Tag: Eloquii

My vow to photos!

Are you ever the one when you are with family or friends and the camera comes out and all of a sudden you find yourself like a magician disppearing from the photo? Along with this disappearing act comes statements like, “Oh nooooo I look awful today,” or “Oh wait is that my cell phone, oven buzzing, doorbell, or anything that I think is making a sound that I can check on so I don’t have to be in this photo?”

Well, I have been having my moments where I am feeling like this more often. Even though you see me in front of the camera for my blog for some reason as of lately I have been dodging group photos with the pit feeling in my stomach of not looking forward to how I look in the photo. Whether it be me being overly critical of if it looks like I have a double chin, or if my arms look big, or if my stomach is bulging out. Let me tell you these thoughts are truly getting exhausting!

A moment that sticks out the most to me was when my family was all hanging out in the living room last month and my sister was about to snap a photo of all of us. Well, I did the whole sneak out of the photo move because I was feeling like I looked a hot mess with my hair on top of my head, wearing a over sized sweater, and my face felt super bloated. I saw the photo after it was taken and it just made me think that truly the purpose of this photo is to help spark that feeling of a really amazing memory of being with the people you love most. By choosing to exclude myself from that photo felt like I was removing myself from this moment, which was a total wake up call!

Not only in everyday life, but even in this photoshoot with this amazing look from Eloquii this happened too! I remember feeling so self conscious about how the skirt made my body look and how the top paired with the skirt. I was just going on and on about it and Will, my photographer, at one point was basically like, “Who cares! Now strut towards me and let’s get to work!” Well, thank god he snapped me out of this and wouldn’t you know these photos were my favorite out of all the looks we did!

So I am making a vow to myself that I will not let this toxic habit have me miss out on being part of memories that we are so lucky to live in a time that we can capture these moments in a single photo!

Ok now that we are all feeling more empowered let’s talk about my look. The gingham wrap top is from the Draper James collection with Eloquii! It is the perfect mix of feeling classy and a lil bit of spice to it. What I love about this collection is that all of their pieces can be paired with options outside of the collection, like this hot red tulle skirt. You know I am all about options people. So here are a couple of ways that you can pair looks from this Draper James Collection and other amazing pieces from Eloquii!

Catherine

Photo Credit LSP Art Studios

Tags Draper James, Eloquii

Fashion

Top 3 Quick Tips on adding Colors to your Wardrobe!

Post author By dreamyrealist
Post date April 11, 2018
No Comments on Top 3 Quick Tips on adding Colors to your Wardrobe!

Somedays I get into moods of what feels like a style see saw…wait can we get that trending? #styleseesaw? Ok make it happen people! For example one day I am feeling super minimalist with black and grey tones and the next I feel like a freakin bright pink cupcake.

In my early days of blogging I felt like I needed to find my personal style and stick with it when it came to creating my brand. On the other hand style is a great way to express your creativity, which your creative juices can change from one day to the next. So why not completely welcome this with open arms. If you like the look, feel, and price point…lezzzzzz do it!

Whether it is upgrading your go-to basics or updating your closet for spring/summer here are my three go to tips for adding color to your wardrobe from Eloquii!

1. Balance it out! Have the main color of whether it is a dress, top, skirt, etc. be basic tones that are dominate and then have the details be those bold pops of color like in the design. I feel like mastering this is best to stick with florals or even as simple as the bold striped dress I am sporting in my photo. In terms of accessories you can keep it super minimal with silver or gold accents.

2. Accessorize it up! If you are living that more minimalist life these days with every type of little black dress there is then you can spice it up with bold accessories like earrings, clutches, etc. I know in tip #1 I mention to balance out the bold colors keep it simple in terms of jewelry, but if you are feeling a bold earring with a bold print I say go for it!

3. Shoes, shoes, shoes! Playing off of number two you can add on a bold colored or printed heel or flats to any look. Also, if you are wearing a bright colored dress with a bold design I like to select a shoe that is the color in the dress that is the least dominate. Helps the little details really pop!

