Follow Your Bliss ♥ Love NEVER Fails

Chicks & Kicks

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:30:00 -0700

My days off usually consist of catching up on house chores, spending time with my dog, hanging out with my boyfriend and if I’m lucky, squeezing in a little “me” time. For today, the boyfriend & I had plans to visit “The Getty Center”. It was my first time there and I enjoyed every minute of it. Took over a dozen pictures and overall, enjoyed some much needed quality time with my baby, exploring the exhibits & gardens. So for today’s outfit of the day, I was inspired by “Skater dresses”. I didn’t wear a dress but it definitely looked like it. I wore my new favorite custom made top of me in my favorite Jordans ever…EVER!!! Hope you guys like this little ensemble. Night night lovies. XO-M

-Bubbles Boutique skirt
-Nike Jordan 3
-Black tee from H&M (I got it custom made after with my picture)
-Studded Clutch from Aldo
-F21 Necklace

Bright & Sassy

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:54:28 -0700

As some of you may or may not know, one of the latest trending styles here in the L.A. Fashion District is the garter piece. The most popular ones have been garter leggings. I happen to like them BUT, not for myself because I feel naked… Like my tiny booty is about to pop out. ..But don’t get me wrong, I have loved the way other girls have worn & styled it. Anyway, when I saw this dress, I absolutely liked it because I didn’t feel like I was exposing a lot and the garter piece just gave it that sexy edge. I was even more drawn to the dress because of the color…WOW! Its such a perfect neon pink and I felt like it complimented my skin tone color. So for today’s fit, I was going for a casual, trendy & sexy look. Paired this dress with combat boots & a light black cardigan. Simple. Simple. SIMPLE!
Tip: If you have a similar dress showing off the mid-section of the body, a denim vest would look GREAT! I didn’t wear anything over because today was such a HOT day in L.A. that I kept it cool. Hope you all had a lovely Saturday :) XO-M

-Bubbles Boutique neone pink garter dress
-Charlotte Russe boots

MAXi-nista!!!!

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:27:00 -0700

Every morning before getting ready for work or my day, I always check the weather reports. Lucky me, today was supposed to be the hottest day of this week in L.A….and might I add, IT WAS HOT! So for today’s outfit of the day, I wore this dimmed neon-yellow maxi dress that I love so much. Not only because its extremely comfy but also because the peek-a-boo back is just a SEXY touch. Definitely took home with me a lot of compliments and how could I not? This dress is definitely a sexy piece. Anyway, can’t wait to show you tomorrow OOTD. It’s going to be another HOT piece for a HOT day! :) Blessings. XO-M

-Bubbles Boutique Maxi Dress
-Sandals from K-Mart
-Accessories from F21 or the alleys (I forgot)

Fringe in the City

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:33:00 -0700

This past Saturday, my boyfriend and I went to a family birthday party. Nothing fancy, so I went for a casual but still trendy look…(like I haven’t said that already.) The weather was kind of gloomy BUT mind you, I had work prior to the birthday and well, Saturdays are a busy day for me. Which means that I move and walk around a lot so I tend to be hot. Anyway, keeping in mind that it was still gloomy, I brought with me a poncho-style pullover cardigan because I knew I was going to be cold later on that night. Moving on, my outfit was a little inspired by the Coachella craze that happened over the weekend. If I had been able to go, I would have definitely worn this top, paired with a beautiful print maxi skirt. However, because I was at work in the city and later attended the birthday festivity, I paired this top with simple faded blue jeans and my newest absolutely FAV shoes. I swear, these shoes are FAB! I feel like a million dollars in them and they were beyond inexpensive. Hope you guys like! :P Blessings. XO-M

-Fringe top from Bubbles Boutique
-Washed-out jeans from Bubbles for $8
-Cross necklace from F21
-Leaf necklace from DTLA alleys
-Arm candy from DTLA alleys
-Braided heels “Miss July” from my FAVORITE shoe supplier, LolaShoetique.com

Casual with an Edge

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:01:00 -0700

For today, my boyfriend & I had planned to spend our day in Santa Monica to do some window shopping…and even visit Niketown to iD some shoes. Which, if I may add, are going to be pretty sick! We are both VERY excited for our new babies. We definitely can’t wait to shoot them. But anyway, because Santa Monica tends to be pretty chilly and considering all the walking we were about to do, I wanted to dress comfortably….but still in style. So for today’s outfit of the day, I decided to rock my Jordan 1s that I am beyond MADLY in love with. This is a perfect casual sneaker and the colorway is just BAD! Paired my 1s, with my faux leather pants and a racer-back top. To give it an extra touch & to kind of accessorize, I threw on this skull scarf and brought with me a thin cardigan with faux leather pockets just in case it got chilly, since we were by the beach. Lastly, the pink Casio watch was a lovely, unexpected gift given to me by one of my boyfriends’ co-worker/friend. She was so sweet for that gesture and let me just say, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! The color is SO me! Anyway, hope you all had a very lovely Sunday with your loved ones. XO-M

