The Highs & Lows

Sheldon Cooper Tee- Thrifted at Superior Thrift

Dark Floral Skirt - Forever 21

Mary Jane Shoes - Forever 21

Night Lights

In the midst of work and family, I got a chance to visit one of my best friends, Nicole. And of course, we took this opportunity to eat boiling crab, empty our wallets at the mall, and force her brother, Justin, to take photos for ~blogging~. 

So we all dragged our asses out at 9 PM at night to take ~*luxurious*~ photos with Justin's amazing camera and his professional photography skills. With the pain of changing outfits in public bathrooms and facing cold northern California winds, we got a couple of shots and required the crew of us 3 to Pinkberry (a.k.a. Justin paid. Thanks!)

| here is to a throw at 

Nicole's personal style of 

bohemian cuts and earthy colors |

Pretty in Pink

 

Because I ran out of things to say at two in the morning.

Here is this.

I wrote this small excerpt in the spring of last year.

I figured I'd just toss it out there since it's the 

one of the few romantic things I will probably

 ever write about anything.

          Adam was someone that I didn't know. He sat three rows ahead and one seat to the left of me in 7^th period English class. His hair was chestnut brown and messy from his lack of upkeep while his eyes were big, clean, and lit up at the call of his name. But other than speaking when he was spoken to in class, he was quiet and would doodle on the beige wooden desk that he was assigned. When class was dismissed, I would take the longer route out the door to check out the messy pencil marks he left. Sometimes it was simple drawings. Other times it was intricate patterns. Rarely, it was nothing; most of the time it was poems and stories that he would write on that desk. And little to his knowledge, our teacher, Mrs. Hesman, would go up to his desk a few minutes after everyone left class and copy the words or take pictures of the drawings with her disposable camera. She must have filled up at least three notebooks of what he created since he transferred into her class. I only knew of this because I left my binder in Mrs. Hesman’s room one time and had to fetch it before I was going to be late for the bus. I caught her in the act. Her face spoke of a deer in headlights. She looked at me and brought her finger to her lips, indicating it was a well-kept secret that she didn't intend to get out. I nodded and left in a silent agreement. By the way she documented it, I knew she was collecting all of this to give to him at some point in his life.

But I didn't know why he did this. But I knew that he had no intentions for anyone to see it. I’m sure that he thought the janitors wiped down the desks everyday as a daily routine. Without observing, I knew that it was our teacher that did the task so that Adam would have a new slate every day to create on.

I wonder what her intentions were. I knew mine. Sometimes I would quickly memorize the passages and copy them down myself, and then recite them in my head. I wanted badly to know what it meant. Why write this? Why not anything else but this? The questions piled up inside of my head as the mystery of who he was expanded further than what I could reach.

Because at first he was a just name, then a slouch of a posture with books in his hand. Then he became condensed words on a table and a glance towards backseat where I sat. He was the galaxy condensed into a soul and a breath of mountain air that I dared not to take. A dazzling mystery in the eyes I set him in. It drove me insane. 

From Yours Truly, XOXO

Purple Floral Kimono Shawl - Forever 21

Black Bralette - Walmart

Black Lacy Tank - ANGL

Black Shorts - Fashion Young

Thigh High Socks - American Apparel

Creepers - Charlotte Russe

Pearls - Vintage

Lovers' hands embracing each others, secret glances at dinner, bubbly champagne, opening of tiny jewelry boxes, and parting kisses exchanged in front of taxi cars... you guessed it. Valentine's Day is right around the corner. This is seriously the only holiday where people either rejoice in their found love, obsessively internet stalk their crushes, or drown their loneliness in bottles of cheap vodka.

I'm totally kidding. People do those things on a daily basis anyway.

 This holiday just puts it under a microscope with the constant throw up of pink and red in every store you walk into. I don't mind it at all. Reason why? 50% off V-Day chocolate on Feb. 15. Now that's true love.

