The Fashion Portfolio

This was it, the sum of all my classes and lessons of the fashion design associates degree program. From draping classes, to pattern making and figure drawing sessions with nude models. By the time I got to this stage in the program, I was wiped out and had mentally checked out from designing. I was more eager to finish, rather than embracing and learning from the challenging process. I had no vision as to how I was going to turn my whole experience into a career and questioned if I wanted to pursue this for the rest of my life.

But this summer, I decided to take up the challenge to redo my fashion design portfolio. Deep down, I have a desire to figure out a way to turn my skills into a career. I took the summer to reflect on all the lessons that I had learned while in the degree program and started to develop a more positive perspective compared to when I was still in it. School is just one of those experiences where I don’t know how good it is until it’s gone.

Over the summer, I jumped into the process of designing again and this time I followed my own instincts as to what feels right. I’ve changed my idea behind my portfolio by actually thinking of a customer, a women who would be drawn to my looks. I’ve changed the layout of how it’s presented by emphasizing the small details compared to the previous layout. Nothing was left by accident, everything is purposeful because one day soon I’m going to have to explain my thought process of what I’m displaying. The last thing I want to feel is embarrassed for what I am showing.

I’m still spending time making changes and adding more details to every look. I’m not half way done yet but when it is, the sense of accomplishment will make my guilt go away… hopefully lol

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Essie ‘Wild Nude’ x Nail Update

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I mean, can we talk about this color?

its pretty but is it brown or like a medium tone grey?

I purchased this nail polish a few days before my wedding because of how sophisticated the hue looked. I wanted to make sure my nails looked polished as we exchanged our vows and slide the marriage bands onto our fingers.

I hope you enjoy the little nail polish inspiration for the day!

Facts && Hacks About Mascara!

Recently, I’ve been wondering if theres a method of picking the right mascara… I don’t believe I’m the only one who’s asked this question before but I’m curious to know if theres a true, straight forward answer to this important beauty question.

I’ve had this longing to learn about this topic for a few weeks and it sparked from a very recent disappointing purchase of one of my all time favorite classic mascaras. One I believed would never let me down when the going got tough but, sadly, the formula felt dry on my lashes. Then, about an hour later, I started to notice mascara flakes around my eyes.

I’ve always been very weary about purchasing items influenced by ads or marketing, simply because, I can’t determine if its just hype or the real thing. Our eyes are one of the most sensitive parts our outer skin, therefore I strongly believe that what ever we decide to place on them should feel like an investment into the greater good of the health of our eyes. Below I’ve listed a few mascara insights from varies sources, so here we go:

1. Familiarity

The best way to make a better or rather more informed purchase without running the risk of losing money is by becoming intimately acquainted with your lash type. Not all things work for every person and you can thank your DNA for that!

If your curious to know what might your lash type be, here are four of the most common lashes;mascara-lash-types

Follow the link below for specific tips about each of these lash types; http://www.eonline.com/news/632094/tricks-to-lengthen-short-sparse-or-straight-eyelash-types

2. Different wands for unique results!

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  • Small wands are typically better for small eyelashes because the bristles can grab each lash with more control and touch up corners easily.
  • Long, comb like bristles that are evenly spaced are often used for separating, defining and lengthen lashes, but it doesn’t do much to add volume.
  • For maximum volume, many wands are large and round with densely packed bristles that grab and coat each lash.
  • If you want a more precise application, its best to use a wand with bristles that have different lengths so it’ll grab each lash individually.
  • Rubber wands with moderately spaced bristles are perfect for a more natural look!

3. Formula & Texture

According to Cindy Lin, Albea’s Director of Product Development, Beauty Solutions in NYC, mascara formulas haven’t changed much the past 50 years. They’re  basically a combination of;

  • Wax: which is best known for its volume, separating, and blackest black capabilities. Hard waxes — found in low-quality and expired mascaras — can stiffen your lashes and cause breakage.
  • Pigments: the most recent innovation was made in 2004 when the FDA approved a carbon-black pigment, which gives users the darkest, blackest lashes possible
  • Film Formers: film-forming agents are groups of chemicals that leave a pliable, cohesive and continuous covering over the hair or the skin when applied to their surface

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Most mascaras you’ll see in stores are oil-and-wax-based, which are the easiest to find because their the most traditional. “When it comes to formula claims, if you see “contains vitamin this, vitamin that,” argan oil, botanical extracts, etc., it’s usually just promotional and at low percentages—the bulk of the formula is still the basic wax-pigment combo,” says Cindy Lin.

4. Mastering Layers

Makeup artist often use the art of layering to make mascara last longer while also making it easier to remove at the end of the day. The trick is to use a waterproof mascara on top of your regular formula. You’ll first need to apply your normal mascara and then finish it with a single coat of a waterproof formula. The convenience of waterproof mascaras (besides the very obvious) is that it holds curled lashes beautifully and keeps mascara from smearing throughout the day. But because it’s so difficult to remove, another trick is to put on one coat of a regular mascara and then a clear coat afterwards so it’ll create the same long lasting effect!

