Warm Purples and Gold

With NYFW Fall/Winter 2013 coming soon, I thought I'd recreate one of the looks from last year's F/W. I ended up choosing the look from Nanette Lepore, which was a warm purple smokey eye with orange cheeks and a coppery orange lip. The colors were so vivid and glowing. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. So, let's have a look-see at how I attempted the look.

I tried to mimic the model's smolder...didn't work out too well. Clipped my hair back like her too.

The smokey eye consisted of an all-over lid color of reddish-purple/plum with an orange-brown smoked all the way up to the brows. The same reddish-purple was smudged out on the bottom lashline as well. And then there was the beautiful pop of gold in the inner tearducts. For the lips, I didn't really have a coppery-orange lipgloss so I layered a sparkly gold gloss over an orange lip. Then I added some gold eyeshadow to the cupid's bow and center of my bottom lip. I also did not have orange blush, so I used an orange lipstick on my cheeks!

Prepare yourself for quite a few selfies. I tried to channel that modelesque deadpan expression. To say the least, it didn't work out after a while, hahaha.

Channeling my inner Messy Wands, eh?

That striped "scarf" you see? It's a tank top I looped into a scarf because I didn't have a black one LOL.

Yeah, I couldn't do it anymore.

CAUTION: The image you are about to view may scare young children and small animals. Continue at your own risk.

Imagine if we all did our FOTD pictures like this?

I think you've had enough of my face, right? Here are the products I used for the look.

• L'Oreal HiP Shadow Stick in Unmistakable (sticky base)
• L'Oreal Color Infallible Shadow in Smoldering Plum (base for purple shadow)
• Benefit Sunday Funday Palette shadows in Pretty in Plum and Shimmering Bronze
• Stila Charmed Palette, upper right hand corner
• L'Oreal HiP Liner in Gold Charge
• Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara in Black
• Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Apricot Fantasy (cheeks)
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti
• Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Toast to Shine
• (not pictured) L'Oreal HiP Duo in Gilded

And lastly, I leave you with this precious gem...

Oh, how I wish.

I really liked how this turned out! It's such a nice, warm smokey eye -- warmed my spirits in this cold, bitter winter. I'm really looking forward to NYFW, and I might just recreate another look. ;) Are you looking forward to New York Fashion Week? Are there any makeup looks inspiring you lately?

Cold Feet

Hiiii! *waves* I'm aliiiiiive! 

Sorry for the brief hiatus, ladies. I noticed that I gained quite a few followers during my absence...which doesn't make sense to me, but welcome to my blog! Right when I was on the high of having submitted half of my college applications, I was smacked in the face with a truck load of work. I still have so much due on Monday (yay), but I thought I'd take a quick moment to share with you the shoes I've been living in this fall and will be living in this coming winter.

Let me start off by saying: I love shoes. We all love shoes, don't we? They're the perfect accessory to dress up or dress down an outfit, in my opinion. Now, I don't have a super expensive, massive shoe collection (nor do I really want one), but I do have a nice selection to pick and choose from.

Clockwise from top: Payless ankle boots, Bare Traps riding boots, J.Crew moccasins, American Rag floral oxfords.

The pair of shoes I've been most frequenting this cold season has been these flat ankle booties from Payless that I got as a gift from my friends. I've always wanted plain brown ankle boots (because they're so versatile), so imagine my excitement when my best friends got these for me my last birthday. Sure enough, they go with any outfit. Whether I'm wearing jeans or a dress, they're so easy to slip on and run out the door. 

Since Black Friday, my feet have also been snuggling into these soft, fluffy J.Crew moccasins my brother got me. I know they're not the most fashionable things out there, but they are so. damn. comfortable. It's like I'm walking on pillows when I'm wearing them! I also love that they have actual rubber soles on the bottom. They were $21, which is such a steal for good quality moccasins...and from J.Crew, whaaat!? Thanks for the early Christmas gift, bro. :)

Some other shoes I've been loving are these Bare Traps riding boots (shown in an outfit post here) I got during an after-Christmas sale last year and a pair of floral oxfords I got at around the same time. My mom and I co-own the boots, and she's actually been using them more than me. They're just the perfect pair of shoes to dress up ANY outfit. These floral oxfords (or brogues? not sure which to call them) have also been my go-to shoe to wear when I feel like dressing up.

I'm sure you've noticed that brown and being flat-heeled are a trend in my shoe collection. If I had brown oxfords, I would definitely be replacing those floral ones with them. My mom bought these high-heeled boots recently, and she told me to try them on and walk. Needless to say, my ankles did not cooperate. The high-heeled life is not the life for me, which is quite saddening considering my (lack of) height.

