Forward: My 2019 Word of the Year by Ehmonie Hainey - if you enjoyed this post, you can read more at What's Haute, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. 
Outfit details:
Baublebar Crsipin Drop earrings / more here
Banana Republic Fedora Felt Hat
Zara Striped blazer (sold out): Similar here, here, here, here and here
kate spade new york do wonders candy wrapper clutch
Banana Republic Strappy Camisole
Plunge Pinafore Dress / Similar here and here
Nine West Kerianna Suede Tall Boots / Similar here I’ve never chosen a word of the year in the past. But when I think back on the past few years, one word perfectly describes each one. Ironically each word starts with the letter F – not intentional at all:
 2016: Forty
2017: Fail
2018: Faith And now in 2019, I’ve finally decided to claim a word of the year. This year, my word is Forward.
 After the past few years, Forward seems like the perfect word to represent my all-around growth and upward movement. I had a momentous year last year and I continue to have faith in continuing this upward momentum in every area of my life. I’m looking forward, working forward, living forward, and in general, constantly moving forward.
 Here’s how I’m embracing the word and moving ‘Forward’ this year:
Forward into the woman I’m becoming
Forward from things that no longer serve me
Forward in being unapologetic about what I want for my life, and in my life
Forward in enjoying life to the fullest
Forward into my destiny
Forward in achieving my goals
Forward into immersing and surrounding myself with positivity
Forward from anything or anyone that stands in the way of my relationship with God, my goals, my happiness
Forward in seeing and exploring the places that continue to pique my interest
Forward from excess
Forward into being selective in every area of my life
Forward in love, hope and faith
Forward in claiming it
Forward in my vision for my life
Forward in growing and glowing
Forward, forward, forward! (I gotta say it three times, like Beetlejuice, to make it real!) Have you picked a word for the year? 
The post Forward: My 2019 Word of the Year appeared first on What's Haute™.
Coffee is Bae: My 10 Picks for the Top Coffee Shops by Ehmonie Hainey - if you enjoyed this post, you can read more at What's Haute, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. 
Coffee is bae. But it hasn’t always been. I had my first cup of coffee the day I graduated from high school. My family took me out to lunch to celebrate and I thought I was grown and ordered a cup after lunch. I was turning 18 the next day while also heading off to college (yes, on my birthday), so you couldn’t tell me nothing! So I drank one cup of coffee and promptly fell asleep in my mom’s car! FAIL. I wouldn’t try coffee again for a good ten years. But I got hooked on it when I went to grad school. Dunkin Donuts had just launched their iced caramel latte and my classmates turned me on to it. Plus, I was studying and hanging out at Starbucks quite a bit so there you go. Since then I’ve become a coffee lover and aficionado. I can’t start my day without it! Because I love coffee so much, I’m always looking out for new brews and new coffee shops to try. I have my faves but I’m always open to new spots! 
My 10 favorite top coffee shops and drinks:
Starbucks (Everywhere): Iced Caramel Macchiato, Black & White Mocha, Dark Cherry Mocha, Cold Brew
Financier Patisserie (NYC): Iced Mocha
Peet’s (Everywhere): Raspberry Mocha, Dark Chocolate Orange Mocha
The Songbird Café (MI): Rosemary Sea Salt Latte, Lavender Latte
Koffeecake Corner (NYC): Nutella Latte
Busboys & Poets (DC/MD/VA): Thin Mint Latte
Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters (VA): Caramel Corn Latte
Compass Coffee (DC/MD/VA): Nutella Mocha, Cold Brew
Blue Bottle Roasters (Everywhere): Café Mocha
Saxby’s (PA/DC): Coconut & Chocolate Latte, Mint Latte
 And an honorable mention for Dolcezza’s Affogato
 What are some of your favorite coffee shops and coffee drinks across the country? Share your faves in the comments! The post Coffee is Bae: My 10 Picks for the Top Coffee Shops appeared first on What's Haute™.