To be honest, I never believed that love had to be a grand announcement with a huge expensive dinner or being greeted with roses at my front door. Instead, it's the 3 AM Mcdonald's delivery from an uber janky boy in sweats while I waltz to the front door in my pajamas. It's pretending to shove someone out of an "incoming car" to save their life. It's the super dumb inside jokes about overused memes that you keep on overusing anyway. Or maybe I'm just a cheap date? (insert the har har har)

Anyways, in the spirit of Valentine's day, I threw on my cupid's best and snapped a few photos at the beach while on a girl date with home girl, Helena. And of course being the best date ever, I treated her and myself to gelato. You have to try milk chocolate hazelnut. Dear lord... it's so tasty. Here's to me finding my true love at last. I'm sure gelato and I will make a great couple. :)

Please Hop Into My Closet

I may or may not fall in love with articles of clothing. 

Okay. I admit it. I totally, completely, and utterly do. 

But I swear, it's only a 

small problem

 (my wallet begs to differ).

One minute I'm scrolling through pictures and pictures from clothing websites that my taste buds deem unworthy of my troll-like palate, and then with one single distracted glance, boom. It hits me. In that instance, the stars aligned, the planets orbit perfectly in sync around the sun, and a higher being whispers in my ear, "you were born on this earth to buy this." I answer back with diluted pupils and a psychopath stare, "yes master..." I found what I have been looking for all my life. 

Quickly I click on the link, choose my size, and press "buy" as my little heart races and the high hits me square in the face. And then... no. No way. You have to be kidding me. As I read the fine print, I feel needles stabbing into my pathetic soul. Sold out. I flip the table, drop to my knees, throw my fists into the air, and scream, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" 

And this, ladies and gentlemen,

 is the story of how I ended up in a psych ward. 

I'm totally kidding. But at last, these are the exact stories, perhaps a little exaggerated, about how I found something on the internet that I lusted over, but it was not meant to be. The other tragic stories involve me looking at the price tag. Sigh. That's for another day. 

Anyways, as I again roam the internet for things I'll probably never get the chance to end up purchasing, I complied yet another lust list of clothes that I will admire from afar. And hope that in the future, I will purchase these items, and that my package will ship from distant land (probably China). But for now, here are a few things that should totally be in my closet right now.

Octopus Hoodie | Link |: This has to be the coolest hoodie that I have ever seen. Not only does it fit the current monochromatic trend, it's freaking octopus tentacles draped majestically over the top half of the piece. The minute I saw it, I convinced myself that I needed it. With my luck, it's sold out. I already decided my fate though. This hoodie and I WILL meet again. Click Here if you want to experience how I felt when I saw that it was sold out. Le sniff. Le sigh. Le cry. 

Kastor & Pollux Hologram Skirt | Link |: This skirt looks like the back of one of the stickers you get from a quarter machine. And that is exactly why I want it. It reminds me of ~space~ & the ~future~ to be perfectly honest. I already imagine myself twirling in this piece and admiring each glisten that the skirt gives off when light hits it. 

3rd Eye Bralette | Link |: I love this. I know it's a pretty simple graphic, but it completely stands on it's own. I'm a sucker for anything black and green, and this fits it perfectly. I would probably pair this with a circle skirt or high-waisted shorts/jeans. And if anyone keeps staring at the graphic, I an amusingly say, "hello? Eyes are up here." 

Acidic High-Waisted Shorts | Link |: I know, I know. My butt will totally fall out of this. I'm not a fan of my cheeks having the chance to say hi to the world, but the elongated zipper is what totally draws me in. Not only does it lengthens my stubby silhouette, it proportions my body and adds a strange sophistication. A.K.A., I am desperately drooling as I type this out.  

Tied Black Platform Ankle Boots | Link |: Little witch booties. Little witch booties tapping on the pavement. Little witch booties climbing up wooden stairs. Little witch booties  tiptoeing across tile. Clack. Clack. Clack. These are the perfectly boots to pair with black thigh high socks. I only stand at 5 feet and barely 1 inch. By pairing these heeled boots with long socks in the same color, I manage to make my legs seem like they go on for miles. What's that phrase? Fake it till you make it. 

Music Playlist: January 29, 2013

In all honesty, slow, melancholic music is my absolute favorite. While some others favor heavy beats and lighthearted dance tracks that shake up the soul, I prefer the wallowing pain of lying in my bed for 3 hours straight while listening to songs about heartbreak. It's a little bit sick, I have to admit. Even if I'm not feeling like the world is ending, I'll listen to these songs anyway. Cue the scene where I dramatically look outside a rain soaked window, shedding a single tear.

