Pretty Ugly!

First things first, Happy Holidays everyone! I couldn't start this post without wishing you all a blessed and happy holiday. I hope this has been a relaxing time for you and your loved ones. 

I can say I have valued being home this holiday season 10 times more this year than I have any other year. Since I am not home in Charlotte much I wanted to find a way to get all of my family and friends together for the holiday, so what did I do.... I decided to throw an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party!

Mini Haul: Random Beauty Pick Ups

My name is Zenese and I am a product junkie! I'm pretty sure I have told you all this before, but the problem is real. I am the girl who takes weekly trips to Target (well, living in NYC now making that trip isn't so easy anymore lol) however, I've found random local beauty stores to help make up for that!

Over the past week or so I've picked up some random beauty products that I thought I would share with you all :)

| Obsessed Over Olive |

If you have been paying close attention to the current color trends for this season then you know like I know, Olive is IN! I can not seem to get enough of this color. Also, often referred to as Khaki, this has become one of my favorite colors for fall.

Fall Vibes

With Fall weather in full effect I wanted to share one of my recent and favorite looks I have worn so far this season! As I've done some slight fall shopping I have noticed my wardrobe has definitely shifted into a more neutral palette.

Travel With Z: Bahamas Trip!

Hi loves! Pleaseeeeee forgive me for this long overdue post! I have made a HUGE move recently that I absolutely can't wait to share with you guys :) ... but for now I want to share my recent trip to the Bahamas with you all!

My Summer Obsessions!

With August here I couldn't let time get by me without sharing some of my summer favorites! We're entering the home stretch of summer and these are some of the things that I've been grabbing for all summer long. This list has no particular theme. I've included fashion, beauty, hair and just random items that I have simply been obsessed with this summer.

Travel with Z: My Trip to NOLA + Essence Fest

This past weekend I took my first trip down to New Orleans, Louisiana! #NOLA. During the 4th of July weekend the famous Essence Fest takes place in the city where just about anybody who is anybody is in town for the music festivities and more. It has always been on my bucket list to attend, so me and one of my best friends made our way down to the Big Easy!

#OOTD: Sunday Brunching

Hi, my name is Zenese and I am a Brunch-a-holic. I am already a big foodie, but brunch has to be my absolute favorite! I blame living in DC for four years; brunch is like religion there. Who doesn't love a few good mimosas and breakfast food though?

Spring Lookbook: Styling White Denim

One of my absolute must- haves for Spring/Summer is..... White Jeans!

You can do so much with a great pair of white jeans during the spring and summer months. I put together a few looks to show just how versatile a simple pair of white denim jeans can be. You can dress them up, dress them down, cut them up and distress them. Whatever your style may be, everyone can use a pair of white denim in their closet. 

#CurlsOverBrunchDC : Event Recap

     

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the DC stop on the #CurlsOverBrunch tour hosted by one of my absolute favorite beauty bloggers, Jade "LipsticknCurls" (pictured above). I started watching her Youtube channel a little over 2 years ago and was just instantly drawn to her, not just because of her amazing videos, but her realness as a person. She's not just another "Youtube guru". As a full-time grad student she still manages to travel across the country to host insightful and inspiring events such as CurlsOverBrunch for her loyal subscribers. 

This event was absolutely amazing. To be in a room full of young, ambitious women who just so happen to have popping natural hair was a beautiful sight. 

5 Ways to Style a Denim Shirt for Spring

It is FINALLY beginning to feel like Spring! The weather the past few days has been perfect! Not too hot and not too cold. So I decided it was the perfect time to put together a few transitional spring looks! My key item that I am styling is this light wash denim top that I purchased from H&M.

This denim top has been one of my favorite pieces to wear throughout the fall/winter so I wanted to create a few looks that would allow me to take it into the spring. The following looks show you just how versatile a denim top can be worn for various occassions. I hope this will give you a few ideas on how to style your own denim top! Enjoy! Xoxo

The Oscar's 2015 Best Dressed Round Up

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscar's is Hollywoods biggest night seeing as it is one of the highest honors an actress/actor work towards recieving in their career. However, speaking honestly most, including myself only tune in for the most important thing: the fashion!

The red carpet countdown that leads up to the actual award show is the portion that captures all of my attention. Seeing the beauty and detailing in all of the couture gowns is what it is all about. This year in particular I feel that the majority of stars got it right this year. I can't think of one that was just completely terrible. No, everyone wasn't best dressed however I feel that most looks were really nice and some might have missed it due to a simple mistake of over accessorizing. (i.e. Lady Gaga and the red gloves and Scarlett Johansson and the oversized statement necklace.)

I have chosen my favorite looks from the Oscars below. They are in no particular order. These are just the ladies that without a doubt stood out on the red carpet, in my opinion.

Hope you enjoy! xoxo

 Zoe Saldana

So simple. So chic. This simple blush form- fitting gown which was a custom Atelier Versace gown was the perfect fit. The actress who just gave birth to twins chose the perfect gown to show off her post-baby body. I always live by the motto "simplicity is key" and this look proves just how true that statement is. She looked absolutely stunning.

 Rita Ora 

Rita Ora caught me by complete surprise with this look. She looks so elegant and sleek that I couldn't leave her out of my best dressed picks. Dressed in custom Marchesa, this dress is gorgeous. The hint of gold embroidery gives the dress just the right amount of pop! Her sleek hair and minimal jewelry, just earrings pull the whole look together.

