Trend Alert: Running Shoes

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made on Polyvore (photos are not mine)

Dear Readers,

This trend is probably one of my most favorite trends ever!  I am literally obsessed with running shoes.  I love how comfy they are and that they can be worn with pretty much anything.  Although these came into style a while ago, I do not see them going out of style for a very long time.  They are simply too comfortable!  I cultivated the obsession with these shoes on my recent trip to Paris and have since worn my Nikes almost every day I have been home!  My favorite running shoes are the ones with simple designs, I love how they match anything and look super sleek and futuristic.  Here are my top brand recommendations:

1.  Any shoes from Nike.  No joke, I keep this site open just to stalk the shoes on the daily.  My favorite shoes from them are pictured above, but like I said, I LOVE ALL THEIR SHOES

2.  Adidas.  I saw a whole lot of these shoes in Paris, specifically this kind

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Taken from the Adidas site. Aren’t they the cutest!?

3.  And don’t forget Puma.  I still remember my first pair of shoes from there *heart eyes emoji*

Anyways, thanks for reading this post!  It was super short and down to the point, but I still had tons of fun writing it! xoxo –BarbaraMari

PS.  Follow me on Instagram @playing.dress.up, comment your username down below, and I will follow you back.  Also I created an account on Blog Lovin, so follow me on there!
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Personal Post- Difficult Decisions

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Dear Reader,

Today I wanted to write a more personal post, specifically about difficult decisions. I have recently made a pretty difficult decision, and wanted to attempt to put all of my emotions into a blog post (disclaimer: this is being written very late at night -technically very early morning, running solely on emotions and three cups of coffee).

Difficult decisions. Being human, one inevitably has to make a hard decision sometime in their life. Within a person’s lifetime, it is virtually impossible to avoid a sticky situation in which one encounters a difficult choice to be made. Of course, people make little decisions every second of the day; stay up late ranting on a blog vs getting a good night’s rest, eating an apple vs a whole bag of wasabi rice crackers from Trader Joes (aka my weakness), picking out a cute outfit vs picking out a comfy but not so stylish outfit (you get the point).

Even writing this blog post is a decision, I am making the choice to make my blog not a professional fashion blog, but a real blog that is a reflection of who I am, and what my thoughts are. In other words, I have decided to make this blog more relative to my personality vs strictly a fashion blog. For the majority of my life, I have been trying to please other people: catering my Instagram posts to what other people like (so that I get more “likes”), doing tons of extra curricular activities for college, dressing to fit in with the crowd. I have been using things that are supposed to be a reflection as me (social media, outfits, interests etc) to cater to what the masses want, and by doing so, I have not been able to focus on myself or my needs. This may sound selfish to some, but I think everybody needs to be able to take a step back from their lives, and wonder if they are happy with the life they are living. Back to the point, I somehow got the reason in my head that people will only read this blog if it was strictly about fashion. Once again, I was just trying to please other people, and not myself. Basically, I have come to the realization that this blog is a creative output for myself, and I am going to put content on this blog that is a reflection of me.

The second difficult decision I recently made was quitting water polo. Because this blog post is so long, I am not going to get into the details, but basically I was not happy playing water polo. Water polo was consuming my life, making me a zombie, and I realized that although I enjoyed the games, the 6 days a week of 3 hour practices was making me crazy. I had bit off more than I could chew, and I was just sticking with water polo because I had convinced myself that colleges only accepted well-rounded athletes (I realize now that I am completely wrong). Quitting water polo was something that needed to be done for my physical and mental health. It is hard to explain over the computer without sounding selfish, but I needed to make myself happy for once, and water polo was consuming my life with sleepiness and stress.

All in all, my point is that sometimes difficult decisions need to be made in order to keep oneself happy and healthy. Make sure that your life is a reflection of yourself, and not a reflection of what people around will think is “cool.”

Sorry for the many typos, super late at night! I have to do a “teen issue” speech in English, and I am thinking about doing this “reflection of me” thing as a potential topic. I will probably share that speech on this blog(: Also, stay tuned for a mix of fashion, health, and personal posts! Oh and I made an Instagram: @playing.dress.up (if you follow me and comment your instagram down below, I will follow you back)

Thanks for reading my late night rants(: -BarbaraMari

Disclaimer:  The picture of Biscuit (the cute lil kitty) is my own, but I edited the picture using pic monkey.

