Happy Birthday Mom!

Me + my mom :-)

May 30th, the day the most important woman in my life was born: my mom. To have such a short post about her birthday just doesn't seem right. In all honesty, I could have an entire blog about my mom and all the reasons why she's so great, but that would be a bit ridiculous. lol. She never asks for anything elaborate, or anything at all for that matter, so for her birthday, per her request, I did something simple. I decided against the usual birthday cake & instead surprised her with one of her favorite desserts: peach cobbler (see recipe here). Of course she was very pleasantly surprised. One thing she does like to do is for the whole family to go out to eat to celebrate her birthday. This year my mom chose P.F. Chang's. I was certainly glad about this decision because P.F. Chang's is actually one of my favorite restaurants too! My mom, dad, sister, 2 cousins, and I all met up to enjoy the delicious Chinese food P.F. Chang's has to offer. We had a lovely evening and my mom assured us that she had a great time.

"It's Arrested Development"

"Now the story of a family who's future was abruptly cancelled.......it's...... Arrested Development." This Memorial Day, my day did not consist of the usual barbecues and lake activities. Instead, I spent quite a bit of time watching season 4 of Arrested Development. To say that I am glad the show, which was certainly cancelled prematurely, has returned is an understatement. I was not able to watch it yesterday when it debuted on Netflix; so today I decided to use my free time to enjoy the binge watching that Netflix allows & encourages. I had watched 5 episodes before some family came over and I had to put the show on hold.

Of the episodes I watched, I noticed that season 4 takes a slightly different angle than the first 3 seasons. For example, each episode centers around 1 character and catches you up on what they have been doing since 2006's cancellation. In fact, some episodes only show a handful of the main charters in the episode. This season is also packed with "star power." Several prominent actors make cameos throughout the episodes. None the less, the episodes I've watched have been just as enjoyable as the first 3 seasons and I'm eager to continue watching. :-)

Graduation: Part Deux

Me & 2 of my beautiful cousins on their graduation day!

Graduation season is in full swing. Other than my graduation, several other family members are also c/o 2013; whether it be from high school or college. The first of many of these commencements was two of my cousins graduating from my old high school. It was such a sense of nostalgia to see them walk across that stage. I mean, it's hard to believe that it was just 4 years ago that I was in their shoes. Boy does time fly!

Later that night, me and a few friends went to see The Great Gatsby. Now, I did read it in high school and remembered certain parts, but there was certainly enough gaps in my mind to enjoy the movie and watch in anticipation for what would happen next. I read reviews saying the movie was quite over the top with the huge parties & mansions; that was certainly the truth! lol. All in all, I enjoyed the movie & would definitely recommend it.

For my outfit, I chose to wear something new. Lately I've been feeling like "I hate everything I own/I have nothing to wear" so a trip to the mall seemed necessary. I found this dress and necklace from the same store. I love how comfortable and light the dress is and the orange pattern. Because I love the color gold (see here), I chose a blue/green & gold necklace to add a bit of contrast. I chose my white sandal, platform shoes to wrap up the outfit. 

Dress: Pink & Blue 

Necklace: Pink & Blue 

Shoes: Jessica Simpson

All Gold Everything

Please excuse the nails! I'll get them done/paint them in the very near future lol.

I've come to the realization that I have really become a fan of the color gold. It's surprising, because in the past, out of the two metals gold and silver, I always thought I preferred silver. Perhaps it's because gold compliments my skin tone better? None the less, today's outfit included this new fave tone. I planned to wear pants initially, but the hot Georgia weather quickly eliminated that option. Instead, I grabbed a skirt I got a while back and wore a white crop top. I added a black & gold necklace & ring to accessorize and concluded the outfit with my fave black sandals.

Entire outfit: Forever 21 :-)

Best Peach Cobbler Ever

Ok, so the title may be a bit over-zealous, but this peach cobbler really is delicious! My dad asked me to make it a couple of days ago and I just simply forgot. So to surprise him, I had one made by the time he got home from work. You can find the full recipe at the bottom.

Here's what you'll need:

Now go ahead & preheat the oven to 350F. 

Next, mix up all the dry ingredients. 

And add the milk & corn syrup from the peaches to the dry ingredients. 

Now, add the butter & then peaches to the casserole dish. 

Next, pour the batter over the butter & peaches. Then, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top. 

Place the dish in the oven for 45min to 1hr or until crust is golden brown. It should look a little like this:

Lastly, enjoy!

Yuuuummmm!

