Floral Maxi Dress and Marley Twists

Hey hey! Today I wanted to showcase a new dress and a new hairstyle. As I mentioned in my last post here, I love dresses!

Maxi dresses, like the floral one I am wearing above, are so stylish along with being super comfortable. You can wear maxi dresses and flats for a casual, errand day or pair it with heels for a chic, brunch outfit.

I decided to pair mine with flats for a more casual look. This floral maxi was a great deal at Nordstrom Rack for only $12!

I love shopping at the Rack because the deals are so great and it helps that I get an employee discount too. My flats are from Nordstrom, my only issue with them are that they get dirty so quick because they are white. During the summer time, I definitely plan on wearing this dress with cute sandals.

On this past Monday, I decided to do my hair. I love red hair on me. I’ve even considered dying my natural hair red because I love it so much, but that will happen later in life.

I’ve done red braids before, but this was my first time doing red twists. Besides how they look, the main difference between braids and twists are how many pieces of hair you use. To form a braid, you use three strands of hair and to form a twist you use two strands of hair.

Once I get a video camera, I will showcase how I do my protective styles (braids and twists). Be warned, it is time-consuming. These twists took me 8 hours to do, but once you get the hang of it its fun and definitely worth while.

My twists allow me to give my natural hair a break and it’s a cute, new hairstyle. What’s your go to dress style? What hairstyle are you currently rocking? Let me know in the comments below!

And I will leave you with this quote my boyfriend and I came up with today as inspiration to help you get through your week:

Flowers bloom even in darkness. So even if you feel like there is no light in your life right now, you can still bloom in your dark place. You are a flower 💐

Dresses are my fave!

One clothing item I could wear forever are dresses! They are so easy to wear and have a style for every occasion. Want to go for a walk, but still look cute, wear a sundress. If you are going to a party, wear a cocktail dress. Attending a black tie wedding, a fit and flare gown will look gorgeous!

Any event you need to attend, you can wear a dress for that occasion. I wore the dress pictured in this post is for a dinner date with my boyfriend Shawn. I wanted to wear something flattering, but also fun. The bold pattern on my dress, paired with the pop of orange makes this a stylish look. The best part of this dress is that it has pockets!

All my ladies know that we love when dresses have pockets, it makes the outfit 10 times better 🙂

I actually recieved this dress as a gift from one of my former coworkers so I’m not sure how much it cost. The shoes I paired with the dress are white BP flats from Nordstrom that cost around $20. 

What’s a clothing item you could wear forever and never get tired of? Maybe it’s a dress for you to or maybe it’s button up shirts; let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to relax and stop and smell the flowers often!l

Teal Takeover

I’m excited for today’s post because I get to talk about my favorite color, teal!

In case you have no idea what teal is, it’s a gorgeous shade of blue-green.

I love teal because it looks great on literally everything. Teal clothes, jewelry, shoes, even hair, are all gorgeous.

My OOTD is a lovely, teal and floral crop top paired with teal cropped trousers and white flats. I love the sleeves of this top because it resembles the ones seen on a kimono.

This top was an affordable $17 from Nordstrom! My trousers were $20 from ASOS and have a side zipper which I love much more than the traditional front zipper and button combo.

My flats are also from Nordstrom and cost around $25. I love the bow detail on them!

Teal is just one of those colors I feel looks great on me! It’s the perfect shade to match my complexion and hair.

What’s your favorite color and how do you think it looks on you? Let me know in the comments below and have a lovely week!

Little Red Dress From Express

Happy Monday, hope your week is off to a great start.

Today’s featured look is a little red dress from Express. This is actually the dress I purchased for my college graduation 2 years ago and it still fits great and is in perfect condition.

I’m obsessed with the side cutout detail on this dress because it adds just the right amount of sexy. I paired this dress with my Topshop mules for a simple, sophisticated look.

I found this wooden structure in a walkway near my job and I had to get a picture in front of it. I like choosing artistic backgrounds for my pictures because i feel like the scenery is just as important as the pose and outfit.

Of course, the wooden structure allowed me to try new poses as well which was fun. What do you think of this look and background?

How important is scenery for you in your photos? Let me know in the comments below and have a great week lovelies!

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!

Visiting the Love Wall in Beverly Hills

Valentine’s Day is almost here so I recently went to Beverly Hills to get a pic in front of the super artistic and gorgeous Love Wall.

