March 30, 2012

Probably One Of The Most Shameless Posts I'll Do.. Ever

Wishlist:
 Some of the things I would love to be in possession of:

1. Angel Brown Geo Circle lens - Generously provided by Geocolouredlenses
*expired*

2. Green Apple Princess Mimi Circle Lens - Generously provided by Geocolouredlenses
*expired*

3. Venus Brown Circle Lens

4. Gossip Grey Dueba Circle lens

5. Natural brown Circle lens - Generously provided by Geocolouredlenses

6. Dolly Wink Eyeshadow No. 2 Gray Pink

7. Candy Doll Carrot Orange Blush - Purchased

8. Candy Doll Beige High Light

9. Fairy Drops BB Cream

10. Jill Stuart Eye Shadow Palette: Blossoming shine, Brocade Gold

11. Majolica Majorca Mascara

12.Natural/fun Wigs and Extensions

13. Love liner Black Eyeliner

14. Sigma Brushes

15. SK-II Collection

16. Sponsors!


What are some things you want? 

Love 
-Nikki

March 27, 2012

SELCA : The art of camwhoring

Do you know what SELCA is? You've actually probably have done it before just didn't know the name. It is litterally Self Cam, but it's taking cute/lovely photos of yourself but there are certain "rules". As a vain, and shameless person I take a lot of these in the name of my blog but actually I just take them and find away to incorporate them into a blog post.. kind of like right now.

example

These poses are quite common amongst korean ulzzang. Some kpop stars have taken SELCA pictures and been criticized because the pose wasn't right. So onto the rules.

1. Make sure you're presentable. Okay, that sounds kind of obvious right? But it's missed a lot. Check to make sure you don't have stray hairs in your face unless that's the look you're going for, or like food in your teeth. Lighting also is important in looking presentable. Take a few test shots and see how the light hits your face. More light? Defused light? Is the light is hitting your whole face?

2.  Dont do a straight on face. Your face isn't that pretty... No actually your camera will always do some sort of distortion because of the lens. It will create a bubble effect. So if you look straight on like you normally do with the camera, It will create a weird vacuum on your face. 

How Do I Avoid A Fat Face? This is what i do to avoid the fat face look:
  • Angle my camera. I make sure that my camera is from a higher angle. It slims down the face and opens my eyes. It's using the bubble to an advantage. Its a very "cute" look. Practice with this because too high is this weird gaunt ugly thing, and too low and back to bubble face.
  • Tilt my chin. Okay so sometimes my arm gets tired from all the high angle photos. So I hold the camera eye level and tilt my chin an inch down while pressing my shoulders down. It creates a more natural look than the angled camera but its more difficult, if the tilt isnt right its back to fat face or alien forehead.
  • not every shot has to have my face, facing the camera.  I  move eyes face and chin to find a flattering side .
  • If you INSIST on doing a picture thats not looking up at the camera. Do the pose and then make sure you tuck your chin in. So, stretch your neck and then angle your chin in a bit. its flattering when done right. MAKE SURE YOUR NOSE IS CLEAN!

3. Have fun. Show personality. Photos represent you, so have fun with it. Smile, dont smile, dont look at the camera, use a prop, play with your hair  accessorize, clothing. These photos reflect you so make sure your in control of what the photos say.
4. Practice. So practice. Practice the fuck out of this. Be shameless. If youre looking good take pictures. Don't care about where you are. Restaurant, Family time, car ride, going to the bathroom, eating, before bed, waking up. People will probably laugh, scoff, call you vain, or something else not nice. Who cares though? the people that like you like you and the people you dont know opinions of you shouldn't matter. Even if you dont look good, practice. You will learn what angels make you look the best!

5. INVEST!! I'm talking all forms of investment. Camera, photoshop, time it take to learn how to edit photos, and skin care/makeup. Selca is meant for flattering photos so make sure you have a good camera that is clear. Also, photoshop. So you take a pretty picture. but oh damn there is a zit. or a whole bunch of zits or scars on your face. or the lighting isnt quite right. you can fix it with PS. And skin care and makeup. photos dont pick up all your makeup but seem to pick up all your skin flaws. So take care of your skin and cover up the redness. As for camera a good compact is the canon powershot, and for a DSLR canon rebel.

