Lilac Snow

Most people equate pastels with spring wardrobes, but to me it's always been more natural to wear them in winter. My lovely soft Anthropologie scarf arrived and I took the opportunity to wear it with my lavender leather oxfords, which turned out to not be the best idea since it started snowing lightly today! I finished up the look with a few swipes of Barry M Lip Paint in Palest Lavender.

 Anthropologie pink Misen Cowl
Cotton On white button-down placket front tank top
Cotton On star print grey cardigan
Cotton On black velvet leggings
Kimchi Blue Teen Dream lavender oxfords

Happy Monday!

Hello lovelies! So with the advent of the Internet, customary Black Friday sales have since bled over into all-or-nothing all-weekend Cyber Monday sales, and for many of us it's not uncommon to come out with our wallets and bank accounts significantly lighter.

I've been pretty frugal in the past years so this was the first time I went a little crazy! It's just once every 365 days right...and the discounts are pretty great. Here are the highlights of my haul!

 

 TYPO BUTTON ROLL WRAP | FOREVER21 PEARL BOW HAIR PINS | URBAN OUTFITTERS CHEVRON RUG 

ANTHROPOLOGIE MISEN COWL | MAGICAL THINKING ROUND PINTUCK PILLOW 

THE MOON AND THE SEA CICADA EARRINGS | COTTON ON BUNNY TOTE

001. I'll be wrapping my holiday gifts with this cute printed paper and some pink ribbon.

002. These pretty pearl-studded hairpins are the perfect finishing touch when I'm feeling extra dainty.

003. I found this 3x5 graphic zigzag rug to go under my desk at a steal for $20 during the UO Cyber Monday sale.

004. I actually missed the 20% off Anthro Black Friday sale so I wound up paying full price for this...but it's the softest, prettiest lavender-pink shade ever and I have no regrets.

005. I've been eyeing this cute velvet pillow to accent my chair for months but had trouble justifying it because it was slightly pricey. My patience was rewarded when it dropped to $19 for Cyber Monday!

006. As an insect lover, I fell in love with these statement earrings when I first saw the version done by Manhattan jeweler Erica Weiner, but felt the price was a little steep for me at $30. So naturally I was thrilled to discover Etsy seller Nuit Moore selling an identical pair for much less!

007. With the amount of tools and supplies I'm lugging around on a daily basis, I'm always in need of more things to carry them all in. This sweet and quirky bunny tote is perfect for transporting yards of fabric and my bin of sewing implements.

Breton Stripe Redux + Heart Flats review

I have this habit of fixating on a specific article of clothing that I'm fond of and wearing it in endless combinations, perhaps more often than is appropriate...I've thrown on this Breton striped jersey dress by Cotton On three times in this past week. While this probably makes me a bad fashion blogger to post two outfits featuring the same dress one after another, I think it's a great thing to have versatile pieces in your wardrobe.

Cotton On Colette Breton jersey dress
H&M dolman-sleeve slouchy cardigan
Printed Village Black Sheep scarf
Mel Pop Special Blush Heart flats

Let's take a moment to talk about these cute new flats I'm wearing, which I picked up from Modcloth for a modest $45. They're by Mel, the more affordable little sister brand of Brazilian brand Melissa who is known for their adorable vegan jelly shoes and amazing collaborations with popular designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Jason Wu, and Karl Lagerfeld.

Concept-wise these shoes are simple yet charming, a translucent matte muted mauve jelly flat topped with a shiny candy apple red heart. It goes without saying that I love the design which is right up my alley, no complaints there.

But what really hits it out of the park for me is the incredible comfort of these flats. I don't think I've ever had as much of a Cinderella moment as when I first put these shoes on because the fit was perfect--they molded to my feet like they were made for me, and not once did my heel slip out of the back as is common with many flats I've tried. I ideally wear a US size 5 shoe and am often forced to compromise on shoe sizing because most brands don't manufacture anything smaller than a 6, but Mel comes to the rescue again by actually producing my size! Mad props to them for that alone.

I was initially concerned about them rubbing or cutting into my heel with long wear because they were plastic, but I wore them out all day today and they are by far the comfiest first-wear I've ever had with ballet flats.

Possibly my only critique is that when I wore them with sheer tights today I noticed a small amount of sweatiness happening, which is unsurprising since they are plastic, but when I wear them barefoot (which I guess facilitates evaporation better) I have no issues, and since a bit of sweat is to be expected with any barefoot or close-to-barefoot closed shoe regardless of material, I think I'd rather have my shoes be easily washable.

TL;DR--Cutest shoes ever, fit is amazing, I want them in every color.

Florals for...Fall

Since dressing seasonally appropriately is not something I always do...today's outfit was florals. I had a chance to take my new canvas satchel out; it's the perfect size for my sketchbook and pencil pouch, and the clasps are easy to undo--a must for breezing through subway stations and college campus security.

Cotton On Colette Breton jersey dress
Forever21 boxy pink alpaca sweater
Doc Marten Victorian Flowers combat boots
Typo Taylor pink floral satchel

Fairytale

Surely I'm not the only one who, especially since the advent of blogs and Pinterest, found myself in envy of the apparently charmed lives of others. I'd like to do tons of cute DIY projects, make adorably photogenic meals, and sit down in my picture-perfect apartment too! Even knowing that what is portrayed in blogs may simply be a facade of arranged and rare photo-ready moments in someone's life doesn't stop me from yearning for it, since my daily life is so chaotic. Maybe I'll get there someday? For now, a few October buys to prettify my life...

