Adventure and Trouble's Diary

NEW BLOG

2015-03-06T20:47:00.001-08:00

Hey guys,

I haven't died... I just have a new blog

thenewpurplehaze.blogspot.com

When I transfer over to wordpress I'll merge the two blogs together taking select post with me and have a redirect link.

In the mean time please subscribe to me over there.

Fashion Avenue News Events

2014-07-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hey lovelies

So lately I've been event hopping and working hard as a promoter. I've been trying to gateway myself towards a career in Social Media Management so it's been a lot of work I've been doing.

So I was very grateful to be invited to Fashion Avenue News Magazine Networking Event and Runway Show.

I was a VIP member of the media. I probably was the only one who didn't have a business card.

It got crowded in there very quickly. A ton of photographers, models, designers, fashionistas, and bloggers like myself cluttered the area trying to network with each other and entertain themselves.

I, however, was more interested in the runway shows rather than the networking. I, once again was too awkward and unprepared to network with others.

Always ready to camwhore though!!

I was very impressed with Vera Moore products and was engulfed with finding out more about the magazine.

I honestly went to the event without knowing much about the magazine and I was shocked to find out that I actually had a glimpse of the magazine before. It was being passed around during Uptown Fashion Week.

I actually was very in love of how high class the magazine was presented. Sadly its only sold in a few places in the city and I'm not a city girl myself.

But anyway, I was unfortunate to be away from the VIP area during the runway show but I got lucky to get a few pics of the models.

I was impressed to see a motorcycle collection. It was a nice step away from traditional things that are often put on the runway.

I didn't get to see the second runway show but a few designers had escorted a model wearing their latest designs around the event.

The last thing I got to see before I left was the runway strut of Fashion Avenue News latest cover girl and supermodel Tiffany Renee strut the runway.

It was a lovely event but I wished the event but I wished it was a little bit organized and had seating set up for guest as well as media.

I honestly couldn't wait to get outside even though the misery of walking through Times Square was just as bad.

Well until next time lovelies, I have a couple more events to attend and I've been working as a promoter/host to a couple of parties that I will share soon.

I update my social networks daily :)

Instagram/ Tumblr/ Twitter/ Facebook

The pursuit of Happiness

2014-06-12T14:12:00.001-07:00

What makes you happy? How do you pursue this happiness?

Happiness is a funny thing for me. I honestly don't know what makes me happy or how to achieve it. I just go with the flow and fit into form with where the world leads me.

The world lead me into retail, the world lead me into fashion, the world lead me to travel, the world lead me into college.

Now June 2014, my new years resolution half complete, my degree half complete, my life a quarter complete. Its funny because 5 years ago I did not see my life as being here. Nor did i see it this way when I started the blog. Right now I've been feeling confused and little. But guess what guys Thats okay. Its okay to be confused and misguided when your young. We have all our lives to figure things out!

There is a school of thought that touches my life a bit called "affirmation". In the simplest explaination that can be thought out: when you think positively and dream big, these dreams will eventually come true.

I told myself for years and I took french in school because I always believe I would get the chance to travel to France. And i did.

This year I've been telling myself its time to go big.

While I decide to do more and live more. Yet I let time and finances recede because I forgot that my ambition is more important than spending time with friends . If my friends were meant to be in my life, they will always be there. If not, well thats a shame on their behalf.

What makes me happy is following my dreams.

Even tho having high expectations for myself is also great but I also got to have a realistic factor as well. Like my body is a virtue. I am open minded when it comes to body art and sex so why is it my body should be faced with media standards? I am beautiful as is. I am not thin, I have curves everywhere and anywhere.

If I'm happy with my body and my partner is happy with my body, why should I care what you think?

Its 2014, stop glorifying photoshopped stick figures.

On a side note lovelies, I will be holding a GIVEAWAY next week. So stay tuned on my blog posts, leave comments. Follow me on twitter, instagram, youtube and tumblr. Its coming guys, it's coming.

#YesAllWomen

2014-06-04T22:25:00.001-07:00

Now I know most of you guys got attracted to this post by me spreading bikini photos everywhere. No, this post will not feature any bikini pictures. This post will all about Sexual Assualt and increasing the awareness for it.

I think it's common fact that 1 in 5 female college students are sexually assualted each year. Then you might think, well this doesn't apply to me. No this is a frightening number. Whether you are male or female, you have had someone in your life sexually assualted at one point in their life.

And you know whats scary, guys don't even realize what can be considered as sexual assualt. Even scarier that high school girls don't even realize somethings as sexual assualt until later in life.

Let me put my experience to let help us really understand. I went to a high school with a very over sexual student body and had a bad rep for teen pregnancies and violence. So condoms in strange places, butt and titty grabs were usual. I as well as ton of the girls saw it as minor harrassment and a part of life. Then during my sophmore homecoming, I remember dancing with a guy that I didn't know. I was wearing a somewhat poofy short dress and many guys had attempted to lift up that dress while dancing. This guy succeeded and literally grabbed be my crouch and forced me to keep dancing. It took a while for me to get out of that but I shook that off as an "Over the top Dancer". That was what we were taught to think when people did certain inappropiate things. That they were just overdoing things.

I first came to recognize sexual assualt as an actual thing when I had a drunk friend tackle me to the floor in order to grope my boobs. Even when sober, he thought he did nothing wrong. I remember hysterically crying that night because I thought he was going to rape me. He told me, I was being dramatic. He never realized how 3 years later, that shit still fucks me up late at night.

It sucks that now that I am a college student, I can't go to parties without guys trying to finger me, fondle me inappropiately, and a bunch of other things that fall into the category of molestation. It sucks that I can't even get too drunk even around my close aguy friends without them taking some type of advantage. It sucks that I can't walk down a street without being stared at or catcalled. It sucks that every night after work, I have to have pepper spray ready and be prepared to run if worst things come to worst. Am I not a woman? Am I not a human being that is due respect? If a ugly bitch grabbed a guy by his balls, he would be mad. Why can't I be mad if an ugly nigga touches me inappropiately.

But you know what sucks the most? These men think they are self-entitled to pussy. So when they can't get it by conviential means, they think they can just take it anyway. Men will do almost anything for pussy and front on girls that won't give it to them easily. And you know why men think this way? We teach girls to protect themselves yet we don't teach boys not to rape.

Thats why Sexual Assualt is so normalized. It keeps creeping up, it keeps being headlined in the news. If you are so sexually frustrated and misogynistic feeling you need two things: a therapist and a prostitute. If you have a son or daughter, please talk to them and let them be aware of whats wrong with fricken society.

And this is a tag post and I encourage all bloggers who read this to write about on this.

Please leave any opinions down in the comment section!

Sakura Matsuri 2014

2014-05-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

Washington, DC

Next stop in the travelog! I honestly wish I traveled like this for a living instead of a passing thing. I've been dreaming of going to a Sakura Matsuri for soo long now. My friends would always rave about it and gyaru bloggers would go all super dressed up yet I never had the opportunity. I got so lucky that the offer came up.

So I decided to fly out for the one day event. The huge deciding factor was the weather. New York had a very extended winter this year and we still had cold fronts way into April. The DMV had temps in the high 70s already. I needed that warmth!

A lot of people flew out for the event too! The shuttle flight is usually very empty on normal days especially at 7am. But the flight was packed.

