The End of the Semester

Yesterday I finished the hardest class of all: design workshop. After putting so many hours of effort (and two sleepless days right before the hand-in) my final project was ready. I couldn't have been more excited for this one. I had to design a lighting fixture based on the designs of Zaha Hadid. I had been obsessing over her work lately and it was an absolute thrill to find out that she was my chosen inspiration. It was such a challenging project right from the start, from picking the materials to setting up the lighting system. I created a set of three lamps made from strips of white poster board and I'm so excited about the results that I just needed to share them with you guys.

 

After all of the hard work, I look back and I'm surprised. Never in my life I thought I could accomplish all of the things I've done during this semester. It was tough and there were a couple of meltdowns on the way but it was all worth it. I'm finally sure that this is the career path I want to follow.

Embrace the curls

This holiday season toss aside your blowdryer and flat iron because curls are the new spring trend. So if you have natural curly hair don't be afraid of letting your curls loose. Some of the looks included very defined curls and others had very soft barely there waves.

Shiny and sleek curls at Prada

Big barrel curls and lots of volume at Anna Sui 

Loose curls at Elie Saab

Images via style.com

 

Maintaining natural curly hair can be quite a task. I've struggled with it for many years, but after countless hits and misses I've finally learned how to take care of it. I've learned how to embrace it instead of trying to turn it into something it wasn't. It's very hard to find useful beauty advice in regards to this and well I've had to figure somethings out on my own. This is why I decided to share all of my findings.

1. Don't wash your hair everyday. Curly hair is naturally dry and needs plenty of moisture. If you wash your hair everyday, you're taking away essential oils that can lead to over drying, frizz, and split ends. If you can't go a day without washing your hair, I suggest using a sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfate-free shampoo cleanses without the use of foam and harsh chemicals. As for conditioner, I recommend leave-in conditioners. These provide and extra bit of moisture and make styling a lot easier. You can also use regular conditioners and add weekly deep conditioning treatments. Both of these options provide great results.

2. Don't use hair brushes or style your hair when dry. Some experts agree that curly hair shouldn't even be styled. Many suggest using your fingers to comb through it. I don't like this method so I use a wide tooth comb. Wide tooth combs tend to separate hair without necessarily breaking it. You'll get more defined curls and minimize breakage.  If I need to fix my hair when it's already dry, I use a little trick. I take a spray bottle and fill it with some leave-in conditioner dissolved with water. I spray a little bit on the area and comb through it.

3. Stay away from styling products that contain alcohol. Hair gels are curly hair's worst enemy. Their high alcohol content dries out hair and leaves it crunchy. Instead of using gels, use hydrating styling cremes or mousses. My favorite products include Tressemés' Flawless Curls mousse and Fekkai's Smooth Hair Cream.

4. The final trick that I picked up was creating little twists with wet hair. Divide your hair into as many sections as you want, it all depends on how big you want your curls to be. After that you divide each section in two and twist them similarly to when you're braiding hair. You should leave it to dry for about 30 to 45 minutes, but don't wait until the hair's completely dry to remove them. If the hair is completely dry, then you can't make any arrangements to them.

Outfit of the Day: Thanksgiving

So this Thanksgiving I had a very nice reunion with my family. It was something very low key, but I still felt the urge to look my best. It was an outdoor event so I chose a flowy top, leggings and boots(you can never go wrong with those). My make-up was pretty simple: some nude eyeshadow, mascara, and blush.

I got this amazing bracelet from my mom's stash.

 

I'm wearing: 

• Sheer top from a local boutique 
• Leggings from Marshalls
• Black boots from TJ Maxx 
• Bracelet from Urban Outfitters 

My make-up essentials

Finding the make-up that works right for you takes a lot of trial and error, and even more when you live in a tropical island. With the constant humidity and sunshine it is crucial to find products that won't melt on you and clog your pores. I've decided to put together a list of the products that have worked for me.