TYPO MY PET BUNNY CASE | PRINTED VILLAGE BLACK SHEEP SCARF 

HARD CANDY GLOW ALL THE WAY LUMINIZER IN DOLL FACE | BIORÉ UV AQUA RICH WATERY ESSENCE SPF 50
 NERDY LITTLE SECRETS PEBBLES BONE HAIR CLIP | HOLIKA HOLIKA BULGARIAN ROSE EYE CREAM

AMERICAN EAGLE EFFORTLESSLY CHIC BABYDOLL DRESS | EFFIE'S HEART CLAUDIA COAT

001. This bunny pencil pouch by concept shop Typo is too cute for a life of being tossed into the bottom of my school bag! It'll have a nice life on a shelf holding my makeup tools.

002. A is a huge fan of this cheeky scarf with its lone black sheep, and likes to prance around our studio with it tossed dramatically over his shoulder. Its pretty turquoise shade is a fresh accent to my cream, blush, and black wardrobe.

003. I'll be relying on this icy pink highlighter to impart an effervescent glow to my insomnia-ridden cheeks.

004. I confess, I'm not the best at remembering to apply sunscreen before going out every day, and even the Neutrogena Dry Touch makes my usually manageable skin incredibly greasy. Cilu over at Spaz & Squee recommended this Japanese sunscreen for its lightweight texture and absorbency, so I have high hopes!

005. I've had this kitschy cute hair clip by Nerdy Little Secrets in my Etsy wishlist for a while, and finally decided to buy it on the last day of their 15% off code! Of course no sooner than I did, did they decide to lower the price...oh well.

006. Korean Brand Holika Holika has always drawn my attention for its pretty packaging; I've bought several new skincare products recently so hopefully I'll have a review of this up soon!

007. I love low-back dresses so it's no surprise that I jumped on this cute AE babydoll when it reduced in price for a short while. It was hard deciding between black and ivory but I went with the ivory in the end since I've been gravitating toward lighter colors lately.

008. I fell in love with this unique printed coat by indie designer Effie's Heart at first sight! Finally I bit the bullet and bought it right before it sold out.


It's not good to dream too much, but I'm enjoying a little time with my feet off the ground...

Kawaii-fy Your Phone with CocoPPa

I'm really late to the party with this one (as always), but I just got my first iPhone, which means I can finally indulge in all the mega-cutesy accessories and apps specially made for the most popular phone in the world. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect vomit-worthy-cute case, but for now I've used the notorious CocoPPa app to give my iPhone screen an overhaul. Here it is:

Sickeningly sweet, right? I had a lot of fun just browsing through the icons and saving my favorites; I have some hoarder-y tendencies (hello nail polish collection), and this is a good way of indulging in my proclivity for cute things without cluttering up my tiny studio with unnecessary possessions.

Since the essentials of how to use the app are fairly simple and covered by dozens of existing tutorials I won't rehash that. What I will summarize are the drawbacks and glitches, and give tips to get around them. This will be a text-heavy post so the rest will be after the jump.

Opening Week

Unless you attend a school that enforces a uniform, most students are faced with the task of appearing presentable before their teachers and peers every day in a different set of clothes. I don't know about other people but usually what happens with me is that I make a cursory endeavor to be well-dressed the first few weeks and then the attention put into my clothes slowly declines over the months as the workload piles on, until I'm showing up to class in leggings and an over-sized men's button-down. So while I'm still up to making the effort, here's a week of outfits from September:

click to enlarge!

Monday - H&M dolman-sleeve slouchy cardigan, asymmetrical crepe chiffon tank (over Forever21 cami), Charlotte Russe trouser shorts, Lucky Brand Covela sandals.

Tuesday - Forever21 criss-cross back swiss dot dress, Zara skull print scarf, Wild Diva Timberly combat boots.

Wednesday - Forever21 draped cardigan, Silence + Noise scoop back tank top, Charlotte Russe trouser shorts, Kimchi Blue ribbon tie flats.

Thursday - Piko1988 faux fur drape jacket, Silence + Noise mesh cami, Black Milk Mechanical leggings, Aldo Flomace hi-top sneakers.

Friday - Forever21 boxy alpaca sweater, Line and Dot bird-print silk blouse, ASOS burgundy corduroy skinny jeans, Doctor Marten Victorian Flowers combat boots.


Nothing fancy, as always most of my wardrobe is composed largely of inexpensive pieces from common high-street shops as I lack both the restraint and the patience to entertain the idea of a "capsule" wardrobe composed of a few well-edited pieces. Thus the majority of what I buy tends to be from stores that cater to what is generally considered "fast fashion".

There's a certain stigma in shopping at such stores, namely the notion that clothes from these stores are trendy, shoddily made, and disposable. Often this is true, but it doesn't have to be if you choose and treat your clothes with care--several of the garments I use in these outfits are ones I've owned for years, and I enjoy wearing them and incorporating them into my daily outfits just as much as some of the more expensive things I own.

