Shop The Look

Top: Forever 21 (Shop similar here + cute knitted one here) // Jeans: Old Navy (Shop here + similar here) // Shoes: Christian Louboutin (Shop here)

So...who fears the possibility of ruining a white ensemble by getting horribly dirty?  This girl.  I am so accident prone that it's actually a shocker if I go a day without spilling SOMETHING on me.  Choosing to go out in all white is a bold and brave move, but it doesn't have to be as scary or uncomfortable as it seems.  In an effort to remove that fear of mine, I put myself up to the test and stepped out in an all white outfit.  I made a few notes that I couldn't wait to share with you all and guess what!  I found out that there are extra precautions you can take to avoid coming home with a few stains.  Check out my list below and if you'd like to shop my outfit, go ahead and click on the links above!

1. Eat/Drink White Colored Food

This might seem funny but it's a no brainer.  I often make the mistake of ordering a huge pot of meat sauce spaghetti and usually end up dropping a few noodles on myself.  If you are going out to eat in all white, order any clear colored drink like white wine or water and cream colored food like rice, chicken alfredo, clam chowder soup, yogurt parfait...I mean the list can go on and on.  Just pay attention to the menu and find something that you know won't leave such a huge stain if you do spill.

2. Bring A Sweater/Jacket

An extra sweater or jacket may seem like extra baggage, however, it can totally save you from accidentally sitting on something.  There's nothing like permanently staining your favorite white jeans so please take my advice and bring a jacket to sit on.  I think from this experience, I might just leave an extra jacket in my car at all times to avoid having to always remember to take one with me and also for those times where I randomly need an extra layer in between my jeans and a bench.

3. Avoid Walls & Cars

One time, I was leaving for work in white jeans and accidentally rubbed my thigh against my car.  As you can imagine, I was left with a huge black stain that I couldn't dust off, therefore leaving me no choice but to run back inside to change.  Don't let this happen to you!  Stay away from leaning against a wall or a car - the chances of getting dirty are very high.  This might be really annoying (I should know because I'm such a leaner) but it's really just a commitment you have to make to take extra care of your clothes.

That's all for now, loves.  I hope you enjoyed these little tips and please don't hesitate to let me know of any other tips you guys may have.  I'm all ears!

Xo..Melissa Victoria

Tax Season: How Will You Invest?

Hello tax season!  If you haven't already thought of ways to invest your return, now should be the time to start.  In my current state of mind, I can think of several ways to use my return and they all really seem like plausible investments.  Whether it's stashing it into my savings account or paying down my credit cards, I feel like it's all a win-win situation.  I thought long about this and figured the project I really want to invest in this year is the direction and production of this blog.  The mentality I have going into this, is feeling like I'm investing in myself and all the possibilities that can stem from a single blog.  Below is a list of items I'd love to invest in with the help of my tax return for you to check out and maybe even relate to!  Don't forget to leave me comments with tips or suggestions - okay, let's do this!

1.  Engagement Plan

The beginning of the week is where I'm the most motivated to hit my social engagement hard.  Then Wednesday rolls around and it's like if I've lost my mojo haha.  According to my marketing calendar, I should be engaging with at least ten blogs a day and engaging with similar hashtags on Instagram and Twitter.  This could easily turn into a whole other job of mine! Thankfully, my friend is a marketing consultant and helps people like me grow in this blog world!  Sure I can do this by myself, but I need to buy myself all the time in the world to focus on the overall production and could totally invest in an engagement plan.  Time well spent always brings content!

2.  Photography

I've spent so much of my time studying the Instagram grids of some of my favorite bloggers and something that has always stood out to me is the photography.  With this said, I want to invest in purchasing a brand new lens for my camera and pay for a monthly Adobe subscription to use prime editing tools.  I already use Lightroom to edit my photos, but I would love to enhance my skills and sign up for Lightroom and Photoshop classes.  I know there are free online graphic design/photo editing sites that I could probably do with, but if I'm going to invest in the Brocade Closet experience, I'm going to have to sign up for the best.  I've browsed a few lenses that I'm super into right now and am leaning towards one that'll cost about $200.  It's very basic and easy to use and I think it'll deliver the results I want!  Crossing fingers!

3. Instagram/Facebook Ads

I'm very familiar with paid ads through my work life, but I've never tested this out for my own blog.  Shocker!  Can I make room in my budget this year to spend at least $5 on every blog related post?  Totally.  It doesn't have to be every single time either, but at least two or three times a month won't necessarily break the bank.  Each month, I plan on taking a look at my content calendar and rule out my top three posts that I'd like to push.  Since I've categorized myself as a Life and Style blogger, I want to be careful with the posts I pay for and have a rule of only pushing three diverse posts.  I want to focus on amplifying my audience and fulfilling my overall goal of writing a lifestyle guide for you, by me.  Pushing out posts that cater to different audiences will be a HUGE investment for me in this next year.

Xo..Melissa Victoria

Winter Tunic | My Style

 Shop The Look

Tunic: The Mint Julep Boutique (shop this color here + all others here) // Booties: HM (shop similar here + here and here) // Jacket: Nordstrom (shop similar here + here) // Sunnies: Windsor (shop very similar here)

Oh hello 2017!  It's SO great to meet you all here again for what I hope to be another fun and successful year.  I'm kicking my blog year off with a fun collaboration with a killer boutique, The Mint Julep.  As a blogger, I'm always scouting local and online shops with clothing items and accessories that fit my budget friendly style the best.  Don't get me wrong, I love to visit my shopping malls, but I'm really into supporting local and online boutiques.  The gems you find sometimes are just so share worthy.  If you haven't checked out The Mint's merchandise selection, let a girl educate you for a second on a year-round staple you need in your closet.  

When I think of a slouchy tunic, I automatically think of a few ways to wear one.  First of all, I love over sized tops - they are my absolute favorite!  I hate to feel so restricted and let's be real, if I'm gonna eat something heavy, I'm going to need all the tummy room lol. This tunic has got to be the most perfect tunic I've worn in a while for a few different reasons.  It's cozy, it's not too heavy, it's long enough to wear with jeans or leggings and my favorite - it's not TOO crazy over sized or chunky.  This is an automatic win for me!  It's a bit chilly in Orange County right now, so I really appreciate being able to slip the sleeves of this tunic into a leather jacket and not feel so claustrophobic you know what I mean?  As soon as this cold weather decides to go away, you can definitely count on me tucking this tunic into a skirt or some shorts - my goodness, I cannot wait!  Anyway, here's the fun part, this tunic comes in several different colors #yay.  Go ahead and click on the link above under my outfit details to shop them all!  I'll be back again soon but in the meantime, happy weekend!

Xo..Melissa Victoria