A Little bitta this, a little bitta that

I had been saying that I've been wanting to do an entry on all my fall fashions.
Basically this fall, I'm loving the vintage. As per usual. I love the "English Equestrian Prep" look and the "Sporty chic" oh so much.

While alot of the outfits I've come up with contain many things which I've purchased from my vacation, alot of the articles were things which I had previously owned.

Outfit # 1: "English Prep"



Outfit # 2: "Urban Dancer"



With knee socks:



With colored tights:



Outfit # 3: Equestrian Chic



Outfit # 4: Romantic Glam



Outfit # 5: Urban Glam



With jeans and flats (for when it gets colder):




Outfit # 6: Autumn in London



Happy back-to-school!

Biracial? Triracial?

Strangeflower58 just in finishing her nocturnal duties at night owl.

So, I've been exploring into my family tree and my ethnic heritage.
For those of you who haven't figured out, I am multiracial. I used to only consider myself biracial, but it turns out there's more color going on in my DNA then just black and white. My Dad has bit of Jew or Middle Eastern in him (we aren't really sure if it's one or the other).

To make it simple, I have constructed a chart of my genetic breakdown:




This is what I do in my spare time.

I also, out of curiousity, researched the "Urban Dictionary" meaning of my name. I will simply state the definition and leave my name out, as it is a very unique name and I do NOT want stalkers.

Urban Dictionary definition:

1. "A slobbish nobody that dresses badly. Woolen socks with sandals are a must. __________'s don't wash their hair and often look like they are 80 years older than they actually are. Be sure to be careful when talking to ______ as you may often get a Lord of the Rings or Macintosh related lecture. Bad Nose! Not the most intelligent of creatures. May try to latch onto you and try and be your friend.

She's such a/an _________, i mean LOOK at those socks and sandals!"

2. "Loves knitted socks and sandals, preferably together. Whole wardrobe consists of clothes from Savers. Strange face, big nose. Loves LoTR and anything Macintosh related. A bit of a mooch and loves to attach to unknowing victims. Once attached hard to hide from. Watch out for the awkward silences when an ________ appears.....be careful as when having private discussions ________'s are lurking around every corner.

Quick, hide it's the _______ mooch.

Like, OH MY GOD, she is SUCH a/an _________!"


Okay, socks and sandals are SOOO in again, people. Honestly.

Hahahaha. I died when I read this.

I'm going to sleep, but a heads up. I WILL be doing a back-to-school haul blog tommorow, pictures included :)

Strangeflower58 calls it a night.

Reflection

I've been home now for a week and a half from my mini vacation to Toronto. It was a much needed vacation, dare I say, and since I've been back to my hometown, I've certainly been feeling alot more refreshed, rejuvinated, revived, and relaxed.

I am sooo anxious about going back to school. I actually cannot wait. I love to learn, as nerdy as this sounds. But I've accepted my fate a long time ago that I am without a doubt a Grade A nerd. Isn't that punny. I'm really not funny, but I try.


I love going back to school shopping. I love getting all my new fancy school supplies at staples. Flowered binders in fruity colors. Pretty neon sticky tabs and highlighters. Best of all, new fashionable duds.

I think I will do a photo blog on all the trends and fashions for this upcomming fall season. I know, I am a huge nerd.

I've been using alot of my spare time due to a lack of consistant shifts at my work to reflect on myself, my personality, my likes, my dislikes, my positive and negative attributes, etc..

I have learned about myself that I am a very expressive person. I am not and have SELDOM ever been shy. I love being in front of a crowd. I love showing people who I am. I am not obnoxious, but I would consider myself to have a relatively strong personality. I am very emotional and can experience a million different emotions in one day. My emotions are also very defined from each other. You can tell right away if I'm happy, mad, scared, sad, confused or bored. I cannot hide what I am feeling, even if I try. My mom really encouraged me to do this as I grew up, to be true to myself and express myself appropriately how I felt. Obviously, she did not mean for me to go slashing tires and breaking windows when I was angry. But if someone said something to me that was not right and it provoked me to become upset, my mother always encouraged me to confront the person about it in an assertive manner.

One of my bigger fears is that someone will get the wrong impression of me. I'm afraid that someone will tottally misread me to believe that I am A. Stupid B. Conceited / Self Absorbed C. Untrustworthy. I strive to be NONE of those things. I really hope I'm doing a good job at it.