Meet H&M’s Amazing Sister Store: COS

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Dear Reader, Before I went to Paris my lovely mother bought me the cutest book, Le Shop Guide to Paris.  It is actually quite surprising that she would buy this for me, seeing as she absolutely hates shopping and anything to do with it (I don’t really get how we are related, seeing that I literally have a blog revolving around shopping and fashion).  Nonetheless, this book is a great early Christmas present, and mentions many cute shops located all throughout Paris- including COS.

Flipping through the pages of the book, COS was the fist to catch my eye because it is located near my apartment, is listed under the “Affordable Chic” section, and is said to be created by the “clever Swedes who brought us H&M.”  Due to my love for H&M, I knew I had to check this store out.  Hidden in the heart of the Marais, this store was well worth the walk. As soon as I entered the store, I knew it was going to become my new obsession.  Literally every item of clothing in there, I wanted.  I like to think of fashion as an art, and COS is one of the first stores that I have ever seen that really embraces the art of fashion.  Their pieces are so basic with crisp lines and cool colors, that by wearing these clothes, one becomes a piece of art.  I love COS clothing because their items are timeless, basic, well made, and still one of kind.  They put twists on common day wear, and by doing so are different from any other clothing store out there.

Not to mention, the people shopping at COS made me want to burn every piece of clothing I owned.  They were all dressed so simply and beautifully, with simple hair, basic clothing, and trendy Adidas tennis shoes.  Not going to lie, I definitely felt super intimidated and questioned my choice of Doc Martens as decent footwear.  Even the men and women working at COS were the epitome of french fashion; effortlessly elegant and chic, with clean faces, pulled back hair, and minimal makeup. I only ended up buying a necklace.  I wanted a lot more clothing, but I knew that once I bought a shirt, I would want to buy pants to match, and then shoes (etc). IMG_1744

Here is the necklace!  This bad quality photo does not do it justice, it actually is really beautiful and one of a kind.

Anyways, here it is:  H&M’s lesser know about sister store, and my new favorite clothing brand.  They have stores all over the world, but if there is not one near you I would recommend checking out their website.  They have lookbooks, a magazine, online shopping, and much more.  Also, be sure to check under their “things” tab, they have lots of cool music and interesting articles.

Thanks for reading! XOXO –BarbaraMari

Disclaimer:  The first photo at the top of the page was made using Polyvore.  All of the other photos in this blog post are mine.

I’m still alive!!

Hey everybody,
Thank you so much for all the likes, follows, and comments I have received in this blog. Although I have only posted 4 posts, I have found blogging to be a great creative output. I love writing about fashion and discovering new fashion blogs on the wordpress community! I just wanted to apologize for the lack of posts, December has been a crazy month and I have spent the last two weeks in Paris (sans wifi). On the bright side, I have some great posts planned and will be posting frequently again. Thanks for all the love and support😘

XOXO ~BarbaraMari

Also, this was posted on my iPhone so sorry for any typos… This is also my second time writing this (the first one got deleted) (technology hates me) so my apologies for the briefness✨

Now here is a picture of Paris! If I can figure out how to post pics thru the iPhone app…

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OOTD: Black Cherry

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Dear Reader,

I am so so sorry for the lack of posts!  Not to make excuses or anything, but school has been crazy!  Also, water polo season just started, leaving me with even less time to post.  Luckily next week I get off for Winter Break, and I will be posting tons.  I will be going to Paris for Christmas, so stay tuned for lots of winter-y outfit of the days, creepy stalker pics of people’s outfits, and maybe even some travel posts.

I also wanted to say thank you to everybody who subscribed to this blog!  It literally makes my day when you guys subscribe(:

Anyways, here is the outfit:

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I’m lookin’ a tad bit confused, but that’s ok because this picture shows off another one of my favorite winter trends this season: Big Denim Jackets!!!!  Ahhh I just love how they keep you so warm and cozy and make a statement, all while giving off such a retro vibe!  Denim Jacket: Vintage (aka found in my dad’s closet)

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Once again given’ off a confused vibe and an awkward stance, but wanted to show my shirt!  I love this shirt because it  has cute graphics, and is super comfy!  Shirt: Buffalo Exchange  Shorts:  Brandy Melville

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Once again, layered necklaces… Choker: Luna Laces (click here) Necklace: Boutique

IMG_2316 Ring: Brandy Melville

IMG_1518.JPG Shoes: Target

IMG_2320 Lipstick: Revlon’s Black Cherry (post on it here)

Sorry again for the lack of posts!  Also, I swear I have more clothing, this is an old ootd taken at my grandma’s house in the desert.  If you want to make this outfit for winter-y you can add velvet leggings instead of shorts, and Doc Martens instead of flats.

