Liebster Award

Guys, I have huge news! Annalee of Hello, handbag has nominated me for the Liebster award! I've only been blogging a month, so receiving any kind of recognition is beyond my expectation. Finding Annalee's notification in my inbox made me just dance, so thank you again Annalee for nominating me!

 Now! The other details of the award: The Liebster award helps raise awareness of up-and-coming blogs. The rules are:
 - Nominees must answer the 11 questions provided by the nominator
 - Choose 11 of your favorite blogs (with under 200 followers) to be nominated
 - Make up 11 new questions for the bloggers
 - Let the nominees know they have been tagged/nominated
 - You cannot tag back or tag the same person

 This blog post has two parts. The first is about me, the second is about the bloggers I'm nominating.

 My answers to Annalee's questions:
 1.  Why did you start your blog?
 I started my blog as an outlet for my love of fashion and as a self-discovery method. I've always been shy and quiet, so I'm trying to express myself more. While it does take some time to adjust to having an "outside" hobby like this where you have to invest time and money to take photos and "plan" outfits, it's been interesting to share my fashion views and style ideas with the rest of the online world. Now, a question for other fashion bloggers, how on earth did you find your photographers?! I still feel awkward with asking friends to take my photos, so we always end up with super simple point-and-shoot photos. At least I still have room for improvement.
 2.  What’s the best book or article you've read recently?
 I don't know if I'd qualify it as the "best" article, but it was an intriguing article. I was at the doctor's office today and picked up a copy of Marie Claire's August 2013 issue and read an article about how more and more Japanese women are separating themselves from relationships and instead, are focusing on fashion, friends, work, etc. It contributes a lot (albeit negatively) to Japan's dropping birth rate, and it's possible that the Japanese population and culture would disappear within 60 years.
 3.  Handbag that you are currently coveting? (please add a link/photo!)
 This 3.1 Philip Lim handbag is drool-worthy. Seriously, look at it.
 4.  Something you learned recently?
 I learned that Excel tries too hard to be smart (sorry, work stuff). The functions now have been oversimplified so you cannot clearly define the data that you're trying to graph.
 5.  What makes your blog unique?
 Most of the blogs that I know/follow are from professionals. They have photographer friends, backgrounds in fashion, etc etc. I'm blogging as a college student on a limited budget who also has few photographer friends. And I'm more self-conscious in front of the camera, so I look more awkward. This is my journey, and I'm sharing it with my readers.
 6.  What’s your favorite item in your closet?
 Right now, it's my Guess Azadeh handbag that I have to take for a test drive!
 7.  What 3 blogs do you visit every day?
 I love Camille Tries to Blog, Thirstythought by Kryz Uy, and Gary Pepper by Nicole Warne
 8.  What have you learned from writing your blog?
 I would say confidence. Stepping out of my comfort zone has been hard for me, but I'm learning more and more and trying to express myself openly and confidently.
 9.  What can you not leave the house without?
 My cell phone. Smartphones are now accessory items rather than just a tool for communication.
 10.  What blog post are you most proud of? (please link it here)
 I love the photos taken for my "The Good Thing About Photography-Loving Friends" post, so I guess for now, that's the one of which I'm most proud. However, I like a lot of the ones following it writing-wise.
 11.  What one tip would you give to new bloggers?
 Be yourself! I know that's a completely overused commentary on life, but I fully believe that there are way too many people in the world for you not to find someone who will like you because you're you. __________
 Alright guys, enough about me. The second part of this award is to pass on the encouragement! My 11 bloggers, are you ready?!
 1. The Other VW - Vanessa of The Other VW tackles an issue all human beings face daily: beauty. I also love that she provides examples of the makeup brands that are good for her readers.
 2. On My Louboutins - Jenny of On My Louboutins started blogging May 2013, but her natural ease in front of the camera gives me the feeling that her blog will be successful.
 3.  Darling Mickey - Honestly? Her latest post won me over. Accessories are important, and really seeing how an accessory change can affect an outfit is absolutely necessary sometimes.
 4. Mint and Gold - Simplicity is a fashion too, and I think that Mint and Gold is a perfect representation of how simplicity can be just as great as complexity.
5. Love, Kate - I love the photos on Kate's blog. As a fashion blogger, photos speak faster than words to me, so when I see great, fun photos, I get drawn in. That's basically what happened with Kate's blog.
 6. Gracious Charm - Grace's writing is honest, professional, and an interesting read. I enjoyed reading and seeing her fashion.
 7. Dining On Style - Elaine's fashion is one thing: confident. She wears what she wants to wear, and I like that she pulls it off with confidence.
 8. A Key to the Armoire - Susanna's style is classic and trendy all at once. It's pretty awesome.
9. This is Yna - This is Y'na provides good tips on how to wear certain styles. Her writing style is detailed and descriptive; reading her blog will feel like you're right there with her.
 10. Sweet Escape - I love her style. Period.
 11. The Byzantine -  I'm sure you guys already know how much I like photos, but seriously, this girl's photos are amazing. Every single backdrop is gorgeous and her style is just as fabulous.
 __________
 Alright, bloggers, I may have selected you, but can you handle my questions?
 1. What would you say is the differentiation between fashion and style?
 2.  Who is your style icon?
 3. What camera do you use to take photos for your blog?
 4. What new brands have you discovered recently?
 5. Share with us a beauty tip that you cannot live without.
 6. Share with us a fashion tip.
 7. What is a trend that you think will become popular in the coming years?
 8. What is your favorite item from your closet that you would recommend to others?
 9. Where is your favorite place to shop?
 10.  Which blogs do you follow daily?
 11. Share with us the weirdest thing you've learned/done recently.

