Dressing Up While Dressing Down

Once again, I owe you, dear reader. a little fashion show. As you see, the title of this post is "Dressing Up While Dressing Down" which simply translates to looking pretty without trying too hard. I swear if I could live in a dress, I would. I love wearing dresses and skirts, but the tricky part is changing something casual into something dressed up, like something you would wear to a quick lunch with friends to something you would wear for a night out. Usually, I add make up and pretty accessories to dress up an outfit. Both of these outfits work both ways; however, I wore each of these for day events this summer.

{I wore this outfit for a family Sunday lunch. This is a Wet Seal cropped top, and Michael Kors handbag. In addition, I wore pearl earrings, a white watch, and a pearl bracelet, which are not shown in this picture.}

{I wore this outfit for my brother's graduation followed by a family lunch at Olive Garden. This is a Shasa little black dress, H&M pumps, ALDO handbag, Forever21 necklace, Fossil watch, and vintage earrings (which are not shown in the picture).}

Black, Beige, and Pearls

Above all, dear reader, I owe you a little fashion show. One of my recent outfits was this totally classy and chic combination of black, beige, and pearls. I felt like I was wearing the perfect blend of Blair Waldorf with BFF Serena Van Der Woodsen. The summer night was chilly with a little rain, which is normal for Honduras' weather. I opted for shorts and a semi long sleeve leotard. The outfit itself is super simple and effortless, but throw on accessories and that changes everything. Furthermore, I wore ordinary black ballet flats from H&M, and went all out on make up with blush, bronzer, mascara, winged eye liner, and hot pink lip gloss.

{Forever21 lace shorts, semi long sleeve leotard, Kate Spade handbag, Fossil watch, and vintage earrings.}

{H&M pearl necklace. I found this on sale at H&M and completely loved it.}

{Fossil watch and vintage earrings complemented the outfit perfectly.}

Shoes, Bags, and Books

When a pair of high heels or a hand bag catches my eye, I can't contain myself. Being the only daughter in my family, people think I should be influenced by the manly environment my brothers give. However, my mom did a pretty good job of raising me into a girly and preppy young lady. Now, don't think I'm a spoiled brat. I'm pretty much the complete opposite. I work and save up money to buy the things I want, and I also search for deals and bargains wherever I go. When you find a sale that's at least 50% or more of the original price, it's so exciting! I bought all of the pieces below on pretty amazing deals. This was my first time purchasing a Kate Spade bag which I am completely enamored with. If you haven't noticed, I am so obsessed with Michael Kors as well. Finally, fashion and accessories are nothing without a little brains, hence the books. 

{The cutest Kate Spade handbag found on sale at the Premium Outlet Chesterfield Mall in St. Louis, Missouri. I can already picture myself wearing this on a night out with friends when I don't want to carry much with me.}  

{A beautiful navy blue Michael Kors handbag I bought at Marshalls in St. Louis, Missouri}

{Being the book worm that I am, most of my baggage consisted of books.}

10,000 Cupcakes Barnes and Noble

If I Stay Wal-Mart

The Alchemist Barnes and Noble

The Book Thief Barnes and Noble

Four (A Divergent Collection) Wal-Mart

{Gorgeous high heel booties in a beige/creamish color. I bought these on 45% sale at ALDO at West County Mall in St. Louis, Missouri.}

{Small gray Michael Kors clutch. I bought this on sale at Marshalls in St. Louis, Missouri. This is perfect to fit credit cars, some money, your phone, and a lip balm on a quick grocery trip or frozen yogurt stop.}

{Last, but not least, my gorgeous pink, beige, and gold pink clutch I bought on sale at ALDO at West County Mall in St. Louis, Missouri.}

Little Things

The past few weeks have had their ups and downs. But while all good things come to an end, they always open up new doors and new possibilities. Nevertheless, I have a little desire in my heart to explore what the world has to offer. In the meantime, I am planning to take things step by step and work my way to the top. But, first, I must catch up on my beloved blog. These are a few of my currently favorite things...

