xo, Carla Mae

One Step At A Time

2016-08-18T21:22:00.000-04:00

"The only way to live is by accepting each minute as as unrepeatable miracle." ~ Tara Branch

Warning, this is going to be a personal post. Being thrust into the adult world has been one huge eye opening adventure. Every day I wake up realizing that what I had been so accustomed to the past sixteen years of my life was no longer my reality. I need to start taking on more responsibilities and accepting that every day from here on out will be even less and less predictable. Which, is terrifying.

Along with that fear though, is excitement. I do not remember the last time I wanted months to pass by already because of plans I am setting into motion and to finally be able to see the final outcome. I feel like this is part two of my post: Life, Post Grad. Or I guess, more of an update.

Not too long after that post was published, I found my big girl job, and I love it. It was no where near what I thought I would be doing. Throughout undergrad I had been preparing myself to enter the job force doing work in a field I thought I knew was everything I wanted to do with my life. Then I interned in that field and I realized, it was nothing like I thought it was going to be like. I thought I loved it, and I kept telling myself and everyone around me I loved it, but when I entered the job I am in now I realized that I really didn't.

I don't know if I'll be doing this forever, I highly doubt it, but it is one huge stepping stone for me and there is no regrets in deciding to leave the field I thought I wanted to take on this opportunity. Taking on this job not only provides me with the chance to work in the field I got my degree in and finally get some real experience under my belt, it also allows me to finally be able to support myself. I have been so extremely lucky to have to continuous support of my parents throughout my life, especially through college, but I really want to be able to support myself and finally give them a break. I'm learning how to save money to actually have a real savings account and how to budget everyday life costs.

Along with real life lessons being learned, I also realized every cliche I have heard throughout my life is pretty dang true.

My friend circle has shrank tremendously, and I'm not even sad about it. Working an 8-5 job and living in a different part of town as most of my friends definitely cut down the time I have to see most of them but every day I am reminded of who really matters. I have friends I have actually created a routine of seeing once a week to catch up and spend time and friends who have moved away to another state and our friendship only strengthened from there.

I have come to truly appreciate the people in my life and the blessings I have been given. I had been so worried in the months leading up to my graduation that I forgot that everything will happen when it is meant to and when we need it the most in our lives, you just need to have faith.

Now for the outfit details!

Shirt // H&M

Jeans // Hollister

Sandals // Forever21

Sunglasses // Forever21

Purse // Forever21

Be sure to check out the new feature on my blog, my shop, for all of the links to my outfits.

So, what has been going on in your lives so far? Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Handbag Essentials

2016-06-01T17:47:00.000-04:00

Hello my loves, so I'm testing out a new posting schedule to try and see what will be best for me and for the blog. With getting a new job, my daily routine has shifted and I'm trying to accommodate to both to ensure that I don't stress myself out as well as not to deter myself from working on my blog. Back to the post though, for today's post I wanted to share my handbag essentials. I've been trying to take care of myself more but with my habit of choosing sleep over allowing myself extra time to get ready, it gets a little tough to make time to ensure that I have everything I need. These are a few items I've noticed I always keep in my bag and always reach for when I do have time for myself and throughout the day.

Let's start with the makeup items, I have been wanting to wear makeup more frequently just so I look more put together in the professional setting. As I said earlier though, I choose sleep over everything so it gets kind of hard for me to wake up and put on a full face (nor do I really want to with all the heat and rain in Central Florida recently).

1. Too Faced Melted Matte (Cool Girl): A little under a month ago I bought a ton of makeup (which I will be posting a haul + review on soon) and I may have bought a little too many liquid lipsticks. (Is there really such a thing as too much though?) Most of the colors I got were nudes though because I am just not a bright lip kind of gal, and out of all the products I bought this one has easily become my favorite. I love the consistency and the application of it on my lips. The doe-foot applicator is so easy to guide, even for this unsteady handed person. For me it is the perfect nude lip that doesn't make me look washed out and the scent and taste is barely noticeable. The color is long lasting and barely needs any touch ups, even with lots of drinking and eating, the color will come to a natural and flattering fade.

2. Sephora Waterproof Universal Lip Liner (Clear): Since I have been using liquid lipsticks more often, I have learned (the hard way) that lip liners are very necessary. Feathering and bleeding out of your lip line is just so upsetting and no one wants that. I decided to just stick to this clear one because I can use it with any color lip product and it's waterproof so it will not budge.

3. Kat Von D Tattoo Liner (Trooper): Now this is a product I still have mixed feelings about, if you remember reading my review on the Ink Liner, I also had mixed feelings. I actually ended up warming up to the Ink liner and really enjoying it. After a couple weeks of use I figured out the best way to use it, until I realized that the Tattoo liner actually did exist (I always thought I misheard people saying its name and that it was always just the Ink liner). I was so excited because I thought that the hype was truly on this product and I had just been purchasing the incorrect product. When I finally did purchase this one I realized that it was even more of a disappointment to me. It rubs off much easier and is definitely not as long lasting. The brush tip compared to the felt tip is easier to use and the color is very black, but I definitely see myself going back to the Ink liner once this one dries up.

4. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm: This has been a handbag essential of mine since the 7th grade. I have tried other lip balms and chapsticks and I always find myself coming back to this item, so I decided to just finally stick with it. It's great and I love the minty tingly feeling I get from the peppermint within the product.

