November Favorites!

From what my little sister told me a while ago, I'll be getting a camera for Christmas, so hopefully I'll be able to start putting up outfit posts again. Once I do, I'll work on making them better quality and more professional. I'm still trying to get the hang of it, I'm neither photogenic nor a good photographer, so it's hard for me. I guess I could just use my little sister's camera (she has a really fancy one that takes very nice pictures), but I'm kind of busy right now anyways, and I don't usually get home until after dark. That doesn't lend itself to very pretty pictures.

Anywho, without any further ado, I give you my November favorites:

1. I'll start with cosmetics. My friend gave me her mini size of Benefit's Posietint, a light pink gel cheek and lip stain. This doesn't work so well on my lips, but it gives me a very natural flush and stays on all day long, which means a lot since my day usually lasts well over 12 hours.

2. That same friend also gave me this tinted moisturizer. It's not spectacular, but I did use it a lot this month and it gave my face a more polished appearance but was still natural. I'm almost out and I think I'll repurchase it. It worked well enough and it's only $3, so why not?

3. Picked this up to use as a brow gel on my unruly brows. Now I don't know how I ever lived without it.

4. Ran out of my old deodorant, and I was about to buy a new one when my little sister gave me an unopened one she had gotten in a combo pack. I must say, I much prefer this one. It smells nicer, goes on clear and cools my underarms, which is nice because they get really itchy and irritated from shaving. Sorry if that was too much information for you.

5. I don't wear eyeshadow a lot (in fact, I only own two), but I wore my NYX eyeshadow in Peach Bronze all over the lid for Thanksgiving and I loved the way it looked on my eyes, especially in pictures. Such a good quality, well pigmented eyeshadow. And such a gorgeous gold color too.

6. I picked up OPI nail polish in Ski Teal We Drop because I heard it was getting discontinued, and I'm quite glad I did. Though I had some trouble applying it (it was entirely my fault and had nothing to do with the formula) and it looked a little dark in under certain lights, it looked absolutely gorgeous on my fingers under the stage lights, which was nice because that's where I was during a lot of November.

7. I bought this Tarte Lash Hugger mascara back in August and have been using and loving it ever since, but didn't entirely appreciate it until recently when I used my waterproof mascara for a day. This mascara gives my lashes such clean definition (there's nothing I hate more than clumpy lashes), and it just makes my whole face look... nicer. It's entirely natural and the packaging is just so pretty. I might have to repurchase this once I run out, even though it's not cheap :(

8. I don't have a picture of either of these, but at some point I bought a black pair of combat boots and black jeans from H&M, and I wore both a ton this month. I'd wanted combat boots for some time, but had been unable to find a pair that I liked. I struck gold at H&M. The pair I found are sleek, comfortable, plain and black-- exactly what I was looking for. The jeans are nice and basic, make my legs and butt look really nice, and give my over-worn black jeggings and much-needed break.

9. I'm not much usually one for fads, but I immediately fell in love with the riding boots trend. I've always wished I rode horses, and something about a tall, sleek pair of boots just screams poise and style to me. The only trouble was that I wanted a pair that looked like legitimate riding boots, none of those cheap-looking pairs from Payless. Then I saw these boots by Ciao Bella and fell. Hard. I knew I had to have them, even though they were very pricey. I cracked and ordered them two weeks ago. I considered my splurge justified  because a) I got really good deal on them, b) a pair like these will be a staple in my wardrobe for years, and c) from what I could tell, they were really great quality. I must say, I do not regret a single penny I spent on these boots. They are everything I hoped they'd be and everything I wanted in a pair of boots: gorgeous, incredible quality and very equestrian-esque. This is the stuff of obsession, my friends.

10. Quite possibly more than anything else last month, I wore my navy blue polka dotted maxi skirt and a plain dark purple scarf. This is partially because they basically constituted my costume for the fall play, and I did a LOT of rehearsing wearing it during the month of November. But then, somehow, I also found myself wearing them a lot outside of rehearsal, especially the purple scarf. I'll include a picture of my onstage in my costume where you can see both the skirt and the scarf I'm talking about. I will forever associate these two clothing items, especially the scarf, with my favorite role in a play I've had so far, the Duenna. I love them so much and will always have fond memories attached to them.

