Mom if you're reading this it's too late...

Mom if you're reading this... it's too late. 

I'm sorry but it had to be done...

place to go:: Whynot coffee

 Calling all coffee feigns.. if you haven't been to Whynot Coffee in the LES on Orchard St. you need to go. Not only did they make a good almond iced latte but they also have a sick playlist. I tried looking them up on Spotify but came to a dead end...nada. Long story short, they were bumping the new Drake x Future mixtape: "What A Time To Be Alive" and I don't know why but it sounded sooo much cooler in this coffee shop. I don't know if it was the coffee, the clean aesthetic of the space, or the beautiful people, but I was feeling it.

point of view

mural in the LES 

The view from up here...here being my camera under my nose.

Confession

I skipped the Business section of The Times all together today and went straight for the Thursday Styles.

Sorry 'bout it...

College Fashionista Style Guru Status

Hey look! That's me! As some of you know already due to my social media blasts a couple of weeks ago, I am a Style Guru for CollegeFashionista which basically means I spot the cool fashion around the area, shoot it, and write about it. Be sure to check out my articles on the CollegeFashionista site you can go take a look at my Guru Style Bio just to get a little taste of my personal style and style inspiration (as if you haven't gotten enough of it here). 

MY COLLEGE FASHIONISTA PROFILE

Don't forget to give me a "RAD" it's kind of like giving me a "thumbs up" or a "like" all you have to do is sign up with your email! And while your at it go ahead and spread the word! 

MWAH! 

First day of Fall

NO SCHOOL ON A WEDNESDAY?! 

No school today called for a date with myself.

Quality time with me, myself, and I. 

WHAT I DID TODAY:

Visited the Upper East Side 

Strolled through the Met 

Snapped some flix of Jackson Pollock, Manet, Jean Baptiste Carpeaux and friends

Strolled through Central Park 

Ate a hotdog in the park (haha)

Came back Downtown to SoHo 

Strolled through the Adidas sale -- don't go it's super picked over now, your best bet is online 

Strolled down West Broadway 

Stopped at Laduree for a snack 

Popped into Anthropologie 

Snapped some more flix while walking home 

Ate all the macaroons from Laduree by myself. :) 

Good Day.

Outfit Inspo: All Black or No?

Black can take you to a no to a yes in about point 5 seconds. 

This is honestly the easiest outfit to recreate/ the best go to look for those days where you just can't get it together. 

WHAT YOU NEED::

1. Black denim- I recently (as in two days ago) picked up a pair of plain black skinny J BRAND jeans  from Bloomingdales for about $180 ** side not Bloomies has some pretty sick sales sometimes that make it worth your while** Another place you can check out for a good pair of black jeans is ZARA, which is waaay cheaper but still good jeans.

2. Off the shoulder black top - Don't laugh but I actually got mine from Hollister Co. a couple months ago. I stumbled upon it in the way way back of the store in the sale section so I doubt if they have anymore but a good place to find an alternative is H&M - this is what they are good at! 

3. Black booties- Okay this where I shine, in the shoe department! I picked up some great black heeled booties from Sam Edelman in SoHo about a week ago and I have been loving them ever since. They are mad comfortable and mad cute I have them in a rusty red color too. 

4. Western belt- Topshop takes the gold for this one ladies and gents. Also as a backup be sure to check ASOS to see if they have one in stock-- I know they did a couple of months ago but it sold out because it literally looked like the same one Kenny J has. 

5. Black Sunnies- The sunnies in the pic above are Dior but no one really wants to spend $500 on a pair of sunglasses, lets be real. I picked up an identical pair for $60 at Anthropologie today and they seem to be doing the trick as far as I'm concerned. 

6. Black Structured Bag- Saint Laurent is definitely bae but $1500 and up for a bag is not always in the cards so I recommend scrolling through Topshop to find a dupe. Topshop does a good job at making structured bags that look just like the designer bags for a tenth of the price. 

MY ADVICE:: Want to look like $1 Millon bucks? DO YOUR RESEARCH! If you don't have to have money to blow to recreate your favorite celeb/model inspired look be on the hunt for the best deal and make it work. Remember this is inspiration, you don't HAVE to buy the same things I have to recreate this look, this is just my way of interpreting an all black out look. 

BESOS MIS AMORES 

Simply Put Spotify Playlist

These are some of the songs that I have on repeat at the moment (not all songs included on the playlist are shown above)... also happens to be the same songs that I find myself listening to whenever I am writing a post or reading. So if you see me around reading or writing chances are I'm listening to one of these songs. No one song in particular is my favorite at the moment, each song has a different message that I've related to at some point and some just have a good beat.  

