Lookbook: Summer Breeze

Here is my first outfit post to kick off my new Lookbook series! I have always loved fashion and this is an exciting way for me to become even more creative with my day to day style choices.

Forever 21 Jewelry Haul

**Don't forget to enter my Thank You giveaway here! :)**

My Forever 21 order just arrived! I didn't buy as many accessories as I thought I would in Taiwan and so I *cough* made up for it by ordering some rings and bracelets from Forever 21.

Each ring was about $4. I don't have a lot of thick rings and I feel like these are fairly versatile; I can wear these with a white summer dress dress or with ripped high waisted denim shorts.

I'm not a bracelet girl but maybe that's because I only own 2 bracelets =_= I want to start wearing more accessories and so I decided to invest in some arm candy.

 I love the rose design on this cuff. Plus it's stretchy and comfortable to wear. This was about $5.

 I also bought a simple bracelet with a wing charm.

Last but not least, I bought two "casual" bracelets; I think these will look great during the summertime :)

Do you own a lot of bracelets? How do you style them? What's your summer go-to accessory? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Forever 21 Purchases

OKay...my next few posts are going to be really unorganized -_-" It's taking much more time than I thought it would take to edit pictures  that I took in Taiwan/Japan. Plus I need to figure out details for my first blog giveaway :/ So yeah, I'll probably jump around from my Taiwan journal entries to my Japan journal entries to my Taiwan/Japan haul posts to what I'm doing currently @_@

I went to the mall with my grandma, mom, and youngest brother yesterday. We ate lunch at Panera Bread and then spent an hour shopping. I only went to Forever 21 since I'm still super jet lagged and didn't feel like walking to other stores haha.

I'm in love with the black and gold headband that I bought. It's perfect for when I have a bad hair day but need something more classy than a simple athletic headband.

I also bought two bracelets for about $4 each. They're the exact same bracelets, just in different colors.

This pair of mint colored shorts was only $13. They're super comfortable and I think it'll add a nice pop of color to my usual black/gray/white/navy blue color scheme. I wish they had these in more colors!

On a side note, I hate being jet lagged :/ I always get super tired at around 3 pm and then have no choice but to take a 4-5 hour nap...and then I fall asleep at around 4 am. Unfortunately I have to sleep in the family room for a few weeks since my grandma is visiting us and is sleeping in my bedroom. Everyone in the family gets up at 8 am and then comes downstairs to eat, so I usually wake up at 8 because they're so noisy haha. 4 hours of sleep just isn't cutting it D:

Forever 21 Haul

Hi everyone! sorry for the lack of posts. This week has been absolutely crazy; aside from finals, I also had to start preparing for my summer vacation and also pack everything in my dorm room...I'm officially done with my freshman year of college! :)

A few weeks ago I placed an order on Forever21.com. I really liked the pair of high waisted shorts I got last time (in black) and so I decided to get another pair in red. They fit perfectly and aren't too short on me, which is rare (I'm 5'6"). This is probably the only red clothing that I own! I fall back on navy/white/black clothing too much and decided to start buying more colorful clothing as a way to expand my wardrobe.

I have never been a hat person. In fact, for the last 10 years of my life, I refused to wear a hat of any kind. However, I saw this polka dot baseball cap and instantly fell in love. I like to constantly mix up girly/cutsey clothes with edgy clothing, and so I thought this was a great representation of my style; the navy and white polka dot print is really cute but the baseball cap form is boyish. Also, I think a hat is a must-have if I am in Taiwan/Japan. I was initially worried about the fit since this cap is actually from the men's section; however, it fits perfectly.

I have this weird obsession with tigers and lions. I have been seeing a lot of shirts and dresses featuring the aforementioned animals and have been wanting to buy everything haha. However, I restrained myself and only bought this white/black studded muscle shirt. It's not see through, which is a major plus because I find that a lot of the white shirts sold at Forever 21 to be semi-transparent. I'm not sure if I like the gold studs all that much but the tank is overall light and comfortable!

Last but not least, I got this floral dress. It's a lot shorter than I thought it would be, so I definitely have to wear tights or leggings with it. Plus it's a bit uncomfortable by the waistline; it's sort of scratchy but not to the point in which it's unbearable. Since the dress was only $11, I have decided to go ahead and keep it.