7 Steps to Set and Slay Your 2019 Goals by Ehmonie Hainey - if you enjoyed this post, you can read more at What's Haute, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. 
Happy 2019! I’m excited to announce that this year I’m becoming a #goaldigger! Actually, I’ve been one for a few years now. I gave up on making New Year’s resolutions several years ago because like many people, I’d fail at keeping them. Since then, I’ve been so much more successful at setting and achieving my short-term and long-term goals throughout the year. I find goals easier to achieve because they vary from “bite-sized” to “life-size” goals, making them easy to put in buckets that I can tackle at various times. Examples of bite-sized goals for me include accomplishing key deliverables at work, writing and scheduling new blog posts for the week ahead, finishing a book, or even reorganizing my closet. Life-size goals include launching a new venture, (which I can easily break down into bite-sized goals to make them more achievable), planning and taking my dream trip (Iceland, I’m coming for you this year!), and working on my overall financial security and stability. I’ve become a true #goaldigger! And I want you to become one too. Here are 7 tips to help you set and slay your 2019 goals:
1. Pray and/or meditate, and practice positive thinking
I start every morning by getting down on my knees and praying. One of the things I pray for is that God provides me with direction over every area of my life. With my faith, I also work hard at maintaining a positive outlook in every area of my life, and believing in myself. Staying positive helps train your brain that everything will work out, which makes it easier to focus on being successful at your goals, rather than focusing on potential failure. Confidence is key. 2. Create a vision board and/or write down your goals
I spent New Year’s Day creating 2019 vision boards with my sister. Creating one helps me visualize the things that are most important to me (God/faith, entrepreneurship, love, travel and feeling and living well). It also lays out exactly what I want to achieve in 2019. It’s a great daily visual reminder of your plans and goals and it’ll help push you to work towards them. 3. Find accountability partners
Starting a diet or exercise plan, savings plan or anything other goal-oriented plan is much easier to follow if you have someone else on board in some way. Whether or not that person is doing it too or just helping you stay on track, having an accountability partner always helps. It doesn’t even have to be someone you know personally – there are plenty of online tools and virtual resources/people to help keep you on track. 4. Plan ahead
Last year a friend of mine told me a story about a famous coach. He said the coach planned out every moment of every day, down to eating the same thing for lunch every day because he knew exactly how long it would take. This level of consistency and self-control is admirable, and a great way to stay on track. There are many ways to do this, of course, but I tend to keep track of my life using my iCalendar, a good daily planner and a notebook. When you follow a set plan, it’s more likely to become a habit, therefore making your goals much easier to achieve. Which leads me to my next step: 5. Start your day earlier
I’ve heard so many times that the most successful people have one key thing in common: they start their day earlier. One of my good friends encouraged me frequently to start my day earlier to pray, meditate, read, or get some other things done. I’ve always been a night owl so this has forever been such a struggle for me. But there are times in the past year that I have challenged myself to get up earlier and I was able to get work done, get a workout in, AND felt more refreshed and ready to take on the day. 6. Get more sleep
Ugh, the struggle! I feel like I never get enough sleep. But it’s a problem that I’m constantly working on and trying to make new habits. Because more sleep leads to starting my day earlier, which leads to feeling better, getting more done, and achieving those goals. Easy enough, right?! And last, but definitely not least: 7. Take care of yourself
Self-care was the buzzword for 2018 but it is so important. If you set aside time for self-care every week, you’ll be able to refresh, recharge, and refocus on your goals and tasks for the week. It sounds like a given, but how many of us don’t take care of ourselves? We get so wrapped up in all of the demands of life and then look up and wonder why we’re exhausted, mentally drained, stressed or sick. I’ve recently signed up to do the New York Times 30-Day Well Challenge which is supposed to help you “build healthy habits for your body, mind and spirit.” I’m excited to do it and hopefully I’ll form some great new habits in the process! Take some time out for yourself so you can get back to slaying those goals you’ve set for yourself! What are your tips for goal-slaying? Share in the comments below! The post 7 Steps to Set and Slay Your 2019 Goals appeared first on What's Haute™.
