Self Tanning + New Phone

Hey guys, I finally got to update my phone and am now totally loving the iPhone 5. The photography apps are probably my favorite part, I've been playing around with the stateframe one and it's such a blast.

I'm going to Hawaii in two weeks so I've been looking through old photos and getting really excited. And living in Texas, chick-fil-a + a big flat field is about as Texan as I can imagine. 

Now onto that self tanning... some of you may know that I'm going to Las Vegas next Friday (eep!) I've been worried about it so much because I'm not a size 2, even though I'd love to be and am working my butt off to lose weight, I still have quite a few medical disorders that make weight loss very difficult. I'm working on it, though! Its not an overnight process however, and the fact is, I'm still so intimidated to be seen by the pool and in night clubs in the shape that I am.

So, in order to try to make myself feel better about the whole situation, I purchased a Clarins face tanner as well as a Clarins body tanner (I figured it was best to stay within the same company).

I applied it tonight so there will be before and after pictures tomorrow!

I also went kind of overboard buying things for Vegas. I always romanticize trips, this is no exception, and now I have so many outfits and make up products and crazy looks that will be happening next week. So get excited for those, haha. How is everyone doing? I haven't logged into bloglovin' in so long, I'm off to do that now. Hope everyone has a great night!

Lipstick Queen Trio: Discovery

While browsing through Anthropologie I popped into their sale section and was very excited to see that  some lipstick I had almost purchased a few months ago was half off! Lipstick Queen is a brand I've seen a few times and was interested in, but never purchased. Well, 3 lipsticks marked from $48 to $24.95 seemed like a good deal to me. They had another set with more drastic shades, but I decided to go with colors I don't have many of.

 Sorry the light changes, these were taken on two different days as I couldn't find one of the lipsticks, so just ignore that! 

This trio was more of a sheer rather than bold or creamy lipstick bunch. But that's ok, because they soften any look but add some fun color. I love these on, they are very moisturizing, but the jury's still in on longevity. In order of appearance is Butterfly Ball in Trance, Saint in Nude, & Medieval. From what I can tell they use a lot of natural ingredients. I'm going to go back in a bit and see if they have the other trio because I love the colors so much! 

Sorry for the absence, but I'm back now guys. I'm going to Vegas in about two weeks and am desperately trying to get my face and body ready for it (probably to no avail). I'll be trying products out in the next week! 

I'm Alive!

I'm in Dallas and though tornadoes have been ripping through the areas around here, I'm doing fine. I'm just so busy with school work and helping my parents lately I haven't had much time for blogging! But there are new purchases I want to share, so I'll upload those tomorrow.
I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe!

My Obession with Miley's (old) Style Continues

Before Miley Cyrus cut off all her hair and bought those pair of doc martins and never looked back, she had this sweet "julia spot" of fashion that I was just diiiigggiinnnng. 

Her look is a little extreme for me now (though I will give her props for being confident and wearing what she wants), but here is one look I never fully recovered from. Be still my heart:

MAHHHHHH. Those shoes. Those tops. It's weekend casual, I think it's just so... mm. I love the colors, and I've been obsessed with those shoes since I saw this photo like a year ago. I searched for them and found out they were Chloe. Of course, how could I be so stupid! 

AND NOW Yoox has them on their website. They have them in black and in tan. AND they have an extra 10% off this weekend. And I just got paid. And, yeah, ok, I've spent so much money today and maybe impulse bought too much, but... come on. That's a good deal for some shoes that I adore. Right? 

I will resist impulse buying and sleep on it. But I really do love those shoes. 

(photo courtesy of urbansyparis)

How's everyone's weekend been so far? Obviously mine has been busy with online shopping. I have so many trips coming up, I feel like my brain is going to explode as I try to budget everything! 

Fun with Shutterspeed and Lightning

Today in Dallas was what I would say the beginning of the spring showers... also known as tornadoes.

