OOTD: Statements, Leather, and Lace

Hey ladies!  So this is what I wore to school today, I hope you can get inspired!  I got a ton of compliments on my outfit, so if you're iffy about trying something like this (very statement-y pieces mixed together, I mean) don't be nervous or afraid!  Please comment :)

White Lace Tank (scoop-back and zipper closure): American Eagle Outfitters

Chunky Beige Cardigan: Foreign Exchange

Statement Necklace: Windsor

Black Leather-Panel Leggings: PacSun

Black Toms: Nordstrom

Diamond Studs (okay, they're cubic zirconia): Claire's

Lips: "Rich" by CoverGirl (295)

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed :)

Make sure you check out my videos on my YouTube Channel (rate, comment, and subscribe, please!)

Follow my blog, too! (well only if you want to)

Love you all

<3

Manicure!

Hey everyone!  So I just wanted to show you what I did with my nails this week (I am completely in love) so I hope you like!  Make sure you leave a comment and/or follow me :)

Alright so here's the first pic of my nails...On my pointer finger, middle finger, pinky, and thumb (not shown) I have Essie's "Dive Bar" - it's SO GORGEOUS.  It seems like blue at a first glance, but in the light it looks like a deep-sea green, and even has facets of purple.  I think this is honestly my NEW FAVORITE Essie polish, which is really saying something!

Here's the second pic...I already mentioned Essie's "Dive Bar," so I won't talk more about that - I'll talk about what's on my ring finger.  I used a base of Essie's "Good As Gold," which I've used multiple times before (I'm pretty sure I've posted a manicure using this color as well) and absolutely LOVE.  As I said, though, I only used it as a base color to make sure that my nail was completely covered.  The glittery polish that you see is Essie's "Beyond Cozy" which is also a LOVELY color.  I'm starting to think I didn't even need to use the gold as a base because this glitter polish offered a nice coat, not like some other glitter polishes that cover the nail sparsely with glitter and mostly with clear goop.  

I've gotten 6 compliments on my nails already, and today was only our first day back from Semester Break (I even got a few compliments from GUYS - what the heck? I know).  Anyway, I hope you all liked this post, and maybe you'll try this some day!  I must say its a lovely pairing because of the heavy contrast.  Like I said earlier - I'm in love!

Thank you so much for checking out my blog!

Complete the cycle by watching my latest video on YouTube:

Shaving | Tips & Tricks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KkLcI703rU

Make sure you rate, comment, and subscribe! Thanks again :)

Love you all

<3

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY :D

Hello lovely people!  So today I turned SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD!!! Which meanssss that I can now watch rated-R movies (at a theater anyway) and read seventeen magazine validly lol .... Sadly it's also my LAST KID BIRTHDAY, which I say reluctantly, because who really WANTS to grow up, right?

Anyways...I just wanted to do a quick little post to celebrate not only MY birthday, but also MY BLOG'S BIRTHDAY :D  Maybe you noticed the new name ^^^^ and if you didn't, well I went from "Fashion Specs: 16" to "Fashion Specs: 17" which I'm happy about because honestly the number 17 looks much more attractive than the number 16 ... Or maybe that's just me haha ;)

I want to take a few seconds, too, to thank everyone who's been watching my YouTube videos and reading my blogposts ... It really means a lot to me, and I look forward to making more videos and posting like a madwoman as a SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD (gosh that never gets old - I love birthdays)

SO ANYWAYS...have a nice rest-of-the-day, and thank you again to all of my readers/viewers :D

ME and my LOVELY RED BALLOON :D

Get Ready With Me! Christmas Eve Mass

Hello lovely people!  So I was kind of debating posting this, because I know that religion is kind of a touchy subject for some people, and maybe it would be offensive in some way to post what I wore to church on Christmas Eve.  Anyway, my religion is important to me, so I'm posting this (this is not really about religion anyway, it's about an outfit, but yeah I just wanted to put in this baby disclaimer here haha).  SO here's a few pics to outline what I wore and what my face looked like, I hope you enjoy ;)