My Photographer's Last Day

I'm about to lose my photographer :( And my friend. And my coworker. And my college alum. Yeah, she's like 4 people all jammed into 1 awesome person, and she's making the amazing decision to go off to graduate school. Which also equals to "she's leaving me!!!" Okay, now that I've gotten over that tantrum. Here it is! One of the last set of photos taken by my lovely friend! Once she's gone, I have no idea what I'm going to do for fashion shots. Wish me luck?

On this particular day, I picked out this skirt out of my closet and putting it on, I couldn't find the belt that came with it! I had to improvise so I tried thinking out of the box and used the "ribbons" on my blouse to hook my skirt and keep it from being too loose. The good part was that the using the ribbons set the skirt at the perfect height on my torso, but the bad part was that my shirt kept riding up in the back every time I sat down. Other than that, it was great! Try it sometime! :)

Also, how adorable is my "Sonya" necklace? I know most people go through that name necklace phase when they're younger, but that was with plastic jewelry and, usually, came in kid-friendly pink. This silver wire version by Sophie at HeartstoHearts (her etsy store here) is amazing and affordable! You can pick the name yourself as well as chain length (mine is a 22" to allow flexibility with how I want to wear the necklace). And the best part? It's silver, so it doesn't tarnish! I'm absolutely one of those people who ruin many silver necklaces because my skin reacts negatively with the metal, so the quality silver is a huge plus for the price. I'm eyeing another one...but what should I have it say? I already have a "love" so what do you guys think of "life," "loyal," or, or, or...or what? Help guys!

blouse: new york & company skirt: charlotte russe wedges: dexter handbag: eBay necklace: Giani Bernini (love), "Sonya" necklace personalized from HeartsToHearts (visit her etsy store!)

There it is! My "Sonya" necklace!

Down by the Stairs

There's this really quaint porch (of someone else's house) near my house, and I've always wanted to take a photo, but didn't want to intrude. Well, if you know my neighbors, don't rat me out, but for the sake of these outfit shots, I really just had to break the rules. This dress is from Taobao.com, and it was a great deal for the price (~80RMB, counting price escalation since I purchased the item, this dress is probably around 15USD now). It's a nice cotton material, and despite the summer heat, not too hot to wear out. I love the feminine feel of the dress, and paired it with these black belt to help accentuate my waist.

dress: from Taobao belt: Claire's shoes: Bandolino's Isbieal handbag: from eBay

Work It Before Work

A quick shot my friend took before we jetted off to work one morning. I think we were running late as it is, but she had given me the necklace and she was excited, so I figured we'd just snap a quick photo. Hence, only one of the photo. Sorry guys. For fashion blogging, the one photo is a fail, but how do you guys like the outfit?shirt with pleather pocket: Ellen Tracy skirt: Express heels: Bandolino's Isbieal sunglasses: DG eyewear necklace: Betsey Johnson pearl bracelet: eBay

