Saturday, December 13, 2014

Top 5 | Gifts for Her Under $25!

I'm cutting it close with this post, but you're like me, then you probably wait until the last minute to finish your holiday shopping. If that's the case, then this post is perfect for you. Especially if you're looking for a good gift for any ladies in your life. The following are all form brands that I've tried and really liked. They're also the best bang for your buck. The links provided all link back to Sephora in case you'd like to shop online. Otherwise, you should be able to find them in-store at any Sephora. 


I absolutely adore Benefit. I'm a big fan of their cream eyeshadows and their boxed blushes are so pretty in the packaging and on skin. Anyways, this gift set comes with a full-size of their They're Real mascara and a mini-size of their They're Real! Push Up Liner. For $24, this is a pretty good deal, especially considering that so many people have been praising the liner and the mascara is a popular product amongst the beauty blogger community. This gift set also comes with a small sample package of the makeup remover. I definitely think that this is a steal considering you get a really good lengthening mascara and you get to try a really good gel liner. 


Might be a bit of a weird gift set but at $14 for two full-sized deodorant sticks that are award winning? Um, yes please. Especially since they're vanilla scented. This product is also hypoallergenic which is very good if you're gifting this to someone with sensitive skin. Not only does it provide odor protection, but it also soothes, conditions, and nourishes the skin of the underarm area which is great because that area doesn't get too much love and care and you can't exactly lotion up in there, so this product is A+ in my book. 


A couple months ago, I received a Dr. Jart+ BB cream sampler from Ulta and oh my goodness, I definitely considered shelling out the cash for a full-size because this product is so so SO good. The coverage was just enough (like most BB creams) that my natural skin showed through but strong enough that it evened out my skin-tone and covered up any small blemishes I had. It leaves such a nice and natural looking finish, it just glams up your natural self. The three weeks I used the sample (I had a small package of it cause I was able to request a sample, woot!), I also noticed that my skin looked brighter, was softer/smoother, and clearer. It seemed like the BB cream was helping to lighten any dark spots/acne scars. So, this product makes your skin look gorgeous, it helps your skin, AND it's only $18? Yes PLEASE.

I've only used the liquid liner pens and lip stains from Tarte and uh, I love them so of course I had to include this gift set. It includes their much loved Maracuja Oil, the Maracuja eye treatment, and a collector's edition cheek stain. The set works on your skin with the Maracuja Oil and the eye treatment and then helps you to top off that gorgeous natural skin with just a touch of color. The skin treatments do well to promote brighter, firmer, and smoother skin and everyone likes having nice skin, right? Right.

Another brand that I'm fond of, Korres released this skin brightening trio set which is powered by wild roses. Korres is a great brand with products that I've yet to experience any sort of negative skin reaction to. 


