My Favorite Outfits of 2012!

Honestly I still can't believe that 2013 is here already, I feel like 2012 flew by. One thing that I always love about a new year is t looking back on the year that just passed and seeing how far I've come, especially  when it comes to fashion. For the most part I feel like I have some signature traits that I always stick to, but I love to look at the evolution of my style. I was inspired by one of my favorite fashion bloggers Gabi to make a post about my top 10 outfits of the year. So here it goes!

TEN

NINE

EIGHT

SEVEN

SIX

FIVE 

FOUR

THREE 

TWO

AND MY FAV OUTFIT OF 2012

I'm loving the fact that I look so different in every picture. This stroll down memory lane just showed me that I have to do more Fashion posts this year, that is definitely one of my goals for the year. Here's to 2013 another year of fabulous!

Color Me Striped!

I'm back with a quick OOTD. So a lot has been going on for the past couple of weeks, I finally moved into my new apartment!!!! I'm still on cloud nine, like its official I have my OWN place. I will be sure to take some pics of my new spot once I have everything together the way I want. I have been dying to make a few OOTD posts but since I am still slowing unpacking my wardrobe and accessories you will have to work with me.

So most of my stuff is unpacked but I am still trying to figure out exactly how I packed everything because I cannot find some of my signature pieces. So this is an outfit that I wore to work recently. You guys know that I absolutely love Old Navy and I love to be comfortable, so when I saw this Striped Knit Dress it was definitely a must have. This is definitely one of my low-key outfits, but still cute to me nonetheless. I have to be very selective with what I wear now since I still haven't found my iron! (Please try not to judge me)

Thanks for reading, and I will be back soon to let you know more about how my new apartment is coming. Stay Fab Loves <3

(Totally random but I just realized how freaking long my box braids were, no wonder it took me forever to put them in- just thought I'd share that thought with you, LOL) 

Best Acne Cure: Tea Tree Oil

Awhile back I posted on my skin care regime here and here, but I am always on the hunt for something to make my skin glow. Since January 2012, my skin has been on a rampage to ruin my normally acne free complexion. I've been following pretty much the same regime since I wrote the other posts with the exception of a few experiments here and there BUT my skin has still managed to flare up more than usual. This past weekend during my Black Friday rush to the mall, The Body Shop had a sale than drew me into the crowded store.

A few months ago when I was reading up on natural acne remedies, I remembered reading about the benefits of tea tree oil, so I picked some up with a trial size tea tree facial wash.

OH. MY. GOSH.

Fast forward to 3 days after I started using it at night, almost all of my pimples are GONE. Yes, completely gone. I washed my face using the tea tree facial wash and a facial brush, toned my skin with witch hazel, and then applied the tea tree oil directly to my face with my fingers. After some mild tingling, my skin adjusted and I went to sleep. Upon waking, my pimples looked less red and shrunk in size. Of course, I was overeager and applied just a tad more in the morning after repeating the same night regime plus sunscreen and 3 days later my skin looks and feels amazing!

I am so excited! If you read the comments on The Body Shop website under the product, many people love it, some people claim it didn't work, and some complain about it not being 100% tea tree oil. Well, it worked for me so I am not complaining. Supposedly it has only 10% tea tree oil in it.... so in my mind, maybe this is better than 100% because it may be too strong on my skin. Regardless, it worked for me and I am overjoyed. The bottle goes for $9 and you only need a little bit to reap the benefits. Now I just need to be more consistent with my Retin-A use so I can fade the acne scarring...

What is your go-to acne cure?

And fyi: This post does NOT have affiliate links. I loved the product, so I wanted to share it with you!

The Most Comfortable Work Heel: @KennethColePrd Wedge Pumps

I would much rather wear a flat ballet slipper any day over a heel... until I found my Kenneth Cole Wedges.

I know Amber normally handles all things fashion, but I had to share these with you. Working full time at a university can have you walking all day from building to building, teaching class, to the bathroom, to your car, you get what I am saying. Therefore, I never really wear heals to work because they will end up under my desk.

Then I stumbled upon these when my flats literally had a hole in the bottom (#embarrassing). I am in love. I have worn them every single day for the past week with no complaints. I even went shopping after work in these! They also come in Maple (mustard yellow) and Teal Suede, but I went for the classic Black Leather. They are so comfortable that I was able to walk, not stumble, out of the gym in these after an intense leg workout. They are listed for $69.99 at Macy's right now and they are worth every penny. I used a coupon and got them with shipping for a little over $50.

I love them, you will love them, go to Macy's... now. And this post does not even have affiliate ads; I just want you to go to work as fashionable and as comfortable as I have been.

