How to stay fashionable when you're broke

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Let's face it, most (well except for the fortunate few) millennials are swimming in debt, overworked and underpaid, so staying up with the latest trends or going on shopping sprees isn't our foremost thought. I'm about to share with you some of my "secretos" on how to stay fashionable when you're pretty much broke!One of my girls always asks me how can I afford to go shopping with my student loans, bills and other financial responsibilities, and to that I always reply, girlll you gotta finesse this retail business. Which leads me to my first tip, shop. sale. always!Tip 1: I know, I know you're probably thinking, but what if there's something I absolutely love that isn't on sale? Well, you can definitely cheat here and there if you like, but I make it my upmost priority to not buy anything unless it's heavily (40% or more) discounted! And being that I was raised by the bargain queen (my mother) it hasn't been hard to stick to.Shopping the sale not only allows you to get more for your money, but it also builds a discipline to not buy everything that you see and think it cute. Great sales don't happen everyday, so if you stick to just shopping when you find something you LOVE that's on sale, you'll ultimately be saving some money, money that will most likely need to go towards your bills!Now, when it comes to sales, you have to pay attention. I don't shop any sale, I shop ridiculous, never gonna come by again type sales. My two go-to shops for amazing sales is Boohoo and JcPenney, yep I said J-C-PENNY!In order to be able to shop when you don't have much in your pocket to spend you can't discriminate, it's about finding something cute, that's of good quality and affordable who cares where you bought it! Shoot,  still shop at Rainbow from time to time, if I find something cute, I'll buy it. But what I lovee about Boohoo and JcPenney is their perfect sales and their items!Boohoo often has a sale that is 60% off, including SALE items! I once spent $45 and purchased 10 items! What i also love about Boohoo is that it's a trendy site, so often I'm buying things that are seen in Forever21 and H&M for much less!If you haven't received JcPenney coupons before, then you need to figure out how to get them, like now. They literally give you coupons to purchase items for free! My favorite one is the $10 off anything that is $10 or more! Stormy (my mother) always forces me to use this coupon even if it's for something as simple as socks or underwear, because the more you use it, the more they send! And trust me, I know some people may be skeptical about JcPenney's style, but a few of my hottest items are from that store and you'd never know! Plus we could all use staple items and they definitely have those!My last point about shopping the sale, is to shop off season! At the end of every fashion season, items from that season get heavily marked down. No better time to buy them! And I know, for some people it doesn't make sense to buy sandals going into FALL, but unless you're certain that you won't be around next year, you can definitely use them when the season returns!Tip 2:Mix and match. One of the biggest ways to feel as if you constantly have new and cute outfits to show off is to mix and match them. Personally, I love mix and matching super inexpensive items, with regular-smegular priced ones. It changes up the look and brings in that "quality" feel.This trick will have people fooled. No one will be able to guess that your outfit is no more than $30 when you style it in a way that makes it look high fashion!Tip 3: If you still have access to your parents closet, RAID IT. I've taken items from my mom, dad, brothers time and time again. I'm particularly fond of my parents' closet. Why? Because as the saying goes, fashion really does repeat itself every 10 years. So why choose to buy that $100 houndstooth blazer from wherever, when you can simply take your dad's jacket FO FREE! This not only saves you money, but it also keeps that vintage aspect that is very much apart of the DNA of Fashion. WE love VINTAGE!Tip 4: My last and final tip is to BUDGET! Whether you budget out your money weekly or monthly, create a budget! After that budget is created calculate what you'll need for your bills/responsibilities and based on what's left over take a small portion (and I mean small) for yourself with the rest going into savings (even if it's $20, it'll add up). I've found that I'm not recklessly spending my money on things that I don't need and can't afford when I budget a small amount that's just for me. It'll help you feel as if you are "treating" yourself even if it's not a grand amount!I hope that you got new tips or at least a few laughs on how to stay fashionable when your bank account is on E!xoxo,

