The Positivity Challenge!

Here's a video I made to help motivate myself to stay positive and hopefully it will inspire you too! Have a fabulous day and subscribe to my channel so you don't miss any videos!

XO, Lauren

Meeting Bethany Mota

Today I met Bethany Mota at her first stop in the "Motavatour" to launch her spring clothing line at Aeropostale!!! It was amazing and such a dream come true! I waited in line for about four hours just to see her. It was major craziness as you can see from the pictures! But... It was totally worth it because she was so nice and I got lots of pictures! AND they gave me two free shirts and a poster! In addition, since her spring collection just launched today, I bought a pair of high waisted shorts and a crop top with comic book stylized lips on it! I wanted to buy everything, but I only had a certain amount of money set to spend (working on saving my money). Looking at the experience as a whole, I definitely think it's one of the craziest things I've done, but it really was worth it. It helped motivate me to work towards where she is because I want to start my own clothing line and inspire others! Check out the other pieces in her spring 2014 collection at www.aeropostale.com/bethanymota

Have a fabulous day!!!

XO, Lauren

Fashion Is Me

"I don't dress for you,

                 I dress for myself.

                              Fashion is not for impressing.

                                           It is for expressing.

                                                     When I put on these clothes,

                                                               I can be me.

                                                                     Fashion makes me feel free."

                                                                              -Lauren Banawa

Insta Beach

I think the beach is one of my biggest inspirations. It's so beautiful and calming, and it makes me so happy. I took a few pictures on my last visit to the beach and I thought they looked pretty cool with these vintage filters on them! Just thought I would share some of my inspiration with you guys :) Have a creative and happy day!

Question of the day: What inspires you?

XO, Lauren

New Years Resolutions

Happy New Years! 2013 has definitely been an amazing year! I have experienced so much and I definitely feel that I have changed, but in a good way :)  I am ready to start new and begin 2014! Anyways, writing resolutions are always a must for me. It helps me stay motivated and gives me an outlet to express my positivity. Last year, surprisingly, I actually accomplished and followed through with all of my resolutions, so now I am looking forward to continuing those I have down and also adding new ones! In this post I will be revealing some of my resolutions, and also providing tips to create your own! Oh and lets just throw an outfit of the day in there too! :)

  

Okay, down to business... here are some of my new years resolutions for 2014:

1.) No procrastination allowed, especially on school work!

2.) Stop useless spending (buying chips, candy, clothes you will never wear, etc.)

3.) Don't get so stressed, be more relaxed (not lazy though)

4.) Keep everything clean and organized (room, backpack, phone, etc.)

*Now, here's some tips for making your own and sticking with them!

1.) Think of attainable goals. Things that are not too over the top. I'm not discouraging you to dream big, but to decrease the risk of disappointment if you don't accomplish your goal, think about things that are more likely to happen than winning the lottery. Just be realistic.

2.) Think of things that you are already doing "right" and work to continue those.

3.) Think about the problems you had last year and possible solutions for those problems. (Ex. If it takes you forever to do your homework, maybe you should put away your phone or turn off the TV while you work.)

4.) After you think of all your resolutions, write them down in some place visible so that you can see them every day. This will remind you of your goals and help motivate you to go out and accomplish them!

5.) It's okay to change your goals/ resolutions after you've come up with them. Life happens and you just have to go with it.

I hope you found this post useful! Happy New Years again! I know you all can accomplish your resolutions! Let's make 2014 the best year yet! Now go spread your fabulous positivity with the world and have a productive day!

XO, Lauren

Africa Inspired

  

Outfit Details: top and skirt (TJMaxx), necklace (Forever 21), sandals (DSW)

XO, Lauren

Christmas Inspired

I've been feeling a little festive lately, so I decided to put together a Christmas inspired outfit! I wanted it to look holiday-ish while still being fashionable, and here's what I came up with:

Outfit Details: red and white striped drop-waist dress (Target), army green utility jacket (JCPenny's), black combat boots (Target), red bow (I made it!)

Hope you liked this winter outfit! Only a few more days until Christmas! Is anyone else as excited as I am? haha

XO, Lauren

Fashion Helping The World

I recently purchased a couple of accessories that were really inspiring. Not because of how they looked, but because of their purpose. The first item I purchased was this cute shoulder/ cross body bag that doubles as a mini tote. In addition to looking cute, it actually provides 20 meals to starving children and families in America! That's amazing! And the founder has the same first name as me so I thought that was pretty cool too!

