Flower in Your Hair

Guess what guys?  It is totes my birthday today!  Hoorah!  You know those people who are like, "Yeah, whatevers, it's my birthday, no big whoop. It's no big deal, it's okay...just another day."?  That is NOT ME.  This entire weekend I was like, "It's my bday, it's my bday, it's my bday" (even though it wasn't yet)...Ordering at Starbucks?  "It's my birthday"  In our weekly work status meetings?  "It's my bday"  Celebrating my co-worker's birthday at his house "It's my bday."  The airport security guy checking my ID & boarding pass even wished me a happy birthday. It's my birthday ya'll!

2/3 of my outfit is from PMN, since I gotta support my FRANDS.  Except this skirt. So tight. Cannot breathe. Cannot eat.  Eating & breathing is overrated anyway.The basic rule of thumb when wearing skirts like this is to balance the materials - so since this skirt is a heavier material, I balanced it with a silk, flowy top.  Heels is a MUST with this skirt as it cuts me at a weird point in my legs (making me look shorter), so the heels help negate that. At least, I HOPE.

 pretty much new top & skirt, martin + osa wedges, daffodil flower

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How To: OPI Shatter

I do love doing tutorials (or how-to's); whether they're picture-based or a video, I always find a step-by-step process easier to follow than a shot of the finished product.  But for this particular tutorial, I literally felt I was doing this:

I decided to use a bright yellow for the increased contrast (though I wanted to do a teal...maybe next week!).  Look how cute this Bonita nail enamel is - it's a mini nail polish!  I got it from Francesca's Collections awhile ago & like eyeshadow palettes, I really like these small nail polish bottles for colors that I wouldn't wear often (or that could be trendy).  Why spend a good amount of money on a full bottle of nail polish when the color is seasonal & you'll only end up using like half of the bottle before it gets gooey?

Everyone knows how to paint their nails...but I got so many nice compliments on my nails in my this post, I thought it'd be cool to show the process of OPI's Shatter.  This definitely seems overly obvious, but enjoy anyway!

What you'll need:
+ a base coat {seche clear}
+ a base color {bonita nail enamel in yellow}
+ OPI Shatter
+ a top coat {sally hansen dry instantly}

+ Start with clean nails - I have the worst cuticles, so I use Sally Hansen's Instant Cuticle Remover to help push them down & cut them (I KNOW it's not good for you to cut your cuticles...I can't help it!)
+ Apply a base coat - I never used to use a base coat before but I really notice the difference in the color application by using it - it also has allowed the color to stay on longer.

+ Apply two (2) coats of a base color

 

 + The trick is to allow the base coat to completely dry before applying Shatter

+ Then apply one coat of Shatter - it should be relatively thick to cover the nail in a couple of strokes.

+ Be warned: this stuff dries fast!  Apply a single black layer & within seconds it starts to dry & crack.  To give you a sense of how quick it dries, by the time I finished painting my ring finger, my pinky finger was already dry.

+ Allow a few minutes to dry (doesn't take very long)

+ Apply a top coat

And you're done! Oh! To clean up any mistakes, I simply dip an old concealer brush into some acetone and brush along the sides.  Very easy & super effective - much better than using a q-tip that can leave cotton strands behind.

Now draw the rest of that fucking owl.

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The Burning Man Project

Which, by the way, I had no idea what that was.  Maybe because I don't do acid...but apparently I dressed the part today as the first thing my colleague said to me was, "What time does your drum circle start?"  But to be fair - I've been on the hunt for maxi skirts for awhile...and since I haven't found one, I transformed this old maxi dress into a skirt MAGICALLY.  And by magically, I mean I put a sweater over it.

martin + osa top, style xpress maxi dress, f21 belt, various bangles

 

I'm off to Chicago the rest of this week, I'm totes excites...except it's like 20-degrees.  Luckily one of my most practical purchases (a North Face down jacket) has now quickly become one of my favorite purchases.  I'll definitely be posting throughout my stay in Chicago, though hopefully it won't be of the same thing (e.g. my North Face down jacket).

You guys, you should have seen how big my KOOL AID SMILE was when Francesca's Collections, one of my most favorite stores, featured me on their newsletter!  Am so excited & honored to see my mug on it!  Check out the full newsletter here or sign up yourself for updates!

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Back in the 714 Days

Even though I live in LA now, a lot of you guys know that I'm from Orange County (a quick 40 minute drive south) & love going back on the weekends.  I don't know - maybe it's nostalgia, the free parking, or the less douchebaggyness that brings me back; either way, I always find it a treat when I go down on the weekends (twss).  What's funny is that I sometimes feel I do have an "OC-style" ingrained in me.  In my opinion, OC is definitely more laid-back, girls in tshirts & Chucks, guys in Rainbow sandals.  When I wore this to go down to South Coast Plaza & I saw three other girls wearing jean shorts & tights, I was like, "MY PEOPLE!"

