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!

Copycat

With this outfit, I was a copycat...I found an outfit I liked on Pinterest and put my own spin on it! 

Here's the original outfit: 

Image from gochicorgohome.com

I liked how the white shirt, gray sweater, brown belt and tan shoes didn't compete with the cuffed bright green pants. When I saw this pin, my mind immediately imagined a similar outfit. Here's my take: 

Outfit details: Sweater: Abercrombie and Fitch / Shirt: Gap / Pants: Gap / Shoes: Sperry / Belt: Vintage / Headband: LOFT / Necklace: Gifted 

I like how the outfit turned out. I added a bejeweled headband for a personal touch. This is my favorite headband - it matches almost everything. 

Another little piece of inspiration found on Pinterest for your day:

So true! Have an amazing day. 

Pinstripes with a Bow

This outfit was sweet and comfortable - I played up the volume of the boyfriend shirt with skinny white pants. My favorite part about these shirts is the fit - I feel like I'm wearing pajamas! I added a bright green bow to complete the preppy look and my blue handmade necklace for some sparkle. 

Outfit details: Shirt: Gap / Pants: American Eagle / Shoes: TOMs / Necklace: DIY 

Have a beautiful day! 

Happy Memorial Day!

Fedora: Charlotte Russe / Cardigan: Charlotte Russe / Dress: Forever21 / Shoes: TOMs

Quick post today guys! Memorial day is all about honoring veterans who served our nation. It's important to show respect because a lot of men and women gave their lives for our freedom.

So I dressed for the occasion.

Today, I was planning on going to the Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania (ended up not going and went to the largest retail mall in American instead, King of Prussia Mall) so horse show = preppy (dresses and hats in particular). Now I don't have many hats, but I thought this straw fedora matched my outfit nicely without distracting from the red, white, and blue ensemble.

I started with the white polka-dotted, red dress as the base and layered on a light white cardigan with a lace back. The sides of the cardigan kinda dangled weirdly so I tied it up.

And for that final pop of blue....TOMs!

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day and weekend!

Shine Bright

For this outfit, I wanted to style my powder blue blouse with my white jeans. Both items are classic and simple. I matched the silver crystals on my blouse to silver TOMs, and tried a double braid in the back instead of my usual braids that meet in the middle. My hair is getting long! I'm going to get a haircut soon...only a few inches, though! 

Outfit details: Blouse: Forever 21 / Pants: American Eagle / Shoes: TOMs / Watch: Pierre Cardin / Bracelet: Handmade 

I like the hairstyle, and I think I would bobby-pin it next time instead of using the clips. I've been brainstorming prom hairstyles...there are so many pretty styles! Prom is in a few weeks for me, but some of my friends have already had theirs. They looked gorgeous! This is a fun time of year and the weather seems to reflect everyone's mood. The seniors are starting to feel restless, because our AP and IB tests are over. I think everyone is ready for summer and starting to realize how soon graduation is. I'm trying to enjoy the last few days of high school before summer - and college - begins. 

Have a beautiful 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! 

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.

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!

Wishing for Spring

I wore this outfit last week when I was wishing wistfully for Spring to arrive. Although the pretty snowflakes and snow-covered streets of winter are lovely, I always find myself looking forward to warmer weather, skirts, and sun around the beginning of March. This outfit and all its bright colors was my way of telling Spring to come a little sooner :) 

Outfit details: Shirt: Ann Taylor LOFT / Jeans: Gap / Boots: Nine West / Belt: Ann Taylor LOFT / Scarf: Vintage / Earrings: Anthropologie 

This scarf was not a vintage flea market find - it used to be my mom's! I have never worn it but I decided to wear it with the jeans and the belt because the colors matched well. Like my last outfit, there was color coordination without going overboard. The colors were light and vibrant, but my boots made it winter-appropriate. 

Hairstyle: 2 inch sections braided on each side, clipped back with a small black clip. My friend pointed out to me that the way I clipped it made the different strands of the braid separate nicely - that was completely unintentional, but really interesting! I usually like to wear my hair half-up half-down: it keeps my hair out of my face, and it also balances out my face shape. A lot of times I read magazines that offer tips on what kind of clothes or hairstyles to wear, but I usually need to try things out first. It's all about understanding how something works with your own proportions. 

I've got my fingers crossed for better weather in the next few weeks!