“Never use the word 'cheap'. Today everybody can look chic in inexpensive clothes (the rich buy them too). There is good clothing design on every level today. You can be the chicest thing in the world in a T-shirt and jeans — it’s up to you.” -Karl Lagerfed

Put Down the Tweezers.

So let's talk eyebrows. If the eyes are the window to the soul, then the eyebrows are probably the curtains framing the windows and making it look nicer. Oft-neglected, your brows actually hold a lot of power over the appearance of your face, and in my opinion is one of the most expressive features. Forget eyes, who--by themselves--can be ubiquitous, enigmatic, and inscrutable. If you're interested in a quick read on someone's mood, check out their brows.

I don't usually treat this blog to many pictures of my face, in part simply because my makeup routine is not that interesting, but also because I shouldn't like to come off as vain or anything (who am I kidding). But showing a cropped picture of my brows in this case wouldn't be particularly useful in gauging their overall presence on my face, so here you are:

Because of the subtleties of brow influence on your face, I have always been an avid groomer of them. Once upon a time I was a fan of the thin shaped arch, which has all the charm of a perfectly pruned garden hedge and is usually the standard pushed by many beauty mavens. You can still see a shadow of that brow here.

Gradually over the past year though I've grown to favor a heavier, more natural brow. Arches are classically beautiful on some, but they simply don't suit my features as well as a minimally shaped brow. As of now, just well-filled brows are a strong enough look alone that I don't feel the need to wear any other makeup (although in the above photo I still am!).

Courtesy of Benefit Cosmetic's book Raising Eyebrows

Being Asian, I've inherited fairly shallow eye sockets and a high-set inner corner of my brows--point A in this handy diagram. Furthermore, points B and C are almost level with point A, since my brows run nearly horizontally to my eyes with almost no natural arch to speak of.

Since forcing a high arch is both risky and high-maintenance, I've since chosen to simply work with I have...which isn't to say that Asians can't achieve arched brows--my favorite Chinese runway model Fei Fei Sun pulls them off stunningly, but I simply haven't got the natural arch she does, and am unable to achieve a high arch without drastically thinning my brows. So I've chosen, slightly painfully at first and then later joyfully, to put down the single-blade razor and Tweezermans, and go au naturel.

Since adopting my new (old?) brows, I've received a several kindly (and a few not-so-kind) suggestions that perhaps I should shape them into arches; had I ever heard of tweezers? Luckily I'm liking this new brow look a lot--perhaps austerity suits me? Or I just prefer a little more Audrey than Marilyn. I'm pretty okay with that.

School is in Session

Sorry for the long silence! For those of us still in school, classes start up again soon so I hope you've had a nicely relaxing summer vacation because it's back to the grindstone. As disappointing as it is that I can no longer spend the entire day playing video games if I want to, there is a certain excitement in picking out all new notebooks and erasers. Also, naturally there is the thrill of back-to-school clothes shopping. All I have to say is that my shoe collection has grown...but best of all, each pair actually came in my proper size, which is hard to find.

WILD DIVA TIMBERLY FLORAL LACE-UP COMBAT BOOTS | H&M VELVET SKULL HEADBAND 

FOREVER21 DOUBLE BOW HAIR CLIPS | NYX EXTRA CREAMY ROUND LIPSTICK IN BRUISED

 BP SIDNEY OXFORD | QUPID PUFFIN PLATFORM BOOTIES

001. I live in my 1460 Victorian Flower Dr. Martens, but these calf-high boots with ribbon laces are a dead ringer for Dr. Martens 1914 Triumphs with a brighter, cherry red color.

002. Hairbands are one of my favorite accessories due to my ineptitude in hair styling, and this oversized velvet bow reminds me of a macabre Minnie Mouse.

003. These pink crepe bows for when I'm feeling extra girly.

004. Although high-maintenance goes against my preferred makeup style, I love the look of a vampy lip.

005. I've admired these adorable leather oxfords from afar for a year now, and I finally managed to snag them during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale for a sweet discount!

006. I rarely stray from flat sandals during the summer, but once it gets cooler these pretty pink boots will be getting far more attention.

 

Good luck in the new semester guys!

 

Delicate

I've been on the hunt for the perfect lavender for weeks, and it felt like I was never going to find it.

I wanted something pastel, but not chalky. Something that was clearly purple, but not too saturated. And it couldn't be too pink, or too blue, or too grey.

In the end, I found my perfect lavender...but not in a store. I found it in my existing stash!
Hoarder.jpg

This is another beautiful Forever21 Love&Beauty polish, named "Dusty Lavender". It is the daintiest pale lavender with a whisper of fine magenta shimmer that only comes out in the sun. Shown here I've layered 2 coats of Sally Hansen Glass Slipper, an ethereal clear flakie, over Dusty Lavender.

Dusty Lavender has a really awesome pigmented formula that's 3 thin coats to opacity. You'd probably be able to pull off 2 if you do thicker coats, even more impressive considering how it's such a pale pastel. Application is a breeze, and this polish unexpectedly dries with a matte finish which is very nice on its own, almost a suede or velvety feeling and less chalkboard-like.

