Beyoncé, Beyoncé, Beyoncé!

Honestly, I debated just writing "Beyoncé" 2,000 times for this post because, well, Beyoncé. Mrs. Carter graced Chicago with her presence Wednesday night and though I had the worst migraine I've had in months, I was instantly cured when she walked on stage. Say what you will about her (or don't, because she's Beyoncé), I love her and I could not have had more fun in one night! Like I tweeted, it was the second best performance I've ever seen, after Michael in 2001 (which incidentally, Beyoncé performed at with the rest of Destiny's Child).

(Photo by Robin Harper/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP Images)
She is an absolutely amazing performer and totally killed the 22-song show! Though our seats weren't super duper close, we had the perfect vantage point and I sang and danced non-stop for the entirety of the two-hour show. Can we say best Valentine's Day gift ever?? Andrew Santos, you are a saint—literally.


Sadly, there were no cameras allowed so I had to make do with my phone. I snapped a few photos in between scream-singing along and uploaded them to my instagram on our way home because I obviously couldn't be bothered to stop scream-singing along. So, what did I wear to this amazing concert? Let me show you!


Shirt: 10DollarMall.com
Tank: Kohl's
Skirt: American Apparel
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell
Bag: T.J. Maxx
Jewelry: Macha, Mom, Forever 21
Glasses: Barton Perreira

As much as I love those sneaker wedges, I had to be comfortable if I was going to be on my feet in a crowded arena with thousands of other scream-singing fans, and I ended up swapping them for more practical sandals. You can see I'm totally trying to look cute and collected up there but in reality I could not contain my excitement!


Right now I'm two seconds away from clicking the purchase button on Pitchfork's website so I can see Solange on Saturday, even though it's a million degrees outside and outdoor music festivals are my worst enemy...

ModCloth's Elegance for All Recap

It's hard to believe it has already been a week since ModCloth held their Elegance for All Pop-Up Shop in NYC! Last Friday's event was a tremendous success to say the least. The day began with a great presentation by ModCloth's team.


The blogger/press portion of the day ended with a conversation. It was great to have the opportunity to connect with the brand and really discuss what inspires us, what we're looking for, what issues we have, and so on... Six o'clock came before we knew it and it was time for the pop-up shop to open. The line to get in wrapped around the building and the non-stop buzz once inside were clear indicators of just how excited the fat community can get when included!

It was fantastic to finally have a hands-on experience with all of the new items ModCloth will be carrying. Part of the reason I'm so hesitant with online shopping is simply because fit is always an issue, though ModCloth knows what they're doing and have completely revamped basically everything in their plus size range. To read more about the whole thing, be sure to read about it on ModCloth's blog!

ModCloth was also kind enough to provide an outfit for the event. I wore their Frills That Thrill Dress, Pretty Possibilities Wedges and Know Every Triangle Necklace (which is sadly out of stock at the moment), my own Kate Spade earrings, Leslie Danzis bracelet and R+J clutch.

ETA: Erin of ZeroStyleBlog.com took this photo where I actually smiled!

The Makeup Show Chicago

Last Sunday and Monday I had the pleasure of attending The Makeup Show Chicago. If you don't know what that is, it's an exclusive pro-only makeup show and expo that offers seminars by industry professionals, keynotes by amazing industry leaders and lots of amazing savings by top makeup and skincare vendors.

Thanks to Patrice of Afrobella (you should know who she is, duh!), I was able to get in. She delivered a keynote along with Luvvie from Awesomely Luvvie and Nils from Beautylish about social media in beauty, and was able to extend the invitation to her readers. To say I had an amazing time is an understatement. I learned so much in such a short period of time and felt so lucky to be in attendance.

I was able to meet Reggie Wells, Eve Pearl, Maurice Stein, James Vincent, and Merrell Hollis! Amidst all of my excitement, I managed to only take photos of people and not with people, but that's ok. You guys believe me, right?


Merrell Hollis was a joy to be around. He was so fun and informative, and his keynote was fantastic. The room had over 20 people waiting half an hour before it even started. The model transformed before our eyes while he explained his process and shared tidbits from the Wendy Williams show.


I quietly snuck into the tail end of Phuong Tran of NARS' seminar where she created a beautiful smokey eye look. She totally sold me on The Multiple.


MAC's Victor Cembellin led an awesome demonstration on taking an artistic approach to makeup application. His model started out with a very Victorian and glittery blank slate. She then became a sad harlequin, and next, donned a galaxy inspired face using layers (and layers) of MAC's acrylic makeup paint and tons of glitter.


Look at how mesmerized we all were! The final look was a patchwork piece I had to skip out on early because I had to run to Eve Pearl's keynote on building a brand.


I did way more than my fair share of shopping, of course. Now, I'm not normally one for hauls because I don't want to be all ~braggy~ but I absolutely have to share all of my new goodies.


I picked up a few brushes from Bdellium Tools, a palette from NARS, gorgeous glitter from Eye Kandy Cosmetics, a combo brow and eye kit from Anastasia Beverly Hills, the ever famous Embryolisse Hydra-Masque and Lait-Crème Concentrè, a concealer palette and travel size trio of brush cleaner and setting sprays from Cinema Secrets (plus free makeup sponges because the powder puffs sold out), Lip Tars from OCC, a bunch of blush and lip gloss from Auraline Beauty, Strobe Liquid from MAC, and a metal mixing palette... I KNOW.

Let me know if you'd like me to review anything. I will gladly blog about it for you!

Elegance for All Pop-Up Shop by ModCloth

ModCloth has invited me to a presentation and discussion for media/bloggers about their new plus-size collection, and afterward, a pop-up shop! In typical 'me' fashion, I'm a little late to post about this, but, there are still 3+ weeks before the event so keep reading...


You're invited! If you're able to make it, you should totally come because I'm super excited to meet you in NYC! You can visit the event's Facebook page or RSVP here. Chances are you'll end up meeting some of my family, too, because I'll be staying with them and I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving!