Remodeling.

Left work early today and thought I'd do a little ramble on here. The home is being remodeled so I'm having lots of fun shopping for tiles, paint, new furniture, etc. Thought I'd share some of my Fall Favorites. Not numbered in order of importance or anything I just felt like numbering :))

Shoes

(1) Matisse Westfalen oxford booties

I got these recently on ovestock.com and I just love them plus they are quite comfortable despite their height. Thought I'd post a pic since I haven't yet.

(2) Frye Engineer boot in black

I love wearing these with skinny jeans, skirts, dresses, everything. They just add the right amount of toughness to everything.

Clothes & Accessories

(1) Express (minus the leather) moto jacket in black

(2) Banana Republic Trenchcoat

(3) Chunky circle scarves (from various places)

(4) Goorin Brothers Bowler Hat

(5) F21 Cocktail Rings

(6) Oversized dolman sleeve sweaters (from various places)

(7) Jeggings!!

(8)Knee High socks

(9)Rose-themed items

(10) iphone 4

Makeup

(1) Too Faced Snow Bunny Bronzer

(2) NYX megashine lip gloss in beige

(3) Korres lip butter in Wild Rose and Mango

(4) Stila Pretty in Paris travel palette

(5) LUSH Fresh Farmacy cleanser & Fever massage bar

(6) OPI Skinny Dip'n in Lake Michigan & Tickle My France-y

(7) NARS Angelika blush

(8) Benefit Benetint (of course!)

(9) L'oreal HIP color chrome eyeliner pencil in violet volt & black shock (goes on smoother than MAC pencils)

(10) Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner

I got to pick all the new furniture for our house and I can't wait to get my new vanity!!! It's gonna be so preetttyy. The living room and kitchen are almost done and I'm satisfied with my choice of cabinets and granite :)) I got to choose all the bathroom tile too and that's gonna be done soon too!! The remodeling has been so exciting, but tiring as well since I live out of boxes. The carpenter is building new shelves as we speak. I should probably post before and after pictures if I can.

ALSO...I am a big perfume person and maybe I should list my top favorite perfumes now that I've made recent additions to my collection.

My Favorite Fragrances

(1) Chanel Coco Mademoiselle:

I absolutely love love this smell and it literally lasts all day. I love wearing this on nights out. It's a sophisticated oriental scent. Makes me feel feminine and elegant :)))

(2) Stella by Stella McCartney:

This is more of a woodsy rose scent. I love rose scents, but I have to say this is the best one yet. Not too sweet, just how I like it. A great every day scent for me.

(3) Burberry Brit

I don't really like sweet perfumes but this ones isn't sickening to me because it seems a bit more complex. Perfect for fall and winter. It's a warm scent that reminds me of sipping hot chocolate next to a fire while its snowing outside. Lasting power is not bad

(4)Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne

This is a rosy floral scent. I love rose scents which is why I bought this perfume, although I think it could smell just a tad bit more rose and a tad less fruity. It's a great light everyday scent. The staying power is not that great, but thats probably because I'm comparing them to the Chanel perfumes.

(5) Lolita Lempicka by Lolita Lempicka

A very unique smell and one that I disliked at first, but it's quirky scent grew on me. It's a sweet and spicy scent, but one that is completely different from anything else I've smelled. It gives me a mysterious and earthy feeling.

A couple pics of my puppy Mickey!!

collective haul over a long break...

I've been MIA from my blog for a long time and so I wanted to share a bunch of shopping I've been doing...a lot of shopping for sure.

I've beem going blush/bronzer crazy lately and so I've vowed to not buy any more of them. Let's hope I can keep that promise.

Top to bottom, left to right: Nars Angelika, NYX Pinky, Too Faced Snow Bunny, MAC Pink Swoon.