This was the first time I've seen DC packed (this is my second trip there within a year) and man did it get hot.
Sakura Matsuri literally means Cherry Blossom Festival. This festival is a reminder of US's diplomatic ties to Japan. I have an obsession with Sakura flowers so it's was important for me to go and have a hanami. Hanami is a sakura viewing party usually enjoyed by having a picnic under the cherry blossoms.

Spring #ootd

Lace Crop Top and Textured Skater Skirt from Charlotte Russe.

Being my first Sakura Matsuri, I didn't quite what to expect. I firstly was expecting sakura everywhere. Hardly the case, the long winter had delayed the blooms. However the spirit had still stayed alive. Plenty of cosplayers, families, lolitas, and so many others had gather together to celebrate the festival.

Lolitas <3

Girl cosplaying as Fairy Tail's Lucy

And I took pictures with strangers like a boss!

Her cosplay was the defination of dedication.

And I met very talented musicians straight from Japan!

Troll face selfie with the very cute Hideking Project. I swooned at how cute they are and extremely energic singers. They did soo much despite the heat and their garments. I fell in love. Especially the one with the glasses, omg he was so cute. If only he spoke more English, I was sooo going to chat him up like the crazy fan girl I am (lol don't tell my boyfriend :P)

I got an autograph and everything. Hopefully they will perform in New York soon.

Well next year hopefully I'll be able to get to go again. It's was wonderful and I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity to travel to DC for a second time. Next year I will definitely wear a yukata, gyaru style and everything.

Life on the Edge

2014-05-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

Chapter 2, College was the beginning of the next chapter. The start of my roller coaster ambitions, the start of finally knowing what it's like to be an adult, the start of romance, the start of bills and other money things. Now here I am 19, very little savings, a lot of debt, 2 semesters of college down, 4 jobs later, and no clue where I am going with life.

If you have read this blog enough you know I get a lot anxiety when it comes to school.But luckily it's Summer Vacation, I have about 4 months to get my life together again before a stream of anxiety comes my way. Travel some more, start a business, get a handle on things you know.

So to start the summer, I got tatt #2. Its my wings :). This may be my last tatt since I don't take pain very well and lord this was painful and the healing process had proven to be a bitch. I still might go back for a second session to clean up the lines and detail because I was moving soo much and I gave my artist a little bit of a hard time.

Also my belly ring healed enough for to be able to change the ring! So happy about that!

My belly piercing was an intense journey and I'm glad I finally came to a new marker in that journey. So to celebrate I put up a vlog on my youtube channel.

I'm finally updating that channel so please subscribe and leave comments!

Toodles Loovies <3 br="">

Confessions of a F-List Blogger

2014-04-23T17:53:00.001-07:00

If Sean Santiago is a D-List Blogger, than inadverently I'm an F-List Blogger ---the one who doesn't get invited to NYFW. To even call himself D-List is completely humbling when this guy has great quality and consistency. But that does not the defer how bloggers calculate success, front row during Fashion Week.

Whatever, Fashion Week and A-List Bloggers. Being F-List is way better

1. You invite yourself to events.
You don't even have to check your mailbox for invites. There won't be any.

2. You can write whatever you want without public scorn.
Because you have no traffic

3. And the best for last! No expectations.
That for the most part explains itself

I'm a moderate F-List blogger in a way because I do get invited places and I do get good seating when I go.

So almost 2-months ago I was semi-invited to Uptown Fashion Week Closing Night Fashion Week. Based in Harlem, the closing night show took place in famous gay club, El Morroco.

So me and my plus one went to our third ever red-carpet event.

Posing on the red carpet. There were proffessional photos but I can't seem to recover them.

The show featured celebrity supermodel Diva Davana's collection.

I found the collection surprisingly mature since the creator is only 12 years old.

Since I, myself, am not a designer it would be almost rude of me to call this collection bland (which it was) but since I am me, I will say it anyway.

The outfit Diva Davana wore herself was better than anything she put on the runway and she slayed all her models with her catwalk. I have a video that I'll post later.

Next Echo Chic

I believe the focus was suppose to be on their jewelry.

I did like the choosing of fabrics. Light, fluttery, sensual.

The kimono aspired asethic was really nice. It worked well.

I swear I was more partial to the clothes than the actual jewelry. It just didnt strike me interesting enough.

My 2nd most favorite line was an Eyewear line, sadly I didn't catch the name.

It was so creative and out there!

I appologize that my photos couldn't really capture the magnificence of the line.

They were soon followed by my favorite line of the night "Versailles". This line was the effort of Charles Dejuste. Hes a Haitian-American designer who has really inspired me artistically over the years.

My favorite dress!! Its so beautiful in composition!!

How it looks from the back!

This segment was absolutely breathtaking!!

The show closed with a not-so-great segment. The clothes were okay but excessiveness of having the designer sing a crappy opera-pop song was less than amusing.

I mean it was a good line.... I just was distracted...

Overall it was a good night... Until we missed our train and ended up taking a train to another town and getting home at like 3am.

Welp, remember to follow my instagram, twitter and tumblr for daily updates!!

Press Tea Bloggers in Wonderland Event

2014-04-09T13:10:00.001-07:00

So you know I am expert of draining my youth away. You know 2 jobs, school, and full time blogger. I had a professor who once told me "Well I had 3 jobs in College, no excuse for you." Bitch, I'm a Visual Merchandiser and a Blogger, your college years ain't got shit on my life. Albeit you can imagine that I dropped that class.

Surprisingly, I do manage to have to have a social life. I mean when my manager is not blowing up my phone and I'm not working open to close in a damn mall, I do get out! Have a drink or two with a few friends, catch up and hang out once every other week.

But believe it or not, I never managed to hang out with other bloggers. I mean, I do live in Small Town America, but I'm not far from the city and I do occasionally get invites to events (SHOCKERS!).

Well a friend of mine is an active reader of Lace and Combat Boots who with partnership with Press Tea, was hosting a blogger's event.

Press Tea is a little tea shop which is like the tea version of Starbucks. Like omg their menu is amazing with so many drinks and deserts made from tea.

I was a little hesitate about going because I'm not quite a fashion blogger (I failed at that soo long ago), I consider myself a lifestyle blogger who has a flare for fashion (like who niche blogs anymore anyway). But luckily, I had enough courage to go.

You can see my nappy head standing in the back. I was probably the youngest and the tallest. I kind of felt awkward speaking at times because my shyness I got the better of me but I can't help but feel I met some really interesting people who had interesting stories (way more interesting than mines)

I felt so under prepared too. I lost most of my makeup that day, my outfit was slightly ill fitted, and I decided not to wear a bra and just flaunt a bandeau (worst idea ever).

While we mingled and talked about ranging topic such as travels, love life ans of course tea!

We were extremely lucky to able to drink samples of their menu. My mother kinda ruined tea for me early on but I still some polite sips of the Caramel Teacuchinno. It amazed me how good it tasted.

Our amazing barista, Allison just kept the drinks coming!

The funny thing was when multiple bloggers shouted "Wait don't drink yet, we gotta snap pictures"

Inception!

And of course we ended the event with the classic shoe photo.

Such a good event and Melanie made promises to do more events soon so that'll be cool to look forward to.

My schedule is kinda full with Sakura Matsuri, A makeup launch event, a fashion show, and a dance show so please forgive me but my blog posts will be backlogged.

A Dream in Paris

2014-04-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Call me stupid, silly, underachieving, flunky and unapologetic but all I really wanna do is drop out of college and start leading an exciting life.

