Kia's Fashion Confectionary

Family.Fashion.Style.Work.Play

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Happy Holidays!

Hello y’all! It’s that time of the year again. Time truly flies. I have been shopping more for myself than anyone else! These sales have me going HAM! I go in with thoughts of gifts for someone special and leave with stuff for me. I feel so guilty about it too. But hey, at least I look cute feeling guilty on the inside. I am sure I will be out Christmas Eve buying gifts. Don’t judge me Judy’s! I…

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Planning a Class Party

Planning a Class Party

Planning a Class Party

  //embed.gettyimages.com/embed/181314160?et=q_CXvDuQTABSHslabYcQfw&sig=jIMPgN873CHuvD-M0TShB8fDpAg1mtYwawryoJjLDF8= #181314160 / gettyimages.com

  Planning a class party requires patience, communication, and a jovial spirit! It’s that time of the year again. The leaves are falling, temps are dipping, and the days are getting shorter. Yep the start of the school year, an…

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[99] - Live life with a little spice! by ginevra-18 featuring miu miu sneakers ❤ liked on Polyvore

See U Soon white mini skirt, $83 / looks we love / Miu miu sneaker / Michael Kors beige handbag, $1,150 / Bow hair clip, $6.63

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Blogging Hiatus

Blogging is hard work people! I know lots of people believe bloggers are lazy creatures, who get paid to sit on their butts and troll the internet all day long. I am sure there are some of those bloggers out there but I am not one of them. Many of the bloggers I know are entrepreneurial, self-starters with a passion for creativity. When I began to blog, it was more of a bucket checklist. I wanted to create a blog that discussed items I was interested and hope I could entertain women like myself in the process.

When I started, I had no idea that blogging was big business. I had fellow bloggers and businesses wanting to collaborate. Boy was it a rush! I was excited and motivated because I always wanted to know what it would be like to become my boss. That shit is overrated! Let me tell you. Now I have been in the workforce for the past 12 years; so I had an expectation of revenue to be in line with my experience… It was not. People wanted me to work for free. Review products in lieu of a free product. Here’s one review my product, send it back to me, and earn “exposure?” WTF is that? I cannot pay my car note with a small container of hair gel; pay my hair stylist on no damn exposure?!!! Y’all are probably LOL’ing right now but I am dead ass serious!!! If you knew the amount of work these bloggers put into images, lighting, cameras, and dedication into those links you click, you would just…die twice. The amount of money these individuals make is worthless compared to the amount of time they spend working on these sponsored posts and reviews.

Thinking I was doing something wrong; I joined a blogger groups. Do you know there are women who will accept diapers as payment? Or a poorly made custom bandage dress?! It kept getting more and more ridiculous. Thinking, I still could make this work, I researched and realized St. Louis Missouri has “quite” the fashion scene lemme tell ya… I invited my mother to an event with me. When I tell you the shade is rea I find it disheartening in this day and age, that Black females are so catty with one another. I am not sure if it’s a certain age group or just Black women in general. I mean the classic mean mugs (staring up and down), rolling eyes, and giving fake smiles. My mother is damn near 50 years old and had to endure what I had been feeling. It was reminiscent of my feelings during the FALL STLFW events. I pride myself on professionalism. I made business cards and flyers giving fellow bloggers and brand representatives my information. It was a waste of time, energy, and my damn money. Most of the time, I would be fielding questions on website development, business taxes/finances, and image branding/consulting. I was a consultant. I hear y’all saying,” Oh Kia that is fantastic!” Yeah right, if I was being compensated for my ideas and mentorship. People love to talk your ear off until you let them know, this is my hustle, pay me!

What would bother me the most is, before you ask for help, try to help yourself. That is one of my biggest pet peeves. Try to figure stuff out on your own. I spent countless hours and dollar dollar bills y’all (ode to Wu-Tang!) to gain knowledge. I had people close to me that think it was ok to leech and want what I paid for. for free! Either copying my original images or trying to figure out what computer code I used to have my Pinterest (that is a plug, CLICK IT!) account linked to my blog. I have been pinning crap all darn summer. (FYI: That is the hardest sh*t ever man!) I understand the need, but damn can you not help yourself first?!

