Clash It Real Good

I love the whole mixing prints/patterns trend. I hope it never floats away. Actually, even if it did, I think I'd still be rockin' it. I've posted a couple of outfits of myself in this trend here and here but those were a bit more subtle. 

Funny enough, this was a last minute outfit. I knew I wanted to wear the skirt because it was sheer and lightweight (and it was hot and humid outside) but what to wear on top was giving me a slight headache. Then I saw the blouse laying around and duh! it hit me - pair it together. Luckily, this worked out well because the blue color of the blouse picked up the blue flowers on the skirt perfectly. 

Blouse/Skirt: Old Navy, Shoes: Evans, Necklace: Forever 21, Sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar Ray Ban here)
Watch: Michael Kors, Bag: Vintage (Dooney & Bourke), Bracelets: Lane Bryant, Earrings: vintage

I hope everyone had a safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Candy Necklace

Ahhh shucks! This is my first D.I.Y. post.

*raises the roof*

I was inspired by Julie of Pop Champagne and Wave of Pich & Roor to do a lil' sumthin sumthin to my Avenue necklace that I purchased about two years ago. Both bloggers gave new life to their old jewelry by adding some pop of color using nail polish and Sharpie markers, respectively. Since I didn't have a Sharpie handy, I went with my trusty OPI nail polishes. I actually wanted to use a neon orange nail polish but the application did not go as smoothly as I wanted it to (the nail polish is from American Apparel).

My 'tools'...

(l-r) Silver Shatter, Flashbulb Fuchsia, Do You Lilac It?, You're Such  A Kabuki Queen

Before...

After...

The process is similar to how you would paint your nails. I painted one side of each stone first, waited for 10-15mins to dry and then flipped it over to paint the other side of the stones. When it came to adding the Silver Shatter, I waited until both sides of the stones were completely dry before applying to one side of the stone. Waited 10-15mins, flipped it over and painted the other side. It's best to do this when watching TV or reading a magazine or playing Scrabble with Friends on your phone or something to make yourself NOT stare at the necklace, waiting for it to dry for 15mins. 

That's no fun.

This will definitely pop up in a future outfit post. So, be on the look out!

Anjolee

I wanted to do an outfit post featuring an Anjolee product I was asked to review. Unfortunately, time is not on my side at the moment. So, this will still be a review...minus the outfit.

Anjolee is a high-end jewelry manufacturer, based in San Diego, that sells custom made pieces. Yes, custom made. That means if you are looking for, let's say, the perfect diamond bracelet, you can go to their website and select the metal type, diamond size, quality and length to fit your need. If you want to add a gemstone or two, you're in luck because Anjolee offers a great selection. Customer satisfaction is always key. That's why Anjolee has a A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

For this review, I chose the Oval Colored Stone Bracelet. Instead of having the bracelet all in one color, I decided to go with the Multi-Colored gemstone. That way, it can go well with any type of outfit I wear, no matter the color. I know, I'm good. And here is where I was a fail. Instead of going with the standard length size of 7 inches (recommended by Anjolee), I overestimated the width of my wrist and went up a size...or two. Now, I have a slightly oversized bracelet. But best be sure, I'm still going to rock it. Cause that's how I roll. It doesn't look odd on my fat wrist. If I had decided to send back the product for a few links to be removed, Anjolee would have gladly approved the request. Also, they would have issued me a refund depending on how many links were needed to be removed. To see more information about the company's return policies, click here.

It's a beautiful bracelet. I can not wait to feature it in an outfit post. In the mean time, here are a few pictures -

If you're looking to add a few pieces to your jewelry box (or that particular ring that is usually placed on the finger next to the pinky finger...y'know, on the left hand *winks*), here are some choices below:

Tennis Bracelet

Diamond Anniversary Ring

Wedding Ring Set

Vivid

I sure am wearing green a lot these days. Granted, these photos were from last month (April) but still.

My friend, Laurie-Anne, and I decided to head out for the night. Laurie's sister, Colette, joined in on the fun. If I recalled, we hit up a fashion show at Josephine...but really, we got there late, so we missed the fashion show at Josephine's. Stayed for a little bit to enjoy the music then our next stop was to The Hamilton to satisfy our hunger. I've heard so much about it and I was pleasantly impressed. The food there is delicious. Once we were done, we walked across the street to the W Hotel. Next stop was Recess and  finally, we ended our night at the boutique hotel, Sofitel.

Dress: Old Navy, Belt: Macy's, Shoes: Torrid, Necklace: Aldo, Bag: Buffalo Exchange

What I remember most about that night was the compliments all of us received because we looked colorful together. It was like we brightened up every room we were in because so many chose to rock black or muted colors.

(l-r) Laurie-Anne, me, Colette

Cool photos I saw at the W.

Have a great and safe week!

Inspiration #3

While catching up on some T + Lo, I came upon this photo and passed out. At this moment, it's my spirit typing. My body is laid out on the bed, head on top of the laptop, unresponsive.

The dress. The cape. THE CAPE! The asymmetrical turtleneck closure. The jewelry. The makeup. The 'do

*bows down*

Fan Bingbing in Elie Saab

Viva Las Vegas!

Here are some photos from my recent trip to Las Vegas. Took a vacay there to celebrate my cousin's birthday. Had mad fun. It's amazing that even though this was my third time visiting the Sin City, there were STILL lots of places and lots of shows that I didn't get to see. Amazing. So much to do there, I swear.

