3 Last Minute Holiday Dresses Under $40
December 19, 2017
Hi guys! Today I wanted to share three last-minute, easy, and most importantly, budget-friendly holiday looks for y'all. Chances are, you probably have similar items in your closet, and for the looks you like but don't already own, I've linked similar items below. This is my first time ever making and editing a fashion video, so I hope you guys like it! I'm excited to start playing around more with video content. Let me know what type of fashion videos you guys want to see, and as always, thanks for reading and watching. All of the outfit detials are linked below the video. P.S. This post contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Outfit 1
Red dress: Boohoo ($15 on sale during Black Friday)
Gold Earings: BaubleBar ($32 at Nordstrom)
Black Seam Tights Hue ($6 on sale at Macys)
Red Pumps: Express ($25 during their summer sale)
White Coat: Forever 21 ($40 from 2016)
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Outfit 2
Green Dress: Boohoo ($20 on sale during Black Friday)
Fur Stole: Forever 21 ($20)
Black Seam Tights Hue ($6 on sale at Macys)
Black Pumps: H&M ($40 from 2016)
Black Earrings: Talbots (Got them in a bundle package at my job's sample sale this year)
Outfit 3
Black Dress: Kara ($9 during Black Friday)
Burgundy Velvet Blazer: Forever 21 ($30ish)
Black Choker: Topshop ($12)
Black Fishnet Socks: Forever 21 ($4)
Gold Earings: BaubleBar ($32 at Nordstrom)
Weekly Reads 12.17.17
December 17, 2017
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Another week has come and gone. Now Christmas is right aroud the corner. I'd be lyibg if I said I had my holiday ish together. I haven't done any of my christmas shopping yet or packed for my trip back to Georgia... Opps! But you know what I have done, enjoyed a lot of pizza and soaked up a lot of hiliday cheer in the NYC area. I hope you've been haing fun in your neighborhood too! Happy Sunday!
Emotional Pickme Up: Let’s Face it, the holidays can be super rough! If you’re having a blue Christmas, read 6 Ways to Cope with The Holidays When You're Feeling Sad on the Everygirl.com. It helped me put a lot of things into perspective.
Smart Money tip of the week (Because you’re too good to be a broke bitch.) Read this or this if you want some tips and tricks to save money this holiday season.
Real Life Ish: Found this article on Jess Ann Kirby's site. And I agree with her… I’m not too sure this is the best way to fix the economy… and this sounds a little too muhc like Handmaid’s tale. God help us all.
Shop til you drop:the best sales this week: Express- Everything is 50% off! I grabbed a stunning red dress for $25 this weekend because I was able to bundle my coupons with the sale! Here are some of my favorite picks from the sale. P.S. This section contains affiliate links.
You deserve a career you love: Not feeling motivated at work? This article might help you push through the apathy when you cannot bring yourself to care about work anymore.
Stay Safe: Experian published a helpful article to help us avoid becoming victims of fraud this holiday season.
December Mood Board
December 12, 2017
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| Photos by:
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There are only 12 days until Christmas!! That means I'm listening to holiday music around the clock, doing guided meditations twice a day and finding small ways to embrace the season. Creating a mood board each month is something I always look forward to. Making time to collect my thoughts and channel my energy towards the experiences and emotions I want to explore each month... man, for some reason, I get a high from this stuff. No matter what you celebrate this time of year, I hope you'll sit down and reflect on how you want to spend the end of the year. Because guess what... we freaking made it. And the last month of the year is full of possibilities! Plus, 2018 is sure to be brighter than 2017. Afterall, we are one year down in our sentence; three more to go! #OprahForPresident2020 I hope you have the merriest December ever, and let me know what you're most excited for this month! As always, thanks for spending a little bit of time today to read my blog. I appreciate you more than you know.
P.S. I like to include some things I've been eyeing during the month too. The section below has affiliate links, so if you shop from it, I get a small commission. Whether you shop or not, I hope the items below inspire you to enjoy the last month of 2017.
