1 item, 3 ways: graphic tee

Hi there old friend! yes it is I, the girl who made a blog and abandon it for work and personal business but she is back! without getting into details, lets get into the good stuff.

Today we are looking at one of my favorite things on the planet.. fashion styling. What i love more then trends, high fashion, colours, fabrics, patterns is versatility. I love when i can wear a certain item in more then one way, it makes my choice of garment feel useful and fun knowing i can wear it again and again without it getting old. If you’re ever wondering to yourself when you’re shopping, “how many times will i wear this?” think of at least 5 different outfits it can go with, if you can’t then maybe think about buying something different. i personally use this strategy a lot in my shopping. Trends can be hard that way, they come and go in stages so its hard to indicate how long you will wear it. It’s important to keep classics in your wardrobe, like a jean jacket, dark denim’ that one white pair of pants you wear a few times so you don’t ruin them. Those items won’t ever go out of style because, well.. they’re classics! (hence the name ;)) they look great with everything any time of the year.

This blog post today focuses on that “how many times can i wear this” statement. I’ve chosen one item, and have styled it 3 different ways and styled them according to events; (weekend, work, date/hangout/fun).

The item we’re focusing on today is one of the comfiest, a Metallica band tee i have altered into a choker neckline. (very popular, and i love a good graphic t-shirt.)

Let’s start with weekend vibes:

(Metallica t-shirt from Spencer’s gifts, Boyfriend jeans and necklace from Addition-Elle, hat from Old navy, shoes are from Walmart {no longer available}).

I wanted this outfit to be ready for a weekend of walking, site seeing, friend meeting and shopping. The boyfriend jeans give the t-shirt a little less edge and more of a calm relaxed taste. weekends tend to be busy so i added a classic loafer for comfort but played with the whole rock theme by selecting my spiked loafers. I added a simple small black cross-body purse for minimal carrying and a big floppy hat to bring in more of the relaxed warm weather principal for all around weekend fun packed outfit. The outfit would look just as cute without the necklace, but i’m all about being extra so it was a necessity (LOL).

Up close and personal.

These shoes were meant for fun.

Night out of downtown fun:

(Jean jacket: Old Navy, skirt&necklace: Addition-Elle{ no longer available} shoes: Penningtons)

I adore this outfit so much it honestly doesn’t even need a description. Fun is everywhere on this outfit. We are ready for sangria at the roof top bar and fish tacos on the patio while the sunsets to that beautiful orange. This time we’re bringing out more of the edgier tone of the Tee by adding a faux leather zippered skirt into the mix. The jean jacket plays it down and stops the outfit for getting too dressy, (if you wanted to make it more semi casual, add a little bolero jacket or a long maxi cardigan for something chic and cool.) I’m not a heel girl (besides a few heeled ankle boots in the fall) so i tend to go for the mock heel by finding a sandal that looks similar or can give the same tone as a full heel. (example, the strappy sandal in the picture mocks a strappy heel.) If you want to bring this outfit to a WHOLE NEW TIER, do the heel.

This skirt can do no wrong, (I’ve already planned 10 other outfits with it in my head)

The sun might be setting, but this highlight isn’t. (Do i score points for adding in a bomb pair of gold hoops to top off the ensemble? i think hell yes.)

Boss lady of the day:

(Alexa pin striped ankle pant: Addition-Elle, blazer:Addition-Elle){no longer available but similar style on clearance} Bag: Nine West thrifted at Missions Thrift red loafers: Payless)

Definitely inspired by Girl Boss on Netflix. Yes i know what you’re already thinking. (Marki.. a Metallica t-shirt in the office.. girl…). I know but casual Fridays? You can always push the wardrobe boundaries and see if you get talked to but also, with anything casual you can ALWAYS dress it up. I decided to let the Tee be the focal point and use the rest of the outfit to play it down. The Alexa pant is everything. its a comfortable dress pant that works well with summer heat and for someone who just won’t do a flared leg, shes a dream with zippers. The pin stripes with the Tee do give me a tone of the late 70’s with so much harmony with an elongated silhouette. To keep work ethics alive i popped on a simple blazer with pin stripe inside the lining and a bit of red to unitize with the red in the shirt. I kept it pretty matchy-matchy with the accessories and kept to the solid red. This form of the Tee was all about toning it down to keep it work appropriate. (well, as much as a Band tee can get.) (LOL)