Do you have a favorite work appropriate heel that is super comfortable?

OOTD: Printed Maxi Skirt

Before Hurricane Sandy Hit NY, the weather was actually nice, a little too nice. So in between being swamped with school and work and being out of power for 2 weeks, I wasn't able to make a post about my favorite Maxi Skirt. I'm a whopping 5'4 1/2 (yes the 1/2 counts!) so I normally don't do too well with Maxi dresses or skirts because they always drag on the ground. But I absolutely could not leave this skirt in the store. I'm definitely a winter baby in every sense but I am still a sucker for colors and prints. 

Top and Necklace: New York and Company

Maxi Skirt: Old Navy

Shoes: Bakers 

Thanks for reading and as always stay fab! 

OOTD: Black and White

So since the summer has come to an end, it was time to do some cleaning. It took almost all day but I packed up most of my summer clothes and brought out my Fall and Winter pieces. Honestly I totally forgot about all of the great things that were packed away. So I decided to put an outfit together and do a quick post. This is my FAVORITE blazer, I have no idea why, but I wear it all the time. Let me know what you think!

Tank & Jeans: Old Navy

Blazer: Worthington via JcPenny

Shoes: Kelsi Dagger via TJ Maxx 

OOTN: Evening Wear

So last week my Church hosted a Sweet 16 Banquet, and I must say it was amazing. The venue was astonishing, the food was nothing short of amazing and the company couldn't have been better. The venue was The Sand Castle Caterers in Franklin Square. I helped plan the banquet and unfortunately I missed the walk through before the actual banquet, so when I walked into the ballroom for the first time I was speechless.

So now for my favorite part: FASHION. I had no idea of what I wanted to wear, I knew I wanted something different but I wasn't quite sure of what I was going for..............until I went to David's Bridal. 

Yeah you read correctly, David's Bridal! I fell in love with three dresses but the one that I chose was perfect. 

I absolutely loved the beading around the neckline. It made the dress stand out, and it helped my pockets because I didn't have to buy a necklace. (high five to me!) 

As you can tell, I'm short and my dress was long, so even with my heels on you still couldn't see what was sparkling underneath. But here are the beautiful shoes by INC that I wore. 

I opted for a high bun, since there was so much beading on my dress. I think the bun came out nice, and everyone said I reminded them of JLo in Maid in Manhattan, with the high bun and pink dress. I will take that compliment any day of the week! 

Here's a pic of two of my amazing friends, love them <3 

And the night just could not be complete without a photo shoot with my big sis, she starting to get the hang of the model face.

What do you think of my David's Bridal Find???

Introducing the Body Series: How to Dress Your Shape

So I have been thinking about writing this post for the longest time. I am constantly receiving compliments of how well I dress and how I always seem to be well put together. I owe all of my fashion success to the fact of knowing my body and knowing what flatters my figure. When it comes to fashion I always abide to my one golden rule: "Just because it comes in your size, does not mean it is meant for you!" I think that this rule applies to a size 2 and a size 26. Please believe me I love fashion and I like to stay current with the trends but not every trend is meant for me I know this and I stick to what looks good on me and what is the most flattering.

I figured that I would share some of my fashion tips with you guys. By no means am I claiming to be a fashion guru in fact I think that I am far from it, I just want to share what I know in the hopes of helping someone. I always believe that how you carry yourself and how you dress is a direct translation of how you feel about yourself. When you are not confident it not only shows on your face and body language but it shows in how you dress and carry yourself.

Stay tuned for more to come from the body series, I intend to cover at least one body shape per week. Obviously there are so many different body shapes but they all stem from these four main categories which I will cover: Rectangle, Apple, Pear and Hourglass.

I think that all women should embrace their size whether straight up and down, extra curvy, short, tall, light, or dark and walk with confidence everywhere they go. So my goal is to offer some tips and tricks to help complement your body shape, and for all of my fabulous fashionistas please feel free to chime in as needed.

Stay tuned, and as always thanks for reading <3 

The Perfect Jeans for Weight Loss

When you are trying to lose weight, it can be a war with your wardrobe every single day. AND if you have a  body shape that is difficult to fit clothes on in the first place ( like me!), that makes each morning just a little bit harder. However, I have the jeans solution for girl's night out, casual Friday's in the office, or whenever you would wear jeans.

Insert: Jeggings

It was love at first fit in the fitting rooms at Old Navy. For $29 (regularly $34.50), you can have a pair of jeans that will mold to your body as you begin to lose weight AND have the comfort of leggings at the same time. I personally own the 3 colors above in the photo, but the colors do not end there. Old Navy offers 19 colors to choose from! They also look just like regular jeans, pockets and all, so you won't feel like you are walking the streets in your pjs. 

