My fake perm

My hair's been dry lately. In fact, everything's been feeling kind of dry lately.  I blame the heater, who blames the weather, who blames the season, who blames...__________.  So because it's cold I still have to blow dry my hair, which is awful and I've avoided it as much as I could all summer (hence my shiny hair) AND it's been so dry that I ran out of hair treatment o_o; This means that I don't want to use my hair straightener if it can be helped.

Coldness, dryness and lazyness.

Anyway, so I've been braiding my hair to see what results I can get. Usually I just get wavy hair in the morning, but I figured people must be getting their curls another way, and I tried braiding my hair real tight while slightly wet and this morning I accomplished my fake perm:

Of course these pictures were taken at the end of the day, 12 hours after I opened my braids so you can imagine how wavy and poofy it was in the morning o.o I even tied it up at some point 'cause I felt like I had an afro, a FLAT afro. How sad is that?

I really wanted to wear my comfy gray heels but I couldn't seem to imagine it working for me with these slacks so I switched to these pointy heels, which I hear are in this winter (oddly enough), and people seem to like everything but my shoes LOL

Perry Ellis boy's blazer jacket, MaxStudio top, F21 slacks, F21 white patent belt

You know actually I wore this top like over a month ago with a different blazer and slacks and wanted to show you how it looks but I never got around to it because I forgot to take pictures o.o Even today I was all ready to undress when I remembered to take these photos quickly.  This outfit doesn't do this top justice since it's more of a babydoll style and it has a sash to tie it up with (which some coworkers commented as looking like a tail since it hung under my blazer). 

"BOY"-friend blazer

And if you wonder about how I raided the boy's section for blazers instead of just buying a "boyfriend blazer", which has a similar shape, well, how did this boyfriend blazer trend come about? From women stealing their boyfriends' blazers? I think it makes sense if you date a petite man, or a really skinny man, or just a man of a similar size as you, but I'll have you know that I have worn yobo's blazer before when I got cold and it is not flattering. It's like trying on a football jersey or something since it's so wide and large. 

Boy's Blazer vs BOYFRIEND blazer

I was told today that my blazer is nice because it's so "loose", in that the upper arms are loose and the sides are loose, etc. so that I can actually lift my arms and do stuff as if I were not wearing a blazer at all (have you seen men try to pick up and move stuff with their blazers on? it's hilarious to watch).  You'll notice when you wear boyfriend blazers designed for women that they are very well tailored, which I suppose is fine if you want it that way, but it means that the upper arms, or at least the lower arms, are very tight.  The waist will be smaller so if you button up it fits almost like a normal blazer. Or, worse yet, the blazer hangs like a box o.o;; Which is my number one concern when it comes to Romeo & Juliet boyfriend blazers

Oh, and before I leave you, I'll share my attempt at masculinity:

For the wasted summer dress

My summer dress was worn a total of two times this summer. Of course this may have something to do with my poor planning skills in that I don't "prepare" for the season like some people do. I kind of forget about the whole thing until I am reminded, and then I buy the closest thing to my ideal or whatever great deal I find. This dress was a pretty good deal, I remember it being about $12 at H&M along with other basics which they claimed they would continue selling but clearly no longer have up on their racks. -_-;

Please ignore the make up-less me. I overslept and was planning on going to class like whatever, but I ended up un-braiding my hair (waviness!) and wearing actual oxfords instead of these pink floral Old Navy sandals that I wear in the house. ;P

H&M summer dress, Old Navy tank top, Cotton On leggings, Romeo & Juliet fishnet sweater ($15!), and belt that no one wanted to buy from me so I'm utilizing again :)

 

And so today was actually my last lab class, meaning I just have two lectures left on Wednesday and I am DONE! yaaaay~~~ Hopefully I'll actually pass all my classes so that I can get my degree and be done with school for as long as possible :) Or you know, until I feel motivated (again).

Review: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum

I mentioned a few times that I would be writing a review on this highly esteemed Estee Lauder product. When I went to Macy's to pick up this sample (we bought a full bottle for my aunt) there were so many people there for the sample that I felt claustrophobic and incredibly lucky to get any at all. I even purchased a few of these tiny samples on Ebay for about $7-12/each, which is not at all a good price given that you can get the full size for about $85 at their website (but if you shop around you can get it for less).

