Sunday, February 7, 2016
New Year, Vlog Life
2015 is long gone. New year. Same me. Typical, right? Well I'm trying to do something about that this year. I decided to try to weekend vlog every weekend starting 2016. I must admit that a month in a half in, I've missed one weekend but that doesn't mean I've given up. I've also started a planner series on my youtube channel. I'll list a few of my videos bellow.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
From the Beach to the Desert 2015
Summer time is here and being the California girl that I am I can't wait to hit the beach. Aside from the beach Palm Springs is only an hour and a half from So. Cal. A couple of friends and I have rented a house in Palm Springs. We will be going for a weekend in August. We are all so excited and really can't wait. Whenever I go anywhere, LITERALLY anywhere, the first thing I think is, "What should I wear?" So, I thought I would share some of my summer essentials with you all. To make this as true to my style as possible I tried to mix some of the items that I currently own with some I have been lusting over.
I'm going to be vlogging my Palm Springs weekend so be on the lookout for that post in the next month. I'm also going to follow this post with a summer hair tutorial which I will link at a later date. For now I hope you enjoy my summer essentials and let me know what yours are, I'm always looking to try new things.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Rude Sales Associates And New Boots
One of my favorite things to do, as shallow as it may sound, is shop. I've been working two jobs for the last year and a half which has caused me to do a lot more online shopping, as I haven't had the energy to go to a physical store and try things on. I found myself receiving packages almost daily which was great, however, I was/ am working so much that I hardly found myself wearing the clothes I purchased and I just started accumulating a lot of clothes that I'd probably only wear once. While I don't mind the idea of only wearing something once, it is a total waste of money, especially when I'm busting my ass at two jobs. I decided that a good way to "save" money and be a little more social would be to bring myself to actually go out and shop like a normal person. I found myself shopping a lot less this way because I'm so tired from work that I just end up shopping once or twice a week, which, was usually because I have an event I have to attend and "need" something to wear.
*Disclaimer- To most people shopping once or twice a week seems like a lot and it is. I am lucky enough to have that luxury but it's also because I work for it.
Moving on. I used to love getting all dolled up to go shopping. It just made me feel confident to have makeup up on and a cute outfit while shopping. Like I've said a million times now, having two jobs takes a lot of time and energy from me so these days I just throw on a pair of jeans (Paige- Skyline are my favorite), a t-shirt or Wildfox jumper with my hair up in a messy ponytail and no makeup. While I don't look appealing to the eye, I'm still wearing "nice" clothes. I have found that I get a lot less if not NO attention from sales associates when they see me. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have been at Nordstrom, my favorite department store, and had sales associates ignore me when I came in to shop...Like, HELLO! I'M THE REASON YOU HAVE A JOB. Most of the time the younger sales associates just look at me like some teenager who can't afford anything there so they don't bother to acknowledge me. Which, BTW, I'm 26 but because of my height, 5 feet, I tend to look younger. Anyway, I have worked in retail in the past. I actually have a current part time job in retail so it baffles me that I get ignored. Even if you don't think I'm gonna buy anything, greet me, ask me if I need any help. It's just plain rude to ignore ANYONE. I especially get annoyed by the young associates who are totally snobby about the fact that they work at Nordstrom or wherever. Yet don't recognize that I'm wearing designer from head to toe. I know a lot of people who would just walk out of the store without purchasing anything but I came to shop so I'm gonna SHOP! I'll usually find a nice sales associate to ring me up for my purchase because I sure as hell am not gonna give rude people the commission they would make from my sale.
