August Favorites 2013

I can't believe August is basically done with! Soon it'll be September and the Fall season starting, then Halloween (actually I've already seen Halloween decorations available at Hallmark!), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then 2014! I want this year to slow down, but ain't nobody got time for that I suppose ;P. Well, on to my favorites for this month!

1. Did you read any books?
I am finally getting into A Game of Thrones. I really want to watch the series on HBO but because I never saw it from Season 1, I'll probably get lost and miss out on a lot of the story. So, I decided to start reading the book! I'm borrowing it from my local library and I can tell it's really popular because when I went to reserve it, I was number 13 in the queue but somehow got a notice that it was available for me two or three days after putting in my reservation lol. Anyways, I'm loving the way this story is written out. Instead of chapters, it splits into different perspectives of the many characters in the story. It's written in the third person limited, which is great because it keeps me guessing as to what's going on and later confirming it under another's perspective. Even though there are 800+ pages, don't let the number intimidate you because it's a fast read that'll keep you entertained!

2. Did you watch any movies?
Surprisingly, I only saw one movie this month. Honestly, there were a lot of movies that I wanted to see, but the reviews were just awful. Like what Jason has said, movies are getting crappier while television shows are getting better, which I wholly agree on.

Elysium was an all right film. Definitely better than a lot of mainstream films that came out this month. Elysium is a post-apocalyptic story where the wealthy live on a huge luxurious spacecraft 20-30 minutes away from Earth while the poor continue to live on desolated, polluted Earth. Matt Damon stars as the main character who holds the codes to Elysium's system, which could be used to change the course of life for both Earth and Elysium. While the story was adequate, I felt that the movie seemed to drag in between. I understand it's necessary to develop the story line, but it just felt that it could have been a little more engaging. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the film. Nowadays, it seems that films need to have some sort of sci-fi/dystopian/post-apocalyptic story line in order to fair well at the box office...or be a comedy I suppose.

3. Which foods did you eat and love?
You'll see these two pics in my Monthly Gram post, but honestly these were the two food items that stood out for me this month. On the left is a homemade haupia sweet potato pie that my Aunty made and brought to my Aunty's 1 year passing picnic. I thought her pumpkin crunch pie was the best thing she's made, but this definitely tops my list. My Aunty is really good at baking desserts, so anything that she makes is bound to be delicious, but this pie was literally heaven AND it wasn't overly sweet!

To the right is a veggie tofu pho that I got at Pho My Lan this past Sunday. I've had limited pho experience since I've eaten it mostly at my college and a few random places in Kaneohe. I was really surprised that this pho was really flavorful, especially for a veggie pho. I ordered a small portion yet it felt like a big portion to me. Plus, they give you lots of basil, bean sprouts, some leaf I didn't recognize (it looked like it had little thorn-like edges) and jalapenos. Jason told me it was piman and so I ate one whole and a fire started in my mouth -_-

4. Which songs did you like?
To be honest, it took me a long time to like this song. But, the more I heard it on the radio and listened to the lyrics, I began to fall in love. The chorus is my favorite part because of the sweet lyrics. I think the music video is great too. Even though I didn't watch the VMAs this past Sunday, I'm glad that JT won the most awards. I think he deserved it out of all the contenders.

Mirrors- Justin Timberlake

5. Which products did you like?
This is probably my favorite sunscreen (Nature Republic) to wear for my face because it isn't oily and heavy on my skin. It is SPF 50+ and PA+++ which is great because the sun is really strong right now. Also, it has whitening and anti-wrinkle elements, which is a plus for my skin for lightening blemishes and discouraging wrinkles from forming. A little bit of this sunscreen goes a long way since I find it easy to cover a little product over the surface of my face. I'm happy that Ala Moana will be having a Nature Republic store soon because it is a bit of a hassle to visit the Waikiki location :P.