You can check out my YouTube video on this (it's way better than just looking at these pictures)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyJRnoHAwnY

PRODUCTS I USED IN MY VIDEO:
(I promised that I would post them here)

CLOTHING:
Black Dress: PacSun
Stone Necklace: Brandy Melville
Chunky Knit Cardi: Foreign Exchange
Tights: I HAVE NO IDEA
Black Bandeau: Heavenly Couture
Black Pointed Flats: H&M

MAKE-UP
FACE:
Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Medium
E.L.F. Tinted Moisturizer in Beige
Maybelline Coverstick (Medium Skin Tone Concealer)
Maybelline Coverstick (Green Tint Blemish Concealer)
Physician's Formula Light Bronzer (and E.L.F. Kabuki Brush)

BROWS:
Wet n Wild Color Icon Eye Pencil in Mink Brown
Smudger Tool
Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara

EYES:
Stila Eyeshadow
Covergirl Perfect Blend Eyeliner in Basic Black
E.L.F. Cream Eyeliner in Black
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha
NYX Eyeshadow Base (Natural)
Eyelash Curler
L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara (Waterproof)

LIPS:
EOS Lip Balm in Lemon Drop
Covergirl Lipstick in Rose
Mentha Organics Lip Gloss (from Bath&Body Works)

AND YEAH I THINK THAT'S IT

I hope you guys liked my video (if you watched it) and/or this blogpost!

Thanks for being here!

Love you all

<3

Christmas Nails +

Hey everyone!  So Christmas is coming up, my favorite time of the year!  In years past, I've done a lot of crazy things on my nails during Christmas time (a french manicure with christmas lights on the tips, red with Christmas trees and snowmen, etc) but this year I decided to do something more subtle, but still really Christmas-y and interesting.  So keep reading if you want to see my Christmas nails!

Here's the finished product!

 Alright so from the top:

Red Nail Polish: I got this in a gift set from my Godmother about 2 years ago, so I don't think there's a brand or anything attached to it.  You could use any red nail polish for this look, though, so it doesn't really matter.

Champagne/Copper Nail Polish:  Essie's "Buy Me a Cameo," which I recently received as a Secret Santa present (see my last post!).  This color is really beautiful, I love how shimmery it is and how subtle the color is, especially on my skin tone.

Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat.  This stuff says that it dries in 30 seconds, and let me tell you, it dries in 30 seconds.  Just make sure you don't press on you nail and try to scratch at them or something just to test it out, haha!

NOTE: always use a base coat - I find that base coats are all the same, you could even use a nail serum or hardener, as long as you don't put the color directly onto your nail, you'll be fine!

NOTE: when I paint my nails, I have a trick to make sure my nail polish is dry.  I put on the top coat (which dries in 30 seconds) and wait about a minute and a half, then I go over to the sink and turn on the COLD water.  IF YOU DON'T HAVE A FAST DRYING TOP COAT, YOU'LL NEED TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.  I run the cold water over my nails by putting the back of my hand under the faucet and pointing my fingers toward the ground.  This way, the water starts off gentle.  Then, if you feel like your nails can take it (be confident! nail polish is more durable than you may think!) start washing your hands with soap.  Don't be gentle about it, either, just wash you hands like you would normally.  The water should have hardened your polish before you started washing with soap, and after you wash the nail polish smell will be GREATLY reduced, which is always a plus.  Anyway, that's my trick!

 Here is Essie's "Buy Me a Cameo" all by itself.  I wanted to show you guys that it's subtle but shimmery, and that it doesn't really look like a copper color, like it does in the bottle.

Here's another picture of the final product, with the red stripes and the shimmery base.  I think this still looks Christmas-y, as I said earlier, but it's not over-the-top crazy.  It's definitely classy, so anyone could wear this look :)  Anways, I hope you enjoyed, maybe got an idea for your own nails!  This will also be on Instagram, in case you wanted to know :)

Make sure you check out my YouTube Channel, I'll be putting up a few new videos really soon!

