Bedazzles After Dark Guest Post!

Hi friends! 
Just wanted to take a minute to check in with you all. I have been busy (what else is new?) and have been a little uninspired. I haven't felt like blogging much at all. :( I wanted to share the post that I wrote for my friend, Nikki, over at Bedazzles after Dark last Friday. She and I connected via Twitter and found that we had a lot in common. I love her style and hope that you will check her out! I am excited to show you all the basic Photoshop skills I picked up. I can FINALLY make a collage. Woot! Woot! 


Hopefully I will get some inspiration and an outfit post up soon!

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Hey Bedazzles after Dark readers! I am Mandy and I blog over at in the Fashion Lane. My blog focuses on my personal style evolution, styling tips and tricks and more recently, my Fitness journey. I hope you all will stop by and say HI! 

 I am so excited to be blogging for Nikki while she is on vacay! Since she is off starting the Summer off right, I thought I would share my 'Summer Uniform' with you all. 

I was born and raised in Southern California and I live in cut offs and sandals 90% of the Summer. Being a personal style blogger that outfit gets old really quickly. So I have been challenging myself to really sass up my look. I have been known to drop $$$ when needed, usually on handbags and shoes, but I am definitely more budget conscious these days. One rule that I always follow is to not spend a lot on trend pieces since trends are fleeting. A couple trends that we have seen are colored denim and color blocking. I found some cheap clothing items to create trendy looks.

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I fell in MAJOR love with these cut offs. They come in 8 bold colors and I had to stop myself at only buying two.

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 Chambray tops have been spotted everywhere! I own a couple long sleeve versions, a short sleeve version and now a sleeveless version. This top virtually goes with EVERYTHING! I have been obsessed with Tangerine and the second blouse is a great top that can be dressed up or down. The last top, yes I picked a long sleeve option, is bold and stands out in my plaid collection. I LOVE plaid. Having a long sleeve top is nice for cool nights on the beach or to cover up when you get to much sun!

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The Sam Edelman 'Gigi' is my go to sandal. I have bought a pair for the last three years. They are comfy and come in so many fun colors!

Trend Outfit One: Chambray and Animal print

One of my favorite pairings is wearing a chambray top and leopard shoes. I love that the purple shorts are bright enough to make a statement but complement the blue chambray and looks great with leopard. I own this exact sandal and I have not been able to find something they don't go with. Definitely my most worn pair.

Trend Outfit Two: Tonal Color Blocking

If you are brave enough to wear Tangerine Tango than why not color block your look. The top is bright and looks awesome paired with a more subtle cantaloupe colored shorts. I love that the sandals are color blocked as well. The saddle brown is the most versatile brown you can own and looks good on the majority of skin types. The coral piece matches the shorts perfectly. 

Trend Outfit Three: Preppy Chic

This look screams J. Crew to me without the price tag. The shirt is gorgeous in a myriad of colors. I love the turquoise shorts and the sandals pick up and complement all of the bright colors.

***All of these looks would look great with a colored earring like the Kendra Scott 'Danielle' (it comes in 30+ colors), an arm party with lots of gold bangles including these linked CC Skye pair, and an over-sized watch like my go to Michael Kors Runway.

I hope that you all find something that you liked! Make sure and challenge yourself to sass up your Summer Uniform and try something different. Don't shy away from the trends, make them work for you!