Girl in Town: An Impromptu Fashion Shoot

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Impromptu fashion shoot(s) always bring out the best creativity. Don't believe me ? Look for yourself at the look that was created in less then 5 mins in the middle of DUMBO.6am. I was up at 6am on a Saturday. This in and of itself was a miracle. I was headed into Brooklyn with none other than Elyse, of course. Because the only reason I would be up at 6am on the weekend is for a photoshoot, only this time it wasn't mine...or so I thought.I styled my cousin Jeremy for a shoot that he had with Elyse; got to tap into some of my men styling tips that I learned at Nordstrom as a stylist assistant. As we scoped out the blocks of Dumbo we found a lot of cute, blogger spaces! AND boom...lightbulb.So they always say, "great minds think alike," and yeah, me and Elyse have great minds, but we missed the mark.  Although we both thought I should bring a look with me, I didn't. But better believe we finessed it. A quick run to H&M, a pair of boots that were in the car and a $1 lipstick and...issa look! Who would of thought that creativity could work that quickly. I had no makeup on, ashy lips and a maxi tee with an infinity scarf. I was in no position to be in front of the camera, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out! #bloggerstyleAll photographed by... Elyse Ketura Photography.

Impromptu Fashion Shoot

O U T F I T  D E T A I L S:

Jacket- H&M

Pants- Zara 

Shoes- Zara

Bag- Charming Charlie 

Top- Mandee

Xoxo,    

Masterful Mustard Look

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 Self: What color condiment would you like to be today? Other self: mustard. I like to take risks, especially fashion risks! Who wants to color inside the lines when you can create a colorful, crazy out of the box masterpiece! The color featured in my current masterpiece is mustard, because why not?! I mean come on.... who wouldn't want to look like this.I'm pretty infamous for one color looks, I've done powdered blue, soft pink, yellow, navy, purple and more! It's fun and it really challenges my style to  have to create a look that is one color, but isn't overwhelming or tacky!

Mustard Look Details:

This whole ensemble started with a tiny piece of recycled clothing. I stumbled across the instagram page RAGD LA (thanks to a certain celebrity) and fell in love with the concept. They take old clothes and create new pieces with it, hence (ragd)la. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Simple, yet clever! I saw this mustard tube top and had to have it. Loveeee that it's made out of a knit sweater type material and I thought it'd be perfect for fall!After the top came in the mail I knew I wanted to create a single color look, so I went on a mission for the perfect pant, skirt, romper or something to match my top. I stumbled across yet another small business page called SHE THE COLLECTION. Although this beautiful romper took quite some time to get to me, I am so happy that I purchased it. It was perfect for the look. Paired this set with my mustard heels, a mustard  duster and luis crossbody and I was set! What do you think of my one colored outfit?Photographed by Elyse Ketura Photography

SHOP THE LOOK

Mustard tube top

Bag

Mustard Romper

Mustard duster 

Mustard heels 

xoxo,

Melanin Magic X Fall Fashion

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Where melanin magic meets fall fashion. I've teamed up with these amazing girls to showcase how we're stepping into fall fashion!If you're not familiar with #StyleStoriesbyElyse then I really don't know what you're doing with your life. What I love most about Style Stories is it's focus on your personal"style;" not what's fashionable, or trendy but how you make your outfits stylish; it's personal!

Jump into Fall Fashion with us!

Kelsley's outfit: Houndstooth Blazer (borrowed from father)Oversized brown buckle beltTopshop BootsBackwards leather chokerElyse outfit: Zara from head to toe!Katina's outfit: Top ZaraPants H&MBoots ZaraAmber's outfit: Jeans Tommy HilfigerTop H&MShoes Lola Shoetique   Xoxo, 

Channeling my inner 17 year old; Back to School we go!

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Now let's be real, when we were younger, we weren't actually excited about the beautiful, freedom of summer ending when Back to School season came around. It was the excitement in having an excuse to get of bunch of new things that you already had!New clothes, new shoes, new pens, papers and notepads; NEW EVERYTHING! That's what makes Back to School season so fun, and I was not about to miss out just because I graduated!

Back to School Essentials | Photographed by Elyse Ketura Photography

Cute Notebooks check |Aren't these just the cutest! I think in addition to all my other addictions, I have a cute notebook addiction! I'm always looking for excuses to buy them! Good quotes, bold colors or pretty much whatever, I'll buy them just for the fun of it! These cute notebooks are by Graphique! If you want pens and other fab supplies then they are the go to!The 1st slay of school FIT check | Being that I'm not in high school anymore, I had to take a 24 year old dress and make is appropriate for school! An off the shoulder bodycon dress, with some old skool vans, nerdy pink glasses and afrolicious pin; a night outfit turned juvenile!

O U T F I T  D E T A I L S

Vans

Boohoo Bodycon, Off Shoulder Dress

Firmoo Glasses

Topshop Pin

Xoxo,