Gold and Cranberry | Business Casual Attire

Hi Ladies,

Is anything more beautiful than gold and cranberry? I'm not sure, but as soon as I saw this skirt and cardigan together, I knew that I had to add the shoes and some gold. What do you think about the monochrome look? Are there any colors that you love to wear head to toe?

How much do you spend on clothes? | October Clothing Budget

Hi Ladies,
I'm baaack with this month's update on spending. :) If you remember from last  month, I went waaaay over budget on shopping. After tallying up all my expenses and smacking myself in the forehead, I wound up retunring a pair of $160 brown Mary Janes and about $120 worh of clothes from Old Navy. The Mary Janes were cute, but they can often look funny with leggings, so I probably wouldn't have gotten a ton of use out of them. As for deciding what to take back from Old Navy, I focused on things that I liked, but didn't love or were similar to stuff I already owned. Whew!

This month, I did much better. Since I live in leggings during the winter and it's starting to get cold, I focused on getting some easy weekend/ running errands/ working from home wear, since that's what I do the most of. I bought a few tee shirts, long cardigans and some leggings. All via Old Navy and Target, so the prices was great. On a side note...I'm REALLY impressed with Target's tee-shirts. They have alot of different varieties from heavy weight cotton to the thinner vintage ones. Plus they are all about $8. J. Crew Factory had previously been my favoirite place for tees, becauise I loved thier vintage wash, but I think that Target's Merona brand is a less boxy, looks better and is cheaper.

So, how was your shopping month?

4 Long Sleeve Tees (TARGET) $8 * 4 = $32
1 Open Cardigan (OLD NAVY) $17
1 Cowl Neck Sweater (OLD NAVY) $8
1 Black Sweater (OLD NAVY) $12
3 Leggings (OLD NAVY) $16 * 3 = $48

TOTAL =  $117

GET THE LOOK WITH THIS CASUAL ATTIRE (UNDER $100):

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Breast Cancer Awareness with Kiyonna | Jewelry for All Sizes

Hi Ladies,
I have a lot of surprises today, so let's get started!! :)

Pink Positive Breast Cancer Awareness with Kiyonna

Hi Ladies,

As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In honor of this illness and to remind people to be conscious of early detection, one of my favorite curvy clothing designers (Kiyonna) has released a limited edition crochet pink cardigan! I love waterfall cardigans for the fall and this one is a nice shade of dusky pink that goes well with a lot of autumnal colors. Please note that the standards for checking breast cancer have recently changed, and the tagline from CNN is "New breast cancer guidelines: screen later, less often!" (source) So, please read this brief article for more details. As always, if you are interested in this cardigan, Kiyonna's best deal right now is 20% off orders of $150 or more at Kiyonna.com with code FALL2015! Be sure to check out their "Real Curves" section in the sidebar to see how other bloggers have rocked this top! :)

While we are on this topic, keep an eye on your moles, too! Being African American, skin cancer was never high on my list of things to worry about; however, I have fried myself to a literal, peeling crisp a few times in my life, so I know it's not impossible. Therefore, when I noticed a mole on my chest start to change shape, I immediately went to my dermatologist and had it removed. It was a quick and virtually painless visit. So, don't let concerns like that keep you from seeing a doctor. (Just don't look in the test tube after they are done....yuck!)

 

Soft Launch of "Jewelry for All Sizes"

Today, I'm soft-launching another solution for women to get more love out of their wardrobes! Have you ever had the problem of not being able buy bangles, because they slip off your wrists? I have! Have you even fallen in love with a ring at a store and then found that it only goes up to a XL, and XL would take the Jaws of Life to get it off? I have! :( Therefore, I've decided to begin offering Jewelry for All Sizes! This is a line of adjustable and sized jewelry that I'll be selling through an online shop. I'm starting with this adjustable gold, double pearl ring that goes wonderful with fall colors. I really like the creaminess of these faux pearls, because they go well with russets, oranges, cranberries, cedar green, etc. In addition, all items ship for free! 

Most importantly, this effort gives me the chance to do something I haven't been able to do a lot this year: financially help the community. I've donated my time this year, but I haven't really been in the position to donate financially like I used to do. I'm still working through the details, but I like the idea of donating career appropriate jewelry to Dress for Success as they help clothe and train woman returning to work. I also want to use some of the proceeds to financially support Girls who Code. (As a female in the IT world, I loved learning to code but had never considered majoring in it until I took my first mandatory elective. Programming, even if it's learning basic Access or how to write Excel macros, is extremely empowering to any business owner, manager of the household or college student. More details to come! :)

Gold Double Pearl Ring, $20 (free shipping in US!)