#AndPeaceOut

Since relocating to a different spot in front of my house, I now get sunny, vibrant photos, meaning I no longer have to go through and rack my brains for all my Photoshop skills to get a dim, faded photo to look bright and colorful. Yay! When I look at my photos, I always realize later on that I forget to take photos of specific items, i.e. accessories. I think it's because I don't have that many, so I usually reuse them, and then I forget to re-photograph them since I assume you've already seen the item. It's a terrible habit that I have to fix. On a different note, do any of my readers (are any of you guys out there???) own a Compact System Camera that they would vouch for? I've been slowly researching because a) I need to stop taking outfit shots with my phone; and 2) I need to stop taking regular shots with my phone and my old point-and-shoot. I thought about the DSLR option, but the idea of lugging around a giant camera everywhere has yet to please me, so I've stayed away from that. CSC are fairly advanced, and for the simpler photography that I'm thinking of (just travel shots, regular shots, and outfit shots), a CSC will suffice. So, if you know of any good ones, send me a comment!

blue dress-shirt: from China black skirt: Target black heels: Dollhouse leather handbag: from China necklace: Forever 21 belt: from Hong Kong

#andpeaceout.

Review: Bandolino Isbieals

New this week: my new Isbieals from Bandolino! The one review I saw on Piperlime, where I bought the shoes, was terrible. 2 stars. But the shoes were beautiful and for the price, an absolute steal, so I went hunting for more reviews. While I did find some other reviews on other sites, they weren't enough to reassure me of my purchase. I thought back to bad shoe purchases I had made in the past, and reinforced my faith in the good reviews of these beautiful shoes, and went for it. Now, I'm sitting here, in my Isbieals writing this review so that others do know, that these shoes are gorgeous and comfortable. I'll completely believe that last statement in about 8 hours. While the shoes themselves are comfortable, the front strap where you toes go are made of a harder patent material and definitely need to be stretched out. Once they are, I think these will become my go-to heels, even if I'm running errands and walking around. I haven't tested them for long-distance walking, but I think they'd be okay (I'll get back to you guys about that though). Other than that, the ankle strap isn't constrictive and allows your ankle enough flexibility to bend and prance like you would in flats or sneakers. The heel is a thicker, sturdier heel so every step is solid and un-wobbly. The design of the shoes is great as well. I have the black/snake print, and I feel that the snake print is obvious, but not overboard. It's not as subtle as I would like, but it's not overbearing enough for me to hate it. Especially if you wear a simpler outfit, the heels will speak for themselves without any other accessories. I personally find the "pop of print" young and fun. Overall, I would definitely recommend these for a friend, and my friend who saw me in these has already expressed her approval. But don't just sit here and read my words, let the photos speak for themselves!

Size: True to your "heels sizing" (I have wide feet, so for heels, I buy a half size up vs my regular size when I buy flats. Hence "heels sizing") Width: Normal Heel height: 3 inches Weight: Light-weight Ability to skip: Absolutely

Rating: 4 (out of 5) until the front becomes more comfortable

Summer Dressing

Figuring out how not to be awkward in photos is hard than you think, but I think my friend and I are slowly finding a rapport that works for the two of us. It includes her taking photos while I'm not paying attention, and then I pose like a tourist for one photo, and BAM! Final product. Obviously this is going to have to change for continuous success, but for now, I actually like how these shots came out. I found this summer dress in a very rare excursion into Aeropostale. I went to the mall with a friend who dresses in the more "basics casual" category, and when she mentioned wanting to go after following me into a huge number of other stores, I was happy to oblige. I didn't expect to find anything because I'm not usually a fan of shirts that have blatant logos on their t-shirts, but I found this in the corner section of the store, and I just had to have it. It's cute....right?

summer dress: Aeropostale boots: BareTraps sunglasses: DG bracelets: BCBGeneration (corazon), Juicy Couture (green woven w/ heart), random bracelets from my collection

Red to Brighten a Gloomy Day

A quick shot before work! I'm interning over the summer, but I think my general style borders on the "older" side of fashion. I love how "young" outfits turn out on other people, but somehow, they always look older on me. Oh well? To each her own! I'm also starting to feel the need to find another location for photos. Somehow, photos taken here always turn out so dark and doesn't allow the "pop."

top: New York & Company skirt: from Hong Kong heels: Dollhouse belt: New York & Company clutch: Sarne