Do you have a favorite pair of boots? What are your winter shoe essentials? Let's talk shoes, ladies. :)

Outlet Shopping

Long time no see! Sorry about the sudden absence, ladies. These past two weeks have been really hectic (school and SATs, bleh) for me, but now I'm back! I missed blogging so much. How have you all been? I took my last SAT I yesterday and regardless of what I get for my score this time, I'm done. Done done done. In semi-celebration yesterday, my mom and I went to shop at the outlets.

I saw this satchel through the store window and knew immediately that I was going to get it. Then I saw the sale sign next to it, and it just totally sealed the deal. I love the color blocking mixed with the classic satchel design. The inside has a fun floral pattern too! I had gotten those sunglasses from Gap an hour earlier, and I now realize that it matches the bag perfectly. This is the first "big name" bag I've ever bought for myself. I felt so proud for some reason.

Classic white Chuck Taylors. These were what I went to the outlets for. I'd wanted these for forever because I needed casual everyday shoes. These are classic and comfortable, and I can wear them for life! They're such an investment in my eyes, and I think they'll look even better with wear and tear.

Gap was the first store I went into. Their clothes are rather basic and relatively inexpensive, which are the exact qualities I look for in clothes! Most of my wardrobe is Gap nowadays (I love their jeans), and I'm totally fine with that. I got some sweaters, cardigans, two dresses, and a basic brown belt (which I'd needed for a long long long time).

Last, but certainly not least, I went to the CCO. I got some wearable colors because well, I want to use them and get my money's worth! The products I chose were actually very fall-oriented, especially the blush and fluidline. I can't wait to crack these babies open and use them. Swatches and reviews to come veeeerrry soon!

I hope you are all doing well. I'm glad to have some of the pressure taken off my shoulders. All I really need to do now is finish those dang college applications. But back to regular blog programming. Have a great week and if you have a long weekend as well, enjoy your extra day off! :)

An Outfit at Sundown

Okay, first. Stop what you're doing. And click play on this video..

 

Think about the world. Think about your life. Think about your friends. Your family. Think about all the sweet memories you've made. And all the sweet memories you're going to make. Go out, stare at the sky for a few minutes. Listen to the bustling city. Listen to the trees swaying in the wind. Listen to each breath you take. Take in all the sights and sounds of your life, your neighborhood, your town, your city...and cherish it. It's quite beautiful, isn't it?

Now proceed and have that playing in the background while you read this post. :)

The sun was about to set, so I thought it would be nice to take some pictures of my outfit. The pictures would have this nice romantic glow to them because of the setting sun. And for once, I was wearing an outfit that looked decent...although I kind of just slapped it all together. It seems the best outfits are always an accident for me?

My hair is getting quite long!

A nice Boston sunset.

Shadows of the jungle gym -- I took these pictures in a playground.

Sorry about the naked face.

You can see my TOMS tan line!

I tried to pose, but ended up just looking quite awkward. // The clouds are perfectly wispy.

Cardigan - American Eagle, T-shirt - H&M, Floral skirt - Forever 21, Flats - Old Navy, Satchel - H&M.

I hope you're having a great weekend! Yesterday was the last day of my internship and it was quite sad. I'm not very good with goodbyes and I just didn't know what to say when I parted with my co-workers. I really can't believe this summer is already over. It’s a peculiar thing getting to know other people for this short period of time, starting to like them, and then having to leave at a designated time. You knew that last day would come eventually, but you really didn’t want it to come. There’s this fixation that you don’t really want to let go of just yet. It was only 7 weeks and yet I grew attached to this place and the people in it. Handshakes and hugs and thank you e-mails…it’s all over now. And I’m just thinking, was it all a dream?

The Rose Gold Craze

I've noticed that in the past year, rose gold has become quite popular amongst bloggers, Youtubers, and well, general trend-conscious people. I see countless videos and posts with recently acquired rose gold accessories and bloggers dawning said rose gold accessories (namely those Michael Kors watches). And even more recently, the obsession has crossed over into makeup.

I cracked open my Polyvore I hadn't touched in 2 years for this. Can you feel the dedication?

Lately, I've been hearing and reading a lot of bloggers ooh-ing and ahh-ing at how such and such makeup product "looks almost like a rose gold color." It's a pretty interesting obsession. I personally don't own any rose gold things (though it'd be lovely to own just one), but I can see why it's getting so crazy.

Rose gold (also known as red gold and pink gold) is a metal mixture of gold and copper, which explains the rosy hue. The more copper there is in the mixture, the more intense the red color is. So with that in mind, I decided to mix up some "rose gold" myself...using makeup. Shall we begin?

And indeed it created some rather pretty pretty shades.