Face:

 To prep my face, I use 3 products: e.l.f's Tinted Moisturizer, Almay's Clear Complexion Concealer and Powder. This tinted moisturizer has SPF 20 which protects skin from sun damage. It also contains aloe, cucumber, and vitamins. I really like this moisturizer because it provides a good amount of coverage, but it still feels very light on skin. I wear it everyday and it doesn't seem to clog up my pores. After I apply the moisturizer, I use the concealer to cover up any trouble spots like pimples, etc. This concealer also provides a great amount of coverage. The advantage of this concealer is that it also contains salicylic acid which helps dry out pimples. Finally, I apply the powder which also contains salicylic acid. Usually, after wearing these products during the day I see considerable improvements and within a week my face is cleared up.

Cheeks:

For my cheeks I use 2 different products: NYX's Rouge Cream Blush in Natural and Hard Candy's Hide & Glow duo cheek tint in Hot Date. I chose these products over powder blushes because they last through the whole day. I don't like having to worry about retouching my make-up so durability is very important for me. NYX's cream blush is an excellent product, but it's not for those who are looking for a quick application. Since it's a cream blush, you need to take some time in order to blend it well. I usually save this one for more special occasions. I prefer to use the Hard Candy cheek tint for daily make-up. What I really like about this product is its versatility, you can wear each shade on its own or combine the two. The application is extremely easy and the shades look great. Since I really like the red shade, I use it as a lip stain also. Normally, I apply a small amount using my fingers and then I use a clear lip balm over it. 

Eyes:

My go-to mascara will always be Benefit's Bad Gal lash. It makes my lashes look really long and full without clumping them up. For daily use I only wear one coat, but for more dramatic looks I tend to wear two coats. For an extremely long lasting eyeliner, you can try Maybelline's EyeStudio gel liner. You apply it with a small angle brush and it will stay on during the whole day. 

Go gold or go home!

Things have changed and metallics are not exclusive for nighttime, but some they may still be too bold for daytime. I tend to shy away from bold statements during the day, so I try to look for ways to add or modify them little by little. This time, I've chosen to wear gold nail polish. It makes a bold statement but it's still appropriate for work and school. I'm wearing a white base coat to make sure the color pops and to help it last longer. I painted 2 coats with Sinful Colors shade # 832 "This is It" and 2 coats with shade # 921 "All About You".

White base coat, shade #832, and shade #921

Everything that shines is gold

The spring season will be one filled with gold. It's everywhere on the runways: accessories, clothes, even makeup and hair.
Accesories:
Alexander McQueen always has absolutely amazing shoes and this season it was no different. Check out this season's golden stunners.

via style.com

 The season's must have hair accessory is YSL's golden hair cage. On the runway the models wore these with a slicked back bun.

 

Apparel:
Designers such as Balmain, Gucci, and Robert Cavalli also embraced the gold trend.The designers at Topshop Unique reinterpreted the egyptian theme creating a modern day Cleopatra. Most of the pieces were covered with graphic gold accents. Even the model's hair was slicked back and covered with gold leaf. Topshop's take on the trend is the bolder the better.

Balmain via style.com

Balmain via style.com

Roberto Cavalli via style.com

Prada via style.com

Prada via style.com

Prada via style.com

Topshop Unique

Topshop Unique

Topshop Unique

 Makeup:
The makeup at Fendi was an interesting new take. The model's eyes were covered with gold and silver leaf even covering their eyebrows. Black liner was also added to the inner lids. The creator of this look, Peter Phillips, says he was inspired by the collection's sunglasses.

If you're interested in re-creating this look, you should check out the tutorial by Desi from "The Fashion Skitch" here. Trust me, she's amazing with makeup.

Patterns and Textiles

Since I discovered Lagerfeld's inspiration for the spring 2012 collection was architecture I've been looking for ways to apply what I'm learning towards fashion. I thought it would be a good idea to look at my past projects for inspiration. Recently I had to create a tile design inspired the main library building in campus. After I created the tile I needed to come up with different pattern options and I was very content with the results. I kept looking at the pattern and decided that I wanted to try transforming it into a textile pattern. Since spring will be here soon I thought it would be nice to create a bold pattern. I haven't figured out the exact process I will use to paint the fabric or what I plan to do with the fabric. My first idea was to create a small clutch but I haven't decided yet. After I figure out what to do, I plan to make a d.i.y. about the painting process and sewing the bag. Here are the patterns

