If it makes you happy, wear it!

Hope you enjoyed your Valentine’s Day, whether single or in a relationship! I actually love Valentine’s Day. A lot of people think I love the holiday because I’ve been in a relationship for a few years now, but I’ve actually loved it since I was younger.

As a young girl I watched wedding shows sometimes more than cartoons…I know, weird right. I was the student who wanted to give Valentine’s candy and cards to all of my classmates growing up. I just always loved the idea of love.

I know some people believe that Valentine’s Day is just a superficial and commercialized holiday, but I see it as a special day to go all out for your signifcant other in a different way than the other 364 days of the year.

And if you are single, practicing self-love and taking yourself on a date that makes you feel beautiful, confident, and happy is also a perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day.

Yesterday, Shawn and I actually had a very lowkey Valentine’s Day. It was a rainy LA day so we decided to stay in and catch up on all of our tv shows, which was fun and relaxing.

I only left my apartment to take the pictures you see in this post and then went back to the comfort of my bed, blankets, and snacks.

A few days ago I was trying so hard to figure out what to wear on Valentine’s Day just in case we went out somewhere. I was thinking about buying a pink skirt or a cute red dress to wear, but I honestly wasn’t feeling pink or red this year for the holiday.

I felt like every year I aimed for something pink, red, or white in my outfit to match the usual theme of the holiday, so I switched it up this time for a less bright and less girly look and I loved it.

Don’t get so tied up on themes or what other people are wearing, wear what makes you happy. For my non-traditional Valentine’s Day outfit, I decided to wear navy and black!

I wore a navy blazer from H&M and paired it with a black Topshop bralette, black FashionNova jeans, and black dress shoes from Nordstrom Rack. I felt like this outfit was sexy enough for the lovey dovey holiday while still being simple and stylish.

As I mentioned earlier, it was a rainy day, so I was excited to add my umbrella to my outfit. My umbrella has pink and white polka dots on it, which added a nice pop of color to my Valentine’s Day look.

If dresses make you happy, wear them. If crop tops make you happy, wear them. If you don’t feel comfortable in shorts and they make you unhappy, don’t wear them.

Anybody can wear anything that makes them feel confident and happy. All bodies are good bodies!

Have a lovely weekend!! 🙂

Merry Christmas!

I hope that you are enjoying your day with your friends and family!

This time can be joyous and full of fun and laughter and it can also be hard for some people who can’t be with their families or don’t have any family to spend time with.

I just wanted to let you know that you are strong and loved! Even if you are alone on Christmas today or not feeling the best, brighter and better days are coming.

Take a walk, start reading a book that you’ve been wanting to read, jot down some inspirational notes in your journal, or say a few reasons why you are thankful today. Clearing your mind and taking some time to do something beneficial for yourself will make you feel better.

I just wanted to drop some holiday motivation for you lovelies today. Stay beautiful and happy holidays!

One year LA Anniversary!

Just four days ago was my 1 year anniversary of moving to LA. It’s crazy to think that I’ve already been living here for a full year. It really flew by! This post is going to be a timeline of a few of my favorite LA moments over this past year. Enjoy!

Moving to LA – 10/22/17

Visiting Echo Park – 10/31/17

Visiting The Grove – 11/3/17

First birthday in LA – 11/18/17

First holiday season in LA – 12/8/17

New year, new look – 1/1/18

First rainy day in LA – 1/8/18

Visiting Griffith Observatory – 1/16/18

Visiting the Love Wall in Beverly Hills – 2/8/18

First Valentine’s Day in LA/Visiting the Natural History Museum – 2/14/18

Attending my first wedding – 4/21/18

Celebrating my 6 year Anniversary – 4/25/18

Visiting Santa Monica – 5/4/18

Visiting La Brea Tar Pits – 6/6/18

Attending Janelle Monae concert – 6/28/18

Visiting Manhattan Beach – 7/10/18

Visiting Little Tokyo – 7/24/18

Visiting the Beverly Hills Sign – 8/9/18

Hiking to the Secret Swing in Elysian Park – 8/23/18

Visiting Universal Citywalk – 9/27/18

The adventure continues – 10/2618

Hope you enjoyed traveling through time with me and I look forward to bringing you all on many more journeys! Have a lovely weekend!

Relaxing on Manhattan Beach

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

The perks of now living in Los Angeles is that beaches are literally miles away. I visited Santa Monica pier a few months ago, you can read that blog post here and recently I decided to visit Manhattan Beach.

Manhattan Beach is fun, family friendly, and also has a pier like Santa Monica beach.

The waves were crashing, kids were giggling and playing games on the sand, and the weather was perfect, not too sunny and not too chilly.

I wore this Misguided one piece bathing suit to the beach for the first time and I loved it. It’s flattering and just the right amount of sexy.

The suit has a low-cut, V neck and it has thin straps for a little side boob action and a scoop back. The lips on the suit gave it an edgy, flirty touch.

