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).

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

Casual Friday: In Real Time OOTD/N

So…I know this outfit of the day is a little later than I normally do but I have a good reason. I planned this outfit a week ago for today (10/23/15) but I didn’t want to record it until today…in real time. I’m a mommy so most of my free time is dedicated to my family. However, after great planning, I am finally having date night with my hubby. I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!

Let’s talk fashion and style, shall we?

My outfit, although casual, is sexy yet modest. Side note: Can modesty please come back in style? Anyway, for the sake of the night out I chose a sequin tank that I’ve had in my closet for years. It is made of ribbed material for a more casual effect. My jeans are American Apparel easy jeans. These are high waisted and completely comfortable. They feel like leggings. I searched high and low for the faux leather biker jacket I’m wearing. Honestly, the prices of faux (or vegan, whichever the fashion world chooses to call it) leather anything is quite alarming. I was on the hunt for a nice decent quality jacket and found myself staring at $100 price tags in sheer amazement!! Over 40 bucks for a faux leather jacket is outrageous to me! Fortunately I found mine at Forever 21 for only 23 bucks. That is an awesome price point!! The jacket is rocker chic with an edge but the asymmetrical design of the zipper adds a feminine touch.

The accessories are really simple for this look. My boots are genuine suede boots I purchased about 3 years ago from Justfab. They were apart of the genuine leather and suede line (that is no longer on the site). I wish they were over the knee boots but I’m not complaining and I love them anyway! I chose to wear metal jewelry in silver and gunmetal. My necklace adds a masculine touch to balance the femininity of the sequin tank. I’m wearing knuckle rings and my earrings are a stud/ear cuff set. My hair is a messy ponytail for a sassy bad girl edge and I decided on neutral makeup. All in all, I love how everything in my fit came together. What do think? I’m headed out for drinks so I’ll see you all back here Monday!!

Bye Cupcakes!! 💋

*Update: I changed my shirt. I decided to wear a slit-arm long sleeve black top. It’s more comfortable and fits my style more than the sequin shirt. That’s why I wanted to do a “real time” blog post. I wanted you to see that you can love something and it can “balance” a look but you also need to love the look. It needs to be your style. I think I look much better with the black shirt. That is my style. Nothing wrong with making changes to your look, that’s what styling is truly about: tweaking a look to fit you honestly and perfectly!!! 

 

Early Fall OOTD 

Finally fall weather has crept in…along with the early darkness of nightfall. I wanted a cozy outfit to wear to run errands in and if the opportunity arose, to also grab a bite. Although, the latter didn’t happen, I loved this outfit. Originally I had planned to wear a different hat but with curly hair, hats don’t generally “cooperate”. That hat would not stay on my head so I had to opt for my old faithful although you will soon see even “old faithful” gave me grief lol. My skirt is a lovely green skater that I purchased from H&M a few years back. I chose to pair the skirt with a bodysuit from Forever 21 that I also purchased a few years back. My belt is vintage. I absolutely love the large statement buckle on this belt. The neutral color of it is right on trend. My tights! I love them so much! They are very sexy but not tacky. My accessories are simple and my shoes are cute little wedge booties I purchased from Justfab a few years back. Of course I had to pop on a fall lip. My lip color is “Heathers” by Anastasia Beverly Hills. As usual, let me know what you think…like really, tell me guys! Lol! See you guys back here same time Friday!

Bye Cupcakes! 💋

My hat just wouldn’t cooperate! Lol.

 

 

Almost "All Black Everything"

Raise your hand if you love a good sale! Okay well don’t really raise your hand, you might look a little crazy doing it. Lol. I happened upon a sale from Asos.com and let me tell you, that sale was the bees knees! There were so many great items available for below clearance-like prices. I was late to the sale and while much of the things I wanted were already gone, I was able to snag a cute black dress. The price: $14.99!!! Yes! I was so excited. I had another discount (10%) and saved a little more. Of course, since I am uber excited about the fall season, I put my foot down (to myself) and said that I was not going to wait any longer to wear my fall pieces. Hence, the inspiration behind this post. Back to my purchase, I didn’t have to wait long at all for my package (which made me even more excited) and I wish had been able to find more things (in my size) but…no bueno. My advice: if you can, keep an eye out for their sales because the good things go super fast!

My outfit is not really inspired by anything other than this dress that I was determined to wear. I love that it is still warm and wanted to wear Ankara print to compliment my outfit and “celebrate” the last bit of summer hanging around. I chose to wear one of my favorite pair of shoes, Ankara wedges by Aldo. These were apart of the “Julian Louie” collection from a few years back and I am just now wearing them. These were a hit and got TONS of attention. I chose a simple Justfab every day style bag so that the shoes and the dress got the spotlight. I popped on a dark lip “in honor” of fall lol and left the rest of my face pretty nude and glowy. Pretty simple right? Let me know what you think below and please stop by tomorrow for some helpful hints on building a wardrobe and finding your style! New OOTD Wednesday!

