Monochrome

Jumpsuit - c/o Swaye Boutique // Shoes - Forever 21 // Sunglass - Random boutique in Nassau

So, I'm currently obsessing over this jumpsuit from Swaye Boutique.  First off, I'm totally not one of those people who loves to wear black, or black-and-white often.  I'm a color girl, give me something bright!

Well, the styling of this jumpsuit and the pattern has definitely made a "bright" out of this monochrome look.  I put it on and felt like I was glowing!  

I also don't wear a lot of "sex kitten" looks, which I now feel I need start exploring more.  The slinky material, coupled with the skin factor (front & back) had me feeling like a VAMP.  I also, usually avoid low cut clothes, because I really don't have much to show off (one time for my fellow A-cups!).  However, I love how this jumpsuit is low cut, yet it makes me feel sophisticated and not just provocative.

All this to say...I think I need to take this number down to Miami.  I can picture myself drinking mojitos at some swanky spot outside in the tropical breeze.  

I guess my backyard patio will have to do for now. Ah well...

I'm linking up with Funday Monday and Monday Bloom!

::KC Eats:: Blue Koi

So who here watches Diners, Drive-in's, and Dives on the Food Network?  It's one of my favorite foodie shows!  I actually take note of the names of restaurants in different cities that I hope to try at some point.  So, of course, when I happened to be watching an episode that featured a restaurant here in Kansas City, of course I had to make it over there.  The restaurant is called Blue Koi, and it offers Asian style dishes, but best known for their dumplings and noodle dishes.

There are a couple locations, but me and hubs had lunch at the Westport location.  Westport, by the way, is a bustling neighborhood filled with trendy restaurants, bars and shops.

Interior

Shrimp, pork & chicken pan fried dumplings

We started out with pan fried dumplings filled with a shrimp, pork & chicken mixture.  After dousing them with the a spicy dumpling sauce (our waiter brought over and suggested we try), these things tasted amazing.

A perfectly "dressed" dumpling on my plate. So delicious!

The "FireBird Chicken" dish with noodles.

Following in the spicy footsteps of our dumplings.  We both decided to try the "FireBird" dish.  You can have it made with chicken, duck or tofu.  Hubs chose chicken, and I chose duck. 

The "FireBird Duck" with noodles.

I loved this dish!  I'm a sucker for scallions and combined with the spiciness of the dish, it all came together really well.  This dish is usually served with rice, but noodles can be replaced for an extra fee.  I will say, the noodles seemed a tad overcooked, but keep in mind, I'm very particular about my noodles.  It didn't hurt the taste or flavor of the dish at all, however.

Exterior

All in all, we enjoyed our lunch at Blue Koi, and plan to go back to try some other things on the menu.  If you're ever in KC, give it a try!

Happy Friday!

I *heart* The Bahamas

We just got back from a week long trip to the Bahamas.  We actually hit 3 different islands this time!  We visited the usuals, New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama, but also took a quick excursion to Grand Exuma!  I actually flew in a tiny little 6-seater plane! The Bahamas is an archipelago of over 700 islands and cays, just so you know.  We had an awesome time and it's always great spending time with family.

Just thought I'd share a few pics--I didn't take a whole lot this time around...

Picking cherry tomatoes, or "tomats" as they're called.

Cruisin' the Nassau streets.

Junkanoo Beach

Probably my best "selfie" to date.

Spending time at the beach house.

My boys, minus 1.

That darn little plane and the pilot!!  I had to get talked into this.

Grand Exuma island. Me and hubs biked about 5 minutes from our cottage to this gorgeous secluded beach.

Mango daiquiri.

Hanging out with family on Grand Bahama island.

Our last day there, this little one FINALLY got his feet wet.  He was not feeling the ocean. lol

ivory + black

This is basically an unintentional outfit post.  This past weekend, my hubs and I attended a charity dinner supporting scholarships for a local private college that hubs' company heavily supports.  I waited until the last minute to figure out what I was going to wear.  Upon looking at pictures of last years event, I realized the initial dress that I was going to wear was slightly too short for what I feel the "crowd" would deem appropriate.  After all, I found out the day of the event that the college is a Catholic college. haha

I ended up digging far back into my closet and found this dress that is actually over 10 years old.  I've kept it all of these years, because I just somehow knew that sometimes it good to keep certain pieces that can easily fit into a lot of different occasions, even if it's something that I hardly ever need.  Ivory and black is a classic color combination that will always withstand the test of time. This dress definitely covered my arse, literally!!

I decided to take a couple pictures before we headed out the door, not with any real intention to post them.  Plus the wind wasn't letting me be great. But hey, my posting has been a lot less frequent lately, so I thought these few pics would probably be appreciated by anyone reading this blog.  It's the least I can do!

Hope you all have a great week!