Saturday, December 6, 2014

Top 5 | Ways to Stay Warm and Cute During Cold Months

My friend, Linh asked me to write up a post about how to stay cute/fashionable and warm this winter because she said she was freezing her butt off trying to remain cute while still being warm. Of course, being the good friend that I am, I happily agreed to write this post up for her. So, Linh, I hope this helps you and helps anyone else out. Now, prepare for a text-heavy post!
1. LAYERS
I cannot stress enough just how important layering up during the colder months is. Layer EVERYTHING UP. Layer sweaters, blouses, tights, leggings, pants, ANYTHING. If you're worried about being fashionable and cute, there are definitely fashionable and cute ways to work layering into your daily winter outfit. You can use thicker spring and summer dresses by layering thick knit sweaters over them and layering tights under the dress. Worried about your feet getting cold? Layer thick socks, preferably wool or cotton socks. And if they're longer socks, you can scrunch them down over the tops of boots or keep them nice and high for added warmth. You can do that technique with shorts even, just make sure that the shorts are at least thicker, I'd recommend thick wool shorts or lined pleather shorts. If you're more of a jeans girl, you can always layer patterned button ups under knit sweaters and you can still layer thick socks over your pants, just make sure they're not over-the-knee or knee-high socks, and you can layer that over the tops of ankle boots. When you've got your core outfit going, throw on a thick knit infinity scarf on and a waterproofed or lined coat on, preferably one with a hood. You can layer a simple peacoat or a nice cargo jacket. If you don't have a hooded jacket, carry an umbrella since those are always helpful in a pinch when you don't have a hoodie or anything.
2. Shoes/Boots
For the winter, you're obviously going to be wearing different kinds of shoes from the shoes you'd wear in the summer and in the spring. For this winter, while most people are still fond of tall riding boots, I think that ankle boots, moto boots, and boots that stop midcalf are incredibly cute. If you're someone who'd rather wear sneakers, I suggest wearing waterproofed oxfords and for cute sneakers, I think Puma makes some cute sneakers and Asos has a cute collection of oxfords, although you might have to waterproof your oxfords yourself (it's not that hard!). Now you might be wondering why tall riding boots are not on my list of winter essentials and I get the confusion, I do, but I also feel like boots that go up to the knee or past it or just under the knee aren't universally flattering on everybody. I feel that that particular style of boot is flattering on a very particular body type, one that I know most people don't have and that particular body type is that of society's favorite body type for women: skinny. As someone who is short and has chubby legs, tall boots go completely against my body, at least in my opinion. Where I want to elongate my legs, tall boots stunts them, and where I want my legs to appear slimmer, tall boots make them appear chunky. So, I've found a cute alternative: ankle boots, moto boots, and just short boots in general. I can still stay warm in them, they're incredibly in and fashionable this season so every store is selling this particular style, and I think they can very easily transition from fall to winter to spring and even in the summer. It all just depends on how you style the boots which goes together very nicely with layering.
3. Accessories
This is the part where I talk about socks, tights, scarves, and beanies. Honestly, the way I dress during the winter depends A LOT on the kinds of socks and tights that I wear under my clothes so I'll talk about that first. With socks, you always want thicker and longer socks. I've found that wool and cotton socks are the best during the winter and I've also found that if you have any ankle socks, it helps to layer those guys on top of tights and under the thick socks for added warmth and protection. And if you have longer socks, you can pull them up and over your knees for stylistic purposes and/or just to cover more of your legs. With tights, it's all about getting those great thick tights. These are the tights with high denier count (100, 120, and 200) hence the thickness. This year, I've found out about fleece-lined tights with a high denier count and while I only borrowed a pair and have yet to invest in a good pair for myself, that one day I borrowed those tights was incredibly cozy and warm. If you're worried about having to order online for tights, no need to worry, plenty of stores sell high denier count tights at affordable prices. My first pair of winter tights were from Target and they were $10 and lasted me 6 years before they started getting any sort of runs in them. With socks, you can shop for them at stores like Tilly's, H&M, Forever 21, and Asos. Now, scarves and beanies, you need both to be knit or made of a very warming fabric. I prefer infinity scarves just because they're very easy to throw on just before you're out the door and very easy to take off when you get inside. With infinity scarves, there are also less chances of any part of your neck area getting exposed to the winter air. With beanies, thick knit is always good because it's a good investment in something that you could be wearing a lot. And there are multiple styles you could buy the beanies in, you can get them with cute animal ears on them, with ear covers, or with tassles on the ends so you can pull down and tie your beanie (or hat at this point) more snuggly to your head. And sometimes, what tights, socks, scarves, and/or beanie you wear can determine just how warm and nice you look during the winter. 
4. Make-Up
This one is less how to keep warm and more how to keep cute. For myself and a lot of other people, my skin takes a weird turn during the colder months. Where my skin is usually oily, it becomes dry and flaky during the winter so I have to change up my moisturizer and my make-up. With the rain and the cold hitting your face during the winter, you need to make sure that your eye make-up is waterproof. So always make sure to have primer under your eyeshadows so that your eyeshadow looks vibrant and bright against the starkness of winter's color palette. If you're wearing winged eyeliner, make sure if you're using liquid, that it dries matte and that it's a waterproof formula in case it rains and in case the cold wind blowing against your face makes your eyes water up, which brings up mascara which again, make sure it's a waterproof formula like Maybelline's The Rocket Waterpoof mascara. But if you're using a gel or a cream liner, make sure the formula is creaseless and that it really sticks to your skin. A good cream liner is the Urban Decay cream liner. I just recently invested in it ($22 D:) and it's a very nice and creamy liner that when used on top of eyeshadow primer, stays put. Water alone can't take it off, so I actually have to use a make-up remover to take it off, which is A+ in my book. For any sort of face make-up that you wear (concealer, foundation, blush, powder), you want to make sure that the makeup is moisturizing and that it doesn't settle into the fine lines and cracks of your skin, especially if you're applying concealer to your under-eye area. With your foundation, you want something, again, waterproof. Now, for things like blush and lips, most people get beautiful natural blush from the wind biting at their cheeks and most of the time, their lips will end up being the same shade. For those like myself however, I have to rely on blush to get any sort of color on my face. I'm really fond of cream blushes so I've been relying on my Stila Convertible Color in Dahlia and my Korres Cream Blush in Chara Crimson to give me that "windswept" color in my cheeks. Both cream blushes are hydrating and while the Stila one is a bit more dewy (I set it with a tiny bit of theBalm's powder blush in Toile), the Korres cream blush dries matte but is still moisturizing so I don't have to worry about my cheeks getting dry. With my lips, I rely on Carmex Lip Balm. I slather that stuff on any dry spots on my face at night after I show and moisturize which is normally my lips. When I get up in the morning, my lips are nice and soft and I apply some more Carmex while I get dressed and put my liner and blush on. Then when I'm ready to leave is when I apply any lipstick or lipstain. If you've noticed from my blog, I'm fond of plums, reds, and oxblood-type shades. Basically, for me, I rely on my cheeks and lips to get color into my face. If lipstick and lipstains aren't for you, there are a lot of fantastic tinted lip balms out there and a lot of them you can buy from your friendly neighborhood drugstore. 
5. Planning/Circumstances
The other tips won't help if you don't take into account your daily life and where you are throughout your day. For example, if you're mostly indoors and only outside for a short period of time before hopping into your car or entering another building, you probably won't need to layer as much or take into account waterproofed makeup. However, if you're constantly outside for work, for school, etc. then you should probably pay attention to how much layering you've got going on or if you're going to need to wear waterproofed makeup. For example, I'm indoors most of my day. I'm either in class, at work inside, or inside at home or at my boyfriend's. I only ever have to be outside for when I'm getting in and out of my car. So make sure to take into account how often you're outside versus how much you're inside. It definitely helps so that you don't end up sweltering in class/at work or shivering while outside. 

