Simply Bare, Yet Sophisticated

My motto is always “stick to simplicity,” and I do just that in one of my favorite Parisian looks. My STYLE GURU STYLE was influence by Vera Wang’s ready-to-wear collection for fall 2015. The neutral colors of the outfits really reverted back to the basics and created an overall sophisticated look. Wang said, “It’s reflective of how I live and dress,” and I really want my style to be parallel to this statement by showing who I really am.

My style really follows a true Parisian look by avoiding the overly bronzed look and striving for a genuine natural glow. Less is more when I pair a gray and white striped shirt with my favorite Paige Premium Denim skinny jeans. One of my favorite staple pieces in this look is my oversized, floppy, gray hat. It creates a little shade on a sunny, southern day. My look also follows Wang’s trend with my Chelsea-inspired leather boots. Although I love complicated layering and heavy accessorizing, lately I have come to appreciate the chic factor of a straightforward approach. I took an understated path with minimalistic silver bracelets and a naked neckline. This look does not have to be challenging and can be as simple as a white T-shirt with jeans.

Even though French girls do appreciate a red lip, I decided to take the bare approach with an au natural beauty look. I treated myself to a fresh, bare face with a brush of my brows, a little bit of concealer and a touch of mascara. To top off the Parisian look, I created a relaxed hairstyle by foregoing a daily hair wash and brushing through my hair with my fingers. I mean, isn’t that why dry shampoo was invented, anyway?

There is no better style to make you feel good than your own personal style. All I need to really complete my look is a trip to Paris and a plate of macaroons. As Audrey Hepburn said, “Paris is always a good idea.”

DANCE MARATHON!

I normally love to post about fashion, food, and my day to day routines but this is something super special and a cause that is close to my heart.  I will be dancing for 14 hours STRAIGHT to raise money for Columbia's local Children's Miracle Network Hospital on March 21st.  I participated in Dance Marathon last year and reached my goal of $250.  This year however, I have DOUBLED my goal to $500 and I need your help and support to reach it.  If you can't donate your money please at least donate your support and help spread awareness.  This is such a great cause and I am so excited to be a part of such a great organization.  I will be on a team with my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, and we will be dancing for the kids and to help make miracles happen!  The link is below to help support me!

http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=313727

Trip To Indianapolis: Behind The Scenes

This past weekend I attended a Leadership Academy for my executive position in my sorority (Alpha Chi Omega).  I took a plane from Charlotte, North Carolina and headed to Indianapolis, Indiana for three days with our Chapter President and VP of Philanthropy.  There we met Alpha Chis from all over the country and participated in premiere training, which included innovative learning sessions with our sisters.  I learned so much about my position and how to apply PR and Marketing strategies not only within our chapter but in the real world.  I got to listen to amazing speakers such as Krista Neher, who is the CEO of Boot Camp Digital.  She talked about the ins and outs of social media and how to use it properly to build your personal brand.  Her speech really reminded me that how you present yourself on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) is a representation of who you are and your values.  These are ways for future employers to get to know you and a negative representation can stand between you and possible job offerings.  I love PR and Marketing and I love building a brand for myself.  However, I have to be aware of how I am doing it and make sure I am doing it in the best way possible.  Social media can really help land you a job, or it could even get you fired- so be aware.

This trip reminded me and showed me that I not only love my position as VP of PR and Marketing, but I love PR and Marketing as whole! This Leadership Academy really motivated me to be the best that I can be and help my chapter benefit from everything that I learned.  I am also excited to announce that I will be going to another Alpha Chi Omega convention in Atlanta, Georgia in a couple weeks so keep an eye out for my next few posts to see what I learn next!

xx

I've Found You Miss New Bootie

The only thing better than finding the perfect pair of booties is finding them on sale!  I have found a foolproof pair of Chelsea look-a-like boots for less than $25! I was doing my usual Target shopping the other day and came across these wonderful chic black boots.  The hidden secret, in my opinion, is always Target!  That is where I found a couple other amazing deals on shoes as well.  I found a pair of brown Chukka look-a-like and a pair of cheetah vans slip on look-a-like.  They are pictured below and all three pairs were below $25!  When in doubt, always shop Target first.

xx

An Updated And Wild Look

As many of you may have noticed I have not only change the name of my blog to "Beautiful and Bonafide" but I have also changed the layout.  From now on the links to lexieliston.blogspot.com will no longer work you will need to use beautifulandbonafide.blogspot.com!  I have updated my name to give my blog more character and for blogs, character is of the essence.  I hope you enjoy the new layout and continue to share my blog as much as possible!

