Mangotatoes

Portland: Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 05:50:00 +0000

Here's the third of the set from my Portland trip this summer. Of course I had to do a landscape post. It was so beautiful there and insanely different from California. Everything is so so green and lush I love it.

Portland: The Grilled Cheese Grill

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:31:00 +0000

Ahh, has two weeks come by already? School is burning me out, this is what I get trying to get a masters and a certificate at the same time. Obviously, I'm WAYY behind on these updates, but alas, here I am awaken from my blogging slumber. One of the things I miss about Oregon is the food carts. Now living in Southern California, we're all a little use to this recent food truck craze sweeping the state, but I'm a bit more fond of these little stationary trucks with their cute patios. It sets up quite a blockbuster scene in the midst of the misty Portland weather. On this particular day, we headed to The Grilled Cheese Grill. Apparently, when you think of grilled cheese, the nostalgia of elementary school lunches and a yellow school bus come to mind because that's exactly what accompanies this quirky food truck. The food was delicious, as expected, although me and b weren't quite daring enough to try the "Original Cheesus," which is two grilled cheese sandwiches in replacement of two buns in a 1/3 lbs. cheeseburger. We opted to share the "Baby Cheesus" with only one grilled cheese inside a burger. Still delicious if you can't already tell by the photo. My mouth is watering as I recall these tantalizing memories. If you're ever in the area, check them out! Here's their website: The Grilled Cheese Grill

Portland: Voodoo

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:28:00 +0000

Hello again! Thought I'd finally upload the rest of my trip from earlier this summer. After Toronto and New York, I hopped on a plane to Oregon to visit family! Of course, one of the first places we stopped by was Voodoo Doughnuts. I was definitely excited to try this place out after hearing about it for awhile. We picked out the famous maple bacon bars (yum!), Captain Crunch, and I'm afraid I forgot the rest of the names (but if you know, feel free to remind me). On our way back home we decided to take some back for our friends and family, let me tell you, I have never been so territorial over food in my life! I received a lot of eye envy and got a lot of comments from salivating onlookers. Definitely a neat place to try if you're visiting!

Ps. I've started school again, so get ready for more sporadic blogging. Hopefully I'll be able to upload more photos from my trip, I've got tons!

Salt and Pepper + Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:05:00 +0000

H&M top, Victoria Secret slip, Aldo shoes, Forever 21 necklace

One of the best outfits I could wear on an extremely hot day. Socal weather has been pretty brutal the past couple weeks and it's hard not to resist daisy dukes and crop tops, but I felt it was time to actually look somewhat presentable (if you call being half dressed presentable, obviously I have low standards lawl). The different textures of this dress/top is what caught my eye. It's a bit different from typical H&M-wear, which is what I love.

I bet you're all, "shut up and tell me who won?!" Okay Okay, enough with me blabbering, the winner is Uyen Diep! Congrats Uyen, I will be contacting you shortly!

SwimSpot Review and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:31:00 +0000

Ella Moss Bandeau c/o Swimspot

A couple weeks ago, I was contacted by Swimspot to review a swimsuit! Their perfect timing couldn't have been better since it is summer and all. I happily chose to the Ella Moss Bandeau suit. It has the perfect coral shade for my skin and prettiest little ruffle. One of the best things I like about this suit is that it has built in padding so you won't ever lose them in the wash, this is obviously something I've had experience in hah. It also comes with adjustable/removable straps for added support (just in case you decide you want to play football or volleyball on the beach). Both the top and bottom pieces also have adjustable straps to easily fit most body types. I personally got a Small on top and XS on the bottom.

One of the awesome things about Swimspot is that on their site they have a Fit Specialist section that helps customers find out the perfect suit for their own body size. I know that as a petite girl myself, I don't want to be inundated with too much material that it overpowers my small frame and the Fit Specialist totally helps with that! Here's a video about Fit Specialist if you want more information:

Because Swimspot offers many different swimsuit brands on their site, they also allow for various types of mixing and matching different suits to your hearts content through Bikini Builder! It's like having your own virtual bikini doll at your command! If you want more info about Swimspot in general, feel free to follow them on Facebook and on Twitter.

