OOTD: Friday at the office

Cardigan
XOXO (by way of Macy's)
I took this cardigan out of hiding- it was actually missing a button. Sigh, I love repairing clothing because then I feel like I have a new article of clothing to work with. It's so empowering.

Top
Ross
No brand name really. I bought this shirt from the maternity section! I bought it one day before going over to the restaurant- as is my story with basically most of my black shirts. I love it it has that strange pregnant shape though.

Jeans
Guess
My new favorites lol

Shoes
Nine West
Staple. Brought these out to play

OOTD: Another take on my new skirt.

Everyone on Fashism.com was bagging on how I put a dark top with this skirt & I must admit, I like this look a LOT better.

Cardigan
XOXO (by way of Macy's)

Lookbook: simple

Eyes
Inner corner/lid- Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Luminous eyeshadow in Glow Nude
Crease- Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Luminous eyeshadow in Plum Passion
Browbone- Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Wet/dry eyeshadow in Crystal Ball
Eyeliner- Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner in Teal
Mascara- Tarte Mascara in Waterproof Black

Lips
MAC Lipglass in Fancy Cat (Feline Collection.)

Face
MAC StudioFix Powder in NW 43
Applied with brush

OOTD: What I ended up wearing to the wedding

Dianne stepped in & came with me to the wedding because my sister went out of town.

Added this shot because I don't look like a heffer here.

 

I'm horrid & sweating by then but at least you can see the dress and the shoes in this shot.

Original post

This is what I ended up wearing to Monica's wedding. I never wear strapless dresses but the color was great and I was looking for something other than black. I didn't want to be That Girl wearing black at someone else's wedding and I have enough black dressses to last me a lifetime. I bought the shoes first that day. I saw them in Macy's while picking up Monica & Trevor's wedding gift & knew that they were THE shoes. The challenge after that was to find a non-black dress with a material I preferred (here meaning satin or silky) I searched Macy's &  two Ross stores (yes I shop heavily at Ross for formal dresses- they usually have a unique collection.) At the last store, two hours before I had to be ready, I found this dress on the second fitting and it fit. I bought it and here is the finished product.

Lookbook: A full face of Makeup

A smile for a job well done.

A side view of the eyeshadow

Full face including concealer.

Face

MAC StudioFix in NW43 or NW45

Concealer in the same color.

Eyes

Did a smoky eye on my shadow. 

Inner Lid- MAC Custom shade (created by a friend who works there) the color is a bronzish pink.

Corner- MAC in a custom shade. This color on the corners is a greenish copper (almost like a oxidized penny)

Browbone-Victoria's Secret Wet/Dry eyeshadow in Cappuccino

Eyebrows- Revlon Eybrow Pencil in Dark Brown

Mascara- Smashbox Lash DNA in Blackest Black

Lips

MAC Lipglass in Jealous

OOTD: Debut of my marvelous new cardigan

Ugh! These pictures suck! I was hoping they were a little better but of course they were taken in a hurry in the morning as I was late to work.

Here are some from my phone:

Cardigan.

Macy's

I purchased this because as you know, all of my cardigans, (save my red XOXO one) are black. The XOXO I usually reserve for a more sultry look. It's great with other things but I hate wearing it with white and that's another story. I felt like wearing white as per my other blog concerning the hunt for this cardigan, I woke up so ready to debut it at work and I must say, complements were rolling in. Chose to pair with pearls because I decided the cardigan would look amazing with it and the white tank.

Tank.

Rainbow?

I honestly don't remember, I bought it freshman or sophomore year of college. 

I'm narrowing it down to Rainbow, Rave or Burlington Coat Factory 

(I went through a phase Freshman year when I shopped there a lot)

Belt.

Michael Kors.

Staple. Worn here on the Espresso side.

Jeans.

Armani Exchange (by way of Plato's Closet)

They're getting a bit loose, which makes me happy. These were bought as fat jeans.

Shoes

Steve Madden.

Staple. I was filing today so I had to bring in the white Coach sandals as reinforcements. Did not expect that.

OOTD: A button down & jeans done right.

From behind

I love the material on this shirt!

From a distance

Closer view of the front.

Top.

Ross. 

I bought this during the time that I had no uniform at the restaurant. Since then I have an abundance of black tops lol I've actually stopped buying black tops because of that. In the past, I thought you couldn't have too much black but got tired of never having another option. I love the material on the shirt. It's textured and that gives it a more tailored look but at the same time it's soft & comfortable. I get lots of compliments on this shirt. The cut mimics the Express button downs so it's super classy but casual when I need it to be.