Yes, this bag does hold everything along with secrets.

ready for anything thats thrown my way.

i hope you enjoyed the little capsule wardrobe post, this is honestly the most fun posts for me to do, so you’ll be seeing more in the future. I hope you try and bring out a new piece or an old piece from the back of your closet and think of the possibilities you could use it in your next outfit. Leave your thoughts in the comments, and until next time.

-Marki xoxox

Something Old Into Something New

So today i am bringing you a DIY on how to bring an old pair of shoes back to life! i remember back in high school i didn’t have a lot of money or a part time job but i loved updating my wardrobe and finding my own style. I would see pictures on pinterest from high fashion to street style and i try to figure out how i could get that same look. Sometimes i couldn’t find certain styles of clothes i wanted so i’d thrift shop some of my clothes and accessories and alter them when i got home. I remember i taught myself to sew and i would cut and tear old clothes from value village and bibles for missions and do a very quick sew job and some things i made probably didn’t always look the best, but it was very accomplishing knowing i had taken the time and made something with my own two hands instead of buying it. As my dad likes to call it, “High fashion on a budget” (lol). I do have to say i was very lucky and my mom treated me to new clothes a few times a year from my favorite retailers and i still to this day appreciate that she made sure i looked my best and knew just because i was a plus size teen i deserved the same styles my friends had.

Let’s get started.

so, as the thumb nail says we are taking a plain old flat shoe….

 and transforming it into a very classic and chic pair of tasseled loafers!

You will need the following:

1. the shoe you are transforming (bought last fall, 10$ clearance Walmart)

2. glue gun

3. sharpie

4. leather lace string (3.99 from a bracelet making kit Michael’s)

5. tassels(3.99 clearance from Michael’s, there were silver ones and other colors)

first step,

as the glue gun is heating up, take the piece of leather lace and two tassels and fish the tassels onto the lace. you should have at least 3 inches of lace on either side of the tassels..

before you cut the lace away from the generous strand of leather your working with.

after you cut, next we will tie a knot ONCE and then TWICE so it make a thick knot on top of the two tassels and should make the two arms of leather lace on the sides much shorter.

Second step,

grab the shoe, and start playing around on where you want to set the tassels exactly. When you find a good spot just take the sharpie and put a dot where exactly you want it.

Now, about the extra lace on the sides of the tassel, this is where you want to make your own judgement If you want to snip them off, or incorporate them onto the shoe. I, myself am just trimming the lace pieces down and hot gluing them along side the tassels as a decorative edge. Some loafers do have a small bar across the top of the tassel, probably to keep them more secure on the shoe, but its up to you.

Alright, now we are going to take the glue gun (side note, if you’ve got them wear a work glove when gluing to be safe, it hurts when you get direct hot glue on a finger i did not wear gloves but learn from me, okay? lol) glue the back side of the knot and attach the glue side to the dot we marked on the shoe.

with your gloved hand, press together the glued down knot, to the back of the shoe for a minute to get the most stability.

as you can see the leather lace pieces are very long, so i cut off half of their length, but this is where you can chop them off if you don’t want them, and that means you’re done!

as for the peeps that want to glue the leather lace pieces down,

i just drew a line of glue and placed the leather piece into the glue with a Q-tip to prevent burning myself.

(p.s, if your more of a stickler then i am and don’t want to see the clear glue marks, you can either clean them up with some form of glue removal or sharpie them in to blend into the shoe. (which is what i did because i left quite a few glue marks but i wasn’t overly careful.)

after these steps you should have something chic like these!