OUTFIT DETAILS:
Dress - Express (super old, but similar HERE, HERE, and HERE)
Shoes - HERE

80's Baby

There is something about neon colors that I will forever associate with that great decade we call "The 80's".  I was still pretty darn young during the 80's, but I definitely remember the freedom of style back then.  I even had my very own pair (or two) of fluorescent socks!

When I saw this sweater hanging up on the wall at H&M, I just had to have it.  I bought it a size bigger than I usually wear in large, but I would have loved it even more if it were an XL.  I think this neon yellow bag and my ballet flats complete my modern 80's look.  And yes, I'm wearing those jeans again.  They're one of my faves, what can I say?

Hope April has started out fantastic for all of you!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Sweater - H&M
Purse - H&M (in black)
Jeans - Urban Outfitters (old)
Ballet Flats - Target

It's beginning to look a lot like...

SPRING!!

Leather Ballet Flats - HERE

And it doesn't hurt that Spring in Kansas City decided to come in with a bang!

Hope you all have an awesome first day of Spring!

Hask Hair Care Products

Have any of you heard of HASK hair products?  I hadn't, until I received a nice little care package from them to review.  I have to say, I'm very impressed and I will continue to buy some of these products.  I promise I'm not just saying this because they were gifted to me, either.

I've been on a quest for a little while to find a hair care line for my natural hair that I could stick to using and love it enough to use all/most of the products to keep it all cohesive.  I'm kind of over mixing-and-matching products, i.e. this brand's shampoo, that brand's conditioner, that other brand's deep conditioner, etc.  I'd like to feel like I can depend on a single line/brand.  I think this may be the first brand I give a try to and see if it contributes to my hair's health!

As you know, I cut my hair drastically.  I did it mostly because I needed a change, but I also wanted to get rid of some of the double-processed, bleached ends that I'd had.  I'm planning to grow it back out, this time with no hair color, except for henna maybe.  I say maybe because henna is a hassle, but I do believe in it's awesomeness for making hair stronger.  Oh, did I mention I found my very first gray hair???!  I plucked it, which they say you shouldn't do.  I'm thinking if more are to come, I may use henna to turn those suckers red.  We'll see.

Back to Hask...they have a "Keratin Protein" line and an "Argan Oil" line.  Both come with sulfate-and-paraben-free shampoos & conditioners.  That's kind of a big deal.  Even though I don't wash my hair with shampoo super often, I'd like to know when I do that it will be gentle (no sulfates).  The conditioner for the Keratin line boasts that it "softens and renews", while the Argan Oil conditioner says that it "strengthen and restores".  I have used both shampoos and conditioners and I have to say they both left me with super soft hair, and the conditioners gave good slip!  I haven't decided which one I like best just yet.  I plan to use them both for a while before deciding.

Each line also comes with it's own intense deep conditioning hair treatment and a smoothing shine oil.  I haven't used the deep conditioners as of yet, but the oils I do like.

I definitely recommend getting these products and trying them out for yourself.  I will also update you guys on my thoughts on them as well as my hair progress in another month or so.  If you're interested, you can get more information and/or buy the Hask products at HaskBeauty.com.

By the way, I'm still loving my generic "curlformers"!  I've actually bought more, so I now have all 3 sizes--wide, extra-wide and narrow.  Stay tuned for more reviews on those as well!

Have an amazing weekend!

*This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

Camo Sneaks

These shoes.  I am all about these shoes.  Let's get this straight, I love ALL things camouflage.  Heck, lets throw in army green too.  Just like leopard print, I consider camo a neutral too.  When I saw these slip-on sneakers (trend alert), I just couldn't resist. 

Did I also mention that pony/calf hair is my thing?  It just takes any shoe up a notch--which is especially great for a casual shoe like this.

So, if you like the shoes...if you want the shoes...if you just gotta have the gosh dang shoes, get them HERE.  They also have them in leopard print.  Also, they run kind of large.  I had to go down a half size.

Thank me later!

SHOP THE LOOK:

More Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren...

{Fave Things} Foodie

So, I was going through my camera and realized I have a lot of stuff that I haven't shared on the blog.  I take pictures of my food quite often, I've realized.  I decided to put them together into a "Favorite Things" post with appropriate link-age.

This is homemade chicken noodle soup I made from scratch.  I'm talking started out with a whole chicken, made stock, etc.  That's a big effing deal for me, ya'll.  It turned out awesome.  Even my 5 yr old picky eater loved it.  The recipe I used found HERE.

This, my friends, is a big fat burger and fries from Cheeseburger in Paradise.  I realize this establishment is a chain, and I've seen them in Atlanta, as well as here in Kansas City.  Decided to give it a try.  I had no idea the place has this little Caribbean/Tiki Bar kind of theme (duh...Paradise), complete with all kinds of island-y cocktails.  I love anything "tiki" inspired, and I plan to hang out at this place regularly, especially when it gets warm.  My kind of vibe!

