New York & Company

IT'S A VIBE | OOTD by EUREKA CALHOUN

Last year I came to the realization that I have lived thirty-seven years without knowing what it really means to love and take care of myself. Embodying an authentic vibe in this noisy confusion life will lead you to believe taking care of yourself is a problem. Don’t get me wrong, life is good, I work hard, and played harder.  Then one day, I woke up and realized I take good care of myself—on the outside. Along the way I managed to forget how to take care of my inner world. When I made the decision to walk and live in the space of this new vibe, something magical happened. By allowing myself to acknowledge that changes, challenges, and hardships are here to deepen me and to remind me I do get a second chance.  

Taking care of you is not as easy as it looks because it takes a lot of dedication and continuous effort every single day.  When I made the decision to place a higher value on my time, the precious gift to wake up each day complete in my pursuit of wholeness, surprisingly, my days started to become more inviting again. Whether it’s going to the gym, feeding my body healthy fuel, and or taking time to relax and meditate at the end of the day, I realized I’m doing a disservice by not by connecting to who I am—to nurture myself from the inside out.  Authenticity is underrated and there's no dollar amount that can be place on a vibe that ultimately results in inner peace. We have the right and responsibility to live consciously.  So why cheat yourself or the universe of radiating good vibes into the sometimes unforgiving world.  Essentially, when we stop properly taking care of ourselves, it can cause us to get out of balance and lose our power on how to take care of others. 

Photographer:  Aaron Velasquez

_DSC0603-Edit.jpg

OUTFIT DETAILS 

Denim dress:  Purchased from a local boutique sale (Similar) | Patch work denim pants: New York & Company - Sold out (Similar) |  White sandals:  Calvin Klein - Seen here  |  Shades:  Michael Kors - Seen here   | Earrings: BCBG - Sold out (Another cool option here) |  Bandana:  Local beauty supply store (Better option here) | Clutch: ASOS - Sold out (Similar)  

YOU'LL ALSO LOVE

Thank you for joining me on this ride of self-reflection.  When I started blogging again, I promised myself to stay true and honor who I AM at the present moment. Blogging is an outlet for me and it encompasses more than an "OOTD" ! It's more so about self discovery with a heavy dose of style sprinkled in. My hashtag on social media is #MORETHANSTYLE and I have decided going forward I will not let anything or anyone dictate what I present to the world because what I have to offer is MORE THAN STYLE.  It's an infectious vibe when we honor what our spirit is telling us because it will ignite the path to living a life fulfilled. 

Until next time with love,

Eureka

FLOW | OOTD by EUREKA CALHOUN

IMG_7575.JPG

For quite some time,  I have had this urge or need to do something more worthwhile with my life. When you’re in the pursuit to be part of something more important than yourself, it creates an atmosphere for reflection of WHAT and WHO is important in your life.   Never wanting to miss the divine blessings God wants for me or to do through me, I started meditating on purposeful living while staying in the flow of God.   There is no greater joy than knowing you are finally walking into the FLOW of gratitude and you have clear direction for your life.  This is a thrilling space to occupy, but it’s not easy which requires tremendous patience in every area of my life including the little things.

 Since the beginning of the year I have been on a journey of creating a minimal lifestyle.   One aspect of the journey is creating a clutter free and organized space.   I started selling items through various local pop up shops that no longer serve me in the next phase of life.   I made a promise with myself to mindfully purchase items that will have a specific place and purpose in my collection.   A few months ago I spotted this little gem of maxi skirt at New York & Company and needless to say I was not feeling the listed price.  So I decided to wait and every time I would frequent the mall for client duties I‘d swing by and check on the price of “my skirt”.  Because in the spirit of speaking situations into existence, it was my skirt, lol! Then last month to my surprise during my routine “swing by” my skirt was  on the clearance rack!

What lady doesn’t love a flirty skirt with a little FLOW action?   It’s perfect for dressing up or down and can be worn for multiple occasions. The colors in the skirt are perfect year round,  and I love a piece that I’ll be able to style multiple ways.  I’m looking forward to switching it up in a future post by adding a jean jacket and booties for the fall. I decided to keep it simple and allow the skirt to be the shining star by pairing it with a blood wine colored bodysuit from ASOS, my beloved white Calvin Klein sandals, tassel earrings, and a multi-colored box clutch.  By adding a few staple pieces I was able to create a complete look that anyone no matter the size and shape could pull off for any occasion.