Orange Creamsicle

A few weeks ago I came across the cutest dress, made of airy peach cotton speckled with white polka dots. Adorable, but I've already used up my dress budget for this season and this particular one is not exactly cheap. And so I resisted, and all this time that sunny, cheerful peach color lurked in the back of my mind.

Last Thursday I stopped by Sephora to peruse the 50% off display of Sephora by OPI and picked up a bottle of $OPI What's Your Sign, a creamy, shimmery peachy orange that reminded me exactly of that dress.

3 coats to opacity. It somehow manages to require that third coat even though it's fairly pigmented, but the formula is so nice it practically applies itself so it wasn't too bad.

Syrup & Succulents

Those of us entrenched in the nail world tend to know where we fall when it comes to nail art: Lovers, Haters, and Lack of Skill to Execute. I am decidedly in the last category; I love nail art, even the delightfully tacky over-the-top Japanese falsies encrusted with pearls and bows (although the functionality of said falsies means that I'll have to hold off until I can afford to hire a full-time maid).

I'm not much for attempting nail art myself, since any artistic talent I may have does not translate at all to nail polish. I bought a dotting tool set once upon a time and used it once. Luckily these "syrup nails" are easy to do, even for a nail art dummy like me.

 "Syrup nails" are basically a type of gradient manicure that uses a sheer jelly. In my humble opinion it works best with a polish that is very sheer--I feel it gives a smoother looking gradient this way. I did mine with ORLY Beverly Hills Plum, which is a beautiful translucent coral. This is 7 coats of Beverly Hills Plum at its darkest, plus 2 coats of Seche Vite and 1 coat of NYC Grand Central Station. One of my favorite things about wearing this manicure is that all the layers of lacquer gave them the super-glossy gel nails look, which I love. A commented that it looked like I had dipped my nails in blood, which the macabre in me also loved.

Unrelated to my nails, I bought four tiny little potted succulents, and I plan on doing the Blogger-y thing and re-pot them into tiny handmade pots. That's for next week :)

Strawberry Milk

So I rarely come across a color that I dislike, so when I do it comes as a surprise. The color in question is Essie Pop Art Pink, and what prompted me to buy it was Scrangie's swatch which made it look like milky pink perfection.

Where to begin...first of all this looked much cooler-toned than I anticipated, which I'm not fond of. Pop Art Pink is a light milky pink jelly. My skin is very warm and cool toned reds and pinks always seem to clash horribly. It's also a very "Barbie-ish" pink, which while pretty is just not my style. I lean more toward the blush and antique-pink hues.

The formula is very sheer and rather streaky. Shown here is 4 thin coats, because it was patchy and uneven at 3 despite my best application skills. I do love the milkiness and slight translucency of it, though. If I don't swap this away I'm considering tinkering with the color a bit to more suit my taste.

Funnily enough, since this bottle is the "retail" version sold at drugstores rather than the "salon" version, the sticker on top of the cap reads "Poppy Art Pink". I've noticed these changes between the retail and salon versions--i.e. "Lapiz of Luxury" rather than "Lapis of Luxury". Why the unnecessary name changes, Essie? Is it supposed to make the names more personable to the barbaric masses who don't know what Pop Art is and sub Z's for their S's? Hahaha.

Bambi

So despite all my moaning about the heat, it's actually cooled off a bit in the past few days, due in no small part to the endless rain we've been getting. I'm dreading it getting warmer again, because as the temperature climbs my productivity level inevitably drops...the past month all I've wanted to do is laze around and catch up on Season 3 of My Little Pony (yup, I am....a Brony *screams internally* O u O ).

Anyway, enough banter. A couple weeks ago I posted this deer-print dress. I adored the look of it, and could only hope that the actuality was just as cute. Items from Chinese Ebay sellers are very hit-or-miss--sometimes they look nothing like their photo.

Pardon the mess, I've just moved to a new apartment!

Rest of the review after the jump!

Centaurea cyanus

Hello hello! It's been so hot recently that even the thought of wearing warm hues like red and yellow have been unbearable. Give me something cool and icy, even if it's just a color!

It's not much-raved about, but I'm actually a pretty big fan of Forever21's Love&Beauty polish line. They have a lot of unique shades and a big range of (metallic) glitters in practically every color you could want, at $2.80 a pop. The only thing that is a bit disappointing is how uncreative and repetitive they are with their naming--I have 2 different L&B polishes both named "Lavender" and another two both named "Turquoise"--but it's a small qualm.

This is Love&Beauty Light Blue, which is a woefully inadequate name for this dainty cornflower blue packed with silver sparkles. It has the kind of unique shimmer that isn't all uniform, which makes it all the prettier. Shown here is 4 coats; it's not the most pigmented of polishes, plus I've noticed that the L&B polishes have a slightly slower drying time than most of the lacquer I buy, but for $2.80 you really can't complain too much. Plus I suspect that a more heavily pigmented base wouldn't have allowed the shimmer to shine so nicely.

Mintcicle

I have a *lot* of polishes (three guesses how many), and inevitably some of them have never been worn. That number is dwindling since I do my nails 2-3 times a week, and often layer two or more polishes at a time. Essie Mint Candy Apple was one of these. What's a little disheartening is I remember how much I LOVED the color of this polish at the time when I bought it, when it first came out in Winter 2009, but it went untried until now.