As I've said before, I was suppose to go to Japan. I was supposed to be smacked dabbed for Tokyo Fashion Week, #100Tokyo, #CoolJapan and be on a week long crazy adventure. 12 hours away, working through my entire spring break, only to take a few hours away to enjoy the pre-bloom of Japanese Cherry Blossoms.

Welp, if you follow me on Instagram, you obviously know that didn't happen. 4 days before take off, my plans got canceled and hastily re-arranged. I got 2 working efforts that paid off somehow someway. I may not be a famous blogger but hell I know how to get places.

One of the locations I went to was Paris, France. I went with lexss than a hundred bucks in pocket, a carry-on full of clothes, a hotel reservation, and a bit of crappy French and Creole.

I can read French fluently but I can't really speak it. I kinda assumed that there would be a big Haitian population concentrated in one area. I found out from a random Haitian-French man on the train that no such things exist and unlike in New York, the Haitian population is spread out and their customs are often churned out. Luckily my creole is somewhat similar to the French of Cote-de-Ivory so I managed to get around only speaking Creole.

My mission was to attend a few shows, style-spot what Parisians wear, and overall get inspired by Parisans as a whole. I had only 3 days to make this opportunity into a grand scheme. I took a lot of inspiration from my favorite bloggers who had also made the trip. Primarily Yutaki and Michelle Phan.

I had to make the best of what little money I had. No food could cost more than 3 euros and I avoided buying drinks in excess. Most meals costed around 10 euros. I tried to refrain from spending more than 4. Subways, Mcdonalds, and Crepe stands were the wave. Who cares if I missed out on authentic French cuisine, I wasn't on a pleasure trip anyway.

I often had to think twice about eating.

Just note that their porta-potties are way better than ours.

I honestly don't know why but I have a tendency to stick out everywhere I go. I got stopped everywhere I went.

I got photographed several times.

People automatically assumed I was French too, in highly populated tourist areas. I don't know if that was common or not but I could sense a bit of annoyance accompanied by my broken French.

But one things was for certain, things did change after this trip. For one I can't stand people strolling in the city. Unlike in Manhattan, where people do take their time walking, Parisians walk extremely fast and their bags will hit you if you are in their way. A brief "pardon" and the zoom off.

But more importantly, inspiration was drawn upon. For some reason I didn't find France very romantic like I did for Washington, DC. I found it ambitious and aesthetic. Fashion is different from the states and I was lucky to pack clothes that stood in a bit more. The French are proud in their oxfords, bright scarfs and simple silhouettes. Their silhouettes are flowy and portray a bit of fleeting freedom and yet personify their emotions. I was expecting them to wear a lot more black but instead they wore rustic colors and pastels.

And love was a matter of identity. Love was unspoken but can be seen. I saw a lot of different couples. I was in awe at the amount of bi-racial couple I saw and the amount of nannys stringing along a fleet of children. Love was personified in their art. Romance was found in their food. Everything showed the romance of the creation and their creator.

Still, Paris was not a romantic place per say. Maybe if I was on a pleasure trip I would be saying something different but I didn't feel it. I felt more artistically inspired.

What inspired me the most was the Jardin du Luxemburg. We skipped out on Versailles and took on this free alternative.

In France, spring had only just entered with some temps in the low 60s but Jardin du Luxemburg would make you think we were well into April. Flowers in full bloom everywhere, Kids running and playing meanwhile adults enjoyed their jog or conversation and a picnic.

This was the most romantic place I visited in all honestly. It was pure in unusual ways. It was obviously well taken care of.

Now you must be asking. What will I do with this unkept creativity and what was the final product of my trip to France? Welp, you'll find out soon and I can basically totes that you will love it.

Adieu mes amis. S'il vous plaît aller me suivre sur instagram, twitter, et tumblr pour mises à jour quotidiennes <3

Geo Nudy Blue Review

2014-03-29T21:29:00.004-07:00

For some girls, falsies are the must wear thing. For others it might just be a bold eyeliner. For me, bright contact lenses are the must do of my look.

Call it unhealthy, but I dont think I look good if I'm not wearing color contacts and tout them with pride almost all the time.

As you know, I purchased a pair from Lensvillage last month and got a pair of lenses for free with my order. Its almost obligatory that I give you insights of my newest lenses in my collection.

You see I'm no stranger to Geo nor am I a stranger to the Nudy Series. This is the 3rd lense I bought from Geo Medical and the second from their Nudy series.

These lenses have a diameter of 14mm, 8.6 base curve, and a water content of 38%.

Here's my thing with these lenses. Ever since I got hooked to the Dueba Puffy 3-tones, I can't come to love these lenses but I can't hate em either. I hated Eos Natural 3-tones and the Geo Nudy Grays used to be my favorites. Its a complicated relationship.1

For starters, it gives very little enlargement. Which is good for girls with big eyes but not so good for girls like me who don't.

Versuses--->

Shes wearing Geo Nudy Browns but you get the gist of the argument. They are perfect on her.

So in all fairness Enlargement gets a 3.5/5

However in terms of color. Its really nice in natural way. Would I like it to be a tid more vibrant? Hell yes! But it works very well with what it does.

However it only fairs so well in different light situations. This score is going to be a bit bias lol.

4/5 for Color

As far as comfort go, I do believe that Geo Medical as a whole, their contacts are less comfortable than most major circle lenses company. However comfort is the most bias scoring because everyone is different. My eyes don't get dried out easily but as far these contacts go 6-7 hours at most without feeling them irritatingly drying out versus 8+ hours for most contacts. Way better than the Geo Angel Blue which could only fare for about 4 hours. Still dryness is always disappointing.

So 3.5/5 for comfort.

Overall, these lenses are a good staple lenses for everyday look. Its not as gorgeous as my Puffy 3-tones but it does the job.

Travellog: Bahamas

2014-03-25T15:07:00.001-07:00

So I've been neglecting this blog long enough and for good reason. I've been getting a surplus of event invites and I've been traveling.

Its been quite a while since I traveled anywhere by plane (around 10 years). I was quite anxious since the world has became such a different place since I traveled in the past. Its gotten to the point I gotta murmur a prayer every time I get on a bus or train during my daily commute.

In the wake of Flight 370, it took all that was in me to get on the plane and not spaz out every five minute. Instead I spazzed out every time i felt turbulance and you feel all the turbulance possible when sitting on a Airbus.

But we landed safely in Nassau, Bahamas with a lot of drunk Spring Breakers.

And unlucky me, I had lost my ipod chord so no pictures our entire first day.

Because of the last minute of our trip. (We were originally suppose to go to Tokyo for Tokyo Fashion Week), we had a hard time booking a place to stay. So we rented a house through Airbnb. Our accomadation was cheaper than staying in a hotel and was conviently very spacious.

I appologize that pictures dont truly capture how spacious it was nor how pretty cuz we kinda trashed it. It had 2 bedrooms one with a queen size bed and the other with a king size bed so the house easily accomodates 4 people. My only peeve was only the king size bedroom had a vanity mirror (and i obviously didnt get that room).

We were a bit far from the downtown area so we had to travel by jitney. Instead of huge commercial bussing like there is in most cities, Nassau only uses van sizes bussing. We were served by the 14s which never took the same exact route twice but it got us to and from downtown. The only downside was that bussing ended as soon as sundown. Taxis are fairly expensive even the shortest distance will cost you $20

Also another good thing was USD was used on the island and didnt have to be converted as well as have the same worth as Bahamian Dollar.

We didn't get to do much because the trip was actually a working-vacation. So the most we really did was go to the beach.