December Bucket List: Holiday Edition
December 7, 2017
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| Photo by Toa Heftiba |
Since this December's challenge is to have more fun, I wanted to sit down and create a list of exciting activities that we can do this season. Making time for ourselves and time to have fun can be really hard around the holidays. There's so much travel, you probably have a long list of errands to run, you might have finals or you're trying to finish multiple projects at work. That's why I believe in scheduling fun time. But how can you schedule time to relax or enjoy your hood if you don't know what things to do. That's why I've put together this list of activities to do this December. I like to think of it as my guide to having fun. And since saving money is really fun, I separated this bucket list into three different price-points: free activities, under $50 activities, and splurge experiences. I hope this list saves you some time in figuring out what you want to do this holiday season. If you're feeling fancy, I created this cute holiday bucket list print out that you can write your list on. And be sure to leave a comment letting me know what's on your December bucket list! I'd love to add more expereiences to my list!
PRINT ME
- Grab hot chocolate to sip while walking around the city to look at chritsmas lights, see the window displays on 5th Avenue and see the Rockefeller tree
- Go to all the nyc pop-up exhibitions: Yankee Candle, Festival of Life, Sea of Light
- Walk around Central Park
- Have a holiday movie marathon
- Go to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn to see the famous lights displays
- Volunteer with a new organization (I'm using the app DEED to find opportunities)
- Check out the store Story in NYC - this store has a rotating theme every few weeks! Right now the theme is Home for the Holidays. I love!!
- Go to eataly and visit the rooftop bar/restuarant
- Visit each of these 15 festive rooftop bars
- Go to a "hidden restaurant" aka a speakeasy but in the form of a restaurant instead of a bar.
- Have a holiday craft day
- Have a baking party
- Get dolled up and go to a a swanky jazz club, speakeasy or piano bar
- See a chrsitmas movie in theaters - the Nitehawk is a special exerpeince or see It's A Wonderful Life at IFC
- Get tickets for the NY Botanical Gardens 21+ holiday train show bar cart night!
- Grab a drink at Rolfs
- Have a cocktails at Mace during the Miracle on Ninth Street pop-up
- Go on a date in a YURT
- Go to the opera
- See the Rockefeller Christmas Spectaccular
- Have breakfast at Tiffany's... because this is literally possible now. This can be under $50 if you order something small, but I want the full experience.
- See the Nutcracker
- Go on a holiday brunch cruise
- Host a christmas brunch
- Go to Chritmas High Tea
- Go Christmas shopping for a family in need. Make a basket of food and purchase gift cards - *this can be under $10 if you split the price between multiple people. I did this every year with my Church while I was growing up. It's really fun and a nice way to bring joy to a family.
December Challenge: Have More Fun!
December 4, 2017
Ah! It’s finally December, aka it's socially acceptable to do every single holiday activity we can think of. There’re beautiful decorations everywhere we look, Christmas music is blasting in almost every store and restaurant, holiday movies are playing 24/7, everyone is in a charitable mood and shopping trips become fun adventures. If you’re obsessed with the winter holiday season like mwah, these simple things make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. And I want to soak up all of it!
So this month, I’m challenging all of us to have more fun! The holidays can be a really stressful and sad time (booking flights, finding the perfect Christmas presents, juggling family obligations, missing loved ones who are no longer here) but I’m determined to embrace the positive side of the holidays this year.
My family spent all of Christmas 2014 visiting my dad who was in a state of vegetation until he passed away three months later. We are still trying to find the right balance between honoring his memory while still enjoying the season, a challenge that all families who’ve lost loved ones battle each year. I know how easy it is to spend this season upset, depressed or stressed out, but life is too short and precious to not celebrate while we have the chance.
So its my goal to remind us all of how blessed we are, regardless of the trauma, pain and hardships we’ve faced in the past. I’d be lying to you if I said I was happy for most of the year. 2017, overall, was more brutal than I expected. But I experienced more growth than ever before and realized how important it is to take care of myself before I hit my breaking point. There’s nothing wrong with it, in fact it’s responsible!
