Winter Casual; Sweater Weather

These pictures were taken on a very cool cloudy evening and the wind was brisk and gusty and it somehow felt like an evening in fall or early spring but it is actually still winter in Minnesota; 'very unbelievable weather. As I drove home from work, I saw some kids in shorts getting off the school bus and I just smiled. It was some sort of mixed feelings; I was happy that winter was becoming bearable and then I was a bit sad that there might be a great deal of truth to global warming after all (not that I really doubted it anyway). However, the meteorologists predict that real winter weather will be back next week.


Well, I decided to take some pics for the blog and I slipped into this casual outfit and I was able to get some pics before the sun finally went down. I just realized that I have not done a casual look on the blog in a long time. I got this purple sweater dress from T. J. Maxx years ago and it's usually in heavy rotation in the cold weather months. I usually wear it with tights or skinnies and the skinny jeans and booties I wore with it in this post were purchased from Victorias secret last fall. I just love the cute pockets on the sides. Sweater dresses are great pieces to have and they can be styled in so many ways.

                                                                                 Sweater Dress: T. J. Maxx
                                                                                 Jeans & booties: VS
                                                                                 Jacket: Wilson's leather

I'm very happy that the blizzard that was predicted to hit the north east was not as bad as it was supposed to be and I hope everyone is keeping safe and warm over there.



                                                Thanks so much for stopping by


                                                              Beauty Ojo

Yellow + Black

You've got to go put on your sunglasses for this one because this yellow might just hurt your eyes..:). This is yellow overload. I figured that I had not worn yellow in a while and since we are getting warmer weather now plus lots of sun, I thought it would not hurt to start putting on some color. I dug this wool jacket out from deep in the closet; previously too small because yours sincerely gained some weight...:-). After losing a few pounds, I decided to give it another try and there are some others that need to be tested out soon too...:-). Whatever does not fit would then go to the donation pile because I am ready for some spring cleaning..

It seems like spring is gradually around the corner though. We've been having this gorgeous weather since last week but I heard a rumor that it is related to global warming...**ssshhhh, let's not talk about that now please..** (whispering)

Jacket: old
Purse: Express
Jewelry & Pants: LOFT
Shoes: VS shoes
Sunnies: LOFT

This boxy wool jacket is so warm and comfy and I did not need to put on an extra jacket today. The colorful necklace was added on last minute for some extra pop of color. Did you do anything fun this weekend? Did you go to church or pause for a minute to give God thanks for his countless blessings? I have a music recital to attend this evening at my son's music school and I plan on wearing an all black outfit. What other color is most appropriate for a musical recital/concert? Any suggestions fashionistas? Can we follow each other on GFC (bottom of blog page) or Instagram? My instagram handle is; beautyojo.



                                                Thanks so much for stopping by


                                                              Beauty Ojo

Orange + Black

                                                                             Orange Jacket: thrifted
                                                                             Sequin dress: Express
                                                                             Boots: Altuzarra for Target
                                                                              Jewelry: Gifted

Hi Friends, this is an outfit I wore earlier in the year to a Friend's birthday party for her son. It was the first weekend in January and the holiday spirit was still in the air so it was  okay to wear sequin pieces at the time. I had to recreate the outfit again today though because I did not take any pictures during the actual party. It was freezing at the time and to tell you the truth, I wore a different pair of tights that night; a pair of ribbed black tights which was quite warm and comfy for the dangerously cold weather.

The weather was very nice in the twin cities today and it was almost forty degrees which is quite unusual at this time of the year. I felt it was the perfect day to showcase this outfit without wearing a jacket over it and here it goes. I also used this dress as a top tucked in a skirt during the holidays in this post here.

                                                       

                                                               Thanks so much for stopping by



                                                                         Beauty Ojo

The new Matron in Town

The word matron is used to describe a dignified older woman with a huge responsibility or office and in the past, it was an honor to be addressed as a matron. Fast forward to our age and the word Matron has lost most of its appeal. In fact, even the older ladies do not want to be addressed as such especially when it is used in relation to the description of clothing.

This beige coat here is as matronly as you can have it and it is dignified at the same time. I chose to style it tied with most of my clothing covered because I wanted to make the coat the highlight. I added the burgundy hat as an afterthought but it does add some color to the neutral colored pieces.

                                                                    Tee & Jewelry: Loft
                                                                    Coat: Consignment Store
                                                                    Animal Prints bag: Gifted
                                                                    Pumps: Target
                                                                    Jeans: Loft

The next time I am styling this piece, I would give it a little edge by losening the ties and keeping it free then I would ditch the hat and go higher on the heels. Until then, this Matron says hello!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Beauty Ojo 

Prints and Red Statement Coat

If there is one trend from 2014 I would wish to never go away, it has to be the statement coat. It might be because I live here in Minnesota where we have the sub zero temperatures. Whatever the reason might be, I just know that I have never loved winter coats and jackets this much. I scored this red piece from a recent visit to a consignment store and it is somewhat a cross between a jacket and a trench coat and similar to my trench coat here. It was my lucky day and I was able to score a couple other coats at a great deal. I just love the bold red color of this one and what other accessory can be a perfect match for it but this animal prints scarf?

