How To Style: Not Quite Winter White

Eh! Where has the time gone?! These last few years have been crazy for me. Even more so, everyone has been in a time warp of this new decade we’ve started a year ago. Things have been beyond crazy. Most of us are tired of holding on to the edge of our seats because we want to be out and about. Understood. As crazy as everything has been, I’ve been trying to carve out some time to get back into blogging.

I will update you all on everything that has transpired (as much as I can). In the meantime I’ve been doing some working. I have some projects that I’ve been working on a for years and this year, I am trying to get them off the runway.

I’m trying to take care of myself and be safe. That in itself is a LONG story. I’m hoping that all of my readers are doing well and your families are safe. Thank you so much for sticking around and supporting! I look forward to sharing more of me on this blog!

This is my first styling post for this year and I wanted to make sure it went up on the first day of February. Partly because it should have gone up before January was up. February means it’s snow on the ground here in Michigan. This post was done before last week’s snowfall. I wanted to be comfy and chic because this weather makes you want to be cozy. I created this outfit for comfort first and style second.

My boots although high heel are comfy and easy to walk in. The cardigan feels like a blanket and my dress is soothing on the skin. Anyhoo, I hope you like what I put together. More to come. IG posts coming back soon! To everyone that has left me well wishes and have been concerned about me, I appreciate you and love you guys…thank you so much for even caring!!! Stay safe, enjoy some comedy and the outdoors to preserve or encourage mental health.❤️

Cardigan: Pretty Little Thing, Dress: H&M, Carole Heeled Boots: Shoedazzle (for alternate search Mattison), Handbag: Aldo (sold out). Belt: vintage.

Why I Needed a Blogging & Social Media Break…

I swear I never thought I’d get back to the point of being excited about blogging again. Quite frankly, blogging had become more of a chore and pretty much a bore…no “bars” intended lol.

If you’re a blogger of any kind, I think you can probably relate to how ruthless the blogging world can be. Since I hate drama and am content in my own little bubble, putting myself “out there” got me more than I bargained for. I expected more comraderary from fellow bloggers but ya’ll competition is real out here…even if you’re not competing. I won’t spend much more time on that negativity but to say with real things going on in life, I couldn’t fathom letting trivial bits of pettiness and mean girl personas to move me in any way. I had to focus on getting me back to my best self.

In the midst of blogging, I think I neglected myself more than I realized. Truth is, I neglected myself a ton! I spent a lot of time researching info, growing my Instagram and social media influence and that left little time to really take care of me. I’ve talked about some health issues I have before and not putting myself first was having a negative effect on those pre-existing issues. The oxymoron of it all is that all you saw was me writing about what I was wearing, my skin, my self care solutions. Sadly, I let…myself…go.

As if my own self sabatoge wasn’t enough, our family suffered a few losses last year. One loss this year. Yes I said a few and then one. Mentally, everyone who loses a loved one needs time to reflect and gather themselves to be emotionally fit to move forward. That’s just reality. When you have children, you need more time because children need consoling and nurturing. Ours (hubby’s and mine) are at the age where they are “aware” and have questions, legit ones, about the situation surrounding the death. After they are “okay”, us parents need to usher into self care.

I’m currently on that journey of self care. I suffered extreme hair loss, skin flare ups of all kinds including hives, acne and eczema, headaches, joint and muscle pain and more things that I’ll not have to mention because the above is enough. I had to get these things in order and fast! To resolve these issues calls for more than just some sort of salve or serum. Deep research, medical help and just re-acquainting myself with my body again was essential. Now while I am still in process, I am discovering other fruits that need pruning or plucking from my life. Not that they’re necessarily bad but they provide no enrichment or “nutrition” to me as a person or to my life.

Folks…rid yourself of people, habits, so called goals, mindsets, platforms, loves and hates that don’t help you to be a better person. We grow physically but mental health and growth is just as important…actually more important. Social media is social. It’s not essential in order for us to survive. If IG was shut down for good, if YouTube was outlawed, where would that leave you? I had to ask myself if I was too deeply enthralled with something that encourages faux realities. I actually became a part of it. I looked like I took better care of myself that I actually did. That’s the long and short of it. And look, we all neglect ourselves from time to time but I was extreme. I saw problems and put them off making excuses of not having time. Buy out time. (I got that straight from the Bible lol.) It will cost time from something else but its worth it.