There is a reason for my madness

It's been an exhausting couple of weeks and I've been away for too long. All of my projects piled up and I missed about a week's worth of sleep(ohh the life of an architecture student). My poor sleep deprived brain kept looking for an explanation of why I chose architecture and not something else. I found the answer while looking at Chanel's spring 2012 collection. For this collection Karl Lagerfeld was inspired by the work of Zaha Hadid. Hadid is the first woman architect to win the Pritzker prize. Her work is largely inspired by the forms under the ocean. Lagerfeld created an amazing underwater ambiance for this runway including corals and such. The clothes were created with very light fabrics that had sheen very alike to mother of pearl. Also keeping up with the aquatic theme were the accessories. Some of the belts were created with pearls and some of the models had pearls studded in their hair. Overall the collection had a very light and modern feel that still had the classical essence of Chanel. So considering all this, I thought I would share some of my favorite looks from the runway along with Hadid's work. (I really tried to narrow it down to my favorites but if it were for me I would pick anything off that runway)

JS Bach Chamber Music Hall

Burnham Pavillion

Heyday Aliyev Centre

Sweet escape

These past few weeks have been very tough and unfortunately I've been neglecting this baby.The reason that I started this blog is very personal. Currently I'm in my first year of architecture school and well it's a very draining experience not only mentally and physically but also emotionally. Well it really didn't seem like the right time to start a blog but well I started it. Now why do I have a fashion blog if I'm studying architecture? Well the answer is that what I really want to study is fashion design. The universities in Puerto Rico don't offer a bachelor's degree in fashion design so I'm hoping a degree in architecture will help get a basic start in design. My future goal is to finish my degree and move to New York. Once I move to New York, I'll start working on a fashion design degree. Now the purpose of this blog is to remind me of my goals and to prevent me from losing sight of what really inspires me. I'm trying to somehow channel all my extra creativity here. Well now that I got that off my chest let's move on to something more interesting.... shoes!!!

It seems like these days everybody has cooler shoes than I do so I have decided to put together a little wish list.Hopefully, I can save up enough money to score one of these babies. Since it's almost winter boots are a definite must even though it's hot as hell here( I still wear boots because I love them).

The Zoe boot by Sam Edelman

I didn't know, but these shoes are actually look-a-likes of a Balenciaga boot. And well they look pretty close to the originals even though they're half the price(they're around $200).

 

The Lita by Jeffrey Campbell

I must say that after seeing these shoes all over the internet I have grown to love them. I like the chunky heel because I think it gives it a retro feeling and after reading all the comments on how comfortable these shoes are they have definitely made me think twice about them.

The Balenciaga Cut-Out Boot 

I have saved the best for last. I think these boots have the perfect combination of edgy and modern. I'm absolutely crazy about these boots but not about the price (they're around $1,000...sigh). There are look-a-likes out there but they don't really compare. Jeffrey Campbell has a similar style called the Roscoe but it's shape is slightly square.

D.I.Y: Vintage Inspired Earrings

It's very hard to find nice thrift  or vintage stores in Puerto Rico, so I decided I was going to find a way to create vintage inspired pieces. I've been looking at vintage patterns to hopefully be able to sew some of my own pieces but I decided it was best to start small. I think that vintage inspired earrings were the best starting point. I found a very easy way to create vintage inspired earrings using assorted buttons. Here's what you'll need:

• buttons 
• earring pieces(you can find them at most craft stores and they usually have the back and closing part) 
• cutting tool or pliers 
• hot glue gun 

                              

• With the cutting tool or the pliers cut the back of the buttons. There's also a specific tool you can buy but any good set of pliers should do the trick. Make sure you cut the back of button completely or else the back of the earring won't lay flat.   
  
• Put a drop of hot glue a little bit off center towards the top of the button. I used to glue in the center of the buttons, but then I noticed that the buttons didn't lie quite as flat on the ear as earrings normally do. You should be very careful when gluing because once the glue dries it's very hard to remove the piece.  Make sure to remove the excess glue.

Voila!! Wait for the glue to dry and wear your cute button earrings.