Quarantine Style w/ Femme Luxe Finery

I can't believe it's been over a month into quarantine already. I am not going to sit here and write about all the things that suck about it. I am fortunate enough that my son and I have a safe space to be in because there are many that do not have that privilege.  I just hope that this ends soon and that things can possibly go back to normal.

I have been busy creating content whenever I have the chance. My semester is over in about two weeks (yay!) so it is crunch time over here!  Plus, I have been helping my son with his own schoolwork and making sure he stays on track. While these times are challenging, they definitely are a test of our own strength and resilience. I have been cooking my butt off, cleaning excessively, and trying to stick to a routine as much as possible. I am happy that I am sticking to a workout routine as well, as it does a lot for my mental health in a positive way.

This post contains some awesome pieces that I received from Femme Luxe Finery. Femme Luxe Finery is an online boutique store based in the UK, They have a variety of trendy, good-quality clothing items at affordable prices. Their jeans, in particular, fit really well. They make your waist look really snatched! Even though I have been wearing a lot of cozier styles, sometimes you have to put on a great outfit to feel good. Also, putting on jeans occasionally helps keep that quarantine snacking in check. 

They are so many cute pieces to choose from that I did not even know where to begin! I already mentioned how much I love their jeans, a pair is featured in the video. I love the split-side hem and high-waist. I paired them with a crop top and blazer for a cute brunch look but you can def dress them up with a black lace bodysuit or another form of dressy top. The corset dress is worn in two different days. I wore it the intended way and then I layered a tee and denim jacket for a casual look. This piece was surprisingly versatile. The ruching is extremely flattering as well as the material. It is stretchy and has a bit of a grip to it. Apart from jeans, there is a great selection of trousers as well. From loungewear to sexier styles such as leather, there is something for every occasion.

It was a lot of fun creating this video. It has been a while since I filmed something and it was not as time-consuming as I thought it would be. I made a short version using TikTok for my instagram profile. More time on my hands has gotten me playing with TikTok a lot more lately. I will admit that I was a bit wary to use it because of the privacy concerns, but there are measures being taken to combat that. But, it is a very addicting app. And super fun to use. I'm not sure about adding it to my daily rotattion of apps though, as addicting as it is.

How are you all keeping busy during quarantine? What are your outfits of choice. I personally have been wearing a lot of workout gear. Today was my first time getting dressed up and doing my makeup in a while. It felt so good though. I kept my makeup on even after filming. Cooking up dinner was a glam experience tonight! Sometimes you need a reminder that you are all that and a bag of chips.

Outfits Featured
1
Blazer- Missguided
Top- Pretty Little Thing
Jeans (get them HERE)
Shoes- Zara
Bag-Mansur Gavriel
2
Corset Dress (Get it HERE)
Shoes- Public Desire
3
Corset Dress (worn as skirt)
T-Shirt- Peralta Project (get it (HERE)
Jacket- Gap
Shoes- Converse
4
Top- Femme Luxe Finery (similar style HERE)
Trousers (get them HERE)
Shoes-Zara


*This is a sponsored post*

Birthday In Quarantine

2020 has been quite an interesting year. We are only 89 days in and so far, there have been massive wildfires in Australia, Kobe Bryant's untimely death and threats of WWIII. Now there is a pandemic. COVID 19 or the coronavirus has been spreading, particularly in New York City due to its high population and congestion of people.

New York City is a ghost town. We have been advised to self-isolate and practice social distancing. Yes, spending my birthday in my living room is not ideal but I made it work. It also reinforced how lucky I am. I have shelter, food and basic necessities. I have a wonderful network of friends and my incredible family who made a great effort to make sure I enjoy my day. Also, just because I'm in my living room does not mean I cannot serve a look ;).

It has been a difficult couple of weeks. In a matter of days: I got laid off, learned that I will not be able to attend graduation or enjoy my workouts with my peers. I can only go out for basic necessities and enjoy solitary activities. In my opinion, we can be two types of people: those who complain about it or those who find alternatives. I choose to be part of the latter. I have been working out at home and enjoying solitary runs. With this pandemic, I have also been able to spend more time with Jeremy. Also, I have learned to slow down a bit. New Yorkers are always in a hurry and for now, having more time to do things is not so bad.

For those who are interested, I have work-out videos in my Instagram stories (@havtastic). They are home workouts with little equipment or using items you may have at home. Hoping everybody is staying safe and practicing safe measures. We got this!

top: Missguided, jeans: Femmelux, sandals: Reformation

OOTD: I Prefer Living In Color

I always start off with every blog post apologizing for my long absence between posts and vowing to post more regularly. It has been pretty difficult, but also, I have been feeling quite discouraged. As a micro-influencer, it's difficult to remain enthusiastic about blogging when it has become a numbers game. Less emphasis is being placed on the content, and it is more about how popular you are. I briefly considered shutting my blog down for good, but I enjoy doing it too much. This blog will always have a special place in my heart.

On to fashion! I really love how this look turned out. I was a little nervous when I added the earrings but I feel like everything came together beautifully. I wore clear mules to keep the focus on all the colors and not create too much distraction. I have done a post in the past about color blocking, which you can read here. Here are some additional tips as well:

-It is easier to color block with solid colors. As you get more comfortable, you can add different patterns. Breaking up the colors with denim is also a good way for a beginner to color block.

