Friday Follow?

...I am not 100% sure I understand how this works.

What I would not wear...

There have been a lot of specific brands and specific lines or specific pieces that have been "in" and just everywhere in the past few years that I have never been into and, while I hesitate to say never (never say never!), I doubt I ever will wear.

Crocs

 To me, crocs are obviously pool wear, but then again that's what I thought about flip flops before I moved to California, but these are just so...hard to match with anything. Not to mention you feel like a little kid in them.

Converse

(image from GosuBlogger) I will never understand the fascination with these. Is it that it's socially acceptable to wear almost anywhere with anything? It is to look young? Is it because you can customize them to your own personality/style? I tried converse style shoes with heels (by Chinese Laundry) for about a year and wound up wearing them maybe a dozen times so I sold them on Ebay.

Maxi Dress ($24.80 at F21)

I might've mentioned this before, but I did almost buy one last summer. I saw the perfect one at a F21, but we weren't exactly shopping (more like browsing with a group of friends) so I didn't have time to try it on and then it was gone (this is what's annoying about F21 sometimes...). Then when I finally got around to trying another one on, it was at Hollister, made from gray jersey, super soft and comfy, but somehow not my style. I think I would wear it if I were the "beach type" and actually planned on going to the beach--but I am sooo not the beach type, I look too reserved to pull it off, and I don't even want to wear sandals and go to the beach, nor do I want long wavy hair (very annoying to me) so I think I shall pass. (Oh and let's not forget the fact that at 5'4" I am not tall enough to wear a maxi dress with flats)

Romper ($14.90 at F210

Um. Even if we ignore the fact that this is what people used to wear as swimming suits, or at least that the style is terribly similar, I cannot ignore the fact that it's very unflattering for my body type. I don't have the shoulder-waist-hip ratio to pull this off and I tried one on by Free People once and I felt two things: 1) like I was a baby wearing overalls, and 2) like it would be a lot of trouble to use the restroom later.

Military Print (credit: Gareth Jones)

...Just can't pull it off. I don't think I look rough enough (or cool enough) for it unless I revamped my whole style...but I don't want to.

Military Boots (credit: Vox)

 Much as with the print, these don't really suit my style.  I have friends who wear them with cool or feminine clothes and seem to be able to pull of a "grunge" style with them, but "grunge" is something I have a hard time passing as natural to me. Maybe if it were just a photo session I could poker face it, but normally I'd just look like Dorothy borrowing some worker's boots. 

Bermuda Shorts ($150 at Neiman Marcus)

 I have not-so-long thick legs and these are just very very unflattering for me.  If I do wear shorts they have to be very short, preferably paired with heels, and if I need cropped pants I wear below the knee ones that admittedly still chop off my legs quite a bit but are more flattering.  

What about you?
I got the idea to write this up from DelanceFashion's "I would rather die than be caught wearing..." thread. It was amusing how many people hate crocs and uggs (I used to hate uggs too T-T). This is not a complete list, just what I could think of over the course of a few days. What would you not wear?

Review: Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Mascara in Blacktastic

I showed you in this post that I had purchased two VS mascaras (2 for $12) and promised a review. Now my go-to mascara is Benefit's BadGal Lash, which promises to make your lashes look like fake ones. I personally like this mascara because first of all, the mini version has been $10 at Sephora for half a year or something, and second of all it makes my lashes look super thick! I'm going to show what the results of this mascara in my very amateurish review, and if you like it you can purchase your own here.

First of all, a picture of my naked lashes (no curling):

No curler and about three layers of product:

 

As you can see, my lashes are not very curly, but rather gets weighed down by product so curlers are my best friend. I tried applying "upwards" but this is the only result I could get.

Oh and if you wonder why I have two different eye make up on it's because I was testing a few looks.

And ignore my terrible skin and unruly eyebrows. My eyebrows are precisely why I don't like taking make up pics...x.x

I did not use any eyelash brush and I had one clump, which made it's mark if you look closely, so I am relatively satisfied with the brush. I did stain my upper lid two or three times but it wiped away easily (some are so hard to get off!!) which is good for inexperienced mascara users like myself.

Please let me know what you think based on this review or if you have used it before!
I would also appreciate any tips you have for writing better reviews!

