Summer Must-Haves

It's been a while since I've done a fashion post. I'm dedicating this one to items that every girl should have for this upcoming Summer. I have items with different price ranges so there's something for everyone. Enjoy!

Maxi Dresses


They are most definitely a must-have. They add elegance, flatter all body types and you can skip shaving your legs. Bright prints are nice for the day while a sleek style with tasteful cutouts adds more sultriness for the nighttime.

maxi dresses by beautywithbrainss featuring a racer back dress

Neon Colors


The 80s always seems to find a way to come back. The modern way to wear it is to use a neon color as an accent color and not all over to avoid looking like Vanilla Ice. Bolder girls can even pair two neon colors together as a form of color blocking. For example a neon top and shoe.

Neon by beautywithbrainss featuring a neon nail polish

Chiffon


This fabric is quite lovely. It adds a nice, fairy like feel to an outfit. It's delicate and ultra-feminine. I am loving it especially in hi-lo skirts. Hi-lo skirts are great if you want to show some leg but have the elegance of a maxi skirt. They look best when worn with a heeled shoe.

chiffon by beautywithbrainss featuring a sleeveless dress

AX Paris sleeveless dress
£23 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Elie Saab sleeveless blouse
$918 - boutique1.com

Bow blouse
$63 - modcloth.com

Rare London maxi skirt
£25 - rarelondon.com

Pencil skirt
£22 - desireclothing.co.uk

Polka dot clutch
$900 - etsy.com

Fashion Diaries: Puerto Rico OOTDs

Last weekend I went to Puerto Rico as a mini getaway. I had a fabulous time, felt so good to be soaking up some sun and indulging in Puerto Rican cuisine. It was my first time away from NYC in almost 3 years. My trip was for like four days and I packed like I was going away for ten. A girl has to have options, haha.

I definitely embraced colors during my trip, I tried as much as I could to stay away from black.

A glimpse at my vacation wardrobe...

bandeau: ASOS 

skirt: Forever21

necklace: Forever21

sandals: Bamboo

sunglasses: Michael Kors

top, skirt, feather necklace: Forever21

wedges: Dolce Vita

bangles: Earring Plaza (32nd St and Broadway in NYC)

hat: Walgreens in San Juan (the sun over there is no joke!)

bikini: Victoria's Secret 

sunglasses: Michael Kors

denim shorts: American Eagle Outfitters

dress: Vila

shoes: Sam Edelman

clutch: Kollares

necklace: Earring Plaza

cropped top: ASOS

skirt, clutch and bangle: Forever21

shoes: Dolce Vita

bikini top: Forever21

bikini bottom: unknown brand 

Airport Outfit back to NYC

top: Old Navy

pants: Forever21

flats: Mossimo

Thanks for checking out my post!

DIY Ombré Hair

I had decided to get ombré hair because it looked so easy to do and I wanted an edgy look to my hair. I was tired of my hair color and wanted to try something new. After researching it (thank you Google!) I decided to do it on myself.

The word ombré hair is French for "to shade". In the hair coloring world,  it is when your hair goes gradually from dark to light. It looks like you're growing out your roots a little bit. I wanted something similar to Camila Alves' ombre because I didn't want to go extremely blonde.

I have some hair coloring knowledge and I have dyed my own hair more times than I can count. However, the thought of bleaching my hair made me a little nervous. I had seen several tutorials where girls used highlighting kits for their ombre. However,  I had my hair dyed a chocolate brown previously so it required a couple of extra steps. I had to remove all the dye from my hair. So I used L'oreal Effasol Color Remover. I mixed the L'oreal Effasol Color Remover together with Vol 20 developer.

First I tied my hair in four pigtails, securing the bands below my chin. I didn't want the lighter color too close up. I used the pigtail method so it can be less messy and it was also easier for me. With the pigtailo method you have to remember to blend out the dye so you won't get a harsh line but a gradual lightening of color. I applied the Effasol to my ends first, I then waited for about 15 minutes before I  applied it to the rest of my pigtails. This is so my ends can be the lightest and sothe subtle change in shades can be seen. After applying it to the rest of the pigtails, I waited about 25 minutes and when I saw my hair lightening, I parked myself in front of my bathroom mirror to monitor it to make sure it didn't get too blonde.

