I hope ya’ll are having a happy + healthy 4th! We are BBQing, hanging by the pool + heading out to watch some fireworks later on this evening (honestly fireworks is my favorite part of the 4th of July besides celebrating America’s independence + birth of this great country hehe :p). Isn’t it crazy to think this amazing country all started on this date in 1776 with the Declaration Of Independence? I don’t know about you but I am a little bit of a history nerd + thinking back to what made America America is beyond cool. We have come such a long way, accomplished so much + have really made America the country everyone wants to be apart of which makes me proud to be an American each + everyday!
I love this country. I love everything about America. The ability to accomplish your goals, make your dreams come true + be whoever you want to be without anyone telling you what you can or can’t do. It’s the country of the entrepreneur, the hard worker, the patriot + the go getter.
To celebrate America’s Birthday, I opted for a fun red, white + blue patriotic look starring this fun American Flag tee from Pink Lily boutique (I’ve been loving their patriotic collection lately). I paired it with a simple red skater skirt from Amazon, this skirt is so flattering + comes in so many fun colors!
I accessorized with a fun red bow headband, I have been loving headbands lately + rounded up some of my favorite hair accessoriesHERE (ICYMI hehe :p)
My bag is a red Gucci because I am all about collecting investment bags that have a POP of color. I have been collecting neutral designer bags for years so now is finally time to add some pretty colors to the collection like red, blue, pink, yellow + more! I rounded up various red Gucci bags below since my current style is no longer available.
For my heels I had to add a little BLUE to this ensemble with these blue ankle strap heels. I love a chunky heel + any shoe that adds some color to any outfit. Just a great pair of heels to brighten up any outfit for work or play.
I have been living in stripes lately, especially rainbow stripes. They are the perfect style to make a statement with this spring! Whether you are looking for the perfect skirt to wear to the office or for a night out with the gals, a striped skirt like this one can be styled so many ways + makes for a must-have piece to add to your wardrobe.
I scored this striped skirt from the Who What Wear collection at Target. It is no longer available but I am linking to some similar styles below.
I paired it with a simple black bodysuit since the rainbow stripes are the main statement piece of the ensemble. Investing in a chic black bodysuit is always a good idea since you can style it so many ways with various outfits.
I haven’t worn these gray suede pumps in ages but they are slowly becoming a favorite of mine again. They are a great alternative to simple black ones + they are a refreshing neutral to style in your spring wardrobe. Linking to some of my favorites below along with my favorite ‘Pop Of Color‘ this red Gucci bag.
I am feeling all kinds of lovey dovey vibes leading up to Valentine’s Day! Whether it is pink + red literally everywhere or hearts, chocolates or roses…there is definitely a lot of Love In The Air.
I love wearing these colors year round, but especially leading up to Valentine’s Day so I had to share a little V Day outfit inspo with this little ensemble.
I love the color red. To me it always makes a bold statement + adds a little bit of sass to any look – Valentine’s Day or not, I highly encourage every gal to embrace a little red moment.
Pink is another one of my go to colors since I am a total girly girl hehe :p This skirt is perfect for year round wear. Pair it with a sweater + boots for the winter or a camisole + blazer for the office, either way it is a must-have for your wardrobe.
Since I love a good pop of color, this red Gucci bag was a must-have for me! I actually got it on sale at the Gucci outlet near me (yes even designer bags can be snagged brand new for less) + it has become my newest fav bag because of it’s bold color + simple design.
These bow pumps are an oldie but goodie. They are from Michael Kors + are no longer available but I found some similar styles below:
Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away and while I am all excited to share some outfit inspo + gift guides with you all, I wanted to kick things off with a little love talk + what Valentine’s Day is all about…for me at least haha :p
Now although I am in a happy, healthy + loving relationship now, love was certainly one of the most difficult things for me to find + achieve in my life (yes I said achieve…more on that later). For years I dated both in NY + LA and while I had short lived relationships here + there, absolutely nothing compares to the loving partnership I have now. What I have now is the type of relationship I wouldn’t have been ready for a few years ago, to be completely honest I wasn’t mature or smart enough yet to open my eyes to what is really important in life… yes, I was one of those gals that felt it was all about the car you drove, the outfit you wore, would we look like a power couple, would you go all over social media with me, be the Jay Z to my Beyonce and basically take over the world wearing LV + Chanel (my boyfriend would cringe if he heard this haha but he knows I have matured since we got together haha :p).
Fast forward to now…My boyfriend is so not into designer stuff although he supports my obsession (within reason), he makes practical financial decisions I never would have in the past, he thinks ahead to the future + he is not on Instagram (crazy I know considering that’s what I do everyday haha :p) A few years ago I wouldn’t have been ready for a relationship where my boyfriend tries to avoid going out to dinner + instead encourage us to save money for better experiences or things we want or I would have been bored watching On The Money or anything stock market related, or I wouldn’t have been ready to stop thinking of just myself + actually think, care + love another person.
While I am far from old + wise, I am turning 27 in a few weeksand for the first time in my life I feel stable. I know who I am, I know what I believe in and because I truly know + love who I am (for the most part) I was in turn able to truly love someone else. I realized all of the dumb ideas I had in my head from my teens to early 20s were just that…dumb. I had a checklist of everything I wanted + ‘needed’ in a partner, I was picky as sh** + I was basically all about me + just wanted a guy along for the ride – the absolutely wrong way to find + achieve love.