[On a side note, I have so much to do today :/ I have to finish packing for Taiwan/Japan (I'm leaving in two days!) and buy everything I need for tomorrow's Mother's Day breakfast a;fskjfsfsa]

Charlotte Russe and Forever 21 Purchases

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts; I went home this past weekend and tried to avoid the computer as much as possible so I could spend time with my family :) Plus I somehow lost my SD card, which means I lost over 1,000 pictures T_T" I obtained another SD card but I'm still upset at myself. However, it's hard to stay in a bad mood when it's sunny and 70 degrees outside! I'll put up an OOTD post later.

As mentioned in this post, I went to the mall the other day with my roommate. I actually went with the intention of NOT buying anything, but of course I couldn't resist buying what I consider to be "essentials" :P

I love how cute these two pairs of earrings are! I don't have enough gold colored jewelry (I tend to gravitate toward silver colored earrings) and so I thought these were a must-have. These earrings were purchased from Forever 21.

While waiting for my roommate as she looked for scarves at Charlotte Russe, I spotted a table full of denim shorts for sale. I am absolutely head over heels for the whole high waisted shorts trend and have been meaning to purchase a pair of high waisted denim shorts. I specifically wanted a shredded light wash pair, but sadly I couldn't find any. I thought the sale price was pretty good though (the shorts were marked down from $25 to $15) and ended up buying a pair of shorts anyway. I'm not sure if there's a big difference between high rise and high waisted shorts. My mom just gave me her old pair of high waisted shorts and they sit only a tiny bit higher than these high rise shorts ._.

On a side note, I won't get to open my Forever 21 package (mentioned here) until May 10th :( I wasn't thinking and had the package shipped home instead of to my dorm asfaw;fja.

Preview: Forever 21 Order

Hi everyone! I have been trying to finish one of my essays due this Friday and so I've been extremely stressed and busy. So today while taking a break from writing, I decided to do some online window shopping. I swear, I was only going to look at items and not buy anything.
I should have known myself better -_-"
I ended up buying a few things (I originally added like 20 items to my cart but thought better of it) and so here is a look at what I ordered:

I needed to buy a hat before I went off to Taiwan. I normally hate wearing hats but I really liked the polka dot print and so I decided to buy one. I'm sure I can find one for a cheaper price in Taiwan but for some reason I feel better ordering it from Forever 21 than buying it from the night market ._. I'm not sure how the floral dress will look on me, but regardless, I can't wait for everything to arrive~!

Forever 21 Haul

*Disclaimer: Everything seen in this post was purchased with my own money*

My Forever 21 package just came in today! I usually don't make online purchases that exceed $30, so for me to spend $60 is pretty rare. I made up for it by working extra hours this week haha.

Everything was packaged very well and arrived fairly fast. I placed the order on Tuesday and received it today (Saturday).

I have never purchased shoes from Forever 21 before and was really scared about the fit and the quality, but to my surprise I LOVE my shoes...

This pair of galaxy print high tops was a complete impulse buy. I'm so happy that they are absolutely perfect- I usually wear a size 8/8.5 and ordered a size 8, which turned out to be the right decision. These shoes are so comfortable!

I'm in love with the beautiful galaxy print.

I also ordered this cute bow ring. I think I paid about $2 for it.

As some of you may already know, I have this ridiculously strong obsession with tigers and lions. Recently Forever 21 has been releasing a variety of tops with tigers on it...is it some sort of a spring trend? Prints of tigers? ._. In any case, I love this muscle tee. I'm not a huge fan of the studs by the armpit area but it's not a huge deal.

This pair of high waisted shorts were really cheap, around $13. I'm probably going to buy a few more pairs in other colors.

A heart studded belt was included with the purchase of the high waisted shorts.

I'm so ready for spring/summer! What do you think some of the spring/summer 2013 trends will be?

Recent Purchases Part II

As the title suggests, this is Part II (for Part I, click here) of my original post featuring some of my recent purchases!

I was browsing the Forever 21 site the other day when I saw this gorgeous purse. It had a few positive reviews and cost just $20, so I went ahead and bought it in red. I really like it! Obviously it's not super good quality, but for the low price I am quite satisfied. Some have compared it to J. Crew's Edie purse (which costs $238) too! This purse is still in stock and you can buy it here.

