Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Surfing the Web VII

My lovely friends and I on a night out

Kaixo ladies and gents,
I'm back with another series of Surfing the Web! Lately I've been on my computer a lot (homework, planning my future, etc.) and I've found some cool bits and pieces to share with you!

12 Struggles of Having an Outgoing Personality but an Anxious Mind: Story of my life. I have read multiple articles on anxiety but this was spot on. I tend to overthink everything, and it makes my life more difficult, but it's A OK.

Modcloth Retires the Plus Labeling: This is just fantastic guys. The average woman is far away from the "regular" sizes, why should she be shamed to being considered overweight? Props to Modcloth (plus they have adorable stuff!)

And the best lifestyle and fashion app this September is...: The Lilly Pulitzer app! I got it right when it was out, and so far I love it. I haven't done any purchases on my phone (I may be a tad scared of doing that), but the app is super lively and I love checking out the new arrivals there, plus the print section. How about some games though, Lilly? My inner 2048/Tetris/Mario player/nerd needs some sweet colorful games.

Badass Paramedic Assists the Injured like this: Um, Sarah, you homegurl are my hero. Plus you look flawless. 10/10. I hope you and Paul have a blessed, badass life like you are.

This Professor's Response to Cubs Fan: I really, really want to know who Dave is. This heaven on earth-like professor here at the University of Illinois postponed his student's final for A CUBS GAME. It was the wild card game, true. But holy crap I've never seen this happen. Now, as a TA here at U of I, if one of my kiddos asks me something like this, what should I do?

The Talking Phase is Ruining My Life: This happens way too many times and needs to stop. Fuckbois go away!

Great "Bad" Engagement Pictures: Relationship goals right there.

Should you treat yo self? Self explanatory.

Any cool internet articles/videos/cat pictures that I should check out?
Love,

- Ane

Monday, October 12, 2015

Recent Buys

Kaixo everyone,

For some odd reason, I've been buying a lot of stuff lately. I just can't stop, won't stop. It's not the best because I still haven't gotten paid, but at the same time I've become the mother of all bargain deals and scored awesome stuff at awesome prices. Let me share what's come (or is coming) my way so far:



Tory Burch Flip Flops:
So weather appropriate. Jk. But I got a 10% off for signing up to their e-mail list and I love wearing flip flops on lazy days, and these pretties will make them extra cute. While it's true they are still expensive for a pair of flip flops, everyone who owns them has told me about how great they are, and in my defense, I only own 1 pair of flip flops. ONE PAIR. Let that sink in.



Lululemon Fly-Away Tamer Headband:
Y'all, can Lululemon stop being torturous and bring the wide fly-away tamer back? It's my gym staple, and when I thought I had lost my grey one I almost had a melt-down and bought this one on eBay (FOUND IT YAY). I have the thickest hair ever and those skinny headbands don't do... However, Lululemon has a great feedback page where angry North Shore moms have raved about how much they miss them over a glass of pinot grigio. Meanwhile, have you guys found an adequate replacement for it?


Tory Burch Cosmetic Case:
This has probably been my favorite eBay purchase up to date. Pink, small, pretty, Tory and CHEAP. 25$, holleeeeeeerrr! I use it to keep my make-up basics in my backpack for when I need touch ups in school (when grad school makes you cry, you need make up to cover it up and THE SHOW MUST GO ONNNNN), and so far it's been great not losing my mascara in the depths of my gigantic North Face backpack. If you are wondering how you can get such awesome steals, eBay is a great source for preppy brands for less! While it's true that this case was slightly used, it was in a great condition and it reminds me that I don't need to (and I shouldn't) spend a fortune on stuff. But bargains are bae.




Lilly Pulitzer journalkey fob and koozie:
Brought to you by Basic®, Ane aims to over decorate her life with the Wild Confetti print by Lilly Pulitzer. After a painful internal struggle with which Lilly Pulitzer planner print to choose, Ane came back to her senses and chose her first pick, making her wonder why the female brain acts in such pathologically impractical ways. Ane now aims to show her unbreakable love for the print by implanting a piece of it in every aspect of her boring grad school life. Ane should stop checking the Lilly Pulitzer webpage and drinking beer while writing posts.