The summary:

+ simple scent
+ goes on like...water
+ blends into skin well (really sinks in)
+ lessened discoloration (I think my skintone is more balanced now)
+ my skin is smoother (I think)

- a little pricey, but then again if I hunt long enough I shouldn't have to spend more than $40 on it (also Macys always has good gift sets)
- very small bottles (comes in 1 oz and 1.7 oz, 0.24 ml samples)
- suspicious color (yellowish clear?)
- scent is an acquired taste

Overall I am planning on buying it  :)

Have you tried this product?
Makeup Alley reviews 4.1/5

I love doing surveys when I feel bored and tired. This one's from Mariska.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?

I look tired -_-;;

2. How much cash do you have on you?
Like, $1.75 LOL I'm not much of a cash person...I card it all so I can keep track of my money (aka when I'm broke I can login and see why).

3. What’s a word that rhymes with “DOOR?”
Bore?

4. Favorite planet?
...People have those? Uh. Pluto? Cause it's far away, alone, and cold?

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
Yobo of course ;3

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
Moonlight (on LG)

7. What shirt are you wearing?
This really comfy black tank I got from F21 for like $3 xD

8. Do you “label” yourself?
Yes, it's just that it's not always the same label....

9. Name the brand of your shoes you’re currently wearing?
Old navy (sandals)

10. Bright or dark Room?
Dark. I used to not be able to sleep unless the room was pitch black. I even taped a piece of paper on the little blinky light on my computer and on the AC so that I wouldn't have to see it when I had insomnia.

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
She's cool :) Her blog is very interesting to read.

12. What is one quality that you really appreciate in a person?
Straightforwardness, usually people who are straight with you are brave enough to tell you what they think, to voice their opinions, to say no, and always know where they stand.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
I think I was getting in bed to sleep LOL

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
"Happy Thanksgiving"

15. Where is your nearest 7-11?
Oo....tricky...it's at least 7 blocks away from my house....

16. What’s a word that you say a lot?
"Really?", "Yeah", "Aaauuuu" (to my cat)

17.Who told you he/she loved you last?
Yobo.

18. Last furry thing you touched?
My cat jvjv :3

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
O.o er. one?

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed?
....None o.o;

21. Favorite age you have been so far?
Could be 16....or 20...can't decide

22. Your worst enemy?
Myself.

23. What is your current desktop picture?
You know I had to check...but it's this Buddhist OM letter on top of a flower. I should be more mindful and actually know the answer to this question o.o Especially since I haven't changed my wallpaper in 2 months.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?

"You showed me last time"

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
Million bucks, with my luck I'd get hit by an airplane, or I would hit a bird or something...

26. Do you like someone?
I like quite a few people :)

27. The last song you listened to?
Crystal Kay - Kiss

Thanksgiving Thursday's the only Thursday in the year we don't have to Work (Raising Hope)

Happy Thanksgiving~! Though I've never internalized Thanksgiving as a holiday I celebrate, when in Rome do as the Romans do so the past few years I have attempted to celebrate Thanksgiving. I hope you all enjoyed the day off as much as me (OT compensation was not enough to convince me to go in today) as I slept until noon for a full ten hours + :)

I enjoyed some wine and dark chocolate last night so I woke up with a headache (ugh) but given that all I did was organize a little, cross off a few things off my  to do list and updated my blog sale (5 new entries!) I think today's been a success.

Not to mention the reservations we made to this steakhouse downtown :) Last year we went to Marie Callender's and it was alright, but not great, which is how I imagine going out to eat should be like. Plus I love dressing up and I felt sooooo overdressed at Marie Callender's last year. We went to Nick & Stef's, which was tasty, I'm sure their steaks are even better, but I just didn't like the atmosphere much. Our waiter was not the nicest, though I have to admit the manager is wonderful, and the whole set up was like a hotel reception from the 60s (not my favorite era).

H&M knit dress, Romeo & Juliet cardigan, Miss Me 4" heels

I really had planned on just wearing the dress, but I'm glad I brought the cardigan! It was quite chilly in the restaurant, I guess they didn't want men to have to take off their blazers or something...

On my face:

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse (honey beige)

Revlon Color Stay foundation

Korrs Bronzing Powder (deep warm)

120 palette: light light yellow as a highlighter, 
sparkly wine red on the lids, 
and glitter dark brown on the corners)

L'oreal Wear Infinite (deep mocha)

Sephora ultra shine gloss (30)

Lavera (organic) mascara

Lavera (organic) eyeliner

I.D. Mineral Veil (translucent)

See how the top of my forehead is darker? ...That does not show w/o flash and I didn't even notice! The reason for that is that I am mixing two foundations together to get a better match ._.;  Haven't mastered it yet...

