My Experience: Bite Beauty Lip Lab

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Today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite experiences from last year, where I made my own lipstick! :D

My friend was the one who found out about the Lip Lab, which is in Soho, NYC. It is a super cute small store, where you can make your own lipsticks, as well as buying regular Bite Beauty products.

To be able to make your lipstick, you have to call ahead and schedule an appointment. The lipstick is $30, which is not bad for being personalized. The girls there are super nice and you first start by choosing the color that you want, you can either come to them with a specific color and they will show you different options, or they can help you figure out what color you prefer. After choosing your color, you pick the finish of your lipstick, matte or glossy, then you pick the packaging of your lipstick as well what flavors you want. And then you just wait and watch them make your lipstick, which is super fun.

This is my lipstick

I chose this super dark matte purple, because I could not find the exact color that I wanted in regular stores. I flavored my lipstick with vanilla and cherry, and it is so good! :) 

They also give you a little card with the colors of your lipstick, so that you can go back and buy another the exact same color.

What do you think of making your won lipstick?

What is your perfect shade?

Top 10 Nail Polishes for Fall (with swatches)

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Since we are getting closer and closer to fall, the most wonderful time of the year, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite nail polishes for this time of the year.

Below, I have swatches of 10 nail polishes, as well as their names and brands, so you can find them easily.

For some odd reason I have been really into metallic nail polishes, but I also love some good old black or white nails. I think that the prettiest ones are the OPIs, they both have shimmer of different colors and it looks amazing.

What are your favorite nail polishes for the season?

What's in my backpack?

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Today's post is really simple and quick one where I share with you what is in my backpack for college! :)

Since it is a tuesday, all of the things in my bag are for my tuesday classes, which is just photography.

Here's what I have:

• H&M umbrella, since it has been raining a bit.
• Ted Baker pencil case
• iPhone 5s, with a Kate Spade case
• Photography book
• Binder where I keep my projects
• Portfolio folder to keep any hand outs
• 5-subject notebook
• Photography paper

What do you carry in your backpack?

Makeup Monday: Fall Lip Colors (with Swatches)

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Fall is coming, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite lip colors for the season! :D

The colors that are the most flattering for me are pinks, so I wear a lot of pink tones throughout the year, but I also love me some really dark purples and oranges. These are just a couple of my favorites, and just because the season is fall it doesn't mean you can't wear hot pink, or even lilac lip colors! One of my favorite things is to wear floral during the fall and colors during the winter! :)

Left to right: Top - Revlon Balm Stain in Crush, Revlon Balm Stain in Smitten, NYX Butter Lipstick in Hunk
Middle - NYX lipstick in Chloe, Wet'n Wild in Dark Wine, NYX Simply Red Lip Cream in Maraschino
Bottom - NYX Matte Lip Cream in Morocco, Bite Beauty Lipstick (created), Makeup For ever N9

I really like the jumbo pencil type of lipsticks because they are super easy to apply and they usually aren't too dry for your lips. I love NYX Chloe because it is super metallic, and it has a blue sort of sheen to it (which you can't see on the picture, but it looks amazing). The Wet'n Wild one I bought just for the heck of it, because it was just a dollar but I fell in love with it. I love my NYX Matte Lip Cream! It looks amazing and it stays on for a long time! Of course my favorite of all my lipsticks is my Bite one, that I created myself, it is matte but super moisturizing and it smells like vanilla and cherries! And you can't do a post about fall lip colors without a neutral lip, since you gotta do a smokey eye at least once! This Makeup For ever shade is perfect, I am really pale and nude lipstick looks awful on me, I look I'm dead, but this one is still neutral and people still think you're alive. It's almost like a better color for my own lips.

What are your favorite lip colors for fall?

Fall Fashion: Sweaters under $40

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The moment that I think of fall, I think of sweaters (everyone's best friends)! I mean, you can get them in any shape or form and they're always cozy and keep you warm! >.<

So here are some sweaters for fall under $40! :)

Top row - left to right: Sweater with Turtle Neck, Gray - more colors ($39.90), Round Neck Sweater, Dark Orange - more colors ($29.90), Multi-Striped Sweater ($22.90)
Mid row: Sweater with Tie Detail, Blue Marl - more colors ($39.90), Open-Knit Sweater, Mustard - more colors ($22.90), Knitted Sweater with Vents, Maroon - more colors ($19.90)
Bottom row: Knit Sweater with Sleeve Slits, Brick - more colors ($22.90), Boatneck Sweater, Blue/white - more colors ($29.90), Double V-Neck Sweater, Mustard - more colors ($29.90)

Zara, one of my favorite stores, has an enormous range of sweaters. I decided to pick my top 9! Clearly, I love me some yellow, and some copper sweaters (I definitely need to add those colors to my closet)! I really like how stripes are very popular, and also the use of oranges, yellows, and reds. I also liked that a lot of Zara's sweaters had more than one color option, and how they also had more fitted ones, as well as baggy ones.