Shop Impressions Tunic:
I-L-L! I-N-I! Thanks to the lovely Morgan from Mostly Morgan, I saw this tunic and fell in love. While I haven't been able to go to a game yet (homecoming is coming up though... I should save up for that game against Wisco), I have been able to show my true colors and my support for the Fighting Illini! No matter how bad we are at football, I still bleed orange and blue! And even for those gloomy fall days, this tunic actually makes me feel like a princess. Plus I got it 50% off. Can't stop won't stop.


Urban Outfitters Necklace:
Funny story, I was in Urban Outfitters looking for a bra (that I never got, RIP my dreams), when I saw this beauty at the entrance of the shop. I looked at it and thought, aw so pretty! But I said hey you shouldn't spend on things you don't need. So I left the store and headed home. I was halfway on my way when my heart made me turn around and go back to the store, take the last necklace and leave. It was a total impulse buy, I will admit. But I have already worn it 3 times since I bought it last week, I feel like a total bad ass while wearing it, and I do not regret it for a second.

While I am aware that I should be saving up for food and all that stuff, I think that treating yourself once (or twice or three times) in a while is good for your happiness. Fashion brings me happiness, so yep I'm pretty happy at the moment.

What recent purchases have you done?
Love,

- Ane






Monday, October 5, 2015

Mascara Roundup

Kaixo!

OK people, real talk here. If you had to choose three make-up items to take to a desert island (being VERY generous), what would you choose? Not that many people would see your already beautiful face, but have you ever wondered? Maybe baboons are judgmental, you never know. Ok let's be more practical, you have the smallest clutch ever for going out, and your make up will (and you know it will) fade. What do you bring for touch ups? Remember when I talked about how I organize my backpack? That Chanel foundation and the Revlon lip stain are definitely top of the list. And the other item? MASCARA. Y'all, mascara is bae. I have teeny tiny eyelashes, and they need some love (aka they need to look long and luscious in order for me to channel my inner femme fatale, we all have one).

I have tried different mascaras over the years, some have been good, some have been bad, some have been amazing, and some should never hit Sephora's shelves ever again. In any case, I wanted to review the three (well 4) main mascaras of my life, and hopefully, I will hear about YOUR favorite ones. Seriously, while I know what kind of foundation, lipstick, eyeliner, etc. I like, I'm always asking about recommendations for mascaras. So here are my picks:


1) Benefit They're Real! Mascara:
I don't think I've met anyone who hasn't tried this mascara. I really love the result after applying it, lashes look fuller and longer, for sure. However, maybe this is only my case, but the mascara dries out in the bottle too fast. By the time 2 months have gone by, it's painful to apply it because the liquid is pretty solidified. And it's a pity, because I love how it looks when I put it on.

Do I recommend it? Yes, but maybe the travel size would be better for it not to dry out so quickly.



2) Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara:
This was my first "high-end" mascara buy. It was all the rage when I just started college, and since all Sephora stores had it highlighted everywhere, I decided to give it a try. At first I was smitten. My lashes looked so black, long and mature. But with time, I realized that what this mascara did to my eyelashes wasn't to elongate them, but rather to clump them all together and made me look like I was a groupie of a punk rock group. I mean, the name is BADgal. I personally didn't want to look like that, so I stopped buying it.

Do I recommend it? Not really, unless you're actually going for a bad girl look. If you are, go for it!



3) Diorshow Blackout Mascara:
A friend of mine recommended it to me, and I was definitely not disappointed. If you're looking for really black lashes, this one really works. Total "blackout", seriously. While it's true that it runs a little too easy, I like to add a coat of this to make my eyes look even more dramatic. Plus, it does not dry out!

Do I recommend it? YES!



4) Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant:
So, remember when I got the perfect ready to work lipstick with my Sephora's birthday pack? Well it also came with a travel size mascara from Make Up For Ever. I know you're supposed to use those when traveling, but truth to be honest, when looking for what mascara to wear, I always ended that reaching for this one. After my older mascaras were drying out, I took the plunge and I could not be happier. This is the perfect combination of long full mascaras with no clumping and no drying out. Seriously, I feel like a princess every time I wear it. I could write a haiku for it and everything, that's how passionate I am about it.

Do I recommend it? What are you doing that you're not going to Sephora to get it? YESSSSS

Even though I fell in love with this last one, I still haven't settled for good with mascara, and like I said before, I want recommendations. Seriously, anything you may want to recommend, please do it! Plus, who doesn't love trying make-up on in a drugstore? I know I do.

Love,

- Ane

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Packing light

Kaixo everyone!