While I am all about being an independent, strong woman, I realized thanks to my boyfriend that life is way better when you have a partner to experience it with who you respect + want to be with everyday because you LOVE each other not because you need each other or just because you don’t want to be alone. While every woman should find a guy that loves + adores her, that doesn’t just happen without work on BOTH sides (it isn’t just ‘if you can’t accept me at my worst you don’t deserve me at my best’…great quote but unrealistic, why the hell should a guy accept you at your worst if you don’t make the effort to get to know, accept + understand them as well, I often times find the women that post that quote all over social media do so because they don’t want to make compromises of their own – more on that later).
When I was younger I had such a fear of being alone that I was trying to fit puzzle pieces together that simply wouldn’t work. I would make excuses if a guy was an a**, I made excuses for myself if it didn’t work out + it was maybe my fault, I blamed my issues on everyone else other than me + I didn’t want to actually better myself because I thought I was the sh** + that meant a guy who truly loves me would just deal with it – WRONG.
New Flash – LOVE is not just accepting every single part of a person the good, bad + the ugly without speaking up, compromising or possibly changing a little…love is truly understanding each other + becoming better people together and independently of one another. LOVE is when you feel crappy the other person is there to pick you up + help you overcome that challenge, LOVE is when you are annoying the other person, you make efforts to fix that, LOVE is doing things you may not have wanted to do but because you care deeply for the other person you compromise + do them (shout out to my BF for becoming my photographer, something he certainly was against but now has become so supportive with it), LOVE is understanding who your partner is + wanting to be together because life would be not as fun without them not because you couldn’t ever survive without them. That is why I say you find but also ‘achieve‘ love. Even if you have love at first site, in order to sustain it you have to put the effort in + that is what, I truly love about love. I enjoy putting the work in, as my boyfriend always says, you get what you give…that principle is one that should be applied to ALL aspects of your life. Think about it, at work you get a promotion or you get hired based on the effort you put in, you make more money when you bust your butt to do so, you loose weight by working out, eating right + making the effort to do so. LOVE works the same way, it doesn’t just happen, it happens because YOU make it happen.
When I see my boyfriend everyday he makes me smile without even trying, when he asks me to not do a certain thing (like mention his name on my blog or post photos of him on my social media) I respect it + him and don’t do it (trust me this was hard because all I wanted to do was show the world how in love we are but I realized other people aren’t needed to validate our love + that was my immaturity coming out), when he says he has my back, I truly believe he does + he actually does (and I have his).
In my opinion that is LOVE. That didn’t happen overnight. We have been together 2 years now + while we rarely argue, there are definitely times we don’t see eye to eye, times I freak out or over react, times I am trying to communicate + feel like I am hitting a wall BUT rather than us get frustrated we always work it out – that is a relationship + that is LOVE. LOVE is not easy, LOVE is not just finding a person you are attracted to + have things in common with, LOVE is actually being a better person with your partner + together you both put in the effort to make that LOVE grow.
I know Valentine’s Day is supposed to be all about ‘LOVE‘ but when you find love + (achieve) it, it happens everyday, you don’t necessarily need a holiday to acknowledge it (I am in no way being a sour sally + trashing Valentine’s Day haha I enjoy it but it just isn’t crucial). I think when I was single I was so harped on having a partner to celebrate Valentine’s Day with (because I saw it in my face all day in person or on social media + had major FOMO) but now that I am truly in a loving relationship, Valentines’s Day has just become a day for me to post red, pink + heart themed photos and a day that I look at my boyfriend, smile + say let’s stay in and avoid busy restaurants ♥
Valentine’s Day is just a few weeks away and while my full Valentine’s Day Style Guide will be up soon, I am sharing a great casual alternative here. Maybe you are heading to a girl’s night in or a casual Valentine’s Day date or just want to embrace some pink + red to wear to the office, either way – I made the pom pom cardigan trend work for the day of love.
I have been loving the pom pom cardigan trend for casual days that I basically want to snuggle up in bed + in turn treat the pom pom cardigan like my warm cozy blanket haha I bought it in pink + also a baby blue and they have become my instant go to + I have gotten a ton of compliments on them! My boyfriend is not a fan but hey sometimes trends are for the gals + not the guys, am I right? 😉
I wanted to let the pom pom cardigan take center stage so I paired it with a light pink chiffon camisole + white skinny jeans. I love wearing white skinny jeans year round + Valentine’s Day is no exception!
I am also a huge fan of these chiffon camisoles – I layer them under everything + own them in every color. They are a great staple to have + wear year round so I highly encourage every gal to stock up on them!
I am obsessed with these pink Manolo Blahnik slingbacks! They are my first ever pair of Manolo’s (crazy I know but I tend to splurge on handbags not shoes) + I bought these as a Christmas gift to myself on Cyber Monday for under $300 – crazy right?! I am slowly beginning to invest in designer shoes but still can’t get myself to pay full price especially when you can buy the styles you love for less from various retailers + outlets.
My bag was another Christmas gift to myself and I scored it at my local Gucci outlet in Palm Desert (one of my favorite places to shop since they have all the designers you love for discounted prices + the styles are still pretty current)!
