Minimalist

Hey everyone! Christmas break is just about over, and I'm finally back from Alaska. I'm feeling really refreshed. I love New Years. I know there's a lot of people who say, "why make a promise to change on New Years? Why not change what you don't like year round?" And I agree totally, but there's something about a new year that's so refreshing to me. It's like a brand new notebook, or hearing an album you've never heard by a band you already love. I have a lot of New Years resolutions this year, and so far I'm going really strongly with them. In case any of you are curious, a few of them are:
1. Create a budget and stick to it. It's hard to not spend all your money on clothes when you're in school for fashion, have a fashion blog, follow fashion blogs, and spend your free time on Pinterest. But it has to be done.
2. Eat healthier and excercize more. This isn't so much because of any body image issues as it is internal issues. I want to be a happier more fulfilled version of myself from now on, and sometimes that starts on the most basic level of eating right and exercising.
3. Write more often. I used to love writing, and it was such a great way for me to let out my feelings but I stopped a few years ago for absolutely no reason. I recently have had reasons to write again, including this blog, and I'm rediscovering my love for it. 

4. Find more hobbies. I have a really huge problem with hobbies. The problem is, I have none. Besides shopping, which obviously contradicts the first resolution. I used to be a lot more creative than I am today, which really sucks. There's no excuse for it, and I'm holding myself to this one for sure.

5. My cousin Timmy requested one of my resolutions to be "Finish one Legend of Zelda game." So that's on here, because I love video games but haven't ever beaten a Zelda game. We'll see how this one goes. 

As you can see, I've had a very busy last week dealing with all these amazing resolutions, and I'm not wavering on them yet! 

As for today however, I was really excited to wear this outfit. My mom bought me these shoes because I haven't been able to shut up about them since I saw them in a Free People catalog months ago! I've also never really owned such a comfortable dress before. I love this maxi because it's cute enough to wear out but casual enough to stay in. I'm actually really proud of the way these photos came out. I was originally planning on going outside in one of my usual haunts to take outfit photos, but as soon as I got outside it started pouring rain and I was not happy. On my way back into the building though, I stopped my boyfriend with this crazy idea of taking photos in my building's laundry room. I wasn't expecting for them to turn out well, but I'm actually pretty proud of them! I think I'll start doing more inside photo shoots. I felt like I had so much more to work and play with! 

What do you think of the way these photos turned out? 

(Also, I am planning on doing a "What I Got for Christmas" video to show you all my most recent purchases and gifts received in the last month. I got some really cute stuff!)

Maxi Dress - Nordstrom | Plaid Flannel - Urban Outfitters | Jeffrey Campbell Minimalist Lace Up Heel - Free People | Necklace - Free People 

Eyes - Urban Decay "Naked Basics" | Nail Color - Butter London "Slapper" | Lips - Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in "Volga"

Christmas Wishlist: 2013

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. I've been so busy with school, but I took my last final yesterday and am feeling so relieved. I also haven't been posting because I'm leaving back to Alaska for the Holidays and won't be back until January 5th. If I were blogging this month, I would really want it to be for the whole month and all Christmas related posts, but I know I won't be able to blog much, if at all, when I'm back home. It makes me really sad, so that's why I haven't posted much so far this month. However, I've been thinking a lot about my blog, and when I return in January I plan on changing some things! I'm not sure what yet, but I've been blogging for a while now and feel my blog needs to be revamped; whether it's in design or content or both! Hopefully you all will be as excited about that as I am!

I couldn't bring myself to not post a Christmas list though, so I threw my wishlist together through Photoshop for you guys! Comment below and let me know what you've been asking Santa for this year. :)

 My 2013 Christmas Wishlist!

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Fran Bag

2. Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Wingman Wristlet

3. Blue Suede Shoes

4. Sigma "Make Me Crazy" Essential Brushes Kit

5. Lorac Pro Palette

6. Marc by Marc Jacobs Raised Rue Kitty iPad Mini Case

7. Alex and Ani Bracelets

8. Viktor Rolf "Flower Bomb" Perfume

9. Cute Boot Socks

10. UO Urban Renewl Tulle Midi Skirt

Of course, I'm not by any means expecting all of these gifts, but these are definitely on the top half of my list. What's on your guys' list? Don't forget to comment below!

These Days

These are my favorite kinds of posts to do because I think they let you guys into my life a little bit more than just my "about today" paragraph in my outfit posts. I hope you enjoy them too, and let me know if you would like to see them more often than once every three or four weeks! 

Lipstick stains and hot chocolate - It's a good day. 

 Kitty got a new toy for her birthday! She is very territorial.

