DAISY FLORAL WRAP DRESS :: GETTING TO KNOW ME

Posted on April 10, 2018 by streetmadonna

Hello! So I was selected by the two fun and adventurous gals, Amanda and Courtney, over at Suitcases & Champagne blog to share some personal facts about myself (as a nominee of the Mystery Blogger Award). I’ve been following the two girls on their travel adventures so it was great to learn more about them, and also to read about other nominees and discover new blogs. Seems like a great way to support each other and see what other bloggers have been up to outside the blogosphere! Thanks, Amanda and Courtney!

See outfit details for this daisy floral wrap dress at the bottom of the post.

So here’s how it works:

Thank whoever nominated you and link their blog

Tell readers 3 things about yourself

Answer the questions the blogger gave to you

Nominate 10-20 people

Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog

Ask nominees 5 questions of your choice

Share links to your best post(s)

Three facts about me:

1) I know kung fu. I practiced Wing Chun kung fu for over 10 years. I never go to class or training anymore, but I still get the urge to punch a throat.

2) I met my fiancé Eddie online on okcupid.com. We connected on Three’s Company trivia and skateboarding and have already been through so much together.

Forever partner.

3) As you can tell from the first two facts about me, I was and still kind of am a tomboy. I pretty much live in jeans and sneakers, but I do love fancy heels and cute dresses. Especially when there’s an opportunity to IG it.

Questions asked of me:

What is your favorite city or country that you’ve traveled to and why?

New Orleans, Louisiana! That city is so lively and fun with the live jazz and festive party people. I went for a work conference, and I was afraid I’d experience some racism (being in the South and all), but nope. I experienced nothing but kindness and the best of southern hospitality. Can’t wait to go back. Also: great beer and oysters.

Do you have any career goals? What’s next for you?

I want to write a screenplay. It’s an aspiration that’s been percolating for years now. I should make it happen.

What’s the best life advice you’ve ever received?

I have never received good life advice. But I guess whoever said “follow your gut” was the best I’ve heard.

What’s the one thing you let yourself splurge on?

I would have to say handbags. Although I’ve gotten better about it and I try to purchase only preowned or sale items now.

I stopped buying the same bag in different colors.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

True crime and investigative murder TV shows. Some girls get caught up on “terrible” reality TV shows like the Bachelor and Real Housewives, but I’ll take Forensic Files, House of Horrors, and Stalked any day. I can binge for hours. Eddie does not approve.

My best posts:

DIY (Part 1): How to Dye Leather Boots

Navy Floral Romper and Army Vest c/o Modcloth

Magnetic Eyelashes: Review, Tips, and Tricks

Bloggers I nominate:

Tania :: Inspire My Fancy

Ula :: Simple Ula

Emily :: Vino in the Village

Anna :: Anna-Xiu

Marieta :: Outfit of the Day In Style

Nina :: ninalnguyen.com

Kat and Tee :: Fashion Without the Fortune

Pentené :: Style Me Fancy

Joti :: Style by Memory

Questions for my nominees:

1 :: Are you a full-time blogger living the dream, or do you have another day job?

2 :: Who has been the most influential or inspirational person in your life?

3 :: If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?

4 :: What is your favorite way to spend Saturday night?

5 :: If you could have any famous person or celebrity follow you on IG, who would it be and why?

Don’t forget to provide 3 other facts about yourself!

Thank you all for reading!

Dress :: Fashion Union at ASOS (on sale!)
Belt :: ASOS
Boots :: Tibi
Hoop earrings :: Carbon and Hyde (I received these from Eddie for Valentine’s Day and wear them almost everyday!)

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Category: FASHION, SPRING OUTFITS

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WHITE RUFFLE TOP AND FLORAL SHORTS

Posted on April 1, 2018 by streetmadonna

Happy April! I can’t believe another month has zipped right by me. Kinda scary how fast time is flying. Eddie and I recently rewrote our goals for the year and now I just need to make myself stay on a daily schedule to make everything happen. We’ll see how that goes. Do you make a daily to-do list?

