printemp-ing

(sorry blurry, but look at the pink lights!!! ♥)

There was one place that I absolutely adored about Paris (well there was actually quite a few things. )After arriving, I learned from my London experience to just get out there and try new things. Something about the language barrier was quite freeing so you just go..do. ( I speak enough to get by)

One place I needed to see was the haussman boulevards. It was supposed to have some interesting shops and i studied it to death in art history. We were about four blocks away from our hotel so getting there was a snap. On one of the major end caps of the boulevards was this glorious department store called printempts. I am an old lady at heart and I love a good department store. Finding this one certainly made my day--or dare i say, MY WEEK.

It was such a cute store, better than any department store here. Each brand within the store was like its own boutique. I snatched up this ultra cute Paul and Joe Sister tote made exclusively for printempts, because it encapsulated my love for Japan and France (Paul and Joe are pretty big with sweet street style) and i use it as my work carry all. I dont care if it makes me look like a crazy cat lady!

(enjoying the sweets they hard there, of course!)

Heres what i wore on my printempts shopping adventure, familiar much?

(wiw:: blouse::berhska//high-waisted pants::no brand//espadrilles::target)

If you're ever in the area, i say CHECK IT OUT! Its truly a dream! Plus i was amazed to see clothes from vivi or vogue or the runway ON THE RACK, or maybe I'm just easily impressed. :P

Ode to curly hair

This weekend on a sheer whim i decided to get my hair did...yes on a whim. Little did i know id be sucking up regrets the moment i was released from the salon.

I have been wondering about my hair for a while. I am far from those "empowered" sistahs who choose to wear their hair natural as an FU to the white man and the oppression he was put on black women and their looks. Nope i dont give a flying fart about that. Me wearing my hair curly is merely out of laziness and spunk...it makes me stand out and its fun. Plus its easy!! I also struggle with eczema so..clean hair means clear skin.

When i was a child i loathed my curly frocks. I wished i looked more like my white relatives than my black ones in other places than my nose and lips. Kids made it their testament to treat my like garbage because of my hair ...called me everything from scary spice to howard stern to just plain ole ugly. So for years...i pressed out my hair to blend in just a little bit more ( didnt help..much ) i even convinced myself that i looked better this way, that curly hair was God's mistake, but he gave me the gift of heat and chemicals. Boys would break up with me once they saw the curls, and i thought straight hair would make me more universally appealing to some oh so delicious jewds...( i learned, however, that no boy is worth blowing my hair straight for 2 hrs a day)

So this weekend i was taken back to that era of straight hair, sat in a salon for nearly six hours to be given a problem i didnt really need. The stylist kept asking if i needed chemical help, but i refused. Last time i did that i had to shave my head and start anew...i worked too hard for this mane! So i went without but as soon as i left my cultural experience of being the only blacky in a Dominican salon, my hair started to do what it does best. Curl.

The rest of my weekend was dedicated to trying to reverse what naturally occurs. Trying to stop what makes me so different. I dont have any beef with girls who change their hair natural state, my hair is just as stubborn as my spirit, we refuse to be moved or changed, unless necessary. Last night, i returned all my straight hair products and say bye bye to that 17 year old who insisted on changing one of her very best features. Cause baby, I was born this way**

**i had to

Make essentials

I was finally able to buy a new makeup kit here in nyc. I was desperately waiting for some $$ before i got what i needed to supplement what i already had. I was wearing some mary kay foundation but it was getting a little heavy for this summer weather so i opted for something lighter..w/o it being tinted moisturizer thats always a disaster :'( anyway heres my classic make up bag..

1. FIT ME foundation by maybeline, i like it so far and it fits my obviously difficult skin tone...too light to wear "black" makeup..too dark to wear any shade before the designated "blk ppl" colours...i like it so far..for xtra coverage and to fix my natural "sleepy eyes" i wear clinique concealer ( not shown)

2. Carmex...got to keep my lips soft...i usually put it on after the shower with my facial lotion

3. NYC eyebrow kit....I SUPER LURV THIS!!! Lyke it totally my go to thing. I love classic brooke shields natural brows...and to kept mine look fit and not frightening i use this kit. Comes with all you need, but keep it easy, AND BLEND or youll be lookin like a drag

4. Covergirl lash blast...i heard its like a make up artists best kept secret, and when i went to the pharmacy they were almost sold out! You know NY girls have great secrets...its by far one of my fave mascaras and you cant beat the price. I cant commit to designer mascara and i dont want my eyeballs to fall out trying stuff @sephora. I did break down and by some dollywink once but it was a little too rich for my blood :|

5. NYC bronzer....i prefer bronzer to blush cause i like to contour my non existent cheekbones ..plus the gold undertones do wonders for my natural gloooo...

