CVS mini-haul

I couldn't find my nail clipper for DAYS. Then I caved and bought a new one. I found it when I got home. Ugh.

I've been itching for some new nail colors, so I got Sally Hansen Lively Lilac and a Milani Pink Hottie.







This really was Insta-dry. The first coat dried in maybe a minute. I usually am immobile for 10 minutes, because my nails ALWAYS smudge, but this polish lived up to its name. I want another one. The fatty brush made it easy to apply too. I'll take a picture of that when I have time to make a more comprehensive nail post.

Can't wait to try this one out!





I don't really like Milani polishes. They feel watery and kind of sticky. They're harder to apply and take awhile to dry. This is my second bottle, but I'll probably be staying away from these for awhile.

Rimmel had a buy one, get one free, so I got another black eyeliner and a Rimmel London lipstick in Airy Fairy. I usually hate drug store lipsticks, because they only come in shimmer, but I love this one. It's a light pink, with a tiny bit of shimmer. It's neutral enough for everyday wear. I did my usual brown eyes with the Rimmel eyeliner and Airy Fairy.





I probably look like an idiot with my lips parted, but I wanted you to see the lip color!



Okay, back to studying.

career clothes lingo

During my 1L year, I saw a lot of us scrambling for our first suits. Many of us came straight from undergrad. We knew office work meant business casual, which was more easily defined by what we couldn't wear than what we could wear. Basically business casual means no jeans, no open toe shoes, no tank tops, no obnoxious colors or prints, no shorts, no miniskirts, no floor length skirts. Just about everything else is fair game.

Then there came the receptions with the "business" dress code on the invites. Business meant suits. We needed to have suits! Then came on-campus interviews (OCI). I noticed at public interest career day that some girls wore suits with a ruffled skirt or a ruffle on the jacket. They stood out, but not in a good way.

An interview suit is different from a non-interview suit. Interview suits are supposed to be as basic and as classic as you can get, preferably in a dark color. It's appropriate to stand out by wearing a shirt in a bright color, but usually, fussy looking details look unprofessional. I didn't learn this rule until later on in my first year, but it definitely made sense to me. Those cute, ruffly suits looked out place on our on-campus interview days, and my favorite suits were sleek and well-fitted.

To look good on interviews, look for a suit that fits you well. Save the cutesy details for other "business" occasions.

what a nightmare

Most of my friends know that I've been somewhat unhappy/annoyed in my current living situation. I love where I live and I love my apartment, so I've just been dealing with it. My roommates told me they were moving out tonight...in two weeks. If anyone knows of anyone looking for a place to live or want to spread the word about a possible sublet/permanent place to rent, I would be really grateful. Comment or message me and I'll forward you the Craigslist ad. Thanks!

Plum lipstick FOTD

This looked so dark to me when I put it on, but it doesn't look so bad in pictures.





Make-up rule to break #1: Don't do dark lips with dark eyes.

I find that it doesn't matter too much with Asian eyes, so you can go bold with your lips and eyes. I'm wearing dark brown shadow and I lined my lashline and waterline with black eyeliner. I think it's probably a good idea to wear lots of eyeliner with a dark lip. Almond eyes might get lost if you don't darken your eyes, and you end up being nothing but lips.

Rihanna does it!



Also, I think it's interesting that whenever I hear her on the radio, she says her name "Ri-Anna" and the rest of us continue saying "Ri-Ahna."

"do your research"

    Accosted by two hyper college-aged people outside of the Ralph's on Barrington the other day, I figured I had some time to hear out their spiel. The guy started talking to me about Save the Children, Forbes most efficient charitable org or something like that. They go overseas, build schools, dig wells, I don't even know. I nodded politely and said, "Oh, so you're like an NGO."
    "What's an NGO?" he asked. I looked at him quizzically and his partner quickly jumped in, "Yes, we're an NGO!" She started talking to me about how I can sponsor a child and he or she will write me letters. I asked some questions about the structure of the org---do they work with local government? Are they an independent entity? Then I asked if they had been overseas and participated in the projects.
    "We actually don't work for Save the Children," they admitted. What?? They worked for a third-party fundraising org.
    "So you just go out and fundraise for whichever charity you get assigned to that day?"
    "Well,we don't HAVE to," they hedged. But you kind of do, I thought, in order to get paid.


    A week later, different people, same fundraising org accosted me on my way out. I said something like, "You guys don't even believe in your cause. You're getting paid to convince me to donate."
    The fundraiser guy objected and said, "Do your research!" as I walked away. Are you serious, guy? Research is all that I do.

DIY hair color

In the midst of writing my massive paper, I decided to color my hair. I went one shade lighter. Here are the results:

Before:



After:




The stuff I used (it was on sale at Rite Aid for $5):

fave work outfit

I love white button downs.

top and skirt from H&M



Great tips from Corporette.com for button-downs:

1. Beneath the white shirt: Wear a bra that matches your skin tone, and a white camisole, no matter how convinced you are that no one can see through it.

2. It should fit you at the bust. If the shirt is gaping, size up.

3. If you wear it untucked, it should hit mid-hip and should never be longer than your suit jacket.

4. Collars should stay on the inside of the suit jacket, not splayed on the outside.

5. Try not to put your white shirts in the dryer to avoid yellowing.