Casual and Cute On A Budget

Hello Lovelies!

Being casual and cute is always a plus. You feel comfortable with what you're wearing and it looks presentable at the same time.

I love this look because it's very plain and simple. While this is true, I always feel the need to add a few things to make the outfit more 'Yasmeena' oriented and spunky. How I achieved a simple look with the addition of my personal touch is the olive green velvet boho purse. This white and blue look now has a pop of color to it and stands out. It kind of reminds me of the new Gucci belt bag that everyone has been raving about recently. I know you would probably love to have the Gucci bag, so do I, but fashion is about improvisation and making it your own. This is why I decided to utilize my olive boho purse. I think it adds a twist to the outfit and has it stand out with the tassels attached on it.

The second thing I added to make this look go from ordinary to stand out is the hoop earrings. I feel that this addition takes the outfit to the next level by making it seem like you put in some effort. When you're getting ready in the morning, look for something that can dress up your look! Whether it's a scarf, stack of bracelets, or a statement necklace.

xoxo, Yasmeena 

Top- Ann Taylor

Jacket- Gap

Jeans- American Eagle 

Earrings- Charming Charlie

Shoes- Nike Huaraches 

Why Komask?

You might be wondering, what's Komask? It happens to be my favorite makeup brand at the moment. Yes, I do have a lot of products from other brands that I absolutely cannot live without, but as for the cohesiveness of this brand,  I love it because nearly all the products have been perfected and are great to use.

I specifically love this brand's quality and its fulfillment to being long lasting. That's such a plus for me due to long work days or if I'm out for the night so I don't have to worry about what my makeup ended up looking like. Another reason for me preferring Komask products over all else is the fact that I'm able to achieve that natural look with 4D full coverage without the makeup looking too much or very fake. I've suggested this brand to many people and they have all ended up liking it. I say take a chance, try it!

xoxo, Yasmeena

Here's a list of the products that I currently use in my daily routine:

                        Illuminating Foundation Primer -Bronze

                        HD Finish Foundation

                        TV Stix- Ivory

                        HD Finishing Powder- Crystal Clear 

                        Blush- Sun Blush (Bronzer)

                        Loose Powder- 2W

                        Matte Liquid Lip Shade- M12- Sienna

*Liquid Lip used shade- M06-Skiny

Coffee Date? What To Wear: The Smart Look

These are some of the easy ways to look cute yet be taken seriously on your next date! Before I get into that however, I have some ground rules for you:

1) Dress comfortably- meaning you feel like yourself at all times

2) Compromise your own "smart" look- don't feel obligated to look exactly as I do in regards to my apparel below

3) Dressing smart enhances your confidence- so FEEL GOOD with what you're wearing or else it negates rule number 1^^

Okay now that that's out of the way, let's lay out what you can actually do. I'd say start off with a "foundation" and work off of that with layers. What I did here was start off with a simple pair of dark wash jeans and a Polo shirt. To elevate the style, I chose to throw over a sweater and pair this with a classic chunky velvet heel. Even though that was enough to achieve the look, I wanted to take it up a notch. This is where all my accessories came in. Nothing, and I mean nothing (in my opinion) says classy like pearls. After all, pearls were passed down and worn by royalty ;) When I see pearls, they remind me of elegance, innocence, and femininity; which I think are essential elements in acquiring the perfect "smart glam." Additional to the pearls, I wore a watch, a ring, and finally finished off the outfit with a nude based purse and my prescription glasses. 

You can do a variety of things to get your signature look. Maybe pair a cardigan with a button down and knee high boots. Another idea you can apply is to dress up a basic cardigan with a detailed eyelash lace tank top tucked into skinny jeans with a belt and small clutch. Correspondingly, I believe that the key to a well-put-together outfit looking as presentable as possible is by accessorizing. After choosing your outfit, make sure to accessorize, giving that classy vibe. Have fun experimenting! I'm sure you'll find something as beautiful as you are.

xoxo, Yasmeena 

Top- Polo Ralph Lauren

Sweater- Ann Taylor

Jeans- FashionNova 

Bag- Michael Kors

Natural Goes A Long Way

There are a lot of ways to reach happiness. In the world of makeup, girls are often happy when they purchase products and play around with the different shades, liquids, etc. I can't lie, I love makeup as well, but sometimes you just have to stray away from the artificial and just be yourself. Now, I know many people may disagree with me saying they can do whatever they want and that makeup makes them content, and I'm not saying makeup is a bad thing. Don't get me wrong, I have also had the same response before.. you know, the whole "I can wear what I want and you can't tell me what to do." And although I would usually use all these products on my face, lately I have been fond of the idea of me being me. This might sound confusing so, allow me to explain. In the beginning of this year I was very attached to make up, fake nails, and eyelash extensions and I was trying to be something that I'm not.

During this time, my sister kept telling me that I need to embrace my natural beauty and stray away from the plastic. I continuously ignored her every time. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I decided to listen to her and be myself. I got rid of the nails, eyelashes (which by the way, in my opinion, made me look ugly), and cut back on the makeup I was using. When I did this, I saw my true self, and I loved it. I love looking into the mirror and seeing me. What I learned to do with makeup was to enhance my already existing features. I still experiment with colors etc., but now on a lesser scale. AND GUESS WHAT? I love it. Everyone looks different and that's the beauty of our diverse world. We can look beautiful with tons of makeup, no doubt, but we can end up looking completely different than our true selves. This is why I believe that cutting down on the amount of products you use can result in a more beautiful version of yourself as opposed to a beautiful yet fake version. What I love most now, is that when I do take off my makeup, I still end up being me. No longer am I sad when I take off my makeup that I didn't look like that one "perfect" human being that I thought I was and wanted to be.

