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!

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 ❤

 

 

 

14 Things I’ll Miss About College

With only 2 weeks left before the end of my college experience, I am experiencing an array of emotions. I worked hard, had fun and had an awesome 3 ½ years at college. As I prepare for the next chapter in my life in a mere 14 days, I look back at 14 things I will definitely miss about college.

Free gym access
I already don’t really like working out, but if I can work out for free, why not do it!

Having all my friends in close proximity
After college is finished, all of your friends move back home and you can be miles and miles apart 😦

My awesome Communication Arts teachers
My major is Comm Arts and I loved my teachers from the very beginning. You can’t ask for better professors when they really want to see you succeed and does all they can to help.

Getting daily compliments on my outfits
I love putting outfits together and I love my style. The daily compliments really make me feel super chic!

Having weekends free to sleep in
I have no work, internship, or classes on the weekends, which is awesome because I can actually get more sleep! Unfortunately things won’t be that simple in the “real world.”

Making my own schedule
I love being in charge of my own schedule and having my days and weeks be planned out just how I like them to be.

Studying abroad
Going to college allowed me to study abroad last summer for a month in Seoul, South Korea. I made a post about it here! I am really thankful for that opportunity ❤

Free Wi-Fi
Even though the Wi-Fi was terrible at times, it was cool to walk around campus and have my iPad connect to WI-Fi wherever I went.

Having three month long summer vacations and one month long winter breaks
This is the best! Spending three months of no homework and classes and only having to worry about working a job. And having one month to take a break mid-semester and relax…just awesome.

Having a home away from home
College literally becomes another home for you. You spend most of your time there so of course you get a little attached to it and appreciate it when you need to take time away from your actual home.

Late night food and Walmart runs with friends
Running to Sonic, Waffle House, Taco Bell, and Walmart late at night is always spontaneous, fun, and yummy. I will miss those late night random car rides.

On campus ceremonies, events, and dances
My college, Hood College, has so many traditions and fun events that take place usually on a weekly basis. Not being able to attend those events after this semester is definitely going to be a little sad.

My internship at a fashion boutique named Velvet Lounge
I loved my internship at VL, and it definitely helped me realize that I want to go into the fashion world. I will miss the people there and the shopping!

Fun PE classes like badminton, yoga, ballet, and tai chi
The PE classes I took were all amazing and taught me that working out can be enjoyable and creative.

There’s so much more I will miss about college, but I think this is a pretty good list. Now to finish these next 2 weeks strong. Wish me luck everyone xoxo ❤

Sweater Dress Selfie

Two weekends ago my roommate, a friend of ours, our friend’s roommate, and I went to a Halloween dance on my college campus.

It was quite chilly that night so instead of wearing costumes for the dance, we all thought it would be cool to wear super classy sweater dresses with heels. I must admit, we looked great!

In this post is two of my favorite “sweater dress selfies” from that night. I purchased this lovely sweater dress from a cute store called Strawberry.
The dress is a deep burgundy color with a silver zipper. It is long sleeve and went a little past my knees and cinched in a bit there.

I love this dress because it is very slimming and super warm. Perfect for a fall night out or even a date night dinner with your significant other.

I paired my sweater dress with black ankle booties. Since the dress is so long, I figured shoes or heels that stopped at my ankle would be perfect.

I still have my long Marley twists in my hair as well. I styled them in a big half bun half down up do.

I also wore small black earrings and light lip gloss to finish off the look. It was a great night and I was not only super stylish, but also warm and cozy!

Have a fantastic week everyone. Stay beautiful! ❤

New Hair, Blogoversary, and More!!!

Hello wonderful ladies and gentlemen! I’ve missed you all ❤

Sorry I’ve been away for a little while. My last semester of college is very busy and packed with things to do such as my 2 internships, 6 classes, and working!

But I am making it and am almost done college…yay! Sooo much has happened over these past few weeks!

In case you didn’t notice, I don’t know how you couldn’t have 😛 But Coral Buttons got a few lovely changes. I celebrated my one year Blogoversary on September 17th…congrats to Coral Buttons!!! *fireworks, balloons, cake*

So in honor of my Blogoversary I decided to update my blog a little bit to keep things fresh, new, funky, and chic!

