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.}

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}

New Year's Eve

I am grateful to God for granting me another year of life. Although 2013 had its ups and downs, I will certainly keep my head up high and anxiously wait for what this new year has to offer. 

New Year's Eve in my family is usually very tranquil (ok, maybe a little boring). This year, my mom and I began the cooking at 8 AM sharp. We made pork leg (not my favorite, but it turned out pretty tasty), turkey medallions (stuffed with tomatos, spinach, parmesan, and olives), corn souffle, sweet potato casserole, and salad. For dessert, my aunt brought a delightful pecan pie. The "ooh's" and "aah's" and "yum's" coming from my family on the dinner table made the whole work day worth it. That is the true pleasure of cooking: seeing others enjoy what you have prepared. The rest of the evening, we sipped on wine until the clock struck 12 and the new year received us with its arms wide open. My outfit for the night consisted of a beautiful coral peplum dress with nude heels and gold accessories. They say the way you end a year will dictate how the new year will go. If this is true, then the laugh attack I had around my family at 11:59 PM on December 31, 2013, is a good sign (my dogs crashed our party and thinking the Christmas tree was an actual tree, ALMOST urinated all over it..It was priceless). 

Happy New Year, everyone! May this new year be full of blessings, laughter, love, happiness, and hope! 

{Forever21 chain bracelet, LOFT earrings, jewelry store cross bracelet} 

{The Collection peplum dress, Forever21 heels, Francesca's necklace}

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}