Style

Can’t find a swimsuit you love?  You’re looking in the wrong places!  YOU. GUYS.  I went to work for you this week.  I went to all the stores trying on bathing suits to find the best place with the perfect bathing suit.

A couple things need to be made clear from the beginning.  A one-piece suit is not meant for ladies with ting tangs.  It doesn’t work.  I tried them all on & a one-piece is just not something I can suggest.  Another thing, you have to go to girls clothing stores in order to find suits you’re comfortable in.  I determined why – swimsuits for younger girls don’t encourage nip slips.  Department stores, woman stores, and higher end brands are all pointed to trendy, fashion bathing suits… BUT they’re not functional.  If you’re okay with an occasional nip slip & sheer fabrics, your options are endless.  If you’re  looking for something comfortable & functional – go to girls swimwear >> think:  American Eagle, PacSun, Hollister, ect.  I haven’t been in those store for years but they’re back on my radar.

Also, if we’re being honest here, I’ve never been a bikini babe.  I’ve never really been someone who sits & sunbathes.  It’s too hot, like I’m uncomfortable & impatient…  Body confidence also comes into play, as it does for most of us.  BUT, I do love water sports; like skiing & I get excited about actually swimming.  Being on the lake, in a boat, laps at the pool, anywhere near or on water – makes me happy.

Because that’s how I tend to enjoy the pool, I don’t typically enjoy super skimpy swimsuits because… I don’t want to fall out of it while I’m swimming like small mouth bass through the water.  You feel me?

SO here’s the deal.  You need a variety of swimsuits so you can always feel confident when you have to be in one.  You need one that’s fun, one that’s very functional, and one classic.  That way you’ll always have something in your arsenal that’ll make you feel ready for any invite!

Let’s make the pool fun again!

QUICK!  It’s selling out!  ALL OF IT! The yellow that is.

Yellow is a bright color that reminds people of the sunshine & warm summer weather.  Be the sunshine.

With our summer (fake) tans & the sunshine out all day – yellow is the perfect compliment & totally the in color.  Pay attention & you’ll notice it everywhere.  You saw Amal Clooney at the Royal wedding?  Rocking full & particularily vibrant – YELLOW.

Yellow promotes energy, cheerfulness & joy.  Bright & draws all the right kind of attention showing off your confidence.  I’m here for it.

I was always afraid to wear yellow, because… do you remember when you were a kid & drew the blonde, white kids with a yellow crayon?  How can I wear yellow when I’m already yellow, you know?  I thought it would wash me out, but with a little summer tan action happening it totally doesn’t.  And that applies to a lot of different skin tones & hair colors – yellow just works!

Popping on a bright red or pink nail polish & lip will really seal the deal.

I don’t really believe in wedding season because I’ve been to weddings.. in every season. Each of them so pretty & special.  But I get it; spring is colorful, fresh, lush, & the weather is just right.  Below is a list I put together of the rather uncommon tips I have for the first time Maid’s of Honor (aka MOH).

There are millions of girls out there that have been in a million weddings, but then – there’s girls like me.  I have 4 friends. One of them is my dog.  I invest in the other 3 really well, but it’s hard for me to manage more than that. (Remember, this post?)  I’ve accepted I’m not a 36 BFF’s type person.  So this was the first wedding I had to wear a Maid of Honor hat.

If you’re like me & one of those 4 friends of yours is getting married & wants you to be their Maid of Honor – this post is for you.  Because you’ll likely be the only newbie, & w the coveted position next to the bride.

10 Uncommon Tips For A 1st Time Maid Of Honor

Show Up:  This sounds obvious but I’ve been to other weddings where the Best Man or the Maid of Honor is missing from particular events, if at all possible don’t be that person.  Just showing up, being present, smiling, is already making you a star at the duty.  And not just wedding day, I’m talking bridal shower(s), bachelorette parties, wedding weekend events, all of it!  Everyone wants to see the Groom, Bride, Parents, & then bridal party.

Only Do What the Bride Wants:  Don’t do more.  Have good communication w the bride so you know what she wants & listen to her.  Then stick to just that.  Something that’s cool or important to you, might not be to them, & vice versa.

A Petit Four is a Small Cake: Yeah.  I guess everyone else knows this?  Good term to have in your pocket, thank me later.  They’re served at bridal showers.  If you’re in charge of bringing dessert, this is probably what they’re expecting.  (You have no idea the amount of time I googled this)

I’m on a shopping role for you guys, woot woot!  Here’s why: SUMMER.  Near the end of winter, and into Spring don’t you just want a refresh?  You’re getting out all the extra stuffy clothes, extra pounds on your body, and bringing in lemon water + daisy dukes. Right?

