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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Free People - Dreamer Lace

As I look at my schedule for the next few weeks I am amazed at how fast this summer went by. Since Texas heat lingers, I get to wear summer clothing well into September and maybe the beginning of October. This dress by Free People has been my go-to dress for the summer, I've worn it more times than I can count. Perhaps its because I love all things lace plus one can never go wrong with an A-line fitted dress or maybe its the wonderful detail around the shoulders with black weaving that gives a color contrast....either way this dress is very versatile. I know it will remain a constant into the fall months as I plan to wear them with tights. 



*Yeah... I'm doing my robot dance :-)





Dreamer Lace dress by Free People found:
Black/grey color combo here and Red/black color combo here 
Sandals: Calvin Klein Jeans here
Bag: Elliot Luca via Marshalls

Monday, July 29, 2013

Gap Blazer worn two ways - Work and Casual attire

Gap sale is a great time to pickup a blazer. This one is a great addition to my closet as I tend to get more black and grey colors. 


     * For a casual attire, I decided to pair the vertical striped blazer with a neon horizontal striped tank. I got inspired by the gap model :-)


I just love the versatility of a blazer.


Blazer: Gap 35% off sale (here)
Denim shorts: Gap 35% off sale (here)
Skirt: Marshalls
Neon striped tank: Marshalls
Bag: Elliot Lucca via Marshalls


Friday, July 26, 2013

Beauty Summer Hauling: NARS/Victoria Secret/Stila/Marc Jacobs

It was long overdue for me to visit Sephora. I needed to pickup my favorite eyeliner - Sephora's collection Khol waterproof in color 001 Keep Black. I get there only to find out that it was discontinued! I was quite disappointed to say the least. Well, I figured I was there why not look around :-)

*Stila Perfecting Concealer - This is not a new product for me, It has slowly but surely become part of my daily makeup routine. With great coverage for blemishes on my chin and neck area, I would say it comes pretty close to Bobbi Brown's corrector which I still use occasionally. Now I know the BB corrector is used mostly under the eyes, but yes I love to use my corrector for blemishes too. I can't really say how well Stila concealer will blend with pressed powders however it blends quite well with my liquid MUFE HD foundation.




 *I must admit within the last few years I've started to limit my use of heavy eye shadow makeup. When it came to eye shadows, I found that I looked much better with the less is more approach . I also realized that it gave me the opportunity to branch out into brighter colored lipsticks. NARS Funny Face is perfect for a little to no eye makeup days. Its a deep Fuchsia, perfect color for the summer and to be honest I'll use it all year round. Like all other NARS products, this matte lipstick does not fail when it comes to pigmentation. There was no need to constantly reapply through out the day. Yep, its a keeper!



*I then wondered off into the perfume section. I'm constantly trying out new perfumes. I find that I like sweet, fruity, floral fragrances much better. Marc Jacobs Honey is just that..... very light, floral, citrus sweet and yes you can smell the honey in it. Perfect for hot summer days and like most of Marc Jacobs perfumes, the packaging is very cute. My only gripe about it is that it does not seem to last long through out the day, based on this I'm on the fence about buying it a second time. Of course while talking to the sales associate, she seizes the opportunity to tell me about the much anticipated Marc Jacobs full makeup line that will hit the stores next month :-)
 
 
*On my way out of the mall, I stopped by Victoria's Secret to pickup my favorite body spray -  Heavenly. I quickly remembered that I once sampled Bombshell Forever perfume which I thought was quite nice at the time. After sampling out the body spray, I have to say that I much prefer the body spray to its perfume. I can't quite explain why that is.... its just slightly different from its Perfume. Of course yet again this scent is fresh, fruity and floral which I love and since I workout during my lunch hour I use body sprays after a quick shower. This one lasts on me for quite awhile. So far I'm loving it!
 
Since I'm always on the look out for new lip colors, I'd love to hear your favorite colors. Are you exploring more in brighter colors?
 
Thank God its Friday, I'm looking forward to a great time with the kids and a relaxing time hanging out with friends by the pool. 
Have a great weekend!
 
 
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

First Vintage buy/ Beautiful bride/ Style inspiration / Practice posing

Over the weekend I got to witness a dear friend get married, I enjoyed delicious Ethiopian food and its traditions, shopped my first vintage clothing on Church Street in Montclair and enjoyed great company with wonderful friends. Here are a few highlights that I remembered to capture:


*Irish and More, that's the name of the shop that I purchased my first vintage outfit. Its a quaint little shop on Church Street. The store owner told us they started out selling Irish goods and as years went on she added vintage clothing to her collection some of which once belonged to her mother. I got three items, the one pictured below was from the 1960's. The picture truly does not do it justice, the color is amazing! I got quite giddy when I tried it on! I can't wait to feature it on another post. Stay tuned on that one :-)
 
*I'm quite inspired by the Ankara outfits a friend of mine wore over the weekend. 

