FishTail Braids

This is a very simple and quick hairstyle. 
First make a part,  I made hers with a slight diagonal at the front of her head and curved it to the middle of her head going all the way down.  Then pull each side into a low ponytail. 
Once the ponytail is in place then fish tail braid it.  For those of you who don't know what a fish tail is you braid with 2 strands of hair instead of 3.
Fish tail braid both ponytails and then I took the new sports ribbon (you can use any ribbon you want or have already)  and I tied the ribbon around the front of her head as shown below.

Glico Pocky Chocolate Dessert: "Custard cake of strawberry"


Another quick snack review :DDDDD I love these. I could probably eat 20 boxes of these a day.


They're basically a very decadent Pocky with two layers of chocolate-y goodness...in this case custard cake and strawberry.  Or as the box says, "Custard cake of strawberry" :\ 

 

Each box has 4 pouches of 3 sticks...which lasts me all of 10 minutes :P  The custard layer is not quite as green as it looks in the pics, it's really a nice mellow yellow >_> but regardless, it's quite a pretty little snack with cute lil crisscrosses going willy nilly. This could be too sweet for some but the classic Pocky has way too little chocolate coating for me....so I really like these more :) plus they have more "exotic" flavors like Chocolate Banana Cake, Hazelnut, Chocolate Formage, Double Chocolate, Tiramisu, Marron White, Chestnut, Strawberry Shortcake, and Orange.... I've only ever been able to try this and Chocolate Banana Cake, both of which were wonderfully creamy and decadent.  It's too bad the Asian markets around here don't carry the full range :(

Toddler Twist w/ Rockin Bobbie Pins

I apologize for not many toddler styles anymore.  We cut my little girls hair into an A line and she will only let me use 1 elastic for her hair.   I will tell everyone that her hair looks much better cut and is filling out after taking off her baby hair.

Her bangs are still trouble so we did a twist or roll across the front of her head and wrapped it around to the left side of her head.  I secured it with an elastic.

We then put a flower made from http://www.mom-stuff.com/ they are called rockin bobbie pins.

How to: Dress with Broad Shoulders 101

Hey everyone! This is my first Youtube video eva~so I hope you like and definitely know what you think :}


Also here are some extra tips that I did not include in the Youtube video:

PART 1: MORE "FORBIDDEN" CLOTHING
1.)  Although dolman, off-shoulder and V-necks tend to be the most universally flattering on broad shouldered chicks, don't let that stop you from trying on halter tops, ruffled tops and blazers. Halter tops such as these are perfectly flattering because of the deep V-neck balances out the shoulders.




Bad:
This is also an example of how NOT to wear ruffles.
Unfortunately, these probably wouldn't look too good since not only are these high-necked, they have all sorts of embellishments around just the shoulder and chest area.  Since the focal point is the shoulder area, these types of halters should be avoided.

2.) Wearing ruffles is totally fine but be sure they do not sit around the shoulder or too close to the neckline.  Ruffles should draw the eye down the body (visual elongation) and/or follow a deep V-neck shape.



Bad:

The large ruffles just sit right on the chest and shoulder area AND they are high collared, all which emphasize the upper body.

3.) I didn't have time to include blazers in the video but I want to say I actually think blazers look BEST on people with broad shoulders.  Albeit, make sure you take out the shoulder pads but since the structure of a blazer is meant to look competent, bold, and strong - I really, really think that blazers are pulled off the best by people who have the shoulders to pull it off.  Broad shouldered peeps should selected one-button blazers that cinch between the bust and your belly button.


Seriously...blazers on broad shouldered peeps are the shize.  Also if you leave the blazer open it basically slims your body line.  Generally darker or neutral toned blazers would probably work best.

Bad:

This is not so good cuz there is a horizontal seam right across the bust, a high neck and ruffles everywhere.  But the worst thing is really the general boxy cut of the jacket which would make almost anyone just look....boxy.

PART 2: SHOW YOUR BACK
Usually broad shouldered people have gorgeous backs.  Play it up!  Look for unusual back designs to draw attention :)  Plus there are few things sexier than being modest in the front then BAM sexy in the back :D


PART 3: SHOW YOUR CLAVICLE 
The same goes for strapless dresses. I've read everywhere that broad shouldered peeps should just forgo strapless dresses altogether. But, like spaghetti straps, just wear a cardigan or wear your hair down :)




Anyway, the focal point of a strapless dress is a beautiful clavicle and usually swimmer chicks with broad shoulders have a well-defined one. So show it off :D! 