On our last day, I was co-hosting beach party so I only have pictures from chilling on the beach during preparations.

In all honestly it was a very relaxing break from New York cold. However there isn't much you can do unless you are on a cruise or at Spring Break event. I also felt a little alienated by locals who were constantly staring at me and I couldn't find out for what the reason. No matter, I really do want to go again. It was a surprisingly safe place to be.

Well to next time cheries, I have plenty of adventures to share.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter for Daily Updates.

LensVillage Review

2014-02-25T16:08:00.000-08:00

Now that the craziness of Fashion Week has finally died down and things are settling back into place, I finally got the time to blog. I also updated my layout, so it's now a very professional, minimalist look which I already hate. My youtube channel is also updated for the first time in a year! It has a hair review up, go watch asap after reading this!

As of late, I purchased two beautiful lenses from lensvillage.com. This is the first time I ever purchased from them and I feel that lenses and the companies you purchase from should be reviewed separately. The quality of the lenses don't usually reflect on the quality of the company.

So quick story was my Dueba Puffy 3-Tones Gray lifespan had officically completely worn out and I needed a pair of lenses for Uptown Fashion Week (which I attended and will blog about) as well my Birthday. I only had 10 days to get these lenses and nowhere I typically purchased from, had a low prices on express shipping. As of late I've been only ordering from thedollyeye.com. I used to order from geoeyecandy.blogspot.com, which is a San Francisco based store but they had closed for sometime in 2010 as well as some sketchy blog store that used to sell Geo lenses for $10.

So I'm not used to paying over $15 for circle lenses nor have I ever had to pay shipping before. But I needed these in a rush and out of the popular and trustworthy stores, LensVillage was the only one to have a flat rate shipping policy and had the lowest international express shipping price(sue me if I'm wrong). Their international shipping was only $12, so I asked a friend to order with me which made the shipping price lower.

Shipping:

The packaging was pretty standard. It was wrapped up and the packaging had no dents. It came with two animal contact cases. Everything look like it was nicely and carefully put together. Shipping was really fast too. Despite a huge snow storm, it took 4 days to reach my door after it was shipped. My only peeve is that it takes 3-4 days for them to actually process my order out for shipping. I think that the longest I ever heard for any company. So with that in regard, they receive 3.5/5 stars for shipping.

Price:
The prices on the website are standard for most of the major retailers of circle lenses (i,e loveshoppingholic, pinky paradise, honey color etc) Most contacts are around $20 which isn't an abnormal price. Honestly its a sigh of relief for some of us New Yorkers, because the only place to physically buy circle lenses is a store in Flushing, Queens and they up the price all the way to $40 for non-name brand circle lenses. Man, ya should of seen my face with that lady when she told me that price. I didn't even haggle, I stormed my ass out. But I do recall once a time a go when I used to sell circle lenses, the bulk order of Geo Lenses straight from the manufacturer was about $8-$12 a pair, however Geo mandates all retailers to sell at a certain price. Dueba and other big manufacturers however (at the time) did not mandate this. So are you really telling me the price shouldn't be even a tad lower? You know beat out the competition with prices...

But it is a comfortable price so 4/5 stars for that.

If you can see (I'm sorry my camera didn't focus), the website on the container is thedollyeye.com which explains pricing aspect a bit but also makes you question, if you are only going to buy per say one pair from the Puffy 3 tone series, skip the middleman and you get a lower price and free shipping.

Promotions:

This made the store really attractive. I didn't originally look for the sales because I was in a rush but they were holding some excellent sales. I had purchased the Puffy 3 tones Violet and the Geo Nudy Browns for my friend, so we qualified for the buy 2 get one free deal. So I received the Geo Nudy Blues for free. Following that, they had an instagram promotion where if you posted a picture of your new lenses, you get a rebate. I was lucky enough to be one of the first 50 so I did get that rebate. On top of that I already had 5% off the order to begin with thanks to Carisse Iris (mydarlingrainbow)'s reference code.
So they recieve 5/5 because that was the best sales I ever stumbled upon accidentally.

Customer Service:

I was actually expecting terrible CS but they were really on point. Despite me not having a real issue. I did FB message their PR on how I really needed those lenses on time and 4 days had passed without my items being shipped yet. Within a few hours my order status had changed. I also got an email when I got the rebate. It was personalized and very professional which honestly had impressed me. \

So 5/5

Will I ever buy from them again?

On overall service they deserve a 4.3 so yes whenever I have a big order or need fast shipping I will order again. I didn't have any ordeals whatsoever.

I hope this helps you guys when searching for a circle lenses retailer. This review was not sponsored in any way or form.

I will be posting the actual review on the Geo Nudy Blue and an updated review on the Dueba Puffy 3-tone Violet soon.

In the meantime keep up with my social media.
Instagram
Youtube
Tumblr
Twitter

The Reprisal

2014-02-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

New York winters are terrible.

I'm literally snowed into my house with 12+ inches waiting outside for me. There is more snow to come too.

I know the people in the city are like this snow is nothing. Please drive 10 miles north so I can throw 20,000 snowballs at you.

People down south, 2 inches of snow and the whole state gets shutdown.

I hate winter.

Thanks to winter, my package from lensvillage.com got delayed. So when I do get it, I'll go ahead and review it. But in the meantime here are more sneakpeaks from secret project.

These were rushed and edited because I needed pictures for a casting call prompto.

I passed the casting call by chance. But the fitting and dress rehearsal is during my trip to Japan so -___- thats a negative. For some reason, my hair looks like an ombre blue when the photo was printed so I love it to the max but now my agency has it (I wanted to keep it and hang it on my wall lol)

If you like this look be sure to hype it up on lookbook

Ciao Lovlies

The Black Barbie

2014-01-29T07:28:00.001-08:00

Th"Ooo Honey, your so gorgeous."

"You should be a model"

"You look just like a doll"

"You might as well be a barbie"

That's how it starts. A little flattery, some confidence, and bam you think you're hot shit.

"But... You could lose a little weight" *cough* "I mean alot."

"You could use a nose job"

"Gurl you need some of that brazilian body wave!"

"You should dye your hair"

"You should cut it all off."

"You should go natural." (This always a wtf qq cuz I AM natural)

Everyone seems to dictate your life besides you! They want to correct you to be in their vision!

This is me and nothing can change that.

"Oh thats what they all say."

"Have you tried bleaching your skin? You're a little too dark."

"Tattoos and piercings? Tut tut tuut"

Then the guys be like

"Ay yo shawty. You are so damn fine."

"Oh wow, stop for one moment so I can admire your beauty."

"But uh, well I kind already have girl friend."

"Your pretty but just not my type."

"I'll call you" but doesn't

I'm not one to pay attention to uneducated bottom feeders anyway but oh well.

#thiscouldbeusbutyoubeplayin

So whats the point I'm trying to bring across? There is a whole craze about being perfect and looking like a doll. Truth be told I dont find it hard to compare myself of a doll. Every rapper wants to be called the Black Barbie and be cute and everything. Being called a barbie is like the highest praise in some parts of the fashion industry. People get surgery and do crazy work to look closer to a barbie. Does anyone realize beside the makeup aspect that a looking like a barbie is extremely unrealistic. I cant even get my hair boned straight like most barbies nor can I achieve that level of thinnest and keep my curves in the same way a Barbie does.

But the sad thing is a billion of other girls, myself included, will still try. What the difference between ulzzang and barbie-ism. Its trying to achieve best-face, no? There is a clear connection of gyaru and barbiesm too.

