Challenge Monday: May 11, 2015

Hello loves! I haven’t done a challenge Monday in awhile, so today I wanted to ease back into this with a simple but totally spring time appropriate post. Today’s challnege is to do your own nails or have them done in a way that screams spring to you. I’m choosing this as a challenge for a few reasons, one being that this time of year is super busy for everyone. And being busy usually comes along with stress and disorder. Taking the time to do your nails or have them done gives you a little down time, and in my opinion, really makes you feel put together. I’ll be getting my nails done with my mom this week as part of her Mother’s Day present from me, as well as a little prep for all the senior events and my own graduation that I have coming up. I’m thinking light pink on my fingers and bright coral for my toes. That ALL being said, here are a few nail ideas that I think of when I think of spring nails to give you all some inspiration. All these pictures are from Pintrest.

Basic Spring Colors:

   
     

Easy-Imtermediate Nails Designs:

   

  

Medium-Difficult Nail Designs:

   
     

I hope this inspires you to give yourself and your nails a little love this week. Have a fabulous day!

xoxo,

The Blonde Brunette

Advertisement

Challenge Monday: April 6, 2015

Hello loves! I hope you had a great weekend spending time with friends and family. It’s time for another challenge Monday! Keeping with the whole theme of this past joyous and colorful weekend, I wanted to challenge you to work pastels into your outfit this week. Now, being one who doesn’t wear pastels super often, this is a more difficult challenge for me personally, but I think it’s totally doable. Let’s break it down into 3 levels of difficulty:

No. 1: Accessories. This is doable for just about anyone. Accessories are the easiest way to try out something, because they’re smaller parts of your outfit. Now, you can make it the focus of your outfit by pairing whatever your choice accessory is with an all neutral outfit to make it the focus.

  

{image: earringsnation.com}

  

{image: handpicked.net}

  

{image: restyle.me}

No.2: One Piece. Working one piece of pastel clothing into your outfit is probably my favorite way to wear pastels. Something I’m loving for spring is pairing one or two pieces of the same shade with light neutrals to make up the rest of the outfit. Try pairing a pastel top with white or lightwash jeans, neutral shoes and bag and delicate jewlery. I’m obsessed with this look, obsessed.

  

{image: etsy.com}

  

{image: lolobu.com}

  

{image: hellofashionblog.com}

No. 3: Pastel Everywhere. Now, wearing lots of pastels at once can go very right, or make you look like you let the Easter Bunny dress you. So let’s go over a few guidelines with this. Even if you wear multiple pastels, you still need to balance out your outfit with neutrals to avoid going overboard. It’s also important to make sure the pastel pieces in your outfit are super chic silhouettes. This will make sure you still look grown up and sophisticated, since pastel colors are sometimes reminiscent of youthful dressing.

 

{image: somethingnavy.com}

  

{image: etsy.com}

  

{image: fashionsy.com}

I hope you’ve picked up a some helpful tips to try working pastels into your wardrobe! Have a fabulous day!

xoxo,

The Blonde Brunette

Challenge Monday: Black and White

Hello loves! Happy Monday! For today’s Challenge Monday, I wanted to challenge you all to try one of the spring trends that is prominent this season: black and white. I love this as a trend for spring, it’s definitely a great transition from winter into spring, so we can all ease our way out of our black obsessed winter looks. For this trend, there aren’t really “rules” for pulling this off, it’s pretty simple. So for my tips and tricks today, I wanted to share with you some different things to consider when picking out your outfit. Pick whichever one feels best for you!

No.1 Spring Textures. To make any black and white outfit more spring appropriate, focus on picking pieces that have lighter or more lady-like elements, such as lace, floral or geometric patterns. This gives your outfit some interest and makes your two-tone look stand out even more.

  

{image: brit.co}

No.2 Keep It Classic. I am a huge fan of an effortless outfit of classics. So pull out your tried and true black jeans, and your classic white button down, maybe a boyfriend fit one if you have it. Throw on some delicate jewelry and a stack of rings. Then just grab some flats or heels and your purse and you’re good to go, looking effortlessly chic.

  

{image: bloglovin.com}

No. 3 Keep it Casual. All our basics are in black and white, tshirts, jeans, you name it! I love the effortless look that black and white can give when paired together, it looks like you didn’t have to try hard yet still look incredibly we’ll put together. Here is my favorite causal look from Pintrest.

  

{image: shopdailychic.com}

No. 4 Keep It Simple. Mixing plain black and white together and keeping it simple also makes a great impression. I love this outfit because it’s so easy! I’m sure all of you have a LBD or a LWD that you can pair with the opposite color shoes, and bam. Outfit complete.