With all that said, whenever you want to go for that full glam, go for it!! All that I am trying to articulate is that most often than not, you should be conveyed as your true self because I know you're beautiful in your own way, and if you have imperfections, that's okay because we all do! Don't let that overshadow everything else about you that’s beautiful. Use makeup but look like you. It's always best to be you, embrace it.

xoxo, Yasmeena

Dress- Abrecrombie

Top- Brandy Melville

Trousers- Brandy Melville

Braceletes- Alex and Anni

Heels- Steve Madden

Be Funky

If there's one thing I've learned about fashion, it's to be fearless. Nowadays, sometimes us girls disregard this because its societally easier to conform to one way and stick to the basic trends. What I think is sad, is that we are constantly going through Instagram, Facebook and other social media and end up wishing we could wear what the models are wearing, but never feel like we can. We make excuses like “Oh they’re bold, blah blah.” I say stop wishing and just do! Be yourself. Who said you can't wear what those models wear? If people want to comment on what you've chosen to wear so be it. I got laughed at for buying these frayed, flower decal jeans at first. But guess what? Now almost everyone asks me where I got them from because they realized that it's a unique and fun style, especially because of how I paired it. I chose to wear this white ribbed long sleeve top and accessorized with a a turquoise stone embellished metal belt. I decided on this belt because a) it was notable/would stand out, b) it really brought out the color of the shirt without washing it out, and c) it gave me that flared shape. Finally, I topped the whole outfit with a simple pair of glossy eggshell pointed heels and a few rings to again bring out the white color.

You don't have to go wild with colors to stand out, all you need to do is play around with textures and materials so that your style shows intricacy and its own uniqueness. I simply kept the white and blue aesthetic and experimented with the accessorization portion, then for a pop of color; the classic deep red lip. 

xoxo, Yasmeena 

Top- White House Black Market

Jeans- Zara

Shoes- Mix No. 6

Something I Learned...

People are always going to judge. Ten or a hundred years from now that will never change and almost everyone knows this. However, the reason I want to address this is because of how I used to get judged for what I wear. I never went with the popular, trending, basic style like wearing yoga pants and white crop top with Birkenstocks. You don’t have to stick to that trend because you all girls seem to be wearing it. Know what looks good on you and use that to enhance your own style. I’m not saying that wearing said outfit is wrong (because obviously people can wear what they want), but I want to implement my unique palette and offer help to girls who are too shy to get out of their comfort zone and try something new. Fortunately for me, my Lebanese cultural background has prompted me to embrace all types of fashion. I am not frightened by wearing something different and adding pops of color here and there.

Again, going back to the judgment, I used to get made fun for wearing button down vests, ribbed scarves, funky earrings or even lace up leg ties. When someone commented on something they didn’t like, I used to immediately take it off, and my parents would question as to why I changed my outfit or threw away that “different” piece that I wore. The process went on for a while until I realized that the sheltered environment of those people prevented them from being exposed to other styles of fashion.

This past summer, I went through my old Vogue magazines and watched YSL, Moschino, and Betsy Johnson fashion shows. That helped me recognize that there are in fact different styles and to be bold by wearing new things is to stand out. I went back to expressing myself through what I wore whether that meant putting chopsticks in my hair or wearing the dark lips that most people stay away from. After a few compliments from people who came from other countries who didn’t restrict themselves to one style of clothing, I re-gained confidence. This was a lesson for me because it helped me learn to never be afraid of self expression and to ignore the judgment. Don’t let anyone stop you from being who you are and limit yourself to how you want to appear. With that said, know your limits. Remember to take feedback from all, not just one person, and then decide what you will do. Experience all cultures and fashions and simply apply what you admire onto yourself.

Have fun with your outfits! I wore this headband around my head along with the purple shades to spice up my outfit and make it go from boring to BAM with only two small accessories. Don't be afraid to stand out sometimes. Another easy way to spice up your fit is by doing something as simple as tying a silk handkerchief around a handbag as I've done here. It can make any bag have that extra "wow" factor. There's so many simple tricks that will advance your style and make it look chic, all you have to do is think outside the box!

xoxo, Yasmeena 

About

Hello!

I’m Yasmeena Ghazal, 19 years old living in Seattle, Washington, and beyond excited that I have finally launched my own site to share with you my interest in fashion. As a child, I loved to flip through my mom’s Vogue magazines and look at all the models dressed in unique clothing. Ever since then, I have been implementing my own flair whilst incorporating pieces that a lot of girls in my age range wouldn’t usually wear because of the boldness of some items. In this way, I hope to broaden the scope of fashion to women of all ages and show them that it’s okay to be different sometimes. My mom herself has also had a huge impact on my skill because of her own bold statements. I appreciate all types of apparel, and I again owe my creativity in pairing different materials/textures, colors, and fabrics to my mother.

I continuously rotate from style to style, and for this reason I feel like my blog will cater to all people. If you love exploring ideas on how to elevate your wardrobe, you’ll feel right at home here. Guaranteed fashion inspiration and overall lifestyle advice from ongoing posts.

Yes, I have just started my page, but my experience has accumulated over time as I have worked with people in the industry before.

You will find all of my posts here including updates on Instagram and Twitter!

xoxo, Yasmeena 

Inquiries: yasminaghazal@icloud.com