Since last week's post about my adolescent "arm issues" I've been thinking a lot about those days and how I let a completely unfounded insecurity hold me back from enjoying myself and being comfortable during the hot summer months. I wish I could go back in time and tell that girl to take off her jacket, for Pete's sakes!
From what I read on the blogosphere, it is at least as hot everywhere else in the US as it is here in San Diego. It's always pretty warm here all year long, in fact, I remember kids wearing shorts and sandals during Christmas festivities at school. July is usually the hottest month, it also happens to be my birthday month! I have plenty of photos of my childhood birthday parties, with everyone wearing cute 70s tank tops and sunddresses (even the occasional TUBE TOP) but once I hit adolescence, there don't seem to be quite so many photos like that. Yeah, after I finished middle school there was a definite shift in my wardrobe. With my birthday coming up, I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on my summer fashions during those high school years. Ah, the 80s! I wish I could say I regret the fashions or the hair, but I don't. I regret NOTHING! Okay, maybe the home perm, but that's it! Many of my recent reveries have been triggered by friends posting old photos of me on Facebook like this:
Summer is officially HERE! But what to wear? What to eat? What to do for fun? Join me and my guest, Candy from Curves Ahead Makeup as we gab over the best that Summer 2012 has to offer!
This week our special guest is Candy of Curves Ahead Makeup. In addition to her extremely informative blog, Candy is also a gifted makeup artist and runs the most DEEEE-VINE online boutique called Fancy Steps. And, like me, Candy has also been following the Weight Watchers Pointsplus plan.
We'll be talking about beauty, makeup and the importance of feeling pretty along EVERY STEP of your weightloss journey, no matter what size or shape you are TODAY.
I feel like I've been away for AAAAAGES! So what have I been up to? Ummm...putting on 1.5 pounds?
WAIT! Hear me out!
Sometimes 1.5 pounds is a bargain when you also gain a TON of fun and learning. That's exactly what I got while spending 4 days at the inaugural Latina Lifestyle Bloggers Conference in VEGAS, baby! I've been a part of this awesome, dynamic group since it started and was NOT going to miss the opportunity to party in person with these FABULOUS blogueras!
Opening night dinner courtesy of sponsor BUCA DI BEPPO! (photo via Curves Ahead Makeup)
Four days with an absolutely brilliant and inspiring (not to mention FOXY) group of women, working on our skills and learning tools to become better bloggers and businesswomen. The seminars were awesome! First, there was the keynote speech by acclaimed author Alisa Valdes, of "Dirty Girls' Social Club" fame. WOW! We were super pumped after her talk!
Thanks for taking time to talk to each of us, Ms. Valdes!
We learned about branding, SEO and business planning.
And the FOOD! It was too yummy to resist. The conference was held at the Tropicana, which I absolutely LOVED! The interiors were so fresh and sunny-feeling. And I adored every restaurant in the place. We even toured the "Mob Experience" museum at the Trop which totally fed my love for "Vintage Vegas"-WOW!
But then? There was the FASHION. This was a pretty intimidating crowd, style-wise. Many of the ladies were fulltime fashion bloggers and they Turned. It. Out.
Like the aforementioned Curves Ahead Makeup. She and her partner run a business called Fancy Steps which offers unbelievable shoes like these:
I was just trying to be comfy! And here this fancy fashion blogger wanted to feature my outfit on her blog! I was wearing pieces from this season's Jockey Person to Person Collection (of course). I like to be colorful but I think what really made the outfit (if I do say so) was the SHOES.
I want you to know, I was a little skeptical about taking these shoes to Vegas. I had been sent the pair of glittery "Sea Star" sandals to review by the company, Fibi and Clo, but only decided to take them at the last minute. OMG you guys! I could not BELIEVE how many compliments I got on these sandals! But what I really couldn't believe was how incredibly comfortable they were! I wore them all over Las Vegas-even during our fabulous tour of the 2 million square foot Fashion Show mall...