- Make sure your colors go well together. Brights go well with other brights. Pastels with pastels, etc.
Looking at a color wheel is a great way to see which colors complement each other. Once you have the basic color theory down, everything else is easy peasy.

image credit: www.birchbox.com

-A great way to color block without incorporating a whole outfit is to do it with accessories. I love pairing shoes and a bag in different colors and it makes the look a lot more interesting.

top & skirt: Missguided (links below), shoes: Zara, bag: Gucci Dionysus wallet on a chain

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OOTD: My Eurotrip

Two weeks ago, I went to Europe for the first time. I went to Barcelona  and Faro, a city in Portugal. I had such a wonderful time. These cities had so much stunning architecture. And do not get me started on the food! The trip started with some glitches. Our flight got delayed due to weather and I ended up missing my connecting flight. The next flight wasn't for another eleven hours, so we had a pretty long layover in Lisbon as a result. So we decided to seize the day and explore Lisbon instead of being shut-in inside an airport. Lisbon is such a beautiful city. I fell in love with the colorful houses and the people are so friendly and charming. We did a "tuk tuk" tour and those narrow streets are no joke!

Because of the layover, we only spent one day in Barcelona instead of two. We ended up doing so much. To maximize for sightseeing, we opted for a bicycle tour. Then, we visited a street fair/carnival we came across. And we finished it all up by  went partying at Pacha. Luckily the nightlife starts pretty late over there.

Keep scrolling for outfit photos and details.

romper: Missguided, sneakers: Adidas, shirt: borrowed from my sister, belt bag; Louis Vuitton Florentine pochette, sunnies: Amazon

dress: FashionNova, shoes: Zara, bag: Gucci

top: borrowed from my sister, jeans: ASOS, sneakers: Adidas, sunnies: Amazon

top: Forever21, shorts: Pretty Little Thing, sandals: Mango

top: Pretty Little Thing, pants: Forver21

Our last destination as Faro, Portugal. We stayed in Albufeira, which is a charming beach town. The views of the beaches and coastlines were breathtaking. I fell in love with Portugal. The people are so friendly and laid back and there was some serious eye candy over there. The food was delicious! I fell in love with "Nato", which is a pastry that is a specialty over there. I am currently searching for Portuguese bakeries so that I can get my fix in NYC.

swimsuit: Missguided

Every time I visit a new destination, I always come back learning something new. Just seeing how laidback the people in Portugal are made me realize that sometimes you just have to take the time to relax and just enjoy the moment. Usually for vacations, I have a bunch of things planned and an itinerary. This time around, a lot of it was spontaneous and it was great to be impulsive. it really worked in our favor.

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OOTD: Bicycle Shorts

I am late to the bicycle party because I'll admit, I though they looked stupid. It just looked too much like shape wear to me. Then, I saw some photos of the late Princess Diana rocking them and I was inspired. Princess Di rocked athleisure like nobody's business!

blazer & belt bag: Boohoo, shorts: Forever21, shoes & tee: Zara

I decided to wear mine with a loose fitting blazer because I just feel weird about having my crotch exposed and plus I didn't want the look to be so form-fitting.I added another trend as an accessory, le fanny pack (or belt bag for you Gen Zers). With some kitten heels, the look was polished, yet comfy. 

I would probably wear them more often as a layering piece. I was feeling the retro vibe it gave.

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OOTDs & NOLA Recap

top: Pretty Little Thing, pants: Forever21, sneakers: ADIDAS Stan Smith, bag: Louis Vuitton Florentine pochette

Last weekend, I went to New Orleans to celebrate my birthday. I enjoyed myself immensely.  I stayed in the French Quarter at the historic Le Pavillon hotel.  The hotel is very beautiful with antique furnishings and French influence in its design. Despite the rumors of it being haunted, I did not encounter any ghosts. The hotel was conveniently located by Jackson Square and Bourbon Street, making it easy to explore. The photos taken below were taken inside the hotel. It will give you an idea how pretty it was.

*At the end of this post, there are links to shop for my outfits. For items that are unavailable, I provided similar options. Hope you enjoy this post!

dress: @edyth_couture on instagram, shoes: Christian Louboutin Jonatina sandals

top (worn as dress): thrifted, shoes: Christian Louboutin Jonatina sandals

As expected, we had a blast on Bourbon Street. Tourists and locals alike were very friendly. I enjoyed dining in the Garden District (with the exception of Muriel's) a lot more as it wasn't so busy and you get more bang for your buck over there. We went to the Blind Pelican for lunch and had some fantastic chargrilled oysters. You get a dozen for about ten bucks. 

Garden District

For my birthday dinner, we went to Muriel's in Jackson Square. And there I had a creepy encounter. After dining, we went to have a look around. The restaurant is said to be haunted, and the restaurant always has a table set for its resident ghost, Pierre Antoine. The restaurant also has a seance room. While in the seance room, I went to open a door and felt as if the door was being pulled from the other side. I assumed it was a heavy door, so I pulled harder on the handle. All of a sudden, the handle was jerked away from me and the door slammed shut. We were all pretty creeped out!

seance lounge in Muriel's

table set for the ghost, Pierre Antoine

Besides stuffing my face, I also did a couple of tours. A Swamp Tour & a Ghost Tour. Both were very educational and very interesting. I was lucky enough to have guides that have a passion for their particular subject. Overall, I had a terrific time in NOLA. I can't wait to visit again!

baby Bruce & me 

a Hurricane cocktail

hot chocolate and beignets from Cafe DuMonde

Louis Armstrong Park

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