Belted

Cream - ASOS, Peplum - Ashley Stewart, Tan - Old Navy, Blush - Talbots, Neon Yellow - ASOS, Leopard - Michael Kors, Gold - ShopGarnerstyle, Hot Pink - ASOS

Okay so I know that I am long long long overdue for this post.   My regular readers know that I am a belt junkie. Belts are apart of the way I accessorize.  I have pretty high standards when it comes to which ones I choose to wear.  I prefer leather, because I like structure.  I will do the stretchy belts when I'm looking for more of a novelty or trendier accessory.  I also like a belt that is unique and somewhat hard to find.  Another thing my veteran readers should know is that the belts that I do have, I've had for years.  I definitely look at them as investments and because of my pickiness I don't just add in anything in my belt collection all willy nilly.  Just like this list, they are carefully selected with time and care. That's probably while it took me so long to put this list together. LOL.  I might have a slight obsession. 

Note: The Michael Kors belt only goes up to an XL.  I own a lot of his belts and they can probably fit up to a 46 inch waist. 

Fat Thighs

I'm not going on vacation until July and pretty much by then summer will be over, so I decided to have some fun a do little editorial-ish swimwear look.  I also thought this would be a good time to talk about my swimwear insecurities and how I work to get through them.  I feel about my legs how some women feel about their arms.  I think my legs are pretty terrible, but I definitely don't dwell on it.  It is what it is.  I have always had really big thighs packed with a lot cellulite, because that's always fun right.  LOL.   Here are some things that have allowed me to work through my own issues.  First off, I work hard and I like a nice vacation.  This involves a lot of my hard earned money, so if  you think I'm going to sit on a beautiful beach somewhere tropical thinking about my thighs after I have spent my hard earned coins you got another thing coming.  To second that, I love swimwear and I love the beach and swimming it just doesn't seem right to spend it all covered up.  Second, I love a fancy cover-up, it's where I get to bring in the fashion element that I love.  I incorporate them into my beach look.  Finally, I tore my ACL in 2008, had surgery in 2009. Until I had my surgery, I was on crutches and in a brace.  Let's just say it was the worst, but through that I gained a real appreciation for the fact that I have two working legs.  They may not be the prettiest, but they work and I can't be mad at that.  I consider myself to be a very logical person, so I think my reasons are more logical than emotional. I hope this helps a little. 

Style Note: I actually have on two bottoms.  From an aesthetic standpoint I love this suit, but from a plus size friendly standpoint it's not the most plus friendly.  The strap on the top is thin and the high waist bottoms are not so high waisted.  I subbed in a pair of black high waist bottom from Lane Bryant to give me my desired coverage.  I did swim and move around in the double bottoms and it didn't feel weird or tight, I did feel more secure. 

Suit Top - ASOS, Suit Bottom - ASOS, Black Bottom (underneath) - Lane Bryant, Sheer Shirtdress - AshleyNellTipton, 'Fashion Crop Top' - ShopGarnerstyle, SwimBag - H&M, Sunnies - TomFord, Body Chain - ShopGarnerstyle, Shoes - Lane Bryant, Sheer Pants - SimplyBE

Blushing

I think I found my new favorite color.  I feel like it's hard to find the perfect shade of blush in plus sizes.  I see it everywhere in straight sizes. It's probably the reason this skirt came from H&M (straight sizes).  I wonder if it's just me and I'm not looking the right place.  I have, however, been eyeing this perfect blush colored moto for some time now and finally just bought it.  I'm in love with this jacket.  I putting it in my "keep this forever & possibly get buried in it" column. (Yes, there are things that I literally plan to keep and wear until until I'm old and gray, it's apart of my wardrobe building plan). This jacket is apart of the blogger collection for MYNT and was designed by fellow blogger Nicolette Mason.  The details on the jacket are amazing, the leather is so soft, and it really has that luxurious feeling. Some of y'all may wonder why I bought a leather coat when we are about to go into summer.  In the bay, the nights are generally always cool and we often have cool days throughout the summer.  Regardless, I would have still gotten it and saved it for fall if I didn't live in this climate. It was on sale and this is the time when I like to save money on my outerwear for the colder seasons. I also bought a white leather moto, as well.   

Style Notes:  My H&M skirt is a size 12.  It has an elastic waist and a midi length.  My waist hovers around 40 inches.  If you go looking for this skirt just try it on, you never know.  I bought the jacket in a 2X.  There's plenty of arm room.  I would have even went down a size so it would be more fitted in the bust/waist area.  I mentioned buying a white moto jacket from MYNT as well.  I bought a 2X in that one as well and it fit snug in the arms, so don't use the size down theory for every item.  