Monday, November 3, 2014

Life | Insta-lately

So it's been a while since my last outfit post BUT I have been able to post a few outfits to my Instagram last week when I worked like five days. I also thought I'd post a few snaps from the past couple weeks leading up until last night. Some things have happened since my last post. Long story short, I no longer have my car. It was incredibly old and VERY unsafe to drive and it finally died last week. This means that I have to use my dad's car to get to school, to work, and to run whatever errands I need to run. But I will apparently be getting a car, hopefully one that I can do low monthly payments on. Aside from that though, I'm pretty grand. Since I will be stuck back in Elk Grove more often than naught, I do plan on filming a few new covers/vlogs and posting here more so that's something fun to look forward to.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Review | Stila Convertible Color in 'Lotus'

Product: Stila Convertible Color in 'Lotus'
Cost: $9 on Hautelook | $25
Link: Order from Stila
Review: This is another Stila product that I ordered along with my after light lip color. I've always wanted to try the convertible colors from Stila since it's a multi-use product, you use it on your cheeks and on your lips. So of course, when I saw that Hautelook was selling it for a huge discount on their site, I had to buy it. I don't need to buy gas THAT badly. I was sad that they didn't have the deep berry shade, 'Poppy' but the one I did end up buying is a shade that looks very natural on my cheeks and on my lips. If you want the same shade that I have, they don't sell the shade on the Stila website so it might have been a Hautelook exclusive. Anyway, I really, really love this product. When I first received it, I used my finger tips to apply it to my cheeks and again, I used my fingers to blend the edges out and it resulted in a pretty and natural flush across my cheeks. I looked like I had just been out in the sun. As a cream blush, I don't use cream blush so this was my first experience with a product like it and I really enjoy it. It's really easy to use and it smells like vanilla. The finish isn't sticky like I'd assume, it left a very nice velvety finish on my cheeks. As a lip color, it was very natural looking on my lips, only better. The only downside is that it's not too hydrating, which I expected. As a lipstick it IS creamy and it does feel nice on the lips once I was applied it to my lips after I had lip balm on. I do love this product though and I look forward to getting 'Poppy' for that perfect berry blush. I highly recommend this product to someone who is building up their makeup bag because of the multi-use aspect of the convertible colors. Since you'll be paying for a beautiful cream blush AND a pretty lipstick, this is a very good investment. I can definitely see myself buying multiple colors of this product.
Rating: 5/5
This is the blush and lip color on me. Pretty natural, eh?