In order to do that you need to workout.  Mmmkay?  That’s just the reality of the situation.  And new workout clothes is the most motivating way to do that. Not really, having a group that holds you accountable & establish friendships with is truly the best way to stay motivated.  Besides the hot body you’ll get, you’ll also be HEALTHY.  Praise Jesus.  But nice workout clothes helps MAJOR, too.

However, workout clothes are expensive.  F.

I found the sneak around: OLD NAVY.

That’s right, Old Navy is the shit when it comes to workout clothes.  And because the clothes aren’t super expensive you won’t feel bad sweating your body weight in them, laying on the ground of exhaustion, or getting them a little dirty in the grind.  You know what I mean.

I’ve had a lot of Old Navy athletic wear for awhile but just recently committed to purchasing more pieces, & am finally bragging about them.  The quality you guys, is not compromised.  It’s strange how comfortable & quality the pieces feel.  I’m here for it.

As if the clothes aren’t already affordable enough, Old Navy is constantly having sales.  I think yesterday, they had 40% off everything??  They’re always updating the styles.  You can keep buying new new new as long as you want to add to your personal inventory.

Ting tangs are the subject for today! Wonderful ting tangs!  (But are they actually wonderful?  Thoughts?)

Whether or not you’re in denial, backless & low cut clothing have been all the rage for a few YEARS now.  I denied it for a long time, because I don’t have the option of going free willey w my chesties, but the envy has taken over!

I tried everything, over a period of years, to go backless.  It all started in Dubai with a beautiful backless gown I had to wear to a wedding.  I went hunting & found those silicone bras that stick to the front of your chest & don’t wrap around.  These are a decent option, you can find them: here.  BUT, they aren’t the best because they pull your tits down.  SoOoO if you’re ok sagging a little, they’ll work in a pinch, but not ideal.  Although I do keep them handy.

I’ve also transitioned to these Gel Petals from Target.   You’d be surprised how well these babies work, they really lift!  Stick on the bottom, pull up, stick to the top.  You’ll get it when you try it.  I actually really love these, also super cheap.  They’re never in stalk, so I know I’m not the only one that’s found them as a secret trick.  If you do find the Gel Petals, get a few so they’re always on hand!  The other nice part of these is they’ll work for any cut – backless, low cut, almost nude, whatever!  I also like them because they’re pretty much summer resistant.  Meaning, if you sweat, they’ll stick.  Even with these little guys, sometimes – you want more…

What a perfect Tuesday thought!  BLAZERS.

I remember I had this New Years Eve moment w a red sequin dress & a black blazer that I was pretty happy about – but that was the extent of my Blazer history,  until recently.

A few reasons I’m bragging about this current wardrobe staple:

Professional:  I hate professional because I’m bad at it.  I’m always too tight, too short, cheap or uniform.  I prefer sparkle, shimmer, pink, fluff, short, tight, creative.  Without any effort, a blazer makes you look professional the second you throw it on, pretty much no matter what you’re wearing under it.

Easy AF:   I loooooove easy.  Love love love.  A Blazer WILL make you look put together w zero thought. No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing.

Smart:   People talk to me smarter when I’m wearing a blazer.  Almost like I’m a little more business intimidating?  Ha!  Try it, you’ll see.

Rich:  Maybe it’s the buisness-y look?  The idea that suites are expensive?  But even a cheaper blazer makes you look $$$.

Skinny: The structure of a blazer kills compared to a heavy jacket or baggy cardigan.  You gonna look gooooooood girl.

Grace:  Do you watch Grace & Frankie on Netflix yet?  I have major wardrobe envy from Grace; blazers, popped collars, beautiful scarves – they’ll all be staples soon.  Work in progress…

Versatile:  You can wear a sequin dress under a Blazer for a night out, or throw on your blazer over a shirt + pants for work.  Any place, any combo – a blazer keeps you looking put together.

You’ll probably NEVER guess my favorite clothing brand & place to shop.  You’ll never be able to guess because I only recently discovered it & claimed it as my favorite – now I’m sharing the deets.

Last time I was in Dubai, it was the Dubai Shopping Festival.  Which means: SALES.  EVERYWHERE.  There couldn’t be more glorious news for me to hear.

The Dubai Mall has SO many amazing stores, but lucky for me I stumbled into & Other Stories.  I’m telling you, everything. And I mean literally everything – was perfect.  The range of styles, the customer service, the gorgeous dressing rooms, the fabrics, the pricing, the smells, the fucking lighting.  SPOT ON.  I grabbed a stack of clothes, as one does when they step in a new store not knowing sizing, and every single item fit like a glove.  The experience was magical.  Don’t tell me that wouldn’t tickle your pickle.

