back at the roots

I'm finally back home! It's been a crazy first semester of college, and it's good to be back where everything is familiar.

I grabbed lunch with Crystal and Jo, who may seem familiar since I did a photo shoot for fun with them this summer that you can see here.

My outfit combines pretty much all of my favorite textures - denim, knits, and leather. I threw on a pair of over-the-knee socks courtesy of my roommate because I have a minor obsession with them, but the extra warmth wasn't at all necessary... not really loving this almost 80 degree SoCal winter weather -_-

On me
Collared shirt: Buffalo Exchange
Sweater: Forever 21
Skirt: Forever 21
Booties: Cotton On

Aaand here are some shots with my girls ♥ Thanks, Crystal, for making us look like dwarves.





I'm soo in love with their accessories! I also just found out that Crystal now has a blog :) check it out here!

On Crystal	On Jo
Plaid shirt: Hollister ◻︎◻︎◻︎	Cardigan: Bass
Skirt: H&M	Dress: H&M
Booties: H&M	Booties: DB Shoes
Watch: gift	Watch: Charming Charlie
Bag: Romwe	Backpack: Bass

It's crazy how fast this year passed by, and I'm so thankful for all of the memories I've made and have shared with everyone ♡ A lot has happened for me personally in 2013, considering my graduation from high school and matriculation into college, and I have to say it's been a really satisfying ride. Here's to hoping that 2014 is just as exciting!

flower hour

So, lately, I've kind of been obsessed with floral things. I fall in love with anything with daisies on them, and I've been gravitating towards clothes with floral prints on dark backgrounds - I love how it makes a super feminine pattern a little less girly and more mature.

Luckily, one of my roommates has enough free time, patience (and talent!) to do both hers and my nails. I'm basically incapable of doing any kind of nail art, so thank the lord for her lol. Thaaaanks, Michelle ;)






She also gave herself that freaking cute pseudo-Sharpie-tat. Almost makes me want a tattoo. Almost.

Also, good news! I mentioned previously in my Crystal + Jo post that I wouldn't have my DSLR until I went back home in December, but I successfully convinced my dad that I would die before I let it get stolen, so one of my relatives brought it up when they drove back up north :) I'm currently a part of a design and photography club on campus, so technically I'm a professional photographer now ;) It's really exciting, and I know I'm going to learn so much this semester/year.

Hopefully having my camera means more posts! I'm already planning a haul/outfit post of my recent H&M order that I'm soo excited about. Crossing my fingers that everything is as perfect in real life as they are in the photos. The weather here is starting to get super chilly, and I'm itching to pull out a coat and boots.

things i've already picked up during my first two weeks of college

1. new obsessions with clothing pieces, namely dresses (i thought people were supposed to bum it in college...)
2. a lust for backpacks (so many cute ones everywhere :c the struggle to find the perfect compromise between style and functionality) 
3. hairstyles (nothing special; before i did nothing to my hair 99% of the time and now it's more like 85% lol)
4. sleeping schedule (though it's basically the same as my summer one... sleep at 1 [or later] and wake up at 9) 
5. eating habits (at least i didn't partake in the eating of ice cream mochi at 1am last night) 
6. the three finger swipe (so! nice!)
7. a love for working in libraries (they're somehow completely different from the one back home)
8. going to the gym (though that kind of stopped this past week...)

things i still need to work on 

1. reading and taking thorough notes before going to class or doing homework :(
2. finding the most efficient routes to class

crystal + jo

Earlier this week, I did a photo shoot with my friends Crystal and Josephine (Jo being the one with the flower crown), and it was a particularly special day because 1) it was the last time I'm going to see them until December or January and 2) it was the last time I'm going to use my camera until winter break since I'm not bringing it to college with me.

The last time I did a photo shoot like this was last year in June and I have to say, I think this batch of photos is exponentially better. The location was actually the same, just not as far up the hill - this made all the difference. The backgrounds were prettier and more interesting (bokeh galore!) and it was easier for me to move around to get different angles.

Photo spam under the cut! Open the photos in a new tab for their full size.

OOTD + vlog! and more Boiling Point...