5. Mini Hand Mirror: I got this item from Forever21 probably 2 years ago, but I have kept it ever since. I get dry eyes a lot and need to put in fake tears to help relieve them as well as eyeliner reapplication. Having a mirror in our bag is an essential I believe everyone needs.

The Altoids Smalls are my new favorite mint candy, I used to buy the original Altoids but found the packaging to be a bit too bulky. Once I found out that they had created a smaller version, I immediately hopped on it. It's the same great Altoid flavor but in a much smaller packaging and a significantly smaller mint size as well. The Starbucks coffee technically is not something I keep in my bag but I always have one in my hands. Waking up early, regularly, is something new to me so I always need a little caffeine boost in the morning to get me going and what better way than with coffee.

Last but not least, a pair of sunglasses, one of my favorite pairs as well. I got these about a month and a half ago from Romwe for about $4 and I must say, they were the best purchase I made. They flatter all of my clothes and my face as well and protect my eyes from the sun. What more can you ask from a pair of sunglasses?

What are your handbag essentials for this summer? Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Corduroy Lovin'

2016-05-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

Originally, I did not like how this set of photos turned out, but over time (like most things in my life) I've come to actually like it. It's not my usual style and it has a different feel, which may be what changed my opinion on the photo set. This is one of my favorite outfits for the hot weather because I get to wear sleeves without the risk of heat stroke. The openings on the shoulders actually help with airing out the sweat glands, and a skirt is always better than a pair of pants. Also, I just love corduroy, who doesn't love running their hands against the fabric and seeing the pattern it makes and then neatly wiping it away?

Also, if you cannot tell, I am a big Disney fan. I have an annual pass and if you follow me on snapchat (shameless plug, @carlamaeramos) then you know I go to the parks pretty frequently. So I had to incorporate the mouse somehow, even though I'm really repping Monsters U. Anyways, onto the outfit deets!

Outfit Details

Top: H&M

Skirt: H&M

Hat: Disney

Shoes: Converse

What are your favorite types of outfits to wear in the summer heat? Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Dark Lips, Big Laughs

2016-05-23T22:06:00.000-04:00

Wearing dark clothes in the middle of Floridian summer is a decision that makes you regret pretty much everything. The summer heat cannot stop my laughter though. Kathy and I went out on an adventure again and we ended up in the historic district of Downtown Kissimmee, in the blazing heat. I got shoulder tans from this photo shoot, I am not going to lie. This may be one of my favorite outfits, I feel like I've left behind a lot of my colorful outfits and just started going monochromatic, and I do not mind it one bit. Of course, there will still be color in my life, my favorite color is pink and that's just something I will not let go of.

Hanging out with my best friend in the burning summer heat is not the only reason I am cheesing really hard right now. Your girl, has a full time job! A full on adult career. I am so excited, this opportunity honestly has come out of nowhere and caused quite a bit of stress but I cannot wait to see where it takes me and the experiences I will learn from it. I once told my mom that I want to be a crime fighter by day and a fashionista by night, and that dream may be coming true. I don't want to jinx anything and I honestly do not think I'm allowed to share any details so let's just stick to sharing the fashionista facts of my life.

Outfit Details

Top: Zara

Pants: PacSun

Shoes: H&M

How is your dream chasing going? Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Life, Post Grad.

2016-05-19T16:00:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago I graduated from the University of Central Florida with my bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. It was an amazing milestone in my life and I wanted to share some photos I took before the big moment walking across the stage. Other than the solo photos I took, I invited some of my closest friends that were with me throughout my undergraduate years and who were my biggest supporters through the hardships. Not everyone could make it, but a majority did and we had some fun playing in the reflection pond on campus and making silly faces.

Now that two weeks have passed, I definitely see my life in a different way and have more than just positive feelings about having graduated. I wanted to share some feelings I've been having about everything that's happened since. I'm not going to lie, life is just scary. I am a planner, a dreamer, and very goal driven. For the past four years, I have pushed myself to work hard and go for opportunities that I viewed would help me get to where I want to ultimately be.

During one of my internships, I talked to someone in my field of interest and they told me to be able to accomplish what I want in life, I have to be realistic and to go towards my goals by not viewing the actual goal and dream I have, but by the steps that I know I need to take to get to that end. After being told this, I changed what I did in life and worked hard to get as many opportunities to help me get my foot in the door of where I want to be and doing what I have dreamed of.

Being completely realistic is something that is pretty hard for me, because at my root, I am an optimistic dreamer. I always wanted (and thought I would have) a job in my field by the time I graduated with my bachelor's degree. Of course, that's really optimistic and it was not what happened in my case. The day after my graduation, and if you know me personally I still feel like this, I got really sad because I had not landed my dream job yet, or any job in my field at the least. The weekend after my graduation I let it bring me down a bit and I knew that I could not allow that to continue. I worked hard throughout college and I could not let myself just fall into a depression because I passed by a bump in the road.

I have to consciously remind myself that everything is still alright, that I am going to graduate school in the fall and I still have my internship in the exact field that I want to work in. There are still positive things going on in my life and it is more than what some people may have after they graduate. Even though I have to consciously remind myself these things, it has kept my head up and thinking more positively. Which is also what sparked my return to my website, blogging was something that allowed me to express myself throughout the latter years of undergrad that was something I was passionate about but not related to criminal justice. I am constantly applying to jobs in my field still and not allowing myself to give up but I know I need to also put more effort in other things that make me happy that have no chance of rejecting me. This is my place, and a place where I can be me and nothing can stop me, I don't have to worry about not getting hired because I'm already here and this is my voice.