This experience definitely opened my eyes to something bigger. Generally I like helping people. However, putting it into perspective, I was not getting any closer to my goal. These brands and advertisers want bloggers to work for virtually below minimum wage. To boot, there are bloggers who do this dumb ish. This makes it definitely much more difficult for the person who wants to become the real, deal Holyfield blogger. I was checking Google Statistics daily, freaking out over every little typo, font, new WordPress themes, and oh I almost died when my site crashed for the first time! LMAO! Yes I thought my world was over as I knew it. I was up till 3 am getting my site back up. This blog had become my life. I had begun to crack out over this blog. My husband began to complain, oh boy. I swear husbands want ALL of you, literally! Then folks close to me began reading my blog. They were nice compliments, complaints, hate, shade, imitators, and confusion. That was frustrating to say the least.

I cannot say when I will quit blogging, but I will say I have learned a great deal about myself. The moral to this is: Never give up. Even when it seems implausible or others around you are not supportive. YOU are your biggest fan. Believe in yourself, nothing is ever insurmountable. Take each struggle and mistake as an experience. Without mistakes and struggles you will never become stronger. To each his own, throughout all of this I found what a passion and something I am great in: consulting others on getting their business started! 

So nothing happened tragically to me; thank GOD. I just was enjoying life and enjoying my family and friends all summer. I hope you all enjoyed your summer too. My kids are back to SCHOOL YOO HOO! Hope yours are too, JK! I love the kiddies. 

  Hopefully, I am now able to motivate to blog again and get out of this stank rut I was in. Now let’s return back to the fun stuff! Thanks to you one thousand, two hundred, ninety-nine people who like my blog and reads my posts but too nervous to write a comment! Love y’all. Don’t be scurred; I do not bite, pinky swear. Plus, I like to respond quickly. Side note: WTH are pics of my nephew?! I swear he has been with me on most of these family occasions and dodged all my pics. That lil rascal!!

Blogging Hiatus Blogging Hiatus

[kgunter1]

#ontherun #turnup #fashionista #beauty

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Monochromatic Colors

Hello Ladies! I am back with some outfit inspiration to shake up your work wardrobe this week. Try  monochromatic colors! It is very easy to achieve this look. There are many colors you can wear this way: greens, yellow, reds, orange, white, blues, and pinks. You can pair the darker shade on the bottom or top. It is safe to wear the darker color on the bottom to draw attention away. However, that is exactly what I wanted to accentuate… LOL!

What colors do you look best in? This is the best place to start. Peering in your closet is a  good place to start. It is very likely you buy more of a certain color. Play around with a blouse/skirt combo, a blouse/slacks combo, or even a dress/heels combination. Ensure the colors are bright and complement each other. See above. The color purple is not exactly the same; one i darker than the other.

Next, search look for understated jewelry that pairs well with the combo above. Studs, hoops, ear cuffs, bracelets, or simple one-strand necklace. I opted for diamond-like studs and a couple of leather BCBG multicolored banded bracelets.

For the feet, choose a well-made shoe that stands out, but be sure it isn’t overbearing. A nice leather or suede sandal would work well. The look I went for was work appropriate and chic.

I bought these pants from J Crew and the top from TJ MAXX, it’s a Theory blouse. The shoes are DVF suede sandals. All these items were bought seasons ago. Do not worry about the old adage, “matchy-matchy.” Need some new pieces, try J Crew for inspiration. They offer great color palettes to work with and prior seasons colors still work well together! No I am not being paid to say that. I purchase all of my clothing darlings! 

NO FEAR!!! Check out a few outfit inspirations below. Have a fantastic week and remember to do it fashionably! 

For buying details, head over to my Polyvore page! 

    Monochromatic Colors Monochromatic Colors

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Lipstick Jungle

Over the last several weeks, I have been possessed with finding the right pink and red lipstick hues for me. I have scoured countless other blogs, Pinterest, and stores for my go-to shade. I am finding I am not as fortunate to be able to wear some of these fuchsias and pinks as I would like to. One of the first things I have realized, my skin is not as fair-skinned as I once believed. I am in the true brown-girl hue family with the likes of such famous ladies like Gabrielle Union and Keshia Knight-Pulliam.

Cameras and lenses gave me a false sense of what hues really worked for me. Instagram and those darn filters gave me a false representation of what colors truly worked for my deep brown hue. I have found that strong magenta, pink, and red are better fitted for my complexion. Whereas, bright, neon colors do not work for me. They make me appear washed out regardless if my foundation is flawless or nah!