Just so you know, the shrimp and crab stuffed mushrooms at Seasons 52 are divine.  We went to the location in The Plaza, by the way.  Their menu changes seasonally (get it?), so they won't be there forever.  Try them while you can!

I'm a fairly new tea drinker.  In the past few years, I've gone from absolutely never drinking any tea, besides the elixir of the south (sweet tea, of course) to being a regular drinker.  I first got an interest in drinking tea from reading about all of the health benefits of green tea, in particular, and decided to imbibe.  I buy all kinds of brands (Yogi, being a fave) and flavors.  Tea hasn't been able to help me kick my coffee habit, so in trying not to consume too much caffeine, I've started drinking some caffeine-free varieties as well.  My current favorite caffeine-free tea, hands down, is Tazo's Passion tea.  It's so fruity and floral--and ANYTHING with hibiscus in it, I'm drinking it.  Hibiscus has such a nice flavor that reminds me of the islands.  I brew this in my cup, add a little agave nectar and a squirt of lemon juice.  If you're not a tea drinker, I think this is a great "beginner" tea, as the flavor is mild and fruity.

So that's all folks! Sharing is caring! 

Have a great weekend!

It Flies

I'm officially a mother of a 5 year old.  Where does the time go???

I am so proud to be this little person's mom, and he's brought me nothing but joy.  

Happy Birthday to my little big man.

V-Day Flowers, No Red

Hey guys!  As I'm typing, my little ASOS 14 dolla red dress has not arrived.  It could get here today, but I may have changed my mind on what to wear for a night out today.  Me and the hubs, are keeping it fairly casual today and I'm not sure if I'd be up for wearing a dress anyway.  BUT, I am still keeping it edgy.

As you already know, the Peter Pilotto for Target line just came out the other day.  I have to be honest, I had no idea who Peter Pilotto was, so I had no big excitement for it. Since, I'd happened to be in Target a couple days after it launched, I decided to take a peek.  It was pretty picked over as far as sizes.  Everything smaller than a size 8 was GONE in about 90% of the stuff, so there wasn't much for me to choose from.   I decided to pick up this lil floral top, just because.  I mean hey, I do want to be taken fairly seriously as a fashion blogger I think. Thought I was more "lifestyle".

I paired the top with these faux leather pants from H&M, that I've been obsessed with since I've gotten them, and over-the-knee suede boots.

So, unless that red dress gets here and blows me away....this will be my V-day getup. 

Hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day, and get a little *extra* love from someone special!

Outfit Details:
Top - Peter Pilotto for Target
Pants - H&M
Boots - Steve Madden (very old)

Curlformers

So, I've finally given the infamous Curlformers a try.  And by "Curlformers", I mean a generic brand bought off of Amazon for a third of the price.

There are a plethora of tutorial videos on how to use Curlformers for us natural haired chicas, so I'm going to just skip that part and just give my review of them.  The pack that I'd ordered from Amazon came with 40 Curlformers and the wand.  I used ALL 40.  After the fact, I realize that I would prefer to not to have to worry about separating the curls so much by hand (which is a chore if you're doing it correctly), and ordered another pack.  So the next time I use these, I will probably use about 60.

 

I was blown away with how silky straight (in the curl) my hair came out.  Just for the record, I didn't use these on wet, freshly (co)washed hair.  My hair was already stretched from air drying in a bun.  I then re-wet each little section prior to putting the Curlformer in.  I did this purposely because I figured it would prevent the curl from being too tight of a curl, than if I would have started out with soaking wet hair.

As you can see, I had perfect "Shirley Temple" curls, but I wasn't really feeling that look--I felt like I'd need to play with it a bit more, and at the time I was getting ready to leave my house, shortly.  So I pulled the curls back into one big Bantu knot, hoping to stretch and messy up the curls a bit.

Above is the result.  It was actually really cute like this.  At the very last minute before I left the house, I decided to pin the sides back.  I really liked the look.

All in all, I will say that "Curlformers" are winners for me.  I will be using them regularly.  I don't plan to use them only to wear my hair curly.  They definitely give a good "foundation" for other styles.  I feel like these give me perfectly "stretched" hair that I can style a lot easier, especially in protective, pin-up styles which will contribute to my hair's health

I bought my mine HERE.  (Make sure you buy them with PRIME shipping, so that you know that they are coming from Amazon and not from China, as they could take weeks to arrive if the latter happens).

So have you tried Curlformers?  What did you think?

12 inches

I'm originally from the Midwest--born and raised.  So, I am no stranger to snow.  HOWEVER, it's been a long time since I've seen this much snow.  It was a bit exciting!

