As a teenager, I was never good at holding on to money. I was constantly spending the little money I would get on trendy clothes at the mall and fast food. The thrill of spending money gave me a false sense of empowerment. It wasn't until recently that I was tired of not having a safety net. I rarely would have money for unexpected expenses or for spontaneous dinners with friends. I knew I needed to make a change before I landed myself in extreme debt. This is why I actively made a change to start saving. Below are three ways that any shopaholic can use to manage money.

1. Making A Budget

Set aside the time to give yourself a tight allowance is the first step. I calculate how much money that I typically earn each month along with estimated my expenses. Right now I'm using the 50/20/30 rule. Which means I set aside 50% of my monthly income for fixed expenses, 20% for savings, and 30% for flexible spending. If my income is $1,000 in January, I can assume I will earn around $1000 in February too. Which means I'll set aside $500 for bills and subscriptions, $200 to be saved, and $300 set aside for groceries or small trips to Sephora. Physically seeing my limitations has helped tremendously with staying on track. The 50/20/30 can always be adjusted to fit your lifestyle. Ratios like 60/10/30 or 70/10/20 can work as well. 

2. Shopping Smarter

I can't even lie, I will always be a shopaholic at heart. I just really love retail therapy. These days, I just make better decisions before I swipe my card. Whenever I shop for clothes or makeup, I buy things that are actual investments and will benefit me in the long-run. Questions like "Is this dress really worth the $100? Do I actually need another foundation? Do I really need two platters of sushi?" run through my mind before I blow money on things I don't even need. This is why I shop for online deals whenever possible. 

Shopping online allows me to contemplate all of my options from multiple stores at once. I have the chance to look for quality dupes for super trendy items and look at product reviews. I highly suggest signing up to your favorite store's newsletters so you can always know when their sales are going, when free shipping is available, and for countless coupon codes. Unidays.com is great place to find codes for student discounts as well.
 Another thing you should think about before going shopping is finding cash-back opportunities. There are so many cash-back or frequent shopping apps/websites that you can use to earn money while you spend money. Currently, my favorite apps to use are Ibotta for stores and Ebates for online.

For more money savings tips, I highly suggest checking out Tonya Rapley's blog My Fab Finance :)

Photo Courtesy of Google

I reached a point where I thought I didn't want to try to do anything anymore. All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed watch Hulu all day long. It wasn't until I listened to the Father's Day sermon from Christian Life Center's website that I was inspired to trust my struggle. Pastor Ben Stewart and Pastor Brent McQuay reminded me that God has an unique plan for all of us. "What is meant for me is meant for me". There was a reason why I didn't get my "dream job" or why things didn't work with "the perfect guy". When things don't go according to my plan, I already know that God has something even greater for me in the future. At this point in my life, I have learned to not rush anything and just keep working hard and one day I know I will be just as successful as some of my peers.

Since I changed my outlook on life, so many good things have been happening to me. I was hired to shoot my first event and I am in the midst of shooting my own YouTube videos with other talented individuals. When you overcome negativity, you allow yourself to be vulnerable and open to new dreams and great rewards. When I refused to let my insecurities get in my way, I then became the woman I wanted to be.

 Photo found on Google Images

Photos courtesy of urbanoutfitters.com, calivintage.com, catesthill.com, sycamorestreetpress.com and thecozyspace.tumblr.com

Getting Physical

I try to make an effort to go the gym at least once a week. My purpose of going to gym is raise my stamina and increase my muscle mass. In the short time that I have been exercising on a regular basis, I have seen slight differences in my strength level and body structure. It was easier for me to start with sessions on a stationary bike or elliptical and work my way up to more advanced exercises.

Eating Fresh Ingredients
Cooking with more fresh and natural ingredients really has made a difference. Making my own acai bowls, smoothies, sandwiches, and baked goods from scratch has drastically improved my health. Eating fresh foods such as avocado, spinach, bread and strawberries are good alternatives to processed food with preservatives. I try my best to make sure that I don't eat fast food as often as I used to. Making the effort to ingest more of the essential vitamins and minerals has left my immune and digestive system forever grateful.

Blocking Out Negativity
My friends, family , and I know that I am a true introvert. I love spending time with my own thoughts and relaxing in my space. So much of my time is filled with many outside influences so I cherish the time I have to reflect and make decisions completely on my own. Yoga is the perfect time to do that and stimulate positive thinking.

Let me know what is included in your everyday health routine :)

Below is a playlist that I put together for the day so I hope you enjoy it.

