I Want

This.

J'adore

I cannot tell you how much and for how long I have loved this dress. I know I twittered this dress once before but I still can't get over it. Looks like you're about to be sold out and permanently far from my reach.

Sue Wong Strapless Dress with Ostrich Feathers

Love Michael Kors

A tad annoyed that Michael Kors handbags are excluded from Macy's promotions. Hmph! Absolutely LOVE the Astor tote! And it seems that everyone has a crossbody bag these days, how convenient!

Uptown Astor Shoulder Tote

Webster Crossbody Bag

Thinking of My Guy

Sometimes my posts get a bit wordy and long. It's just that I have a lot in my head and I feel a need to express how my thoughts come about. I am known to be simple at times and I'd love be able to post ideas in a much more minimal way and let things speak for themselves.

Anyway, my guy loves Mraz. He once played his guitar and sang Bella Luna for me. So this is for my guy. It's my favorite.

And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
And it takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful.

We always talk about when he gets his own place in the near future. I think this would make for the most perfect coffee table book.

Available at the Jason Mraz official online store. Click image for a link.

Secret Santa '09: Shoes!

You can see I've got the holidays on my mind with all of my posts. My girls and I always do a Secret Santa every year and recently, we decided to have themed gifts. Last year, we did hoodies and this year will be shoes. It makes it quite exciting knowing we will all have something that is the same yet unique to each of our personalities. I've been thinking of what shoes I need since I have enough black shoes, special occasion shoes and I finally bought the over the knee boots I've always wanted. Then I thought, hmm... I really need to treat my body better.

I'm sure we've heard of all the different leg toning sneakers there are these days. I know Sketcher has at least a couple of designs but I noticed that they are all kind of chunky and didn't seem all that appealing to me. Then I saw Reebok's EasyTone sneakers. It has a great design and comes in different styles and colors. Their tagline in the item description is "Get a better butt and and better legs with every step." Don't really know how it works but what woman wouldn't want a pair of these?

Photo Courtesy of Reebok.com

Holiday Gift Wish #1

Late this past summer, I tagged along to a sorority sister's birthday picnic. She had a beautiful spread of delicious food she made herself and a bunch of her close friends with her in the middle of Central Park in New York City. We were hanging out when S and I found H unni's Instax camera! It's Fujifilm's version of the Polaroid! *squeals!* What was extra cute was that this was the Mini version. We prepped ourselves since we knew we only had one chance to really get it right. As we waited for our photo to develop, we wondered if we got our faces in the picture because self-taken shots always tend to cut someone's left eye out or something.

Here is what came out... how adorable! We even got the balloons!


Afterwards, I knew I had to get me one of these! I never had a Polaroid myself but was so heartbroken when they stopped making them. But I was wrong, nostalgia is here to stay! The perfect thing to have at gatherings with friends and family to make sure everyone's having fun! A little something extra to make your event that much more special and a way to hold on to the memories forever...

So here's my holiday wish #1: Dear Santa, I would really really love to have one of these nifty Instax cameras. I promise I will use it as much as I can and I know that it will be a lot of fun for not just me but also my friends and family as well. Okay, well talk to you soon Santa! Love, Sarah

Fujifilm Instax mini 7

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com. Available for purchase.

The Holidays Are Coming!

On my recent trip to Florida, I've had a lot of time to myself... waiting for the boyfriend to come home from work, sitting through a delayed flight due to the shitty Jersey weather... I picked up a few magazines to pass the time. I have always loved my magazines and found endless amounts of inspiration from them.

I found something today that really got me excited! Essie just released the sweetest shade of green for this holiday season! I can't wait to try new Minty Candy Apple! This color reminds me of my trip to Seoul this past May when S and I got manicures!

