We Aim To Slay

It’s back-to-school season, and that means Autumn is right around the corner! As we come to the end of summer, I’m sharing a week’s worth of looks for an end-of-summer edition of #7DaysOfSLAY as I head back to work as a para-educator! Let’s get started!

THE LOOKS

Saturday 8/17

I started this week with several pageant appearances, starting with judging the CT Speech & Action Spotlight Competition on Saturday. My morning began by live-streaming my pageant-perfect makeup routine – which you can watch here!

Just to switch things up, I straightened my hair! After blowing out and flat ironing, I set my hair in two satin heatless curls sets; the Kitsch one from Ulta, and a knock off from Temu. The Temu one doesn’t work very well at all for some reason, but it’ll be useful as a backup. Also, you don’t need to use two of them! For several days, I kept my straight hair by setting in the heatless curler and covering with my bonnet at night.

Today’s outfit was created from the ground up – starting with these red suede Vince Camuto slingbacks. These shoes are so comfortable that I have the same exact pair in gray as well! I pulled the red from the shoe by pairing them with a black, white, and red houndstooth pencil skirt from SheIn. I kept the top half of the look simple with a white tank top from Walmart layered beneath the gauzy white over shirt from Venus. I haven’t worn this top in a while because the middle button fell off and I haven’t sewn it back on, but I added a little crown pin in its place and I think it looks super cute!

Sunday 8/18 

To help maintain the straight hair, I blew it out the night before – using a round brush and no attachment on the blowdryer – and wrapped it in the heatless with the bonnet on top. Because this was the day of the horrific rain storm, I ended up pulling back the front sections of my hair to help restrain the sections most prone to frizz.

I ended up wearing the black satin dress from the Bridgerton shoot that I bought from Wild Heart Boutique during CT Vintage Market Days. But! I wore it backwards! So the twisty bit was in the back and I honestly think I like how the dress looks more this way!

I added a black Calvin Klein belt, a multi-colored moto jacket, and a pair of mesh, caged booties with gold stud accents. I added the black and gold butterfly earrings to help pull in the shoes.

Makeup was pageant-eye with the Limoncello palette, NYX Matte Lip with Jovani gloss

Because of the rain, I knew it was going to take a little bit of effort to maintain the straight hair. I blew it out again using the round brush and blowdryer, once again setting it into the heatless curl sets and securing them it in place with my bonnet.

Monday 8/19

This was the last day before I headed back to the high school where I work for the upcoming school year. I had a few Zoom meetings, so I wanted to look professional while also being stylish.

I styled a two colored button down blouse from Dazzle with a pair of trousers from SheIn. For accessories I kept it simple with a pair of silver mesh hoops, and added my “peasant shoes” from TJ Maxx to finish off the look!

As much as I love my straightened hair, it’s not the look I’m going for when making a first impression. So, I styled my hair in a ponytail, slicking the front straight back.

Tuesday 8/20

It’s officially the first day back for a new school year!

Starting with the hair – the night before, I detangled with paddle brush, sectioned and applied Batiste dry shampoo, zhuzhed the product through my hair, and combed through with my wide tooth comb.

Before once again setting in the heatless curler and my bonnet, I lightly trimmed my ends – they were absolutely crazy, but I never want to do too much trimming when it’s straight because I predominantly wear it curly.

I ended up wearing a classic Taylor-at-work look. I paired my Pride Vans with a pleeted, maroon skirt from SheIn. Into the skirt, I tucked a black and white printed tunic from LulaRoe, and topped the look off with my SheIn oversized demin jacket. Accessories I kept minimal, wearing only the silver mesh hoops and my puzzle piece necklace, allowing my Zenni Optical frames to stand out!

Wednesday 8/21

It’s #WATSWednesday! Last week’s post detailed my wash-and-go routine, so I had to bring back my natural curls! Because my hair can be a little extra frizzy after straightening, I pulled the front section back with a clip.

For today’s outfit I fully embraced the New England weather – stuck somewhere between deep Autumn and high Summer. I paired my Clara Sun Wu little black dress (from Renee’s Resale Clothing Boutique), with a cheetah print cardigan. And, I’ve finally broken out my Dr. Martens! Truthfully, I never don’t have these boots in rotation, and I just recently realized that I’ve had this pair of shoes for eleven years!

Thursday 8/22

I paired the vintage DKNY silk dress (this is my first official time wearing it! I did try to wear it a few months ago, but I layered so many pieces on top of it, it was impossible to tell what I was wearing) from Renee’s Resale Clothing Outlet. I paired that with a pair of light wash jeans that I cuffed – because they were boot cut – and my Steven Madden platform sandals.

I wanted to pull my hair back so I went for one of my go-to’s; low space buns. I finished off the look with my I.A.W.P. necklace (I literally never take this off – it may just be my favorite gift from our executive director), a pair of gold, star-shaped hoops, and my blue Zenni Optical frames!

Friday 8/23

Today we don’t have school, but it’s my puppy’s first birthday! Because he just got neutered last week, we’ve been laying low, not doing too much running around.

Today I headed to Saville Dam in Barkhamstead, CT, to shoot photos for an upcoming blog post – can you guess what it is based off of this sneak peak?

This shoot is really focused on this adorable little black dress by Audrey Park x Francesca’s. My mom found it on the sale rack at Francesca’s when we visited the outlet shops in the Poconos, and I knew that I needed to borrow it!

The main look from this shoot will be featured soon, so I’m focusing on this Emily in Paris inspired look! I paired the black tulle dress with a pair of strappy sandals from TJ Maxx, a vintage red silk scarf from Renee’s Resale, and a pair of red, cat eye sunglasses from Abella Eyewear.

For my makeup, I created the same over all look that I call my pageant-perfect makeup, but instead of my usual cool toned gray eyeshadows (from the ColourPop Of Quartz palette), I’m using the Juvvia’s Palette, which consists of more reddish brown hues.

What Do You Think?

Let me know which looks were your favorites in the comments below!

I’ll be back next week to celebrate my 29th birthday!

Have a great rest of your week, and remember to SLAY!