PART 4: A few (ok a lot) more tips:
1.) Long necklaces are your friend, they act as a deep V-neck.
2.) Wear either long hair past your shoulders or roll it up in a high bun.  The latter style on only makes you seem taller but also visually lengthens your body.  Generally, hair that sits right at the shoulders aren't so good.
3.) Tops with gathers right underneath the breast are quite flattering because if you have small bust (like me *sigh*), it gives the illusion of boobage ;) and draws your eyes away from your shoulders. (*grrr* it sucks have wide shoulders and ribs yet a flat bust...such a cruel irony :\)
4.) Skirts that flare out balance the shoulders.
5.) Bad posture makes broad shoulders seem huge, not shapely, so stand up straight!
6.) There is one thing that I honestly think will never work with broad shoulders: Cap sleeves :P
7.) Explore the men's section!  Men's shirts are cut to "work with" broad shoulders and make them structured and dramatic, not huge.  Many of my favorite dress shirts and hoodies are from the men's section.
8.)  Fyi I'm hardly an authority on how to dress :} and as you can see my style can pretty much be summed up as simple and generally uncomplicated with minimal (or no) jewelry.  I'm all about complete wear-ability and comfort ;) (sans the heels, I have a weakness for those). Fashion is secondary to fit I think.  I'd say I'm a believer of "whatever looks good on YOU is the most fashionable thing to wear."  Basically, if you look good, your clothes will just look fashionable.....and this is my fashion philosophy in a nutshell. 

Love your shoulders and make them work for you not against you :)

And yes...for those curious, I am (was) a competitive swimmer for 10 years ;) My favorite stroke was bfly. I hope these helped :) Let me know if you have any questions!

Taro Choco Roll

Quick, kind of random post today :D I was a-wandering around H Mart and found this treat in the snack aisle:


Japanese candies and snacks tend to get more spotlight on the blog-o-sphere I think so why not throw a little more variety out there ^_^?  I was intrigued by this because 1. it looks delectably sweet and 2. taro + white chocolate? Never tried that before so I was curious.


Interestingly enough, it came with an odd number of choco rolls (seven) individually packaged.  Each roll was about 4in long.  The center was this off-white creme with purple flecks (the taro I suppose) and covered with a crunchy cookie (cracker?) that Asians often eat plain too. The outside had a generous coating of white chocolate.


Ok, to be honest I have no idea what taro is supposed to taste like but the center was yummy.  It reminded me of sweet potatoes/yams ^_^  The cracker part was nice and crunchy.  The only downside was that I think there was too much white chocolate on it, it kind of overwhelmed the taste of the creme center.  It was also very, very sweet even to me with a big sweet tooth.  One roll of this was enough to satisfy my craving but (for the sake of research ;) ) I ate another and confirmed that one is the perfect size for a quick sugar kick.

I would say this may be too sweet for some but for people who like sweets, this is something to try.  Then you can tell me if this actually tastes like taro or not ^_^ And since each roll is pretty rich, the box of seven does last for a few days.  I remember this box was $4-5, which I think is a little on the pricey side but it makes a nice treat :)

...I feel like I typed the word "sweet" a hundred times :P

HQCD Fancy Alice necklace

Here is one of my all time favorite necklaces, He Qi Crystal Design's Fancy Alice necklace!   Lisa has a whole series of Alice necklaces, which were inspired by Alice from Twilight.   I was so happy to snag this one because Lisa used a 18mm Fancy Cut Swarovski Crystal AB heart, which has many, many more facets than regular Swarovski hearts.  To be honest, I'm still debating which I like more, this necklace or my Super Nova necklace in Heliotrope.  I love them equally but I wear this one a lot more often because it's glamorous in an understated way rather than in-your-face dazzling.