  

{image: stylecaster.com}

I know this is a super easy Challenge Monday, but all that means is you have no excuses this week! Share your outfits using the hashtag: #ChallengeMonday so I can see your outfits! Have a fabulous day!

xoxo,

The Blonde Brunette

Challenge Monday: Transition Into Spring

Hello loves! I’m sure getting up an hour earlier this morning was not the happiest occasion, but it does mean one thing: spring is upon us. Which means, it’s time to bring spring fashion into our wardrobes (if you haven’t done so already.) This week’s challenge is to start transitioning your looks into spring. Maybe this is just mean, but if I see someone out and about in bright white and florals and pastels while there’s still snow on the ground, I think they’re a little bit crazy. So I would recommend transitioning into spring, instead of just jumping in head first. Plus, does anyone have enough spring clothes to be that bright and peppy everyday? I know I definitely don’t. So without further-a-do, let’s jump into my tips for transitioning into spring gracefully.

No. 1: Layering. Layering is like the robin of spring fashion. Once we put away all our heavy one and done coats we bring out the lighter weight jackets and layer up underneath. The key to this is not adding too many bulky layers; that can make you look bigger than you really are. So think thin when going for more than two pieces. This way, you can wear multiple thin layers, like a thin blouse, a light cardigan and a jacket on top. If you want to wear a thicker sweater, try layering a light blouse underneath or a thin utility jacket ontop. Both of those layers are thin enough that they won’t add more ontop of a thick sweater, but will still keep you warm. Here are some examples of my favorite layering looks via Pintrest:



{image: fashionclue.net}



{image: thissillygirlslife.com}



{image: hotpatterns.com}



{image: theclassycubicle.com}

No. 2: Light Colors. It’s time to stop dressing in head to toe shades of burgundy and emerald and start trying shades of light gray and cream. These shades scream warmer weather in any form, which is great because this means that your favorite white sweater is totally acceptable for those chilly spring days. Lighter wash denim is also something I’d suggest trying out with the new season. I know your dark wash skinnies are super flattering, but if you can find the perfect pair of light wash jeans I promise they’ll do the same.





{image: oasap.com}



{image: trendencias.com}



{image: amazinglace.com}



{image: fabfashionfix.com}

No. 3: Patterns. Spring style is all about colors and prints, so obviously spring reminiscent prints are a must. This doesn’t mean it’s time to break out your dress with the neon abstract floral just yet though, we don’t want to look too eager. Subtlety working in more stripes, florals, gingams, and plaids into your daily wear is something I highly recommend. This gives your outfit a punch, and also shows that you’re ready for all the upcoming season brings.



{image: cuteandlittle.com}



{image: theglitterguide.com}



{image: myboringcloset.com}



{image: fabricandcolor.com}

Now you may have noticed in my examples, that not every outfit is layered, light colored and a spring pattern. By following every rule at once will probably make you look like you’re a bit over zealous for the spring weather that’s not quite here yet (or is for some of you lucky ducks.) So my suggestion is to pick one of the three, layering, light colors, or pattern, to focus on for your outfit of the day. I hope this has helped you transition into spring, and has made you a bit more excited for the new season. Have a fabulous day!

xoxo,

The Blonde Brunette

Challenge Monday: Stripes

Hello loves! We’re finally back for another challenge Monday. This week I wanted to go back to an old classic, that is still one of my favorites: stripes. Audrey herself deemed this as a timeless style, and it still is, but the challenge this week is to add a modern twist. That twist is mixing prints. Yes. You read that right, mixing prints. It’s not as scary as it sounds, so let’s jump into the key rules for mixing it up.

No. 1: Keep the same color palette. Basically, this means that the colors of stripes you wear need to be included in the other pattern you’re choosing. Example: black and white striped shirt, red, black, white and gray plaid scarf.

No. 2: Proportion is key. One of the patterns needs to be more subdued, and one a little larger in scale or more of an eye catcher. Example: a thinly striped t-shirt with a floral print jacket.

No. 3: Keep the rest of your outfit relatively simple. You don’t want to over do it with mixing prints and a whole bunch of statement pieces. Example: Wear you mixed prints with classic dark wash skinny jeans, neutral shoes and bag.

Keeping those rules in mind, here are some of my favorite examples pulled from Pintrest! (The last two are my personal faves.)

{image: seersuckerandsaddies.blogspot.com}

{image: mckennableu.com}

{image: forallthingslovely.com}

{image: suburbanfauxpas.com}

{image: brit.co}

I hope this post has inspired you to try the classic stripes with a whole new twist! Have a fabulous day!

xoxo,

The Blonde Brunette