I also realized that letting my sorrows get the best of me is stopping me from showing up in life and just having fun! One reason I love this season is because fun activities are all around us and at all price points. It’s hard not to have fun. From ice skating to curling up with a cup of hot chocolate and binge watching Christmas movies, you can embrace a lot of seasonal activities without draining your bank account.
I’m really over being sad or anxious all of time! I’m taking responsibility for my thoughts and my emotions. Although I can’t control what pops up in my heart and head, I can choose to not focus on them or use those thoughts and feelings to steer me in a positive direction. I've already decided that this Christmas is going to be amazing.
I’m making a looooong list of activities that I want to enjoy before the year ends, and I plan to use this list as my guide and embrace December. How are you planning to make time for more play this season?
And in between fun, seasonal activities, when I start feeling overwhelmed, I’ll breathe, take a quick walk around the block and remind myself of how far I’ve come and how much abundance is in my life. I hope you’ll do the same. I'll be checking in with you guys weekly on Instagram Stories to let you know how I'm doing with this challenge and to see what you guys are doing. Happy holidays my friends, and thank you for taking a moment of your day to read this.
Fall 2017 Photo Journal
November 27, 2017
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| West Village- New York, New York 2017 |
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| Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard- Salem, New York |
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| New York: Macy's, Washington Square Park, Farm |
9 Budget-Friendly Boots Under $100 + A Personal Note
November 26, 2017
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like using cold weather as an excuse to look drab. If anything, I think that men and women who step out on the town looking stylish in cold weather are rockstars. And guess what, we are rockstars too. So when the temperatures drop, I take it as a challenge to step up my shoe game (unless it’s snowing.. then all bets are off) to help me feel cheery during the brutal weather.
I’ve rounded up 9 budget-friendly boots and booties that will keep you warm and looking like a chic badass through the end of fall and into winter. Whether you’re prepping for a fun night out, running errands, heading to a holiday party or want to look cute while hunting for the perfect gifts, these shoes will add to your fabulous adventures without overdrafting your bank account. Let me know what shoe is your favorite. Want to step it up a notch? DM me (via Instagram) photos of how you style shoes inspired by this post! I’d love to see how you guys pair them with winter and late-fall outfits! Oh, and the next section contains affiliate links. Feel free to shop or not shop! As long as you find some inspiration from the round-up, I've done my job!
Oh, and to keep this post from being super shallow, I wanted to share a video created by Youtuber Isabel Palacious. This video focuses on how you can value yourself instead of letting other people define your value. I think this is something all humans struggle with, whether we are aware of it or not.
When I watched this video this morning, Isabel linked burnout to being emotionally bankrupt but still pushing ourselves to do more than we should. And I was like damn... I've been doing this my entire freaking life. I've shoved my emotions aside and told myself if I just push myself to the extreme, I'll be successful and too busy to think about the things that are bothering me. Then those problems will just disappear because I've accomplished my goals. LOL; I was so wrong.
We all know by now the importance of facing our issues. But mentally preparing ourselves to deal with the pain isn't so easy. I have made a conscious effort for most of 2017 to embrace my struggles and focus on helping others (one key way to feel more fulfilled and connected to the world), but too often, I still run the other way when emotional baggage pops up. But hey, progress is all about baby steps! So if you've been running on empty for a while or feel emotionally drained, take one baby step today and watch this super relatable video.
If you're ready to go deep in self-development; I've linked two of my favorite videos by my favorite gurus Gaby Bernstein, Tony Robbins They help millions of people create the lives of their dreams. P.S. These leaders are endorsed by Oprah, so you know they are top notch. I hope these videos help you find a little bit of peace and strength today. Feel free to email or DM anything that's on your mind! Let me know what's up! And until next time, stay fabulous!
