A SATURDAY STUNNER

Normally I don't post during the weekends, but after being at my computer all day long I needed a break. & you are my break :)

I was perusing through pinterest and came across an image of the beautiful actress, Lupita N'yongo, and stopped in awe. She is the definition of beauty. Sure she has a stylist, but only Lupita can look as ravishing in these dresses and colors as she does.  Had to share with you some of my favorite images of this beauty...

"When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid. " lupita n'yonga

Hope you are having a beautiful weekend!

xo Meems xo

Another weekend is upon us and I am looking forward to getting work done. School work that is. I have not been a social butterfly in quite some time and I've accepted that right now I just have to remain as focused as possible on my priorities and put my work and school first. Ill be back to play soon but until then I can be found comfy in my lounge pants rocking a Saved by the Bell pony tail & nose deep in my books. 

If you find some down time here some of the posts from this week on the blog you may enjoy:

Lent Season

Homemade Sugar Scrub

Decorating for Less via Pintrest

Shop your closet 

I hope will be enjoying the weekend and made some plans, whether you are traveling, relaxing with friends or attending a party. Tell me, Id love to hear and live vicariously through you :) Until Monday~

xo

Meems

THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY....

Late last night after class, I literally felt like I was sleep walking. I was cold, hungry and tired. As I was walking towards the subway I saw what every NY’er loves… a lit up cab light! As I started walking towards the street I passed by a man with ashes on his forehead. & at that moment  it struck me....I cant get in the cab. I made a promise to myself to not spend money frivolously for the next 40 days. Having read a post on How to be Chic I was excited to start my own no spend challenge for Lent.

This was one of my luxuries I gave up for Lent. Some might think a cab is a necessity, but living in NYC it’s a luxury. My subway ride cost me less than $3. The cab I was so excited to see, would have cost me nearly $30 tip included. It ‘s so easy to spend money here in this city without thinking and I see how many people just cant save money.

I strive to be the best I can be for myself and my future family.  I’m no longer a huge spender but still find myself buying things here and there that aren't really necessary and contribute to my reckless spending.

I live in a city filled with buyers temptation everywhere  you turn, now imagine living on those same streets where you can go for a walk and see all the temptation just outside your doorstep. A trip to a pharmacy here and a trip to a boutique there, I've nearly spent my spending budget on items I can truly do without. This is the reason why I chose to go spend free for the next 40 days. I am hoping to learn more discipline over the coming weeks. With age, I’ve found I’ve tightened up my spending belt but I can always tighten a bit more. Doesn’t mean I will be losing my enjoyment in life….I will be gaining so much more throughout the coming weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing how much I save.

If there is something  I want over the next 40 days I plan on writing it down and adding it to Pinterest. Sometimes just seeing an item gives you the same satisfaction as buying it. How many products in your makeup drawer do you actually use?

I know there will be challenges ahead of me, times where I want to break the promise. But I stand (write before) you with all good intentions and when I make a promise to myself I do not break it.  The times where I know there will be temptation I will repeat my promise to myself and feel proud knowing I stuck to my word. At the end of my 40 day journey, I will have gained more buy spending less.

Lately, I've taken up reading as a hobby and a relaxing nightly ritual. Books cost money so I plan on using my schools library as well as the public library. Also, I enjoy ZITE which is a free app on my mobile device that streams all recent articles solely based on my personal interests chosen by me. If you don’t zite, I highly suggest you do!

As for cabs, not taking them. I will utilize all forms of public transportation. Dining out? I will make dinners at home and get creative in the kitchen. If I run out of a product, unless it is a necessity I will l use what I have. I have extra shampoos, tons of makeup from when I used to wear more and clothes I can wear in fresh new ways. “Use what you have” is my motto for the next coming weeks.

If there is an item I want for the apartment, I will pinterest the item and hope that after 40 days I will either forget about it or if it is needed it will have gone on sale. I'm excited to see how this goes, I do hope you come along for the journey even if it is a no spending weekend or week for you. You don’t have to be as aggressive as I, but I simply ask that you try. Even if it is for one day.

Learn to simplify your life and spend less. Save more money and be happy with what you have in your home. I'm pretty sure you have more than you need, put those items to use and don’t buy excess. Make a conscious decision when you are checking out and look in your basket. Do you NEED that item or do you WANT the item. This should get you started to a no spend day/weekend/week or Lent journey. Let me know how it goes and I will share my journey through out the coming weeks with you.

Have a beautiful day!

