HELLO 2015

Hi Everyone!! I've seriously missed the blogging world.  Honestly life has just been a whirlwind...this past year has been full of traveling, which I will definitely share all my favorites of each place that I've been and now I have a huge life altering, but amazing announcement to make.....  I'M EXPECTING!!!

It's crazy! I'm honestly really scared of what is to come, but super excited at the same time.  I'm worried about how life will change after this.  I think some of the traveling I love to do will come to a slowdown, but hopefully the baby is good and loves to travel like his parents :)

I wanted to share my experience in trimesters.  I'm actually on my last trimester right now... I'm expecting in only about 5 weeks, which is so crazy to me.  This past year has flown by so quickly.  I can't believe how it seemed so far away previously and now it seems that the day will come at any minute now!

My weekly progression photos

I actually didn't find out that I was pregnant until around 6 weeks in.  Technically, pregnancy is 40 weeks (equates to 10 months), which is counted back from your last period... but people sometimes don't count the first month so that's why pregnancy is referred to as 9 months.  However, at every doctor's visit, we speak in terms of weeks so I don't even think of pregnancy in months.

I had just celebrated my 30th birthday and although I wasn't in a total rush to get pregnant, being married for about a year and half... but we did start talking about it a little bit.  I honestly didn't think it would happen so quickly.  I heard from friends and others that it could take 6 months or more.. but for us, it happened a lot faster than expected!  I was hoping to get pregnant maybe next year, but I really can't complain that this miraculous thing did happen to us.  I honestly kept worrying that, was this too early? Didn't we still have a bucket list of things to do? Don't we want to travel some more? Are we up for this responsibility?  All these thoughts passed through my head.  I honestly got a little scared.  As these weeks and trimesters have gone by, I know - very cliche, but things do happen for the reason and I am honestly getting more and more excited each day to meet my baby.

The first trimester was very odd.. a mix of nausea, enhanced taste buds, just feeling like I didn't understand my body anymore.  I didn't have any really bad morning sickness, luckily!  Actually, eating food made me my stomach feel better!  Although my taste buds were so enhanced, things that normally weren't spicy for me, were extra spicy for me!  I threw up spicy food in the first trimester. It definitely did not sit well and I LOVE spicy food! Even my healthy oatmeal with quinoa tasted extra sugary.. oh pregnancy!

I craved french fries one week, which I don't typically eat that often and felt just nauseous, which caused me to take a pregnancy test and surprise! A good tip a friend gave me was to take your prenatal pills in the evening so if you throw up in the morning, the baby is still getting the nutrition from the pills.

Thanks for letting me share this news with you guys!  I can't wait to tell you more about all the things I've learned throughout this experience!

Please share your experiences with me about your own pregnancy or even if you have just nieces and nephews or I would love to hear if you had a new year's resolution for this year!

XOXO,

J

Digital Perm

I've always wanted to try a digital perm.  I was growing my hair out for my wedding so right after, it was the perfect time to try it. I figured since my hair was long and if I didn't like it, I could always pony tail it up or cut it.

The difference between a digital perm and a normal perm is that heat is added to the rods by a machine, while a normal perm only uses chemicals only.  A digital perm is suppose to be a more looser perm, more wave-like, which is definitely what I wanted.  My inspiration:

I went to a small Korean salon in Fairfax, VA. It only had one good yelp review so I was a little nervous, but it was within the price range I wanted to spend and they had an appointment spot the day I wanted, so might as well!

I've never gotten a digital perm before so I didn't know what to expect and have no other experience to compare it to, but this is what happened at mine:

The lady placed my hair in mid-sized rollers and then attached them to this machine (which gives the temp digitally, hence the name digital perm).  She added these chemicals to my hair similar to a regular perm, but I guess because the chemicals are suppose to work more precisely with the heat, it is suppose to be "better" for your hair, but don't quote me on that one.  The heat was added for up to an hour, I lost track of time, but the whole process took about 1.5 hours. Once we finished, she rinsed my hair off and blow dried it with a diffuser on cool air and added an anti frize creme to my hair, Biosilk, to mold my hair a bit.  My hair was still half wet when I left and honestly it looked terrible.  Permed wet hair = UGLY.  After an hour of air-drying however, it looked SO much better!  The waves were very tousled, nothing too curly!  It was just what I was looking for.

