I promised to catch you up with my life and I intend to do so! The last time I caught you all up it was during Christmas and I had done a lot since then. I will share pictures and videos while discussing the things you’ve all missed while I was away.
I went out to a fun bar with some amazing friends
I had a small but cute New Years Eve Party. Usually we go up to NYC but this year my family and I caught the flu and didn’t want to risk spreading it. So we did have somewhat of a small party this year.
I went to a fun nightclub with my bestie! We had tons of fun and I beat her in a game of Billiards.
I also had Lilly Lashes commented on my Instagram story that was featuring their lashes! I literally screamed.
I went bowling with my best friends and Ryan. I lost but I enjoyed the game which is what counts, right?
I then had a girls day with some of my besties after a night out!
My sister had a beautiful baby named Savannah Grace.
I got to spend some quality time with my niece Ella as I watched her for three days.
I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure to comment down below what You’ve been up to.
-Stay Chic,
Hey beauties I wanted to take a moment and share some of the “big life moments” that are coming up in my life soon. There is a ton of events and milestones that are happening or soon to happen that will have huge impacts on my life. I’m excited and anxious about them and I can’t wait to share them with you.
1. My niece and nephew are both turning 2 years old
Can you believe it? I can’t! They are already full fledged toddlers going through their terrible twos with their own personalities and attitudes. Sadly, there is nothing I can do to stop their growing but I am so blessed to be able to watch them grow up.
2. My best friend is graduating with a certificate in personal training and getting her first apartment
I am more than proud of my best friend for graduating with a certificate in personal training and pursuing a career in this field. She is also getting her first apartment. It was quite the struggle for her to get to where she is, as these things usually are. I am so proud of her for everything she has accomplished and how far she will go in her future.
3. Ryan is turning 21!
All I can say is… finally! I’m so excited Ryan will be able to go out with me and drink. He is going to have so much fun and I have A LOT planned for his whole birthday week (that will have to be in a separate post).
4. I’m graduating in May
I’m super excited to share that I am officially graduating this May. I applied for graduation and got the response that stated I had finished my degree and was cleared to graduate. This means big things and big changes are coming my way.
5. Ryan is graduating from his certification class soon
It seems as if everyone is graduating because Ryan is also graduating from his certification class soon! I’m so proud of him and all of his accomplishments. He has come so far and worked harder than anyone I know. He will be doing such great things with his future and I thank God that I’m there supporting hm each step of the way.
6. Ryan and I are starting either a nonprofit organization or a business
I’m happy to announce that Ryan and I are talking about starting our own nonprofit organization or business. We want to eventually do both a nonprofit and a business (separately obviously) but we are figuring out which one we want to start first! There will definitely be more details to come.
7. I am helping get a future nonprofit organization on its feet
My best friend had just started her own sorority for women from any educational/ financial background. I loved the idea and she asked me to help run the social media accounts and I agreed. Since it is a sorority I cannot join the organization because I am already a member of ZTA but I don’t mind helping her navigate how to use social media as a friend. Check out their page Sigma Theta Kappa.
8. My sister just had a baby girl named Savannah Grace and she’s adorable
To have another niece is just a whirlwind of loving emotions. She is so tiny and I can’t wait to see her become a sassy but extremely caring and genuine little version of my sister.
9. Ryan and I are discussing our lives together
It is such a crucial time in our relationship as we are in the “in-between” stages of starting our lives. Ryan and I have been discussing where we plan on working and applying for jobs, when we would like to be engaged and what types of engagement rings I like, we are discussing investments, money-saving, where we would like to first purchase a home and more! These are exciting times but I also feel like I’m living my life like the song “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” by The Beach Boys. It’s a lot of waiting around for my life to come together but I’m trying to enjoy the journey as much as I can.
10. Lastly, I’m trying out new hobbies
I personally felt that there were a lot of hobbies I have yet to experience and I am taking that away from myself by not dabbling in a little bit of everything. I love having new hobbies but I also like becoming good at a lot of different things! So I decided I wanted to try a bunch of different hobbies and write about my experiences on here. This will be an added menu to lifestyle.