Xo

Meems

A TIME FOR REFLECTION

Its Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Season is here! The Lenten season is a period of 40 days in the Catholic Church which is devoted to fasting, abstinence & giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of penitence in preparation for Easter. Fridays you are not supposed to eat meat – which is fine for me because I’m back to being pescatarian.

I’m blessed with many luxuries, so this will be easy to narrow down. In terms of fasting, I’ve given up Chocolate & Simple Sugars. 40 days of No Simple Sugar or Chocolate. Piece of cake! I'm also going spend free. Which is essentially no personal purchases (unless a necessary item) for the next 40 days. This means no clothing, makeup, products or home decor for the next 40 days.

I hope you come along for the journey, even if you aren’t Catholic I want you to challenge yourself for 40 days and see how strong you are. Maybe its limiting your drinking to only 1 night a week, maybe you decide to take out red meat from your diet, or eating a veggie with every meal. Maybe it could be giving up coffee or start working out every morning. Maybe halt your clothes shopping for the next 40 days and use what you have.

Try it. This is good for your heart, your soul and your mind. See how strong you really are.

Ash Wednesday a day that reminds us were not here forever, and challenges us to live the very best everyday.

Let me know what you’ve decided to remove or refrain from for the next 40 days. Id love to hear!

Have a beautiful day!

 x0

Meems

A FASHIONABLE SAVE

Within the next week or so I will be giving a speech on “ Living within your means for a richer life” to my fellow classmates so I find this post to be perfectly timed. I’ve been on such a life haul the past year and a half and finances are at the top of my list. I’ve lived carefree for so many years, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing….. it was the carefree spending that was not entirely a good thing.

So this secret I use may or may not work for you but in the off chance it will, I want to share it with you.

As you know, I love fashion. But you also know I love saving. Those two do not go hand in hand. I receive the J Crew catalog regularly in the mail, along with others, and I don't mind getting them. The catalogs inspire me to create new looks and use what I already own.

& that is my secret! Rework what you already own.

Here is how I do it, I'll tear out a page or two of outfits I like and look through my existing wardrobe. 90% of the time, I realize I have something close to it and actually use it for inspiration to expand my own wardrobe. The catalog helps me to see what I already own and inspire me to look at things in a fresh way. The cost to me, nothing.

Maybe not getting catalogs or even not caring what is "in" or "out" this season works for you and should be something that one day I can aspire to be, but for now I do enjoy fashion and I enjoy seeing how experts in fashion bring back looks or re-style things. 

I no longer get caught up in having to have the latest bag or the greatest heel (sigh) but it is enjoyable to look and yet not get sucked in. So that's my little secret. Unexciting? Maybe.... but it really has worked for me. 

One day, one day being the key word..... I will share the look book I created that inspires me. In the meantime, Id love to know what works for you when balancing the love for fashion and saving?

xo

Meems

LUXURIOUS SKIN treatment for less

I absolutely love to bake during the holidays, I bake for my friends, my family and I bake just to bake. By the time the holidays are over with I have so much left over sugar. We don't typically use sugar in our home (except for the month of December) and I always have a plethora of sugar left over the holidays. Since I refuse to let anything go to waste,  I can usually find a way to get another use out of most items and products in my home. Sugar is just one of them.

With that said, I want to share a quick and su(ga)re fire way to get your skin as soft as humanly possible without spending a dollar. Yep, no cost. 

Here is how:

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

2 1/2  cups sugar (white or brown)

1/2 cup coconut oil (you can use olive oil or almond oil whichever you have on hand)

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice 

1 teaspoon orange zest - optional  (you can even try using essential oils, maybe lavender or peppermint) 

This step is optional & entirely up to you. I prefer to blend my white sugar in a processor and get the sugar as fine as possible. I feel it makes for a better scrub, but again.... its totally optional. Now.....

1. Mix sugar and oil in a bowl - Add a bit of oil at a time, you may not need all that is called for. Just enough to make it moist but not runny.

2. Drizzle lemon juice over sugar and oil mix. Add orange zest and pour mixture into a pint jar. 

& that is it. Quite simple.

HOW TO USE: Mix and apply to dry skin. I like to do this in the shower before I turn the water on. Just massage it in, taking extra time on elbows, feet and any other rough areas. Rinse with warm water. Pat a little coconut oil on your skin before you dry off and you aren't going to believe how soft your skin is.

That's it. Such an economical yet luxurious treat for your beautiful skin. A personalized sugar scrub created with ingredients you can pronounce and for the most part free (if you have these ingredients). 