Do you celebrate Earth Day?

 For the sake of Earth Day, I'm putting up a new item for sale/trade on my Recycling Goods is Good for the Environment - page: Kenneth Cole's reusable Ecobag NWT!

It has a Peace sign on it :) Selling this for $20 (incl. shipping)  if you're interested! 

What do you do for our Earth? I nag at yobo about plastic bags (there was a time our Ikea plastic bag hanger was overfilled!) and try to remember to always have a canvas bag in the car so that we can pack our own things. I usually keep a small foldable bag in my purse as well. Now we have less than half the plastic bags we used to have! Also those nice store plastic bags you get? I recycle those by packing my ebay sales in them and shipping them out (this is really to prevent them from getting wet if it rains, I hate wet packages...). Brown paper bags from Costco or Trader Joe's I sometimes recycle by using them to package my ebay sales (if the item is so big it won't fit in the largest envelope I have). It'd be nice if I could just rely on recyclables and not have to spend money on packing materials. It's not like I make much of a profit off ebay anyhow.

Etoo~ this was about saving the environment, anyhow.  So I think buying second hand and selling things and donating clothes to those donation bins (sometimes hobos ask us not to throw the bags in but to just give it to them, but they make a mess in that area and I don't appreciate comments on what I donate) are important for recycling. We also try to recycle our cans and bottles whenever we have enough to get a few dollars out of it (it's so not worthwhile, yobo complains about his car getting sticky and having to wait in line and get your hands dirty--it's a system in the US that I think really needs work compared to what we have in Finland).

I have to admit that when I don't have to see the bill for water and electricity I don't really...care. I'm only worried about wasting them when I have to pay for them. When the landlord includes it in the rent I'm just like whatever. I do like washing laundry and such with cold water but yobo claims that cold water doesn't kill enough bacteria and insists on using at least warm water. He's a little paranoid about bacteria. O.o;

How do you do your part?

So I found this survey on Blog and since she tagged anyone who reads is and I've been wanting to do one, I decided to do it (I was quite a quiz/survey addict when I was active on eljay).

SKINCARE

- How many time do you wash your face daily?
I try to keep it at twice a day (with face wash).

- What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)Combo or dry, I used to be more oily combo, but now I'm more dry...

- What is your current facial wash?
I'm using Origins Checks and Balances at the moment.

-Do you exfoliate?
Yes :) I try to remember to do it 2-3 times a week. Occasionally I even remember to use my organic apple peel (by Juice Beauty).

-What brand do you use?I use Ole Hendriksen's Walnut Scrub and Origins Modern Friction.

-What moisturizer do you use?At the moment I'm using Nature's Garden's walnut (?) night moisturizer and Origins for day time.

-Do you have freckles?No?

-Do you use eye cream?
Yes. At the moment I'm using Lumene Sensitive Skin for night time and Vita-Nectar for daytime.

-Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
I have occasional acne, mostly from dirty phones and such. When it's bad I use an acne face wash.

-Did you ever have to use Pro-active?Yes, when I was 12 or so. Didn't work well, dried my skin.

MAKEUP

- What foundation do you use?Revlon Colorstay, and I like to only use a small amout mixed with my moisturizer to make more of a tinted moisterizer. I like the lighter coverage this way.

- How about concealer?
I'm using ELF coverstick at the moment. I bought a Covergirl one too but it's unopened.

- Do you know your undertone color?
For my face it's pink, but for the rest of my body (including neck) it's yellow. Strange huh?

- What do you think of fake eyelashes?Beautiful if you have the time and energy. Horrid when they fall off.

- Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, but I don't use it often enough so I end up just throwing it out after 3 months. Such a waste T-T

- What brand of mascara do you use?
Benefit.

- Sephora or MAC?
Sephora, not a big MAC fan...Why do I need professional & costume make up?

- Do you have a MAC pro-card?
Nope. See above.

- What makeup tools do you use in makeup application?
I use brushes (combination of Body Shop, Bare Escentuals. MAC, etc.) and a sponge.

- Do you use makeup base/ primer for the eyes?Yes. I use Urban Decay original one, Mac primer, and Clinique silver colored primer.