Watch my Instagram stories to see some of my favorite bloggers that are totally on it when it comes to incorporating pops of color in their wardrobe!

Catherine

Photo Credit LSP Art Studios

Tags Eloquii

Fashion

ELOQUII X Draper James Collection Review!

Post author By dreamyrealist
Post date March 20, 2018
No Comments on ELOQUII X Draper James Collection Review!

I feel like my personal style through my lifetime has been from sporty in my childhood, to an attempt at dressing like Avril Lavigne in high school (major fail and I have pictures to prove it), and that awkward hippie phase I went through and my attempt to wear natural deodorant (also a major fail and I am sorry to my friends who were alongside me through that phase…you know who you are).

Since breaking into my thirties I feel like I have am more comfortable in my skin and can define my personal style better. There are those times though that I have the urges to dress in a way that is a bit outside of my usual go-to’s. For example, I have met so many amazing women here in DC that are from the south and I have to admit I have a major obsession with the gingham print, lace textures, bold prints they sport and I am full blown obsessed!

What perfect timing then for Eloquii to do a collaboration with Reese Witherspoon and her collection, Draper James! Through this collection I feel like I can give that southern chic flare for a test drive while still mixing in my personal style. What I love about this collection is that it is super versatile and I live for the small details. From the scalloped waistlines, a stripe in the seam of the collar, and the signature gold zipper on the back.

So the jumpsuit I am sporting from this collection is seriously a dream fit. Usually I am not a fan of jumpsuits on me because either it does not fit properly on my lower half or the hemline is too short or long. If you have the second issue I mentioned in fit then a midi length can totally solve that for you. So I kept this look pretty casual with a jean jacket, but you can wear it so many ways! I have linked below jackets, shoes, and accessories of course all from Eloquii. Follow this link to shop the jumpsuit and here for my earrings!

Stay tuned for next week because I have an amazing gingham wrap top I will be sharing with you guys too. Now get your hiney over to Eloquii online or in store and get on this collection ya’ll! Sidenote…I’m going to start saying ya’ll more often…

Catherine

Photo Credit LSP Art Studios

Tags Eloquii

Lifestyle

My 21 Days of Happiness!

I reflect on the moment when I googled how to feel happier. After typing that I literally was like wait am I seriously asking the internet how to get happy? The internet. Yes, I had a SMH moment as well and a palm to the forehead. Now don’t get me wrong I am a positive person and I enjoy life, but there are some days where my mood swings are off the charts and at the end of the day I overall just feel crummy. With that it is not only affecting my well-being, but also those around me!

So I was scrolling through Instagram and came across one of my favorite local DC bloggers Tashira of, Politics & Fashion, and her post about the 21 Day Happiness Project. So basically it is about being intentional on writing down what gives you joy and putting it into action each day. To some it may seem like a very easy task. There are some days though that I am glued to my phone, computer, etc. from morning till night on the go and I realize that I did not take a second to enjoy the sun in my face, or how the trees sway in the wind, or listening to the lyrics of a song to find more of a meaning than just background noise. Ok, I know I sound very hippy love child kumbaya, but sometimes it is needed!

It is almost like I have blinders on sometimes to the beauty that is around me. So I started this project on Friday and so far the actions that I have done that give me joy is spending time with my family without having my phone out, going on a long walk, and creating new content for my blog.

Tashira created a free toolkit you can download to jot down your progress and daily affirmations. One part of the toolkit is writing down what makes you happy that costs little to no money. So I wanted to share with you all mine! Here we go:

Meaningful conversations with friends and family
Music
Dancing
Cooking
Collaging
Volunteering
Blogging/Creating Content
Fashion
Nature
Being on the water

Follow me along on Instagram stories and I will give you all updates on how the project is going. Would love to hear what makes you all happy, share them with me in the comments!

Staying dreamin and keep it real!

-Catherine

Photo Credit- Preethi Rajaguru

Shop my Look:

**Could not find the shoes online on Nine West since I purchased them in store, but here is a fabulous alternative. Purchased the purse on consignment, so I found a beautiful Rebecca Minkoff alternative too.