The leading modeling scam going on is called Barbizon! Conciedence? I think not!

To step away from unrealistic imagery is the first step. You know what you can and cannot become. Forget what society idealizes beauty as look for your own inner beauty. When you are beautiful on the inside it will shine on the outside! Someone will see it whether its a photographer or your future husband.

The argument still stands that you are beautiful as you are, no questions asked.

In other news, my birthday is coming up and i'm so sexcited! Im in the midst of planning it now so thats why I might be off my blogging. As usual I still got my pending Japan trip stressing me out. Nothing much is going on in my life besides that so forgive me in advance.

Ciao lovelies!!

So I'm going to Japan

2014-01-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

For the first time.

Trust me, I'm not calm. So much has been coming up lately and I can't really remain contained. So I'm going to blog up all my prep and the actual trip as it comes. I'm really stressing actually.

A major thing is my modeling career is about to really start and so many things are not really settled. My finances for Japan isn't quite set. I'm hoping that my tax returns will come in time to give me an extra boost but that isn't quite for certain. Why do these correlate with each other? Modeling is quite damn expensive to get a start in. Your agent might give you some costly "advice" to help improve your career. Photographers for your portfolio is also expenisve at first, getting to casting calls (if you don't live in nyc) can be costly. It's alot being thrown at you.

Then with school.... my fiancial aid got messed up, so things are bit more complicated. I am attending school, but I'm stressing over getting it fixed as soon as possible so I can possibly buy my textbooks.

But Japan. This post is all about Japan.

I still don't have a passport and I'm leaving in 7 weeks. *begins slow claps*

I don't know what to do with my hair either. Don't think I'll be able to afford box braids or full head weave but I don't want to have my hair out because we are going to Hawaii after Japan annnd I'm filming in both locations. I might buy a wig, idk..

Then the elephant in the room returns! I have to tone up my tummy or else for this trip. I'm going to be in a bikini in Hawaii and I'm going to wear some fitted clothing in Japan.... err. Lovely right?

And I need to buy some circle lenses >__< I need a pair for all my shoost, my birthday, and etc. I swear by them so much, there is never a photographer who dare tells me take them out.

Well everything else is settled.

I leave in March and I'm traveling with my sister to Shinjuku and Shibuya. We have a nice ittenary that involves visiting Meji Shrine, Alice in Wonderland Resturant and other things. Beside my one day filming and maybe a photoshoot sess with an amazing photograher, the whole idea is just to enjoy being in my dream city. (But for the sake of supersition and my bad luck trend I'm not trying to announce too much)

I don't want to shop too much because 1. I don't want to disappoint myself with clothes that won't fit and 2. Tokyo is uber expensive.

Hopefully, my jobs will have hours again soon and my budget will become beautiful. Hopefully I get some paid gigs too. If anything I'm just going to have to get a third job on campus (Yes that sounds quite wonderful).

I will keep you guys updated. Please if you have tip or helpful suggestions, leave them in the comment box below. I could use any type of help you guys may offer.

Ciao,

A Size 8 Model is Plus Size

2014-01-15T23:35:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies, above is a bit of a sneak peek to a project I'm working on :). Lately I've done a few model gigs and I figured why not I really go into it seriously part time. Something to help pay college and learn how to take critism. I've signed on with a local agency and honestly I have a very long way to go before I can become anything. But I love it and it's such a cool experience so far.

One thing that has been firmly placed as an obstacle however just happens to be my size. I have a gut, big boobs, and wide hips which all contribute to me being in between a Size 8 and Size 10. What I didn't know was it made me a plus size model.

At first I thought wow that's crazy because I mostly fit into mediums and even smalls but I didn't throw any contest to it. It's whatever. What really blew me over was that even in casting calls I often got rejected for being "too small". If I was to go to a straight size casting, I would be told I'm too big. Seriously?? (>__<)

There is no fair playing field in modeling, your either a size 4 or a 14. No one wants to see an Average Annie.

Okay, cool, cool... maybe I should look at exotic modeling and club promotions. Like Crystal Renay, you know....

You got to have a big boobs, an even bigger butt, and an even flatter stomach. I no longer have a flat stomach, I have a bit of pudge and my ass is not that round. Honestly no type of workout could make me look like that^^. It all only comes down to either working out until I'm a size 6 or getting plastic surgery. Both things I'm not too ecstatic about and even question the possibility. I probably can't even get down to a size 6 because my hips are wide and bony.

Even Alternative Modeling is a tough one. I don't have enough tattoos or piercing for that -___-. Yea maybe I could dress a certain way for certain shoots but any model could do Alternative if it doesn't involve tattoos and piercing.

For now, I'm just keep hitting thy gym whenever there is space on my heavy schedule (I mean 2 jobs, college, and modeling- no biggie right).

But you know what's really crazy?

A campaign like this. One the right is a size 4 model and on the left is a size 8.

No, fashion is not created equal and it shouldn't be played off as if it is. There is no such thing as one size fits all. Instead of putting a regular size 8 they should of a size 14 on the cover for some realism.

I honestly don't vibe to this shoot and I wish they had done it properly.

Well that's all I had to say lovelies.

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US stores that Supply Himekaji Clothes

2014-01-08T12:30:00.002-08:00

Hello Gals!!

Don't you hate it when you see cute clothes from your favorite stores like:

Ma*rs

disclaimer: Ma*rs is really a agejo brand that you can flex into himekaji and roma gyaru

Liz Lisa

Ank Rouge

and they don't ship abroad??

Then your favorite stores that do ship abroad:

Bonbon21 for example

have astronomical shipping prices.

How do you get around it?

Well do you know that a lot of stores in the U.S can supply your himekaji needs?

A lot of Gals think they need to completely mimic the models that they see in magazines to complete the "look". That isn't true at all. The look is characterized essential elements. Once you have those elements you can buy clothes anywhere that will suit you. Also don't doubt any piece of clothing, anything can be worked into a kawaii outfit (except spikes and excess black- they are a no-no for himekaji lol). I will explain himekaji elements in another post.

Forever 21 stores are major hunting grounds for himekaji girls. The website may not show it well but Forever 21 stores have a section dedicated for feminine/girly style.

Forever 21 Himekaji by katie-19 featuring forever 21 tops

Forever 21 top
forever21.com

Forever 21 crochet top
forever21.com

Forever 21 tiered skirt
forever21.com

Forever 21 pink plaid skirt
forever21.com

mauve SKATER
forever21.com

An example of an outfit that could be made at Forever 21

These items are not found at F21 but a similar variation can be form

Agaci, which has slowly been climbing into favorites list, has really given me this life! They are the only store in an entire mall (reminder Palisades Mall is the 11th biggest mall in the US) that has romantic color palette. This is perfect for Himekaji and Roma Gyaru.

Agaci Himekaji by katie-19 on Polyvore

A'GACI Bow Peplum Pencil Skirt - BOTTOMS
agacistore.com

A'GACI Lazy Days Lace Blouse - TOPS
agacistore.com

A'GACI Pretty Bow Peplum - TOPS
agacistore.com

A'GACI Soft Bloom Top - TOPS
agacistore.com

I don't usually add Delia to my shopping list because they can be a tad but pricey but they do have a lot going in store as well as a lot of kawaii accessories.

delias himkaji by katie-19 featuring a red tee

Red tee
delias.com

Green pleated skirt
delias.com

Dot Mesh Skater Skirt - Skirts - Clothing - dELiA*s
delias.com

The following stores had himekaji worthy clothes in store but I couldn't extract it from their websites.
H&M
Jennyfer (RGA)
Papaya

I leave out Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal (whom would've normally made this list) because they are too mainstream and mode style right now.However I've bought some cute accessories from Charlotte Russe and they did once have bow shoes if that count.

