Big Sweater Energy

December 5, 2021Leave a comment

Last year I spotted an oversized black and white stripe cardigan on my Instagram feed and fell in love with it. It was just too perfect for those crisp, cool fall days leading into the chill of winter. Unfortunately by the time I learned about this cardigan’s existence it was sold on the Hot Topic website. That is until this summer when it reappeared in two different color palettes along with a plaid knit option; I immediately added one to my cart.

Was it weird to order this in the middle of July? Definitely. But I regret nothing because this is sooo cozy.

I actually debated as to whether or not I should size down because I knew it was oversized, yet I found myself selecting my size (HT Plus Size 1) instead to ensure that the fit would be oversized on me not thinking about how huge it would end up being. They seriously weren’t kidding when they said “oversized,” but my brother convinced me to keep it because of all the “fall sweater weather cozy” vibes which is all I really want.

The best thing about this kind of piece is that it can be styled to be casual, sporty, dressy and even professional. The oversize fit it, the stripe design and the classic cardigan silhouette offers many different options when it comes to styling this piece and I’ve had a lot of fun coming up with a few. Here are three outfits that I styled with this one cardigan for some fall (into winter) style inspiration. Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite.

Disclaimer: While this specific cardigan seems to no longer be in stock I have included some similar options for you below to consider just in case you’re looking to trying this trend for yourself.

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5 Ways to Add Self Care to Your Daily Life

February 15, 2021February 18, 2021Leave a comment

With everything that has happened over the last year it has been difficult to not sink deep into my usual stress response of survival, and coping mechanisms. I am so guilty of not taking care of myself when things were “normal” and this has only gotten worst between dealing with the possibly of being laid off (again), financial insecurity and the logistics of having to move during a pandemic to name a few. I know that I’m not alone with this, nevertheless I’ve been actively trying to find some sense of peace in chaos.

And yes, things may seem a bit quiet and boring being under quarantine for so long, yet that too can be a form of chaos for some of us. (Yes, even for introverts.) Today I’m sharing five ways I’ve been incorporating more self care into my routine. While some of these may seem obvious, some are still hard even for me, but I’m trying and I hope you’ll join me.

1.) Get cozy and cute (but only if YOU want to)

I’ve taken to treating myself to some new sleep and lounger wear to bring in some changes to my overall dull WFH wardrobe. Most recently I got this black sleep shirt from the Modcloth-exclusive collaboration with Hello Kitty. It has a classic pajama silhouette with lapel collar, cuffed long sleeves and curved shirttail hem, red heart-shaped buttons down the entire front, piping throughout and an embroidered patch of this Sanrio icon on the chest pocket. It is adorable and soft though also chic enough that I deemed it worthy of including a few accessories and makeup despite the fact that I’m just staying home because, why not?

I’ll admit that like most people that have been working from home, I really haven’t been dressing up much, though I try to make an effort at least on those days I have a scheduled Zoom call. Somedays I’ll do this and other times I simply don’t care enough to try. Both are fine. The important thing is to do what is comfortable for you.

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Sweet Like Deadly Nightshade

January 5, 2021January 8, 20211 Comment

Fun fact: When I was growing up, my father had major aspirations of my brother and I becoming child models. Every so often he would put up a white bedsheet on one of the walls in the living room, get some props and outfits together and we’d have our own photoshoot sessions right at home. I still have the albums full of the photos including the professional ones that he had done to send to modeling agencies. Neither my brother or I ever got a modeling contract as kids (Not for lack of trying, I mean we were adorable but I guess that wasn’t enough, hahaha) but at the very least we have the memories.

At the start of quarantine last year, my brother was actually the first one to point out that I could not use the pandemic as an excuse for not continuing to take photos and create content. According to him, I’ve been “trained for in-house photoshoots” and now I even have more space to work with than we did growing up. I initially disagreed because working in one space can be pretty limiting, but in time I took up the challenge, working around issues with lightening (my apartment is intentionally dark in certain spaces) and even did some much needed furniture/decor shopping which I had put off for the last 2 years.

I’ve done quite a bit of shooting at home as a result, some of which I haven’t shared yet, but I wanted to try my hand at something “different” for this new year. So armed with my trusty tripod, selfie light, new make up, new bedding and a lux velvet set I bought as a Christmas gift to myself, I figured it was time to try something way, way outside of my comfort zone – my own boudoir shoot. Continue reading →

Curl Definition and Color – Review of CURLSMITH Hair Makeup

November 5, 2020November 5, 2020Leave a comment

It didn’t take very long for me to start playing around with my hair once Quarantine started. For one thing I cut my hair a grand total of 7 times, though to be clear these weren’t big chops but rather small cuts to give my hair a different shape. I managed to give myself some sort of layers which was a nice change of pace as I’ve had the same asymmetrical hair cut since 2016 – being shorter in the back and longer in the front.

I’ve since decided to grow out my hair, if only to try something new. I also got my first ever dry hair cut at the Miss Rizos Salon in Manhattan the weekend before last, (and I will be sharing that experience on the blog soon as well), however, that (final, for now) hair cut provided me with more traditional layers and greater volume, so I basically have a new canvas to play with and that also got me to trying CURLSMITH’s Hair Make up for the second time. Yup, second time, but we’ll get to that.

If you haven’t already heard about CURLSMITH’s Hair Make up it is a temporary color and styling gel all in one, created specifically for curls. It does NOT dye your hair, but provides a layer of color pigment around hair strands that will wash off with water and shampoo. As someone who loves hair color but doesn’t like the commitment and is scared of bleach ruining my curl pattern, this sounded like an amazing product that would allow me to play a bit with color without much consequence. How did it go? Well, let’s just say it had its highs and lows so I’m sharing them with you today just in case you’re looking to trying something new with your own hair while we are still in this Quarantine/Lockdown period.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

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Summer Noir (feat. Foxblood)

August 11, 2020August 10, 20203 Comments

It is rare for me to have a moment when I see something and think to myself that “I must have this” and immediately buy it without much of a second thought, but it when it does happen its probably because Foxblood dropped something new on their site. (Even if it is something that I have to purchase via Afterpay, I make it mine.) The minute I saw this wide leg, tie top jumpsuit as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I gagged. It is everything I’ve ever wanted in a summer outfit that I didn’t even have to look for.