If you are wondering why these jeans are perfect for weight loss, let me explain. They are fitted,skinny style jeans with lots of stretch. When you buy them at your current size, they will be snug, but super comfortable because of the material they are made out of; just like leggings. After you wash them, they actually become even snugger until you put your behind back in them again and stretch them out. THEREFORE, when you get back into them for the first time after a good wash & dry, and have lost a few pounds, they fit to your current body shape. This makes them the perfect jeans for weight loss, and a steal at their current price!

My Natural Hair Journey

So I was able to get Kim to share her natural hair journey, and then I realized "Hey I'm natural too". 

I have had a relaxer since I was around age 7. My hair has always been thick and because I was tired of breaking combs I begged my mom to get the "Just for Me" perm. It only lasted for a short time, my mom knew that I was too young for perms so I went back to getting my hair straightened and wearing braids. For most of Middle School, High School and the beginning of College I had a relaxer but because I love change I would always switch things up with braids, or weaves. I had an infatuation with bobs so I constantly cut my hair to keep it the same length and my hair was pretty healthy. 

This was the length that I liked to keep my hair

Unlike most naturals that are brave enough for the big chop to cutoff their relaxed ends, I actually big chopped with a relaxer (weird I know). It was almost graduation time, and I was feeling spontaneous and honestly rather bored. At this point in my life I had tried about every hairstyle under the sun, but I had not yet gathered enough bravery to cut my hair. So one random day weeks before graduation I went to JcPenny and chopped my hair off.

Above is a collage of my short hairstyles. I was absolutely in love with my short hair, it was so easy and surprisingly I was able to change it up every once in awhile, and of course when all else failed I added my signature bow. As you can see from the picture the back and the left side of hair were completely shaved off. I initially cut my hair on April 21, 2010 and I kept my hair this length and little shorter until January 2011 when I received my last relaxer and cut.

Although I loved my new pixie cut, my hair was starting to get a lot of heat damage from going to the salon so often to keep up with the style, so I decided to go natural. And my hairdresser told me that over time the relaxer would start to break my hair off because my hair is soft but just super thick.  I had not been natural since I was 7 years old so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My hair texture in the natural world   is a 4b, so when my hair is wet it shrinks up and my coils are very tight. I lasted all of two weeks natural until I decided to get a full sew-in weave. 

Above is a picture of my first sew-in after my last relaxer

Here is a collage of a few of the many styles that I wore while transitioning 

From February 2011 until January 2012 I wore a lot of protective styles while I transitioned. I wore weaves, and braids for the remainder of the year. And suddenly I had the urge to investigate what was really under all of the weaves and braids, so I came home one day after church and I starting cutting out my tracks. So below is a picture of my first official attempt at a Braid Out about a year after my last relaxer. 

It took a long time for me to get used to my natural hair and it took even longer to find out what products to use, and I still don't have a clue. Because my hair is so thick and the fact that I am a wild sleeper at night, I was constantly finding myself re-twisting my hair at night to achieve the look I was going for so I decided to turn back to some more protective styles.

More recently I have tried ponytails, and buns courtesy of great tutorials on YouTube. (I will be sure to share some of my favorites) and my latest venture were my big box braids that I refer to as "Poetic Justice braids" that I actually did myself. It took forever to put the braids in but I loved the way they came out, and not to mention how much money I saved by doing it myself. 

So far this journey has been more of a battle, but I am embracing the natural me. I will be sure to make some posts of the different hairstyles I try and share some of my favorite YouTube videos, and of course my natural hair care routine.

Thanks for reading loves, and stay FAB <3

Date Night OOTN

I had a wonderful date night this weekend.  Between preparing for Kim's wedding, my family reunion and everything in between I hadn't seen my honey in awhile so I was super excited as always to spend some time together. He always makes fun of me because every time we go out I'm always dressed up, when I think that I'm being casual. What can I say I always like to spice up my everyday look. 

I was in a weird mood on Saturday, like everyday I tried on at least 3 outfits until I was totally satisfied with what I saw in the mirror. Although it is the summer, black is still one of my go-to favorites so I reached into my closet and grabbed one of my favorite "Little Black Dresses." I finally had the time to do my long box braids again and since it was supposed to be hot I put them up into a high bun. So here's what I came up with!

I thought that the glasses looked better on me, so I went over into the corner and took a pic!

Dress: Target

Flower Sandals: Old Navy

Necklace, Bracelets and Headband: New York & Company

I hope everyone had a great weekend! As always thanks for reading and stay Fab <3