6. What did you learn?
I thought about this for a while, but I learned that I really do appreciate my Dad's side of the family a lot. At least once a year, we have this family picnic at Kualoa Park and I would always dislike going because it fell on a Saturday all the time and that's when I liked to hang out with friends. It wasn't until this past picnic, which was for my Aunty's 1 year passing anniversary that I realized this. This realization probably came from a certain family member moving in with my Grandpa and I. The best way to describe this person without coming off blatantly mean is that she's a very unpleasant person all around (that actually sounds mean but I don't care). With all of her negativity and other members who feed into it, it really put into perspective at how different my two sides of the family are. I've always known it but it just seems like it's totally magnified now and that this blantantness (not a word, I know) made me realize how lucky I am to have my Dad's side of the family. I feel awful about my past feelings, but at least I've learned my lesson.

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

July Favorites 2013

Hey all! I've decided to do a different format of monthly favorites. I don't really change up my make-up products, which to me is the basis of monthly posts. So instead I'm using a format that Youtuber cutiepiemarzia uses and I chose questions that I could easily answer. So here they are!

1. Did you read any books?
I haven't been really reading any books for a while! I'm trying to read City of Bones (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare.

I bought the book when I was in Vegas this past April because I had seen the preview and thought that the movie looked pretty cool. But the more I see the preview, I start to get a Twilight vibe from it, which is no good for me lol. I absolutely hate Twilight, both literally and cinematically (yeah I know that isn't a word :P). But like with Twilight, I'll give the first movie a chance, but seriously it better be 100x better than Twilight >:(

2. Did you watch any movies?
Yes! I watched Despicable Me 2 and The Wolverine. Despicable Me 2 was super adorable, just as I expected. I'm super happy they're making a Minions movie XD. I also really enjoyed The Wolverine. I don't read X-Men comics and I'm really not familiar with the whole series in general, but I thought the story that they chose was fantastic. Hugh Jackman's body is delicious and can I just say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!! at the cut scene at the end?!?!?

3. Which foods did you eat and love?
To be honest, my choice of food doesn't really change because I always tend to eat the same things. I suppose my favorite of the month was my Rolled Quesadilla from Cactus in Kailua. I uploaded a pic in my Monthly Gram post for July so I won't upload it here so that I'm not repetitive.

4. Which songs did you like?
I'm probably going to be so mainstream with my song choices but I don't really care :P. I genuinely liked both songs when I first heard them. It's Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell & T.I, Get Lucky by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell, and Treasure by Bruno Mars. I think what I like about all three songs are the melodies. I'm loving the throwback feels of the 80's, which seems to be in all three. I feel the whole eletronica, don't-really-need-talent-to-sing type of songs are getting old for me, so to hear something that pulls influences from earlier decades has become refreshing to me.

Blurred Lines

Get Lucky

Treasure

5. Which products did you like?
I've been really liking my mini benetint that I received as part of a 500 point perk from Sephora. I just put three little streaks on each cheek and blend it in to create this natural blushy tint. I also love that it has a nice rose scent to it. I think it lasts pretty well all day! I would definitely get the regular size of this once I run out of this mini.

6. What did you learn?
I learned that you can't go back to school just to get a minor even though you've successfully majored in something earlier. I was just bummed because I wanted to go back to school to get a minor in Fashion Merchandising, but unfortunately it's not possible. But after some research, I found an online program for an Associate's degree in Fashion Merchandising through SNHU. I'm a bit wary about doing a degree fully online, but I'm gamed to do it. Plus, I can transfer a lot of my credits so that I don't have to take as long. I just gotta make sure I can get an internship in fashion merchandising and then it's all ships go!

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

TAG: Colors of the Rainbow

Hello lovelies! I wanted to blog about something different before bombarding you with end of the month posts. Actually, it's basically the end of July but I'll stick this post in anyway! I wanted to do a fun tag and so I decided to try out the Colors of the Rainbow tag. Basically, you take each color in the rainbow and pick out some of your favorite beauty and fashion items that correlate with the color. I'm not that major when it comes to makeup. I tend to go for a very natural look with most of the emphasis going to my eyes, which is just eyeliner and mascara. So, I stuck with fashion goods! Some colors were tricky, but I think I got my picks down. Here it is:

1. Red

Miss Sixty Booties: I got these around 2008-2009 when MS was still at Ala Moana. I believe Jason gave these to me as a Christmas gift. I was absolutely in love with the color and I like the texture of the leather. The only downside is that your feet do hurt after walking in these. I need to insert some sole support. Also, I tend to ding the heels hehe. To be honest, because these aren't the most comfortable shoes to wear, I haven't worn them in a long time. That being said, I'm going to try wearing them again!

