style guru – The April Diaries

THE FASHION DIARIES: Spring Fashion Mambo

Published on May 7, 2018May 7, 2018 by The April DiariesLeave a comment

Once again, I’m taking a break from the millions of things I have to do before finals to bring you another FASHION DIARIES. No, I am not in finals week (yet), but I will be next week. Thus far, I have finished 2/5 of the things I have to do. Like Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” (I should be saving that for when I do my senior sem/thesis next year).

So, without further ado, here is what I like to call the spring fashion mambo for any event/occasion!

1.) Carnival Cutie (photo taken by my dear friend, Francis — hi!)

My school hosted a carnival/block party a couple of Saturdays ago. I wanted to look cute, yet comfortable because I would obviously be going on rides and eating greasy food (Francis and I waited about an hour for Frisky Fries — so worth it!). So, I brought out the gingham print shirt and the red pants (carnival and barbeque patterns/colors). The one (or two) things missing in this picture are my classic beige Sperry Topsiders. One other essential is my cat-eye sunglasses. P.S. see my gingham blog post for my take on the trend!

2.) Sunday Studious Style

One classic piece to wear this spring/summer season is a denim jacket — no matter if it’s a dark wash or light wash or distressed or embroidered! In this case, I appropriated my mom’s embroidered dark-wash embroidered jacket. I recently bought this off-the-shoulder red-striped dress from rainbowshops.com (that’s where I also got my gingham top from above). Regardless, a denim jacket I believe is essential for any wardrobe. You could pair any pair of casual shoe with this ensemble, but I decided to sport my trusty Sperry Topsiders for this Sunday outfit. This outfit is perfect for studying at your local library, coffee shop, going to church, or walking by the bay (for those of you who don’t know, I live seaside!).

3.) The Maxi-Dress… ‘nough said.

First of all, my campus is beautiful — I thought I’d just throw that out there ☺ Again, I bought this dress at Rainbowshops.com (where else?) and I am actually wearing this dress right now as we speak! I decided to bring out a bold, statement necklace to complete my maxi-dress and sandals look. The necklace is a combination of gold, silver, and rose-gold. Sandals are from TJMAXX and they are nude and gold thong sandals. This dress also has a bold slit (I’ve been so tempted to do the famous Angelina Jolie slit stance). The vertical stripes make me look taller than I actually am and the belt/cinching is in the perfect place. This outfit is a perfect business casual outfit and perfect for any occasion, really!

FASHION AMBITION: Color-blocking

Published on April 2, 2018April 2, 2018 by The April Diaries2 Comments

One trend that’s slowly dying out is matching colors head-to-toe. I remember at a seventh-grade dance, I wore sapphire blue from the Jessica McClintock dress to those strappy open-toed shoes.

However, pairing, say, a white or beige dress with pink heels — SO cute.

This past Easter, I went out to brunch at Le Central with my mum. But before I go on, let me just say that God has blessed me so much since the situation I was in last year to now and forever. I will keep you guys updated on how I’m doing, I PROMISE! But I can tell you right now, I’m am absolutely blessed and well-dressed.

Anyway, I was scrummaging through my mom’s spring closet (yes, she has multiple closets for all of her clothes — from winter to regular wear to spring/summer). I tried a couple of things on but, alas, they were a tad too small. Then, my mum pointed me to an outfit that I thought I’d never wear — an all-red pants suit in satin fabric. Talk about vintage! Good thing the jacket was over-sized (super trendy) and the pants fit just right. This gave me an excuse to wear my new snakeskin boots from JustFab.

And…. ta-da!

Pair it with a simple black bag with gold accents and an Ariana Grande-inspired ‘do and you’ll be all set! I could’ve also worn black heels or pointed ballet flats. Sorry, red shiny stilettos, you didn’t make the cut.

This just goes to show that you can pair prints and color, or neutrals with a pop of color!

Stay tuned for more trendy vintage outfits coming to your computer screen! ♥

What’s In My Backpack?

Published on February 12, 2018February 12, 2018 by The April Diaries1 Comment

What’s up, A(pril)-listers? April here, and I’m going to show you a glimpse of this ‘busy girl life’ of mine!

A college girl is never complete without her necessities. Where does she keep them? Why, in her backpack, of course!

I was inspired by internet sensation, Katy Bellotte’s, YouTube video on what she carries in her college bag and what classes she is taking this spring 2018 semester. I was originally going to make this a CollegeFashionista article, but I thought I’d get up-close-and-personal with you guys on my blog, instead. I’m trying to build my fashion/lifestyle “brand,” after all!

Without further ado, here is what’s in my backpack:

To begin with, I might as well show you how big my backpack is. It has numerous pockets for my needs, so I never run out of space to put my things.

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Sidenote: my bag is by Kenneth Cole Reaction.

Now, let’s get down to business as to what a busy girl, like myself, carries in her backpack to survive throughout the day!

1.) Inspiration

One can use a little fashion inspiration wherever they go. I love to get my outfit/health/fitness inspo from magazines like Seventeen, Vogue, Teen Vogue, or Vanity Fair.