Another thing that a lot himekaji and roma gyaru's forget is that storenvy caters to a lot of our needs. Don't be afraid to even search within the sweet lolita stores. They have plenty of cute items for everyone! One of my favorite stores is Bow Kuma.

bowkuma by katie-19 on Polyvore

Holographic Princess Double Bow from Bow ♥ Kuma 毛のリボンくま on Storenvy
storenvy.com

Cotton Kuma from Bow Kuma 毛のリボンくま
storenvy.com

Birthday Cake from Bow Kuma 毛のリボンくま
storenvy.com

And the best part is they are local , inexpensive, and have a variety of cute stuff.

Please remember, its not the item that makes it himekaji, it's how you wear it! Especially the Agaci items, if you wear the items by themselves, they won't come out as cutesy as desire but with the right coord and accessories, it's very cutesy. Also adding lace to your pieces will help a ton too. Forever 21 sells a large variety of floral skater skirts that fit himekaji look as well, you just got to look and see what's cute.

So I hope that this really helps you gals when you go shopping.Tell me your opinions.

For more posts and daily feeds, please be sure to like my facebook page!

2014; start of an evolution

2014-01-03T18:57:00.002-08:00

Each year, I draft up a resolution and post it somewhere. I'm pretty good about resolutions. I'll check it several times a year and it may take me a year or two but one way or another the resolution will always come true. The one thing that never comes true (or rather, stay true) is probably my love life, lmaoo, you can't force things to hold on or be 100% perfect wtf.

My fortune cookie told me that "going too far is no better than falling short." Unfortunate for me, this year is the ambition year. I have a very positive outlook on this year and hope I can achieve a lot. I honestly don't think I know how to take a break or work less~ but oh well.

1. Open a blogshop:

My dream that I've been working on for a year, has always been slathered by financial shortfalls and inattentiveness. I really want to make this a reality.

2. Get a good camera:

This is a recurring thing for 2 years. I had a camera- it broke, got it fixed, it broke again. I have been using phone cameras for this blog and I absolutely hate it!!

3. Start working on my career:

Hopefully by this summer, I will work as a social media specialist or something along those lines. I love Visual Merchandising and Styling but I don't know how far I'm willing to go with that. I'll have to see, sooner or later everything will be figured out.

4. Finish and Get closer to publishing a book

I've been way to busy to really sit down and write but hopefully this year will be the year for me. I have all these story ideas for about 6~7 incomplete books which

5. Keep improving my style and make-up

I really want Bonbon21 items omg

I've involved into himekaji and roma gyaru fashion wise, makeup wise-no major improvement. Whether I go down the gyaru route is always up for discussion but fashion wise, I think I found my niche.

6. Work towards a flatter stomach and flexibility

I've done well towards having a healthy life style and working out (via dancing everyday) but visible weight loss in my core area is doing me so well. Also working on splits, scorpions, and toe touches is a must this year. DANCE IS LIFE.

7. On that note, improve as a dancer,

Overall I can only dance contemporary and jazz but struggle alot with hip hop. Hopefully this year I will learn a lot.

8. Succeed in school

^^even tho i'm not in high school anymore (insider joke)

I did very average last semester (because I was working 40hr weeks and getting home lord knows when). With my new schedules, I should be able to succeed better in school and get all As in every class.

9. Work on nail art

I came a long way this year and I still have some ways to go.

10. Make more and save more.

This year I want to be able to buy all the cute clothes I want and I want to have a comfortable amount of money in my bank (to let go of all any miseries that incurred last year)

11. Move out or have a princess room

dramatization

Moving out is a far off dream. But that princess room however it's gonna happen one way or another. No games, no games!

12. Live a little bit more exciting life

Cheesie lives a pretty exciting life

2013 introduced a lot of exciting things into my life but there is nothing wrong with just adding a little bit more?

13. Hopefully get my drivers license,

I know, 2 years in the making so far.

14. And as always be the best i can be and not what everyone else expects of me.

This year I didn't add blogging (or any other social media activities matter of fact) because at this point it should be the expectation, not the goal. So this year I will return to weekly blogging, I will update my twitter more (daily starting tonight). I will have twice daily updates on my instagram, and my facebook page will have daily posts.

So add me:

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

And I promise, a ton of interesting content will be coming your way soon, drafting at least 3 post tonight :3

Navel Piercing

2013-12-30T00:19:00.000-08:00

I was never too into the whole body modification scene. I always did think tattoo were cool but I never imagined that someday I would get a real one. I always did have a morbid fear of pain. When I was younger I remember accidentally watching LaToya Jackson spazzing out while getting her belly button pierced so I was always scared of piercings. I had my lopes pierced since I was young and no longer remember any discomfort. My parents are also firmly against any type of body modification. My mom's always trying to dissuade me from everything with the craziest excuse (like piercings hurt a whole ton and the area is just gonna get infected and fall off) but this is the same person that told me that splits would rip my vagina and heels would make my period worst because I'm tall (btw I'm only 5'6 I'm not monster tall).

There is nothing wrong with being regular height

It's not like I always wanted my belly pierced. I always wanted a monroe piercing or a nose piercing and even a tongue piercing. Belly piercing was just something that was just floating around me consistently.

My favorite blogger, Xiaxue had one.

The Queen Beyonce has one.

Two of my friends got theirs done recently so I started to like em but I had one problem... Err fat stomach.

The surest sign of a ratchet.

I literally spent over a year deciding on this. In the end, I was like, it's my body, fuck it and let me do whatever I want. Belly rings are super cute and I wanted something that would cover my ugly belly button.

So without my mother knowing knowing, I took the train to Fordham, Bronx after class (the day after the train derailment on a close by train line wtf) and went to a piercing place walking distance (Marion's Tattoos) from the station. I got to the piercing place and they told me the piercer left for the day FML. I was so pissed because I had set up an appointment and everything and I wasn't planning on returning to Bronx anytime soon. I remembered that many people mentioned Hectors as where they got piercings done. There's even youtube videos up from people's visits at his parlor.

He was really cool and very thorough in explaining everything. Took 5 minutes and he only charged me $25!! In the metro-suburbs that I live in it cost $35 plus an extra fee for the jewelry. The pain wasn't much but it was a tid bit sore all day (mostly because my stomach rolls were bouncing piercing back and forth every time I sat down. The best part is Hector recommends to back for a check up in 3 weeks and he gives you 2 free rings if you do as well as change the ball/ring during the session. To avoid an infection I will probably only change the ball.


The instagram pic I posted that day. I also had my tat touched up.

I'm super stressed about avoiding getting sick and keeping the piercing clean (which has already proven to be a challenge). So far, I've been doing good and it's no longer sore. My only concern is that I dance so the sweat and the constant core movement might effect my healing process.


Me dancing the week I got my belly pierced, no photoshop wtf.

Usually my belly ring is more of a private thing and I dont show it off.
What's next? Maybe I won't punk out of getting my industrial, maybe I'll even get my nipple pierced (haha fuck no, me=morbid fear of pain). Who knows whats next on the spontaneous-living-for-the-moment-college-life.

Galloween NYC

2013-11-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

I know Halloween was a while ago but I haven't had the chance to post about it until now lol...

