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-Liv
 
Hello my lovely fashionistas! I hope you are staying warm out there, wherever you are.
In order to warm your day up, I’m going to share one of my personal favorite fashion tips with you!

Some of my favorite kinds of accessories are ones for my ears.
I usually never leave the house without a pair of earrings because I feel too plain without them!
But on top of that, I also have multiple cartilage piercings.
I love them because they give me a more intricate look whenever I wear my hair up.
However, some girls don’t like multiple piercings in their ears, don’t like the pain of piercings or even aren’t allowed (I couldn’t get some of my cartilage piercings until I got to college because my mother didn’t approve!)
For these girls, there is a way for you to get a similar look without the pain and effort of getting more piercings.

This fashion trend is the ear cuff.

While some work with cartilage earrings, there are others that don’t require you have extra ear piercings and allow you to get the same look without the difficulty!

Here are a few pictures of my earring cuffs:

Only one of these cuffs requires a cartilage piercing. The other two require just one piercing or no piercings at all! They are cheap, stylish and help you look trendier in the simplest way possible!

Find your own earring cuffs at:
Claire's in store or at Claires.com
Polyvore.com

 
Although sailors are usually known to roam the seas, it seems they are also testing the waters of the fashion world.
The nautical/sailor style may seem old fashioned, but the traditional blue and white colors of the style have been spotted in various locations of high fashion. 

Seen in fashion lines of companies like Victoria Secret and Wet Seal:
While being sported by celebrities like Katy Perry and Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester:
The Sailor Style is chic, trendy and up and coming.

This weekend when I went out to visit my sister in Buffalo, New York we headed to the Walden Galleria Mall with the plans of a shopping spree.The mall is always a hot spot for us because it is home to top fashion stores
like Guess, Urban Outfitters, Anthropology, H&M and Forever 21.

 After spending an hour in Forever 21, the store usually over-stocked with the cutest styles, it seemed this time, their clothes were letting me down. After sifting through racks of clothing, I finally came across the cutest pair of sailor style shorts. As I have written about in an earlier post, drawing mock tattoos is a habit of mine. One of my favorite things to draw is an anchor like Amy Winehouse’s (R.I.P). I was also a sailor girl for Halloween:
Spotting these nautical style shorts I knew I had hit the jackpot! Not only were these shorts the sailor style, they were high waisted. Yet another one of my favorite styles! I bought them right away and couldn't wait to wear them!

Here is the final look:
 
Of all the current fashion fads “happening” right now, my personal favorite is the thigh high sock.
The thigh high sock is one of the best fashion fads our current generation has.
Thigh high socks can transform any plain outfit to fashion forward in the simplest way possible.
They go perfect with a mini dress, a cute skirt, shorts or even an oversized t-shirt.
You can accompany them with a pair of tights, or simply just wear them alone.
You can switch them up by wearing print tights with a solid sock, or solid tights with a printed sock.

Although knee high socks are also currently in fashion, thigh high socks steal my heart because of their perfect length. The placement on your leg makes them look elongated for a dressy/classy look.

Also, the length is perfect for the current season. When it’s too cold to go bare legged but too nice to go out supporting a thick tight, the thigh high provides a perfect amount of coverage but doesn’t take away from your outfit, still giving you that fashion look.

Another plus about thigh high socks is that they can go with a variety of footwear. You can pair them with a heel for going out or combat boots to keep it casual.

When you feel your outfit is missing something, throw on a pair of thigh high socks, they are the perfect attribute to spice up any outfit!

Where to find thigh high socks:
-Burlington Coat Factory
-Urban Outfitters
-H&M
-Sockdreams.com

 
Permanent: existing perpetually; everlasting, especially without significant change.

When a person makes the conscious decision to get a tattoo, it is permanent, there is no looking back. They are putting a mark on themselves that will be there for the rest of their lives.

Now, I’m not saying that I am against tattoos, I am absolutely for them and if you are the kind of person who is ready and can pull off a tattoo, by all means go for it!

I feel tattoos should be used as a way for a person to express themselves artistically and indeed in some cases, they can even be seen as an art form.

I am just saying that I personally may never be ready to brand myself for the rest of my life. I am too strongly an advocate of change.

Although, there is a little secret about me that makes it possible to have the best of both worlds.

When I’m bored, I draw. It is a recently acquired fetish that started probably about a year ago, but I like to draw… a lot.

However, since I am not ready for the permanent tattoo and I’m a drawing fiend, I decided to put the two together. I draw tattoos on myself! By doing this, it’s possible for me to switch up my “tattoo” any time I want!

I draw tattoos for myself and for my friends too and since if I ever were to get a tattoo, I would get it on my wrist, that’s where I draw the most.

Here is a bit of my work:
These are just a few I have done in the past year or so.
It's fun to switch it up every once in a while and it brings a whole new meaning to Temporary Tattoo!
 
Do you ever wake up in the morning and find it hard to put the perfect outfit together? You may have an idea of what you would like to wear, but as you try out your options nothing seems to look the way you want it too.
This is all part of the process I like to refer to as Outfit Building.
Sometimes outfit building can be extremely difficult, but once you understand the process and get the hang of it, it becomes much easier.

The easiest way to simplify outfit building is to begin by picking one specific item.
Decide which article of clothing you feel is the essential item: the one you know for sure you want to wear that day.
Once you have decided which item that is, you can then begin building your outfit off of it.

Now, I know this might sound a bit difficult and can often be hard to explain in words, so I am going to break it down for you.

