The Yin Yang Look

Hi ladies!

Happy New Year!

Have you ever been in a mood where you picked your lipstick shade before deciding what to wear?? This is totally opposite for me! I'm usually the girl who goes for shoes first before picking any look. Today I went straight for my red lipstick before anything!

The first step to wearing red lips is choosing the correct shade. It will definitely take trial and error, but please don't come out your house looking like you belong in the circus. There are plenty of cosmetic counters willing to assist you with finding the right shade for you! Ladies, I also cannot stress how important it is to keep a mirror with you while wearing red lips. Please don't be the girl with red lipstick on her teeth while showing all 32!

When in doubt, wear black and white with it! Since red lips are classy, bold and sophisticated, it's only right that you go for a yin and yang look; two opposing forces that are complementary. I'm seriously obsessed with red lips, a black and white outfit and silver accessories.

Just like this outfit, you must take the good with the bad in life. Soak up all the good and throw the bad away!

"In the black, there is some white.

In the wrong, there is some right. 

In the dark, there is some light. 

In the blind, there is some sight."

~Abhimyana

What I Wore:

Vest Bebe | Top It's Fashion | Bottoms BCBG | Shoes Aldo

Xoxo, 

Courtney 

Where the Wild Things Are

Hi loves!

Does anyone love animal print as much as me?! I think NOT! 

I'm super obsessed with animal print, especially leopard. It's one of those things that will NEVER go out of style for me!

Sometimes we have to take our minds where they wild things are to dig a little deeper. I took myself to the jungle with this leopard print shirt that I wore for Thanksgiving.

Wearing this print is a reminder for me to stop looking at my spots as a weakness and use them as my strength. It's also a reminder to fight for everything I want out of life. It's rare that you will find a starving leopard because they put their fear to the side and fight for the food that they want.

"Inside of all of us is hope, fear and adventure; Inside of all of us is a wild thing."

 ~Where the Wild Things Are 

What I Wore:
Top BCBG | Vest Bebe | Bottoms Macy's | Bag Louis Vuitton | Shoes Lola Shoetique

How do you wear leopard?

XOXO,

Courtney 

Silver Lining

Hi Loves!

Hope you are having a nice week so far.

This outfit happened to be one of my favorites from last weekend. I actually got out for once and enjoyed myself (THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW)! This is rare for me since I'm such a homebody.

I went for a simple, sexy look and as always I started with the shoes. These silver booties were a MUST for me! There's something about a pop shoe that I CANNOT resist.

Wearing silver always reminds me of "silver linings." Sometimes it's hard to see the good in situations that seem dark. I try my best to always remember that there's a lesson in everything we go through to stay positive in hard times. Try your best to look for the good in the bad.

Remember, "Every cloud has a silver lining."

What I Wore:

Top: Cache | Pants IG boutique (can't remember) | Bracelet eBay | Shoes Aldo

Xoxo,

Courtney :)

Fur Sweater

Hi Ladies!

It's been SO long since I've blogged! Sometimes you have to reboot and adjust your goals. Your 20's are definitely a learning/growing experience. I've just been enjoying the ride.

However, I'm back and focused like never before!

The place that I've enjoyed going lately has been church. On those days, I'm always sure to look my absolute best! Over the weekend I went for the most comfortable look that I could find!

The shoes were so comfy that I didn't have to bring an extra pair! (Rare occasion for me).

Let's not even get into how obsessed I've been with this sweater!!! I need a moment of silence for this sweater....This sweater is honestly the reason why I got my groove back as far as posting blogs again. OMG when I saw it, I COULD NOT leave the mall without it.

Since the sweater was kind of big, I opted for a curve-hugging skirt.

"Your 20's are your 'selfish' years. It's a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all the aspects of you. Tinker, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little, and never touch the ground." 

~Kyoko Escamilla

What I Wore: 

Top H&M | Skirt Kohl's | Shoes Aldo 

XOXO, 

Courtney :)

Style Crush: Kim K

Happy Holidays! 

I'm sure you had no problem guessing who my top style crush is, right?! Kim K still remains one of my top favs.

So any time I see I look with something similar in my closet, I MUST recreate it!

I just love how she can make simple look fabolous!

With the crazy, yet gorgeous weather here, I wanted a look that was not too hot and not too cold.

I thought the olive bomber jacket look would be the perfect recreation!

  

 

What I Wore:

Jacket GoJane | Top Target | Jeans GoJane | Shoes Lola Shoetique | Bag Tory Burch

Simplicity ~ Less is more

Happy Friday,

 

I've been on a really positive journey lately. I wake up with a happiness that I can't explain. I just wish that everyone could feel the way I feel about myself and my life lately. There are many  life lessons that I went through that helped me reach this level of peace. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that in life, "less is more."

 

I'm still learning that it's the little things that actually make life big. I laugh at the fact that I originally caked make-up on too early for self esteem issues. I wore make-up (like a lot) to cover acne. I was working so hard to cover it that I made it look even more noticeable! All that hard work for absolutely nothing. Now, I'm the total opposite; only on special occasions! I want people to know the REAL me, not my facade that I put on. Something so small was HUGE to me. I realize that my big heart, strong mind and huge personality will take me further than a cake face anyday!

 

When I was younger, I thought MORE meant better. More friends, more drinks, more partying, more E V E R Y T H I N G. Quality is far more valuable than quantity. Now I have less friends, but the ones I have mean the world to me; I'm drinking and partying less to get the old me back (including size). I work less. At one point I literally had NO life! I worked so much that I didn't see my gram!

 

I  started carrying that "less is more" thinking into all aspects of my life including my closet. My closet diet consisted of decluttering shoes, jewelry and other accessories. It's so much easier to buy simple pieces and put them together well.

