Congratulations, Miami Heat

I'm not a very big fan of sports, but I do have pride in my hometown! Congratulations, Miami Heat, for winning the Finals and make us Miamians proud.

In other news, in two weeks, I will be in Cuba. I am American, but my mother and father are Cubans, and they came to America to make sure I had all the opportunities possible available to me. But, it's still really exciting to be visiting the origin of my roots. I'll let you know the day before I leave, and since there is no internet connection in the Cuban countryside, I will update all my outfits and places visited upon my return.

Not So Sunny In Florida

Yeah, the weather in Miami is a abysmal. It's been raining everyday, so while the rest of the country is celebrating the warm weather, I'm stuck indoors. Yesterday, the rain cleared up for a little while, so me and the fiance dressed up and trekked over to my neighborhood park to enjoy the day and take a few pictures in my new floral dress. 

Dress-Thrifted; Jean jacket- Zara; Shoes-Steve Madden(last season); Belt- Kohls; Earrings-Handmade; Bracelet- Forever21; Watch-Vintage; Necklace & locket- My boyfriends cute picture/ vintage

And about my hair/eyebrows/lack of makeup, I've been trying to go all natural for a few days, just because I'm tired of the daily routine. I will be back to my prim and proper self very soon, do not fret! 

Bloglovin!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3816544/animalia?claim=8xjzmwswcu7">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Finally on Bloglovin! A bunch of my friends have told me about this site, and a lot of the blogs I read are on the site, so I thought to myself...why not? LOL. Follow me on Bloglovin or on Blogger.

Miami/Music Mondays

I want to make this a regular feature on my blog, Miami/Music Mondays. The reason I include a / is because it will change every Monday, depending on what or who I want to feature that week.
For Miami Mondays, I want to go to different places of importance or places I think are just plain interesting in or around Miami and  record and explain the location, my outfit, and how it is appropriate in that location.
For Music Mondays, I just want to present an inspirational song for the week, or a personal favorite of mine.
Any concerts, festivals, or artists I meet will be featured also.

And now, for my first Monday running this feature, I present a local Miami musician, Inez Barlatier and her band, KAZOOTS. I met Inez when I began college and quickly fell in love with her.
We are in the same Honor's program in school, and we had a leadership course together. She was so down-to-earth and had a fashion style that can only be considered as truly Boho-chic; I just had to befriend her, and I did.

Inez Barlatier
Lead singer of KAZOOTS

When I found out she was a musician, I quickly lost interest. I've been in too many situations where a friend considered themselves a 'musician', but just plain sucked. I thought she was going to be another one of those people, so when she invited me to a small performance of hers at a Hollywood Beach bar, I was weary. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to a potentially crappy show that was kinda far from my home. But I dressed up and attended-- and was BLOWN AWAY. She was truly amazing and my faith in aspiring musicians was restored.

The band she fronts, KAZOOTS, describe themselves as Afro-Indie Rock. I describe them as awesome.

What I love most, besides the lead singers amazing voice and lyrics, is the range of the band. They can play you a quick, fun jazz number, followed by a heavily-Haitian Afro-rock piece, and then they can whip out a ballad and have you holding your fiance in tight embrace(true story).
The band consists of the lead singer, Inez Barlatier; back-up singer, Kiara Cabrera; guitarist, Jayan Bertrand; and drummer, David Cruz. They don't have a stable bassist as of now, but are keeping their eyes peeled for one. They recently opened a show for singer Rachel Goodrich and the Moneybags.
Although the videos do no justice to this band, check out their YouTube page and make sure to like em on Facebook. Show some support for good old local music!

I love myself....

but I hate cellulite. I adore my hips, ass, boobs, and overall voluptuousness but I hatehatehate putting on some shorts and inevitably seeing some cottage cheese. Just cause I'm a plus sized woman doesnt mean I like cellulite as much as the next gal.

So, I am on a mission to try out some of the so-called solutions for cellulite available now.
The first thing I found in an internet search that I could try out immediately, without having to spend anything, was a page on Wikihow with step-by-step instructions(pictures included) on how to create your own homemade remedy for cellulite.

Basically, you create a caffeniated massage oil and vigorously massage your legs. Your cellulite will fill out, and your legs would be smooth for a few hours.

I was curious and had all the ingredients available so I concocted the mixture and began the massage. My legs got sort of itchy and, like, minty-feeling? I guess it filled out a bit, but overall, it was a failure. My dimples were still too deep and there was almost no change in visibility. I know I can't make it dissapear, but I'd like some kind of smoothing.

I'm interested, though, in any solutions or home remedies you can recommend for me, my lovely readers! Leave me a comment and let me know of any other remedies, or tell me if this Wikihow remedy worked for you...

Weekend Warrior

I am happy to finally say I did some thrifting this weekend(something, really), and managed to record some of the outfits I tried on at the University Dr. Goodwill Superstore where I did my shopping. I bought two dresses and an awesome sheer floral cutaway skirt that I didn't take a picture in, but I plan on wearing real soon. The only thing's I still need/crave/will die for: flattering flatforms, a peplum shirt/dress, and pastel bottoms. Please, STYLE GODS, heed my cry! And my budget!