Tony Robbins: Creating an Extraordinary Quality of Life | SuperSoul Sessions | Oprah Winfrey Network
Weekly Reads: Thanksgiving Edition
November 23, 2017
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| photo: Photo by rawpixel.com |
Food For the Soul: I've been binge watching Oprah's Super Soul Sunday episodes on Youtube this week, and they've been helping me push through a ton of funk. These episodes feature amazing leaders who specialize in wellness, activism, overcoming addiction and depression, pushing yourself to achieve the unthinkable and so much more. I really loved the Gary Zukav: The New Perception of Community with Oprah Winfrey episode. It was so different from what I expected, and it made me think about the soul and how we spend our time in this lifetime. It's almost an hour long, so if you have the time, I highly recommend it. Some of the Super Soul Sunday episodes are under 15 minutes, which is perfect if you're short on time.
Smart Money Tip of the Week (Because you’re too good to be a broke bitch): Tis the season to get carried away and spend way more money than you actually have! But, here's an amazing guide to get all of us bak on track! 3 Key Strategies For How To Pay Off Your Credit Card Debt Faster. Yeah; we've totally got this!
Tis the Season: Prep yourselves babydolls. Thanksgiving can be ... tiring. But here's a guide to help you deal with all those cringe-worthy moments. 15 Awkward Thanksgiving Interactions To Prep Yourself For.
Menu: Here are the top trendy foods for this holiday season. The more you know.
Weekend Fun: Animal Crossing is finally available on our smart phones. This is the best and worst thing to happen to me because this was my all-time favorite GameCube game back in the day. I was borderline addicted, and I have a feeling I'll be obsessed with it again as soon as I download it. That's not going to stop me from playing the game, but I'm accepting that this might be an issue down the road.
Shop Til You Drop! - Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales:
- Topshop - 50% off + free shipping 11/22-11/27
- Revolve - Up to 50 % off sale items!
- Macys - 20% off with the code HURRY 11/22-11/25
- Shopbop - Up to 75% off sale items and 30% off full-priced items with the code MORE
Currently Loving:... Guys, Target has silver jingle bell napkin rings and Pottery Barn has them in gold. I might die if I don't get my hands on these!! I need them. Think about how beautiful your table setting could be with these beauties! I really want to host a holiday brunch or dinner this year, and the last thing I want is to throw a basic af party. Therefore, I need these. Case closed. I'm hitting up Target and Pottery Barn next week and going hard in the holiday decor section.
Quotes To Live By: “No one truly interesting was ever universally liked’ - Carl from Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce.
3 Chic Last Minute Thanksgiving Outfits
November 19, 2017
So… Thanksgiving is next week. This holiday season snuck up on me, and if you’re anything like me, you haven’t had the time or the energy to put thought into your Thanksgiving outfit. Lucky for us, we live in the 21st century, and it doesn’t matter if we put shopping off until the last minute (thanks Amazon Prime and 2-day express shipping). So I’ve rounded up three outfit ideas for this Thanksgiving that range between glam and casual. Either way, you’re sure to look cute this year, even if you’re on a budget. Plus, I bet you can find similar items right in your closet. Happy Turkey Day!
Shop the Look: This section includes affiliate links.
I randomly found all of these items while thrift shopping or during sales, so I encourage you to go scavenger hunting this weekend. But if you don't have time to shop IRL, here are some similar pieces you can buy on the world wide web.
I wanted to share another more personal post today, but I also wanted to share a cute look. So I’m doing both in this post, frankly because I feel like it. So whether you relate to this post, find inspiration in the outfit, or get a laugh because you think I’m a sad little peasant, I hope you walk away feeling a little bit better today. :)
*Oh, and there is some cursing in this post, so if you're offended by foul language, this isn't the post for you.
I’m proud to admit that I’ve always been pretty ambitious, and I’ve been blessed enough to be surrounded by hard-working, ambitious, talented people who inspired me and cheered for my success. Now that I’m 1.5 years out of college, my ambition is still there, but my strong sense of confidence and self esteem is not. What can I say? I’m not strong 100% of the time like most of my friends think.