Also, last weekend I got a new hairstyle that I never had before! I got extensions in a style called Marley Twists.

The twists are so lightweight and easy to manage and I think they look super adorable. My hair is up in a bun with half of the twists hanging down in the back.

Recently, I just took out the bun, so pictures of that to come soon! I also got a new clothing item that I would love to show off to my gorgeous readers called a cape.

In the picture you see the light coral colored cape. Literally, you throw the cape over anything and it adds a fancier feel to it.

For church this past Sunday I wore my cape over a fitted black dress with a colorful flower pattern on it. I paired this outfit with black ankle booties.

Shout out to one of my internships, Velvet Lounge, for showing me about this lovely new clothing item. Another shout out to me little brother who always plays the photographer role for my photos you see here on Coral Buttons 🙂

I will definitely try my best to stay on top of blog posts and comments and get more posts out to all of you!

Thanks again for supporting my blog for over a year now, many more awesome years to come.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Love Tati

Prom Season

Prom photos are appearing all over my social media accounts, so it is easy to say that it is prom season. I can’t believe that my own prom was just three years ago!

It is surreal to think that three years ago was my senior prom and in just one year I will be graduating college. Life is truly amazing ❤

In this post I wanted to show my lovely readers my chic prom look. It was an adventure finding my prom dress because I looked in at least 5 to 6 different place for my dress.

I didn’t really know what style of dress I wanted, but I knew I wanted it to be blue or teal specifically since that is my favorite color. At one place I found a beautiful high-low, feathery light blue dress but it was wayyyy overpriced ($600 to be exact!).

So I left the lovely feather dress behind and looked elsewhere. I went to a popular mall in my area and stumbled upon a store named Pretty Woman, which had dresses for all occasions.

I went in and found a gorgeous dress, my only problem with it was that it was black! I really didn’t want to wear black on my prom night, so I asked the owner if she could get the same dress in teal and that is how I found the gorgeous dress I wore to prom. (and it was only $80!)

My dress was a teal halter top A-line gown with rhinestones lined down the middle of it. It was ruched at the torso area and was floor length.

I paired the dress with dangling silver studded earrings, a light blue and white corsage, and silver heels. My prom date, who is also my lovely boyfriend, matched me perfectly and I was super worried about matching because he hadn’t seen my dress until the day of prom!

He wore a teal button up shirt with a blue and white tie, a white vest, white dress pants, and sleek white dress shoes. Prom was a lot of fun and all of my classmates looked beautiful and handsome.

Prom was probably one of my most fashionable days ever lol ^-^

Ring Ceremony Outfit!

I finally got my college ring! I was suppose to get it weeks ago, but the weather was too bad 😦

But, now I finally have it and I couldn’t be more excited! For anyone who doesn’t know or forgot, I go to Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. Hence the “H” on the ring!

I actually didn’t have to pay a penny out of pocket for this ring. I entered an essay competition and I won the scholarship that allows my school to pay for my ring in full.

Lucky right!

Any-who, this post will show all of my lovely readers my new ring and the outfit I wore the ceremony ^-^

It was a beautiful, sunny, spring day to have this ceremony. It was around 80 degrees!

I wore a green fit and flare dress paired with black cutout wedges. This dress was super comfy and light weight, while still looking elegant and chic.

For my accessories, I wore lots of pearls! I wore pearl earrings, a pearl bracelet, and a pearl necklace.

I wore my hair out in my lovely curly, twisted out, fro! Not only was this outfit great for this ceremony, but it will also work perfectly for dates, partying, or just a fancy dinner.

I love this outfit and I love my new Hood ring! Only one semester left until I am a college grad, wish me the best ❤

10 Fun Ways to De-Stress

Hello lovelies ❤

After this week, I have five weeks left before I will complete my first semester of my senior year of college! Super excited about that!

But with the end of the semester approaching, comes a lot of projects and papers and that can get very overwhelming. So in order for me to not want to pull my hair out before the end of the school year, I found ten fun ways to de-stress!