Photo Courtesy of Essie.com

AND, the kicker of the day is that Essie started a new blog just yesterday! Looking forward to reading her future posts! Learn more about the birth of Essie cosmetics and about the founder herself here: http://www.essie.com/essieblog/

Shopping Made Simple

I know we all love Forever 21. Such cute finds for so cheap. But sometimes I get overwhelmed. There are just SO many items in the store that it can be difficult when I see something I like online and I try to find it in the store. There are so many times that I wish I just can place an order to my nearest store so that I can go in and try on the clothes before purchasing them. Wouldn't that be so convenient?





Aren't these tanks fun and fresh... paired with a high swing skirt or high waisted shorts? I really liked these retro glasses one of their models sported too. If only shopping were this easy. :P

Ideeli

I'm sure a lot of us have heard of sites like Gilt Groupe and Rue La La where you can get designer items at a deep discount. Recently I got an invitation to Ideeli. I figured I'd check it out to see what kind of items come up on their sales events and how much of a discount there is.

It's probably not a good time for me to be shopping, being a recent graduate and having no source of income. I feel like all I do these days is shop. Maybe it's the Jersey girl in me or maybe it's because of all the great sales there are this time of year. I went to the Mall at Short Hills yesterday. I saw a darling Longchamp satchel that I wanted once before, it was originally $1200 and on 'sale' for $800. Sigh, don't worry, I didn't buy it. And while my mom was the reason we went into Victoria's Secret to look at some bras, I was the one who came out of the store with two shopping bags! I got a couple of bras, a handful of panties, a swimsuit and a yoga outfit... all for $130! Not bad right? Well, that's what I'm telling myself.

So anyway, I was looking at the Ideeli site today, and I saw this amazing sale on ABS dresses at prices up to 90% off! I saw a couple that I liked but my size was all reserved/sold out already. The sale had just started this morning! It's amazing how quickly things happen on the internet. I put myself on the waiting lists and before you know it I got an email saying they had some dresses in my size available. I immediately placed an order because I knew how quickly they would be gone. So I am now a proud owner of yet another little black dress, one that I paid $52 including shipping and tax that used to cost $328. Pretty decent deal if I say so myself.



To check out these designer discounts, visit these invitation links:
Gilt Groupe
Ideeli
Rue La La

Tea Parties & Dresses

I've seen a lot of inspiration surrounding tea parties these past couple of days so I thought I'd write a post about it. It started with this dress that I bought from Forever the other day. It's called the Tea Party Dress and I didn't bother trying it on because the line for the dressing room was a bit long and I was feeling lazy.

{Source: Forever21}

It's really cute and has a fun A-line with a natural waist. I am thinking of returning it though because it's quite short and seemed somewhat inappropriate for my age. Perhaps girls younger would look adorable. I think I also would have wanted something less plain, maybe some kind of pattern to make it more festive.

Yesterday, I went to the dentist's office with a friend and while I waited I picked up a copy of last month's FamilyFun. There was an article about celebrating Mother's Day with your daughter and other mother/daughter friends. They had sweet ideas for decor and suggested treats like cupcakes and petit fours. While this seems a tad far into the future, I do envision my bridal shower themed as a tea party/brunch... But that won't be anytime soon either. :P

{Source: Beaucoup}

And finally, as I was checking my daily reads (and I forget exactly where I saw it) but I came across Etsy seller sohomode, who makes these uber feminine and whimsical tea dresses. I thought of my dear friend and fellow blogger Beautiful Day who loves tea parties. I hope we can plan one together someday! :) I thought you might like her dresses so I definitely had to post this.

{Source: sohomode}

Before I go, I did want to ask for some help from my girls who follow this blog. I bought this super fun, ballerina-esque skirt when I was in Korea. It is much like the one pictured below with the black band but in a lighter ballet pink color. I just can't think of what to wear with it. Korean girls tend to wear oversized tees with this but I don't think I can do that. I was thinking a simple black tank or maybe even my leotard with leggings? I don't know if all that black would be too much against the skirt. And it is a bit see through even with the satin lining underneath.

{Source: Forever21}

What do you girls think?

