Urban Outfitters Did Me Dirty Again!

Hello fellow interweb friends!

I thought about this very hard and decided to do this as a separate post for you since I didn't want to overwhelm you with my super busy week. So as you can tell by the title, I did a little damage at Urban Outfitters this week. So on Thursday, my mom treated me to a little pampering day for my birthday and we went to get our nails done and then went and shopped a little bit. When we walked by Urban Outfitters, I saw huge signs saying "additional 50% off of all sale items," which is like the best phrase you can show me when I walk by because I am a weak link for a good deal when it comes to clothes. The sign definitely roped me in, and the next thing you know, my arms were filled with stuff to try on! I had so many hangers hanging from my arm that I got red marks andeven a little rash because I carried more than I can handle. 

So I got there, went through all the stuff, and picked up a few little goodies!   

Pretty much, all of these were $5 each, except for the blue and white tank/blouse, which was $10. I also got a white dress that I talked about in my previous post, Dress Obsession, and that dress was also only $10! I scored big time this past week since I spent like less than $50 for everything. The floral pants/leggings are super comfortable and I cannot wait to wear that on the plane on my way to Vietnam. As for the skirts, I just had to get them because they were only $5 each and it's the skater style, just how I like it. If you remember my previous Urban Haul, I bought 2 other skirts of the same style but just different colors, so I obviously have a little obsession with the style. It's the most flattering style for my body, so I just have to get it!

If you want, leave a comment below and I can do a post where I style these pieces and do a post about it!

Until next time,

With love,

Uyen

Dress Obsession

 Hello fellow interweb friends!

First off, I'd like to apologize for being so lazy lately and haven't posted anything this whole week, but no worries, I already started on a whole bunch of new stuff and will be posting them all throughout this week to make it up to you, so I'm super excited. It will be all things beauty/make-up/skin care goody goody gumdrops, so much that you might even get tired of reading, but you can always come back to finish it too, so do not fret!

So based on the post's title, this one will be all about my all-time obsession with a certain dress style. I guess this style officially has a name now and it's called the "skater dress" style, where it mimics the cut and flow of ice-skater's outfits with the fitted top and flowing bottom half. I have always loved this style because I think it is such a classic and timeless fashion choice, not to mention super flattering. Before, it was a little harder to find this style just because it wasn't "in" yet, and when I did see some dresses of this particular cut, it would only be from expensive brands, and unfortunately, as a college student with a part-time job, I cannot afford super expensive dresses that can cost up to triple digit amounts! So pretty much, now that it's like the "in" trend, every store has this style of dress and most of the time, they are on super sale, so I had to kind of stock up for future uses! These three are my most recent additions and they all cost me less than $20 for each, which is like super duper amazingly fantabulous! I pretty much got three dresses for the price of one, even less than the price of one, actually! And if you don't know by now, I am quite the bargain queen, if I say so myself! I get this kind of high when I get things for really good deals, and if you haven't gotten a chance, you should check out this post and you will understand how obsessed I am with bargain shopping!

Now, onto the dress! This first one is a Bar III dress from Macy's! It is a skater dress, but the bottom does not flare out as much as the other one. The color is black with a white/cream striped detailing, and despite the fact that it's horizontal strips, I think it looks so pretty on! My mom actually got this for me as a little birthday present because she knows how in love I've been with this dress for the longest time. The first time I saw this dress was like maybe 2-3 months ago and I couldn't really afford it at the time since it costs like $70 before tax! Thank goodness my mom has amazing shopping skills and she used a few coupons and certificates and this dress ended up not being that much and now it is another beautiful piece in my closet! I can definitely see myself paring these with wedges, heels, pumps, and maybe even flats! This dress, from the style to the color, is super versatile to style and since it's mainly black, it is easy to pair up with jewelry too! I can dress it up or down, natural or light make up!

The next dress is from Urban Outfit from their brand Kimchi. This dress is half sleeved and with a rounded square neckline. It is very fitting and flattering and the bottom party flares out so nicely. Usually, Kimchi runs a little smaller on me, so I usually wear a size large in their tops, but this dress, I got it in a medium. The dress was marked down for $40, which I was ok buying since it was going to be an additional 50% out at the register, bringing it down to $20, but things got even better when I got out to the register because the actual discounted price before the addition 50% off is $20, so I scored and got it for only $10! So pretty much, this one will probably be more of a fall/night time dress for me because the material is thicker than the Bar III. The creme color definitely makes it super easy to style. When I wear it, I feel super fancy and very classy! The neckline of this dress for sure brings a little "umph" to the dress, especially since I am quite endowed! The square cut is perfect since it can nicely hide my bra straps because it is a huge pet peeve of mine when girls wear dresses or tops with their bra straps hanging out to the side! I don't know why I get so bugged by it, but I just am; I guess I like to look nice and clean and pretty?!?!