The wall makes for a perfect backdrop for a Valentine’s themed post. To visit the wall, I wore a cropped Topshop sweater paired with highwaist jeans from ASOS. I completed the outfit with sparkly TOMS.

I love that there is so much street art scattered all throughout LA. I hope to share some more pics in front of creative street drawings in the future!

Sometimes holidays make people feel lonely and sad because they either don’t have anyone to celebrate with, the holiday brings up bad memories, or a multitude of other reasons.

I’m here to tell you about a little mantra that helps me get through rough times that I learned from a Youtuber and that is Positive Mental Attitude.

Repeat that a few times and it will help you get into a better and happier mindset. So if you are alone on Valentine’s Day or in a long distance relationship remember to stay strong and focus on the positives in your life currently. Have a good day!

 

Cherry Top and Distressed Jeans

Happy Monday! Hope your week is off to a great start.

Today, I wanted to showcase an outfit that I’m really excited about. This look is so special because this is the first time I’ve worn distressed jeans.

Growing up my mom and granny said there wasn’t a point in buying jeans with rips because I can make them holey myself, which is actually a great point when you think about it.

But with distressed jeans trending, along with the frayed/unfinished hem jeans look on the rise I had to invest in at least one cute pair.

It helped that these jeans were a $17 steal online at ASOS. I paired my jeans with a button up shirt from Topshop.

I love love love this top. It’s funny because I don’t even like cherries, but the shirt was too cute to pass up and it was on sale! To complete the look, I wore red mules, also by Topshop.

I will be getting a lot of use out of my new button-up and distressed jeans all spring and summer long. What fashion trend are you currently rocking or staying far away from?

Leave a comment below with your answer to the question and any thoughts on my look. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Last month of 2017!

It’s December! The last month of 2017 has arrived. Can you believe it?

This month I am focusing on self love and care. As the year comes to a close and holiday season approaches everything can seem overwhelming.

Take time this month to reflect on the positive things that happened to you this year. If you didn’t meet all the goals you wanted to meet this year that’s ok because next year you can push harder, work faster, and you can get it done.

Don’t give up on yourself and don’t hesitate to take time out each day or each week this month to meditate and reflect on 2017.

In this post, you’ve seen 2 new pieces in my wardrobe! I purchased these items as a self care moment, I’ve been working hard and haven’t shopped in a while so I decided to splurge a bit.

The 2 new items are my Topshop denim jacket and lavender Asos pants! I paired the jacket and pants with a mesh vneck top by Lycra, and my go to comfy black TOMS.

Make time this month to do something you love and enjoy because self love and care is important and should be practiced every day.

Ways to practice self love and care:

1) Meditate with music or in silence

2) Try a new activity to expand your horizons (yoga, hiking, acting classes)

3) Treat yourself to a spa day

4) Shopping trip

5) Watch a childhood movie you loved watching growing up

6) Write a list of 10 things you love about yourself or 10 things you are good at

7) Drink more water

8) Say positive affirmations everyday (I am intelligent, creative, etc)

Hope you use some or all of these tips this month. Take care lovelies!

What I Wore Wednesday

Happy hump day! I hope your week has been great and productive so far.

Today, I am showcasing an outfit I wore to work recently. As some of you may know, I currently work at Nordstrom and specifically in the Young Contemporary department also known as YC.

YC consists of three subcategories/brands: Savvy, Brass Plum/BP, and Topshop. Savvy has special occasion items such as dresses, jumpsuits, and blazers.

BP, a Nordstrom exclusive brand, has everyday wear such as sweaters, tshirts, blouses, and jeans. BP also carries dresses, but are more casual than the Savvy dresses.

Topshop, one of my favorite brands, carries a mix of BP and Savvy-esque items. It is a trendy, low price, but high fashion brand.

Topshop carries everything from leather jackets, to sequined dresses, to embroidered jeans, to fur vests! Anything trendy and up and coming in the fashion world Topshop has.

Working in YC allows me to dress more casual than I would have to dress if I was in another department, but also allows me to be trendier. The outfit seen throughout the post definitely represents what YC is all about.

I paired a Forever 21 Rugrats bodysuit with super comfy green cropped ASOS pants. To add more color to this look and accent the colors on my bodysuit I wore a lightweight linen Halogen cardigan as a layering piece.

To wrap up my look, I paired the outfit with red TOMS. What do you think about this look? And I hope you learned something new about YC brands!

Have a wonderful rest of your week lovelies.

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 ❤