 

Tee and Scarf: Loft

Jeans: Victoriassecret

Purse: Express

Shoes: VS

Coat: Consignment Store

The weather has been very beautiful in Minnesota this week although it is in the late twenties to early thirties; very different from a couple of weeks ago when it was freeeezing!!! I wish everyone all of God's blessings and I will be back soon with another fabulous coat...:-).

                                                                       Thanks so much for stopping by

                                                                                   Beauty Ojo

Up Close and Onwards...

I'm back friends with my first outfit post for 2014; woot! woot!! I'm so excited for the new year because I know there are so many great challenges I'm willing to conquer both on the blog and behind the scenes. I'll go ahead now and share some of the goals that I have for myself on this blog this year and they are as follows;

1. Get myself a good camera: I have been taking pics with my iPhone and iPad for a long time now but would love to improve the picture quality on the blog. I might have to go back to using my tripod again since I would not trust my little ones to handle a more professional camera but better picture quality is a big goal.

2. Get more behind the scenes gist: I intend to open up more about other things that go on in my world aside from my faith and family and fashion and this means, there would be more gist on career and other achievements and goals. On this note, I would like to share  some good news with you. I just found out today that I was one of 15 applicants picked by my City's school districts to serve on Schools Enrollment and Capacity Management task force. There were over 90 applicants who applied for positions so, it's really a blessing to be amongst the lucky 15. The board members information would be made public soon and I would share the City and district website on a future post so that you can check out our activities. I would also share any bits of information that is not confidential on the blog.

3. Outdoors and Volunteering: I would love to spend a lot of time enjoying outdoors and nature this year and would like to share information about my adventure and exploits on the blog. I also want to do more volunteer work and give back to my community and starting with my kids' school PTO, I would also like to volunteer at my College Alumni. This might seem like a lot but I have to start from somewhere and take each day at a time. It's all about giving back. Let's make the world a better place.

Now, let's talk about fashion...:-)

Did you notice at all that I look a little slimmer?..:-) I have been working on losing some extra pounds and I lost eight pounds already; seven more to go. I also want to get more cardio workouts into my routine so as to focus on being healthy.

I would also like to get out of my comfort zone by exploring more fashion choices like wearing more prints and more color and also using more accessories. I just got on Instagram; can we follow each other? You can find me here.

Long sleeve tee, jeans and scarf: Target

Earrings: Gifted

Necklace: Walmart

Thanks so much for stopping by

Beauty Ojo

Hi There...

                                                                           HERE                                                                                 


Hi Friends, I have been super busy with family and work; trying to get the kids transition back into school nicely after the holidays, working hard to lose those extra pounds I gained during the holidays and running things generally behind the scene. I have not done an outfit post for a while now but I was able to get some blog pictures today with the help of my son  since they were home for the Martin Luther King holiday. I took the day off work too so we had a long weekend.

These white pumps here are the recent addition to my shoe closet and actually part of my Christmas gifts. I was so excited to get them because I have wanted white pumps for a while now. I know the cap toe makes them look a bit dated but I think they still look okay. Now, I'm looking forward to spring. I would work on my first outfit post for the year tomorrow and I look forward to your comments on my new look...:-). I only lost a few pounds though so you might not even notice any difference.

I am a bit new on Instagram and I'm still looking for friends and bloggers to follow. You can find me on INSTAGRAM here and when you follow me, I would follow back right away! Let's expand the social network...




                                        Thanks so much for stopping by Friends


                                                          Beauty Ojo





                                                                     

Bring in the Bling: J. Crew Mini-haul

Tank top: here
Bow flats: here
Necklace:  J. Crew: sold out

I recently got bit by the sequin bug and I have the christmas and new year holidays to thank for it. We all know that sequins and all things sparkly trend most during the winter holidays but yours truly here decided to extend the bling way into the new year. These sparkly pieces here are some of my recent haul from the J. Crew holiday sale.

I just love the sequin tank top and can't wait to layer it underneath a jacket in the spring and maybe eeemmm..**clears throat,**the summer too? The pretty flats with sequin bows are also going to get very heavy rotation. I'm not so much a fan of flats but I just could not resist this pair. The cobalt blue and crystal necklace which were on sale for about $11.99 rounds up the bling/sequin collection.





                            I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the new week?




                                             Thanks so much for stopping by


                                                           Beauty Ojo