My Everyday Jewlery

I get a lot of questions about my every day jewelry, so here's a post explaining it all!

First: my watch.

It's a Nixon 48-20 Chrono in All Gold.  It's probably one of the heaviest watches I've ever felt, but it's so substantial and so amazing.  [It's solid stainless steel!]

It has all these features that I know I'm probably never going to use -- like really, do I really need the second hand stop watch function? -- but it's still cool to have nonetheless.  It's also waterproof up to 200 meters, so in case I get it wet it's still in perfect shape.

You can find it on Amazon or Overstock for SO MUCH cheaper than the retail value.  I doubt I would have bought it if I had to pay the full $500!  Look for deals -- they're everywhere.

Second: my rings.

All of my rings are from Etsy and no where else.  I'm not big on costume jewelry or any jewelry that tarnishes or turns green.  So I rarely if ever wear any gold plated accessories.  All of my rings are either gold-filled or 14k gold.  Yes, this ends up being quite a bit pricier, but it's worth it.  I never take my jewelry off (besides my watch).  They go through the shower, the pool, to the gym, wherever.  I like to make sure they won't tarnish!

My midi/knuckle rings are usually a size 4, but I have gigantic hands.  [For reference, my cigar ring that I wear on my right ring finger is a size 9].  If I want any that sit well above my second knuckle, I'll buy a 3.5.  A midi ring is basically your regular ring size divided in half.  They're also about 1mm in thickness -- I like this (as opposed to the 1.5mm or 2mm) because they're super delicate looking and easy to shape to the exact dimensions of your finger.

Third: my bracelets.

My bracelets are all a mish-mosh amalgamation of different things.  I guess, referencing the above photo, I can start from the top and work my way down the line.

First is from the Vatican City in Rome, Italy.  It's actually a string necklace that I wound around my wrist three times.  The "charm" on it is a wooden dove.

Second is just a hair tie. HAHA.

Third is a hemp bracelet from a little street vendor on La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain.  

Fourth is a gold charm bracelet from my great aunt.  It has a heart charm with my name on it.

Fifth is another hemp bracelet with little clear crystals woven into it from Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Fourth is one big chunky bracelet with a few glass charms (a bunch of other metal ones fell off into the abyss somewhere) from a street vendor in Krakow, Poland.  [Yey for my homeland!]

And finally, fifth is a leather bracelet I made with one of my best friends from college while I was in undergrad.  She taught me how to make them out of strips of leather, and every time I see it, it reminds me of her!

Fourth: my necklace.

This is the newest piece of jewelry to my everyday collection.  I actually just bought this at American Apparel!  It's part of their Enamel Collection, and I love how small and dainty it is.  It's on a 20" chain, but I might switch it out for a longer one soon.  I think it's small enough that it's not overbearing, but large enough to actually notice.

I'm always looking to add more jewelry to my collection -- in fact, I just recently purchased a new gold ring to add to my left hand.  I'll post photos when it arrives!

Well.. this blog was too long.  So I'll end here. K bai.

xojaybee

Anastasia Brow Wiz

Alright.  It was Sephora VIB Rouge Day and I just HAD to go.  I needed a new Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz anyway, so I went in and picked up two different shades.  I already have an almost full "Soft Brown," so I purchased a replacement "Caramel" and also decided to get the shade "Ash Blonde."  I figured with my hair being so light around my face now, I could play around with some lighter shades to fill in the inner corners of my brows.

I still have yet to find a better brow pencil than this. I swear by it.

I probably go through a pencil or so every month, give or take how dramatic some of my looks are within a given period of time.  Like I've said before, at $21 a pop, they can get a little pricey (that's about a whopping $300 a year on just eyebrow pencils, give or take.. and that's not including the around $200 I spend on my two shades of Stila liquid brow pens and $50 on Anastasia brow gel..).  But I think it's 100% worth it.  $550 per year on just eyebrow care? 100% worth it.

So I now currently own three different shades of the Brow Wiz.  And with my hair color in a constant sate of flux, this makes perfect sense -- I mean.. who wants to have brows that clash with the color of their hair? I shudder at the thought.

Left: Ash Blonde. Middle: Caramel. Right: Soft Brown.

