Looks of the Week in Canada – Vacation Edition + Mini Vlog

I, a couple of friends and family took a road trip up to Montreal Canada for one of my best friend’s beautiful wedding. ( Kerry, who has been one of my WFW) I took the chance during the mini getaway to capture some of our trip with videos, as well as a few looks. I want to give a huge shout out and thanks to my best friend Haline who did a great job at getting my looks for the video ! The video also features two of my other friends who made Canada a blast, four girls in a hotel room brings lots of laughter.  Check out the video and details on all the looks below.

Look One
Outfit of the Day - Gladiators

Dress : H&M / Purse : Urban Outfitters (In Store, Not Online) /Shoes : Steve Madden / Sunglasses : Aldo

Outfit of the Day image3The first look was a different kind for me and very much springy. I almost never wear shirt dresses or never find one that fits correctly and isn’t too short. But this one was definitely a score from H&M. Of course underneath I made sure everything was sealed and tucked away in case the wind got too strong or a button came undone. For the shoes I picked my comfy gladiators form H&M, that I absolutely love, especially for my bowed skinny legs that don’t fit into all gladiators. I picked to wear these shoes almost everyday …that’s I how much I loved them.

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Women Feature Wednesday | #WFW

Hello, for those of you that don’t know me, my name is Kerry. I am 23 years old and engaged to the most amazing, godly man alive (maybe I’m a litte biased but hush!)  I feel honored to be able to share a bit of my heart with all of you reading this post. In today’s society, we are all pressured to live a certain way, talk a certain way, look a certain way, and dress a certain way. It seems as though the world tries to encourage the idea of “being different”, “be yourself”, “be unique”, “don’t be a follower, be a leader”, and yet it feels like they want to be the ones to TELL you how you should be. Who is “they” you ask? Movies, tv shows, fashion magazines, music,etc. Out of all the issues I could talk about, the one I choose to address today is modesty…or better yet, lack of. Everywhere you look there it is, a half naked woman or man, it’s on tv, commercials, advertisements, magazines, cars, billboards, computer, social media; there’s no way to escape it. And about 90%, no better yet 100% of the time, it is so unnecessary. You see advertisements saying “best peanut butter cookies in town, will make you feel like you’re at grandma’s house” then they slap a picture of a naked woman to get your attention. What does this have to do with cookies? Anyways, I know that this post won’t change the world and won’t all of a sudden cause society to repent and change their marketing strategies, but I am hoping that this will at least affect you. We can’t change how people dress, but we can change how we do.Woman(men I will get to you soon) I want to encourage you to dress modestly, not for anyone but yourself and God. In today’s society we are told to dress provocatively, sexy, hot, the more skin the better, but what happened to respecting ourselves? What happened to values? What happened to morals?Every woman grows up being brainwashed into believing this is how they must dress in order to be beautiful, to get attention, to fit in, to find a man, but these are all lies! When you dress this way, you are telling the world you do not respect yourself or your body, which then translates to men that they don’t have to either. Men will NOT LOVE you for showing off your body, it gets them to LUST after you. They will love your body, use you, then discard you when the next “best” thing comes along. If you got him for your body, you will lose him to another woman’s body. Don’t be recyclable, be indispensable. What do I mean by that? Be so different than this world that it would make it impossible to find another person like you. Dress modestly, I’m not saying you need to dress like a nun(no offense to nuns) but a tank-top underneath a shirt goes a long way, a long shirt over your leggings(no leggings are not pants), making sure your skirts and dresses aren’t too short, not wearing skin tight clothes, basically keep it classy. This world already has enough women being promiscuous, this world needs more women that value themselves, respect themselves, hold to a standard of godliness. Let a man fall in love with your personality, not your body, the only man seeing your body should be your husband. Any woman can capture a man’s attention half naked, let your gentle heart capture his  heart. Be kind, patient, loving, respectful, honest, faithful, forgiving, compassionate; those are the qualities that will cause a man to love and respect you. And if they don’t, then run! If you don’t run, then don’t complain later when he breaks your heart because he got what he wanted and left. I see many woman complaining they can’t find good guys,and all guys are the same. It’s not true. But the way you carry yourself will determine whether you attract a pig or a gentleman. Also women, help our brothers in Christ out, there are many honest men out there that are trying to live righteously, don’t be another one that forces him to look down when you walk into a room. Your immodest outfit reveals your insecurities, not your confidence or beauty. If you find it hard to dress modestly, then it could be a heart issue that you need to work out. Love yourself, you ARE beautiful, you ARE worthy to be loved, you ARE amazing, and you ARE loved by Jesus Christ. God will bring the right man at the right time, until then, hold fast to God and the standards of holiness. Run from any man that does not help you keep them. No matter how handsome he is, no man is worth lowering God’s standards for your life. Wait for that God fearing man, wait for your Boaz.Men, I’ll keep it short for you. There are no double standards, so dress modestly as well. Respect women, don’t use them, value them. Women are a gift from God so treat them that way. Don’t look at them as objects, but look at their hearts, who they are and how Christ sees them . Be kind, loving, gentle, patient, honest, forgiving, faithful and compassionate. Be one of those men that prove to women that not all men are the same and that there are still gentlemen in the world. Be a godly man and lead her in prayer, lead her to Christ, respect her purity, and love her for who she is..for who she is in Christ. Don’t fall for the women that throw their bodies at you, but hold fast to the standard of holiness and run from the women who will not help you keep it. Remember that this could potentially be the woman you marry one day, if she doesn’t point you to Christ now, then odds are she won’t after marriage either.No matter how beautiful a woman is, no woman is worth lowering God’s standards for your life. Wait for that God fearing woman, wait for your missing rib.To both men and women, society tries to impose the idea that everything is “ok”, “it’s your life”, “yolo”, “young and free”, “reckless” but they never tell you the ramifications of your actions and decisions. All this reckless behavior will get you depressed, anxious, angry, lonely, broken, hurt, and never satisfied, just searching aimlessly for nothing! Society is suffering but in the end, society won’t be the one holding your hand carrying you through; Jesus is. He is the only one that can restore you and bring salvation, joy, happiness, true love, peace, hope, and finally give you purpose and meaning for life. If you have never given your life to Christ, and you would like to, then pray where ever you are, ask God for forgiveness of your sins, ask Jesus to be The Lord and savior of your life, and look for a Christian and tell them of your decision so that may point you towards Christ. I’d advise you purchase a bible as well. And for Christians if you have not been living to God’s standards, don’t condemn yourself. It is not too late to start, repent and God will forgive you. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to live holy and righteously, and He will help you. Don’t let regret and the condemnation of the enemy keep you from entering into God’s presence and blessings for your life. Ultimately modesty praises God. You’re body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, treat it with holiness. God bless you.

