Find your RED and WEAR it

In my opinion every woman needs a red lipstick! Red lipstick just makes confidence, sass, and glamour exude off of you even if you have on sweatpants with a red lip or as dressed up as a ball gown with a red lip. Red lipstick goes with everything and you can NEVER wear it too much. Red lipstick is my signature that I will wear until I'm old and gray. 

Although red lipstick is something I say every woman should have, there is not one universal red and every red looks different on every woman and should be treated as such. You should shop for the perfect red lip like you might shop for the perfect outfit, feel free to try on as many as your eyes widen at. I personally love a matte lip especially a red matte lip, so both of my favorites are matte which is my holygrail Ruby Woo from MAC and my new favorite 'Stunna' from Fenty Beauty. They are both so bold and perfect in their own ways, Ruby Woo being bright and bold and Stunna being a deep red that you can't keep your eyes off of. If you don't have a red lipstick right now you need to run to your nearest mall and grab one or a few ASAP.

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"Style is wearing an evening dress to McDonald's, wearing heels to play football. It is personality, confidence and seduction."

            - John Galliano 

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"The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress."

           -Hubert de Givenchy

Bustiers are Versatile

Bustiers: Girl Goodies

People think that you can only wear lingerie in your house, but that's not true and many of the rules in fashion can be broken. Things like slips and bustiers are a few things that can be worn as apart of an outfit and can be worn very cute on the fashionista that knows just how to pull it off. 

Bustiers can be worn this summer because they can be so versatile, you can wear a blouse or t-shirt underneath, you can wear it with a skirt of pants or even over a dress. With a bustier you can add a cute third piece on a chilly summer night. The summer and winter are the best times to get creative  with your style, in the summer you don't have to worry about being cold in a particular outfit because it will be hot or warm whether that fits your outfit choices. Everyone should grab themselves a bustier this summer to play around with, I would advice thrifting it. You can play around with this bustier and dress it up or down and add as much jewelry as your fashionable heart desires. Get one and have a little fun with your wardrobe. 

Blue + White

Top: Love Culture// Skirt: Possibly Windsor// Shoes: Boohoo 

There's nothing like a good fit, literally and figuratively. When it comes to fashion fit and balance are very important. You want your clothes to look flattering and for your outfit to have a well balance between fitted/tight and loose so that you can accentuate your curves. 

Here I wore this beautiful skirt that was a fitted scuba material (fits like a glove but isn't tight AT ALL), I love this skirt because it's a statement on it's own and you don't have to do much with the rest of the outfit to make it cute. I paired the skirt with a loose/flowy shirt to balance out the look but still keep it together and the shirt was open in the back because details are important! 

With accessories I kept it simple, by just adding a diamond chocker, some pearls and white shoes to match the shirt to contrast that vibrant blue skirt. I also added my signature red lip because you can never ever go wrong with a red lip. I coincidentally ended up looking like the Fourth of July because of the colors, but I was cute so hey! I wish you and your outfits balance this summer!

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"In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous."

       —Elsa Schiaparelli

Wild Thoughts for the summer

Top: Forever 21// Skirt: Girl Goodies// Shoes: Forever 21// Earrings: H&M// Bag: Zara// 

So we've been having a weird springish-summer season, seems like we skipped from winter to summer and then visit spring ever other day. Whether we are in the high 70s or high 80s and 90s I have my pieces ready to come out the closet to play. 

For the summer and spring seasons you always want light and airy clothing, nothing that wll weigh you down or have you burning up even more than the sun has you. Staple pieces that always seem to stick around each summer are maxi dresses and skirts and I decided to have some fun with mine. 

I took this beautiful green tribal/ floral patterned skirt with ruffles at the bottom and paired it with a fitted cropped top that zipped up the front. You always want to balance out your loose pieces with something a bit more fitted. I added my favorite pair of earrings with gold tassels to add some pops of color. With this look I wanted to keep it very cute but comfortable so I grabbed a small mini bag and some nude sandals to finish the look off. I loved this look and I am in love with this skirt, it's so comfortable and very stylish. 

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"Comfort and simplicity are two keys that I follow when it comes to fashion."

            -Fawad Khan 

New Workspaces Help Stir up New Ideas

A lot of the time as artists and creatives we may get a creative block, and can't think of new ideas or projects. When that creative block happens sometimes we just need a new scenery or inspiration from different outlets. Especially as people in creative industries we want to take inspiration from outside sources that are not in the industry we are in to keep our creative juices flowing and to keep our work different from the norm and original. 

Scenery and workspaces also have a lot to do with how much we get done and how inspired we are. If you work from home you may want to change your scenery to outdoors or a public place like a coffee shop just to get out of your head and an enclosed space for a little while, also interacting with other creatives is a big help. As creatives we have to allow for our minds to flow freely and with the weather breaking enjoying the sun and working outside could be a huge help. If you don't want to work outdoors you can go to the library, a coffee shop, a restaurant or any place where you can be amongst a different environment. Our sanity is important, and changing your workspace can also relieve stress.

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"Style is something each of us already has, all we need to do is find it."

