I Love Spring Tag - Michelle's Turn!

As soon as I saw Xuewei's post, I wanted to write my own! That's why I was delighted to see that she had tagged me. Here's my responses :) I'll have to admit, there's a reason why Xuewei is the makeup guru of this blog...

1. Favorite spring nail polish?

Image from product-girl.com

I actually don't wear a lot of nail polish (I'm not so good at applying it), but my favorite color is aqua and my favorite nail polish color is aqua as well. I love this one, Butter London slapper. It's bright and fun! 

2. What is your must-have lip color this spring?
My go-to lip color is usually Classic Chapstick (I said Xuewei, not I, was the makeup guru!) but if I were to choose a color that I like, it would be Fresh Rosé Lip Balm. I got this in a Sephora sampler and I love it. It's moisturizing and adds just the slightest hint of color.

Image from fresh.com

3. Show us your favorite spring dress!

I have so many dresses, it's actually really hard to choose! I'm liking the longer lengths this season, and I think this one will be my go-to dress this spring. I got it in the fall but I think the lace and neutral color will make it a wonderful layer. I wore it here: 

4. What's your favorite flower?

Hmm, this is a good question. I love flowers, and nature in general, but I've always loved the variety and color of tulips. They come in so many colors and their shape is just beautiful.

Image from theflowersavenue.com

5. Favorite spring scarf/accessory?

I think we all know what the answer to this question will be! My scarf, gifted from my grandmother, which you can see here, here, and here. 

6. What spring trend(s) are you most excited about this year? (Makeup, fashion or both!)
I am loving the intricate braids for spring and summer. As someone who loves to wear her hair long, sometimes it can be tough to keep it out of my face. Braiding it (and finding braid inspiration on Pinterest) is super fun. Here's my Hair and Makeup Pinterest board, where I'm constantly pinning my favorite looks. 

7. Favorite spring candle?
I'm usually not a candle user, but I really like this candle that we have at home. After reading what Xuewei had to say about the relaxing abilities of scents, I think I might give it a try! 

Image from pcfallon.com

8. Favorite body spray/perfume for spring?
My flute teacher recently gifted me Viva La Juicy, and I love how it's got a little hint of floral. It's not too overwhelming, and it's youthful. Although I don't usually wear perfume, I might use this more in the spring. Spring is always a great time for change! 

Image from juicycouture.com

9. What is spring like where you live?
Spring is like a refreshing breath of air after a long day. Although I like the winter, I find spring to be a pleasant change. However, my allergies have made it difficult for me to enjoy the start of spring. I hope this year I'll be able to enjoy it more! 

10. What's your favorite thing about spring?
I love how the weather gets better and warmer, but there are no pesky mosquitoes that plague me every summer! 

11. Are you a spring cleaner?
I don't mind organizing and I find myself doing it all the time, but there is something satisfying about cleaning in the springtime. In short, yes, I am a spring cleaner. A clean, neat and sunny room - that's what I love to see coming home from school.

12. Any plans for spring break or an upcoming vacation?

I had spring break a few weeks ago and I spent most of my time at home getting some well-deserved relaxation. 

I think this post was fun to write (thanks for the tag, Xuewei!) and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season :) 

Ravenclaw Pride!

Yay for my physics textbook (which I've opened maybe twice this whole year)!

At my school, we have a tradition of "Senior Spirit Days" every Friday towards the end of the school year. Basically, all the seniors who want to participate dress up according to a theme. We've had Crayon Day, Pirates vs. Ninjas vs. Cowboys, and Geek Day.

So, this Friday, as many of my friends and I are huge fans of Harry Potter (like just about every other child born in the 1990s), we dressed up for Hogwarts House Pride Day! Most of us were sorted into houses by Pottermore (a hyped-up website that I obsessed over two years ago), but others just picked their favorite house.

If you couldn't tell already, I'm a Ravenclaw (Woot! Go nerds!)! Ravenclaw colors are meant to be blue and bronze, but I don't own much bronze, so I just went with silver.

I wore my dark blue boyfriend-style cardigan and a blue and white striped tank. Funny story actually, I realized I wore the shirt inside out halfway through the school day (it's still inside out in the picture!), but I just kept it that way because it looked better.