Now for the good stuff, Swimspot has generously offered one of you to try out Swimspot through winning a $50 giftcard! I've chosen Rafflecopter to help make this exciting experience all the more easy. The raffle ends in one week, I will post the winner in my next post (one week from today) and contact them within 24 hours. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, I will chose another winner. Goodluck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at mangotatoesblog@gmail.com

floral arrangement

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 02:07:00 +0000

Floral cut out blouse c/o Swaychic, vintage suede skirt, Payless heels, vintage belt

Lately, I've just been trying to beat the heat by staying indoors or lingering wherever there's an air conditioner. This blouse definitely helped keep me cooler. It's incredibly light weight for this sweltering heat and I am so thankful! A couple weeks ago, a company called Swaychic contacted me to try out one of their products of my choice. I was enamored by this shirt as soon as I saw it on stock. Cut outs are very prevalent this season and so are florals, and this piece is a great combination of both. A lot of the pieces from Swaychic are really great too, I would equate their style to that of Urban Outfitters and around the same price range if not cheaper. (And the best thing I loved was the super fast shipping! I hate waiting around, but they sure sent me stuff quickly, loveeee it)

I thought it would go great with this amazing vintage skirt I picked up in Portland when I was on vacation. Oh man do I miss shopping in those thrift stores (AND no sales tax!). I'm not much of a purple gal, but I couldn't say no to such a fun piece. Hope you guys are staying cool!

Sseko Designs

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:45:00 +0000

As promised, here are more photos and information about Sseko Designs! When the company first contacted me about a collaboration, I was thrilled. If you know me personally, I've always been interested in activism and this brought a perfect way to combine fashion and activism. Sseko Designs was started by Liz Forkin Bohannon, who traveled to Uganda and saw first hand how difficult it was for women to financially support their college education. By starting Sseko Designs, the company gives Ugandan women the opportunity to work and help fund their education through scholarships, which are raised by handmaking these sandals and selling them. Sounds wonderful right? If you're still interested in learning about the company here is a link to the website: Sseko Designs. Also, they have stories of the Ugandan women who profited from these sandals and also current students.

As for the sandals, well, they're beautiful aren't they? Walking around in them, I can vouch that they are one of the most comfortable shoes I've ever set my little feet in! I love the fact that you can also change up the styles, from gladiator to t-straps, the ways of styling are endless. And don't worry about not knowing how to style them because Sseko Designs have already made video tutorials that are conveniently on their website to help (I know I needed some help, hah!) The particular style shown here is called The Classic, it took all of two minutes to style the shoe. The color I chose was from their wedding series: Royal Blue Wedding (DON'T Worry Mom, no plans there). The straps are pretty durable and won't break due to constant styling. The bottoms are very sturdy as well.

If you want a pair of your own, fear not! I have a 15% off discount code that will be available to use all of August: MaryGrace30

Aegean

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:02:00 +0000

Zara top, H&M shorts and necklace, vintage belt, Mossimo beret, c/o Sseko Royal Blue wedding sandals

I felt like a mix of Parisian and sailor yesterday, but I must say, I loved this color combination. Apparently blue and yellow are my go to colors lately. The other day I received these beautiful sandals by Sseko Designs, a company based out of Portland. Not only are they a beautiful pair of sandals, but the company also has a wonderful message. I'll be posting another post about this company and the shoes later today, I'm sure you will all be amazed at what they've offer. I've also got a sweet discount for you guys if you stick around!

dotted

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:18:00 +0000

C/O Oasap Polka Dot blouse, Abercrombie kids jeans, vintage belt, Vince Camuto sandals, vintage Dooney and Bourke sling

I received this very pretty batwing blouse from Oasap a week ago and it goes perfectly for summer weather. The lightweight fabric is great for the beach or just hanging around town. I wore this out during a shopping break yesterday. Do you guys ever get those days when you agree to go on a shopping trip with your friend and don't plan on buying anything, but then you COMPLETELY fail at this and buy something ridiculously amazing (and may I say usually out of my price range)? Yeah, happened to me yesterday, but I'm pretty happy with my choice. Good thing is, I finally used my Urban Outfitters discount on myself after having it for over a year! Somehow large purchases feel a bit better when you know you're getting a 25% off discount, right? Okay, that's probably just me. Anywho, I'm ready for fall with my new awesome sweater hah.

spin cycle

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:12:00 +0000

thrifted and reconstructed shirt, C/O Sugarlips Accordian Skirt, Payless heels, F21 accessories, thrifted kids belt

I received this beautiful skirt from Sugarlips a couple weeks ago and decided to wear it out this weekend. It's gorgeous isn't it? The asymmetrical design is what caught my eye and I thought it was such a fun piece. And I do mean fun. I was twirling for about an hour in this skirt! The BF thought there was something wrong with me, but I couldn't help myself. It took a lot of willpower to not post about a zillion twirling pictures, which is ironic because it's pretty hard taking them. Seriously, how do all these other lovely blogging ladies get so many cute twirling pics? Well, if you've got any advice on that, please share!

ps, you guys like that no-buttoning the last button action going on? lawlz.