Jeans.

PacSun. 

I am barely fitting these jeans again as you can tell but it was nice to be able to button them and wear them out again. These were my go-to jeans once upon a time. Now I'm just happy to be able to button them again. Lol that's sad. That's what happens when you eat your feelings. Anyway, these jeans are a very strange length to dress them up. The color is right on the money- for me ideal! I die for indigo wash jeans- I honestly believe there is nothing better. However, these jeans are so skinny that its harder to wear with a lower heel so much that I have retired them (also because I couldn't fit them, but I could've tried with my body shaper) because it was way too frustrating to even try to wear them to work. The incline on these platforms makes them slide elegantly right into the skinny hemline.This it the first time I have worn these jeans with heels & been satisfied with the result.

Belt.

Michael Kors.

Staple. I said you'd be seeing a lot of this belt. I believe this is the first time that I have worn it on the espresso side. Usually it makes it on the platinum snakeskin side (sounds tacky but is so sexy) The espresso side is dark enough and neutral enough to be worn with black :) which benefits me greatly. It's glossy and patent which is a completely different look than the other side. 

A two sided belt is honestly the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Shoes.

Steve Madden.

Staple. I am obsessed with these shoes, I literally wear them every chance that I get. They're so boss! I've noticed that I've worn them with outfits that I've worn before and get way more compliments now! I guess shoes really do make the outfit. It may be the last time for a while that I make a shoevestment like that because I cannot afford to start supporting that habit. I just got off purses!

Ridiculous Deal: The swimsuit I've been waiting for for two years.

I saw this swimsuit in Victoria's Secret two years ago. I fell in love with it that day, but I was not going to pay 70$ plus tax to own it. I went to Orlando a couple of weeks ago and my cousin works in the Prime Outlets over there so while waiting for him to get off of work, I browsed and shopped. I ended up getting bits & pieces of my costume for Halloween this year and then went over to the Victoria's Secret, out of curiosity. 

I didn't even want anything from Victoria's. I just paid off the Angels Card that I ran up getting things for my possibly ex boyfriend. But I had an hour to burn before I went to lunch with my cousin, so I wen't in and discovered that they had swimsuits & the thought popped into my head to look for this one! I figured it was a long shot since it has been two years since the 2008 collection, but I was amazed to find it in my in my size as well- Small bottoms and a Large top. I have to make some alterations as my bust measures 28 (curse you small ribcage!) and the swimsuit hooks in the back rather than tying but I was happy with my purchase!

The best part is what happened at the register! I didn't realize that the top was the same price as the bottom :) (usually they jack up the price so the sale isn't as great as you think it is.) I walked away with both pieces for a grand total of $10.69. I won that day.

Ridiculous Deal: A new cardigan for the collection.

I've been in desperate need of a casual cardigan. I needed it neutral enough so that it can go with jeans or slacks & deviate from my normal black cardigan- they are staples but I did need something with a bit of versatility. So while getting my car serviced today, I decided that the hunt was on for a cardigan, navy blue or beige in color. I already own a grey one but was told that I should belt it to give it some shape.

So I set out to Express, my usual go-to spot for things that I need to last for a long time (& a sweater is no exception) and to no avail, I found nothing in the clearance section.

So I went down to Macy's (my failsafe) and looked around. My hunt led me through the entire clearance & I eventually gave up & realized that I would've purchased something clearance in Express for the same price. I purchased this sweater & I must say I believe it was worth the money I paid for it. Not only is it navy blue like I wanted but nice & fitted & casual but dressy enough to wear to work with a decent tank. It also has these cute little fabric rosebuds that give it an elegant look. I'm in love with this cardigan. I think you guys will be seeing a lot of it in the future.

Nailed: Tiger Nails

I used OPI in In My Back Pocket as a base & for the stripes used OPI in Black Onyx. I used the Konad Nail Art Stamping Kit.

Halloween 2010: Year of the Ringleader

This Halloween I decided to be a ringleader.

Let me throw out there that I have no plans for Halloween

I wanted it to be my own so I decided to do my costume from scratch.

Hat & Whip

Purchased from a Halloween costume shop in Orlando. Could not find these items down here in Miami so I figured that I needed to look while I was visiting and voila I found the perfect accessories. Without them, this outfit would be nothing. The hat has a birdcage on it. 

Shorts.

Forever XXI. I found these babies in Plato's Closet. 

