statement pieces for the win

I love jewerly. It's something I feel like can make a basic outfit unique. 

Here are my three statement pieces for the Spring that I feel like I can wear year-around.

Let me know your favorites! 

(click on the picture for a bigger image)

The left two are from Forever 21. I honestly think that Forever 21 is has been on point with their statement jewelry. There are hundreds of statement pieces for just a little bit over 10 dollars. The quality is obviously not the best but they are definitely stand out pieces. The quality of this piece is pretty damn good. I'm not so sure about the smaller fringed chains on the bottom, but I've definitely wear it many times since I've purchased it (about a month ago.)

you can get your own here

The first one is a choker necklace. I really like this one because I can wear it with crop tops. 

The next one is a longer necklace that I can use to layer with or usually just wear it alone. I prefer this one with more flowy/longer tops. This quality isn't as good as the other ones, the metal feels a bit not as sturdy and has more of a possibility to tarnish faster, but I feel like it will stand last a while.

you can get your own here

The last one is from Urban Outfitters. Honestly, I've had this one for over 4/5 months now and I still wear it constantly! Part of the reasons why I purchased the other two is because I wanted more variety since I wear it so much. This one was around $30 and it has that "good-weight" where it definitely feels like a good quality piece. (I can vouche for this since I've had it so long and it's still in great condition.)

you can get your own here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

how to mend a broken nail

so right after the new year, my middle finger nail tore really bad..like really really bad. I thought I was never going to be able to mend it back together and I knew it was going to definitely hurt- a lot if it actually tore. Hence the first thing I did when I went home was to do my research to find out how to mend my nail. I wanted to share my experience.
p.s: I am so glad I was able to sucessfully fix my broken nail.
p.p.s: my nails are pretty brittle after pealing off the nail polish (it's a bad habit >.<)

^ my nail after it broke. (as you can see, it's pretty bad haha)

materials you need: a nail file

                                a teabag (you can also replace this for tissue paper or anything of similar texture.)

                                nail glue

                                a nail strengthener (I used two nail defenses you can use whatever you like but                                     these two are really my favorite). (opi and orly are my favorite btw)

                                a nail file to file your nail down after the teabag.

                                a top coat or nail polish of your choice afterwards. 

directions: empty the teabag (we only need the paper)

                  cut the teabag according to the rip of your nail. 

                  apply nail glue over the broken nail- wait for it to dry. (sorry, it was really difficult to take pictures since it was my first time trying this out.)

                  apply another thin layer of glue and use tweezers to apply the paper over the nail.

                  after it drys, apply another layer of glue over the nail.

                  apply your nail strengthener over the nail.

                  use the nail file to file the teabag down-gently.

                  apply the nail polish of your choice then your top coat.

                 finished product :) - btw, I applied nail polish afterwards, it's been 2 days and it's staying pretty well. I'll update this post later to let you guys know how long it last!

how to make poke 101 :)

so i'm obviously no poke expert- in fact this is only my third ever making it. however, this time it turned out really well and i wanted to share it with you guys:)

ingredients: 1/2 pound (more or less) of sushi grade sashimi.

                    1 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce of your choice 

                    1 tablespoon sesame oil 

                    1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
                    a spoonful of seaweed (optional)
                    2 cloves of garlic (or 1 depending on the size)
                    1/2 teaspoon of ginger
                    1 lime
                    2 stocks of green onion
                    2 teaspoons of sriracha (optional but highly recommended)
                    1/2 teaspoon of salt
*adjust accordingly to taste. remember to always add less so you can add more.

I started off by chopping off all the ingredients. 

I then added the raw sashimi.

lastly I added the seaweed, toasted sesame seeds and a mixture of the sauce.

finished product :D 

I know it may not be the best poke recipe ever, but in my opinion it was pretty damn good:) 

~enjoy with fresh rice and some sriracha sauce ^.^~

btw, hope everyone's new year is heading off to a great start!

my newest obsession- nails and rings

Since the majority of my finals are finally over, i decided to treat myself with a little gift- aka a manicure for the winter. i wanted something neutral and dainty for this winter season so i went with a soft pink color and some geometric shapes with a couple of rhinestones. This is the first time in forever that I'm actually getting the design on my real nails. Usually when I ask for a design i ask for acrylic. This time I asked for gel nails since my nails have finally regained their health and I didn't want them to be brittle after the acrylics wear off again.

                            

I am also obsessed with this ring. Recently I've been obsessed with silver toned tribal jewelry. I actually have a couple pieces that I might blog about later on. I especially like the chain that's connecting the two rings together. It's something i find that really differentiate it from just a normal piece to a standout piece. The ring is from forever21 and you can purchase it here: Chained Knuckle Ring. For $3.90 this piece is a steal. 

TEDDY BEAR HAIR PRO-ESSENTIAL BRUSH SET- REVIEW

yesterday my roommate gave me an early birthday present- the Teddy Bear Hair Professional Brush Set, and I wanted to give a full detailed review on it. This set costs $65 and comes with a total of 5 brushes. 4 eye brushes and 1 powder brush. This set is really cute with pink handles and a matte metallic gold handle. All brushes are 100% cruelty free- hence the name Teddy Bear Hair brushes:).

the bag is of good quality. It's also lined in black with the too face logo inside so the brushes don't get the bag dirty and seems easy to clean. However, I feel like if you were to travel with brushes inside there might be a possibility for the brushes to get misshaped. I use the cute bag inside my actual purse to carry some of my necessities that I don't want falling out at the moment. :)

1. powder brushes: this brush is extremely soft. I really enjoy this brush for an all over powder to set my foundation with or even blush.  this is altogether a really enjoyable brush.

2. all-over shadow brush: This is a really nice brush to pick up and pack eyeshadows with. I prefer to use this with wet shadows or shadows that are really packed together. If you were to use this with a looser pressed shadow, there might be excess fallout. 

3. contour brush: the contour brush is something i particularly enjoyed in this brush kit. It's really easy to pick up a darker color and press it on the crease as well as blending it. It's something more unique and I really like it. the bristles on this brush are packed pretty dense as well. 

4. the blending brush: this brush was not my favorite in terms of that the bristles on the brush are a little bit longer. I don't see myself using this much much except to maybe blend my eyeshadows altogether a bit better after everything is applied. Because of the packed long but packed bristles, I don't find this very practical. I would like to see too face maybe make this brush a bit shorter or more tapered for a better result. 

5. liner brush: the name "liner brush" tells me that typically this would be used as a shadow or gel liner. However, this particular brush is a bit on the thicker side to do so. hence, I don't recommend this for eyeliner, but instead to add the extra black or brown shadow where your eyeliner would go prior to applying eyeliner for a more defined, smokey look. 

overall, this is a nice brush kit which comes with 5 great soft brushes as well as a cute teddybear lined bag. It's a really good brush set and an awesome Christmas gift (Thank you Irene:) but I don't know if it's "professional essential." Although this is a good brush set, there are a couple of downfalls. Whether or not it's worth $65 is up to you to decide!