5. Innovation is NOT easy

Launching  a breakthrough mascara formula isn’t easy. A beauty necessity like mascara can take years to produce because of the different channels of research & development, testing, FDA approvals, patents, etc. It’s actually easier and cheaper for companies to create a breakthrough brush and patent that, then creating a new breakthrough formula. The combined effort of three important components working together is what creates the magic: the brush, the wiper (this part is found at the tip of the tube and controls how much formula is left on the wand), and the formula.

When I jumped into the research, I was expecting to find a straight, cut throat answer with a bit of digging to validate the statements. All the articles I read answered one question but then it would lead me to another question. The conclusions a bit bitter sweet one because there’s no clear answer to towards buying decisions. Like mascaras, it’s a combination of what you’ll like and what would work best. It’s back to trial & error and just in time for the holiday season!

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Thanks for reading along and I hope this article has helped you or given you some more insight. Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are of these facts or hacks of mascara! lol

 

references:
http://www.refinery29.com/eyelash-products-guide#slide
https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/eyelash-care/lash-care-faqs/how-to-curl-stubbornly-straight-eyelashes.html
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/makeup/a34064/mascara-tips-facts-history/
http://mentalfloss.com/article/68932/10-facts-about-mascara-help-you-lash-out
https://intothegloss.com/2013/09/best-mascara-2013-expert-tips/

#OOTD x Streetwear: Wednesday

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Lately, I’ve been wearing a lot more hats and I’ve come to realize that it has so much versatility from hiding bad hair days, uplifting any outfit & instantly creating a more casual, easy going feel mood. The color of the hat is anywhere from grey to light blue (?) I can’t really tell but because its one of those random light colors, it blended really nicely with the different tones of my wardrobe. My take for streetwear is comfort (life’s already tough enough) but also attractive. Now that its the beginning of the fall season, I’m ready for more layers, especially with sweaters. NYC’s cold for seventy-five percent of the year and I know I can’t have enough outerwear. Hope you liked the look (and the local street cat that kind of reminds me of batman)!

Forever 21; outer jacket, inner shirt | Target; sweater | Keds; shorts | Joe Fresh; bag |Claires;  accessories

Pantone: Fall 2016 Fashion Report!

It’s that time of year again where all the top fashion editors, influencers and elite are preparing themselves for the crazy schedule that’ll be Fashion week. The month long journey of the Spring 2017 collections beginning in New York City and traveling through the major fashion capitals of the world like; London, Paris & Milan.

Albeit the media will be all over what the runway shows will display for next season, currently I’m more interesting in what colors and hues and shades will emerge this Fall season until next year. Almost all summer I was wearing blacks or greys and now that the fall is here, undoubtedly, black will be one of the dominant colors throughout many new yorker’s closets and theres no better time then the change of a season.

Pantone, the authorities on color that provide color systems and leading technology for accurate communication of colors for a wide range of industries including the fashion, has available a list of colors that’ll be dominant throughout Fall 2016.

Below are the list of colors:

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My personal favorites are the Potters Clay, Dusty Cedar, Warm Taupe, Sharkskin and Airy Blue. Let me know in the comments which colors are your favorite. Thanks for reading!

 

references:
Featured Image Ilustration from Rubin Singer
http://www.pantone.com/fashion-color-report-fall-2016?from=hpSlider#hero
http://www.refinery29.com/2016/02/102969/pantone-fall-2016-color-report#slide-14

4th Of July 2016 x RECAP

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Bless the 3 day weekends! lol My 4th of July was spend with a lot of family quality time along with great cooking, smokey bbq, some fireworks but sadly a lot of rain towards the end. Countless number of people around the neighborhood were lighting their own firework rockets. The #ootd for the nations celebration of independence was something airy & comfortable, just to feel the slight breeze that managed to travel through even with the hot sun steaming.

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A funny moment that occurred during the middle of our 4th of July bbq was when we almost lost our pet rabbit.

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(Found this beauty in a local thrift shop..) 

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Most of my family attended the bbq & when I mean everyone, I’m also talking about our house pets, Chocolate the rabbit and Dardy our Shiht Zhu. Our rabbit is a short eared, solid black, mini rabbit. She’s always kept indoors but my father decided to give her a vacation by bringing her to the grassy areas of the backyard where we were having the bbq. When we looked at her, she seemed like she was in nirvana as the the sun was shinning on her. But for her protection, we kept the top of her cage on her so they’ll be no risk of losing her.

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Without realizing, the door to Chocolates cage opened because my youngest brother had fallen on top of it! No one noticed that her cage popped open and when my dad went to check up on her, she was GONE! We were frantically looking for her all over the the backyard and we were worried that she had wondered off into our neighbors yard or worst, that the local owl took her for dinner! 😱

Eventually (20 minutes later) we found her grazing the grass under the family car. Leisurely, hopping from one patch to another. We all started laughing at the coincide that  at all of times we could have lost Chocolate, imagine it being on the 4th of July of 2016!

