Ahh our love of flannels is never ending. It is a staple in most wardrobes due to the easiness of wearing it, pairing it and getting "that" look.

When wearing flannel you need to decide on the "look" you are going for.  Grundge, JCrew classic, Casual date night or lounging.

Here is some tips for each category:

Grunge: Jean, (ripped tops this look off), very little jewelry, very little makeup. You can pair this with a tank top and complete the look with wearing the flannel shirt around your waist or over the tank, unbuttoned. Shoes should be downplayed. Think flats, chucks, boots or sandals (weather permitting of course)

Jcrew Classic: This look can be paired with jeans, slacks, or a skirt. I pair it alone, buttoned up or with a plain tank. The flannel MUST be ironed to give the polished look. Jewelry is a MUST. A nice watch with bracelet and simple rings OR a chunky necklace/statement necklace with minimal other jewelry...(when wearing a statement piece always downplay the other pieces of jewelry making the statement piece the center of attention)
This look is always good with a small heel or a riding boot.

Casual Date night: This look is one of my favorite to pull off on a date. You look fashionable and put together but relaxed and not too dolled up. I repeat the Jcrew look but ALWAYS wear the flannel with jeans and HEELS. There is just something about wearing heels on a date that completes the "look". Maybe its because you walk a little sassier when you have heels on, or maybe it's because you have to stand up straight and act like a lady :)

As always with fashion..being YOU is what's important.
I have MANY looks in fashion & I feel comfortable in all of them and to me that's the key.

Be you, have fun with your style, try new things, shine a little brighter and remember the key to beauty is your smile!!!!!!!!!

xxoo

Fall fashion

It's my favorite time of year! Let's talk about the fashion and fall colors you can pull off this time of year.

My go to's?! flannel's with shorts, jeans or leggings, jeans paired with tee-shirts, light weight jackets with leggings, kimonos and shorts, boots and accessories such as light weight scarfs, wool floppy hats, and beanies.

Colors should represent the season. Plums, oranges, dark reds, blues, greens, and yellows. Look outside at the changing leaves for inspiration.

Want an industry secret? Look at magazines, store front windows, or even a great outfit walking past to get ideas in your own wardrobe/closet.

Some visuals:

Pucker Up

Mmmwaa

Let's talk about lips. They are the universal sign of beauty, allure, expression, and sooo much more.
I was blessed with nice full lips so I've had the advantage of being able to downplay or make my lips the most striking feature on my face.

Downplaying is usually done with simple glosses or chapsticks that give your lips the touch of color/shine without adding a heavy colored pigment.
Daytime, working out, casual activities  is usually when downplaying is used.

One of my FAV 'touch of color'-that has a ton of moisture lines is, #Maybelline #BabyLips. This is a way for you to have color and shine on your lips without a heavy pigment. My two fav's are:
Cherry Me & Grape Vine

(If you can find the BabyLips in Sorbet, SEND me one!!! I think they discontinued it and it was my ABSOLUTE FAV of their line. Kind of a blend of baby and hot pink).


Striking lips are my ultimate fav! It doesn't matter if you have full lips or semi full lips, you can gain the polished look with two products, chapstick and color.

This color I get compliments on every time I wear it. It's from the #NYCcosmetic line. #405 Blue Rose.

Every girl needs a good red lipstick! I found a line at #Ulta that I LOVE called #EssenceCosmetics. This color is #03 Dare to Wear 

Another way to add color and volume to your lips is with lipliner. 

I use liner to enhance my pout naturally,  & create symmetrical lines 

Here's a how-to video

So pucker up ladies & always remember

Lipstick is the ultimate accessory

Who wears short shorts?! We wear short shorts

Today lets talk about shorts. There is a right way to wear shorts and a wrong way to wear them.

I'm 5foot 3inches tall and do not have the longest legs, so to help give the illusion of longer legs I do two things. I wear shorts that hit my thigh half way and I pair them with wedges. Voilà, long legs.

Now, be careful with the length of the shorts and the height of the heel/wedge. You can go too short on the shorts or too tall on the heel and run the risk of looking a lil too scandalous for the classy look you were going for.
My rule of thumb... if the shorts are shorter, pair it with a longer sleeved shirt and consider flats to remain classy.
Think- if it's short on bottom, wear it long on top, if it's long on top, wear it short on bottom..get it?! That way you won't look trashy, nor will you look dumpy.

Today's outfit was accented with  rose gold jewelry, which is my fav!!! I've been a gold-lover since I was a kid, (thanks Daddy) Gold pairs well with my skin and is a stylish look in today's trends. My wedges have a gold buckle on them, so this was my key to matching my jewelry as well as sunglasses.

My shorts are a busy floral print, so to compliment this I stuck with a white cotton shirt. I like texture added vs just a plain shirt so I opted for this cute fringe top. Since my shirt is detailed with the fringe, there is no need for a necklace. You don't want to make the mistake of over accessorizing.

Gold stud earring, rose gold watch, bracelet and finally mirrored aviators to finish the summer look.

We're going for a polished look, so it must all fit well together.