And last, but definitely not least, is my most favorite of the three, this Free People dress!!! It is like a crochet pattern and the color is a hot pink/fuchsia color. I love this for the spring and summer, day or night, with a pair of heels, a nice neutral statement necklace, and of course, some heels. So this one is the best fitting one of the three dresses because it is nice and stretchy underneath. This one was my birthday dress. The neckline is a scooped neck and so is the back, so it is just amount of cleavage, not too much decolletage hanging out! As my friends say, I like a little bit of conservation but also a tad bit of reveal, if you know what I mean. So this dress is another one of my bargain item. It's originally $130 and when I got it, with a few coupons, it came down to right around $20. The minute I saw it, I knew I wanted to get it despite the price. It was already in the sale section, so I knew it was already reduced, but to come out paying way less than what I need to, I am definitely a very happy girl. You will see this dress appear again in another post because this was also the one I wore on my birthday dinner.

I hope you will find the style of dress that flatters you most! I know after I found the style that fits me most, I feel so much more confident any where I go just because in the back of my mind, I feel and know that I look good!

And also, for awesome jewelry, please go check out Baublebar! I will leave you with the link and an invitation code if you are interested in buying some super pretty jewelry. And on Monday's and Fridays, they have something called the Premium Buried Bauble and those are discounted pieces that are usually $30-40!

Click on this link to get your own account: https://www.baublebar.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/40308/

Until next time, 

With love,

Uyen

Sephora Mini Haul

Hello fellow interweb friends!

As you can tell by the title, I kind of did a little haul at Sephora this week! Now, just a disclaimer, I only bought all this because I had an employee discount there this week because I work at the Build-a-Bear Workshop in Downtown Disney by Disneyland. It wasn't entirely an employee discount, more of a "cast member" discount that Sephora does for us people who work on Disney property twice a year; the discount wasn't much but 20% is pretty big when it comes to make-up products, especially the ones that I bought today. As all you girls know, high-end make-up products never really go on sale or get discounted at mall counters and if there are discounts, it's usually if you have some kind of membership, whether it be a credit card or reward card (VIB for Sephora) and more often than not, the discount is only like 15% or a free sample size item with purchase. In other words, 20% is like HUGE when it comes to these things, so I had to take advantage of it and get myself ready for summer, especially since I will be vacationing with my family this summer in Vietnam. 

So, first thing I picked up is the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 in the color beige. I personally love tinted moisturizer, but since I have combination skin, leaning a little towards oily, I had to get the oil free one just to prevent myself from getting any potential break outs. To me, tinted moisturizer is perfect for spring/summer time make up - it's a staple product for me during spring and summer time just because I use as minimal make up as I can so I don't clog my skin but still protecting it at the same time from sun damage. So anyways, tinted moisturizer with SPF not only makes you look good without too much effort while protecting your skin, it is perfect when you want to get ready fast. For instance, during the day time, you can quickly dab it on and use a brush or blender to blend it into your face, put on some mascara, a little bit of colored lip balm, set it all together with some setting powder (in my case, I use the mineral veil from Bare Minerals), and BAM you have a semi-fully made up face withouth the hassle of putting on five different layers. Now, that's my preferred face routine for the summer when I just want to have minimal coverage, which is pretty much all the time. However, when I do want a little bit more full coverage, then I'll put on the tinted moisturizer and then quickly brush over some powder foundation. This will give you a little more coverage and then you can also add on some bronzer and blush to get a fully made-up face with all the other goodies like mascara and lipstick/gloss/stain. 

Now of couse, it is always important for me to use some kind of a primer underneath just ecause, like I mentioned earlier, my skin can get pretty oily. The primer that I got is the Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Protector. This product took me a while to decide on just because it is a little bit more expensive, but I've only heard of super good reviews from various YouTube beauty gurus. At first, I was going to get my all-time favorite Bare Mineral Prime Time Oil Control primer since it's been working wonderfully for my skin, but I saw the Becca primer so I decided to try/squatch it on my hand and let it set for a while and then compared the two. The Becca one, just as its name says, gave a super matte finish without making my skin look dry or fake whereas the Bare Minerals one, though is good, didn't give as fine of a matte finish. Just because the end product of the Becca primer was better and since I have oily skin, I decided to fork out the money and get it instead of my Prime Time one. When I got home, I decided to take it out and try it with my Laura Mercier tinted mositurizer, did my usual make-up routine to try it out with my other face products to make sure the Becca primer is just as wonderful as it seems. Wow, I was pretty impressed by it once I put it on because I did not see any traces of oil on face til like maybe 5-6 hours after, and even at that point, the oils were super minimal. Not only did I noticed the difference, but my mom also noticed it too! So pretty much, though the Becca primer is more expensive, the product payoff was definitely worth it, especially since I also had a discount on it. Now, since I know it keeps my skin looking matte but still natural, I will use it a little more freely around the more oily areas of my face like the t-zones, nose, and chin. I only say this cause I used it very frugally my first time around since I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out.