I bought this belt at Kohl's for about $5 (originally $30). I really like the design of the gold clasp...I'm not sure what I would wear with it though.

I bought this skirt for $15 (originally $32) at TJ Maxx. I'm not sure what to wear with it though, so if you have any suggestions please let me know! 

This dress is from Nordstrom Rack. I really like the silver floral design as it provides a nice contrast against the black inner layer. I think I got this for around $20. 

I got this Forever 21 dress for just $13! It actually came with a skinny black belt but I forgot where I put it hehe. It's kind of hard to tell but the sleeves are actually this mesh/see through fabric. I really love this dress and wish it came in more colors. 

This navy lace dress was from TJ Maxx and I believe it cost around $25. I think the quality is amazing and can't wait to wear it when it's warmer out. I didn't take a picture of it but the back of the dress is much lower than the front neckline of the dress. 

I was so happy when I saw that this cardigan was on sale at Marshall's for about $20! When I first saw this, I really liked it but didn't want to pay $30 (I think), so I'm glad I waited until it went on sale. 

Finally, I got also got this varsity jacket from Marshall's. It's actually a men's jacket lol. I was looking for hoodies for my brother when I saw this. I thought it was really cute and even though it's a size M, it fits me perfectly (I tend to wear size XS or S). Seeing that it was only $20, I decided to buy it. I've been wearing it almost every single day since then! The fleece lining inside is super comfy :)

By the way, I apologize yet again for the awful lighting. I take pride in my photography (not the photos on my blog though; nature photography is one of my hobbies) and I cringe when I look at my recent photos. I hate to make excuses but today was rather gloomy out, hence the less than favorable lighting found in these pictures. I also haven't mastered my DSLR camera and let's face it, Photoshop does wonders when it comes to adjusting the brightness/contrast/colors. Oh well. I guess one of my resolutions for 2013 is to figure out how to take better pictures! 

Recent Purchases Part I

Here are some of the things I purchases within the last few months. I rarely went online shopping, or rather shopping in general, during my first semester of college. However, I still managed to buy a few things that I rather love :)

I bought this infinity scarf at H&M about a week ago. I tried to capture the beautiful color but it was actually rather hard to do so haha. In reality it's more of a burgundy color; I'm not sure why it looks so purple in this picture :( I only paid $3 for this because I received a $10 H&M giftcard via the iPhone app Wrapp, so I thought it was quite the bargain. I later realized it actually belongs to the mens department, but it fits me well so no complaints!

I'm almost out of my Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream, and since I love it so much I decided to order it once again from eBay. I've read that there are sadly a lot of eBay sellers who sell fake cosmetics online, but I made sure the seller had at least 97% positive feedback and read through the reviews for those who ordered this product to make sure that it wasn't fake. On another note, I can't get over how cute Lioele's packaging is in general!

LOL Yes, this is pepper spray! During the month of December I received a lot of texts from my school's Crime Alert system; apparently a few students were getting mugged at gunpoint :/  I got a little paranoid and immediately went on Amazon to buy pepper spray; I also learned some self-defense techniques haha.

Forever 21 offered free shipping around the week of Thanksgiving and so I bought this super pretty key ring.  I have only recently started to begin wearing accessories again....I have too many rings and earrings as it is but I figured one more wouldn't hurt :P

I had a mystery coupon (valued at 20%, 30%, or 40% off) to Bath and Body Works and so I picked up these shea-infused socks. My mom really liked the pair that I got her last Christmas so I bought her yet another one this year. Luckily my coupon was valued at 40% off so I think I paid around $4 for this.

I received a $10 off any $10 purchase to Victoria's Secret during the beginning of November but wasn't able to use it until I came back home for winter break. The hand sanitizers for 3 for $5 and the hand cream was originally $6 but on sale for $5, and so I ended up getting everything for free :)

Okay...I confess...I actually don't remember if this was a recent purchase. I don't remember if I even already shared this purchase on my blog before! I think it was recent though. In any case, this arrow bracelet is from Forever 21. I believe it was only $3-4. I usually never wear bracelets but I thought this was too cute to pass up.