And lastly, tan those legs!! I'm a SPF 30+ lover, so I don't get the golden brown tan I used to as a teen with only baby oil on my legs..but we now live in a day and age where self-tanners give you the tan look without the damage.

My FAV is the Endless Glow tanning line. They have lotions, aerosol spray (my fav) which are easy to use, smell amazing, and have the bronze, not orange result.
I will do a blog entry on the self tanning line later, but honestly I have been in the beauty industry for 14 years, tried everything and this by-far is my fav!!!

Here is are the details of my outfit:

Top: #forever21
Shorts: #laurenconrad
Shoes: #michaelkors
Watch : #katespade
Bracelet: #bananarepublic
Earrings: #stroudjewelers
Pink Sapphire Ring: #mizrahidiamonds
Sunglasses: #h&m
Airbrush tan: #endlessglow

Simple Fashion

Simple, easy fashion for today's post.

Early day so I knew my hair would have to be a ponytail type of style but since I knew my outfit was going to be black leggings,  I opted for the messy bun. There is something about tights and hair buns that go well together. Maybe that's the dancer in me, but it seems to always pair well.

Since my outfit was neutral solid colors I needed to add a pop of color, and you can see this was done with jewelry. Summertime calls for this Sea green and its the perfect color to bring out the hazel in my eyes, accent alongside a solid gold band & my #alexandani birthstone bracelet.
As you can see, simple, fashionable and  EASY!

Here is the outfit breakdown:
Top: #forever21
Earrings: #nordstrom
Bottoms: #forever21
I'm so in love with these fringe scandals from #forever21
Sunglasses: #smithoptics
Bracelets: #alexandani
Ring: #stroudjewelers
(Messy bun tutorial coming soon)

ALLLOOOOOOHHHAAAA!!! If you are reading this, you must have received my new-instagram request...even tho it's totally bare!! :)
Be patient people, I will add new photos daily and hopefully blog entries as well as youtube tutorials.
On what, you might ask...
well that's a work in progress...my obsessions: photos...fashion...hair tricks...kid stuff...
I've had ideas swimming around in my head for years and so I figured it's better late than never...right?!

Mahalo for following and I'll do my best to keep you entertained!
p.s. if you have any suggestions on things you would like to know/see/hear/lmk!
xxoo

time to take time..

Okay, so life happens.

We get sooo busy, that we negate(newest word i use often, why, idk?) things we should do, but never seem to find 'enough time' to do.

So, somewhere in my cute lil mind, i figured, Hey, who cares if it's not the most eloquent post, spelled right, funny, or even intriguing..it's for you, it's for your children, and for whoever else cares to read on...

Time to take time to "catch up". Where to start???

How about, I'll just write a journal entry daily, and not worry if it falls into the present ...

enjoy...

Life is wonderful. I have finally accepted my place in this city of super bubbly, super happy, and super LDS world. Don't get me wrong..I'm LDS, I'm bubbly, and tend to be happy 98% of the time, but this world, where i currently live..it's a lil nuts!

I love it.

I've learned to stop picking it apart and comparing it to the place i still call home., but,... we are talking night and day differences.

Literally people! NIGHT AND DAY.

The culture, the people, the vibe, the styles, the diversity, the frame of mind, the energy, the creative randomness, the cleanliness, the food, the night life, the church life, school, work, neighborhoods....it's all very different. One not being better or worse, just different!

I 'hear' things here.. birds singing, wind chimes blowing, children laughing as they play. I see things with more 'opened' eyes. The beauty, the land.

I love the 'outdoorsy' part of UTAH. I go on a morning jog/walk/hike/stroll(depends on my mood) and i realize daily, my love of nature, and the beauty that Utah holds.

It's now Spring time, and all the trees are in bloom. My Nephew Osiris told me, with big bright eyes '"Auntie Noni, don't you just LOVE the Popcorn trees"? They are beautiful.

Pink and White trees lining well manicured streets. It's lovely.

In Los Angeles you see a lot of pretty colors in Nature as well. I remember our nightly walks on the Chandler path with the girls skateboarding, or all of us rollerskating, and thinking the same thing. The contrast of Greens in the trees and Palms, the brightness of pinks, yellow, reds, and oranges in the tropical lush flowers. All the colors both here and there are so pretty.

The Los Angeles and Salt Lake the Sunsets are pretty neck in neck in beauty. It's a different kind of beauty in each city. LA, masked by the city's glow. SLC the Sun sets on the Great Salt Lake, and the colors are indescribable. Reds, Oranges,Yellows, Blues, Purples.

My parents house sits up on the East bench, high on the mountain side, and the view from their balcony is AMAZING! Visiting i would spend each night at sunset, soaking in the beauty. Living here, i try to take it in as often as i can.

It's amazing to me how much you take where you live for granted. Visiting SLC i used to 'awe' at it's beauty. I couldn't take my eyes off the Mountains, the City at night, the Change in Seasons.

Living in L.A. I didn't take advantage of the beach as often as i should have. I didn't enjoy all the fruit trees, and all the different landscapes SoCal has. Now that it's not in my backyard, i crave it...like i used to crave Utah's beauty.

So, lesson learned, and applied daily....

ENJOY what's right in front of you!

Find JOY in all things...both big and small.