There are a lot of different things happening and I’m elated because these next few years hold big changes. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure to comment down below what your thoughts are on this news.
– Stay Chic,
Sometimes I feel like I’ve fallen into a rut and I definitely feel this way now in my life. I cannot put the feeling into words but it honestly feels like a lack of motivation and care. I’m currently trying to pick myself up and continue on the path to happiness and success. So, I would like to share the ways I do this for those of whom have fallen into a rut themselves.
1. Identify the problem
It is almost impossible to solve an issue without knowing what that issue is. I suggest trying to dig deep and figure out what the problem is that has you in a rut. For me, at the moment my rut has a lot to do with the most recent winter break I had. I personally felt that I needed more time to recoup from my busy schedule last semester. Also, I’ve been feeling a little down lately because I’m usually so sure of what the future holds and I now feel oppositely. I’m so close to graduating college I am a little afraid of what is to come afterwards. Adulting just seems so scary.
2. Understanding/ Acceptance
There has to be a certain level of understanding that comes with these problems. You may not understand exactly why these issues came to be, but maybe you can try to understand what about it is bothering you. You also need to understand and accept that some things cannot be changed or controlled. For example, f your problems have to do with the actions of others– you have to understand that you cannot control how people act or react.
3. Cut Them Off
Cut off all negativity in your life. This is definitely harder to do and easier to say but it is important. Surrounding yourself with negativity will only have an equal effect on your life. There is a saying I like to live by that states, “You are who you surround yourself with.” We should only surround ourselves with people who will have a positive impact on our lives. People who make it harder for us to live the life we want for ourselves don’t deserve to be involved in your life. It is easier to say because sometimes this involves people you care about (family, best friends, significant others etc) but for your own sake distancing yourself or cutting them out of your life may benefit you.
4. Practice More Self-Care
A lot of people get caught up in the drama or lives of others and try very hard to help that person. But they forget to put their own needs first. I, personally, am guilty of this. It is hard to see a friend struggle with things going on in their life or a family member go through drama and do nothing. It’s okay to help them sometimes but you have to make sure that helping them doesn’t come at an expense of your own happiness and mental, emotional or physical health. I’ve been caught up in doing things for other people to the point where I’m stressed about another person’s problems as if they were my own. It made me unhappy and I even got so caught up in helping this person that I put off going to the doctor when I was sick. I learned the hard way that this is not okay.
5. Be More Positive
Not only should we practice positivity of the mind but also body positivity and situation positivity. Everything isn’t always as bad as it seems and the feelings you have won’t last forever. The struggle you feel will pass just like many other struggles you have survived. You will survive this, just be positive.
6. Don’t Aim For Failure
I love the quote that says “Aim for failure and you will always succeed.” If you focus on everything that is going wrong then it will feel like your whole world is falling to pieces. So stop focusing on the failures in your life but instead learn from them and grow from them. Life may not always be full of huge successes but the little victories do matter.
7. Anxiety Shouldn’t Dictate Your Life
Anxiety has a tendency to always make things seem worse than they truly are. We’ve all been there, when we’ve allowed our anxiety take control and we overthink every little situation. The smallest of problems can seem like huge problems. Yes, it is definitely easier said than done but if there is a will there is a way. What works for me is when an anxiety infected idea comes into my brain I try to solve the thought in a rational way. Here is a link to Psychology Today’s Advice: 6 Tips To Stop Overthinking
8. Eat Healthy, Exercise and Keep Tidy
Eating healthy is proven to reduce stress and exercise is scientifically shown to release endorphins which is a chemical that makes you feel happy. Also, messiness can impact your mood and stress level. Messiness is said to make a person feel depressed and stressed out. So to get your life back on track it’s important to have all of the bases covered to make sure you feel better.
9. Make a routine
Routines are very important and can even help your sleep schedule as well as improve your mental health. Nothing feels worse when you can’t manage all of your daily activities. I mean how is someone supposed to juggle school and work on top of a skincare routine, going to the gym 4 times a week, eating all the necessary healthy meals, a hair care routine? It seems almost impossible when you list just a few things out but a routine would definitely make it easier to manage.
