Establishing My Lewk

For those of you working on decluttering your apartment and/or closet - I feel you. I totally understand the feelings of anxiety and confusion when it comes to minimizing the closet. FYI, currently struggling with the shoe collection which is kind of crazy and a first world problem if there ever was one.

There simply had to be a way to a better part with unnecessary things. 

After a night of sorting through denim (some even witnessed high school) my nerves were at an all time high (clutter will do that to ya), I decided to unwind by pinning. Don't ask why - it just works. So there I was pinning my dream bedroom which turned into a few inspirational quotes followed by a few aspirational spring looks. 

Then it hit me - I can use Pinterest as a way to declutter my closet.

Yep, I see those blank faces from over here, so let me explain and start from the beginning. 

Pinterest has given me a way to store all my favorite looks by pinning what made my heart flutter. In turn it gave me an idea, or rather an outline of my lewk - something concrete I can look at and say "ah, that's so me."

Pinterest also gave me a checklist of sorts: items that should remain in my closet and things that gots to go.

Being that I grew up in the age of H&M and Forever21 you can bet there is an influx of NWT (new with tags) crap hanging around waiting to be worn. After experimenting with trends and figuring out what styles worked best on my frame I finally have a clear and concise sense of style that feels like me. 

So whenever I feel the urge to hold onto a pair of sequined booty shorts, I'll give my Pinterest board a look over and remember that it's not part of the road I'm headed towards. It's also pretty handy when cruising Zara.com and reminding myself that nope culottes aren't for me (but they are cute).

For those of style-searching and experimenting with the latest trends, I say keep a Pinteres board and keep a record of either what you wore, looks you would like to try, or looks you absolutely love. It'll help give you an idea of what you lean towards and what you wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Another great tool and if you want to take a step further is getting The StyleBook app- it helps you store outfits and manage what you already have in your closet.

Now let's get the conversation going, how did you all figure out what your style is? Do you also keep a record of your favorite outfits and how?

Photos by Lydia Hudgens. 

#LoveYourCurls with Dove Quench

This week, I want all you curly-haired ladies try something new. 

I want you to Love Your Curls. Just for a week, instead of complaining about frizzy hair or running into the nearest Drybar to disguise our ringlets - give your hair a chance to be. It might be hard, when long luscious straight hair is advertised everywhere we go but hopefully this amazing #LoveYourCurls line and wonderfully touching video can change that. In fact, Dove and Walmart are asking for your #LoveYourCurl story to help inspire the next generation to do the same (you can even win a Dove Quench prize pack). You can do that here.

If you've been keeping up with me for a while, you'll know my backstory. For those of you joining in, I'll be the first to admit that it took a very long time to love my curls. As a child, I was ridiculed for having curly hair and often ran home crying. Chia Pets were being heavily advertised during those formative years - which didn't make life any easier. Every day I would beg and plead with my mom for a trip to the fancy salon.

The few times she did I'd make sure my blow out lasted f o r e v e r. 

All of this changed after getting noticed and scouted for, essentially my hair. Crazy how life works.

It took a lot of self-love and beauty trials to finally settle into my roots. But once, I got my curly system down it's pretty much about accepting and loving who I was. Throughout all the drama I learned that my hair is gorgeous just the way it is (even on the bad days). If you find yourself hating yourself over hair follicles do me a favor and stop.

Trust, you are beautiful. Natural is beautiful. And we are all beautiful.

Dove and Walmart were awesome enough to let me try out the new Quench line and it definitely lives up to the name. The full Dove Quench Absolute collection includes Ultra Nourishing Shampoo, Ultra Nourishing Conditioner, Intensive Restoration Mask, and the Supreme Creme Serum. The products didn't weigh down my curls at all and gave them a softer feel (no crunchy curls here). For days when more curl hydration was needed, I'd leave the mask on for a few minutes longer (i.e. frizz be gone). As you can see in the photos above, the line left my curls looking more defined and softer (#winwin) and loving my curls even more.

Like what you see? Learn more about Dove Quench and share your #LoveYourCurls story here.

Today's post is sponsored by Lunchbox - thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! And as always, all opinions are my own.

Photos by Victor Cerejo.

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Five Friday Favorites

The weekend could not come soon enough! My plans will of course involve sleep, great food, and inhaling the last season of Breaking Bad. Honestly though, who am I kidding - that's every weekend ;).

Before disconnecting here are a few things I came across you may enjoy too:

1. I came across this article about rethinking money as a tool and it completely changed my POV on how to budget, save, and spend. It also gave me the kick to restart my Mint account (it's an amazing money managing tool!!) for a more successful financial future. 

2. Had to renew my library card recently and picked up The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe. It's an amazing novel following five young women working in New York City during the late 50s. This page turner literally has me looking forward to my rush hour commute aka reading time.

3. ICYMI, I'm training for the Brooklyn Half this year and attempting to complete my requirements for the 2016 NYC Marathon. All this training means a higher intake of protein and found that RAP Protein Gummies provided a seamless way for me to do so.

4. My strong aversion to ashy skin (damn the winter) has led me to some amazing finds that turn my skin into luscious goodness. For instance, the entire Karelen line of body butters, dry oils, and hand & body creme have been nourishing my dry skin and will continue to do so. I love the product so much I'm planning a giveaway come April - stay tuned to my Instagram (@thestyleboro) for the flash sweepstakes!

5. Tall girls rejoice! I came across this wonderful site made specifically for our long limbs and the clothes are so stylish and chic (!!). It's not easy being tall and having to settle for high-water pants so I'm really glad to shop Long Tall Sally without that worry.

Happy Friday!