There I am, second from the left, waiting to be lured away with pastries and sweets :)

13. One of my biggest favorites this month-- the fall play, Cyrano De Bergerac. This was my 7th play, and I have to say it's one of the most beautiful, funny and tragic plays I've ever seen, performed in, read or heard of. Our theater department did a wonderful job with our production, and the guy who played Cyrano was simply spectacular. This play was particularly special for me because it was the first time I'd had a major (if you can call it that) or named part. I really loved playing the Duenna and participating in more intimate rehearsals. I learned a ton, and am infinitely grateful of the experience. I'll definitely miss Cyrano, a lot.

14. Last, I'll leave you with a song. I've known and liked songs by Modest Mouse for a long time, but they weren't really my taste for a long time and I had trouble really getting into listening their music. I think now, I'm finally starting to. Here's a song that I particularly liked this month.

October Favorites!

Happy pre-Halloween! I really haven't been doing a very good job keeping up with this blog, but I honestly don't have anything very interesting to report. My life is incredibly uneventful, but I kind of like it that way. Just a cycle of procastination, surfing online, school, rehearsal, sleeping, eating and just a little bit of homework (when I can overcome the senioritis to actually do any). I have been wearing some nice things lately (in my opinion), but again, my camera has broken so no luck there. So here I am again with a favorites post after a month of complete nothing. Yay!


1. My first two are nail polishes of course. First is Rimmel London Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Bare Naked. I bought it back in August and didn't really like the color, but it really has grown on me now. I put it on at the beginning of the week when I had gotten tired of wearing color but still wanted something on my nails (I've started really disliking the way they look without polish). This polish has just the prettiest pinkish tinge to the nude, looking either salmon-y in artificial light or peachy in natural light. I absolutely adore both, and how natural it looks on my nails. It takes ages to dry, but it doesn't chip easily and I love the color too much to care anyway. The photo below is not of my hands, just one I found on the internet but I think it's a really accurate representation of the color.

2. Next is OPI's Brisbane Bronze. The formulation for this nail polish is a little thin and sheer, but it looks gorgeous after two or three layers. I had this on my nails during my family trip to the mountains two weeks ago, and I honestly couldn't stop staring at my nails in the autumn sunlight when we were hiking.

3. Next up is the Weleda Refining Toner. I really like natural skin and haircaire, so I've tried a few Weleda products but never actually owned one myself, mostly because of the high price tag. The other day though, I was at my Target actually looking for a toner and then I saw this in a clearance basket, marked down from $17 to $4.83. You can probably imagine my excitement. Of course I had to take it home with me, and I'm really really happy with it. It smells amazing and definitely does its part in my skincare routine. Speaking of which, I think this past month has been the first time in my life I've actually been really consistent in washing, moisturizing, etc my face. Is that sad? As a result though, my skin looks and feels really healthy, despite recent lack of sleep, balanced diet and abundance of stress. Anyways, LOVE this toner. The packaging is gorgeous too :)

4. My Goodwill/Man sweater. For a picture and a long rant about why I love it, you can check out my outfit  post featuring it here. To sum it up, it's beautiful, comfortable and is my favorite sweater ever.


5. The last one is an item that I unfortunately don't have a photo of for you guys, but it's a vintage, long dark blue silk skirt that I found lying around in my house sophomore year and actually used as part of a costume for the spring musical I was in that year, Les Miserables. It disappeared until I recently found it in a pile of clothing my little sister had sorted of out her closet. She was kind enough to give it to me, YAY! I am in LOVE with this thing. It feels so awesome to the touch and accentuates my waist really nicely even without a belt. It goes with pretty much everything in my wardrobe, and of course long skirts are perfect for fall. Once I have a functional camera again, I'll definitely do an outfit post using the skirt. Promise.


6. Last but not least, my two favorite albums of the month. First is the most recent Fleet Foxes album Helplessness Blues, which I came across thanks to theneedledrop on YouTube (see previous post). Something about Fleet Foxes's sound just makes their songs the epitome of Fall and Winter music to me, and this album is so sweetly gentle and beautiful that I'm sure I'm going to be listening to it well through the next few months.

5. Last but certainly not least, MGMT's by this point somewhat older album Oracular Spectacular. After being unable to stop listening to Electric Feel, I took the plunge and got the whole album. And I love it. I really like that it's kooky, upbeat and danceable without being overpowering. Thumbs up from Annika, without a doubt.