To me, all three are very different shades.  Because I actually have all three of these colors in my hair at the moment, I can sort of get away with using them together to create unique brow shade.  But to be honest, using any of these colors solo would work fine for me.  I tend to gravitate towards using Caramel on a regular basis, as my hair has a sort of reddish tone to it even when it's bleached blonde.

I just thought I'd swatch these colors out in case anyone was wondering how different they were!  Regardless -- BUY THIS product.  You won't regret it!

xojaybee

UD's Cannonball Mascara (Oh My God)

I have been an extremely loyal Diorshow wearer for about 5 years now.  When you fall in love with a product so much, and even if you see/hear about other products you think you may also like, you never really have a desire to turn your back against your tried and true.  (I guess it's kind of like a healthy relationship.. hah.. hah?)  But after a lovely romp with Dior, I decided to branch out into the mascara world.

STOP right here if you think I didn't buy another replacement Diorshow as well.. because I did.

But I picked up Urban Decay's Cannonball Ultra Waterproof Mascara today.  And..

I. Am. In. Love.

Seriously guys.  It takes a LOT for me to like a new mascara.  I've sampled new ones here and there, but nothing has made me stray from Dior.  Until now.. maybe.  Like I said earlier, I still bought another Diorshow just in case.  But this UD may have done the trick.

I had no idea I would fall so hard.  First off, my passion for waterproof products was completely satisfied with this -- it had me at "ultra waterproof."

Second.  I've never been a big fan of the fiber mascaras because they tend to weigh my straight lashes down after a while.  But I am so pleasantly surprised by how much I like this fiber-filled gel-like mascara!

Third.  After wearing this all day (through semi-hard labor for about 7 hours) my lashes were still curled!  I have a problem with mascaras giving me body and volume because my lashes are SO long and relatively sparse, so there was no huge difference in that regard, but the fibers did a decent job at filling them in a tiny bit.

[Totally apologize for this horrible quality, grainy front-facing iPhone photo.  I took this at the end of the day and my lashes still looked great!] 

I can't believe that this mascara holds up so well throughout the day.  I'm going to use Cannonball for a while and see how I like it long-term. I have a feeling it's going to be a huge success.

But for now -- this junicorn is pretty excited about finding a new mascara!

xojaybee

Dat Birkenstock Trend

I GAVE IN EVERYONE.  I bought a pair of those hideously comfortable Birkenstocks.  I couldn't resist.  They're SO on trend this year (for some reason) and look -- it's hard to pass up a chance to be "fashionable" AND comfortable.  So I caved.

[As always, click the pics for a larger, more detailed view!]

It was such a good decision though.  I'm telling you.

I picked up the Arizona style in a taupe suede.  They're hard to get used to because of the crazy support they give your feet, but I've been breaking them in all day.  The sales girl told me that they might actually make my feet sore the first few times I wear them, but that they'll eventually start to form and mold to the shape of my individual feet.  Either way they're already pretty comfy, and the suede is such a great quality.

Plus, who can say "no" to a good no-skid sole?! 

[Please don't mind my absolutely horrible chipping nail polish.  I let myself go during spring break!] 

I'm sure these will get a ton of use this spring/summer for my lazy days!

xojaybee

Peach Spring Mani

If you know me, you know I'm thoroughly obsessed with my nails and all things nail polish/art.  I had my first full set of gel nails applied back in 2011 and I haven't looked back since.  I switched over to the talons/claws/lana-del-rays/whatever you want to call them in October 2012 -- it changed my life. Hah. Hah.

I always tend to keep my nails very neutral, but the spring/summer is a time to experiment a bit with color.  I have a HUGE aversion to color.  The only color in my wardrobe is a bit of mint for the summer, and of course my go-to red flannels.  But I can't help showing off a beautiful peach on my nails when the weather gets warmer.  [Or.. at least when it's supposed to get warmer.  Thanks, Chicago!]

This mani is gorgeous.  I picked up this new Butter London polish in shade "Keen" last week and have been dying to wear it.  The little floral nail art and pop of gold glitter really makes this mani scream, "I'm sick of this goddamn cold, give me something at least in the 60s for crying out loud!"

If you're looking for a beautiful opaque, peachy-pink creme shade, Butter London Keen is the way. to. go.

