Your Look is so Distinctive like DNA

This is my first purchase from HauteLook! Because this is what usually happens:

+ I get an email from HauteLook with their latest sales & deals
+ I click and browse
+ I wipe the drool off of my keyboard
+ I log onto my bank account
+ I whimper
+ I close my browser & dream

But this time they actually had a Harajuku Lovers sale that I could afford!

harajuku lovers top, f21 jeans, shoe dazzle heels, victorias secret bra

This shirt encompasses two things that I love: 1. It's loose-fitting and 2. It's something Gwen Stefani. I love the low cuts on the sides, though it does make for interesting work attire. By interesting, I mean slutty. Lol, jk.I recently bought a new Cover Girl lipstick that I'm in love with. Unlike most of my MAC or NARS lipsticks, this actually makes my lips feel moisturized (and does a pretty decent job of NOT getting on my teef.) I especially like that it's not too dark for daytime or work.

lipliner: nars in tortola, lipstick: covergirl in bistro burgundy

I also received my August ShoeDazzle shoes! I've been skipping my months for awhile now, just not impressed with the shoe selections as of late. I accidentally forgot to "skip" two months though & had two credits in my account. Because of that, I saw these shoes and thought, "Why not?" I actually like them a lot, with 5" heels (but a 1" platform), they add a lot of leg-length that I'm so desperately lacking.Apologies for the poor quality of pictures...hotel location + bad lighting + power shot camera - tripod = bad impromptu pictures.

questions? ask here!

Bohemian Rhapsody

There are just days where you want to wear leggings (so my jeans don't dig into my fat) and a loose-fitting top. YOU GIRLS know what I'm talking about. Even though I fly to Chicago often, I always account that the next day, I won't be feeling 100%, so I slapped on a pair of leggings, a loose fitting tank, a loose vest, a scarf & called it a day.

I also recently discovered Cotton On, an H&M-type store that sells basics at really reasonable (read: cheap) prices. My scarf, tank, AND vest were from there and total cost less than $30! They have one at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, and also apparently in Singapore as Rye Bread's cousin recently bought me a tank from there. Who loves a good deal? WE DO.

Also, I just started wearing knitted hats. I'm still iffy on them. Flat hair? Bad. Looking Parisan? Good.I also am trying to wear less make-up; in good lighting, it doesn't look so bad...but in bad lighting? Let's just say there's a reason why there's only one picture up.

Don't forget to enter my first giveaway! It ends on Sunday at 11:59pm!

questions? ask here!

San Francisco Treat!

This is the LAST travel post...until I travel again, lol.

Since we were up in Santa Rosa, we of course had to go to "the city," aka: SF. Why so foggy! We lucked out with the weather though because it's normally really cold & windy there, but it was a pleasant low 70's, so a light jacket and a casual scarf was all I needed to keep me nice & toasty. You know, even though I was complaining about how foggy it was, foggy days = best pictures. For some reason, the lighting is much better & no one is squinting.`

me with ryan's cousin, louie (from singapore) & his sister, jenny

chasing a pigeon...hmm...you can't see the pigeon, but i promise it was there!

Don't forget to enter my first giveaway!

Also, if you ask a question on Formspring for an extra entry, please don't forget to add your name to the question - no need to register & make a profile, just go "Steph, why do you smell like poop? Fr: Christine"

questions? ask here!

Where Everything Comes Together: Santa Rosa

I didn't make this title up, I went to Santa Rosa's official site because I wasn't sure what to name this post, and this is what they wrote:

Just 55 miles north of San Francisco, you'll find a vibrant city overflowing with all you love about California. Welcome to Santa Rosa, where everything comes together.

And while I may disagree that it has EVERYTHING I love about California (e.g. a downtown area, skyscrapers, PEOPLE), it did have everything I love about NorCal: wine country, preserved nature, quaint towns, and random museums!
Rye Bread & I visited his sister & cousins in SR for a long weekend, also visiting San Francisco (which will be an upcoming post). On our previous visit over a year ago, we went wine-tasting which was a lot of fun; this time Rye Bread & I were left on our own, and we visited the Charles Schulz Museum!