Normally, I'd wear jeans, but since I already had too much blue going on, I decided to wear some khaki-style pants. Unfortunately, these pants did NOT fit well. You can kinda see how baggy they are in the picture.

                                                                        I think I look more hipster than nerd....                                                                           Reminds me of "It feels like a perfect night...to dress up like HIPSTERS!" - Taylor Swift

To top off the nerdy, blue-loving outfit, I added a headband with bow on the top and my most fashionista shoes, sequined flats with spikes! And  to emphasize my bookish nature, I wore these hello kitty frames that my friend bought for me in China. 

Of course, I couldn't not wear my Deathly Hallows earrings. My lovely fellow HP-fan friend in California sent me them for my birthday a few years ago.

On a very quick sidenote, does anyone else remember those Mary-Kate and Ashley movies from a long time ago?

That's all for now!

Tie-dye Days

Shirt: American Apparel (Tie-dyed by yours truly) / Jeans: American Eagle / Shoes: TOMs

Today's outfit was inspired by the recent crop top trend. Since I didn't feel like buying a crop top from Forever21 (Senior year is expensive!), I decided to dig through my closet for other options. I found this tie-dye shirt I made last year in my AP Chemistry class.

People usually associate tie-dye with little kids, but like with any trend, if worn in the right way, it can become pretty stylish.

Originally, I had picked a crop top (unlike everyone else who picked those typical free over-sized t-shirts you get at events) to tie-dye so that I would actually want to wear it. I'm a huge fan of surprises and unexpected pairings, so naturally I decided to tie-dye a crop top.

I think the crop-top is definitely a mature trend and pairing it with tie-dye keeps the outfit from becoming too indecent for school or too second-grade.

To keep my stomach covered up, (since school's dress code doesn't allow exposure of the belly) I wore high-waisted jeans from American Eagle.

That's it for today!

Chambray Take 2

Shirt: Delia's / Skirt: Forever21 / Shoes: American Eagle

Earlier this month, I put together an outfit mixing chambray and lace for a chic western look. Now, I'm bringing back my chambray shirt and remixing it with a less fancy and more casual, feminine floral skirt.

To bring the two pieces together, I added a boho-inspired brown belt and finished off with brown lace-up booties.

For perfect, lovely spring days, I always like to keep my outfits simple and casual to embrace the weather.

Chicago Trip

Apologies for the hiatus on Becoming Ladies! I've been away on a biology competition in Chicago, but regular posting will resume again next week. Thanks for your patience! :) 

Spring flowers are in bloom...here's some from last Spring at the National Botanical Gardens in Washington, DC. Aren't these beautiful? The color seems unreal! 

If you're looking for some positive inspiration for your day, I highly recommend this article! 

I sometimes think that planning time for relaxation is silly, but after reading this article, I think it's really important to set aside time for doing things for fun. 

See you next week! 

Spring Green

By now, you've probably noticed that I like the color green...

Green is one of my favorite colors, as this cardigan can attest! My outfit matched the wreath on my door. Very springy and lovely! I chose this lace dress and green cardigan because the weather was so fantastic, and added the leather belt to pull it all together. The necklace was a mini DIY project - I took a LOFT hair tie that had a cute turquoise and gold embellishment and cut it to remove the embellishment. I never used that hair tie, but I thought the charm would make a great pendant necklace. Then I attached it onto a long chain from another necklace and created my one-of-a-kind necklace.

Outfit details: Dress: Lush via Nordstrom / Cardigan: Abercrombie and Fitch / Necklace: DIY / Belt: Vintage / Shoes: Sperry / Sunglasses: Google / Earrings: Urban Outfitters / Purse: Secondhand Vera Bradley

A closer look at the necklace...

I had this bag on but I took it off when the photos were being taken by my friend Liana! 

Photo from Wanelo.com

It was hard to see my earrings but I found this photo of them online. I like how dainty they are - I'm all about the little details! 

Hope you're having a lovely day. 

Bright Neon

Cardigan: Forever21, Tank: American Eagle, Shorts: American Eagle, Bandeau: Aerie

Last week, we had some pretty unusually hot weather, hitting the high 70s (almost 80!) degrees Fahrenheit. So, I pulled out my shorts, tanks, and flip flops! I had just bought some new bright bandeaus from aerie and a new tank top from American Eagle, so I threw them together for an outfit that screams summer!

