Why You Should Rock Black & White This Winter

Ciao you lovelies. 

What I'm listening to: She & Him - Baby It's Cold Outside

Fun fact about my life: I did absolutely NO shopping on Black Friday + Cyber Monday. It went against everything I believed in but since I was low on funds, I begrudgingly decided to not spend any money. Even for those sweet, sweet deals. 

I have to be perfectly honest, I've watched Breakfast at Tiffany's more times than I can remember. It's probably in the low hundreds.  I uncontrollably adore Audrey Hepburn, her classy and overwhelmingly elegant style, and of course, I'm in love with Cat.  

I chose this picture of Audrey because I love her and I love food and eating so.

I just love how Holly can wear a simple black dress and yet still look like the most stunning woman that ever lived and breathed (and you'd have a hard time convincing me otherwise).  Although I'm a firm believer in the  little black dress, I also believe in adding white into the mix. Also, I don't want to hear a single 'no white after labor day' comment because I will immediately dismiss you.  And then I'll feel bad and give you an over-the-internet kiss on the cheek.  The point is, I think the perfect mix of black and white is essential for a classy winter wardrobe.   And since I VERY rarely wear anything but dresses, I want to show you my favorite black and white dresses so far in whimsical filters.  I hope you like them! 

This is from Love Culture and is in the running for my favorite dress. 

This (from TJ Maxx) looks MUCH better on. The center is very form fitting and flattering, also the gold zipper on the back  is so pretty. 

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This is from TJ Maxx as well (okay, I happen to be in love with that store... I AM that cheesy actress on the commercials who proudly proclaims 'I am a Maxxinista!).

The best part (if you can even see it) is the back which has a big cut out which is adorable, especially if you have adorable back tattoos (which I don't yet so I suck).

And of course, I love black TOMS, and TOMS in general. You  know.  Probably wouldn't recommend wearing these with a dress though.

I wear black tights with my black and white dresses because it is cold where I live, so I like to have a pop of color somewhere in my outfit. Usually, I'll don a pair of colorful shoes like the ones shown in the picture. Yes, I am wearing black PINK yoga pants.  Classic common white girl move.

Another way to pop that color into your outfit would be to add a bow.   Bows are super cute, feminine, and they are available essentially everywhere and come in any color you desire.  My favorite bows are from Claire's, BowKuma (online) and from different sellers on Etsy. 

And last, but certainly not least, these are red lipsticks from the Kate Moss collection that go superbly with a black and white ensemble. I'm obsessed with red lipstick, and I practically never leave the house without a coat on.  Of course, if wearing lipstick isn't your thing, there are also beautifully colorful lip glosses and balms that you could look into. 

Happy hunting for your classy pieces! 

Hope these suggestions are helpful! 

-Carolina 

This is me going black and white for winter.  I have an awkward face, I know. ;)

I'M BACK.

Hey cutie pies! 

What I'm listening to: Beyonce - Love on Top (You can never un-listen to this song)

Fun fact about my life right now: Just ate a slice of pumpkin pie. The feels. 

It's been SO LONG since I've written anything here.  I think my last post was sometime in the spring, but I want to start blogging hardcore again. It's going to be difficult with school and working but I CAN DO THIS. YEAH.

Anyways. 

November was exciting!  I spent way too much money, ate way too much food, and enjoyed life a little too much (if that's possible).  Not to mention my birthday was on the 23rd.  SEVENTEEN BABY.  It's actually probably the worst age to turn.  It's not as exciting as your sixteenth birthday but you're still a year away from being a legal adult.  So even though the number sucks, my birthday was pretty brilliant.  I'll get to that in a little bit. 

The purpose of this post is to show you all the little things I did/recieved/bought this month.  The list is pretty ordinary and random if you ask me, but I'm still attempting to get back in the swing of things in terms of writing and coming up with things that I can write about. 