-Bubbles Faux leather Pocket Cardigan.
-Faux Leather pants found in the Santee Alley.
-Nike Jordan 1s.
-Forever 21 Racerback Tee.
-Bubbles Skull Scarf.
-Gifted Casio watch. (Thanks Valerie! I LOVE IT!!!)

Thrifty Green

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 22:44:25 -0700

When it comes to shopping for clothes, I’m not a picky shopper. I shop wherever my heart desires. H&M, Forever 21, Downtown L.A. alleys, swapmeets, outlets and my favorite, THRIFT STORES!!! Shopping at local thrift stores is a lot of fun for me. It’s like a treasure hunt. You thrift hop from store to store and if you’re blessed that day, you will find treasures!! Which brings me to my outfit of the day. I found this forest/fern green cardigan a few months back at a local Goodwill in Hollywood for just $3. The moment I eyed the cardigan, I knew I had to own it. The shade of green was such a perfect Spring cardigan color. The detailing was even more perfect with tiny rosy pink flowers knitted decoratively around. It was an instant buy. So for today’s look, with the cardigan as my cute statement piece, I went for a simple “picnic” inspired look. I received lovely compliments at work from customers and even had them asking me where I had purchased my cute grandma sweater :) Best $3 spent!? TOTALLY!!! So please, trust me when I say this, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on clothes, sometimes, a couple bucks is enough. Remember what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! XO-M

Cardigan found at a Goodwill.
Khaki pants w/ belt from Bubbles.
Shoes from LolaShoetique.
White Cami from Forever 21.

Rebel † † †

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:51:49 -0700

Today’s look was yet another casual lazy outfit because although I feel a millions times better, I’m still recovering from the flu. Anyway, paired up my latest “new” jeans that my coworker gave to me with this studded Cross tee. I was going for a rockish look therefore I had to incorporate boots. However, to avoid an all black fit, decided to wear this red crossbody bag to match the shade of red on my lips. A very casual, trendy yet comfy look for a nice day out :) Hope you guys like! XO-M

-Bubbles Boutique Cross Studded top
-Forever 21 Jeans
-Forever 21 Crossbody
-Charlotte Russe boots
-Forever 21 Accessories

The Gift of Easter

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:26:00 -0700

Hello my lovelies! As evident as it is, it’s no longer Easter morning or Easter day (DUH!)…BUT, I decided that I still wanted to blog my church outfit of the day for this past Sunday. My outfit was inspired by Spring’s pastels, flowers, the very essence of innocence & even the biblical meaning of Easter, which is a gift. I’m not referring the egg hunting as THE gift. So allow me to quickly elaborate. Easter, to me, is the greatest gift that God could ever offer. The great gift of HOPE & LOVE. It is Jesus’ resurrection day to bring new joy into our lives. On Easter day, my church is decorated with white flowers and most people wear symbolic colors such as pink, white & purple. Which in all, becomes my inspiration for this outfit. I decided to wear this lovely pink bow top with white pants for a rosy “angelic” look. I accessorized my outfit with this flower pearly chain necklace that I love so much (it belonged to my friend but she was about to toss it to the trash & I saved its life) and wore pearl earrings to. I finished off the look with my FAV camel wedges and to have a matching tone of color, I wore a similar camel color belt. Simple but I was happy with the combo :) Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Easter!!! XO-M

-Bubbles Boutique Top
-Bubbles Boutique Pants
-Lola Shoetique Wedges
-Necklace was a hand-me-down from a friend :)

Minty Sunday

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 23:53:00 -0700

Yesterday’s outfit of the day was my first official Spring look! Definitely went for the typical…PASTELS! What can I say, I like the usual & when it comes to Spring, I think of flowers, light colors and BRIGHT colors, warm sun, breezy grass with bright blue skies…and even fluffy clouds!! *sigh* I feel like I’m describing The Sound of Music when Maria is out in the meadows singing…if you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch “The Sound of Music”. A favorite musical movie of mine! Anyway, before I continue to drift away, hope you guys liked my Sunday church outfit of the day on Palm Sunday. A super comfy look for any relaxing Sundate :) XO-M

Top from Bubbles Boutique.
Pant pants from Bubbles Boutique.
Wedge Sandals from LolaShoetique.
Ivory Crossbody from Ross.
Belt came with some shorts from Bubbles Boutique.
Cross necklace in The Santee Alley.

