Just an Announcement!

As I was sitting down to prepare this Sunday's post I realized I need to make a decision regarding blogging. The past weeks have been really overwhelming for me and for so many different reasons. I love blogging, but lately I realized I have not been delivering like I want to and this led to my decision of taking a break from blogging for a while.

Last month a couple of fellow local bloggers decided to start a community called Team Curacao Bloggers, this made me realize that this whole blogging thing is getting serious and I cannot be slacking on posts anymore. But unfortunately and also luckily school is taking over my life. I'm working on my final project to graduate, and this is probably the main reason for my decision right now. I tried for a long time, but I realized I just cannot balance working on my final project and blogging.

A Very Glam Week #002!

"It’s a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It’s all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together." — Alexander McQueen

Alesha Dixon at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Woman of the Year Awards in London

LANCÔME: La Vie est Belle!

What if happiness could be captured in a bottle? In 1949, Lancome founder Armand Petitjean asked his artistic director George Delhomme to create a bottle to symbolize the aura of women. Entitled The Crystal Smile, this bottle captures the quintessence of happiness: the grace of a smile cut into glass. 63 years later, and over one year of production, this design finally assumes its full significance with “La vie est belle”. Reinterpreted in resolutely contemporary aesthetics, it has been created in the image of a free and happy woman. - Lancôme

A Very Glam Week #001!

Recapping the week with the 6 best celebrity looks according to yours truly. Wishing you all a wonderful week! And always remember that “Fashion is not necessarily about labels. It’s not about brands. It’s about something else that comes from within you.” —Ralph Lauren

 Victoria Beckham at the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund

My First eBay Purchases!!

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may know that I recently bought a couple of items on eBay for the first time. Now, I used to be someone who was really really really skeptical about eBay. This skepticism was mainly because of other people's experience with eBay like getting the wrong items or the products didn't work. But I've learned that in life your opinion cannot be based on other people's experiences. So I decided to try eBay out for my self, so my opinion could be solely on my experience(s).

Of course if you are new to eBay I recommend you to do what I did, start with low priced items. Not only low priced items, but also items that if they arrived exactly as pictured and described you would have a use for them (actually that's why you bought them in the first place, right?). Before showing you what I got here are the tips I have for you when making purchases on eBay:

Newbies: Beauty products & stuff!!

Recently I was on vacation in the states and where I come from going over there means one thing & one thing only: SHOPPING!! I mean don't get me wrong, we have plenty of stores here where we can buy stuff. But I got to be honest that some stuff (if not the majority) tends to arrive pretty late on shelves in stores here and that is if they ever arrive. And you also have brands that are not available here at all. Lately, this situation has been bothering me for beauty products. You go to stores that carry certain brands, but they don't have all that brand's products which is annoying. But let me just cut to the chase & show you all the beauty products I added to my "collection" recently.

Favorite Fashion Creations #2: Paul's Boutique!

After getting a lot of compliments on my Paul's Boutique handbag, I knew it was time to write this post. For the past two years (+/-) I happen to stumble upon a lot of good brands & web-shops and Paul's Boutique happens to be one of them.

If I'm not mistaken I found out about Paul's Boutique browsing on ASOS, which was also new to me that time. One thing I like about this brand is that it is a good (colorful) alternative for the more expensive designer stuffs. And to me it feels like a mix of Juicy Couture & Victoria's Secret's PINK. 

Paul's Boutique was founded in London in 2002 by Paul Slade. "Over the last ten years, the brand has become a firm favourite with the urban - savvy youth and have grown with their cult following. The Paul's Boutique offering has expanded from clothing to accessories, footwear and perfume and the brand continued to experiment and keep the fun factor alive by introducing new fabrics and materials." -Paul's Boutique

The bag that first really caught my eye back then was this beautiful baby. 

Paul's Boutique Molly Polo Stripe Bag

The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards Red Carpet Recap!

 Allison Williams in Oscar de la Renta

NYFW: The Empire State of Fashion! (Part 2)

As promised in the first part of my New York Fashion Week favorites, here is part two. This post is all about my top favorites of the Spring 2013 Collections during NYFW. I have to admit that choosing only one favorite to top the list was not easy. It is quite impossible to be honest. Therefore I decided not to rank the collections but just make a list of my ultimate favorites with the looks I liked the most. So without further ado I present to you my top favorites of NYFW Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collections.