This new spark in my life is my new motivation for my life post grad. Not only do I need to keep following the steps that are required to get myself in my field and work where my dreams always take me, but to also have other passions. This is a whole new chapter in my life that for once, I have no plans for and am taking everything day by day (for once in my life) and I'm excited.

What are your dreams? Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

propagation.

2016-05-16T16:08:00.000-04:00

Outfit Details:

Dress // Zara

Heels // DKNY

Watch // Fossil

Jewelry // Alex & Ani and Pandora

Glasses // Ray-Ban

Who knew that when I said coming soon, that it would end up being three months later? As you read this I have written 6 posts to get ready to be scheduled and all will finally be well with my blog. Life does get in the way and over the past year I have had breaks in my blog but now that I have graduated, I can finally focus on parts of my life that I enjoy and aren't part of what I studied during undergrad. Blogging was my escape from school and working and now that I don't have to worry about one of those, I can put forth more focus on my personal passions.

The location of the shoot was a great location, I love coffee and I can definitely say that I did enjoy their coffee. There aren't that many options but sometimes, a small menu is all you need. I ordered a cortado which I had tried elsewhere and it was just as wonderful here as my first experience. My sister ordered an affogato, which was the first I'd had, and I can say that my life has been changed. It's not like coffee flavored ice cream, it's significantly stronger flavored and not as creamy as a regular coffee. I highly recommend this option if you're unsure of what you want to order or want to try something new.

Anyways, back to the outfit. This is a bit of an older photoshoot but I still love this outfit. The dress can be worn year round, dressed up with heels and worn in the professional setting (as what I normally do), or out on date nights when you don't want to work to hard to look nice but make it seem like you put effort. It also doubles as a mini blanket in cold rooms because of how thick the material is. Do you have an outfit that you like to use to seem like you out more effort than you did? Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Dark Shadows

2016-02-11T20:05:00.000-05:00

The weather in Florida has honestly been very back and forth recently and it definitely makes it hard for me to know what to wear. So when picking out my outfit for this day, which was very sunny but oh so breezy, I opted for a tank with a leather jacket to keep when warm while walking outside. I also kept it dark to help with retaining in my own heat. I definitely did not realize that I was fully covered in clothes from Zara, but they are my favorite clothing store and when you know where to look during sales you can find great pieces to keep in your wardrobe year round. How are you guys keeping warm during days where the weather seems to be going back and forth at the same time. Share your outfit choices in the comments, till next time!

xo, Carla Mae

A Little Ray of Sunshine

2016-01-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

Winter has finally arrived in Florida and you know what that means? All of the chunky sweaters, scarves, and jackets are coming out of the closet! It has actually been very windy recently which is what really causes the weather to feel cold so I need to bundle up because I'm Filipino and a Floridian. I'm not meant for cold weather but I do love layering. Are you guys layering for the cold weather?

Scarf - Abercrombie Kids

Sweater - Banana Republic

Jacket - Zara

Pants - Hollister

Purse - Forever21

Boots - Doc Martens

xo, Carla Mae

A Day In The Park

2016-01-10T22:49:00.000-05:00

Ooooo I have not even been able to start writing this post properly because I was looking at the oozing egg and started dreaming of this corned beef benedict. This post is a couple weeks late but let me tell you, becoming a full time manager after only working once or twice a week has seriously put my body into shock. For the past three weeks, I've been asleep by 9-10PM. I'm only 21 and I feel like a grandma.

We ate brunch at Briar Patch, aka my favorite brunch place in the Greater Orlando area, I featured this brunch place in a previous post, A Golden Time, and surprise surprise (not really) I ordered the exact same thing this time around. After eating and catching up we walked around the area and there is a cute little rose garden near the brunch location and oh my goodness, we went a little crazy with photo taking. These were out favorites and it was the first time I really got to use the live photo option on my iPhone and it was so much fun making gifs with all of our photos. I hope you guys enjoy scrolling through them as much as we did taking them. Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

My Life in Moments: 2015

2016-01-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

Whenever this time of year comes around everyone makes resolutions and sets goals for themselves to accomplish during the new year. Everyone knows the saying "New year, new you." I have never really been fond of resolution making because I know myself and I personally cannot take those things seriously. This time around though, I want to do something different. I want to set goals for myself and to push myself to accomplish them and make myself go out of my comfort zone. I know for a fact that 2016 is going to be a year filled with some of the biggest changes in my life, and I want to be ready for them and to take the changes in open arms and to make the most of everything.

Having a longer break from school really made me look back on the past year and reflect on my personal growth in all aspects of my life. 2015 was a year I wanted to spend focusing on my future self. With my senior year of undergrad in the horizon, I wanted to make sure I prepared myself to be a part of organizations, volunteer, and to intern with departments of the government to help prepare my resume for my future. I am not one to just wait for things to come my way, I work hard and push myself until I have met my goals and even after then, I still continue to push myself to make sure I never became complacent.

Of course, I still let myself enjoy life and be in the moment with my friends and family. Without them, who could I share my accomplishments with?