For the Love of Food

For another 6 weeks and couple of days, I am trying my best not to eat any meat. This isn't really for any religious or dietary reason. It's because I'd like to be supportive of a friend and share in the pains of not eating meat. I think I can be strong and go without for just a little while. I don't think I'll be perfect considering the traveling I'll be doing and the family gatherings I have to attend and while it won't make much of a difference, I hope the effort means something. It hasn't been too difficult as of yet. I don't really crave meat or eat it in large portions to begin with, it just gets a little hard because your food options are lessened greatly.

So today, I wanted to share a couple of food blogs that I love. One is a favorite of my roommate who is now in Shanghai and I believe she can no longer see the photos because Flickr is blocked in China. :( She's tried so many of her great recipes which all turn out lovely. It's a must visit, smitten kitchen. It even has a fun surprise me! link which randomly directs you to one of her delicious recipes. Her photos are so inspiring, even to the undomesticated kind, like myself.

Martha's Mac & Cheese

Something so great about the blogging community is that you are somehow attached to some of the blogs you read even if you may not know the author personally. When they share news of an engagement or relocation to a new home and in this blog's case, news of a baby on the way, you can't help but be really happy for them and it's exciting to follow their updates as well.

The next blog, I just found today on Snippet & Ink, it's called La Tartine Gourmande and just the name itself drew me to the site because my favorite dishes from France were les tartines! Another site with great photos, there are also gluten-free and vegetarian recipes. I love that everything looks not too indulgent and proportioned for a tummy like mine.

Tartelettes Aux Pommes et Aux Coings

{photos credited to blog authors}

Oh, and please do remind me to do updates from my past Restaurant Week adventures. I always tell myself to do so when I look at the notes I keep in my phone but they never seem to make it onto my blog!

AE's Ruffle Dress

I've barely shopped at American Eagle since high school but I still get their occasional e-newsletters. I randomly check to see if there is anything worth checking out on their website and today I came upon this. AE's #3 on their Top 10 Must Have List.

The Ruffle Dress.



I've been looking for a white summer dress for quite some time. I saw a couple at Forever that I liked but they never had my size. And again, AE doesn't have my size on their website. I'll have to keep my eye out when I go shopping to see if they have any in stores.

One of our cousins is throwing an uber chic white party for his housewarming and this would be perfect for the occasion! Paired with flat leather sandals, it's a look that is absolutely effortless!

Sexy Summer Suits

Summer is here and I saw a post on WeddingbeePRO that was not so wedding-related and it got me thinking about swim suits. It featured a retro one-piece much like this first suit. I love the shape, so classic, very Marilyn Monroe.



I began to realize how little we all wear when we go out to the beaches these days and how crazy women get trying to get in shape for summer. It's one of my goals to eat healthy and get in shape but not for the reason of looking good in a swim suit. While I'm young, I figured I have to start maintaining a better lifestyle that will help me stay fit as I get older.

While I don't see myself in these kinds of suits quite yet, I'm so glad that there are stylish options for all body types and ages. I tend to be extremely self conscious and critical about my body even when I am still lucky enough to be considered thin and walk around in skimpy suits myself. I would kill for a body like Adriana so I could look good in a glamorous suit like this. But wouldn't we all?



I've been wanting a one piece much like this last one and since it's on sale, I might get it. It's very modern and flattering with the cut outs at the waist. I think I would feel less exposed in something like this and yet still sexy for summer.



Photos courtesy of Victoria's Secret.

Barbie Update

Sorry it's been so long. I was in China where they're not allowed to see the light of day... just kidding, more like they're not allowed to see the writings of Blogger. I don't think this will be a long post just because it's been a little difficult for me to blog these days for some reason. I just wanted to share something I loved at the Barbie store.

It's just like the pictures but it's not as lively as I had hoped. Perhaps if they staged little girls to be running around and squealing I would have been happier. Although, there was an escalator that had a soundtrack of girly laughter and I thought it was real so when I found out it was a recording, I was hella creeped out. Room pointed out that it would be perfect for a little girl's birthday party but too bad it's all the way in Shanghai. We were in and out of there in less than 25 minutes even after wandering all 6 floors. The one thing I wanted was this simple retro sketched shirt. For 500 yuan that I don't have (about $75), you could rock this cute tee...