*Photo still from the movie Grease

I'm so happy that a new month and year is soon to come. 2014 has been filled with numerous trials and tribulations and over the past two weeks of my winter break I had time to reflect on all of them. Looking back, I think I wasted a lot of time this year by stressing and worrying too much. Also, I spent way too much time dealing with toxic people. Those two factors really made me very depressed and left me with so much anxiety. I had my first panic attack earlier this year and after that I knew some things had to change.

Over the summer, I read a few self-help books along with daily mediation and that really stirred me in the right direction. I learned to not to be so hard on myself and to begin the journey of truly loving myself. Loving yourself sounds so simple but in reality it is something that many people forget to do. Accepting yourself despite your flaws and being selective about who or what feeds into your aura is very important. Over the past 12 months, I have been blessed to meet people who have helped me become a better person and artist. I am so grateful to have met so may other bloggers,photographers,models, designers who understand and encourage my passion of creating art and blogging.

This year my blog has grown so much and I am happy for all the opportunities I have been given. A huge thank you goes to my blog's designer,Sarah Gardner,for helping me with my blog's re-design in July. Along with making my blog look crisp and clean, I have started with new post categories such as beauty,culture and soon food. I noticed that I have been less passionate about fashion and OOTD posts lately and those posts take longer for me to create so please be patient. This blog is becoming more of a lifestyle blog so please understand.

Overall, 2014 has given me so much and I can't wait to see what 2015 has to offer. I've had some good times and some bad times this year but despite it all I am still here. I made it to see another year and I plan on it using my time on this earth more wisely. Below I have listed some of my New Year's Resolutions and a video about positivity. Also, if you have any post ideas that you would like to see please let me know down below <3

I love you all for your support and I look forward to seeing more of you in the upcoming year.

My Resolutions for 2015 

So I tried to shoot an outfit post today but that was a total fail lol. Instead, I wanted to show you guys who I have been obsessing over for the last few months. Diana Ross' style in the 60s,70s, and 80s was beyond mesmerizing. Diana really embodies that diva aesthetic with her confidence and clever use of sequins and fur. Also, Diana Ross stars in one of my favorite films, Mahogany (1975), so you should definitely check that out. Below, I have placed plenty of my favorite pictures of her. In the comments, I would love to know what you think about Diana's style and what is inspiring you at the moment :)

Photos are found on dianaross.tumblr.com

This summer I had a lot of time to reflect and think about a lot of things. I was feeling a little uninspired to do much of anything at the beginning of my summer vacation last May. This is why I choose to read a few books that would help uplift my spirit and motivate me. I listed three of them below and would love to know your thoughts about any of them if you've read them. Also,if you have any other reading suggestions let me know :)

Be The Miracle: 50 Lessons for Making the Impossible Possible 

This book is written by Regina Brett. I loved reading this book because Brett shared so many inspiring stories from individuals who found simple ways to make a big difference in themselves and in their community. All of those lessons taught me to jump outside of my comfort zone and give help to those who need it. Also, I learned how to focus on strengthening my inner peace and reducing my own anxiety by not letting others or myself influence me in negative ways. 

Show Your Work 

This book is written by Austin Kleon. The book is such an easy read with great visuals and gives valuable advice on how to put yourself and your work out there for the world to see. Kleon gives great tips on how to network effectively with people on the internet and IRL. I learned that there is really a great payoff to being dedicated to your craft and sharing your experiences with others. Also, I learned that all artists have high points and low points on our journey to success. The most important message in this book is to be patient with the process of creating  great work and knowing  that great things and people will eventually come to you because of it.

#GIRLBOSS

This book is written by Sophia Amoruso. Amoruso aka the CEO of Nasty Gal gives great advice to young professionals especially women about how to empower themselves and how to succeed in life and in business. She mainly wrote about how unconventional her life was growing up and how hard she worked to get to where she is now.  In addition to that, she lets the readers know some of her greatest mistakes and how she overcame them. I learned that you can't always find your dream job but you can always create one. Also, I learned that life is way too short so you should always go after what you want because that's what a "Girl Boss" is supposed to do.

I just thought it was time to share my favorite songs of the summer so far. I hope you all love them as much as I do. If you have suggestions on new music I should listen to let me know. I really love upbeat music and remixes of old songs because it's instantly a mood elevator.

