10 Steps to a Clutter-Free Closet and Wardrobe

Step 1: Empty it out
Take everything out of your closets and drawers and separate it into piles
Step 2: Separate it
Separate the clothing into Categories such as: Dresses, Pants, Skirts, Tops, Outerwear, Shoes, Accessories, Handbags, etc...
Step 3: Evaluate your clothing and accessory items
Get rid of garments that are not 100% wearable and that are no longer useful to you
Step 4: Let it go
If you have items you don't plan on keeping because they're to big, to small or out of style just LET THEM GO
Step 5: Ask for advice
Consult a friend, professional stylist, or personal shopper about which items to keep and which ones to ditch
Step 6: Take Inventory
Take inventory of duplicate colors and styles and make a list of what you need to complete your wardrobe and be willing to let go of things you have only worn once
Step 7: No second guessing
Place items you know for sure you are not keeping and place them in a box or container that is out of site. 
Step 8: Make a plan
Make a plan for the best way to organize what you are keeping
Step 9: Say goodbye
Get rid of your clothes by donating them to charities, have a yard sale, sell online, put them on consignment 
Step 10: Shop smart
Now that you've de-cluttered, be smart about future purcahses

Transformation Tuesday: A True Weight Struggle

Though I pride myself on being a very confident person, I have struggled with my weight most of my adolescence and young adult life. At first, I wanted to be sooooo thin like the girls in my classes when I was in middle school all the way up through my senior year of high school.

My weight would fluctuate due to stress and poor eating habits. As a matter of fact, my senior year, due to the stress of earning college admissions and being in a very unhealthy relationship, I dropped 25 lbs in a matter of 2 months just by eating nothing but Kellog's Special K cereal and doing TaeBo 7 days a week. It was awful. I was starving myself, but I wanted to look good for my boyfriend (whom I didn't even end up staying with, as most of us who are young, dumb, and in love in high school don't).

It wasn't until I got to college and gained my "Freshman 15" that I realized a little extra weight wouldn't hurt me. Everyone told me I was beginning to look sickly anyway and that I needed to plump up. And due to partying, drinking, and countless late night runs to Cookout, it didn't take long for that to take effect at all. Problem is, it didn't just stop at the Freshman 15....I kept gaining because I LOVE FOOD and had no desire to do strenuous workouts. I was physically drained, but mostly I was emotionally drained. Throughout college I tried many weight loss programs, some of them successful and some of them not, but the toils of everyday life always managed to get in my way.

I have always loved clothes and shoes, though my style has definitely evolved. I used to be such a tomboy....sweatsuits, jeans, the latest sneakers...no make-up, but now at 25, and at a very healthy size 16-18, I am more comfortable in my skin. I always hated dressing up in dresses and skirts, but working in the type of environment that I am in, a public university of higher education, I HAD to learn to LOVE these kinds of clothing items, and ironically now that is all I'm comfortable in.

Not only that, but I loveeee my haircut (which I got as a result of another nasty break up in 2009). It makes me feel fierce, outgoing, and even more of the rebel that I am, and I don't think I'd ever grow it out again. But haircut aside, I LOVE my curves, but of course I would love to tone myself up more, which is still a very real possibility, although I work a full-time job, part-time job, and am currently enrolled in graduate school...but anything is possible when I'm ready to set my mind to it and have the desire to complete the task.

But, I said all this to say that this is one of the major reasons I began the blog. To inspire others of all shapes, colors, sizes, genders, and orientations to embrace self-worth and to love themselves and dress comfortably with style and flare, but of course keeping it classy at all times whether Ferragamo or Timberland!

#PeaceAndLove
-Gainey

Pic Flow: Be Comfortable In Your Own Skin-Fashion Slide Show

I adore #JCole because he's a NC Native...his flows, the rhymes, the rhythm---a true #storyteller. So, what better way to incorporate one of my favorite records "Too Deep For the Intro" into my fashion picture slide show than to let it explain my story....The way I feel about fashion, empowering oneself, promoting self-worth, and being comfortable in your own skin...he explains it in this song...It's just too deep for the introduction of who Jamie is.....