Turn Me on with Your Electric Feel

Can't. Stop. Listening.

Also this music video is fascinating.

September Favorites

So I'm not sure what exactly happened, but somehow between April and today, I completely lost all interest in blogging. Not that I didn't have anything interesting going on (although for long stretches of time I honestly didn't), but it just didn't occur to me to blog about it. That, and Tumblr more or less satisfied my online-sharing needs in a quick, more succinct fashion. Possibly another reason for lack of inspiration would be that I managed to break my camera and lose it as well as my camera charger so... no outfit posts or anything of the like, and not for awhile either.

That said, today was not the best of days, but rather than using this as an opportunity to rant about everything that upset me today in one way or another, I'm going to channel some positive energy to write an optimistic post about the things (be they music, makeup, clothes, books, whatever) that I really enjoyed during the month of September.

1. Starting with the trivial, I bought my first gray/taupe nail polish last Wednesday and have been wearing it ever since. It took me awhile to get used to the way it looked on my hands, but it's really grown on me and I honestly don't want to take it off anymore.

2. New favorite lip balm! I used to hate cherry flavored things, but recently that loathing has lessened, and this lip balm won me over. It smells and tastes amazing and leaves just the prettiest color on my lips. Not as dramatic as most of my lip stains, so it's really nice for school, especially because it's so long lasting.

3. I also bought my first concealer this month, after doing a lot of investigation and looking at a lot of reviews and recommendations. I picked this one up from Target and I'm really really pleased. I put it on my face and then rode my bike to school. I turn really red in the face when I exercise, so the downside of biking in the mornings is tomato face but hey, it's the price that must be paid for preserving the environment, right? Anyway, I checked my face in the mirror and noticed that the concealer had stayed on despite my sweating, so there were some odd places on my face that weren't red like the rest of it. Not particularly flattering, but it really showed me that it has good staying and coverage power. Yay!

4. Last week or so, I pulled my black American Rag jeggings out of my closet for the first time in months and months. After wearing them for a few hours, I realized why I practically lived in them last year. They are easily the most comfortable piece of clothing I own. I got them brand new with the tags still on at a thrift store for $10. I'm not sure if jeggings is the right word to describe them, because they're not really a jegging material, more like a really really thick legging. I wore them today and will very likely be wearing them again tomorrow or the day after. Here's an awful quality picture that I took of them ages ago. Feast your eyes.

5. Music time, music time! My oldest sister came over for dinner a few nights ago and at one point I walked into the kitchen and she was listening to this really cool song called Lose It by a Canadian band called Austra. I immediately downloaded their entire album Feel It Break and have pretty much been listening to nothing else, other than....

6. Ratatat! This is their first album that I've heard, but I'm nearly certain that I'll be making it my business to check out their other music soon too. Every song on this album has so much texture, and I love the little clips of speech (especially the German ones) that are inserted here and there. Some of the best music I've heard in a long time, and I just love this album as a whole.

7. I came across this really interesting YouTuber called Anthony Fantano, aka theneedledrop, who gives the most detailed, articulate, captivating music reviews. I've never heard of people reviewing music at all on YouTube, and I think it's just the coolest idea. I love the way he talks about music, how honest he his, his sense of humor and how he doesn't try and pretend that his opinion is the only one that matters. And how watching his videos always introduces me to new music. What more could a person want? Below is the first review of his I saw, on an album by the Fleet Foxes. If you have six and a half minutes to spare, definitely check it out.

I think that's all for now :) I hope everyone has a lovely night, and I wish you a fantastic October. Keep on shining! (Ha ha ha, cheese cheese)

Lots to Look Forward To

So I'm sitting here watching Rush Hour with my little sister on a cloudy Saturday afternoon, pleasantly aware of how much I have to look forward to.


Spring break starts next weekend and it cannot come soon enough. Quite literally. This year, it came about two weeks later than usual. And I'm especially excited because a) We're going to Jamaica!! and b) my two older sisters have managed to save up their absences so they can skip a week of classes and come along. This will be the first time the whole family has gone on spring break together in years and years. Hopefully we can manage to get along :)
But really, I've never needed spring break this badly. School has been unbelievably stressful this year, and as much as I love them, I need a break from my classmates. Since I'm in IB, I have all but one of my classes with the same group of 25 people. They're a really smart bunch and we get along just fine, but it gets a little tiresome 6 hours a day.