So, besides those two face products, I also got a new tube of mascara, and as you can tell from the picture, it is the Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara. Now, I am a huge mascara junky, so I've pretty much tried a variety of mascaras just to see how well they work and these have definitely been my favorite. I originally got a sample size of a Laura Mercier mascara, I can't remember which one to be exact, in my 500 VIB Perks Point from Sephora. I completely fell in love with it because it lengthened, volumized, but still kept my lashes looking natural! To me, that is huge because a lot of the ones that volumize and lengthen tend to make your lasshes look clumpy and flake off a lot, but these ones did not! Since I loved the sample sized mascara so much from Laura Mercier, I decided to get a full sized one and tried the Full Blown Volume Lash one and WOW, this one completely blew me up and I fell in love! Before, I was using an Lancome one and those are super expensive but didn't keep my lashes as natural looking, so I totally thought I hit the jackpot with this Laura Mercier one. So to pretty much summarize my excitement and love and ethusiasm for this mascara, I just got a second tube of it! To me, when I re-purchase make-up items that are a little bit more expensive means I completely and uterrly love it and cannot live with out, and that's the case with this product. 

The other product that I got is the Lancome Rouge In Love lipcolor in the shade 353. This one one is actually for my mom, but since I do love this particular lipcolor line from Lancome, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about it. So last year, for my 21st birthday, I decided to buy a new lipcolor for myself so I can use in Vegas. My birthday is in May and I love bright colors, so I was determined to find something along the lines of a coral-salmon-pinky-orange color and the only one that I fell in love with after multiple tries at the make-up counters is the Lancome Rouge In Love Lipcolor in the shade 322M (Corail In Love). These lipcolors are just amazing because they are super pigmented, moisturizing, and long-lasting! Now, if you've tried many different long-lasting lipstick/stain/gloss/etc., you guys all know, most of the time, they do not stay as hydrating as they proclaim themselves to be, but MY OH MY, these ones really do stay hydrating for a long time compared to most! Like I mentioned before, I got this for my birthday and Vegas, so I used it on my second night in Vegas to go to a night club and pretty much every other time I went out, night or day. So pretty much what I want to tell you is that after many meals, multiple drinks, sweaty clubs, typical Vegas happenings, my lipcolor still stayed on without making my lips dry and show off every nasty ridges on your lips when they are dried. Now, if you're like me and you like bright colors, you know those are the worst to have on your lips when they look dry just because it makes the lipcolor seem cheap and badly made and you just look bad in general, so for the Lancome Rouge In Love lipcolors to not do that, I think it is definitely worth the money and a must have if you want to find a good lipstick that can keep your lips looking hydrated and nicely colored. Another good thing about this line is that there are many shades, maybe over ten different shades, from nude to bright red. The shade my mom got, 353, is a slightly nude/pinkish color. It is very flattering for all ages and can be used in every season of the year, which makes it super versatile as well, so I might go back and get one for myself, but for now, I'll just "borrow" hers!

And one more thing, if you shop at Sephora and you have not signed up for the Beauty Insider membership, you need to go do it right away! There are so many perks of being a Beauty Insider because for your birthday, you get a nifty little gift! For this year, Sephora is giving away a little Benefit package and inside of it, there's a "They're Real" mascara (which I'm excited to try because the brush/applicator looks amazing and I have a feeling it will get into each and every last). And the other little trinket is the "Watt's Up" highlighter. Based on the item description, it is a soft-focus highlighter. I've never used a highlighter before so I'm kind of excited to try out this little one!

Hope you enjoyed this,

Until next time,

With love,

Uyen 

Weekly Wrap-Up: "Giddy Hard" Life

Hello fellow interweb friends!

To wrap up this week, I wanted to share with you what I thought was the most exciting part of my week since things like school and internship aren't always the most entertaining. Being a girl, I am a huge shopper at heart, but to make things even worse, I am a huge bargain shopper! I definitely do have a shopping problem, I already know this, but I try to justify it by only buying things that are on super duper sale with great deals, hence this blog post! I definitely know that I am a shopaholic because I am one of those people who gets something, even as little as a ring or a pair of earrings, every time I go shopping. My mother thinks that it's a blessing and a curse since every time I go into a shop, I always find something and it's always, for some odd reason, on sale, therefore, I end up buying it, which is the curse part. To me though, I honestly don't mind! Haha! The more I buy, the more likely I will clean out my closet and be able to donate my clothes to other people who need it more. 