-For the face?
Yes, I'm using Korres at the moment but sometimes I just use my Biore SPF lotion as a primer.

- What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?I like brown tones for daily use, pinkish yellows and metallic shiny ones!

- Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?Pencil. My hands shake too much for liquid T-T

- How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeline pencil.
I don't...

- What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
A mess! I get them all over my face, my sink, my bathroom...ugh ><

- Do you use mineral makeup?
Sometimes. The powder stuff is too dry for me so I gave up on it. I like mineral eyeshadows though.

- What is your favorite lipstick?
Pinks, metallic yellows/oranges or something similar to my natural lip color.

- How about lipgloss?
I don't really have a preference with lip gloss...

- What is your favorite blush to use?At the moment I'm really loving my Lumene blush...it's matte :D

- Do you buy your makeup on ebay?I purchased some on Ebay. As long as I make sure it's not expired (always check the date when you get it) and I test it out first it's fine.

- Do you like drugstore makeup?It's OK, I don't see a big difference.

- Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)
Um. I don't know, do those at outlet malls count?

- Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
Hm. I could, but I don't want to dish out the money for 'em XP

- Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?Sometimes LOL when I'm not sure what I want.

- Name a makeup crime that you hate?
I don't like it when people wear strange eyeshadow colors all the way up to their brow bones or even their crease. Like bright blue or bright green and it doesn't match anything they wear.

- Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
Neutral, but I like to try the colorful stuff too.

- Which celebrity always has great make up?
Kim Kardashian :)

- If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?
Foundation.

- Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?I often do!

- Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?Sure, a little pale with the lack of sun and anemia and I'd rather cover up my blemishes but oh well.

- In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?I don't know.

- What do you think of Makeup?
I think it's a good way to boost confidence and give a good first impression.

Boots! Boots are off season and on SALE!

A few of you have asked me about my equestrian boots, so now that they're sort of off-season I would say that it's a good time to buy (cheaper!) and I did a little research to prove this:

New:





BCBG Frank in Taupe on sale for $79.99

Rachel Zoe's pick.  Nine West Fiddle on sale for $79.99

London Fog waterproof booties on sale for $69.99


You know I went on Piperlime to find a few of these and many I did not include because they were not real leather, and sadly I would not have noticed this if I had not read the poor reviews for them. I'm not one for fine details so I completely overlook the details unless I'm serious about buying (at which point I force myself to check).

Preowned:

Etienne Aigner Size 6 $90.00  (a lot of vtg stuff at this store)

Size 6 on Etsy for $69.00 (a lot of similar sizes! I'm tempted to buy lace ups....)

Brazilian boots sz 7 on Ebay for $59+10=69

Maroon Etienne Aigner boots at Etsy sz  6.5

Etienne Aigner Chocolate Brown on Ebay sz 7.5

I think Etsy vintage stores have nicer items than Ebay vintage stores but the difference of course lies in price. I find that if I type "brown riding boots" on Etsy I get boots at $50+ up to hundreds but on Ebay you could find a pair as cheap a $20 (at the moment) so it really depends on your size and luck!

Lastly, if you like the brand that I wear: Miz Mooz check out some other styles by them:

On sale on Piperlime for $99.00

Let me know if you liked any of my picks! Do you prefer new or vintage?

P.S. 
I myself am eyeing this:

Looks like the buttoned oxfords worn by Mr.Chatterley huh?

But I want it! Korean style Tote Bag

I got myself addicted to the Korean drama: Shining Inheritance (I think a drama is good if I either laugh a lot or cry a lot, this would be a teary drama) and seeing them carry all these expensive purses doesn't make me want to go and buy Coach (as the characters do in the drama), but makes me lust for something like this:





(from Ebay.com)

Lady Chatterley's Lover (review)

I have actually been reading the novel by D.H.Lawrence but thought that I might watch the movie as I don't always have a clear idea of how things look. I rather suck at visualization and seeing the movie made me realize that clothing wise I pictured the characters in a completely different era. If I were a good liar I would say that I pictured 1940s, but I'm not so I'll just go ahead and admit that I pictured the wrong century. This movie has the characters in 1930s style, which is not my favorite. I don't think I could pull off the "flapper" style as it is best suited for skinny women with good bone structure and a flat chest. When I try to picture myself wearing this weighed down rag with no bra (maybe a silky undershirt that covers nothing, not even your nipples), that has a straight-edge collar running across your neck, and made from silky material that would expose and highlight any curves you might have--I cringe from disgust. I admit that the style looks good on the actresses in the movie though!

