As women, we tend to lose ourselves. Whether in our careers, relationships or families, we can get so lost in our obligations that we lose our personalities, creativity and the way we want to live our lives. J9 STYLE is about empowering and enriching women so they gain back their sense of self one outfit at a time.

In today’s economic state, some women may find it hard to be stylish. Not only are we broke, but who has the time to create an outfit or redecorate a room? My philosophy on style is:
1. Every woman should know her own sense of style
2. It should be inexpensive
3. It is a way to express yourself
4. It is a way to live your life
5. It’s fun!

I don’t know about you, but my life is filled with deadlines, stressful work days, financial insecurities and the overall hustle and bustle of life. What gets me through the day are the little touches of style I add to it. Whether it’s the perfect scarf I a wore to sass up a typically humdrum outfit or the new workout playlist I created, these seemingly trivial accomplishments make me smile and change my perspective on the day. Speaking of perspective, here are my top 9 style guiding principles:

1. Style and fashion really can be affordable. And not the “oh look, this entire outfit is only $300!” affordable like in the fashion magazines, but more like “this entire outfit cost me $30!” kind of affordable. Most of my outfits are under $125 from head to toe.
2. Treat Yourself.  Weather a spa treatment, high-end shoes or jewelry, it’s important  to treat yourself to something indulgent every once in a while. Although I’m all about affordable style, I believe that if you do this every once in a while versus every week, the indulgence will taste that much sweeter. And like L’Oreal says: You’re worth it!
3. Laugh at yourself. I LOVE humor. I like to make a joke out of almost anything, even sad moments. I find the humor in almost every situation and like to exploit it. So if you’re sensitive or offended easily, I apologize in advance.
4. Go shopping in your closet first. More than likely, you have plenty of clothes to work with, but you get stuck in a styling rut. Have a friend evaluate your closet and style some outfits. A different perspective will find new outfits in your closet that you never would have thought of.

5. I really, really like to write lists. I don’t  know why, but I write about 10 per week about random (of course) subjects. It’s probably a way that I organize my thoughts, and lets the type A personality of mine have control. Anyway, you’ll see a A LOT of them on here.

6. Invest in your face. Unlike merchandise, you cannot return this. I invest in quality face make up such as concealer, powder and base where I save on glosses, lipstick and mascara. I also make sure to invest in quality moisturizers and lotions.

7. Invest in a pedicure. If you’re on your feet often or have to wear anything besides sneakers all day, treat yourself to a pedi at least once every two weeks. Whether you go to a salon or do it yourself at home, don’t just change the polish, but scrape those calluses off. You know what I’m talking about. You’ll thank me years from now.

8.  Learn how to french braid. Fun braiding can add simple fun to your everyday hair.

9. Have fun! Life is too short to take fashion seriously. If you experience a style disaster or your experimenting didn’t quite hit the mark, so what? Laugh at it and move on.

Overall, J9 STYLE BLOG will help you find fun ways to add some sass and style to your everyday life, discover your own personal sense of style and have a few giggles.

Hope you enjoy!

J9