** WARNING: Playlist includes a wide range of artists and genres and choice language. 

LISTEN:: SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

Perspective

Time hop: one year and a few days ago

Home Style: Minimalist Funk

Before you ask/ presume.. No, my house does not look like this, it actually more looks like an ad out of Anthropologie than this funky feel I was trying to go for in this home style inspo. 

Just to give you a little taste of what I was going for/ my common ideas for when I decorate my room/apartment/ my mom's house (hah) 

I'm so on this minimalist train when it comes to decorating a space. I like to play with a white canvas and throw (literally) a whole bunch on it. 

What you need: 

1. Basic pillows- always basic, don't go crazy here with prints save that for the art work and blankets, pillows should set the color scheme of the room 

2. Geo Light- such an easy way to bring dimension into a space with cool metals and hardware

3. Art-- I like to create a positive space with AT LEAST one piece of inspirational/ quote art, then for the rest of my art I go with a balance between black and white abstract pieces and colorful pop art pieces as well as a few photographs of course

4. Fun throws- throws should play along with your pillows, maybe not as basic as the pillows but within the same color family/ complimenting colors -- definitely get some patterns in there and mix it up! 

5. Structured chair- everyone has one, it's kind of a requirement for at least one room in your house. Even though they may not be the most comfortable chair to sit in, they look good and that's what really matters here haha #AMIRIGHTLADIES?!

6. Fluffy rug- Do I really need to explain why you need this? 

Woman of the moment: making waves in today's culture

Picture from Refinery 29

~INSPIRATION~

"In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful, white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can't seem to get there no how. I can't seem to get over that line. That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. And let me tell you something, the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity."- Viola Davis 

Nars-issist vibes

The Nars-issist vibes are real 

The Deets: 

Nars- issist pallet in matte/shimmer

The Multiple in Maui and Portifino 

Radiant Creamy Concealer in Biscuit 

Velvet Lip Pencil in 

Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara in Black 

Usually I just blow all my money in the clothes department but every once and a while I find myself hitting up Sephora for some new beauty products. 

****TIP:: NEVER walk into Sephora uneducated! Always do your beauty research before hand this way you won't be pressured into buying what you don't need and you will have an idea of what you want to try that way when you ask someone to help you they can guide you in the right direction! 

Maybe it's the monochrome packaging that lures me in- but for some reason I am always drawn to NARS beauty products. Besides just the minimalist vibes in the packaging that completely go along with my aesthetic... the products themselves are actually great! They have great color payoff and they wear well too. I also find that NARS products last a while so you definitely get your money's worth - which is always a plus. 

ABOUT THE PRODUCTS:

Side note:: Later I may include a photo of what these products look like on but for now I hope you enjoy my little blurb on the products that I picked up and happen to be loving at the moment. 

First up: The Multiple in Maui and Portifino - $39 

They are very similar but are completely different at the same time. Maui definitely gives me that classic rosy check look which is perfect for any natural day time look but can also look really pretty with a darker eye for night as well. Portifino is much more shimmery and slightly darker in color. Both are meant to be worn in multiple ways- hence the name! You can use them as a blush, eyeshadow, and lip color because of the creamy consistency it has multiple uses. 

The Nars-sissist Pallete Matte/ Shimmer - $65 

Okay so to be honest, I've only used one color in the palette once so far, but what I love about this pallet and the reason I bought it is because of its natural shades and versatility. You get the best of both worlds here with matte and shimmery shades (I'm more of a matte girl myself, but it doesn't hurt to have options). What I find the best part about the whole pallete is the fact that there are only 8 shades total. I don't know about you but I get super overwhelmed when I have the option of choosing between 15- 20 shades in one palette! To me that's just overkill but to each their own! I also don't wear too much makeup/ eyeshadow on a daily basis so this is nice because the colors aren't too crazy and you can definitely either wear only a little bit and still look natural or build it up for your desired look. 

Dior Addict - It lash -$28

If there's two things that I can't leave the house without doing-- it would be my hair and mascara! 

I usually don't splurge on mascara because it all does the same thing but I stumbled upon this Dior Addict mascara and so far the money was worth it! Typically I just use the Great Lash Maybelline mascara in the green and pink tube but I remember my mom using the Dior mascara a couple of years ago and she loved it- so when I saw this I decided to give it a try. This particular mascara is supposed to be in between natural and dramatic "intensity." It definitely gives you that long lash look without being clumpy - so it passed the test for me. 