If you're curious about the pictures I can tell you that the movie was not very good because it tried to hard to be sensual with multiple sex scenes and a surprising amount of nudity. This of course is a mere projection of what the novel contains, but as I said I'm not good at visualization so the movie was a little shocking (not to mention the fact that I found those scenes unnecessarily long and wondered why they cut out all this other interesting stuff to have three minute long sex footage) and foreign to me. The keeper's voice was terribly annoying and common to me, which I guess was intentional as his haggard voice really contrasted the upper class character's smooth voices, but I'm a sucker for a good voice so it was just jarring. I didn't pay too much attention to the movie as I had other thoughts in mind but enough to know that it wasn't worth it and that conservative upper class members didn't necessarily transition to the latest fad immediately but stuck to their 1930s attire despite the fact that the movie was set in 1950-ish. Either that or the stylist wasn't very good.

Haha or I just don't know what I'm talking about. What do you think? I'm not that clear on what was in and what was not.

I love her coat! She also wears this spring-ish poncho:

 

 

 Lastly, I noticed Mr.Chatterley's shoes:

 I don't know what those shoe cover thingies are called but I like them :) Maybe I want those on my oxfords.

But as I said, don't watch this movie, read the novel if you want (they have free ebooks online). It's basically leans towards a female perspective, is sexually charged, and describes Lady Chatterley's love affairs and her cold relationship with her husband. Don't ask me why we're reading this in class for I do not know.

Asking yourself "Is this ME?" and hearing someone else's reply

 My boss commented that I must spend a lot of money buying clothes because everyday I seem to wear something new. This is not true, or maybe it is and we just have different notions of what "a lot of money" and "often" mean. I'm a bargain hunter and I have to be absolutely in love with a piece (and not be able to sleep at night thinking about it) before I will buy something that I find "expensive", only my notion of expensive is not what normal people (I think) would consider expensive. For me any piece of clothing over $20 begs the question: do I really need this? and I don't often let myself ask this question.  Of course what I have learned from yobu is that if I really like something, I might as well just buy it instead of buying all these cheaper items spontaneously that I perhaps do not like as much even put together.  I've learned to put incredible deals back on the rack (most of the time...) and ask myself (and him!) whether the piece is "my style" (whatever that is...). It's like in The Blind Side when she talks about trying something on and looking in the mirror to ask herself "Is this me?" Because if the answer is anything but a straight-out yes then probably you should not walkaway with it (no "maybe" or "could be"). I think with his aid I've already begun transforming my physical outlook and can continue to do so.

I mean one of the things that irritates me about style is that it's not always about what you like, sometimes it's about what you're born with, and this limits my freedom of choice. I know, I know it doesn't have to, and really you can wear whatever you like, but this is what I told myself all my life and at this age is this something I should continue to tell myself? Is it not time to face the reflections of the real world?  I watched this Japanese drama called Real Clothes and in it one of the department store employees working in the fashion section talks about how she has to go to a wedding and even though the type of dress appropriate for wedding guests doesn't suit her (it was something like a strapless knee-length chiffon dress), she doesn't dare deviate from others. The actress who played the part (2nd from the right in above pic) was big boned, she was at least 170cm (hard to tell on TV...) with a 38-40 shoulder width, looking a little bulky, and she was even told by a coworker that she should diet because ideally clothes only look good on you if you have a BMI of 20 or less. Eh, my bad my BMI is like 22 @-@;

...But you know what? I totally get her point. Clothes do look better on you if you have a leaner body, or wider shoulders, thinner/longer legs, and a more narrow waist.  And those attributes are precisely what every model has that I do not.

So what does this mean? I feel so restricted. I feel like I can't wear mini-skirts (but yobo makes me), I can't wear halter tops (my narrow shoulders would be emphasized in a bad way), can't waist-clingers (do I even have a waist?), and I can't wear oversized clothing that look wonderfully drape-y on skinny people and terribly bulky on me.  And there are so many more things that I don't allow myself to wear because I look horrendous in them and nothing like what stylish people look when they wear the same thing.

