Outfitted :: Denim on Denim

Zara chambray (old) / Mink Pink denim shorts / H&M metallic loafers / Thrifted scarf / Marc by Marc Jacobs bag / Forever 21 sunnies

What upppp! Happy Friday y'all! Who's excited it's Friday? This girl. I have a 3-day weekend ahead of me and I couldn't be more estactic to use these days to put my life back together. You know when you just continually let things slide and before you know it everything is in disorder? My apartent needs a good cleaning, laundry hasn't been done in I don't know how long, my finals are due, and DCT and I need to have a date night at the grocery store. 

I know this sounds like a pretty lame-o extended weekend, but I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be able to have time to do all of this. Kids, welcome to adult life ;)

Enough about my thrilling weekend plans, lets talk about denim. Specifically denim on denim, this look is very on trend for summer and though it can seem tricky to pull off, following a few simple guidelines will help you look casual-chic and not at all like you're signing up for a 90's boy band revival - denim jumpsuits, frosted tips, and all!

Whenever I go for the denim on denim look I try to pair denim in different washes or colors as it keeps the outfit from being one note. Adding a denim piece with some sort of print - like polka dots! - or distressing also helps break up a more monochromatic look by adding texture.

Also, accessories are your best friend when pairing denim with denim. Add a cool leather belt, a playful scarf - see above! ;) - or layered necklaces. Again, this helps break up the look so it's more appealing to the eye :)

Finally, the key to trying this trend is finding denim that fits you! You can follow all the previous guidelines to a tee, but the look still won't go over well if your denim is ill-fitting. And now-a-days you don't have to spend a fortune for a pair of great jeans, Gap 1969 have always been a go-to for me, along with Levi's and Madewell is my heaven on earth when it comes to great fitting denim.

So what are your thoughts? Will you be trying out the denim on denim trend this summer? Lemme know!

Thanks for reading! Happy Weekend!

*Shop this look!

Marc by Marc Jacobs Satchels · Luisa Via Roma Scarves & Wraps · Valery Flats

My Offline Life: Family Visits

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts this week, as I mentioned in my last one I had family come visit and all my time was spent showing them around town. The time went by way too fast, but it was great fun as well as a little exhausting, I'm in need of a vacation to recover from my vacation, haha! However it's back to the grind today, and I'll slowly begin to tick off the days to our European adventure (28 days and counting!).

I didn't want to leave you all completely hanging for the week, so I rounded up some photos of my mini staycation with part of the fam. We toured all around Chicago, from the aquarium, to the zoo, back to The Bean, there was a lot packed into just 3 days. So you can guess why I'm so tired, but I have to admit taking everyone around to all these places that I never visit unless someone is in town, really made me appreciate the city and reminded me why I love Chicago. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend, I'm not planning on doing much of anything expect be a bum, haha! Enjoy the photos!

The baby bro's first visit to Chicago!

We're a four-eyed bunch.

Jellies!

Loved this little guy, just hanging out staring at people staring at him, haha!

<3 my mama!

Obligatory Bean photo op. (he's so excited, can you tell?)

So glad they came!

'Till Next Time...

Outfitted: Romp.

Hi everyone! It's still been blazingly hot here in the Chi, I step outside and immediately feel as if I need to shower yet again, even at night the heat is just ridiculous. It's quite uncomfortable, which is why I've been leaning towards outfits that are simple and light.

Case and point, today's outfit! An easy cotton romper from Rag & Bone (a recent Crossroads score!), casually layered with a denim vest and topped off with boyishly cute loafers. I was all set to battle the heat and yet still felt stylish while doing so :)

Some people aren't fans of rompers, but I personally have been on the hunt for a nice summertime version for a while now, so I was super happy to come across this one. The color is a perfect nude and I'll totally be able to wear it throughout the rest of the summer and maybe even layer it up with tights, boots, and a chunky knit for Fall. I love it when pieces are versatile :)

'Till Next Time...

::Outfit::

Romper: Rag & Bone via Crossroads Trading Co.

Denim Vest: DIY (seen here!)

Loafers: Rachel Antonoff for Bass

Accessories: Random bangles, Michael Kors bracelet

Rock This!: Pitchfork Essentials

Hi everyone!