Did you like my NYC adventures? I don't know if you found it odd, but after reading it, I did find odd that I didn't even speak about WHAT I WORE. IN NYC. Jesus Christ.

Now, it's true that I did look a little touristy when taking pics, shouting obnoxiously in the streets, and looking at the map. But I tried to be a) stylish, b) practical. I was flying for a weekend, I'd have to walk a lot, and I wanted to go shopping and I didn't wanna carry one of my huge suitcases, so I took my hiking backpack and filled it up with the basics:


Clockwise from top left: Yoga pants: Lululemon // Dress: Zara // Kimono: H&M (old, similar here) // Cardigan: Zara // T-shirt: Madewell // Scarf: Lilly Pulitzer (old, similar here) // Sneakers: Vans

While it's true I also brought pajamas, a tank top (that I ended up using outside) and accessories, my backpack was limited to this, and honestly, it was for the best, it was never heavy and I think I was quite stylish for a tourist wearing these. Seriously, it's super easy to combine when you have pieces like these, they are actually incredibly comfortable, and still, it looks very put together compared to those poor old folks wearing obnoxiously bright t-shirts bought somewhere in Florida! (I'll be one of those grandmas who wears them though, because hopefully, by the time I'm old, I'll have run out of f***s to give) Some day I'll write about tourists... My favorite topic to complain about when I travel, even though I'm another one... But there are different types, I swear. And I can always learn from criticizing others, right...?

What do you guys pack when traveling for a few days? Do you include going out clothes?
Love,

- Ane

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Current happenings

Kaixo!

Ok guys, I know I have not written much about my life lately (or the articles I lose time with), but I briefly wanted to tell you about two things that have happened to me last week:

1) I met Nev Schulman!
Guys, grad school is not eventful. Nothing out of the ordinary happens. EXCEPT IT HAPPENED. Last Thursday, Nev Schulman, the host of Catfish (you've all seen it, don't lie), came to U of I for a talk. At first I was not gonna go because I was nervous about thing 2 below, but Michaela from The Monogrammed Midwesterner convinced me to go. Also, we finally met in person, and I'm so glad! Shout out to you lady! :)

We need more pictures

When Nev came in the room, we all lost our shit minds. He started the talk by posing for us so that we could make our friends jealous, and then introducing us to Bonnie, the lady who was interpreting him in American Sign Language. So sweet. The way he talked was impressive, I wish I had that charisma and that savoir faire, seriously. His talk was not about the show, but about his road to starting it, his life path. It definitely clicked. I always struggled with the idea of getting attention from people, being the most likable person, and with being myself. I always thought that who I was inside was not enough. Through his story, he reminded me that being myself was the best choice, and if somebody doesn't like me... Well haters gonna hate. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

After the talk was over, Nev had a meet and greet with some people who were chosen at random (not us, ugh) in another hall, but Michaela and I, and 30 other crazy psycho fans, followed him. They would not let us in , but Nev came out and said he would meet us after. We waited, and waited and waited. I was losing faith, but eventually, HE DID MEET US AFTER! In fact, he took selfies with everyone there!


And also, this gem for my students (and for everyone in general, I'm cool you guys!):


He said my name, and he pronounced it right! My nerves for thing 2 below were gone, and I went to bed ecstatic. Although I didn't sleep much because...

2) I presented in a conference!
This summer, my MA thesis was accepted to a huge conference in my field, the Hispanic Linguistics Symposium, which turns out, was held at U of I! That meant not spending any money for traveling (seriously, I walked from my apartment to the venue) and having a lot of my friends show up! I woke up at 6am all nervous last Friday, and got there at around 8am for breakfast. Many of my friends were there, and many were presenting. But I was the first one to present at 10am. If I think about it, it's the best to be done with it soon, but at the same time it was terrifying. Luckily, many of my friends, my roommate, and many professors from my MA degree showed up. I felt so loved and supported, seriously. If these people take 30 minutes of their time to come see me present about a topic that's totally foreign to them but so dear to me, they are definitely keepers. Thank you guys, LOVE YOU!



#Profesh

I felt like a rockstar after it. I was wearing an outfit that I picked out right when I was accepted, I taught in it (the amount of confidence heels give you while teaching is astounding), went to other presentations and had Chipotle because I deserved it. After that, I basically died and went to sleep for the entire weekend (#worthit).

It was a great weekend and I hope it gets repeated soon. Now you tell me! Have you ever met anyone famous? Have you ever presented in a conference?
Love,

- Ane