Thank you for reading & checking out my blog!

cardigans: Target & Forever 21, top: H&M, shorts: Forever 21, bag: Local Thrift store, sunglasses: unknown

 

Metallic Foil Stripe x Nails Update

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Before I decided to try this design, I wasn’t aware that the stripes are called nail foil and if your looking for the ultra thin ones, just add stripe to the end of that google search. Their not expensive but before I purchased it, I decided to experiment with supplies I already had available at home. To improvise, I used aluminum foil to cut into really thin stripes and for glue, I depended on the polish to get a little dry and tacky. The tackiness made it like glue which made the foil stripes stick with only a few layers of coating. Then lastly, sealed with a clear top coat…

These are the finished results! Enjoy and let me know what you think of this design!

 

 

4 Summer 16′ Trends

And here we go, lets start our summer engines to dive into the sunny, humid days ahead for the remaining two months. Winter wasn’t as brutal as winters a la past, but it feels amazing to know that the heavy layers are now tucked away until the fall.

For summer 2016, certain summer styles and trends are really exciting and refreshing to see amongst the buzz of the streets in city that never sleeps. The following are just some highlights of those trends starting from the runway and embodied in street style, that made an effortless transition to summer from spring.

Updated Classic: T-shirt Dress

For the ultimate lazy girl at heart, this look is bliss. Not only can you find an effortless oversized, long t-shirt in almost any store (aim for two sizes larger), but with some cool accessories its an effortlessly chic daytime look.

Sleeve Details

Off the shoulder (aka cold shoulder) look, brought into focus a hidden gem to the surface through showing exposing shoulders, the neckline and occasionally maybe a bit of décolletage. But for 2016, it seems to be not enough because the emphasis is aimed at the sleeves. They’ll range from wide and voluminous pieces that vaguely reference those from the 17th century’s.

Prairie Boho

“And so, this part cowboy, part angel was born.” -Ella Alexander, GlamourMag

This look ties in elements of femininity and workmanship with high necklines, low waistlines and ditzy floral patterns. The style embodies functionality, since the original prairie women led more of an active, free spirited, outdoorsy lifestyle. As your assembling your style, beware because it can potentially fall into fancy dressing or sickly sweet butterscotch, therefore balancing is key. By adding touches of edgier accessories for a modern look.

Patches & Pins

Street style has a new accessory that adds a little fun (a bit of nostalgia) to any piece of item that needs a bit of tune up. Although you can purchase already made pieces with patches or pins attached on them, sadly it takes away most of the fun of customizing your pieces. With so many choices available, the biggest challenge will be to stick to a theme, a particular size and the sense of direction to each patch or pin.

These are just some of my personal few but there are many more floating around. Thanks so much for reading through it and let me know if any of these are your personal favorites too!

90’s Paint Splatter: Nails Update

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Did you notice? maybe? That the middle of the 2010’s brought out everyones inner 90s kid. Suddenly 90s throwbacks were blissful reminders of the simpler moments during our youth. People expressed their homage to that decade through their fashion and beauty choices. If this decades version of the 90’s sticks around for the remaining of the of 2010’s, only time will tell, but it’ll be a hell of an interesting sight to see how the styles evolve and grow with the different tastes. Heres my ode to 90’s trend, a jawbreaker paint splatter style nails. Using some warm water, hair spray, olive oil cooking spray, and a piece of plastic, I managed to get the style down but it took some patience.

Enjoy!

Metallic Streak

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One of the most irritating feelings is when you bring something home that you absolutely loved in the store, just to see that nothing in  your collection of clothes compliments it well. Its out of left field for the what you’ve been harboring in the closet and theres so little time to be sourcing the stores or thrifts shops to find specific items. I’ve had this battle with this particular skirt and for some time. I loved the linen material with vertical gold/ orange metallic strips and the coarse like shape that it created once I put it on. There were many time that I had given up on this skirt. I’ve had it collecting dust, tried giving it away to family members, and I even thought of donating it. But somehow it would resurface or manage to get back to me, like some sort of lost child, reminding me like “hey, I’m cute, I’m here, LOVE ME! you got me for a reason…”

Well, it finally happened, the nourishment come like water to a drying flower. The beautiful thing is, it kind of happened by accident. I was observing the pretty detailed packaging design that the Versace perfume came in, which smells like a sweet vanilla scent, that I received for my birthday. After a while, I became a bit inspired by it. The metallic strips of the skirt expressed the metallic design, while wrapping my belt expressed the icon Versace medusa symbol.

Shirt & Sweater & Accessories: Forever 21
Skirt: H&M
Heels: ALDO
Belt: Unknown