One of the best things about summertime Chicago is the summer festival scene. Once that warmer weather hits and there's nothing but sunshine in our forecasts, you'll be hard-pressed to find a weekend that doesn't have at least two festivals going on where you can eat, drink, and be merry. :]

This coming weekend brings one of Chicago's most popular indie music fests - Pitchfork. Crossroads actually has a tent inside the festival where we'll be selling our best music fest merch. And I'll be there all day Friday, so if you're attending come stop by the tent and be sure to wear your most stylish festival gear as I'll also be snapping festival style shots for both Kinks Are The New Pink and Crossroads! So get your style game face on, as you could wind up on KATNP or the Crossroads Style blog (or both!) ;]

To help you get started, here are 12 Pitchfork essentials to guarantee a stylish (and fun!) weekend! Hope to see some of you there!

The Essentials: 1. Floppy Hats (Dorothy Perkins) 2. Cutout Dresses (Glamorous Tribal Cut Out Dip Hem Dress) 3. Booties (Modern Vintage Carina Bootie) 4. Festival Ready Nails 5. Braided Bracelets (stacks of them.) 6. Crop Tops 7. Head Scarves 8. Fringe Anything (Steve Madden) 9. Feathers 10. Neon Sunnies (Charlotte Russe) 11. Gladiator Sandals (Miss Me) 12. Printed/Leather/Fabric Backpacks

'Till Next Time...

Getting Kinky: Summer Natural Hair Products

Hi everyone! So a couple weeks ago I brought you 5 ways to jazz up your hair for the summer. Today I want to talk about products you should use during these hot humid/dry days ahead of us. The key, as in winter, is to keep your hair hydrated, but it's especially crucial in the summer as our hair is usually exposed to the elements more from going to the beach/pool, street festivals, road trips, etc.

There's a lot more your hair has to handle during the summer months and though you want your hair to be moisturized, don't over-weigh it with products, that's no fun for you or your hair in 80+ degree heat. So continue on below and check out so summer products and tips for you to use these next few months!

1. AG Hair Cosmetics Fast Food 2. Kinky Curly Knot Today 3. Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper 4. Oyin Handmade Hair Dew 5. Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner

Leave-in conditioners are important as they give that extra boost of moisture after you cleanse your hair. Some summer tips, put leave-in conditioner in your hair before taking a dip into the ocean or a pool, it'll help keep your hair from absorbing too much salt or chlorine. After your fun in the sun, rinse your hair out and put more leave-in condish back on it to keep it from getting dried out.

1. Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle 2. Mop Top Light-Hold Anti-Frizz Gel 3. As I Am Curling Jelly 4. DevaCare Arc AnGEL 5. Darcy's Botanicals Avocado & Honey Twisting Cream

When styling your hair, switch to lighter products like gels and jellies, they're a perfect addition over leave-in's as they're not heavy and will still help seal the moisture in your hair. Try to avoid using hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, and other heat styling as much as possible as you'll already have the heat from the endless sunshine on your hair.

1. JessiCurl Hair Cleansing Cream 2. Blended Beauty Curl Cleansing Conditioner 3. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner 4. Curl Junkie Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner

Shampooing should be kept to a minimum as over cleansing can quickly dry your hair out and make it brittle. Try using a cleansing conditioner instead to keep your hair clean, moisturized, and healthy!

1. MYHoneyChild Olive You Deep Conditioner 2. Curl Junkie Hibiscus & Banana Deep Fix 3. Aubrey Organics Blue Green Algae Conditioning Mask 4. DevaCurl Heaven in Hair 5. Spiral Solutions Deeply Decadent Moisturizing Treatment

More exposure to the elements means more deep conditioning! You should try and do a treatment once a week depending on how dry your hair gets.

And there you have it! All these products can be found on NaturallyCurly's Curl Mart. Hope everyone has a great day!

'Till Next Time...

Outfitted: Chevron

Hi everyone! Yesterday was surprisingly cool, the wind was blowing, and it was actually quite chilly in more shaded areas. As usual, with days like this I was deceived by the intense amounts of sunshine pouring through my window and thought it was gloriously warm outside. Oh Chicago, you would decide to drop into the 60's right after it officially became summer.

So this shirt is actually a dress, a very short dress that I've decided works better as a loose fitting top. If you stop and stare and the chevron print for too long you may go a little cross-eyed as it creates a weird optical illusion, but it is a nice break from all the stripes I have in my closet. I seriously have way too many articles of clothing (and shoes! Exhibit A - the ones on my feet) with stripes on them, it's becoming a problem.

My hair is super fluffy today as I'm rocking a 3-day old twist out. This past Friday night I wound up sitting on my couch watching Bridesmaids and twisting my hair. I don't know why I always feel like doing something to my hair on random nights at 11p knowing it's going to take me a couple of hours to finish (I have so much hair, ya'll it's not even funny.) But I haven't done anything past wash-n-go's in so long it's nice to have something different to wake up to in the morning (though it looks nothing like this when I first wake up, haha!) 