Love you all

<3

Gifts and Goodies :)

Hey ladies!  So, every year, my friends and I do a Secret Santa Gift Exchange between us, so I wanted to show you what I got from my Secret Santa as well as something I got for myself while shopping ;)  Hope you enjoy, get some ideas, and all that jazz....

Here's everything :)  Keep reading!

Here's the E.L.F. eye shadow palette, which I got from my Secret Santa (love her)!

It comes with a small mirror, as you can see, and the colors are all semi-pigmented, so they're not too in-your-face, which I always really like especially with brightly colored eyeshadow like this.  Most of the colors I've tried have been in the top row, so I haven't really explored the blues and pinks on this palette, but I'm basing my observations about the eyeshadow as a whole on that top row, which I really like, by the way!  The colors are natural and subtle, with just a hint of shimmer, much like the Naked palette.  I've used this twice already, and the colors have shown up nicely on my skin tone, so if you're one of those people who thinks tan-skinned girls can't wear brown, I just proved you wrong, haha!

Here's the two nail-polishes that I got from my Secret Santa :)

The blue is like a dark turquoise, and its called "Trophy Wife."  I haven't used it yet, but it's such a pretty color, I can't wait to paint my nails with it!  It's shiny but not quite metallic, like the other color.

The color on the right is very interesting - it looks like a coppery-metallic shade, but when you put it on it's more like a mixture of champagne, silver, and copper.  It's called "Buy Me a Cameo" (Don't you just love Essie nail-polish names? They're so odd and creative haha).  It's so pretty, I did my Christmas nails using this color as well as a red that I had laying around, so you can check out my Instagram for that :)

The last thing I got was this whiteish-lavender stone necklace from Brandy Melville.  They recently opened up a store in the shopping mall closest to me, so I'm really excited about this - it was my first purchase from their new store, haha!  Anyway, they have this necklace in a few other colors (my sister got the black stone), and they're all so beautiful.  I recently wore an outfit with this necklace, so I'll be posting that either here or on my Instagram.  This necklace was $9.

So this was all I got (Secret Santa and from myself)

I hope you got a few ideas and inspirations :)

Make sure you check out my YouTube Channel, I'll be posting a new video really soon!

Love you all

<3

Face Make-Up Reviews

Hey everyone!  So I've been using 2 different products for my face, sometimes by themselves, sometimes together, but they're both really light.  Anyway, I decided I would give my feedback on these two products so I could let all of you know what really goes down behind-the-scenes (like, not in the commercials haha).  So keep reading if you want to know my opinion!