I really want people to just accept me as I am. I want people to see that I am real. I have good and bad qualities. I try to improve the good and work on eliminating that bad (or use the bad to do good, in some situations). I feel I cannot get close with someone unless I can let loose and be myself. I have to feel like I can TRUST someone to have faith in me before I can completely have faith in them.

I think trust is sooo important. I dislike VERY few people. I find a good few people annoying, but they are still tolerable. I cannot tolerate people I cannot trust. Dishonesty REALLYYYY bothers me.

I would much rather be around someone who is an outright snob, than for someone to pretend to be nice and do bitchy things in secret.

I think, for the most part, I am confident on my own. I have a terrible habit of comparing myself to others alot, but when I really think about it, I'm content with who I am.

I am girly.
I am bad at sports. I wish I were good, but my parents never encouraged me to play sports as a child. In jr. high, I was always the last one picked for sports teams, therefore decreasing my confidence in my sporting abilities.
One sport I am actually decent at is badminton.
I love fashion.
I love helping people to feel good about themselves.
I love dressing up. Whether that be in costumes or fancy attire.
I love music.
I love embracing my African-American heritage.
I love exploring other cultures.
I still watch cartoons sometimes.
I am open minded.
I love to be in front of a crowd.
etc..

Sometimes I wish I was more charasmastic. Maybe I am and I don't realise. I do have an ample amount of friends. What is it about me that people are drawn to?

Sometimes I wonder what Matthew really thinks about me. I know he loves me, but I often wonder why? Haha. I know I can be a huge pain in the butt sometimes.

When I ask people this question, "What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about ________", people always respond "Pretty!". This pisses me off.
I really don't want to be known for what I look like. Ugly or pretty, that's for you to decide, but honestly, I'd rather be known for a remarkable personality and remarkable things I've done to help other people.

Heaven forbid, if I am to leave the earth, I'd want to die knowing I made a difference in someone else's life. Whether I saved a life or simply made someone feel good about themself, I honestly want to make sure that it is my life long mission to better the life of someone else.

I guess I picked a good career to go into.

Something I've come to realise that really ticks me off is when people take advantage of others. My mother always taught me, never get someone to do something for you that you can do for yourself. I hate relying on others unless I absolutely have to. Even still, I feel like I owe them something for doing an act of kindness towards me.

I also hate when people do good for others, but only to expect something back in return. I think this is the WORST possible personality trait a person could ever have. It is so unattractive to me. How self-righteous, self centered, and selfish could you be? Basically a person like this does not think of anyone but themselves. I think people like this are a waste in society. They do absolutely nothing for mankind but destroy it. Ugh. I can not think of an uglier personality trait than this. A very disgusting and gut-wrenching personlity trait.

Yes. Dishonest and selfish people. Stay away from me. You do not deserve my time or anyone else's.

I feel like I do not fit in with anyone in the church. I wish I did. Maybe I would have felt more compelled to be obedient to the words of the church. But, I felt so out of place. Like a new kid on the first day of school. Everyone else already has their friends and rhen you come along and it feels like people are only nice to you because it's a good thing to be nice, not because they actually want to be friends with you. I bounced around with several different church groups since I was sixteen, but I always get this same feeling.

I seemed to have struggled with this feeling alot growing up. I never really knew where I fit in. I always seemed to have akwardly different opinions and hobbies than everyone else. I mean, hey it makes me unique. But for a while, it really did a number on my self-confidence. It's only recently that I've gotten to know people who are alot like me. I feel alot less alone in the world.

I am hungry.
Time for a late night snack.

Things I'm Loving

So after watching endless youtube videos tagging makeup and beauty gurus on what they are loving at the moment, from products to fashion, I've decided to do my own, only blog style instead of vlog.