L'oreal Effasol Color Remover

After about 20 minutes, I removed the pigtails and used the dye brush to blend the dye out so I won't have any harsh lines. I waited 10 more minutes then washed my hair. My hair was a horrible, gingery orange. I expected this to happen because of the natural red tones in my hair.

EEEEK! Scary right?

 To counteract the red/orange in my hair, I bought a violet toner. Yes, violet. Violet neutralizes the red and oranges in your hair by depositing cooler tones. I used Wella Color Charm in "Silver Lady. I mixed it with Vol 20 developer again but left it on for about 15 minutes. And voila! The ash tones in "Silver Lady" made the ginger mess into a nice neutral light brown/dark blonde.

My hair before:

And After:

For maintenance, I use hair ampoules that provide moisture for my hair since the bleach dried it out. I like THESE by Salerm.

More Ombre Pics:

I must say it is tough being a Latina with ombré hair. My hairdresser (of course I get my hair did at a Dominican salon) doesn't quite understand why I got an ombré. She thought it was a hair-dyeing accident lol.

Disclaimer: This post is based on my own experience coloring my hair. Try at your own risk and consult a hair care professional before attempting it on yourself.

Simple Spring Mani

I bought two polishes from the Essie "Navigate Her" collection that I haven't gotten around to wearing. SO I decided to wear one finally. Yesterday I did a quick and fun mani using "A Crewed Interest" as the base coat. I love this peachy color, it's so pretty! I'm pretty picky about pastels but this one looks great on me. The first coat applies a little streaky but the second coat takes care of that.

I used a dotting tool to create the dots on my ring finger. I decided to do one accent finger. If you don't have a dotting tool, you can use a toothpick. Just requires a little more patience.

I used an OPI base coat, "A Crewed Interest" as the base color and "Haute as Hello" by Essie and "Gianna's Rocking Blue" by Brucci for the dots. Then I used my Seche Vite top coat. By the way Seche Vite is AMAZING. Dries your mani super fast and leaves your nails so glossy.

I forgot to take a picture of my dotting tools but this is the set I have. They are by M.A.S.H and I got them for about five dollars on Amazon you can go HERE to purchase them.

Style Spotlight: Selena Quintanilla Perez

I've been wanting to do a style spotlight post on Selena for so long and today is the perfect day for it since it is the 17th anniversary of her death. I have  been a fan ever since I was a little girl. And the fact that we share the same zodiac sign (Aries) makes so much sense because I too have a fondness for extravagance. I love having bold colors or embellishments (mainly shoes) as accents for an outfit.

Till this day, I admire Selena's amazing style and how she was ahead of her time with her sense of style. She also wasn't afraid to show off that incredible figure. Those skin-tight pants are iconic! So here's to you Selena, for continuing to inspire me and many other girls and women around the world.

My favorite Selena looks:

from the "No Me Queda Mas" video. She looked so beautiful and elegant.

 the infamous purple jumpsuit from her last concert

A still from the"Amor Prohido" video. In this video,  wore her husband's shirt. This look was so simple and timeless. You can still be able to wear this today.

 LOVE the dress and the big bun!

I love these outfit, the bustier with the skin tight pants. Takes serious confidence to pull this off.

 the pleated maxi skirt is a big trend for Spring 2012. She was very fashion-forward for pairing it with a cropped top.

 I love that Selena was so sexy in a tasteful way. She showed skin but didn't go over the top. She didn't have to be half naked for the attention. Instead she drew attention to her herself with blinged out clothing, bold shoulders and big hair. So here's to you Selena for paving a way for female celebrities today when it came to fashion. May you rest in peace.

Here are some Selena videos:

My Love VoxBox

Hello I know it's been awhile. I have to be the person that has the worst luck with technology. My computer got wiped entirely and I had to have Windows re-installed. I was able to get it fixed but all my data is gone :(. I'm just glad I have a lot of it saved in memory cards.

I signed up for Influenster a couple of months ago and I received a Love VoxBox. If you want to sign up for Influenster, you can go HERE.

Here are the contents of my Love VoxBox:

 from left to right: Venus razor infused with Olay, Kiss nail strips, Stash herbal tea sampler, truvia sweetener and Ghirardelli chocolate

I've only tried the Venus razor and Kiss nails strips. I LOVE the razor. It leaves my legs pretty smooth. I'm not crazy about the nail strips. They only looked good for the first two days and then started chipping right away.

More updates once I try the rest of the stuff.