XOXO -BarbaraMari

Disclaimer: The first photo at the top of the page was made using Polyvore. All of the other photos in this blog post are mine.

Trend Alert: Berry Lips

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So today I decided to cover my first ever trend on this blog.  I am not typically someone that follows trends, but when there is a trend that I like, I am all over it.  Coincidentally, berry lips are one of those trends.

I used to never wear these dark shades ( I was too afraid), but I recently mustered up the courage to rock these colors, and have become addicted.  I think part of the reason I am so drawn to dramatic lip colors is because when a woman wears bold makeup, she makes a statement and stands out.  By rocking these dark lip colors, it automatically looks like the wearer (that doesn’t sound right…  wearee?) has confidence in herself, even if she doesn’t actually (fake it till you make it!).  Basically, it shows that you are and independent woman and doesn’t care what no man thinks!!

Nevertheless, berry lipstick is a timeless trend that always comes into style around fall and winter, always looking classy and crisp.  It looks good with virtually any outfit and never fails to make a statement.

Some of my favorite berry lipsticks:

  • Revlon- Black Cherr
  • Mac- Craving 
  • Nars- Vivien 
  • Clinique- Matte Plum 

AND DO NOT FORGET TO WEAR LIP LINER

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here I am wearing revlon’s black cherry lookin very teenage angst-y

XOXO –BarbaraMari

Disclaimer: The first photo at the top of the page was made using Polyvore. All of the other photos in this blog post are mine.

OOTD: Ruffles and Chokers

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Dear Reader,

Today I went to go visit my grandparents for Thanksgiving. The car ride is two hours so I wanted to be comfortable, but I also knew we would be going out to dinner, so I wanted to look cute. Also, it has been super hot in California lately, so sorry if this look is not warm enough. If you want to make it more winter-y I would suggest adding some sheer tights underneath the shorts, doc martens instead of flats, and a cute hat. Anyways, enough of me rambling, on with the outfit!

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I have been obsessed with these shorts lately!!  I love how they still have a summery print, while having fall-time colors.  Not to mention they are flattering on anyone and super comfortable!  Shorts: Brandy Melville.  Oh and these sunglasses will probably be featured on this blog a lot.  They are my only pair of sunglasses and I am OBSESSED with them.  Not gonna lie, I would cry if I lost them (and yes I know there are more important things in life than sunglasses).  Sunglasses: Thrifted.

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I just threw my hair into a simple top knot.

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I am obsessed with this shirt because of the flowy sleeves!!  Sure, they get caught on everything, but they make me feel like a bird…  So it’s worth getting caught on a few things!  Shirt: Thrifted.

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An awk candid shot (shoutout to dad for being the photographer).  But I included this lil pic to showcase the back of the outfit.  The back is JUST as important as the front!!

IMG_1511.JPG One last lil pic of the outfit.

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Oh and I also wore a dainty sun-moon ring on my finger.  Ring: Brandy Melville

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Here is the choker I wore.  I have been obsessed with chokers lately (as in wearing them with every outfit even if it doesn’t quite go)!  I will probably do a post soon about styling chokers…  This one is from luna laces.  Really cheap prices, good quality, lots of chokers to choose from, but shipping takes forever!  Choker: http://lunalacesstore.tictail.com

IMG_1516.JPGHere it is up close and personal.

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Typically, when I wear chokers I layer necklaces with them…  I love layering the sun one with this dainty lil elephant!  Necklace: Boutique

IMG_1518.JPGAnd lastly, theses are the shoes…   Just simple black flats. Shoes: Target

Thanks for reading!!  Also, my apologies for the not so great photos, I was in a rush to get to my grandma’s house… I will have better photos next time(:

XOXO- BarbaraMari

Disclaimer: All the photos were taken by me, except for the first photo that was made on Polyvore.

Disclaimer: The first photo at the top of the page was made using Polyvore. All of the other photos in this blog post are mine.

Hello

Dear world,

Hello.  My name is Barbara Mari and I am 15 years old.  I am starting this blog because I want a place to express my feeling and sense of style.  That being said, I do not really have a distinct sense of style, but hopefully you will tag along to get a taste of my style.  Wow I just typed “style” a lot.  Anyways I will be blogging about fashion and other miscellaneous subjects on this blog….  Hopefully I figure out how to upload this!

XOXO   –BarbaraMari