Hopefully these tips can help you stay stress free as well. ^-^

1) Use Pinterest: Pinterest is my favorite social media site.  You can browse funny images, health information, motivational quotes, images of puppies, literally anything your heart desires. Need inspiration, check out my Pinterest here.

2) Buy a new outfit: Who doesn’t love shopping?!? I always feel less stressed and happier after buying a new outfit. Buy that dress you’ve been considering for a while. Why not buy that new bikini and try to fit into it before summer. When you look good, you feel good!

3) Do yoga: Yoga is super relaxing and helps you stay fit. It is a really peaceful exercise and you barely work up a sweat! It will definitely help you forget about all your problems and calm you down.

4) Buy and grow a plant: House plants are beautiful and are scientifically proven to help keep you calm and healthy by being around them. Looking at and helping your beautiful plant grow will make you happier and give you a colorful house decoration!

5) Meditate: Sit in your room or a quiet place with soft music playing in the background and clear your mind. Just breathe deeply and try to focus on the sound of the music and relax. You will be amazed at how stress free you feel once your mind is clear and at peace.

6) Dance: I love to dance! Even if feel like you aren’t a great dancer, it will be fun to just turn on your favorite song and just dance around the house to it. You will be getting exercise and having a lot of fun and not worrying about anything.

7) Take the Positivity Challenge: For 7 days try to think only positive thoughts and try to see the good side of every situation. It will be difficult, but by the end of the week, you will start to feel happier and have a better and more positive outlook on life.

8) Give yourself a Mani/Pedi: We all love feeling pampered at a salon or spa, but who says you can’t pamper yourself! Grab one of your favorite nail polishes from the cabinet and just relax and do your nails. Make yourself feel super pretty!

9) Create a motivational/inspirational quote for yourself: Write the quote everywhere and remember to apply it to your life. If you have a constant reminder of why you should stay motivated, you will be happier and more focused. My new motto is: Changing negatives to positives ^-^

10) Take a relaxing bubble bath: Get nice and cozy in the tub with your favorite scented bubble bath and maybe even light some candles. Just try to soak and relax and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Try all or some of these methods and see how stress free you will be! ❤ ❤ ❤

S.A.S Induction Outfit

Earlier today I had to pleasure to attend the 2nd annual induction for one of my college clubs, Sisters Aspiring to Success or SAS!

Today, SAS welcomed 16 new ladies or Sassies, as we like to call them, into our lovely sisterhood. SAS is a women’s organization that focuses on academic excellence, leadership, and service.

In this post I will show you gorgeous readers my SAS induction outfit.

I wore a dark red A-line dress with a small V-neck line. A-line dress work well for women who have pear shaped bodies like myself, because we are smaller up top and a little wider on the bottom.

I paired my A-line dress with silver accessories. For jewelry, I wore pearl and silver studded earrings and a silver and white necklace that I purchased when I went to South Korea.

I also wore a variety of silver bracelets. To complete my induction look, I paired my dress and jewelry with sparkly silver heels.

I also wore lipstick again for the second time ever! The first time I ever wore lipstick was for my birthday, you can see that post here.

You may not be able to see my lipstick too well in the picture, but the color is called  Coffee Craze by CoverGirl and it is a deep shade of brown. I love it!

I hope you enjoyed this sassy post and continue to enjoy your weekends ❤

Staying Positive

This post will be a little different from my usual posts, but hopefully it will still be enjoyable 🙂

Two days ago I began my first semester of my senior year of college. I have mixed emotions about this semester.

I am eager, excited, worried, and motivated. Yesterday I had a lovely snowy day (pictured above) and I also had a lot of downtime yesterday and today.

On days like today where I actually have downtime, I like to relax, watch tv, and just have a little time for myself. I tend to sit and think a lot about my life and things that are happening and the future.

I love to sit and think about a variety of topics, but I sometimes have a bad habit of over-thinking and worrying about things.

I worry and over-think about being successful after college, my family, my financial situation, my relationship and so much more. But I am realizing that taking more control over my mind and thoughts and staying positive and not stressing and worrying about circumstances will make my life a lot easier.

So as this year continues to fly by and as I continue to work my way through my first senior year semester, my goal is to stay as positive as possible and to stress less.

Remember to always keep your head held high! xoxo