Fashion School Dropout

This week I sat down with award-winning makeup artist Omayma Ramzy. She shared her story and how she made a name for herself in the beauty industry. She also gave some great tips on building a brand and navigating your career.  Here a just a few highlights from our conversation.

Start small

If you are looking to get started on a new career path or take the next step in your current career, just START. It really doesn’t matter where you start or what baby steps you take, but start with something!

Know why you are doing it, keep your purpose

It’s easy to lose sight of why you are doing what you are doing but if you are going to make it through the ups and downs in any business you have to keep your eyes on the prize.

Be adaptable

Know that you are going to pivot and that things may change. Although you may be headed in one direction, circumstances may require you to alter your course and things may not always go to plan and that is okay! This leads me to my next point.

Know when to let go

As you grow in your career, you have to know when to start delegating and invest in those tasks that are going to help you further expand. Don’t be afraid to be cut-throat.

And there you have it. To listen to my full interview with Omayma check out my podcast.

Until next week!

Xoxo,

Katherine

Nothing is better than a great vintage piece. The memories and connotations a great vintage piece can invoke are priceless. That being said, I understand how intimidating it can be to sort through a thrift store for a good piece. That’s why I sat down with my good friend and vintage pro, Rachael, to get her advice. She gave me some of her best vintage shopping tips and her favorite spots to shop vintage. Here are some of my main takeaways followed by links to her favorite shops.

Know your body.

Look at different time periods, figure out which decade best fits your aesthetic and body type. Let’s be honest, some decades are more forgiving than others, figure out what you are comfortable with. Once you have picked your favorite era, you can narrow down your vintage search easily.

Take your measurements.

On that same note, get your measurements and have them to hand. This makes it easier when shopping online and in this covid world to know if something will fit you without having to try it on beforehand.

Frequent your local vintage shops.

Like anything else, vintage shopping takes practice. Keep looking around at different stores, get familiar with price ranges and different styles and build your knowledge. You will start to learn more and your ability to spot a good find will increase. Simple, right?

For even more tips and to listen to our full interview, check out the podcast. Also, take a look at the links below for some awesome vintage!

xoxo,

Katherine

Vintage Links:

https://www.instagram.com/savantvintage/

https://www.goodbuygirlsnashville.com/

https://www.highclasshillbilly.com/

NA NIN VINTAGE

http://pickwickvintage.com/#about-la

https://www.starstruckvintage.com/

@losfelizshop2

@o.laroche

Ever since I was a little girl my obsession with beauty has been on another level. I would watch my mom get glammed up on Saturday night date night and I wanted to look just as gorgeous. I would sneak into her makeup drawer and try on all her lipsticks and subsequently break them, but hey, I was learning. I couldn’t wait to build my own makeup collection and would get so upset when I would receive those fake plastic makeup kits as gifts, I was ready for the real thing. Luckily, I am old enough now to buy and use all the makeup I want now and I’ve picked up a thing or two over the years.

This week I interviewed makeup artist Ashley Bodine, we talked about our favorite products, and she shared some of her best tips and words of advice.

Here are the highlights:

• Less is more
• Instagram is not real life and what looks good on camera doesn’t always translate well to real life
• Good makeup starts with really good skincare
• Mascara is gold

As far as some of her hero products, well here’s three that made the cut.

To listen to my full interview with Ashley, check out my podcast. Until next week!

xoxo,

Katherine

Now, I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the biggest wedding person, of course, I wanted the pretty white dress and the handsome husband, just not that into putting that much time or money into a party. What can I say? I’m a practical girl, I can think of many other things that deserve my hard-earned cash (or my parents, let’s be honest). For the cost of what most elaborate weddings cost, I would much rather have a few Chanel bags, a down payment towards a house, a luxury vacation, etc. That being said, I sat down with my friend and wedding photographer, Kelly, and went over some tips to help make your wedding dreamy and cost-efficient.

You don’t need to blow your budget on the dress.

Your wedding dress doesn’t need to be designer, maybe you can splurge on a pair of red bottoms to wear under your dress (at least you will be able to wear those again), but your dress really doesn’t have to be. There are less expensive alternatives, like Anomalie, where you can custom make the dress of your dreams and it won’t break the bank. Look into all your resources before you spend a fortune at a bridal boutique. There’s always the vintage route, it might be worth looking into a timeless preowned piece. Sometimes classic is just what you need, which brings me to my next point.


Don’t follow the trends.

You want to be able to look back at your wedding photos with pride not embarrassment over the color of your bridesmaid’s dresses or the style of your hair. Think traditional over trends, wedding fads come and go, what is in today won’t necessarily be in tomorrow. Keep it timeless and chic.

Bigger isn’t always better.

With Covid limiting the size of social gatherings, micro weddings and elopements have been taking over and I’m here for it. You don’t need the big fancy party after all the marriage is between you and your partner and nothing else really matters at the end of the day. Sometimes simplicity is key.

Lastly, choose your priorities.

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Think strongly about what is important to you and that’s where you can put the majority of your budget. If having great photos is really important to you then spend some money on an excellent photographer. By the way, if you are looking for an excellent photographer, my friend Kelly and her husband are some of the best! Check them out here.

To listen to my full episode and interview with Kelly and for more tips check out my podcast!

xoxo,

Katherine

This week I sat down with my husband to get a guy’s perspective on what constitutes a good date outfit. So here are some pointers we came up with.

• Dress for the situation.

This one seems pretty obvious, but it’s good to keep in mind the nature of the date and where you will be going.

Picnic on the beach? Probably best to ditch the heels.

• Watch what you want to communicate.

Certain outfits may give the wrong impression, a fashion statement can say a thousand words. Just something to keep in mind when you are dressing for a night out.

• Sometimes less is more.

While a lot of us girls like to get glammed up, sometimes less is more. It’s okay to tone down the make-up and show your true beauty!

To listen to my full interview with my husband (he actually gives some good advice), click here.

I’ll catch you guys next week!

Xoxo,

Katherine

1.28.21

 My love affair with luxury handbags started around the age of 12 when my mom bribed me with my first Coach bag in exchange for getting my blood drawn (i’m deathly afraid of needles). Just one whiff of the new leather and a taste of my friend’s jealous glances and I was hooked. Keep In mind I was 12 and this was the early aughts when Coach was at its peak.

Since then, i’ve traded my Coach bags for Gucci and Prada, but my love for designer remains the same. Although if I am being honest, my sister has a collection that most definitely rivals mine and she has a talent at finding designer deals like no other. This week I sat down with her to talk about our favorite brands and the best investment pieces. Here is a round-up of some of our favorites.

Make sure to listen to the podcast for our full conversation. I’ll catch you guys next week!

xoxo,

Katherine