SWEATER: Wilson & Clay (Marshalls) // PANTS: H&M // PURSE: Dooney & Bourke (Marshalls) // BOOTIES: Marshalls 

Hello Girlies,

Today's look is inspired by the urban streets of New York, in which I've grown up, The Bronx. I've mentioned to you before how fellow New Yorkers can generally tell which borough a person's from based on his or her accent. While it's all a New York accent, each borough has a more or less exaggerated version and I believe it's a bit true when it comes to style and vibes. I've created outfits in the past  that have been inspired by the streets of Brooklyn, which tend to feature more earthy tones and an overall vintage vibe, which I now refer to as "Brooklyny," lol! The Bronx borough has more of a sportswear and menswear inspired running theme, demonstrated by the New York Yankee fitteds you'll see all throughout the streets, the latest Jordan's on feets, and if not that...Timberland boots! It's very common to see matching couples walking the streets and riding the trains in this borough. You'll see matching Jordan's and Timberland boots and while I used to do this as teenager, I sometimes felt as though I was loosing my femininity within the style. I'm sure that there are those of you out there that may feel the same and want to dress in an urban manner, whether you're from NY or Detroit, or from anywhere for that matter! The way to pull off an urban look, yet maintain that feminine flow is to accessorize in a way that reads street chic.

Street chic is simply maintaining the inspiration you have from your area, while adding some hints of glamour. These Timberland inspired booties do just that, as do sneaker wedges. They have that menswear inspired vibe with that perfect touch of glam, which I love! Many men inspired shoes for the ladies now come in heel options (such as loafers), not to say that if you wear the flat version you won't look or appear womanly, not true, you've seen me rock the flat versions, too! This is an option for all those lover of heels that want the menswear vibe blended ;) 

Now, if you're loving this look, regardless of where you live, which doesn't matter because style and fashion is present within us as much as around us, then below are options that I've created for your body shape, so you can achieve the same vibe. This outfit would be perfect for school, since the heel is chunky, making it more comfortable and easy to walk in! The pear shape version is the one I'm wearing and I have links to similar pieces above, if you're interested in shopping the post. 

 

APPLE SHAPE

 
 
RECTANGULAR SHAPE

 
 
 


HOURGLASS SHAPE
 
 
 
 
Thanks for stopping by and I hope the post inspired you!
 
XO,

Jalisa

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Hello loves!

This week's video is on selecting the best size of printed tops for your body shape! Have you ever tried on a printed blouse only to leave the store empty handed because it didn't look good on you? Chances are that you selected the wrong size that didn't necessarily flatter your body shape. I always stress the importance of identifying your body shape and working towards styling it correctly. We need to know and understand that not every piece of clothing, included printed pieces, work best on us. However, that does not mean that prints don't or will never look good on you! Watch this video to learn what you should look for when selecting a printed top the next time you go shopping! 

 

Video Photo Credit: CollageVintage.com

Music in Inro:

BY: Lino Rise

TITLE: Fremantle

SOURCE: free-intro-music.com

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

DISCLAIMER: This video has NOT been sponsored!

 

XO,


Jalisa

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VEST: Marshalls// TURTLE NECK: Marshalls// JEANS: 7 for all Mankind (Marshalls)// NECKLACE: c/o Anitanja// PURSE: Louis Vuitton Tivoli GM// SHOES: Nine West 

 
 
 
 
 
Hello loves,
 
Last night I decided to wear a very 60s inspired outfit for date night. I've mentioned to you before how the 60s and 70s are the eras in fashion that I personally identify with the most. I think it has a lot to do with the youth and boldness that encompasses the styles of those decades that I admire. In this case, the outfit I chose best represents the 70s overall. During this time there were a lot of vests, fur, and bell bottom jeans worn, amongst many other distinctive trends that I can go on and on about. Let's break down the entire look and discuss why it would work for you
 
I chose to wear a black turtle neck paired with a beige faux fur vest because I felt that the black pulled out the darker browns and black within the vest, which kept me warm and cozy much of the night, since the temp did drop, I do feel the soft nudges of winter! I decided to wear a pair of flared jeans, which I believe are flattering for those who have curvaceous hips, such as my fellow pear and hourglass shapes, which I think this outfit would look great on. When worn with heels, flared jeans can help balance out the width of the hips by mimicking them below, creating a long and lean effect overall. It's when we choose to skip the heels that I feel we can end up appearing a bit stubby in the legs and the hips can appear much wider. 
 