Photographer: Aaron Velasquez

Photographer: Aaron Velasquez

IMG_7577.JPG
IMG_7574.JPG

*Outfit details *

BODYSUIT:  ASOS - Sold out (Similar) | Skirt:  New York & Company - Purchase (here) | White block sandals: Calvin Klein - Sold Out ( Similar) |  Tassel earrings:  H&M - Purchase (here) | Gold Cuff: House of Harlow - Seen (here) | Bicolored clutch:  ASOS - Sold out (Similar) | Shades:  Prada - Seen (here

~3 wAYS TO STAY IN THE FLOW ~

1. Meditate and Pray -Spiritual practices have been shown to help alleviate the stress levels, which are one of the major risk factors for disease. They also are powerful ways to maintain a positive outlook and successfully weather the trials which come to all of us in life.

2.  Take a social media break and reconnect in an engaged reality - Use this time to figure out how you want to live your life according to God's will without the distractions of a distorted projection of reality. Establishing new goals and reconnecting relationships is necessary as the first step in self-regulation.  It’s all about finding balance. A healthy relationship with social media means approaching technology like we do other things we want to control and make it work for us.

3. Feed your body right -  Each stage of life has its own nutritional requirements to keep your body running in peak form. Eating right will help you sail through the decades feeling great.

YOU'LL ALSO LOVE 

Until next time with love, 

Eureka

THE WHITE AFFAIR | OOTD by EUREKA CALHOUN

Happy Monday BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! I have a serious love affair with wearing all white as of late. Wearing all white is considered a “trend” right now but monochromatic (wearing different shades of a single hue) anything will always be a popular choice for me.   While it may seem like a tricky style to pull off, wearing white on white is one the easiest ways to look crisp from head to toe.  First step is to put to rest all those silly rules about when and where to wear all white.  Trust me, this is the easiest outfit to recreate and will become one of your go-to looks. Especially when you can incorporate unexpected foundation pieces like this Eva Mendes collection pencil skirt from New York & Company…….which was a steal BTW!   The idea of wearing all white has its fair share of naysayers because it is not always flattering and can cause you to always be aware not to get any stains on your fit.  

There are new ways to mix things up so you will not look like the first lady of a Baptist church on resurrection Sunday.  I’m huge fan of this this look because the skirt paired with a flowy strapless cropped top takes the outfit from plain to a bit daring.  By adding my treasured custom necklace from local jewelry designer Shawn Pilgrim, a leopard peep toe slingback pump, and everyone’s fav a faux fur clutch is the perfect look for any occasion all year around.   The key element to pulling off this style with confidence is to always gravitate towards pieces you can have fun in. And don’t be afraid to experiment with different monochromatic looks if white is not your cup of tea.  One of my favorite colors to wear all over is different shades of purple, mauve tones, or even the staple color, black. 

 

CAPTURED BY  J O N C E

CAPTURED BY  J O N C E

IMG_3381.JPG
IMG_3382.JPG
IMG_3380.JPG
IMG_3385.JPG
DETAILS:  STRAPLESS CROP TOP -  GIANNI BINI| SKIRT - NEW YORK & COMPANY | SHOES - STUART WEITZMAN | CLUTCH - EXPRESS (A MILLION YEARS OLD) | SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL BRACELET - HEIDI DAUS | NECKLACE - CUSTOM MADE BY SHAWN PILGRIM |  GOLD…

DETAILS:  STRAPLESS CROP TOP -  GIANNI BINI| SKIRT - NEW YORK & COMPANY | SHOES - STUART WEITZMAN | CLUTCH - EXPRESS (A MILLION YEARS OLD) | SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL BRACELET - HEIDI DAUS | NECKLACE - CUSTOM MADE BY SHAWN PILGRIM |  GOLD SHADES - KATE SPADE | EARRINGS - AUTHENTIC 18K  GOLD FROM THAILAND.  

SHOP THE SIMILAR LOOK 

So excited to get back in front of the camera again. Showcasing my personal style will always be an outlet for me.  The goal is to be consistent in every area in my life, so look for a new OOTD dropping every Monday! 

Until next time with love, 

Eureka