The perks of a Salvi boyfriend… BOMB FOOD😋 Have a Blessed...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:22:58 -0700

The perks of a Salvi boyfriend… BOMB FOOD😋 Have a Blessed Sunday Lovies!!!😘

Hi Maria, just wanted to say love your blog! Also, I am in LOVEEE with the nikes you posted on March 15th, black with the pink swoosh, blue lining and yellow underneath the netting. Do you know the name/style? I have been looking all over and can't find them anywhere. Thanks so much! my tumblr is mclaughlin1022

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:08:48 -0800

Hey!! Thank you for the blog compliment and yes!!! The shoes are BEYOND cute. They’re actually kids running shoes that I bought at Finishline a few months back. I’m not aware if they’re still in stock but the shoes are Nike Fusion ST. Style #457039-005 Hope that helps :) <3

hey wassup love your blog

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:04:03 -0800

THANK YOU!!!! :)

Lent: 40 days to WHAT!?

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:26:34 -0800

xoxomariala:

It’s that time of the year again, well if you’re Catholic anyway. It’s Lent, better known as 40 days to “give up” a pleasure or habit. Nonetheless, I want to clarify as to what Lent is meant to be or at least to me. Everyone who participates during lent, Catholic or not (I don’t understand why you would partake in lent if you’re not Catholic haha but its okay) for 40 days and 40 nights gives up something to what we call “bettering ourselves”. HOWEVER, lent is a time of reflection. It is a time period where, for 40 days, you acknowledge and look for a new way to approach life as a whole.
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xoxoMariaLA: Hey! That’s ME!!! :)

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:39:28 -0700

xoxoMariaLA:

Hey! That’s ME!!! :)

Falling in Love

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 08:27:45 -0700

“Love: A profoundly, intense, tender, passionate feeling of deep affection for another person….”

——-I’ve been in love once in my life with the only person I have ever been in a relationship with. How it happened, I don’t know. I can’t even explain the order of how everything came about. One minute he was just another funny classmate in high school fooling around, making jokes and being a 17 year old kid…and the next minute, he had become my best friend whom I shared absolutely everything with, unconditionally. Every secret, every uncertainty, my fears, ambitions, dreams, laughter, passions and worries. Everything was out on the table. No secrets, no lies. Life was a bliss.

The first time I had officially realized that I had fallen in love with this guy was at home back in 2009. It was just another day, cleaning my room, texting the boyfriend. I was a fresh new meat in college when Keri Hilson’s song, “Knock You Down” played off my iTunes. Prior to this instance, I had heard the song a few other times but I hadn’t really payed attention to the lyrics until this day. “I never thought I’d be in love like this. When I look at you, my mind goes on a trip…I never thought I’d fall for you as hard as I did. You got me thinking about our life, a house and kids…”, are Hilson’s words that had that love epiphany effect on me. I seriously stopped what I was doing and sat on my bed to listen to the song. I was in shock with myself because I just knew I was falling hard for this guy…HARD! I wanted to snap out of it because I felt like it was too soon, too fast. I was too young to know love. Truth is, I was just freaking out to this new feeling. Without knowing it, everything was really just falling into place perfectly by the grace of God. I prayed that night and told Him to guide me. That I was experiencing something so different that I had obviously never felt before. I told him I didn’t know what to do. Whether to tell my boyfriend or not. To ignore it and keep quiet or scream it out to the world that I was the luckiest girl in the world falling in love with the greatest. Life was definitely a bliss.

God, just writing it now makes me smile and I feel like a dumb loser haha Anyway, back to the story. Falling in love has been the greatest experience and feeling I have ever in my life felt before. I now understand what people mean when they say it’s indescribable. It truly is because no matter how many words you say, how many ways you say it, it will never measure up to what it feels like and what it really is. However, for the sake of this post, I will do my best to put it in words.

Love to me is an endless feeling. When I love, I love with all the intensity that I could possibly have. I love through the good and the bad, through the joy and the tears, the sick and the healthy. I love with all of my heart without any measure of what could come. Falling in love has opened up a new side of me that I didn’t know I had. Falling in love has taught me to be more tolerant of everything that can hurt me but it has also taught me a new level of what respect means. When it came to this guy, my love for him grew every single day. My thoughts were clustered by him, my eyes could only see him and my heart was full of love for him. He was a new reason to wake up everyday, finish homework on time, get chores done, saving my allowance, busting train trips to his house, walking extra miles, coming home past my curfew [sorry mom], all for the love of just being with the one I loved. And all of that was just the beginning of what I was willing to do for him.