Make Up Notes:  I can't rave enough about my new lip cream.  It's called Velourlips and it's very similar to the Lime Crime's Velveteens in that it dries in that matte finish. I was gifted these by Mel from CurvyCartel.  She came to the bay area and wanted a shopping buddy.  Now I couldn't let the girl come all the way from the land down under and not take her around.  Needless to say we got in some shopping.  She gifted me three colors, a nude (Pu-ree), a pink (Mal-i-boo), and a red (Ny-cee).  All the colors are gorgeous, but the nude is just insane.  I've said this before, but as a woman of color the perfect nude is hard to come by.  It needs to be pigmented and have awesome coverage.  This is it.  I don't know how I lived my life without this color and I must never run out.  Just know I will be bugging Mel to ship me some from Australia.  

Jacket - Mynt (similar), Skirt - H&M (similar), Sunglasses - Nordstrom (similar), Shoes - 6pm (similar), Lips - Velourlips

Preppy Beach

Hubs and I went out to the beach yesterday to just walk around and get some some sun.  I'm totally not used to these northern California beaches.  Where I'm from you swim, layout, and what not. Here, not so much.  The water is really too cold and it's too windy for swimming and plus it's murky. Just saying. HA! I will try my hand at Santa Cruz later this year.  I heard that's the place to get your true beach experience from.  We'll see.    

Speaking of the beach and sunnin', I got to try out two products from Tree Hut.  The first is the Raspberry Macadamia Daily Defense body lotion with 20 SPF which can be found at Ulta.  Now yall I don't play about my spf. I am a firm believer in taking care of your skin for two reasons:  I want to look youthful like Halle Berry when I get 45 and skin cancer is real and especially among women of color who think that they don't have to wear spf.  Here in the bay, since the weather is so nice and it's always sunny I find myself outdoors a lot, so I make sure I that I do a full body sweep of spf application.  I hate the feel of regular sunblock. The lotions are really thick and hard to blend in and can leave you looking ashy.  What I love about the Tree Hut Daily Defense Cream is that it goes on just like a lotion, has a light and airy smell, and blends in really easy with the skin.  The second product I got was the Italian Mocha Firming Scrub, which can found at Walmart, smells like heaven in a jar.  I promise it really smells like Italian Mocha.  It combines a sugar scrub with ground coffee.  Ground coffee, from my own research, helps with inflammation and is said to help reduce the appearance of cellulite. For me, I can't really speak on that it's firming qualities because my legs have been bogged down in cellulite for most of my life, so I would almost need new legs to be able to test the theory.  What I can say is that it is an amazing scrub that left me smelling good, mosturized and I felt very soft and supple. HA! I wish I could jump in the jar.  For a chance to win a basket full of Tree Hut products visit their Facebook page here, entries take through May 30th.  Be sure to also check out the Olive Detoxifying Mediterranean salt scrub! 

Style Notes: I can't believe I'm in shorts, long shorts, but shorts just the same.  I haven't done a shorts since 7th grade. I figured if I was going to do it, I might as well go all out and get pink. These shorts fit nice and have a little stretch. I love the length on these. They are 13 inches long.  I wanted to also talk about my Sperrys, they run a little narrow.  I got a size 11, but a 12 would have been nice.  I was suggest if you have a wider foot, size up.

Top - Lane Bryant, Shorts - Talbots, Jacket - Lane Bryant (similar) , Shoes - Sperrys

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This post was sponsored by Tree Hut, opinions are 100% my own.

All White Party Picks

Flare Skirt | Maxi Dress | Cocktail Dress | Pants | Shoes | Belt | Bodysuit | Blazer

I had a reader suggest that I do a post for folks looking for looks for all white parties. I may not be able to do everyone's request, but I appreciate them.  They help me come up with new stories.  After over 6 years of doing this, you can have writer's block. Anyways, here are my picks for any impending white parties you may have.  I would also like to give advice on accessory and shoe advice.  Personally, I like nude or gold accessories with an all white outfit.  I know that sometimes people can feel like they have to do white shoes or a belt, but that just isn't so.  Pops of colors are also beautiful.  It's been a while since I've been to an all white even, but the last time I went, I had a white dress and a teal jeweled clutch.  Always remember, in fashion, it's good to have fun and don't feel too bogged down with the rules.  If the party is all white, you should definitely be able to slide in some different color accessories and shoes that will allow you to stand out in the sea of white. 