 Good Luck, and be vain!
Love,
-Nikki

March 25, 2012

Tea For Twins

On Saturday (3/24) there was a surprise birthday party for my friends Sammy and Maddie. They are to very precious twins who were turning 16! One of their friends put it on and invited their friends and family! It was held at the Clocktower Inn, in Ventura. They both had no clue, which was part of the fun and Maddie took it quite well... Sammy kind of went into a confused shock... 

Dress: Nordstroms Shoes: Via Spiga
Admire my strong tennis tan lines 
 also my makeup for the day


On to the party...

 This was the Tea area


And outside there was this Alice in Wonderland Theme going on, SUPER cute


  And now obligatory food

 
Surprisingly extremely candid shot of my friend Wesley with tea

 Half way through Lizzie and Wesley decided to make a monument out of the snacks... Everyone appreciated them touching all of the bites.

And lastly, the cakes. They were pretty darn good! Extremely fluffy and both of them suited the two perfectly.

 Red Velvet Cake

Chocolate Cake

And so when it was time to eat the cake...
Sammy decided it would be a brilliant idea to put the fondant Hat on... 

Overall, the party was very cute and fun, I'll admit I wasnt being SUPER sociable, but.. I'm not used to being around people.. or parties.. or being outside... It was a perfect day though and everyone was so nice and it was just glorious. Abrupt Ending.


Love
-Nikki

March 24, 2012

Math Teacher VS Math Students


I, like many people deal with the evils of math on a regular basis. I used to HATE math with the burning passion of a thousand stars, but I actually discovered I don't hate math... I HATE MATH TEACHERS!!


I feel like there is a certain type of person who is attracted to teaching math, the i-know-what-im-doing-but-i-cant-teach-it kind of person. Granted there are a few exceptions, for example I had one math teacher who was RIDICULOUSLY amazing. He could make up equations on the spot, stayed completely on schedule, and made us have fun and engaged. Im pretty sure EVERYONE in his class passed with at LEAST a C.


This brings me to my current math teach her. I LOATHE HER! She has no interest in the class, it is a part time job for her, while she also teaches at a private Christian school - Oh yeah, during our test she decided the best choice of literature was the Bible. Unfortunately because of a bad High School experiences I'm quite adverse to religion, especially anything relating back to the Bible. 

This teacher, Mrs. B, is unable to properly teach us anything, only vomit back up what the book says. Whats the point of being in class!? its the EXACT same in the book, and even then she still is making mistakes. She also talks in a monotone the whole time, and she always says, "and what is the 11th commandment...? Thou shall not divide by zero" 





People might think I'm exaggerating or being extremely critical just because I don't appreciate her bringing religion in or what not, but no. I'm not. The first test we took there were 4 A's and 12 F's, just to give a spread. I actually got a 95% on that test and I was stoked! But, I couldn't help but think, "12 F's?.. That's quite a lot..."





So when we started on the next chapter, I'll admit I slacked off a bit, like leaving at the break. But because she ISN'T a good teacher i thought, well whatever right? One kid (technically adult.. but your at community college.. in my opinion anyone who's attends and doesn't have a degree is a kid) actually got up in the middle of class and left while muttering, "I could teach myself better than this" So on March 8th we took our second test. I spent the whole night before and day of CRAMMING. And so when I got the test and looked down i was like..


I KNEW NOTHING!! People were finishing so fast I thought, "I must really not be getting it or they didn't get it either" So I turned in as much as I could and left. I got back the test today (March 20th) and I bombed, but I knew I had bombed.. 57% F. So I asked, what was the spread of grades? One A. One. and that was through extra credit, otherwise it would have been a B. Between two classes there was ONE A. The rest were two B's 3 C's 5 D's and 15 F's. 


So now my question is, is this a reflection of the students or teacher? I know I did slack off but i also know the people who didn't and attended everyday who got a B on their first test and got an F on this test. Also, what about reading the Bible during a test? She didn't read it aloud but is it appropriate? I hate this teacher but at the same time i know i won't always have great teachers and that's something I've got to learn to work with, but COME ON LADY! TEACH ME ALREADY! I'M WAITING!

