OOTW: Denim Love

Hello! I hope you're enjoying your Labor Day weekend! It feels great to finally relax after a stressful week of school.

If you don't know what OOTW means, it stands for "Outfit Of The Week." Because this blog now has more than just fashionable outfit-recreating ideas, I will use this term from now on every time I post my usual outfit creations. Capiche? 

This outfit has a punk rocker flair to it, yet carries a casual vibe. You could wear it anywhere (though I wouldn't recommend fancy dinner parties). I like to call it, "Denim Love," because I fell head-over-heels in love with this street style!

Here it is:

If you wanna recreate this look:

Grab some denim! Choose some denim apparel that will compliment each other. I once read in Tavi Gevinson's Rookie Mag that the best way to wear two denim staple pieces together was to wear them in different shades. I don't know about you, but I think Rookie was right! 

Layers! Layers! Layers! Choose something to wear under or over your denim, whether it be a funky flannel or a solid black T-shirt. Get creative with it!

Find the right shoes. For me, black combat boots are my go-to-shoes for any street-style look. To be frank, you could wear any casual shoes for this look and it would be perfect.

Accessorize! This sparkly chevron beanie just brings this whole outfit together! Yet with accessorizing, anything is possible! You could wear a crocheted beret, a studded snapback,  a baseball cap, or even a hair bow, and this look would would still be amazing. 

There you have it! A perfect street look for all you punk chics out there! Don't forget to stay beautiful and keep being yourself!

See ya around!

Xoxo,

Kiley

P.S Please share my blog with your friends! It would really make me smile :)

Makeup & You: My Views on Beauty

Hi, guys! Makeup has been taking the tween/teen beauty world by storm! It seems that the majority of YouTube is becoming fashion and beauty-based, and girls can never stop talking about it! This Sunday, I, Kiley, will bring up this controversial topic onto my blog.

I have a confession to make; I love makeup. "You're always telling us to be ourselves an talk constantly about being confident! How hypocritical you are!" You might say. However, I like makeup for a different reason than you might think.

There are two different ways that makeup is used , and it seems to have confused modern society. You see, some women wear makeup for the artistic purpose. Blending different eyeshadow colors, Experimenting with different eyeliner techniques, contouring and highlighting different parts of your face-it sounds pretty artistic to me!

The other way makeup is used is for pure enjoyment. For instance, I love makeup because it's fun. I do it for enjoyment; doing my makeup is one of my favorite parts of getting "dressed up" to go to a fancy restaurant or for a special occasion. 

Then, there are the cons of makeup. Many girls wear it to "cover up" because they feel ugly. Tween girls as young as eight are coerced into wearing it due to peer pressure. Some girls I know can't go a day without wearing it. Therefore, this is a controversial topic.

Now, you might be wondering-what do I think about makeup? Should girls as young as ten and eleven start everyday beauty routines? Well, I'm a little bit in between. 

You see, I believe that it should be the parents' choice on how mature their daughter is to start wearing makeup. In my opinion, I think ten and eleven year olds are a little too young. When I was ten, I was acne-free and the only makeup product I found interest in was lipgloss and lip balm. Then again, maybe a ten-year-old has a lot of acne for her age and is embarrassed about it, therefore wanting to wear makeup for that purpose.

Why I'm writing this today is to say: girls, you don't have to be embarrassed! 

One of my good friends once told me, "I like your acne. It makes you unique." Of course, I thought it was ridiculous at first. Why would anyone want a bunch of white and red bumps on their face?

Now, I realize, that my friend was just trying to tell me that there's more to me than bumps on my face. It's the inner beauty that really matters. 

A girl can have an excessive wardrobe, professional makeup, and the beauty of a celebrity. She could be an amazing friend of yours with a beautiful heart. Or, if she is a girl who whines when she doesn't get everything she wants, or ignores you when you need her support most, then do her looks really matter?  Well, I think not!

Please remember that true friends value you for what's inside your heart, and not what you look like on the outside. 

Makeup isn't a bad thing-it can be really fun once you're a teenager! But, young girls, please know that peer pressure is something we all go through. If you're wearing makeup just because everyone else is, then don't. Girls your age might not understand the meaning of makeup. They might wear it because it makes them look older, or so they can cover up what they believe is ugly. If you know any girls like that, give them a confidence-boost today! I'm sure they'll thank you for it!

Stay beautiful and remember to keep being yourself!

See ya around!

Xoxo,

Kiley

P.S. Please share my blog with your friends! It would really make me smile :)

Kiley Being Crafty: I sewed a kimono!

(Sorry for not posting yesterday--technical difficulties arose.) 

Hi everyone! I decided to get a little crafty (hence the title) and sew a kimono! This was a great way for me to connect with my grandma and expand my horizons of craftiness!

What inspired me to make this was eyeing a new kimono for $36 from the Bethany Mota Summer collection at Aeropostale. For a while, I really wanted to buy it, but after watching a DIY video, I though, "hey, why don't I make one myself?" And here I am, writing this.

This kimono cost only $12 to make. That's about $24 cheaper than the Bethany Mota kimono! I think I like this one better anyway.

Surprisingly, when I made this kimono, I didn't follow a pattern. Instead, I followed the instructions given by an awesome DIY YouTuber, making sure to hem any raw edges along the way (you can watch the video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SmJ8L4VCMjk). She used a floral scarf and hand-sewed the project. Fortunately, my grandma had a sewing machine, and we chose a pattern at the craft store. 

I have to admit that, although it was easy, getting the measurements was hard. All projects have their ups and downs, right? Anyways, I'm so excited to show you the final product! 

