how to

Shift Dress Two Different Ways

Published on March 7, 2017March 14, 2017 by PeculiarPorter21 Comments

Hello darling! I hope your day is filled with sunshine and happiness! Well.. if it’s not hopefully I can throw some sun from this post at you. Two weeks ago, two of my friends and I decided to venture down south to good ole Fort Lauderdale. Our vacation was filled with sunshine, happy hours, and sandy beaches. What better way to spend spring break?

We were caught in the rain one day, which is why I am wearing jeans. Originally, I was going to photograph this outfit with this adorable “tank top” as a dress. I know, wild! This adorable “top” is actually a shift dress from Marshall’s. I absolutely adore this little triangle cut out and the way the straps fit. It is definitely a unique fit paired with this adorable burnt orange floral pattern. I’m obsessed with burnt orange lately I don’t know what is wrong with me! Every time I see it in the store I always want to get it. So when you’re packing for a trip, I highly recommend packing a shift dress and high waisted jeans because it is so easy to transform at outfit if the weather is acting up. It definitely came in handy when I was in Florida!

Shift dresses have definitely become one of my go to pieces because they’re so easy to transform by layering. You can tie a belt, throw a poncho on, throw jeans on, a big sweater… you name it you can do it. I cannot stop buying these adorable dresses because I love wearing the death out of them. Plus, with the right accessories they’re perfect for any body type. What is to not like about them?

My biggest tip? Buy funky patterns and the basic colors. Simple colors, bold colors, and funky patterns. They’re a great way to layer with a basic shirt or sweater. Just make sure that the dress is about two inches longer than you think you want it because if you end up putting a shirt or belt on top of the dress sometimes it ends up making the dress ride up… Something I don’t think anyone wants to happen!

Are you headed anywhere warm this spring or are you trying to book as much snowboarding hours as you can get? Are you obsessed with shift dresses like me? Let me know in the comments down below.

As always,

Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Facebook

How to Style a Mock Turtle Neck Shirt

Published on January 31, 2017February 13, 2017 by PeculiarPorter12 Comments

Hello darling! I’m going to let you in a little secret… when I was really little, I told my mother I would never wear a turtle neck. Hi, Mom! Don’t worry, back then I thought lime green look oh-so-fabulous with metallic gold. So yes, today I break a few rules and hopefully never revert to my old ways. And trust me, I can hear my mother’s voice in my ears bragging, “I told you so.”

This incredibly brilliant mock turtleneck is from the wonderful American Eagle… come to think of it so is my cardigan and jeans. Yes, it is no secret that American Eagle gives me life. You could easily pair this shirt by itself because of it’s rich detailing. However, I wanted to add a little bit more attention to this outfit and throw on a big statement necklace and a speckled cardigan. Bam!

Fun fact: the Porter family used to own two turtles at one point (I’m thinking about this because of the turtleneck sweater). We actually had a few animals growing up now that I think about it… 5 guinea pigs (I had two and then my older brother got jealous so he had to get two. Mine were incredibly fat… think butternut squash and Andrew’s were incredibly small… think small baked potato), 4 dogs, one common goldfish (I won it at a fair and it lived for 7 years), two turtles, one gecko, 2 hamsters, and many koi fish. The animals were spaced out over time but still, that is a significant amount of animals. Do you think that is a lot?

If I wanted to wear this mock turtle neck for Valentine’s day, I would definitely pair it with more daintier jewelry and a maroon/soft pink cardigan. The reason I picked this more in-your-face necklace is because it paired so nicely with the speckled cardigan and black knee high boots. Plus, it really is an interesting combination when the edgy necklace is paired with dainty lace.

Have you ever told your mom you’re never going to wear something when you were little? Who was right? Would you wear a mock turtle neck? Let me know in the comments down below.

As always,

Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Facebook

P.S. If you ever come to Troy, New York you’ll have to visit the Louis Rubin Memorial Approach. It’s located right next to RPI and you get this amazing view.

In a Holidaze (How To Stay Warm)

Published on December 20, 2016December 20, 2016 by PeculiarPorter5 Comments

Hello darling! Is the holiday season getting to you? If you’re anything like me then you’ve been belting out Christmas songs as soon as Thanksgiving ended. My favorite Christmas songs to sing are All I Want for Christmas is You and Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. Let me know what your favorite Christmas song is!

If you haven’t seen my last two posts on christmas gifts check out the ultimate gift guide for girls or my post on gifts that help out people.

I decided to follow the Christmas cheer with this warm outfit. Whenever it is this cold out throw on a thick jacket, a pair of gloves, and a nice giant scarf. My jacket is from Zara last year, scarf is from a market in Italy, and my gloves were $5 at Walmart.

As for my shoes, they’re a Sperry brand were only sold at J.Crew two winters ago. They continue to keep my feet incredibly warm and allow me to kick snow in the air.

Since it has been freezing the past couple of days, I wanted to create an outfit for you guys that can withstand the brutal cold. I did that by layering a flannel under this thick sweater. Surprisingly, this adorable “ugly” sweater is from Abercrombie and Fitch. I’m a huge sucker for penguins and this guy was no exception. I love how the sleeves have this adorable black Christmas pattern. It is a unique addition to this warm sweater. I do admit the sleeves are incredibly long for some reason so I normally just cuff them like I did in the pictures. To match this fat penguin, I even have matching red penguin socks from J.Crew on! You can find them in stores currently.