Today I hung out with one of my closest friends, Christine. We had an amazing time grubbin' (I totally forgot that I've already posted pictures at Boiling Point before) and messing around. I forced asked her to help me film an ootd video since I never get a chance to, so let me know what you guys think :)




top: Forever 21
skirt: Cotton On
shoes: Cynthia Rowley (got them at TJ Maxx)
rings: Papers and Peonies
nails: Essie Topless & Barefoot

summer vibes

Is it just me, or are there no good new summer songs playing on the radio? The same things have been playing for months - JT, Maroon 5... and while I don't dislike those songs in particular, I've kind of been wanting to hear something new and fresh.

Let me start off by saying I am not a music junkie - some people take extreme pride in their taste in music, but I'm not one of them. Call me crazy, but I could live without music and be perfectly fine. It's probably due to my family's influence; they're pretty much the same or worse than I am, and I never really saw an opportunity to expand my music interest. I did, somehow, get into K-pop sometime when I was around fourteen years old. While I'm not nearly obsessed with the industry as I used to be, I still keep up with some of it through allkpop and tumblr.

I used to download the entire albums of groups I liked, only to realize in the future that I never listened to the majority of, if not all, of the songs. Definitely the main component of K-pop are the frequent performances put on by the singers while they promote their title song, and these performances, complete with fun and interesting choreography, can make the song much more entertaining.

In the past month or so, though, there have been a few songs I've really been loving! They're all kind of mellow and sweet, and these songs have been the only things I've been in the mood to listen to this summer. Once again, I'm definitely no expert on music and usually can't give reasons why I like a song other than "it sounds nice."

1) Coffee Shop - B.A.P

This song is super mellow, and their voices are just so smooth and easy on the ears. I love the music video too. Couldn't stop listening to this when it first came out.

2) Goodbye Summer feat. D.O from EXO - f(x)

Actually, this entire Pink Tape album by f(x) is quite good - I keep thinking I should download the whole thing. This song is definitely my favorite though. D.O's voice is smooth and sweet like chocolate and he sounds SO good singing these kinds of songs. He is my favorite voice in EXO, and this is generally my favorite type of song. Win win. So much win.

3) Growl (Korean ver.) - EXO

Alright, so, EXO is the main reason for still keeping up with K-pop. If they weren't constantly on my tumblr dashboard, I might have moved on from them because their first mini album or whatever was crap and so were the songs they promoted. Yet, I think everyone knew that patience would be rewarded. When the teaser first came out for this song, I wasn't loving it, but then the dance practice video got leaked and my WORLD TURNED AROUND. I fell in love with this song so hard and THAT CHOREOGRAPHY is amazing. I just adore the little old school hip hop feel and it's so fun and I'm so thankful EXO got a song like this.

4) XOXO (Korean ver.) - EXO

Before this repackaged album came out, I actually preferred the Chinese versions of most of EXO's songs, but I just think these two songs in particular sound amazing in Korean. I fell in love with this song the second I heard it and am obsessed with how catchy it is.

5) Light Sleep - J Rabbit

This song is actually part of the soundtrack from a Korean drama called Monstar that I enjoyed quite a bit but haven't gotten around to completing yet. I was a little stressed and discontent earlier this summer, and this song was just really soothing and sweet.

I normally would never write a post on music like this, so hopefully you enjoyed it! This is basically my soundtrack for this summer.

July Favorites/Empties!

Since my summer has been very chill and calm, I haven't really been wearing makeup. Most of these products have been long time favorites of mine and have been helping me keep my skin clean and clear (funny because I don't use any Clean & Clear products haha!). Since I'm moving up north for college and there aren't any Walmarts near my school, I've been stocking up on these products in particular :)

Products mentioned:

- Equate Maximum Strength Cleansing Pads with 2% salicylic acid
- Neutrogena Rapid Clear 2-in-1 Fight & Fade Toner
- Equate Refreshing Cleansing Towelettes
- Equate Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover
- Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 in Petal
- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Lacey Lilac
- Forever 21 gold bracelets
- It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin
- Milani Eyeshadow Primer

I've recently started using my twitter to post quick updates and first impressions, so feel free to follow me there! I tweeted a first impression of the It's a 10 and am liking it so far. It hasn't really made my hair much softer or shinier, but I will say that I had a noticeably good hair day the day after I used it!