 Then there are all these other rules regarding what doesn't suit my personality or my face, such as "too cool" outfits (i.e. biker, punk, rock), too lolita outfits (I'm not petite enough), too hipster/hippie/boho, and even too "mature" (for my age, I guess).  Just imagine what it feels like: you go to a department store (or F21 if you prefer) and there are hundreds of different styles of clothing of which a large percentage you probably like looking at. Then imagine a big X on every item that would not suit your body type--a lot less, yes? And then imagine another X for every item that does not suit you or your style, or it is not age appropriate, or work appropriate or just looks more like a costume. How many pieces remain? Not enough.

This is also what bothered me about Real Clothes (drama based on manga), that she goes from this nerdy looking secretary/book keeper look to trying on an assortment of different looks that normally you would think would not correspond with her personality. How does that work at her age? She's 26 in the drama, by the way.

What my point was (I got lost again?) is that when you go to the fitting room, do you only pick clothes you think will suit you? Do you only pick clothes from one style? Do you step out of your comfort zone? And when you're in there, staring at your mirror image, and you ask yourself is this me? Are you really the one answering the question, or is there a voice of reason in your head telling you about why it doesn't suit your body type, why it looks better on other types, why you would never wear it, why it doesn't match with your wardrobe, why you're not the type to wear it, why you should not buy it, etc.? And is it a good thing to own this "voice of reason"? Does owning it mean you can become stylish? does owning it mean that you can look good?

For me, I think yobo is my "voice of reason", I can hear his voice in my head sometimes. But every now and then I wear things I know he doesn't like or approve, because I feel like if I didn't, then maybe I wouldn't be able to ask "Is this me?" anymore. How could I when my opinion doesn't count?

I won a giveaway~~~! Project Runway PC Game!

Yesterday* I received in the mail the PC game I won from Alyssa & Vique over at Fashionaburu!

They even have cool black name cards (which yobo now covets, not that his aren't cool...I got them after all).

I LOVE receiving packages/mail (excluding bills) ^____^ Really makes my day to come home to a pile of packages! Which is why I've never shed the Ebay habit, and why sometimes I still order things online (incase if I'm too lazy to find a store). For example, today we also received yobo's new skincare set from Vichy USA:

This is the Normaderm set for acne control, which is why I purchased it for him and not myself (also that whole organic thing...). It's a really good deal so if you haven't tried Vichy yet I highly recommend it! I'm on the mailing list because years ago I was obsessed with their cooling eye gel (great for puffy eyes). This set, which was mainly the two bottles on the side: The moisturizer and the spritzer were $26.00 but then you get this awesome gift set in a gray cosmetic bag (so that men would not shy from buying this unisex brand) along with an acne control gel, toner, and cleaning lotion (total value $45.00). The same price can buy you other sets as well (not necessarily for acne control). I'm going to have him use it for a week and see how it compares with the other stuff he's tried for his acne. Yobo has actually used a lot of other products, some of the best being by Dermalogica and The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil. At the moment he's testing out Booth's Tea Tree Toner although he really prefers Kiehls Rose Water.

Would you like to know more about acne fighting products? Like yobo's skincare regime?

I have now updated the "Just Me" page to match my current skincare routine and I can always add a section for yobo if someone is interested in his anti-acne products and his experiences with them.

Lastly, some shameless self-advertisement: I'm selling my Sephora Smokey Eye Brush Kit for $14.99+4.99. The kit still retails for $48.00 in Sephora.

In the next month or so I might sell some other brushes as well, more specifically I'm thinking about giving up MAC 109 foundation brush because I think I prefer my other MAC brush over it, or even a sponge. I'm also expecting a large brush set in the mail and I'll definitely review it as soon as I get it! :D

PAI Organic Skincare Review

Recently I purchased a lot of "organic" (or close to) products...

I recently ran out of my L'occitane day moisturizer so I decided to try out those little PAI samples I bought. The other skincare brand I've only recently begun using so I will wait a week or two before reviewing.

