All Posts By Charlene Gonzalez

Never Forget

September 11, 2001 is a day that I will never forget. I was a teenager in North Rockland High School (NY) when this attack occurred. Though it’s been 21 years everyone who lived in NY during that time, like me, remembers the horror lived like if it happened yesterday.  I will always do my due diligence to remember and honor all those lives lost on that day.  Even the past 16 years I lived in Puerto Rico I made it my duty to commemorate those lost.

Throughout history hate, racism, religion, cultural differences, politics have been the cause of many wars, attacks and hate crimes. When 9/11 occurred, the world was shaken but it brought a sense of unity.  

Last year I had the opportunity to visit the World Trade Center Memorial site this year I want to highlight the Rockland County September 11 Memorial site in Haverstraw Bay Park. This beautiful park borders the Hudson River and has an amazing memorial honoring the lives lost due to the attacks. Many families in Rockland County lost loved ones on that day.

September 11 is a day no one should ever forget!

Charlene Gonzalez

Be You, Be Lovely

 Life Update: Living My Best New Yorker Life

2022 has been the year of CHANGE for me; from moving to New York to dealing with impacting personal challenges. Many have noticed I haven’t been very active on social media as I use too and there are a few reasons. First of all, I’ve been living through a difficult family situation which has taken a toll on me emotionally. My focus was on accepting, healing, and protecting my mental health. I’m a real person and can’t be fake or pretend on social media. Talking about the situation isn’t easy but soon I will share because I know many can relate and will find inspiration through my experience. Even though I’ve toned down the social media influencer part of me even putting brand projects on hold I’m still very focused on my career and have been working on a project I hope to share very soon. I’m a perfectionist, so I am taking my time.

Other than that, I have truly been living in the now…enjoying life, my family, and friends. A mistake our generation has made is posting EVERYTHING on social media. Not everything should be posted you truly have to take the time to enjoy things privately.  If you’re struggling with where your life is at, or maybe things aren’t going as you had expected I PROMISE you are not alone on this! With social media and everyone’s highlight reel and posts being blasted everywhere, I know it’s easy to get lost in that these girls you follow have these perfect lives. But, everyone goes through hard times, and no one has it all together….remember that.

Moving to New York has been the best decision I’ve made.  I have been growing in all the areas of my life. Exploring new things and having fun have been my priorities. There’s so much to see and do in New York. I honestly don’t know when it happened or how it happened but all the sudden, I became very obsessed with K-Dramas. K-Dramas have so many beautiful storylines and of course very handsome actors (Song-Jong-Ki, Song Kang, Nam Joo-Hyuk, Lee Soo-Hyuk). My standards in what I want in a man have gone up even higher thanks to k-dramas. Watching all these series and movies I’ve become addicted to Asian everything; the food, music and culture. Side note, before I began my blog I had always been a fan of Asian beauty and fashion. It’s actually one of the many reasons I begin blogging. When I’m in NYC I love visiting K-Town where I can enjoy all types of food, drinks and tons of K-Beauty Stores.

When you visit K-town in NYC you have to stop by Food Gallery 32 to try the Kimchi Cheese Fries from Pelicana Chicken. Food Gallery 32 also has a cool section dedicated to the Squid Game series and if your a fan of K-Pop you’ll find nice murals dedicated to your fav idols like BlackPink and BTS. I’m personally a huge fan of Astro, Got7 and Jay Park, they don’t have murals but you can enjoy their music videos there.


Trying out bubba drinks and cold teas are a must in K-Town. My top two favs are the strawberry lemonade from Kung Fu Tea and Jasmine Green Tea with fresh fruits from Machi Machi. The Jongro Rice Hotdogs are also a must-try you won’t regret.

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So, that’s all the update I have for you. I hope you enjoyed this post and are doing great. I send you all my love. Remember that no matter where you are in life don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t feel discouraged and keep working hard to accomplish your goals.

Be Lovely, Be You

Charlene Gonzalez

Hot Girl Summer in NYC

New York; the city full of aspirations, hopes, dreams, freedom, and opportunity. It’s my first summer in New York City after many years living in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s weather provides summer weather all year long while in NY you get to experience the 4 seasons. Summer in New York is very short lived, so you better believe I’m going to live my best hot girl summer.

Though NYC is a concrete jungle its very colorful and full of life in this season. The streets are busier than ever, and you see the bustle of people enjoying the warm weather to the maximum.  

This summer is all about feeling and looking my best in addition to enjoying new experiences. Though the heat wave has been unreal, and it gets worse in NYC I’m determined to live my best New Yorker life.

Hot girl summer is all about making the most of this season while practicing self-love, self-confidence, focusing on wellness, having healthy boundaries and relationships, and of course making trendy and bold fashion choices.  

My hot girl summer style is about wearing bold and colorful prints which is a risk because I’m more of a neutral color gal.  This tropical printed and colorful blouse by Park Candy was the perfect summer top. It let me show off my Caribbean Latina vibes in New York City. I paired it with my favorite ripped jeans and bright green pointy toe kitten heels which are super comfy to walk around in the city streets.

How are you living your best hot girl summer?

Be Lovely, Be You

Charlene Gonzalez

10th Blogiversary: 10 Years Of Lovely Chicas

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10 years today I published this blog. Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a full decade of Lovely Chicas. As I write this post so many overwhelming memories fill my mind, and I can’t help but cry. When I created Lovely Chicas I knew nothing about blogging but I made it my mission to learn because I wanted to create something special that not only would inspire but leave a legacy. Many already know this story but if not, I’ll repeat it. Before Publishing Lovely Chicas it took me 2 years of internal conflict with myself. When you let the fear of failure or what others may think of you overcome what you want to accomplish you become your own worst enemy. I’m thankful I didn’t let that negativity control me because creating Lovely Chicas will always be the best decision I’ve ever made.

Within these ten years I’ve lived through so much; heartbreaks, endless uncertainties, family drama, economic hardships, cancer scares, betrayals,  many tears, ups and down and many moments I wanted to give up. With a lot of pride, peace, joy, and happiness in my heart I can honestly say I’m grateful for all those negative moments because they made me into the empowering, independent, fearless, self-made and strong woman I am today. Most importantly the good has always been greater than the bad.


This may sound cliché, but I’m amazed with all I’ve accomplished through Lovely Chicas because the opportunities have been endless.

Seriously, who would have ever thought that this timid, shy, introverted girl would create a platform speaking her mind about things many fear sharing. Not to mention that I’ve been nominated for various awards, a panelist and speaker at major events, an ambassador for incredible initiatives, I’ve worked with hundreds of brands, I’ve been featured on billboards, magazines, and many media outlets. I’ve also had the opportunity to do what I love which is to inspire and help others in need by visiting shelters, children’s hospitals and giving teen conferences at schools.

Within my trajectory I’m constantly asked how to create a blog or be an influencer because many have that desire but are scared to go for it. If you’re reading this and can relate…. stop wasting time and go for it. I wasted 2 years in fear and doubt before publishing Lovely Chicas when this platform has been the best part of my life. Stop putting excuses and don’t give into your fears. Don’t even wait for the “perfect moment” because the “perfect moment” doesn’t exist. The moment is NOW. This can be the decision that will change your life forever and bring the best. If you fail, its ok, just try again and don’t give up. Believe me, you all have it much easier now than when I did when I began. My journey started when blogging was just beginning and I’m part of the content creators who has fought to gain the respect and benefits many can enjoy today. Trust me, if this is your dream start your legacy and ignore the negativity. Be consistent, creative, dedicated, persistent, willing to learn and ready to sacrifice a lot.  Most importantly be authentic; be you! This digital world is yours to conquer.

For those who have supported the legacy of Lovely Chicas, thank you. I don’t even know where to begin expressing my gratitude because without your support nothing I’ve accomplished would have been possible. I truly Love you all! There is still so much more I want to accomplish and I’m greatly looking forward towards more years to come with Lovely Chicas and a greater journey. This legacy means everything to me, I will continue to work hard in my mission to empower and inspire. I want to be a voice for those who don’t have one and that I may be be light, hope and love in this world that’s need so much of it. My desire is for everyone to be a part of this mission, especially the ladies because we are all Lovely Chicas.

My loves, be ready because in celebration of Lovely Chicas 10th Blogiversary there will be lots of surprises all month long.

Be Lovely, Be you

Charlene Gonzalez

4th Of July In NY

The Fourth of July is kind of a big deal for me and if you’ve followed me on the blog for a while you know that I was passionate about celebrating it even though I lived in Puerto Rico, and it wasn’t really a big holiday that was celebrated in the island. One of the things I missed the most was celebrating Independence Day in New York…..the fireworks, barbecues and pool parties. This year that changed because after 17 years I got to celebrate in NY.