Top row - left to right: Ribbed Turtleneck, Gray - more colors ($22.80), Colorblocked Stripe Sweater ($24.90), Houndstooth Ball-Knit Sweater ($24.90)
Mid row: Fringed-Hem Striped Sweater ($27.90), Textured Reglan Sweater, Amber - other colors ($22.90)
Bottom row: Heathered Turtleneck Sweater, Oatmeal - more colors ($22.90), Loose-knit Boxy Sweater, Royal - other colors ($19.80), Colorblocked Scoop Neck Sweater ($24.80)

Forever 21 has some really cute sweaters as well. I personally love bright colors during the winter, and fall. They also have a bunch of options of different styles, and some really 70s stuff (which I love). 

Top row - left to right: Hooded Sweater, Gray - more colors ($29.99), Asymmetric Sweater, Khaki - more colors ($24.99), Knit Sweater, Orange Marl - more colors ($24.99)
Bottom row: Knit Sweater, Dark Red - more colors ($29.99), Fine-knit Sweater, Leopard Print - more colors ($24.99), Sweater with Lace Trims, Gray - more colors ($29.99)

H&M always has some great pieces at an affordable price, as well. I love these 6 equally, and will probably add them to my closet. The brand also has most of their sweaters available in other colors.

Which of these sweaters would you add to your closet?

Do you have any suggestions for Fall Fashion?

Yay or Nay: Bell Bottoms

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For today's Yay or Nay, I decided to talk about the newest old trade that is making a comeback this year, Bell Bottoms! 

Bell Bottoms are great if you want to have Bohemian look, most of them have a higher waist and look great with flowy tops. For the girls that are shorter, like me, to make your legs look longer you can simply pair the pants with a really high heel, and the bottom should hit just above the ground, that way you look tall and with long legs. To create even longer legs, just tuck your top in your jeans, so it will give an illusion of a smaller torso.

I feel like this type jeans is great for every body type, I think it is very versatile, and it doesn't hurt to see some cute options that are out there. And I do think that if you pair them with a floppy hat, they would look super fabulous! ;)

Left to Right: Top Row - H&M Flare High Waist Jeans ($34.99), Article of Society Red Label 'Kick' Flare Jeans ($88), Target Mossimo High Rise Flare Jean ($29.99)
Bottom Row - H&M Flare Regular Jean, available in other colors ($29.99), Topshop MOTO Jamie Ripped Flare Jeans ($80), See by Chloé Patchwork Jeans ($315)

Above are just a few of the options that you can choose from a couple of stores. I personally loved the copper one from Article of Society Red Label and the detail on the lighter wash of the one from H&M is just perfect. I also fell in love with the way Topshop chose to make one that are a bit distressed. And the Chloé ones are just amazing, and very weird looking! XD

What do you think of Bell Bottoms?

Feel free to leave any suggestions for my next Yay or Nay post below! :)

Look of The Day: The Prettiest Ugly Shirt!

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Today, I have a very quick and simple post! :)

Here's my outfit for today! 

The shorts are from Target, as well as the sneakers. The top under the shirt is just a simple black top from H&M, and the most beautiful ugly shirt in the world is from TopShop! :)

Fall Fashion: Boots Under $100

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Since fall is my favorite season of the year with all the beautiful color, delicious food, and the best fashion. I decided to do a series that I am going to feature things for you to prepare your closet for the best season of the year! XD

Today, I will be showing some cute boots from various stores that are under $100! I will have link to everything below the pictures, as well as the price.

The first store is Target, where you can find some great bargains and still look fashionable! They have a bunch of different styles, from the punk boots, fringes, or something more glam with a high heel! :)

Left to Right: Top row - Easton Combat Boot ($37.99), Delaney Western Boot ($37.99), Yazmin Moto Boot ($37.99)
Bottom row - Nola Western Boot ($39.99), Betsey Jolt W Boots in Black and Navy($44.99)

The next store is Forever 21, which you can also find some good deals for some cute booties. I do feel like buying online at F21 is a bit more difficult because some of their shoes may not be very comfortable, but I simply fell in love with these booties and will definitely check out my local store.

Left to Right: Cutout Heel Bootie ($34.90), Buckled Faux Suede Booties ($34.90), Faux Leather Ankle Booties ($39.90)

The next is Topshop, definitely in my top 5 favorite stores for anything and everything! :) The store is a bit on the pricier side, but these two styles of booties are just some of the infinite options that there are available at the store. The delicate buckle on the one on the top is the cutest, and I fell in love with the grey one.