Because let's be honest.. you can't have too many nail polishes in the same color family, amirite?  The ones below are only 4 out of 7 of my peach/pinks.  Just go with it.

xojaybee

Everyday Eyebrow Tutorial

Not to brag or anything (I SWEAR!) but I will usually receive at least one compliment on my eyebrows/eyebrow shape per day.  It has taken me a long, long time to perfect this shape!  (You should really see my eyebrows circa 2004.. they were a real treat, lemme tell ya.)

Eyebrows really frame the face, and are particular and individual for every face shape.  Not everyone can wear the same type of brow, trust me.  I wish I could be an Asian Cara D., but it ain't gonna happen.  So this is just the way I do them every morning -- take it or leave it!  [I have a different dramatic eyebrow look for "going out" which I can make a tutorial for later if anyone wants it!]

Tutorial after the jump!

"Cut Crease" Matte Smokey Eye Tutorial

This morning I did my makeup and thought it was different enough to try and make a small tutorial out of it.  Because I have a monolid, I have no crease in my eyelid.  So wearing a "cut crease" makeup look on my eye shape is pretty difficult.  However challenging it is, it's totally doable!  Sometimes seeing so many makeup tutorials on blogs and YouTube channels meant for creased eyelids can get a little frustrating, but it just takes time for me to try to turn those looks into something wearable for monolids.

I wear this "cut crease" look quite often as an every day look.  I think it shows off a (faked) cut crease while still being subtle enough for daytime!

A small tutorial on this look is after the jump!

Stila v. Eyeko

Ahh, Stila versus Eyeko.  My top two favorite liquid pen eyeliners.

Because I use these two liquid eyeliners so often, and pretty interchangeably, I thought I'd do a quick comparison of the two.

They are both VERY waterproof, which is something I look for in an eyeliner.  I rarely use products that aren't waterproof -- because, 1) I have monolid eyes, which tends to cause a ton of creasing of makeup products that may not happen with all eye shapes, and 2) I sweat. A lot.  So I don't like walking around on a hot summer day having to worry about whether my face is, quite literally, melting off.  I know waterproof products can be a lot harsher on the skin (combined with the fact that more scrubbing is necessary to remove them at the end of the day), but it's just a feature that I can't give up.

Anyway. Moving on.  The only significant difference between the two is the "blackness," if you will.

Eyeko on the left, Stila on the right.  Do you see what I mean?  [You can click on the pics for a larger, more detailed look.]  The Eyeko just looks a tad bit darker and more opaque than the Stila.

They both have very little feathering on my skin, and draw both thin and thick lines virtually flawlessly.

I tend to grab my Eyeko when I'm going for a more dramatic look, and use my Stila when I don't want my makeup to look as harsh.  Even though the Stila liner is called "Jet Black," it can be used in a lot of brown/copper eye looks and give a little more depth to the liner.

Either way they're both my absolute favorites! I HIGHLY recommend them both!

xojaybee

[Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner in Carbon Black

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Jet Black]

3-25 Beauty Buys

I decided to pick up two beauty products today while I was out shopping, and had to share them because I love them so much.

I've been looking for a nice tinted moisturizer with SPF for a while, and I'm obsessed with this Bobbi Brown SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer.  I bought it in Medium to Dark because I'm pretty tan -- especially with the summer months approaching -- but it comes in 9 different shades!  That's an unusually wide variety for a tinted moisturizer (as opposed to light coverage foundations or CC/BB creams), so this moisturizer will work for a ton of different skin tones.

At $42 per bottle, it's a little pricey for only 1.7oz, but it's such lovely coverage I couldn't pass it up.  I hate using foundations on my face, and even am hesitant about a lot of non-tinted moisturizers in general, but I'll use this very sparingly on my face when I want a little boost.

It's a pretty thin consistency -- as to be expected from a tinted moisturizer (as opposed to that light coverage foundation or CC/BB cream, like I mentioned earlier).  

It's not so subtle that you can't tell anything is on the skin, but it's just subtle enough that it just looks like perfect skin.  [Note: don't mind the difference in shade colors between my hand and the moisturizer -- my face is actually tanner than the back of my hand right now for some reason.  Time to hit L.A. Tan!  ..or a self-tanner.  Skin cancer is bad.]

I love the fact that it has an SPF 15 built in, so I'm doing my skin a favor while making it look pretty!

I also decided to pick up this gooooorgeous MAC Divine Night Mineralize Eye Shadow in the shade "Until Dawn."  