I actually can’t swim so learning how to swim can be my excuse for going to the beach often 🙂

There’s so many beaches in California, I can’t wait to visit them all. What’s one of your favorites in LA or California?

Let me know in the comments below and tell me what you think of this Misguided one piece bathing suit! Enjoy your weekend lovelies.

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!

Motivational March

Happy first day of March! If you follow me on Instagram @coralbuttons then you already know that I dubbed this month as Motivational March.

I decided that each day in March I will set small daily goals to achieve. Some days it will be personal or health goals, other days career goals, some days a blend!

Goals for Day 1:

Say 3 positive things to myself

I’m starting the month off right by continuing to stay positive and keep negative thoughts out of my mind and mouth. More positive energy you put out, the better you feel.

Say a positive thing to 3 people

Why not spread the positive vibes! Everybody can use encouragement because you never know what someone is truly going through. I want to help uplift others however I can.

Drink 3 bottles of water

I’m doing this to strengthen my hair, nails, and skin and because I want to take better care of my body! Putting healthy food and more water into my diet allows me to feel less sluggish and more productive.

Are you going to join me for Motivational March?

Write down your own daily goals in the comments below and stop by Coral Buttons weekly (sometimes more!) to stay updated with my goal progress.

Have a great weekend!

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Date 💕💞

On Valentine’s Day, Shawn and I took a trip to the Natural History Museum of LA and it was wonderful.

There are so many exhibits to explore and sights and activities to partake in, it is truly perfect for any couples, friends, or families who want to have some educational fun.

I’ll be showing pics from a few of my favorite exhibits and pictures of my outfit of course!

Age of Mammals and African Mammals Exhibit

Dinosaur Hall

Gems and Minerals Exhibit

Tattoo Exhibit

 If you are looking for an affordable and fun date in LA, definitely visit the Natural History Museum. We will be back because even though we seen all the exhibits pictured above, there’s even more exhibits to see!

Now for my outfit! I wore a white Misguided blazer dress which I adored.

The dress had gold buttons which popped against the crisp white dress. I paired this look with pearl bracelets and earrings, MAC lipstick, and my red Topshop mules.

 Have you ever visited this museum? Would you rock a blazer dress? Let me know in the comments below and have a wonderful week lovelies!

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!

 

Pink & Lace Look for a Non-Traditional Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday. I’m such a die-hard romantic where all things lovey dovey, cute, sweet, and couple related makes me extra happy!

Even though every day spent with your significant other should be just as important as Vday, it is still fun to have a day solely dedicated to being over the top romantic!

With Valentine’s Day comes lots of pinks, reds, and whites. I’ve always seen Vday as a day to wear a dress and heels.

To prepare for the holiday this year I tried to go for a non-traditional look that is still romantic, but also a tad bit edgy.

I decided to pair a white, lace crop top from Forever 21, with a light pink poncho from Kerisma. Throughout the day numerous people asked was the top and poncho one piece and complimented my look for styling it as such! 🙂

With my top and poncho combo, I also wore brown Hudson jeans and black, military-style heeled boots from Nordstrom. I feel like this look was a perfect balance of chic, modern, and romantic.

How do you feel about non-traditional Valentine’s Day looks? Leave a comment below!

Kehlani’s ‘SweetSexySavage’ Promotes Self-Awareness, Honesty, and Growth

This isn’t going to be a traditional blog post featured on Coral Buttons, because I couldn’t let another day go by without showing love to one of my favorite artists!

Yesterday, Kehlani released her debut album titled SweetSexySavage! I actually first fell in love with Kehlani and her voice on America’s Got Talent when she went on the show with a group of teens and kids from Oakland as the band Poplyfe.

I rooted for them the entire season to win 1st place, but they got 4th which is still pretty awesome. From AGT, Kehlani eventually went solo and I’ve been following her music and growth ever since. Speaking about her debut album, I believe that she couldn’t have chosen a better title.

All of the songs on the album can fall into one of the categories of either Sweet, Sexy, or Savage. I am not sure if that’s what she was going for, but I love it and made a fun little game out of deciding which song falls into which category.

Now let’s get into why I love this album and love what it promotes. Kehlani is a 21 year old young woman who has been through a lot of heartbreak, drama, chaos, and sadness like a lot of us (I am only 22 myself!). She genuinely poured her heart out into this album and she was an open and honest book with the experiences she discusses.

I don’t want to put specifics about each individual song because you may want to listen and form your own opinion, but I will list a few of my personal thoughts 🙂

In her songs she discusses finding and losing love and happiness and struggling with personal issues. You can’t please the world when you yourself aren’t fulfilled and happy.

SweetSexySavage is also a coming of age story where she tells us that she has been through some rough patches and she may not have dealt with all of the issues of her past, but she is still here and stronger than ever before.

It is hard to pick just one favorite song from SweetSexySavage, but I think I will choose “Piece of Mind” as my fave!

I could go on and on about how amazing her album is, but that’s no fun. Go out and listen for yourself! It’s definitely worth listening to! Also, she is coming to perform in Baltimore in April and I am definitely going!  ❤ #SSS