For those who have been following my blog for a while, you would know that I love My Beauty Diary masks. I ordered the MBD Arbutin Whitening Mask as an attempt to subtly whiten my skin. Unfortunately, I don't like it that much as I feel like it is kind of irritating my skin :/

For whatever reason I started obsessing over Miyazaki films once again in December. I say "once again" because while I have always loved Miyazaki films, I have realized that I would sometimes have these periods of time in which I would watch all the Miyazaki films I could possibly watch in one night, draw/paint scenes from Miyazaki films, listening to the songs from Miyazaki films, etc. Upon doing some random google searches related to Miyazaki films (how many times do you think I'll mention "Miyazaki films" in this paragraph hehe) I realized that there are ART BOOKS for most of the Miyazaki films! They are usually priced at around $35 per book but Amazon sells them each for around $20. I immediately ordered the at books for Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle...and they're absolutely GORGEOUS.

The picture above honestly does NOT do the book any justice. The prints are breath taking and it's so interesting reading the commentary and all the different things that go into making each Miyazaki film. Best of all, my brother actually bought me the art book for Kiki's Delivery Service as a Christmas present :)

This is it for Recent Purchases Part I! Part II will be up in a few days or so.

By the way, if you can't tell, I haven't figured out my Canon t4i yet -_- I also don't have Photoshop anymore, which is so annoying because I can't edit my pictures to fix bad lightning and to fix the colors anymore. I can still adjust brightness/contrast but honestly, that doesn't cut it. The contrast for some of the pictures might end up looking very harsh on your monitors (for me it's okay)....so please forgive the subpar quality of the photos!

Old Navy, Forever 21, PacSun, and Bath & Body Works Haul

I can't help it. When I see a great bargain, I buy it...and it all adds up :( Why, After Christmas Sales, why?!

Old Navy had a huge sale, where a ton of items were 50-75% off. I bought these earrings for $3.

I also scored these awesome sparkly reindeer pajama pants for only $4!

Sweaters were also 75% off, so I bought this gray sweater for $7. I wish they had it in white, but the only white ones had these pom pom things on them T_T Oh well.

Sparkly tights for $5!

Close up of the tights

 I also recently hung out with my friend Grace. We went to Petland to play with the puppies...but they turned out to be so vicious D: They kept biting our shoelaces and one latched onto Grace's sweater and wouldn't let go for a good few minutes!

One of the super vicious puppies that wouldn't stop biting our shoelaces/Grace's sweater!

We then headed to Goodwill, where I got this leather belt for $1.

Bath & Body Works still had its semi-annual sale, so we stopped by. I got this hand sanitizer for 50 cents, both body mists for $1.25, and the lip balm for $2. Yes, I bought a backup of the Enchanted body mist because I love it so much haha :)

After my job interview on Tuesday, I was stuck at the mall for a good 2 and a half hours because I didn't have the car that day and my mom decided to take my brother to see his physical therapist -_- I stopped by Forever 21, where they surprisingly still had the BOGO Free sale item promotion. I went through the rack quickly,  because I expected that only the Large and X Large sizes were left. So I was more than thrilled when I found a pair of navy high-waisted shorts (something that has been on my To Buy list for a while!) in a size Small for $5!

Plus, the only other thing left in a size small was this pair of gray pajama shorts with red hearts, which was awesome because I actually needed to buy a pair of pajama shorts. So for both items I paid $5.40.

Then, I went to Pacsun. I usually never shop there (with the exception of that one order that I placed online) but I saw that they had this blue dot promotion where if you buy 1 sales item, you get 30% off, if you buy 2 you get 50% off, and if you buy 3 you get 70% off. When I went in, I was surprised to see how many things that I absolutely loved! I will be shopping more often at Pacsun now, which is conveniently located across from NY & C haha!

I found this shirt for $13 and was really surprised to find out at the cash register that it was only $6. Since I bought 2 other items, I got it for 70% off...only $2!

I also got this reindeer sweater in a size M. I was worried that it would be too big but I got it anyway because the sale associate said it was the last one left. When I tried it on at home (I didn't have much time in the store), it was a perfect fit. Not bad for $10 :)

Finally, I got this sequin top for $10.

Oh, and about The Massive Post: Part IV...I can't find the pictures from my birthday D: So I only have pictures of my Christmas presents....ughhh. I don't understand why technology hates me. That will be posted soon....