheer white solid. To further step away from the traditional prep look, I grabbed a bomb statement necklace I purchased from Purple Love. This necklace packs a “pow” factor that counters the normal dainty necklace or scarf that would be worn with the prep look. Quite rebellious huh? Lol. That’s the exact point.

Style is all about tweaking looks that aren’t “you” to make them just the way want to express your personality perfectly. That’s what makes styling fun. I threw on a hat on my messy pony for flirty but youthfully stern look. My boots are combat-like booties, high in heel, they give me a longer, leaner silhouette (even though I am getting thinner) and anyone can get that effect. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Now that you’ve seen what I’m wearing, let me know what you’re wearing or were wearing this Friday night!

Later Cupcakes!!

Sweater: H&M (similar here). Blouse: F21 (similar here). Jeans: Fashion Nova. Booties: Justfab. Necklace: Purple Love (sold out but similar necklace on the site). Earrings: H&M (similar here). Bracelets: Layered Chains

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Black, White & Colored Sophistication 

Disclaimer: A huge part of style is fit. This coat is WAY too big for me but I wore this for demonstration purposes. 

I love mixing color with black and white prints. The two compliment one another so very well, sometimes even allowing two different “styles” to coexist in one outfit. In this look today, I’m actually showing the most subtle (if it can be called that) way to mix colors amongst strong colored prints. I opted for a houndstooth scarf balanced against a colorful plaid coat. Both work for style and comfort as they not only keep me warm but they also stand out and grab attention. For a chic look (to this vintage coat), I tried to wear the coat simply hanging onto my shoulders. It was too cold for that!! Lol. I didn’t wear jewelry because my look is definitely decorated enough (due to the prints), overdone is never attractive…at least in my opinion. I’ve mixed black and white with colored prints in the past and I LOVE the way that it looks. I feel that it’s easy a signature look for me! Anyhoo, I’ve put info on my look below and something new I’m doing is adding alternatives to items no longer available, vintage or thrifted. Let me know what you think!

Later Cupcakes!

Wool Coat: Vintage (similar coat HERE, similar shirt HERE). Scarf: eBay. Turtleneck: H&M. Denim: (similar) JC Penney. Boots: old (similar pair HERE

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January First!

It’s 2016 already!! Geez time has really flown by. 2015 was a very difficult year and I am glad that some things are now the past. The things that matter to me are the things that money simply can’t buy. I started planning for 2016 back in 2015 and I must say that I am so ready to start doing things that I planned. I don’t have new years revolutions, every single day is always one that I use to do better than I did the day before.

I can’t say that I didn’t learn a lot last year. This blogging thing has opened my eyes to people even more and has opened up the romantic idea of myself. There are things that I would love to change physically at times but the most important changes are always the ones that I choose to make inside. The secret person of the heart. I am going to continue to make the strides that I started making in 2015, this year is no different than any other when it comes to making the best out of becoming the very best that I can be. Life has made many adjustments, un-forseen things have happened. I’m a better mom and wife than I was this time last year, I am very proud that my husband and children are proud of me. I’ve outgrown overdue friendships and grown into new ones where I actually feel cared for, not by things or money but by true love and support coupled with understanding.

This post is not really about what I am wearing on the outside, rather what I am wearing on the inside. My heart. I feel loved. I feel inspired. I feel beautiful. I feel brilliant. I feel grateful. That is all that matters. My outfit was one that I wore out with one of my dear friends. It was the last hang out of 2015 and I was comfy the entire time.It’s stylish but it shows how relaxed I felt in my heart. I can’t wait to celebrate more of nothing more than simple moments, not over exaggerated by fancy clothes, over the top parties, faux friendships. Just honesty. Simplicity. One day at a time. So much to accomplish but before I get ahead of myself, let’s do January first!

Later Cupcakes,

Candy.

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