Keeping the Faith! by Ehmonie Hainey - if you enjoyed this post, you can read more at What's Haute, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. 
Most people are looking forward to the New Year but I’m actually sad 2018 is coming to an end! This year has been so great to me. I feel like a broken record because I’ve been saying this all year, in almost every blog and social media post, but it honestly was the best year of my life! I truly lived my best life from the start to the finish. If you’ve been following What’s Haute, you know that 2017 was a pretty tough year for me. It almost broke me. My faith was severely tested. It was the year of loss and pain, including plenty of painful transitions and tests. I felt like I was living in a never ending specter of darkness that permeated every area of my life. It was the toughest period I’ve ever experienced. But amidst it all, I knew God was working in my life. Working on something bigger. Working I something better. And working on me. So I worked hard on staying positive despite all of the negative circumstances in my life, and keeping the faith. Even though I couldn’t see the light, I believed it was there, just on the other side of my pain. 
Keeping the faith paid off! 2018 was the year of the turnaround. The year of complete restoration. All of God’s promises to me became a reality. I started the year off with the loss of a loved one which was tough, but otherwise I tried to maintain the positive, faith-filled outlook I worked so hard to achieve. And God blessed me so abundantly this year that I found it hard to keep track of all of my blessings. I listen to Joyce Meyer’s podcast every morning and she often talks about how “God will give you double for your trouble” when you remain faithful to Him. And this year I saw the proof of that firsthand. For every thing, and in every area which I lost in 2017, God gave me greater in 2018. Greater grace. Greater favor. Greater blessings. I’m so excited to see what 2019 has in store but I’m so thankful for the year that I’ve had. I know a lot of people who have had a rough 2018 and I just want you to know that God can completely turn your life around next year, so much so that you won’t want the year to come to an end! That’s what keeping the faith can and will do!
 Many blessings to you all in 2019!
 
The post Keeping the Faith! appeared first on What's Haute™.
On the Hunt for the Blackest Black Jeans by Ehmonie Hainey - if you enjoyed this post, you can read more at What's Haute, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. 
I’m typically on the hunt for either food or fashion. What to eat, where to shop, and what to buy?! But ever since I instituted my self-imposed shopping diet, I really only shop for things I absolutely love or need. Mostly, need. And black jeans are always on my ‘need’ list. Have you ever asked yourself why it’s so hard to find a good pair of black jeans? I mean, ones that stay black after multiple wears and washes? It’s almost as hard as tracking down pictures of Bigfoot! But over the years I’ve tried and tested my fair share of black jeans. And by fair share I mean several pairs per season because after one wash, they turn stonewashed. Not cool. So through the process of elimination, I’ve got my tried and true brands that make the best, blackest black jeans, that stay black for a while! Or at least a few seasons. Sometimes that’s all you can ask for.
 But it’s worth the search. Black jeans are my fave because they’re chic, slimming, and work with everything. You can dress them up or down. Plus, paired with a cute top and heels, black jeans make an easy date night outfit! Here are my top 8 favorite pairs of black jeans (not in any particular order):
1. Paige Transcend Verdugo Crop Jeans in Black Overdye
2. Shaping Skinny High Jeans
3. Black High Rise Skinny Jeans
4. High-Rise Knee-Slit Super Skinny Jeans (More here)
5. Super Skinny High Jeggings
6. Hudson Jeans Nico Super Skinny Jeans
7. Rag & Bone High-Rise Legging Jeans
8. Express Mid Rise Black Sequin Stretch Denim Leggings And shop a plethora of the blackest black jeans below!
The post On the Hunt for the Blackest Black Jeans appeared first on What's Haute™.
More Recent Articles | 
Turn on your JavaScript to view content 