 P.S. I'm going to the Pitchfork Festival in July so if you see me don't be afraid to say hi :)

*Photo found on Google

*Photos found on Getty Images and Google

This year so far has been the best and busiest year of my entire life. Between school,my internship at Her$tyle, my duties for Circus Magazine,looking for a job,looking for an apartment and running this blog, I barely have time to breathe. Don't get me wrong, I don't take any of these things for granted but at times I do feel overwhelmed. I think this is a very common feeling for many young women like myself. In today's society, I believe that women in general are expected to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities while looking presentable and go on our way like nothing is wrong. For a long time,women were basically sought to be pretty,disposable dolls in a sense. This made me think of Eve from the movie Life-Size (2000). 

With all of the things going on in my life, I definitely use music as an outlet to escape reality for awhile. Listening to music helps me relax,especially on those long train rides to and from school. Below I put some of my favorite songs that have constantly been on repeat. I hope you guys enjoy them and if you have any song suggestions feel free to let me know :)

This morning I woke up with a million and one things on my mind. I was just laying in bed and thinking about all of the things I would have to do within the next week. Basically, I was stressing myself out and worrying about whether or not I couldn't handle all of it. Then I stopped and realized that worrying about things I can't control is only going to make things worse. I definitely had to play some happy music to help calm my nerves. Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin made me feel so much better. Every time I hear this song, it makes me think of my early childhood and how simple things used to be.

 Happy Sunday :)

2013 was the year that I lost my innocence and gained a sense of maturity. I have learned who I can and cannot trust along with learning who can and cannot depend on. 2013 was the year of letting go. Letting go of the familiar was and still is an on-going struggle for me. Letting go of friendships and relationships with the opposite sex was definitely hard but were actions that I needed to make in order to progress. Doing this made it so much easier to focus on myself and my well-being.

This year, I plan to really improve myself and my craft. Progress will definitely be happening and it will be documented on this blog. This blog will feature more information about myself and what I do on a regular basis. I refuse to limit myself by just blogging about fashion. Starting now, this blog have more organic and substantial material that will cover fashion,literature, and music. I will try to write more reviews and post more about the projects that I'm working on.

To visually showcase my personal transition from 2013 to 2014, I decided to draw inspiration from Lady Gaga's Marry The Night music video. I was instantly drawn to the leather and black along with the bedazzled glasses and jean bralette. I really wanted this outfit to reflect the mood of the song and the video.
Dress shopwasteland.com
Necklace H&M

Also, can we not forget how fierce she looked in the Yoncé video

Last month, I went to the Chicago History Museum to visit the Ebony Fashion Fair exhibit. Before going to the exhibit, I knew very little about the Ebony Fashion Fair and its founder and director Eunice Johnson. After viewing the exhibit, I learned that the Ebony Fashion Fair was a traveling fashion show that began in 1958 that lasted for 50 years. Also, I learned that Eunice Johnson was the wife of John H. Johnson. John J. Johnson was a publisher and executive of the Johnson Publishing Company. John and Eunice helped establish Ebony magazine.The Ebony Fashion Fair tour was created soon after the launch of Ebony magazine and began as a fundraiser for a hospital in New Orleans. In its half century of existence, the tour visited 200 cities across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, raised over $50 million for charity.

 Eunice Johnson and her staff made it a priority to bring high fashion to African-American communities all around the country. The show's organizers overcame racial prejudice in attempts to bring the European fashion experience to the consumers in urban America. Eunice Johnson was able to work with designers like Yves St. Laurent, Oscar de la Renta, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Lacroix, and Patrick Kelly. Also,Eunice Johnson was able to create so many jobs for up-and-coming African-American designers,models, and stylists. Before these shows it very rare to see a woman of color modeling down the runway in a designer gown. 

Honestly, I believe that Eunice Johnson is truly an under-rated pioneer in the fashion industry. She is my inspiration and I hope that many more people come to appreciate and recognize her hard work. Without her, I don't think we would have any supermodels/moguls like Tyra Banks,Beverly Johnson or Naomi Campbell. I only wish that she was still alive so I could thank her for all of her work in person. I can only hope to have the same influence as her in the future.

At the Pauline Trigère show (1971)

The Ebony Fashion Fair Exhibit at the Chicago History Museum ends January 5,2014 so visit it if you can :)

*Photos found on Google

I have to admit I was not the biggest Solange fan before seeing her new music video "Lovers In The Parking Lot" but now I am completely hooked. The video is just a visual masterpiece (and the song isn't half bad either lol). I could go into way more detail about how amazing Solange and her new music video are but I'll just let everything speak for itself.



All photos are from saintrecords.tumblr.com