1 Peter 3:3-4
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.
Proverbs 11:22
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.
Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Matthew 5:28
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-4
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
Luke 17:1-2
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
2 Timothy 2:22
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart

Women Feature Wednesday – #WFW

HAPPY WFW,

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My names Haline and im so excited and honored to be on The Virtuess BLOG. Seeing my best friend/sisters dream come true has really been a thrill to watch. Dreams most certainly do come true if you work for it and Sandy certainly is a product of that. We all have dreams, some of you may dream of becoming a world known makeup artist, singer, hairdressers, fashionista, lawyer, doctor  or all the above, but it comes down to us all having dreams. To be able to dream is having the capacity to know you can get there.  It may seem impossible, but in your heart and mind you know you can accomplish it. One of my favorite quotes   states that “The word impossible is not in my dictionary.” . We really can never go wrong with dreaming. I believe that there are no coincidences in this life and that everything one way or the other happens for a purpose. When we dream we build a purpose inside of us, when we dream it drives us to be more than what we are.

To be totally honest, I struggled with my dreams for a very long time, not knowing if i could ever accomplish anything, but the truth is, we are our greatest battle. I may not know exactly where  i want to be in five years but i know believing in my self will get me there. If you believe you can, and you most certainly will. Our dreams become who we are when we fight for them, when we turn our dreams into goals. Your dreams can be anything, but like style its individual. You choose your style and you dream your dreams. But believe in them and be confident in them as you would your favorite outfit.  But if your ever in doubt heres a little motivation.

First from Scripture –  Mark 5:36 “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Another from an inspiring woman who did a lot in her life time  – “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” – Audrey Hepburn

Never be afraid to dream, Lots of Love

Women Feature Wednesday | #WFW

So I’ve been coming up with new series that I will be doing during the week to add a different taste to the blog. This one, Women Feature Wednesday, adding a mix to the famous social media day #WCW is going to have some of my friends as guests on the blog, talking about a topic they choose. I will also being do them on Fridays- Feature Fridays and Friend Feature Friday, they will obviously alternate. And for any gentleman out there don’t feel like all of this is only for men, definitely for everyone. So everyone meet Barbara and enjoy her post. You can follow her on instagram- @barbaraellenir

IF YOU ARE PERSISTENT YOU WILL GET IT, IF YOU ARE CONSISTENT YOU WILL KEEP IT

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Hi there virtuess men and women, For those that do not know me, my name is Barbara Ellen. I am an 18 year old ambitious college student and fervent servant of God. Today I would like to show you this week’s NOTW (“Nail of the Week”, often mistaken with the Christian brand, “Not of this World”) that I loved so much! This beautiful copper pink with a golden undertone by Essie is the nail polish used on all the nails. The nude nail polish by Marc Jacobs is what was used to design the ring finger (don’t forget the golden studs! ;-)). I love this look because it will appropriately go with all of this season’s hottest winter outfits (all shades of grays, nudes, darker shades of green, darker shades of cranberry, black, etc.). (Nails by @ercilia_peres | @ericilia_nails)

For the longest time I battled with taking care of my nails. I would see a manicurist once in a purple moon, or never. This abnormal inconsistency led me to having too many cuticles and broken, chipped or bitten nails. It is only when I decided to be consistent, that I became consistent. By that I mean I get my nails done on the same day and time every week. It is true when the bible states in Luke 16:10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities”. If I am able to be faithfully consistent with merely taking care of my nails, I can take this same consistency to all the other areas of my life. If consistency is able to restore broken nails, what else can it do? I humbly thank each and every one of you who have read today’s blog.

P.S

I would specially like to thank my friend Sandy for granting me the privilege of being her first guest. It makes me so happy to be a part of this journey of hers; and seeing how much passion and love has been lavished into one website (www.virtuessblog.com). I highly commend her for her consistency in always preparing the best she has for us to enjoy.