This is another necklace I quite awhile ago so I have no pictures of the packaging but I remember getting quite a few beauty product samples with it.  It came boxed and had a little pocket of candy too :) Now onto this little beauty~

ahhhhhhhhh....so shiny~
It has a AB coating so the crystal glitters blue and yellow, mostly yellow when against my skin ^_^  It's got so many facets on it - I love it!  The crystal is really beautiful...it's really hard to capture on camera but look how shiny it is in even in dim light.

LT: no flash. RT: flash.
Look how many facets there are!  In sunlight, little pinpoints of light from this crystal bounce around the room. It's really very eye catching!  There are glints of blue, yellow, orange and white~  I really like the figaro chain and the antique style link.  It's classic, elegant and so versatile...you can wear it with anything really, I actually like wearing it best casually.


 Here you can see the crystal reflecting a cool icy blue~


A final close up...

Sorry for the extraneous pics ^^;;

Review: Maybelline The Falsies Volum'Express Washable Mascara

Hi everyone~ I thought I'd do a quick review on the Maybelline The Falsies Volum'Express (Very Black) mascara.  I bought it at Walmart for ~$6ish on whim, mostly because I wanted to try something new and I needed a mascara.  On Makeup Alley it got a 3.4/5.

Maybelline says....
- Patented Spoon brush and Kera-fiber formula instantly build 8x more volume without clumping. 
- Unique flexible wand helps to lift and separate lashes to provide the look of 300% more lashes.
- Ophthalmologist tested.
- Contact lens safe


Directions: Hold brush with spoon side against lashes and sweep from root to tip to fill in gaps and coat each lash with Kera-fiber formula. Repeat until false lash look is achieved. Do not let dry between coats.

Such a bulky tube but the tube's color is pretty stylin' ^^ Some complaints are that this mascara tends to clump and I suppose that it does a bit. But honestly, any (somewhat) volumizing mascara with fibers in it are prone to clumping but it's nothing you can't solve with a little eyelash comb.  I've tried the famous Imju Dejavu Fiberwig mascara and that was a hella clumpier and twice more expensive (I bought it for $15 at the Narita Airport in Japan).

One coat.
Experience: I'm lucky to have pretty long lashes to begin with but this does provide a noticeable difference when I put it on.  I don't think this formula is clumpy enough to complain about at all and I really think the trick is to not let the mascara dry during application - aka put it on fast.  I'll try this and update this page if this works.  Overall, the application was smooth and for me, one coat was quite sufficient.  I really like the glossy finish and lash separation. I have to admit it does have a mild "falsie" look but is not overdone.  FYI I don't particularly fancy false lashes, mostly on the principles that it's too much of a bother to put on every day and that I think they tend to look great in photos but too dramatic (even the modest ones) for daily use.   Anyways, since this mascara lengthens more than volumizes I think, it can look spidery if not applied properly. Removal was very easy. Like the Imju Dejavu, it came off very easily with lukewarm water, I just had to gently rub it off.

One coat. Eh, a little on the spidery side. Wish it volumized more but it's alright I suppose :)
This definitely lengthens and volumizes (to a lesser degree) and for the price, it does everything promised.  However, Clumps of Mascara says that it does start clumping after 2 coats and imho does not volumize very much so for people looking for something really dramatic you should probably look elsewhere. But for someone looking for an easy to apply and remove one coat mascara that definitely lengthens and modestly volumizes for every day wear, this is a good one :)

Overall: I'm not really familiar with many mascaras, but it does the job for a good price.   You may not be blown away by this, but I don't think you'll be disappointed either.  I recommend this for those looking for natural lengthening and lift.  Removal is easy so this is also great for the lazy makeup wearer ;) Overall, I do recommend this and it is the only mascara I use (when I remember to use mascara at all).

Clumps of Mascara did a good review of this mascara too.

Lens: GEO CK-105

UPDATE 9/20/2010 - so the secret is wiggling the wand and applying the mascara really fast - as in, swipe/wiggle, swipe/wiggle to prevent clumping.  Slowing down causes clumps AND flaking right away :P  Not for the slow-mascara-applier.  Loving how easy it is to wipe off and how there is no flaking when applied properly :} Great lengthen-er but try as I might, this is definitely not a volume mascara.

UPDATE 2/17/2011 - Xteeener's review on three of Maybelline's mascaras, including this one.  She mentions that The Falsies clump less over time (as the formula dries out).