My Two Year Anniversary Look

So Monday was Josh and I's two year anniversary and to celebrate we decided on a nice dinner date at Outback. I wanted to look a little nicer than a normal date so I picked out this adorable outfit.

This is one of my favorite crop tops. It is from H&M and is covered in white lace. My absolute favorite element is a shiny gold zipper that goes up the back of the top which makes it look really elegant. I paired it with this flowy jean skirt with pockets. Seriously though, who doesn't love pockets? 

 

These are my favorite new heels. They are a nice brown that look great with my skin tone. I also love the cute straps and gold buckle that finish out the shoe nicely. The whole outfit made me feel great and was one of those looks that automatically gives you confidence. That is really important and a reason why I love fashion so much. It has the power to make you feel great. 

 

Alana Long

Christmas Shenanigans

Christmas is tomorrow and I can't believe it! Time flew by this year more than likely because I agreed to work most of vacation. I really hadn't even had much time to breathe never mind get in the holiday spirit. Most free moments these past few weeks have been dedicated to last minute shopping and planning for the holidays and now that they are here I just can't believe it.

I've enjoyed being home because it has been nice to relax from working and school. The other day I turned on Videos on Demand to watch Tiny House Hunting on HGTV while sipping hot cocoa. It felt like heaven. No responsibilities, no nada, just me and hot chocolate.

Yesterday was my mother's birthday so it has been a whirlwind of events. We have her birthday, Christmas Eve, and then Christmas all within three days! We had the family get together and we cooked her favorite type of food which is seafood. We had a couple different types of shrimp, and stuffed clams which were delicious. I couldn't get enough!

Today, we are going over to my grandmother's house for Christmas Eve dinner. Before I know it, it will be Christmas morning. To be honest, I am super excited for Christmas breakfast. I think we are having bacon, shredded hash browns, sausage, and eggs.

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season and gets to spend quality time with family and friends!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

New Work Dress!

I love this dress I got from Modcloth on Cyber Monday! It is $17.99 right now and there is free shipping on all domestic orders for a limited time. I couldn't pass up this awesome opportunity to expand my work wardrobe. Of course this awesome new dress called for a photo shoot in my office!

The dress is neat because it has these bright red side panels that break up those harsh stripes. To be honest, it makes the dress ten times more exciting. Plan black and white dresses can get old quick and these stripes definitely help liven up the pattern. The contrast between the black, white, and red colors is stark which grabs your attention.

Another thing which is nifty about this dress is that you can dress it up or dress it down easily depending upon the occasion. I have a pair of black pointy stilettos which would look great paired with this dress if I wanted to look good for a fancy night out. I could also wear sandals or flats if I wanted to make the look more casual for a cute office look.

Great things are in store for this dress, trust me!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!
Alana Long

My First Pair of Adult Jeans

Photo provided by Old Navy

For a while now, I have been growing tired of my same old same old, super dark-wash, skin-tight skinny jeans that I have been wearing for years. Skinny jeans really defined my teenage years and now I am no longer a teen so it is probably time to move on to less tight pants. Don't get me wrong, skinny jeans look nice and they are what's currently in style but the look is tired and over done.
So the other day I was walking through the mall and of course I had to stop at the Old Navy. Old Navy almost always has the best deals in their clearance section, so I went to go check it out. One of the first things I saw was a rack full of jeans and that was when I got the inspiration to try a new style of jean. I was instantly attracted to their boyfriend straight jean style. I love how they were a mid-rise jean instead of low-rise. I also felt like being a little daring, so I bought the pair with a tiny tear on the knee! These jeans look great with a cardigan as well to create a nice casual look, so that was a plus.
When I tried the jeans on, I loved them so much! It was almost weird to be wearing jeans that felt comfortable. I didn't feel like I had to shimmy and squeeze myself into them. I don't want to completely replace my skinny jeans, but I am excited to now have an alternative option to wear. My first purchase of adult jeans went great!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!
Alana Long

Photo Resources:
http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=70144&vid=3&pid=715102002

Treat Yo'Self!

Going to your mailbox and knowing there is a package in there waiting for you is an exhilarating feeling. It is like your own personal Christmas. After hours of studying (cramming) for a test a couple of months ago, I was exhausted and beaten down. I took the test the next day and came out alive and I think I actually did well! To reward myself for all my hard work I decided to buy myself a cute top on Wanelo. Having one or two packages come a month helps keep my spirits up, but it is a feeling that is hard to describe. I wasn’t even sure if I was alone in this thinking or if others knew the thrill of buying gifts for themselves too. 

I was in my communication ethics class the other day and my friend Jonah looked ecstatic but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Then I noticed that he had an Amazon package next to him on the desk and that answered all my questions (Amazon Prime is the best friend I never knew I had and I frequent quite often, I mean free two day shipping?! Come on!). I asked him what he bought and he told me that he treated himself to a new pair of Beats Headphones that were on sale that week. He was so excited he was practically jumping out of his chair. Being fidgety the whole class knowing that his beautiful new pair of headphones were sitting right in front of him just waiting to be opened, it was a long one and a half hours. Towards the end of the class he couldn’t help it anymore and started to pick open the box quietly with his keys. When class finished I watched him open his package to reveal the shiniest blue headphones I had ever seen. 

