We Aim To Slay

Happy New Year & Welcome to 2024!

This is the time of year when, traditionally, we set New Year’s resolutions,  but somehow that term has become synonymous with trying something for two weeks and giving up until next year. In the hopes of sticking with my personal goals, I’m focusing my efforts on goals that I can easily work on throughout the year.

Goals & Intentions 

One of the first goals I’m implementing is refining my wardrobe and crafting a quasi-capsule collection. 

According to an article on The Nordstrom.com Blog, a capsule wardrobe is “a collection of clothing and accessories that can all mix and match to make several different outfits,” according to Nordstrom stylist, Kelly Olson. “While it contains fewer pieces,” said Olson, “it’s built around a color palette and all those pieces coordinate.”

As I inch closer to my 30s, I am honing in on exactly what I want my aesthetic to be – so I’ll be focusing on the pieces I wear the most, pieces that are reserved for certain occasions, and items I will donate or sell.

Where a typical capsule collection focuses on adding new pieces in a specific color palette, I will be refraining from buying any new clothing – with one exception.

Without sounding cliche – exercise and healthy food choices are my second goal for this year. In the past two years, exercising consistently and reaching for the healthiest option have not been my focus. As a result, I’ve gotten to “that point” where I’m not in love with how I feel or look. But, I’m going to be gentle with myself – my goal is to get my body moving every single day, whether I take our dogs for a hike, plan a lifting session, or unwind with some yoga.

As a way to stay motivated and reward my progress, I will be purchasing a new Astoria Activewear (click this link here and use my discount code ‘WATS15’ to save 15% off your orders!) piece for every benchmark I hit! And with the recent debut of several new collections it’ll be difficult to pick only one! Let me know in the comments section which is your favorite Astoria Activewear collection!

The last goal I’ll be implementing is being more creative when styling my hair. After being inspired by several curly girlies on Instagram, I’ve been trying to style my hair each day. I’ll still rock a wash-and-go whenever my curls are looking particularly fierce, but I will also be experimenting with more accessories and hairstyles.

2023 Holiday Season

Hubby and I kicked off holiday party season with his work party. In the last several months Hubby has become obsessed with Temu, and when he showed me this outfit, I knew I had to wear it for the party. If you know me, you know that streetwear is not an aesthetic I usually wear. But, here I was, attempting to be the kind of woman that wears streetwear. 

Based on the website photos, I assumed this was some sort of lame-style fabric, and that it was a jumpsuit. I was wrong on both counts. 

This velvet tracksuit was not at all what I was expecting. I ordered this in a size large; the jacket fit perfectly, but the pants were another story altogether. From the waist band all the way down to the ankle is ruched – which made my booty look amazing. But, the waistband of the pant wasn’t tight enough and because of how the lines fell, I was unable to successfully pin the pants. And, because I was wearing shape wear, the pants kept slipping down all night long. #TailoringFail. 

I bought this pack of hair clips from SheIn several months ago, and the sun & moon clips have become my go to hair accessories! These earrings are also from SheIn, and they’re a fun way to add a little sparkle and a little drama. My mom and I both got a pair of these JustFab booties when I was in college, and I’ve clearly not been gentle with them as one of the heel caps is missing – making dancing all night an entire thigh workout. Because of how flashy this outfit was, and how I had styled my hair, I decided to keep the accessories minimal. For makeup I created my standard “pageant makeup” and finished off the look with a red lip.

For both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I decided to accessorize my hair with bows.

This outfit was inspired by Gone with the Wind; I paired a green collared shirt with a silver satin skirt and my go-to Charming Charlies booties. Because my hair was pulled back I wanted to utilize all three of my earring holes, balancing the pearl earrings (a simple stud and a set of hoops) with a gold hoop between them. To pull in the black of my booties, I topped the outfit off with my rhinestone snake belt – an everyday staple in my wardrobe.

To create this hair bow I used a piece of crafting ribbon, cut it to the desired length, knotted the ribbon in the center and made my bow using the “two bunny ears” method. From there, I slipped a big bobby pin through the back of the bow, and used that to secure the bow to my poof.

For Christmas Day, I used a slip of fabric that I typically use as a headband, and created this bow in the exact same way. 

I love a coordinating look, but for this look I decided we were going to match! Borrowing Hubby’s flannel, I simply added a pair of dark tights and the Charming Charlies booties to craft this sassy Christmas look. I wore the exact same earrings with this outfit as I did the day before, and paired them with a strand of pearls that my mom and grandmother gave me. For makeup, I kept it simple with a basic winged eyeliner and a red lip.

My New Year’s Eve outfit is by far my favorite from this set.

2023 was the year of the sheer catsuit – a look I love, but am not confident enough to attempt. Inspired by that look, I saw an excellent opportunity for creative layering. So, I borrowed a two piece mesh and rhinestone catsuit from my mom and paired it  with knee high peep toe boots and the jacket from one of Hubby’s suits. 

I tried to create the Pamela Anderson bun, and I think it was a good first attempt, but I definitely started my bun too far back on my head. After pinning my bun, I began pulling out strands to frame my face, but they ended up being a tad too long, so I used the SheIn sun and moon clips to pin those curls back by my ears.

This was the first time styling the daisy bag I won at the Dazzle Boutique grand opening celebration, and I love how the yellow added a pop of color to an otherwise monochromatic look. Because of the size of these bow and pearl drop earrings, I only added the pearl studs to my third earring hole, leaving the second empty. I’ve been trying to wear these boots ever since I got them, and this is only the second time I’ve figured out how to style them effectively. For being a relatively small heel, these shoes were quite difficult for me to walk in, but they’re still rather comfortable for being a peep toed heel.

Let’s Welcome the Next Chapter

Welcome back to We Aim To Slay – thank you for taking the time to read these posts, and I can’t wait to share all that 2024 has to offer with you throughout the year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and as always, let me know in the comments section if there are any trends, looks, or products that you think I should try!

I’ll be back for my usual #WATSWednesday post to share how I apply a full base of makeup, perfect for crafting dramatic looks like my N.Y.E makeup!

Have a great upcoming week my loves, and remember to SLAY!