Halt spending your hard earned money on expensive products, go into your medicine cabinet and kitchen cabinets and make something organic. Its good for the wallet, environment and most importantly you.

xo

Meems

TUESDAY TONE & TUDE

MONOCHROMATIC WALL for less (part deux)

& Here is the final result. Again, in person the fabrics are far more beautiful and the dark leather swatches look so neat under the light (unfortunately I take pics on my iphone so the quality is not as good as a professional camera)

Remember, you do not have to spend a significant amount of money to get the look you want. If you use your creative juices and aren't afraid to create it yourself you will accomplish a look that is  far more interesting than something store bought. Try it and let me know what you create or have recreated for less!

xo

Meems

DECORATE FOR LESS - MONOCHROMATIC GALLERY WALL

I don't know about you but Pintrest has me feeling like Martha Stewart meets Nate Burkus meets Daniel Boulud! Ive been cooking and baking and decorating up a storm.  Believe it or not, with as many projects as I have gotten from Pintrest, it  has saved me money in decorating by recreating looks with DIY projects. 

Lately, Ive been loving Gallery Walls , especially a monochromatic white look.  I found a few pre-made ones I loved at West Elm, but the price was a bit too steep for what I wanted to spend. 

I did my research, looked online and compared prices....I  realized what I wanted would have to be created by moi.  Pintrest to the rescue! I found a few images of what I was looking to create and I pulled it off! Here are the looks that inspired me via Pintrest.

The Gallery Wall I created will be going up in the hallway entrance of my apartment with nine 13 by 13 frames matching the height of the top of the door frame down to the floor. I chose to place fabric in each photo window to display the colors and fabrics being used throughout our home. I enjoy a clean palate of colors and wanted to set the mood upin entering our home. Our gallery would be an awkward place for pictures especially since the gallery will placed high up and end closer to the floor, our gallery is used to create a visual experience of height not to display photos. 

*I do however recommend if you chose a wall gallery placed in a room to use pictures or images.

For the inside of the frame I used fabrics and leather swatches  from Restoration Hardware. I chose color swatches from our couch, living room chairs and other pieces in our home. Restoration charges around $2-$4 dollars a swatch but a few of ours were free when we ordered our furniture. I cut each swatch and placed them in a frame.

Our color palette to include fabrics and leather swatches. In person, each swatch has an organic texture that looks really interesting and as a whole looks expensive.

West Elm 13 by 13 frames in white with white matting (purchased on sale)

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Here is the final product, when you see it in person you an see all the different textures and leather fabrics. These will be hung this week, final photo to follow with a closer view of the textures.

I hope this inspires you to create something unique for your home. You don't have to spend a great deal of money to accomplish a look, it is all about personal style and putting your own creative thoughts to use. Pintrest is a great site to help bring out your creativity. 

xo
Meems

MONDAY MISCELLANEOUS

Happy Monday to you! I hope you enjoyed this past weekend. It was low key for us, I spent the weekend doing some work around the apartment while the Mr. was recovering from being ill the past few days. 

 I wanted to share with you a few randoms:

 1. Aerin's New Perfume Scents - Right now I am enjoying the Amber Musk and Evening Rose (used once as a room fragrance) . The Amber Musk I highly recommend, the Evening Rose is okay, I'm not into berry and floral scents. I'm quite loyal to my fragrances so I usually test new scents out on my freshly laundered sheets before I wear them. The Amber Musk out of the two is my favorite, it has a warm cozy smell perfect for these cold NYC winter days. The Evening Rose I can do without. If you would like the Evening Rose, I can send it to you as a gift. Send me an email with your address and it is yours!

2. Tom Fords Neroli Portofino - A unisex scent that instantly transports me to Italy. I wore this on Sunday and I felt like I was walking through the Amalfi Coast. I will see how it sits on my skin and if it gets a stellar rating I will 100% purchase the large bottle for spring and summer. 

Perfumes given to me by a friend at estee lauder

3. Late last night, while watching the Oscars I gave myself an at home manicure with a new color I fell in love with. I usually keep to a handful of staple colors but I wanted to try something a bit out of the box. Penny Talk by Essie. This color is more of a liquid copper, I can only imagine how nice it would look on an olive complexion. This color is a must for summer when your skin is glowing....Its like an Oscar Award for each finger.

& that is it! Hope you all have a great start to your week. Again, if you are interested in the perfume above email me directly and I will send you the Evening Rose fragrance as a gift. 

xo

Meems