Pocketful of sunshine

Top, Maxi skirt, & Shades: F21

Even with the stress of finals, pledging, work, etc. hitting me right in the face, I honestly could not have asked for a better 19th birthday. Here's a quick shoutout to those who made it extra special:

• My boyfriend for the F21 spree and Fujifilm Instax 210 polaroid (I LUUUV IT)
• Floormates for my North Face Jester backpack
• Pledge brothers for the wonderful surprise cheesecake and taking time out of your day to plan it
• My best friends who called me at midnight 

and to anyone and everyone who wished me a "Happy Birthday." It really means a lot to me knowing that I am surrounded by so much lovin'. Y'alls are the bestest!

Anyway, on to my outfit for today, the weather decided to warm up a bit, and I took the opportunity to dress lightly. I paired my favorite daisy print maxi skirt with this very cute yet simple white halter. The only problem I have with this chiffon (hence, see-through) skirt is that the small bit of fabric underneath always tends to ride up. To not have to worry about flashing people, I tossed on a separate pencil skirt. Problem solved. In addition, I have been having an obsession with black and white as of recently. THEY JUST MATCH WITH EVERYTHING. But to avoid another day of just those two colors, I pulled on this bat-winged, crochet burgundy cardi. 

Do you want to know a secret? Sometimes I just put on a pair of sunglasses on my head for the look, but I don't actually use them to protect my eyes from the sun. Suffering for fashion is not something new or unusual in my book.

NOW... onward to studying. I have found enough excuses to not touch my books, but it is time that I start focusing. Can't wait until this next week is over. I hope y'all aren't as stressed out as we are!! Until next time,

xx Tina

Because I'm Happy

Top & Maxi skirt: F21 | Necklace: Kohl's | Pleather backpack: Aeropostale

I just can't have a photoshoot without at least one derpy photo huhuhu. It was such a beautiful and relaxing day today. I spent my morning/afternoon in Sawtelle with my wifey, Kim, and you can read about our adventures here. Afterward, I attended UCLA's annual Dinner with 12 Strangers and had a lovely time at an alumni's home in Beverly Hills. It was very inspiring to hear so many stories from people of various backgrounds, and I would love to attend this event again next year! Our hosts were amazing and told us about their travels all over the world as well as their beautiful love story as high school sweethearts. A great ending to a great day.

This post title was inspired by the song "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. It's so catchy and gets me singing along to it every single time that it's on. Definitely my "go-to" happy song ^___^

For today's outfit to Sawtelle, I stuck with solid, neutral colors with a pop of teal from my feathered necklace. About time I start wearing my necklaces again. For the last few months, it has just been used as decor for my dorm and now that it's warm enough, I shall put them into use.

I am absolutely in love with maxi skirts, which probably explains why I have about six in my closet now. It has such a graceful and feminine look that would "dress up" any blouse and makes me feel... "pretty" for a lack of a better word LOL. Anyway, I had a pretty great day today, and I hope y'all did too. So until next time,

xx Tina

Saturdays at Sawtelle

ALL THAT SMOG THOUGH.

Ahh, thank goodness for the existence of Saturdays. This week has been pretty hectic for us two especially since we both had our math midterms on Friday. With everyone gone and off doing their own things, we decided to go on an adventure in Sawtelle! 

We took the UCLA bus/trolley from our hall into Westwood then walked to the bus stop. They really should have the trolley working on the weekdays because Supermarket Saturdays is just not enough. Anyway, we got on the bus and reached Sawtelle in about thirty minutes. Our first stop was at the UCLA Thrift Store. Honestly, it's not that big and the items are slightly overpriced for what recycled bags and shoes should be worth, but the clothing items aren't too bad. We would definitely prefer a Goodwill or Salvation Army though.

