Winter Blues & Plaids

So I think the past few months I have talked about winter so much we’re all tired of winter right? Lol. Well, I’m officially sick (no literally) of winter. Currently, I have an ear ache, sinus infection and a cold but I’m pushing through it. The light at the end of the tunnel is SPRING!!! In the meantime, I’ve become slightly uninspired due to not just the weather and the lingering on of winter but the current state of my health. This swinging weather of 60 degrees one day and 18 degrees with snow the next is very hard to plan by. Guys, I have so many looks lined up for warmer weather, I’m quite uninterested in dressing up to be cold. Regardless, tis life and I must dress for it.

I decided on this bold and colorful plaid poncho to be the “center” of my look. In true stylist fashion, I “thinga-ma-jigged”  my poncho into a scarf instead. It’s still a poncho but it is much more cozy and beneficial as a scarf. My coat is of a faux wool/felt material. It honestly is a decently warm coat. It boasts an extra large collar that pretty much envelopes my upper half. I’m wearing fleece leggings. They are sooooo cozy and warm!!! My boots, you all have seen a number of times. They’re from Justfab’s Luxe line (now no longer) but there are similar styles on the market. Mine are genuine suede which I love. Since this look is cozy, I have a large handbag I purchased from H&M to store everything I need while out and about to make me comfortable in this cold. I opted for sunglasses because of the brightness of the snow. My accessories are minimal. Let me know what you think! How do you stay inspired in the long months of winter and when it’s cold?

Later Cupcakes!! ❤️💙

Boots: Justfab (similar here). Leggings: Gifted (similar here). Poncho/Scarf: Thrifted (similar here). Denim Blouse: Thrifted (similar here). Jewelry: Neon Wild & Layered Chains. Sunglasses: eBay. Bag: H&M (similar here).

Casual Friday: Sassy Jones Boutique

I am a bit of a fashion jewelry and accessories fan but that being said, I am also very particular about the things that I pick up to include in my wardrobe. So when I was contacted by a company by the name of Sassy Jones Boutique to try out a few of their items. I must say that it is easily any stylenista’s day dream to be able to pick out fashionable pieces to add to their closet! I was ecstatic to say the least. I’ve showcased two of the items in a couple of my most recent looks but this look is my favorite! The necklace inspired my entire look. It’s colorful and bold and has a bit of a tribal undertones. It sort of reminds me of a breast plate. It’s called the Islander Statement Necklace.  Anyhoo, you know how Friday looks go, I’ll be brief so you can enjoy this glorious day of the week. 

The owner of Sassy Jones Boutique is truly a sweetheart and the customer service and shipping times are awesome!! The pieces in this online shop are absolutely beautiful!! The best part? None of the items are over priced! All of the pieces are affordable and practical for the everyday wardrobe even the pieces stand out and make their own statements with any look. I will personally be making a purchase because there are a few other pieces on the site I’ve got to get my hands on lol. 

I paired my necklace with a black oversized top on top of classic blue denim jeans and high heeled pumps. I completed the look with my burnt orange suede trench coat and favorite clutch bag from Turquoise Soul Bags. Pretty simple right? The necklace makes the look seem less simple. I love that! Let me know what you think. If you like the necklace, grab it before it’s gone because it’s only $15!! 

 Later Cupcakes!


Coat: (Old) & Gifted (similar here). Shoes: Justfab. Denim Pants: Fashion Nova. Shirt: Meijer. Necklace: Sassy Jones Boutique (now on sale). Earrings: Neon Wild. Clutch: Turquoise Soul Bags.

Casual Friday: Sophisticated Denim

Friday!! It’s my favorite only and repeat holiday of the year lol. I love Fridays because they’re not only the beginning of the weekend but usually everyone is in a good mood because they have the next couple of days to themselves. The world just seems happier on Fridays! I love to do casual looks that can be worn in the office to show how you can be stylishly casual in a work environment. Since we all want to go enjoy our weekend, I’ll be brief.

My hair style inspired my entire look. I’m wearing a simple side bun and I decided to wear my black glasses. The shoes I’m wearing are from Justfab’s Luxe line (when they had it) and it’s my first time wearing them. They’re real suede and the color is so bold and pops against all the black and white pattern in the look. My jeans and jacket add edge and my maxi cardigan contributes a sleek, diva like effect. I’m wearing a black and white print bodysuit with a black tank underneath (for modesty). What do you guys think? I’ll be back here Monday, until then enjoy your weekend!!

Later Cupcakes!

Jacket: Forever 21 (but thrifted). Cardigan: Naked Wardrobe. Tank: H&M. Bodysuit: American Apparel. Sold Out, similar here. Shoes: Justfab (Luxe) sold out but a better pump here. Clutch: Turquoise Soul Bags upon request. Jeans: JC Penney similar here.

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

     

   

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

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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