Ready for the day!
Forever 21 shirt, Handmade earrings

Perfect summer dress!
Love the double shoulder strap!

I bought this one
I don't care if it's too costumey, I love the sailor look!

Blue and light silk, but did not impress...

80's Suede LBD
Way too heavy for summertime!

BTW, sorry for the crappy quality of the pictures. My camera, and old Cybershot, has had it's last breath so I am temporarily using my crappy iPod Touch and my mother's Nikon Coolpix from 2008. And no, I don't have a phone at the moment so... yeah. I plan on buying a brand new camera and cell phone in the fall or when I get a job; whichever comes sooner!

Lola wishes upon ye a great week...

No time left for you...

I haven't had the time to write or document any of my outfits because of my lack of camera....and I haven't really been wearing any clothes besides pajamas and sweat suits. Because of my knee injury and lack of transportation, I haven't been able to do much of anything. I feel lazy...

I might be going to a Explosions in the Sky concert this Wednesday, so I'll obviously keep you posted. I am very much looking forward to the beginning of the Fall semester, not only because I get to dress up to school everyday, but because I lovelovelove fall fashion and I can't wait to see what new trends will show up and/or  be transformed into fall clothing...

Oh, and I really adore peplum shirts like this one and this one from Asos. I'm trying to find a similar one in other stores but I can't seem to find one that looks quite as structured. If you find one, lemme know!

My Flea Market Finds and some other personal stuff....

Hello, chickees! I am ecstatic because yesterday, I went to the Swap Shop Flea Market in Sunrise, FL!
It is seriously one of the best places to find good vintage in South Florida, and for the most affordable prices. I found so many great pieces, for the shop and myself, like:

Abercrombie and Fitch Jacket from the 1970's
Size M

Norma Carini Heel
Size 7 1/2 M

Wilson's Leather Pencil Skirt
Size 10

La Regale Purse

IT WAS AWESOME! And those shoes are amazing, don't ya think?
I wanted to keep them but they pinch my toes. They would be perfect for the fall, wouldn't they?

Anyways, I wanted to tell my readers a little something personal. Like, why my knee is very ugly...On May 13, I was in car accident on the expressway. A woman rear-ended me and my car flipped and rolled on the expressway FOUR times. And then the woman left. It was a hit-and-run. I didn't die for some reason, but my knee was seriously scraped up. Like, a piece of my knee cap was on the Palmetto Expressway. Anyway, I got stitches and I got better and everything is fine now. But just in case you see a picture of me and you see the monstrosity of a knee, don't say I didn't warn ya. And here is a picture of my adorable little car after the accident:

Well, have a great weekend and good luck hunting for those vintage finds!

P.S. Enjoy this Coupon Code for FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING from my Etsy store, Animalia Vintage, this week only! 

COUPON CODE: ANIMALIA07

Ready? Set? Blog!

Hello, fellow thrifters! Hello, my darling vintage lovers and passion-for-fashioners. And hello my beautiful, plus-sized cutie pies. I am Laura Rios. This is a blog. And this is what its all about.

I've been meaning to catch up to the times and write a blog. I love fashion, art, and literature and have been collecting Teen Vogue magazines since I was in middle school (Major Accomplishment, BTW!). 

I've been thrifting for just as long. 

When I was younger, I used to go to Goodwill and the Salvation Army and similar stores because I had to. It wasn't chic; it was SURVIVAL. We couldn't afford to shop at the mall and buy the brand name labels. 

But, over time, I began realizing that I had an entire treasure cove of fashion, all to myself! And, by god, it had a name! Vintage clothing!

 Vintage clothing had so many things the mall didn't, like cooler dresses and weirder shoes. They also had more options for a plus size girl. 

I've been plus-size my whole life. Ever since 9th grade, I've been the same size 14, so finding the trendiest clothes in my size was always an issue. I couldn't shop in the Juniors section very often and going to the Women's section made me feel old and fat. But vintage clothing changed all that! I found out that the average woman wears size 12-16 and that the chances of finding great pieces at that size wasn't as hard as I had anticipated it to be. I could finally feel fabulous and fashionable and not at all fat. I love my body and the beautiful clothes I am able to wear. I hope to be an inspiration for other plus size, fashion forward young women; and for fashion forward young women in general. 

I will be posting cute, cheap, and fashionable outfits modeled by myself (Size 14) and my younger sister, Jessica. (Size 4) The selection of vintage clothing in the hot and humid, South Florida, is not as extensive and theyre arent pieces quite as old as some of the stuff you find up North, or in the Mid West or West. The vintage pieces range from about the 1950's to the early 90s. 

I will be showcasing some of the best vintage shopping spots this far south, such as the famed Flamingo Plaza and Swap Shop Flea Market. (Tomorrow, hopefully!)

I also sell some of my gorgeous thrift store finds on Etsy, so be sure to check out my store-- Animalia Vintage. 

Here are a few samples on my beautiful sister:

Beautiful, bare-back floral dress. 90's Size 12

BCBGMAXAZRIA Vintage See-through and striped dress. 90's Size 10