Now on to the reason for this post. I was feeling pretty down last Monday and Tuesday so I decided that a great way to cheer me up would be to go for a run at an outdoor location that's conveniently close to great shops. Don't judge me lol. So when Wednesday came around I did just that. I had a great run and was excited to get my shop on. I had been on the search for a great pair of Chelsea boots since winter time. I decided to pop in to Zara and take a look around. I found a few pairs of boots that I liked and happened to be on sale, however, my size was unavailable. I spent a good 20 minutes walking around trying shoes and jackets on and I was not greeted once. NOT ONCE. In fact one of the male sales associates there kind of kept following me around watching me as if I was going to shop lift. Mind you, I was wearing head to toe Nike workout gear and had a tiny Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac cross body purse. My belongings barely fit in my purse, how the f@c* was I going to shoplift??? I finally just left and went to Madewell. I love the basics from Madewell for obvious reasons. I did't really go in there searching for something specific but I figured I could pick up some of my favorte Slub V-Neck T's from there. I walked around the whole store which only had one other person shopping to the 3 sales associates I saw working there and surprise, surprise, NONE of them greeted me. At this point I was annoyed at the fact that this was the second store I was ignored at so I decided to leave. As I was walking out I decided that I wouldn't end my shopping trip there and let those rude people stop me from doing what I came to do. I walked over to Urban Outfitters which is almost at the end of the shopping strip. I was greeted the moment I walked in to the store. I casually looked around and noticed a huge sign that read "Additional 30% OFF Sale" They had me at "sale" lol. I looked through and couldn't really find anything I was interested in. Then I spotted a Joe's Jeans shoe box and I just knew I found something. I pulled the box out of the shelf as if someone was going to snatch it from me. Mind you, there was only one other girl looking through the sale section lol. Anyway, I took the shoe out of the box and was extremely surprised to see they were the Chelsea boots I'd had my eye on. I was really close the purchasing them online for a sale price of $150, Regularly $225. But for some reason I couldn't pull the trigger on them before. Maybe it was the fact that I'd never actually seen them in person and just online. I immediately looked at the size and saw they were a whole size bigger than I typically wear but tried them on anyway. They were a little loose but nothing some thick socks couldn't fix. Now for the highlight of the night, the price. Remember Reg. $225 and Sale $150 online at UO. I was SHOCKED when I saw that magical little orange sale tag that read $19.99. TWENTY freakind DOLLAS! OMG! I knew there had to be a mistake so I walked around for a little bit being the pessimist that I am and just kept thinking that it was a cruel joke from the world. I just knew the moment I went to pay for them I would be told someone put the wrong sale tag on them. I finally found some cute shorts and decided it was time for the moment of truth.
I walked up to the register with my two items and was next in line when another associate noticed me waiting and quickly came over to ring me up. I was literally the only person waiting while the person in front of me was being rung up. So that was really nice of the associate to help me check out faster when there was no need or rush. After my earlier experiences at Zara and Madewell, I was so happy to be treated with not good but GREAT customer service. Ok, so back to the shoes! I put my items down and ask for a price check on the boots that are too good to be true. I explained to the sales associate that these boots are priced a lot higher on their website. The associate tells me that the tag might actually be smudged and could be $49.99. Which would still be a steal in my eyes. He scans my Urban ID (found on their app) and looks at me and says, "The moment of truth.......They ARE $19.99 and you get another 30% off because they're in the sale" I almost jumped over the counter to hug him. Did I mention it was a him...and he was CUTE! lol So now these shoes went from $225- $150- $19.99- *$13.99. I seriously could not believe it. I couldn't hide my big fat grin. I must have looked like an idiot but I could care less.
Lesson to be learned here is not to let any dumb sales associate's bring you down. If I would have gone home like I wanted to I would have never found my new Chelsea boots and been the happiest girl ever. Always remember who you are. Don't let anyone make you feel like you're not good enough or like you don't belong because a person who makes you feel that way is not worth your time or energy. Now do you want to see the boots??? I hope so because I'm going to insert a picture anyway lol
Unfortunately I just checked Urbanoutfitters.com and these are now completely sold out at but you can find similar styles at ASOS or TOPSHOP. I think my next post will be on how I style them and I'll also try to find links for similar pairs.
