What I Wore Today: Sunday Best!

School. Moving. Finals. AH. I'll be back soon.

For now, here's my outfit for today, I'm gonna tell you secret, I wore the same dress last night at a jazz show in SF! I can't get out of it :)

Hat: Ross

Dress: Stylemint

Shoes: Therapy ( Seychelles - Cayenne )

Bag: TJ Maxx (London Fog)

Watch: Urban Outfitters

Bracelet: Bead for LIfe

I look at this, and see the weight I've put on since I halted from eating anything healthy at all, and just consuming whatever's convenient. That will change soon. Need to be aware of what's happening to my body.  I will lose some weight!

Bye for now,

-nalovita.

My Everyday Makeup Routine

A few years ago, I had my routine up on YouTube. Now, my products have changed, and they probably will again, but I finally found products that work so well with my skin!

Foundation: On special days, I use Revlon's "Nearly Naked" Foundation, which I think is meant to be a rip off of Urban Decay's Naked line, it has really light coverage, but I don't need that much since overall, I feel that my skin can support itself.

Everyday, I go for Loreal's Magic BB Cream.  I honestly don't know what BB creams are meant to do, but this product is just like a tinted moisturizer, and evens my skin tone. 

After I apply my concealer, I set my Foundation/BB Cream with the Matte Bare Essentials Powder foundation in medium beige.  My mom introduced me to this brand and I have stuck with it since. 

Concealer: I go back and forth between the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, but since I have some hyper-pigmentation problems from a few zits in the past months, I needed something with a little more coverage, so I switched over to the Loreal True Match Crayon Corrector. I love it, since it is exactly my skin tone. I usually get my dark spots, under my eyes, the sides of my nose and some imperfections and blend it in. 

Highlighter: I just got the Benefit High Beam highlighter, and it is beautiful! Gives that extra boost in my skin.  Before I shattered my Naked Flushed Palette ( Bronzer/ Blush/ Highlight Trio) I used the highlighter in the palette, it is great too, but too soft. 

Blush: I also go back and forth with the Urban Decay's Flushed Palette, and Benefit's Bella Bamba blush, it depends whether I am going for a lighter color or not. 

Contour: Flushed Palette!! :)

Mascara: I absolutely love Maybelline's Mascaras, especially the Colossal and Falsies.  First I apply 1 coat of the Waterproof Falsies, and then 1 coat of the Waterproof Colossal.  I have to have waterproof formulas, because I have eyelashes that just stick straight down, and can't hold a curl, and I feel that these formulas do wonders for me.

Liners:  I am usually always wearing some sort of cat-eye or eyelid liner, I just feel that it makes my eyes appear larger.  I used to use the Urban Decay liquid liner, but I felt the finish was too shiny.  Now, I use the Milani Infinite Liquid Eye Liner, and it has more of a matte finish, as well as a thicker formula.  Only downside is that it transfers and takes a while to dry, (So I can't look up when it's drying..)

For Pencil liner, I usually gravitate to my UD 24/7 Pencil liners.  I feel that they don't smudge, and I have an array of colors.  I usually use the color demolition (dark brown) so it's not too dark.

Eyeshadows: I swear by all the Naked Palettes, they are quite the investments, but last so long ( I have yet to hit pan on any of them, and I use some sort of eyeshadow everyday!) Lately, I've been using the Basics Palette, since they are matte, and easy to wear. 

If you are just beginning trying to wear makeup daily, or have been trying and not succeeding in finding what suits you, just keep on experimenting.  Ask for samples if you can, so you don't waste a ton of money. 

Bye for now,

-nalovita.

Spring Break (Photodump)

D
Spring break had come right in time, after a horrendous amount of work, and lots of hours working, I felt that I definitely needed that break.  I stayed on campus, but was able to do a lot of fun things.  Firstly, it was right when Dylan came back from Cambodia, so I could not get enough of us hanging out, so we saw each other everyday.  We kicked off the week by seeing Jersey Boys at the SHN Theater in San Francisco, and it was amazing!  We went with his family as a belated birthday present, but I was the only one who hadn't seen the show.  Let's just say, I've had Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons stuck in my head since.

Then Dylan, Erica and I went back up to the city to attend the Giants vs. A's exhibition game. (Oh Ah BASEBALL!) Unfortunately we lost, but it was such a fun time to be with my favorite people, and meet some uh new people.. 

My drunken friends.

My blue-eyed favorites.

Then finally, on the last day of my Spring Break, Dylan and I went to Monterey for a nice little "date day" which I personally love, and know that this needs to happen more often. We went to the wharf for lunch, and then to the aquarium.  As Dylan says, this is a great repeat date!

It was so wonderful. I'm happy that I am finally taking out my camera again, for it was a big investment, and I haven't used it since I quite YouTube.  This needs to happen more often!

Bye for now,
-nalovita.

What I Wore Today: Cambodia Pants

Dylan and carol brought me quite a bit of goodies from their trip to Cambodia.  I will have a gift post later because they are such beautiful items, I have to share!

Top: Thrifted

Cardigan: Urban Outfitters

Purse: Urban Outfitters

Pants: Gift from Dylan -- Cambodia

Ring: Gift from Dylan -- etsy

Nail polish: Mint Candy Apple - Essie 

Shoes (not shown) : Urban Outfitters

This isn't a very complete outfit post, but I just love these pants! Dylan's print choice is just totally ME! They are extremely comfortable and perfect for this warm spring day.  I decided to add a pop of color through my purse since I had to carry quite a few things. Oh yes, I am in love with my ring. We supported an artist and its super unique and a great everyday ring!