I hope you like today’s outfit post…I’m collaborating with New York City brand, Less than none Greater than. They’ve created a stellar collection of 14 minimalistic all-white blouses, inspired by various neighborhoods in NYC. And they release four new styles every month. I think you’ll like the designs, they are so clean and classy.

I’m wearing the Elizabeth Soft Blouse, which has beautiful tiered ruffles and longer sleeves. The polyester is super soft and I’m loving the quality and sophisticated detail of the top.

I tucked the top into my shorts, but the blouse has a very feminine flowy silhouette that could be worn untucked with trousers at work or with leggings for comfy date night.

I love the long cuff. Looks so cool and modern.

less than none greater than elizabeth blouse

The neckline on this blouse plunges a bit. Perfect chance to wear a cute lacy bra for a sexy peek-a-boo effect.

Stay tuned…I’ll be posting a look wearing the Less than none Greater than Lexington Button Down — a tailored, super crisp white button down with adorable tie-up detail on the back.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers to a terrific April, and huge thanks to the team at Less than none Greater than for the beautiful tops!

Top :: Elizabeth Soft Blouse c/o Less than none Greater than
Shorts :: Forever 21 (similar)
Boots :: Tibi
Bag :: Chloe
Earrings :: c/o Sugarfix

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Category: FASHION, SPRING OUTFITS

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SPRING FLORALS: EMBROIDERED MESH TOP AND OTK BOOTS

Posted on March 21, 2018 by streetmadonna

Happy Spring! Just a quick post to say hello and to remind us all about how fast the year is zipping by. First quarter down…I’ll need to be reevaluating my 2018 goals. Have you been sticking to your New Year’s resolutions?

Bringing you an embroidered mesh top floral look today. Paired it with my trusty over-the-knee boots that always pull an outfit together for me in a pinch.

I layered the mesh tee over a black tunic tank top to add length and a little bit of body. Threw on some tights and shorts and rounded off the look with my favorite boots.

These tights by Hue are thick and opaque like leggings, but nope, I couldn’t go pantless. I threw on some cute scalloped burgundy shorts.

I love these beaded tassel earrings by Sugarfix. I’ve been working as a brand ambassador for them over the past year, and they make it so easy to embellish an outfit with their trendy (and super affordable!) pieces. I love that they have both edgy and more feminine styles of earrings and necklaces. And I love these hoops! Especially love that you can pick them up on your next Target run.

And these Kaitlyn Pan OTK boots…yes, these are my absolute fave in terms of comfort, style, and quality. They are a fabulous dupe for Stuart Weitzman Highland boots and come in lots of colors. These are the ones I ordered last year in black, but I received burgundy by mistake, and just had to keep them. Also picked up the black in both high and low heel.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope your Spring season is off to a great start. We’re having much needed rain here in LA.

Embroidered Mesh Top :: New Look ASOS
Black Tunic Tank :: Abound
Shorts :: Papaya (similar here)
Tights :: Hue
Over-the-Knee Boots :: Kaitlyn Pan
Bag :: Chloe
Earrings :: c/o Sugarfix by Baublebar

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Category: FASHION

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PRETTY MOTO: EMBROIDERED BLANK NYC JACKET

Posted on March 6, 2018 by streetmadonna

I love black leather jackets (faux or not), and if I could have my way I’d probably fill the entire coat section of my closet with edgy, rock and roll, ready-to-party leather jackets. I’d probably also fill my pants drawer with ripped black denim (oh wait, I did!).

Since both my closet space and budget is limited, I tend to be pretty choosy about what I shop for. Leather jackets must be well-fitting, good quality, budget-friendly, and make a statement. Yep, this beautiful embroidered Blank NYC jacket fits the bill.

I had my eye on this jacket for a while. You’ve seen it all over IG and blogs, but I recently snagged it on sale and have been basking in millions of compliments ever since.

This is a heavy-duty jacket with high-quality embroidery.

And yes, I’m wearing magnetic eyelashes! See my post about them if you missed it here.

I have several other Blank NYC faux leather jackets, and they all have a flattering fit. I’m wearing size XS.

And I wasn’t kidding about all my ripped black denim. I bought these jeans on The Real Real, one of my favorite shopping sites for preowned luxury items. I pretty much buy all my Frame jeans there because the price is right ($45-$75). These were already professionally altered to the perfect length too. Double win.

