all about the red, white and blue

here's a little red, white and blue fashion inspiration... just in time for the fourth of july.

images via self serve magazine

how to: smoky cat eye

i'm a huge fan of the cat eye look and it goes well with every occasion, day or night. i love using bobbi brown's products specifically for the cat eye that i do on a daily basis. here are 3 main eye liner products i use, plus a lovely tutorial provided by estee lauder.

long-wear gel eyeliner {highly recommend this for a smooth and profound look}

long-wear eye pencil {gives you more of a smudged look than the gel}

caviar eye shadow {easy tool to create the extreme smoky eye look, adds more gradation & shadow}

the perfect summer salad.

i have been searching for the perfect fruity combo to create the perfect summer salad and of course as soon as i read the fabulous, claire thomas' blog, i found exactly what i was looking for. the kitchy kitchen always has what my tastebuds long for. if your obsessed with cherries and peaches like me, then you'll love this. for the full recipe, click here.

cynthia rowley band-aids

this makes boo boo's a lot prettier

i just ordered 4 boxes of these to add to my medicine cabinet back in LA. i don't think my boyfriend will be too fond of this. oh well. he's just going to have to deal. shop for these babes here.

images via cynthia rowley, cupcakes & cashmere

how to be a smart shopper.

the most useful advice i took from fashion blogger, jayne min of stop it right now on how to smart shop.

listen to her advice. so true and so helpful and i seriously live by this. take it from me, i am a babe on a budget and i am a conscious shopper. but jayne's advice helped me become an even better smart shopper.

thanks, jayne xx.

p.s. pay attention to sections "basics", "what's in a name" & "live within your means"

GIVE AND TAKE : Part of my consumption directly correlates to me being an anti-hoarder. What is that you ask? Well just as it looks, the antithesis of a hoarder. I get anxiety when I own too much or my closet looks too full so I have to let something go before I can let something in. Ask yourself if you need 17 black skirts of varying incremental lengths or just one or two really good ones?

BASICS : Perhaps because I work in the apparel business I have a skewed view on spending a lot on basics. I just can't bring myself to buy a $100 tshirt or $300 jeans. No judgement if you do, but I personally just can't. I like to feel like I'm getting a lot for my money - leather, craftsmanship, intricate detailing, whatever. So I buy really budget basics and save for things like shoes or jackets.

THINGS YOU LOVE : If I really really want something, it has to be because I need it (literally, like underwear or an unstained white shirt) or because it speaks to me on profound design levels (insert husband's scoffing here). Lackluster purchases lead straight to crowded, nonsensical closets and insufficient funds. My only two purchasing categories are 1) necessary closet staples or 2) ridiculously amazing brilliant design. 

BARGAIN HUNTING : This is how I get the majority of everything I own. I very rarely pay full price for anything. There's always the infrequent exception with things I obsess over and know will sell out and be impossible to find, or the special jewelry purchase, but for the most part, most things are found with good old-fashioned internet resourcefulness. I don't do a lot of impulse buying. Some of us don't have the luxury of impulse buying. My choices have to be carefully measured against what I have the funds for. So if I notice that an item is offered on a lot of different sites, I'll usually wait it out for end of season sales. 

EXAMPLES : I've said it before and I'll say it again, eBay is my #1 favorite place for bargain hunting. You can find anything from luxury shoes to vintage sweaters to rap tshirts at the best prices. Other great resources are YOOX and Bluefly and of course all my other favorite online retailers when they start slashing prices. There are no two better words than DISCOUNT CODE. When it comes to physical shopping, I stick to thrifting and vintage stores, and for nicer things Nordstrom Rack and Off 5th. 

WHAT'S IN A NAME : This isn't a lesson on how to procure luxury goods. This is for you to think about what you want to spend your hard-earned money on and why. Do you have endless funds and your father is a soda baron? Go out and buy those Hermès athletic socks! (No judgement! Get me some?) But if you are like me and need to calculate and save and pinch pennies here and there, it doesn't have to be about the name. It's not a competition. You don't need to keep up with the Joneses. Try buying only things that you love or need and nothing in between. Fashion isn't exclusive to luxury brands. A black cotton Prada button down is essentially the same as one from J Crew - wait for the J Crew one to go on sale (or better yet, thrift it!) then take yourself on a weekend trip with the difference. Balance Daniel-san, balance. 

LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS : Take care of your responsibilities before taking care of your wants. Isn't that what's at the core of enjoyment? Enjoying fashion should come after your rent and bills are paid, you've eaten and taken care of all the things you want to do in your life. If you're living on your parents' couch jobless, eating Top Ramen raw out of the bag, and maxing out fraudulent credit cards, I believe that's called an addiction, not enjoyment. And if you're working part time at a supermarket, maybe you should put off buying a Chanel bag until you go full time? Me, I can't afford a Birkin, but I can afford a Pandora (just once!) so that's where my limits are. Know yours.

WORK HARD : Just work (hard) for whatever you want, be that a Proenza bag, a hundred thrifted silk button downs, a bio fuel Mercedes hooptie, a trip to Vietnam rice paddies, whatever! Your tastes will change, just as your priorities will, but fashion will always be there. Just put the work in and live the life you want.

my apologies.

THIS IS MY SORRY FACE, andddd that's my boyfriend.

i apologize for not posting the last month and a half. i have good reasons, i swear. i just graduated from LIM college last week in Lincoln Center in NYC. my work load has been super hectic. i couldn't catch my breath until... now. since i was living in LA the last 6 months, i had 3 major online classes that required some serious final presentations. after finishing my semester working for Luv Aj i had to go back to NYC to give 3 big presentations. the last couple of months me and two other girls finished putting together an entire collection and business proposal for an eco-friendly swimwear line called Cerulean. did i mention a 130 page journal i wrote too? okay enough with this.. now you know what i have been doing.

not to worry loves, i will be back in action starting this week. love you guys and thanks for still visiting my blog... especially you international viewers...youddaaa best.

p.s. i'll still be working with Luv Aj starting in july and i will officially be a california resident. goodbye jersey, hello LA! so ready to start this new chapter in my life. congrats to the class of 2012!

DONT I HAVE A CLASSY FAMILY, i think so.

longing for summer.

images via tumblr

meet chelsea van houten of the noise girl.

beautiful and bad ass designer and photographer of noise girl, chelsea van houten, is an all around awesome chick. chelsea is a jersey native (like myself) and now lives in NYC. she was recently featured on refinery29 for her spring '12 collection. if you love neon and heavy metal jewelry, you will for sure love her collection. so stoked that her jewelry line is growing more and more! she's super talented and i'm really looking forward to her next collection! shop the noise girl here and get 10% off of your next purchase with the code: FRIENDZ10

p.s. she has the sickest nail blog: the fresh mani. she was also featured in lucky magazine! take a peek at her skillzzz.