I've never really dated the nerdy type but if Barbie likes em, why can't I, right?

Happy Birthday Barbie!

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Mattel has opened up a flagship Barbie store in Shanghai. And for those of you who don't know yet, I will be traveling to Shanghai this month so I'll definitely have to stop by! It is a little girl's dream... six stories of fun, complete with a spa and cafe. Check out some of these pictures from their website!

The 'Dream Lobby'






The Spa & Nail Bar for girls all ages


Larger than life Barbies!


The Barbie Design Center

Girls get to design their very own custom made Barbie. How fun does that sound! What girl didn't dream of having her perfect little Barbie? I'm not sure if this is something even I could pass up!


They have a runway where girls get to dress up and get made up so they can strut their stuff and strike a pose.


And at the very top is the Barbie Cafe where you can enjoy afternoon tea or even a Barbie-tini!

Makes me wish they had something like this when I was a kid. It's like a LegoLand or Baseball Hall of Fame for girls. But even at my age, who says I can't relive a little childhood fun. I'll have to see it in person and let you know if it's as amazing as it looks. :P

Lovespun

In love? Can't really say but tonight, I'm feeling extra sappy and I just can't stop listening to my favorite love songs.

Here's my list:
1. Everything - Michael Buble
2. I Just Want You - AJ Rafael
3. Lemonade - Passion
4. Every Woman (Cover) - Zay & Kiel
5. Something Special - Usher
6. You & I - Michael Buble
7. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

Simple post for the simplest emotion of pure joy.

The Death of a Camera, Part II

Best Buy really stinks. The day after I order my pink Fujifilm, I get a call that my Nikon has been sent back and check this out, I got approved for an effin exchange! ARGH! Since I could only exchange it for a camera in store and they didn't have my Fujifilm, I had to choose yet another. It was cheaper than buying the 2nd camera all together. I did have to buy insurance again. And now, I'll have to return the Buy.com camera. I got to use my new Samsung for graduation and I have to say I really like it. It's not a fun color, more simple... the way Room likes it. But I also am starting to think it's classy and like the way it works. So here's to my new Samsung TL100. Please be good to me. And check out Samsung's microsite for this camera, my favorite story is Lisa's.

The Death of a Camera

Remember how I needed a new camera after my vacation to Jamaica? Well, I got one.



The Nikon S220 in Plum. I had issues at the store because I thought the screen looked grainy and the sales people at Best Buy assured me that it wouldn't be like that when I viewed it on the computer. In some cases, they were right but for me that's just not good enough. The Nikon S220 also has this tendency to make everything seem yellowy which I can't stand and no setting you change it to makes any bit of a difference. Add the fact that the screen totally died because of some 'pressure point'. Lame. So now it's being sent off to be fixed, luckily covered by insurance, but now I can't even exchange the model for a different one. I think that is total poop! I was so mad at Best Buy and the clerk handling my damaged camera.

I was contemplating whether or not I should spend the money on this expensive Canon that I wanted. It was at least $100 more and I would be losing money from the insurance and having to pay for another memory card. I thought about it for a while. Then, this past weekend, a friend let me play photographer with his camera that he never remembers to bring out. I had a blast all night taking photos as if it were my own. I loved the large screen and the turn wheel playback. It also had a sliding cover just like my last camera. I looked online for the camera and found that the 10MP version of this camera is going at a decent price. The pink was the cheapest. So cute! I couldn't pass up on an offer like this so even though I don't know what I'll do with the poopy Nikon, I got it anyway. So bad. Oh well. Here she is, Fujifilm's Finepix Z200.
Love it! :)

Make Me A Dress!

I'm in love. I was visiting my daily read Weddingbee, when I came across this amazing dressmaker and etsyseller, Sarah Seven.

