May Gray

May gray and June gloom are probably the saddest months of the year in SoCal - when overcast hangs over our heads and only sometimes burns off for a real summer day. But as they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

The funny story about this camisole is that when I bought it from UO, it was actually a romper! I had no idea until I tried putting it on, and realized it had shorts attached. Unfortunately, it didn't fit and I had major CT:
How embarrassing! So I just cut the middle of the shorts, and now it's an actual tank!

In Inglewood there's a F21-ish store called Zizibeh, it's similar to a Style Xpress, or any other "boutique" that sells clothes at great prices...I'm pretty obsessed with that store, but it's very hit-or-miss. I got lucky and scored this high-waisted gray skirt for about $15.

Zizibeh skirt, UO tank (used to be a romper)

Gray shoes are Jessica Simpson, bought at Marshalls ($40!)

Woot, my mom is in town from Cbus, Ohio, and I'm going to (hopefully) beat traffic to visit her for dinner in Orange County. Since she's particular about my make-up ("Not too much okay? I don't want people to only see your make-up") I went with a light combo of green & gray. I took inspiration from my cami:

This look in 5 steps:
1. Apply a light green in the center on your eyelids (where the ball of your eye is)
2. Apply gray on the inner & outer corners, as well as above the green shadow in the center
3. Add gray under eyes on the outer corners with the same green on the inner corners
4. Add a darker gray or black to the outer corners of your eyes; reapply the green in the middle if necessary
5. Line, curl your eyelashes, and mascara!

Also, last night I had Koji's for the first time - it's like the newest craze in LA. Basically it's korean bbq in a taco. Haha. Sounds so weird to me, but actually pretty good. Koji's is known for their taco truck, but they actually sell it out of Alibi, a bar on Washington Blvd & Centinela. This was my first time eating Koji's and it was pretty good! I don't know if I'm addicted to it, but I have a feeling I'll be coming back soon.

I got the trio of tacos, which include steak, pork, and bbq chicken.

Nikki and I also had some amazing cocktails called lychee coolers, can't really beat this place for a Thursday night: great food & drinks at reasonable prices (the trio of tacos was only $7!), drinks are around $10 each.

P.S. Does anyone know if gray spelled with an "a" or "e"? Gray or grey? I just used "gray" with an "a" since May has an a. Lol.

Who Me? I'm Tagged!

This reminds me of the old myspace and even current facebook days (add me on FB, if you want), when we would pass on quizzes, tag people, etc. Mayra of Life is Bananas tagged little ol me and since I love to both read & do them, here. we. go! I added pictures to most of the answers, in case you didn't feel like reading.





what is your current obsession?
_nautical clothing, specifically blazers (obviously caught the sailing bug!)
_nail polishes
_summer hairdos

what is your weirdest obsesson?

_it's basketball playoff season, and my favorite song they play is "cha cha slide" that goes "everybody clap your hands..." the reason why is because it reminds me of this fantastic McDonald's commercial, i even do his dance...at home. whether someone is watching or not.



Starbucks or Peet's?
_eep, I'm going to have to go with Coffee Bean, but my latest craze is McDonald's McCafe! they're only like $2 for a large!

what's for dinner?
_lady kogi korean bbq & sake in culver city




what would you eat for your last meal?
_ryan & i are obsessed with pizza, and you know who makes great pizza? the entire state of ny!






what was the last thing you bought?
_nyc nailpolish from cvs - they were 50% off! that means their normal nailpolish was now $0.50 and their better polishes were only $1. i bought 5!



what are you listening to right now?
_as you guys may know, i work in the gaming expertise team, and a part of our day includes lots and lots of rounds of halo 3. we often play against one another or online, right now 2 of my colleagues are playing an intense slayer match so i can hear them yelling, screaming, cursing, and cheering. i'm also on pandora with my earbuds to drown out the sound.


what is your favorite ice cream flavor?
_nestle's drumsticks, in original vanilla. it has everything you could want in an ice cream cone - all in one!


what do you think of the person(s) who tagged you?
_mayra has an incredible sense of interior design style that i envy and is so creative when it comes to DIY projects. her pieces of inspirations actually inspire me to re-do my apartment, and she's just a doll.



if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
_i want to go to hawaii or mexico - somewhere tropical where i can really kick off the summer and get a massage!






which language do you want to learn?
_i really wish i knew how to speak vietnamese fluently, since i can speak it horribly; also maybe learn tagalog so that ryan's family loves me. haha.




what's your favorite quote (for now)?
_ugh, i'm such a sucker! "you are my life now." from twilight.

please don't kill me, but when i read that, i swooned.

what is your favorite colour?
_coral and teal - they're definitely the ultimate summer colors




what is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
_wifebeaters, i wear them all the time - under things, over things, or by themselves. i just buy regular fruit of the loom men's ribbed tanks at target. i love the length and how they rarely stretch out.




what is your dream job?
_well i love advertising, so one day i hope to be an exec of a leading ad agency. or like a model. haha just kidding. but not really, okay i am.

what is your worst habit?
_i don't know if this counts as a habit, but i totally have no control over the loudness of my voice; it's something i'm working on...although i have been asked if i'm deaf in one ear cause i talk so loud. *sigh*
_also, i use a lot of puns...as you may or may not have noticed

if you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
_a new blazer! or maybe just go crazy at F21, do you know how much stuff we could buy there with that much money?



do you admire any one's style?
_celebrities: nicole richie, jessica alba, cameron diaz - they're all so cool and casual, but always look so well put-together

_bloggers: phi style & cupcakes and cashmere always look fab




describe your personal style?
_california casual, jeans and a shirt type of a girl. i focus on my hair & make-up to avoid like a total shlump.

