Tagged!

What is your current obsession?
Figuring out my mess of a love life. :P Other than that, probably taking bathes. I bring over a stand for my computer to sit on by the edge of the tub and read my favorite blogs while relaxing! I kid you not. Or I watch The Colbert Report.

What is your weirdest obsession?
Organizing my clothing. (Might be from my stint in retail.) I hang my pants up by type and color, and I'm very particular about how I fold shirts.

What are you wearing today?
Black pants, black tank, turquoise-blue sweater, and a light blue bead necklace.

What's your favorite comfort food?
Mashed potatoes.

What would make today special?
Wow, what a curious question. I guess for everything to run smoothly at work before my newspaper goes to press, and for things to run smoothly in life. Not getting myself worked up over things I can't change.

What would you like to learn to do?
Direct music videos.

What's the last thing you bought?
Kumquats -- and I won a sandwich for lunch from the local supermarket.

What are you listening to right now?
The white noise of our office server buzzing.

What is your favorite weather?
Warm and sunny with a slight breeze, but not too hot.

What is your most challenging goal right now?
Learning to build an independent life, away from my family...being invested enough in this new phase to be happy, but not too invested, since a new job in Sept. will take me to a new state. (Sounds unnecessarily complicated, yah?)

What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Maayari is a really sweet, cool chick, and her reviews are awesome. She really lives up to what she said in her 'why did you start your blog' section -- she helps readers know what products work and which might be worth avoiding.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Being practical, I'd say in New York, close to my friends and family. But if it's a total dream scenario, probably Spain (never been but my sis loved it) or Melbourne, Australia (have been, loved it).

If you could swap lives with anyone for one day who would it be & why?
Martha Stewart or Lady Gaga. Their lives seem artistically crafted to such an extreme...I'd be curious to shadow them for a day.

If you would go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Zambia, to visit my friend stationed there with the Peace Corps.

Which language do you wanna learn?
Japanese, which I know nothing about linguistically. And I'd want to continue learning Russian and Spanish.

What do you look for in a friend?
Someone who is genuine, self-reflective, intelligent (not necessarily book smart, but thinks critical and comes up with his own ideas), and not judgmental.

Who do you want to meet in person?
I agree with Maayari that an East Coast blogger meetup would be great!

What's your dream job?
To be a presidential historian. Or a screenwriter. Can I be both?

If you had $100 now what would you spend on it?
I'd buy flowers for my friends.

Things you wish you could change in the past?
Not being honest with an important person in my life.

Fashion Pet Peeve?
Crocs. Leave them in the garden or at home.

Do you admire anyone's style?
Rihanna and Gwen Stefani are both edgy but still feminine.

Describe your personal style.
Work in progress! Classic with a modern twist.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate and peanut butter, or vanilla with chocolate covered pretzels.

What's your favorite makeup brand?
Don't have one...yet.

Do you get enough beauty sleep? yes or no? why?
No way. My 9-5 work schedule isn't conducive to my natural night-owl self.

Why did you start your (beauty) blog?
Reading other beauty blogs inspired me to take a stab at it. It seemed like a fun way to channel my creative energies, push myself to write on a regular basis, and to connect with a diverse group of cool people.

So now that that's done...I'm going to tag some my google followers with their own blogs (if you've already been tagged, just consider it some extra love):

Marjo (check out her pretty blue-grey smokey eye look)
Vanity Treasure (her pets are so freaking cute)
Neeyuh (always has informative tips)
Kim (a potpourri of topics)
Imee (never boring)

Thanks, blog readers, I really appreciate your support. :)

Rude Shoppers and Fun Purchases

I went to Kohl's this weekend looking for undies, a picture frame and whatever else caught my eye. They had a promotion in which if you spent $50 you'd get a $10 coupon off a future purchase, so that's what I did. The promotion ended Monday in stores, but is still running online until April 29.