 My mom was nice enough to buy me this amazing and cute candle from Pottery Barn. My whole apartment smells like cinnamon apples.

 Nail polish is one of my many addictions! I have all my prettiest ones on display.

 Kitty is helping me pick out a movie to watch. (Not really, she's no help.)

 I just thought this photo came out kind of cool. It's of a candle, but at first glance I wouldn't think it!

 Perfume bottles are just so pretty, don't you think? Miss Dior Cherie is my "signature scent" but I love Honey!

 It's never too early for Christmas lights!

 ...Or Christmas themed chocolate!

Just a shot of some of my apartment decor. I'm going to do a full apartment post when I  have it all cleaned up and decorated for Christmas, so be on the look out for that!

Thanks for checking out my blog guys, and don't forget to enter my beauty giveaway here!

Totally Rad

 I sincerely apologize about the huge lack of variety and detailed photos this post. Usually I take over 60 photos so I have a lot to chose from, but today I only took about 40. I forgot my coat on the walk to the store today, so I was in a rush to get my outside time over with because it wasn't very warm today. I also didn't get much homework done today, at least, not as much as I had hoped. I did however get a new computer. It's a Mac desktop and I have wanted one forever. I finally decided to invest my money in something I would use, and have for a long time rather than spend it all slowly on things I don't really need. (I'll do that next time I have some money to burn, I'm sure!)

At the Apple store, the guy helping me commented on my shirt saying, "Wow, that's some jacket." Not quite sure how he meant that, but when I told him I get a student discount, he immediately knew I had to be studying fashion at the art institute. I also had a very sweet girl come up to me in the store and tell me that she really loved my shirt, so that made me feel nice. I really like getting compliments on my clothes, because it's how I really express myself and how I'm feeling. Today I felt very fun and bubbly, so I thought the vibrant floral shirt, cuffed jeans, fun hat, and white converse went perfectly with my mood. I noticed that when I get dressed for my mood, I get a lot more notice than I do when I just try to look nice regardless of what my mood says.

Another fun story of today; when I walked out of the grocery store, a homeless man didn't even ask me for money, but rather told me that he liked my Nirvana shirt. His exact words were, "Cool shirt. I've been to Kurt's grave, you know. I also met him." The way he said it was like he met him at the cemetery or something, and I just find it odd that he mentioned the grave part before meeting him, because one is obviously a lot more noteworthy than the other. I couldn't help but laugh and tell him that he was a rad guy. It was just a rad day in general! 

Nirvana Shirt - Christmas Gift | Jeans - The Gap | Shoes - Converse All Stars | Floral Shirt - Urban Outfitters 

Lip Color - Maybelline Color Whisper "Berry Ready" | Eyes - Stila "In the Know" | Nail Color - Marc Jacob's "Nirvana"

Busy Gal

 Today is a much better day compared to yesterday! I've been feeling so worn down lately, so last night I promised myself that I wouldn't do anything but play on the computer and watch TV. I ended up doing that until 5AM and then slept in until 2 in the afternoon. I said I would do homework today, but I haven't done much of that either. Life goes on, and I have until Tuesday to get everything I need done. Hopefully that's enough time!

On top of it all, I got my permanent fund dividend! I'm not sure if any of you know what it is, but anyone who is an Alaskan resident applies for their PFD and every year the state gives every resident a certain amount of money. This year it was 900 dollars, and it showed up in my account today. It's such a nice thing to look forward to every year. People actually complain about it sometimes, saying that it's a small amount of money because in past years it's reached up to 2000 dollars! I'm not complaining though - Shopping money is always, always, always appreciated! (Though I'm probably saving most of it for Christmas shopping.)

Anyways, this outfit to me, is pretty girly. It's pink, and has flowers, and those are both things that I love but "girly" isn't exactly a word I identify with. (Don't get me wrong, I love girly stuff. My personality doesn't seem to mesh with it though.) With most outfits, you can wear jeans and throw a long scarf over it and it gives it more of a fall look, especially when the scarf is thick and chunky like the one I'm wearing. It's not totally obvious, but here's a fun fact for you - My TOMS are fuzzy on the inside. Yay for fall TOMS! This outfit for me is perfect for running errands, doing homework, blogging, and going to the museum - Which is what I'll be doing later! It's the perfect outfit for a busy gal, such as myself today.

Floral Tank - Forever 21 | Skinny Jeans - GAP | Pink Button Down - BP@Nordstrom | Knitted Scarf - BP@Nordstrom | Shoes - TOMS

Lip Color - Revlon Colorburst "Wild Watermelon" | Eyes - Urban Decay "Naked 2" | Nail Color - Marc Jacob's "Nirvana"