For example:

The other day when getting ready I decided for sure that I wanted to wear my new khaki green shorts from Forever 21:
Ex: The essential item
Once I discovered I wanted to wear the shorts, I knew I would have to wear a pair of tights underneath them.
I decided on a pair of brown tights with a bit of an animal print pattern to them:
I chose the pattern tights because the shorts were a solid color and I needed something to break them up.
After choosing the brown tights, I knew the only shoe option would be the brown combat boots:
After constructing the bottom half of my outfit, I began to think about the kind of look I was going for in order to finish off the top.
The boots are a bit edgy so I decided to go for a bit of a bohemian-grunge look.
I chose a graphic tee from PacSun that tied into the color scheme of the bottom half:
But a graphic tee alone is too plain for me, so I threw on a little tan sweater vest over it:
But the outfit wasn’t complete, it needed one more thing, so I threw on a skinny brown braided belt:
..and that tied the whole thing together!

As you can see, in order to build an outfit, you must start from the beginning and work your way through.
By practicing the process you can end up polishing off the perfect look!

The Final Look:

 
It seems as time goes on, fashion fads seem to come and go: bell bottom jeans, big rings, black nail polish, Ugg boots - all fashion fads that have come and gone in the past decade.
Now, I don’t mean those things no longer exist, but their peak on the market has definitely passed through.
Like I always say, fashion comes and goes, but style is eternal.
Recently, over the past year or so, I have come to notice a new fashion fad sweeping over a range of individuals from all ages.
From toddlers to teens, it seems many have been infected by this fashion flu.
But not only has this new fad been adopted by the average everyday girl, it has also slithered its way into the celebrity world.
So what is the new fad spreading over this wide demographic you may ask?
The feather hair extension.
Now I know we have all seen and heard of the feather hair extension, but who was the first to say wearing these feathers in your hair was “in”?
I will admit that I too fall amongst the wide range of girls who were cast under the spell of the feather. Last year I spent $20 putting one small feather about the size of a piece of yarn in my hair.
When the feather hair extension first started, the price ranged from about $2-$10 but after a variety of celebrities like Beyoncé, Ke$ha, Nicole Scherzinger and Selena Gomez adopted the feather, it became a hot commodity.

Now ranging from about $10-$500, depending on the quality (some are made with REAL bird feathers), these feathers may come at a pricey cost.
But although the price may be a downfall, a positive is that the feathers do come in a variety of different colors, shapes and sizes, making it possible for everyone to find something they like.
The feather hair extension started off as just a fun addition to a girl’s hair and has since turned into one of the most popular fashion fads we have seen in the past year.
But does this feather fashion fad still seem to be going strong, or does the increasing price make it so last season?

You tell me, feather hair extensions: are they in, or out?

 
Some people in this world are completely certain of their sense of style and can walk right into a store and know exactly what they want.
 As for me... Sometimes it’s not so easy.
Since I consider myself to have a very unique style, it often becomes hard for me to find something I truly love when I shop around in stores.
Now this isn't to say I don't know exactly what I want, it just means my sense of style is a little "high maintenance" so stores don't usually have what I want.
(Pretty much why I have aquired a sewing machine and am attempting to make my own clothes... but that's another story...)
So what do you do when you can’t find the perfect clothes for your style?
Grab something else that adds a little perk to your outfit.
It’s not just about a shirt or the pants, so if you can’t find the perfect top or bottom that stands out to you, you need to take on Plan B.
It’s time to accessorize.
Take a look back through your closet and see how you can switch up an old outfit by switching up the accessories.
Don’t just write off your old clothes; find ways to make them new.
Different accessories are appropriate for different outfits.
For example: The trivial black mini dress
Why not switch it up with a pair of black feather earrings?
Or a bright color pump?
Or how about a belt?

There are many different ways to make an old outfit new.
My personal favorite accessory is thigh high socks:
The perfect addition to any outfit.
Remember, when in doubt, ACCESSORIZE!

 
So, I often find that the girls who love fashion sometimes feel they are hindered from truly expressing their style.
Many believe it takes money to buy fashion and the more expensive the label, the more "trendy" an item is. WRONG.
This is what I mean about drawing the line between fashion and style. Just because something is covered in designer brand emblems doesn't mean it portrays true style.
Just because a person has enough money to buy themselves a $400 purse and cart it around like a minature puppy does not mean they have style.
True style comes from within and can be anything you love; it is about wearing what makes you happy from head to toe.
Style is about wearing something unique and being true to yourself, even if others don't approve.
Sometimes the cutest outfit you can possibly find is on a sale rack or at a local thrift store, not your pricey high scale fashion boutique.
Although thrift stores may be a scary thought,do not fear, you never know the hidden treasures you can find.
Remember, what makes a great outfit are its pieces.
I have to admit, that is what works for me. I never go out in search for an outfit, I buy articles of clothing a piece at a time and make sure the item can be versatile and isn't good for just a one time use.
For the girl who is drawn to style, you must remember to never let others thoughts affect you.
If a person stares at me like I'm absolutely crazy for what I am wearing, I feel like it is a successful day.
Don't feel embarrased if a person gives you a double take or stares you down. Stick your chin up tall and your nose in the air.
Let them stare, you are clearly a sight to be looked at.
Wear what you want and what makes you feel comfortable. Dress for yourself and no one else.
Shirt: Burlington Coat Factory $5.00
Skirt: PacSun $23.00
Tights: Burlington Coat Factory $3.00
Boots: Shoe Deparment: $35.00
 
So what better time to being a fashion blog then 4:00AM in the morning? It seems the plethura of big dreams in my head has sincerely made it impossible to wait a minute longer before getting the show on the road.
I'm currently on the look out for a sewing machine, hoping to possibly start creating my own clothes.
I've been working on just sketches recently and tomorrow at a more resonable time I will try to post some of up here!

This post is just short and sweet; tomorrow I'll really try to get the ball rolling!