10. Don’t Worry Be Happy
Love your life and live your life the way you want to. Do things that make you happy.
If you are severely depressed, contemplating suicide and/or suicidal please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline:1-800-273-8255.
-Stay Chic,
Happy New Year! We are 20 days into 2019 and I am stressed but I can definitely tell that this will be a year full of amazing things. This year my niece was born, I started my last semester of college, plus I am expecting to graduate from college in May as well as get a job after I graduate, my niece and nephew are turning 2, my best friend got her dream job, Ryan is going to school for his career which he is finishing soon and I am helping my best friend move into an apartment in April. Things are happening and I can’t even believe how many things are changing.
I made some New Years Resolutions just as most of us do. I had talked to a friend who explained to me that there is a specific way you should make resolutions. You make a list of 25 things you want to accomplish and then out of those 25 things pick out the 5 that mean the most to you. These are the things you will try to accomplish by the end of the year. It is good to do this because if we have too many resolutions, nothing will get done to completion. So I tried it out and I made a list of 25. Here are my top 5 resolutions that I am working towards this year:
1) Graduate College and Find a Job
This goal is very important to me because I’ve worked so hard to get through college and have hit many bumps in the road on the way there. I am determined to succeed. I want to graduate and find a job as soon as I can.
2) Get Healthy (Body and Mind)
I’ve realized that I haven’t been very healthy. I have gained weight from eating junk foods and not working out. Also, my mental health could be stronger. It is normal to be stressed but I want to find better ways to deal with the stress.
3) Take Better Care Of Yourself
This is one that I really want to make sure I stay on top of. I am so busy with doing so many things I forget to take care of my own needs. Sometimes I forget to eat, I don’t drink enough water, I skip my skincare routine, I forget to get my nails redone, making necessary doctors appointments is at the back of my mind and the list goes on. I want to take care of my needs more and stop putting things off.
4) Expand My Vocabulary
I have a good vocabulary for the most part but I feel the need to expand my vocabulary more. This is a personal want and I just really want to better myself in the aspect. Intellectual conversation is important to me thus a wide vocabulary is necessary.
5) Be More Positive
I consider myself a realist. I’m not pessimistic about things and I’m not overly optimistic about things either. I try to be practical. I try my best to understand the situation, accept the way a situation is and see things the way that they are. I then try to find a solution if necessary or possible. I feel that this way of thinking can become stressful. There are things that I am hopeful about but more times than not I tell/ see it how it is. I want to attempt to be more positive about things without seriously altering my own philosophies. I just feel that being positive often helps the mind and mood which is something I would like to try.
I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure you comment down below what your 2019 New Years Resolutions are!
-Stay Chic,
It definitely has been a long hiatus from blogging for me but I am back and ready to rock n’ roll! I took some time to really focus on school since I will be expecting to graduate this May. Not only did I stop blogging for the reason of school, but I was in a transition period with Not Too Shabby Chic Fashion. My interests, my fashion sense, how I write and how I take blog pictures was changing. I didn’t want to represent an image that I felt I was outgrowing. So I had to give myself time to figure out exactly where I am and how I wanted to take you on this journey with me.
I am dedicated to providing the best work for you all. I will be coming out with less content in terms of quantity but to only better the quality of content I provide. I’m very excited about where things are going and how much this blog will progress this year. With that being said I am happy to be back. I will be posting 2-3 times weekly and I will try to stick with the schedule of Monday’s, Friday’s, and Sunday’s after this coming weekend.
On a separate note, how do we feel about my new blog art?! I, for one, am very excited and basically in love with the new art. In terms of what I did with my blog I had changed the font and color of the blog Title and the menus. I also designed and changed the logo for the website and the website’s tab image. I also changed the header for my blog as well as where the sidebars and footers are. I updated my social media accounts and I added some new menu options. I am also currently designing new featured images that I will be using from now on, which you can see above. I changed the background of my blog and basically the whole theme of my blog is changed as well.
