NYFW '16 F/W Review!

There's an exhilarating feeling that always comes with NYFW for me. Even though I'm not on the front line of the shows, there's a burning desire in me to someday be. Then after that, is the desire to be the designer on stage taking their final bow after a job well done. I've always felt that my journey in fashion would evolve and unfold in that way. Almost as if I belonged there alongside the others that share those passions. Until then, I will continue to share my thoughts and opinions from the sidelines with all of you lovelies, instead of chatting the girl's ear off next to me on the sideline of a runway! So here is a list and review of my personal favorite show from each day of NYFW!
Day 1- Marissa Webb
Marissa showed a very masculine color scheme of army green, white, and black. The line consisted of coats, dresses, skirts, trousers, and blouses. Each look was well-layered, and completely able to mix and match with all the other pieces! The style felt as if though it were straight off the streets of New York City. It was a very "street fashion" feel, that would be practical to wear, and desirable for bloggers or fashionistas on the go.
Day 2-Cushnie Et Ochs
Cushnie had a very elegant color scheme of red, black, white, navy, and nude. Gowns were made of very silky, flowy fabrics. Models wore a bold red lip, natural eye, strong brows, and straight simple slicked back hair. The style was a very sophisticated and red carpet worthy look.
Day 3-Leanne Marshall
For those who didn't know, Leanne happens to be the winner of Project Runway season 5! Her color scheme consisted of red, canary yellow, white, black. She showed an array of full length gowns in fabrics that gave a very dreamy, flowy, and light movement, along with shorter dresses with a nice flounce. Small dyed or floral details gave the line the perfect amount of feminine touch.
Day 4-Jenny Packham
Jenny had a color scheme of mustard, ivory, gold, olive, red, blush, black, purple, and hot pink. She hit nearly every color of the rainbow! Her line was inspired by the Parisian club scene of the 80's and 90's, with plenty of glitter, sequin, fringe, and beading. Models wore a very interesting waved bang with straight hair that felt a bit 20's.
Day 5-Tommy Hilfiger
The Hilfiger show had an "All Aboard Atlantic Runway" theme in nautical blue, white, ivory, black, and gold with small details in red and aqua. The collection showed high waisted shorts, skirts, and pants with a vintage sailor tailored fit. Striping, roping, and button hardware details stood out nicely against sheer flowy fabrics and patterns. Models portrayed a princess feel with a touch of heels, lace socks, and little crowns.
Day 6-Dennis Basso
Dennis, being the king of neutrals, had a show in black, cream, brown, white, and grey. The fur that he is so well known for, was shown in oversized throws and jackets. Underneath, were long gowns and sort silk slips with lace and beaded detailing. The collection bore a 1920's Great Gatsby elegance with long leather gloves, and a current twist of thigh high suede boots.
Day 7-Marchesa
Marchesa couldn't have dazzled the crowd anymore than they had. With full length gowns dripping in glitter and diamonds, the collection was worthy of no less than royalty. The color scheme was black, red, gold, and blush, with various other colors. Each gown was adorned with such intricate details, it could have been considered it's own piece of precious artwork.

Marissa Webb

Cushnie Et Ochs

Leanne Marshall 

Jenny Packham

Tommy Hilfiger

Dennis Basso

Marchesa 

Young Living Essential Oils!

