Summer DIY: skirts

If you don't know, I love skirts, and I love DIY. SO, this summer, my sister and I finally decided to make some.

Skirts are super comfy to wear, and they looks good with any outfit! DIY skirts are so much cheaper (and maybe even more unique) than store bought ones. The three DIY skirts below were all under $5. HORRAY!

DIY Velvet Circle skirt: the fabric was purchased at Joann's. This is the first completely made-from-scratch skirt my sister and I every made!

DIY old thrift skirt: I was shopping in Goodwill and saw this skirt. It was a size 14, but I loved the pattern and the quality of the fabric! The colors were just so beautiful~

DIY old thrift skirt: This skirt was also found in Goodwill, and once again it was too big, but luckily, with a sewing machine and a few stitches, it was remade!

As you can see, I have huge thing for thrift shopping. It's so much fun (IMO) looking through piles of clothing to find a gem! It's very rewarding, and the pieces are all often less than $5. I've gotten some cute Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic pieces for cheap as well! They were in good quality, too!

Do you guys thrift shop? Would anyone like a tutorial?

Let's talk: where magic happens...

Everyone likes to stay inside their comfort zone. We all like the feeling of being safe and protected...but what if we ventured out? It'd be scary, uncomfortable, and worrisome, but will it be worth it? Yes, there may be times when we're embarrassed out of our minds, but there will also be times when magic happens!

Outside your comfort zone is where magic happens.

I just wanted to share this image (I found it on tumblr!). It's so inspirational~ It so true that a lot of times, I stick with what I'm comfortable with, and sometimes I regret it. There's so many valuable and wonderful opportunities out there that I'm missing out just because I'm too shy or too shared to try something new. I want to change. I want to go where "magic happens"!

What about you?

I think many times we feel as if we'll be judged by the people around us, but actually think about it. How long do you think about someone who does something clumsy or stupid? Most of the time, we don't think too much about it. Once we see it, we often forget about it. If that's the case, then what do we have to be afraid of? Just try something~

All you need to know about sunscreen!

Hello everyone! Do you remember my previous posts about sunscreen? If not, check it out here.

I've been hiking semi-often recently, so I wanted to be up-to-date on my sun care. In this post, I want to share with you all that I've learned from Skinacea.com.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF UV RAYS?

There's two types of harmful ultraviolet rays: UVA and UVB. UVA causes aging, while UVB causes burns.

HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THESE RAYS?

Use sunscreen! There's two types of sunscreens available in the market: physical and chemical sunscreens.

	Physical sunscreens	Chemical sunscreens
Function	Works by deflecting/blocking UV rays	Works by absorbing the UV rays
Active ingredients	- zinc oxide - titanium dioxide	- avobenzone - octylcrylene - oxybenzone - heloplex, - octinoxate - more
Stability	Photostable	Depends on the active ingredient Avobenzone is very unstable

WHAT'S THE PROS AND CONS OF USING PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS?

	PROS	CONS
Physical sunscreens	- photostable - isn’t absorbed into the skin	- leaves a white tint - can be more oily in texture - thick in texture - tends to be more pricey
Chemical sunscreens	- can be more matte in appearance - less expensive	- tends to be photo-unstable (degrades with time and exposure) - is absorbed into the skin - can cause free radical damage (aging)

WHAT DOES SPF AND PPD/PA MEAN?

SPF is a numerical figure that determines how well the sunscreen protects against UVB, while PPD (or PA) determines how well the sunscreen protects against UVA. PA is measured using "+" signs; the more + signs, the greater the protection.

WHAT ORDER SHOULD SUNSCREEN BE APPLIED?

Sunscreen should be applied before make-up and after moisturizer or other skin treatments! It is best applied 15-20 minutes after the last product, so that the product can be absorbed into the skin and not interfere the sunscreen's function.

Vitamin C serums, although super expensive and not essential, are a great addition to any skin care routine, as it helps enhance the function of sunscreen. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that's great in preventing aging by preventing free radical damages. However, it's best if the serum has time to be absorbed into the skin (as opposed to being in the sunscreen) before applying sunscreen.