As for the jewelry, I decided to opt for the Christmas spirit even more and throw on some Christmas bows. You can find these kind of earrings everywhere like Target, Francesca’s, or Charming Charlie, but I got mine for $3 at Walmart…. oh the things you’ll find when you’re looking for an ugly Christmas sweater. I do wish they sat more on my actual ear instead of off them, but I have to admit they’re adorable. I’ve actually ben wearing them quite frequently. Kate Spade is currently selling a smaller pair that do sit on your ears.

So my cold weather advice to you: layer, layer, layer. Throw button down shirts under sweaters as much as you can. If you’re going to be outside for very long maybe invest in thermal leggings and put them under your pants. When I know I’m going to be outside for a long period of time I wear tights or leggings under my pants. Sometimes I even carry around hand warms if I know I’m going to outside for a long time.

Let me know your advice to stay warm. I definitley need some more ideas in January when its below negative weather. Don’t forget to tell me your favorite Christmas song in the comments down below!

As always,

Jogging my memory

Published on February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 by PeculiarPorter3 Comments

Hello darlings! Have you received or bought an item of clothing and thought “how the heck do I style this?” If you haven’t… you might just be a style queen. But if you’re like me than you’ve had this moment. Usually stalking Pinterest is the next step or just fumbling though your closet.

I received this pair of joggers for Christmas. I was immediately bewildered to how I would style these incredibly comfy pants. I’m really not someone who wears sweatpants that often. Wearing leggings isn’t something I do often… only to the gym and occasionally the weekend. But I didn’t give up. I had to figure out how I could wear these joggers.

I ended up styling them with a white shirt that I may or may not have shrunk in the wash and a flannel peaking out underneath it. The flannel not only looks chic, but it keeps me warm. A win-win if you ask me. Since the outfit still needed something, I decided to put this necklace on underneath the collar of the flannel. It makes the outfit a little bit more preppy, but sometimes you need to explore other styles!

After figuring out how to style joggers, I do recommend getting them! I never thought I would recommend a type of sweatpant but these things are extremely comfortable. These particular ones are from Abercrombie and Fitch. They have a lot of different selections if you want to check them out.

My coat if from Zara, both of my shirts are from H&M, my necklace is from J.Crew, and my shoes are also from J.Crew.

Sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. I’m going to be creating a few more looks with these jogger pants. I want to figure out how to style things I’m not that comfortable with. It’s always nice getting a new piece and figuring out how you can make it work in your wardrobe. Add a little spice to your life!

Have you ever had a piece of clothing that you thought “how am I ever going to wear this?” Let me know if I’m not the only one in the comments.

As always,

How to Get Your Best Summer Skin

Published on June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 by PeculiarPorter3 Comments

Hello lovely people! Thanks for stopping by. Today I felt like sharing my skin care routine… well obviously you already know that because you already read the title.

I love St. Ives. I’ve always been a huge fan of this company. I originally started off with an orange one and within time I branched out and tried more of their products. One of my favorite parts of this brand is that they consider themselves as a natural exfoliants so their products are natural. On the back of each product they actually rate how much of an exfoliation it is. The three products I have are all moderate except for the oatmeal one which is gentle.

Green Tea Scrub. I’m currently using this scrub. Like all these scrubs they’re not too harsh on your skin. They’re very light and gentle. This one is supposed to just clear your blackheads and calm redness in your skin. It also has salicylic acne medication so if you’re looking for acne reducer this one is great.
Pink lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub. If you’re in the store and you need a scrub just smell that one and you’ll be sold. I think this one is a little bit more harsher because it is supposed to make your skin even and bright.
Oatmeal Scrub and Mask. This one is a little bit interesting because you can use it as a scrub and a mask. If you want to use it as a scrub you just use it normally but if you want to wear it as a mask you just put it on for 5-7 minutes. I think that is a very unique and different kind of face scrub because you can use it two different ways.

Equate Beauty Blemish Control Apricot Scrub. This is a just like the St. Ives brand but not as good.

When I have time, I love putting on a mask. It’s so relaxing. I love the freeman products you can find them at CVS and they usually have a sale like buy one get one half off.

Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask. This mask is meant to deep clean and purify pores. I typically have combination skin which means I basically get oily in my T-zone and dry else where. I really like how my face feels after I use this product but during the process your face gets tight, feels very dry, and is uncomfortable. Not the relaxing vibe a get. However, I continue to use it because, like I said, your face feels like a baby’s butt afterword.
Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask. Different from the clay mask, I love the way this feels on my skin. It slightly warms up on your skin and you get to basically massage your face with the scrub. Obviously I love scrubs from the picture above, but this is the holly grail of face masks. I can honestly say that I feel purified after I do this mask. I feel all the make up, dirt, pollution, etc escape from my face. On the back it says, “Naturally purifying activated charcoal helps absorb oil and impurities without over-drying. Then, Black Sugar helps exfoliate away dulling skin cells for softness and clarity.” I feel exactly that.