This is 2 coats of Mint Candy Apple, which applies fairly easily for a pastel. I was actually expecting it to be too thick just by the look of it, but it has a nice consistency and very good opacity for such a light color. Mint Candy Apple, while certainly minty, actually has a slight turquoise tint to it, more like Wintergreen Tic Tacs than actual straight-up mint green. It dries slightly darker than the color in the bottle.

As a topper, I applied 2 coats of OPI Pirouette My Whistle, which is one of my favorite topping glitters, filled with silver microglitter and pearly white hex glitter.

Electric Pineapples

I've gone from apples to pineapples. The weather's blisteringly hot here in NYC, like high 90s, and I'm about ready to die (I can't stand heat!). I donned this bright yellow to contrast with that purple drop-waist dress I got from Urban Outfitters.

Shown here is 3 coats of Revlon Electric topped with 2 coats of Revlon Pineapple Fizz. By itself, Electric is a banana yellow with a fine yellow micro-shimmer, and a dupe to Chanel Mimosa. It has a passable formula for a yellow; it's a bit thick and I had to use 3 coats because it was slightly patchy at 2, but as yellows go it was well-pigmented and not overly watery. I did have some bubbling issues, but I suspect it's a user error (since I have managed to get a bubble-free mani out of this polish before).

Bubbling, unlike popular belief, is not caused by air bubbles in the liquid polish, and the bubbles aren't really air; it is actually caused by the evaporating gases being trapped between layers of polish, which happens if the top surface of a polish dries before the polish beneath has dried sufficiently. I do want to note that this happens in particular with slow-drying polishes, which is ironic since this is supposed to be the "Top Speed" line, but I digress. Next time I plan on thinning this and waiting longer between coats.

To hide the bubbles, I applied 2 coats of Pineapple Fizz on top. Pineapple Fizz is a sheer yellow polish with tiny clear flakies and iridescent shimmers. The tint in the polish made Electric a much brighter yellow color, and also gave my nails a fake but pleasant sugary pineapple scent. You can smell it through topcoat, but it fades after a day or two.

VAILLA

Today I'd like to show a presentation that I made as one of my final projects. We were given the instructions to create our own brand and brand identity, and design 2 looks for a capsule collection. This is my creation.

I hope you enjoyed it! I look forward to showing more of my work here in the future (after all, it is what I originally started this blog for).

Love Always,
Artoo

Jelly Apples

This week my nails have been painted red, red, red, with a classic--Essie Jelly Apple. I'm always tempted to throw some glitter over any mani that crosses my path, but for once I resisted with this one, and I love it. There is just something so glam about a simple red mani, and I'm definitely going to be wearing it a lot more often whenever I feel like letting my inner pinup loose. Jelly Apple in particular is super shiny and juicy looking with a lot of depth, and it looks like candy on my nails.

At first coat, Jelly Apple pulls very blue-toned; in fact I was incredibly disappointed because I was sure it would be too cool for my skin, which is very warm and looks awful with blue-toned reds. But at second coat all my fears were assuaged because as it builds in opacity the overtly cool tint evens itself out to a lovely glassy red that doesn't pull blue at all.

Jelly Apple has a very nice formula that practically applies itself. Here I'm wearing 4 thin coats. You could probably be okay at 3 coats if you don't mind the tiniest bit of visible nail line.

Home is Where My Butt is

For a lot of people, living in New York City means subjecting yourself to moving every year when your lease is up, always in search of that elusive, perfect One--the apartment that doesn't leak, or have rats, cockroaches, or bedbugs, or a crazy neighbor or a landlord that raises the rent by a couple hundred above your budget.

This year I moved in with A, and we found a sunny studio apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We haven't quite got around to setting it in order yet, partially because our moving date was inconveniently right during my finals week, but also because we haven't yet managed to make our long-planned trip to IKEA for new furniture (we're planning on getting a loft bed to make room for a bookshelf and desk for my workspace).

A and I have very different views on interior decorating; A's style is decidedly, er, masculine--before I moved in, everything in his apartment were shades of black and brown, with a whopping great black leather couch and not a spot of color anywhere. On the other hand, I have an inclination for light natural wood and pale colors. Luckily, while I have to restrain myself from adorning the walls with pastel bunting and fairylights, my own little nook and the kitchen are free game to my whimsy.

I've sworn off buying anything for the apartment until we get the furniture sorted out and organized all our stuff, so in the meantime I've settle for making wishlists of the things I've found that sparked my imagination.

COW BUTTER CROCK FROM BOSTON WAREHOUSE | POLKA-DOTTED POTHOLDERS FROM ANTHROPOLOGIE 

HUNGRY CAT CASE FROM TOKYOINSPIRED | PEACH AND GOLD DOT DISH FROM UPINTHEAIRSOMEWHERE 

CHOCOLATE DIGESTIVE CUSHION FROM NIKKI MCWILLIAMS | RÅSKOG CART FROM IKEA

001. I love to spread butter on my toast--my favorite way to eat it is a layer of salted butter topped with a layer of raspberry jam, or, if I'm in the mood for something savory, a thin scraping of Marmite. This cow-head crock is great for keeping my butter fresh and soft at room temperature.

