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Winter Outfit

    Outfit

    That Red Dress // Goals for 2018

    Cranberry Red Party Dress Perfect for the Holidays

    Cranberry Red Party Dress

    If you follow me along on social media, you’ve probably seen this cranberry red party dress a few times. Can you really blame me for wearing it so often? I just feel so fancy every time I put it on, and I love everything about it from the cranberry appliques to the velvet pink straps. It was love at first sight and I knew that I needed it in my wardrobe as soon as I tried it on.

    As a reminder to shop small, I came upon this dress at Simply Vintage while spending the day vintage shopping with my sister. Although I love browsing online, nothing beats being able to touch and observe a piece in person sometimes. If you’ve never heard of Simply Vintage, you should definitely check them out. The shop carries both vintage and vintage-inspired pieces, so this dress is actually a new design. Unfortunately, this red party dress is no longer available there but you can still find it in a few sizes here.

    I would say that this piece is pretty true to size. I got it in a size 2 and it’s pretty comfortable, even around the chest area which can sometimes be tricky for me since I’m a bit busty.  The straps are adjustable too which adds a bit more of support around that area.

    Cranberry and Red Makeup: Kat Von D Lolita II Lipstick and Colourpop Hello Kitty Eyeshadow Palette. Outfit: BB Dakota Cranberry Red Candler Dress Cute and Sexy Cranberry Red Holiday Dress Red Lace Cranberry Red Party Dress, Perfect for the Holidays Cute Valentine's Day Outfit: Red Lace Dress Makeup: Colourpop Cosmetics and Kat Von D Lolita II ; Outfit: BB Dakota Party Dress and Kate Spade "Spike the Punch" necklace.

    I’ve been really enjoying playing around with makeup this past year. I wanted my makeup to match the dress, so I stuck to cranberry tones. I’m wearing a mix of peach and cranberry red eyeshadows from Colourpop and the Kat Von D Lolita II lipstick.

    Cranberry Red Aplique Party Dress and Black Block Heel Pumps A Cute Holiday Outfit: BB Dakota Cranberry Red Party Dress

    Goals for 2018

    Before I forget, happy New Year! I’m wishing you all the best in 2018. Since it’s the first day of the year, I thought I’d also post my goals for 2018. I’m hoping that this will be a year of personal growth and adventure. So here we go:

    1. Be Kind to Myself: working on this blog has definitely helped me become more confident in myself. However, there are still times that I can be critical of my body and ideas. I want to set an intention to practice being nicer to myself in 2018.
    2. Care Less About What Others Think: I want to learn how to be less anxious and just do what I want. 
    3. Declutter My Life: even though I managed to pack and move all my belongings up to Portland in my very small Toyota Yaris, I’m still hanging on to many things I no longer need. I want to make 2018 the year that I finally clean out my closet for good! 
    4. Save and stick to my budget: overall, I think I’m pretty good with money. After all, I’ve been living off a student budget for almost the past two years. That being said, there are definitely areas where I can improve. I want to become better at saving by doing things like trading in a fancy latte for coffee at home.
    5. Put myself out there: this is one goal that I really failed at last year. School and the job search got in the way and I only managed to go on a few dates. I think that was for the best because it’s hard to give your heart to another person when your plate is full. However, I plan to make room to meet more new people in 2018.
    6. Travel: other than a few trips to LA, I didn’t do much to get out of Portland last year. Now that I have a big girl job, I really want to commit to visiting a few new places. I already have a trip to Palm Springs scheduled in January for my 29th birthday. I’m looking forward to exploring and hanging out at the pool!
    7. Optimize and Grow My Blog: now that I have more free time, I want to fully optimize my blog and focus on growing this space.
    8. Be More Present: it’s a hard thing to do when you’re a blogger and work in digital marketing, but I really need to get away from my phone more often. I want to take that time to make room for creativity.

    Shop this look

    Kate Spade “Spike the Punch” Necklace (from a few seasons ago) | BB Dakota Cranberry Candler Dress (available here and here) | Madewell Block Pumps (Similar here and here) | Kat Von D Lolita II Lipstick

    Outfit

    Snow Day!