I know I rambled on for a long time and I'm sorry if I bored anyone but it's been a while since I sat down and opened my computer. I genuinely felt like sharing my experiences with you and I knew the moment I walked out of the store with my new boots, that I'd share this story as my next entry. I hope it's the first of many more posts to come, as I've been feeling really inspired lately.
XO- Claudia
Hilary Duff Inspired Makeup Tutorial
Hey guys! I filmed this tutorial almost 6 months ago and for one reason or another I forgot to post it on my blog. Anyway! I drew inspiration for this look from Hilary's look at the IHeartRadio Festival last summer. It's a pretty simple look with an orange-red lip color. I hope you enjoy!
Products Used:
-NARS Sheer Glow Foundation (Mont Blanc)
-TARTE Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer (Fair) for correcting
-TARTE Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (Fair) for under eyes
-URBAN DECAY Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder (Naked Light)
-ANASTASIA Brow Powder Duo (Ash Blonde/ Taupe)
-LORAC Pro Palette e/s (Cream) (Champagne) (Mauve) (Slate) (Pewter)
-LANCOME Hypnose Star Mascara
-MAC Studio Sculpt Defining Powder (Medium Deep) contour/ bronzer
-BENEFIT Blush (Dandelion)
-LAURA MERCIER Loose Setting Powder (Star Dust)
-MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil (What A Blast!)
-MAC Amplified lipstick (Morange)
TWITTER - @Claudare
INSTAGRAM- Claudare
YOUTUBE - Claudare11
Thursday, October 30, 2014
GRWM...For Work (Video)
Hello! I haven't filmed in over a year and I've gotten a new
DSLR since then so I decided to film a little Get Ready With Me video. I have a part-time job in retail which allows me to wear my favorite color, black. Now as much as I love to wear black, things can get a little boring if you don't accessorize in some way. While I own tons of jewelry, I just always find myself walking out of the house with out any on. But that's ok because I'd much rather accessorize with makeup! On weekends I usually have more time to get ready so I thought I would show you a fun way to play up wearing all black. I hope you
enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed making this video.
Xo
Products Used:
-BOSCIA Self Defense Vital Antioxidant Moisture SPF 30
-KORRES Wild Rose Instant Brightening Eye Treatment
-CHANEL Vitalumiere Aqua Skin Perfecting Makeup SPF 15 (30
Beige)
-CHANEL Correcteur Perfection Concealer (10) for spots
-TARTE Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer (Fair) for
highlighting
-TARTE Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (Fair) for under eyes
-URBAN DECAY Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing
Powder (Naked Light)
-MAC Paint Pot (Morning Frost)
-MAC Patina e/s lid
-MAC Wedge e/s crease
-MAC Kid e/s crease
-NYX Birthday Suit 01 e/s brow bone
-CHANEL Le Volume De Chanel mascara (10)
-ANASTASIA Brow Powder Duos (Ash Blonde/ Taupe) (Brunette/
Dark Brown)
-BOBBI BROWN Bronzing Powder (Natural 1) contour
-MAC Studio Sculpt Defining Powder (Medium Deep) contour/
bronzer
-MAC Well Dressed blush
-NARS Albatross highlighter
-URBAN DECAY 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencil (Wicked)
-MAC Retro Matte lipstick (Riri Boy)
TWITTER - @Claudare
INSTAGRAM- Claudare
POSHMARK- Claudare
MUSIC- Beggin For Thread (Gryffin & Hotel Garuda Remix)
from Soundcloud
Camera used- Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Sunday, October 19, 2014
LUSH- COSMETIC WARRIOR
TGIF??? More like, TGFIO (Thank God
Friday is OVER) well for me anyway. I just had the worst day. Started off by
breaking my baby toe nail (ouch!) and ended with car trouble. I am so glad my
Friday is over! Instead of crying like I totally wanted to do, I sucked it up
and realize that even if I have car trouble, which now needs to be repaired
(insert flying money emoji here) I am still grateful to even have a car and
brothers who even states away can help me diagnose my car issues but, I
digress.