After a year of thinking of my future and worrying about being able to find a job after I graduated, I was able to worry and push myself enough to find internships with different departments of the government and I experienced so many different aspects of my field of interest I never thought I would be able to. Everyone I shadowed and networked with taught me so many things about what I need to do and the steps that I need to take. The one thing I realized through all of this though, was that I had been spending the past three years of my life working hard to prepare myself to just keep working and never truly got to enjoy life that was happening around me as much as I would want to.

Due to that, I have set myself up to a great start education and career path wise. I have grown my network exponentially with contacts in the field of Criminal Justice and I have a better grasp and what I want to do in my future and the steps that I need to take to achieve that. So I enter the new year with a better grasp on my future and more knowledge on the path I need to follow.

2016.

With that knowledge in my back pocket, I want to make this year's goals and motivation to focus on bettering my current self.

I have always been someone to look into the future and to make sure everything I am doing in the now will better that future I want for myself. That is something that will never change about me and I feel that to an extent it helps me, it's the only motivation I need. My own self want for a better future is enough to push me to succeed in all of my endeavors. The downfall to that part of my personality is that I never set aside enough time to just focus on my life at that current moment. So here are the three aspects of my life I want to work on.

Happiness. Not to say I was not happy in 2015, I definitely was. There were so many aspects of my life that I am so happy about and am thankful I experienced those moments. But I want to be even more happy in the year to come. I want to be able to appreciate and be grateful for every single moment of my life and find the importance and silver lining in anything.

Love. In 2016, I want to show my love for everyone in my life. I am known to be one of the busiest people in my circle of friends and everyone always jokes around how my schedule is the one that needs to be looked at to make sure plans can be made. 2016 is definitely not a year where I will get any less busier but those moments that I get to spend with my friends and family, I want to make sure I show my love for them every single time. Each moment will only ever happen once.

Travel. Traveling is something that is always on the top of my bucket list but always last in my real life. Since graduation is in my horizon and I am entering the world of adulthood, my free time will become even more sparing. I planned to go out of the state for my vacation but due to finances, I needed to put that plan on hold. So I want to push myself to leave Florida three different times this year. I want to be able to see new parts of the world (even if it may just be another state in the US) and expand my views on life and to see what else is happening around me.

Thank you 2015 for being a great year and providing me great learning opportunities and giving me so much knowledge on life and where I want to go with my future. Now, to enter 2016 blindly and hope for another great year filled with even more happiness, love, and travel.

xo, Carla Mae

Let's Watch the Lights Dance!

2015-11-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have decided that when I grow up I want to decorate my entire house in pink lights that dance to Christmas music. Having my Disney annual pass has let me see so many more parts of Disney that I never got to experience growing up and only going to the theme parks once every year or so. So recently, I was able to finally see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (sadly, it is also the last year of this event after being celebrated for the past twenty years). After attending, I truly am so happy I finally pushed myself to get my annual pass because I loved being able to finally experience the dancing light show and already having the Christmas feeling in the air before Thanksgiving even happened.

The Osborne Family Spectacle occurs at night down the streets of America in Hollywood Studios during the Christmas holiday season. Every single building (except the stunt show) is covered completely in lights that dance to music that plays every fifteen to twenty minutes. The photos cannot do the feeling of the event any justice, especially without the feeling of cool air brushing against your skin and having holiday music playing continuously. It honestly feels like Christmas is already here and everyone is gathering outside their homes to sing along together. There was a pink house and I swear I will do this one day. I love Christmas, and this event made me even more excited for the season to come. Do you guys decorate for the holidays you celebrate? Share them with me below in the comments, till next time! (Here are couple bad selfies taken by me and Eric.)

xo, Carla Mae

Who's Ready for Candy?

2015-10-25T22:49:00.002-04:00

My, oh my. I have been waiting for this week to come so I could finally decorate my planner with all of the Halloween stickers that I bought over a month ago when the decorations started releasing. I wanted to use more but I did not want to overload the functional stickers that I printed from Vintage Glam Studio so I just used accents to fill in the white space. Normally, I like to fill in my to-do lists for the entire week at the beginning but I realized that sometimes that overwhelms me and I do not get all of my errands done so I started to just fill them in during the morning so I would make sure that I only plan what I think I can really get done that day. I am so very excited for the end of the week because I will be going out of town to Def Talent Jam which is a major dance competition that is held in at the University of Florida every year and I get to see one of my best friends and cheer on my adings when they compete, hopefully they give out candy. Are you guys doing anything fun for Halloween this year? Be sure to share it with me! Till next time, happy planning.

xo, Carla Mae

One Year, Six Months Ago...

2015-10-21T22:03:00.000-04:00

Before the night ends and a new month in my relationship passes by, I would just like to look back on the past one year and six months with Eric. It has been quite an adventurous and enjoyable time in my life and it really is great to know that I always have someone I can go to and share everything about me and about everything happening in my life. (Also, he just got an annual pass to Disney so I am sure you can guess where our future dates will be.) I do not normally share extremely personal things about my life, even just the photos. I normally only share certain aspects of our relationship just for my own privacy but I wanted share a little photo diary of some of my favorite photos over the past couple months.

Seeing Doubles

2015-10-18T22:04:00.000-04:00

After welcoming in my new Kate Spade planner for my birthday, I did not want to wait till 2016 to start using the planner when the inserts start. So I went through the internet trying to find some horizontal inserts since I had only made vertical ones myself, I wanted to get used to the same style that the planner's inserts came with. I found these inserts that were just made recently by Wenda of Wendaful Designs.