{Awestruck with the beauty of a cold yet sunny day}

{Spencer Hastings (from Pretty Little Liars) inspired outfit of the day. Nine West ankle boots, A'GACI jeggings, GAP knit sweater, Forever21 white button-down, Louis Vuitton handbag}

{New discovery: a delicious Italian restaurant called Pazi Pizza in the city. It truly is a hidden gem}

Christmas Day

The greatly awaited Christmas day has come. Bells are ringing, people singing...yeah, right. I am so glad to finally have the opportunity to say "Merry Christmas"! This is the day where people all around the world come together to celebrate one single thing--baby Jesus! On this day everything on the face of the world ceases to matter. People show love unconditionally. "It's the most beautiful time of the year," Justin Bieber said. This year was a little different for our family. We spent Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncle's house with all of my cousins, throwing fireworks and having a good time. The next day, on the 25th, we had the traditional Christmas Eve dinner that we usually have at my house for lunch. My mom and I spent all morning cooking, which was totally worth it when everyone went back for second and even third servings. This is what Christmas is all about--priceless quality time with family.

{Forever21 shirt and skirt, Kenneth Cole flats, Francesca's necklace}

{I tried this new recipe of Red Wine and Garlic Mushrooms. They were to die for.}

{Trying to make a simple salad pretty? Make a flower out of spinach leaves with a tomato in the center.} 

{Final outcome of working hard all morning. Two words: mouth watering}

Turkey and stuffing

Corn Souffle

Red Wine and Garlic Mushrooms

Arab Dolmas

Simple Salad

Catching Up Special

Parties, dinners, "cuchumbos" (Secret Santa), oh my! The Christmas season has definitely begun. Lately, school has been so hectic that Christmas just seemed so far away. Finally, though, I can smell Christmas right around the corner. 

 I wore this outfit for one of my lifetime friend's sixteenth birthday party. I literally pulled it out two seconds before the party (it was a Friday night and I slept through the whole afternoon after school). I bought this romper in Forever21, paired it with a gold belt, gold accessories, and a pair of nude pumps. I had so much fun, letting lose of all of the stress school causes. As a result, my feet were in a way ripped open (okay maybe I'm exagerating). Next time, I know I have to bring a pair of flats along just in case. 

{Forever21 romper and bracelet, H&M belt, Michael Kors clutch, ALDO nude pumps, LOFT earrings}

Secret Santa has been a tradition for the past two years for me and my friends. "Cuchumbos" is the typical Honduran way to say Secret Santa. For our annual Secret Santa dinner, we all get dolled up and enjoy a taste of a Christmas inspired dinner. This year, we decided to only include girls in the Secret Santa because of previous problems with guys not taking the whole thing seriously. Nevertheless, it was a hilarious Christmas dinner. I honestly think my gift was the best gift ever. One of my friends (which we've been classmates only once in sixth grade) gave me this whole baking kit that included a bowl, a whisk, cookie cutters, and more! Following the "cuchumbo," we had turkey-ish chicken with stuffing, potato salad, and green salad for dinner. For desert, one of my friends baked these mouth-watering mini key lime pies that were definitely the highlight of the night.

{Forever21 skirt, Zara blouse, Express clutch}

{Forever21 Mary Jane heels}

{Forever21 bracelet and necklace, Jewelry store earrings}

Sixteen Going on Seventeen

Once again, turning sixteen seemed like a VERY long way ahead. Now that I finally turned sixteen, I can literally say nothing has changed, except the fact that I am aging slowly. In spite of all the eagerness to turn sixteen, I picked out a pretty romantic yet casual floral dress for my birthday dinner. I made it even more casual by paring  the dress with a jean jacket and a pair of beige flats. It was a night filled with little favorite pleasures and lots of love, gifts, and hugs. (For more details on my sixteenth birthday, read my last Little Things post.)