Life couldn’t have been better. I was happy. I was in love. Everyday I wanted to show him new ways of loving him. I wanted to make him feel like the only man in the world, like the King of the world and that’s why his nickname became “My King”. He meant everything to me. When he was sick, I just wanted to be there and care for him. If he was happy, I wanted to be twice as happy for him so his happiness plus my happiness would multiply and bring him triple the happiness. If he was ever worried, sad or scared, I made sure to let him know I was there. That he was always going to have someone to count on whether it was a good pair of ears to listen to him or a pair of lips to share advice…or even better, kisses to help alleviate the pain. No matter what it was, I made sure to let him know that he was my priority, my boyfriend but importantly, my best friend.

The more time we spent together, I learned new ways to love him and twice as hard. I learned to love him flaws and all, mind you to me, he was perfect. My love for him became infinite. Loving him was a gift to myself. It was never hard work…EVER! I enjoyed loving him, doing little things for him. Sometimes I would write letters, other times I prepared him surprised dinners for anniversaries/Valentines Day because quite frankly, I have a passion for NOT cooking haha So that was an extra step I wanted to take for the love of him. One time, I went to his job just to drop off kisses. Not the kind you smooch on a face but the kind you eat, Hershey’s chocolate kisses. I decorated the hood of his car and spelled out “I <3 U” with the chocolates. It was cute and it was a small detail to let him know that he was on my mind. That he was the only man in my life that I loved, that I wanted to love.

My love for this guy was exactly what Dr. God prescribed:

“ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…”

I learned to be even more patient, more understanding, caring, loving, truthful and faithful woman for him to demonstrate that my love for him was real. I was willing to do anything that needed to be done to keep our love flame burning harder than ever. My love for him was alive every day. If ever I was mad, I learned to open up and tell him what bothered me. If he was mad, I learned to apologize and accept I was in the wrong. Our friendship and love was brighter every day. I was always honest. I was always faithful. I was always there, ready to fight through any obstacle or problem that came our way. I was prepared to stand right behind him, ready to catch him if he ever fell and was ready to stand next to him to help him get back up and walk with him through any battle.

Falling in love with this guy was one of the greatest memories my life has ever experience. I trusted him 120% I believed in him 120% I had faith in him 125% He was my boyfriend, the man that I knew could do anything he set his mind too. If he got opportunities to be better, I always cheered him on. Never was I jealous. If girls checked him out, I would tell him how lucky I was to have him to myself instead of picking a fight. If we ever fought [it was rare for us to fight], we made sure we made up ASAP. Being in love with him made everything easier because out of love, I either wanted to fix the broken or add more happiness to the blessings that we were graced with. Falling in love was a new journey that I never wanted to escape…and now, I can say, I’m happy to have loved and would go through anything and relive any pain just for the pleasure of knowing that I have loved. There is no greater feeling than to know love and even better, feel loved.

XO, -Maria

Wide Awake

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 06:00:00 -0700

No! This is has nothing to do with Katy Perry’s single, “Wide Awake” that I overdosed on, until my newest and latest obsession, *cough* Frank Ocean *cough*, came into play :) Haha This is a “stay tune” post for…well, more posts! :p It is currently, 5:42 a.m. pacific time, Los Angeles, CA to be exact. I woke up at about 3:30 a.m. and have not been able to fall back asleep ever since. It’s a sucky feeling only because…A.) i love my sleep and B.) I called out of work to run a few important errands today. But, life doesn’t go as planned [the plan was to sleep in], so I decided to get out of bed and make this time useful. So here’s a little snippet of what’s to come. I’m currently working on a few posts that I think we can all fairly relate. Some are on love, friendships, compassion, self-esteem and even care for the elderly [i have thing for old people *googly eyes*]. However, you will be reading (if anyone ever really reads my posts) MY own thoughts on things I so deeply LOVE. So with that said, LET ME WORK ON MY POSTS…while i enjoy this beautiful stack of pancakes that I just finished making for myself because, might I add, I woke up STARVING! :)

XO, Maria

Amen!

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 21:27:59 -0700

Amen!

Keep Digging

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:30:00 -0700

I came across this captivating and BEAUTIFUL picture on Instagram a few months back, which highlighted such a powerful message that I just could NOT hold back from featuring it here on my Tumblr page.

As some of you may, or may not know, I am an undocumented student & inhabitant of this country. However, don’t let the word “undocumented” fool you. Despite having my own share of bad experiences and hard times, I know that at the end of the day, my life has been spared more than a million times. My life is a blessing with all the ups AND the downs. I canNOT complain…even though I have, about how my life has turned out because everything has been for the best and this picture right here, has been thee most perfect example of it.