002. This oven mitt and potholder from Anthro are pricey, but the adorable print and decorative topstitching makes this one of the cutest sets I've ever seen.

003. Omnomnom! This cheeky kitty captured my attention immediately, and the soft wool case would be perfect for my stashing my glasses.

004. I couldn't resist the charm of this pretty little earthenware catchall dish finished with gold leaf and pastel glaze. I'm not quite sure what I'd put in it, but it would be pretty just as decoration on my desk.

005. I love the simple, contemporary design of this quaint cushion, cutesy yet totally without frills. Unfortunately adding in shipping from Scotland, this cushion totals out to be quite a sum, so I'm considering DIYing my own version :)

006. The turquoise color of the RÅSKOG cart alone would have compelled me to buy it; the convenience of a portable storage space (to be rolled under my desk when not in use) makes it perfect for my small apartment. In fact between you and me, I actually already have this one--A bought it for me when he made an IKEA trip on his day off. 

 

Review! Crest 3D White Luxe Glamorous White Toothpaste

With the warmer weather, I've been in the mood to play a little more with my makeup. I normally wear fairly natural makeup: mascara, blush, and brow liner are my staples, with plenty of concealer to hide my dark circles. If I'm feeling extravagant maybe I'll smudge some kohl liner around my eyes. I tend to neglect my lips, mainly because I'm often constantly snacking throughout the day and the idea of touching up my makeup after every nibble is more upkeep than I want.

Lately, though, I've been craving a poppy orange lipstick--I'm talking Maybelline Vivids Electric Orange-level of brightness. The thing with bright lips of course is that they draw attention to your mouth and teeth...what state are my pearly whites in?

Confessions of an Online Shopper

Okay, so it's terrible, but...since I spend quite a bit of time browsing the Internet, unsurprisingly I come across quite a number of "pretties" and all this cool shit that I want. I'm not immune to the charms of materialism...however, I actually rarely make immediate purchases, which is significant in terms of cutting down my impulse buys. Let me divulge to you how I cope with my shopping urges: I save the links to all these things in a folder on my browser, and periodically open them to look at them and ponder if I still want that item. Sometimes my desire for a particular thing wanes, and then I can delete that item from my folder, or perhaps it will be sold out or discontinued, in which case I alternately feel satisfied (because I can no longer spend my hard-earned money on that item) and sad (because if I *really* wanted it and it was expensive and I was just holding out on it...damn).

Eventually though my list boils down to a number of items that have been on there for months, and if they're in my affordability range, or otherwise something else triggers me like it suddenly goes on sale...well, it's time for a shopping spree. The great thing is that I don't feel super guilty (just a little...) about it, since I've "proven" to myself that I genuinely like and want those items, and am not just buying it because I felt a bit sad and wanted to shop to make myself feel better.

I confess an extreme weakness for the China-based sellers that hawk their mass-produced, flimsy garments on Ebay. All the sellers seem to share a similar stock of merchandise, so it's easy to compare prices and color options (size often not being an option as they are more often than not one-size-fits-all!).

As of now, I still have a couple things I have in mind that I want to round on my spring/summer wardrobe (blush ballet flats...), but with this recent haul I'm hoping I won't be needing to make any more big shopping expeditions for a while.

001. I stumbled upon this confection of a dress on SheInside.com, but upon reading that the site was based in China, got the bright idea to search Ebay for the same dress at a better price..."Deer print dress" revealed, TA-DAAA! Indeed, several sellers carried the dress, in two colorways, no less--you can also get it in navy blue.

002. I also have been searching for a pair of good flat summer sandals for a while, and finally found these two-tone metallic ones by Lucky in Nigori Rose. Always curious about interesting product naming, I searched "Nigori" to discover that it is a term used to describe sake (Japanese rice wine) when the sake is unfiltered and cloudy.

003. An unabashed knockoff of Urban Outfitters exclusive brand Truly Madly Deeply's skull-back shirt...I thought it was the coolest thing ever, but it was like $40 and I was all "LOLNOPE".

004. I currently have a teal and gold ziparound checkbook wallet, which is gorgeous but a bit large, especially since now that I'm out of class and will no longer be toting around huge bags. This smaller one by Kimchi Blue is much more convenient and the delicate blush-pink is one of my favorite colors.

005. This top comes in 7 colors and I wanted ALL THE COLORS but I contented myself with just the white one, for now.

006. I've been craving colors that deviate from my usual palette of blush, white, and black lately...like amethyst and mustard. I've been sewing up a sunny, golden-yellow sundress, but this satiny drop-waist minidress by Silence & Noise is great for a lazy day.

And that concludes my Spring Haul :D

Pinkie Promise!

I have a sparkly, stunning confection of an indie polish on today: Rainbow Honey Pinkie Promise! I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a fan of My Little Ponies--yes, it's a kid's cartoon, but something about the series is just so, so fun and kooky and endlessly entertaining, even for a 20-something like me.

"Nopony breaks a Pinkie promise!"-Pinkie Pie

I really want to collect all of Rainbow Honey's Equestria collection someday, but Pinkie Promise is by far my favorite! It's a spectacular party mix of fuschia, pink, gold, and light blue hex glitter and fuchsia, gold, and holographic bar glitter in a fantastically sparkle-packed pink base. I'm showing it here 2 coats over 3 coats of Wet 'n Wild 2% Milk, because I wanted neutral undies so that the base color of Pinkie Promise can be seen clearly. Even though Pinkie Promise looks to have a very light colored, sheer base, the color is actually quite vibrant!