Diane von Furstenberg

Highlight of this show was definitely the Google Glasses :)

NYFW: The Empire State of Fashion! (Part1)

Whether you are a hardcore fashion lover or just someone with a slight interest in fashion, you should know that September is THE month in the fashion industry. September starts off with the famous September Issue of major fashion publications with Vogue's issue being the most coveted. Next, it is time for the anticipated fashion weeks starting in New York City and finishing in Paris at the end of the month. Like the title already spoiled, this post will be all about New York Fashion Week.

From September 6th to 13th it was time for the American (based?) designers to show their Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection. With a considerate amount of shows spread over one day for a duration of 8 days, it totally makes sense not being able to keep up with all the runway shows and presentations. But I managed to make a list of favorites and I'll be presenting them to you next. Although the collections are supposed to be ready-to-wear, some designers raise the bar just a little bit too much. My picks consist of looks that are very wearable. 

Chado Ralph Rucci

To be honest with you, it was the first time I heard of Chado Ralph Rucci and thanks to a couple of tweets. But I'm glad I did discover this designer.

In the Spotlight: Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival!

As I was looking back at another amazing year of the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival, I thought why not share this pretty amazing & surreal experience with you guys? For those of you who don't know what the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival (CNSJF) is, it is basically a 2 day festival happening in Curacao (duh!) with performances by different (major) international artists. The music genres varies from Jazz to Latin to R&B. This year was actually the 3rd edition of the CNSJF and oh boy, it was bigger than ever!!

We all have the dream of seeing our favorite artists in concert one day and if you live on a small island like me, that dream mainly involves traveling to another country when that artist is on tour. But for me now, it involves waiting on the line up for the next CNSJF!

As I already mentioned, in my opinion this year was the biggest & best festival so far. Not only because artists such as Alicia Keys and Mana were headliners for the festival, but mostly because of the whole "On the road to CNSJF" as I would like to call it. For me this all started on July 20th with the Prince Royce concert and from there it was the different concerts the week prior to the weekend of the festival. On August 26th there was the (free) Kirk Franklin concert. Not even in a million years did I imagine seeing him in concert and let alone on my island. And so there were more concerts that week, including artists such as Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, Tania Kross, Gregor Salto, Alain Clark and Gregory Porter. What I like the most about this event is that our local talents are not excluded. Every year you can find local artists as part of the program.

In Style Beach-hopping!

For all of you who don't live where it is sunny all year round, those beach hopping days are finally here. This means that you will probably confront some "What to wear?" dilemmas when planning your trip to the beach. With all the different types of swimwear out there nowadays, it may be difficult to choose. Especially when it comes  to mixing & matching.

In my previous post Wardrobe Essentials for Spring/Summer I told you guys what colors and prints are must haves for spring and summer. And I also threw a little bit of outfit ideas in it for you guys. Unfortunately this post will not be mixing and matching the perfect swimsuit combination for you, but it will be more of a guide for you when you choose your swimwear.

Count Your Blessings, Be Grateful!!

Yesterday I was having my usual lazy morning routine, which is basically having breakfast & watching tv, when I heard someone calling outside. When I went outside it turned out to be this guy who was looking/asking for a job. I assumed he could probably be around 16 years old. At that exact moment we couldn't tell him if we had something for him to do or not so we decided to tell him to come back later, so we could think of possible jobs for him. As he was walking away I couldn't help but analyze him from head to toe like I do with everyone. The only thing that came to my mind was that at that age you are supposed to be having fun & not struggling to make ends meet. It was then that reality hit me.

Not all of us are able to say that we had a childhood filled with lots of fun and no worries. Not only our childhood but our lives up until now also. And those of us who are able to say this, are we always thankful?
In the fast paced world we live in nowadays it is easy for us to loose track of the things that are important and we take everything for granted. We rarely stand still & take a moment to be thankful for everything in our lives.
This instantly reminded me of the quote "What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked [God] for yesterday?"
I remember the first time I heard this quote was a couple of months ago during my internship and sadly enough I realized I would have wake up that morning without anything.