They were my size and everything. They're a pair of pinstriped minishorts :) My other option was to wear black tights but I ideally wanted to wear fishnets & shorts for this costume.

Fishnets.

WalMart. They're coming up on their Halloween game with accessories, shoes, and the like. 

Don't sleep on WalMart!

Boots.

Alloy. Actually purchased from a friend to be a winter option but the main objective was to have them for burlesque purposes. Since they're knee-high, I thought they'd be perfect for a ringleader and will also try another option with heels as well.

You say DYI? How is this DYI? The vest was where most of the work really came in.

Vest.

Forever XXI. A lot of work had to be done on the vest since I found it all abandoned & alone in the clearance section. (F21 went through this whole circus phase that benefited me greatly & anyone else trying to be Minnie Mouse this year lol) The vest was a large when I found it so that was great for my bust, by horrible for my shoulders since my shoulders are really small. There was a lot of work to be done & I knew that when I bought the vest but saw great potential & thought I wouldn't find another one like it so I purchased it and got to work.

Here are some process pictures because I spend a lot of time doing work on it so that it would fit me as best as possible.

 This photo is of where I had to cinch the bust a second time to make sure that the vest contours correctly to my figure. I had to do this by eye since I'm not a seamstress or anything, this is just a hobby for me.

When I bought this vest from the store, it only had 3 widely spaced apart, poorly attached hooks fasten it. They looked as if they would pop if they exprienced any slack so I headed to JoAnn's & got a package of hooks to fill the gaps & some thread to reinforce the hooks already present. I added 4 new hooks between the gaps so that the vest looks uniform and closed when fastened.

Will upload an update when I wear it this Halloween.

OOTD: Another cold day in NY

Hat.

Zumies. Okay so it was the only hat in the store but I loved the shape & the colors went with my peacoat. (It's a purplish blue). I wanted to add to the winter wardrobe which is fairly scarce. 

Top.

Forever XXI. (by way of Plato's Closet) It's like a cowlneck, knit dress with a kangaroo pocket in the front. It looked so warm that I had to take it. I also wanted to change it up so that it wasn't a thermal & jeans weekend)

Scarf.

Hot Topic. Got it during the famous 50% off clearance that they have every couple of months. I also pair this with solid racerback tanks because I'm not able to do the whole constant sweater thing in Miami.

Thermal

Miley to the Max (by way of WalMart, charcoal one shown here)

I ended up wearing one underneath because the 53 degree weather was freezing for me!

Tights.

Forever XXI. I literally have 5 pairs of solid black tights, so one day in F21, while picking up yet ANOTHER pair decided... No! Today is the day that I am going to be adventourous! I will not buy another pair of black tights! So I bought this electric blue pair which pretty much surfaces when I'm tired of wearing black :)

Boots.

Traffic. Because I refuse to pay more than 25$ for a pair of boots since I live in Florida & I would slap myself if I bought something expensive that I only end up wearing 10 days max out of the year.

OOTD: Cold Day in NY

Sweater.
Urban Outfitter (by way of Plato's Closet). Bought it because I thought it was interesting. Plus I can wear it on a chilly day in Miami, seeing as it's of the shoulder I could also pair it with a fun, bright tank to bring out the graphics.

Scarf.
Plato's Closet. Yes this has become a new place that I'm in love with going to. Having the finer things in life for less is always amazing! I saw this and immediately loved it because it's so multicolored that it will go with pretty much anything.

Thermal.
Miley to the Max. (by way of WalMart) I went on the hunt for a thermal. The last place I thought I would actually find what I was looking for was freaking WalMart. I walked into WalMart to get some last minute stuff to take with me and saw this baby hanging in the front of the junior's section in 6 different colors. I selected white (shown here) & charcoal grey.

Jeans.
Guess. (by way of Plato's) Is this my Plato's outfit or what?

Shoes.
Converse. I got a sweet deal on these. Shop kids if you have small feet. Got them at Foot Locker. Not the ideal shoes I would have chosen for this outfit but my boots were hurting the hell out of my feet!

OOTD: Work outfit for today- black cutout turtleneck w jeans & slides

Top.
Macy's. Bought for my job at the hotel before I had to wear that heinous, god-awful uniform. One of my most versatile pieces as it can go in almost any weather. (just not dead of summer)

Belt.
Michael Kors (by way of Saks) It was such a find. It not only matches the MK bag I carried today but it is double-sided. (The other side is a rich espresso color)


Jeans.
The jeans are Guess (by way of Plato's closet) I found yet another pair that was my exact height! These are dark enough for work & perfect for heels, sandals or boots! I love scoring this big!