 Although pairing neon with neon and bright with bright can clash, if you pair the right color combinations, the outfit will flow seamlessly.

I paired a neon yellow bandeau with a magenta tank for a color block effect, and then finished off with neon coral shorts which manage to work with the outfit since it's in the same color family as the tank.

A rule of thumb is to keep color blocking to two colors unless you're a major fashionista who can pull it off.

 

The back of the tank is the focus of the shirt (named "Happy Hour Tank" by AE). Although just wearing it like this would be great for the beach or a warm summer day, school dress code, unfortunately, does not permit it. I ended up throwing my grey cardigan with a lace back over it, so that I could still have a bit of a peek-a-boo effect while not breaking any rules. 

To finish the outfit, I wore a new neon pink braided gold bracelet with a heart locket and painted my nails coral and bright pink in a color block pattern.

Nautical and Inspired

I feel like the luckiest girl ever - my school's Spring Break coincided with the loveliest weather! I felt like wearing something comfortable yet chic, and I was only slightly inspired by Xuewei's cute outfit :) I grabbed my favorite skirt, a closet staple of mine since middle school - it's actually a skort! This top is another one of my favorites, because it's light and matches almost everything. The Sperry Top-siders combined with the striped shirt lean a little nautical, but the bright aqua skirt keep the outfit grounded. Thanks to my awesome grandfather for the photos! Since I was home, I got to use our D5100 rather than the iPhone I usually use for my outfit pictures. 

Outfit details: Shirt: Gap / Skirt: Gap Kids / Shoes: Sperry / Purse: Secondhand Vera Bradley / Sunglasses: Google

Here's a shot of some beautiful pink roses my mom took at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. I am a complete nature lover - I enjoy just walking around and admiring the plants growing around me! I hope the weather continues to be this nice. Here's to longer days, blossoming blooms, and sunny weather!

Candy Shop

When I put together this outfit, I thought about combining classics - the striped shirt - and Spring pastels - the mint jeans. I added the necklace, something I made in Chinese school in a macrame class, as a fun pop of fruity pink. The colors in this outfit remind me of cotton candy or a candy store! I spotted this denim jacket in my grandmother's room and I asked her where she had found it. This is one of her secondhand store finds! I really like how it balances out the outfit and tones down the colors. Its length helps coordinate the pieces together.

Outfit details: Jacket: Secondhand / Shirt: Gap / Jeans: American Eagle / Shoes: Sperry / Necklace: Handmade 

I just love Spring colors :) 

A quote for your day:

Found on Tumblr

I've been doing a lot of reading for pleasure lately, and this quote reminded me of the books - it's a great motivational quote. 

Have a beautiful Spring day! 

Western Chic

Shirt: Delia's, Skirt: Forever21, Shoes: From somewhere in China?

 Although I didn't notice when I first planned it out, the outfit reminds me of a Western-style cowboy with the chambray shirt and the brown belt. The black lace skirt adds a finishing girly touch to keep the outfit from becoming too cowboy-esque. The shoes probably could have matched better, but these are actually my only pair of sandals (I have to go shopping again!)

Bracelets: Forever21

I topped the Western Chic outfit off with some glam: metallic, studded bracelets.

Balancing Act

This outfit was an experiment in balancing the masculine and the feminine. My style tends to sit on the fence - neither super feminine nor very masculine. Simply put, I wear what makes me feel comfortable, so that may be plaid shirts or lace dresses. In putting together this outfit, I thought about ways to balance out the boyfriend jeans, brown leather belt, and boat shoes with the floral blouse, grass green sweater, and bow clip. In the end, I created an outfit that's sweet and simple. 

Outfit details: Sweater: Abercrombie and Fitch / Blouse: Abercrombie and Fitch / Cami: Gap / Jeans: American Eagle / Belt: Vintage (gift from mom) / Shoes: Sperry / Earrings: Museum of Native American History / Necklace: Gifted

Hair: Parted on the side, Dutch braided, and clipped. This bow clip is one of my favorite hair accessories. It adds a touch of prep to any outfit! 

Here's a nice quote on balance - so true. 

Hope you're finding your own balance, whether it's in style, or in life!