OOTD: CH-CH-Chains

Dress: Eshakti (similar)  / Blazer: H&M / Boots: SM New York (similar) / Scarf: JCPenney / Earrings: Asos

Blazer, Bell Bottoms, & BLM Brunch (OOTD + Recap)

This post is long overdue! Right before Christmas, I attended my first blogger event. Ashley of FabEllis hosted a Bloggers Like Me Holiday Brunch here in Raleigh, NC. Bloggers Like Me (#BLM) is an amazing network of ladies who share ideas, blogging tips, and genuine support for each other. It was so much fun to meet up with a few of the #BLM Girls and get to know the ladies behind the blogs I read on a regular basis!



We met at the adorable Relish Café & Bar and shared good laughs and great food. Trust me when I say--if you've never had a sweet potato biscuit, you don't know what you are missing! We also had a Secret Santa gift exchange. With a shopping limit set at $5, many attendees walked away with beauty products, jewelry, and I snagged a gorgeous printed clutch!



There were many style bloggers present, so of course we ended the brunch with a mini photoshoot. Under the guidance of a wonderful photographer (special thanks to Shea of Curves and Confidence for bringing her photographer!), we took several shots inside and outside of the café--all while stopping to to give the deets on what we were wearing and some of the ladies planning an impromptu shopping trip to H & M!

L to R: Kandi, Demetrice, Me, Shea, Ashley (hostess), Marché, Marquita 

For my look, I took a break from my usual skinny jeans and opted for a pair of flare leg jeans by Jessica Simpson.  I've always loved Jessica Simpson shoes but never tried any of her clothing. However, if the rest of her clothes fit as perfectly as these jeans, I am now a fan! I topped off my look with a slim fitting collarless blazer from JCPenney.

Blazer: Worthington  / Blouse: Old Navy (similar) / Jeans: Jessica Simpson / Leopard Belt: Kohl's / Boots: Seychelles

Kiss Nail Dress Review

As promised, here is my review of the Kiss Nail Dress strips included in my Influenster Holiday VoxBox.  I wanted to love these, but sadly that was not the case. 

I love the variety of designs offered, but the jeweled designs are harder to apply b/c the placement of the jewels may interfere with a smooth application.  To apply, you smooth the strip onto your nail and take the excess length, fold it at the tip of your nail and file the excess off using an emery board that is included with the kit. On several of my nails, the placement of the jewels were right at the tip of my nails so I had to pull the jewel off.  Also, the process of filing the tips can leave the edges a little rough, which makes the strips peel off faster.    Overall the strips were fast and easy to apply, but some of my fingernails have a weird shape (wide, slightly rounded) so a couple of the strips began to wrinkle at the corners of my nail. Within 24hrs, the strips started peeling off of about 3 of my nails. Because I really wanted to wear the strips for New Year's Eve (they were super cute, went well with my outfit, and I didn't feel like painting my nails) I fought the urge to just pull them off and used a little bit of eyelash glue under the peeling areas to keep them intact for the night.  

So, in summary:

Pros

• Great variety
• Pretty designs
• Quick and easy application

Cons

• Hard to get nail tips smooth
• Peeling within 24 hrs
• May have difficulty finding the appropriate sized strips 

Have you tried nail strips before? What's your favorite brand? 

*This post is a part of the Manicure Mondays link up hosted by Lipgloss and Binky and LA Lynn's Shoppe!

*Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary via Influenster. The opinions expressed in this post are my own, and are in no way influenced by Influenster or the brand mentioned.

2013 Resolutions

source: Christmas Stock Images

Last year I made specific goals related to improving my health, fitness, and hair, along with a number of mini-goals to improve my happiness and quality of life. I want to do something a little different this year; Instead of outlining specific actions, I am focusing on a few, over-arching ideas that will guide my actions throught the year and lead to the positive changes I want to happen in my life. I have coined this year The Year of No Excuses, and all of my resolutions reflect this idea:

source: No Finish Line Blog

Allow the amount time and energy I devote to projects/people reflect the importance that the project/person has in my life.  I sometimes put people I care about on the backburner, or say I'm too busy to engage in important activities like exercise or cooking which only provide positive benefits to me in terms of my health and pride in my appearance. This year I will give these activities and people the time and attention they need, which will in turn improve my happiness and create much needed lifestyle changes. 

Be consistent in all that I do.  Every so often I get really into a hobby, and then a few months later it is a distant memory. The same with exercise, I get super committed for a while, but then somehow I fall off the wagon (and I fall HARD) until I get the fitness urge again.  I would like to turn these urges into habits that I am committing to engaging in regularly. That includes blogging! 

Stop allowing fear and uncertainty to mold my decisions. I sometimes do not seek out opportunities because I let negative self talk convince me that I'm not good enough for it. I am also naturally shy and tend to avoid activities that bring me into the spotlight and expose me to criticism. I've allowed fear to affect my decisions for too long, so this year I will actively pursue opportunities that push me out of my comfort zone and silence that little voice of doubt in the back of my mind.

Create more experiences that put a smile on my face, and learn to smile during hard times.  Happiness is a state of mind, and most importantly a choice. It is not based on your external circumstances or dependent on the action of others.  This year I am choosing to be happy, and this starts with changing my outlook on situations that occur in my life and engaging in the activities (refer back to my first resolution above) that bring me joy.

Are you making New Year's Resolutions this year? What's on your list? 

Happy New Year's! (OOTD)

Blazer, Tank: Kohl's / Skirt, Clutch: Asos / Shoes: Jessica Simpson / Tights: Apt 9 (Kohl's) / Necklace: Melody Ehsani / Earrings: Avon

quick party snap! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!

I hope you all had as much fun on New Year's Eve as I did. My fiance' and I attended a big 50 Shades of Grey themed party at a hotel. I'm really happy about the way my outfit came together because up until Sunday, I had no idea what top I would wear. I ordered the skirt from Asos during their Cyber Monday sale and then went back and ordered a blouse the week before Christmas, but my package never came so I was left shopping at the last minute trying to scramble and put together an outfit. I found this Candies tuxedo blazer and Jennifer Lopez metallic tank at Kohl's and it matched perfectly with my skirt. I completed my outfit with my Melody Ehsani necklace and a pair of polka dot tights just for fun.

I"m also happy because this was my first NYE wearing my hair in a natural style. I did a wet flat twist-out with Ecostyler olive oil gel and sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes to let my hair partially dry. Afterwards I put perm rods on the ends and let it completely dry overnight.