I'm a LIME-a-Bean!

Quick Weekend Update, since there isn't too much to update on - went to one of my favorite (and beloved) restaurants for a good friend's bday...BENIHANA! Mmm...still thinking about it now...huh? Where was I?

Since I wore a dress I've already featured here, I thought it'd be cool to showcase Rye Bread's outfit, since he's much more fashionable than I am:

theory white button-down, club monoco sweater, marc jacobs tie, jeans from kitson, jack purcell chucks

Right? Totally handsome and dapper, casual and cool, effortlessly proper without looking like a schoolboy or hipster. Me likey. Haha.

not quite sure why i look like i seared my face across the grill

Sunday was a day full of babysitting Lydia (seen above), where we went to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica:

urban outfitters tank, american eagle shorts (not seen), oliver peoples sunglasses //
rye bread: ohio state buckeyes tshirt, jordan basketball shorts

Back to this manic Monday, it's officially summer...so whip out the summer colors, including this highlighter, bright-ass, neon green tank!

white tank: hollister, green tank: style xpress, hollister jeans

I wanted to pair this up with a black jersey skirt, but I was WAY lazy and didn't feel like shaving my legs. So jeans it is!

And why not have a little fun with lime green?
Using the brightest green shadow possible, I liberally applied it to the center of my eyes, and balanced it with a gold shadow in the inner corners and a dark (matte!) brown on the outer corners. Using my go-to taupe (Mac's Era), I blended the gold and brown above the green for a complete look. Line & mascara, as usual.

P.S. You may have noticed the 3-picture frame in the hallway - a great idea my roommate and I had was to put a baby picture of each of us, to personalize our apartment (since we don't have any pictures of the 3 of us).

Happy Monday!

Double the Fun!

You guys know I love my liquid liners. So I'm trying something new & different with it today - the double-winged tips! This somewhat cartoon-y looks gives the illusion of bigger eyes AND thicker lashes. I toned it down for work, but I'm sure I could go much more dramatic (and even double-line the bottom lashline) for a night out!
_Apply a matte taupe all over lids (I used MAC's Era).
_Using liquid liner, line your upper eyelids as you would normally (as close to your lashline as possible) and wing the ends. (I used NYC's Liquid Liner).
_Then create another wing just slightly inwards and make sure it's a little shorter than the outer wings.
_Line your bottom waterline with white liner to create a doe-eyed look, and lightly trace your bottom lashline with the liquid liner (short, light strokes will prevent you from globbing it on)
_Curl lashes and mascara both upper & lower lashes.

Good tips for winging your liner - without looking like this (one of my favorite videos).
_Use your bottom lashline as a base - where it curves up to the corners of your eyes, just extend this line to find the appropriate angle
_Start the "wing" small, using small strokes - don't bother trying to get it all in one stroke, there's no award for that (that's what she said).
_To create a fluid connection between the wing & the base line, retrace going outwards-in.

"The wings on your eyes will take you higher!"

Speaking of doubling up, I threw on this headband for the whole "hippy" look.

silver headband, old navy

"If you don't put it on hella thick, then no one will take you seriously in life."

But for reals, don't put your liner on hella thick unless you're a chola. I'm not hatin' on cholas, I kinda used to be one (when I was in 7th grade!)

One Weekend: Two Looks

After flying 4 1/2 hours from Orlando to LA, I had to quickly get ready for Rye Bread's cousin's graduation party. Knowing it was in the evening, I didn't want to wear something where I needed a coat, but I also knew it would be slightly warm, so I went with a compromise: a red, below-the-knee skirt and a simple white tee.

shirt, skirt, wedges, and belt: martin + osa
this entire outfit is from martin + osa, talk about a one-stop shop!

You all were so sweet, complimenting me on the red lips...you KNOW I had to rock it again! In case you noticed, I dyed my hair a "soft black," - I usually dye it dark brown (my hair is naturally pretty light brown), I'm still trying to get used to it...I sort of feel like an evil Disney villain. (That would be Ursula from The Little Mermaid)

That was Saturday.

This is Sunday - a sunny, lazy day:

old navy maxi dress

Right? Completely different look! It's amazing how red lipstick totally vamps up an entire look.

For this lip color, I used Mac's lip stain in Not So Shy! (Their exclamation point, not mine). The trick with lip stains for the summer is to apply it with your finger, not directly from the applicator. I concentrated it on the centers of my lips. The goal is to make it look like you were sucking on a popsicle, not that you applied lipstick. Gloss over with any clear or lightly tinted lip gloss and you're all set!

I also applied Nars blush in Taj Mahal (which is bright orange) for a different blush color. Blend it out with a light bronzer for a strong cheek color that's outside of the norm bronze or pink.

ceramic plumeria flower from hilo hattie

Loose curls, pinned slightly back with a Hawaiian flower completes the look. Maxi dresses, flip flops, loose curls with light make-up and stained lips will probably be my summertime staple outfit.

What are your summer staples?

Back from Orlando!

