Tha Gabulous Lyfe

Hello, Dolls Today, I'm introducing a new blog series of outfit of the days...work edition! I had no intentions of chronicling my work outfits; but, I've had a few coworkers who have been asking me to. My style at work is usually simple, but chic. I like to dress for comfort, and most of my outfits are for the every day woman. Occasionally, I like to go all out at work; but, most days, I'm simple-chic. Dusters and cardigans are one of my favorite pieces to wear to pull an otherwise, basic, ordinary outfit together, and to add a splash of color. On this day, I chose to wear a leopard skirt, and a simple top. To keep the outfit casual chic, and to add color, I added the nude long duster. Outfit deets at the bottom! What I'm Wearing: -Nude Duster: Lilly's Kloset -Leopard Skirt: Rainbow Clothing -Cami: Fashion to Figure -Gold Flats: Payless -Necklace: Fashion to Figure

Today's style feature is dedicated to our male readers! Mr.  Zach Jones , our guest style feature and style enthusiast, will take you through his closet and share some of his latest outfits that he's curated.  He is also gracing us with some of his style gems for our male readers, and for the ladies who are looking for style ideas for the men in their life! Read on to find out more about Zach, and the inspiration behind his style. About Zach & His Style Inspiration... " Born and Raised in the DMV the Fall/Winter means a lot of things, style wise, to me. Having seen some of the roughest and coldest winters around this time of year means layers, boots, and more. In so many words, being fashionably warm. My inspiration flows from hip hop culture and the backdrop that is the DMV. Earth tone colors, such as, green, brown, reds, and oranges are a necessary part of attire. You can never go wrong with your neutral colors like grey and black. I like to start all my ense...

Hello, Dolls! Every now and then I get really, really dressed up, it's not often though. I attended my first formal gala last month. I was so hesitant to wear this dress because I wanted to lose a good 15 lbs before wearing it; many of my friends told me to just wear it and forget about my weight. So, that's what I did, right after I put on my Spanx :-)The entire outfit was under $40! The dress I got on sale, for less than $30, the shoes and necklace were gifted to me. The rest of the jewelry was under $10.  Outfit deets below! What I'm Wearing  -Dress: Fashion to Figure -Heels: gifted, from Payless shoes -Jewelry: Body Central and Rainbow Shops To never miss a post, subscribe at the top! Be sure to follow on Instagram @thagabulouslyfe for more content!

Reading books is a part of my self care routine. Reading is a way that I mentally escape from life, worries, deadlines, and anxieties, so that I can unplug, regroup, and dive into a good book! I especially love fiction and a good mystery! As of late, I have been enjoying, women's empowerment, self care, and inspirational books. Today, I will do a brief review on one of my latest book discoveries, Dear Sisterfriend: Letters that Inspire, Uplift and light a Fire in Young Women of Color . About the Author(s) Dear Sisterfriend is written by Aisha Herring, Bria Booker, Brittni Oliver, Jennifer Jones, and Tyra Whitson. These five ladies form the women's empowerment organization, The Strength of She, LLC.   The SHE in The Strength of SHE stands for Success, Humility and Empowerment; they are the three core beliefs, along with self care, that the Strength of She focuses on to empower women; particularly women of color. Synopsis Dear Sisterfriend is a collection of pers...

Hello, Dolls! As you probably already know by now that Mac released an Aaliyah collection in the summer. I, for one, was elated! I have been an Aaliyah fan since I was young. I've always loved her music! I was enamored with her style- which was edgy and fly. Her style was the personification of tomboy chic, but she was always a lady. Her untimely death was shocking and hurtful to say the least. Nevertheless, I'm still an Aaliyah fan, and her music is always on rotation in my car and Ipod.  When I first heard rumors of there being a petition for Mac to create a  makeup collection for her, I was skeptical; but, after doing research, I found out that it was legit. I signed that petition back in 2016, (which reached over 26,000 signatures) and finally I heard news of the upcoming collection! Seeing that I'm a big Mac and Aaliyah fan, purchasing from this collection was a must! I knew before seeing it that I wanted to get everything; but, my bank account...

Hello, Dolls Autumn is my favorite time of the year! To me, it's the most beautiful season! I love the coziness of  autumn, the warmth of a cozy sweater, the leaves turning into the most beautiful colors, apple cider, coloring in my autumn adult coloring book, and every single pumpkin spice latte and frappuccino that I can taste! I was scrolling through Instagram, and I came across this post. Since I love autumn, and I desperately need to reignite my self care routine, I thought this would be a great challenge to try. My definition of self care is the simple, continuous act of taking care of your needs (without feeling selfish or guilty), whether it's physical, mental, and emotional so that you can feel your best, handle the every day demands of life, and take care of the things you need to do. Think of the saying, "you can't pour from an empty cup". If your cup is running low or empty, it will be very hard (if possible) for you to function, much less take c...

