New Adventures

I've just returned from my trip with my family - it was great! We visited the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Salt Lake City, and Mt. Rushmore. Now that I'm back, I can pack and get everything ready for college. Xuewei and I have decided that we'll put blogging on hold while we're in school, to give us more time to transition to the new environment. As a parting message, here's one last outfit post, from earlier this summer. I've been making friendship bracelets nonstop - it's so fun and rewarding when you can wear your own creations. I get my designs from friendship-bracelets.net. 

Outfit details: Shirt: American Eagle / Shorts: LOFT / Necklace: DIY / Bracelets: DIY / Sandals: Merrell

The top bracelet was made by my friend. I made the bottom two bracelets.

It's been a great experience writing this blog and I hope to continue blogging in the future. 

Have a lovely day!

Flowy Floral Skirt

This is one of my favorite skirts - it's colorful, floral, and flowy! I wore it with a bright blue blouse to play up the loose textures, paired it with neutral brown leather sandals, gunmetal accessories, and a denim bag. Guess what? These pictures were taken a few weeks ago. I've since gotten my hair cut... so stay tuned for that!

Outfit details: Blouse: Mine via T.J.Maxx / Skirt: Express / Sandals: Franco Sarto / Necklace: LOFT / Earrings: Gifted / Bag: Gap 

Soon I won't be able to take advantage of my school's geography for my photos! Graduating is an exciting event and it reminds me of how close college is! I guess now I won't be saying I'm a high school student - I'm a college student now!

Colorblocking

I wore this colorblocked outfit recently for a Mother's Day lunch with my family. We went out to a local Chinese restaurant. I wanted to style a pair of statement earrings and I decided to match them to a bright colored outfit. I debated whether I wanted to wear the belt and decided to in the end because it helped transition the shirt and the skirt. It also matches my sandals, which are super comfortable. I believe comfort is most important when it comes to shoes. I don't care how good a pair of shoes looks, if I'm in pain, I don't want to wear them! 

Outfit details: Blouse: Mine via TJMaxx / Belt: LOFT / Skirt: H&M / Purse: BCBGeneration / Sandals: Franco Sarto via Lord and Taylor / Earrings: Lord and Taylor 

Here's a closer look at the earrings. 

I love how they combine all my favorite colors. 

Have a wonderful day! 

The Art of Layering: Pattern Play

I wore this outfit on a day when the weather was simply wonderful - not too hot or cold, and a slight breeze...It was one of those days where you can close your eyes, relax, and release all your thoughts. 

For a day like this, I wanted to wear something relaxed and comfortable. I chose this grey floral dress and added a printed belt to define my waist. On top of the dress, I added a green cardigan. The patterns in the dress and belt work together because they are both understated. If I'm mixing patterns, I try to keep only one as the focus. In this outfit, the dress is the focus, and the belt, which has thin stripes, is an accent pice. The green color in the belt and cardigan bring everything together. I kept all other accessories neutral - you can't see them in this photo, but I'm wearing these silver glitter TOMs.

Outfit details: Cardigan: Abercrombie and Fitch / Dress: Gap / Belt: LOFT / Shoes: TOMs

In this photo is my friend Victoria Elizabeth. I love her outfit! The dress, cardigan and belt combination is so great for spring, when it can be chilly in the morning but warm in the afternoon! 

I hope you have a pleasant spring day! 

Peppermint Patties

When I saw this hat in my room, I thought it would be a fun addition to this outfit! In this outfit, I combined white, brown, and mint for a slightly bohemian yet coordinated look. When I wear this top, I like to tuck in the front because it looks less bohemian, and leave the back loose so it is more casual. I added the leopard-print shoes to mix up the colors and patterns, while staying with brown colors.

Outfit details: Top: LOFT / Pants: American Eagle / Bag: Dooney & Burke / Belt: Vintage / Necklace: DIY / Earrings: Urban Outfitters / Flats: Nine West 

This hat was a gift from my grandmother. It's going to be a lovely addition to Spring and Summer dresses and skirts! I always make sure to wear plenty of SPF when I go outside. A straw hat like this will be essential for shielding my skin from the sun's rays. I believe that skin protection starts from a young age, and that healthy skin is beautiful skin. I recently read this article about skin care at different ages here on Refinery 29, and I'll be sure to follow it as I get older! 

I always try to remember that happiness and health are the most beautiful accessories a woman can have :)

Blossoming with Contrasts

As the weather gets nicer, I'll be taking more of my photos outdoors! The first photo was taken in my school's courtyard, dedicated to one of our teachers who passed away two years ago. It has a wonderful waterfall and beautiful flowers. I love how it has tables and benches for students to sit, eat lunch, chat, and do some homework. 

When I planned this outfit, I wanted to pair the floral tank, a more formal piece that I usually wear with black blazers and pants for presentations or competitions, with my casual white pants. Since the top is sleeveless, I wanted to add another layer on top. I decided on a navy blazer, since the navy blue color pairs well with the cool tones in the top. I added a headband from LOFT, one of my favorite hair accessories. It's got green and blue stone details and matches so much of my wardrobe since I have a lot of aqua and blue! I love the cute lining of the blazer and how the striped pattern contrasts with the floral top. It brings unity to the outfit because it's light colored, like my pants. 