what are you going to do after this?
_do some work! and edit some pics for my next blog post.



what are your favourite movies?
_oh geez, these are the movies that i could watch over and over again: sound of music, team america (haha), addams family, best in show, scary movie 2...hrm, i just realize i like really dumb comedies. lol



what is your favorite fruit?
_lychee, watermelon, and pears.




what inspires you?
_my industry, random artwork i find, along with my fellow bloggers!




your favorite book?
_glass castle, twilight series, dan brown books






do you collect something?
_i collect a lot of make-up and nailpolishes, but nothing really cool

what is your favorite smell?
_ryan's cologne



what are you most proud of?
_that i paid my way through college by holding 2 jobs...and graduated summa cum laude. holler.


what are 5 beauty products you couldn't live without?
_eyeliner
_eyelash curler
_mascara
_lip balm / lip gloss
_make-up remover

cats or dogs?
_doggies!

our late dog, robin, aka: bean bong

Alright! I'm breaking the rules, instead of 8 people, I'm only tagging 5:

_Christine-O
_Miss Karen
_Tough Cookie
_Evil Midori
_TrishieKoh

here are the rules:
1. respond and rework; answer the question on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add more one question of your own.
2. tag eight other people

Blaze(r) of Glory

Uh oh...there I go again, another pun / play on words! Haha, gotta love them.

So I was browsing through the new J.Crew catalog, and even though I'm not in the market to buy anything right now, I love browsing through the latest styles and see if I can adapt my current clothes to their trends. I spotted a model wearing a blazer with a simple tee, destroyed, rolled-up jeans and heels, and voila! A new outfit that I wouldn't have thought of on my own, but already had all the pieces to!

F21 cotton tee ($5), J.Crew blazer from 2005, Hollister jeans, black belt from Ross.

I've been on the market for a nice blazer for awhile, until I looked in the back of my closet and saw an old blue pinstripe blazer I bought in 2005, when I graduated from college and entered the real world. A little treasure - who knew?

I paired this outfit with wedges, although I didn't particularly like how it looked. Maybe some open-toed heels would have worked better. These jeans are the same ones I've worn, just rolled them up for a different look. This is totally a work AND weekend look.

The J.Crew catalog also inspired my hair and make-up with messy buns, pinned-back bangs, and fresh & rosey make-up. All the models are fresh-faced, perfectly peachy.

Isn't it great when you can revitalize your current wardrobe with clothes you already have?

I'm on a Boat!

This Memorial Day weekend, Ryan and I, along with a few friends went to Marina Del Rey to go sailing, and it was amazing. Here are a few pictures of our adventures...luckily, it remained just a 3-hour tour and no one had to make a phone out of a coconut.

our view of santa monica, from the sail boat.

Well of course I'm going to have to go nautical if I'm going sailing! The tank is from some F21 knock-off store for $12 (the straps were actually rope, so that was cool), white shorts from Old Navy, and the slip-on shoes from Payless ($15!). The scarf was from F21 at a mere $4.

my sailor, ryan.

Ryan also rocked a nautical-inspired outfit with a Martin + Osa polo and pastel-striped shorts from Bloomy's.

my favorite guys, who happen to be ryan & his cousins.

Again with my braid and side-bun. I'm telling you! It's the best for going to the beach or sailing so your hair doesn't fly around all crazy and get knotted.

HOLLERATIONS!

Trishiekoh was kind enough to holleratchagirl and bestow my first blog award:

Since this was my first award, I had no idea what to do with it. Luckily she provided me with instructions!
The Rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3) Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

So my only question can a blog win more than once? Because I'm sure that everyone I visit and love have already won this award. But who doesn't like winning multiple awards? These blogs are definitely lovely:

Christine-O
Phi Style
I Am Style-ish
My So Called Fabulous Life
Evil Midori
Life is Bananas

Tough Cookie
Dear Lord the Cheese
Lilies and Grapes

It's Heavenly
Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy
Song of Style
Love Meagan
Fashion Geometry
Don't Eat My Rice

Thanks for the love!

California Dreamin'

Sorry I've been so MIA guys! How was your Memorial Day weekend? We were lucky enough to have a 4-day weekend, which turned out to be the most amazing weekend to kick off the summer!

On Friday I went to Paradise Cove, a reclusive beach in Malibu. It was my first time in Malibu (can you believe that?), as I always gravitate towards OC beaches (Newport, Laguna, Huntington, etc.), but I have to admit, Malibu was absolutely beautiful.

rockin' the braid & side-bun again -- a great hairdo for the beach!

Unfortunately, after I left the beach, I either had a heat stroke or got sun sick as I had a monster of a headache and slept from 7pm to 8am! 13-hours! Much to my relief, I did feel better the next morning.

On Saturday, a best friend of mine invited me to brunch at Rose Cafe in Venice. The restaurant was extremely cute and quaint - with an airy outdoor patio filled with orchids and other luscious plants.

my delicious birthday cake: strawberry shortcake.

one of my best friends, Nikki.

It was the weekend...time to have a little fun with my make-up! I added a little splash of color, but I didn't want to look like I came straight out of the 80's, so I applied a bold teal shadow on the bottom lash line - from the middle of my eye to the outer corners. Neutrals everywhere else helped the color stand alone without being overpowered.

This strapless linen dress is definitely my new go-to summer dress, it's from F21, and cost me a whole $13. The belt ended up costing more from Martin + Osa. Haha.

On Sunday, Ryan and a few friends of ours went sailing - I'll be posting pictures of that shortly. So stay tuned!