(Photo source: Beaus and Arrows)

Her designs are feminine and whimsical and I love her waistlines. I've found that when you wear a dress fitted through the natural waist, it's extremely flattering even for someone my height at 5'3". Although it takes a bit of getting used to since I find that it restricts my diaphragm a bit. You can see more of her designs on her blog at Beaus and Arrows.

Melissa Sweet and Sexy

My roommate and I stopped by Shaw's grocery store after dinner at Legal Seafoods yesterday. I perused the latest Modern Bride while pushing the cart for C. I have to admit I started to miss the days when I spent hours poring over wedding magazines. I still check my favorite blogs but there is something about kicking back with a magazine and feeling informed/inspired that makes me believe that the magazine industry, even with all the new technologies of the world, can never completely disappear one day.

I saw an ad for the new Priscilla of Boston collections and there was one dress that I could not get out of my head. It's not the typical wedding gown but I love any dress with a great back. Here she is, flirty as can be, Melissa Sweet's Mari.

Made of silk shantung, this dress has an uber low cut back with the cutest bustle! What excuse could a girl like me find to where a dress like this? But with graduation right around the corner, think of how fun it would be to celebrate in this sexy yet classy outfit! Ah, I want!

Audrey Highlights

I work at the Asian American Center on campus and we have subscriptions to magazines like KoreAM and Audrey. This month's issue of Audrey caught my eye. I went to check out their website and blog. I've always dreamed of working for a magazine and if you know me, know that I have stacks and stacks of them even though I never subscribe.

Here are some of my favorite things from the Audrey:

Freida Pinto of the award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire graced the cover of the magazine. Her fresh face is beautiful and natural. I've heard such great things about the movie and can't wait to watch it.


Look familiar? Audrey's Dec/Jan issue featured Jamie Chung, former Real World star and now the lead of a miniseries called Samurai Girl. It's cool to see where reality stars are now... makes me want to try to get on Real World too. :P


The next find is a fanciful cuff by Judith Ripka, the Aurora. I love the combination of soft pink and golf. I've always been a fan of big, sparkly statement cuffs.


And finally, meet Daniel Henney. I've never heard of him before but looking at this photo makes me wonder how I hadn't heard of him. He's quite the hottie.

A Cinderella Feeling

Lately, I've been thinking about our sorority banquet. This is probably going to my last formal for a while. During my college years, I've gone to many formals and it's always so much fun getting all dressed up, sipping champagne with your close friends and looking back on the memories you shared.

Along with trying to figure out whether or not I'll take a date (this is the first time I have to ask!), I've been looking into what I might wear to our formal. I had a few things I wanted to try. I don't usually put too much thought into these kinds of things but being my senior year, it's extra special.

1. Perhaps a full-length dress since I've never worn one to formal before or even prom in fact.
   
2. I've always wondered how I would look in a one-shoulder dress.
3. And for a while now, I've wanted to wear a white dress but never found the right occasion.
   

David Meister, Nicole Miller

JS Boutique, BCBGMAXAZRIA

• David Meister - I love the modern bow on the shoulder and the deep navy color.
  
• Nicole Miller - The print on this simple silhouette is so glamourous.
  
• JS Boutique - Graceful and white, it comes in petite so no hemming needed.
  
• BCBGMAXAZRIA - This strapless yellow gown makes looking beautiful a breeze!
  

These are bit more than I would typically spend for a dress but it's something to think about. I definitely want to go for a classy and sophisticated look. I had a few other dresses I liked but they were very young and flirty. The dresses I like tend to be different and unique. I don't like to wear something somebody else would. And I also think it'd be really fun to go dress shopping with my little sis, C. So I'll be looking forward to making time to do that! :)

Here is one last dress that would be my dream dress. It's a total splurge, a Donna Karan from Saks. It's not full-length but it's so chic! It's the perfect shade of off-white with a bow so whimsical. The neckline and hemline are both tres sexy. And who doesn't love a dress with pockets! This sweetly feminine dress flows around your body so that you don't have to worry about a thing. You can eat all you want and then dance the night away!

Dreamy, isn't it?