This all made me take a look back at my life, count my blessings and be grateful!

On a daily basis I take things like food, clothes, health, family and friends for granted, or at least I used to. Everything changed last year when my grandma passed. This was a really life changing experience for me. It taught me to be more grateful for things in life. And I am not saying that I am a completely changed person. There are days I wake up without being grateful for another day or I go to bed without saying my prayers. But I came to realize that this whole being grateful thing is a long process and I can assure you I still have a long way to go. Maybe it will take months or even years for me to get there, but once I get there I know that as a human being I have achieved a lot.

Being grateful has also a lot to do with someone's ability to give back or someone achieving a lot, but still staying humble.... but maybe I'll write about that in another post....

Soooo, have you count your blessings today? & what are you grateful for?

xx

-S

The Amazing Emma Stone!

For a while now, Emma Stone has been one of the most fashionable young stars of Hollywood. With The Amazing Spiderman coming out tonight at midnight, there is no doubt she needed to look as good as possible for the different premiere & press events the past week(s). Personally, Emma Stone is one of my favorite young females out there, she is so talented and gorgeous. Most of the time (if not all the time) she looks so effortless, and let's be honest there is nothing better than someone who doesn't need to try (too) hard to look good.

 

Fashion Trend/Statement #003: Scarfs!

These past days have been filled with online shopping & most of all online "window shopping" for me. For some unknown reasons, the one thing I always end up wanting to buy even though I'm sure they will sit in my closet without me wearing them, are scarfs! I always had a thing for scarfs, but in the region I live it would be a waste of money to buy them, but I think this fascination started again on ASOS, with this really cute River Island's leopard scarf!!

They are the cutest things, and how they are styled/presented totally makes me want to buy them.

The 11 Things Tag!

A couple of days ago I got tagged by the lovely Ms. Berry from Perfect Shade of Brown to do the 11 things tag. Just to give a brief description of what this is all about; it is simply that a blogger tags you and asks for you to answer 11 questions they formulated. And that is not all, I also have to tell you guys 11 things about myself.
So basically this post will be me answering those 11 questions from the tag and also telling you guys 11 things about myself.

Let's start with the 11 questions that were given to me...

1. What's your middle name and do you like it?
My middle name is Victoria. Although common I absolutely love it since it is spanish for Victory, and I'm sure that my future is going to be an amazing one ;)

2. What's your favorite number?
Actually I don't have a favorite number...

3. Do you have any siblings?

Yeps, my big sister who annoys the heck out of me but I love her damn much!!

In the Spotlight: Nasty Gal & Material Addict!

It is no secret that I am obsessed with online shopping, so for me finding out about new & interesting online stores is always great. This is also important as your style & taste evolve and you want to step away from your comfort zone, which for me is Forever21!
Some time around last year I came across this amazing online store called Nasty Gal. I think that right now a lot of you already heard of it since I know that from the day I came across it to now it has really grow into this must go to for edgy, colorful & vintage clothing. What I like about Nasty Gal is that no matter what your style or comfort zone is, you will always find one item (at least) that will make you step out of your comfort zone and try new things!!

If you are some one who never thought about trying bright colors, hot pants or statement accessories, you should definitely pay Nasty Gal a visit. They will not only make you see that these things are wearable, but you can also combine them in the same outfit!

And next we have Material Addict. Do you remember when Facebook and Twitter taught you a lot? Wellll, now it's time for Instagram!! Yesterday when getting my daily dose of Instagram I came across this picture, and instantly I was like "I want that clutch!". A few seconds later I found out it was from Material Addict!

Cupcakes with Marshmallow on Top!

Hey dolls,

First of all my apologies for being off the grid for such a long time. A part of the reason is that I've been busy with school stuffs & the other part is I was plain lazy. But to be honest I missed blogging so I just had to get back to it :)

If you know me or have been following me on twitter, you probably know that in my free time I really like to bake, especially cupcakes. To make things easier my recipes are simple "Betty Crocker cake mixes & add everything the box says". Since half the job is already done for me with the cake mix, I like to get creative with how I decorate or with the flavors.