6. Wet and Wild natural shimmer....americas best kept secret at one buck a pop it keeps the hippie in me calm, and the bargain hunter happy since it beats the price of burt bees shimmers...plus they are all natural and can build the perfect tint from a stain to a bold lip.

7. Thats just an African compact that holds my lipsticks and has a mirror...

8..ish...i thought my glasses completed the composition :P

What are your faves? Are you a quality cheapskate like me..or a designer diva. Or like all of us..you just use WHAT WORKS as you can also see im toned down makeup wise...i prefer to make clothing statements and keep everything else at a minimum..give and take..




Ps are eyelash curlers worth it for girls who have naturally curly lashes ?? And recommend any affordable curlers?? Thx loves!

Laney

I hate to come with you with cliche apologies, but im really sorry ive been MIA after being such a consistent blogger!! It has nothing more to do with anything other than ive been FEVERISHNESS working on eleanorzine!!! Hopefully it will be out within DAYS...yes dare i say it...DAYS!!

Last weekend was BALLAH, i did so much, dancing, walking through parks, concerts in williamsburg, photoboothing! yes I did it all but I'll save the deets for later!

I did pick up these shoes and this book. I LOVE ugly shoes, these remind me of my uniform days, they are so empire records or reality bites. I can definitely see myself rockin these in the fall with a crop sweater and a pleated skirt. Just livin my dream of wanting to be a teenager in the early 90s! I am also trying to shop responsibly while im here in NYC it can be easy to by a bunch of cheap trendy junk, but I want stuff that I can carry till fall, maybe even winter.

I also will be wearing these with bobby socks or thigh highs, they are also perfect for work, i cant keep carrie bradshawllin the heels, and i hate being ginormo the clown.

plus these shoes remind me of my icon....

elaine benes, I was thinking of doing my hair like that...for hahas of course!

okay back to zine-ing! love you all! and THANKS tori for the nomination! i will detail that l8rz!

hey there

A couple swing dancing, some nerds playing with light sabers. Artists drawing artists, musical competitions. I was feeling a bit glum today, and I thought a walk in the park would suit my moody perfectly, little did I know that it would remind me how beautifully strange this city is, and slap me across the face and say "hey! you're in NYC!!!!" what a perfectly perfect place to be. Ya know, I think this city is slowly stealing my Midwestern heart. And I couldn't be more charmed. ♥

(twin sister-lady daydream)

(beach house - walk in the park)--wish the light saber one was easier to see, guess the force wasn't strong enough.

fair craft

i have sheer determination about blogging recently, i won't quit! even if that means crappy webcam coordinate fotos.

(what i wore chambray shirt:: french connection//high waisted jeans::charlotte ronson//belt::vintage)

by any means necessary.

anywho... this weekend started off as a total bummer, i went to soho, got so-aked, and was to bro-oke to truly enjoy anything. I explored the area, but i'm not a gal who can be easily entertained by 12 urban outfitters and 6 am appys. i ate plenty of mexican food, because mexican food equals happiness in my book. and right now since i had to drop some big bucks to be able to get & live & eat here, shopping isn't a necessity. Although I am kinda dwelling in irony since I brought mostly suits, and they are pretty casual in the office. Oh well, shopping will happen, just not till pay day $$$$..... i was going to go see x-men on saturday but i ended up staying in and watching the crucible & sherlock holmes (bbc version)

after feeling all sad and lonely on saturday and praticing my own sympathy violin well enough to get into carnegie hall, on sunday, i got a call from a coworker to go see x-men, but i kept missing her texts cause i was on the phone with my mom. then another friend contacted me to go to renegade craft fair (which i love to hate) but i already promised my other friend to go see the movie.

long story short I was able to do both, the coworker decided to do dinner instead (sorry xavier) which gave me enough time to swing over to brooklyn and check out renegade!

it was also my first time in brooklyn and my first time meeting back pack block party Al, which I was super stoked about meeting her since we get along so well via email. This was like my first "meet a blogger irl" experience, AND IT WAS GREAT, we acted like we knew each other since kindergarten. Also she helps with the zine~ i'm hoping we can collab while i'm here! (also it was great going to brooklyn, it was my first time in NYC that I felt "at home")

after a quick run around with Al, who was also nice enough to take me to a japanese grocery store (yum!) I ran back over to the village with dinner with my co-worker friend! we got noodles at Noodle Bar and it was both cheap and DELISH, ugh vegetarian noodles done rite! so yummers. I like seriously cleaned my plate. (this photo is just an image of what the serve not what we got :P)

Anyway long post no? I guess it was due, all the images that aren't of me I took from here, here, and here (thank you ♥)

Lost in translation

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There are some things I prefer from foreign countries rather than locally...in more specific terms, i enjoy foreign magazines.