Clearasil Daily Clear Hydra-Blast Pads. I typically put this on before I go to bed. It helps get the extra oil from out of my skin. Whenever I’m breaking out I make sure I dab this onto the area.
Burt’s Bees Radiance Serum. I recently found this product and I really like it. There is a little dropper in the bottle and you put 3-4 drops in your hand. I rub my hands together and then rub it all over my face before I put my make up on. It’s a very soft and lightweight lotion.

Clean and Clear Morning Burst Skin Brightening facial cleanser. I love the smell of this so much! It takes the oil off your face without drying it out.

Gold Bond Ultimate Softening with Shea Butter. I put this on every night on my eye lids. Not really a reason why but I always do it.

Not pictured:

Clearasil Daily Clear Acne Treatment Cream. I talked about this product in this post. I always wear it every morning. If you get shinny after you wash your face I highly recommend this product.
Clinique Take the Day off makeup remover. Some of my makeup is hard to take off and this really helps. It also seem to make my skin a lot softer. I talk more about this product in this post.

P.S. don’t forget to wear sunscreen and drink a lot of water!

When I was taking these pictures this cute little garden snake came out. Sorry for the poor quality picture I was trying really hard not to scare him!

Join the discussion: What are your favorite skin care products?

As always,

Define Your Style

Published on June 18, 2015August 7, 2015 by PeculiarPorter4 Comments

I was once told that trends may come and go but your style will last a lifetime. This means that basically whatever your personality is make sure that it is shown through your style.

There are a lot of different styles… you may even be a mix of all of these styles. I’m going to show you a few different styles from my favorite fashion pictures that I have collected over the time. All of these pictures are found on Pinterest. If you search the words in bold they come up pretty easily if you’re curious.

Romantic.

This style is typically lightweight clothes made out of lace, chiffon, or silk. Colors are pastel such as lavender, light pink, aqua, and mint green. People who have a romantic style typically wear delicate jewelry such as thin chains, delicate rings, and/or pearls. The clothes are often not tight and loose. This is somewhat similar to bohemian style except the color and texture difference. If the clothes are tight they typically show off the waist.

Bohemian.

This kind of style is typically very laid back with earth tones. People with this style typically wear shift dresses and play with a lot of different lengths of necklaces. This style has come more and more into fashion as of recently. I particular love this because of the different shift dresses. These dresses seem to make your legs look miles long and make you seem carefree and easy to talk to.

Preppy.

This is kind of the complete opposite of bohemian. People who wear this style typically have their clothes tailored to fit perfectly. You’ll see a lot J. Crew and blazers in their wardrobe and a lot of bright colors and big statement jewelry. They typically wear high heels or flats. You see this style a lot in New England.

Classic.

This isn’t really a style most people are aware of. I think its probably just a type of style I made up in my head. However, I typically categorize classic outfits with pieces that are nice and clean. Items such as a trench coat, a nice pair of flats, plain t-shirts, and a nice pair of jeans. It is very, very similar to preppy except the outfits are more muted and look more effortless.

Military.

This is more of a new trend than a style. However, I find more and more people wearing this type of outfit. It’s pretty much putting an army type style clothing piece and working around it. That might be an army jacket, army pants, or army jeans. To be honest, I just love the olive/army green color and hope this stays in style for a very long time.

Trendy/Street Style.

When I think of loud patterns and risky clothing pieces (like wearing a button down shirt as a dress), I think of being trendy or a street style type of outfit. People who wear these types of outfits somehow make the craziest patterns work together and look so cool. I applaud you.

Casual.

I ~~want~~ need to know your secret. People in this category throw something on and look so effortlessly cool. Literally, they just put a shirt on and a flannel on their waist and look so chic.

Here we have edgy mixing with romantic, military mixing with preppy and trendy, and romantic mixing with preppy and edgy. This is me showing that you can have fun with different styles! Don’t feel obligated to only wear one type of style. Experiment! You can go from bohemian, to preppy, to casual, to classic… who cares! Your style can honestly be anything. Whatever your mood is make sure you dress it accordingly. Fashion is an outward expression of how you feel and how you carry yourself. It’s up to you how you dress and carry yourself.

How will you dress the mannequin?

As always,

Lavender Luxury

Published on June 16, 2015June 16, 2015 by PeculiarPorter4 Comments

Hello darlings! If you saw my Sunday post you would see that I went to the mansions in Rhode Island. If you haven’t see that post already of the lovely mansions click on me. I wore a lovely lavender dress from Tobi and tied a gold sparkled white tank top from American Eagle. I love this dress so much. You can easily wear it up or down. I wore it casually by tying the tank top over the dress and paring it with flats. You could easily wear this as a dressier dress by adding statement jewelry and heels. It’s also one of my favorite dresses because lavender is one of my favorite colors. Win win. Triangle braclet: J.Crew Yarn bracelet: Made by yours truly. Sparkly bracelet: I found this in a random ally when I went to Germany. Obviously, I had to feel the nice warm breeze.

Join the discussion: How do you make a dress more casual?

As always,