 Alright, so the first of the face products I've been using is the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream.  I have it in the shade "medium," since I'm no longer tan from swim season but I'm not completely white (halfies!!! yay).  The shade has a bit of a pink undertone, which has been a bit of a pain since I have a yellow-gold undertone to my skin because of my Asian half.  It's nothing that's COMPLETELY intolerable, though, because I also use a light bronzer/face powder (maybe I'll do a review on that later).  Anyway, this product is supposed to be the 8-in-1 Skin Perfector: blur imperfections, brighten, even skin tone, smooth, hydrate, enhance, protect with SPF, and do all of this with 0% oils and heavy ingredients.  These are the things this product is SUPPOSED to accomplish.  I want to give you guys a thorough review, so I'll start with the positive and move on to the negative later.  Firstly, the "evening skin tone" element, I believe, is something Maybelline is definitely not lying about - I have a bit of discoloration on the sides of my cheekbones and near my right eyebrow, and I think that the difference in skin tone was completely blurred away.  My skin looks a lot more even when I use this.  Secondly, I really like that it has SPF 30, because it's important to protect the skin on your face due to how delicate and sensitive it is, especially to UV-rays.  Thirdly, as I think I mentioned earlier, this product is very light, and it feels like you're not wearing any face makeup, which is definitely a plus, especially for me - an athlete.  I don't ever want to look or feel like a "cake-face," if you know what I mean, so the consistency of this product works really well for me.  Now I'll move on to the negative.  Firstly, I want to start off my saying I am a teenager, so I probably have a little bit more acne than the normal woman that might be using this, even though my skin is not at all "bad."  However, the "blurring imperfections" promise hasn't exactly worked out when it comes to acne.  Redness and shininess of zits come through when you apply this product (even if you apply it a bit heavier).  I always wear concealer (a green concealer to cancel redness as well as a concealer that is a shade lighter than my skintone for generic reasons) but I feel like if you're wearing a product like BB Cream, you shouldn't have to use as much.  I still use the same amount, though, because my acne is not covered up well AT ALL by this product.  Secondly, the "brightening" factor is not really that noticeable, except in the soft light of my bathroom.  Thirdly, I don't really notice if this product is actually "hydrating" my face.  It doesn't feel any different from before - it isn't softer or smoother to the touch - so I wouldn't really put much stock in this claim.  Fourthly, I don't know what "enhance" is supposed to mean in this context, so I don't really have much of a comment on that.  I mean, is my skintone supposed to be "enhanced"?  I don't know.  Overall, I do like this product, despite the slight bashing and negative comments, I like the feel of it and the evening-qualities that it has.  I think it's perfect for school,  because it's quick to apply and you won't look too high-maintenance (which is a big no-no in highschool, as I'm sure most of you already know), as you would with a full foundation.  

The second product I've been using on my face is the E.L.F. Tinted Moisturizer, and I believe I have this is the shade "beige."  The first thing I would like to say about this product is that it's very specific and that's GREAT - this tinted moisturizer is sold with a description of the undertone it will serve printed on the front of the box.  When I was browsing through Target, I saw this and realized that it was best for a yellow undertone, which is me.  Using this product and Maybelline BB Cream together would even out the pink undertone from the BB Cream and give me a better, more natural tone.  Since I'm on a roll now, I'll start with the positive and move on to the negative.  Firstly, like I mentioned already, the fact that this product was made to serve a specific undertone is great.  Secondly, the price of this, as well as ALL e.l.f. products, is a major plus - this was $3 at Target, while the BB Cream was almost $10.  Thirdly, the consistency is very light, much like a lotion, and I really like how it feels on my face, like there's nothing there.  Thirdly, like the BB Cream, this moisturizer has SPF, though not as high as the BB Cream, it's better than nothing.  I did hear somewhere, though, that nothing over SPF 30 exists, and that sunscreen companies just put high numbers to get sales, haha (it's totally been working on me, that's for sure).  So SPF 20 is like getting 2/3 (which is actually a D, if we're talking about grades, but you don't have to think about that if you don't want to).  Fourthly, this product actually evens my skin tone just as well as the BB Cream, if not a little better, just because of the undertone-thing.  It has ingredients like Aloe, so it's good for sensitive skin, too.  ALRIGHT so on to the negative.  Firstly, just like the BB Cream, acne is not covered up well by this.  A film of color is put over blemishes, and it just sits there.  The shininess is reduced by maybe 1% but the redness is not really reduced at all.  Basically, the coverage is adequate for all parts of the face EXCEPT for the acne-related imperfections.  Secondly, similar to the BB Cream, I don't really see my skintone being "brightened" in any way, except in the presence of my soft yellow light in my bathroom.  That's pretty much all I don't really like about this product, though, since e.l.f. doesn't make too many claims that are disputable on their products.  Overall, I like this product, especially when I use it together with the Maybelline BB Cream, it gives a really nice tone to my face and evens everything out.

So that was my extensive review, I hope it was detailed enough for you and that it will answer any questions you have if you were debating buying either of these.  

Thanks for checking out this post!

Make sure you get on over to my YouTube Channel next ;)

Love you all

<3