 

Below, I wore a simple outfit. I just made sure my shoes were cute. To add the icing on the cake for this look, I wore a fun, red lip (OMG it looks so good with black hair!)

"Simplicity is the key note of all true elegance."

 

~ Coco Chanel

 

 

For this outfit, I tried to wear less accessories. The shoes and purse did enough! I usually wear the same gold accesories now. A watch and a few Alex and Ani bracelets makes a simple, yet cute arm candy look.

 

What I Wore:

Top Nordstrom | Pants Burlington Coat Factory | Shoes Jessica Simpson | Bag Tory Burch

When we look at the things that really mean the most to us, we truly grow. "A tree is big, but when we look back, it actually started from a seed."

Try following these to carry out "less is more" in your life:

Xoxo,

Courtney =)

Style Crush: Kim K - Red Pencil Skirt

Hi loves,

 

Of course I had to borrow another simple outfit from my style crush, Kim K.

 

She never fails to slay a sexy, yet simple look. When you see someone wearing something red or a pencil skirt, it justs screams sexy! It's hard for most women in this generation to show their curvy silhouette, without showing skin, but Kim made it look easy.

 

Kim paired a grey bodysuit with a red pencil skirt (over $300!) and Christian Louboutin pumps ($795).

What Kim Wore:

Skirt Alexander Wang ($317) | Shoes Christian Louboutin Bis Un Bout

 

I, on the other hand, opted for something similar and MUCH cheaper. I chose a taupe-color shirt because this color is very similar to grey. Taupe is a brownish-grey color. Not only was this color similar to Kim's grey top, but it was on sale for only $6! (winning!)

 

I paired the taupe top with a red pencil skirt and red strappy, cap toe heels similar to Kim's for only $28!

What I Wore:

Shirt GoJane.com | Skirt Express | Shoes LolaShoetique

Don't forget ladies, "When life gives you curves, flaunt them!"

XOXO,

Courtney :)

Wear it, Style it, Repeat: Grey is the New Black

Hi ladies :)

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a HUGE fan of neutral/soft tones right now, especially grey! I feel like I've been having a love affair with my love for colors or black.

If I could wear some form of grey every S I N G L E day, I soooooo would! Instead of reaching in my closet for something black, I'm usally grabbing something grey! I'm currently obsessing over this trend, especially because most of my grey pieces were $6-$15! (can you say winning!)

I can't lie, I wear this grey t-shirt literally as soon as it comes out of the dryer! I promise you'll catch me wearing it once a week.

My favorite way happens to be all grey. Something about monochrome grey that I just can't resist!

Below you will find my favorite outfit from my favorite store, Target! I paired a grey t-shirt with grey leggings. I literally wear this outfit like once a week but in a different way.

Look #1: Grey and Black

What I Wore:

Shoes LolaShoetique | Bag Michael Khors | Hat Aldo

Look #2: Grey and Red

What I Wore:

Shoes LolaShoetique | Hat American Apparel

Look #3: Grey and Camel

What I Wore:

Shoes Christian Louboutin | Bag Thrifted | Jacket ASOS

Look #4: Grey and Olive

 

What I Wore:

Shoes Jessica Simpson | Bag Louis Vuitton | Necklace Macy's | Jacket Macy's 

Good Character and Efforless Looks

Happy Monday! 

In my early twenties, I still find myself juggling time. I happen to be the busiest person I know! Even on a day off, I have a day filled with EVERYTHING to do.

One thing I struggled with after staying so busy is: being on time. We all hear the saying that "You are what you do, not what you say you'll do." Sometimes we just don't really understand how deep it actually  goes; you're being dishonest. You said one thing and did another. How can someone take you serious? How can someone rely/depend on you? How can someone trust you? Although our intentions were good, we didn't actually keep our word.

Since I long to stand for good character, I prayed that I could become someone that people could depend on in times of need. I started by going to church on time. Next, I'll demonstrate this change by trying to arrive to work early daily.

I also tried to keep my word with my family. For example, I went to sleep at 4am, woke up at 7am and told others I would meet them by 7:30am yesterday morning. That means I was crunched for time! Not only did I not have my things packed, but I had to drive 15mins away. When I drove onto that parking lot like it was a racetrack around 7:30am, I really shocked myself!

I'm still questioning how I managed to pull off an effortless look, with no sleep and still continuing to keep good character at the same time.

I went for my current go-to favorites: a grey skirt, white button-up blouse and a hat.

 

 

"Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you."

 

 

What I Wore:

Top New York & Co. | Bottom Target | Hat Express | Shoes Lolashoetique.com | Bag Celine

 

How do you practice staying true to your word??????

 

Xoxo,

 

Courtney :)

From Summer to Fall in Style

Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

I got to spend it with some of my favorite people. My favorite part of this weekend was going to STK in DC! It was such a beautiful place with great food and drinks! If you know me, you know my real favorite part was picking out something to wear to such a classy atmosphere.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of transitioning/maximizing my wardrobe. I will wear any season dress, ANY time! For this look, I transitioned this cute little olive colored dress. I paired a simple dress with my fall season favorites: black boots, a black leather jacket and bold red lips! (Black boots or leather jackets can do wonders on any outfit!)

Sorry in advance, but my favorite way to top off my outfits at the moment is to add a fedora hat! I have hats for dayyyyyyyysss right now! I added an olive and black hat to match the dress and boots.

 

 

"Playing dress-up begins at 5 and never truly ends." 

 

 

I picked up this dress from a mall boutique for only $25!

 

I feel sorry for you if you aren't hip to Jessica Simpson shoes! They are so bomb! Most comfortable shoes EVER!

 

What I Wore:

Jacket BCBG | Hat H&M | Boots Nordstrom/Jesscia Simpson

 

How do you transition from summer to fall in style???

 

XOXO,

 

Courtney