"The person who takes medicine must recover twice, once from the disease and once from the medicine" - William Osler, M.D. If you've read some of my older posts, you know that I'm all about the living the most natural lifestyle that I can. I always believed that there was a healthier alternative to hospital trips, doctors, drugs, and medications. As a result, I have worked very hard for a long time on balancing a healthy diet, exercise, and rest regimen to avoid all of those scary things! So naturally when I learned of the existence of essential oils I was overwhelmingly curious! Essential oils are liquids and compunds that are distilled or pressed from plants. Like the blood in our body, the essential oil of a plant works the same way. It is used to seal the cut, protect the wound, and provide oxygen and nutrients for cell regeneration. Now after extensive research and numerous stories of personal accounts, I have become an essential oil distributor through Young Living! If you'd like to ditch the drugstore, keep on reading for some of my favorite essential oils and just some of their countless uses. If you're more of a "must see it to believe it" type, then order through my distributer number: 3506759 on www.youngliving.com, and see for yourself how they work!
Lavender- Topical, Aromatic, and Dietary
Lavender compliments favorite shampoos, lotions, or skin care products. Apply it to cuts, scrapes, burns, cold sores, insect bites, rashes, or acne to sooth and cleanse. Diffuse it for relaxation, meditation, or a restful sleep. Ladies, you can also massage it into the abdomen for menstrual discomfort!
Peppermint- Topical, Aromatic, and Dietary
Peppermint enhances and supports healthy bowel, gut, digestive, and gastrointestinal function. It can also be added to water to curb appetite and assist in weight loss. Apply it topically for cooling and refreshing relief from fever, sore muscles, or arthritis. Diffuse it for improved focus and concentration, and reduced nausea.
Frankincense- Topical, Aromatic, and Dietary
Apply Frankincense directly to moles, skin tags, scars, wrinkles, acne, and age spots to support skin health. Diffuse it to increase spirituality, inner strength, lift mood, and balance emotions. Frankincense oil has even been shown to help fight cells of specific types of cancer.
Lemon- Topical, Aromatic, and Dietary
Lemon is a flavorful addition to water that also detoxes, balances your PH, cleanses bad gut bacteria, and relieves heartburn and acid reflux. It can be diffused for a stimulating and uplifting scent to purify the air. Use it topically on cellulite to improve circulation and eliminate waste from cells. Apply it to skin to balance oil glands, rid acne, calm inflammation, pain, and redness. It is also a natural bleaching agent for scars!
Digize- Topical and Dietary
Digize can be taken with every meal to support a daily wellness regimen. Massage it directly on the stomach to relieve digestive problems like heartburn, gas, constipation, diarrhea, and bloating. Careful with which direction you are massaging though! Apply clockwise to get things moving, and counter-clockwise to slow things down.
Panaway- Topical and Aromatic
Apply it topically to reduce discomfort from everyday aches and pains, and relax joints and muscles. Panaway helps to relieve tension headaches when applied to temples, back of neck, or forehead.
Thieves- Topical, Aromatic, and Dietary
Use Thieves at the first sign of an upset stomach, sore throat, or signs of a cold. Apply it to the bottom of feet or on the thymus gland daily, or take it orally to support a healthy immune system.
Stress Away- Topical and Aromatic
Apply it directly to wrists or back of neck to induce relaxation. Inhale it from the bottle for peace, mental stability, and equilibrium. Diffuse it at bedtime for a restful night's sleep.

Designing My Way Into 2016!

Being an artist, I'm never going to be fully satisfied with my work. I have an ever-changing, ever-evolving personality that shows the most prominently in my artwork. A design that I might so proudly show one month could seem embarrassing to show the next month. Artists are constantly looking to improve, to stay ahead, and to impress themselves and their audience. At the beginning of the new year in 2015, I made it my goal to create the quality of designs I knew I could produce. I wanted a more realistic croqi, more depth, more vibrant color, and a wider range in design. So I worked a little outside the box, and took my ideas past my comfort zone. I started off with celebrities like Taylor Swift, blogger Kristina Bazan, and VS Angel Candice Swanepoel, to see if I could interpret their features and style in my own way. To achieve my ideal colors and depth, I tried some new tools until I found my perfect match. After testing several brands, I found that Copic markers with the paint tip ruled over Prismacolor. I also discovered my love for Micron pens over Prismacolor, and the uncanny improvement in using Bienfang marker paper over Canson marker paper. I then challenged myself to create several different designs that resembled each other enough to be considered a collection. I created three seperate collections and stylized them around themes like, "Miss Pastel", "Wicked Bunch", and "Holiday Posh". This year, I did something I've never done before, I copied another famous design. I illustrated a look from Zuhair Murad's Resort '16 Collection, which proved to be challenging. Lastly, I created my own costume in a comic book style for Marvel's Black Widow. In the end, I like to think that I successfully worked towards my 2015 goal. I'm not going to say I achieved it, because I'm a perfectionist, remember? ;) Maybe I'll be satisfied by the end of 2016! So if you're an artist, in any aspect of life, never stop improving. Set goals for yourself, and practice to attain them. Work to become the very best at your craft, and relish in the satisfaction of the difference your time and efforts made. You never know to what heights it may take you.