I have a love/hate relationship with Kohl's...err, as much as one can have with a store. I like that they offer lots of good deals and have begun stocking relatively more upscale goods -- ie: with a Vera Wang clothing line and Food Network kitchenware -- while maintaining reasonable prices. The problem is that you have to do a lot of digging to find the hidden gems. I'd say overall Kohl's hit-or-miss on quality, and that over the past few years, prices have gone up while overall quality of the merchandise has not.

Maybe it's because my scope of the store has expanded beyond the juniors section.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to enter my local Kohl's a see a huge, attractive display of beauty products. They looked nice, but not tempting enough to lure me in...though I could hardly believe their wide range of fancy perfumes, including my beloved "Daisy" by Marc Jacobs, which I gave to my little sis for the holidays.

I went home with:
A copper picture frame to go on my fireplace mantel; gold-plated flower earrings; a lion broach.


A (much-needed) black bra; three pairs of undies; and a pink and black hoodie (from Avril Lavigne's line...makes me shudder a bit, but it looks really cute on).

Nothing to wear to work, but fun things to jazz up under and around my 9-to-5 outfits.. I've already worn most of the items and have the picture frame -- still empty, sadly -- on my mantle.

Lastly, the "rude shoppers." I was at the register behind a group of teens and two women, who already had one or two purchases rung up separately. The women were also buying about 20 watches in individual boxes. They'd put on some fuss before I got on line, and then more of a fuss with the watches -- to the point that the teens left for another line.

After the cashier rung the women up, they suddenly started asking how to remove the watches from the boxes. They said that in the past, they haven't been able to remove the zip ties holding the watches into the box. They asked the clerk to show them how to do it. How to cut a zip tie. After they'd held up the line and had 20 boxes rung up.

So the clerk took out a scissors but (smartly) refused to try cutting herself, and asked them to try. After a half-assed attempt, they requested a manager.

A manager came over and told them to cut with a scissors or a knife or a razor at home. They looked dumbfounded when it came to this suggestion until the manager had repeated herself half a dozen times.

They finally left (in their matching "Princess" shirts) and I got up to the register and said to the cashier 'wow, that was kind of obnoxious.' Like the manager really had a better idea to open the package?

One of These Nails is Not Like the Other

And yet, it belongs. Well, maybe.

A few weeks ago I saw a picture on some celebrity site featuring a female starlette (no one I remember) sporting silver nails with one white one. I tried the look a few days ago with pink/silver, and tonight, with grayish silver and gold. It looks better in person because the gray has little sparkles in it, but here's a photo to give you the idea:


I like that it's funky in a subtle way. Something a bit quirky that is easily wearable to the office.

The main color is Wild and Crazy's w235/Anchorage. This is a very inexpensive brand, but I really like the coverage. It's thick and matte with little sparkles in it. The bottle says sinfulcolors.com on the back, so I'm assuming it has an affiliation with that company...whose nail polishes I also like for being inexpensive yet very pigmented. I'd agree with many reviews on Makeup Alley though, that Wild and Crazy's polishes can be hit-or-miss.

The gold is OPI's Needles in a Haystack. Very pretty, I can see myself wearing this on its own sometime.

Do you think this idea a lost cause? Might it look better with different colors? I like how it looks better in person than in the picture. Anyway, thank goodness nail polish is so easy to change :) Though for now, I'm happy with this.

Saturday's Six Things For Which I'm Grateful

I'm not much of a daily affirmations gal, but today, I feel like briefly reflecting on some of the things that make my life a bit brighter. In no particular order:

--Good friends and family.
--Nice weather! Seventy five degrees and sunny inspired me to put on capri pants and go for a few strolls today.
--Crosswalks. Since they make it so much easier to be a pedestrian, both in downtown D.C. (where I grabbed lunch this afternoon) and by my apartment in suburban Maryland.
--NYX lip gloss with shine in Crystal Soda. It's a salmony pink color that makes my lips look juicy.
--Wireless Internet. I can blog at my desk, on my bed, in the kitchen, in my bathtub. Amen to that.
--Bubble tea. And the cute guy who works at the bubble tea kiosk in my local mall. ;)

Outfit: Hip Yet Work Appropriate

Here's me feeling a bit clever the other day in dark skinny jeans, a patterned shirt and a black suit jacket.