Review: Not Your Mother's Dry Shampoo

I've been hearing of this phenomenon, if you can even call it that, called "dry shampoo" for a long time now. It's recently started to catch fire, so I thought I'd give it a try since a camping trip is coming up this weekend, and , if it's only one night, that shower and shampooing in the camp site showers is absolutely not worth it. The bottle is around $5, give or take a $1 depending on where you buy it, called "Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo." The bottle is a white aluminum bottle with green accents and this green algae hair coming down from the nozzle. The bottle itself is self-explanatory. If you've ever sprayed hair spray, paint spray, anything spray really, this will be a piece of cake. Knowing that I would need to test the item out before camping, I didn't wash my hair last night. To give you a better idea, I'm currently doing a shampoo every other day and a conditioner in between to avoid shampooing too much. This means that my hair is considerably "icky" if I don't dose with water plus something that vaguely removes a little oil. Oh, and my hair gets oily kind of easily. I woke up this morning with slightly greasy hair (oh, it hurts a little to type that) and after my morning routine, sat down with a mirror, hairbrush, and the dry shampoo. I felt that the shampoo worked great in the morning, but now that the day has been passing by, my hair is starting to hang again. It's definitely not as gross-looking as it would have appeared had I not used the shampoo, but the weight of my hair is definitely there now, compared to when your hair first dries after being washed.  The dry shampoo doesn't give a huge amount of volume, but it doesn't flatten; by the end of the day, your hair will look really plain,  if that makes any sense. There just won't be anything special about your hair; it won't flow in the wind, but it won't bleed oil either. Take your pick. If you wan't something that will last all day and make your hair look like it would had you showered, go for something more pricey. I can't guarantee that doing that will produce better results, but to each her own. One of the other factors people consider is the smell and the "whiteness" of your hair after spraying the powder (that's basically what dry shampoo is, a more complex combination of baby powder that soaks up oil from your hair). I felt that after brushing out the powder, my hair didn't experience any white flakes of any sort. I'm assuming that it'd be obvious since my hair is pretty dark. Smell...well, it smelled weird when I first sprayed the product, but now, it's pretty scentless. Overall, I would rate this shampoo highly. It's great for college budget, and for my hair, it works for what I need it to do. It's my emergency shampoo more than a daily necessity so for the price, it's absolutely worth it and a good buy. If you want to use it more often and incorporate it into your normal routine, then you would definitely need to experiment more to find the best product. Maybe this is it, maybe it's not. See the Ulta Reviews See the MakeupAlley Reviews *I purchased Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo out of my own need for a dry shampoo. No one paid me, sadly, to review it and all opinions are my own in regards to my own hair. This is merely to provide a guide for others who are considering a similar purchase.

How to be Awkward

When I took these outfit shots, I was cringing. I'm pretty sure my friend was too when she was helping me. Like I said before, I've never taken photos purely for the sake of taking an outfit shot. Trying to pose with a non-photography-obsessed friend feels awkward because they don't tell you what to do! You have to figure out the poses and find the right feel yourself, and if you feel like they're totally going to judge, you can't let go either. Since most people seem to believe that practice makes perfect, I guess I'll definitely have to keep working on these poses! Stay with me until then!

leather bag: from China chiffon top: a.n.a skirt: Target shoes: CG Shoes necklace: Forever 21 sunglasses: DG

Weekend Trips: Reusing What You Already Have

I've always been the over-packer, the girl who needs a full carry-on-sized suitcase of things for a weekend trip that really should only take only a hobo purse. Realizing that I overpack, however, has not ever actually affected my packing decisions, so, for years on end, I continued to overpack like it was a competition. In recent months, I have finally managed to calm it down, but less by choice and more out of monetary/physical concerns. After all, when you're traveling by yourself, is it really worth it to carry that much stuff if you have to pay extra just to lug it around (airline restrictions, taxi fares since you can't take the metro)?

This particular weekend was spent with some friends in Shaoxing and Hangzhou. I put everything into a small duffle and called it quits. Fashion-wise, this does mean some sacrifices: you have to repeat some items, but the same pair of jeans for a few days definitely beats repeating the same print-on-print every one of those days, so just pick wisely which items to re-wear and which ones to bring replacements for.

printed cardigan: from Mom
handbag: leather bag purchased in Kunming
chiffon top: a.n.a
jeans: Old Navy
wedge sneakers: Target

gray chiffon top: H&M

b&w top: mossimo

The Good Thing About Photography-Loving Friends

These are fairly old photos (6 months) because, if you know me, you can see that I still had my old long hair. I'm still debating whether or not I want to grow it back out; any ideas? These were taken last November during the Thanksgiving break. My friend and I happened to be on campus while the rest of campus went home for the holiday, so we thought we'd take advantage of the period where no one would be around to gawk at us being silly and taking outfit shots. We dressed up and hit the more photogenic locations on campus (including a trek in the woods, in heels), and these were some of the shots we ended up with. Take a look!

