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Pretty in Pink Lookbook

I have been wearing so much blush this winter, so I thought I would round up some of my favorites to share with you!

From casual to dressy, blush and light shades of pink can easily be dressed up or down depending on the material or accessory. Here I’m sharing my favorite sweater, dress, and faux fur shawl all in this stunning shade! I’ll show you how I complement blush with prints, textures and other colors to create the perfect look.

Evening

Velvet, faux fur, fringe and floral prints! Yes, that might sound like a lot to have going on it one look, but trust me it works! This drop waist velvet dress from Charming Charlie is absolutely perfect! It is comprised of a lightweight burnout velvet and is fully lined. Since it is a bit chilly I decided to add this luxe faux fur shawl to the ensemble to keep my shoulders warm. It really brings out the floral design and complements the color palette. I paired this with burgundy exaggerated fringe earrings from Baublebar, and olive faux suede stilettos from Urban OG.

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Dressy Monochrome

My fave! So this blush metallic beauty is from Express and was actually my New Years Eve pick! The dress is a mini and features defined shoulder pads and a cut out back. I added my shawl to this look as well for a bit of texture and warmth, but decided to add a pop of color with my accessories!

I wanted to add a darker color, so I went with emerald green. Both my clutch and earrings are from Stella & Dot. I love the fringe design and sparkling accents. Everything comes together so well to create a polished look!

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Casual

So this blush sweater was one of my favorite Nordstrom sale finds! I have enjoyed wearing it so much this season as it is super soft and so easy to layer. For this look I have paired it with a periwinkle bralette and dark wash denim from Factory Fashion. This is a super effortless look, and is perfect for the weekend.

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Blush is such a transitional shade and can easily be paired with so much! I am one to generally purchase staple colors as getting ready in the morning is so much faster, but have noticed lately blush has become one of my staples! It is just such a great color can can really go with anything!

A Day with Houston Pets Alive

As most of you know, I am a dog mom and both of my boxer pups were rescues. I strongly believe in adopting pups, and giving them that second chance at the amazing life they deserve. So when Houston Pets Alive reached out to me for a little help, I jumped at the opportunity!

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If you haven’t heard of Houston Pets Alive, they are a non-profit organization with a huge heart, and mission to make Houston the largest no-kill city in the country. They work to save pups from being euthanized and assist in finding them forever homes.

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Myself, Kristine of Kristine’s Kaleidoscope, and Alessandra of Alessandra Laura all spent the day at the Stella Link shelter location, to learn a bit more about Houston Pets Alive, meet the animals currently up for adoption, and spread the word!

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The shelter is run by an amazing and inspiring staff alongside daily volunteers – which they are always in need of! The pets are all well attended to, and are provided a private kennel, water and food bowl, with blankets and a toy. They have veterinary assistance available to care for those at risk, and strive to keep the pups as happy and comfortable as possible. While there, we spent some time walking a few of the pups and gave as many of them love as possible. The air in the shelter is full of hope, and you can feel that even in the pets. They know they are in a safe space, and are just waiting for that special someone to come and take them to their forever home.

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If you are looking for ways to help out, or want further information on the pups we have featured feel free to check out the HPA website! There are so many options that one is sure to be perfect! I have even listed a few ways below!

Time:

Since this is a 7-day a week operation, volunteers are always needed! Assisting in taking the pups out on walks, cleaning their kennels, taking a pup out for the day for a fun activity via the “Doggy’s Day Out” program, or even providing them with their freedom ride from kill shelter to safety at Houston Pets Alive. All are opportunities you can jump in and help out with. 

Fostering:

Temporary and short-term fostering is an amazing opportunity to care for a pup from your home. This gets them out of the shelter, making room for another, and helps acclimate them to home life. It can also be the difference between life and death for some at-risk pets. 

Adoption:

With over 350 animals currently looking for forever families, Houston Pets Alive is always looking to adopt out animals to people looking to provide a loving deserving pet with a forever home. Adoptions are held daily at the shelter location, and pets are view-able from their website.

Monetary:

The shelter also accepts monetary donations which can be made to their website. This way your contribution can go straight towards whatever the shelter needs at that immediate time. It will also go towards Houston Pets Alive hope to relocate out of their make-shift shelter to a more permanent location. 

Item Donations:

The shelter is always in need of items such as hand sanitizer, paper towels, and special diet dog food. 

The shelter also hosts events you can attend! Click here to see their calendar!

I hope this inspires you to help out a dog or cat in need! I was completely humbled by my time at the shelter and will be working with them again in the future to help out in whatever ways I can.

Thank you Houston Pets Alive for all you do!

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A Beginners Guide to Style & Beauty Blogging

So you are thinking about entering the blogging world. There might be many questions keeping you from dipping your toes into this industry so I am here to answer a few of them for you.

I get asked pretty often how did I grow my following? How does one start in this business? And, are there any tools available to be successful? That got me thinking, I should share a quick reference guide for all of these answers!

Though I would like to add that these are my own opinions to success in blogging, I know there are many other ways, I just wanted to share a few quick tips and tools that I wish knew from the get-go to help anyone just starting out. So let’s get started!

Focus on your brand, and who you want to be.

This is something I don’t feel I paid enough attention to when I started. Branding is really important and something you don’t want to exactly rush yourself into. Now I’m not saying you can’t change your mind, but it’s best to start with a name you love, is unique, you can identify with, and that you will keep. This helps you when it comes to SEO and where you will populate through google searches. Also you want it be catchy and easy to spell so people will remember you, and you will be easily searchable through Instagram.

