Ohhhhh Back to School..

Ohhhhh...
Back To School
Back To School
To Prove To Dad That I'm Not A Fool
I've Got My Lunch Packed Up,
My Boots Tied Tight,
I Hope I Don't Get In A Fight
Ohhhh...
Back To School
Back To School
   Back To School...

Recently I  had the privilege of speaking to a group of youth girls about being back to school ready. They were just lovely and I am excited for them to enjoy what is next in their young adult life! I figured that there might be a few more of you out there looking for tips so I thought I would share what I taught. So I am going to go ahead and jump right in but I am going to let the master (Jamie) cover matters of the face next post. :)

Hair

1. It's a good rule of thumb to try to go as long as you can without washing your hair. Within reason of course. Using dry shampoo will help you last a little longer in-between washes. A lot of the times I will wear my hair straight after a wash and then I wear it curly/wavy as it gets closer to needing a wash. This also helps me go longer in-between. The reason you are doing this is to help allow your body's natural oils to condition your hair. 

2. Oils are great for smoothing and reducing frizz. 

3. Heat protectant is a MUST to reduce the damage we cause using hot tools. It will help keep your ends less dry and damaged. 

4. Taffy/Wax/Palmade are great for creating texture. especially on the ends of your wavy tresses. I'm not a huge advocate for products on the roots but these will also help tame those pesky fly-aways. 

5. The style. There are a ton of great options for hair these days so I thought I would list a few I'm digging on right now:

-Half Top Knot

Photo courtesy of my 4 year old….

-Top Knot

-Waves

-Headbands/Crowns

-Braids

Nails

If you want super cute nails but you don't want paint your nails only to have sheet marks on them next day followed by chipping.. You HAVE to try Jamberry Nails. They are nails wraps that come in a TON of different styles and they can last up to 2 weeks on your nails and 6 weeks on your toes!! You can find ones to match any outfit or if you don't, you can actually design your own! PLUS they are always buy 3 get one free. 
DUDE….
If you want to have a look around go check them out 

HERE

Clothes

As far as back to school shopping is concerned, some of my favorite places to shop at affordable prices are as followed:

-TJ Maxx

-Ross

-Rue 21

-AE

-Old Navy

-Charlotte Russe 

-HM

                      -Kohls (gotta get that 30%!)
-Asos

A few of my favorite fall must haves are:

-Kimonos

asos.com

-A good pair of jeans (this is where I tend to splurge)

buckle.com

-Basic Tees

ae.com

-Riding Boots

amazon.com

-A Sweet Jacket

asos.com

-Pencil Skirt

Attitude

One of the most important parts of getting ready is your attitude. You are a daughter of a King and therefore you should act like it. What is a daughter of a King? A princess. How are most princess' portrayed?  They are compassionate, well poised, and kind. Much like our Father in Heaven and brother Jesus Christ. 

Make a list of your standards before the school year. Make a list of promises to yourself and place them where you can read it everyday. Keep your standards high and others will follow. Be the good. Be the example. Let your light shine and never feel ashamed for your beliefs and or morals. There are those around you without the gift you have been given that need your love and light. Therefore keep your judgments to yourself and instead reach out. Like they say, be kind, for everyone is facing their own battles. Stay loyal to the royal that runs deep within you. Start your days off with prayer and give thanks when needed and ask for help when needed.   

Remember that you are beautiful and that Heavenly Father has created you exactly how you are to fulfill a specific purpose in this life. A body for a purpose. 

Attitude and confidence when portrayed in the correct form is where the real beauty lies. Be confident, yet humble. Be assertive, yet compassionate. 

You are loved. You have a Father in Heaven and angels that are cheering for you to win. You can do this. You were born for it. 

Have a great school year all you beautiful girls! God Bless and good luck!

XoXo-

Sheena 

Crossing the Path of Tiles + A Little WIW

I remember as a little girl walking past the "Junior" section in department stores and being excited for the day I could explore the next stage of fashion. That day came soon enough and I have been shopping the sale racks and taking risks ever since. 

Not being able to buy whatever I wanted, from wherever I wanted, made me have to creatively expand my closet on my own. In high school my friends and I would seriously shop at the Kids Abercrombie & Fitch and buy their larges just so we could afford the brand. I'll have to do a whole other post on my sale shopping tricks. 

Anyway, back to my point. 

A little while back while browsing the junior section at a major department store, I got to thinking...

Should I be shopping over here? 

Should I probably be shopping over in the "Women's" section?

Are people wondering what I am doing buying clothes targeted for girls 10 yrs younger than I?

Now that I think about it, I have shown up to church wearing the same things as the young women :/

 I walked over to the "Women's Section" and looked around. First of all… How come clothes targeted for "women" are double the price of "juniors"? Do they assume that since I am older that I have double the money? Wouldn't it be just the opposite because my parents no longer take me "back to school" shopping? 

( Even though I totally tried to talk my Dad into that last year to no avail ;) )

Just because I make more, I now have BILLS! You know.. Mo' Money Mo' Problems.

I kept looking. 

I looove some of those higher end clothes. They are beautiful. But I need more bang for my buck. I would rather have 5 shirts that don't quite last me as long giving me more outfits than having one shirt that after buying I can't afford pants to go with it. Know what I'm saying sisters? At least until I can afford to buy 5 of those shirts.

Still looking…

Nothing. Anything that did appeal to me was way more than I would pay for an item and the rest was just not… well, it wasn't "me". 

So when is it that we are supposed to graduate to the next step in life of fashion? When is it time to cross the path of tiles over to the section with the overhang that displays "WOMEN'S"? The answer?

Whenever you want. 

When it comes to fashion the best thing you can do is be YOU. All while keeping in mind what works best for your body type, shop what appeals to YOU. No matter what section/department that is. Including the "Men's". The fabulous thing about fashion is that it has no judgment or boundaries. It is up to you personally to discover what is appropriate for you and what you are comfortable with. It is a matter of taste. A matter of shopping within your means. Will I ever leave the "junior" section? The answer is ...probably. When? Who knows. And that's perfectly fine.

Choosing my own fashion means I get to wear these cute boyfriend jeans that my husband absolutely hates because they look like "boy" pants ha ha. 

( Literally while shopping with him the other day he asks,

"Are those pants supposed to be that loose?" )

Shop where you want ladies. Wear what you want. Use us bloggers as an inspiration, not an idol. See a blogger wearing something that you love that is out of your means? Find an alternative. There ALWAYS is and alternative. As long as you feel confident and comfortable, then you should strut your outfit with said confidence. No matter the brand. No matter the price. No matter the department.

I am loving Graphic Tees these days! There is nothing like a good T shirt. How appropriate is this "Selfie" tee by AE? It is so so so soft! 

Believe it or not… this is my first time trying out boyfriend jeans. I think they are so cute on other women, I was just afraid of looking frumpy if I wore them. Well, I tried them and the verdict is… 

I L-O-V-E them. I will probably only wear them with heels though. I am already on the shorter side so I need them to elongate my legs while rocking this style. I really like this boyfriend fit, but I sill want to look and feel like a woman. 

And of course my most favorite diaper bag ever. Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack. Typically these bags are about $180, but if you are patient and shop around, you can usually get them for half off.  One recommendation though… If you decide to go with a PPB, make sure not to by the cloth material kind. It snags and isn't as easy to clean. Other than that, this bag is a must have for mommas!

"Love Thy Selfie" Shirt// American Eagle HERE

Boyfriend Jeans// American Eagle HERE

Necklace// American Eagle HERE

Rose Gold Watch// JANE.com

Green Pumps// Rue 21

Diaper Bag// Petunia Pickle Bottom