In addition, this pairing would also look exceptional on all my apple and rectangular shapes as well. The reason is because we have a nice flow of balance all throughout the outfit. The black turtle neck (if you are paler, I suggest wearing navy instead, it's less harsh against the skin. In your case, you never want to wear colors that are closest to your face in an extremely dark color, it'll wash you out and bring out darker tones in your face, making you appear unlively and unhealthy, we don't want that!) helps visually slim larger arms, the bust, and midsection. Even though we have a vest that offers texture and dimension, which can in most cases make my apple and inverted triangle shaped ladies appear larger in the bust (it creates this effect for the pear and rectangular shapes), we have the addition of the waist belt, which helps visually slim the upper body overall. I will suggest that if you are an apple shape you place the belt right where your rib cage is instead of where your natural waist is (under you rib cage), this is most flattering for you. The flared jeans will add some volume and visual weight to the slender legs of the apple, inverted triangle, and rectangular shapes, thus visually balancing out the entire frame. 
 
I hope you enjoyed the post and that it inspired you in creating a similar pairing. In this case, the exact look I created would work for all the shapes mentioned above. If you have any additional questions, leave them in the comments' section and I will be sure to respond with my best suggestion(s)!
 
Love you lots and I appreciate your time!
 
XO,


Jalisa

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Hey Girlies,

I was contacted by the PR at Agadír International about a month ago to try out their line of products, some of which have recently launched. Before considering the opportunity and saying yes, I asked if all of the products were all natural and organic, which you all know is what I prefer for just about everything, and the answer was beyond yes! All of the products in the Agadír line are sulfate, paraben, alcohol, and cruelty free, all of which are what I typically look for in beauty products, although I'm not always lucky! I say all this because before I get into my honest thoughts about the line, I want to make sure that you know that I don't say yes to every opportunity that appears in my inbox. If the product/collection does not fit my personal style, overall lifestyle, and blog esthetic, I kindly turn the offer down. So now that you know that I was genuinely interested in trying these products out and sharing my experience with all of you, let me first share a little background info about Agadír International. 


THE AGADÍR STORY

Agadír, named after a major city in central coastal Morocco, is an all natural and organic hair care line that was created by two Armenian brothers, Paul and Archie Bogosian, both of whom are professional hair stylists and have owned exclusive salons in Manhattan, NY. As a New Yorker, I have to say, owning anything exclusive in NY is a major deal and generally demonstrates talent and prestige. A clear demonstration of the brothers' knowledge and expertise in hair has been proven, having been the first to produce a product that was proven by lab tests to thicken hair by 33%! I'm sure after reading that previous sentence, I've got the eyes of all my fine textured hair ladies widened! This is an interesting finding and statistic, considering the implantation of certified Argan oil, an oil that is found only in the Moroccan Argan tree. Oil generally weighs down the hair, which would naturally oppose any addition of volume. The success of this finding has said to be the unique combination of the rare century's old Argan oil and modern technologies, producing a line of 50 years that is sold to professional salons only, Agadír International. 

 

 

INTRODUCTORY REVIEW

Overall, I enjoyed the products and would certainly purchase and use some of them again. I tested them out for about 3 weeks, to ensure that my hair would reap all of the benefits and claims of each product; it can certainly take time for your hair to become adjusted to a product! There were some products that I didn't necessarily feel worked best for me. Please keep in mind that all comments made regarding each product and line is reflective of my own personal experience, yours will most likely vary, depending on the texture, length, and overall condition of your hair. That being said, prior to using these products, my hair was healthy. I have my ends trimmed on a regular basis for my length, which is approximately every 6-8 weeks. My hair has not been color treated and I have fine textured wavy hair.

My hair concerns have always been a section in the back of my head that is always frizzy and lacks texture; whenever my hair air dries the rest of my hair would look beautiful, but that one section would spoil the entire look! I have been on the look out for hair products that would soothe the dryness, allowing the section to blend better with the rest of my hair. I don't always like to use heat, which is why this is especially important to me; I want to be able to feel fabulous with my natural hair and head out the door. Another desire is to achieve volume around the crown of my head and roots. Since I have fine textured long hair, it can be difficult to achieve fullness, since the length can weigh the hair down, making it look limp or lifeless.

Lastly, since my hair is fine, it tends to get oily fast! To be honest, for a while I ran in the opposite direction of products that contained oil because I felt it would make my hair even more oily and faster in between washes; I've been searching for a product that contains all of the added benefits of oil in shampoos and conditioners, but without the grease buildup!

Now, Let's get started with what each product I tested did or did not do for my hair care needs and wants. 