TOO DEEP FOR THE INTRO LYRICS- J. Cole

Partially functional, half of me is comfortable
The other half is close to the cliff like Mrs Huxtable
These boys got them hoslters and clips they pack like lunchables
Like white boys in grade school
While we ate school made food just
Eyeing they shit, wish I was trying they shit
Knowing when mama hit the store she wasn’t buying that shit
No I ain't crying a bit man
Thats just life thats how that shit work
You reach your hand in fire, you pull it back when you get burnt
Gotta learn when you get hurt
Even if its with cupid
He beat you and you went back
She's officially stupid
Oh yeah I understand thats your man
You had a plan
You been together for some years
You sticking with him for the kids
So you overlook the tears but we both know thats a bad look
Cause 20 years from now your daughter will probably get her ass whooped
If this too deep for the intro I’ll find another use
But just in case its perfect let me introduce
Cole, cole, cole

[Hook]
Time to save the world
Bearing the world is all the time
So many things I still don't know
So many times I've changed my mind
Guess I was born to make mistakes
But I ain't scared to take the weight
So when I stumble off the path
I know my heart will guide me back

[Verse 2: J. Cole]
If this too deep for the intro I’ll find another use
But just in case its perfect let me introduce
It’s Cole, I had a dream and so I made a move
A ill ass nigga who just so happened to stay in school
Still rap for hustlers and muthaf-ckers that hated school
Said thats for busters that heard my shit and I made it cool
It's safe to say that I’m gifted as if I’m Christmas shopping
I got gangsta niggas lining up in admissions office
And possibly cause all the hoes a nigga scraped
A lot of shit up on my plate so you know a nigga late to my first class
I’d much rather sit up in first class
Should I admit that a slutty bitch was my first smash
Wasn't experienced, so nah I didn't wear it out
Always thought my first time would be someone I cared about
But being a virgin was something to be embarrassed 'bout
I used that ass for practice so I wasn't scared out my mind
You call it rhymes I call it clearing out my mind
Was just a young boy starin out my blinds
Till I got free from my momma leash
Running loose through the streets
Like a stray dog in heat
And we looking for some freaks can you play
Pardon me, whats your name, don’t mistake me for no lame
No not me
She knew I was on the team cause she seen how tall I’d be
In the club dappin’ niggas, eventually R-I-P
Damn, you win some, you lose some
That just how its happens
And if a nigga step up to ya, then you gotta scrap em
Your name is all you got, throwing hands by the bathroom
Its funny I barely told nobody I started rapping
Cause see some niggas was haters that I just viewed as clowns
At 14 I knew I was the nicest dude around
I gotta make a move, I gotta do this now
If they don’t know your dreams, then they can't shoot em down

[Outro]
Ha. Yeah nigga. Hell Yeah! I felt that one in my fuckin soul

[Hook]

Magazines + The Plus Size Paladin

Magazine's have come a long way in the world of Plus Size fashion...many of them have begun featuring a small spread on plus size shopping, beauty, and other tips. Though we have progressed, we still have a long way to go, which is why I like magazine blogs/websites such as Plus Model Magazine and Skorch Magazine. 

Other magazines that have a plus size copy:
- Marie Claire
- InStyle Magazine


Facebook also offers a lot of Plus Size fashion information and news:
- https://www.facebook.com/citychiconline
- https://www.facebook.com/OfficialPlusUSA
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/HookedUp-Shapewear/175139769308110
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curvaceous-K/212529455455401
- https://www.facebook.com/custompluscompany
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Embody-Denim/152507171457063
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Daily-Venus-Diva/140540616631

Quality Make-up On a Budget

I haven't always been a make-up girl, but I have recently grown to love it; especially eye shadows because they really make my eyes stand out! I've been told my eyes speak and tell a story, so I decided to enhance them and let them tell even more of a story. That being said, thought I have two jobs and am currently enrolled in graduate school, I'm a girl on a budget!! So I want the looks for less. One of my favorite brands right now is Sonia Kashuk. I #OhDee obsessed with Target, so naturally my mom recommended her make-up line and brushes from Target. Her brushes are the best I've found at decent prices. 

Also, her shimmering eye pallets are wonderful as well. I especially like the Eye Couture Eye On Natural Palette. 

I'm also a fan on make-up dupes (duplicates for less). Pinterest offers a lot of information on this. Visit: Pinterest for more info. 

Valentine's Day Looks for Curvy Women: Inspiration from LeGlam Princess

http://www.theleglamprincessofcurves.com/