{Urban Outfitters dress, H&M jean jacket, ALDO shoes}

{Forever21 bracelets, Fossil watch, Vintage earrings and infinity ring}

Fall Colors

This morning I woke up and got right to work. Seven pages and 2,271 words later, I was jumping up and down with joy; I was FINALLY done with that haunting Psychology essay. My Saturday went on as usual: running errands, coffee dates, and watching Charlie St. Cloud (it was the third time I watched it and I never get tired of Zac Efron's charm) with my family. 

Today I decided to dress to match the season, beige and red adorned with a hint of gold. Despite the fact that it's fall, Honduras has its own rules when it comes to climate and it's currently like a hundred degrees outside.

{Forever21 blouse and handbag, Kenneth Cole flats, A'GACI leggins}

{Fossil watch, vintage bracelet}

Preppy and Pink

{Forever21 bracelets, and LOFT earrings}

Fridays are without a doubt the reason behind my motivation to end every week on the right foot. After a long, stressful, tedious, tiresome, long, monotonous, long, and-did I mention long?-week has passed, the best way to finish the week is by going out and acting like the teenager that I am. As a bonus, this Friday was a day off from school, and I was invited to two different events-a quinceañera (15th birthday) party and a "congratulations you graduated and have to face the tough reality of life, but, oh, I'm glad you're home" celebration. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast at both events and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Finding an outfit that matched both occasions was a little challenging, but as I was hastily searching for something to wear through my closet, I encountered this gorgeous dress that I haven't worn in a while. I bought it at a small boutique at the mall and it is definitely one of my favorite components in my wardrobe. I decided to pair this dress with nude platform heels, a sparkling necklace, a nude handbag, jingling bracelets, and a simple night-time make-up look.  

{Da'Lila (a boutique in Honduras) dress, ALDO shoes, Louis Vuitton handbag}

{Forever21 collar necklace}

{Make-up: foundation, blush, purple eye-liner, mascara, liquid liner, and lilac eye-shadow}

Casually Polished

Being a sophomore and turning sixteen seemed like decades away. Now, sophomore year has begun and so has the birthday season. One of my life-long guy friends turned sixteen a couple weekends ago and I decided to wear this outfit. The weather was the perfect excuse to dress down my girly outfit with a classic denim jacket. I still can't grasp the fact that in a few weeks I'm gonna be the next new sixteen year-old sophomore. 

{Maybelline The Falsies mascara, LANCOME foundation and lipstick, L'OREAL True Match neutral blush and Espresso-colored eye-liner}

{Forever 21 tank top, skirt, and bracelets, H&M jean jacket, ALDO heels and necklace, ZARA handbag, vintage earrings}

Little Things

Starting a new school year can be stressful; however, I am so excited about everything this year has to offer to my sophomore  class. Some of my goals this year are the following: 

1. Learn how to drive (since I'm turning 16 soon)

2. Get good grades (I usually have a 99% year average cause I'm cool like that)

3. Make new friends and create tighter bonds with my family and friends 

4. Don't stress; enjoy life as much as possible

5. I have to come up with a few more...

This post is a round up of my favorites from last weekend (the fro-yo and the first outfit) and this weekend (the second outfit and the dressing).

{Quick Fro-Yo date with my mom. Original flavor topped with blueberries.}

{Sushi night out with friends. I wore a Forever21 blouse and jeans, Old Navy brown cardigan, LOFT necklace.}

{Saturday's outfit: Forever21 tshirt and jeans, H&M jean jacket, vintage necklace}

{Dinner date with my amazing brother. Currently obsessed with this dressing. Sugar Free Raspberry Vinaigrette}

Summer Farewell

I am devastated to inform you that school is sadly right around the corner; I can count the remaining days of my summer with one hand. The moment I was dreading, the last weekend of the whole summer, finally came. This Saturday consisted of spending quality time with my family, just like usual, followed by an amazing night out with friends. The get-together with my friends was full of smiles and laughter. It felt so good to see all of the familiar faces I haven't seen in two and a half months. I guess going back to school won't be as bad as it seems after all. 