Alegria Cocina Latina

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 04:06:00 +0000

These are photos from a month ago, eekk, bad blogging. Well, at least they're up now. We've been living in LB from almost a year now and we're still trying to explore our little playground. Food is definitely our tool for exploration and happy hour seems like our new best friend. Last month, we tried out Alegria Cocina Latina, a Spanish Tapas restaurant. I love the decor, especially the exposed bricks. Apparently during Tuesday nights there are free tango lessons given in the bigger dining area, but sadly, our adventure-bug isn't that big lol. The food was pretty good, a bit of spice and different kinds of sauces. Happy hour prices are definitely easier on my wallet (all appetizer Tapas are half off). If you're interested in checking this place out, here's what we got: Pa Amb Tomate al Horno, Croquetas de Carne and Albondiga Casera.

the 4th

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 19:39:00 +0000

H&M tank, H&M kids pants, Gifted jacket, Payless heels, F21 necklace, vintage Chanel bag

My outfit for the fourth–minus the shoes. I ended up switching to flats to be reasonable. I was über excited to wear these new pants that I got at the H&M sale back in Portland, they were only $7?! Can ya believe it? I can. I was actually rummaging through the kids department during an incidental trip to the mall (someone had to use the restroom while touristing lol). These pants have a great feel to them, which is why I love them more than I really should. I've been eyeing American Apparel's riding pants for so long, but felt I couldn't justify the HUGE price tag (or the fact that they came extremely long!). The pants size is 9 year old. I'm still a bit surprised I could fit into them. They're very comfortable and with all the eating I managed to get in during the holiday I would gladly recommend them to any other petite looking for cute trouser leggings! I'll be posting my photos from the actual day later on, but hope you guys like my outfit.

City Scape

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 00:46:00 +0000

thifted boys shirt, H&M skirt, Vintage Coach satchel, Vintage belt, Vince Camuto Sandals

I'm on another leg of my vacation right now and Portland is so much fun! Obviously our trip is filled with food and hanging out. (If you can't already tell by the bagel sandwich I'm eating, btw it was DELICIOUS!) I hope everyone else is having a great vacation!

Toronto pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:08:00 +0000

Just like the tourist that I am, I obviously visited Niagara Falls (on the Canadian side because we all know the US view sucks). I can tell you one thing about Canada, it's so much greener than California. And I'm not talking about the fact that they literally enforce recycling and environmental policies here, but it's LITERALLY green everywhere. There's so many trees here. I'm a bit out of my element. I'm much more use to dead grass on the freeways (unless you're in Irvine of course). The land here is so beautiful! The falls themselves were intense, I'm a bit scared about heights so just taking these pictures was a doozy. They were worth it though, so beautiful. I can't imagine being one of those people on the boats experiencing all that water though, eek! After the falls, we went to Marineland, which was near by. It sounds a lot like Marine World, but it's much more quaint. I love the fact that you can actually APPROACH the animals and touch them and feed them. To do that in the SD Zoo you've got to pay a pretty penny, which I obviously don't have lol. I think the best moment was getting to pet and feed a Beluga whale. They feel so weird, but I'd definitely do it again! As I write this I'm on my next leg of my vacation. Hopefully I can finally get some outfit posts! I leave you with one of the funniest pictures I've ever taken, Mr. Anthropomorphized Bear! Doesn't he look comfortable?