I bought all these blushes/bronzer after reading reviews because I didn't want to waste money since some of these products were pricey. Turns out the reviews were correct and I am very happy with these purchases. I was looking for the perfect pink blush, but I ended up loving all three pink blushes I purchased. Nars Angelika has a beautiful gold shimmer, NYX Pinky is a very cheap matte barbie pink, and MAC Pink Swoon is a more subtle matte pink. I recommend any one of those three blushes. Along with hunting for blushes I was looking for the perfect bronzer for my skin color since I'm on the lighter size. Too Faced Snow Bunny is now my official HG bronzer. I gave up on bronzers long ago because they always looked too orange or muddy on me, but this one is perfect!! I'm so glad I gave it a try :)

Close up of Nars Angelika in all its shimmery glory

A small NYX haul because I wanted to test out their lipglosses as well as some eyeshadows for halloween. The eyeshadows in the left photo are rust and amber gold, beautiful rich colors. Below those is a lipliner in rose, which is a perfect natural light pink. In the photo on the right I have NYX blush in peach, which was a total waste of money because its chalky and doesn't show up. Then below those I have the NYX megashine lipglosses in Tea Rose (top) and Smokey Look (bottom). I also have the lipgloss in 129 beige which I use almost every day now, but I didn't post a pic.

When it comes to lip gloss I always stuck to high end brands like MAC because I had one bad allergic experience long ago with a drugstore lipgloss which made me fear all drugstore lip products up until now. I really love NYX lipsticks and lip glosses. You do have your hits and misses, but there are some colors in their lipstick and lipgloss lines that I absolutely can't live without now. Examples of those are the NYX round lipstick in Thalia and the NYX megashine lipglosses in 129 beige and smokey look. It's no wonder they are so popular.

I'm in love with Viva Glam Gaga and so I decided to try the Cyndi Lauper lipstick too. It's a very wearable red coral color, however, I still love Viva Glam Gaga more.

The Stila Collectible travel Palette No. 2 "Pretty in Paris" I bought because it was only $10 and the colors were something I could wear at the office. I use this palette a few times a week for my neutral work look. A good buy in my opinion!

My first Korres lip butter purchase was in pomegranate, which is a coral color. One of my favorite items to keep in my purse. Then one day I walked into Sephora and saw that they had many more color selections so I picked up Mango (left) and Wild Rose (right). They are sheer and not as dark as they are in the pot. $10 each. Mango is a sheer peachy summery color and Wild Rose gives a very sheer red stain. I love them both so much!!! They are perfect on those days when I want a little color but don't feel like reaching for a lipstick. I wore these often in the daytime during summer

I did an Everyday Minerals haul. From top to bottom, left to right: Glow Blush in Charm & Hypnotize (which are also swatched on my hand); ultrasuede, snow leopard, sugar skulls(free sample), fools gold, summer bronzer (free gift), twinkle twinkle little bat. I've swatched all the eyeshadows and the colors are very pigmented and bright, but I haven't really used any of them yet. The summer bronzer, which was a free gift is nothing special. I would not reccomend this bronzer because it is not very pigmented and ends up looking orange when built up.

I also went a little brush crazy over the past few months. I bought five Sigma brushes (top two pictures), left to right: Sigma Duo Fibre F50, Sigma SS239, Sigma Short Shader E20, Sigma Small Tapered Blending E45, and Sigma Pencil E30. All five of these Sigma brushes are excellent quality, very soft and not prone to shedding. I am very anal about my brushes being soft so it's always the first thing I look for in makeup brushes and Sigma brushes definitely pass my test.

I also bought various Coastal Scents brushes from their pink series (bottom left and bottom right pictures), left to right: Pink Oval Synthetic Concealer Brush, Pink Semi Firm Pointed Crease, Pink Angle Taklon Liner Brush, Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stipper, Pink Kolinsky Lip Brush, and the Pink Kabuki Brush. The brushes overall are not bad. The ones I wouldn't recommend from the batch I bought are the pencil brush and the kabuki brush. They both are very scratchy and I never use them. The brushes overall do shed which is annoying, but for their price I don't mind.

I also bought three Everyday Minerals Brushes (middle picture), left to right: Long handled kabuki, flat top brush, eye kabuki brush. These brushes are so incredibly soft and dense. They have not shed at all in my use. I use the long handled kabuki and the flat top brush for putting on pressed mineral powder foundation. The flat top brush also works well for bronzer application. The eye kabuki brush is a little too big, but I like using it for blending the entire lid.