After spending countless hours researching, hundreds of dollars, buying, and testing different colors, I have finally found my favorite shades: 1) MAC Retro Matte All Fired Up, 2) MAC Maleficent Collection Amplified True Love’s Kiss, and 3) MAC Mineralize Rich Bold Spring. These each are great singular or blended together for a magnificent finish. I found MAC to be the easiest to apply and last throughout the day of drinking tea and eating lunch. I love vibrant colors that allow me to exude the confidence that resides within. It’s a great little pick me up for any boring work ensemble.

Do you have any favorite, go to colors that perk your mood right up!

Lipstick Jungle Lipstick Jungle Over the last several weeks, I have been possessed with finding the right pink and red lipstick hues for me.

[kgunter1]

Box Braids

In case you do not know, I obsess over my hair. My hairstyle is dependant upon what I will wear that day. So as you all know, I made a wig. I have to say it turned out pretty well. I superglue the hair to a wig cap, along with a lace closure. However, I realized it was not able to withstand my lifestyle. I can be pretty active during the summer with 2 boys. I did not place the clips in the wig. I was never able to place the clips in secure enough and I also did not want to suffer any baby hair edge loss on my scalp.

I have been taking the vitamin Biotin for the last few months and it has helped tremendously. I had been wearing a braidless sew-in over the last year and had suffered hair loss, due to mismanagement. I made the unfortunate mistake of going to water park countless time with my kids last year. Unbeknownst to me, the chlorine had caused my hair to knot up around the beads. Yes I in tears after I realized how much hair I had lost. So I decided for the summer months I would not wear that hairstyle. So I had been perusing braid shops in the Belleville, metro-east area. I absolutely despise a messy and filthy shop. The appearance of a beauty salon makes a statement. If you are willing to allow me to step over trash and hair from last night’s jobs, you are probably a little careless and unprofessional. I can make that call in under 30 seconds.

So I walk in, it is dirty and the moment I ask to speak to a manager, it sets off alarm bells. Quotes for hairstyle is very important. You always want to have a point of contact and price in writing. Too many times before I have had braiders not show up or quote a brand new price the following day. For about 2-3 they spoke in French back and forth arguing over the price. I often ask myself, why are the prices not posted in full display for the customer?? That would be much easier. I think they set price upon your appearance and the car your drive. I felt like she was giving my an increased price. I was quoted $300 for box braids stopping in the center of my back. I thought it was kinda pricey and I did not care for the back and forth banter on whether it was $200-$300.

I left dissatisfied and pondered whether or not to go back. It is crazy the desperate length we as women will go for our hair huh, LMAO! I remembered my sister referred a young lady to me, Andi. I called this young lady last-minute. It was Friday, I needed hair braided on Saturday. She was down and I was ecstatic. She told me what hair to buy and gave perfect directions to her home. The braids came out perfectly and the price was right! I paid about $100.

Check out these pics. Also, I am very tender headed and I can say for the most part, I was pretty comfortable, minimal pain. I did take a 500 mg of Ibuprofen to ensure I would be comfortable. Contact me if you would like her contact information!

Box Braids Box Braids In case you do not know, I obsess over my hair. My hairstyle is dependant upon what I will wear that day.

[kgunter1]

Thunderstorms rolling in #beauty #nature #simplethings

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Love this tree #nature#relax #pink #mimosatree

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Happy Monday y'all! #fashionista #style

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Too light for me gotta return 'em #mac #beauty #gottago

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#fashionista #fitness #stlblogger I'm trying to begin reg workouts. y'all I need a biscuit with gravy stat lmbo!! No I don't workout with this unit in either lol

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These burnt orange pumps from @jcrew are lovely! #heels #jcrew fav store #stlblogger #STL don't mind my wig chilling in background tee hee hee

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Middle school band intro night. Can you feel his excitement?

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Alive Mag Hot 100 Party Giveaway

Alive Mag Hot 100 Party Giveaway

Alive Mag Hot 100 Party Giveaway

All of my STL readers, Alive Magazine has provided 2 free tickets to attend the Alive Magazine Host 100 Party. ALIVE Magazine presents Hot List at Cortona at Forest Park. Join us for a grand evening to kick off the summer and celebrate St. Louis’ most notable restaurants, boutiques, hotspots, cultural institutions and more. Restaurant and Food Truck Hot List…

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[kgunter1]

#Ebony #yeezus #icon #kanye #mcm love him 

had to follow up from day of remembrance yesterday