Rhinestones & Satin & Gold, Oh My!

Last year I challenged myself to not buy any new clothing. But, I didn’t let that deter me from crafting eye-catching looks by utilizing accessories!

What is an Accessory?

Let’s start with the basics: the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “accessory” as “an object or device that is not essential in itself, but adds to the beauty, convenience, or effectiveness of something else.”

Recently someone asked me if I had “something special” going on later in the day as they thought I was “all dressed up.” I assured them that no, I didn’t have any special plans, I was just having fun! Lately I have been styling more complete looks, wearing makeup more consistently, and playing around with my hair!

And while it my look as though I’ve been getting “all dressed up,” in truth, I’ve been wearing all of the same clothing, wearing less makeup products, and wearing my hair straight – but the real difference is actually quite subtle; I’ve been wearing more accessories! Be it hair accessories, jewelry, or even outfit accessories, I’ve been using little touches here and there to add a level of interest to my looks!

There are many kinds of accessories, and many ways to use them to accentuate your look – both for their intended use, and not!

Jewelry

Jewelry is the category most people think of when they hear “accessory”. Standard jewelry items include, but are not limited to; earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and brooches. But we can use a single piece of jewelry to spruce up any look!

I’ve always been a big fan of earrings, and when I was in my teenage years I was obsessed with bracelets (specifically cuffs and bangles, but never at the same time). Recently I’ve been expanding my jewelry palette to include necklaces, thanks in part to acquiring some pieces from Lor Francais!

I originally learned about this brand a few months ago via Instagram. After looking through their inventory I decided to select three pieces: the styles “Snake” ($79.99), “Feather” ($79.99), and “Compass” ($72.99); had to pay $44.27 for total (snake became $15.20, feather became $15.20, compass became $13.87). My order arrived in about two and a half weeks, and you can see my full reaction and unboxing video which will be live on the We Aim To Slay YouTube Channel this Friday!

I’ve worn the snake and compass necklaces almost daily since they arrived, and most typically I like to wear them stacked! But, in order to best display each necklace I’ve styled them individually with similar styles of outfits!

I paired the compass with a more laid back look, choosing a pair of Fashion Nova skinny jeans, an American Eagle crop top, a suede jacket by Love for Humanity, and a pair of boots by Franco Sarto.

If you’ve read any previous post or looked at any of my social media, you’ll know that I love snakes! To me, they represent fluidity and meeting changes head on, and to me, that translates to a sexier outfit! Here I started with a maroon velvet bralette beneath a Theory blazer, paired with black tights and a Zara pleather skater skirt, and my first pair of Louboutins!

And finally, for the more dainty and feminine rhinestone feather necklace, I kept my look simple and elegant, pairing a pair of black strappy sandals with an asymmetrical black dress from SheIn.

I’ve recently seen, and been told by my mom about, people wearing bracelets and necklaces around their boots and that’s a look I’ll be trying once the snow has officially melted!

But, you can also try a more subdued jewelry approach by wearing mismatched earrings! This was one of my favorite micro-trends in college – I have three earring piercings in each ear, and I would frequently pick six different stud earrings to accentuate my look. The trick to this, is picking pieces that are “spiritually aligned”, aka, they’re all similar in theme or in material (such as all ocean inspired pieces, or all pieces are gold!).

And as you’ve seen here before, I have been really interested in accentuating my hair, such as using this antique shell necklace as a headpiece during my Halloween mermaid look!

Hair Accessories

In my Creative & Easy Hairstyles series (you can read parts one and two here!), you’ll remember that I love incorporating accessories into my hairstyles!

Similar to the mermaid look, you can frequently find me adding rhinestone pieces such as barrettes or headbands! But I’m also a fan of practicality, so I frequently use scarves and the fabric belts that come with flowy trousers to create intricate-looking hairstyles – like my holiday ribbon crown look!

As someone with dark hair, I’ve always wanted to play around with hair color without putting my hair at risk of damage. And while I played around with dyeing some of my hair in college, I had never been bold enough to try my entire head – until now!

The Curlsmith Hair Makeup is no new product – the brand originally debuted in 2018 – but this was my first time actually trying it! I bought the shade “ruby”, as I’ve always wanted to be a redhead!

While this product felt very odd during the application process, it looked great once I had diffused my curls! I was able to maintain the color for a few days by wrapping my hair in a satin bonnet to sleep. The only downside, in my opinion, is that the container only holds 3 fl oz., and I probably used about half of the tube during this application.

During my NYFW recap, I shared the story of this exquisite pearl headpiece, created by S.Max designs! I love something like this to add a level of sophistication to even the most basic of looks! (I have yet to try this headpiece on my natural curls, but I have a feeling that that shoot is going to happen very soon!)

And even though I am a huge proponent of wearing and embracing your natural hair, I’ve been really enjoying heat styling my hair! Not only have I been wearing my hair straight recently, but I used an honest to god, was-my-mom’s-in-the-90’s, beach waver the other day! What do we think of these loose, beachy waves?

***HEADER – Wearable Accessories

And now we’ve gotten to my favorite kind of accessorizing – utilizing wearable pieces to spruce up your outfit!

I’ve shared many posts dedicated to this exact topic, as a direct result of my 2024 New Year’s Resolution to not buy any new clothes. As a result, I’ve spent the last year or so working to make the pieces I wear everyday – aka, my capsule wardrobe – look new and interesting! Below, you’ll find a smattering of looks from the past year; how many repeated items can you find?