Love
-Nikki

March 19, 2012

Liz Lisa Alternatives

I absolutely ADORE Liz Lisa style! Its so cute and youthful, but it's not that easy to get a hold of. I personally don't really enjoy shopping online for Japanese fashion. As much as I love the clothes, I'm not sure if I'm using a credible site, or if the size is right, or if it actually fits me well..

So, I try and find alternatives! Granted a lot of the detail is very specific to Liz Lisa and its hard to find the same thing so here are some similar alternatives. They aren't a PERFECT match but I felt they were close!


1)Lace Cuff Shorts

2) Brown ruffle Eyelet Skirt

3. Crochet Vest

4. Knit Sweater- During the winter H&M also had one almost IDENTICAL to the Liz Lisa one, maybe find it in the sale area?
I love the bows down the front!
5. Mint Pleat Skirt
I actually own the Zara Skirt in Black and its super cute and flattering!

6. Box Pleat Skirt
 This does come in white the just didn't have a preview.
Also, I remember a couple season ago Liz Lisa was SUPER big on Denim-y/cotton Skirts and I found:

I know there is a Liz Lisa equivalent It's just not in the current selection.

I love the Liz Lisa style and I hope there will be more of a crossover. The details and options is just something the U.S, in my opinion, lacks. There are a lot of Gyaru styles at Forever21 Which is GREAT, but the quality of the clothes is pretty bad, extremely flimsy.. But its cheap and a good option if you want or need it!

I will continue searching for gyaru styles at different stores and hopefully be able to share!

Love
-Nikki

March 18, 2012

Summer Plans, School In Japan?

So, I applied for a Summer School in Japan. It's a 6 week intensive language class and I'm SUPER NERVOUS! I hear back from the program in April and till that point I will be on edge. 

Previously I've taken 2  years of Japanese, One high school, one college- which puts me at the equivalent of Japanese 4 High school roughly... but It's been about 3 years since my last class and I thought I remembered a lot of it but the last chapters of my book I'm like


BUT I'M SO ANXIOUS! I really really want to be a part of this program, but I'm sure many other people do too!.. probably more qualified people too.. So it makes me think, how will I stick out?... no point stressing about it now though I suppose, applications already in right?
 
Lol i totally didnt mean to but i ended up reading the page

Also the line up for the summer is stressful. RIGHT after school gets out I'm flying out to Colorado for my cousins wedding for a week, then I'm coming home for a few days then flying out to Europe where I will be driving around for a month with my family.. the longest driving time is 8 hours. 8 HOURS!! then come home for 5 days, then Japan. MY BODY IS GOING TO BE SO OFF! Colorado is +1, Europe is +9 then Japan is +15...

Well hopefully it will go well, and in but I don't want to get my hopes up, just in case...Happy studying guys, going back to school this week


Love
-Nikki

March 16, 2012

Review: Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder in Chocolate Brown

Credit: This is an ad by koji, I just translated the main parts




 


Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder in Chocolate Brown:

Product:Simple, but still cute. There isn't anything special but its not bad.Its nice having two options if you look closely the light brown has sparkles.. which I don't get at all... Also its a bit Ashy which is weird to my current hair colour.
3/5
Packaging: I love the actual container! its very small and compact! 6 CM
Sometimes it opens tight, and the brush is bad unfortunately. The bigger plastic it comes in I hate. I HATE THE NEW DESIGN.
3/5

Quality: Its nice! quite bendable, and soft. Its staying power is incredible. I used it everyday for a week, and just as a powder it stayed for 7+ hours, through heat, damp/cold, wind, sweat from exercise without retouch! which is VERY nice.
5/5
 Final Thoughts: I like it! Its pretty simple but good quality. If you aren't quite used to doing your eyebrows I'd suggest it. The powder is a good basic, Especially for the price. I bought mine for 17 USD I believe? My only real complaint about it is the colour. It's limited, best for ashy hair.
  
Final Score
4* /5
*average was 3.6 but I rounded up

Love
-Nikki