Left to Right: Top row - Be Mine Heeled Ankle Boots in Brown and Black ($65.00)
Bottom row - Blanche Ankle Boots in Black and Grey ($85.00)

The last one, but most definitely not least is Zara. A store that I wish I had nearby, and when I had one close to me I'd go there almost everyday to check out what was new. How not to fall in love with any of these booties? C'mon! There is shiny, burgundy, navy blue, grey and black! I seriously one every one of them! XD

Left to Right: Top row - Track Bootie with Slits ($49.90), Flat Booties with Tassel in Burgundy and Navy Blue ($49.90) 
Bottom row - High Heel Patent Bootie ($69.90), High Heel Glitter Bootie ($69.90)

Which one of the boots is your favorite?

If you have any suggestions for this series, be sure to leave a comment! :)

Yay or Nay: Novelty Bags

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One thing that has been pretty popular lately is quirky novelty bags of aliens, food, milk cartons, anything, and I am not gonna lie that I am a sucker for them. 

There are many options from expensive and more affordable brands, and anyone can find one that they like.

Moschino & Kate Spade

Left to right: Top row - Moschino Backpack ($2295), Small Leather Bag ($1695), Small Fabric Bag ($525)
Mid Row - Kate Spade Dipped Strawberry Clutch ($348), Cat Small Maise ($298), Pineapple tote ($298)
Bottom Row - Kate Spade Good Fortune Bag ($298), Milk Container Crossbody ($348), Walk On Air Clutch ($368)

Nasty Gal & Gypsy Warrior

Left to right: Top row-Nasty Gal Grip'nWear it Clutch & Crossbody ($48), Sweet Grapefruit Bag ($45), Take Out Bag ($45)Mid Row - Nasty Gal Spin Me Round Bag ($48), Unicorn Tears Bag ($48), Moto Mama Denim Bag ($48)Bottom Row - Nasty Gal Alien Bag ($250), Get Peachy Bag ($48), Gypsy Warrior Watermelon Tote ($48) 

Choies.com

Top Row - Choies Watermelon Box Clutch ($36), Black Lipstick Clutch ($30)
Bottom Row - Choies Black Telephone Clutch ($44), Transparent Tape Clutch ($34)

Needless to say that there are way too many options not to say yay to this trend!

Which one is your favorite? Do you love these bags as much as I do?

College Organization Tips

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I have been pretty proud of how organized I have gotten when it comes to school. Keeping an organized system is very good to not feel overwhelmed and have decent nights of sleep. So I thought I would share some of my tips on being organized.

My organization system is fairly simple, and all that I use is a portfolio folder for each subject, a 5 subject notebook, and a planner.

I use the portfolio folder so that I can keep track of handouts, and anything that I have to hand in. If you have subjects that don't have a lot of handouts, you can always use one folder for two different subjects.

I personally prefer a 5 subject notebook because that way I have all subjects with me at all times, so even if I don't have a subject that day I can still look at my notes if I need to study in my free time. I also try my best to keep my notes as tidy as possible so that I can actually read over them whenever I need to.

The planner is to make sure you are keeping yourself in check. I use the planner to write down any deadlines and also I try to plan what I am doing on a certain day, that way when you have to read something or study you can divide up between the days you have and it gets much easier too.

Even though you may plan out everything and keep yourself organized, you can easily be struck with the overwhelming monster that procrastination is. So always make sure to relax and just leave whatever you have to do for another day, if you can.

Do you have any tips for keeping yourself organized?

Quick Update: New Hair!

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In case you didn't know, my hair and I have a very... (how should I say?) transforming relationship.

Because I hate to stay with the same old boring hair for too long, I usually change up every six months or so. A year ago I was blonde, then I went back to brown with ombré, and now...

I turned my boring blonde ombré into a beautiful mermaid turquoise and purple ombré! And I am obsessed with it! 

I even painted my nails to match my hair! XD

Turquoise: Kiko nail polish in 343
Purple: L.A. Girl Lazer Beam

What color should I go next on the tips?

What is one thing you would like to do to your hair?

Travel Tuesday: New York City (Soho)

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I thought that I would share with you my favorite places to go in NYC, specifically Manhattan since I am still exploring the rest of the Big Apple! :)

One of my favorite places in New York is Soho, I always make the same reference from Kinky Boots by saying (or singing) that it is "the most beautiful place in the world...". The area downtown is much less crowded than Midtown and has lots of shops and restaurants all around, and it is just a couple of minutes away from Chinatown.

My favorite places in Soho are Ladurée on W Broadway, even though it is always crowded it is always nice to go into that little piece of Paris. You can either sit and dine at the restaurant, which I recommend to do at least once, or you can simply grab a yummy pastry to go.

Another place that is also really nice, and not too for away, is Housing Works on Crosby St. It is a bookstore (that was on Gossip Girl), with book wall to wall and it is also a coffee shop, so you can always sit down and relax. They always have great deals on books.