SONGS

1. IU - I Don't Like Her

2. The Strokes - I'll Try Anything Once

3. A Fine Frenzy - Near to You

4. Beware of Darkness - All Who Remain

5. Jared Evan - Charlie Brown

6. Birdy - Skinny Love

7. Sistar- Crying

Beauty Queen of Only 18

Flowers blooming, bees buzzing, and finals right around the corner; let me welcome you to the spring semester of my freshman year. During that time, Nicole and I were bored out of our minds studying for midterms and trying to cram everything into our brains. All of the things that we were learning started to sound like "blah, blah, blah, blah". And like usual, I came into Nicole's room to bother her as she clicked away at her Tumblr. I had this grand announcement of a contest that I wanted us to enter where the grand prize was an Ipad. She was like, "Ipad!?" and I nodded a satisfied "yes!!!" We were totally in. 

The contest was for an up and coming online clothing store. The only rules for the contest were to take a photo of yourself with a product from their store or to dress fashionable with the store in mind. And of course, harass your dorm building mates to vote for you.  I thought to myself, "How hard could that be?" 

So with a borrowed camera and with amateur camera-woman/stylist skills, we crammed a photo shoot on our campus within a span of 3 hours. Not too shabby for beginners at all! 

The next step was pleading and begging for votes, which we did for a month straight. Constantly parading around each dorm that we had access too and asking (forcing) our fellow freshman to vote for us.

So you're probably wondering if we won or not. We didn't. BUT my excuse is that we had finals to study for and got super lazy about asking for votes. But nonetheless, here are the leftovers from the days that we were 18 years old. 

Making Hips Stir Since 2010

I basically took my inner hipster and threw it up on Nicole. That poor girl. But here were the results of what I would like to call "not appropriate for school or work"; complete with the hipster trademark at the time, the beanie, while paired with upcoming trend of corsets.

Child's Play
I aimed for something a little more whimsical with this outfit. I wanted a touch of childhood with an Alice in Wonderland feel and a dash of a modern touch. Thinking about it now, it would be a perfect outfit for a music festival or a carnival! 

Sasha Not-So-Fierce
I believe this is when I started to experiment more with more "hardcore" & "edgy" pieces. Me? Hardcore? Ha! The pleather jacket definitely toughens up the look, along with Nicole's expressions of "take me seriously."With the tank top and heels, the outfit still remains girly and feminine. 

The Starlet
This has to be my absolutely favorite look. The lighting was awesome. The poses were awesome. The entire composition, I feel like, really draws you in. And of course, the awkwardness of taking these photos were awesome as well.

For you guys that attend the same university as Nicole and I, you may recognize the location to be the bathroom of the cafeteria. I have no shame in picking this place, seeing that it is the most beautiful bathroom in the entire campus. I have no doubts that the mood lighting, clean stalls, fancy sinks are all apart of the university's scheme to lure naive potential students and parents alike to pay thousands of dollars for an education here. 

I hope that you guys enjoyed this throwback into our past of when we thought we were so cool for being the dynamic duo that strutted around campus, lugging around accessories and clothes with a huge camera; cause nothing says "cool freshman" like two science majors running around like we worked for Vogue.

Make Up Basics

What was I like in middle school and high school? That's right folks. Awkward and gawky as f$%!. Maybe it was the transition from child to teenager that I never really truly grasped the concept of, but it was definitely a learning process to be the person that I am today, still awkward and gawky. Maybe just a little less so.

While growing up I always had seen my sister apply her make up for school and was fascinated by what a transformation make up can do. How is it that you can look sweet and fresh one minute to look like you're going out for a night on the town? I wanted to know this super lady secret. So slowly and gradually, I experimented. Fumbling through the world of mascaras, lipsticks, eyeliners; I was the definition of a hot mess. Most of the time it looked like I drew with a pen underneath of my eyes and had obnoxious lip colors that made me look like a pale and frigid mannequin. How cute, right? I rather not show you pictures or else you may never look at me the same again. I learned my lessons though, like that blue eye shadow up to your eyebrows was not a good idea or the fact that just doing eyeliner on the bottom half of my eye came off a little strange.

Anyways, since I learned a little bit about makeup since I was 13, here are some of my favorite products that I use on a daily basis no matter the occasion, (and mainly cause these are the things I mainly know how to use).

NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation in Beige($9.50) - This powder is so silky and smooth and to be honest, it's feels like I'm applying nothing on my face at all. But like magic, all of a sudden my face looks airbrushed and like I had the skin of a 4 year old. It really does it's job. Warning, use with a gentle hand or else you will end up looking like you ran through a beige version of the Color Run. 

E.L.F Essential Eyelid Primer in Natural ($1.00) - I used to be the type of girl that was a brand snob when it came to eyelid primers. I swore by Urban Decay's Primer Potion and did not stray from it for two years. But when my tube of that goop broke, causing contents to dry out, I knew I needed to search for a less expensive alternative. That's where I turned to E.L.F. The company is known for making makeup that is extremely affordable. And at a dollar, I didn't have much to lose. And after about a year of using this product, I would say it's pretty awesome. It holds my eyeliner pretty well and keeps on my eye shadows for a pretty decent amount of time. It definitely doesn't have 24 hour staying power, but it will get you through work day just fine. I purchase this product about every 3 months. So the total cost for an entire year is only $4.00; proving to be a much better deal than any name brand. 

E.L.F. Studio Cream Eyeliner in Black ($3.00) - Here's to another of one of my cheap thrills. Gel eyeliner has always been an essential in my cosmetics bag, and for good reason too. Without it, I feel like I don't look awake, or even alive for that matter. Without it, I get an influx of "you look tired" comments a day. Sad that I now depend on a black line above my eye to avoid looking like a corpse. This eyeliner in particular is super easy to apply and ultra smooth as well. The color payoff can be a little bit watery, but if you wait for the first coat to dry, you can always apply a second coat to get a deeper color. 

*Here's a tip: when shopping around for gel eyeliners, especially if the container is see-through, look for the product to be touching the entire surface of the container. Gel eyeliners that show gaping in between the container and the product itself are usually liners that are already in the process of being dried out. These types of eyeliners typically "shrink" when they lose moisture, causing harder application due to its dry nature. Try and think of using a sharpie that barely has ink left, that should give you a mental picture. 

NYX Slide On Pencil in Jet Black ($8.00) - I'm not too particular when it comes to pencil eyeliners other than the fact that I like my pencils to give a bit less color payoff in general. That may sound strange to any makeup guru, but it's the truth. I only use pencil eyeliner on my bottom lash line and I have grown to notice that the eyeliner stays on longer when the product isn't too creamy or slick. NYX Slide on Pencil does the job well for me. It's easy to apply, and doesn't budge throughout the day. It's truly a perfect fit. 

MAC's Blush in Melba ($21.00) - This has to be the priciest item I have on my list. Funny thing is, it was actually a hand-me-down from my sister. Ever since she gave me this, I have been in love with this product. I never really believed in the power of blush before. I used to think that it was unnecessary and a waste of money. But my friend, Connie, showed me otherwise. One day, I begrudgingly let her put blush on me. With a quick glance at the mirror, I was shocked. From looking like a corpse to looking gorgeously flushed, I was sold. And ever since then, I have depended on my trusty Melba to give me that boost to my skin tone of beige-yellow. It makes me look sun-kissed and like I spent all day looking through antique shops and taking scrolls at the beach. When in reality I have been slaving over a paper for 8 hours in the library. Magic, I tell you. 

Revlon Super Lustrous Cream Lipstick in Berry Rich ($4.50) - Last but most importantly, one of my favorite lipsticks of all time. When I first started off with makeup, lipstick became an ultimate comfort product. I experimented for a while with different shades and they all didn't work for me at all. On a whim when I was at the store with my mom, I decided to pick up this bad boy. I got lucky. The application was smooth. The color was bright enough to lighten up my appearance. Yet it was dark and subtle enough to wear everyday. If I could only choose one lipstick to wear for the rest of my life, this would be the winner. No doubt about it.

Thrills to Kill

As one of my professors likes to put it, "November is the month of hell." Papers and exams have had me all bogged down. I used to know what the outside world was like, but at the moment, all I know is the confines of my desk. But it's cool! Winter break is just right around the corner (after finals of course... sigh)! Even with this month being super busy, I managed to style Nicole before our anatomy class and click a few pictures. So here is my best cat friend at her finest. 

Purple Plaid Button Up - Costco

Barcode Tank - Forever 21

Tights - Forever 21

Platform Shoes - Nordstrom Rack