Now, using two planners at the same time may seem a little crazy but I have my reasoning. I love my Happy Planner and I love my weekly planning sessions and decorating the entire week with stickers (especially those from Vintage Glam Studio). The one downside to the Me and My Big Ideas planner is the size, it is quite tall and thick so it is not the most ideal to bring around wherever I'm going and having my planner is very vital for me because I put all of my plans and my daily schedule in my planner.

My Happy Planner now only houses excessive decorations and all of my school work and my daily to-do lists. So now, I have my Kate Spade planner that is much smaller in size and more portable for me to be able to put in my purses, which tend to be on the smaller/medium sizes. Of course, my form of planning in this planner is completely different. I do not use any stickers in this planner because of the smaller size allotted to each day. I have gone back to putting washi tape on the inside of the inserts where the rings go through and go stamp happy to label certain aspects of each day. I know many people will think it is excessive that I just write pretty much the same thing over and just leave out my to-do lists into a second planner but I truly have already become reliant on having this planner in my purse wherever I go. Do any of you guys use multiple forms of planning such as a written planner along with your phone calendar, another app, or do you use multiple planners as well? Be sure to share your ways of planning with me. Till next time, happy planning.

xo, Carla Mae

Dancing on Tables

2015-10-14T20:06:00.000-04:00

Turning 21 has been a long time coming for me, I was one of the few who waited till their 21st birthday to have their first drink. Well, I did have my first drink on this birthday but I also spent 99% of that night sober. Alcohol is just not for me, I'm definitely more for flavors that I enjoy. Obviously though, there were lots of photos taken from that night and that is what we will just focus on.

I was so happy that all of my closest friends could celebrate that night with me and honestly, I really just wanted to dance on a table that night. And I did. We went to Taverna Opa for the dinner celebration and as part of their traditions, everyone is able to dance on their tables and even have belly dancers dance with them (that was a little weird). Everyone enjoyed themselves and as a mostly female group, we focused a lot of our time on taking the perfect insta pic. I hope you enjoy these all, till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Welcome Home, Kate!

2015-10-12T00:20:00.002-04:00

There's no such thing as too many planners, right? I really hope not. So this past Saturday was my 21st birthday and let's just say I may have treated myself quite a bit in the planner realm. Recently I had been seeing an abundance of the Kate Spade Wellesley pictures in the rose gold color and I was trying to figure out if they had released a new set (they did). I had gone to the outlets, which is the only place they sell the planners, on Monday and I did not see any of the planners there. Then on Thursday, I called the outlet stores again just to see and they said they had them in, and I may have impulsively said I was going to head out there within the hour to buy one.

They had sold out of the rose gold color, but I was okay with that because looking at the photos I was not the biggest fan of the rose gold and any colored leather always worries me because of color transfer. With black, I won't have to worry about that at all. I called two different outlet stores and they both told me they were hosting a 50% off with an extra 20% off and I pretty much flipped out on the workers. The first one told me that they couldn't hold any items for me and then I called the second store and the worker was so friendly towards me and she offered to hold it for me.

When I got to the store she was talking to me and I brought up how it was for my 21st birthday and it was my gift to myself, and well she was so nice, she have me a third discount of 25% off and I pretty much love her. Shoutout to her, btw (I don't know if she would want me posting her name) but she said to always look for her so I definitely will. I actually got one of the last ones as well, I believe there were only two left in that specific store after I bought mine and they had only had the planners for two days.

I am so excited to actually have my hands on this planner and say that I own one. I do not think I will be removing the inserts and since I am using the Happy Planner for school work, I am going to figure out the best way to use this planner for school. I will also still be using my Dokibook, I am just going to interchange the inserts between the binders whenever I am feeling either one. These inserts do not start until 2016 so I have enough time to figure out the best way to plan my personal life. Pictured below is the inside of the planner, I moved a couple things in already such as my page flags, stickies, and my dashboard. I cannot wait for 2016 to come already so I can start using it. Did any of you guys happen to get your hands on the new Wellesley, if you did was it in the rose gold or black? Till next time!

xo, Carla Mae

Tonymoly Haul

2015-10-08T00:27:00.001-04:00

Holy (Tony)moly! Here is a major Tonymoly (and one Etude House) skincare haul! Recently I have decided that I wanted to work more on bettering my skincare, I used to have an entire routine a couple years ago but as I got busier, the less I took care of my skin. I realized that I needed to get back on my skincare game. I never tried sheet masks before this year and I used to only do clay masks, but after the first time I tried one, which was a Tonymoly mask, I became addicted.

I got these products from a website named Cosmetic Love, and they actually had all of these items on sale, so it was pretty affordable. The face masks themselves were all on one order, the website sells a set of eleven face sheet masks. The set of eleven is still available on the website but during the time that I purchased this set there was actually a deal for a set of twenty-two, two of each, for the same price as the eleven piece and I hopped on that deal immediately.

This set includes the exact same variety as the eleven piece, just double of each. There are three types of sheet masks included, the water type essence, the emulsion type essence, and the milky-liquid type essence. The different types of each face masks are: Lemon (for brightening), Tea Tree (for soothing), Tomato (for glowing), Aloe (for moisturizing), Pomegranate (for firming), Red Wine (for pore care), Seaweeds (for cleaning), Broccoli (for vitality), Rice (for transparent skin), Avocado (for nourishment), and Makgeoli (for purification).