Toronto Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:48:00 +0000

Hello from Canada! I arrived in Toronto a couple days ago and I finally some time to relax. Somehow I always forgot how busy being a tourist can be! These past couple of days literally feels like a week has past we've done so much. Summer in Toronto has a lot in store, we actually bumped into the NorthxNortheast festival while riding on a tour bus. (Those tour guides are super entertaining, they made that 2 1/2 hour bus ride around the city so much fun.) Hope you guys like the shots from my snazzy new camera (which was gifted by my AWESOME parents, #thanksmom&dad)

White Leopard

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:46:00 +0000

Thrifted boys shirt, Abercrombie kids jeggings, Steve Madden Croquetl loafers, Vintage Coach satchel, Ray Ban Aviators

The other day we finally got to try Mick's Karma Bar in Irvine. One word: Delicious! Especially the strawberry basil lemonade. I haven't stopped thinking about it since. I'm usually not one for lemonade, but this is an exception. The plaza it's located in is in the middle of a ton of financial buildings so we thought to take some outfit pictures there. The wind was not my friend that day, if you can't already tell by my facial expressions, so please bear with me. In other news, I'm about to go on vacation within the next couple days, I'm not sure about internet availability, but I will try to update! If not, I'll be sure to have photos ready. Hope you all are having a fun summer holiday.

Le Creperie

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:00:00 +0000

And here begins the many eating adventures I will encounter this summer! I've been meaning to try Le Creperie for awhile since we moved here. Every time we go down to bustling 2nd street for a stroll, I've noticed a abundance of people congregated at that particular restaurant. So, as I finally turned in my last term paper, I thought to get brunch. We got there a couple of minutes before they opened so we were lucky we didn't have to wait for a table for long. The environment was parisian romance, with a bit of a can-can vibe. We ended up ordering waffles, I have a huge Belgian waffle addiction (need to try EVERYWHERE!), and also a ham and cheese savory crepe. All in all, I wouldn't necessarily pin it down as my favorite spot, but it's worth a try at least once. I want to try some sweet crepes next time.

Heat

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:44:00 +0000

Sonia Rykiel for H&M, Vintage Christian Dior cami, Abercromie Kids shorts, Thrifted knit, Mossimo booties, F21 accessories, Ray Ban aviators

It's been a minute since I posted an outfit post and I think it was due time. The weather in Socal has been a bit weird, really hot one minute, overcast and moody the next. But I can assure you, the heat is certainly coming! Summer is around the corner and you can tell by the big bites on my legs, URGH! I swear bugs are attracted to me so much more than anyone I know. Lately, I've tried to take advantage of being on summer vacay, which basically means I've been eating NONSTOP. Tis' the life. Be prepared to see a lot of updates on food hah.

Oh and if you've an Instagram, follow me: mtatoes.

Adore Me Review

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Tue, 29 May 2012 01:58:00 +0000

Adore Me Allie Lingerie Set

The lovely people at Adore Me contacted me awhile back asking if I was interested in reviewing one of their pieces. Adore Me is a lingerie company and website that works similar to companies who give their customers a consultation through a quick style quiz to match their customers with the perfect lingerie pieces. Each month you get a new collection to choose from and each lingerie set is $39.95.

In the beginning I was a bit iffy about trying this out, specifically because I'm not a lingerie type of girl. I'm all comfort when it comes to under garments, but I do love pretty things! Being a college student, I don't necessarily have the means to buy lingerie on a regular basis. $40 can be considerably cheaper than other products in lingerie stores. Here are some of my thoughts on the product.

Pro:

Quick delivery
Lots of choices
I love the design of the piece I chose
Team is very responsive to inquiries
You are not contractually tied to buying something every month, just whenever you feel like it.

Con:

Quality is not as good as I would like it to be
Sizing is a bit off. The bottoms were very loose on me, so I would not necessarily recommend this to petites.
The box it came with was not as sturdy and I would have liked and it got squished in the mail, and so did my pieces.

Andrew's Grad

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:29:00 +0000

Gifted overcoat, Thrifted blouse, Bullhead jeans, Thrifted sandals, Vintage Oscar De La Renta scarf

It's the end of the school year and what does that mean? GRADUATIONS! Our best friends/family have been graduating for the past couple weeks and it's been exciting to see them walking across stage. So PROUD! Here's a few shots from my friend Andrew's grad. PS aren't those money lei's amazing?!

News: NSMBL Contributor

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:47:00 +0000

Hi All! If you follow me on Twitter then, you have already heard the big news!

Starting today I am officially a contributor to NSMBL, an online magazine that seeks to inspire women all over the world through articles about fashion, art, food, and everything in between. I was contacted by Anna Nooshin, the cofounder, a couple weeks ago about possibly contributing to this amazing magazine and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to show photos of my life as well as share my art inspirations from female artists. I hope you will join me as I go on this amazing adventure!