 

And if these pictures aren't enough, take a look at the "Snow" day movie my boys and I made.  

I'm really getting into this video making stuff!

Happy Monday!!!

Hair Tutorial Video

Hey ya'll!!  As you may (or may not) know, us Midwesterners were hit with a big snow storm this past Tuesday.  We got a whopping 12 inches of snow!!  Well, the cabin fever had gotten to me and apparently gave me a little extra motivation to get something up on the blog.  I decided to make a video tutorial on how I wear my now shoulder-length hair the most.  By all means, take a looksee!

Let me know if you find this video helpful and if you'd like to see more!

Have a great Thursday!

P.S.  Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube page!  I'd greatly appreciate it!

Happy (Bahamas Version)

Stumbled across this video remake on Facebook.  It just warmed my heart this morning.  The song, the scenery....will see you soon, Nassau...

Holy Late

I would like to first start off this post by wishing my hubs a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! (Not that he's reading this or anything.)  When looking at us, people usually don't realize that I'm almost 3 years older than him.  I guess that's not quite "cougar" territory--but, I'll settle for being a called "puma" instead. *smile*

Now, to explain the title of this post--Everybody and their mama has made a blog post on this sweater or similar sweaters with prose (from several different brands). This trend hit the "blogger scene" a little while ago.  As you know, a lot of retailers have been having big sales on the winter duds, and I scored this baby from Forever 21 for 8 bucks.  Honestly, I wasn't that interested in it prior because of its popularity. For $8, however--I'd rock it!  So that's why I am "holy late" as well as "Holy Chic". Ya feel me?

Sweater (similar) Forever 21 // Pants - H&M (old) // Necklace - ASOS // Boots - ShoeDazzle (similar)

 Tonight we will be having a celebratory date night for the birthday boy.  Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Still Mad for Plaid

The plaid shirts are still going strong in my neck of the woods.  The nice warm flannel material is perfect for this Kansas City chill.

Shirt - Thrifted // Jeans - F21 (old) // Shoes - DMSX

I "shopped" my closet for this quick look.  Nothing is new except for the shoes, I previously posted on.  Still mad for them too!

Hope your weekend is great!  Hopefully, I'll do something fairly interesting that I can turn into a "Weekend Mentions" kind of post for next week.  Don't quote me on that, though.

I'm a sucker for "boho".

Are these not AMAZING?

You can buy them HERE.

New Purchase:: Zara Coat

Happy Friday loves!  Just thought I'd share with you all a latest purchase.  It's a large hooded duffel coat from Zara.  Zara.com is having a sale and its current price is $59!  For a coat that is 53% wool, that's a great price--not to mention it will be nice and warm.

I've been on the lookout for a camel-colored wool coat at a reasonable price for a while.  I have black and olive green in my coat collection and have just needed camel to round it all out.  (Or do I need a grey as well? lol).  I like wool coats that give off a vintage "vibe" even when they are brand new.  This one seems to fit the bill.  The coat can be found HERE, if you're interested.

Have a great weekend!

KC Eats :: Bo Ling's

I'm going to start this post out by saying....Yay for date nights!!! 

We are now all settled into our home here in Kansas (City area).  I have to admit that aside from the wintery weather--I'm loving it.  Speaking of wintery weather, it actually felt almost like spring the past couple days which was perfect for a date night!  Since I am now in a new city and will be trying out new places to eat, shop, see, etc., I thought I'd make an effort to take you guys along for the ride.

Yummy Mai Tai

Because this particular date night we were crunched for time, hubs and I decided to head down to The Plaza and grab a bite and just hang out for a bit.  I've mentioned The Plaza in another post.  It's a HUGE shopping/dining district in Kansas City with Spanish architecture.  It's one of my favorite areas to hang out in KC so far.  Also, during the holiday season The Plaza is decorated extensively with Christmas lights all over the buildings.  It is quite a sight to see.  This was the last weekend of the lights, so that's another reason I thought it would be cool to go there.  

Me and my man had decided ahead of time to grab some sushi and so we ended up at Bo Ling's Chinese restaurant.  It's actually a chain, which made me a bit skeptical but it turned out to be just fine.  From the apps to the green tea--we were very happy with our meal.  I give the service an "A+" as well.  We will definitely be back.

Oh, and the entrance of Bo Ling's is VERY unassuming and upon entering, you would never think the place would be so grand inside, as well as look so nice a modern.  That little trick of sorts made me like it even more.

Seaweed and cucumber salad

Tempura fried calamari

Tempura fried calamari

A couple of sushi rolls.

My hot date

Organic jasmine green tea

Obligatory bathroom shot

Be sure to give Bo Ling's a try if you're ever in the area.  Apparently they have a few locations around town, but I can only vouch for the one in The Plaza.

Happy Monday!