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Bisucuit- $28

This concealer is definitely in the running for the best concealers I've ever used award. I bought the same concealer in two shades one is an all over concealer color in caramel and the other I use for highlighting (Biscuit). It blends well, its lightweight, and gives medium coverage. 

good good good stuff 

Nars Velvet Lip Pencil in Patong Beach -$22

I am no way shape or form a lip product person. I never wear lipstick or gloss. If anything I slab some rosebud vaseline stuff on my lips when they are dry but I really don't indulge in lip products. Buttttttt! I did buy this lip pencil (hahaha) for the sole purpose of easing myself into the lipstick/gloss world. So the good news is - love the color, its a peachy/natural pink/nude color. Bad news- I never use it... I saw this one coming but fingers crossed I will pick it up one day and actually know what to do with it  hahaha. 

5 pm on a Saturday

A little GIF for ya 

We Came, We Brunched, We Danced

Took a right off of Church Street 

Brunch at Cafe Lalo, Upper West Side 

When you stumble upon a sale at Bloomingdales  ^^ accurately depicts me 

Always Pack a Party Dress

Doing some blog post planning on this Friday evening.... the future is looking bright! Im thinking Fall 2015 lookbook?! Book reviews?! An inside look to my Spotify playlists!? OOOOO I dig it like I'm digging this cheese almond croissant! 

Your Daily Dose of Moi

Paper Hearts

Nestled in the cobblestone streets of Seaport in FIDI of NYC is the Bowne Printers custom letterpress shop. When I tell you that this was the highlight of my weekend it is not an exaggeration (apart from grabbing brunch with a bestie and writing an eight page paper -blah). The shop is filled with loads of custom stationary, cards, posters, stickers, and journals that were all printed right there in the little letterpress shop! How cool! It was my first time visiting and I can say with confidence that after seeing their cute stationary and cards I will never purchase another Hallmark card! I think what I loved most about this little shop was the personal touches- like these paper hearts ($2). It's the innocence, simpleness, and thoughtfulness that makes something like a paper heart such a meaningful little gift. 

P.Y.H. - NYC

Well, I've been back in the city that I love for exactly two weeks now and I'm already in the full swing of things to say the least.

PROTECT YOUR HEART LADIES AND GENTS PROTECT IT! 

A holiday weekend

What better way to end the summer than hanging with friends poolside or at a neighborhood BBQ?! Neither of which I did this past holiday weekend ( EL OH EL) instead I enjoyed some quality me time with my friends from One Tree Hill, a few business textbooks,  and of course my girls at ZARA and UO. 

Although I do love spending time with my family and friends I think it is pretty important to set aside time for yourself- not in a creepy isolation way but rather in a way that forces you to come to terms with yourself and evaluate your life. I tend to do this by meditation, whether it's listening to my favorite album and reflecting on the day and the decisions that I have to make in the near future or walking through the city exploring places I've never been before by myself. It's important to be able to sit in silence with your thoughts - it doesn't happen over night and I usually can't stand it for more than 2 hours or so but meditation often helps me stay sane. 

MY TIP: 

sit in a dark room 

have ear plugs and calming playlist at hand

reflect on your day for 10 minutes 

Keep in mind: what you enjoyed about your day 

Did you make any mistakes? If so, how can you fix it or avoid it next time-- don't dwell on your mistakes 

What do you want to do better tomorrow? 

Then compliment yourself -- sounds goofy but it's good for the soul

By the way these photos have no relevance to my weekend they were actually taken while in DC strolling through Georgetown.. I just thought they were too pretty/ cool to waste! 

Monochrome Feels: Picture Perfect

Lately people have been asking me what kind of camera I use to take my pictures as of late... if you go back a few posts you can definitely see a difference in the picture quality and that is because I made a new friend! This new friend is my Sony - Alpha 6000 Mirrorless camera - on sale now at BEST BUY. I love this camera because it is the size of a point and shoot but has the qualities/features/capabilities of a DSLR camera. The picture quality is great and it is super easy to work -- not to mention it has WIFI built in so you can download and access your photos onto your phone in seconds. 

Check out the photo I took from Hoboken, NJ of NYC... of course I edited it and put a filter on it but you can get the gist of how awesome the camera is

Vines and Dimes

The summer has a officially ended and it's back to the grind we go! 

Last snaps of the summer! 

THE DEETS:

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Dress: ASTR @ Nordstrom

Bag; Eurotrash

Camera: Sony

Let's make this semester a good one! New posts are soon to follow! We're back in NYC baby! 

Cool for the summer

Happy Thursday Loves! Today marks the launch of my internship as a style guru for CollegeFashionista! Check out my bio HERE and stay tuned for more articles coming soon! 

THE DEETS: 

Dress: South Moon Under

Shoes: Guess

Jacket: American Eagle 

Sunglasses: Ray Ban