I ordered some sunscreen on Drugstore.com. Here's what they look like:

 

SolBar Shield, $8 (on sale)                 Blue Lizard, $14.79 (on sale)

A mountain of food

Hello everyone! I've just finished taking my PCATs (pharmacy exam), and things are looking pretty good so far! Praise God~ In truth, I was super nervous of this exam--more so than taking the MCATs--but in the end, things turned out pretty well.

I wanted to a recap of the past week (in food)! A couple days ago, my family made wontons. Wontons are one of my favorite foods, and it something that my family makes together to eat, so it's also a great way for family bonding! Hope you enjoy :)

The filling! A combo of pork and Chinese veggies.

These beauties all lined up~

Yummy and delicious masterpiece~

Yesterday's meal was much more simple. I had microwave udon noodles. They were surprisingly good! The container was unlike any instant noodles I've ever seen though! It was such a fun experience XD hahaha

It's a huge cup! WHOOT!

yummmm-"fresh udon" in just 3 minutes~ 

There's little pieces of NARUTO!! How exciting!

Added my own bok-choy and eggs! Gotta make my meals a little bit healthier :P

AND TODAY...to celebrate finishing my PCAT exams, my mom took me and my sister to have some Sichuan (spicy) food! Of course, we got the awesome, spicy 水煮鱼！

I love the chairs~ They're so Asian and old-fashioned!

Yummy~~A dish of spicy, super spicy fish! Sorry, there's shadows in the photo...

All fried, crunchy goodness!

5 DIYs tutorials to try out this July!

Who doesn't love a good DIY product? They're fun, creative, and usually save you a bunch of money! Here are some that I've been meaning to/hoping to try out before the summer ends~~ Don't worry, I have both fashion and decor DIYs, so you can get a variety~
This is MadeByYaYa's tutorial on how to refashion Men's Dress shirts! How usefully. The result is super cute, and hopefully, it's as easy as she makes it look :P Now I really want to go to Goodwill and buy a men's dress shirt...Call me frugal, but at least it'd be cheap!

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If you've never heard of Q2HAN, they're awesome and totally amazing. This Youtube channel is hosted by twins~ Their DIYs are super--whatever they make turns out very professional looking and totally chic. They are totally up to date on fashion trends.

--- Cotton and Curls always has amazing DIYs, and this ruffled, peplum blouse would make any summer day sweet. She has wonderful step-by-step instructions accompanied by images! How awesome is that?

Check it out HERE~

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Now for the non-fashion/clothes related, but still just as summery and wonderful DIYs! hehe~ I've just recently became a huge fan of Mandy Pellegrin's DIYs. They just so simple, yet utterly wonderful! I think this cute, floral coasters proves the point.

Check it out HERE~

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Lastly, another color, pastel-y DIY to try out! This project is simple, but will add a huge pop of color to any room: "dipped" bottles! Let's thank Nole Garey for this awesome DIY~

Check it out HERE~

So, which one(s) are your favorite? Any that you want to try? Hope you liked them! I really want to be more creative, so I'm using the round-up posts to inspire both myself and others~~ 

Buckets full of blueberries!

It's blueberry-picking season! This morning, I went with my family to pick 23 pounds of delicious, amazing, and HUGE blueberries! I'll be having these blueberries everyday~ Horray!!

 

If you guys can't tell, blueberries are definitely one of my most favorite things to eat...If I was to choose only one food to eat, it'd probably be blueberries <3 hehe.

Have you every gone to a u-pick before? If not, I'd suggest it! It's cheaper than buying at a grocery store, and it's way more fun :P

Review: Holika Holika Red Wine Therapy Sleeping Mask

Hi all! I have a review for you all! This is my first time trying a Korean product, so I'm pretty excited! The product is called Wine Therapy Sleeping Mask by Holika Holika. I purchased this product from Ebay by Makozzang, who has a 99.5% positive rating. S/he sells many samples, which is perfect for testing whether I would want to purchase the real thing. It's always good to try a sample first before purchasing a huge bottle/container of the product. 

This is shipment. It came quite fast, considering that it was shipped overseas. The package was well packed--it came with lots of bubble wrap, so I felt assured that the items I ordered were nice and safe!

The package came with 8 samples of 5ml sleeping mask, costing me a total of $3.86 with free shipping. While this is more expensive than the whole 120ml in terms of dollars/ml, I didn't have to try the product for a $17. I'd rather spend almost four dollars to test a product~ Call me stingy :P

With the purchase, I received a free sample! I haven't tried it yet, but it seems fun :) Every purchase from Mokzzang comes with free sample(s) depending on how much is purchased--how exciting! Since I fell in the 0-$10.00, I received one free sample. Of course, the more you spend, the more samples and/or masks you receive!

PACKAGING. So, this is what the container of the sample looks like! It has a wood-grain look to it, which is pretty cute. Sadly, since this is only a sample, there's no way to really preserve it for multiple uses until you have a small container to store it in.

DETAILS. So here's what the product claims!

• Contains red wine extract, adenosine, and organic herb water 
• Enhances skin elasticity while sleeping
• Effective against wrinkles
• Makes skin smooth and moisturizes

TEXTURE. After opening, you see that this product is pink and jelly-like! It's pretty cool to touch! After removing a little of it, it actually smooths back to its original texture (see last photo). 

REVIEW. This product is pretty nice and is soothing on my skin. I know other reviews have stated that the product becomes a little sticky as it dries, however, for me, it didn't feel sticky at all. It absorbs very nicely into my skin, and by the next morning, my skin feels very smooth and elastic-y! I can't really say much about the anti-wrinkles aspect, as I'm (probably) too young to be experiencing such phenomenon. 

However, there is one down side to this product...the smell is extremely strong. Rather than smelling like (red) wine, it smells strongly of artificial grapes. This smell lasts a long time, as I remember falling asleep to the scent. Of course, by morning it's gone, but I don't quite enjoy trying to sleep with such an overpowering smell!

PROS.

- Makes skin feel smoother and firmer

- Fun texture

- Small amount goes a long way (used one sample, 5ml, for a couple days)

- Washes off easily

CONS.

- Strong smell of artificial grapes

- Price

Overall rating:     

Purchase the real deal? Sadly not. I can't stand the smell. 

Repurchase from seller? Yes! S/he ships fast (considering it ships from Korea), and I can get some pretty good deals from the samples.

Outlet Haul #1

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long time no update! I just came back from being a cabin leader (camp counselor) for a Christian camp called Mt. Hermon. I'll update you all as soon I finish debriefing and writing up my experiences. Just a short "preview" -- IT WAS AMAZING! PTL~

A couple weeks ago, I went outlet shopping. I didn't really have much time to do it until now. I bought these at Abercrombie & Fitch outlet and Loft outlet :)

I just absolutely adore lace. I'm so happy I found this piece, because it was 1) petite and 2) $15. While $15 is not super cheap, I still couldn't resist it. Perfect for the interviews coming up for grad school applications!

I also love this blouse, because of the collars! Anything peter-pan-collar is an automatic thumbs-up in my book! Sadly, this piece is semi-sheer, so I'll need to wear a cami underneath for my interviews! This was also $15 and petite sized, so the fit was pretty nice.

Now all I need to find are some nice, formal-ish black skirts and flats for the interviews. Any suggestions where to find good quality, but inexpensive pieces? Thanks!!

This dress was about $10. Yay! The quality is so nice, and it's soft and flowly--perfect for summer! I love floral prints!

I love the checkered pattern for this dress. It's super comfy--wonderful for a laced summer day!

Sorry the quality of the pictures are sort of bad--phone camera, bad lightly, and slightly shaky hands... Gotta work on my picture-taking skills!

Where do you go to buy your summer outfits?