Monday, October 20, 2014

Inspiration | Kailey Flyte of Mermaidens

I originally had this post up but because of my blogspot inabilities, but I accidentally deleted the post so here is the post again! With better and bigger pictures!

Anyway, Kailey Flyte of mermaidens is a favorite blog of mine. Kailey is the most delightful and adorable human ever. The way she dresses is so perfect and fun. I heavily admire Kailey for being able to pull off styles that I wish I could wear but don't have the confidence to attempt to. I know that she used to write about how as a shy person, it makes her nervous to dress in "loud" styles, but I just admire her so much. Despite being a shy person, Kailey still manages to look every bit the confident and cool blogger that she is. Her blog is such a delight. The way it looks is just so pleasing to the eye. Kailey also does graphic art and her art style is just as cute as her personal style. Sometimes, when Kailey posts, I literally cannot believe that this is a person who follows me on instagram and tumblr. I'm still baffled that she even found me, but I also feel very fortunate to have someone as cool and talented and fae-like following me. If you want a dose of pretty and urban fae queen, follow her blog which I've linked to in the above, follow her instagram, or follow her on tumblr. I promise you won't regret it.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Review | Stila After Glow Lip Color in 'Vivid Violet'

Product: After Glow Lip Color in 'Vivid Violet'
Cost: $6.00 on Hautelook | Normally $18.00, on sale now for $9.00
Link: Order from Stila
Review: As a lover of plummy lips, when I saw this during the Stila sale on Hautelook.com, I knew I had to get this. At the time, I didn't realize that this particular product was on sale on Stila's website. Despite that, I still got this three dollars cheaper than the Stila sale price. Anyways. This is one of their After Glow Lip Colors so named because they reacted under UV Light the same way that a white t-shirt reacts, which is kind of cool and stuff but it's not my thing. Despite not wanting this product for the rave feature, I wanted it for the color and balm purposes. I already have a fairly purple balmstain (as you can see in this post here), but I wanted something a little bit lighter for when I'm not feeling particularly confident enough to wear that shade of purple. Enter 'Vivid Violet'. While it is quite a vivid violet when layered, it is quite a pretty plum when swiped once or twice on and then blotted. When it's blotted, it does take away some of the moisturizing properties but it gives a very nice stain effect that looks pretty on. If you just apply it once or twice, it really is quite moisturizing. It smells like vanilla and cherry (on the site, it says that it's cherry flavored) and if you know me, then you know that I adore the scent of vanilla so I really loved the outcome of the combination of vanilla and cherry scents. I've only used this product 3-5 times but I really like it so far. And of course, like most of Stila's products, the packaging for this is so cute and in keeping in line with the whole "works under UV light" schtick, the tube is black with the lettering on it being the shade of the lip color. It's cute and kind of clever. The only reason that this isn't getting a perfect 5/5 is because of the twisting mechanism. Like with the Stila lip color and eyeliner that I reviewed, the twisting mechanism feels very fragile which is worrisome. Thankfully, those haven't broken or anything, so I have high hopes for this one's longevity.
Rating: 4/5

Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Wordpress | Facebook

Monday, September 29, 2014

Top 5 | Makeup YouTubers for Halloween!

In this edition of Top 5, I will be sharing some beauty YouTubers who have some great videos for makeup looks for Halloween. In this one, I will be doing it as a rating system (ex: 5 is the least helpful and 1 is the most helpful). So if you're looking for some easy to do makeup looks, you've found the right place. I hope this list is helpful. If you have any particularly helpful/fun to watch makeup YouTubers, feel free to comment with them :)

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Inspiration | Keiko Lynn

In this little post, I'd like to talk about one of my favorite and possibly one of the more influential fashion bloggers that I follow: Keiko Lynn. As a WOC and someone who has gotten tired of the waifish blogger that's so popular in the style blogosphere, it was great to "discover" Keiko's blog. She's a style blogger that isn't super thin and a body type that I can relate to. She's also a blogger of Asian descent which is always cool. Especially when all of the Asian bloggers that I have been able to find are more of the modelesque type. Basically, I like a blogger that I can find something in their body style/personal style that I can relate to. Eeesh, did that sentence even make sense? Anyways!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Top 5 | Ways to Wear Tights!

