It’s no secret that I love fashion and style however, I only really dress up when attending social events. I’ve never been in the habit of wearing makeup everyday and jeans and a tee is my go to outfit for casual anything. If I’m really feeling lazy and want to be comfortable I’ll swap out my jeans for sweatpants. I had the opportunity to work with my fellow blogger turned “friend” and stylist Essense Hill. Essense styled me for the Pose ‘N Post Symposium Raleigh Networking Event. I have to disclose that Essense doesn’t normally shop with her clients, I just got special treatment because I’m a work in progress. Lol! I went shopping with Essense to find the perfect outfit and to also take me out of my comfort zone. Essense also gave me some shopping tips from a stylists perspective. When I shop I’m usually pairing things together an have a color scheme or theme in my head. I don’t really stop to think how many times I’ll wear something or what else other than what I am putting together can I pair it with. I have clothes, accessories and shoes that I only wear a few times a year because it only goes with one or two particular pieces. Essense is all about mixing, matching and multi-purpose use.
Essense also gave me the must have staples in every woman’s closet. I have some shopping to do! We set out to find the perfect outfit and I LOVE a good SALE! We hit every department store in the mall and visited Forever 21. I also will add that I don’t usually try outfits on while shopping, and I went to the fitting room to try on everything. That’s a huge accomplishment for me! I usually just prefer to buy clothes and take them to try on and usually everything works out, but if not I just take it back and exchange it for a better size or return it. Essense had a classic look in her mind for me and we settled on White Nicole Miller Ankle Pants, White Bisou Bisou Lace Crop Top, Forever 21 Cloud Cami, and BCBG Floral Pumps from DSW. My hair was done in a classic natural styled updo by Denoltra Brown. Essense said Pearls were the jewel to top off the ensemble. So I wore a pearl necklace, earrings and bracelet. When everything was put together I absolutely loved it! I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have gone to the mall and put that outfit together. I will look at things a little differently when shopping from now on so I can get more bang for my buck! I know I won’t fail with Essense by my side. I have some fun challenges coming up this summer.
I personally have challenged myself to wear at least lipstick or lip gloss and mascara before I leave the house each day… at minimum! According to many of my peepz, I don’t have to wait to go out to a social function to wear makeup. Lol! Essense has challenged me to hang up my jeans and dress pants and to start wearing dresses, skirts and shorts for the Spring/ Summer season. I am going to accept her challenge and learn along the way. I have a thing for basic solid colors, I stay in my safe zone and I don’t own a lot of patterned prints, floral, stripes etc. I love the ombre look and color blocking. AGAIN… Essense is all about mixing and matching patterns. She gave me my first leopard print accessory (infinity scarf). This should be a fun ride, stay tuned and I’ll keep you in the loop with my progress. In the meantime take a look at some pics of my complete look. Be sure to check out Essense on her blog EssenseHeel.com #StyledByEssense