I have not tried each and every single face mask yet, but I have tried one of each type of essence. The difference between them is the consistency of the actual sheets and the liquid left on your face. The water type essence soaks in the fastest through my skin but the emulsion and milky-liquid have a longer lasting feeling on my skin when it comes to moisture and softness. They also do smell pretty similar to what they are supposed to, the red wine honestly does smell like red wine.

I'm not even going to lie to you guys, this purchase was powered mainly by the packaging. It is Tonymoly's Cats Wink Clear Pact in Clear Skin. I purchased this mainly to have a cat shaped compact mirror that was also pink. I just want cute things to take around with me, it just so happened that I got it in clear skin so I can use it to touch up my makeup when I use the mirror. Really, just admire the cute cat packaging.

This final purchase was for my sister, but I do borrow it on days I wear a full face of makeup and want my face free of all of my baby hairs. Me and my sister have a thing for cute packaging and cats. This is just a cat head band from Etude House that my sister and I use to pull all of our hair back when we're getting ready. It feels like microfiber and there is enough friction when I use it that all of my baby hairs get pulled back as well, which is usually my biggest struggle. Not only do my baby hairs get pulled back though, I look like I have cute kitten ears when I'm getting ready.

I'm honestly not sure why I got sent these, it might have been because of how much I purchased, but when I opened the package I got numerous samples of the innisfree great tea seed serum. I have not tried out this product yet, but if you all are interested in hearing about it, I will definitely post an update about the product. So how do you guys deal with your skincare? Share your skincare routine with me in the comments! Till next time.

Cosmetic Love // website

Tonymoly // Face Sheet Masks (11 Piece Set)

Tonymoly // Cats Wink Clear Pact

Etude House // Cat Hair Band

xo, Carla Mae

I Am... Turning 21!

2015-10-04T22:20:00.000-04:00

Finally, the time has come. I am turning 21 this upcoming Saturday! I can finally have my first drink ever! Since it was my birthday week, I knew that my planner spread would have to be very bright and have lots of pink, contrary to the time of year. To accomplish that, I also wanted to get try doing a DIY with scrapbooking paper and picked up the Simple Stories I Am... SN@P! Pack from Michaels and a new MAMBI Happy Planner sticker pack, well that purchase was just because I wanted more MAMBI stickers.

This week is a little more on the simple side than I am used to, but I wanted to try something new and leave more white space throughout my planner. Along with more white space, I also did not pre plan my entire week. I do know I have a lot of schoolwork to do and I feel like stressing myself out with seeing all of the work I need to do ahead of time would not be a great way to lead myself into my birthday.

My favorite part of these packs is the ephemera from the Simple Stories scrapbooking pack, there are so many pieces with gold foiling. There are also over 100 scrapbooking cards that are included and double sided. One side have foiling and inspirational words, the other sides are different patterns which are what I used to decorate in my planner. I cannot wait to use more of the Simple Stories pack in my spreads. How have you guys been decorating your spreads? Be sure to share them with me! Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

A Golden Time

2015-09-30T15:00:00.000-04:00

This post is going up a little bit late but my dad's birthday was on a Sunday which is a planning day and it was during my unexpected hiatus so please don't be too upset that I couldn't get this up sooner. But, my dad turned 50 this year! It's pretty crazy to know that my dad has already reached his golden birthday.

To celebrate it, we wanted to do something simple and our family loves to go out and eat brunch. So we went to Sunday mass and afterwards I took them to The Briar Patch, which is a brunch place in the city of Winter Park, FL. It is my favorite restaurant when it comes to brunch pretty much because they carry an item called the corned beef hash benedict, and man do I love corned beef!

My dad was unsure of what he wanted to order because he thought that the corned beef hash benedict sounded really good but he was very intrigued by the skirt steak & eggs combo, which is what he actually ordered (pictured above). He was kind of disappointed by it though because he was not a fan of the chimichurri that they put on top and he thought that the benedict looked better.

The rest of us did order a version of an eggs benedict and boy were we stuffed. Afterwards, just to get rid of the egg-y aftertaste in our mouths we ordered a scoop of ice cream to share, and Briar Patch makes all of their ice cream in house. We ordered the rocky road because that is my dad's favorite and oh my goodness, it was probably the best rocky road ice cream I ever had. The chocolate was definitely very rich and they used walnuts rather than peanuts.

Afterwards, when we went to the car we all pretty much were suffering from food itis and we all just wanted to take a nap. Most of us slept in the car, but we did walk around too just to make sure we weren't too bloated. My parents also flipped out because Eric and I split the entire check and they were definitely not expecting that.

Do you guys have any favorite brunch places in your area? Be sure to check out Briar Patch's website below if you guys are in the area and definitely check them out! Till next time.

Briar Patch Restaurant // website

xo, Carla Mae

Let's Have a Happy Time

2015-09-27T22:59:00.000-04:00

I'mmmmmm baaaaack! That was quite definitely the unexpected hiatus. School definitely got me. I remember waking up on the first Wednesday that I missed my blog post and realizing that it was Wednesday and a day for a new blog post as I was already in bed trying to fall asleep. I thought maybe a missed day would be okay but the exact same thing happened that Sunday. For some odd reason out of nowhere my entire schedule got thrown off because of my lack of productivity and inability to time manage has come back. I think I have finally gotten it sorted out and taken care of and all will be well. I hope you all forgive me.

