Saturday, September 28, 2013

What's in my overnight/travel beauty bag

Hello lovelies! Just uploaded a new video.  Next week I will be taking a trip to Mt. Fuji with my hubby.  I am super excited!  We are going to Fuji-Q Highland, a Japanese theme park.  This video is a way for me to share my traveling beauty must-have's with you all.  I hope you enjoy it.  ;-)


Next week I will be sharing all kinds of photos and video footage of my Fuji trip, so be on the lookout for those.  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Friday, September 27, 2013

OOTD - Cutesy Casual

Here is a quick outfit of the day for you.  I was actually going to wear this out to dinner with my hubby last night, but we ended up staying in and watching a movie.  So I wore this outfit today instead since I knew I would be filming a YouTube video.






I love to pair girly dresses and skirts with tennis shoes.  My style is very girly and cutesy, but casual at the same time.  I like to look nice, but feel comfortable while doing so.  Wearing a pair of stylish tennis like the ones shown here is a great way to add a comfortable and casual vibe to an outfit.  If you look closely you'll see that my converse have polka dots.  Polka dots are one of my fashion weaknesses.  I feel that they always add cuteness to an outfit.

Dress: Rue 21, or JCPenney??
Blazer/Jacket: H&M
Belt: H&M
Shoes: Converse from Asabee (Japanese Store)
Bracelet: Seiyu/Japanese Walmart
Ring: Forever 21
Necklace: Gift from a friend, but I love it so much, I wear it ALOT

I apologize for the non-exciting background.  I'm still looking for a good outside location to take photos in.

This post is part of the That's My Style Link Party, over on My Serendiptious Life.  Click the button below to check it out. ;-)

My Serendipitous Life

Friday, September 20, 2013

New YouTube Channel! :D

This has been a long time coming.  I finally got my new YouTube channel up and running!  Yay!  I'm super excited about it.  I just uploaded my first video that introduces my channel and what it's all about.  The point is that I made this YouTube channel to go along with my blog.  So, go check it out!


Talk to yah later! ;-)

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Is it Fall yet? - Fall Lookbook

It's...that...time of year...when the world falls in love, every song you hear...JK!! Not quite Christmas yet.  But the seasons are a changing!  At least, they're supposed to be.  Japan seems to be a bit behind compared to the rest of the world but I am still hopeful.  I think it was about 85 degrees (Fahrenheit) yesterday.  Come on Japan, it's the middle of September!!  Get with it already.

Despite the lingering heat, my heart dreams of colored leaves, sweaters, jackets, pumpkin pie, and BOOTS!  Maybe that's why I am so eager for fall.  I have a serious weakness for boots of all shapes and sizes.  Sadly (and I mean very sadly), I had my eye on a pair of purple studded boots yesterday whilst out shopping...and they were too small.  My poor little fashion dreams were crushed.  But that's what happens when a person with American sized feet shops in a Japanese store.  The saddest part is that my feet are only size 7-7 1/2.  Not really that big for an American.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a cute pair of shoes only to be let down when they don't have my size.  But, not to worry because I found many other lovely things; hence the lookbook.

Shirt: H&M  Skirt: Retro Girl (Japanese store)  Shoes: Rue 21  Jewelry: H&M 


Shirt and Hat: H&M  Skirt: Retro Girl (Japanese store)  Bracelet: Seiyu (Japanese Walmart)  Shoes: Black polka dot converse high tops!! from Asabee (Japanese store)


Dress: H&M  Jacket: Ann Taylor Loft  Belt and Boots: JCPenney  Jewelry: Premier Designs Jewelry


Shirt: Heart Market (Japanese Store)  Skirt: Uniqlo (Japanese store)  Belt: H&M  Shoes: Seiyu (Japanese Walmart)  Jewelry: Forever 21


Shirt and Jeans: H&M  Boots: can't remember! sorry  Necklace: gift from a friend :D


Sweater: H&M  Shorts and Belt: American Eagle  Hat: Seiyu (Japanese Walmart)  Boots: some Japanese store...sorry again  Jewelry: idk...again, I have a terrible memory!