Shoes.
Bakers. Total Staple.

Lookbook: (Aqua/silver motif)

There are days when I get a Chance to explore & this was one of them.
My brown skin makes it incredibly challenging to get any type of pigment to last on my eyelids. (Except for MAC- I'm trying to build on that collection but they are pretty damn expensive).

Eyes.
The colors on my eyes are actually all from Victoria's Secret's wet/dry Beauty line. I'll take pics & upload them soon but this whole having a BlackBerry thing is working against me right now!
Mascara is from Supernova called Fresh (got that from the Sephora Deluxe Mascara Sampler- which was a great purchase & I'd reccomend to everyone).
Eyebrows & liner are Maybelline.

Lips.
The color on my lips is from MAC's feline collection called Jealous (its the green one, rightly so. I also have Fancy Cat with is the dark one)

Powder is also from MAC (they're the only ones that carry a powder with enough yellow undertones for my face. All the other companies assume all black people have red undertones. )

The headband is from none other than Forever XXI. I purchased it along with a white one. It's great for days when I feel like just throwing it into a bun.

Nailed: Blue with White flowers

The shade on my nails is from the OPI Swiss collection that just came out not too long ago. The white flowers were made with a nail stamping kit that I purchased at one of those little carts in the mall & it was a good investment because now I can spice up my home manicure with little/no skill. Snaps for making it easy on the manicurally challenged.

OOTD: Rampage Top & Jeans

This outfit is what happens when the stars align & you bring out the big guns.

Top

Rampage. (when Rampage was still a retail store and before it was by way of Macy's) I purchased this back in 2005 when I was working in a little legal office. It was purchased to be somewhat of a Monday morning top. It has survived through the years and hasn't fit for a while due to eating my feelings and birth control weight gain but now that I'm losing some weight again, it actually fit & I thought it was perfect for another Monday morning office action.

Jeans.

Victoria's Secret (by way of Plato's closet) What a find. So fortunate to find jeans that fit my 4'10 height!

Shoes.

Steve Madden (by way of Macy's). Purchased for a wedding, but trust me, these are a sexy staple that will be making a ton of appearances on this blog.

Rant: The reason why dresses are a great investment.

I've really been getting into dresses and the femme look. Dresses are like a one stop shop- put them on and leave sort of thing. You don't have to worry about a belt, what type of underwear you're wearing.

Tip: If you've gained weight and are between sizes, dresses are your friend!

I'm trying to get back to the size that the majority of my clothing are it and it sucks to put on a pair of jeans that give you a muffin top & try to feel sexy & beautiful. But dresses are a great way to change it up, show your feminine side and hide the extra pounds. Plus, your boobs will look great in a dress as opposed to a tank or tee and cleavage is a little more acceptable.

OOTD: Kimono!

Top.
Forever XXI Vintage. Got this from a friend. It's something I may not wear to work again without a cami underneath because it's pretty low cut. I like the Kimono style and it definitely flatters my 28F bust. I'm thinking of making some alterations to the sleeve because they're bell sleeves and were definetly driving me crazy & getting in my way the whole day.

Pants.
Corduroys that I actually bought to wear to the hotel back when I had no uniform. I was saving them for warmer weather but when you gain a pants size, sometimes you have to improvise. Since the top is pretty busy, I didn't want to introduce more color so I chose the solid black.

Shoes.
Classified (by way of Ross) Chose to pair a very simple sandal with this to tie it together.

OOTD: Billabong 5$ dress

  

Dress.
I took a gamble on this dress as I did not fit it on when I was in the store. I saw in on my way to the cashier and grabbed it as an act of faith. I purchased it from PacSun. It was totally 5$! I figured it was something I could throw on to run errands & I liked the pattern on the skirt. Little did I know that this dress had a bubble skirt which was totally unexpected as I tried it on for the first time at home. I'm still thinking of if I should make some alterations to the skirt because the dress shifts when I bend over & it's a bit difficult to walk in it. I thought it could be a fun little project to put some elastic or something in it and give the skirt a few slices for leeway or just give it a split in the back. I'm gonna Google ideas and I'll update once I know what it is that I'm gonna do.

Shoes.
Reef. These sandals are literally the only ones that I have ever found that brings an instep. I love that because I have a lot of problems with my feet - so I can't wear closed-toe shoes if their solid- like leather. I got these at West Marine for like 5$. They usually retail at 20$.

