wearing: mixed patterns and a kimono

 All aboard the kimono train! I've definitely fallen for many of them, as long as they don't make me look too bohemian/straight out of Coachella. [Not that there's anything wrong with that... but like... that ain't me yo!]

I found this floral and plaid one during my clearance haul a couple weeks ago and immediately knew I wanted to wear it with stripes. I also knew it was perfect to go from summer to fall because of the flowers paired with the plaid.

-kimono from Charlotte Russe

-skirt from Forever21

-shoes from Charlotte Russe

-bracelet/watch from BlueLans

-total outfit cost: $35

Added a little braid to the opposite side of my hair to switch things up a bit. 

I feel a pretty big sense of pride when I mix up patterns. This one wasn't hard, but it was my big accomplishment of the day [and interviewing Rixton].

Also, it feels a little weird to have so many clothes from Charlotte lately.... but when their sales are good, I'm all over it.

love,
elizabethany

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wearing: glam'd up and casual peplum

The single worst part about working on Friday nights is having to get ready without knowing what I'm doing after work. I go in around 2 or 3, and try to wear something nice enough for a DC bar, but casual enough for something around the bars in my 'hood.

Last Friday I was excited to finally have a white peplum top that [mostly] fit well. I've been trying to find one for a while and ordered a few from Asos with no luck. Charlotte Russe came through with a textured, open back version that I'm fairly obsessed with. I decided to focus on the back and braid up the back of my hair with a little poof and messy bun.

-Express jeans via TJ Maxx

-black heels from Charlotte Russe

-necklace from Body Central

-silver knot earrings from BlueLans

This angle makes my boobs look a solid two cups larger and I'm not mad about it. 

The bra was my DIY elasti-strap bra! It gave me some back fat I wasn't happy about but I guess that's another sign to get my ass in the gym.

It was pretty messy... maybe messier than I had hoped, but when you're doing a dutch braid upside down, things get tricky. 

Do you like it when people point out how "fancy" you are dressed that day? I'm guilty of doing it to other people, but I really hate it when people say it to me. Why? I have no idea... but I felt awkward all day when people were complimenting me. 

...especially because I had no reason for it. I ended up just going home to prepare for a long Saturday. *sigh*

love,

elizabethany

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how to: get a thick bohemian braid

Are you as obsessed with the thick, bohemian braids as I am?! If my hair isn't down [and even half of the time when it is], there's always a braid involved. I was always jealous of the girls with the thick hair because they had the most beautiful braids. THEN... I discovered the trick!

It's called "pancaking" and it made all my dreams come true. 

It's the easiest, simplest, most obvious thing ever! All you do is pull the outer part of the braid out a little bit before securing it with a rubber band or bobby pin! 

My new favorite hair girl Abby from "Twist Me Pretty" taught me the trick in this fab video.

So BAM! How awesome did your life become?! Mine was made, so I'm hoping you feel the same accomplishment.

love,
elizabethany

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wearing: purple and lace

Do you have any weird fashion rules you've given yourself? For some reason, I can't convince myself that wearing my hair up with a lower-cut shirt is perfectly fine. I don't know why I think it's not a good look, but most of the time, I fine a higher collar when planning to throw my hair up.

So this time, I knew I wanted to do my side-braided-teased-pony, and needed to find a top. This lace tee with pleather lining was perfect.

As I'm typing this, I realize that EVERYTHING I'm wearing is from Forever21, including the earrings and shoes.

How fab are these?! And they're probably the best fitting/most comfortable flats I own. I need to see if they have more of the same, but different. They were only $8!

Playing with purple on my eyes is my favorite. Both of the purples are from Urban Decay, called Fishnet and Ransom from the Deluxe palette.

French braid the sides, tease the top, double band it for some extra kick in the back, and I feel like a rockstar.

This was actually for a day when we had Haim in the studio. We didn't get to record anything, but they were hilarious. Turns out, one of them accidentally slapped Chingy in the face one night when trying to excitedly high-five her friend at a club. Oh, the LA life. 

Someone took the picture on 2 instead of 3. Woops. 

Welp. See ya.

love,
elizabethany

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wearing: winter in the spring

As much as I love getting some wear out of my winter-clearance items, I'm over it. I'm ready for bright colors, flats/sandals, and not worrying about carrying a coat around.

...but here we are... A week into Spring and I'm wearing a scarf and coat and still freezing. I decided to at least lighten it up a bit yesterday.

I'm so excited I finally found a chambray shirt that fits pretty good! It's darker than most, but I feel like it'll be a good contrast with hot pinks and yellows that I wear all the time in the Spring. 

-shirt from Old Navy

-jeans from F21

-flats from Charlotte Russe

-scarf from the streets of NYC

I've been going to work with wet hair lately [and just trying to hide my roots and nappy hair that I decided to show off here, I guess] so the easiest thing is an "LC-braid" that goes all the way down. Then I just double rolled the braided pony underneath and bobby pinned it up.

My fabulous blue liner is from Chella via Ipsy. I love the color, but it definitely doesn't go on easily/well.

How do we feel about the half-tucked shirts? Not going to lie... It took me several attempts to make the "untucked" look, look alright. People on Pinterest make it look so good and easy.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to waste the only hour of "extra time" I have by playing 2048 or trying to decide what to buy from this website.

love,
elizabethany

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