Solange Knowles

Now this list could not continue without an appearance from Ms.Solange. Many didn't appreciate the Christian Siriano design on her, but I was all here for it! The wide leg trouser with matching long tunic is so her style... I mean, she did get married in a wide leg jumpsuit. I feel that Solange's style is so unique and bold that it just works for her. I thoroughly enjoyed this look.

Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita kills the Oscars once again! In a custom Calvin Klein dress made with over 6,000 pearls, she looked like royalty in this dress. With minimal makeup and jewelry she allowed the dress to make a statement. This white color tone looks amazing against her skin tone. Stunning!

Rosamund Pike

Everything about this dress screams Oscar perfection! The gown designed by Givenchy is absolutely gorgeous. I love that she did a simple single strap heel with her hair pulled back and minimal jewelry. It allows the detailing of the dress to stand out that much more.  

Cape Town

A quick #OOTD with one of Fall/Winter's key pieces: Capes!

Cape: Nordstrom

Pants: Hudson Jeans

Booties: Chinese Laundry

Hat: Nordstrom

Capes are such an easy way to dress up and give your outfit some personality. I have on a simple all black outfit (black long sleeve top, black jeans & black booties) My cape is my statement piece that completely changes my entire look. 

#LoveYourCurls : My DIY Deep Conditioner

     If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me “what kind of hair are you wearing?” I would probably never have to work another day in my life. The awkward moment when I have to sadly inform them that the hair on my head is growing from my scalp lol.. So then the next question I am always asked pertains to what products I use on my hair. I am natural, meaning I have used no form of chemical(s) on my hair. In its natural state my hair is extremely curly.  However, about 80% of the time I wear my hair straight. I typically only wear my hair in its naturally curly state during the summer months.

     I have always had what is considered to be ‘long hair’ just about my entire life; As well as a loyal hairstylist to do it and take care of it while I was growing up. It wasn’t until I moved 6 hours away from home for college that I had to start doing my hair on my own and boy, were those first two years rough. The first two years of college my hair suffered from so much heat damage and broke off so horribly because all I knew how to do was straighten it with a flat iron… And when I didn’t have the time to do it myself I would just get a good ‘ol blowout from the Dominicans.

     It wasn’t until the summer of 2012 when I was forced to take a required swimming class at Howard, where I could not straighten my hair during the duration of the class, that I began to pay attention to my hair. This forced me to give my hair some much needed TLC. The same summer my best friend ( Hey Kiana!) introduced me to the hair & beauty world of YouTube! She was in the transition process to becoming natural so she was subscribed to all of the beauty gurus that made videos on natural hair. Long story short, I became addicted to any and everything pertaining to natural hair and I began to embrace the curls! #TeamCurlyGirls

     So with that being said I am here to share one of the main things that helped bring my hair and my curls back to life as well as just the overall health of my hair! It’s a DIY deep conditioner/protein treatment.

Ingredients needed are simple items that you can find right in your kitchen!

-1 egg

- 2 tablespoons of Mayo

- 1 tablespoon of Honey

-Olive Oil and/or Coconut Oil

- Conditioner (optional)

     Once you mix all the ingredients in a bowl, apply generously throughout your hair (especially the ends to help prevent split ends). I usually let my treatment sit for 45 minutes to an hour underneath a conditioning cap.

Since I straighten my hair every 2 weeks, I only use this DIY hair treatment once a month. Doing it too often can actually hurt your hair by giving it too much protein. This treatment is not limited to my natural girls, it is also really great for relaxed hair as well.  

I hope this deep treatment works wonders on your natural or relaxed hair like it has on mine!

                                                            Xoxo,

                                                                       Zenese

P.S. This is just one of the many methods that I use to help maintain healthy hair. I will be sharing plenty more, so stay tuned! :)

Designer Mani

                                      Christian Louboutin

Christian Louboutin is well known to all my fashionistas' as the famous footwear designer with the infamous 'Red Bottom' sole on his high heel shoes. His famous shoes can be seen on just about anybody who's anybody.

As of August 2014, the designer has taken a dabble into the beauty market with his debut line of designer nail polish.

With his unique bottle design and packaging he is definetly setting his polish line apart from the rest.

After all the colors I really wanted were sold out for a while, I was finally able to get my hands on a couple of colors in the line. I must say it was worth the wait! The first color I decided to try out was the Simple Nude shade and I absolutely love it! It is the perfect nude color and it goes on so smoothly. I received so many compliments on this color, even while still in the nail salon. 

I plan on trying out the Rogue Red color for Valentines Day! So stay tuned for that! 

The Louboutin Nail polish retails for $50 a bottle. It can be purchased on christianlouboutin.com or at various stores such as Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.

About Me: Meet Your Blogger!

Zenese Ashley

      I can't believe my blog is FINALLY up and running! This has been a project that I have been holding off to get started for a while, since graduating college. I had to find the right time in between working full-time now to get things started. 

       A little about me , I am 23 years old and I am a complete fashion freak! A lover of all things fashion! I am a PROUD graduate of Howard University; the REAL HU :). As well as an Alumna of the Fashion Institute of Technology! So yes, I have a degree in this fashion thing lol. I am originally from Charlotte, NC, but I have spent the past 4 years split living between NC, DC and NY for school. [Charlotte Raised, DC Made, NY Living]

         I am so excited and thrilled to now be able to share all of my tips, ideas and everything else that are fashion and beauty related! I hope you all enjoy! 

                                                                         Xoxo, Zenese!