The only issue?  I tried on way more than I was expecting to actually buy, assuming something wouldn’t fit or I wouldn’t like it.  But when everything fits so perfectly… you have to buy it all!   Right?

Here’s the deal, not only do the pieces fit perfectly.  The fabrics & quality are incredible.  A simple T-Shirt has quality & detail like no other.  At a decent price.

Also, prior to my trip I was willing to spend hundreds/thousands/millions of dollars on a new pair of jeans because I could NOT find any that I loved at an affordable price & became desperate.  I’m extremely picky when it comes to jeans & was searching for years you guys, YEARS!  I finally decided I’d throw down a lot of money on a pair, because more money has to mean a better jean.  I order several popular brands, assuming one had to be amazing, but returned all of them.  I hated them.  Every single one.

Fast forward to my experience in & Other Stories, I bought 2 pairs of jeans! (Big deal for me.)  And this brand will be my go-to jean going forward.  They’re the only ones I own right now.  Again, they fit like a glove.  EXACTLY what I was looking for.  And a fraction of the price compared to the other popular brands.  If you’re looking for a real jean, I found them for you.

I hate to say perfect so many times throughout this post but everything about this place is – perfect.

Of course I quickly made sure they had an online store, and fantastic news, they do.   And free shipping to the U.S.  They also have a few actual store locations throughout the, WORLD.  I believe there’s one in L.A. & obviously Dubai.  But I think also throughout Europe.

There are 3 questions I get asked all the time: how I was treated as a woman in the middle east, did I feel safe AND “did you have to cover up the whole time”.

I hope I’ve done a good job clarifying, go to this post to see my answers to all 3 of those questions if you haven’t already.  (We went to the public beach on this trip & there were girls in thong bikinis & topless tanning, so I think people are comfortable doing whatever they please.)

For me, I wanted to fit in.  I wanted to act like I’ve been there before & I know what the fuck I’m doing.  There’s something powerful in that.  Also, for any destination, isn’t it fun to fit in?  Wear what they wear.  I think it makes you appear well traveled, like you know what you’re doing in you life.  So that was my goal this trip.  I stuck to coverage.  When I was living there, I pushed this boundary w my cut off shorts & dresses all the time, because I was bored of being covered & it was HOT AF.  Being that I was just visiting, I had a different approach this time.

The theme:  BLACK BLACK BLACK.  If this is the color of your wardrobe, you’re in luck!  I like bright colors, florals, sparkles, drama – so I had to go shopping.  An abaya & burka are black, so that’s the colors you’ll see a lot of when you’re out.  I asked someone why black?  Why not beautiful colors + design on the abaya?  I was told the original purpose of the abaya was to avoid attention.  Bright florals & colors will do the opposite, drawing attention to the people wearing them.  So black is the theme!

Thank you to everyone for your feedback on the Jury Duty post!  I can’t describe the relief it was to feel other people understand where I was coming from… The experience made me think I was alone on an island called Understanding – so thank you thank you thank you! And like I said, I’m not done with this, so stay tuned.  My wheels are spinning!  Please continue to let me know if you have similar stories, ideas, thoughts – I love hearing them!

Today, I’m getting off the serious train & into something I consider a little more enjoyable.  I become overwhelmed & disengage quickly when someone is in a constant heavy subject.  Even for me, that gets exhausting.  I need to full circle of conversation.  I also try to enjoy my life & freedoms as much as possible because I know they are not granted to everyone.

Let’s talk Black Friday & Cyber Monday.  Fuck that shit!  (Yeah right, I spent the entire weekend scrolling the internet in efforts to procrastinate all other tasks.  Procrastination does not end in college.)

Hell. Yes.  I love the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It comes at the perfect time, the end of the boiling hot Texas Summer.  The last hoorah!  Some of my favorite things include live music + being outside & the lighthearted energy.   (However, not a fan of festival crowds)

There’s a few pieces I’ve stalked & have my eyes on for festival time.  The cool part of festivals is that you can get really creative with your clothing… REALLY creative. And no one cares.   On my regular run to the Coffee Tea & Bean drive thru on Saturday mornings, I don’t feel as comfortable rolling up w/stick on tattoos & a bikini top.  Come festival time, it’s all creativity on deck!  OR you can opt to creativity, level 0 and no one cares, that’s the part I love.  If I’m feeling red lips or glitter, I’ll happily give it a try. If I’m feeling my pajama shirt & a make up free hippie spirit, I’ll do that too. FREEEEEEDOMMM!!  This year for me, I’m sticking to comfort.

I keep drooling over the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, mostly because it’s a fun hobby to engage in while I try to procrastinate on the long list of things I’m actually supposed to get done.

I love wearing white. The color is fresh, clean, young and classy.  I feel like white is a perfect color for any occasion and is definitely a go-to for me.