a fashion update and some friendly advice.

Lately I have been slightly obsessed with pattern mixing. I just recently figured out how to make it work for me and now I can't stop.

If you follow me on instagram you have seen a few examples such as these:

On Wednesday my family went out for my brother in-laws birthday. 

I put my pattern power to good use. 

my pants are from old navy and my shoes are steve madden. 

I have seen some good and bad pattern mixing, so I decided I would share some tips to help you look trendy and not tacky. 

1. Do not mix too many patterns. 2 is plenty. You can sometimes get away with three if one is an accessory. 

2. One bold pattern MAX. multiple subtle patterns are good. one bold and one subtle is good. multiple bolds are not good. 

3. Pick a statement piece in your outfit and work around it. 

4. You don't want 2 identical patterns. double strips and dots are ok, but have them contrast in size or color. 

5. Easiest way to start...pick one item (leopard flats) and use it over and over. 

BONUS:

Simple, speedy hair tutorial.

You may have noticed my fishtale wave label in my OTD picture...

I tend to curl my hair many different ways, but this one is one of the easiest for loose natural waves. 

I had to work all morning and knew I would not have much time to get ready for dinner. 

I wore my hair in a fish tale braid to work and when I was getting ready I took the braid out and touched up a few pieces with my wand. 

You can also get this look by wearing your fish tale to bed and taking it out in the morning. 

Make sure your hair is dry or almost dry when you braid it. You may also want to spray your hair with dry shampoo or some curling gel before you braid it. 

Curl straight pieces that may have fallen out of the braid and pieces around your face. 

Hair spray and you're done!