Photo Time! Find your angle, literally!

When taking pictures I started off by looking at bloggers photos that I admired. I would screenshot photos I really liked based on pose and background for reference, and then reference them when prepping for a photoshoot. This is not an exact science as everyone has different flattering angles and it takes practice to find yours, but it’s a good start!

Before shooting examine yourself in the mirror and pretend it’s a camera. Watch your hands, feet and slowly change your positioning. As you do this, take note of expressions and angles you like and try to memorize that position. From there, you will start to find what feels most comfortable at your shoots and also the more experience you have, and the more photos you take, it will come more naturally, and you will grow from your own critiques. I am sharing some comparison shots of myself from when I first started next to a more recent image. Slight changes in posture, foot positioning and face angle can make such an improvement!

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I am still constantly learning and evolving which is one of the great things about this industry, there is always ways to improve and grow! This is just a quick glimpse at how much improvement can happen over a short period of time.

Be consistent

Once you start blogging and posting to Instagram, get it the routine of posting at the same time and same days. For example; once you determine what time of day you receive the most traffic, continue posting at that time like clock work. Your followers want consistency and will look for your post, let’s not disappoint them!

Planoly – This is a monthly service I use to help me determine what I want to post and when. This is important because the way your feed looks is extremely vital to grow your following. You want your feed to look clean and even. It should tell a story through color and consistency. Using services like Planoly you can move around your images to plan out the perfect layout before you post your images.

Hashtags

Now this is something to check up on pretty often. Keep up with the most commonly used hashtags for your genera. Do your homework to see what hashtags local bloggers are using, and which “big” bloggers are using. You will notice a traffic spike once you find the best hashtags to use for your posts. Stick with those, but always keep an eye on new trending hashtags.

Affiliates, Education, and Community

If you are a style, fashion, beauty or lifestyle blogger Style Collective is a MUST! This community is filled with bloggers from all over the world working together to build their businesses. One of the most exciting offerings is NYFW. They create a forum with all of the tools you need to get there and even help to set you up with hotel roomies!

SC provides you with the educational tools to build your best business and supports you along the way. From creating your media kit, to sending the perfect pitch, and your first invoice! Sign up for it HERE or from the banner on my homepage.

Next become part of the BFrow fashion community! This is an additional space to share your blog posts for additional exposure, along with having the opportunity to meet and connect with an amazing community of fashion bloggers, just like you!

Community

Find out who is blogging near you! Meet up for brunch and share ideas! This is the most beneficial tool I have found in this industry! You will soon be attending local events on a regular basis, and will become a part of your local blogging circuit. Having friends close by provides opportunities for collaborations, photoshoot buddies, and amazing friends that do what you do! Blogging can get pretty lonely so it is nice to know there are others who understand what you are going through and get the business! You can inspire and learn from each other to be successful and grow in the industry.

Marketing Companies to check out for collaboration campaigns

Reward Style – This is an invitation only, commission based platform that gives your following the ability to shop your posts via blog and Instagram.

Shop Style – This platform is also commission based but does not link to your Instagram, only blog or insta story (via swipe up function) The added bonus to this services is you actually can make commission off of clicks, not just purchases.

Fohr Card – This company feeds straight from your social platforms are generates analytic data verifying your following and offers campaign opportunities.

Octoly – This marketplace offers you the ability to pitch to top beauty brands who can send you their products for review. *You must have 10,000 followers to apply.

TapInfluence – This marketplace is used by influencers and brands alike to collaborate together on campaigns. You simply create a profile and sync it to your social media platforms and brands will reach out to you for work based on their criteria.

Investments

Purchase your domain name. This is really important because it can be seen as an investment in your brand. Purchasing your domain gives you opportunities to make commissions from your site and looks professional when reached out to companies.

Set up a business account through Instagram – more and more companies are requesting analytic data the easiest way to fetch this for them is with Instagram analytic tools.

Purchase a DSLR, and a 50mm lens. Now I held off on this as long as possible but seriously, if you are wanting to do this…you need one. The lens is important because it is what gives you those well-lit images with the blurred backgrounds.

That’s it for now…

Okay, so I know this post was quite long, but I wanted to provide as much information as I could! I truly hope this helps to answer some of your questions and motivates even one person to turn their dream into a reality!

 

 

 

 

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals!

Well the sales have already begun and I still haven’t gotten my fill of turkey yet! Check out some of my favorite stores’ Black Friday deals below and enjoy the busiest shopping day from home!

Target – Doorbusters!

Cyber Monday – 15% off

Kate Spade – Surprise Sale up to 75% off

Cyber Monday – 30% off full price 40% off sale items

H&M – Exclusives starting at $3! plus free shipping

Cyber Monday – 30% off! 

Boohoo – 60% off everything

Coach – 3 bestsellers: 50% off / 30% off everything

Cyber Monday – up to 50% off!! 

Shein – up to 90% off plus free gift over $19

Express – 50% off everything

Nordstrom – Extra 20% off select sale items

Elizabeth Buenaventura – 20% off sitewide! code: REDBF20

Sephora – Special limited edition products

Cyber Monday – New Beauty Launches! 

Forever 21 – Extra 50% of clearance

Cyber Monday – 21% off everything! 

Banana Republic – 50% off Reg. price

Gap – 50% off everything