As for content, nothing seriously drastic will be changing in terms of what I will be writing about. I still have a love for fashion, lifestyle and makeup so these topics will still be covered. For beauty I will continue to review makeup, share makeup looks/ finds, and I will continue to cover skincare. The only thing that is changing in terms of beauty is my beauty subscription boxes. I actually canceled most of my subscriptions because I started to accumulate so much makeup that I had no idea what to do with. I had to continuously get rid of and donate makeup to friends and family. I only have two more subscriptions which are Bootaybag and Fabfitfun. Fabfitfun has been my favorite subscription service I have ever had so I find it very hard to part with. For Bootaybag, I personally just love getting underwear each month because I never have to go out and purchase underwear anymore. I will be adding a menu option for makeup looks, trending beauty, hair and makeovers.
For fashion I think you’ll be happy to hear that I’m adding more content. I will still be sharing “how to style” advice posts, outfits, nails, hauls, and shopping. Sadly, for shoes my JustFab subscription came to an end so I won’t have JustFab content any longer. But I will still be putting up posts about shoes! There are some things I am adding to the Fashion menu like trends, accessories, and weekly. For trends I will be chatting about recent trends in the fashion world, and even sometimes testing the trends out for myself. For accessories I will be discussing different accessories that are catching my eye, accessories I am wearing and often I will share accessories that I purchased. Lastly, for weekly I will be posting my fashion picks from that week. I will be doing that post once every week.
Lifestyle I will continue to post Q&A’s, monthly favorites and anti-favorites, wishlists, DIYs, decor, travel, date ideas, aesthetics and the occasional giveaway. In addition to these Lifestyle topics I will now also cover recipes, fitness, books, my life in updates, thrifting and organization. Recently I have been indulging myself in cooking and I want to share the recipes I find, try out and come up with. I also have been getting into fitness a lot more as well as healthy living so I also will be doing posts on that as well. I love reading so I would love to do more posts on books I’ve read, I also will be doing some original creative writing and I will share quotes and poems here. I do like to post about what I’m doing in life to keep you all updated with what’s going on and to give you guys a chance to get close to me on a more personal level. I never had a good section to put these posts in so now I will designate a menu option for life updates. Thrifting is something Ryan and I have been doing a lot of recently and we are going to try and go once every two weeks to thrift and share our findings! Lastly I would like to add an organization section because as I am trying to organize my life I would love to share my experiences with doing this, how I organize different things, share how it turned out as I follow other organization ideas from other bloggers or books, and even organizing in terms of party planning.
Hopefully you all are just as excited as I am and had a great holiday while I was away! In addition, starting today and ending next Friday I will be posting once every day and talking about my holidays to catch you up on what I got as gifts, my resolutions and more! Starting Sunday the 27th I will resume my normal schedule for 3 days a week!
– Stay Chic,
Hey everyone! As you can tell I’ve been away for quite some time now and I have tons to discuss. First off, I apologize for not posting as much. I have an explanation as to why I haven’t been posting and I want to tell you everything that’s been happening in my life thus far!
So, as you may or may not know I am a senior in college and I have been working very hard to get good grades. Which is a huge reason why I haven’t been able to write any blog posts. My hard work had definitely paid off considering I made deans list this semester.
Another reason I have been away for a while is because I am trying to re-design the look of my blog! This is something I’ve been working very hard on and the whole redesign will definitely be coming soon! I’m redesigning the look of the blog itself, the look of the posts caption pictures and even the way I take photos!
I also am thinking of re-decorating my bedroom as well! This I’m not sure how or what I’m going to do but I want to definitely figure this out. This is something I usually do when I get bored with the look I already have.
The last reasons why I haven’t been is because life has been a little crazy lately and also Christmas time is here which doesn’t make it easier! But either way I will be trying to post more in the future.
So let’s catch up:
Ryan and I went tree shopping and it was pretty fun!
We decorated the Christmas tree we picked out and I accidentally broke an ornament.
I did a plant arrangement class and made this beauty for my room!
We had a pretty snowy day and I cuddled up with Ryan by the fire and drank some hot cocoa.
I went to a concert and then a club with my best friends!