So much stress is really bad for
your skin/body and on days like these, my favorite thing to do is light a
candle, put on a face mask and watch some TV. My favorite face mask would have
to be LUSH Cosmetic Warrior. This is one of their potted face masks that need to
be refrigerated because they contain fresh natural ingredients which are
perishable. Cosmetic Warrior contains garlic, which I know sounds weird but
trust me, it’s not. It is also made to clear your skin and keep it looking
bright.
How to: Simply take potted mask
from the refrigerator, spread a generous amount on your face and wait for 10
minutes or until you feel the mask is dried. Once dry, splash water on your
face and message mask off. I usually follow that up with KORRES Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturizing &
Brightening Cream.
Hope the next time you’re stressed,
you give LUSH masks a try.
Besos!
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
With Love...
I. AM. BACK.
It blows my mind that I haven’t blogged in 14 months. I’ve
wanted to start a steady blog for the last 4 years now but for one reason or
another, it just doesn’t seem to work out. The last time I made an entry was
during a very fun time in my life. I had just gotten through depression, which
I endured alone, simply because that’s how I deal with issues. But I’ll get
more into that a little later. The last 10 months of my life I have been
working my regular full time job along with a part time job at Sunglass Hut.
With so much work, I haven’t had time to have as much of a social life as I would
have like, but that’s not to say I’ve had a bad time.
I have learned so much in the last two- three years that I would
like to share. As previously mentioned, I suffered from depression at the age
of 23. Things in life just weren’t going my way. I was starting to really
question my career choice. Things at work took a turn for the worst just as
they were starting to look promising. I literally couldn’t smile for months.
Then right as I started trying to smile, my one and half year old niece gets
diagnosed with leukemia. At this point I really started to question the
universe. I couldn’t understand why this was happening. I started distancing
myself from my friends only because I just couldn’t fake a smile. Then, the
icing on the cake, my dad has a heart attack while being prepped for a surgery
for a different medical condition. I just couldn’t deal anymore. In a matter of
4 months, my whole world had turned upside down. I was in a really dark place.
My own thoughts scared me.
As I was considering getting professional help, I decided to
go to church instead. I kneeled during Sunday morning mass and asked God to
help me, help myself, get out of the dark hole I was in. I walked out of church
that morning knowing everything would be fine. And it was. I put everything into perspective and felt
like a new person. In my path towards recovery, if you will, I lost someone who
I considered to be a best friend. This person decided to take my absence from
social activities as a slap in the face, which was not the case at all. I was
trashed all over social media by this person and instead of reacting; I decided
that I had to cut out all the negativity from my life. And I realized that there was no reason to be
sad anymore, because I still had the two most important things in life: FAMILY
and HEALTH.
It’s been almost 3 years since I decided to live a happy and
healthy life, inside and out. And I’m glad to report that my niece is now
cancer free and she’ll be going to Hawaii in a few days for her Make-A-Wish. My
dad is healthy, despite all of his medical conditions and we just celebrated his
70th birthday last month. I guess what I’m really trying to say is
that you should never give up on life and really learn to see everything as a
life lesson. I truly believe that you have to fall before you can rise and that
God will never give us more than we can handle.
In all of this, I have also found true self-confidence. I
can do anything I put my mind to. I don’t need anyone to hold my hand anymore.
I’m not scared to be alone. I’m not scared of what other people are going to
think. I’m not scared of failing. I’m not scared of life.
I will resume my blog on a regular basis because I owe it to
myself to go through with the things I want but maybe was too scared to do
before. My blog will obviously be a lot more personal now because even if only
one person reads my story, I hope that they can take something from it. But as
always, there will be a lot of makeup and fashion involved. Just with a lot
more wisdom and LOVE.
Besos!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)