The Met Gala Red Carpet Recap!

Last night was another night for celebrities to do what they do best; dress to impress! This time it was for The Met Gala. The Met Gala (or ball) is an annual ball celebrating the opening of the Metropolitan Museum's fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute. Hosted by Vogue, it is no wonder that The Met Gala is described as the "Night of Nights" in the fashion industry. This event is not only considered to be the top social event in New York City, but it is also considered to be the best red carpet event of the fashion world. Now, without further ado, I present to you my favorites of last night.

Leslie Bibb in Zac Posen

Styling 101: Designer vs Non-Designer!

Even though designers dominate the fashion industry, people should never forget that fashion is not all about designers. It is basically clothing, trends and how you style it! Ralph Lauren said it best "Fashion is not necessarily about labels. It’s not about brands. It’s about something else that comes from within you."
You can wear designer from head to toe and still look hideous, whereas someone wearing non designer clothes can look like a million bucks!

And please don't get me wrong, I have nothing against designers. Actually I have a couple of designer goods on my wish list myself but I mean there is nothing wrong with mixing things up.

If you are on a budget, but still wish to invest in some designer goods, to me the designer goods that are totally worth the investment are mainly accessories, like sunglasses, shoes, handbags and watches (jewelry). Since handbags tend to be more expensive my advice will be to find classic or limited edition pieces of that particular designer. In this case your bag will be "classic" & not "last season" as time passes.

In the Spotlight: Curacao International Fashion Week!

Yes Yes, you read it right; Curacao International Fashion Week!!

When I first read about this event on Facebook I was a little skeptical about it since it was plain Curacao Fashion Week. I started to wonder how many local designers existed and if they could pull off a fashion week. But as more information about this event emerged I went from skeptical to excited. It happens to be that the event is Curacao International Fashion Week and it is exactly this international nature of the event that really changed my perspective.

"Curaçao International Fashion Week has as goal to be the leading event in the Caribbean for fashion designers to showcase their collections to a global audience of press, retailers, stylists, industry influencers and establish itself as a platform of discovery promoting innovative fashion designers through runway shows and exhibitions, without excluding the most important part of this event which is promote internationally what makes Curaçao special among Caribbean Islands."

Wardrobe Essentials for Spring/Summer!

After receiving a couple of request for a post on colors for Spring & Summer I decided to do a 2-in-1 post. I was already working on a post about what colors and prints are wardrobe essentials right now. But since Spring is approaching and Summer is not that far, an integration of these two seemed to be the best approach.

When it comes down to colors and prints, everything really depends on your style, what you feel comfortable wearing or your dare level. Meaning that style and taste are really personal, but that doesn't mean you can't take inspiration from something or someone and make it your own. So consider this post a guide for your Spring & Summer wardrobe.

The wardrobe essentials (must haves) according to me are:

• Lace
• Aztec/Tribal Print
• Pastel & Bright Colors
• Khaki-ish
• White
• Stripes

In the Spotlight: My Fashion Database (MyFDB)!

Forgive me for discovering this website until now! I still can not remember how or why I stumbled upon this major website, but whatever the reasons might be I am glad & thankful.
"My Fashion Database is the fashion industry’s go-to resource; we celebrate the credits that move fashion forward! We organize fashion credits of all the latest covers, campaigns, and editorials from publications and brands around the world."

That description could not have been more precise. On MyFBD.com you can find magazine covers, editorials, campaigns, people(ranging from photographers to models) and companies. So just like the name already says it is this huge fashion database. What I liked from things I've seen so far on the website was that some of the magazine covers and campaigns date back from the 90's so you can clearly see how things have changed the past decades.

Menswear According to Trey Songz!

When I started this blog, menswear was definitely one of the topics on my list to be covered. I just didn't know how to present it until now! I feel like the male figure is starting to have its own role in fashion, but little attention is paid to it.
For some unknown reasons, the past weekend was filled with conversations about Trey Songz for me. So I went on and did some research on Mr. Tremaine Neverson's style and I found out he was featured in the March edition of GQ magazine and I instantly knew how to present the menswear section. Even though the interview was not exactly about Trey's sense of fashion, I know that most of the time celebrities do not agree for a shoot if the clothes they are wearing does not speak to them or if it's not their style. Meaning that I feel like everything he wore for the shoot was 100% true to his style.