This bag is sold at Target along with the rest of the FEED collection! You can check out the collection here: http://www.target.com/c/feed-usa/-/N-55tua#?lnk=feedSS

And you can find out more about FEED here: http://www.feedprojects.com/

My second purchase was this beautiful beaded bracelet that gives women in Nepal a source of income to provide for their families. It is handmade and I just love the pattern so much!

I got it from this church gift shop when I went on vacation and the company is Alexa's Angels. Here's the website: http://www.alexas-angels.com/consumer/

I'm not sure if they sell these online though, but you can still check it out!

Anyways, I just love the idea of fashion helping the world. When I have my own company and my own fashion line, that's what I want to be like. I want to help others in need while fulfilling my dreams! I hope you enjoyed this post and don't forget to check out the links because it's really inspiring!

XO, Lauren

A Day at the Café

I love little cafés! They always smell good and they have really tasty food. I also love the way they are set up. I recently went to this Italian café, and the moment I walked in, I said "I have to have a photoshoot!"

So right when I walk in, I see these giant tubs of Nutella... Oh. My. Gosh... I wanted to just buy the whole thing.

 

And then there was gelato!!

 

All of the flavors looked so yummy!!! It was also kinda inspiring because of all the colors and the swirls.

 Ok so after browsing the gelato, I ordered lunch and I had this panini with mozzarella, basil and tomato. It was so delicious that I ate it in about three minutes. Plus, I wanted to get dessert already!

I decided to get coconut gelato as my after lunch treat. It was perfect and not too sweet! The flavor was so light and simple, I could have eaten two more cups, but... I don't think that would be very healthy haha!

So here's my outfit!

 I am wearing a black and white graphic peplum top from Target, black sunglasses from Aeropostale, silver feather earrings from Charming Charlie, and silver beaded shoes from Target. I love peplum tops because they are so flattering and they look good on pretty much everyone. I didn't wear many accessories because I wanted the shirt to be the focus of the outfit and it was already a busy pattern.

When I was sitting outside, I was thinking about what it's like to actually be in Italy or Paris at a cute little café. That would be so fun! Don't you think? Well, I hope you enjoyed this post and have a fabulous day! Comment below what you think! I love to hear from you all!

XO, Lauren

By The Water

I love the water! It is so beautiful, especially in the morning and evening! For today's outfit, I am wearing a coral anchor shirt that I made. The denim shorts are from Target, and the white peace sign sandals are from American Eagle. For my accessories, I am wearing beaded bracelets made by me, earrings that my mom got from the Philippines, and floral sunglasses from Charming Charlie's. This ensemble is perfect for summer and a day by the water. The shirt is colorful and loose so you can still feel the ocean breeze. The shirt also brings out the coral flowers in the sunglasses!

I hope you enjoyed this summer inspired look. Remember that you can always recreate this outfit and any outfit I post using your own clothes. Don't forget to give it a twist of your own style too!

Have a fabulous day!

XO, Lauren

One Shirt, Four Looks, and a Trampoline

I'm addicted to shopping. Unfortunately, I don't always have the money to buy all of those fabulous clothes, so I began to think of different ways to wear the clothes I already have. I started with the basic white tee shirt and came up with some really cute and simple combinations!

For the first outfit, I am wearing my white tee shirt (Hollister), a pair of jeans (Abercrombie), and two long, dangly necklaces (Charming Charlie and American Eagle). I love this because it is so simple but it still looks put together. You can even switch out the normal jeans for some cute colored or patterned ones! For shoes, you can pretty much wear any kind.

For the second outfit, I am wearing the tee shirt with a pair of flowy shorts that I made. I also have on a brown, wide belt (Target) and a long necklace with a leopard charm on it that I made. This outfit is cute for a spring/ summer day! I suggest wearing sandals to complete the summery look, and maybe some pretty wedges!

For the third look, I am wearing the tee shirt with a lace high low skirt (Charlotte Russe) and a tribal looking bib necklace (Charming Charlie). This look would be perfect for those days when you don't have time to put together an outfit, and you're looking for something dressy. Wear some simple sandals with this outfit so you don't overpower the skirt.

Finally, for the last look, I paired the tee shirt with a black, fitted leather jacket (Aeropostale) and some tribal patterned, high waisted shorts (Charlotte Russe). This outfit is fun and super simple, just like the other looks! Nice for a night out during the summer.

I hope you liked these outfits! You can recreate them with your own clothes and even mix them up a little! (The leather jacket would look great with any of the other looks!) Anyways, just remember... you don't have to go shopping to find new outfits. Just find new combinations from old clothes! Be creative!

XO, Lauren