I understand the notion of being green, and that its better to buy mags locally, but opening the glossy pages to these gems have me saying otherwise.

Jalouse.

I found this beaut at a magazine stand on the haussman blvds...and by its cover alone I was sold. I carry it with me almost everyday and scan, study, learn the pages. It does not waste your time with fluff articles and celeb campaigns, its all and nothing but French fashion, which will always but my proud country to shame. Plus, its not haute couture which most ppl correlate French fashion with, its as street and sassy as a classic nylon mag, but clearly I love this more.

NYLON Japan

( i ♥ kana)

Now before you start judging and say "hey u just dissed nylon!" keep in mind that I was hatoraiding on American nylon not my sweet Japanese twist. At first nylon Japan was nothing more than a snooze ridden translated version on nylon USA, but now its starting to find its own tune and kick its American mother to the curb like a self righteous angsty teen. I LOVE IT! Much more enjoyable than the US version and more fashion forward than celebrity chasing. Plus its got blogger style down pat teaching you the tricks of some of my faves like trop rouge's Christina Caradona. I lurv it to pieces and on a side note I hope blogger style stays for like another 3-5 years. I finally found a niche I LIKE. ♥♥

brown river

My entire trip to London was not all finding hot indie hipster places to go. Like all tourist I had to see the sights!! So I hopped on over to Westminster, which was wonderfully beautiful, except for that Thames river. It makes the Mississippi look like a nice day at the spa.



I think since London was my first spot to stop at in my europe trip, I did not necessarily pay attention to any cool places to go. One being NOT GOING TO 221B BAKER STREET. WHATS WRONG WITH ME. (aka sherlock holmes...home) my brother laughed when I told me this and told me that Holmes is not real, and I proceeded to cry and say ITS NOT TRU (lol jk) He's real to me AND NO ONE CAN PROVE THAT HE AINT..

Overall Westminster was so peaceful and sweet, it was nice a breezy the day we went, perfect to walk around the park and hope to spot a prince!

Murphy brown

Sadly I don't have a camera to document all of the things that have been happening while I've been in ny, so for now phone photos will have to do. I didn't want to take my giant dslr cause its worth a grand, and if I lose it well..im more than SOL. my cute little point and shoot shot its last photo and died forevs so, I'm on the hunt for a new camera preferably a Nikon p100 Veronica sold me on that one so I have to has. In the meantime cell photos it is! I got a new HTC 7 anyways so the photos are pretty good imo...

(what I wore yesterday all no brand and harem pants from paris, today: pants::bershka / shirt::vintage) I could really go for more jalapeno pesto pizza!

Right now I haven't been up to much but working and melting in this heat. I did bump into model bloggers Dylana and Natalie Suarez. They are huge and beautiful!! But I was too shy to say hi, but hey gave me a shout out on twitter. I'm so exhausted but I'm happy to be here.

Thank God it started raining :D & thank you for all your warm thoughts and wishes for me in NYC XD

How do you like dem apples?

well I know that I've been keeping this hush-hush for a while (because I am vaguely superstitious) but this "big secret" i've been hiding since April is...

I'M LIVING IN NYC BABY!! WEEEEEE!

(of course the first thing I did was find the seinfield diner...DUH)

It's truly a dream come true and an outrageous overwhelming experience. I seriously got here all of 12 hrs ago and I'm already loving it. I do feel a bit overwhelmed leaving my friends and family behind but like all things awesome this is merely temporary.

FOR THE SUMMER I will be interning at Time Inc. doing things all graphic designy, and wearing oh-so-chic outfits :P But alas, I will return to the Chi come Fall 2011 (:'()>>lol...

I'm still getting settled in but I'm living in just a stones throw away from Soho, I think I'm in paradise. I would have liked to live in Brooklyn, but I didn't want to end up in Crookyln...(don't know the city that well) but maybe if I decided I would like to lives in NYC forevs...I might have that chance...

HIP HIP HOORAY...okay I needs sleep I start with the big boys in the morn.