studded red jacket: Forever 21 white chiffon blouse: Worthington's (Available at JCP) peacock chiffon skirt: Worthington's

Hiking

When I was abroad, one of the locations we went to was Guangzhou. Our resident director was a quirky, sometimes fussy, middle-aged man who tried so desperately to please our group of complain-y teenagers. He had heard of this magical waterfall location near Guangzhou called Bai Shui Zai and thus decided that this would be a lovely detour from the business-oriented company visits and bustling cities that we'd be visiting for the rest of the trip. He was right; except for the fact that to make it up to the top of this quaint location, there are technically 9999 steps. I think the highest our group went was to 3000 something steps. Considering the climb and how it took for us to get that high, I'm amazed we only went a third of the way, but I guess the optimistic part is that if you dedicate a full day, it's definitely do-able.

It would be beyond crazy to wear anything less comfortable, and since I wasn't sure whether or not it'd get cold on the climb up, I chose an oversized sweater with a tank top underneath to give myself the most options for hot and cold. The sneakers could have been more interesting, but I got these as a temporary replacement for Nikes that I had left at school by accident, and they just seemed like a smart choice to bring on this trip. If I could do this outfit again, I would definitely pick more colorful footwear, but, you know, you make use of what you have.

oversized sweater: Taobao blank tank top: Charlotte Russe leggings: Forever 21 sneakers: Payless

The location itself though is quite beautiful. If it had been sunnier (our entire trip was doomed with clouds, which really ruined the atmosphere for photos), this place really would have been magically. Even without it though, it was still nice, and you just immerse yourself in the nature and the sound of water falling. If you ever happen to be in the area, I would honestly suggest you visit. The hike sounds intimidating, but it's actually not too bad because it's not all stairs. There's a route that takes you pretty far up the mountain without having to climb too many stairs.

The Big Buddha

I know what you're thinking: you're in Hong Kong and you're at the Big Buddha instead of the city?! Or maybe I'm being presumptuous and you're actually not thinking that at all. Either way, let me clarify: I spent my last semester abroad in Shanghai, China (also the reason you can expect more posts on China soon!) and one of our field study trips was to Hong Kong. This means that instead of the 3-day eating/shopping trip most girls would have loved to have in this exotic city, we got the one day raining leisure day plus the gloomy, foggy other days for tourist activities. I would not have minded had I been more prepared for the weather. It was an odd combination of freezing cold and humid warmth, which means that jackets are your frenemies. I'm so glad the inside of this Mango tweed is a polyester/nylon lining of some sort because it kept me warm, but didn't get too gross when I started to get sweaty from the climb to the giant sitting Buddha. If I recall my history lesson correctly, this is the largest sitting Buddha in the world; the largest standing one is somewhere else...

tweed jacket: Mango shirt: French Connection skirt: Charlotte Russe wedge sneakers: Target

The backpack that you can't see me carrying is a Tod's leather backpack that I got in Shanghai. I love my side purses, but when I'm traveling, nothing beats the backpack. It leaves my hands free to carry my camera.

As you can see from the photos, the day that we went to Lantau Island to see the Buddha, it was extremely foggy and gloomy. It actually started to mist rain near the end of our trip here, so none of my photos are particularly vibrant or sharp, but this is technically what the Buddha should look like on a nice day.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul’s Cathedral stood as an elegant edifice, but the last time it was whole was in the 16^th Century. Now, it lives on as only a façade that boasts of its past glory. The gate is gorgeously decorated with stone carvings of religious figures and symbols that are reflective of the era when it was first built. Since Macau is fairly small, they don’t have a lot of “tourist” spots that don’t include slot machines. As the city develops more and more (primarily because of the casino/gambling business), more people populate this tiny land mass and build higher and wider hotels/casinos. Coming to this quaint church front was a fresh sight from the hotel room (since I’m not 21 and Macau recently passed a new law prohibiting minors from entering casinos) to which I was restricted. Even if I had been able to venture into the casinos, I think I would still have preferred seeing the façade. The complexity and durability of its architecture is amazing, especially if you consider the time periods it has survived.

blazer: GAP dress: Forever21 sneaker wedges: Target necklace: eBay