Outfit details: Blazer: H&M / Top: LOFT / Pants: American Eagle / Shoes: TOMS / Headband: LOFT 

In front of my school is a colorful garden. It's nice to walk outside and be able to see natural beauty all around me! 

My hairstyle is the same as the one in this post.

This was how the sky looked that day. Beautiful. It took my breath away.

This is a tree blossoming beside the Environmental Science Building (where I took the photos for this lookbook). I love it!

Hope you're having a spectacular day! 

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. 

Pop of Color

This outfit is black, white and grey...with a little pop of some Spring green! Making the green color the focus of the outfit, I kept everything else neutral. There's a tiny bit of green in my hair - my crystal hair clip peeking through the braid. This is the same braid hairstyle I featured here. The necklace and top both belonged to my mom, but she gave them to me :) She has amazing taste and I think she has been a huge influence on me as I develop my own personal style. 

Outfit details: Top: LOFT / Sweater: Gap / Jeans: Gap / Boots: Luxury Rebel / Necklace: Gifted / Earrings: Anthropologie

Hope you're having a wonderful day. It's starting to finally feel like Spring! 

I just love this quote so much.

Crystal Collar

I planned this outfit around the shirt. I haven't gone clothes shopping in a long time, so when I saw this affordable, trendy and sophisticated blouse at Forever 21, I knew I had to get it! Thanks to Xuewei, I've been looking at brands I normally wouldn't shop at. I don't have anything in this cornflower blue color. I usually buy clothes in only cool tones so that they will blend in well with the rest of my wardrobe. My favorite part about this shirt, however, is the crystal collar. It's just a tiny bit of glam - perfect for days when you want to play up the dressiness. The dark jeans serve as the canvas for the shirt and the leopard flats are just another pop of fun. I'm looking forward to wearing these flats as neutral statement pieces in Spring - neutral because of the coloration that matches everything from black to white to neon and statement because of the cute animal print. 

Outfit details: Blouse: Forever 21 / Cami: American Eagle / Jeans: American Eagle / Necklace: LOFT / Earrings: Gifted / Flats: Nine West

My necklace is actually a lariat from LOFT. The gunmetal color contrasts with the dark silver of the crystals. My earrings are also a matching gunmetal color. I looked for balance: A sprinkle of match and mismatch.

I changed it up with the hair this time! Since the collar is the focal point of the outfit, I didn't want to take attention away with my hair. However, since the collar cannot be seen from the back, I took the opportunity to braid my hair a little differently. Here's the amazing Pinterest tutorial that inspired the look. Some modifications I made: After I made the two Dutch braids (you have to be careful when making the top one not to use too much of the hair - start higher than you think and section off the bottom hair), I combined them into a single side braid. Hope you like the hairstyle! It's a more intricate look and keeps the hair out of my face. Most of the time Pinterest tutorials seem too complex (i.e. involve too many bobby pins) so I don't try them, but from how this one came out, I might want to try some more! 

Going back to shopping again - Since I don't shop often, when I do go clothes shopping, I am pretty selective. What I've found helps me the most is having developed a more cohesive style. Since middle school, my style has become more sophisticated and feminine. Therefore, anything that fits into those categories are easier to incorporate into the mix - florals, jewels, and classic staples are all great. Have any of you found that having one or two style "themes" helps when building your closet? 

Hope that you have a great day! The sun and bright blue sky, combined with my clear blue shirt, lifted my mood today :) 

Remixing - Same but Different

In this post, I'll be talking about the art of remixing, so amazingly mastered by Kendi! I would like to be better at reworking the clothes in my own closet. This outfit is one of my first experiments in remixing an old outfit with some different pieces. 

Here's the original outfit (post here)

And here's the remixed outfit: 

Haha! Posed the same way too :) 
Outfit details: Shirt: LOFT / Tank: Aeropostale / Pants: Gap / Belt: LOFT / Boots: Nine West / Scarf: Vintage (mom's) / Earrings: Jewelry store in Venice, Italy

This time, I tied the scarf in a different way. This way shows more of its colors - it's really got all the colors of the rainbow! 

Hair: Clipped back with a medium-sized clip

I chose these earrings to match my scarf. They're iridescent glass earrings that shine in rainbow colors. I used to wear these more often, but I find that my crystal posts match more. Maybe I'll wear these earrings more in the spring with bright colors, though! 

I like how this outfit allowed me to stretch my closet more and combine different colors. When I bought these blue velvet pants, I never thought I would wear them this way. I think it's great to try new things and I am definitely looking forward to unexpected yet stylish combinations in the next few seasons. 

I hope you're having an amazing day, and I wanted to share this quote with you. I feel like it defines a lot of what I believe about true beauty. 

Image from laurenconrad.com via Pinterest 

When you feel good about yourself, you shine from the inside out!