You are not suppose to wash your hair for the next 24-48 hours.  I even waited an extra day to in order to ensure my curls stayed intact.  The next day, it looked even better.  I didn't even have to do anything with my hair.  I got loads of compliments & my co-workers thought I spent the time every morning to curl my hair (score!)

I was a little suspect on whether or not the digital perm process was enough time, since I read at some places it takes pretty long 3+ hours, while mine only only about 1.5 hours.  However, I was pretty satisfied with the results. My hair was still very soft, which totally is a bonus.

Since the perm was more of a looser tousled wave, I was a bit worried about if it would last long. The first month was great.  I could go every other day without washing my hair and get the perfect waved look.  The second day actually always looked better.  Two months later, I can definitely tell the difference - the curl is much looser now.  My hair is of course growing out, but in order to get a more curly look, I need to wash my hair everyday to reactivate the curls.  It still looks a bit wavy, but more flattened out from sleeping on it if I give it a 2nd day.

Maintenance is very easy:
1. Add some anti-friz serum to define the curl or scrunch it up after I take a shower and that's about it!

• I use either the BioSilk or Aveda be curly curl enhancer right after the shower; I also liked light elements smoothing fluid for styling
• My friends who had digi perms in the past recommended BB Curl Conscious

2. Hand-style it with your fingers.  DON'T COMB/BRUSH your hair (which is also a negative for me)
3. If blow drying hair - use a diffuser with limited heat as so not to damage your hair more
4. In terms of shampoos & conditioners - I'm really loving the brand Clear, which is very affordable and you can get it at your local Target!

PROS:

• Perfect tousled wave look without the work!  I wake up every morning already styled pretty much!  I'm honestly super lazy so being able to get nicely curled hair without spending 45 min+ to curl my hair is awesome!  
• Luckily for me my hair was still soft, but not sure if that will be the case for everyone

CONS:

• As I said you should NOT comb/brush your hair, but I tend to get a lot of knots in my hair!  I usually try to condition a lot and finger comb my hair in the shower, but I would still say that its not a perfect solution.  Sometimes I wish I could just brush it out like normal
• Looser curl after a month, but what can you expect after all your hair is growing out and each wash is deactivating the chemicals of the curl more and more

Hope all this digital hair perm information is helpful for anyone who is interested in getting one!

  Feel free to ask me any other questions that you have! Please share on your tips and experience with a digital perm as well, I would love to hear them!

digi perm inspiration pics google search via

Wanted Beauty Products

I'm so sorry that I've been SO MIA lately, been crazy wedding planning and just so busy with work, it unfortunately leaves less time for blogging and reading all my favorite blogs :(  Today is a catch up day, which is nice so I'll get to catch up on all those things I love!

Last night, I was watching youtube videos on hair and makeup, those videos are SO addictive!  It got me to thinking what makeup products are on my current WANT list.  I'm definitely a very natural makeup type person and I really only spend 5-10 minutes putting on makeup in the morning because I can't get up earlier to spend more time and because I need youtube to guide me.. haha.  Here are my current wants!

1.  Naked 1 Palette - I know this is older and everyone probably has Naked 2 palette already.. I haven't totally decided if I wanted the Naked 1 or Naked 2, but I think Naked 1 has more neutrals/browns that I typically wear.

2.  Dior 5 Shadow Eye Shadow Palette in Earth Reflection - LOVE LOVE this palette, definitely my favorite one that I've tried at Sephora, but why does it have to be so expensive?  Naked 1 comes with so many more colors for less the money.  But I will say this one does beat the Naked palettes, super pigmented, gorgeous colors!

3.  Nars Velvet Matte Lip Color in Cruella - I think I read some article about a stylist who loved this color so now its on my radar, gorgeous standout red.  I love lip pencils as well so you can define your lips better, for some reason I prefer them over lipsticks and then add a touch of gloss on top!  Perfecto!