I went from having a large community of cheerleaders physically around me 24/7 to just having myself as a cheerleader. Anyone who moves to a new city alone after college goes through the same thing. It’s a brave and exciting adventure, but it’s also terrifying to no longer be in your tight-knit community. In the real world, you’re thoughts of self-doubt are louder than ever before.
And let me tell you, I can say some pretty nasty things to myself. If anything, my inner voice is like a cheerleader from hell straight out of a 90's movie who’s sole purpose is to try to destroy my self worth and convince me that I’ll never have what I want, so...why bother.
But then I have to take a step back and remind myself that:
A) Telling myself these negative, false beliefs in a FUCKING WASTE OF TIME! I’m literally wasting precious energy on thoughts that don’t serve me or move me towards my goals. That’s not ok because (here comes the cliche but damn true saying) where intention goes, energy flows! Asnd here’s the real key. Are you ready? That nasty voice will always be there in the back of our heads telling us to give up. Telling us to play it safe. Telling us we can’t accomplish this goal. We have to accept that the voice will never go away, but we don’t have to listen to it. I named my mean girl voice Regina, and I tell her to shut up when she starts trying to break me down.
B) Instead of shutting down and cocooning myself in bed (which I admit I’ve been doing a lot lately) I should grab a pen and paper and figure out why I feel so overwhelmed. Even if you’re not a writer, I seriously advise doing this. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Purging the stress out is the best way to work through it. Want to avoid a hand cramp? Record yourself talking through it. I know there’s a lot of controversy around Joel olsteen, but homeboy gives some great advice. He once said that the same problems will keep showing up in your life until you confront and overcome them. Once those problems are literally staring you in the face, written in your journal, you’re more inclined to make those problems your little bitch.
C.) If I want to cultivate confidence and self-esteem, I have to take action! I’m not just going to wake up one day and feel like I’m killing the game if I don’t take small actions that will get me closer to the life I want to live. And please notice that I said SMALL. Sometimes I get a little bit list-happy and write down every single thing I need to do to accomplish a goal. I did that for my blogging/digital content creator career and you know what happened/still happens from time to time? I looked at that multiple-page list, and I shut the fuck down because it’s so overwhelming. Isn’t that ironic that how making lists in one aspect can free me and in another aspect, it makes me feel hopeless? After learning this lesson time and time again (aka me curled up in bed, ugly crying and too overwhelmed to get out of bed to even eat, let alone leave the house that day) I realized that I need to limit myself to setting small goals each day, regardless of how much I want to create an elaborate action plan.
D) And finally, I remind myself to ask for help! I reach out to my best friends who remind me that, number one, I can have everything I want if I get out of my own damn way. And number two, no matter what I accomplish, they will still love and cherish me. I have nothing to prove. And neither do you. I went to the amazing Girl Boss Rally this weekend, and one of my favorite speakers pointed out that we are already enough. We don’t have to prove anything to the world, and we have a purpose just by existing. What a lovely reminder that you’re already a rockstar and should chill when it comes to beating yourself up, right?
Confidence isn’t built in a day; it’s an ongoing project. I hope that this post encourages you to love yourself a little bit more and forgive yourself for not being perfect. Coming from a recovering perfectionist, it’s a good thing that we aren’t perfect. Perfect is fucking boring! I still struggle with trying to be perfect, but I’m getting better at letting go of the “perfect me, perfect life” mentality that I've held on to since elementary school. You will too if you take the time out each week to remind yourself that you’re a badass for going after what you want, no matter what it is. The struggles are just part of the process, honey.
Need more words of encouragement? I’ve linked some of my favorite self-esteem boosters below.
- Affirmations - This might feel weird but affirmations are a great way to feel confident if you embrace them.
- Impact Theory episode
- The Oprah Magazine Instagram account - it's full of so many amazing quotes
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