Everyone has their thing. The thing that makes them super excited that you can’t wait to open when it comes in the mail. Mine is clothes. I love getting a new piece of clothing to add to my closet and that is what I see as being worth my money. For my friend Jonah he loves music and believes his money is well worth being spent on an expensive pair of headphones. Whatever the object however the reaction is the same. Pure excitement. And that is priceless. 

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Central Park OOTD

One of my favorite moments from my trip to New York was exploring Central Park with my brother and boyfriend. We also got to see the balloons inflated and waiting for the parade in the streets which was amazing. 

As we were approaching the park the sun was setting and made this heavenly glow on every surface. At that point, I realized it was the perfect time for a photo shoot! 

I was wearing a black and white striped long-sleeve with flowered lace on the bottom. It looked great paired with my black pants and my black and gold ankle boots. To complete the look, I wore a black knit scarf with a matching black slouchy beanie. And of course I needed a nice warm black coat on top because believe me, it was cold and this Florida girl wasn’t playing any games. 

Central Park is always beautiful and I had a fantastic time running through the fields and the leaves. Till next time!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

OOTD

For my first time meeting the band/other alumni members, I wanted to look nice as we went to our uniform fittings. I decided on wearing black boots, black pants, a black and white speckled sweater with a black scarf. This outfit was adorable and was a total hit according to the praise I received from some of my fellow band mates. 

For my hair, I decided to wear it half up-half down with a little pony-tail at the front of my head. I think this helped bring just the right amount of sass. 

My makeup was fairly similar to how I usually would wear makeup at home, however I finished the look with a bold burgundy lip!
All together, this outfit really worked well together and I am glad how it turned out!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!
Alana Long

Arriving in Newark

I have had a long day of planes, trains, and automobiles. Traveling is exhausting to say the least. Right now I am taking adventage of this comfortable hotel bed and relacing. I am extremely excited to be here though and I can't wait for what this week has in store for me....but here's my crisis situation.

I didn't pack dance tights and I need them all week because I'm DANCING. Isn't that just lovely? I have now ordered them on Amazon Prime to my hotel but they still won't be here until Tuesday. There are dance supply stores around but I don't have a car. If only I was 24 and could rent a car to take car of this problem. A taxi 30 minutes away and back would be super expensive so that's not really an option.

Hopefully I can manage to get by without them for a few days. There really isn't much of a choice. Sigh.

I will try and update when I can.

Xoxoxo Stay Fabulous!
Alana Long

Forever 21 Ugly Christmas Sweaters

For those of you who are already in the Christmas spirit, Forever 21 has just released a whole line of ugly Christmas sweaters and accessories! Their slogan is “Ugly just got cute.” These sweaters and accessories are adorable, but might be a little pricey for some. The prices run from $6.90 for reindeer ear muffs to $27.90 for a light-up reindeer graphic sweater. The average price for most of the sweaters is $24.90. These products are so cute and feature lights, sequins, and even bells! Here are some of my favorites from the line.

Holiday Graphic Sweater $24.90

This is exactly what I think about when people talk about ugly Christmas sweaters. I mean come on, this thing even has pom  poms on it. You can tell they spent a lot of time on details because they have somehow jammed everything Christmas on here. My favorite touch is the candy canes tied up in bows on the elbows.

Elf Graphic Bells Sweater $24.90

 

This is the greatest because you get to pretend to be a cute little elf. However, I am too much of a child to wear this because I am sure I would run around making the bells jingle until everyone was annoyed with me.

Sequined Reindeer Graphic Sweater $24.90

 

This is my personal favorite because it is sleek and somewhat understated in comparison to the other sweaters in the promotion. It is simple but still gets the Christmas message across. I am also obsessed with the sequins, how glam is this long-lashed reindeer?!

Snow Dog Graphic Sweater $24.90

 

Dogs, snow, scarves, what else could a girl ask for? There are little dangling tassels coming off of the dogs scarf. I can’t even.

Sequined Ho Ho Ho Graphic Sweater $24.90

 

Have I mentioned I love sequins? This is a must have in my winter wardrobe.

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Photo Resources:

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=promo-holiday-sweaters&sort=2

My Packing Habits

Confession: I stress pack. I have to carefully plan out what I am going to wear throughout the trip beforehand. This means complete craziness and planning the week before I leave. In seven days, I will be leaving to spend a week in New York for Thanksgiving. While I am there I will be participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and I am stoked to be able to dance in the Macy’s Great American Marching Band for the second time. That being said, I need to look fantastic to walk the streets of New York City and I take this very seriously. 

Step 1: Feverishly buying everything that compliments where I am going, what I will be doing, and the weather. I spend at least one month ticking off a list of essentials that I need to pack for my trip. This trip for example, requires lots of long-sleeved shirts and warm winter clothes. I also made sure I had cute boots, scarves, and gloves.

Step 2: I make a detailed chart of what I am doing on each day. Then I go in and write down in each day what I want to wear. I make a top, bottom, shoes, and accessories section then write in which piece of clothing I wanted in each section. This helps me see side by side what I will be wearing each day.

Step 3: After my chart is finalized, I start to lay out my clothes on the floor in order for each of the days. Then I place in order of the days each outfit carefully in my suitcase. And there you go! You are all set. 

Now that you have a glimpse into how crazy and OCD my life is, I am sure I have scared you all away. But please come back next week haha!

XOXOXO Stay Fabulous!

Alana Long

Photo Resources:

http://venturesafrica.com/travelling-this-weekend-here-are-some-packing-tips-for-couples-this-valentine/