BOOM! Ahhhh this is so cool to me still! (lol) like i could have bought a pair like this from aldo for like 89$ but i spent a mere 8$ to make these!!

I really honestly hope you can navigate yourself through these steps, this was my first DIY post and i’m also not the greatest at explaining myself (lol). i hope you guys have as much fun as i did with this quick easy DIY and if you have any questions about any stuff i bought or any step just email me from the contacts page. happy DIY-ing!

-Marki xx

No Makeup, No Makeup look

So today i’m doing something pretty simple and and effective. We’ve all seen the no makeup, makeup looks that are super cute but still take quite a bit of work to achieve depending on what level of makeup expertise you have. Today i am showing you a no makeup, no makeup look. I haven’t made a grammar mistake in this title i honestly mean no makeup. These are for the days where you want to give your skin a break and just go for a quick freshen up feel. This makeup look is the bare minimum but should give you abit of extra confidence and security doing such a bold look.

*DISCLAIMER, this look will no means hide your acne or dark spots or under eye puffiness or dark circles, but help you embrace your natural beauty because all these skin properties are apart of life*

First things first, i start off by washing my face with just some cold water to keep any natural oils on my face followed by using Neutrogena’s Pore Refining toner to balance the redness in my face as well as help shrink pores and take off any makeup and dirt that could be on my face that my shower missed. I then add Clean&Clear acne spot treatment to combat any blemishes i get on my t-zone. Then because of the acne medication drying out my skin, i add Advanced Clinicals’s Coconut oil moisturizing cream to give my face some moisturizer. (I have severe dry skin, so if you have more oily skin you might be fine using something a little less oily).

(will call this my before photo, lol.)

We are starting off with NYX Honey Dew Me Up face primer (can also be used as a over night serum to smooth skin and all some moisture) its infused with gold flakes and honey extract, with a hint of lavender and jasmine to give you a brightened complexion.

So i just grab a little bit of product with its applicator wand attached to the lid, and put a strip on both my cheeks my forehead and chin and rub it in all over my face. A little of this product goes quite a long ways so use how ever you choose.

Next, i groom my eyebrows with NYX control freak eyebrow gel to keep all my bushy hairs in place. I know i do have thick eyebrows so its easy for me to just use a clear brow gel and just keep them apart, but for someone with thinner/light eyebrows i suggest a tinted brow gel. Essence cosmetics makes a really great fiber brow gel for i believe 3$ they have 3 shades and you can find them at shoppers drug mart, usually at the end of the isle.

the gel just keeps them from looking unruly

The instrument of torture. (just jokes) Revlon eyelash curler. I only recently started using an eyelash curler, it does have a huge difference in the look of your lashes and for me my lashes are quite long so i use it to lift them up a bit because there always bending down and getting in my eyes (lmao i sound so braggy but its just the honest truth, forgive me). The curler adds good length so i do recommend this.

So, i lost my eye.. (I like to joke on this blog). There are many  tutorials on YouTube for people who need a reassurance on how to properly use a eyelash curler. I just set the curler part at the base of my lashes and give a good squeeze then release. I don’t recommend curling after your mascara, it usually causes clumping and makes the clamp part stick to your lashes. This tool just gives you a natural mascara look.

C’est fin! the finished look. i know what most people are thinking (you kinda look the same.. ) *cough* thats the idea.*cough* I wanted to enhance the inner beauty instead of wearing makeup and make yourself feel beautiful and put together just on those days makeup seems like a chore instead of a creative fun task. I know for sure i don’t feel the same as i did when i woke up. I feel clean and put together and over all ready to conquer the day!

bonus: I tried this look on my beautiful Mom

Before

After! (and i used the essence fiber brow gel on her to give density to her brows)

I dare my readers to try this out and even make your own routine to help you feel confident in your bare skin and have an awesome easy makeup free day !  I also love to hear what you guys think, don’t be shy to use the comments or even email me (found on contact page of this blog).

-Marki xx