Hello, Dolls The limited edition Girl with Curves x Lane Bryant collection was released last month! Tanesha Awasthi, better known as  Girl With Curves , is a fellow beauty, style and lifestyle blogger that I have been following for years. She announced a few months ago that she was releasing a limited edition collection with Lane Bryant, and I couldn't be more excited for her!!! I have always admired her style, which is fashionable, tasteful and effortless. She features outfits that accentuates her beautiful curves without sacrificing class and modesty.  Her collection is described as " From cozy sweaters and capes elevated by luxe details, expertly pleated skirts, dresses and coats in deep navy and berry tones, floaty blouses and smart layering pieces, to the best fitting jeans you'll ever own, the collection is the perfect blend of classic style infused with a put-together-yet-practical aesthetic."  From the pictures on her  Instagram  profile, I kne...

I'm slowly becoming a foodie, just on the weekends though. During the work week, I pack my lunch; so, when the weekend hits, I allow myself to enjoy the simple luxury of eating out. My weekends are usually busy; so, most of the time, I'm eating on the run. From time to time, I'll share a few of my spots that I eat at, perhaps, they may inspire you to eat there too :-). One of my favorite Mexican spots to get a quick bite to eat is Qdoba ; think Chipotle, but with more menu options. It serves the usual Mexican food; tacos, nachos, burritos, quesadillas, etc. I was there Saturday, I got my pick two combo; the two chicken tacos and queso nachos. My mother got the steak quesadilla. Besides the taste, and variety of menu options, I love their prices because they are what I call a...cheap eat. You can easily get a entree item and drink for $10 or less! Do you have a fave cheap eat? Share them below!

Hello, Dolls Here's my latest outfit of the day for the workplace! I'm wearing the Textured Stripe High-Low Dress from Forever 21 ! I wanted some dresses for work that allow me to remain professional, but, at the same time, I wanted them to be comfortable, stylish, wash and wear, and inexpensive. Forever 21 is always my go-to place for all of the above. I loved this dress when I saw it, I bought it in wine and in black. The great thing is the entire outfit was under $25! The dress was originally $26, but I got it for $13, and the wedge shoes were on sale for $7! They both were a steal! Outfit deets at the bottom! What I'm wearing: -Textured Stripe High-Low Dress: Forever 21 -Taupe Wedges: Rainbow Clothing -Lipstick: Bawse Lady by the Lip Bar To never miss a post from me, hit "Subscribe" at the top!

Hello, Dolls A lady always needs a red lip in her makeup bag, always! Contrary to what some think, there is a red shade for everyone, you just have to find the right shade and intensity. Not only are red lips alluring, they are classic. Red is becoming my signature shade. I have several red lippies in my collection, my latest shade is Bawse Lady liquid matte by The Lip Bar . I found out about The Lip Bar on Instagram . I saw an Insta Story of a model wearing it, it looked so gorgeous on her! After it being sold out for a while, I finally got my hands on it. Bawse Lady is described as " The best red you'll ever meet. Period." On me, it comes off as a true bordeaux red.   What I like about it is: Long-wearing, longest I've worn it is 10 hours straight. Easy to apply applicator. Non-sticky. Easy to remove, doesn't leave a residue. Costs $13. What I like about The Lip Bar brand is: Variety of lip colors.  The products are vegan and cruelty free....

Hello, Dolls It has been a while since I shared anything about me. It's been 8 years and counting, 225 posts later since I started blogging and a lot has changed! My writing style (thank goodness) has changed, my blog, my personal growth, goals, and even my look has changed! So, allow me to reintroduce myself! Warning: I struggled to write this because I didn't want to sound boring, but here goes! My name is Gabrie'l. I'm a library professional by day, and a lover of the Arts by night! Art and literature have been my first love since I was a child. A box of crayons, a water color paint set, or a book were always included in my fave toys, next to my kitchen set :-). As an adult, my love of Art has carried over into makeup. I started dabbling in makeup in 2008 to improve my own makeup skills, and I fell in love. In 2010, I took formal education to become a makeup artist. Shortly after that, I also created my blog to share my love of makeup, product reviews, m...

An LBD (little black dress) always goes far when it comes to fashion; it also works well in the workplace. It's simple, slimming, and looks good on every one. I ran out of ideas to wear to work last week, so, I decided to wear this LBD. I didn't think this outfit was great at all (neither was I having a good hair day); but, I received so many compliments that I decided to post it. I normally wear this dress with leggings underneath, but, this time I decided to wear it by itself. Outfit deets below! What I'm Wearing: -Black Ruched Crochet dress by Avon -Gray Mary Janes from Payless -Jewelry from Avon  To never miss a post, be sure to hit subscribe at the top right!

Hello, Dolls I hope you all are doing good. I've been doing well, just MIA. What's been going on with me? Just dealing with life's twists and turns, and trying to stay sane :-). I got the chance to go to The Makeup Show  last month! I haven't been in 4 years; so, I was so excited to attend again! I couldn't wait to listen to the seminars, and buy some products that I had been holding off on getting. Pat McGrath station Cover Girl station I learned... Since I rode the bus up, it didn't allow a lot of time to take a lot of seminars. I managed to take two. First, I took How to Achieve Gleaming Skin by Melanie Mills . The second workshop that I took wa s The Insta-Bride: What a Girl Wants  by Megan Gramers. I'll share two new ideas that I learned. 1. I learned that a small amount of   Gleam Body Radiance  can be applied to foundation for glowing skin and a natural looking highlight. She also suggests using Gleam t...