Center: L'Oreal HiP Shadow Stick in 'Unmistakable', Clockwise from top: MAC 'Springsheen' blush, The Body Shop 'Sundown Glow' Trio, Benefit 'Nice Melons' eyeshadow, MAC 'Evening Aura' eyeshadow.

I used Unmistakable as a base to create the rosy hue. I then layered the products over the red base. I chose these more orangey shades instead of an actual gold eyeshadow because I felt that a gold would just completely mask over any red I'd add to it.

For the Sundown Glow trio, I swirled all three shades together to create a pretty bronze color to lay over the base. This little experiment produced quite the variety of "rose golds." I was already ooh-ing and ahh-ing by the time I laid the first shadow over the red base.

A tiny bit of fun: I just had to do a mini photo shoot with this little structure I made with the products. Balancing the eyeshadows on top of the rounded top of the trio proved to be quite the challenge. But I conquered it in the end, huzzah!

Now, finally to the swatches. Feast your eyes on some lovely rosy metallic-ness!

 L-R: Sundown Glow, Springsheen, Evening Aura, Nice Melons, all on top of Unmistakable.

The Sundown Glow trio created a really gorgeous rose bronze. The Springsheen combination turned into a pinky rose shade with a gold sheen. The two eyeshadows produced much more "rose gold"-like shades. Evening Aura leaned more gold with an understated rosy undertone. The combination I liked the most was Nice Melons on top of Unmistakable. Not only did it create the best "rose gold", it also had the prettiest finish. Nice Melons itself already has *the prettiest* iridescent sheen, and so paired on top of the red base, it created a phenomenal, glowy rose gold. 

So, now I must ask, have you tapped into the rose gold craze? Do you have a rose gold-like makeup product?

Popping in'

...to say hi! :D

Sorry for the minor absence. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback on my Domo post! It was definitely really fun writing it. Anyway, the reason for my absence is that...this week is FINALS (a.k.a. death) week for me, so I won't be updating until Saturday or Friday. There are 4 full days and 2 half days of school left, with the first few jam-packed with exams, presentations, and projects deadlines. Once I get those out of the way...FREEEDDOOOMMMM! I can't wait for the summer ahead!

And to not have this post be picture-less, here are some pictures of stuff in my life recently.

Scrumptious lemon cupcake from Sweet bakery; the lemon icing was phenomenal!

 

Maggie's hair gone wild.

 

Went thrifting on Saturday -- got all of this for $7! Will be cutting those shirts into tanks. :)

My outfit from a week or so ago! Peter Pan collars = luurve. The dress is from Forever21 and the cardigan from Talbot's.

Hope your week has been going well so far! Off I go to try and finish up my projects and presentations (not to mention study)!

Lace and Blue

I volunteered as an usher at the Harvard Commencement today, so I had to dress up all nicely! We all had to wear a white top and a black/dark blue bottom. It was nice to see us all (me and my classmates) dressed up in (almost) uniform. We had to get to school by 6 AM and get on bus to go there, though, which was quite enjoyable, to say the least. Anyway, I thought my outfit looked quite nice (the contrast between textures and patterns), so I wanted to share it with you!

The lace top was so nice and flowy, I felt like a butterfly! It's actually my mom's. I don't really have nice white tops so I scoped this one out. Love the lacy details on it. It was really flowy up top so I balanced the outfit out with a pencil skirt. It's probably the best quality and most professional skirt I own, and I got it for a steal at J. Crew! I really dig the pattern and color of it.

Full outfit shot! I tried to pose for this one...I think I might need some modeling tips. But oh my, this is one really awkwardly unattractive picture of my leg. I probably shouldn't have leaned my calf muscle onto the other leg...it looks HUGE! Hahaha!

And then my hair! I french braided my bangs up and then braided it regularly toward the back and tied it up in a ponytail. I always get so many compliments when I do this, but it's so simple! 

I felt so official today: I got a Harvard "Commencement Monitor" ribbon to wear/keep and I got to take a program home with me. I handed out and placed the programs and did the usual "ushering duties." It was really fun and awe-inspiring seeing so many smart people. The amount of PhD's during that march, holy crap! It makes me feel a little sad because I know I'm never going to go to Harvard -- not not not smart enough AT ALL. These people are all geniuses, my goodness.

But it's nice to wistfully think sometimes, right? HA!

Top: Macy's, Skirt: J. Crew, Tights: H&M, Flats: Payless

After finishing my commencement duties, I went to IHOP with my friend. This was my first time ever going there and I have to say, that place is diabetes in restaurant form. But...it...was...soooo...GOOD. Mmmm, pancakes...and bacon...mmmmm.

Peep my Heart

Witty title, yes? Yes.

