5 Ways No Cost Ways to Update Your Style

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New Year, New You
Happy New Year! I've been blogging for four years now and thank you to all my readers, new and old who have been rocking with me. I'm changing the focus of the blog a little bit to be more useful, helpful and full of fashion, styling and shopping tips. I'll still be documenting my fashion journey, but I want to help y'all look good too! Starting with the first post of the 2018:

5 No Cost Ways to Update Your Style

1. Shop your closet and style your new clothes in old ways: Find a free hour or two to just play dress up with your own wardrobe. Challenge yourself and try to create new outfits with your favorite pieces. If you always wear your striped tee with blue jeans and boots, then see how that same shirt looks with a black skirt and heels, or a denim skirt and tennis shoes. Switch it up!
2. Layer your clothes for more style options: Tis the season of fashion layering! Start with a thin undershirt or t-shirt, add a long sleeve tee or thin sweater and then add a scarf. Or stack a cami (or bodysuit), a long sleeve tee and a flannel with a few necklaces for the top half. The lower half should always start with leggings or stockings and you can add jeans, pants or even a skirt or dress on top. Finish off with a pair of thick socks and tall boots- now add a vest or oversize cardigan to all of that! Warm and stylish- you can't beat that...
3. Memorize easy combos: Best for those cold days when you can barely even manage to roll out of bed, let alone attempt to look good. If you have several basics you will always be able to figure out a fly look on a whim so make sure you have the following pieces- a variety of long sleeve tees, a couple of sweaters (thin or oversize works) thick leggings, jeans, a dress and boots of any kind (tall boots or ankle boots are perfect). Combo 1: long sleeve tee + leggings + jeans + ankle boots+ print scarf Combo 2: Oversize sweater + jeans + tall boots Combo 3: Thin sweater + dress + leggings + tall boots  and on and on. Switch out your shoes and accessories to make your whole look pop and you won't get bored, which is why number 4 is so important...
4. Elevate basics with accessories: This one is pretty easy and fairly straightforward! Use your accessories to your advantage to add more personal style to school uniforms, work uniforms or basic pieces that need a little boost. A chunky or layered necklace can take your outfit as far as a pair of chandelier earrings or a cool pair of glasses can. If you can't stomach printed or patterned clothing then use your accessories to add interest- printed bag or scarf could be just the thing you need to wake up your neutrals. And vice versa- tone down your busy outfit with simple but polished accessories. If your style is feminine, add a masculine hat, if your style leans towards menswear then rely on overly feminine accessories to create harmony and balance to your look.
5. Choose your outfit the night before: This one is the easiest thing to do and I'm so surprised to find out a lot of people don't do it anymore! Save yourself time, effort and stress by laying your outfit out the night before work, school or the next big event. This way you know for a fact that it works- there's nothing worse than planning a fly outfit in your head and putting it on to find out you have a hole in your shirt, or the shoes you wanted to wear don't match, or those black stripes are actually blue lol. Figure it out the night before, make necessary adjustments and sleep like a person who knows they will look good in the morning when they wake up!

I have several winter essential items below to recreate any outfits (some you may already have in your closet), they are all under $25 and include plus sizes...

​And there you have it- my five no cost ways to update your look for the New Year! What do you think and do you have any tips to add to mine? Let me know in the comments!