Impromptu Halloween

I’ve admittedly dropped the ball the last two Halloweens. Three years ago, I specifically planned to be Wednesday Adams and it was perfect for 2020 which felt like a year of Wednesdays. However, last year and this year I definitely did not plan. So, at the last minute I had to scrounge together items in my home to make an impromptu Halloween costumes. Now, when I say impromptu, I mean looking for anything that isn’t my every day wear. This can be a blessing and a curse for someone like me. A blessing because I’m a shopaholic so I always have options. A curse because my style is eclectic so the likelihood of me wearing something the other 364 days of the year that others would only wear on Halloween is very high. Actually, both years having my eclectic style has paid off well. So maybe no curse, just blessings. In 2021 I managed to pull off a flower child look with bell bottoms and a flower headband. It worked, especially considering I pulled it together on October 30. Well this year my friends and I got tickets to Trap Karaoke (side note: if you haven’t gone, go…it’s a whole hip hop vibe)! Well when my friend asked me the morning of the party what my costume is, my reply was “oh, we’re wearing costumes. Nonetheless, I pulled together what’s now one of my favorite Halloween looks. I was a saloon girl. A corset that I’ve had forever but had  never worn was the star of the ensemble. And who doesn’t love a brim hat and boots with fringe. When I say it came together nicely, I’m being modest. I was cute! The outfit was cute. This one made my top 5 Halloween list. Not bad for impromptu. 

Buenas Dias

I’ve been lucky to travel to some of the most beautiful places in the world. Some far, some not so far. Mexico happens to be one of those that’s not so far but far enough. Mexico is technically in our backyard so I’m surprised it’s only my second time traveling there. The first was on a cruise. I visited the Mayan Ruins, and toured the countryside and the mosquitoes ate my butt up. But this time I went to a gorgeous resort, spent a long weekend reading, eating, drinking, listening to music and watching sunsets on the beach. It was just the RnR that I needed. Oh, I also packed the heavy duty mosquito repellent this time around although I didn’t even need it. So what did I wear to relax in? Of course I had to look cute … it’s still vacation. 

Wedding Flow

I love weddings, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned in the past. Well this is absolutely my favorite wedding look. When I say this came together perfectly, it came together perfectly. The dress was sexy yet classy, unique yet appropriate, fit beautifully and made me look skinny. The shoes were comfortable, stunning, creative and sophisticated. The jewelry was elegant and cheap. And my hair, well I did it myself and let’s just say your girl did that. Thanks grandma for the hair style recommendation! The entire look, from the dress to the jewelry came from Shein. Full disclosure, I did have the dress slightly altered for length and calf fit. All together, with the alterations, this ensemble cost $150. 

When There’s Nothing to Wear

Sometime you just have to get dolled up and go out on the town. Well what do you wear when you’ve already worn everything in your closet? You wear black and accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Black is classic, sexy, slimming and goes with everything. You may have worn the outfit a thousand times but if you change five things it will look like a brand new fit. What are those five things? Well, I thought you’d never ask. 

1. Jewelry

2. Purse

3. Shoes

4. Makeup

5. Hair 

Try new pairings, try new makeup, try a new hairstyle (even if you just part it on the left as opposed to the right). Just try something, anything different. 

What I Wore in SD

First of all I have to say please forgive me because this post is so late. Memorial Day weekend I took a last-minute trip to San Diego and fell in love. It’s such a beautiful city made up of diverse landscape, culture and food … all some my favorite things. I spent most of my time exploring, walking and taking in the sites. So, I made sure that I packed comfortable clothes and shoes. It was probably my first trip where the majority of the shoes in my luggage were sneakers. My top highlights were visiting the Japanese Friendship Garden, going to a Padres game and having dinner at Juniper and Ivy. I also really enjoyed La Jolla Cove and Coronado Island. The Japanese Friendship Garden is absolutely stunning and so serene. The San Diego padres stadium is one of the coolest stadiums that I’ve visited. and Juniper and Ivy, well there is no explaining it, you just have to visit. Food a 10, ambiance a 10 and service a 10. Actually, I take that back, the food is a 15. Anyway, you get the point. Well enough about that, I know you came to see what I wore. First of all, I bought nothing new…I told you it was a last minute trip. Second of all, comfort was key…I did a lot of walking and it was chilly in the morning and evening . And lastly, I wore lots of dresses…I hate checking a bag and dresses take up less space. 

So here’s what I wore in SD!