(flash of bright lightning in the sky. this was taken at about 11pm)
I've gotten used to the weird colored sky and the insane rain, but most people from out of town are pretty scared by it. The good thing about it (other than making for perfect cozy weather) is it pours and pours. I love a good rainstorm, especially with thunder and lightning. I decided to take some ghostly photos in the dark, just for fun.

I haven't done a project like this since high school, and I always thought they were so much fun, playing with shutter speed and the like. It would have been even more fun if I had dressed up for it and not been in post-workout/ shower clothes, but oh well!
I've been studying as hard as ever trying to wrap up my online classes. I still have quite a ways to go, but at least I'm nearing the end of one more class, which is always good. Two more to go, and not much time to do them in. So I'm definitely starting to feel the pressure.
Hope everyone is doing well! I've got some exciting trips coming up and I can't wait for all the photos to come.  xx

The Normandy Hotel in D.C.

We had so much fun at our hotel when we were in DC. It was called the Normandy Hotel and was nestled on a little street surrounded by various embassies. It never felt overcrowded, the staff was incredibly helpful and polite, and I discovered on the last night they had a gorgeous little coffee bar area, complete with cookies! I hope next time I'm in town that I'll be able to visit this little place again. Definitely a cozy treasure. Oh, and the rooms were pretty great, too! I'll have to scrounge up those photos from a different camera. 

Happy Mother's Day!

I know it's almost midnight and it's like what's even the point at this time, but anyway, I hope everyone had a wonderful mothers day and spent it thinking about all the great things mothers-- all different kinds -- have done for us in our lives. I made my mom a card, and I will scan it and upload it onto this post tomorrow! But for now, I have to go to bed.
I hope everyone had a good weekend, more posts this week. I know I've been silent but it's been crazy around here!

Update: Alright, here is what I made my mom. Go ahead and make fun of it, it was my first real attempt at detailed watercolor! It's things that remind me of her... lavender from our vacations in southern France, 2pac for her love of him and hip-hop, wing tip oxfords, our roadtrips through europe, collecting sand dollars on the beach in San Diego, round glasses, blue and white patterns, and of course, solitaire/ free cell/ any computer card game. Hope everyone had a great sunday!

Rimmel Apocalips: Big Bang

I'm still really really happy that ASOS exists and that they sell Apocalips in the US because I wouldn't be able to get it anywhere else.

I loved Nova so much I decided to get another color. I find this to be... the perfect red?!

I know I'm a redhead and blah blah blah "too harsh on us" or whatever but you know what? If I wanna wear red lipstick, I'm gonna, you know? I think this color looks good on everyone. I'm serious, I looked up blog posts before I ordered it just to see what to expect and lemme say... I was pleasantly surprised. If you have access to it, I highly suggest ordering it. It lasts a long time. It's not super glossy, but it's really creamy. Its like a lipgloss // lipstick hybrid.

$7.62 on ASOS

Washington D.C. Summary (1)

If you've noticed my absence over the past few days, it's because I was in Washington D.C. celebrating with my family the fact that my father became a fellow in the American College of Radiology. We were all really proud of his hard work and this is a big accomplishment, so we of course all wanted to be there to celebrate it with him.

The trip was mostly full of eating burgers. This was not our intention but that's what it became. We ate at Shake Shack the first day (sadly, no photos of their delectable food), and BTS the second day. 

Their burgers and shakes are divine. If you visit DC anytime soon, give BTS a try! 

I'm sad I don't have more photos of McLean, Virginia. I have an aunt that lives there with her husband and it's such a gorgeous part of America. Even though it's populated, it feels slightly untouched. Perhaps its just that it's not overdone-- the trees are full and grow in their natural and wild method, creeks run throughout, and it feels sheltered, safe.

We also, of course, visited some monuments. Above is the Vietnam Memorial, and below is the Lincoln memorial. 

Overall, it was too brief a trip, and also a little overwhelming. I have four siblings and we aren't often all together with our parents, so its always very hectic, fun, and emotional. However, we will all see each other again in June when we got to Hawaii. For now, I'll be daydreaming of the trees. Not enough trees here in Dallas. Wherever I move in the upcoming year, I hope it has plenty of 'em.