These sunglasses had been on my wishlist for years. They're absolutely adorable, quirky, and fun. I had tried them on in store every time I went and always liked what I saw. It suited my face shape rather nicely. However, I never built up enough courage to buy them. Can you guess what they are?

I'm sure it's obvious now, but I got heart-shaped sunglasses! I love love looove them so much. I'm so ready for the summer. They just scream the beach. I can't wait to grow my hair even longer so I can rock these with a cool braid (been dying to try fishtail). 

Excuse the duck face hahaha, I thought these glasses should deserve a silly picture. 

My portion of the city had a massive blackout last night. It looked like a zombie apocalypse outside. My parents weren't home yet, so I packed my backpack with my schoolwork and laptop, a bottle of water, and two bananas and went out to look for some place (namely Starbucks or Panera) to do my homework. However, midway through, my mom got home and I was called back. It was a rather fun experience -- pretty exciting compared to my boring, mundane everyday life. The blackout went on until the middle of the night, so I didn't get my work done (and namely my ESSAY). Just going to talk to my teacher today. I mean, 25% of the school lives in my area and we were all without any electricity!

Anyway, aside from my blackout-zombie-apocalypse story, Happy Hump Day! :)

I'm seeing blue

Before last week's NYFW becomes completely irrelevant, I wanted to recreate another one of the makeup looks at the shows. This one is from Anna Sui. The model here is Xiao Wen, one of my absolute favorites. I'm so glad she's been getting more editorials and shows! She's so beautiful and she reminds me of a delicate porcelain doll.

The look is really fun and quirky! The little dots under the eyes are actually stickers, so I tried my best to create little circles with my eyeliner (though I failed in the end).

This was the most precise I could get with my pencil eyeliner. But the blue is gorgeous, no? I brought the color up until my fold because then there would be a nice, sharp natural line (see below pictures). I think not putting on mascara really let the already-loud blue stand out.

It didn't look like Xiao Wen was wearing any lip color yet, so I decided to be ever-so-spontaneous and go for an orange lip! The bright orange really compliments the blue. It pulled the look together quite nicely.

I Used...

-Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Le Bleu de Jim

-Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

It really is such a quirky look! I actually quite like it (maybe without the dots) and wish I had the guts to rock it out in public.


I wrote this post up last weekend, but forgot to schedule it. Just got back from California! I must say it's such a huge state compared to mine. I think LA is basically the size of Massachusetts LOL. I took so many pictures, be ready for lots and lots of picture spam. But firstly, my birthday is tomorrow! However, I think I'll just be sleeping or doing all the homework I should have done last weekend. Anyway off to sleep I go!

Signs of Spring

...in my outfit!

It's been such a mild winter...which I don't quite like. WHERE'S MY SNOW?! However, this gives me a chance to wear skirts without freezing my legs off! This was my outfit from Friday.

Like I said before, I love love love color blocking so this sweater is just the bomb. And in my favorite color too? Basically me in sweater form!

I didn't want to over color-block, so I broke it with a girly floral skirt. I also contrasted all the girly brightness with these combat boots.

Colorblock Sweater - Gap, Floral Skirt - Forever21, Gray Cable Knit Tights - J.Crew, Combat Boots - Timberland

Have a great week, everyone! I'm flying to Cali today YAAAY!

Teal Enchantment

I'm sure you all follow Eva Chen, Beauty Editor of Teen Vogue, right? Well, if you haven't already, you must! Her tweets and posts give you the best inside look on various fashion weeks and upcoming makeup collections. NYFW just ended, and I must say I loved so many collections.

On her tumblr, she posted a photo of this stunning eyeshadow look (done by MAC) on one of the models at Prabal Gurung.

I swoooooooooooooned.

Gorgeous, right? I was so inspired, or should I say, enchanted to take a spin on this look. It's not a recreation, but more so an inspired look.

Wait, I mean an enchanted look.

I hadn't touched my makeup brushes in almost a year, so I'm a little rusty on the whole eyeshadow application. However, it felt like I was painting, which was really nice...me likey!

I tried my best to find similar colors in my collection, but alas! I don't have that GOSH-DARN-GORGEOUS cobalt blue. I settled with the brightest blue I could find.

It is actually a very "undone" look, so I didn't use eyeliner and I actually thought it looked better without mascara on.

And a mugshot for good measure! This actually shows the colors much better than the close-ups. The model had a very natural lip color on, so I went for that too.

What I used:

-Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Bluesmoke

-MAC Pigment in Deep Blue Green

-Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Painkiller

-Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Tempting Teal and Vintage Lace

-Maybelline XXL Pro Volume in Very Black (only used the mascara side)

-Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude

-Lancome Juicy Tubes Jelly in Kiwi Slice

Maggie's eye looks are back with a bang!? Hope you all are having a great weekend! :)