Five Things Before Summer

One month till I wrap up my first quarter of school, one month till I get to see my boyfriend and family, and one month till birthday timeee! I'm so so excited for summer. To fully embrace the upcoming few weeks of relaxation and recharge, here are 5 (fun) things that I want to get done before then.

1. Pick out my summer poolside reads

That would mean lighthearted, happy ending romance novels. Recommendations anyone?

2. Learn to make the perfect flavored iced tea

I love the Tazo passionfruit tea bags, and have been experimenting with lemons, berries, juice and agave nectar to come up with the perfect concoction. 

3. "Summer clean" my apartment

Because life happens, and my apartment is in dire need of a good clean (before the boyfriend/family comes around!)

4. Find the perfect swimsuit cover

Eyeing this tank in white - cutest summer tank ever

5. Treat myself to a much needed mani/pedi
Hello fipflop season!

One month countdown begins now!

Currently...

 

Snacking on these giant strawberries

My daily post-dinner treat, sooo sweet and juicy

Watching the Voice

Live shows! Who else is a the Voice fan?

Feeling appreciative

School has taught me to slow down and take time to appreciate the detail in everything. It's been a refreshing change of approach for me, since I've always been impatient and more of a "big picture" kind of girl. Who knew the small things could be so spiritually satisfying!

Sampling Origins Ginzing eyecream

Contains caffeine and ginseng to de-puff and diminish dark circles, which is exactly what I need right now. Full review to come.

Counting down to June

My birthday (and blog birthday!) month, and the long long long awaited visit from my boyfriend

 

Doing absolutely nothing for a night

My new job which has taken up literally all my time outside of school; it's been an exhausting but very interesting experience so far. This past week I spent all my time outside work scrambling to finish homework and studying, leaving barely any time to rest (and to blog!). So after a weekend of work and a Monday of meetings and classes, I've decided to clear my head, stop, and do absolutely nothing this evening. The productivity can resume tomorrow :)

 

The Perfect Neutral Eye Palette!

 

 You would think having the Urban Decay Naked Palette 1 & 2 would be enough for me... but then I saw this - the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral Palette (sold at Target). And it was love at first sight!

I've been good about holding off on the Naked Basics palette till now - mainly because I heard about how the color range is kind of a let down, with too many light tone colors and not enough "transitional" mid-tone shades in the palette. Apart from that, the Basics palette is right up my alley, especially because I love wearing mattes in the summer for that natural "no-makeup" makeup look. Enter Sonia Kashuk's Eye on Neutral Palette.

This Eye on Neutral Palette offers 12 matte neutral shades of eyeshadows, ranging from a bright white to a true black. In between are shades of "barely there" skin tones and beautiful warm browns. I love that the darker brown shades in the palette offer virtually ever undertone I'll ever need - my favorite is the reddish brown (left shade on the third row), and the plummy brown (bottom left shade). For a natural look, I like the barely there light brown on the lid (middle shade on the top row), and the perfect contouring brown in the crease (right shade on the second row).

All in all, these shades are perfect for creating any natural look. Neutral, matte shadow junkies would love this!

Swatches, first 2 rows:

Swatches, bottom 2 rows:

 

Sounds kind of silly but I still can't get over how perfect this palette is. With 12 eyeshadows for less than $20, you really can't go wrong. Just when I thought I would never need any more neutral eyeshadows, the luring world of makeup has yet again proved me wrong. Ahhhhh temptations temptations!

Two Purses on Rotation

I'm not sure whether it's the creature-of-habit in me, or simply because I'm too lazy to swap out the contents of my purse, I tend to go through periods where I keep reaching for 1 specific purse, leaving my other beloved bags neglected and forgotten. For example back when I was working full time I reached for my mid size purses more (case in point my Mulberry Alexa). But now that I'm juggling school and a fast-paced part time job (yes, I'm hired!), I've been showing a lot more love to these 2 purses that I've neglected in the past.

Long Champ Le Pliage Medium Tote in "Natural"

Such a multifunctional bag! This used to be my travel bag that I'd only bring on flights with me, but I've been using it so much more - as my school bag/errands bag/job interview bag/everything bag. It holds a ton, is light and durable, and neutral enough to go with everything. I love how it's so subtle yet classy. Also the weather in LA has been very unpredictably lately, so it's great that I can toss a light cardigan into this purse in case it gets cool in the evening.

Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac in "Royal"

I ordered this as part of a bulk order with 2 of my girlfriends back when Shopbop had a crazy sale going on, but for a while regretted my purchase because I was not using it as much as I thought I would. Fortunately I've been getting my money's worth out of it lately; it's become my "part-time job purse"! I don't have a lot of space to store my belongings where I work, so this purse is perfect for holding all my essentials and easily fits into my tiny work drawer. I have a few other crossbodies, but love that this one is so sturdy and holds relatively more than my other small-sized bags.

What are your go-to purses?

The Weekend, According to Instagram

 

view from the getty center

 

blackberry & custard french toast at the getty center restaurant

 

crab cake benedict, the perfect brunch dish!

 

mesmerized by the cotton candy sky as i got off work on saturday

My weekend was completely dominated by work - starting off a new part time job has not been easy, especially with all the people movement which has left me working way more than I had expected and pretty much figuring things out one at a time on my own. Thankfully I was able to recharge with  a nice catchup dinner and movie on Saturday night, a girls' brunch at on Sunday, and what seemed like the best ever Chipotle takeout meal to wrap up the weekend.

P.S. Happy Cinco de Mayo, and happy 200th post!