Last one I promise, but I also purchased brushes from the EcoTools line and I'm so glad I did because I absolutely love their bronzer and powder brush. I use them literally every day. EcoTools makes the softest brushes I have ever felt. I also got the Alicia Silverstone 5-piece brush set with bag. My favorite brushes from that set are the duo fibre brush and the blush brush. The bag it comes in is really cute too. I know I don't have pictures of these brushes but that's cuz I haven't cleaned them and I seriously use them like crazy.

Plus I got a free brush from Sigma, its a short travel sized blending brush, Sigma Blending E25. I haven't used it so I can't say anything about it, but I liked all the other brushes so I probably will like this one too.

So if I were to recommend any makeup brushes my must haves would be:

*Sigma for eye brushes

*EcoTools Bronzer Brush

*EcoTools Powder Brush

*EcoTools Blush Brush

Sigma or EcoTools Duo Fibre Brush

*Everyday Minerals Long Handled Kabuki

Made a couple fragrance purchases. Just got Chanel Chance because I've been wanting it forever and cause I love Coco Mademoiselle so much. It was very expensive, but I used a 15% off coupon on fragrance.net so I was able to purchase it for $98, which is still A LOT, but better getting some dollars knocked off than nothing. I also got Burberry Summer earlier in the summer season because I just wanted a light summery scent and because it was only $33 on Amazon. I have come to the conclusion that Chanel makes THE BEST perfumes!! (Or at least my favorite ones)

Bought 3 OPI colors. Left to right: Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, Skinny Dip'n in Lake Michigan, and Tickle My France-y. I am in love with the last two colors and wear them constantly. Skinny Dip'n in Lake Michigan is a shimmer peachy nude while Tickle My France-y is a no-shimmer beige-y nude, perfect color for fall. Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous is an extra shimmery gunmetal, which looks great, but not something I can wear every day.

Lush haul!!! I got the Fresh Farmacy cleanser, which is a very gentle and very pink cleanser. It has chamomile, rose and tea tree oil in it. What I love about this cleanser is that it doesnt dry out my face. Then I got 2 massage bars. The first one is the Fever massage bar, which smells like jasmine, rose and sandalwood. Smells like heaven and melts like butter! The second one is Shimmy Shimmy bar which is a sparkly heart shaped bar that smells like vanilla and leaves you all glittery when you use it. I absolutely ADORE LUSH

Forever 21 jewelry haul. I've never been much of a jewelry girl. I just like having simple silver pieces here and there, but lately I've had an itch for CHEAP jewelry. Here is the collection I've gathered from F21 recently

I made four shoe purchases. the first is from Aldo. Strappy platform shoes that go perfectly with black mini skirts. Pretty comfortable too.

My second shoe purchase is the Frye Harness 12r boot in tan. Beautiful high quality boots, but they have been a pain in the ass to break in. Especially tough on my right ankle bone for some reason.

Some plain brown sandals from F21 that I wore daily during the summer. I have a hard time picking out sandals I like because I like simple styles and these days they have so many complicated strappy things that I really can't imagine myself wearing.

A cute Juicy Couture handbag. It's cute, but I don't really like it that much. It looks good in the picture, but the way the bag is built is really weird. I have a hardest time searching for things in this bag for some reason. The handles also wore down pretty quickly which was a disappointment.

Free Pink Tote from Victoria's Secrets. I love free stuff

Two really cheap circle scarves from F21 in mustard and beige. I think they were under $5.

Four jacket purchases from H&M. Two hooded trench coats in tan and black as well as two blazers in gray and black. I get very cold so I love buying things to layer on.

Urban Outfitters purchase. A faux leather hooded bomber jacket. Not as shiny as in this photo. Love this to death! I have a real leather jacket I got from Express from a couple years back that looks kind of like this one minus the hood and it was twice the cost of this, but I find myself wearing this one more.

I'm bad I know, but I got another faux leather jacket, this time from Express. It is the "(minus the) leather moto jacket." I wanted this one because I really like the motorcycle/biker look and it goes great with girly dresses and heels when I go out on weekends.

Another Urban Oufitters purchase. I got the Frye Engineer boot in black (I love Frye boots!), a white button-up shirt that was on sale, and a white vanity mirror. I also got this really cute vintage vanity tray, but it is on backorder :(

I HAVE TO QUIT SHOPPING NOW!!!