I cleared one thing off my bucket list. I finally met the NYC gals. Well I got to meet a few of them. I met Lisa (Sayuri) and Hannah (whose online name I don't really know). They are both cool and really fun to party with. Halloween night was just sooo crazy in the city. I'm glad I went!

These photos were some of the few I managed to uncover from photographers that shot me that day . I got my photo taken so many times by various of bloggers and even reporters. I didn't think my costume was that great (it was just aspects of my usual clothes and a target add ons)

The worst part was I lost my IPod which held all my photos from that night. I took pictures with the cutest costumes too -__-

Outfit

Top: Agaci ($15~)
Bottoms: Conway ($5)
Necklace being used as a belt : Forever 21 ($8)
Ears, bowtie, bracelet set: Target ($8)

October Fashion on a Budget Coords

2013-10-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

Like always, I'm full of plans. Working a lot and an internship. The plan now is to go to Japan in March. So with that in mind, I'm trying to save up as much money as possible. Also network with some Tokyo-based bloggers to meet up with and get their view of the city. Lose some weight too cuz I'll be taking a lot of photos. This trip in march is just a sampler to see if I truly want to study abroad in Japan. As much as everyone keeps making Japan seem like the best place in the world, you never know till you experience it yourself.

So if you are going to Japan in March, let me know. Also in a couple of days- Galoween (gyaru x halloween) in Manhattan is supposed to happen. We don't have enough people as of yet, but if you want to meet up anyway. Also let me know. Just leave a comment below or on my facebook page. We can cordinate from there.

Now Lets Talk Fashion
September into October had a lot of fashion going on. As you know, we came out of fashion month and moved into Halloween month. I got inspired, saw some weird, and over worked myself into exhaustion.

Every few weeks, I take some of my paycheck and spend it on fashion. It's a necessity for me. I need to look chic for the things that I do, however it has to be extremely affordable. It's hard to shop through the sale racks too. Fast Fashion items aren't meant to last. If the item is on sale; it means its from one or two seasons ago, its not faring well with sales, or "just can't give it away". So most sale items are either fugly or you just wear it once and it hides in your closet until you throw it away. So I hunt mostly for cheap stores versuses sale items. Cheap stores like conway, prices are already discounted to under $10 and with good care, the item will last longer then it's expected lifespan.

My motto is: If it's more then $12 bucks and its not designer, it's not worth the buy. Exceptions to this rule will be clothes from discount resellers like Marshalls and Burlington then I cap off at $20 (more exceptions at the end of this post). Even clothes from HM and New Yorker which are mid-price are made from cheap fabrics so why pay the price for something cheap??

My favorite outfit :)
Top: Conway ($5)
Skirt: HM (sale) ($10)
Socks: Conway
Earrings: Charlotte Russe <3 p="">Hat: (which was my favorite thing in the world until I lost it =__=) Conway

I honestly don't get any respect as a blogger because I'm always posing in my school's bathroom lol

Jacket: Forever 21 (sale price $15)
Scarf: Charlotte Russe ($5)
Skirt: Jcpenny (gifted)
Tights: Dots (idr)
Booties: Dots
Sunnies: Midtown Manhattan Street Vendor ($5)

I'm obsessed with that scarf okay

Cardigan: Conway ($7)
Burgundy Leather Leggings: Forever 21 ($10)
Scarf: Charlotte Russe ($5)

Blouse: Conway ($7)
Skirt: JCP
Tights: Dots
Boots: Dots
Earrings: Charlotte Russe

Voila same outfit, 2 ways to wear it.

Now the last one preludes into some of the things I've been doing.

Blouse: Forever 21 (sale $15)

High Waisted Shorts: Thrifted

Tights: Social Apparel (2.99)

Jewelry: Charlotte Russe

For girls like me, who continously buy clothes no matter how big my wardrobe is. There is no reason to pay the extra price for clothes. Stay cheap, look chic.

Other exceptions to the cap-off rule:
Items that are classics (things that aren't going out of style for a long time; i.e jeans, cardigans)
Quality fabrics (you can fee the difference)
Speciality Designs (i.e spray painted t-shirts)

Hopefully these tips help you :) Good luck and Stay Chic

P.S 1 step closer to my tech dreams:

My new laptop

Now I just need a dslr camera and I'll be happy.

Kaichou Wa Maid Sama Review

2013-10-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Atlas, another end to a good shoujo. I think I'm going to run out of good reads at this rate. If you're in the midst of reading a good shoujo, suggest it to me in the comment box. Kaichou wa Maid Sama, or The President is a Maid?! is a japanese shoujo manga written by Hiro Fujiwara, (this is the title that creates her commericial success). This is a lengthy shoujo spanning 85 chapters, bounded into 17 volumes. As of this point of time, Kaichou Wa Maid Sama is one of the highest ranked shoujos out there.

Fairly similar to Special A, it has an atypical twist and rather strange romance. It has some shoujo cliches, some action, adventure, and quite a lot of funny and WTF moments. One reader described it as a smut without the smut. I wouldn't go as far as to say that but I will say it's... something else but not in a sexual way. Oh well, I don't want to spoil anything so I'll avoid talking going too deep into plot elements as much as possible.

What does the public say for this manga?

According to mangaupdates.com, a database for manga readers worldwide, users by average scored this story at 8.37. This is extremely high for a manga since most mangas don't surpass a score of 9. My favorite manga of all time and one of the top 5 (completed) only has a score of 8.98 (meanwhile Skip Beat which is still at its peak has maintained a 9.08 wtf). Only 37 % of readers gave this story a 10 (only 2% higher than Vampire Knight and 1% higher than SA).

So here is my scoring for the manga

Storyline/ Writing:

The overall plot is worthy of 8.5

Why?
The story is cute, consistent, and coherent all the way until we start peering into Usui's past. Somethings weren't clear and others were irrational. The whole spin of his past sounds so cliche and so similar to Private Prince. Then the whole england arch, was just overdone and over caculated. Followed up by the final arch, the more their relationship evolved, the less engaging the story becomes. The final chapter was efficent in tying up too many loose ends which is great in some ways but hurt some aspects of the story. It was a rushed reunion and just listing every possible loose end and tied it up (similar to Gokinjo Mongotari but less satifying). The ending was rushed. However 8.5 is reflecting the story as a whole which is excellent. There are many powerful archs, character growth, and love tryst that makes the story compelling. The twist of Misaki, who works so hard to achieve what she wants; for her family and herself, is extremely admirable. Thats something you don't quite see in media anymore. Shoujos no longer reflect that anymore, they mostly reflect on a damsel in distress type of writing.

Art:

Worthy of a 8

Not top notch, but good enough (in comparison to other shoujos), passable enough to be in a higher rank. In the begginning, every character had similar eyes and it made it hard to differentiate them at times. The idiot trio looked way better drawn in the beginning of the manga. Usui did not look hot, overall the art was very 90s and similar to other artists that were popular in the 90s.Take note the manga began serialization in 2006. However the artist does a beautiful job of improving the quality of art. Things become more detail, more modern, the art is completely different from the first chapter by the last chapter. That being said, this story isn't a 10 in art like Say I Love You.

Literary Merit:

Worthy of a 9

Its hard to pick up on these, writing wise, but the ones you do pick up are good. There is a lot of character growth, a lot of chemistry between characters and good variety of dynamics. Its make the story a worthwhile read. This is probably why the story scored so well among readers. The story is rich in character dynamics. Every character is relatable, many foil each other (i.e Misaki two friends are foils), and their relationships are realistic.