Fashion Obsession/Addiction #001: Blazers!

Nevermind my name... I'm a blazer addict. I've been digging the whole blazer trend for a long while now, but ever since purchasing my first blazer last year I've been obsessed with blazers. Unfortunately for my obsession I live on a sunny island where wearing blazers on a daily basis or even once in a while might not be such a good idea. Honestly I feel like this is one of the addictions I will never ever get over. It will be one of those pieces of clothing I must have in (almost) every single color. 

Currently I own a black one purchased at Bershka last year around August in Colombia, but I'm looking forward to add more blazers to my closet soon. I constantly look at blazers on online stores like Forever21 and stuff, but since the fitting is very important to me I'm not risking buying blazers online to avoid having them too tight or too loose.

The 84th Annual Academy Awards Red Carpet Recap!

Last night was another night in Hollywood for celebrities to bring their A-Game to the red carpet. This time it was for the 84th Annual Academy Awards, a.k.a. the Oscars. And of course, as I've been doing for a while now I recap the red carpet event for you by presenting my favorite looks of the night. 

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace

New York Fashion Week Fall 2012! (Part 3)

With mixed feelings I present to you the last part of my favorite looks from some of the Fall 2012 Collections during New York Fashion Week. Even though it was a lot of work going through all the looks from the different designers, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. 

Narciso Rodriguez Fall 2012 RTW:

New York Fashion Week Fall 2012 (Part 2)

As promised in part 1 of my favorites from the New York Fashion Week Fall 2012 Collections here are some more that made it on my list of favorites. Enjoy :) 

Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2012 RTW:

New York Fashion Week Fall 2012 (Part 1)

From February 9 to February 16 it was time for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to literally take over New York City. During this week designers got to show their Fall 2012 Collections. As I already mentioned in an earlier post, it is almost impossible to keep up with every single designers collection presentation. But thanks to Style.com I can present to you my favorite pieces from some of the collections I picked.. Enjoy! 

3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2012 RTW:

The 54th Grammy Awards Red Carpet Recap!

Last night was another night where celebrities got to shine on the red carpet. This time it was for the 54th Grammy Awards. As usual some got to shine more then others... and here I present to you my favorites of the night...

 Adele in Giorgio Armani. You can never go wrong with a black dress, with red lips Adele certainly looks stunning.

In the Spotlight: Ashley Madekwe!

If you ever watched the ABC series Revenge, Ashley is no stranger to you. She is definitely THE fashionista on this show. There is not an episode I can say that her outfit disappointed me. Being the assistant and chief party planner for one of the wealthiest Hamptons elite, it is necessary maybe even mandatory to be glamorous like Ashley. 
Good thing is that her sense of fashion doesn't belong only to her character Ashley Davenport on the show, but it stays with her in her daily life. All I can say is I love her style! The following pictures are both on set and real life..

Fashion Trend/Statement #002: Envelope Clutch!

Oversized (hand)bags have been quite a fashion must-have for a while now... but recently (oversized) envelope clutches are starting to dominate the whole bag scene. What I like about this trend is how it is an oversized statement, but still in a minimal way. If you compare it to a normal bag it is still "less bag". And this envelope clutch can take your outfit from day time to night time in no time. At the end of this post you will also find a picture with a DIY on envelope clutch.

SAG Awards Red Carpet Recap!

Tonight was another night of a red carpet event filled with well known celebrities and also some less known. Either way most of them really know how to kill it on the red carpet(probably thanks to their stylist.. or maybe they have a sense of fashion too). And just like with the Golden Globes, I now present to you my favorites of the night. Before I start I have to say that sometimes when you look at the coverage of the event on tv, some of the dresses look so gorgeous and perfect on the person, but when collecting pictures for a blog post, that same dress does not get photographed well and that is really sad.


And my favorites are.....