Yes, I AM undocumented but I can also say that I AM UNAFRAID. I am living proof that in my darkest hours, when I’ve wanted to throw that middle finger up and yell out with all my heart, THIS IS IT, I’M DONE! I GIVE UP…God has somehow told me to keep holding on. He has somehow whispered into my soul and given me the strength to keep going and I’ve realized that during those times, my greatest blessings have come into my life.

I’m 21 years old and still too young to be fully wise but it has been evident to my eyes that life will NEVER be easy or worth it without some sweat…Without putting in a hard fight. So trust me when I say this, KEEP GOING. DON’T STOP. It may be pouring in your life right now or for months to come, years for some, but the sun always finds away to shine through during stormy weathers. Remind yourself that someone else is happy with less than what you have & appreciate what you have. Have faith & patience. DON’T stop working for your dreams. Keep digging. You never know when you might hit that mine of GOLD ;)

XOXO, Maria L.A.

Photo

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 23:53:55 -0700

Everyday, I wake up and the first thing I do, or at least try to...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 01:02:00 -0700

Everyday, I wake up and the first thing I do, or at least try to do before reaching over to my iPhone (-___-), is to THANK GOD for simply allowing me to open my eyes. As soon as I’m done with prayer, my routine to doll myself up begins. In order to dress up for the day, I always begin from bottom to top. Yes, that implies that my SHOES will determine the rest of my outfit. From there, I work my way up and TA DAAA…I look like the picture above. Okay, minus the face haha Anyway, the other day i came across a quote that really struck me and I must put my two cents. It read:

Before you put on clothes, slide into heels, spray perfume or accessorize to step into the world; there is a wardrobe that every woman must first put on…Bathe in forgiveness, dress in self-esteem, adorn yourself, with praise and slip into joy. When you are full clothed in self-love, you are ALWAYS in Fashion. -Sharon Rainey

Can I get an AMEN?! I could not agree more with Rainey’s beautiful words. You see, behind my love for fashion, trends, clothes, SHOES, and that entire fabulous world, I have an even BIGGER love for God. For Him, I am willing to do and work twice as hard to be an even better person than the day before. I’ve learned that without God, I am only an empty soul in pretty clothes. I mean just picture it, you’re a sales associate at your retail store. You see a very beautiful girl come into the store, you greet her and she is utterly rude. Not even a smile of acknowledgement to your greeting. What do you think your instant reaction would be? I know from experience that I no longer think she’s beautiful. Her exterior? Yes! She has my vote but I’m the kind of person that looks for the heart. Maybe she was just having a bad day…but what if she’s just plain and simple always like that? What is she always had a negative outlook, criticized everyone’s flaws and didn’t care about anyone’s feelings?

You see, you can be the most beautiful person in the world, with the most money, the hottest car, biggest home and the most exclusive parties but if you don’t have a humble, loving soul…you’re pretty much alone. Through God and a daily bible dosage, it has been proven to myself that no amount of clothes or shoes, diamond rings or money will ever make me a beautiful person. Through Him, I have learned to carry patience and forgiveness. I have learned to speak the truth and walk away from situations that will bring out the worst in me. I have learned to be careful with my words, for no matter how much I think I am right, the real truth is that I’m wrong and I could hurt someone with my actions. Through Him, I am a better human being everyday. Grant it, I’ve never really been a person who didn’t care or wished the worst unto others but I know that through all my hardships, I’ve been able to sustain myself even better with God’s love. He’s taught me that no situation is ever too painful to give up on the world and feel like I NOW have a reason to hate. On the contrary, He has taught me that through prayer, hard work, dedication, and patience, all my hearts desires will be granted. That there’s hope to a brighter tomorrow…in everyone and for everyone.

So yes, I own pretty clothes, some of the “hottest” shoes and bold pieces to stand me out from the bunch but TRUST ME when I say this, there’s more to life than a materialistic world. My love for fashion is NOT a facade because I am truly passionate about it and love dressing up. Expressing myself through clothes brings out art within me BUT, there’s more to me than the latest trends. Within me, my true heart lies. I am woman of faith. A woman of love, FORGIVENESS, joy, humility, compassion and wisdom. I am a woman who hopes for the future and is ready to leave a dent in people’s hearts. I am a woman who will strive to make a difference in this world and help those with no voice. I AM A WOMAN CLOTHED IN VALUES AND GUIDED BY THE KING OF SELFLESS LOVE!

xoxo, Maria