Not too far from Housing Works is Evolution on Spring St, which is the most amazing shop (at least to me)! The store sells all sorts of natural sciences/biology related things, like skulls, necklaces with anatomically correct hearts, vertebrae, posters, and a lot more. Even if you don't buy anything, it is definitely worth looking around. 

Another place that is very interesting to shop is Bite on Prince St, apart from selling their usual products, you can also create your own lip color. If any of you are interested, tell me if you want me to dedicate a blog post on my experience there.

When you go down on Broadway in Soho, you will easily find all the stores that you need without having the insane amount of people like Midtown, there are stores such as Express, Forever 21, Zara, TopShop, Vince Camuto, Dune, and many more. 

It is not too difficult to walk from Soho down to Chinatown, and if you go further down you will end up around the Financial District and The Battery. Soho is a great place to start exploring the south of NYC.

What are your favorite places to explore in New York?

Review: TodayTix App

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Today I thought I'd bring something different, a review of an app. I will be sharing my personal experience and opinion about it. :)

About a month ago, I posted a video talking about what was on my iPhone, and one of the apps was TodayTix, at that point I hadn't tried it out yet. So last week I decided to try it out, and bought tickets to see 39 Steps, an off-broadway play. I looked up on the play's website, and the tickets on the app were much cheaper, so I decided to go ahead and buy mezzanine seats, which were only $20, to my surprise, when I got to the theatre, I ended up getting orchestra seats! The show went great and I carried on my solo adventure in NYC.

Let me explain the app better to you. What you first to is you purchase your tickets through the app, and it works in a way that it will find the best seats for you, but you are still having a discount over the price you are paying. Only a couple of shows are available for tickets there, and depending on the day, there are shows that have more or less discount, and the app also has lottery for Fun Home, On The Town, and other shows. Tickets for a show become available 6 days before the day of the performance. I recommend buying the tickets right when they come out, since the day I wanted to go see a performance was on wednesday, I bought my tickets on thursday, that way I would be able to get the best seats, otherwise you can easily get all the way back in the corner of the mezzanine and that is no fun. The app is very simple once you buy your tickets, you get an email confirming and it also sends you an email on the day of the performance to remind you. On the day of the performance, you pick up your tickets at the theatre's box office, usually about 30 minutes before showtime, and you are ready to enjoy the show!

Easy, right? So what are you waiting for? Go enjoy some broadway fun! XD

After you have seen the show, the app also sends you an email and a code that'll give $20 off a friend's order until the end of august, then in september the discount will be of $10 off. My code is IVWSR

The app is available the app store, google play and amazon. And there is the option of also buying tickets for west end performances in London.

Do you have any thoughts on the app?

Monthly Favorites: July

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It is the beginning of another month, which means I will share my favorites of the past month! :D

When it comes to makeup, I have been loving a bunch of NYX stuff as usual! I've been loving the NYX white liquid liner, soft matte lip cream in Morocco, and lipstick in Elektra.

I have been also loving the Pixi nail polish in Summer Pink.

When it comes to fashion, I have been loving my new flip flops from Target! XD They are super cute!

Another thing that I have been loving lately is taking pictures. Granted, I am nowhere near to being a half of a decent photographer but it is a very fun hobby to have! I even made a tumblr just to share my favorite pictures! >.<

This month, I have been reading Phantom of the Opera, which I have been loving so far, specially in the parts that I recognize from the musical! (the nerd in me feels extremely happy!) :)

One of my favorite moments this month, even though it happened by the end of it, was going to New York City (for the first time by myself) and seeing 39 Steps, which the funniest play! I loved it! XD And I also went by Godiva, and got the delicious chocolate covered strawberries that remind of Paris, and couldn't resist stopping by Shmackary's and getting some cookies to go! :)

What have you been loving this past month?

Organization: Nail Polish

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Today I thought I would share how I organize my nail polishes, since I do have a lot and I don't have the space to have those huge nail polish racks, and it's an easy way to choose which nail polishes you, or your friends, want to use right away! :)

What I first did is I wrote down a list of all the nail polishes that I had, separating them by category, for example top coats, crackle, nail art, and I separated the colors in pinks, reds, greens, etc.

Here is my list, I also numbered them so I know how many I have and it is easier to organize them later. I decided to actually write it down by hand, but you can type it down and keep it in your computer or print it out, so you can do the swatches on the side like I did.

What I then did is I grabbed a plastic box, which is about the same size as a shoe box, and I put the polishes in the box trying my best to somehow keep the order that they are on the paper. After I filled one box, I marked down from which number it started and ended, and just labeled the box, I then filled up the other box and did the same as the first one.

How about you, are you a nail polish addict like I am?