Acknowledge your Glow Up!

Happy Thursday lovelies, I hope your week has been great so far.

It’s Day 29 of Motivational March and if you follow me on Instagram at Coralbuttons, you already know what the goal for today is, but if not here it is: Acknowledge your Glow Up! (Hence the title 😄)

If you don’t know what I mean by that, no worries, I’ll explain!

I posted the picture above on IG to show how I changed over the last four years and to acknowledge my glow up. Urban dictionary defines the term “glow up” as: “To go from the bottom to the top to the point of disbelief. An incredible transformation.”

Not saying I was at rock bottom in 2014, but I wasn’t as healthy or confident then. I just big chopped and that was the shortest my hair had ever been so I was adjusting to that and I was in college stressed about everything.

My style was still evolving and changing and my eating habits weren’t the best. This year, I’m happier, more positive and healthier.

My confidence is boosted because I practice self-love and self-care a lot more. “Positive” is a word that comes out of my mouth on the regular because I surround myself around positive people, do things beneficial for my life, relationship, and career, and make sure to take time to just sit and be happy.

In four years, I graduated college, continued my relationship with my highschool sweetheart and moved across the country from Baltimore to Los Angeles. It’s not about bragging about your accomplishments, it’s about recognizing how much you’ve grown!

Take time to acknowledge your glow up today. You are amazing!

Hair Spotlight: Lemonade Braids

Happy Hump Day lovelies!!!

Today, I am showcasing a new protective style perfect for when your natural hair needs a break!

Side braids, also know as lemonade braids (thanks to Queen Bey), are a simple, but fierce style. Lemonade braids add a touch of sophistication and edge to any look.

Depending on whichever side is your “good side” or how you are use to wearing your hair, let that determine which side is slicked back and which side the braids will fall on. I am right handed and consider my right side my “good side,” so that’s the way I wanted my braids to fall.

Upkeep for the braids are simple; wrap them up in a scarf or bonnet at night and unwrap in the morning. Piece of cake!..Which I kind of want a piece of now after mentioning it 🙂

I unfortunately felt stuck with my natural hair so to get out of my hair funk, I tried this look and loved it!

It is okay to not be in love with your hair every moment, just make sure you take care of it and it will flourish. Sometimes all you need is a new look to make you appreciate the hair God blessed you with.

Having natural hair requires a lot of trial and error. Some products may work for your mom and best friend, but does absolutely nothing for your hair and that’s okay because you will find something that definitely works for you.

My “hair funks” or feeling stuck and powerless because I am not sure what to do with my hair usually goes away pretty quickly. I’ve been natural for going on 4 years and it is still a learning process.

But do I regret going natural or want to go back to the creamy crack, never!! Being natural is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. So love your short fro, long curly hair, kinky bush, or long lemonade braids. Embrace it baby ❤

P.S. This is my favorite picture out of the group…super dramatic super edgy

Talk to you all again soon!!!

Love,

Tati

2 Year Blogoversary!!

It’s been 2 years since I started Coral Buttons back in junior year of college!

I am happy with the direction in which my blog is going and it can only get better from here. This post will be a simple, fun one!

I will answer a few questions about myself/my blog and also post links to a few of my favorite blog posts over the past 2 years.

Well let’s begin!

How old are you?
I am 21 and turn 22 on November 18th ~ #scorpio

What’s your ultimate career goal?
To be a fashion reporter or on-air correspondent on ENews!

Who is your career role model?
Zuri Hall who is a young, beautiful and talented African American woman who is currently an ENews correspondent and has done so much already in just 28 years.

Favorite type of clothing and shoes?
Definitely dresses and I love flats. Flats include TOMs, Converses, ballerina flats, etc…I love them all!

Who is your fashion role model?
Stacy London because not only is she super stylish and has an excellent sense of fashion, but she uses her fashion skills to help other women on shows like “How Do I Look” and “Love, Lust or Run.” She teaches people how to dress and how to love themselves.

How long have you been natural?
I have been natural for 2.5 years and I love it. March 2014 I big chopped and cut off all of my hair and have been growing it out bigger, healthier, and more beautiful ever since.

What did you study in college?
I studied Communication Arts and Theater & Drama and got my Bachelors degree last December.

Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging for a Online Journalism class in college and I picked fashion as my topic because that is what I love and the career path I plan on going into.

Why the name Coral Buttons for your blog?
I chose Coral Buttons really randomly actually. I was having a lot of trouble picking out a name so I googled things to help me. One source said combine 2 random things relating to your blog topic and make that your name. I went with coral since it is one of my favorite colors and buttons because they are simple and relate to clothes just the right amount. Hence, Coral Buttons was born!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself in Los Angeles, California with my now boyfriend, but future husband. I am working in the fashion industry either writing for a fashion magazine, reporting fashion or celebrity related news on a local news station, or fulfilling my ultimate career goal and corresponding on ENews!

Thanks for reading a few answers to some fun questions! Below are links to a few of my favorite blog posts so please check them out by clicking the titles ❤

Attire Academy – A post focused on a fashion video I edited and recorded by myself

A look back at my time in Seoul – A post recapping my study abroad experience in Seoul, South Korea

Traveling through Time – A post where I discuss vintage clothes and try some on

The Book of Me: Future Edition – A post where I write about my life in the future as small excerpts in a book

I hope you had fun learning soome new information about me and my lovely blog. Follow Coral Buttons to keep updated with all the exciting things happening in my life.

Thanks for stopping by,

Love, Tati ❤

 

 

 

My Natural Hair Journey

It’s been a little over a year since I cut all of my hair off and went natural. I am excited about how far I have come and even more excited about the future of my hair. This will be a short post because all I wanted to share my progress with my lovely readers ❤

Box 1: This a picture of me from the day of my Big Chop. My hair was supeerrrr short and I was a little worried about how I looked for a while. I eventually grew into it and fell in love with my short look. It was easy to manage and I knew that it would be growing shortly. This was taken in March of 2014.

Box 2: This picture is from my Bear with Honey post and features me sporting one of my favorite natural hairstyles, twist-outs! My hair has grown soooo much in just a year and I am really proud of my growth 🙂 Can’t wait for it to grow longer!

Box 3: This is a very recent picture and this is a picture of me with my hair straightened! I haven’t had my hair straight in over a year. I am happy to see how long it is because I am so use to seeing it up in the air rather than laid down (lol). I am enjoying my straight hair, but I am starting to miss my puffy and curly hair, so it will probably be back to my fro in a couple of days ^-^

Box 4: This is just a really cool picture and shows a character with gorgeous natural hair. I think that this photo inspires strength and confidence for all women in general and of course, women with natural hair.

I hope everyone enjoyed my hair update post and I hope you all have great Thursdays ❤ It’s almost Friday!!!

Natural is Beautiful

I decided to go natural in March of this year. Going natural is when a woman stops using harmful chemicals and perms in her hair and starts to embrace the hair she was born with.

For years, I got perms because my mother made me go get them. Getting perms to straighten my hair made my hair break off a lot.

I was tired of having damaged hair and I wanted my hair to be healthier and grow longer, so this is why I decided to embrace my natural hair.

I did my research by looking at YouTube videos about natural hair, pinning pictures of women with natural hair on Pinterest, and talking to some of my friends and family members who have natural hair as well. All of that prepared me for my natural hair journey…so I thought.

Looking at videos and pictures is one aspect, but actually cutting off all of the damaged hair and getting use to my natural hair was a tough situation to grasp.

In March when my hairdresser finished cutting my hair, I was nearly bald. It took a while for me to actually like it.

I stood in front of the mirror for a while trying to embrace this new look, I came to terms with it and then headed out into the world. I wasn’t very confident about my new look, but I tried to stay positive.

Now, nine months later, my hair is the healthiest it has ever been and it is growing rapidly. I also inspired a lot of girls to go natural as well, which is pretty exciting.

My hair is very coiled and kinky, so it looks shorter than it really is. In the natural world we call that shrinkage.

I am excited to get my hair straightened with a flat iron soon to see how long it truly is. I plan on doing that in March of 2015 because it will be exactly a year since I big chopped.

It may be a lot of work to keep up with it, but I am happy that I embraced my natural hair!

*The pictures go in order from my big chop in March, to how long it currently is now 🙂