Lots of random thoughts today, thanks for sticking with me and reading them! Haha! Hope everyone has a great day!

'Till Next Time...

::Outfit::

Shirt/Dress: Pitaya (very similar and I love the cut & color of this)

Shorts: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Target

Sunnies: Ray Ban

Bag: Old

Ring: Crossroads

Watch: Michael Michael Kors

Rock This!: Summer Shorts

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend and if you participated in Pride festivities I am extremely jealous as I was stuck at work all weekend. There's always next year I suppose, haha :)

So as it is now officially Summer, I thought what better way to kick it off than bringing you six shorts you should rock this year. From your classic denim to florals and ikat prints, shorts are making a major come back this summer, there's so many different styles, cuts, and prints that you're bound to find at least one that works for you!

Shop the Shorts!: 1. Paige Jimmy Jimmy Short 2. Isabel Marant Tie Dye Short 3. ICHI Hysa Shorts 4. Stella McCartney Aude Striped Shorts 5. Warehouse Floral Printed Shorts 6. 10 Crosby Ikat Short (on sale!)

And as always, for your styling pleasure, I created an outfit using the ikat shorts (as they're my favorite) and you can also check out how I styled my own pair of neon shorts here. Honestly, you really could switch in any one of these shorts to create the perfect summer-chic look :)

Shop the Look!: Prana Rita Top / 10 Crosby Ikat Short / Zara Wooden Wedge / Silvian Heach Bag / Stella McCartney Oversized Teardrop Sunnies / Madewell Feather Pendant / J.Crew Track Link Bracelet

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day!

'Till Next Time...

Addicted 2 Shoes: Summer Sandals

I believe the warm weather is finally here to stay, so time to let you feet breathe and wiggle your toes in some strappy summer sandals! I'm loving the multi-strap sandal for this summer and the various colors and textures you can find. Pair these sandals with anything and everything! Casual boyfriend jeans (my fave), maxi dresses, a sweet summer dress, the possibilities are endless. :)

Let's Shop (from top clockwise): Zara / Rosegold / ASOS / Steve Madden / Diane von Furstenberg / Madewell / Franco Sarto / Steve Madden / Luxury Rebel / Wallis

'Till Next Time...

Five Ways to Jazz up your Natural Hair for Summer!

Summer is here and that means its time to not only update your wardrobe but to also update your natural 'do! Now there's no need to run out and get a new color or cut because I'm bringing you five ways to jazz up your natural hair with fun and sassy accessories for the summer!

1. Turbans

We all know I have a not-so-secret love for the ever-thriving turban trend. They're the perfect, stylish solution for a lazy hair day and look fabulous on top of locks, twists, fros, you name it!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

 Not sure how to go about tying your turban? Check out a few links to my favorite how-to videos below!

Natural Hair Turban Style via Natural Chica
Style Spice - Turban DIY via Style & Pepper
How to Tie a Turban via Quest for the Perfect Curl

2. Scarves

I believe scarves are the best hair accessory for natural hair as they're just so versatile! Tie it into a head wrap/band, create an over-sized bow, use it to make your own turban, the possibilities are truly endless :) In addition there is such a variety of colors and prints you're guaranteed to find one that expresses your individual style.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

And for a little bit more inspiration here are a couple of videos showing different ways to tie a scarf!

DIY Scarf Many Ways via Meek n Mild

Boho Head Scarf Tutorial via Life Ann Style

3. Hats

Some naturals may shy away from hats, but it shouldn't be considered an impossibility! While they do tend to work better with shorter hair(as the hat will actually sit on your head) don't think just because you have a fabulously, fluffy fro that you can't rock a summer hat. Use bobby pins or attach a hair comb to the inside to help pin the hat to your curls. No more fearing those windy days!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

4. Over-sized Flowers

What says summer more than bright, bold, beautiful flowers in your hair? Pluck them fresh from a bouquet or stock up on various pins & clips. They're so inexpensive and add a feminine & flirty touch to any 'do!

Sources: 1, 2, 3

5. Statement Jewelry

There's nothing better than some statement jewelry to set off your natural look! Whether it's door-knocker earrings, over-sized hoops, or bejeweled studs, this accessory works for all hair lengths!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

And there you have it! :) Do you do anything special to dress up your hair that wasn't included in my list? Let me know in the comments! Happy Friday and enjoy the weekend!

'Till Next Time...