Bye for now,

-nalovita.

Finals is consuming me.

So, while I take care of my academics, enjoy some pictures from my 21st birthday..

I had a great time, I will recap on it later.. as well as catch up on posting!!! See ya December 18th!

Bye for now,

-nalovita.

Thankful.

So today is Thanksgiving.  I have stepped aside from the family soiree, since it has been a full day event, and just wanted to reflect by myself on this weekends events.  Last night, my boyfriend, his brother and I went to one of my favorite services of the year, which is the Thanksgiving Eve service at our church.  This service is great because the youth choir leads the service, and at the end alum from the group come up to the front and sing an old favorite, Simple Things.  It's a really amazing experience, because it just grows and grows each year, and this year I was standing with now alum, that were freshmen when I was a senior in the group.  Time flies.

What was really amazing about this specific service this year, was that the church commemorated 30 years of ministry to two of my biggest mentors.  It is amazing that they have ministered this long, and have made such a huge impact on many peoples lives.  I feel so honored that I have been a part of the group, and that they still care for me, guide me, and they open up their home to me, because they are my boyfriends parents as well! I am praying that they continue to touch lives, even though I know they will!

It was great to be with so many loved ones last night as well, I had a great time, until a killer migrane just attacked me, and then my boyfriend and I had to go.. I was sad that I wasn't able to catch up with some people, and as much as I say I hate small talk, it really sucked that I wasn't able to partake in any at all!! But here are a few pictures that I loved from last night :)

Today, the whole family from my dad's side came over, and we celebrated in our recreation hall at our townhouse complex.  It's still going on right now, but it's always great to be with family.  I have stuffed my face all day, and now my waistband won't fit. :)

Here are some photos: (We didn't eat turkey, we ate lechon)

I am so thankful and so blessed, that I have these amazing people as family.  They are fun, and supportive, and it's just so great! And as always, an outfit posting, but I will warn you, I felt pretty frumpy.

Top: Cotton on

Skirt: Naya from the Philippines

Cardigan: Papaya

Sandals: Crossroads

I hope you all had a great thanksgiving, now it's time to ring in the holiday season!!

Bye for now,

-nalovita.

What I Wore Today: Lazy School Day.

It was a late morning/another sleepless night.. So I woke up a little later than usual. It was a little chilly out so I decided to go with a simple outfit, a sweater and leggings. Here's my take today on the Fall/Winter go-to.

11.13.12 Outfit:

Sweater: Thrifted - $5
Leggings: Cotton On - $10
Scarf: Target - $14
Flats: Nu Pair - $13
Purse: Ross (Lucky Brand) $70

I love this sweater so much, the cut of the neck is a boatneck, and really exposes the collarbone well, which I love. My problem with Cotton On leggings is that it collects a lot of lint, but they are much more opaque compared to leggings to F21. I have these flats in this camel color as well as black, they are by the brand Soda, which is a really cheap shoe brand since I have bought like 15 pairs of these flats, but no higher quality flat has caught my eye for the price.  The scarf has a really beautiful tapestry pattern and was a great find at my local target. My purse is a little out there for me, but it's a perfect school bag.  My aunt and my mom bought it for me when she was still here in the United States, now it is a memory of her (I need to continue my post series about her.. once midterm retakes are over) So comfy, and I think I will keep defaulting to outfits like this!

Bye for now
-nalovita.

Birthday/Christmas Wish list

Hello everyone!

So my birthday is coming up on November 27th, and I'll be turning the oh so sinful 21.  I'm excited for my birthday this year, because I plan on just grabbing dinner with some of my close friends, and then having a fancy shmancy dinner with my boyfriend.  My 20th birthday last year was a lot of fun, my boyfriend and I went to Fenton's creamery in Oakland.  Since it was a Sunday, a majority of my day was spent at church, but I was able to be with some friends at my favorite Japanese restaurant Hanamaru, in Sunnyvale..

Here are some pics from last year:

So now that I am going to be the big bad age of 21, what drinks do you recommend for me to have for my birthday? I'm not a drinker whatsoever, but I guess this is a pretty fun occasion now that I can order stuff for myself.

So now on to my wishlist: I am pretty happy with the material things I have in my life, I don't really yearn for anything, except for one thing, to travel.  From my first post, I stated that I love to travel, and next year there are a lot of opportunity to do so, I just don't have the funds.. so instead of bottles of alcohol, or random material presents, which I do appreciate, I would prefer any kind of gift to be a monetary donation for my upcoming trips for 2013.

What are those trips?

My number one priority right now, is to be able to chaperone for the Starfire Singers Overseas Tour.  Next year, they will be going to the UK, and it is quite a hefty price tag.  I was once in this group, and I made a commitment to myself that I would chaperone the first year I was eligible.  I love this group with all of my heart, and I want to see the other side of the trip as being a chaperone.

My second trip, is to return back to Cambodia in March.  This is a little less pricey compared to the UK trip, but it is a second priority.  A small group I am in that focuses on Human Trafficking is headed to Cambodia to seek justice, which is something that I want to do.  This trip will definitely have a different feeling compared to my previous trip to Cambodia with my boyfriend.  I know it will be very enriching.

Oh, and an iPad mini would be fun too.. but I can deal without :)

Since my birthday is so close to Christmas, this is also my Christmas wishlist! I am thankful that these opportunities are presented to me, and hopefully I will be able to go.  I will also have some fundraising opportunities so I am able to go on these trips, so stay tuned (ahem clothes sale!) 

Bye for now

nalovita.