 *The bride thought of everything including an activity book for the kids.
 
 
 
                                       

   *My childhood friend and I were working on our pose and decided to try the "bloggers pose" :-)

 
 
*Enjoyed traditional Ethiopian dinner at Mesob. Loved Wot and Injera.... Great food! It's also a tradition to smell roasted coffee beans.
 



*Traditional Ethiopian outfit. Just lovely:-)

*The cab driver wanted in on the action when he saw us taking pictures. Funny guy!












Monday, July 22, 2013

Wedding Day Outfit - Day 2

Sunday was the post wedding traditional Ethiopian dinner. The food was delicious! For yesterdays festivities I wore a Vince Camuto dress that I found a few months ago at Marshalls.



Dress: Vince Camuto via Marshalls. Right now on summer clearance here
Necklace: INC Macy's here
clutch: BCBGMaxazria here 
Shoes: Steve Madden via DSW here

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Wedding day Outfit - Day 1

Hi Everyone! I'm in New Jersey for a girlfriend's wedding. Its my first time in the Garden State and I'm having a blast! Its a two day wedding event and  I had the perfect dresses in my closet that were waiting for the right event to be worn. Love the embellished shoulder detail on this dress. Its been a beautiful wedding, and I'm looking forward to day two of the festivities.






Maxi dress: A Jarlo London dress purchased on Hautelook. Also found here
Earrings: Betsy Johnson (Old)
Clutch: Charming Charlie's Store
Shoes: Fergie website - sold out. Also found here

Friday, July 19, 2013

Summer loving - Go Couture Maxi's and Prints

I didn't realize how much I've been wearing maxi dresses this summer. And like my last outfit post, I've certainly embraced prints! This dress was a keeper from the moment I saw it. The shoes and clutch was a steal at DSW's in-store color coded discount and might I add that day I had my rewards gift certificate..... love when that happens!






Dress: Go Couture via Hautelook.
Shoes: Mrkt via DSW
Clutch: Urban Expressions via DSW. Also found here
Necklace: Vintage



Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Fragrances of Banana Republic

I fell in love with Banana Republic's Rosewood perfume last Christmas when I got it as a gift from the hubby. It has a sophisticated scent - spicy, woodsy with some sweetness that's perfect for a cool winter night out. It's summer time and I find myself in love with Wildbloom Vert, yet another BR perfume. This one has a fresh, fruity and floral scent that lingers all day without being overpowering. I think some of my perfume faves - Versace Signature & Stella McCartney's L.I.L.Y Absolute - are up for some sniff competition.


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Saturday, July 13, 2013

Date Night - Summer Print dress

Ahh... Hautelook :-) I have to say I really like that website especially when they have their blowout sales, such a steal! I found this dress on there and immediately I thought of the Ankara African material. I've seen so many fabulous styles created out of Ankara which I look forward to featuring on here soon.
This dress is from Robert Rodriguez and I really love the neckline and having the zip at the front really makes this dress stand out. Great summer dress for date night.
 




Dress (via Hautlook): Also found here
Shoes (via DSW): Also found here







Thursday, July 11, 2013

Cross My Heart and Elephants on Parade

Effortless and Stylish that's the look I love most. And this lovely black and white wrap skirt does that for me. I got it from a little shop in Old San Juan while on a girls trip to Puerto Rico last month. I almost missed it! It was a girlfriend that drew my attention to it, It's such a wonderful pattern with elephants parading majestically.





Bracelet via Hautelook: Fornash here
Top via Marshalls
Shoes via DSW: Jessica Simpson (Purchased years ago)
Cross necklace: Vintage via Atlantic Dry Goods
NARS lipstick - Heat Wave

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Storybook Locket - Origami Owl

Jewelry parties are always fun. It’s got the right blend which is: girlfriends, light hors d’ Oeuvres, wine, more wine and of course jewelry! For that reason I was excited when I got an invitation to an Origami Owl jewelry Party plus it sounded really intriguing, quite different from other jewelry parties that I have attended. What I loved most was the concept of every locket being customized to tell your personal story. There was quite a huge of selection of charms to choose from not to mention the different plates and types/sizes of lockets. Of course….. in true Nnene form, I got carried away and ordered Nine charms! Thankfully they all fit into the locket. I chose the "blessed" rose gold plate as I thought it would look perfect against the black crystal locket. Oh and I Love the cute little origami jewelry box that comes with it.





Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Blue, red and white chandelier earrings.... ready for 4th of July!

Looking forward to a long weekend. Happy 4th of July!







Dress: Marshalls
Denim Vest: Anthropologie here
Chandelier Earrings: Forever 21 (old purchase)
Bracelet: "Dare to Dream" Brighton (gifted)
Crossbody bag: Big Buddha via Marshalls (Old purchase)
Wedge shoes: Calvin Klein Jeans via DSW sale. Also available here