If you know me, then you know that I have quite the collection of coloured tights. Actually, if you've been following this blog since last autumn/winter, then you KNOW that I have quite the collection of coloured tights. So I figured, since it's almost autumn that it's basically almost time for the weather to become cooperative enough for me to wear tights again. And because of that, I thought I'd write up a Top 5 post based around the main ways that I wear tights. I hope you enjoy!
1. Under Shorts
Though I am very fond of wearing skirts and dresses, I do find that a good compromise for not wearing pants/jeans, is wearing shorts. This particular pair of shorts are definitely designed for colder months in that they're made of a thick fabric and are lined for warmth. Wearing tights with shorts grants the freedom of your legs from the constricting feeling of pants/jeans while still providing the freedom of movement that dresses and skirts lack. You can easily transition a pair of dark wash shorts from summer to autumn with just a pair or two of tights. If you're worried about being too cold, I tend to double up/triple up on tights during the colder months. Depending on the opacity and thickness/thinness of your tights, this can make for some really cool color combinations. 

2. Under a Skirt/Dress
>outfit post<
This is the most obvious way to wear tights and the way that majority of people tend to wear them. There's not much I can say about this way aside from how wearing coloured tights can add that perfect pop of colour that an otherwise neutral outfit is lacking. This is also another easy way for you to transition some of your summer pieces and summer outfits into autumn. I do it SO much. I get more wear out of my clothes by doing so.

3. Casually With Sneakers
This is another one of my favourite ways to wear tights. Sometimes during the colder months when I don't feel like wear flats or wearing boots, I slap on a pair of sneakers. When most people wear tights, I feel like they feel the need to just dress the whole outfit up. I don't think that's needed. If you can wear tights under a pair of shorts, you can definitely wear tights with a pair of sneakers. Of course, you should definitely take into consideration the colour palette of your outfit. For example, in the above picture, the main colour I was working with was blue so the top is mint blue with black spots, I'm wearing a navy blue blazer, the tights are pastel blue, and the black skirt is what grounds the outfit. So of course, I had to wear a pair of shoes that had just the right shade of blue that didn't drown amongst the various shades I was already wearing and also helped to pull the outfit together. I decided on these black Jordans with its electric blue strip and hot pink lining, it provided a perfect shade of blue that went with the other shades and an extra pop of colour in the form the of the hot pink lining. Long story short, consider the colours in your closet and the colours of your tights for what colour sneakers to wear. Of course, it's always a good bet to just wear black sneakers like black All Stars or black New Balance 420s.

4. Layered Tights
As I mentioned before, in the colder months, I layer up on tights. For example, here I'm wearing a pale pink pair of tights over a pair of hot pink tights. This resulted in the hot pink being subdued and coming out quite pastel. I do this not just for the added warmth, but as a way to tone down my brighter pairs of tights. This can also work with lace tights wherein your lace tights are worn over coloured tights for a cool design running up and down your legs. 

5. With Boots and Socks
Though I'm not wearing them in that particular outfit post, tights worn with knee high socks and boots is a popular, cute, and warm way to wear tights during the colder months. All you need are some long boots, thick knee/thigh high socks, and some nicely coloured tights (neutral coloured tights work well for this too). This way creates a chic and classy look that I think everyone can pull off. If you're not a fan of long boots, wear booties or wear boots that stop just below the knee (like myself) or mid-calf. With combat boots especially, wearing the thick socks and scrunching them down, and with the tights underneath it all, it's still a chic look, but now there's a touch of an adventurer to the outfit, like a modern explorer. Plus, I think that particular style is just so cool.


Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Wordpress | Facebook

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Inspiration | An Isle of Sky Elopement

I recently saw these beautiful photos of Laura and Damian's last minute elopement as a photoset on Tumblr. The photographer of the event talked about how it was one of the most memorable moments in her life. The Isle of Skye, which is located in Scotland, is a place that I hope to someday visit. It looks absolutely beautiful and in these photos, it looks like it holds some great faery tales. The epic love between Laura and Damian is definitely one of those. The photos depict their love for one another as well as the beauty of the Isle of Skye. The look of love and happiness and contentedness makes me excited for when I can marry the love of my life, which is something that I have never even thought of until recently but oh man. This elopement is just so beautiful and wonderful and in such a perfect place.

There are more pictures at the source :)

Youtube | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Wordpress | Facebook
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...