Enjoy the holidays if you have any! I'm going back to work tomorrow and Saturday ._.;;;

Desperate Measures in Desperate Times Blog Sale

Dears,
I am in need of saving money for a new phone. Mine dies even while charging. o_o;
To do so, I am going to be uploading more and more items to a new blog that I have created. Some items are already up, and I hope that you will take a look at it or subscribe, and tell your friends to check it out.  I need to raise money or I won't be able to afford to buy a new phone without extending my contract, which I do not want to do T_T;

My secondary blog is called Desperate Measures in Desperate Times and will feature everything from useful items like make up, to clothing and purses. It will be updated periodically.

To buy will be as simple as commenting, as all comments will be screened. Please help me out and spread the word.

Thank you so much.
~Jessu

a little SOFT on a cold and dreary Saturday

 

Before yobo got back I got so sick of not shopping (not entirely true, during the three weeks he was away I purchased a vintage wallet--that I haven't shown you yet!) so I made a bulk order (free shipping~~~) from the $15 store. I had planned on ordering with friends, but really? I mean I can find enough items for just me so it's alright....lol

Romeo & Juliet Double Breasted Army Sweater, Tart leggings, Aldo boots

...These are not great pictures, because...well...I was running late in the morning (as usual), and I figured that with the cloudy/rainy weather it wouldn't make a difference in lighting anyway. Plus I am not going to take outdoor pictures in the rain (anyhoo) so I took these at the end of the day (night).

I'll show you the rest of my bulk order as I wear them, I'm not really into showing you my "hauls", I don't think it means much if I never wear the piece, or end up giving it away (or returning it!). In a nut shell I bought a cardigan, a rabbit fur vest, two sweaters (I thought three but I made a mistake...maybe I need to put in another order...?), a coat, riding paints (I shouldn't have assumed that my weight gain put me at Medium...I regret not getting small) and a pair of heels (which looked so much better in pictures but oh well). It just shows that you should always know the brand before you buy it online, because I don't regret any of my Romeo & Juliet purchases (5 out of 7) since I already know what the quality's like, but I should have done more research on the other two brands.

...I will show you, however, the earrings I'm wearing :) I'm really satisfied with this purchase:

F21 earrings for about $4.50 

I'm wearing the pair on the bottom left.

Oh and if you wondered, it turns out I didn't really like the coat I got by Tulle, I like the color and everything but evidently it doesn't suit me (said yobo). I might go hunting for another one if it gets any colder (it probably will). I want to buy another Miss Sixty coat, but this time in black. I would consider Steve Madden. Perhaps. What do you think? Those Forever 21 coats were nice too...

Review: Vichy Aqua Thermal Light 24 Hour Hydrating Care

I don't know why, but I am under the impression that I have already blogged a review on this moisturizer about two months ago, but going through my posts I see that I haven't....I must have planned on doing so and then not written it...?

Anyway, since I've been finishing up this moisturizer and am about to begin using a new one I really should get this review going. I purchased this product about two and a half months ago for about $20 at the outlets and it's lasted me this long as my evening moisturizer.

On the website, this lotion retails for $27, and is supposedly for "dry sensitive skin", but using it I feel that it's more suitable for combination or even oily skin.

The summary:
+ light
+ hydrating
+ nice minimal scent
+ price is decent
+ packaging is easy to use. squeezed out most of it already and it's easier than squeezing toothpaste
+ I tend to have dry skin and I didn't end up with dry patches

- maybe too light? as I mentioned, perhaps better for combination skin rather than dry skin
- maybe seasonal? better for summer than winter?
- chemical feel (not used to it anymore)

Would I buy it again? Not for myself, maybe for yobo who has combination skin. I think I prefer a "heavier" moisturizer, like creams instead of "lotion".

Do you find my reviews useful at all?

Shopping for winter at Forever 21

I was looking for that white dress and while I tried looking on Forever 21 there were some pieces I could not ignore (and now I want them...):

Satin top $27.80

This looks very blue to me, but if you say so F21. Actually last winter I bought something similar for my MIL, it's more figure-flattering in that it's not so wide that you have to put up your arm just to look thinner. Obviously I'm going to have to find another brand with the same thing.

Interesting Neckline-Top $19.80

Oooooooo....I like.