Next time you go to Vegas, do NOT miss Fashion Show mall!! Photo via Curves Ahead Makeup
Now, I am not a "flip-flop" kind of a gal. I own only one pair of thong sandals and they are a VERY expensive pair of flats by Tory Burch, which are cute but tiring to wear after a couple of hours. I wore these Fibi and Clo sandals (which were even cuter than my TBs and only $45) all day and night! I literally walked MILES in these without getting tired at all. LOVE THEM! I hope you'll take a moment to check out their website and see some of their other yummy styles. I was wary of getting them without trying them on but found them to be true to size and even prettier than the photo.
It was such a fantastic conference, and NOT just for the fashion! Thank you so much Ana Lydia, Sujeiry and everyone else from Latina Lifestyle Bloggers for working so hard to make such a productive and unforgettable conference. I'd especially like to thank all the wonderful sponsors for being so generous in extending themselves to all of us.
And those 1.5 pounds? I'm back on track to remove them, counting Weight Watchers pointsplus AND working the Sensa weightloss system! They were one of our fabulous sponsors-but there'll be more on them later. :)
WHEW! I'm tired just writing about it! But it was totally worth it. I hope you'll check out some of the links I've mentioned here, and who knows? Maybe you can join us at the next conference!
Wishing you love with extra cheese- Nacho Mama
PS-THANK YOU so much to Curves Ahead Makeup and Full Figured Potential for sharing your photos with me!
Disclosure: I was sent the Sea Star sandals for review by Fibi and Clo. I purchased my own ticket and hotel for the conference and everything above is my personal and honest opinion.
Ok-so I have a basic philosophy that all a woman needs in her wardrobe is "Ten Easy Pieces". 10 pieces that all work together and can be mixed and matched to create a month's worth of outfits. Does that seem impossible?
Then let's start small. With what I call the "vacation" wardrobe. SIX sassy pieces, that can be mixed and matched to create at least two week's worth of outfits. I'll be illustrating this concept using pieces from this season's collection by Jockey Person to Person (who are sponsoring me to attend Blogher-thanks JockeyP2P!) but you can benefit from these basic principles no matter where you shop!
FIRST: Pick 3 colors: a light color (in this case white), a dark color (in this case chocolate brown) and an accent color (in this case coral).
SECOND: Choose 2 tops, 2 bottoms, 1 dress and 1 piece of outerwear. Here I've chosen a sleeveless top, a short sleeve top, a cardigan, some pants, a dress and a pair of capris.
THIRD: Pick some fun accessories to dress the outfits up or down.
That's IT. Really!
From the 6 pieces shown above, you can create 4 outfits by wearing each top with each bottom. The dress can be worn by itself. Add the cardigan to each outfit and the dress and you get 5 more looks. That's a minimum or 10 looks from these six pieces, BUT-the Modal Cardigan can be worn at least twenty different ways!* Put all these variables together, and you get at least one hundred different looks from these 6 garments!! All these pieces together cost $340. That's only $3.40 PER OUTFIT.
So there you have it, 6 easy pieces for a stylish, versatile wardrobe. This is a "universal" concept that works for all ages, sizes and shapes. You can use even if you're shopping in your own closet! But just in case you're interested in the pieces I used in the example, here are their names, prices and where you can find them in the Jockey P2P catalog:
1. Modal Blend Cardigan, $79, pg.6
2. Princess Seam Dress, $68, pg.3
3. Ruched Wide Strap Tank, $39, pg.5
4. Capri Pant, $54, pg.9
5. Lace Print Tee, $42, pg.21
6. Textured Crop Pant, $58, pg.21
(and btw? All these pieces are machine-washable!)
NOTE: The pieces listed here are from the Jockey P2P Fall 2011 Collection
So that's the basic idea. I'd love to know what you think!
Wishing you love and STYLE with extra cheese- Nacho Mama
*Don't believe me about that cardigan? Check out this video! Jockey P2P head designer Sunil Ramchandani (who is even more charming and fun in person!) demonstrates just some of the ways this versatile piece can be worn. And please like Jockey Person to Person on Facebook -tell 'em Nacho Mama sent you! Disclosure: I am being sponsored to attend Blogher 2011 by Jockey Person to Person but have not been compensated in any way for this post. The opinions expressed here are my own-honest!