And I love how the jacket works with sneakers too. I’ve been living in shelltoes and Nikes lately, so it’s great to throw this jacket on over a casual outfit and look pretty put together!

Hope you’re all doing well! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Moto :: Embroidered Blank NYC Jacket
Top :: Forever 21
Jeans :: Frame
Shoes :: Adidas
Bag :: Givenchy

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Category: FASHION, WINTER OUTFITS

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ESSIE GEL COUTURE REVIEW: ENCHANTED COLLECTION

Posted on March 1, 2018 by streetmadonna

Uh, can’t believe it’s already March. LA is finally having winter, which gets my seasons all turned around in my head…because body says winter, but my mind is on spring (and summer)! Today I’m bringing you an Essie Gel Couture review of longwearing, spring-ready, and transitional nail polish shades.

Nail polish collabs are my favorite because I’ve been doing my own nails every week ever since my mom allowed me to wear nail polish (age 6). I prefer painting my own nails because it’s fun, creative, and cathartic, so it’s always interesting when I get to try new products in the process. The new Essie Gel Couture Enchanted Collection, a line of sweet and charming shades, promises longwear with an easy two-step process.

I first tried the Essie Gel Couture for our pre-Valentine’s date night (February 13) and the polish lasted for 15 days (until February 28). Not bad, right? See pics below!

ESSIE GEL COUTURE ENCHANTED COLLECTION

Enchanted Collection shades: Good Knight, Princess Charming, Once Upon A Time, Spellbound, Daring Damsel, Matter of Fiction, Top Coat

Most of the colors of the Enchanted Collection are light and airy matches for most spring wardrobes. I immediately gravitated toward Spellbound, which is gray with a tint of shimmery green, and the pretty pink shade, Princess Charming.

I also loved the gold shade, Daring Damsel. It’s an incredibly bright and smooth metallic gold. Good Knight is a luscious, vampy shade of dark burgundy and a great complement to the rest of the breezy colors in the collection. I still have to try the rest!

Essie Daring Damsel. Love this gold shade and the fan-shaped brush.

STEP 1: TWO COATS OF ESSIE GEL COUTURE

I have had trouble with some Essie formulas in the past. They seemed to run a little thin in pigmentation, and no matter how many coats I slathered on, the color still appeared a bit sheer. Not so with the shades I have tried so far from the Enchanted Collection. The color goes on thick and smooth, and the fan-shaped brush makes it so easy to apply the polish in 2 to 3 strokes per nail.

The color is super rich and easy to apply. Two coats is all you need.

STEP 2: ESSIE GEL COUTURE TOP COAT

Even though I love doing my own nails at home, I still love how a professional gel manicure looks. It’s always so perfect and soooo shiny! I even bought a UV lamp to do gel manicures at home, but when I discovered how hard it was to remove gel polish (you have to soak in acetone for minutes…and scrape…), I decided to stick with the regular stuff.

You don’t need a UV lamp with the Essie Gel Couture polish, just gotta make sure you put on the top coat.

Don’t forget Step 2: The amazing top coat!

The Essie Gel Couture Top Coat is “platinum-grade,” which I’m assuming it means it’s tough stuff. It glides on super shiny, and one can’t help but hope that the shine will remain once it dries.

It pretty much does.

I’ll clean up the edges later. ?

LASTING POWER

Gel manicures can last two weeks, compared to the usual one week that my “regular” polish lasts. The Essie Gel Couture resisted a lot of chipping and peeling, and I didn’t have to repaint until after 15 days.

essie gel couture spellbound princess charming

Day 1. Spellbound x Princess Charming.

Day 15. Light chipping, peeling, and mostly grow-out with dry cuticles.

Also, the Essie Gel Couture was super easy to remove with normal acetone-based nail polish remover. Didn’t have to soak or scrub.

I’m pretty happy with this nail polish and I’m glad there are over 100 Essie Gel Couture shades to shop! Major thanks to Essie for sponsoring this post!

Do you do your own nails or get them done in the salon?

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Category: BEAUTY

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