I thought by end of summer, the ruffled bell sleeve trend would have died down and we'd all start rocking light sweaters for fall. Boy was I wrong about that! I keep seeing new variations of the trend pop up at department stores, so we're not seeing the end of it any time soon. Since it's here to stay for a while, I wanted to showcase this lovely white ruffled blouse I had purchased a while back from Forever 21. 

I want to thank each and everyone one of you for all the kind birthday wishes last week! I'm honestly a bit apprehensive about edging closer to 30 (where did time go?) and seeing another decade go by, but being part of such a positive and uplifting fashionista community on Instagram is truly one of the best decisions I've made in my later 20s and I'm very excited to continue sharing more style content. So thank you, thank you for all your continued support! 

For my birthday, my mother surprised me with my very first Chanel Boy bag. This bag is in the small size featuring a gorgeous chevron pattern with caviar leather. Isn't she just a beauty?! I'm still in shock and want to pinch myself to see if I'm actually dreaming. I've lusted after this specific design for a year, but because of other financial priorities in my life (mortgage, monthly bills, and more immediate personal expenses), I never felt it was ever justified for me to make the purchase. My mother understood this, so she took it upon herself to get it for me instead. I initially gave some push back and told her I would felt extremely guilty if she spent so much money on me on a single item. She already went through enough to raise me as a single mother, so I couldn't ask for more than that. But my mom isn't one to back down easily!

​After a long, emotional conversation, we found ourselves walking out of the store with our new boy and beaming smiles.