What makeup products are on your radar this month or should be on mine :)?

Dressing Room Shopping

Haven't been to Forever 21 in a while, and I forgot how much stuff you can find here.  Yes it doesn't necessarily last very long, but its relatively cheap and they've got some cute options to mix up your closet.  Since majority of time I'm wearing mostly business casual type wear at the office, I try to find some pieces I can wear at the office, but you've got to have your play clothes for the weekend.  Don't mind the iphone pictures, but wanted to post some of my finds and I don't obviously know how to take a picture and look at the camera at the same time.

Sheer Sleeveless Shirt $13.50 - Able to wear it to the office with some slacks on a warm day or with a cardigan over, but I could see it being re-purposed for my weekend wear as well

Essential Striped Tank Dress $7.80 - I love stripes and the nautical look in general.  I have a short-sleeved blue/white combination, but figured this one was a little different so I could add it to my collection and its super easy to wear for those warm summer days

I really liked this sleeveless shirt with the ruffles... simple enough to pair with jeans, leggings, skirt.

Color Block Tank Top $9.50 - I love sheer, easy to wear materials.  Didn't see this one in the store, but if I did, I would likely pick it up!

Just wanted to share the few items I've picked up recently.  Until the next dressing room shopping!

Have you guys found any good shopping deals lately?  

ASOS & BOA don't mix!

I love browsing stuff online, however I've never been a fan of online shopping UNLESS free shipping & returns or at least free returns to the store.  I really dislike paying for shipping.  I feel it is such a waste if you end up not liking something and then you end up with nothing!

I was super busy before a long weekend trip to L.A., so no time for the mall, decided to head to my trusty macbook and do some shopping online. While doing a ShopStyle search for some cute white lace dresses, I came across one on ASOS.  I've heard of ASOS due to street style of bloggers and celebrities, but I've never actually purchased anything or even really browsed their site.  I actually confused them with Top Shop thinking they had a store in New York.

According to Wikipedia, ASOS is U.K's largest online only fashion and beauty retailer.  They have their own label and also a wide variety of other labels including Aqua, French Connection.  The site has lots of great fashion and best of all amazing sales.  Love the fact they show you a runway video of the outfits as well. It definitely gives you a better idea of how a dress moves in a video versus a photo and can definitely tip my decision on whether to buy an item or not.

While checking out, for some reason my credit card got rejected possibly due to a typing error?  Anyhow, it wouldn't allow me to use an online code I found again!  I was pretty bummed about that, but by then I really wanted to make the purchase and didn't feel like calling their customer service (bad bargain shopper).  I ended up not really liking anything from my purchase except the jewelry. Although extremely cute, the fit wasn't there, slightly too large or boxy, or just didn't work out for me unfortunately.






red, white, floral, black

I ended up using my Bank of America credit card to make the purchase.  Everything went through just fine, although my CC company did kindly check to make sure it was not a fraudulent charge the next day.  Now the problem lies in the fact that I had NO idea whatsoever I would be charged a FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE!  This is my first time buying something from ASOS - all prices are in American dollars, the website does not end in .UK so I didn't even think twice about a foreign transaction.  Granted, I am sitting in my home in the U.S.A. making this purchase online.  No where when making the purchase did it say, your CC may charge you an additional foreign transaction fee.

Anyway, I ended up making a good sized purchase from ASOS and I got a $10 foreign transaction fee added onto my bill.  I tried calling BOA to let them know of the situation and why I was obviously unhappy about the situation.  You know trying to give them the I am a valued customer for years, always pay my bill on time, and so forth.... but no avail, no one would budge about the foreign transaction fee.  I told that I made the purchase in the U.S., the website showed all products in American dollars, so why would I even think I would be additionally charged for this purchase?  It was more about the principle of the mater.  Obviously the charge wasn't anything totally ridiculous that I could not pay, but I would have used my CAPITAL ONE credit card if I had known (no foreign fees, thank you very much!)