I bought this for a total of two whole dollars.  As a HUGE fan of Sanrio + Hello Kitty, I got these wipes mainly because the outside was so cute, I wanted to squeal!  But once I opened the package, I immediately was impressed.  The wipes smell SO GOOD, and they keep your hands clean which is important if you're like me and live in a place where it gets really cold and people are always sick.

This backpack is from Claire's, and I absolutely adore it.  I wanted something super cute for school, but  I was a little worried at first because I thought it wouldn't hold all that I needed it to. Surprisingly, it's very sturdy and spacious, even though it doesn't look like it from the outside.  It was fairly cheap, all of their backpacks are around $20 and I've gotten a lot of compliments from it.  The only thing I'd say is that I go to a community college for high school + college classes (Don't ask me to explain, it just gets more confusing) so I don't have to carry that many books or other things around so if you have a lot, I would suggest just using this backpack for traveling or short trips.

I wanted to get a good (and if I'm being completely honest, hipster-ish) pair of glasses  I found the perfect pair on Zenni  Optical's website.  You should all buy your glasses from them.  They are EXTREMELY affordable, mine were only around $13 including tax and shipping.  I absolutely adore the wooden part of the glasses.  They are so unique, fun, quirky, and cute, you should get a pair and then we'll be matching.  Plus, they arrive really quickly so you won't have to wait for long!

This month was a really good one for me in terms of shows.   I went to go see an Irish indie worship band called Rend Collective Experiment (Top left) on November 20th, I saw the musical Once on my birthday, November 23rd, and Frozen just a few days ago.  Both the concert and musical shows were incredible beyond belief, but I'll get to them later.  As a girl obsessed with Disney and an even bigger fan of Tangled, I had such high hopes for Frozen.  Even though I thought it was pretty cute, I thought it lacked in the musical department.  I didn't particularly enjoy the songs or some scenes, but I did think it was a visually incredible movie.  And I liked the quirky twists the movie had.

REND COLLECTIVE EXPERIMENT.  Accents, bowties, and amazing songs.  Seriously though, their voices are like those of angels.  I laughed and cried.  It was such a good time.  Not to mention, through vicious and violent brute force (okay, not really), I made my way all the way too the front right. Also, right by the bass speakers. Basically I could feel the thump thumping all throughout my body.  It was majestic.

Can I just say, the Palace Theatre in Ohio is breathtakingly gorgeous?  I mean, wow. Every room was completely lovely. As if I wasn't already excited to see Once. All of the actors/actresses were compelling and incredible at playing their instruments.  I've been an enormous fan of Once the movie starring Glen Hansard + Marketa Irglova, and I pretty much stalked Once the Musical ever since clips and previews came out on YouTube. And when I found out the show was playing on my birthday, I had to go. If you haven't looked it up yet, please do. The songs will make your feels go crazy. Seriously.  If you don't believe me, just listen to the reprise version of Falling Slowly. See if your heart makes it through the violins.  I hope to see the show countless times. 

This is a quick selfie that I took with my best friend since elementary school,  Eva at Once.  We also went with my other gorgeous friend Makenzie, but she wasn't in this picture. I think she was on a quest for a soft pretzel.  Also, way to go, granny in the top right corner who totally nailed the whole photo bomb thing.  Keep on doing what you do.
 Also, if you care to know, my dress that you can hardly see is from Love Culture. 

I took this on the way back from Once.  We were driving past a lot of open fields and farms and I thought it was perfectly exquisite.  I edited it when I got home and I look at it a lot when I'm feeling especially wanderlust-y.  It reminds me of the beautiful world that's out there, and I can't wait to someday explore it all.

So, with an addition of Thanksgiving, November was such a success.  The only part of it that was dismal was when I received a lovely speeding ticket. Yep.  A speeding ticket. Hooray. 

I'm so excited to be back!  I'll try to commit to writing often. 

What did you all do for Thanksgiving?  Has anyone else suffered the wrath of a speeding ticket? 

Until next time,

Carolina