So go to into detail about the amazing deals that I got this week, I will start with these two jewelry boxes. The floral on has deeper slots, so I think it'll be really good for things like necklaces since I have a lot of big, chunk ones, so it'll require more room. I only took a picture of one, but in reality, I actually bought 2...I mean I couldn't help it since it was only $2 when they're usually $30-$40 per box! Same goes with the coppery, swirly detailed jewelry box. The only difference about this one is that it is more shallow, so it will be perfect for things like earrings, rings, and my very few bracelets. My mental plan is to set the two floral boxes on the outside on my little stand with the goldish/copper box in the middle (I will update you guys once I settle these into their places). Anyways, as you know from my previous post, I think earrings are super important to pull together an outfit, especially stud earrings, so I have a lot of those laying out and about. With this box, hopefully I will be more organized with my earrings and won't lose anymore! I get so sad whenever I lose one earring in a pair, but I guess that pushes me to live a little on the edge and try to wear mismatched earrings?!?! Hahaha, well the chances of that is very slim, but if I ever do wear mismatched earrings, I will definitely blog about that for you guys!

On top of the jewelry boxes, I got more jewelry holding stuff! This next one is more like a stand with little plates. It will definitely be used for my earrings that I wear often just so I can easily reach for it. Once again, this little trinket, instead of being $20-something dollars, I got it for $2! Like, how can you say no to a jewelry holder when it is less than $5?!?!!? I have a strong feeling I might have this little stand in the bathroom as a holder for my earrings when I take them off for a shower or something like that. For me, on days when I have to rush out of the house for school/work/internship, I quickly grab whatever earrings I leave around in the bathroom after I wash my face and brush my teeth and all that good hygiene jazz. With that said, this little stand is perfect for the bathroom, especially since some of the decor in my bathroom has florally/swirly designs on it too!

Now comes the room/home decor! Do you guys see this pretty little daisy tree...?!?! Well, let me tell you! This beautiful creature was also only $1.99!!! When prices are this amazing on things that are so flipping cute and wonderful and useful, we all definitely need to have time to shop! So this daisy tree, though I will mainly use it as a decoration, can also be used as a jewelry holder since the petals are bendable so you an adjust it to the angle you want it at in order to hold some things. There is even  little tray at the bottom to store loose change or, in my case, more earring pieces. Because of this little haul, I am now so excited excited to kind of redecorate my room. I am loving that all these little trinkets and gadgets are all of different style, making my room having a little more character. Of course, all the florally things give it a little girl touch, but the gold box and the gold detailing on the daisy tree will add a little baroque feel to it all. 

Last, but not least, knowing me, how can I not purchases any clothes, especially when deals are just so amazing?!?!? With that being said, as I pictured below, I walked out of Urban Outfitters with all the home goods as well as these two adorably wonderful skirts! They are what are called "skater" skirts right now, I think, not sure on the style name. Pretty much what that is is the skirt is fitted at the top and then fans out at the bottom, giving it a nice loosey flow. The grey/black print is made up of a cotton-stretchy material and is super duper comfy. The minty green colored with floral lacing is a little more dressy, but it still has a wonderful flow at the bottom. I cannot wait to wear both of these skirts soon! I was super tempted to wear the black and grey one out of the store the minute I bought it, but I didn't cause I thought I'd save them for a special night out or something or another!

I got some other little trinkets as well but decided not to post them since I think this is already an instahaul overload! I will definitely include a little picture of the other little items that I purchased from this amazing sale at Urban. It is nothing much, just a funky-drunky flask and some nail polish that I, for some ungodly reason, had to have! I mean, the flask was just yelling out my name and I've always wanted to get a flask, so I thought why not?!?!?! I do plan on using it for all of its alcoholic uses, but no worries guys, I will try to use it responsibly! And as for the nail polish, just the fact that it was $0.99 and it is super glittery and sparkly definitely made it become a must-have item in my book!

As you guys can tell, I obviously know I have a huge shopping problem, especially when it comes to things that are on sale. All I can say for myself is, this girl cannot deny herself of a good deal! I hate it when I leave a store or the mall and completely regretting it that I didn't get anything when I had the chance to, and when I return to buy the very same item, it is all out! I haven't come up with some sort of catchy saying for that philosophy yet, however, I do believe we must life with a "giddy hard" state of mind! If you guys wanna know what the "giddy hard" lifestyle is, just let me know and I will definitely explain, if not, well you're missing out, just as Elizabeth Baker (aka Lizzle) and she'll tell you how amazing living the giddy hard lifestyle is!

Until next time,

With love,

Uyen