Makeup:
+ Barely there makeup: you want to look like you aren't even wearing any. Skip the cakey foundation, the powder, and just let your skin breathe. All I wear is a dap of concealer under my eyes and anywhere where there is redness, half a shade lighter than my skin tone. Then, to blend in my concealer and make it look natural, I use a orange-y toned bronzer. Mostly on my cheeks and under the eyes, but also on my nose, forehead, chip and jaw line. I just use cheap a cheap Cover Girl concealer stick in "light" and cheek bronzer in "golden sun".
+ Defined brows: I truly believe that all long as your skin looks flawless, the only other thing you need is defined and bold brows. Ladies, save your money on going to the salon for eye brow waxing and go au naturale. That's not to say you need to throw out your tweezers, too. Just use them only about once a week to clean up any straw hairs outside your brow's natural shape and you're all set. Full, thick brows are so in. If you feel your eye brows are too thin for your face or overplucked, you can always fill them in with a brow pencil a shade darker than your hair color. Use soft feathery strokes. Only fill in within the outline of your brow. Do not "draw" on your brow. This will make you look like a drag queen. For my brows, I brush them into shape using a eyebrow brush and fill any sparse areas with a pencil from Annabell in "Rhone".
+ Natural or Bold Lips: Choose a clear gloss or balm for casual days or even a slightly tinted lip moisterizer. For night, a matte lipstick in a warm color (red, pink, peach, coral) will do the trick. For day, I use a dollar store lip balm (no joke) in orange or a moisture lipstick by Rimmel London in "soft coral". Nighttime, I use a shocking red matte lipstick by Revlon in "Classic Red"
+ Doe Eyes: Curl your lashes with eye lash curlers and use a mascara which will add immense volume and length to your lashes. LashBlast by Cover Girl (the non-waterproof one! Waterproof is IMPOSSIBLE to take off at night) is something you will swear by. Sometimes, if I go out, I'll add a liquid black liner by Almay.
+ Bold eyeshadow colors (for nights out on the town): I can't wait to go to a m.a.c store and buy some of this. Bold eye colors are AWESOME for summer, especially with a nude sheer lip :) Has anyone seen the "rainbow eye" look a lot of youtube beauty gurus are doing now? So nice. I can't wait to order my coastal scents 88 palette to get this same intense, matte color look. When I had my retro-themed shoot with Kaleigh, I also did an intense rainbow eye. I think had I had the coastal scents palette, it would have looked 10 times better. But I still rocked it without:



Hair:
+ Dove Moisture Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner: This is great is you have dry, limp and frizzy hair but can't afford to spend money on excellent quality salon products. Dove is a reasonable price and it kicks the moisture back into your hair. It also smells really clean. I condition my hair with this every day and shampoo my hair once a week.
+ Quantum Hairgel (for when my hair is curly): Alot of people ask me how I get my curls so defined and frizz-free without making my hair look like wet cement from products. One, I do not brush my hair. I condition it and pull my fingers through and then I leave a little bit of condition in my hair even after I've rinsed it. I pat it down with a towel when I get out of the shower and put it in a loose bun on top of my hair while I do my makeup (helps to keep it's moisture and volume). Then, I put a streak of hairgel across the line in my hand and rub it between my palms. I start off at the roots and work my way down to the ends. Once it's been worked through my hair I get a dime-sized dab of gel and do the same thing again, only this time I just work it through my ends. I find this hairgel holds the curl without making it hard as a rock and it's not sticky either when applying it.
+ Aussie Hi-Shine Hi-Volume Hairspray: I'm sure there's better hairsprays out there in the world, but this is the one I use. It adds volume to my curly hairstyles and holds curls made from a curling iron when my hair is straight. It's cheap and does the job. All I really need.
+ Got2Be Smooth Operator Straightening serum / Smoother (when my hair is straight): Perfect for when you have SUPER curly and coarse hair you want to straighten. Makes your hair feel silky smooth, and it also helps to calm the frizz down a bit when the weather is humid.
+ Chi Sraightener: Works WONDERS for really coarse, curly hair you'd never thought was possible to straighten. It's well over $120 to buy new, but it's worth every penny. Also, you can find cheaper ones if you search enough on ebay.

Body:
+Juicy Body Wash in raspberry): It's only $5 at Wal Mart and can be used as a shower gel, bubble bath or shampoo! Plus it comes in a HUGE bottle, so it lasts a longgg time. The smell is amazing and it's gentle on your skin and doesn't cause any irritation (I would know because my skin is SOO sensitive).
+ Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter: I LOVE Body Shop body butters.They feel so nice on your skin, are made from all natural products, do not irritate your skin, and smell great. Also, the Body Shop uses all fair trade products. The only downside is that Body Shop products tend to be pricey. I usually keep an eye on sales there, because that's how I'm able to afford most all their wonderful products. I got their body butter in raspberry for $10 (It normally costs $20). It also doubles as a perfume because of it's greaattttt scent.
+ Avon makeup remover: A white cream. Very inexpensive. Not too greasy. Works well at getting your eye makeup off instantly.
+ Persa-Gel Acne Spot Treatment by Clean and Clear: WORKS WONDERS! Okay, I suffered from acne for eight years before I found something that actually worked AND I didn't have to spend a ton of money on. I literally had tried EVERYTHING and this is the ONLY thing that works for me! It's got 5% Benzoyl Peroxide (the same ingredient in the Proactive acne products), which is the miracle ingredient that dries up all your acne. This stuff saved my self-esteem and for the price of around $7 at a drugstore! It does the same work as Proactive products do for a VERY small fraction of the price. Also, Proactive products are known to cause extensive drying to your skin, whereas Persa-Gel, if used only on problem areas, does not cause side effects. I used to slather this cream all over my face, which eventually led to me developing dry flakey skin with red irriated and itchy rashes. But only use a small amount of your problem areas and you should be fine! Be careful cause this stuff and bleach your clothes and fabrics, though!
+ St. Ives Apricot Blemish Fightiing Cleanser with Microbeads: For only $5 at Wal Mart, fights your acne, gets deep in your pores, giving you that deep clean feeling without over drying your skin. I use this in combination with the Persa-Gel.