Do Your Research

Everyone knows that I love shopping. Everyone knows that I love beautifiul clothing. Everyone knows that I love good sales.  Well one thing you might not know, I despise feeling gypped. Well that extends to shopping. If I buy anything from food to clothes, and I don't believe the price fair, that's problamatic. Well I've recently been doing a lot of online dress shopping for an upcoming wedding. And ya'll know I love weddings too. Like most of my occasions, I buy tons of dresses and then return the ones that I don't like. Well this week, while shopping, I came across the exact same dress at Eloquii and Shein. I shouldn't have been surprised because I follow a woman on IG who often compares various brands to Shein including Zara. So I knew this was a thing, I'd just never experienced it. Well now I can say that I have. The only difference between the two dresses, other than the price of course, is the color. The dress at Eloquii is red and the one at Shein comes in green and apricot (aka gold). However, the price is the real WTF. Well we all know Shein stuff be dirt cheap so I aint even going to ask ya'll which one you think was the gypper. However, can you guess how much more the Eloquii dress is being sold for? Well, let's just say there is a 400% markup. Yes, that's right. The Shein dress is being sold for $30 and the Eloquii dress for $120. Now to play devil's advocate, I'm sure the Eloquii dress is higher quality and maybe even slightly better made. However, let's not downplay Shein. I have purchased many items from Shein and majority of the time (I'd even go as far as to say 90% of the time) the items are good quality. As a matter of fact, I can only recall two items that were so badly made that I never wore them. Actually they're in a bag for Goodwill that I've been saying I'm going to dropoff for months. Well, check out the two dresses below and don't forget to do your research. In fact, I'll share with you a cool trick that I recently learned. If you have the Google app on your phone, you can upload a picture or take a picture of any item and Google will do a search for you. So for example, you can upload a picture of the Eloquii dress and find similar items at other stores. If you already knew that, kudos to you (I was just put on game a few months ago). And if you didn't know that, you're welcome. Happy Shopping!!!

https://www.eloquii.com/mini-satin-wrap-dress/1248222.html?dwvar_1248222_colorCode=41&index=9&item_list_id=search_results&item_list_name=Search%20Results 

https://us.shein.com/SHEIN-Plus-Solid-Belted-Wrap-Satin-Dress-p-9942204-cat-3099.html?src_identifier=st%3D2%60sc%3Dgreen%20dress%20plus%20size%60sr%3D0%60ps%3D1&src_
module=search&src_tab_page_id=page_home1653179949864&scici=Search~~EditSearch~~1~~green_
20dress_20plus_20size~~~~0

Why Not?

About a month ago I was chatting with a friend and she asked me about my recent trip to Italy. I exclaimed "it was beautiful, the food was good, the weather was surprisingly nice for winter in Europe," etc. etc."Her reply, you're always on the go." My reply, still excited, "Yeah, girl! As a matter of fact I'm headed to Antigua, Guatemala in about two weeks for my birthday."  She, now obviously annoyed with my galavanting, yells "GUATEMALA? Why do you want to go there?" My reply, now confused by her response and tone "why not?" Her response, well she didn't respond. Therefore, I elaborated, "I've never been, it looks beautiful and historic. So, why not?" I have yet to get a response to my "why not" question. She was not the only person who asked me why I'm going to Guatemala. And that question totally baffled me every time. I want to go EVERYWHERE. I can't imagine not traveling to unknown parts of the world. One co-worker said, "isn't Guatemala dangerous?" Well isn't everywhere dangerous. Yesterday, nearly two dozen people were injured during a shooting in the New York subway. I've been there many, many times and I've never been asked why I'm going to New York. I live and work in the DC area. And according to Crime Grade, DC's crime rating is a C and a crime occurs every 3 minutes (on average) in the Washington metro area. So, why not? Literally, if it's not a war-torn country and I haven't been, then nine times out of ten I want to go. Well, let's talk about Guatemala. Yes, I understand that Guatemala has a bad reputation and admittedly, I knew very little about the country prior to a year ago. However, a buddy of mine visited Antigua, his pictures were amazing, and it seemed like he had a great time. So, I started doing a little research and found out that Antigua is quite popular among backpackers, it's a colonial town about an hour from Guatemala City, has beautiful mountain views, only an hour and half from active volcanoes, has a vibrant night life, tons of quant restaurants, booming markets selling traditional textiles and a top producer of chocolate and coffee. Sounds like my type of town! And, when my birthday was approaching, I decided to look into flights and much to my surprise the flights were pretty inexpensive ... probably because it's not on people's radar yet. So I booked a flight, found the most adorable air bnb and had one of the best trips I've ever had. In fact, it was way too short and I'm already planning to go back for a longer visit.  The people were friendly, the food was delicious, the town is beautiful, the history is unique, and I had a blast! So, the next time, you're thinking of a short getaway to somewhere off the beaten path, and not super touristy yet (but it's coming), consider Antigua, Guatemala! Why not!