So, I officially got my dose of the red, white and blue patriotism I missed.  The first thing I checked off the list was seeing my old towns fireworks. It was nice to see everyone united to witness this firework show. I’m going to be honest….it didn’t impress me as much as it did years ago. But I’m sure that’s because after you witness Disney parks fireworks show nothing can top that and its hard to be impressed. Nevertheless, it was incredible to relive and experience Haverstraw Fireworks.

Changing the routine, instead of a pool party or barbeque on July 4th I visited a local park; Haverstraw Bay Park.  I think it was the perfect day for this visit not only because the weather was amazing but because this park has various memorials that honors residents who lost their lives on 9/11 and the war. The horror lived on September 11th, 2001, is something no New Yorker will ever forget. Two of the most traumatizing moments of my life have been what I experienced on 9/11 in NY and during/after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Two historical events that left behind a lot of pain and disaster but have shown me the power of unity and resilience.

Today is a perfect day to remember and honor the historical events and those who’ve lost their lives to give us the opportunity to live in freedom. Wherever you are and no matter how you celebrated I hope you had an amazing 4th of July. Happy Birthday America!

Be Lovely, Be You

Charlene Gonzalez

Prioritizing The Relationship With Myself

One of the most important relationships you’ll ever have in life is the relationship with yourself. Unfortunately, as human beings, we tend to worry about our relationships with other people and not about the one we have with ourselves.  

In my life getting to know myself and spending time with myself have become a top priority. Doing this has helped me embrace my imperfections and strengths, empowering my self-love, independence and decision making.

Getting to know myself and even understand my personality has helped me be a better person every day. That should be everyone’s goal; be a better person than they were the day before. I’m a very genuine person due to the fact that I use to know what it was to hide who I truly was because of religion, my family and culture (That’s a long story for another day). Taking off the mask, facing and being yourself is liberating.  

Within that journey into understanding myself I’ve taken a few personality tests. Doing this helped me understand so much about myself. I’ve always known I’m an introvert but though I’m shy and may keep to myself I’ve always had big goals, been a risk taker and love adventure. According to the Myer-Briggs personality tests I am an “Adventurous Introvert”. If you haven’t taken this personality test, I highly recommend it. I discovered that many of the biggest celebreties are also ”Adventurous Introverts”.

I have always been my own individual, I’m very confident and happy with my own company. I’m not scared to do things on my own though it takes me I while to make decisions because I analyze every detail. Even the decision of leaving everything behind and starting over in NY was something that I highly analyzed. Not to mention the decision to get my tattoos…wow I really over analyzed that.

 I’m very observant, love to have fun and need passion because I get bored easily.   I am very creative; I can do it all from writing, creating content, designing to DIY and home décor. I love anything that involves creativity. There’s also nothing I enjoy more than new experiences. Discovering new hobbies, activities, cultures, foods…..I want to try it all. Well as long as it doesn’t involve anything scary and dangerous.

I’m not a party girl, never have been and never ever will be and I’m ok with that. I’m more of a homebody…well I like day activities. Just don’t expect me to be out all night till the next day.  Yes, I love trying new things and going on fun adventures. One, thing I pride myself in is being self-taught. My expertise of being a blogger and content creator I learned by myself. Though it took me 2 years to make the decision of being a blogger I was learning and teaching myself during the process. I literally can teach myself to do anything.

Comfort zones and routines are my worst nightmares; I don’t like them or believe in them. I hate conflict and confrontations and try to avoid them.

The simple things bring me joy. My spirit is young, though I’m in my 30’s I feel like 25. There’s still so much I want to do and accomplish in life.

Within getting to know myself and my personality I’ve learned to have a positive mentality through everything. Before the old Charlene would break down to difficult situations and heartbreaks, not anymore. Though I do take my time to process my emotions because mental health and peace are my priorities. Bad experiences in life are just life lessons. When you learn to love everything about yourself, you have high values and standards not even a simple heartbreak will get you down because you understand your amazing worth. You simply move on and live your best life.

Through this journey I’ve grown in self-love, acceptance and I’ve become my own best friend. Knowing and accepting yourself is a lifelong journey that will never be over, but it’s worth the effort. If you haven’t done it, make the relationship with yourself your main priority.

Be Lovely, Be You

Charlene Gonzalez