Ryan and I stayed in Atlantic City for a weekend.
My professor threw us a party for the end of the semester!
I sat by a gorgeous fireplace with my parents as we waited to go out to eat.
I went to a club with some friends!
Ryan and I went to see some pretty lights at a small town.
I had an amazing gift exchange with my best friends!
My niece got to meet Santa for the second time this year!
I stayed in Atlantic City and went to the club with my besties for a weekend.
I went to an ugly Christmas sweater party with Ryan and my besties.
And Ryan and I went to a family Christmas party tonight!
I’ve been having a blast recently and I’m glad I could share it with you all. I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content. Comment down below what posts you want to see in the future.
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! So I’m sure we can all relate to the simple fact that the holidays are super expensive. I’m in my last year of college and as a college student the holidays are particularly hard for me as well. With over 35 people to purchase gifts for and the number continuously growing, it’s becoming more of an expense or a bill than a fun holiday. I’ve come up with and even engaged in some quick ways to make money for the holidays and I wanted to share it with you.
1) Garage Sale/ Yard Sale:
This is something that I had done last year during the holidays to make some extra cash. There was a ton of stuff I was looking to get rid of so I cleared house and sold it at a yard sale! I was able to make an extra $100 this way for gifts.
2) Rake Leaves/ Shovel Snow For Neighbors
This isn’t something that I personally have done but it is a great idea! My boyfriend had once made $300 during a snowstorm just by shoveling driveways. Whether it be leaves or snow– if you are able to, you can make some good money by doing these tasks for people.
3) Flea Market
A flea market is the perfect place to sell any of your items and you are almost guaranteed that someone will purchase something from you. People go there to spend money on just about anything– as they say, one mans garbage is another’s treasure. I did the flea market and I was able to make $200 during the summer $65 a month ago and $120 just recently. It’s also a perfect way to get rid of some old clothes. I sold a lot of the clothes that I was going to get rid of anyway and made some nice profit.
4) OfferUp/ LetGo/ Facebook Market Place
These apps are perfect for selling things that you no longer want or need. They are a lot safer than Craig’s List and you can make some decent money. Recently, I’ve made $95 just on selling items around the house I no longer need. I normally use OfferUp for household items like microwaves, vacuum cleaner, elliptical etc. I use LetGo for fashion products like jewelry, clothes etc. Lastly, I use Facebook Marketplace for bigger things and appliances like refrigerators, cars, kids play stuff etc.
5) Poshmark
Poshmark is a perfect app to sell lightly used or new clothes, accessories, shoes and you don’t have to meet up with anyone. The buyer pays for the item and for shipping. It’s an amazing way to make room in your closet and make some money for the holidays. I had overall made $113 from everything I have sold. You can sell items for women, men, and children. A perfect time to list is now because people are looking for affordable outfits for the holidays and gifts for others! If you want to download this app and start listing or buying today feel free to use my referral code for a free $5 to spend on your first purchase: STEPHRUSS0811
6) Etsy
If you have a cricut or are good at arts and crafts, you can make your own Etsy Shoppe! Etsy is my, and a lot of others go-to during the holidays. Nothing is better than a hand crafted and personalized gift. You can definitely make good money from an Etsy Shop especially now that the holiday season is upon us!
7) EBATES
This may not be a way to make some extra money but it definitely is the best way to save money while shopping. With the app Ebates you are able to get cash back on a lot of your purchases. I’ve gotten $20 just from shopping and getting cash back for purchases. If you want to start getting cash back feel free to use my referral link and get your first $10 cash back when you sign up with my link: https://go.ebat.es/R0vBjTESPM
8) Save Your Change
This sounds silly right? But I promise you, this will be a life saver during the holidays. Get a tall decorative vase and put any of your spare change in the vase. I have saved over $100 this way once. If you do this over the course of a year you can save some extra money instead of letting your change collect in your purse and in your laundry room.
9) Sell Your Old Phones And Technology
You can sell your old phones and technology on a website called Gazelle or you can visit your nearest ecoATM. You can get cash for your old outdated technology that is otherwise collecting dust.