Enjoy!

Traveling outfit.
Soon as I arrived, dropped the bags and headed out for the night.
Sheer floral jacket: thrift, Blouse: ASOS, Jeans: Forever 21+, Shoes: Avenue

T-Shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: thrift, Shoes: Evans

T-Shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: thrift, Shoes: Evans, Bag: Gucci, Sunglasses: Chloe, Earrings: vintage, Ring: Dorothy Perkins

Gondola ride inside the Venetian.
We all wanted to do the outside one. Despite the beautiful weather, it was quite windy.
So, inside we went.

Jacket: Macy's, Dress: ASOS, Bag: Forever 21, Shoes: Avenue
Earrings: Dorothy Perkins, Ring: Lane Bryant, Watch: Michael Kors

The Birthday Girl!

For her birthday dinner, we took her to Blue Sushi Ribbon inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
Mind you, our hotel, The Palazzo, was absolutely beautiful. But the Cosmopolitan Hotel is definitely up there, as well.

Dress: ASOS, Belt: ASOS (came with the dress), Shoes: Avenue, Bag: Gucci, Shades: vintage, Watch: Michael Kors

Sister, Sister

To view more pictures of my trip to Las Vegas, click READ MORE

Green + Orange

When I came upon the full midi skirt at a thrift store, I knew the perfect items that would work well with it. The skirt has specks of different colors, including green and orange. On the top, I wore my Old Navy bright green semi-cable knit sweater. I've had this for over 6 years. To bring out the orange, I went with the t-strap Evans sandals.

Sweater: Old Navy, Skirt: thrifted, Owl necklace: Forever 21, Sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange (similar Miu Miu here), Earrings: Target

Bracelets: Lane Bryant, Bag: vintage, Ring: Forever 21, Shoes: Evans, Watch: Michael Kors

On a serious note, I think green is replacing yellow as my 2nd favorite color. Purple is still my numero uno, though.

Joshua. Ledet.

This season of American Idol is turning out to be one of their best in this whole series. I mean, nothing can top Season 5. But for me, to you, Season 11 is right up there.

My favorite contestants are Skylar Laine and Joshua Ledet. But since Skylar got voted off last week (America, that wasn't right.), I'm solely here for Mr. Joshua Ledet.

His performance of "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" was...just...outta this world. Quite honestly, it's taking all the strength in me to not continue typing like this jakdf;dlgsklmadfghfknhak'kgnk,mjuutmjjlk. But I gotta chill. Can't scare the people away. Just know that his performance put me over the edge last night. I was speechless. I'm still speechless. It was orgasmic. Now some folks think that Joshua screams a lot. He doesn't enunciate enough. Well, screw you. Nah, just playing. But not really.

Enjoy.




Please get into 1:30-1:34. Thank you.

Goodies

Usually when I travel to another town, city, state or country, I try to hit up as many thrift/bargin stores as possible. This past weekend, I was in Vegas for my cousin's birthday (pictures coming soon!). Even though I didn't get the chance to visit any thrift stores (bummer) I did manage to find a Buffalo Exchange store. Gosh, I can not wait for a BE store to open up in DC. Apparently, it's happening this year. *fingers crossed*

Below are the items that I copped:

Fun fact: I have a pretty large round face. Duh, right? Of course.
Anywho, I always glance over the round shaped glasses because I just figured it wouldn't frame my face properly.
I tried on this (larger) pair, and it fit like a t.
Only $8.50.

Same with the cat eye shaped glasses. Just thought it wouldn't fit my face.
Tried on this pair, and it did.
Key phrase: 'tried on'
I guess I need to try things on before assuming it wouldn't look right.
Anywho, $8.50.

This Lane Bryant item was in the 'Tops' section.
Which is weird because when I tried it on, it came off as a dress.
So, maybe it's a tunic?
Who knows, who cares! It's sheer. It's print. And it was $11.50.
Score.

My very first hi-low skirt.
Why do I have this feeling that I bought this item at the tail end of the trend? lolol.
Shoo, once the trend fades into the sunset, I'll just cut the bad boy into a skirt. Win-win.
Also a win-win? The price was originally $7.50 AND it was 50% off.
$3.75. Score.

Also, I've finally opened up my lil' shop. It's called, Shop HPandS. Creative, I know. The store is filled with gently worn items that are in great condition. Pretty affordable stuff, too. From jackets to tops to shoes to skirts. Pretty soon, I'll add jewelry into the mix. Ooh and my sister's items, too. But for right now, if you or anyone else you know who live on the *ahem* thicker side of life, just click the link here. OR just click the 'Shop HPand S' tab located on the header of this blog.

Until next time...

Met Gala 2012

This past Monday was the Met Gala or as I like to call it "Celebrity Prom Night". Apparently, this annual ball celebrates the opening of the Metropolitan Museum's fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute. The celebrities, well...the females, come out to play on this night. Glamour + Drama is the key. 

Here are my favorites -

Karolina Kurkova in Rachel Zoe
SHUTTIN' IT DOWN!

Camille Belle in Ralph Lauren

Solange Knowles in Rachel Roy

Nina Drobev in Donna Karen Atelier

Lana Del Rey in Joseph Altuzarra

Who were your favorites at the Met Gala?

Photo c/o Tom + Lorenzo