Pinkie Promise has the very thick formula characteristic of polishes as chock full of glitter as this one, which makes it tricky to apply. The dab technique doesn't utilize itself well here since it has a colored base; I handled the application simply by getting a good amount of polish on the brush and soldiering on. I won't lie, it got a bit painful at times, but the results were SO worth it that I'll probably just add a few drops of thinner to it next time and keep on swimming.

It's worth noting that this baby STAINS--I'm currently sporting a myriad of electric fuchsia splotches on my nekkid nails--so be sure to use a suitable basecoat, even if you're wearing this with undies, because 2% Milk did absolutely nothing to prevent ol' Pinkie from bleeding right through.

You can get Rainbow Honey Pinkie Promise for $10/15ml or $5/7ml on her site rainbowhoney.com!

My Milkshake

It's time for another palette cleanser! I happened to see a swatch of Wet 'n Wild Megalast 2% Milk and liked it immediately--plus I don't have many pale-colored jellies in my collection, so it was a good fit. It was certainly nice by itself, but I couldn't leave it well enough alone so I sandwiched a coat of OPI Lights of Emerald City inbetween two layers each of 2% Milk. Have I mentioned I'm a sucker for food-themed names? I don't even like 2% milk (I'm much more partial to whole milk, or hemp milk if I can get it), but it's still a fun and cute name for polish.

2% Milk has a good formula for such a light color, and it flowed on the nail easily without being watery or streaky. It's a very nice, clean color that isn't as stark as a plain white; I'd call it an off-white or ivory.

Lights of Emerald City is a unique bird--I haven't seen another polish quite like it, even though the glitter combination of small iridescent squares and large matte white squares is a pretty simple mix. It is glitter-packed, so you don't have to fish for the big pieces of glitter (although giving the brush a swirl in the bottle helps get more of the larger white glitters on the brush).

Overall I really like this combination and I can definitely see myself wearing it again when I'm in the mood for something simple and refreshing.

Galaxy Girl

Continuing with my vampies-in-spring thing, here is ORLY Galaxy Girl, another much-lusted over color from the Cosmic FX collection! I first spied this color on Lacquerized's blog in a tutorial post, and then proceeded to read every single one of her posts until I had figured out what color it was. I should also note that this color was the color that got me into looking up the entire Cosmic FX collection (and then promptly falling for each and every one of them). Plus, it really has such a fun name! Out of all the names for this collection, Galaxy Girl is my favorite.

Galaxy Girl is a striking foil-duochrome with a burgundy-purple base and turquoise and purple sparkle. It reached opacity in 3 coats. The formula is quite thin and a little watery, not the easiest thing to handle but not a complete nightmare either. I did notice that I got tipwear rather quickly with it...but it may be due to the Seche Vite (which I'm still testing, tentatively--I've confirmed it gives me shrinkage on occasion) so I'm holding off on blaming Galaxy Girl just yet, since I've never had any problems with ORLY's wear in the past.

Return to the Dark Side

Okay I must confess, despite all the pastels and brights I've been wearing lately...I've always been kinda a vampy girl. I rocked the black polish (way back when it was still just "goth", not "chic"). I love color, but there's never anything quite like a deep, rich, saturated dark...with a little added sparkle, of course.

Urban Outfitters Mystic is just that: a lovely, serene deep blue jelly with specks of fiery orange-shifting flakies. Mmmm.

This was opaque at 3 thin coats, and I think I'm in love. Sparkly toppers with a clear base are nice and all, but there's nothing quite like the depth of a jelly-and-sprinkles combo polish. I hear this is a possible dupe to Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light...if it's true, the price difference will make it a steal.

If vampies in spring are your thing, pick up Mystic at Urban Outfitters for $5 a pop!

Cosmic Daylights

My mani for this week is one of those colors that you've wanted for forever, and yet when you finally get it, it sits unworn in your drawer for months while you're distracted by other pretties. As previously mentioned, the ORLY Cosmic FX collection is THE collection that got me into polish, and Hailey's Comet is one of my favorites from that collection--teal is one of my favorite colors, after all, how could I not? Hailey's Comet is a dupe for OPI Catch Me In Your Net and Zoya Charla, but ORLY is definitely my favorite brand in terms of wear and price.

After wearing Hailey's by itself for a few days, tipwear was starting to appear thanks to the shrinkage I got while testing Seche Vite. I wasn't ready to give up my gorgeously sparkling tips just yet, so I patched them up with an extra coat of Hailey's Comet and did a glitter gradient mani with OPI The Living Daylights.

Hailey's Comet is a foil that applied in an easy 3 coats, and had a nice, thin formula that wasn't too watery. The gold particles among the teal was completely stunning! Topped with The Living Daylights, which is a mix of champagne gold, silver, copper, and teal hex glitters, made a great contrast. I don't much like it simply layered over the entire nail, but it's so much fun when done into a gradient mani! The dab method was most effective in depositing glitters with this mani, as the glitter pieces didn't seem to want to leave the brush.