I decided to wear a mint peplum shirt with skinny navy blue pants, and dressed it up with a chain collar. I also decided to go low on the make up and only applied a layer of foundation and a bit of blush. Then I applied a lower lash line with a pencil eye liner, a semi-winged line on the upper lash with a liquid eye liner, and a layer of mascara.  

{Forever21 peplum shirt, necklace, and handbag, H&M navy blue pants, ALDO shoes}

{Semi-winged eyeliner, lower lash eyeliner, and a layer of mascara}

But the party didn't end on Saturday night's bash. The next day, Sunday, was full of more quality time with family and friends. We celebrated my brother's 21st birthday at home with a delicious tipical Honduran meal ("pinchos" or beef and pork skewers, refried beans, fried plantain, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, salsa, and corn tortillas). We were so stuffed, but as I always say, "there is ALWAYS room for dessert." We sang "happy birthday," my brother made a wish as he blew out the candles, and we enjoyed an exquisite vanilla cake with dulce de leche filling and frosting (my choice, of course) from my favorite bakery. I decided to wear a pair of mint pants with a tucked in blouse and cream-colored flats. Today I also decided to go low on make up and just added a layer of foundation to cover up the bags underneath my eyes from the day before and a layer of mascara to make my eyes pop.

{H&M mint pants and blouse, Nine West shoes, Forever21 handbag}

Warm & Windy

Today was one of those hot summer days that just decide to surprise you by sending a wave of wind your way. I personally love these kind of days. For today's outfit I decided to wear a casual pair of denim shorts with a pretty pastel-colored blouse. I decided to dress the outfit up with a beautiful necklace with a ray of pastels, but dress it down with a pair of pink Ked's. I also carried around this distressed jean button-down shirt for the moments where the wind decided to hit me. Finally, I topped the outfit with a super tall ponytail, grabbed my sunglasses, and was out the door. This was a fresh, casually polished look for today's summer sun.  

{American Eagle denim shorts, Zara blouse, Forever21 denim button-down, ALDO necklace & earrings, pink Ked's}

Little Things

This week I came to the conclusion that I am deeply and truly blessed. I realized that sometimes our worries are really insignificant and yet we feel like the world is crashing down on us while in reality we have a million reasons to be thankful. Having a family that loves and cares for me, a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, food to eat, and even waking up every single morning with a brand new opportunity are some of the many things I am thankful for. Despite everything, I am so thankful that I have a family that sticks together through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, and so on. Having only two weeks left of summer vacation, I am so excited for this weekend. This weekend I will be having a little getaway road trip with my father to surprise my cousin (who lives miles and miles away and I hardly see her) on her birthday. I can't wait for my aunt's homemade exquisite Arab food, babysitting my angel-like yet mischievously adorable cousins, and spending one-on-one time with my daddy.

{Target $1 reminder notes}

{Essie Bahama Mama nail polish}

{Homemade Chicken and Spinach Lasagna}

{Forever21 LOVE ring}

Preppy & Pretty Pastels

I look forwards to Sundays the minute my mom wakes me up for school on Monday which, like any teenager in the world, I dread. During the summer, however, I tend to forget what day it is and Sunday just seems to come a lot quicker than when I'm in school. My Sundays usually consist of lazy mornings, then going to church, going out for lunch with the family, going to the movies, then a little coffee and dessert break, and ending the day with more laziness before going to bed. Today we had more of a laid-back Sunday. We had a lazy morning and went to church like usual and then went out for lunch to my favorite steak restaurant. After a delicious meal of steak and an all-you-can eat salad bar, we came back home and spent the whole afternoon watching movies in the comfort and coziness of my living room. Days like these are like the cherry topping to the end of the week. Today's outfit consisted of a combination of different pastels with gold pink accessories to complement the preppy/pretty yet casual look. 

{Express tank top and bracelet, H&M purple pants, Forever 21 denim shirt, Nine West flats, ZARA purse, and Fossil watch}