Now, onto the planning! As you can see from the photos, and if you follow my Instagram (xocarlamae), that I have moved myself into the Me and My Big Ideas Happy Planner. My sister actually got this planner for herself back in July and stopped using it pretty much after her first week of the school year...

I realized that my personal size binder planner was getting way to small for me with all of my daily events going on and everything I needed to get done everyday and that I needed to move into a bigger planner. I was actually looking into getting a large Kikki-k, until I saw this planner lying around in my sister's room. I thought I would give it a shot and see if I even liked the bigger size in general.

Surprisingly, I really do. With all of the extra space I really get to put everything I have to do without all of the writing looking super cluttered and my days looking jammed. Which that part alone is what made my days seem more stressful than they should have.

Here is a more overview look at this upcoming week's spread. I got the printable stickers from Vintage Glam Studio's free printables. I wanted something more muted and not as bright for the transition into the fall season. Although, next week is my birthday week and I feel like that may be very bright and pink, but I think the rest of the weeks will definitely be autumn centered. I also purchased the premade covers that MAMBI sells for their Happy Planner and I thought this heart cover was so cute. I like the words that are around it and how simple it looks.

I hope you all have been planning while I was away and if you have, definitely share some of your spreads with me! Till next time.

Me and My Big Ideas // website

Vintage Glam Studio // website

xo, Carla Mae

2 Ways of Planning

2015-09-06T22:13:00.000-04:00

Yay, I'm on time this week! I have not really shared my weekly spreads with you guys ever since I started my blog's planning section so I thought this week I would, but I also wanted to share different ways to decorate your planner depending on your style.

For the past couple of weeks now, I have been planning in my sister's bedroom because it has the best lighting, so I'm sure you can assume that's where I take photos for my blog, and this week my sister actually wanted to join in with me and decorate her planner as well. My sister and I definitely have different types of decorating and you will be able to tell in the upcoming photos.

As you can see, I like to use a lot of washi tape and make the spread as colorful as possible. I don't usually put in stickers because I don't really have a lot but my Ate Mia gave me this sticker sheet when she went to visit Las Vegas and I just thought the characters were so adorable! The washi tapes I used are from Michaels and the letter stickers are from Jo-Ann Fabrics. Here are some shopping links:

Decorative Washi: Michael's (similar)

Thin Washi: Michael's Set One and Set Two

Letter Stickers: Jo-Ann Fabrics (similar)

Stamps: Studio L2E

Bow Paper Clip: Kate Spade

Now, on a more minimal side here is my sister's planner. She uses the Day Designer x Target collaboration planner, she is not a fan of over embellishing her planner spreads and she only uses the thin washi I have and the stamps from Studio L2E, but I am still quite a fan of the way it turned out. I do not know if I could have a spread this plain myself though. Do you guys plan in any similar way? If you do or not, please share it with me! Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Kat Von D Ink! Liner Review

2015-09-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

Hello my lovely readers! So this week I am bringing something new to my blog, a beauty review! I definitely was not sure about doing this, because I am not the most informed in beauty related things but I felt like I needed to get my opinion out about this product.

If you have not noticed yet, I am reviewing the Kat Von D Ink! Liner, which I feel is a cult favorite in the beauty world and everyone just seems to love this eyeliner. The first person I heard talk about this eyeliner was from Claire Marshall while watching one of her YouTube videos about a year ago. Ever since then I've been on the fence about getting it, even though it seemed to have just been raving reviews that I heard, it was still an eyeliner that costs $19 and I was using a drugstore eyeliner that was working perfectly fine for me.

Two weeks ago, I decided to finally bite the bullet and invest in the eyeliner after talking to someone in person about their views on it. Of course, it was another great review. As an Asian I have really hooded eyelids so there is little room for me to really put on makeup that will be seen and because of the hooded lids, there can be a lot of transfer and oiliness. My friend said that this eyeliner was so hard for her to get off, she would have to use coconut oil to be able to remove it every day. After hearing this I felt more assured about investing in this eyeliner and I was pretty excited to use it.

The Kat Von D Ink! Liner is an eyeliner pen with a find brush tip, which I love because I prefer brush tips over felt tips and as you can see from the photo above, you can really control how thin or thick of a line you can get. Which was also a plus for me because some days I like a super thin line and other, I love rocking a thick cat eye. Now, it also says it is a waterproof eyeliner and I have only ever used one other liner that made that statement and that eye liner was truly waterproof, I would need an oil based makeup remover to be able to remove it but sadly, the Kat Von D liner came off of my eyes with water. It wasn't even hot water which sometimes will work for me, it was just normal tap water that I grabbed and wiped across my eye and it all smeared. I noticed this during the early part of the day because the corners of my eye water a lot from my allergies and my wing was gone by the end of the day and the rest of the eye liner later when I wiped it with water. It was honestly pretty saddening to experience after all of the raving reviews about the lasting power of this liner. I don't know if I just happened to get a defected product and I will attempt to exchange it at Sephora but for now, I personally am very disappointed in this product. If you guys have tried the liner, please share your experiences with me in the comments! Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Major Stationery Haul!

