Dresses: Cheap Find

  Who doesn't like to shop smart? I love shopping, but it doesn't mean that I have to spend huge portions of my paycheck or credit card line(s) to get the looks I want all the time. Featured above are two different dresses from two different places. The picture on the left is a DVF dress that retails for $345 (also comes in a lovely, basic black), and the dress featured on the right is my pick, the Forever21 boutique mesh overlay dress in olive that retails for about $24. Now, you tell me which is better?

Although, I do have to say the materials are different, but I tried on the Forever21 find, and I am absolutely impressed. It looks well over a dress that costs $24, and it fits adorably. You can pair it with your favorite boots or pumps, and the color is great to layer with fall colors. You can easily put that extra money saved towards a staple must-have piece, or just save it, ladies. We all should know fashion should never compromise your financial stability. Right? If you absolutely love something though, I say you will find a way to make it work.

I will not attest that I have always followed those guidelines though. We live and we learn. *wink*


photo credits: Bloomingdales.com for picture on left. Forever21.com for picture featured on right.

Girls: A quick, natural look with PAUL & JOE and Ellis Faas

My current make-up loves are Paul & Joe and Ellis Faas (as previously mentioned in earlier blog post). Ellis Faas has unbelievable eye colors that DON'T budge. This is great for those ladies who are always on the go. Paul and Joe has a soft, ethereal look to their packaging and their colors. I love how natural the selection of colors are at Paul & Joe. It looks effortless. I'll show you a quick photo of me after I used some of the items from the two brands.

I can't go without my peachy blush from Paul & Joe. It is a perfect peach face color with a highlighter included as well. It is excellent for all skin colors, especially warm. (#17 Paul and Joe Face color)

Paul & Joe has amazingly flattering lip glosses and lipsticks galore! I personally love #17 lipstick (soft, very natural heather pink) and #2 lipliner.

Hmm, 17 must be my lucky number at Paul & Joe.

The Ellis Faas eye color I like to use for definition is E106 which I've seen Lucy Liu purchase before. (She's very cute, by the way.) It's a soft gray/heather color. I apply it in a horizontal V shape (like a sideways peace sign) at the end of my eye without going too high. The reason I stress on not putting eye shadow too high is because I have almond, Asian eyes, and my bone structure around my eye is not deep set. In contrast, I find if you are deep set, then it is very flattering to go above and beyond.  For the base color, it's nice to choose a neutral color to blend the darker, more dramatic color with. Highlighting the inner corner of your eyes with a warm, iridescent color is ideal to really give your eyes an awake and bright look.

My make-up monster says you can never have enough lip colors. As a friend of mine says, you have so many shades of the same. (Nude is my kryptonite.) My rebuttal? For all you Dexter watchers, remember when Camilla was in search of the perfect key lime pie? Uh, it's safe to say that I'm still looking for that perfect nude shade for my lips. Not too pink, not too brown, not too "I'm gonna wash you out in pictures"...

I have no shame. A search for something better always makes life a little more spicy-- even if it is as minute as a color. 

Left to Right: #17 P&J lipstick (I put Nars Lip Lacquer "Chelsea Girls" on top),  the two shades of #2 lipliner , and Ellis Faas E106

The South vs. The North (for Me)

A face America associates with the South.

I just came back from visiting my parents whom reside in the South. It's always weird for me the moment I arrive in Tennessee and then the moment I come back to New York. Why? I find the huge differences in the two states make me feel quite like the quasi-identity type of girl. I remember the days where I was a lot softer and patient than I am now. Now, I get really, REALLY annoyed when people walk too slow in front of me. Also, my heart doesn't flinch every time I see a bum. I may be slightly calloused, please forgive me.

I guess I am known as a transplant to New York, but I feel like I'm a living, fire-breathing New Yorker after all these years. Even so, I do find that when I go visit my family I find a bit of repose while I am there. There's so many trees and no marinating odors of urine in the streets. I also appreciate how there seems to still be chivalry as opposed to New York. Men in New York tend to be overtly confident to the point that they are arrogant. You won't find a lot of men in New York opening doors for ladies or letting them cut them in line. In the South, men will open the door for you, and (OH MY GOD!) let you cut them in line??

There's no rush in the South. It's pleasant and slow-paced. People still remember their manners for the most part. You don't really have a great variety of places to eat from like New York. You don't have all the amazing galleries to explore. You don't have the exciting night life. You have wholesome meals with family. There's a lot of BBQ and plenty of hospitality. Also, it is still the Bible belt. The first day I got back, I had a Jehovah witness named Mary Cash (?) tell me that we crossed paths for a reason. I listened to her earnest preaching about the end of the world, and I thought many things while she claimed the end was coming soon. My heart felt sorry for her ailing leg, but my patience was wearing thin after 20 minutes of her preaching. She made me remember all the people I came across whom despised how organized religion tries to impose beliefs upon others. She also reminded me in this act how different the South is from the North (aka. New York).

I think leaving and going back to places allows you to really see the transition in oneself. I also believe it's really important to assess your changes and growth into who you are today so you can better understand yourself as a whole. I like different things about both areas, but I have to say-- I LOVE NEW YORK. I feel free here for now, and that's all that matters to me. If only I had my loved ones closer to me... but a perfect life is always so hard to attain. Distance does make the heart more fond, after all.

In conclusion, they say home is where the heart is, but my heart seems to have more than just one.