After browsing through the store, we proceeded to our next stop: Daiso. If you don't know what it is, it's a really cute and affordable Japanese store. They have pretty much everything in there from home decorations to face makeup for only $1.50 each (or $3.00 for certain items). It's just an amazing place, especially for two broke college girls. Afterwards, we spent a good hour in Marshalls and Michael's so that Tina could pick up some stuff for the dorm room and her scrapbooking needs.

Now if you know Westwood well enough, you would also know that there is absolutely no good boba within walking distance--with the exception of Hedrick Late Night now, but there's not much of a variety. So when we got to Sawtelle, we seized the opportunity to satisfy our cravings at Coco's. The line there is always so long! We waited about ten minutes until it was our turn to order. Oh wells.

Our very last stop before we headed back to school was at a nursery so that we could take pictures. All the flowers are just so beautiful there! We're definitely coming back one day for more pictures with the other girls huhuhu. 

You can read about Kim's outfit here and Tina's here.

Hope y'all also had a wonderful Saturday!

xx Kim & Tina

Rest in peace, midterms

Hat, Dress, Flats, & Jewelry: F21

I am finally done with midterms! Probably didn't do so hot, but I can't do much about it now... Regardless, it's about time that I start posting more OOTDs and hauls.

Lately, the weather has been on this peculiar roller coaster. Just a few days ago I layered up for the cold with my thick jacket and scarf, but for today, the temperature reached about 80! This weather definitely calls for a dress. Thus, I opted for this ivory and black striped dress along with my new pair of strappy d'orsay flats. To pull together this outfit, I threw on a very "hipster" black wool pork pie hat. I'm absolutely in love with each item! I must say, F21 is really stepping up their game this season. Despite the fact that they have been desperately trying to imitate Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters, I am digging the prices! Why pay $30+ for a dress when I got this for only $13?! Good job Forever 21. I am now living from paycheck to days before paycheck because of you.

Until next time, everyone

xx Tina

Into the Wilderness

Jacket: Thrifted | Dress: F21 | Boots: Aldo | Tights: Chinatown | Jewelry: F21/Vietnam

These past two weeks have been really good to me. I aced my Chem midterm, started to do cardio again, launched this blog, and to top it all off, Tết (Lunar New Year) is this weekend! That means red envelopes and money huhuhu.

For my OOTD, I decided to go with a simple black F21 dress that is actually a dupe of the Brandy Melville Bethan dress. I stacked on silver necklaces and a few rings to add that extra "unf" to my outfit, a balance between girly and edgy. Because the weather has also been getting a bit more chilly, I threw on a pair of sheer tights and an olive green jacket that I thrifted a while back. For shoes, I went with my (current) favorite pair of Aldo boots that my boyfriend got for me as a Christmas present last year.

You see, I have a little theory about life that I like to tell myself: If you put in the effort to dress nicely, the rest of your day will be so much better than if you had bummed it out. So even with midterms rolling around, I still like to look put-together because it's always a confidence-booster for me. For all you high school kids and college peeps who are currently stressing over tests and midterms, put aside ten minutes in the morning to put on a nice outfit because I guarantee you that it'll give you the extra confidence to help you ace your test. Until next time,

xx Tina

Meet Tina

Nickname: Fat Lard (You will understand the reference if you have watched Napoleon Dynamite)

Hometown: Orange County, CA

Style: Personally, I like to try a little bit of everything, but to narrow it down, I would have to say it ranges from boho-chic to edgy.

Favorite clothing/accessory item(s): I absolutely adore crochet details and striped tops. But generally, my "go-to" clothing items will be basic black/white/denim tops. They go with pretty much anything and everything! As for accessories, I would have to say earrings, hands down. Can't get enough of them.

Interests: I enjoy reading good books and watching FRIENDS. I also love to go thrifting and bake, but ever since I moved into the dorms, I haven't been able to as much. Much sadness.

Fun fact: If you give me a list of the titles for each episode of FRIENDS, I can probably tell you a short summary of what the episode is about. Yup, I've probably watched each episode a thousand times each at the very least.