Here are some bonus shots of me and my favorite beagle puppy, Molly.  She tried so hard to sneak into all of my shots.  Isn't she cute?! :-)


So, who else is breaking out the boots and gearing up for fall fashion?  I would LOVE to see some of your fall fashion looks!  If you're reading this, that means YOU.  If you would like to, please leave me a picture or link in the comments below of your fall fashion looks.  It's always fun for me to be inspired by other people's outfit creations. ;-)

Last, but not least, this post is part of a link party! Click the button below to check out some other cool blogs.
My Serendipitous Life

Friday, September 13, 2013

Defining your style

I have always loved clothing and shoes as most girls do.  Although, I'll admit that I didn't start taking my personal style seriously until I was about 20 - 21 years old.  That was only 4 years ago!  I'm 24 now and I have to say that my personal style has evolved quite a bit over the past 4 years.

Now, if you're like me, you want to be fashionable but you don't have tons of money to spend on clothing.  Striving to be fashionable on a limited budget is not easy but it can be done.  One of the best things you can do is to nail down your personal style.  If you can do this, it will be easier to shop because you will have a clear idea of what to look for and what to aviod.  You will end up buying less things that you don't really need and more pieces that will work together.  Today I will share with you some of my tips on how to define your stylel

Tip 1: Let your closet be your guide:
Taking a good and honest look through your closet will tell you a lot about your personal style.  Which items do you wear most frequently?  Which items are collecting dust?  Look at the clothing in your closet that you reach for most and try to describe it.  If you wear a lot of dresses and skirts and lace, your style is probably girly.  If you wear a lot of flowy shirts, cut up jeans, and sandals, your style might be boho or casual.  Think about what items in your closet make you feel the most confident and/or comfortable when you wear them.  Those are the clothes that will help you define your style.  So listen to your closet.  It has more to say than meets the eye.

Tip 2: Do some research:
Now, I'm not talking about the boring kind of research, this is the fun kind!  Try looking around at different fashion blogs, magazines, and even people walking by on the street.  If you see someone and think, "Wow, she looks really great!  I love her outfit," then try wearing similar clothes.  For years I thought that because I was small and skinny I should wear tight clothing.  Boy, was I living under a rock!  Browsing around the internet helped me learn that skinny people can look quite nice in loose fitting shirts and flowing dresses and all sorts of other things.

Tip 3: Don't be afraid to try new looks:
If I had stuck with the same look that I had in highschool, I'd be wearing a snug fitting american eagle v neck shirt, flared jeans with holes in the knees, and tennis shoes...for the rest of my life!  No offense to anyone who wears these things but I am sooo over it!  I do still love sneakers, but anyway - moving on.  Try wearing something that you normally wouldn't wear.  Try wearing skirts if you always wear pants.  Try wearing shirts with collars, or try wearing different colors.  You get the picture.  The easiest way I've found to try new looks is to go shopping.  You don't even have to buy anything.  Just grab a bunch of things off the rack and try them all on.  Try on something different even if you're not sure if you'll like it.  You'd be surprised how good you can look in clothes you would have never thought to wear.

Tip 4: Be true to yourself:
I know this is cliche but just hear me out.  Fashions come and go all the time.  If it is something you love, wear it!  Don't be too afraid to wear your high top converse with your cute girly skirt (I would).  Buy the bright purple boots with the studs on them!  Wear that bright orange lipstick!  If you wear clothes that you love and that you think look awesome, you'll feel confident and happy.  What's more fashionable than that?!

Bottom line, fashion is what you make it.  So have fun with it!  I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it.

In the near future I'll be posting about how to shop for clothes effectively and save money.  So please, come back again soon! ;-)  Later gator!




Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Who says you can't look cute when it's raining

I felt like dressing nicely for work today, so I thought I would do a quick outfit pic/outfit of the day. I would dress nicely every day if I could.  However, I have been driving around in my friend's car which does not have air conditioning.  Summer in Japan is hot hot!  And no one want to wear dresses and skirts when they are getting all sweaty. Ain't nobody got time for that!  Even so, I am extremely greatful to my friend for letting me borrow his car. It is a whole lot better than biking to work every day.