Summer Sale Fashion Haul

Upon going through everything I bought, I realized that I didn't really buy anything summery... I didn't really shop with a goal in mind, so these are pretty much all impulse buys that I found good deals on!



I MADE A VIDEO. Obviously I need a lot more practice in front of a camera, so bear with me. It's so funny because the first two pieces I got were the neon pink sweater from H&M and the Brandy Melville muscle tee, and the next day I recorded a little video of me talking about them with my webcam - that video was 7 minutes long! I was wearing glasses and no makeup and recorded it in the morning right after I ate breakfast in one take. It's pretty interesting to note the differences in my comfortability since, when I set up my tripod and went to film this video, I stumbled over my words so many times before there was a decent take.

Anywho, here are some photos of what I got since I did a horrible job of showing you in the video lol. Apologies for the weird coloring in the sweaters and lace tops pics - I edited them to try to give an accurate representation of the colors of the clothes.


Cotton On Strawberry Waffles Pullover in XS (the small was ridiculously oversized) + H&M Neon Pink Sweater in S

Cotton On Jeanie Flippy Skirts in Regal Blue and Classic Breton in S

Brandy Melville Agathe Vintage Camera Tank

H&M Lace Tops in S

H&M Laser Cut-out Dress in S + SheInside Black Asymmetrical Geometric Pockets Shorts in M

Cotton On Jessie Boot



Franco Sarto Baroque Nordstrom Rack

through the reefs

Just a quick post of my current nails - coral has got to be my favorite summer lip and nail color! I'm wearing American Apparel's Neon Red with China Glaze's Snow Globe on my ring finger.

strawberry slush

top: h&m // sweater: target // necklace: windsor // shorts: forever 21 // shoes: target

Hot pot is so good *_* Went out for lunch with two of my favorite girls, Jojo and Kelly :) They're always so supportive of me being a fashion enthusiast, and I really appreciate it. Shout out to you guys! I love you ♡ ♡ Jo made me that collage - it says "SoCal will miss you Alli" - and it's honestly the sweetest thing anyone's done for me! It was so random (well, I mean I still have a month before I leave) and really touching T_T thank you again :)

oops, i did it again

I need to stop buying clothes... here's a quick post on what I just ordered online from Cotton On!
I love Cotton On, but it's a hit or miss for me. A few years ago, it quickly became one of my favorite stores, but I haven't bought much from there recently because I haven't been impressed with their selection and quality of items. One thing that sucks about their return policy is that if you buy something online, you can't return it to the store - meaning, you have to pay to ship it back if you want a refund. That's a huge deterrent for me, so I usually never order online from them. Today is an exception, though, because I ordered things either cheap enough that I wouldn't regret it, or things I'd already seen in store.

• It's hard to tell in the photo, but the top left item is a black waffle knit sweater. I actually already purchased it regular price from the store and am going to return it because I got it for 30% off online :) I try to look for sweaters with cotton in them because they tend to be a bit better quality than the all acrylic ones... let's just hope this one doesn't get snagged too badly like my sweaters always tend to do -_-
• The only thing I'm worried about are the boots because the quality of Cotton On's shoes aren't too great. Hopefully I can work something out - I couldn't pass them up for the price! I've been dying for a pair of the Sam Edelman Petty's since last fall. 
• The socks were an impulse buy (well, technically this entire order was), but I figured I couldn't go wrong with three pairs for $1.
• As for the circle skirts, I really don't need them, but I love the silhouette and don't own any! I thought the striped one was toooo cute. Love how the lines go in different directions.

tumblr inspo

All images are from Tumblr.

Hey, guys, I've just really missed blogging lately and wanted to share some pretty pictures to show what I've been into lately. I realize I've barely touched this blog all year - I was just so busy with school, work, and all of the end of high school activities. Yup, I'll be starting college this fall (well, technically August)! So unfortunately that means I probably won't be able to post anything when school starts again :( but honestly I have been doing nothing this summer. Hope to see you soon! :)

california soul

Hi guys! It's been awhile. Happy 2013 to you all :) I just wanted to update really quick since weather in Socal is absolutely gorgeous today and I felt like putting a little effort in lol.

Jewelry is from Papers & Peonies, H&M, and Forever 21.