So I ordered a sample set for my skin type (combination) from Pai Organics, which is a UK based business. You can order one too, basically you get one small cleanser and one small moisturizer for free, but then you pay for international shipping (to California), which was about $9.70 for me. The samples would last about two weeks, I think.

Pai Organics does not contain any of the following: artifical colors/fragrances, formaldehyde, mineral oils (is this a bad ingredient?), parabens and other synthetic preservatives, petrochemicals, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulphates, which makes them a truly organic brand compared to other brands that might be lacking parabens but contain other non-organic ingredients.

Now, I normally use a Clarisonic brush for my skincare routine so in order to try the cleanser I actually had to stop using the brush. The reason for this is that the cleanser does not foam (which is normal for organic cleansers, if you try the shampoo you'll know what I mean) so the brush would not glide well on my skin.  I'm not sure if the cleanser did much on its own since I didn't get a "clean" feeling afterwards. I'm guessing this was just a very "mild" cleanser, which is good for those of you with sensitive skin, but I have large pores that I need cleaned out so I want real action done.

The moisturizer was the creamy sort and made for combination skin but I found that it dried my skin within two days to a point where I was flaky and I had more than five dry patches on my face. It was too scary for me to continue using so I ended up stopping. I then gave it to yobo to try, since he has oily skin and he prefers "dry" moisturizers (oil-free) but even he said it was too dry. I don't know if it's that our skin type is different than the developers, or that it's just a lot dryer here in California than it is in the UK, but the moisturizer was far too dry for my combination skin and yobo's oily skin. It basically feels like a sunblock, if you know what I mean, in that it feels creamy on your hands or when it first comes out of the tube but as soon as you lather it on your skin it starts to dry and even your hands feel dry...This is certainly how Neutrogena's UV block makes me feel (I use SPF50).

Both were white, they had very strong scents, where the moisturizer smelled like thyme and the cleanser like camellia. I preferred the smell of camellia to thyme, but I admit that tea tree oil is worse. I would not recommend this brand to anyone living in a dry climate, and maybe if someone tried the jojoba oil one and reviewed it (if someone has already, please let me know) I would consider giving Pai Organics another shot, but for now I'm convinced that I need to move on.

No worries though, I switched two nights ago and have been using Nature's Garden (in picture) along with my Origins so my skin has been slowly rejuvenated. Prior to applying make up on Saturday I even did a 20 min. face mask, which really helped. Trying this product has made me realize though that I would not want to review a lot of non-organic "regular" products, because the consequences of a bad product, or one that does not suit me, could be much worse. At least now I'm trying out organic products so I'm dealing with low damage.

[PS. Participate in my Giveaway! The rules have changed since!]

Brideshead Revisited (movie)

I was so inspired when I started watching Brideshead Revisited! The main character was a handsome man who was into "hunting" and within the first five minutes he shaved his jungle beard and joined  the daisies on campus. So sad. Anyhow, I'm going to be watching a series of old style movies (18th century-early 20th century) for class (it beats reading the book), this came recommended and then I heard my Professor refer to the novel and thought to myself that I must watch it now.

Strangely I was not inspired by women's outfits (except this one fur robe...) but rather by Sebastian's (left)! See the jacket? I want it. See that scarf? I want it. He also wears bowler hats and wears white oxfords. Beautiful.

See? All that tan too! And beige! I actually like cream/beige more than white. I feel like white is too "look at me" haha.

Love the long navy blazer jacket with white accents! Notice the heeled oxfords and the high waist white pants. I have a similar pair ;3

That's maybe the second outfit Julia wore that I liked. :D She wore a lot of kimono style clothing with Asian dragons, etc. which is very different from what Julia in the TV series wore (she wore more lace) so I'm assuming this is a modern take?

I think the TV series has about 23 episodes and features a young Jeremy Irons (my mom's favorite). The outfits are not as modern in terms of fashion, but I'm still liking the rolled up chinos.

Oh, and Thursday's outfit:

Da-Nang military jacket, black equestrian pants from F21, scarf from Claire's?, Shirt from Lindex, boots by MizMooz and cluster necklace from F21

Do you watch old movies? Or movies where the setting is old?

[PS. Giveaway~]