I hope you don't think I forgot about all of you lovely ladies (and gentlemen?)...I have not! And SHAME to you all for thinking that way! The truth is, I was in Orlando, Florida this past week, and due to annoying circumstances, the internet in the hotel was too lazy to allow me to blog! Allow me to sum up my trip in touristy pictures, because reading is overrated:

the view from my hotel elevator lobby, the amway arena

railroad tracks (they have them in orlando?!) // thorton park view of some buildings

the #1 benefit of blogging - having the innate ability to take "candid" pictures of myself! haha.

bought this dwight howard jersey for rye bread // the superman cape is hilarious.

one day, when i grow up, i'll be just as big as dwight howard!

oh self-timer, how you are my new best friend

And because I wanted to at least post something about make-up or fashion:

A few tips on how do you your make-up while wearing glasses (perfect for traveling and sleeping on planes):
_Do make sure to conceal any dark circles under your eyes with a salmon concealer (I use Sephora Brand Concealer Palette, the lilac color)
_Do emphasize the arch in your brows (try to angle your brows, if it's natural)
_Do use a loose powder, especially on your nose bridge (where it can get kinda sweaty)
_Don't bother emphasizing your upper eyelids too much, as they're usually covered by your glasses anyway. I just swept a dark brown over my lids, lined them, curled my eyelashes, and lightly mascara'ed
_Do emphasize your lower lids by lining the entire eye, but especially concentrating on the outer corners.
_Do mascara your bottom lashes for bigger eyes
_Optional: line your lower waterline with a white pencil for brighter eyes
_Do put on your glasses before applying blush - it helps you figure out where you should naturally sweep the color (I suck in my cheeks and apply it there)
Our regularly-scheduled program will return tomorrow! Thanks for your patience & dedication my loves.

P.S. I finished the entire Twilight series...now I wish I was a vampire. And I also started calling my dog Jacob. Ugh, I'm so lame!

Tie Me Up

Ryan wanted to get rid of some of his old shirts...and as they say: one man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure! I'm thinking of trying a DIY project that was inspired by ...love Maegan - changing a shirt to a fringe necklace! I'll definitely be documenting it, if I decide to try it out. (Needless to say, Ryan was a little shocked when he heard what I wanted to do to his shirts!) Haha.

I'm a little jealous when girls can wear their bf's flannel shirts or old dress shirts, as Ryan's proportions are completely different than mine, so his sweaters and old button-downs are out of the question. However, old shirts are another story.

This fake-tie shirt rivals those tacky fake-tuxedo shirts, but I'm oddly drawn to it. Haha.

To "femme"-it-up, I threw on some skinny cigarette jeans & killer heels from Shoe Dazzle (a-shoe-of-the-month club).

zara men tshirt, f21 skinny jeans, shoe dazzle heels

This is the second pair of shoes from Shoe Dazzle, for $39 (free S&H) I definitely can't complain, plus new shoes every month? What girl would say no to that!



To contrast the casual, tom-boy shirt, and in-line with the killer heels and skinny jeans, I felt this outfit just begged for big curls and red lips:

To achieve this look, I mixed Chanel's Russet Moon (a deep, dark red) with Maybelline's Royal Red (a bright red). I also lined my lips with Rimmel's Red Diva to make sure the red doesn't bleed out.

To help make the color last, I recommend letting your lips absorb your chapstick first, apply a thin coat of the lipstick with a lip brush, blot with a tissue, line your lips, and reapply. I wanted a matted, subtle look - definitely not glossy, in-your-face red.

In addition, to make sure you're not wearing TOO much make-up, apply your lipstick first (before your eyeshadow or blush), so you can gauge how much you need for a balanced look. Saving your lipstick for last may create a disaster, because you think you look pale, not foreseeing the pop of color in lipstick. And the last thing we want to look like is a drag queen (or hooker)...I'm just saying!

what are your favorite hand-me-downs? and how do you make it your own?

Weekend Update + Shimmery Bronzes

And how were your weekends? Mine was actually pretty fun! Saturday went to the new Farmer's Market in Playa Vista, and bought some:

and
fresh gerber daisies, $4/bundle; fresh plums and white nectarines $2.50/lb, fresh cherries $4/lb
and
hydrangea stem, $1 each; old fettucini jar (free!)

My neighbor 2 houses down had a garage sale and I scored some major goodies - a large framed vintage French poster of a woman carrying liquor bottles in her skirt (no pic yet, sorry!) for a whole $2, and these two necklaces for $1.50 for both.

I'm such a loyalist that on Sunday I went back to my neighbor's garage sale when my roommate told me that they were selling a desk, which I've been looking for for the past few days. She knocked off $5 (since I'm a returning customer AND recommended her sale to my rooomates) so I scored a desk in great condition for $15! Ryan and I then spent the rest of Sunday completely reorganizing my room...then watched the Kobe & the Lakers kick some major Magic boo-hoo-tay.
I also spent the night watching how Lakers fans completely destroyed downtown LA...way to stay classy LA. sigh


While browsing through the latest edition of Allure magazine (the one with Jessica Biel on the cover in which she sobs about the fact that she's toooo hott to be taken seriously in Hollywood, cry me a f-ing river), they noted that the hottest summer make-up are bronzes. Since it's midway through June, I might as well try to perfect it now:

sometimes the best lighting is when i'm in the car, the ones i took in my house looked awful

'This Look in 5 Steps:
1. Apply a gold/bronze on the center of your eyes (where your eyeball is)
2. Dark brown on both the inner & outer corners, connecting in the middle, above the gold
3. Blend out (not into the bronze)
4. Apply dark brown liquid liner on both the top & bottom lash lines
5. Using the same gold / bronzer on the bottom inner corners of your eyes; mascara!

Since this was a more natural / summery look, I applied both a bronzer and a bright pink blush to bring out some more color.

In the theme of light and easy summer looks, I threw on a loose tunic and belted it. Simple as that! I'm wearing bright yellow heels to spruce it up (not shown).

zara tunic, f21 belt, 7 for all mankind jeans

Honestly, I'm still reveling in my great garage sale & farmers market finds! I can't wait to go back next weekend!

what are your favorite finds from a local farmers market and / or garage sale?