Teeth:
+ Crest Whitestrips with Advanced Seal: Whitens your teeth without fail, usually after 5 or 6 strips (comes with fourteen). I usually go through a pack of these every two and a half months just because your teeth get so white so quick, you don't need to use them every day! About $40 at Wal Mart, but worth every penny. Also, does not strip away the essential layer of enamel off your teeth.
+ Arm and Hammer Baking Soda Toothpaste: Love the taste. Love the way it makes my mouth and teeth feel clean.

Summer Fashion:
+ 1940's inspired fashion:
- gingham print (think Dorothy's dress from the Wizard of Oz)
- "vintage" dresses
+ dainty earrings
+ soft feminime colors in coral (LOVE color this season!), baby blue, and baby
pink and red
+ Oxford Jazz flats - OMG! LOVE these.
+ floral printed scarfs and bags
+ pastel colored shorts
+ rompers
+ pearls
+ lace gloves
+ wide brim straw hats with flowers
+ nude heels
+ cotton baggy sweatshirts with the neck cut across the shoulders (think ofJennifer Gray's grey sweatshirt from "Flashdance")
+ cotton baggy tee shirts cinched with a thin belt at the waist
+ leggings
+ shorttt dresses
+ hobo across the shoulder bags
+ bandeau bikinis in a bright solid color that are vintage / retro inspired :)

That's all :)

Things on my mind...

My brain is a random pan of scrambled eggs right now. I am thinking a million and one things at once.

1. OMG. "Inception," the movie, was THE BOMB.com. I just saw it twice and could actually go again.
2. The photo shoot with Kaleigh today went swell. I really belong in the 80's (or any decade that happened in the past). We did a retro 80's shoot with colored candy, balloons, rainbow leg warmers, and crazy makeup. I was in my glee.
3. I really want to throw a disco roller skate party. That is IF my hometown was cool enough to have a disco roller rink. Not to mention if people were cool enough to own retro roller skates.




Ohhhh yeaaaahhh :)

4. I really want a pair of retro roller skates. It would be such a great form of exercise. I used to roller blade back in the day, so I'm sure I've still got skill. I never ever learned how to correctly ride a bike, so I guess this would be the next best thing. It would make travelling alot more efficient and I would be burning calories :) Maybe Santa clause is going to have to get wind of this desire I have for retro roller skates. Please, Santa. A pair of retro roller skates would be just devine. All I ask is for a simple pair. White boots, but with hot pink wheels.
5. I also love ice skating. I need a new pair of ice skates, too. I'm currently looking for a pair now in pink. I wonder do they sell pink skates in adult sizes?
6. I leave for Toronto with my best friend in T-minus FOUR days. I am pumped. I am seeing Michael Buble, and going shopping lots and visiting all the fun tourist-y sites, and watching Step Up 3D at an IMAX, possibly seeing "Inception" for a THIRD time as well as a musical
7. My boyfriend can be annoying sometimes. He picks at me for tres stupide things sometimes. He needs to chill out.
8. I like making him feel guilty about the fact stated above. I am very effective at doing this. Sometimes men really need a good kick to put them in reality check.
9. I am going back to working out. I feel good about this.
10. I wish I had enough patience to record videos all day and become a youtube partner. But alas, I do not have patience for this, and often, I do not have the time. Hence, I will never become a youtube parter.
11. I want to finish reading the book "Confident Woman" tonight this weekend, so I can start reading "A Year of Living Biblically" on the plane Monday.
12. I need to start looking into piano teachers for the fall
13. I can not think of anything else I have been recently thinking of

I am going now to work out again.

So long, farewell,
Auf Wiedersehen.