The MAC website describes the color as a soft gold base with purple taupe inset shade, and I think it reads a bit more on the golden side than the purple side, to be honest.  Nonetheless I'm in love with this shadow.

It's a beautiful shimmer shadow with small gold flecks, but not too shimmery where it comes off like a MAC pigment or a straight-up glitter.

Like I said, I feel like it reads as a more golden bronze than anything purple, but maybe that's just the way it shows up on my olive skin tone.  Either way, it's gorgeous!  It'll act as a perfect transition/blending shade, or even as a base for my whole lid under more dramatic, smokey looks.

Nothing like a few good impulse beauty buys :]

xojaybee

Quick Cat Eye Eyeliner Tutorial

This is basically the most archaic form of a makeup tutorial I had time to photograph this morning, and I was in a bit of a rush, but I needed to get something on here!

I decided to do a quick how-to on my classic winged (or cat-eye) eyeliner in the morning.

The step by step + products used is after the jump! 

Michael Kors Jet Set

I had to.  I saw it and it called my name!  I picked up the Michael Kors Jet Set crossbody bag today while I was out and about, and I couldn't put it down.

So I didn't.

It spoke to me.  I couldn't resist.

It's the perfect little black bag.  You can dress it up with a suit, or dress it down with jeans for a night out.  When I invest in something pricier, I look for versatility.  If I can wear it for more than one season, with more than one type of outfit, I'm one step closer to purchasing.

This bag fits the bill!

xojaybee

Corn and Avocado Salsa

I just made this deliciously summery salsa for a family party on Sunday, so I dug up some of my pictures I had taken of this exact recipe a little bit ago and decided to share it! It couldn't be any simpler, and it's always a hit.

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen sweet corn kernels
2 avocados
1 tomato (or a package of cherry tomatoes)
1/2 red onion
1 jalepeno (seeded for a milder salsa)
Cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Tajin fruit seasoning (optional)

Directions:
Slightly thaw some frozen sweet corn kernels. Dice the 2 avocados (cut the avocados in half, and score the avocado meat while still in the skin. Then just scoop out the diced avo with a spoon!), tomato, jalepeno (dice this one super fine), and red onion. Toss the diced veggies all together in a big bowl.  Add cilantro, salt, pepper, and tajin to taste.

It's that easy.

xojaybee

Oil Pulling?

Yeah.. I started that oil-pulling trend yesterday.  Can you blame me?  It has been all over the beauty sphere lately and I just couldn't resist.

I know everyone is saying to use organic coconut oil, but hey -- this is what I picked up when I was shopping at the local Piggly Wiggly on spring break!  It seemed legit enough.

The benefits of oil-pulling seemed too good to be true, and too easy not to try.  So I sucked it up, took a spoonful of the solidified oil to the mouth, and began swishing.  20 minutes seems extremely daunting, but when I realized it takes me about 40 minutes in the morning to do my makeup routine, I figured I'd just multitask and swish for half that time.  After 20 minutes (that honestly weren't that bad), I spit it out, rinsed my mouth with warm water a few times, and continued to do my makeup.

And after only oil-pulling three times, my mouth already feels different!  Maybe it's a placebo effect, who knows, but my teeth already feel cleaner and look whiter.  I'm going to do this for the next few weeks and see what happens to my mouth and my overall health.  I've heard it also helps with clearing sinuses -- and I don't know many people with worse sinuses than myself -- so I'm hoping for some miracle in that department as well.

We'll see! Stay tuned.

xojaybee

Spring-y Copper Makeup

So I did this makeup today on a whim -- so please excuse my lack of step-by-step picture tutorial!  [From now on, when I do a fun makeup look, I'll make sure to take a photo of every step. Promise.]

List of products I used for this look:

Eyebrows:
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Color in Dark
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Caramel
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel in Clear

Eyes:
Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Sephora Color Anthology Eyeshadow Palette [the eyeshadow colors don't have names but I used four of the browns/coppers.. obviously]
Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner in Carbon Black
Dior Diorshow Waterproof Mascara in Black 09 Jet Black

I'll eventually get around to how-to's, but I just wanted to start posting as soon as I could!

xojaybee

Finally!

I think I'm finally going to start a blog.  It has been a long time coming.  Eventually I want to make my way into the YouTube community, but while I'm in law school I think authoring a blog will be much more manageable.  I'm excited to (hopefully) update this often!

xojaybee