Home Decor Swap

I must admit I am a home decor junkie. I'll get a new theme in my head and it's out with the old and in with whatever new look I'm trying to accomplish for my home, so Swapdom adding a home goods section to their swappable website is right on time.  (Swapdom uses a "round robin" method of swapping, so that everyone gets what they want.  I give more details in a previous post here.)  Yep, you heard me right, now you can now swap home items that you've haven't been using for new fun things free of charge (except for the cost of shipping).  You can also cross swap across categories. So fashion can be swapped for home goods.  I'm including some of my own items that have been in my storage closet.  I'm swapping a vase, two matching throw pillows, and a cupcake holder (cupcake not included).     You can find all my items on my profile.  I can't wait to see what you guys put up on the Swapdom site.  I'm looking forward to swapping and getting some really cool things and giving my wallet a break from TJMaxx damage.  

This post was sponsored by Swapdom, all opinions are 100% my own. 

Just My Weekend

So spring is officially here for everyone.  East coast people I rebuke any more cold weather storms, feel free to join spring with the rest of us.  I'm personally excited to be wearing white and bright spring colors like in the outfits above.  This post I partnered with Just My Size to bring you stylish and affordable plus size fashion.  I think most of us are familiar with Just My Size.  They are always my go to for hosiery and work out gear, but did you know they have clothing (and fancy clothing at that) as well.  

Let's talk fashion.  So I chose these two dresses.  The middle had so many of my favorite colors.  You know I'm a sucker for vibrant colors like hot pink.  This was such an easy dress to wear, all I did was add a belt and go.  The maxi dress is in a vibrant teal.  There are so many ways, in addition to the ones shown, that this dress could be worn. I definitely see this on some of my upcoming vacation for a more relaxed look. All I would need to do is add sandals and curly beach hair.  (Can you tell that I am dreaming of Jamaica? Just 2 and 1/2 more months. LOL) As you see, I tucked some of the dress underneath your belt you can go from maxi to midi. It's a super simple transition. 

Style Notes:  Both items chosen both are made of stretchy fabric and felt good on the skin.  For my ladies that are looking for extended sizes, Just My Size does have some styles that do up to a 6X.  Yay! Look out also for the career coordinates on their website.  You can literally get a suit (jacket and skirt or trousers) for under $70. The maxi length is perfect for those 5'9 and under. 

Multicolored Dress - Just My Size, Teal Dress - Just My Size, Vest - Jean Marc Phillippe (similar), Kimono Top - ASOS, Metallic Flats - Kate Spade (similar), Wedges - Pour la Victoire, Necklace (2) - H&M

This post was sponsored by Just My Size, all opinions are 100% my own. 

Celebrity Style Capture - Janet Jackson

These are some quick snaps I took before my hubby and I went to grab some margaritas for Cinco De Mayo. I must say that I was feeling very "Janet Jacket, Love Will Never Do" in this look. I thought it be fun to do a little tribute to the queen, herself (looks over shoulder for Beyhivers & Beygeny).  This is one of her many looks that I love and will never forget. It's so simple and yet so super sexy.  Oh and I promise I'm not trying to give you a sexy look, the sun was in my eyes. HA!

I also wanted to talk about these jeans.  So I finally took the plunge and ordered some of the ASOS jeans.  I was interested in trying out the high waist jeans, so I figured felt like I had a good chance of getting a pair from ASOS and them working for me.  So here's the good and the bad:

The Good:

They fit like they are supposed to.  They are high waisted.  They do have some stretch, but they aren't overly stretchy.  I ordered a size 24 (in jeans I'm usually a 26). I could have possibly went down one size for the waist.  Another great thing about the jeans is that the ankles fit!!!! Too many times ankles of plus size jeans are too big.  

The Bad:

The crotch is really long. Like really long.  I wish they would have extended the zipper part over the long crotch. I was also hoping that the waist was going to be smaller because they are so high.  If you are a small waist, big hip kind of girl you may have to tailor them.  

The Verdict:

I like them.  I will have the waist taken in so I can wear them without a belt.  This is my first pair of jeans from ASOS and they aren't bad.  I know that I am a hard fit because of my measurements, so I am pleasantly surprised.  I would probably size down one size.  ASOS tends to run big anyway.  All in all, I would recommend them.  

Denim - ASOS, Tank - FashiontoFigure, Vest - c/o SimplyBe, Shoes - Calvin Klein (similar)

Spring Wide Width Picks

Pink Heels - SimplyBe, Snakeskin Flats - Lane Bryant, White Wedges - Payless, Striped Flats - Evans, Gold Heels - Nordstrom, Nude Sandals - Asos, Floral Flats - Barefoot Tess

I know you guys have been asking me to put up my wide width shoe picks for some time now.  Sorry for taking so long.  I have to admit that finding fashionable wide width options isn't the easiest task.  You definitely have to put in the leg work to find them.  I hope you can find something that you like. I, personally, ended up getting the LB sandals in the black and snakeskin.