We're remodeling our house and so I get to pick out different pieces for the house which is fun. Getting a whole new kitchen, bathroom and all new floors. I'll also be getting a new vanity set!!!!

I think I'll have another update right after this to show you my puppy!!! Mickey!!! He has moved to the garage for the remainder of the remodeling so that he won't have to inhale all that dust while the contractor is working.

My honey backed my car into an Escalade so now there is a dent on the rear bumper.

I am in love with jeggings.

I decided I want to be a vampire this halloween.

I have skipped the gym for a really long time now.

I have not been feeling very healthy for about a month now, I think I need to go through a cleanse or something.

I recently gave Mickey a funny haircut but its growing out now.

I got the Remington 3-in-1 hair styler and now use the wind tunnel thing daily instead of the diffuser for styling my digi perm.

Thats all I can think of for now for whats been going on lately.

New Puppy!!!

Got a new puppy!! Which is good and bad news.

The other day, my escape artist dogs, Johnny and Zoey, decided to escape and not return. So we did a craigslist lost ad and got a quick reply from someone who had found them. Sad to say, I had mixed feelings after hearing they were found. I feel so annoyed with them always running off. They have no loyalty to the ones that feed and care for them. It was also difficult because my honey and I are busy so it's really inconvenient to have two big dogs that are pretty high maintenance. So after some thought, which didn't take too long, we decided to give away Johnny. :( He seems to be the more independent one and has a problem with listening to us when we call him and ultimately is the less obedient one so that is why we decided to give him up. I think he will be better off with a family that has a big yard they can let him play in.

That is the bad part of the "new puppy" news, but the good part is of course the new puppy! We've had him for a couple days now and it is such a breath of fresh air to take care of him. Oh I forgot to mention it is a male pomeranian. We named him Mickey. He is so much easier to take care of and gets along well with Zoey so I really like this new arrangement better. Plus he is super adorable and portable, lol.

Couple purchases from Victoria's Secrets semi-annual sale.

terry boatneck swim cover-up


VS Pink terry hoodie robe

The new job is going pretty well. It's a bit challenging for me, but I always remind myself that stepping out of my comfort zone is something I should always be doing if I want to grow as a person, and that helps me stay motivated.

Looking forward to the long weekend! Also made an appointment for a digital perm in june!!

Update on life and a few purchases

Purchased Mac's Viva Glam Gaga after seeing swatches online. It is such a cute soft mauve-y pink. I love how it doesn't dry out my lips because most of my other Mac lipsticks do.

Steve Madden Ulltra pumps in blush. My other nude pump purchase turned out to be half a size too big so I gave them to my mom who loves them.

My sweet mother surprised me with a pearl necklace that is made up of different pastel colored pearls. Still figuring out what I can wear this with but I love the heavy weight of it and the soft colors.

So my life right now. I've started working and I am excited, but I am scared even more. I've always had this fear of failure so it's a constant battle, but I know that this fear will only get in the way so I gotta think positive and work hard.

The weather this past week was awesome, but the downside of that is allergies :(( They've hit me pretty hard this season lol.

The gym I used to go to closed down!! It was the best deal ever too, only $10 a month. I was disappointed because I was sure i couldn't find a deal as great as that. However, I found a new gym which is much bigger and better. Although the cost is $25 a month I really like the gym overall so it's worth the extra.

My diet of eating healthy and cutting out all junk went pretty well for about two months, but lately I've been slacking so I'm hoping to get back to my healthy ways soon.

Taking up Korean so I can get better at speaking my own language, lol. So sad I know.

Watched the move "Letter to Juliet,"and absolutely loved it. Oh how I wish love was like that in real life lol. It was just a cute movie. I remember at the end when the old grandma was reading Sophie's letter, it was so sweet and it gave me that feeling you get when you're in love and you get so excited that your heart kind of goes up and down and feels like its going to pop. I don't get that feeling often anymore and its so random that I got it from watching a movie lol. It's funny how your body reacts that way when you feel happy or a feeling of love, almost like love and happiness actually take some kind of physical form that puts pressure on your chest.

Just finished reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," by Mark Haddon. Good quirky and sweet story.