A Merry Modern Halloween

Hi Ladies,
If you remember from last year, I take a pretty laid back approach to Halloween. It was always my favorite holiday as a child (can anyone say candy?). However, as an adult, I just can't get into elaborate costumes. Maybe it's laziness. Maybe it's just lack of inspiration, but I suspect that its my disdain for expensive, cheaply made polyester outfits that can only be worn once a year. So, for those of you who feel the same way, here are some ideas!

Sweater Skirts & Doggy Tales | Business Casual Attire

Hi Ladies,
Whew! It's been quite a morning. Before I tell you why, let me make two important announcements:

• Petite Career Girl is now officially Curves, Curls and Careers! Yay! (I'll go into the reasons why in another post.) My domain will be changing soon along with my site design. (Yes, one more site design!) 
• I will also be switching my posting schedule to Tues, Thursday and Saturday starting next week. Lots more fun stuff is coming up...can't wait! :)

I had the pleasure of shooting today's pics with Regan from Reagan In My Own World. Usually, we take pictures inside my house, but today we decided to do them outside. This wasn't a great idea...

First, it was 47 degrees outside. Somehow we still had the idea that it was in the 70s, because we both had bare hands and legs. We froze! Then, while taking pictures in the driveway of my condo (my own driveway), a man jogged by and yelled "I know you effing saw me!" at us. (Except he didn't use the word "effing".) Ooookkkk...

Try the Trend: Faux Leather | Dressy Casual

Hi Ladies,
As you can see from today's pictures, I had a BLAST at this photoshoot! :) I'm working on quite a few surprises this week, so today is going to be a quickie post. Can't wait to share them on Monday! :)

Try the Trend: 70s Swing Dresses | Dressy Casual

Hi Ladies,
I was doing a little poking around Shop Sense and I came across a treasure trove of cute swing dresses! If you remember last month, I wrote a guide about How to Style a Swing Dress. It was closer to the end of summer, so all the new fall looks hadn't come out yet. Now, they are everywhere!

Review of Happiness Boutique & A Houndstooth Skirt

Hi Ladies,
How's your week going? I'm having a good one! I'm back on the wagon eating-wise! It took a stern talk from my doctor, but I think I got my motivation back. (It's only been one day, so I can't declare victory yet, but I'd love any happy vibes you could send my way.) I'm also happy to announce that I've got a new blog design coming out in the next few days! You should find it faster, more mobile responsive and free of the newspaper subscription pop-up. (Thanks for bearing with me while I tried that out. It's confirmed: pop-ups are annoying!)

Old Navy Jewelry Shopping Haul

Hi Ladies,

I'm really excited about today's post! First of all, I finally did something that I've been putting off for years: making a you tube video!! I actually recorded one the day I launched my blog (2 years ago), but was immediately horrified by how I sound on tape and vowed never to release it. LOL. Well, 2 years later, I've overcome my fears, learned how to work my computer camera and dusted off my You Tube page. Here we go!

Irresistable Me Diamond Flat Iron Review & The Big Chop!

Hi Ladies,
Welcome to today's hair themed post!

Whack! That's the sound I heard in the hairstylist's chair on Friday. About 5 inches of my hair fell to the floor and was swept up by the assistant. Why? Well, about a year ago I stopped getting my hair straightened with chemical relaxers. It wasn't a conscious decision. It's just that I was getting my hair blow dried every week, because my local salon was so cheap and then one day it had been six months since I'd had a relaxer. Then it was 8 months. By that time, I didn't see the point of getting one. I always thought that I would never give up relaxers, because my hair was so easy to manager with one, but it's actually simpler now. 

How to Wear Pantone's Fall Colors: Biscaye Bay & Reflecting Pond (TEAL)

Hi Ladies, 

These are my favoite of all the Pantone colors! Honestly, if you put anythign in a blue-green color then I'm gonna love it. When I go shopping for furniture at flea markets, I have to take my sister along with me. Otherwise, I'll wind up paying top price for any crumbly old desk, with drawers that don't work and a bad paint job, just because its teal. It's an addicition.