 

Daily Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner

CLAIMTo add body and fullness that lasts all day and suitable for everyday use

MY EXPERIENCE When I used the shampoo, I shampooed once on the roots, messaging the scalp thoroughly. After rinsing, I then formed a ponytail at the back of my head with my hands and applied the conditioner to those sections only. I left it on for about 2-3 minutes and rinsed throughly. I feel that it did provide volume to my hair, upon drying, just not the roots and crown section, which I would've liked. I don't know if this because I did not apply the conditioner to the roots also, but I do not apply conditioner to those areas, since they are the newest hairs growing in, so they do not need as much care or conditioning as the older hairs, which are in the sections I applied the conditioner to. 

WOULD I USE THIS PRODUCT AGAINProbably 

 

Keratin Protein Moisture Masque with Vitamin E

CLAIMTo provide lasting moisture, while adding strength, improving elasticity, and decreasing frizz. It's infused with antioxidants and anti-color fades, great for those who have color treated hair. 

MY EXPERIENCEAlthough I don't have color treated hair, I do want to maintain healthy moisture! Like I mentioned earlier, my hair can get oily fast. However, this tends to be only at the roots, the rest of my hair can get a little dry. This is mostly because I don't generally wear my hair pin straight, which would otherwise cause the oil to travel down the hair shaft a lot faster. So did it work for me? YES! I absolutely love this product and would certainly want to purchase it again. I have used quite a few hair masques and this by far is the best one I've used. When I applied the product I would just shampoo my hair. I would not apply the volumizing conditioner, as there was no need if I'd be doing a deep conditioning with the hair masque. After washing out the shampoo, I would apply the masque only on my ponytail section I made with my hand, twirl and clip it and add a plastic shower cap on top. I'd let it sit in my hair for about 20 minutes, although the directions say 3-5 minutes; I like to always add ample time to make sure it's getting deep into those hair shafts! 

WOULD I USE THIS PRODUCT AGAINAbsolutely

 

Hair Shield 450° Plus Cream 

CLAIMTo protect and repair damaged hair. It's infused with "shock" protein, which is activated by the heat in styling tools. Upon the application of heat, it immediately targets the damaged areas of your hair to repair, protect, hydrate, and condition.

MY EXPERIENCEI did notice a difference in the texture of my hair when I used this product as a heat protectant with my heat styling tools. Like it claims, I didn't notice any changes until heat was applied, so when I applied it on my towel dried hair, I didn't see a decrease in the frizz patch I have in the back of my head. However, when I styled my hair with heat, I did not notice any dryness at all. My hair felt super soft and looked shiny and healthy. 

WOULD I USE THIS PRODUCT AGAIN? Absolutely!

 

Styling Curl Créme

CLAIMTo block humidity and provide long lasting defined curls without the crunch!

MY EXPERIENCEThis product worked beautifully on my hair the first day. I applied it after shampooing and conditioning and gently towel drying. As mentioned earlier, my hair is a bit more wavy, although I do have some defined curls in certain sections. My hair was always curly, but I believe as a result of frequent heat applications, which manipulated my hair, it changed the overall shape of my curls. When I used this product, everything looked blended and I received some compliments, too! However, after the first day, everything dropped and I no longer had the beautiful sculpted look as it did the day before.

WOULD I USE THIS PRODUCT AGAINNo

 

Hair Treatment (it has a pink pump in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Proceeds from every sale of this 4oz bottle, will be donated to Agadír's charity of choice, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.)

CLAIMRepairs, smoothes, and strengthens dry, brittle, frizzy, overworked hair, without an oily buildup. Substantially speeds up drying and styling time.

MY EXPERIENCEI began to like this product after I figured out the proper way to apply it. The directions say to apply a small amount, but you can apply more to longer hair. Since my hair is relatively long, I thought to apply more than the small amount, about a 1/2 a pump, big mistake! It made my hair oily and weighed it down. When I decided to give it another try, using a smaller amount, I noticed that it did give my hair a nice luster and did indeed speed up the time it took for my hair to air dry. 

WOULD I USE THIS PRODUCT AGAINYes

 

Spritz Styling Finishing Spray

CLAIMServes as a finishing spray to be used to hold a specific style in place, while shielding the effects of humidity away.

MY EXPERIENCEI applied this product to ponytails or to keep my first layer out of my face and it worked perfect in doing so! It does have a crunchy like texture, so if you're not one who likes that, this wouldn't be the product for you. What I did not like was that at the end of the day, my hair was rather knotty as a result of the application. 