Overall this is one of my favorite manis in a while! It really screams summer to me--I'll definitely be wearing this combination again throughout the warmer months.

Pastels...for Spring. Groundbreaking.

I'd apologize for the inconsistent posting, but let's be honest...this is going to be a regular thing. So, onward! Today's mani is Lynnderella Ghost of a Chance over Essie Marshmallow. I know, layering white matte and pastel glitters over a white is SO obvious, SO done...anyone care to guess exactly how many fucks I give about that? As far as I'm concerned, pastels over white go together like butter and raspberry jam (and if you guessed 0 fucks, you were correct).

I mean, look at this:

Ghost of a Chance is composed of multi-sized pastel matte glitter containing white and pink satin hearts and holographic microglitter. The formula was workable; most of the smaller glitters brush on with no problem. I did have to "place" the larger heart glitters, but it wasn't too difficult. My mani here was done with 2 normal coats of Ghost, with placed heart glitter. Marshmallow was streaktastic as usual, requiring 3 coats until it even began to resemble evenness, but until I find a better white jelly, it's here to stay as a staple base color.

Lynnderella Ghost of a Chance is available for purchase through her Ebay store for $23!

A Dream of Warmer Weather

I am ready for spring. I'm ready for sundresses, bare legs, and pastels! Unfortunately the weather here in NYC is the most bipolar I've ever seen it--a nice, balmy 57F one minute, and then dropping down to a chilly, windy 42 within a matter of a couple hours, leaving me with nothing but gooseprickles and the wish that I'd worn a sweater. I guess it's best to keep it springy on my fingertips and bundle up everywhere else, for now...

Revlon Heavenly atop Sinful Colors Cinderella is the perfect wishful-spring mani! Cinderella is definitely my favorite pale blue base--the slightly translucent quality of its formula plus the pink/gold shimmer keeps it from getting too chalky, and it's an easy three coats to opacity. Heavenly is a ethereal, dreamy sheer polish packed with hex and square iridescent glitter (it also happens to be a dupe of Deborah Lippmann Stairway to Heaven), and since it's so glitter-dense it only took one coat to achieve the look here!

Leprechaun Day

For St. Patrick's Day I have an old mani (actually from *last* year's St. Patrick's Day) to show you; I was busy with school and work and actually didn't have the chance to don this polish this year...nevertheless I hope you enjoy the gorgeous Zoya Ivanka!

 
Ivanka is a stunning emerald green glassfleck with hints of gold at certain angles. I'm wearing 3 coats here. The formula was thin and flowed easily, so I had no problems with application.

Valentine's Day

So V-day is a commercialized holiday. Still doesn't mean it's not fun to dress up! I'll be wearing my heart backseam tights and red cardigan at work today, with Revlon Candy Apple Lip Butter...and on my nails, OPI Guy Meets Gal-veston topped with Happy Hands Cadance.

Cadance is filled with pale pink and hot pink glitters of various shapes and sizes, blue/purple iridescent glitter, and pale pink heart glitter! It's a perfect pairing for Guy Meets Gal-veston. Cadance has a nice, easy formula and was very easy to work with. It was a limited edition polish created by by my pal Kristi of Happy Hands, with proceeds being donated to Covenant Pet Trust, a local non-profit organization!

This is 3 coats of Guy Meets Gal-veston with two coats of Cadance. You can get your own bottle of candylike goodness for $10 from Kristi's Etsy shop!

Saturday is Haul Day!

I'm getting paid today and I've been feeling pretty blues-y. Even though on the whole my life is on the fast track to getting way, way better, there are still some major kinks to work out before that happens...I usually handle stress pretty well but for me that just means not freaking out all over the place, so unfortunately it gets internalized and if there's too much of it for weeks and weeks I start to get really bummed out.

When I feel myself on the cusp of getting inconsolable, I have two knee-jerk reactions: to eat, or to shop. "How very girly of you," says NBF (New BoyFriend) A. I assume A is referring to some of my, um, less ladylike habits when he says this, the topic of which is a constant running joke among us. Regardless, with swimsuit season coming up in just four short months the ensuing guilt over pigging out is just not worth it to me...so clothes it is! Off we go to UrbanOutfitters.com.

Kimchi Blue Back-Stitch Cardigan | Staring At Stars Plush Spacedye Convertible Gloves | Kimchi Blue Teen Dream Oxfords

 001.The original price on this cardi is $69, but I got it for $9. Woot for deals! I got mine in a size L because I prefer a super-long oversized fit. That's just how I roll.

002. I've always liked the overall look of oxfords but in general I prefer something simpler than the classic version--the perforated edge has always just been a little too much for me. Luckily with their recent resurgence of popularity, there are a lot of styles to choose from. With their comparatively feminine silhouette and the pretty soft lavender shade, these leather oxfords were a no-brainer.

003. I had a pair of really nice wool convertible mittens from Muji, but in the recent move one seems to have wandered off. I bought a pair of cute striped gloves to replace them, but it's really inconvenient to have to whip it off each time I want to use my iPod. Convertible handcoverings really are the way to go. I managed to nab these on sale for $9.

And there you have it...almost as good as a huge bowl of pasta.