Don't forget to enter into my first giveaway!

questions? ask here!

We Interrupt This Program For...

A GIVEAWAY!

w00t w00t.

hollerrrr.

This is my first EVAR sponsored giveaway & I am super excited to bring it to you via DesignerApparel.com. They're an aggregator of hundreds of brands that you can find at pretty good prices. Like what kind of brands? It ranges from smaller brands like Carmen Marc Valvo (I'm a size 4, hint) to bigger brands like 7 For All Mankind (I'm a size 26 / 27, hint hint), and Jimmy Choo (HELLO, I'm a size 7 1/2, hint hint hint hint!).

Thanks to them, I'll be giving away this gorgeous vintage button ring from Juliet & Company!
For up to 3 entries, all you have to do is:
1. Become a follower of my blog (if you already are, I'll automatically enter you) = 1 entry
2. Leave a comment on this post with your name & why you think I'm fabulous (no, just kidding, just your name is great) = 1 entry
3. Ask me a question on formspring (make sure you put your name in the formspring question as a lot of them are anonymous) = 1 entry

The giveaway ends Sunday, 8/29/2010 at 11:59pm PST. And I'll draw & announce shortly thereafter (after I tally all the names). Unfortunately, this is restricted to USA & Canada residents only (sorry).

Guck Luck everybody!image source: cakewrecks.blogspot.com

questions? ask here!

Instant Getaway: Santa Barbara

Here's my disclaimer: the next few posts will either make you think you've visited a travel blog or a commercial for California vacations. But the reason why I've been lacking on fashion / beauty posts is because over the past few weekends, I've been to various parts of California & couldn't wait to share my experience you with you all!

On the way back from Solvang, we made another stop to Santa Barbara. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone! I've never been to either & both places were on my "must see" list. There are two very different cities with very diverse cultures.

While Solvang is a small & quaint town, perfect for a bed & breakfast, just over an hour south, Santa Barbara is definitely an upscale beachtown. Sailboats, surfers, bikers & skaters meld together for a perfectly relaxing Sunday afternoon.

getting lost & accidentally driving through UCSB. can't complain, campus made me jealous

street art, surprisingly expensive! those were about $200 - $400

santa barbara pier

sailboats & surfers take advantage of the summer afternoon
that's a huge bike!

banana republic jean jacket, united colors of benneton sweater, bp leggings, f21 scarf, jcrew sandals
yes, all 10 of my toenails are polished; it's just the lighting that made it look like i was missing one!

And while I wouldn't necessarily stay the night in Solvang, SB is definitely a place to spend a night or two...perhaps at Bacara?...hint hint.

The picture below is dedicated to my sister, who I knew would enjoy laughing at it. Her comment? "You're like a cupcake with a little flag on your head."

questions? ask here!

It's a Small World: Solvang, CA

Rye Bread and I were already in Delano (1 hour north of Bakersfield) for a basketball tournament, so on the way back, we decided to leave early Sunday morning for a quick pit-stop to Solvang.

I felt like I was the only SoCal resident who's never been to Solvang, CA. You know, that small Danish town a few hours north of LA. As soon as Rye Bread & I got there, I felt like I was in theme park; my first thought was "This is not a real city." It seriously looked & felt like Storybook Land straight out of Disneyland with their quaint stores and thematic restaurants. Known for their windmills, architecture, sausages & beer, it's about a 3 city-block town that takes you out of the hustle of LA and into a true old town. However, aside from drinking beer, eating Polish hot dogs & looking at clogs, there wasn't much else to do. This is definitely a city to stop by in for a few hours, but unless you're staying for the wine-tasting, you probably won't need to stay the night.

the "scenic" view from delano to solvang

perfect 77-degree weather makes it nice to have a sunroof lamb watch

quaint shoppes sell "quaint" gifts, like these rock-people business card holders

immersing myself into the town, eating a spicy polish sausage with potato cakes & red cabbage (i didn't like the red cabbage that much)

ironically, this shoe store did not sell any clogs
united colors of benetton sweater, american eagle shorts, f21 scarf (thanks rhona & tim!)

questions? ask here!