Wearing your Natural Hair in the Workplace: Why is there a Debate?

Happy Monday lovelies; I hope your workweek is off to a great start!

Today’s blog topic is something that’s been on my mind for a while so I decided to share my stance on it.

Over the past few years there’s been debates and articles about whether natural hair is professional enough to wear at work and the answer is “YES!”, but some people disagree.

Just last year a black, female journalist and television reporter got fired for fighting back against her company because her boss considered her hair “unprofessional” for the news station’s viewers. This year, she is still fighting that battle against the company’s discrimation towards her.

Now that is just one situation, but I know that it’s not the only one out there. Natural hair is professional hair. Nobody should have to hide the hair that grows from their head to appear professional to someone else.

I have thick, type 4 hair and I’ve been natural for a little over 5 years. Luckily, I’ve been in the retail business for majority of that time so the company policies are heavily focused on freedom of expression and style.

I wear my fro majority of the time, but when my fro isn’t out I usually have my hair in braids, twists, or under a headwrap. I’m happy that some companies see natural hair as professional and is welcomed in the workplace, we just have to continue to work towards it becoming a norm everywhere.

My advice: wear your natural hair to work and don’t be ashamed to do so. Style it how you like and be proud of your unique look. If someone doesn’t understand it or considers it unnattractive or unprofessional, speak up about it, defend yourself and your hair. You have the right to wear your beautiful natural hair just like women of other races wear theirs as well. Stay strong sis!

And for Day 18 of Motivational March: Be proud of your differences, it’s what makes you unique. ❣

I hope this post inspired you today. Leave a comment below if it did and share with me your natural hair in the workplace experience.

Removing Marley Twists

Happy Monday! Start your week off with a smile and stay positive. You can make it!

Today I wanted to share my Marley Twist takedown process. What you need: scissors, your braids/twists, and an hour or less!

It’s a super easy process, check it out below:

1) Cut your twists about halfway down making sure to not cut too high in order to avoid cutting your real hair

2) Take out twists by pulling two strands apart which in turn untwists them. They unravel naturally!

3) You then are back to your natural hair!

Stay tuned, I will soon be posting a braid/twist install process with more pictures and maybe even a video. 🙂

Have a great week!

California Crop Top

Can you believe that September is almost over and in a few days it will be the first day of fall!? It’s crazy because in LA it still feels like summertime.

It’s been consistently in the 80’s or high 70’s these days. That’s why the outfit shown below is perfect for a sunny, September day.

I wore a blue crop top with the word California on it, adorbly decorated with flowers and butterflies. I paired my crop top with denim cut-off shorts and yellow Vans to accent the flowers in my top.

My top is $15 from Topshop, my shorts were $20 from Forever 21 and my Vans were a gift!

I recently realized that I don’t smile often in my pictures, so I made the decision to smile during every photosession from now on. I can have more serious photos taken as well, but I want to make sure I get a few smiling shots in the mix since it is outside of my comfort zone.

I love my smile, but for some reason I just don’t feel like I photograph well when I’m smiling, so I want to break down that wall I have on myself and challenge myself to embrace my smile more in pictures.

I posted the pictures featured in this post on IG @coralbuttons, so if you follow me you saw my caption saying: “Smile more, #lifeisgood” and it’s true so smile and make the most out of your day everybody!

Is there something you want to improve on when it comes to your style or your photos? Let me know in the comments below!

Janelle Monae concert at The Greek Theatre!

Happy humpday lovely people!

I realized I never posted my outfit from the Janelle Monae concert I went to a few weeks ago so here it is!

It was amazing seeing Janelle Monae in person because she is a great performer and her new album, Dirty Computer, is so empowering.

It touches on topics such as love, racism, sexuality, America, and so much more. It was my first time going to the Greek Theatre, here in Los Angeles.

It’s an outdoor venue set up where the stage is in the middle of the venue. Below is a sunset above the theatre.

My outfit for the concert was definitely fun and colorful since I know Janelle Monae loves unique and outside-of-the-box looks.

I wore a baby blue, Free People bralette, paired with FashionNova black jeans and yellow Birkenstocks. For my accessories, I wore blue and gold hoop earrings. To complete the look I wore a rainbow cardigan, also from FashionNova, over the bralette.

I also tried out blue-gray lipstick which was a big step outside of my comfort zone, but I think it was a perfect addition to my look.

I was dancing and singing all night and even ending up losing my voice, that’s how you know it was a lot of fun 🙂

Next time your favorite musician is performing at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, definitely try to go. It’s a great concert hall!

Who is your favorite musician/artist right now? What do you think of my outfit? Leave a comment below!

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!

Green is my color for 2018!

Happy Friday lovelies!

Hope you had a great week and I hope you are still going strong with Motivational March. I’ve recently fallen in love with the color green and noticed that a lot of the clothes I’ve been purchasing have been green!

My friends and coworkers tell me that shades of green such as olive and emerald look great on me, so I am starting to embrace the color. Be prepared to see a lot of green on my blog this year!

For the outfit featured in this post, I paired a green crop top from Forever 21 with a pair of black, ribbed knit flare pants from Topshop.

I love Topshop because their clothes are super trendy and comfortable. These pants have a lot of stretch in them and makes my legs and booty look great. To finish off my green look, I wore lime hightop converses.

I would consider this look sporty chic with a dash of cozy. Do you have a color set for your 2018 wardrobe?

And I didn’t forget today’s goal for day 16 of Motivational March: work towards breaking a bad habit and starting a new good habit!

Tell me what bad habit you are breaking and replacing with a good habit and your color for 2018 in the comments below!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Be Happy!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Today is Day 4 of Motivational March and my goals for today were simply be happy and smile often.

Somtimes we get too caught up in the negative or superficial aspects of our lives and we don’t appreciate the simple things.

I recently purchased this Topshop shirt that has rainbow stripes and the words “Be Happy” on it.

This was a great investment for me because it’s a reminder that everything is going to be ok and that I need to take things one day at a time.

I paired my shirt with simple black leggings and teal Vince Camuto chunky heels.

Let my #ootd be an inspiration to you this week. Be Happy!

Stay tuned for more Motivational March posts and let me know in the comments below if you are down to take the challenge as well.

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!