2.) Wallet(s) and earphones

My little furry sidekick, Sassy, obviously wanted to be in the pic XD. What a little diva! Anyway, one of my wallets isn’t big enough, so I carry two Coach wallets (both were gifts). One is for various types of cards, and the other is just simply for money (and used Starbucks gift cards, lol!). And when I pop in those earphones and play my workout playlist or any of my bangin’ Pandora stations, I feel unstoppable and I feel like I’m in a movie.

3.) Notebook(s) and planner

As Katy Bellotte said in her video, “A person is only as good as their planner.” I agree with that wholeheartedly. I bought my planner at the RWU bookstore and it’s by Vera Bradley (as are the notebooks pictured above). I like how my planner comes with it’s own special “bookmark” and keeps tabs of the months. It also comes with little stickers that say “haircut,” “appointment,” “doctor,” “girls’ night out,” etc. So cute!

You might be wondering what classes I’m taking. If not, I’m going to tell you, anyways. I’m taking Literary Publishing, Form in Poetry, Marketing Principles, Public Speaking, and Literary Philosophy. I absolutely love my classes, oh, and for those of you wondering (or are new here), I’m a Creative Writing major with a minor in Arts Management at RWU.

*Not included in this post, but I also carry numerous textbooks with me… I’m a huuuuge nerd!*

4.) Lipsticks, gloss, and chapstick

I carry not one, but four things of lip-wear in my front pocket. First, I have two lipsticks. The dark lip is totally in right now, and I love a bold lip color. One of them is a mauve (my new favorite color), and the other is “Gone Griege” (brown). But I tend to use one or the other when I feel like dressing up. For those of you who’ve seen me on campus, I’ve been going for the active look. So with that, I go for my pumpkin spice chapstick. Now, in terms of my lip gloss, I don’t like to wear it all that much, but when I do, I pair it with a more neutral lipstick shade.

5.) Pens, pens, and more pens!

I recently got felt-tip pens for Christmas, and I’m absolutely obsessed with them! One can never go wrong with a great pen. There’s something about a really good pen that makes your words flow better on paper. For my creative writing classes, I like to use my purple pen because the purple is the color of creativity. I like to use my orange pen for my marketing class — it just has that “vibe,” you know?

***Things that are not listed that I keep in my backpack:

laptop
phone and laptop chargers

— must haves!!

#Stayorganized #StayCLASSy

xoxo, April ♥

Being A Journalist Not Majoring in Journalism |Going Back To My Second Love

Published on November 18, 2017November 18, 2017 by The April DiariesLeave a comment

I haven’t been on a plane since I went to Europe my junior year of high school, which was also the last time I traveled “solo” — except I wasn’t really “alone,” per se. Nevertheless, I was extremely anxious. But, as I watched the watercolor skies slowly turn to darkness, I had old-English poetry and the latest issue of Vogue.

The trip was an adventure for self-discovery (while getting shin splints just from walking places — my luck). But particularly self-discovery as a journalist.

*By the way, this is the College Media Association 2017 Conference I’m talking about.*

Either way, I learned a lot from the conference. I have my trusty red Moleskin internship/journalism journal to prove it. I learned to manage a magazine, how to come up with features stories, going from journalist to novelist, investigative storytelling, social media tips, and more!

I might as well mention that there is a role I have reprised. When I was younger, I loved fashion, but I never quite figured out how exactly I was going to thrive in that field. But now that I’ve been exposed to great minds, I answered that little 16-year-old’s prayers. I decided I want if I want to be a well-rounded journalist, I have to dip my toes in everything, and that includes…

FASHION!!!

I can remember fourth grade and in newspaper club, the one thing I wanted to write about was fashion. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what I wrote, but I’m sure I wrote something about my favorite things back then: sequins, hair clips, and ballet flats. God only knows what I wrote about boys fashion. Let’s just say I’m sticking to writing about women’s fashion.

I wrote a poem about my mild hatred for the topic, saying I “sold my soul to the devil,” just like Andie in The Devil Wears Prada. So, who knows how long this fad will continue? Maybe I’m better off writing about features and political affairs. My goal is to work for the Washington Post or The New York Times. But it’s true when Hanna Marin from Pretty Little Liars said to Aria’s mom on the night of her remarriage to Aria’s dad, people take a break and go back to their first love. But I’m not talking about romance. Let’s put it this way: writing was my first love, fashion was the second.

I’ve been in a rut lately, both emotionally and in terms of my education. I’ve been missing my old school, lately. Don’t get me wrong, I love RWU, but I can’t help but think of the stuff that I could’ve done at my old school whether that be at the Institute of Politics or the women’s collective I was going to start. Yes, I wrote a poem about all that, too. No, I am not changing my major (again). After a talk with my mom, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m sticking with creative writing while getting as much journalistic experience as I can. Whatever happened to my broadcasting career? Okay, I stuttered a lot, but I still found it fun to be in front of a camera and babbling about whatever topic I had in mind.

My point? You can major in any English subject and still be a journalist! But it’s going to take a lot to build up my journalistic resume. I’m planning on getting an internship next summer, oh, and did I mention I’m now a Style Guru Community Member for College Fashionista? Funny how life works out. ☺

One of my friends said I need a life outside writing, and I can’t be on social media all the time (checking blog statistics, retouching my Instagram, and what-not). I’m thinking… broadcasting again? You won’t find out until next semester!