It was looking pretty rainy and grim when I ventured out this morning.  I stuck with my outfit choice despite the weather.  And I am glad that I did.  For, the sun is now shining and the sky is blue as I sit and enjoy a nice hot bowl of ramen.  Next I'm off to do a bit of shopping AND...maybe stop for some coffee.

[I apologize for any typos. It's always interesting to blog with my phone, haha!]

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Hawaiian/Tan people problems

So, quick disclaimer, I have never lived in Hawaii. However, my dad's side of the family is Hawaiian. I've never even visited to Hawaii actually, though I would love to go.  This may seem weird but it's a long story so I'll just skip ahead.

I am so happy that the weather has been nice enough this week for me to go to the pool! So so happy! I've been living in Japan for almost a year now and over the winter I got rather pale. Paler than I have been in a LONG time.  When I went to the pool this week all I wanted to do was lay out in the sun because I could not wait to be tan again!

Some cultures and types of people go to great lengths to protect and shield their skin from the sun, and they enjoy the look of pale skin.  I on the other hand, being part Hawaiian, prefer to be tan.  My olive skin looks much better tanned.  It's quite funny really.  No matter how much sunscreen I apply I will still get tan.  It's as if my skin just wants so badly to be darker.

Thank you sun for coming to my rescue! Though I don't always like the heat, I very much enjoy seeing the sun shinning and getting a nice tan.  It's the little things in life that get me excited.  Yay for summer! And yay for being tan! ;-)

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Hobby Off

Just a quick little post. I went to Hobby Off today with Bekah (she's the best!). Hobby Off is part of a chain of second hand stores in Japan.  There is Hard Off for clothing, Hobby Off for toys and games and such, Book Off which explains itself, and maybe a few others which I can't remember.  So, we went to Hobby Off and saw all kinds of neat anime figurines, old game consoles, trading cards, stuffed animals, and other random items.  It was nerd heaven in that place!

I found these two little Pikachu figurines:
(took this pic from my instagram)

If you haven't already noticed, I like picachu ALOT. I'm a bit obsessed really. He's always been my favorite pokemon. Mostly because he's just so cute! It's great finding all kinds of pikachu and pokemon related things around Japan. There are a lot of things in this country that I wouldn't find in the U.S. so I don't want to miss out! I hope these little Pikachus brightened your day! I know they brightened mine. :-) 

Monday, July 15, 2013

OOTD

Just a quick outfit of the day for yah.  I went to work for a bit and to Daiso with some girlfriends.  Video and post about Daiso coming soon (probably tomorrow)!



I am wearing: shorts-American Eagle, denim stud vest-Forever21, kitty bag-random Japanese shop in Harajuku (sorry), black wedge sneakers-Victoria Golf (sports store in Japan).

Thanks for stopping by! See you again soon. :-)

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Welcome to my blog!

I am really only writing this post so I can mess with the font and so I can see what my blog is going to look like.  But, if you are reading this...great!  My blog is going to be about fashion, travel, and just life in general.  Thanks for stopping by!  Please come back soon because I will be making real blog posts in the very near future.

I recently took a trip to Harajuku to do some shopping.  By the way, I am living in Japan right now.  Although I am American, I am going to be living in Japan for the next few years.  There is so much to see and do here.  There is especially a lot of good shopping here!  This is exactly why I went to Harajuku.  For the shopping.  Who wouldn't want to go there?  I even had a bit of a surprise while I was there.  Sneak peak: I was stopped while walking along and asked to be photographed.  Crazy huh?  I thought so.  Come back to hear the full story in my next blog post.

The reason I created this blog was so I could share my new found love of fashion, beauty, and travel with the world.  I also wanted to have a blog that could go alongside my new YouTube channel (more details to come).  Hopefully I will get that squared away soon as well.  Currently, I have a blog that was meant to be all about my adventures in Japan, but I would like to write about a broader spectrum of topics.  So...thus my new blog is born!  Hope you enjoy it.  I know I enjoy it already.  :-)