    Portland Winter Style

    Outfit Details:
    H&M Green Parka Jacket (Similar steal and splurge)
    Old Navy Gray Marled Turtleneck Sweater (Similar here and here)
    Madewell Boots (Similar)
    Black Gloves
    Army Green Parka and Marled Turtleneck
    Winter Parka and Turtleneck
    Portland Snow Day
    Today, I woke up to a winter wonderland in my backyard and immediately knew that I had to document this wonderful moment! While I didn’t have much fun driving in the snow on my way down to LA in early December, experiencing it on foot is pretty magical. I went out to my backyard for a little while and my roommate’s puppy was quick to follow me out the door. You could tell that he was just as excited about playing in the snow as I was, especially since he kept jumping up and down with joy.
    Now, you might be wondering how I’m adjusting to the Portland’s chilly temperatures after being in sunny LA for almost three weeks. The answer to your question is that warm pieces are the key to staying warm in cooler weather. While I don’t have on many layers, the pieces that I am wearing are very substantial. This green parka is very thick and insulated, which makes it the perfect jacket for a cold snow day. I’ve also been wearing this marled gray turtleneck sweater all winter long because it does an amazing job at keeping both my neck and torso pretty warm, plus it eliminates the need to worry about carrying around a scarf.
    ———-
    Happy new year! I hope your 2016 is off to a brilliant start. I’m very excited about what this year will bring in terms of my personal life and this blog. I’m still working on my resolutions, but should have them up in the next few weeks. The great thing about blogging is that I can keep track of how well I’ve been doing in terms of sticking to my goals, and I’m happy to say that I did a very good job of meeting my resolutions for 2015. I’m committed to making 2016 just as awesome! What are your goals for the new year?
    xoxo,

    Helen

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    Outfit

    Birthday Weekend in Tie-Dye

    Photos by Ale Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Tie-Dye Dress (Similar here and here)
    Crocheted Purse-Handmade by my Grandmother
    Silver Earrings-Gift from my Mom
    8 oz Latte (My favorite accessory of all time!)
    I wore this ensemble when I went out to brunch with my sister on Saturday. This black and gray tie-dye dress is one of my favorite things that I own, but I don’t wear it enough because 1) it is inappropriate for work because it has an open back and 2) it’s not cozy enough to wear when it’s cold outside. My solution to all of the problems/excuses that were prohibiting me from wearing this dress was buying a basic black sweater. One of my resolutions this year is to be content with my existing wardrobe, and focus on buying things that will enhance it. I think that this is one of those instances when I practiced just that. This black sweater is a great basic for fall and winter, and also makes it easier for me to wear many items that are usually only appropriate for summer and spring.
    To complete my look, instead of my usual cat eye makeup, I switched things up and used MAC Cosmetics Pigment in Blue-Brown on my eyes. As a person who has yet to master eye shadow, I love this pigment because it reflects different colors and allows you to create the illusion that you’re using multiple eye shadows depending on how much you layer and blend. Apparently, you can also apply this pigment while it’s wet to bring out more of the blue color and create a more intense effect. I’ll have to try out that method next time that I want to look like a disco queen.
    Today is my 26th birthday, and I’ve been celebrating all weekend long! As you already know, my sister treated me to brunch on Saturday, and we went to Auntie Em’s Kitchen in Eagle Rock, one of my favorite brunch places. On Friday night, I went to see one of my favorite bands, Geographer, and I got to meet the lead singer Mike Deni. I had a good weekend, and it’s made me excited about the rest of my birthday month. Yes, I do celebrate my birthday all month long.
    I have to admit, though, that I wasn’t too enthusiastic about my birthday a couple of weeks ago, mostly because I’ve been so tired and preoccupied with so many other things. However, this weekend has just been really great, and I feel positive that this is going to be a great year for me. After all, I’m surrounded by a great group of family and friends, and every day I become more mature and have the opportunity to learn a little more about myself. This is probably the first time that I’m approaching a new year without a list of expectations, and just trying to live in the moment. I just want to learn how to be grateful for everything I have and live without any regrets.
    This weekend, I also celebrated my first year of blogging. When I started this blog one year ago, I honestly didn’t think that I would be able to stick with it. I’m also always so amazed at how many people visit this site every week, and how supportive everybody is of my little corner of the internet. When I started this blog, I thought that my Mom was going to be my only most loyal follower, but I’m always so happy when somebody new reaches out to me to let me know that they’re following along. Thank you so much for making all the work that goes into this space seem worth it! I promise to start bringing you more than just outfit posts once my schedule clears up.
    xoxo,
    Helen
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