OOTD: Express top

 

Top.
I got this top from Express in one of their sale boxes. I fell for the pattern actually and since the top is for someone with a smaller bust, it's kind of a bitch to wear alone. The pattern is so pretty though- it's floral (black on white) and is like a bandeau babydoll dress. I thought that it was a unique versalite find. Something that could go to work and then to happy hour.

Jeans.
Victoria's Secret Pink

Shoes.
Ross

Cardigan.
Target

OOTD:Hot Topic ruffle dress

I got this dress from Hot Topic. I was looking at it online & really wanted it because #1 it was on sale & #2 I've really been getting into dresses and the femme look. So I didn't even fit it on in the store when I saw that it was 50% off the clearance price. I figured however it fit, I would wear it because It's my two favorite colors & I was absolutely in love with the skirt portion of it (featured above).

I wore it with my Classified sandals & Target cardigan. 

It's also a racerback. For those of you not from a humid climate, racerbacks are gold when you're dealing with 85+ temperatures. Best way to feel semi naked. Plus the fact that I'm a 30F/FF, it's really nice to wear something that I feel sexy in but also gives me a chance to support it with a bra.

Chose to pair it with a cardigan (like I usually do) because cardigans are so classy to me. 

Plus they dress it up a little. You can take someone wearing a cardigan seriously.

OOTD: BCBG club dress

 

I wore this dress to my friend Monica's bachelorette party at the Hard Rock Casino. The one in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl where Anna Nicole Smith died. I think that's what it's most popular for anyway. 

It's a BCBG dress that my mom gave to me last minute when I went home to pick up my jewelry box.  I was like okay, I'll fit it on. It looked incredible so I wore it. 

These pictures are actually morning after pictures which is horrible but I figure that you guy have gotta see this dress & Idk when I'll wear it again.

It has a double v-neck & I swear this is a flamenco dress because it's all ruffly and the whole deal but I snapped a lot of necks in it so yayy.

Wore it with my Nine West shoes & jewelry from Express

Ridiculous Deal: Steve Madden godsends

I got these shoes from Macy's to go to my friend Monica's wedding last week. They were so sexy that I needed to have them! 

I got them on a ridiculous sale because as everyone knows, if you have a Macy's card, you can save a crapload of money.

I bought her wedding gift, these shoes (retail 70$) and a 3 set of earrings for 63$.AND I got the last size 6 in Macy's in the state of Florida... I had to buy the pair on display! (Don't worry though I cleaned them with alcohol.)

63$ I didn't believe the sales girl when I paid but believe me, I didn't argue. It was like getting the gift (a knives set) & earrings for free!

So here they are, the newest staple. I love them because they're comfortable enough for 4" heels, they're sexy as hell & sophisticated enough to wear to work. 

Steve Madden Heels ($70, Macy's)

Steve Madden ♥ You hit it out of the park with this one!

OOTD: Preppy Twist on Shorts & a tank

I wore this to a meeting at work- it was at the hotel I work at on my day off & 87 degrees outside so I decided to rock shorts.

Tank.

Forever XXI. Like the other 90% of my wardrobe. It's my favorite black tank (I've counted and I have well over 10 of them- for some reason, I believe you can never have too many black tanks.) It's a simple spaghetti strapped tank but there is gathered detailing in the front that is slimming. I love it.

Cardigan.

Target.  Staple. This was one of the first days that I had it so I definitely wanted to push and see if I could wear it with shorts. It worked. I was thrilled.

Shorts.

Members Only. (by way of ROSS) I bought these shorts because my birth control made me gain a hell of a lot of weight while I was taking it and none of my other shorts actually fit me. I was stoked to find that Members Only still makes clothing.. I have yet to get a jacket though. It's on my clothing bucket list- don't worry.

Shoes. 

Classified. Staple. The black sandals that dress up pretty much everything.

OOTD: Shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding.

 

 

My friend Monica is getting married this Saturday & I'm so slacking with getting a dress but I did pick up this baby from ROSS. It was 50$ but soooo beautiful! Its a peacock blue color & tafetta & skin tight. It has this crazy collar that I thought was so high fashion. However, idk how I didn't see it in the store, but there's some deodorant on the zipper & the dress & I will not go with an awesome dress that is marred. So I'm still on the search. Wish me luck!

Update: I returned the dress & got another one so I'll upload pics of that soon.