Valentino

Keeping It Simple…Sorta

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leopardpants7{Photos by Sab of RougeSpark}

Top: Crop tank (similar here) | Bottoms: Zara leopard trousers (similar here)| Shoes: B Brian Atwood mesh booties | Bag: Valentino Rockstud mini | Hat: H&M | Glasses: Dior

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One of the things that I love about NY is the fact that there are as many bodegas as there are photo ops conveniently located at every corner. Whether it is an alley way, next to a dirty glass door, against random brick walls, a dumpster, or even in front of 99 cent City, everything just looks a little bit cooler…

I wasn’t going anywhere important on this sunny and warm day , just down the street and around the corner to my favorite Caribbean fast food joint, Golden Crust (actually that was important). I wanted to test out these booties to see how comfortable they are before I actually wear them out at night. The verdict? Umm, not so comfortable after say 45 minutes, but they are so freakin’ sexy it’s worth it. Sorry feet.

 

Falling for Fuchsia

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fallingforfuchsia5{Photos by NR}

Top: H&M (old, similar here) | Bottoms: KTRcollection High Low Bow Skirt | Shoes: Steven Madden ReaLuv sandals | Bag: Valentino mini Rockstud | Glasses: Dior cateye | Earrings: similar here and here | Necklace: vintage (similar here)

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I’m all about midi skirts lately. They are so sweet, elegant and can be styled in so many different ways. I made this in three of my favorite colors (blue, green and fuchsia) but this color and styling is probably my favorite of the bunch, a close tie to the blue and the green I think…I just can’t decide!! Which color is your favorite?

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NYFW: Ted Baker x LookMazing

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Top: Ted Baker floral print top | Bottoms: ASOS skirt (sold out: similar here and here) | Shoes: Valentino | Bag: Valentino

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My first day in NY didn’t start out so well…The minute we landed, I had a bad case of food poisoning and was literally hurling out my stomach every 15 seconds from 6AM to 12PM…Luckily I felt better (sorta) and got myself out of bed to head out to co-host the Ted Baker x LookMazing event with my fabulous new babe, Tommy of MyBelonging.

Even though I was still not 100% I had such an amazing time, but the best part was meeting my readers and hanging out with my blogger bestie Sabrina. It was her birthday but she was so kind to be there with me and capture these moments on camera. I do regret not taking many details shots of the clothing because Ted’s Fall collection was to-die-for. From the beautifully constructed peplum jackets to the floral printed dresses, skirts and pants, to the vibrant jumpsuit, down to the colorful crystal encrusted pumps and the mo-hawk blue hair clutch. I mean everything was fabulous! Here’s one of the looks I styled!

Thanks for stopping by and as always thanks for your support! Kisses!

The Perfect Fit: Clothes and Relationships

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I really respect brands that carry a variety of sizes. ASOS for example carries regular sizes as well as sizes for the ladies with Curves and sizes for the Petite ladies! Everyone’s body is unique and I appreciate the options so I can find the perfect fit.

Tip: for a backless dress like this, I normally like to wear my sticky bra cups from NuBra. These bras comes in sizes A, B and C. I prefer the cloth over the silicon ones because it’s lightweight and stays attached, the silicon stickies can be heavy and uncomfortable. If you’re a D cup or bigger, I recommend these backless bras  with under-wire from Nordstrom for the extra support.

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Dress: Bodycon PETITE exclusive dress c/o ASOS (size UK 4)| Bag: Valentino | Shoes: Steven Madden ReaLuv sandals | Rings: Double Band rings (similar here)| Glasses: Dior cat eye

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I met someone over the weekend when I was in New York that had me really intrigued. Candice, an overwhelmingly sweet and innocent girl who just moved to the big apple. A new town filled with strangers to start a temporarily new life in hope of searching for a “new version” of herself…or at least that’s what she was told to do by someone who loves her.

Candice and I spoke for hours like we have known each other for years. After I told her I have a personal style blog that I would like to shift into lifestyle-meets-fashion, she insisted that I share her story. I was a little hesitant at first but maybe, just maybe others’ stories who’s unbiased can help empowered and lift her spirit and maybe help her in some way. That’s all I’m hoping for. Here goes…

Candice was laid off a little under a year ago and has not been having much luck finding a new job. She has a successful boyfriend name Richard who she’s been with for 4 years (living together for 2) and has plans on buying a new home together. Recently Richard decided to move to LA to focus on his career with a new business partner without first talking to Candice. When Candice found out, she thought she was going to come to LA as well. However, Richard insisted that she should move to New York so that she can independently grow as a person and thus become a “better girlfriend” and “future wife.” While Candice thought the idea was a bit irrational, she thinks that NY may be good for her to grow as a person so she agreed, with hopes that Richard will eventually come to NY to be with her.