2015-08-31T20:36:00.001-04:00

Alright, so it's not exactly Sunday.... But sometimes people do not stick to schedule and for the sake of quality, I did not want to rush myself last night with editing to be able to upload this video to be able to post on Sunday. Upload quality at my house is not the greatest so I also waited till I went to school to get better upload speed.

So this week I recorded a major stationery haul for you guys of all of the items I have bought over the past couple of weeks. I do have more washi tape than I showed in this video but I forgot to add that part in. Maybe one day I'll just sneak in a photo of my entire washi collection. I hop you all enjoy this video! Till next time.

xo, Carla Mae

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2015-08-26T15:00:00.000-04:00

Guys, can I model? Do I have a future in that field? Alright, do not answer that please, I do not want to be disappointed by your answers. I'll just keep modeling on my own time and hoping that people like my pictures.

This past weekend me and my Ading Alexa had another day out together and had a little photoshoot, but it was not as fun and easy as you would think. We went to eat lunch at a Cuban place that is located next to a building that is completely pink and I really wanted to take a photo in front of it and when I got there I realized that I had left my memory card at home for my DSLR and I was heartbroken, and it started to pour rain. But, we took this time to see it as a sign that we will just have to come back on another day with better weather and with my DSLR camera. As we were eating though, the weather started to lighten up and we decided to just have some fun taking photos on our phones anyway and make the most of the rain.

These were taking on my iPhone 6 so I am very sorry if the quality is not the greatest but I feel like my phone's camera really is not that bad. Apple really hypes up their phone cameras for being great anyways, don't they? But anywho, on to the outfit details:

Kimono: Charlotte Russe (similar here)

Top: Forever 21

Shorts: Forever 21 (similar here)

Shoes: H&M (similar here)

Bag: Forever 21 (similar here)

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and share with me cool places you like to take photos in front of, because be prepared, my Instagram will soon be covered with this pink wall. I love pink and a pink wall that is blank is something that will make my dreams come true. Till next time!

xo, Carla Mae

P.S. Be sure to check out my Ading Alexa's blog! (Soy Milk & Raw Sugar)

Favorite Four: The Sunday Plans Edition

2015-08-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Time for the third installment of my favorite four, and most fitting for my life now, it is planner related. This time it's to share my favorite four planning supplies. When I started feeding my planning addiction I may have gone a bit crazy at pretty much all of the crafting stores finding everything I could see myself using. Now, if I went back in time, these would definitely be the top four things I would tell myself I definitely need for planning.

1 // Washi Tape

This is a type of Japanese tape that is made out of trees and is pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen. Out in the planner world, there are people who prefer stickers and those that prefer washi, I am part of the latter. There is just so much variety that can come from using washi tape in planning. It's a great way to decorate planner spreads that feel a little dull and bring life to writing your daily tasks. Washi tape can be found pretty much in every single craft store, my favorite place to go is Jo-Ann Frabrics pretty much because they sell thin washi that go for $1 for two rolls (and with my student discount, the cost is just the best!)

2 // Hole Punchers

I do not know what I would be doing with my planning if I did not have any hole punchers. Personally, I use a binder style planner and the specific one I bought did not come with any inserts so I have made many of my own and I have needed to punch the holes in the inserts myself to be able to use them. There are also decorative punchers, my favorite is the flag punch. It's a great way to decorate my spreads or put something to pop out in my spread for important days. Another favorite, is a pair of corner round punchers that I just recently bought and I think they may have been the best ones I have bought so far. These hole punchers can also be bought at most craft stores, and are very affordable, there is a flower punch I bought from Jo-Anns that only cost $1. (It seems, I really like Jo-Anns...)

3 // Adhesives

I'm not really sure the best way to title this section but anything that can turn paper into a sticker is very necessary. I am very into instant gratification and sometimes going to a store and buying stickers or ordering them off of an Etsy store takes too long for me and I just want to create my own or go through some printables that are out on the Internet are exactly what I need. Printing out images or using decorative paper and running them through my mini Xyron to turn them into stickers is exactly all I need to satisfy a sticker craving (I know, I have a problem). I also like using adhesive tape if I don't want to print on my shipping label and just print out on normal printer paper. One of my favorites to run through my Xyron is actually running paint samples through it. I actually got the idea from my fellow blogger Risa (Lalareesses) in a DIY she made for Valentine's Day and realized that it would be so useful for planner decorating. I have bought all of my adhesive tape at Target but they are also at most craft stores, and the Xyron I purchased at Walmart for $9.

4 // Writing Utensils

Pens, pens, pens. My favorite writing tool. I am very picky about my writing utensils because even the prettiest of spread can get ruined if you have bleeding writing through the paper or too fat of ink (at least for me). For writing big events in my planner, my favorite is the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner that writes in 0.3 point, thin pen tips I feel have me writing at my best. To write finer print for my daily events I like to use the Pilot G 0.38 point gel pen, though this pen and the Staedtler both write the same point, the Staedtler is more of a thin marker and I like to use the Pilot for writing finely and clearly. These two are my staples for writing in my planner but there are others that I have tried which are not too bad, but definitely not what I reach for. There is the Sharpie pen which is more similar to the Staedtler and I feel that it does the job, but bleeds through paper just a tad too much for my preference but if you have thicker paper this may be for you. All of these pens can also be found pretty much anywhere, but I purchased all of mine at Target.