Where am I now? Well I am still a blogger and I have some posts that will be coming out but I am pacing myself. I don’t have to post a new look every day or every three days. I’ve decided on once per week. Maybe a lookbook in between. I’m working on my social media plan but it can not overtake my life. Perspective is important and I’ve put things in perspective.

That being said, I am working on some things that I will share a little later. Hopefully, you guys will be as excited as I am about them!

Peace and Tranquility (OOTD)

This world can truly get the best of us if we allow it. The traffic, tall buildings, large crowds and daily pressures can all be too much. We can all find ourselves needing to unplug and get away. Sometimes I take a few days from social media to unwind and to find my calm. Being a mom and a wife are not easy and sometimes, the world seems to loom over my shoulders. As a blogger, I know how dedicated one has to be to be growing and successful. You can’t just throw things together because others can detect that. I am very thoughtful when it comes to my blog and I am sincere in every post.

Some may view bloggers, vloggers and Youtube personality as above human but this is hardly the case. In fact, I think as a blogger, being exposed to much criticism can hurt sometimes. We have to be creative and always present original and personalized content. Our goal is to always capture and grab the audience. With all that being said, I needed a moment to refocus and get motivated again. I had been feeling so drab and drowned by other things that I had lost joy…and a some of my determination to keep going on my blog. I took a few days and got inspired by the things around me and to just take in nature. I captured my outfit one of those days and decided to put it into this OOTD with no makeup. Please share how you unwind and what keeps you motivated (besides money and notoriety). Also, let me know what you think about my outfit. A girl still has to be fashionable while relaxing right?! Lol. 

Until tomorrow for a beauty post and Wednesday for a fab ootd

Bye Cupcakes,

Candy.

 

Blogging In Detroit: The Lip Bar Event

If you are from Detroit you know there were a ton of popping events going on this weekend. One of the best happens to be The Lip Bar launching at none of other than Thrift On The Ave (located on Cass Ave). I am too excited that I was able to attend. The event was AWESOME!! If you don’t know about The Lip Bar, let me give you a brief overview. The Lip Bar was created by a woman by the name of Melissa. She comes from a background of the corporate world where cosmetic creativity is stifled…among other things. Anyhoo, she thought that women should be able to create lipsticks they love without compromising color, quality or individuality. This company has been featured on the hit show Shark Tank. The Lip Bar travels by a mobile truck to accommodate clientele. To learn more about The Lip Bar, check them out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram…all under the name @thelipbar (except for Facebook which will exclude the @). You can also get the ultimate experience at the company’s website: www.thelipbar.com. So now that you have been introduced to the company by a friend (me lol), let me describe my experience.

Thrift On The Ave was an absolutely a gorgeous place to not only shop but also to host this event. As guests, we enjoyed champagne, as well as the fine opportunity to get The Lip Bar experience through information and demonstrations. Lastly, we all got to network with other ambitious and driven, fabulous women. YouTube guru Chanda was there looking stunning and is just as beautiful on the inside. Side note: Thrift On The Ave definitely gave me an invitation to go back and shop because their clothes were calling my name honey!! Lol. I digress. Check out my pics below and definitely follow me on Instagram so you can see more candid pics and let me know what you think below. Be sure to check out The Lip Bar online as well as Thrift On The Ave the next time you are in Detroit!

My review on the lipstick:

I tried on the lipstick Sweet Shiraz and I loved the color so much that I bought it. The formula is between the Retro Matte of Ruby Woo by MAC and a “regular” Matte MAC lipstick.* The color is full on and wears for hours. I wore mine for about six hours and it stayed put regardless of my eating and drinking. The packaging is absolutely gorgeous and unique. The price point is $18.00/lipstick and you get 3.5 grams.* That’s about 0.5 more product than a regular MAC lipstick. All in all, I am very happy with my purchase and will make another in the future.

*MAC mentioned for reference, not comparison*