Fashion Cheats: Rainy Day

Even while Binghamton is pummeling rain and snow on us weary students, I still want to be fashionable in this cold weather. It was one of my new years resolutions after all. The days where I lounged in the same cotton candy pink sweatpants and baggy hoodie are over (for now).

The past few days have been pretty ugly but I managed to cheat some style in my wardrobe.

I believe the easiest way to dress up a rainy day outfit is cute rain boots.

Hunter Wellies are a classic rain boot which come in a range of colors. Although I don't own a pair myself, I've been eyeing their gorgeous violet colored pair for a while. 

Patterned rain boots are also one of my favorites. Simply pairing a cute floral patterned boot like this one can dress up a boring rain day outfit without any effort at all!

Tip: Slipping on a cute pair of socks to peek over your boots adds an extra element of cuteness! ♥

December Favs Part 3!

Some of my favorite things about the cold whether are chunky knits, warm drinks, and cozy nights. I love that warm and toasty feeling that comes with winter. AND I love having a reason to wear more clothes :D

Clothes & Accessories Loves!

Knitted sweaters
I've noticed that Grandma sweaters are making a comeback... and I love it. Nothing beats having a cozy knitted sweater in the winter! My favorite one this season is a plain cream colored one I purchased from Forever 21. I wear it with everything! When I'm feeling lazy, I just pair it with black leggings. Feeling dressy? Throw it on top of a black dress with colored tights. (Can you tell I love cream and black together?) I'm sad because I accidentally pulled a thread and it got all bunched up in one area but at least it's not too noticeable.

Vince Camuto "Marcin" Studded Leather Short Boots
I LOVE these booties. The moment I spotted them, I fell in love. I love the casual toasted brown color and the awesome studs at the heel. asldfjasdklfj I can't even describe how much I love these boots. Not only were they on sale but they only had one pair left... and it was in my size! :') Destiny. You can literally wear these with anything! And they're super comfortable! ♥

Marled Socks
These socks are my favorite for the winter! Pairing them with boots and have them peek out from the top is the way I like to wear them. There's something so cozy and classic about the way they look and they're super warm so your toes will never get cold! I have a few from American Eagle which I think are meant to be for men but who cares haha. I need to purchase more!

Patterned Tights
During the holidays, places like Gap and American Eagle were having huge sales. I picked up a few new pairs of tights with super adorable patterns. I can't wait to wear them with shorts, skirts, and dresses! My favorite one so far is an oxblood chevron patterned pair that I wear with my black skater dress. Maybe I'll post a few outfits that I've put together wearing them :)

Well that's it for my December favorites! I realized that it was kind of brief and not too specific... maybe next month I'll take pictures and put together some OOTDs!

♥ Katrina

December Favs Part 2!

One thing I looked forward to coming home to after the semester was over was FOOD. Good ol' home cooked food... or ANY food for that matter. My apartment at school is always lacking food or more specifically, healthy food. So I always end up whipping up a hearty bowl of instant ramen for those long nights hunched over my books. After being deprived for the last remaining days of the semester, I gorged myself on food once I got home :D

No shame.

Food loves!

popchips

I rummaged through our pantry like a hungry raccoon one night and came upon a bag of these. Curious, I ate a few...then a few more... then before I knew it, the bag has half empty. These are so addicting and yummy!! popchips are popped chips (like their name) instead of being fried or baked which makes them healthier somehow? I don't know but these are just plain addicting!

Matcha

After the holidays, Teavana was having a HUGE sale. I picked up a few cans of their Imperial Grade Matcha for only $8 as opposed to it's original price of $36. DEALZ! I always wanted to get my hands on some matcha to make green tea flavored goodies. After making my own green tea lattes and plain old matcha tea, I am hooked. I've always loved green tea flavored anything but this has rekindled that fire! I'm inspired to do some baking with my new matcha powder! Green tea macarons perhaps? :)

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows

While the finals week blues brought me down, cups of hot chocolate with lots and lots of marshmallows on top seemed to be the only thing to push me forward. I think I literally drank this everyday. AND finished a bag of marshmallows by the time my exams were finally over. I used to have a thing against hot cocoa mix because whenever someone made it for me, it'd be watery and gross. However, I can proudly say that I've perfected the ratio of hot cocoa mix, hot water, a splash of milk, a pinch of salt, and a handful of marshmallows. Delicious!

My favorite winter accessories and clothes will be the last of my December Favorites :)

December Favorites!

I can't believe it has already been a week into January! That means one week closer to going back to school. ugh.

I've had a lot of favorites and not so favorite products, food, clothes etc. so I figured this was a perfect way to express my opinions of everything! I'm probably gonna have a series of posts to prevent it from being one long and wordy post that I'm sure no one wants to scroll through.

Beauty Loves!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains in Romantic

After debating whether or not to try this out, I was convinced by how great it looked on StyleSuzi to finally purchase it. This has been my staple for the past few months! I love how moisturizing the formula is and how smooth it glides on. Romantic is a warm red shade that looks great on my skin tone. The lasting power is decent. I would have expected it to really stain my lips as it is advertised but because it's so balm-like, I don't mind reapplying it once or twice during the day. I want to try out Rendezvous next :)

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation
After hearing great things about this foundation, I picked it up at the end of summer right before the Fall semester, hoping it would be a staple for everyday easy and quick foundation wear. Thankfully it did what I wished for and more! The texture is very mousse like and actually thicker than what I thought it would be. However, it goes on with a light-medium coverage which can be built up to a heavy coverage if needed. It does not feel cakey at all and the finish is very natural. It has not broke me out and it actually controls the oil on my face very well! My only gripe with the product is the the packaging. While the glass jar feels very sturdy and high class, it can be impractical to travel with and rather unsanitary if you dip your fingers in the pot during every application.

Remington T-Studio Pearl Ceramic Curling Wand (1/2-1")
I've been intrigued by curling wands for a while now and finally purchased this one off Amazon since the reviews seemed mostly positive. This Remington curling wand feels very light weight and almost cheap and plastic-y HOWEVER it does the job and it does it well!! It takes time getting used to how to maneuver your arms and hands to wrap your hair around the conical barrel but it didn't take me long to figure out the best way to hold it. My curls lasted a loooooooong time after using this. I'm talking about curling my hair at night then sleeping on it, then going a whole day with it looking perfect, then sleeping on it again, then going ANOTHER day with it looking nice and wavy and perfectly tousled. Yes, I didn't wash my hair for two days and felt really gross but my curls lasted! and looked better day by day! Now that's saying something since my hair has a hard time holding curls.

Stay tuned for my favorite winter snacks! :)

2013

It's a new year again and I've decided from the start that I would be more ambitious, more focused, and more inspired. Starting with this blog, I want to prove to myself that I can be dedicated and goal-driven. I've always played around with the idea of starting my own blog and sharing my life experiences, random thoughts, my artwork, baking adventures, and crafts that would all come together in a jumbled yarn ball of hopefully something interesting and a way for me to look back on my accomplishments or maybe lack thereof. Instead of passively following those beauty and lifestyle blogs that I've admired from a distance, I am going to start my own! Let's see where this goes :)

Happy New Year! and here's to finally acting on my thoughts!

♥ Katrina