To Candice’s surprise, Richard has no intentions on moving to NY and insisted that she move back to their current city of residence after a year or so. You see, after she told me her story, I wanted to automatically assumed Richard was a dick (pun-intended), but I know not all relationships are black and white, so maybe he deserve the benefit of doubt.

I understand that people grow and evolve throughout life. Sometimes we change enough where the relationships we have are outgrown or simply do not fit into the vision of our future. Like the dress that once fit us so perfectly, our relationships sometimes become “too small” or “out of style.” Just like a valuable relationship, should we throw out a beloved dress or find a way to make it work? Could this be Richard’s way of making their relationship work? Or is he actually throwing away a valuable thing without even realizing it?

I know not all relationship are the same and we can’t always judge something by the cover, but after digesting this issue some more and really trying to give Richard the benefit of doubt, I can’t help but feel like Richard is trying to mode and changed Candice into someone she’s not. Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic, but I like to believe that my love accepts me for me, flaws and all, and want to grow, learn and become better individuals together.

Do you think Richard is making a mistake by letting Candice go or is he genuinely trying to help hers & his relationship?

{For identity protection, all names has been change}

Maximum Effort: So, What Makes a Blog Successful?

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{Photos by NR}

Top: Piper Project | Bottoms: Laundry pleated maxi skirt (old: similar here and here) | Shoes: Rachel Zoe | Bag: Valentino ‘mini’ rockstud bag | Necklace: Aqua initial pendent | Earrings: c/o 2 Hello Beautiful | Bracelet: Marc Jacobs ID bracelet

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So what makes a blog successful and what makes it not anyway? I’m sure it’s a question that many people would like to have the answer to…and surely myself including.

From what meets the eye, the obvious way to tell that a blog is “successful,” is the amount of audience it carries, maybe even the number of comments per post. Some may even “think” that free swag automatically gives a blog a notch up on the popularity scale.  Here’s the thing I noticed: there are many (fashion) blogs out there that has the same content over and over and over with the same looks on replay. Sometimes the content is an exact replica of another. Other times you can tell images were thrown together and the writing rushed; some doesn’t even write a word; and on many occasions they never engage with their followers or answer any questions. Isn’t successful blogging all about original content and engaging with the audience? So (in my best Bradshaw’s voice) I can’t help but wonder, how are these blogs getting bigger and bigger everyday while the blogs who put so much effort, energy and love into writing a good post are barely getting acknowledged?

I started my first blog in 2006 but quit because I totally suck and I’m a quitter I didn’t have the passion at the time to keep up with it. I started blogging again in 2012 and over the last year and a half (and still kicking and alive), I was lucky enough to meet some pretty amazing people who I know spend a great deal of time on quality content. Then it dawn on me why I enjoy being friends with these people and always look forward to coming back to visit their sites. I realized what makes them interesting and therefore why they are successful in my book.

Successful blogging is not about having 500,000 followers who only wants to be your friend because you are ranked high on the blogosphere. It’s also not about having 500 commenting “cute outfit” followed by a link to their blog in hopes of getting return traffic. It’s about having a good amount of people who actually read what you have to say and engaged with what you’re putting out there. It’s not about wearing freebies from head to toe. It’s about being selective with what brands you work with and share honest reviews with the people who trust your opinion. It’s about writing good content so that a reader can go away with something to think about. It’s about being original and unique…being you. It’s about quality over quantity. At least that’s what I thought it was supposed to be.

Lately I feel like blogging has lost it’s natural juices and sometimes it feels like everyone is doing the same thing another person is doing. I don’t know, maybe I’m rambling and I’m not making any sense (well it is 4:00AM). To be honest, even though blogging is not my career, but it’s something I enjoy doing that has grew into loving. I’m just curious to hear your thoughts on what has happened to blogging and what does it mean to be a successful blogger! Btw – you’re welcome to tell me my outfit is cute…j/k :). Good night or good morning! xo