8.17.2013

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.

8.09.2013

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

8.08.2013

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!
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