I've already posted my first set of photomontages that include photos from this blog, instagram and other images that include my day to day life. To see more or click the image above, CLICK HERE.

Here is my intro on our masthead. You can go directly there through this link or the image: CLICK HERE.

Anjolee Review: Eternity Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:13:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago, Anjolee Jewelry contacted me about reviewing one of their pieces. Of course, I said yes and chose an eternity ring with garnet and cubic zirconia gemstones. I was quite impressed by the packaging as it came with a wooden mahogany box. The ring itself is quite elegant and simplistic. The perfect ring to wear for the every day outfit or a classic LBD.

One of the special things about Anjolee is that they allow, and even encourage, customization! The amount of variations for one piece are endless. I would definitely recommend this for petites, like myself, who have a hard time finding bracelets or rings for their tiny fingers and wrists. The price is a bit steep for student, but if I had the money I would invest in some amazing pieces. It'll be on my bucket list in the future. If you have the means and are interested, the response and production time for each piece is ridiculously fast. They respond to inquiries in a timely manner and are so helpful! This piece is definitely my new favorite.

As you can see by my photos, the outcome is beautiful.

They also customize anniversary rings for women, bridal set ring, and tennis necklace if you want more options.

(disclaimer: This review is based on purely my own opinion)

TGIF

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:37:00 +0000

H&M jacket, reconstructed thrifted mini dress, Target Mossimo Karsten booties, F21 necklace, Ray-Ban aviators

Apparently TGIF=no pants fridays, I'm cool with that! What I wore last Friday on what I realize now to be a double date, whoops. We went to my recently fave spot Olio's Pizzeria and Cafe. It's amazing stone-brick oven pizza and if you ask me the best one is the Magherita Plus with crispy Prosciutto. We've gone back almost every week for the past month. I can't help myself!

I'm wearing my favorite pieces as of late: the military jacket (if you already couldn't tell by my past 3 outfit posts) and these mossimo booties. The booties were a steal at only $10 from Target and the last was in my size! That's fate I tell you! They're pretty comfy once you've worn them in a bit and I've added insoles for extra cushion. The mini dress is a reconstructed thrifted blouse. I just put in the sides and shortened the arms. I was in love with the pattern as soon as I saw it on the rack.

I'm still in the middle of finals (first one is tomorrow, wish me luck!) so hopefully I can blog a lot more once summer has finally came. I've got some rather big news I'd love to share with you all in the upcoming posts so stay tuned!

May Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Wed, 02 May 2012 04:40:00 +0000

H&M jacket, Zara girl dress, Breckett boots, Target socks, vintage bag and accessories

Hi Everyone! It's definitely been one long hiatus! I've been neglecting blogging lately, but I'm finally back. School has been pretty busy and finals are in a couple weeks, so I'll probably be back hibernating in a few days. ;]

The sun came out last week and I thought it was the perfect time to bring out this dress. I bought it from Zara Girl, yep, from the girl's department. That department is like a gold mine for petites. It's a lot less cheaper and still has the same quality. Two birds with one stone! It was a perfect match with my vintage leather backpack I got awhile back at the Rosebowl flea market for only $20, thanks to my haggling bf lol .
I'm definitely excited for this summer, I've got some adventures planned and I can't wait! How's everyone's last weeks of school?

Fuchsia Craze

noreply@blogger.com (Mangotatoes) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:13:00 +0000

thrifted little boys shirt, H&M jacket, Target jeans, Steve Madden Croquetl loafers, H&M hat, vintage belt, vintage gold bracelet

On top of being in LOVE with leopard lately, I've been also obsessed with colored jeans! I'm pretty much a neutral kind of girl, but this trend is amazing. It makes a great pop of color to any outfit and there's a myriad of different stores that sell different colors and fits. I was quite surprised when my friend told me about these Target skinnies though, I usually can't fit normal sized bottoms so I tend to buy kids sizes. So for all the petites out there, this is a gold mine and it's only $22 a pair! There's tons of colors as well. Here's the link if you're interested: HERE. I want to go and buy more! Here, I'm wearing the smallest size 1 and they fit like a 12 or 14 slim for Abercrombiekids girls ;] The material is thinner than my Abercrombie colored jeggings, but they're pretty flexible which I like.