Fashion Trend/Statement #001: Bow Tie on Females

To be honest with you guys, I wasn't feeling this trend at all. But now I'm really digging bow ties as a way of accessorizing an outfit for females. 

Elie Saab Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

This week I found myself looking at a lot of picture and footage of last year's Spring 2012 collections. I have to say that it is really hard or maybe even impossible to keep up with every single designer's runway show or presentation. But hey, if you're up for the challenge you can always try. I'm a huge fan of ready-to-wear collections. After looking at pictures of the Elie Saab Spring/Summer 2012 Collection (Paris), I decided to look up videos of the actual runway show... All I can say is that this show was Graciously Gracious!!

Nail Polish 101: Cherries In The Snow by Revlon

If you're really into nail polishes and you're dark skinned like me, often you come across this really amazing color, but it ends up not going well with your skin tone. I've had this dilemma for a while now with red-ish nail polishes. They end up being way to red for my skin tone or to bright. But a couple of weeks ago I was at a friend's house and I was trying a couple of her colors. Of course in order to see if the color really matches, you can't do just one nail, you'll have to do one hand full. I tried different colors until I came across the 270 Cherries In The Snow by Revlon. All I can say is: I'm hooked!! The following pictures are 100% true to the color.

Golden Globes Red Carpet Recap!

Today was the Golden Globes. Just like any other award show, I'm more interested in what everyone is wearing and how they look, shortly the red carpet event. Although most of the people walking the red carpet looked gorgeous, a few of them really stood out. Here follows pictures of my favorites of the night... Enjoy ;)

Kate Beckinsale in Roberto Cavalli

Favorite Fashion Creations #1: Hervé Léger by Max Azria!

We all have a list of expensive fashion items we dream of owning one day. Whether they are clothes, shoes, bags or sunglasses truth is most of us can not really afford them (yet).


For the past few months I've been really obsessed with bandage dresses from the Hervé Léger by Max Azria Collection. I don't know if it is the colors or the silhouette of the dresses, but truth is I love this collection. The colors are so bold, but still it doesn't take away the classy-ness of the dresses.


Here follows a brief history of the brand:

Celebrity Look Review: Fergie!

Hey dolls,


As I was telling you guys, one of my goals for this blog is to review celebrity looks and this is going to be my first time doing it. 

We are already entering the second week of the year, but I was looking at pictures of NYE parties and I couldn't help falling in love (although with mixed feelings) with the dress Fergie wore to the 1 Oak NYE Grand Opening in Vegas.
This dress is from Nicolas Jebran's Autumn Winter 11 Couture Collection. What I like most about it, is the mosaic details it has and how it shapes the body. I'm not a big fan of gold-ish anything, but the fact that she didn't over-do the dress with accessories was a major plus. She kept the gold theme going in a minimal way with the clutch combined with gold & silver shoes. 
Even though this dress looks pretty, I have my doubts about it being comfortable. But comfortable or not, Fergie looks A-mazing in it. What do you think about it?




XX

-S

Denim... And a pop of color (or not)!

Lately I've been really into denim shorts. I'm even turning a couple of old pair of jeans into shorts. Basically this look was inspired by the denim short. When wearing (really short) shorts, I always opt for a top that covers the majority of the upper body, like in this case with long sleeves if necessary. Having the upper body covered will make your outfit look classy instead of trashy. Looking for basic long sleeved shirt I found this denim shirt which was perfect!! The accessories just to make the outfit a little more Street Chic.

In the Spotlight: Nylon Magazine!

In November of 2011 I was traveling to the US, and one of the things I always do when I land there is buy me tons of magazines. It’s not that there are no magazines where I live, they are just (way) more expensive compared to the US price. For a couple of years already I’ve been a reader of Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and from time to time Vogue, Marie Claire & ELLE also.

I can’t remember how, but a couple of days before my flight I heard about Nylon Magazine and I decided I’ll buy the November issue (shown below) just to see what this magazine is all about. Well guys, I’ve been hooked ever since. I don’t know what it is about the magazine, but it is so different than other magazines I’ve been reading for the past years .What I like more about it is that even though it covers fashion and celebrities, it has this amazing down to earth feeling to it.