I love this men's shirt but totally forgot what brand it is; though I did get it at Fred Segal in Santa Monica, if that helps at all (probably doesn't).  The kind folks at Wanted Shoes were gracious enough to send me a pair of these Oxfords & I love them!  Though I'm pairing them up with something more casual, I can't wait to wear them with floral dress & tights.

fred segal men's top, american eagle jean shorts, f21 belt, hue tights, wanted oxford shoe

I've been wearing OPI's Black Shatter nail polish pretty religiously over the past 3 weeks (since purchasing it).  It probably is one of my favorite purchases this Spring!  Yes, trendy.  But for $8.50, I am going to wear the CRAP OUT OF IT until it goes out of style.  My friends like it with a light background color (e.g. gold or white) because of the dramas it brings...but I like more rich & bold colors as the base (e.g. teal or greens).  Here, I'm wearing it with Confetti brand nail polish in White Knight - it's literally $1.99 per bottle from CVS. BEST FIND EVAR.  They have really nice, muted colors - I'd totally recommend (though I can't find the link to it).

Also, after a month of searching, I found a primer & foundation that I like!  I went to Sephora at South Coast Plaza - did you know they have a sub-store just for Makeup Forever? AMAZING.  There, I tried on their All Mat Primer (purchased), HD Foundation in 128 (purchased), Sculpting Blush in 8, and topped it with their HD powder (next purchase!).  I'll have to pace myself when it comes to buying new makeup - I tend to go a bit overboard.  I wanted a foundation that would give me full coverage, yet not looked CAKED ON in-person.  Such a delicate balance.  This is how it looked in the car on the way back to LA:

Not too bad, right?  This weekend I also got my (early) birthday present from Rye Bread!  This is how it went down:
Rye Bread: "Want to look at L.A.M.B purses?"
Steph: "Duh."
Steph: "OoH this one is nice!  Feel how soft it is! And it's a crossover bag! Awesome."
Rye Bread: "Happy Birthday!"

Welcome to the family.  Also, here's a picture of EZ E.

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Put a Bird on it

Does ANYONE have IFC or am I the only one missing out on the delciousness that is Portlandia?!  I've only been able to watch snippets on Hulu & on IFC's site, but it makes me so sad knowing there there are FULL episodes of these sketches I'm missing.  Fred Armisen cracks me up.

Anyway, isn't it weird when one little purchase can set off an entire inspiration?  I'm pretty obsessed with this big bow clip & have decided to find new ways to do my hair with it.  I was in a rush this morning & so I took my pictures in my office conference room.  Resourceful, I am...though the lighting wasn't the greatest.  Sorry!

While my friend was in town last weekend from Chicago, we decided to have BESTIE-VILLE 2011, where we did the girliest things possible.  One of these activities included me doing her nails where tried to do the opposite french manicure on her, adding glitter to be fancy.  It turned out...AIIGHT. She asked if I wanted to take pictures of the process but I was fearful that it was going to turn out horrible, but now I regret it because I know I can't do a tutorial on myself!  I then decided to do glitter on my own nails to be fancy & it was the WORST idea ever.  First of all, it only lasted for 2 hours before the sequin & glitter started falling off...and second of all (and worst of all), I CUT MY FACE while washing it!  That mother effin' sequin...

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Northern Exposure

Last weekend, I swear I've never seen it rain so bad in LA.  It was a constant pour - to the point where it was incredibly dangerous to drive.  Rye Bread & I drove down Sepulveda (that runs alongside the 405fwy), and a passing car had so much backsplash that it covered the entire windshield & we had to brake to a halt.  I was scurred mang!

Then it cleared up for a few days.  And now it's raining again. My mom (who lives in Ohio) is worried about a "SuperStorm" heading towards California that's supposedly going to wash away the entire west coast of the United States, taking the entire state of California with it.  My parents are so worried that for my upcoming birthday, my Dad bought me an emergency kit.  Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like some canned food and blankets.  I'm pretty sure it  also comes with a life vest...in case California DOES fall off into the Pacific Ocean, I'll have a life vest to keep me afloat.  All joking aside, we should all be prepared for any sort of emergency & it's definitely better to be safe than to be sorry.  So I'll use my Emergency Kit...even though I really wanted a watch for my birthday. Ha.

Since it's so cold & rainy, all of my Spring clothes are put on hold.  Instead, I grabbed this sweater that keeps me incredibly warm without being itchy (don't you hate wool sweaters that you buy only to NOT be able to wear it because it makes you claw your skin off?)

columbia sweater, martin + osa shirt, f21 jeans, toms shoes

Oh yeah, a word to the wise...if you have a teething puppy, it's not the best idea to leave your Toms out...just saying.

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The Farfalle

Whenever I feel like I don't quite have the money to buy new clothes or makeup, I often look to accessories for some inspiration.  And while I go through phases of what I enjoy wearing (one month is full of bangles, the next is necklaces & scarves), every once in awhile something new will come my way & it'll give me a new sense of inspiration...aka: start a new obsession.  I came across this clip-on bow & fell in love. I wish there were more than the one that I bought, I probably would have added 5 immediately.  Oh, I also dyed my hair a true black.  I was getting tired of how two-toned my hair was looking...I'm still getting used to it; I still insist it makes me look like a Disney villain.  With my grown-out bangs pulled back, I kinda am diggin' this retro look.

 

varga bow, banana republic jacket, cotton on scarf

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