 

Almost "All Black Everything"

Raise your hand if you love a good sale! Okay well don’t really raise your hand, you might look a little crazy doing it. Lol. I happened upon a sale from Asos.com and let me tell you, that sale was the bees knees! There were so many great items available for below clearance-like prices. I was late to the sale and while much of the things I wanted were already gone, I was able to snag a cute black dress. The price: $14.99!!! Yes! I was so excited. I had another discount (10%) and saved a little more. Of course, since I am uber excited about the fall season, I put my foot down (to myself) and said that I was not going to wait any longer to wear my fall pieces. Hence, the inspiration behind this post. Back to my purchase, I didn’t have to wait long at all for my package (which made me even more excited) and I wish had been able to find more things (in my size) but…no bueno. My advice: if you can, keep an eye out for their sales because the good things go super fast!

My outfit is not really inspired by anything other than this dress that I was determined to wear. I love that it is still warm and wanted to wear Ankara print to compliment my outfit and “celebrate” the last bit of summer hanging around. I chose to wear one of my favorite pair of shoes, Ankara wedges by Aldo. These were apart of the “Julian Louie” collection from a few years back and I am just now wearing them. These were a hit and got TONS of attention. I chose a simple Justfab every day style bag so that the shoes and the dress got the spotlight. I popped on a dark lip “in honor” of fall lol and left the rest of my face pretty nude and glowy. Pretty simple right? Let me know what you think below and please stop by tomorrow for some helpful hints on building a wardrobe and finding your style! New OOTD Wednesday!

 

Weekend Girl…

Impromptu Post…

We love Monday mornings….SIIIIIKKKKKEEEE! Ha! I love them because that means we are alive and up to live our dreams. Anyhoo, what gets me through some Mondays is reflecting on the fun and/or relaxation of the past weekend. I had an interesting and very difficult one but friends that are family to me helped me through it. Check out my pics from one of my outfits this past weekend. Aye! One time for the weekend! Lol. (sigh) Forget crying over Mondays, summer is almost over so I’m trying to soak up the heat wave we got coming! <insert cheers here>

*cardigan: meijer. dress: old. shoes: Forever 21.*

  

Failure, Stripes and Skater Skirts…

*Side Note: This OOTD was done earlier on in my fitness journey.*

Failure is something that most people seem to hate, refuse to admit to or deny exists altogether. I on the other hand, seem to see only my failures. Smh. If it’s one thing I know about failures is that you will always learn a valuable lesson or carry a slight chip on your shoulder to prove yourself right. I’m not quite at the latter yet but I am definitely learning from my mistakes with my outfits and this blogging thing. Give me a year and I promise I will be as good as a projected model of new business plan: polished and ready to be in full effect! This outfit in particular is what I call one of my failures. My transparency allows me to be open about this ootd being a failure however my dignity will not allow me to disclose why. That is in a mental vault…stashed away to teach me a lesson and provide a reminder. Anyhoo, I still enjoyed this look and I hope you do too!

“If you can’t see your mistakes, you merely see an illusion” –CityGirlStyleCake.

{shirt: vintage, skirt: H&M, purse: H&M, wedges: Steve Madden}

Overalls, Bodysuits & Rainy Days

I LOVE rainy days. Movies, snuggling, sitting in a comfy chair while looking out at the rain are all great variables for a great time at home on a rainy day. Days like this, I enjoy being at the movies. My outfit is comfy for relaxing in those big chairs but still fashionable enough for a “stylinista” like myself. Most days, I’m too lazy or I’m at the gym so I don’t dress up that often (although it doesn’t seem that way). Anyhoo, this crazy weather has confused my emotions about what I want to wear. Today was cold, warm, balmy, foggy, windy,  threatened by a tornado and rainy with late evening-like skies all day long. Smh. Crazy right?! Well, I dressed for it. I opted for an umbrella instead of a handbag due to this crazy spring weather and strappy wedges for comfort. The shirt around my waist is strategically placed just in case I got cold (I got warmer lol) and hardly any accessories except for my name necklace against my trendy overalls. Check out the pics below…

Necklace: (gifted)

Wedges: Aldo

Overalls: Forever 21

Bodysuit: H&M

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Fur, Velvet, Snow & Such….

I’ve been apprehensive since I started this blog about posting fashion looks. So, I’m being very transparent in this post when I say that I have a fear of failure and not being able to measure up to myself and what I expect to become. Welp, I’ve decided this year that I need to be adventurous and willing to take risks! So….here I go! The weather is not necessarily permitting but this snow is not going anywhere anytime soon. I decided to incorporate a little velvet (velour), fur, leather AND of course, snow! Please let me know what you think of my first fashion post/ootd! Peace!

P.S. I was an event for The Lip Bar.
(Blog post on the event will be up Monday).

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