Something to Wear

Thank you Blogginistas,

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read & share your thoughts on my blog. I hope that you all can take at least one thing with you & make it your own. While fashion is such a public & media-filled aspect of life, it’s also so personal & intimate. What you wear & how you wear a piece of clothing is entirely up to you. I have my strong opinions on what I believe to be fashionable or horrendous…as does everyone else who has a love for clothing. No matter what your thoughts are on anything related to what you wear every day, the most important thing to do is make it YOU. Confidence out shines any article of clothing & is far more important than any materialistic item.

I’ll be spending the next month of freedom recreating my wardrobe, just from what I learned from my own blog. I’ve personally learned so much about fashion & clothing just by observing everyone around me. Wardrobe staples are critical & I’ve come to the realization that I don’t really have any…so I think I’ll start there. With time I’ll hopefully be able to say that I have a closet full of clothes & something to wear.

Love always,

BR

An Added Touch of Fragrance

Okay Blogginistas…

I am a fragrance junkie, I have a fragrance from every family that exists & I have too many to keep track of. I am a big supporter of fragrance being a part of a person’s wardrobe…it completes an outfit. My personal favorite fragrances have citrus & floral notes…very feminine, flirty, youthful, & fun. Of course I have a wide variety of fragrances, but I have my signature scent.

Finding a signature scent could take years. What you enjoy smelling like every day is up to you…how strong you want a fragrance to be or how sweet or musky you want a scent to be …these are all questions that come with finding a staple fragrance. One of the biggest rules to finding a fragrance though is to find a scent that smells good on you…not a friend. Everyone’s body chemistry works differently with fragrances. So when you venture out to the fragrance world get help from a sales associate (because they KNOW what they’re talking about) & try the fragrances for yourself.

There are four types of fragrance families, all have similar notes which may lead you to liking more than one type of scent…but here are the basics:

-          Oriental. These fragrances tend to be deep floral notes. They can be described as exotic, sexy, & sensual. Typically used as evening fragrances or during the colder months.

-          Floral. These fragrances are soft scents. Clearly they contain floral notes, but aren’t necessarily overwhelming. Floral fragrances can be also described as romantic, feminine, & flirty. These are great everyday scents & of course during the spring season!

-          Citrus. These fragrances are light & refreshing. Prime during the summer months (I love D&G Light Blue) because the scents are simple & clean smelling.

-          Woody. Often times these scents can be described as too masculine, but when you get the right notes working together they make beautiful scents. Woody fragrances are more sophisticated (as is Oriental scents) simply because they’re deeper smelling fragrances. They can also be known as warm, cozy, & inviting fragrances.

Once you have found your fragrance or fragrances it is key to layer your scent. When you go into any fragrance store, whether it’s a specialty store like The Body Shop or Bath & Body Works or a department store such as Bloomingdales or Lord & Taylor…they sell fragrance in two or three forms: a shower product (gel or exfoliate), moisturizer (lotion, cream, or butter) & the actual fragrance (mist or perfume). The same way you have a skin routine, you want to have a fragrance routine…that way your fragrance lasts all day long!

Now that you are all smelling wonderful…what’s your favorite fragrance???

Love always,

BR

Dressing Down

Hey Blogginistas!!

So with life being hectic as the end of the semester is hear & retail world is madness my posts have been delayed…I’m going to give you my final thoughts into three different posts  & here’s my first: Dressing Down.

Besides dressing warm during the cold months I love to dress comfy & cozy, & I see this trend everywhere, every year once it hits 40 degrees. It’s an odd pet peeve of mine to wear sweats anywhere…especially a sweat suit. I think it’s sloppy & unattractive…but there is a way to wear them & look good. I understand that when running errands or going to the gym or grabbing coffee…there’s no reason to dress up…but at the same time it’s always good to look presentable.

When I purchase comfy clothes I’m very strategic especially when it comes to finding stuff that doesn’t make me look like a slob. So here’s how I dress comfy & still look appropriate to go out:

#1 Male or female own Hanes v-neck undershirts.  I have so many because they come in a pack of like four or six…they go with everything. They’re casual & with a bit of jewelry or such they look fabulous. I’ve actually gotten away with wearing them at work because I made them look professional! My favorite way to wear Hanes tees is with jeans & boots (not Uggs…that’s when it gets sloppy looking). I usually add a statement necklace & sometimes a sweater & bam! I’m comfy & can go anywhere (including work).

#2 Make sure your sweats fit. If your pants are too tight or too big & baggy things aren’t going to look so good. Now don’t get me wrong…I’ve got plenty of baggy sweats for hanging around the house NEVER for in public. I enjoy wearing Victoria’s Secret PINK pants; both yoga & classic sweats from PINK are appropriate to wear out.

#3 Take advantage of oversized sweaters. I’ve mentioned sweaters & cardigans & how I love them entirely too much, but the possibilities that come with own a few are endless. With jeans or nice look sweats a comfy sweater (especially the ones that can wrap or tie) are my favorite to wear out.

There you have it my dearest Blogginistas. There’s a way to make any type of clothing look good…how do you dress up when dressing down??

Love always,

BR

My Thoughts On: Black Friday & Holiday Shopping

Happy Holidays Blogginistas!!

So we have just ended an extended Cyber Monday week (I guess you can call it) full of steals & deals in stores & online. Since Black Friday, retailers have been packed with customers seeking savings & now the holiday shopping has officially begun!!

Like I’ve mentioned before, I work in retail…so the day after Turkey Day is my day…the day everyone in retail prepares all year for: Black Friday. It’s our kick off & countdown to the day AFTER Christmas (don’t forget about those post holiday deals!) I’ve always wanted to open a store on Black Friday & be there for the excited early morning shoppers…this year I got that chance. I arrived at work at 3AM. Yes, 3AM. I took a quick walk around the mall to see what was going on. Other stores had opened extra early since Macy’s had the genius idea to open at midnight. Let me just say, people are crazy! They were sleeping in the food court, waiting for stores to open. There were eager shoppers sitting against the windows of big name shops. By the time I had to open the doors of my store, customers were pressed up against the doors & I could barely get back into the store, for I was bombarded with bodies rushing in.

Anyways…enough about my experience. So now the holiday shopping has started, & I honestly am not the biggest fan. The malls & other shopping centers are beyond crowded…it just stresses me out. Dealing with last minute work from classes doesn’t help either. So how to get my holiday shopping done?…here’s my plan, hope it helps all of you!

-          Start NOW! There’s nothing like waiting until the last for anything…but when it comes to holiday shopping, the night before is probably the WORST time to venture off into a mall. If you start now, you won’t be spending all your $$$ at once & can get thoughtful gifts.

-          Make a List.(& check it twice) Before heading out to shop create a list of WHO you are buying for, WHAT you plan on buying & WHERE you plan to go. Staying organized & having an idea of what you want to accomplish makes your shopping experience much more pleasant.

-          Shop Online. I like to check out the deals that are happening on the web before I go to the stores. When you start early, you have the advantage of utilizing free shipping deals & not having to rush a gift to be overnight-ed. Also, I like to preview what the store has in stock by perusing the website so I know what I’m looking for.

-          Shop Smart. As much as a coupon is a way for retailers to get customers back into the store…coupons are also your best friends! A lot of stores allow you to combine their in-store promos with their coupons, which leads to awesome savings!

-          Treat Yourself! I know…this time of year is when we are all short on $$$, but probably one of the best feelings after a long day of shopping is knowing that you picked something up for yourself.

There you have it Blogginistas! I wish you all luck shopping for the holidays, we all know it’s a crazy time of year…but have fun! So…what are your shopping tips???

Love always,

BR