10) Upcycle Old Furniture
A perfect way to make a huge profit is to upcycle old furniture. Drive around your town and pick up furniture on the side of the road (only if it is being given away for free) that looks like it is in pretty good condition and upcycle it. You can do this by sanding, re-staining and re-finishing the old wood, painting it for a rustic look, changing the knobs and more! I would only recommend doing this if you have the space but you can sell the pieces on OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo and others alike.
I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope it helped with ideas for quick cash ventures that you want to take. Remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure you comment down below what you do to make extra cash during the holidays.
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! Recently I’ve been on a life journey recently and I learned a life lesson that is very important. I wanted to share this with you all because maybe you all could learn from the lessons that I experience. I love discussing life lessons with you all, it definitely allows you guys to get a better understanding of who I am as a person.
Recently, I have been trying to be a more forgiving person and I feel that this is a very mature thing to do. I used to be spiteful and I always wanted revenge on people who hurt me. Now, I am learning that holding onto that spite and anger only hurts myself mentally and emotionally. Nothing comes out of holding that anger.
You must forgive to save yourself the grief and pain of holding onto those harsh emotions. You should also learn this lesson from the Dalai Lama: “Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” This basically means to not allow the actions and behaviors of other people affect you because it is out of your hands. You cannot change how other people act but you can always change how you react.
It is something you owe to yourself– to allow yourself to be happy and let go of pain and anger. There are no answers in those emotions so let them go. I hope this life lesson is helpful for you all and I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Have you ever finished a series and wondered what you were going to do with your life now? I have and this is something that happens to me regularly because I binge watch shows constantly. So, I am constantly watching new shows. Here’s what I’m binging right now:
Madam Secretary
The Haunting Of Hill House
How To Get Away With Murder
Schitts Creek
Parks And Recreation
Designated Survivor
House Of Cards
The Good Place
American Horror Story
Lost In Space
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Black Mirror
These are the shows I’m watching on Netflix and I recommend trying them out! I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure you comment down below what shows you are binging.
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! Today I want to do a get to know me post because I honestly haven’t done one of these in such a long time. I love doing posts like this because it helps you all, my loyal readers, know a little more about who I am as a person. So here are 10 things you probably don’t know about me:
1) I am not a good cook, not yet anyway. I haven’t had much experience with cooking but in my most recent experience with cooking, it hadn’t gone over well.
2) I am a born scholar. This may be the hard worker in my talking but I love school so much. I even love learning and doing homework. I’m no genius or mad scientist but I definitely love going to school.
3) For me, college wasn’t the “best four years” of my life like everyone explained it to be. I felt that I was a lot more mature than the people I had gone to school with which made it a really hard task to make friends. I felt I related more to professors than the actual students.
4) I’m a materialistic person. Is this a bad quality? I guess but it’s just who I am. I love stuff whether it be clothes, jewelry, makeup or little gifts. This doesn’t mean that moments in life don’t matter to me or intangible things don’t matter because they do just as much as the next person. I just enjoy getting things regardless of if they are only temporary or not!
5) I enjoy scary movies and being scared. I don’t ever want to be in a true scary situation but I do get a kick out of haunted houses and scary movies. It’s so much fun!
6) I’m a huge goof ball but only with people that are close to me. I have so much fun joking around with my close friends and family. I constantly crack jokes, I’m loud and it’s so much fun to let my true goofy self shine around those people!
7) I quote memes and vines constantly.
8) I laugh at really bad dad jokes and just bad jokes in general. I will crack up if someone says “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side”. I think that kind of dry dad humor is hilarious.
9) I drank wine once and it made me sick to the point where I couldn’t drink it ever again. I couldn’t even smell it. But now I am able to drink it again and I’m starting to develop the acquired taste for it.
10) When I was born I used to be a toe head blonde but now my actual hair is a darker blonde and I started to put highlights in it over a year ago. I put highlights in my hair because I stopped being friends with my best friend and I needed a change. So I chopped and bleached my hair and have been doing it ever since.
I hope you enjoyed these small facts about me and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure you comment down below a fact about you or even ask me a question!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