Then the weekend after I get back is prom! I'm so excited. I have been since the year started. My enthusiasm was waning some when I started having trouble getting a dress that problem was recently fixed :) My mom ordered my dress for me two nights ago, and it's on its way! Plus, we're having it at the newly remodeled Virginia Fine Arts Museum, possibly the classiest possible location we could have gotten. And I just adore that museum.


Speaking of which, I need to make sure I go by there sometime soon and check out the super-awesome Picasso exhibit. Another thing to add to my list :)


The weekend after prom, our spring musical is being performed. It's not so much the performance I'm excited about as the last few weeks of rehearsal. Things are really picking up speed at this point, and the last practices are always the most fun, memorable, and productive. In case you're interested, my school is going to be one of the first high schools in VA to perform the Phantom of Opera. Performances are May 5, 6, 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Midlothian High School in Midlothian, VA. We're doing some really cool stuff with it, and we sold out last year with Les Miserables, so I can't wait to see how we do this year.


Something else I'm looking forward to is getting my debit card. That may seem pretty trivial, but I have a long list of things I've been itching to buy, including these beautiful shoes and a bunch of lovely summer dresses, shorts, and tank tops. Summer, I'm coming!


Speaking of which, I'm also looking forward to summer. Not as much as I'm looking forward to spring break, though. Let me explain. I love not having to worry about school, but this summer, that's probably not going to be the case for the most part. Also, if I don't stay busy during the summer, I get bored. Very. Easily. And at the moment, my plans are not exactly solidified. There's an exchange trip to China that I'm not sure is even still happening and a Spanish immersion summer program to which I don't know whether I've been accepted or not. But at least I know I have a week of the beach to look forward to, and I'll have a car this summer so maybe I'll be able to take a mini road trip to see some friends in West Virginia or North Carolina.


Either way, I have lots to look forward to.

French Filled Day

Today, I went downtown to the French Film Festival to attend the 12:00 showing of a film called Pieds Nus Sur Les Limaces (the English title was Lily Sometimes) with my older sister Kirsten, who happens to be quite the french buff. She especially wanted to see this one with me because it's about two sisters. More specifically, two sisters after the death of their mother.

Lily is very unusual, unrestrained, childish and mentally challenged, while her sister Clara is married and works in a law office. Although the film was a lot more serious than I had expected, it was plenty funny, very very interesting and exquisitely acted.

Apart from getting to watch it in a gorgeous theater that was built in the 1920s, it was really cool to get to see and hear the director answer questions. Naturally, someone had to translate. Good thing too, otherwise I wouldn't have understood a word.

Afterwards, Kirsten and I walked to a french bakery and bought pastries and Orangina and pined for France and Europe in general. Lucky duck, she's going there this summer. I wish I could, but I'm probably not.

 And doo doo doo, this is what I wore. I broke out the scarf, sweater tights and my dinner dress because it's been awfully cold these past few days. It's especially cruel because it was so warm last week.

La la la, semi-newish oxfords. I like them a lot, especially the click-y noise they make when I walk.

And also French today was my scarf. A good friend of mine gave it to me several years ago after returning from a trip to France. I don't think there's anything particularly special about it. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful, colorful scarf that I love and wear all the time, but I'm not going to try and attribute any unusual worth to it because of where it's from.

Looking Ceremonial

So basically, Monday night was a night of ceremonies. I was technically supposed to go to my licensing ceremony, but I kind of didn't want to go. So I chose to go to the National Honors Society induction ceremony instead, which also was set to take place at 7 p.m. that evening.


Either way, it was a chance to dress up and show off an old dress I found in my house.

It's a hand-me-down from my oldest sister, but I'm also fairly sure it's vintage. I can't think of any other dress I've seen that's cut like it.

I don't think I've ever worn anything that had a print this large, bright, and busy. But somehow I like it.

Not to mention, the cut of the dress is to die for. I'm so obsessed with the off-shoulder, scalloped neckline.

Marvelous marvelous marvelous.

And then of course my tried and true $4 flats from Target. I'd lost them recently but found them again, so of course I couldn't resist breaking them out again as soon as possible. Maybe they weren't quite formal enough for the event, but I don't really care. The dress made up for it well enough.