Here it is:

As you can see, I think it turned out rather well! I love how I can pair this with any solid shirt and it can boost the look. 

Have you ever sewn/crafted something?Comment below! I'd love to read about it!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

See ya around!

Xoxo,

Kiley

 P.S. Please share my blog with your friends! It would really make me smile :)

NOTE: All opinions are mine. This blog is not sponsored or advertised in any way by LaurDIY or any sewing or crafting company. Those are my words, not someone else's :)

Back-to-School Tips (Confidence)

Happy Sunday, everybody! I hope your weekend is going well! Back-to-school is coming up(or has already begun), and that can definitely be stressful, especially if you're starting a new school. That's why today's post is all about tips that help me, and can help you, go back to school with confidence!

Confidence is different for everyone. Some people are born with it, some pretend they have it, and others have to gain it. People also gain confidence through different resources. Take Maya Van Wagenen, the author of the memoir Popular: Vintage Advice for a Modern Geek. She went to the extreme for a major confidence-building experience. To be frank, it can take many years to get the confidence and strength you need. So the tips I've prepared for you may not work like magic. Just know that if you keep pushing yourself, you will eventually receive the confidence to face the day with a smile!

The first step to confidence is to get out of the universe of negativity. This means to start by being more positive. When you're feeling down about yourself, try to find something that puts you in a happy mood, whether it be music, sports, reading, etc. The happier you are, the better you'll feel about yourself. What my grandpa taught me to do before I go to bed is to write down one or more good things that happened that day. This way, you can go to bed concentrating on positive things instead of something embarrassing you might have said to someone, or other negative things that make your stomach lurch. 

Something that can make you feel better about your appearance is to stop focussing on the imperfections. An activity to try might be to compliment yourself every time you look in the mirror. Now, I'm not saying that you should become narcissistic, but it can be a great way to cancel out those bully-some thoughts. Instead of saying "I have too many pimples!" or "I'm so fat!"  try "I love how I look in this dress!" and "Who cares about those pimples! Pimples don't define my beauty!" The more you stand up for yourself, you'll find that the bully inside you will stop invading your thoughts.

A problem that I struggle with personally is having confidence outside of school, but not at school. If you struggle with this as well, I suggest you target the source that drains your confidence. Is it your friends? Teachers? Popular kids? Once you've found the source, it's much easier to search for solutions. For instance, my confidence drains when I worry about what other people might think of me. Sometimes I try to make myself as invisible as possible, hoping that no one will notice me. What helps me gain my confidence back is to constantly repeat in my head, "I don't care what they say! I don't care what they think!" The more I focus on that, the less I pay attention to the negative.

Another thing that gives me confidence is a huge confidence-boost from a friend or family member. One of my best friends sat down and had a long talk with me when I was feeling upset one year. Kids had been bullying me and I felt so alone. What she said gave me so much confidence, that I can not describe to you how confident I felt because of her. I am extremely grateful to have an amazing friend like her! Remember, no one should take the journey through life alone, so a good support group of friends is necessary to have on your life shopping list! 

I hope these tips helped you gain the confidence you needed! Remember that you're beautiful inside and out and to be yourself! 

See ya around!

Xoxo,

Kiley

P.S Please share my blog with your friends! It would really make me smile :) 

NOTE: This was not sponsored by Maya Van Wagenen or Penguin Books. All opinions about Maya's book are mine only.

Back-to-School Lookbook!

Hi guys! It's the beginning of August and back-to-school shopping is right around the corner! I don't know about you, but my school sends us back the second week of August(school just started the 13th, to be precise).

Although I didn't have a huge back-to-school shopping spree(two pairs of leggings, jeans, and a T-shirt), I have compiled a back-to-school Lookbook of the outfits I wore for the first three days of school. 

This post will be a little different. I'm not showing you how you might recreate these looks. Instead, I am sharing the outfits with you in hope that you might be inspired to recreate these on your own!

Here they are:

For this first look, I tried to make due with my big leadership club T-shirt that I had to wear the first day of school. So, I tucked it into a blue, flow-y skort, and slipped on my solid sneakers. Because I love to accessorize, I added my teal hair bow and BAM! I was ready to go!

I personally love this second look! Audrey Hepburn is probably my favorite classical movie actress. Keeping it simple, I paired this "Audrey" T-shirt with a pair of light wash jeans to compliment the white. Then, I slipped on the same sneakers from the first outfit, and wore a sparkly headband just to give this look some glam. Viola! 

In this final look, my overall shorts were the highlight of the outfit, and, probably the most simple way for me to look casual, but put together at the same time. Bringing a pop of color into the look, I wore a bright teal T-shirt and slipped on those solid sneakers. That's all it took!

I hope you enjoy back-to-school shopping as much as I did! I know going back to school can be stressful, so I will give you some helpful tips this Sunday so that your confidence will soar!

See ya around!

Xoxo,

Kiley

P.S Please share my blog with your friends! It would really make me smile :)

A Little Change

Hello! This is just a quick note explaining the changes that are going to happen around here. You see, I am now going to be dedicating more time and effort towards Fashionbykiley than ever before. Instead of posting at any random moment, I will be posting on a schedule!

On Saturdays, I will still post my outfit of the week (OOTW) and give you tips on how to recreate it. I will also do other fashion-related posts that I just know you will love!

Now, on Sundays, I am going to post about Inner Beauty, Bullying, Confidence, etc., because I want this blog to be more than just a fashion blog; I want it to be about you being you!

Thank you for taking into consideration the awesome changes that I will be putting into action very soon!

See ya around!

xoxo,

Kiley


P.S Please share my blog with your friends! It would really make me smile :)