This was after a long day at the office and 40 mins in traffic, so my mug wasn't much to look at, hehe.

I love dark jeans with suit jackets. I think the combination looks polished but fun. It certainly beats the khakis and sweater sets I usually wear to work; not that there's anything wrong with them, but sometimes I like dressing with some spunk too. At 22, I'm half the age of most of my coworkers, and more than that, I work around senior and baby boomer issues all day...and it's easy to forget that I should be enjoying my youth!

The shirt I purchased on my recent outlet mall excursion at Ann Taylor. The jacket is also Ann Taylor -- one of my first two jackets, I got it when I was 16 or 17. It fit my body shape back then, but the many buttons don't flatter my bustier frame now, so I'm hopefully going to replace it soon. The jeans are "Morgan" from Delia's (I wrote about them in one of my first posts, awww).

re: Heidi and Spencer "drama"

Are any other watchers of The Hills as baffled as I am at how Heidi and Spencer are always on the brink of a breakup on the show, but for the past year or so, not a week has gone by without them flaunting for paparazzi?

When do they have time to act -- er I mean, argue, in between shooting her music videos and staging cheesy photo-ops?

A season or two ago I chalked it up to them putting on a happy face for the time being, and that the charade would fade. But at this point, it seems like they're really sticking with this remaining-in-the-spotlight thing.

I was willing to suspend belief up until the Mexican wedding debacle...which just seemed absurd to me, how they 'really got married' after the tequila shots, except that it happened at least several hours later when it was light out, and when they'd both primped. And of course, all their insisting it was real only led to it being not valid, surprise surprise.

I just watched the most recent Hills (season 5, episode 3, thank goodness for that show being available online!) and I was entertained. And that's what I'm looking for out of The Hills -- I'm interested in the characters, I want them to look beautiful and to lead exciting lives. I'll admit, I'm even looking forward to the Brody/Audrina thing and Spencer calling Lauren. I will be watching!

But believe that Spencer is really flirting with a bartender with no idea of the ramifications? Uh, no. Still mildly entertaining, just not 'real'.

And for my part, not entertaining enough to necessarily make me want to watch the show post-Lauren. We'll see what MTV does at the end of the season...would you keep watching if The Hills went on without her?

The Best Part of Being Home

....is being beside my four-legged best friend, Bon Bon!

She wasn't in much of a photo mood today, and my camera was being finicky, so these aren't the best photos, but I'm sure you get the idea.

She's a spunky 7-year-old Boston Terrier, who loves to lick my face (just mine) and sleep on my bed....usually at the foot, but when she gets the chance, she likes to pretend that my pillow is hers too!


Of course good friends, good family and good food also make being home in New York enjoyable, but there's just something about this dog that's just the icing on the cake. She's very sweet, playful and yet well-behaved -- even though she loves food and is on the stocky side, today she listened when I said 'no' to her sniffing some food that I was about to nosh on my bed. She just slept on the floor instead.

I could just go on and on about my Bonbee baby! (Yes, my silly nickname for my dog.) But since I head back to Maryland tomorrow, I'm just going to relish in my last few hours of this mini-vacation while my pooch snores on my bed. :) Ah, this is the life...

Mission: Bikini Body

Unlike most years, when I'd only start thinking about this topic in mid-July once it's practically too late, this year I'm setting a goal to get in *great* shape by the time warm weather rolls around. Not just bikini-wearing shape, but proudly-taking-photos-in-my-bikini shape. (I just love the print of this orange swimsuit from my-wardrobe.com, btw...I could use something exciting in my closet.)

My hope is that publicly making this resolution, on this blog where I can easily check back on what I pledged, will serve as a reminder to not let myself down!