Full Recipe

Ingredients:
     1 stick butter
     1 cup sugar
     1 cup flour (I recommend self-rising, all purpose will work just fine)
     1.5 tsp baking powder
     3/4 cup milk
     1 can (29oz) sliced peaches in corn syrup
     1 tsp cinnamon sugar ( of course you can just manually mix cinnamon & sugar)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F & melt butter
2) Separate peaches from the corn syrup *Optional - cut peach slices into smaller pieces*
3) Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl
4) Stir in milk & corn syrup from the peaches to the dry ingredients
5) Put melted butter & peaches in casserole dish
6) Pour batter over the top of butter & peaches in the casserole dish
7) Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of mixture
8) Bake in oven for 45min - 1hr or until crust is golden brown
9) Enjoy!

Top 5: Makeup Edition

 

My makeup collection is quite extensive: from lipsticks to eye shadows to mascaras. However, there always seems to be a few items I tend to use way more than the rest.These are my top 5 items in my makeup bag.

1) Compact Foundation: MAC Studio Tech NC50 

2) Eye Shadow: MAC All That Glitters 

3) Lipstick: MAC Ruby Woo 

4) Powder Foundation: Mary Kay Bronze 2 

5) Mascara: Maybelline Colossal Volume Express 

What are some of your favorites?

Shine bright shine far: Metallic Summer Trend

Metallics are everywhere this season. From clothing to accessories, you can't seem to escape this mind dazzling look. This time around, however, we are in for a special treat. Metallics are now featured with a futuristic twist through holographic/mirror colored metallics. There are many ways to pull of this look, but here are a few tips:

1)Pair metallics with neutrals. They make enough of a statement on their own; so keep everything else simple
2)If wearing metallic clothing, keep accessories to a minimum.
3)If you're feeling a little hesitant about wearing metallics, try a metallic print like brocade. This is a great way
   to wear the trend without feeling over-the-top.

Wearing metallic clothing or accessories is an excellent way to mimic the bright, sunny weather of summer. Just play around with it & have fun!

What do you think about this trend?

Brighter than the sun.

Today, I went out for sushi with a few friends. We went to the same place we always go when we're all in town, Tako Sushi. It's kind of like our spot. I'm a pretty picky eater so I like to keep it simple with just a California Roll and that was tasty. Honestly, it was just nice to catch up with friends and hang out. To mimic my good mood, I decided to go for a bright outfit. I paired a yellow shirt with blue shorts. I chose to add a pop of color with a bright red belt and chunky red necklace. I kept the shoes simple with a pair of silver sandals.

Shirt: Forever 21
Shorts: Forever 21
Necklace: Pink & Blue

To grandmother's house we go.

Today we (my mom, sister, & I) decided to take a trip to my grandparents' house. It was a very warm day which meant that shorts and sandals were a necessity. I pulled out my favorite pair of jean shorts and grabbed a pair of black sandals. I paired them with a long sleeve, white button up embellished with a studded collar. I completed the outfit with gold earrings.

Shirt: Forever 21

Shorts: Forever 21

Shoes: Rack Room Shoes

Earrings: Forever 21 

As we go on, we remember...

I am proud to say that less than a week ago, I graduated college. A moment I had patiently waited for, it was certainly a bittersweet moment. I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment walking across the stage knowing I had finally completed what I set out to do just four years prior. To commemorate this special occasion, I went in search of the perfect graduation dress. I spent an entire day going from store to store and trying on dress after dress before I stumbled across this gem. It is a white dress with a black lace overlay that I paired with black, peep-toe slingbacks. To show a little school spirit (and also add a pop of color to the black and white ensemble) I opted for bright red lipstick. 

Dress: The Limited 

Shoes: JC Penney 

Lipstick: MAC Ruby Woo

The Classic Red Lip

Photo Courtesy

There can be endless conversations on red lipstick. Nothing makes a statement like a crimson lip; whether it’s a pop of color in the day or the wow factor for a night out. It’s a timeless beauty trend that dates back to early civilization and is still popular today. The best thing about red lipstick is that it can look amazing on anyone. The question I hear most is, “How do I choose the right shade of red for me?” With so many different brands and shades, choosing the right shade can feel overwhelming, but no worries. There is an endless list of websites & tutorials to come to the rescue. This website in particular is quite helpful. I think the most important thing to keep in mind is to just experiment. Try wearing different shades of red, adding different color lip liners, and just have fun! After all, that’s part of the fun in wearing makeup: there are no real rules.