WOULD I USE THIS PRODUCT AGAINProbably

 

Volumizing Styling and Sculpting Gel (Xtreme Hold)

CLAIMTo build volume with long lasting hold, while sculpting and lifting hair. 

MY EXPERIENCEI haven't used gel since high school, so it's been a while! I actually liked the texture, it didn't feel sticky like other gels. When I used it, I applied it to the top of my head, to create a smooth and sleek finish to my ponytails. 

 

WOULD I USE THIS PRODUCT AGAINProbably not and not because I didn't like it, as mentioned, I do! I just prefer the finishing spray instead. 

 

Volumizing Hairspray

CLAIMTo serve as a fast drying anti humidity 24 hour hold hairspray.

MY EXPERIENCEIt definitely served the purpose of keeping my hair in place, whether in a ponytail or loose waves. 

WOULD I USE THIS PRODUCT AGAINYes

 


 

As I mentioned prior to the review, I really enjoyed using and testing out the list of products. Since the weather is transitioning, I feel that I'm not able to see how well it performs or resists against humidity or wind, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the products that I mentioned I would continue to use will hold up in protecting my hair from the wind and frigid temps this winter. I would certainly suggest you try out these specific products from the line: Keratin Protein Moisture Masque with Vitamin EHair Shield 450°Hair Treatment, and the volumizing hairspray. The complete collection is sold at professional hair salons, but you can purchase them for yourselves directly from their website (here).

 

A huge thank you to the PR at Agadír International for their generosity! I hope YOU all enjoyed the post and learned of a product that can potentially serve and meet your hair care needs!

 

XO, 


Jalisa

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Hello Loves!

Winter will be here before you know it, so I wanted to get a head start at giving you all my suggestions on the best styles I feel would look best for your body shape! These particular styles are more casual, so I do plan on creating another post with dressier coats. I feel that every woman should have a casual winter coat and a dressier. One of my fashion pet peeves is when women wear casual parkas or puffy coats with a fancy dress. If you've done it, don't feel bad! Now you know that it's best to opt for a dressier piece to pair with your dressier look. For now, here are my suggestions for casual coats :)

 

 
 
 
 

For the pear shape, I always stress the importance of creating volume and dimension up top, so there is no difference when it comes to coats! I suggest opting for styles that pass the fullest part of your hips, to avoid making them appear larger. As you notice, all three of these coats have waist belts or a waist draw string. Since you have a naturally defined waist, you don't want to hide that under your coat! Remember, you will be wearing this piece a lot, depending on where you live, so you want to select something that will flatter and enhance your natural shape. You may have also noticed that two out of the three coats have horizontal pockets on the bust, which help add some visual dimension to the bust area. The other style that does not have the pockets, has a puffy bust as it is, so it's not necessary to have pockets, and it will still accomplish the same effect. 

 

 
 
For all you apple shapes, it's important to pay close attention to pocket, button, zipper, and pattern placement, all of which can make you appear larger than you are. The coat in the middle features vertical zippers, with a slight slant. This prevents your bust from appearing even larger under so much material, which is important. Remember, you will be wearing sweaters with thicker fabrics and if you're busty as it is, all the fabric can make your top half look extremely large in comparison to your slender legs. 
 
Just like the pear shape, I also suggest waist belts for you because they help balance out your upper body by adding the flare on the bottom portion of your coat, it visually adds hips! However, the coat to the right does not have a waist belt and I feel it still works. The pattern around the stomach area is rather flattering because the lines aren't horizontal, which would otherwise add more visual width to the area. Instead, it features a linear pattern in a slanted position, visually slimming the area. It also features the same pattern around the bust, another area you don't want to add visual width when a waist belt is not present. The jacket on the right does have a horizontal pattern on the bust, but notice how close together they are in comparison to the bottom portion of the coat?! This helps in making the bust appear smaller and the hips larger, perfect for all my apple shapes! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For all my rectangular and hourglass shapes, it's very important to maintain your balance. I generally suggest a lot of detail and such for the rectangular shapes, however when it comes to coats when you'll have extra fabric underneath, I don't think it's necessary. Instead, select sleek style coats that aren't over the top in details, but perhaps in color and those that create an emphasis on the waistline, for both shapes. With a coat that has a belt, you instantly balance out your frame and create visual curves, rectangulars, it's that easy!
 
So I hope you all found this post to be helpful! If you have any questions or requests, please don't hesitate to leave them in the comments section. Thanks so much for stopping by!
 
 
 
XO,

Jalisa

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