I'm in decent shape to begin with. I maintain a fairly healthy diet and have a strong core from years of staying active. But back in high school I was dancing/playing sports several times a week, and in college, I was dancing plus walking most places I needed to go. Now that I live in the suburbs and work a 9 to 5, things aren't as easily foot-accessible and I'm basically chained to a desk all day. I haven't joined a dance studio or a pilates class. I've fallen into a funk.

Which is too bad, because I'd say I'm piqued to be in my best shape ever. I'm finally over teenage awkwardness and that whole transition phase of college. I'm starting to feel like a real adult, with some self-confidence and maturity to match. Plus, since I can't just throw on jeans and a t-shirt for work, I'm starting to develop a sense of style that compliments my body instead of just covering it.

I'm sleeping more, cooking more, treating my body better. I think increased exercise would push me over the edge, to make me stronger and more toned. Off the top of my head, I've come up with a few easy ways to add more activity into my life:

1. Walk during lunch, not drive. I often pack lunch, but on days that I didn't last fall, I walked to the local supermarket for food. This wasn't very appealing in the cold winter but I'm going to try it again this spring. That adds 2/3 of a mile of walking into my life five days a week.

Even if I pack my lunch, I can still just go for a walk. It's refreshing break from sitting at a computer all day.

2. Bike to work. This one is going to be more difficult to take on. I don't yet have much biking stamina -- bought the thing in December -- and I'm kind of worried about biking down busy streets. But hey, practice makes perfect...and it's only three miles each way.

3. Dance. I love to dance and I miss dancing. Maybe I'll sign up for a class, maybe I'll just follow along with some fitness videos, maybe I'll plug in my iPod and rock out while cleaning my room. I don't know yet. But I know it makes me feel great and helps me stay trim.

4. Push ups. They're so damn good for you, targeting both the upper and lower body, and require no equipment. Aerobic exercises like the ones above will help me stay slim, but what I really want is to gain definition. And the areas I'd most like to work on are my upper arms and my abs, so push ups are a good start. For the next month, I pledge to do 30 push ups a day. (I did 15 today at work already. Yes, really.)

5. Any suggestions??

Waiting to Crack Out This Summer Bag

I'm waiting for summer to roll around for a couple of reasons. At this very moment, it's because I want this 'waiting' phase of my life to end and for the rest of my personal and professional life to begin. I'm stuck in blah April showers. Even though I know this waiting is what needs to happen, like I said in my last post, it's not the most enjoyable time!

For now, a pick-me-up is thinking about all the great things I'll be doing when the weather gets warm. Swimming (hopefully), biking, hiking, wearing light, breezy clothes to the office and carrying a stylish bright bag!


The picture doesn't do this bag justice. It's a shiny, textured dark turquoise. It's not dirty the way it looks in the photo, in person that looks like a subtle gradient.

One of my favorite parts is the black/white/gray checkered interior:

It's big enough to fit a laptop, but not too wide that I couldn't stuff it with a book and some sunscreen and take it on a walk to a park to read.

The maker is Rampage, and I bought the bag at Marshall's. The material is a sturdy faux-leather.

Wake me up when June ends, okay? I'll pack my bag now so it's ready to go. ;)

Writing is Cathartic

A quick entry, since I'm at work...

I've faced a lot of changes recently, both good and bad. I feel like I've left a nice, cozy place in my life and am traveling through a winter storm on the path to the place I need to be next. Even though it's hard to be trudging across snow and cold, I know it's what I have to do to move forward.

Doesn't mean it's easy!

Thankfully, there's lots of good stuff heading my way, I'll elaborate more in the future. Anyway, I just wanted to put in a quick entry since I have no Internet at my new apartment yet.

Hopefully I'll have it set up this weekend (before I gnaw away a hole in the wall from withdrawal).

In the meantime, I'm going to be doing a lot of thinking, and maybe even some writing. It's a good way to let out frustrations and channel my energy in a positive way. Maybe I'll do some crafting and makeup-ing too -- no big cooking though since the kitchen isn't stocked yet. And I'll be sure to take pics.

Isn't it strange how beauty can be inspired by heartbreak?