Ordered a Lioele (A Korean company) Blooming Shimmer Pearl Base in Pink. Should have put a pic up, but I forgot. I purchased it after seeing it in a product review on the frmheadtotoe blog. Like so far.

Thinking about getting a small tattoo on my back.

Just got a new haircut. Shortened my layers and trimmed the ends a bit because my hair is getting so long and heavy. It feels lighter now and much more volumized. Booked an appointment for a digi-perm in June. I have a texture perm but I saw someone getting a digi-perm and it turned out so pretty that I think I'll try that next time, plus it's less damaging to your hair than a texture perm. My hairstylist also talked me into purchasing a "mop-c system texture spray." :O oh I like it though so I don't feel guilty about the spontaneous purchase.

I usually do my own nails, I feel like getting manicures is too costly and I don't really like wearing anything but my natural nails so I stick to grooming my own nails. However, the other day, my friend wanted me to go with her to get them done so I paid $20 to get a french mani that started chipping the next day. I could have done a better job. It wasn't a fancy high end salon so I guess that could have had something to do with it.

I want to go to Paris.

Went on a hike last weekend and the dogs. They actually behaved when we took them off the leash and Zoey would even wait for me to catch up with her. aww so cute, I love her more now.

I have the song "The Girl from Ipanema" stuck in my head.

My sister hit my car when parking next to me and left a bunch of big black scratches on the side. uuggh...it's not that noticeable tho.

My cousin owns a shiba inu and I never liked it before because it seemed arrogant and dwarf-like (Like a miniature jindo gae, which is a Korean dog), but I'm starting to think it's cute lol.

I also want to go to Disneyland, I haven't been there since I was young, but I remember how exciting and fun it was. It will probably be not as fun for me now tho so maybe it's good to not go and just keep the good exciting memories of it alive.

I made my own rose oil perfume mix, the smell is so comforting. I've always loved the smell of roses.

Finally got the hang of using false eyelashes at the age of 23. That is pathetic.

Also started wearing purple gel eyeliner instead of black all the time. It looks softer.

Sorry that this entry is so splotchy and random. It just happened somehow lol.

I want to take piano again, maybe attend church again too.

I want a pomeranian puppy like the one I had when I was little.

The Uniform Project

This is so cool

The Uniform Project (on Daily Candy) from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

Today was actually clear and sunny. No rain! What a shock. I hope it will be just as sunny tomorrow. I also hope everyone is taking their mommies out to dinner because we all know they deserve some appreciation! Mine sure deserves some for keeping up with my spending habits back in the day, lol :))) I also plan to take my mom to see Iron-Man 2 in the evening since she never goes to the theater anymore and I really want to see the movie!

Me and the honey went on a date today. Just a relaxing hang-out date. Ate some thai food. Walked around Green Lake and played with EVERY DOG WE PASSED BY. What can I say, my honey loves dogs. Then we did a little window shopping which didn't really work out.

A couple H&M purchases. I love that store! A dusty rose pink sweater dress. It's sleeves are sort of cinched up to the elbows creating dolman-like sleeves. It would look perfect with leggings and a hair of heels. Price = $19.95

On a side note, my honey mentioned the other day that whenever we take couple pictures I always blend into the background cause I always wear earthy colors and he always wears bright colors which make him stand out in the pics. Then we went into this discussion about how it reflects so much of our personalities, yadda yadda ya... I've realize now that I am one of those people with almost a monochrome wardrobe. I have so much gray, brown, cream, and when I do wear brighter colors it's always a dusty, soft, faded version of the color. I really need to add a pop of bright, in your face color to my closet. Hopefully my next purchase will make a bolder color statement!

The second purchase is the scarf. This is a more close-up picture of it so you can see it's cute soft pastel floral print, which I love!!! It's the perfect spring scarf to throw onto a simple outfit to add some color. The best part is, Price = $4.95!!!

The date ended with a trip to our favorite tea shop, Shinka Tea of course!.......Then we went to Home Depot for what seemed like hours because my honey wanted to find a few things. I spent the whole time looking at paint and carpet swatches....boo


Seeing all those puppies around Green Lake made me miss my babies when they were wee little things. Here are some old puppy pictures.