Overall : 8.5

My scoring is higher by the general public by 13%. That is quite a big gap (because mangas generally don't score higher then a 9). My guess because I evaluate the literary merit sepperate from the plot. Had I not given the extra .5, my score would of been a 8.33 , in lined with the general public.

My verdict:

GO READ IT! Trust me, it's way better then some of the garbage thats being serialized right now. Depending on your interests, it's just as good as Vampire Knight. The anime is really cute too ---> One of the few animes I enjoyed watching.

Disagree? Agree? Want more? Comment below! Also make sure you like me on facebook for more reviews and other posts!!

How to Land an Internship in the Fashion Industry

2013-10-17T20:25:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when I'm in my suburban home town, I pretend to be something like a local celebrity to these high school and middle school girls. I tell them all sorts of stories about dreams and ambition yet I....I ain't shit!

There will always be someone who one ups you in life, there always will be bridges to burn, but the one thing I tell girls all the time "Keep going, keep doing, and never look back."

Trust me, I've burned a bridge or two (or 25) but I'm young, fresh out of high school and pushing myself beyond the boundary that defines what is a successful person.

Everyone's definition of success is quite different. My definition of success is financial freedom (and liberation from my parent's grasp). In order to achieve the latter, I need to be able to work in a field that I love. There are many ways to go about it.

I love fashion and social media. Its extremely hard to break into the fashion world. Social media however---> blog, camera, brain-- and you're done.

So I combined the two and searched for some work in there. The thing was I did a few campaigns some odd years ago and not much else I could run with. I wasn't financially capable to really participate in an internship in high school, even though I was offered a few.

Right after high school, my friend introduced me to some work with a fashion show producer. After that I did two retail jobs and from there I was working in and out of the industry through various connections I built on the way. Come September I packed that all into my resume and I applied to a lot of places.

The one who replies back first, is usually the one I stick to. That's been my way of getting every job I've gotten so far. I usually do well on the interview process.

Key Things to Getting an Internship

Apply, Apply, and Apply again: I think I filled out about 120 applications for internships in a 2 or 3 day span. My current internship replied back to me within an hour, thats how I knew they were the one. It can be a good or a bad thing.
Networking: I had a 30 year old retail manager that couldn't find a job in her field after college. She didn't have any connections and had only 1 internship. If you want a job once you graduate, then you need some serious networking skills.

Give 200% to everything you do and you should be fine.

You should know however, before you can break into the fashion industry, you have to do a lot of work for free. Even then, it's hard to break in, and stay in. I didn't quite find that a problem with PR internships that weren't directly in the fashion world. Your best bet, to skip a few innneccesaries, do an unpaid internship in fashion and do a related paid internship. Because I work at the pace, I do now, I aim to have an entry level job by the time I have my associates and move on to something big by the time I graduate.

How to ace the interview:

I can only give very general advice on this because I never had been turned down because of a bad interview. I just know that the best thing to do is be yourself yet be the image they want. Never lie or anything but if you know you aren't what they are looking in their target audience then you might want to pick up an acting book or two.

Key things is to be modest stylish. Show some style and show some restraint. Bring out the Devil Wears Prada's Andrea Sach's smarty attitude but don't forget who you are.

Keeping the Job???

Internships aren't as glamorous as they are made to seem. It often or not, a lot of hard work. Even the simplest task seems to kick you down. I know for fact, schooling full time, working full time and part time internship was kicking my ass every day. My blog was vacant for too long!!

Most of the time you might not being doing any work towards your field. Sometimes you will be doing minor work. Just make sure you keep a balance of everything that needs to done and put all effort possible towards it.

I thinks that all I can say towards interning in the fashion industry. The industry is quite different between the creative side and the business side so I know it's a bit vague but that all you really need to know towards getting and keeping an internship.

So if I have any more advice, I will update this post! I hope you enjoyed this post!

Liz Lisa/ Tralala/ Jugetta A/W 2013 Concept

2013-10-06T21:42:00.002-07:00

So lately I've been wanting to get in touch with the side of me that was rambunctious and creative like I was when 16. I think in some ways it's a maturity thing and other ways it's suppression. I used to never care what others thought of me, flaunt my single status with no cares in the world. I dressed the way I somewhat wanted to and wore whatever man-repelling style I wanted. Back then gyaru inspired me but high school pressure made me not pursue it beyond my bedroom. Then I got a boyfriend and had to bring it down a notch. I brought it down about 10 notches down. Now I'm free, f@ck the social order that compressed my style freedom to a box.

Soooo if you've been reading my crap blog for that long then you must know that when I was 16, I was obsessed everything that was Liz Lisa (I still blame Xiaxue and Cheesie for that). 2 years later not much has changed. It inspired my style and even now, I look for look-alikes when ever I enter a Forever 21. This season, Liz Lisa did a super well job bringing together my current style: French Retro! They even swapped their typical catalog for a magazine! I'm in love.

This is the exact style I've been loving this season; french, retro and girly. I love every piece that is being displayed here and the best part is, I work at a mall where I can find tons of similar items.

Tralala wasn't a brand that I was into last spring. They also went for a retro french concept.

If only I could wear this stuff as good as these models O.o...

Jugetta was the only brand from the company that owns Liz Lisa to really upset me. It was nowhere as nearly as good as it was when it first debuted. I guess they are having a change in target audience or something because the whole look was 10x maturer then before thus no longer suiting my taste -__-.

The stuff above was the items I did like. Everything else in their collection just was meehhhh.

Anyway what do you guys think of this collection?

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Ariana Grande + Skater Skirts

2013-10-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

If you keep up with my instagram, you must know about my obsession with skirts. But just not any type of skirts, I love skater skirts. I like the flippy, flirty image the skirts create. If the skirt is pleated it makes a very schoolish look. If the skirt is fuller in shape, it create an illusion of fuller hips (and hides my muffin top lol)

This probably explains my love of casual lolita and schoolgirl uniforms.

This explains my love of Ariana Grande's style. To be honest, everyone (including myself) in my graduating class never quite understood how or why she wasn't casted as the title character in Victorious. She was ten times the singer and actress than seasoned actress Victoria Justice was. I mean everyone in the cast just seemed way more talented then her to me.

Ariana Grande has just a beautiful innocent look that vibes the 1950s style. Maybe I'm just in love with anything that's not modern, I just hate this 2000s time period. The music isn't as good, the style is lame, so many things. However every period except the 70s and 60s, gets me so inspired and
want to adapt that into my style. Everything about Ariana from makeup, to music just vibes that "I'm born in the wrong time-period" feels that I just can't help but love.

Several Ways to Wear a Skater Skirt:

My favorite way to a skater skirt is just with a nice blouse. Typically for me, it's a nice collared button down.

#2 Way is to pair it with a blazer and blouse. This is awesome way to make the skater skirt office appropiate.

If you want casual it up, pair it with a loose knit sweater.

For a night out on the town, any night-life top looks great with a skater skirt.

Last but not least the ultimate casual look is with a denim jacket. EVERYTHING looks casual with a denim jacket.

From sidewalk to catwalk, I really feel that skater skirts are going to be such a long lasting trend. Might even persist into becoming a classic item like pencil skirts or cardigan. *Crosses fingers with hope*

This would be my typical outfit, if I was trying to mimick Ariana Grande.

I own about 6 different skater skirts but I only wear only 2 or 3 of them rather often.

What;s your favorite item in your wardrobe?