Anyway, was super unhappy about the customer service and this is lesson to me and to anyone else thinking about purchasing from ASOS or any other foreign retailer and using their Bank of America card.  I advise against it!  Definitely use a credit card that doesn't have any of these hidden fees.  I understand that maybe ASOS should have given a disclaimer that possibly you would have been charged a foreign transaction fee, but the un-helpfulness of Bank of America to the situation really did not make me happy with their service.

Have you ever an encountered a problem shopping online with an overseas retailer? Please share if so!

Golden Globe Statement Dresses

I love watching the red carpet! So many lovely stars strutting their stuff in gorgeous to die for gowns, sooo envious! Sharing with you guys my favorite 2012 Golden Globe gowns:

Let's start with some Hollywood power couples. The lovely Nicole Kidman and her hubby, country star, Keith Urban. Nicole looks gorgeous and ever so ageless as usual. I'm kind of inbetween about her dress. She definitely looks good in it, but do I love it? Not really. I just feel she could do better..

Of course, you can't talk about a Hollywood couple without a nod to Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt. Angelina looks amazing. Probably because she typically likes to keep it basic to black. I love this fitted cream gown with red accents. Her infamous pucker complemented with a rich red as well. Her hair pulled back was perfect to showcase the dress.

I'm going to add in Stacy Kiebler with her best accessory yet, her arm candy, George Clooney.  Ever since Stacy and George got together, I've been seeing a lot of photos of them together at events.  I've never really noticed her before, but I guess being with an A-lister, your style must be top notch.  She's doing a good job, she looks great, love the hair and makeup and the gown is simple but still stunning on her.





Next contenders, Glee Sweethearts, Dianna Argon vs. Lea Michele:
I actually like Dianna Argon's gown, its definitely very different, could be construed to be a lace table cloth, although all might not agree, there is something I like about it! Lea Michele always knows how to work it on the red carpet with her smoldering look and a gorgeous long sleeved gown. Although, I feel this look has been done 1 too many times already. Edit - I just got a look at the front of the dress and its def a more risque look. I think I would have preferred a more understated elegance.

Sofia Vergara looks gorgeous in a midnight blue gown.  For some reason when I saw this dress, I wondered if she gets a lot of comparisons to Eva Longoria.  Paula Patton from MI3 (had to look up where she was from since I haven't seen it) looked AMAZING in a canary yellow gown.  She definitely brightened up the red carpet in this number and made a statement that she is here to stay.

Emma Stone's burgundy gown wasn't my favorite of her looks, but I appreciated the fact she is trying new styles and how confident she looks on the red carpet. Rachel Evan Wood's green dress reminds me of a mermaid, but if anyone can rock this look, its her!

Jessica Alba looks gorgeous and well put together in her pink embroidered gown. I'm on the fence about Charlize Theron's look. She being so ridiculously gorgeous can pull off just about anything. Initially I was a little confused about the dress, but after looking at a few more pictures - I see it is a long dress with a large slit. I think I would have liked the look as a whole if she left home the headband. But its Dior chiffon, so hard not to love it!? What do you think?

I love nude and lace dresses, but I'm undecided about the fit of the top of Jessica Biel's gown. It seems she could have a more flattering cut although I do like the dreamy Victorian style of the dress. LOVE Kate Beckinsale's smile! She is working the dress and having fun all jeweled out. The only thing I dislike are her shoes... she should have wore something daintier to go with her gown!

There's many more I missed, but those are few that stood out!  Anyone I missed that you especially liked? Or who was your absolute favorite of the night?

pics via omg.yahoo.com

Silver Perfection

I LOVE Rachel McAdams.  She was the Queen Bee in Mean Girls and of course who could hate her in the lovable romance with Ryan Gosling in the Notebook.  Now as devious theif and former flame, Irene Adler to Sherlock Holmes, she has completely wow-ed me at the premiere in her silver longsleeved Marchesa Resort 2012 gown.

The low back to the dress was the perfect amount of peek-a-boo we needed for a long sleeved gown.  Her shoes and hair were a perfect match! She looks stunning!

What's your take of Rachel McAdam's Premiere look?


pics via mirror.co.uk, contactmusic.com