—Diane von Furstenberg

Midi dresses for the Summer Win

Dress: Forever 21// Jacket: Rainbow// Shoes: Fur added by me// Purse: Aldo// 

With the weather being pretty cool last week then to this week almost being 100 degrees in Michigan it's always smart to keep good outfit choices around and midi dresses are definitely one of those choices.  A good midi dress is the perfect piece when it's either hot or cool, if the weather is cooler you can add a third piece, such as a jacket like I did here or you can just wear the dress when it's hot and add some cute heels or sandals. 

 Midi dresses are never hard to find and are always available in many colors which allows for them to be so versatile and be able to be worn often. You can get Midi dresses for cheaper at all of the fast fashion retailers or online boutiques. A good plain dress is always good to keep around because you can create so many looks from them and use them as a blank canvas. If you're looking to be comfortable, midi dresses are perfect. Not too short, not too long but just right 

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“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.” - Coco Chanel

You can never go wrong with statement earrings

*These are not my photos*

For the past six months to a year I have been in LOVE with statement earrings. I used to not be a fan of dangling earrings and only wore studded earrings, but once I started seeing more fashionable statement earrings I didn't look back. Your accessories can turn your outfit from good to great and make it look so chic. 

Statement earring can be great for any occasion or outing and at anytime of the day. Don't get me wrong I don't think people should wear statement earrings with everything because with some outfits less is definitely more. But on a lot of occasions they can definitely make your outfit pop. There are some great brands with amazing earrings and one I have been in love with is "ch0ked" which has amazing fringe and statement earrings. A goo accessory is always a good decision. 

Float Like a Butterfly DRESS Like a Bee

Shirt: Thrifted// Blazer: Zara// Jeans: Forever 21// Shoes: Akira 

As I always say it doesn't take too much for an outfit to become a LOOK. So many outfits can be changed from 9-5 to after 5 so quickly, with just the change of a top, shoes or accessories. You can wear a shirt a different way than you did to work to make it a whole new outfit. You can change your shoes from flats to heels to look more chic. 

These reasons are why you should by clothing than can be worn with different things and not that can just be worn once or as an outfit. For this outfit I chose to be chic and casual by wearing ripped jeans, with a Muhammad Ali thrifted t-shirt tied in the front, and a classic black blazer from Zara. This look didn't do too much with the separate pieces but came together great as a whole and I added my favorite statement earrings for just the right touch. 

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"To me, fashion is ceaselessly fascinating because it is an expression of self."

             -Anna Wintour

Coral for Spring

Blazer: Thrifted by Girl Goodies// Jeans: Forever 21// Bodysuit: Forever 21// Shoes: Sam Edelman 

As we have noticed the past couple of days, the weather is finally starting to break and it's actually beginning to feel like spring after about a month of still feel like it was winter although it was not. 

I know many people are super excited to pull out their spring and summer clothes, but I'm still being very cautious about how much skin I let show, because the weather can change in the drop of a dime as we all know. So since I'm trying to keep it safe for these first few moments of spring I'm sticking with light and airy pieces. Such as jackets, bodysuits, light blazers, jeans, skirts etc. 

I'm pretty sure everyone in fashion has heard the saying "It's not what you wear, but how you wear it." well being cautious of weather change and this outfit falls right into that. I haven't brought out the shorts and sleeveless tops but I've brought out the colors, especially with this jacket. Spring is all about bright colors like yellow, pink, coral, blue, green, pastels, orange etc. so if you don't want to bare it all just yet, bring out the colors and use statement pieces like this coral blazer I wore so you can look like spring, but still be prepared for Mother Nature to change her mind. 

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"Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself." 

            -Coco Chanel 

Books for Decor and Knowledge

I am an extreme book lover and I've always felt that it was always important to continue learning and not just associate gaining knowledge strictly to going to school. I am a lover of podcasts and magazines but my ultimate favorite is reading a physical book. Books give you an insight on other peoples perspectives and experiences as well as podcasts do. 

I've read so many books but my favorite types of books are self-help, business, motivational, and anything dealing with black history and culture. I'm always searching for new books and taking suggestions from people. 

Not only do I love books to read them, but they make for great decor. I have books all around my bedroom, decorated on desks, bookshelves etc. I suggest for everyone to at least try to read one book every few months, and as you're building your collection you can decorate with them as well to give your space character.

Add It On, Don't Change The Look

Short: Forever 21// Pants: Topshop// Jacket: LA Boutique// Shoes: Akira//

In Chicago as well as many other places, it's still been extremely cold, although it's supposed to be spring it's still winter weather, but Mother Nature is slowly getting the clue that we are over winter and snow COMPLETELY. 

I've been trying different things to make sure I'm still warm with the outfits I wear, weather it be skirts, flared denim and  dresses. In the transition between months when the old season just doesn't want to let up ADD-ONS are very important. Add-ons like tights, cute boots, booties, jackets etc. are always important to have in you wardrobe. For this outfit since the pants had a shorter hem i decided to add a cute pair of brown booties (browns look great with denim!), I also added on a cute shaggy jacket to tie in the whole look and I loved it!

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"I don't approach fashion, fashion approaches me."

      -Daphne Guinness