Puffy-sleeved cardigan! $7.50

For that price I want this in Taupe (pictured), Navy, and Black!

Puffy-sleeve short sleeve sweater $10.50

I know you're all wondering why this is $3 more than the cardigan--beats me! All I know is that I want this isn Charcoal (pictured) and Black.

Cable Knit Cardigan $28.90

I'm a big fan of cable knit cardigans/sweaters, and I wore them a lot as a kid, but I just think since they are chunky they just make you look chunky-er. Not flattering. But I still want one....so I actually ordered a sweater and I'll let you know how that goes...

Dress $19.80
You know I used to love wearing these types of dresses. Now I don't have any. :( I like to wear them with long/short sleeves underneath....

Tiered Dress $17.80
I want this in black...but you can't see the tiers in black so I'm showing you the grey...But go check out black, I think you'll agree that it looks better.

Puff Sleeve Cropped Blazer $29.80

Can't get enough of puff sleeves!

 

Navy Full Skirt $12.50

Prices at F21 are whack. And this comes in red too. Not sure why I want this for fall, but I do.  

 

Pleated mini skirt (Burberry style) $8.50

I've wanted one of these for a while now...considered making one myself but...no (I really do hate sewing that much).

 

Cool Zip Pants $13.80

I want this...in taupe...maybe less "cool" and more equestrian. I'll take black too. Ahhh...but the price!! I'll have to go try them on....

 

Hidden Button Coat $42.80

I'm going to sell my Miss Sixty coat from last year and I actually bought a coat that hopefully looks like this one (got it online). If it doesn't I'll let you know if I want to sell it....lol

Tweet Coat $32.80

And if it doesn't look like that then I want this.

fdCut out booties $24.80

It's funny how the same pair in black makes me think S&M. This pair I like though, and even the price is decent so I'm going to go try this on one of these days...

Faux leather belt $3.80

I've given up on finding pretty real leather belts. I'm going to hunt this one down.

What are you shopping for this winter?

White dress of a White Gumiho

After I had posted about My Girlfriend is a Gumiho I received a request to find a similar white dress to what Gumiho wears in the beginning of the TV show. My first instinct was to go on Polyvore, but as you'll see below I looked all over ._.

Fox by kuriku featuring a dot dress

with sprinkles on top pocket dress in white
$48 - shopruche.com
Dot dress »

Magali Pascal Off White Napoli Dress
$290 - itsthenewblack.com.au
Vneck dress »

White One Shoulder Dress
$23 - metroparkusa.com
One shoulder dress »

Religion White Lace Cookie Dress
$165 - frockaholics.com
Lace dress »

SLÄTTHULT
$7.99 - ikea.com

Small cap sleeve dress of white lace shirt
fashion4us.com
Cap-sleeve dress »

Snow White Arctic Fox
wallpaper-s.org

animal ears brown hair fox ears fox tail hair over one eye japanese...
danbooru.donmai.us

Arctic Fox in Snow Photo, Animals Wallpaper – National Geographic...
photography.nationalgeographic.com

fox hand drawn drawing
paintingtheroseswhite.com

It was surprisingly difficult to find cute dresses on polyvore so I went on YesStyle to find alternatives:

Choya White Dress for $32

I think this one is the most similar one I could find...

Tokyo Fashion Slip + sweater set for $28

I think this combination is so cute :)

2 Piece Chunky Sweater plus ivory slip by Envy Look for $48

Hmm...I'm not a fan of chunky sweaters but evidently long sweaters plus ruffle dresses are all the rage.

 Layered tank dress by Star.Mimi for $22.50

Another layer-able ruffle dress. 

Efashion Knit Dress for $28

This is so cute in navy!

Turtleneck tank + long sleeve dress by Loyer.mod for $35

A nice fall alternative.

Ivory slip + furry sweater by Hue It Girl for $25

The sweater reminds me of a fox...xD

 Sleeveless Dress by the looks for $62

Another cute knit alternative.

Then I remembered the beso launch and tried it to find:

 Esprit for $83.50

Ralph Lauren RUGBY for $149

target="_blank">Lulu's for $59

BCBGMaxAzria for $51.99 Charles Anastase for $615 Rusty for $29.99 Erin Fetherston for $346 Adam for $295
Please let me know what you think would be the cutest! Are you looking for a plain white dress too? Or do you have the perfect one already? For me, I think the one I've been wearing will suffice since I'm not a big fan of wearing white.