Furthermore, I hope you all had a wonderful MLK holiday and enjoyed the day off by relaxing or doing things that you can't do on a typical day to day basis.  I enjoyed my day off by shooting a couple new pictures for my CollegeFashionista post that will go live THIS FRIDAY at 10am!  Make sure to check out the post and "RAD" it.  I know making an account might seem like a pain but if you read my posts every week then it is very beneficial.  Also with the account you will be able to look at other Style Guru's from other schools and read their fashion posts as well.  Below I have posted a couple photos from the shoot to give you a little preview article.  I am wearing a "RAD" shirt from Nordstrom with black skinny jeans and a pair of cheetah slip ons.  These wild shoes may look like Steve Madden at first but I actually got them at Target for only $12!  Definitely my favorite purchase of the month.  The sunglasses are Kate Spade and I complement them with a red lip.  In my article I will talk about "Taking A Walk On The Wild Side" and I really hope you check it out.  Have a wonderful back at work/school and a great rest of your week!

xx

Friday Fun

Hello all!  If you are still a college student like me then happy, "I survived the first week of classes!" and if you are not then happy, "you made it through another work week!"  Today I just wanted to share my favorite Friday routine and a few of my new treasured things.  Due to the exciting fact that I don't have Friday classes I get to wake up late and start my day with no rush.  First things first- I make a cup of coffee. I mean, I am a coffee addict right?  My favorite coffee addiction lately is the Keurig's Cafe Vanilla.  However, if you aren't a coffee drinker then I highly recommend Keurig's Green Tea with Pomegranate.  The Pomegranate gives the tea a little twist with a lot of yummy flavor!

By the time I am almost finished with my coffee, I am almost finished with another episode of Gossip Girl as well.  Not all days are Gossip Girl days.  Some days I take advantage of my extra time to curl up in bed with a good book.  My latest book addiction is "If I Stay".  Nonetheless, I managed to finish off that book last night so that left today with being a Gossip Girl day.  After a few episodes (I try to conserve my Netflix craving to 2-3 episodes) I hop in the shower to actually start my day.  The best news about really starting my day on Fridays is that Fridays are brunch days at Alpha Chi!  I will always try to get myself up and out of the house to catch brunch.  French toast is one of my biggest weakness next to coffee and candles.

Following brunch, my routine varies but because I'm talking about my favorite Friday routines then it is pretty clear how I like to begin my afternoon.  Fridays at 10am are when my CollegeFashionista posts go live so I like to go home and see my posts up and running.  I usually then write a blog post here to follow.  Make sure to check out my newest CollegeFashionista post today at
CollegeFashionista  

Depending on the weather, the rest of my Fridays are spent taking a short run, heading to the mall or 5 Points boutiques to do a little shopping, or catching a late lunch/early dinner with some friends. Thanks for reading to find out my favorite Friday routine now read below to see a few of my new treasure things.

1. Essie's "Carry On" nail color (pictured below)

2. "If I Stay" and "Where She Went" book series (not pictured below, but look on my Instagram @lexieliston to find a visual)

3. Vintage Flannel and white converse (not pictured below, but look on my Instagram @lexieliston to find a visual)

P.S- THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who wished me a happy birthday/celebrated my birthday with me.  Y'all really know how to make a girl feel special and loved on her 20th birthday! 

xx

Back In A Southern State Of Mind

My Spring semester of my Sophomore year is finally here and I couldn't be more excited!  After a wonderful Christmas break, nice little getaway to NYC, and a perfect 20th birthday celebration, I am more than ready to get back into a school routine and work on not only my grades, but my blog/CollegeFashionista posts as well!  My CollegeFashionista posts (for those you haven't read my earlier posts) will go live on their website every FRIDAY.  I will be writing about my styles and other student's styles throughout the semester so make sure to check out the CollegeFashionista site and "RAD" my posts.  You have to make an account but it is worth it, especially if you read my posts every week and you want to help me out by liking them!  

I just wanted to do a little summary of my break and trip and share with you how awesome it was!  I worked at Nordstrom over the break and absolutely loved it (I always have since I started with them 2 years ago).  I love being a part of such a great work enviornment and I hope to find that when I start a stable career when I graduate.  Being around fashion is something that always excites me and I look forward to working in the fashion world!  Since I love being around fashion, trendy styles, and amazing people what a better trip to take than to New York city?! I stayed right around the corner from Times Square and it really showed me that I need to move their when I graduate!  I hope to find an internship in the city over the summer with a fashion company doing retail management or some type of PR.  Below are some photographs when I visited Central Park and YES I am not wearing a jacket nor am I bundled up with gloves or a hat but the pictures I got were so worth it.  I had to show off my favorite boyfriend jeans which are from Urban Outfitters and my new new turtle neck from Forever21!  I had been looking at a similar turtle neck from MadeWell and although I love MadeWell, the one from Forever21 was significantly cheaper.  You would never guess that is where I got it!  Also, if you are thinking that turtle necks are extremely 60s and no one wears them anywhere you may be partially right but don't give up on the trend yet!  Turtle necks are making a huge comeback and what better way to be with the trends than be ahead of them?  Be brave and try one!

Now on to what's ahead- school…  I will be starting back up this semester with a public speaking class, multiple retail classes, econ, and the oh so lovely marketing classes.  As I get more into my major classes and out of my gen eds I realize how excited I really am to be pursuing Retail Management.  I hope to take some PR classes and eventually minor in something along the lines of PR or marketing.  I love writing blog posts for both my personal blog and CollegeFashionista so I can definitely see myself doing it long term!  I don't want to make this posts any longer so check in later this week for more updates about what's to come! 

xx