Jalisa’s Fashion Files

Happy Saturday!

Many of you will be traveling this weekend to meet up with loved ones for the Memorial Day weekend, so I thought it would be a great idea to share some of my weekend essentials, specifically for a BBQ. I'm sure many of you will be celebrating the service of our awesome military veterans and those on active duty with a bbq. Some of my picks are pretty straight forward, but there are two products that I wanted to briefly elaborate on. The first one being the lavender spray as a bug repellant. My mom has recently been using different organic and all natural oils. As I was looking through one of the booklets she had on all the different variations, I saw that next to the lavender oil it mentioned that it's a natural alternative for a bug repellant. I found that to be pretty cool, considering I'm so sensitive and I prefer using all natural products because of that. The second product I want to discuss is the Andalou Naturals BB Cream SPF 30. I have been using this brand for over a year now and I love it! My husband uses it as well. I love that the products are infused with fruit stem cells and don't contain any of that harmful chemical based ingredients. I highly suggest you try out their line of products, starting with the BB cream :)

I hope you all have an awesome weekend and I hope you found this post helpful! 

XO,

Jalisa

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Blazer: Missguided // Tank: Cynthia Rowley (Marshalls) // Jeans: New York & Company // Purse: Zac Posen (TjMaxx) // Shoes: Steve Madden (Macy's)

Memorial Day is right around the corner and this weekend, I will be helping you get ready for whatever celebration or activity you have planed. This post is an idea for what you can wear to work today. Most jobs will have a dress down day, so I felt this would be a perfect look to recreate. What I love about it is that it's patriotic in its color combo, but not overly so to the point that it looks tacky or overdone. What makes it look classy and still dressy is the dark denim and the gold accents; if you don't currently have a metallic purse in your collection, I highly suggest you consider purchasing one. They're great to wear all year long, since they're classified as neutrals, but they're even better to wear during the summer months! 

This overall look would be great to wear if you're a pear or hourglass shape, since the top is being highlighted. I created an alternative look for the apple and rectangular body shapes. You of course should wear what you feel most comfortable and confident in, these are just my suggestions :) 

This outfit would be perfect for all you apple shapes because the blouse has vertical stripes, which is visually slimming and the white jeans help to highlight your fabulous legs! Plus, white with gold accents create a chic and sophisticated look, making it a good alternative for dark blue denim and gold. 

This look is perfect for the rectangular shape because it offers dimension and highlight. Just like with makeup, contouring provides dimension and highlighting causes something to stand out. There's no difference in strategy when it comes to dressing and styling! The red blouse will help to add some dimension to your bust and upper body, while the white blazer will help enhance the effect. 

I hope you all have an awesome day! Thanks so much for stopping by!

XO, 

Jalisa

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Shirt (so comfy!): RDI (Nordstrom Rack) // Pants: New York & Company // Sunglasses: Christian Dior (Saks 5th Avenue) // Loafers: Sperry's (TjMaxx) Purse: Marc Jacobs (Nordstrom Rack) // Bracelet: Alexis Bitar (TjMaxx)

Growing up, I never was fond of the color green. In fact, I hated it! Anytime the teachers were giving anything out to the class, I would avoid the color and would get so upset, to say the least, if I was stuck with it. Fast forward some years later and the color has really grown on me. I actually feel very happy and inspired when wearing it. Perhaps it's because I love the outdoors so much and wearing it makes me feel how nature makes me feel, happy! One of my favorite colors to pair it with during the spring is pink, actually bubblegum pink is my favorite shade to mix it with. I just feel that it's very springy and fun. To add some spice to the look, I added these Sperry loafers that have a leopard accent; a print I absolutely love with the color.

When it comes to body shapes, I feel that every shape would look great wearing the exact look I'm wearing. You could of course mix up the color arrangement, in case you don't have the exact pieces. Below are some options I created for your shape, I hope you like! 

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Summer is quickly approaching, woohoo! That means we'll be spending plenty of time having fun in the sun and in doing so we must make sure we're protecting our eyes and skin from the harmful UVA & UVB rays. While sunscreen is great and is certainly a must, wearing sunglasses are also important. It's a normal reaction for us to squint when it's bright outside and it can lead to the development of "crows feet" or wrinkles around the eyes. So let's be sure to protect our vision and skin with some of the most stylish selection of sunglasses. The more we like them, the more likely we are to wear them! 

I strongly suggest investing in a good pair because they'll last a lot longer than the much cheaper versions. You can still purchase a cute pair from Forever 21, but make sure to at least have one pair that are of amazing quality so that you can wear and have them for years to come. My first pair of investment sunglasses are by Salvatore Ferragamo and they've held up for 4 years so far and they've been everywhere with me (I wear them practically everyday). Plus, I feel that if you invest and spend a bit more, you'll be less likely to keep them in the case on your desk and more on your face where they belong! 

Here are some of my personal favorites for summer according to the different face shapes. I hope this will make the process for selecting that perfect pair that much easier! Also, if you haven't watched my YouTube video on selecting the best sunglasses for your face shape, I strongly suggest you do! I give an explanation as to why I selected the frames I did in this set for your face shape, check it out here!

Cheers to looking fab with NO wrinkles! 

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Us women love jewelry (they make the perfect gift for any occasion fellas!), but sometimes it can be challenging to know when and how to wear our most favorite pieces or we may find it a bit tricky when it comes to adding to our collection. We often see pretty pieces in the store, but struggle in thinking if there's too much going on or if we could actually get away with wearing it without looking obnoxious or just down right ridiculous. I'm here to tell you that when it comes to jewelry the bigger the better, the more eye catching the better. They can help make a statement to an otherwise simple or boring outfit and can help to refresh your wardrobe without having to buy a ton of new clothes, especially if it's not in the budget. 

This spring, we saw some great statement pieces hit the runways that are practical for the every day modern woman like us. There are two trends that I'm particularly in favor of and that's the miss-match earring (1) and statement rings (3). The reason I love them so much is that you could either work with what you currently have in your jewelry collection or add to it, knowing that there are other options in wearing them. For the miss-match, you can either wear two different earrings that are the same or similar in style (i.e, two studs), but different in color and/shape or you could opt for wearing a stud and a longer earring combo, the choice is yours, so have fun! There are just as many options with the dainty, yet impactful rings. I personally love the stackable sets, as they can either be worn all on one finger or one on each to add more excitement to your look. 

I do also love the choker trend (2) because they remind me of the mid-90s when I was growing up. Everyone had the black tattoo chokers, including myself. I went to private school, so statement accessories like this was essential for me in standing out from my uniform wearing peers. Now, as an adult, I'm loving the chic yet bold take. It would look amazing worn with a crisp white button-up peaking through the collar or added to a simple dress to add that wow factor. Another trend we saw were pieces that had an earthy, boho, hippie vibe (5). Wooden or bone inspired pieces were prevalent, as well as a mixture of threads in the form of tassels. Lastly, we saw stacked bracelets, which I also really love! I love the message bracelets that were seen on the Chanel runway, the perfect statement! What I love is that you can stack them for a nice arm party celebration or select one piece to be the eye catcher, either way, you're sure to make a statement and help transform your look. 

Here are some affordable options inspired by the 5 trends we discussed. Which is your favorite? 

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