2. Orange

Orange Tone Salopette: I'm not sure how to describe this pattern. It's kind of damaskish or it reminds me of something Mediterranean. Anyways, I got this from Spiral Girl in 2011. When I was studying abroad in Japan earlier that year, I saw this exact piece at a store and I wanted to get it but I didn't. Then a couple months after I came back, my dad took me shopping and I saw this at SG on sale, which was cheaper than in Japan. This has great shape because you don't need a belt to emphasize your figure. A belt will go nicely with it, but I usually don't wear one :).

3. Yellow

Funky Geometric: This is one of my absolute favorite pieces from MS. I bought this around 2008 or 2009 and when I first saw this, it was love at first site. I was attracted to the vibrant color and it just oozed happiness and sunshine. Also, this was around the time when I was digging billowy sleeves, so when I wore this, I felt like a total hipster hehe! I still get good vibes whenever I wear this.

4. Green

Bon Lapin: This is a purchase from Forever 21 after I came back from Vegas last year in October. I'm a bunny lover, so anything bunny-themed I'm there. I immediately grabbed this when I saw it and I was lucky that I snagged the last size small. I probably would've gotten it in a size medium if they didn't have my original size. In theme with the color, I love this shade of light olive. Olive tones are some of my favorite shades of green.

5. Blue

Blue Plaid Shirt: This is a more recent purchase from Guess at Ala Moana. I had such a hard time deciding which blue item in my wardrobe I wanted to post since blue is my favorite color at the moment. I was surprised that I ended up picking this because while I do admire plaid, I don't think it particularly looks good on me, but I definitely love this piece. I like the studs and the fact that I can wear it as a cover up or an accessory around my waist.

6. Indigo

Billowy Tie Top: Indigo was probably the hardest to find in my closet. I'm not even sure if this really counts as indigo but whatever. It's closer to blue on the violet-blue spectrum. This is another top from Forever 21 that I instantly fell in love with because of 1) the color, 2) the tie, and 3) the buttons bordering the top asymmetrically. Also, I love how the buttons trails down the back!

7. Violet

Lace Floral Plaid Tote: This is definitely an older item of mine that I still love. This was when Betsey Johnson was still under Betsey Johnson and not being overtaken by Steve Madden. I had gotten this a little after Black Friday for only $34. I absolutely love the pattern. I still have this bag but I haven't used it since I graduated from college. I must say it held up for a very long time. It's sad that the quality of Betsey Johnson goods have really gone down the hole, especially with their bags.

8. Pink

Light Pink Ribbed Peplum: I know this color almost borders on nude, but honestly it is my favorite top in a pink shade. The trend for peplums have somewhat subsided but I'd still rock one any day, especially from Topshop. The darts and the basic shape of this top is super flattering and makes you feel like a rockstar any day!

9. Multicolored

Summer Lightweight Stole: When it comes to multicolored items, I tend to gravitate to colorful stoles. This stole came in a set from Ingni when I was in Japan two years ago. Lightweight stoles are still a staple for me during the summer, although to be honest, I haven't been wearing them as much this year. But because the weather is somewhat straightforward in Hawaii, this can be worn throughout the year. The way I like to incorporate stoles into my outfit is to wear something basic and simple so that the stole is my center piece :).

I hope you all enjoyed reading this post. I had a lot of fun picking out items for this tag and you should do one too if you have a blog or a Youtube. Pretty soon I'll be uploading my monthly posts which will be including a shopping, instagram, and outfit of the day!

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN