Polka Dots & Knee Highs

     It is day 2 in Taiwan and I have yet to see the sun! It's not particularly cold but it was colder than I expected it to be- just a smidgen warmer than San Francisco. Since I was just going street shopping with my sister, I wanted to keep it simple with a flare with some velvet shorts, stockings, and knee high socks! I always find this combination to be a go-to look whenever I don't want to go super dressy but want to look presentable to the public without going into sweatpants mode. 
     These shorts are super soft from Brandy Melville (they have super soft everything) and these are perfect for lounging around or in this case- a bit dressed up! My sweater is from J. Crew and it was on super sale (hooray). The texture to me was so unique and really fluffy to the touch; it's a warm, creamy color and it would go great with casual pants (such as denim) as well. The cobalt blue side bag (J. Crew) is the perfect size for my phone, wallet, and iPad mini- it looks small but it actually has a good amount of space in there! My sister found these polka dot stockings for me in Taiwan and it was a bit cold for just stockings so I threw on a pair of knee high socks from H&M (comes in a 2-pack!), my trusty Charlotte Russe boots, and out for an adventure I went!

Time to explore in Taiwan :)

Lover of polka dots.

Airports & Dinosaurs

     When it comes to traveling, comfort is key. Never do I ever want to be trapped in a 10+ hour flight with jeans or a dress shirt. I always opt for sweats or in this case: velvet harem pants from Urban Outfitters. Harem pants are an amazing thing- they don't have the careless appearance of sweatpants but still provide the same comfort. I loved that these particular pair have deep pockets and a stretchy high waisted band that made the staple piece for my extra long plane ride. I just slipped a cute dinosaur crewneck over a t-shirt and I was ready to endure any amount of traveling. This adorable character crewneck is from Forever 21 bought on clearance (as usual). Ended it with my favorite Nike Training Free Runs and off to the other side of the world I go! :) Hey, when it comes to travel, always go for cute & comfortable!

The crewneck is in a size large!

Roar! A dinosaur playing guitar

A Lone Wolf

     Digging through endless piles of sale and clearance items should be my profession. The things I usually find are rare pieces that people have overlooked! For example: this super drastic high-low top from Forever 21. Who can pass up such an amazing print? I had to have it and luckily, it was on clearance (score!) It's a huge wolf howling at the moon- so dramatic, dark, and so perfect for the winter season. This high-low top would go great with some pleather leggings or even black shorts but I went with a textured pant from Top Shop at Nordstrom. These stretchy pants (on sale for $24) have a subtle floral print on them that makes an amazing statement when paired with a dramatic top such as this one.
     Of course, I'm not much of a jewelry person (yet) but this necklace from Macy's just seemed so fitting to this theme. It was an emerald color necklace that just might have been the color of the wolf's eyes. On my head, my go-to beanie from F21 to protect my head from the wind. And as usual, these Charlotte Russe booties are still my favorite...I haven't found a replacement "favorite" shoe yet, but I'm always on the hunt!
Comment below and tell me where you find your favorite shoes :)
Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas with their loved ones! <3

I shall love this shirt forever.

Like eyes!

Love the black on black print

Stripes and Bows

Merry Christmas Eve everyone :)  Let the holiday celebrations commence!
      Stripes are such a classic and an attractive pattern. It's a closet favorite for me- when in doubt, a nice striped top with a chunky necklace usually does the trick! This black and white J. Crew top is a simple quarter sleeve that isn't cropped- but it is cut a little short. I love the tiny slits (not pictured) on the side of this top because it gives it a casual feel; it looks really great with any type of blue denim in the summer time! This look was kept in all black and white with this velvety-smooth black skirt from American Apparel (love this skirt) tucked in with the shirt. I always feel cool, classy, and calm whenever I wear black and white.
     For outerwear, (I really need to find more favorite jackets) I fell-back on my Lucky Brand denim jacket because I love the denim with the velvet texture (also shown here). Since I kept the look really simple with neutral colors- I played around with the shoes and these maroon pumps from Charlotte Russe were the winner!  The bow straps on these babies give it a girly touch and maroon is the perfect color to kick off the holiday season. To top it off, my nails were a festive holiday red named Diamonds and Rubies by Sally Hansen and a super cute black and white topcoat from China Glaze called Whirled Away from Beyond Polish. I absolutely loved the result!
Photos by my good friend kennyyamaguchi.
Take a look at the details here:

A dorky candid picture :)

Looks like abstract art, don't you think?

A Dedication to Miss Sing Tao 2013

     I've officially ended 2013 on an amazing note. With the end of a (super duper) stressful finals weeks, having it roll over to pageant rehearsal and pageant night- I've been really exhausted. Tonight was truly one of the most amazing nights I've ever had- I was crowned Miss Sing Tao 2013! 
     2013 hasn't been the best year for me. In all honesty, this was definitely a huge transition year where I had to grow up, discover who I am, and who I want to be as a young woman. The path to where I am now has been a long and difficult one and I really appreciate all the ones that have stuck by me the entire journey. I am so glad I decided to compete in Miss Sing Tao- they provided me (and are providing me) with countless opportunities to help out the community and make a true difference around the Bay Area and for that I am so thankful.
I can't wait for what 2014 has in store for me.

These pictures show my reaction and they are awesome:

"Nooooooo waaayyyy!?!"

"You sure it was me?..."

"..I guess it really is!"

A happy & thankful Jewel

And not to worry- my fashion posts shall be up & running again soon! <3

Black & (Mustard) Yellow

     I been wanting a leather (pleather) skirt for such a long time and I finally had time to really go look for one this past week! I had a one hour shopping break from finals and I needed to de-stress...at the mall.
     This look was pretty straight forward. The focus was to be on this Forever 21 asymmetrical skirt. The zipper detailing really caught my eye and for this skirt, I actually went a size up (small to medium) just because I didn't want it to be too short. The top is also from Forever 21 and it's a F21 Basic that was priced at about $7! Such a steal for a beautifully colored turtleneck. I've worn this countless time over the course of 3 years (yes, I've had it for that long) and it hasn't faded or pilled- I am impressed :)
     Threw on a scarf because it wasn't too cold, but it was windy. This scarf was a hand-me-down so I'm not particularly sure where it's from, but I found similar ones here. I don't know about you guys, but I tuck my hair into my scarves when it gets windy to keep it from flying everywhere! Seeing that it was an unusually sunny day in SF, I welcomed my Ray Bans back (also featured here with Mickey Mouse). Keeping the pleather theme, my Jessica Simpson pumps were the quintessential piece to finish the look.

Keeping myself cozy

I felt like a bumblebee here with no scarf!

Close up of the zipper and asymmetrical details

Holiday Hearts

   It is officially finals week! As a college student, this is probably the most stressful time of the year- so close to the finish line (hooray for winter break) but so far! Since I've been studying the entire week (and pulling all nighters) I wanted to take Friday night off and attend my company's holiday party over at Dear Mom's in the Mission!
     Though this isn't exactly a traditional festive look, I associate this sweater with this beautiful time of the year. Just the overall texture and shape of it is so cozy and inviting. Printed sweaters are always fun to play around with, this one from J. Crew is a quarter sleeve crew neck that goes great with colored denim for a casual look or can be dressed up with a cute mini skirt! I got this skirt for just $4 from H&M when they had a sale and I love how versatile this has become- it's definitely a great closet essential to have on hand. I kept this look really simple (no accessories) because of the busy heart sweater and completed the outfit with this chunky, cut-out heel from Charlotte Russe with buckle & lace-up detailing on it.

Oh, I got my toes done today! Sometimes a girl just has to pamper herself ;)

  

A Romantic Pink

     Regardless of whether it's Summer or Winter, there's always a chance to wear skirts, dresses, or shorts in the cold...you just have to bundle up! This outfit was perfect for going to downtown San Francisco to walk around and grab a quick lunch. Some people may think turtlenecks are silly, but I love toasty they are! This pink one from J. Crew was on clearance and I couldn't resist; this color is such a romantic shade of pink :) I wanted the color to stand out so I opted for all black pieces. When it comes to Winter, I typically find myself tucking in my tops to my bottoms to keep me warm and in this case, I tucked the shirt into my Forever 21 circle skirt (also featured here). I slipped on some sheer stockings from Walgreens and a cotton blend pleather jacket from Charlotte Russe (mentioned here) to complete the look.
     To give myself a bit more coverage, I grabbed some knee high socks from H&M (they're really thick and warm, comes with 2 pairs) and topped it off with a circle scarf from Abercrombie. This scarf appears white but it actually has specs of metallic pink details all over it! I was going for a feminine but fierce look with this look. These brown booties from ShoeDazzle (mentioned before here & here) are super comfortable and since I was to be walking around downtown- the chunky heel really helped; I must admit that it took all my shoe-power not to go for the black ones I always default to :P 

I went to the Asian Art Museum! 

P.S I changed my nails again! This is "For the Twill of It" by Essie  sent to me by Beyond Polish! They have an amazing selection- go check it out! :)
Phone case from Forever 21!

GO VOTE FOR ME :)

Hello all!
Here's a little something different, as some of you may (or may not) know...I'm also a pageant girl! 
Voting is up TODAY for one of the scholarships and I need everyone's help to vote for me :)
I am contestant #10, Miss October Jewel Pi.

This is the link!!

The page looks like this:

Click & Vote! :)

If you guys want to share the link with your friends and family, that'd be amazing as well.

Thank you so much for all the support <3

Love,

Jewel

Errands with my Pepper Sweater

     On this rare Saturday off (post midterm) I finally got to run my errands. Of course, when it comes to errand running, I must stay comfortable; usually a hoodie and some leggings would suffice or some stretchy denim and a sweater. In the case of today, I regret not wearing my hoodie. Regardless, this is what I wore to run my errands this freezing San Francisco day.
     I am a huge fan of anything that is pepper patterned- this one is a bit special though. It is not your typical black and white pattern, but this sweater from Macy's is a black and silver knit. This piece is also a very straightforward high-low and I liked that it's a more loose and boxy piece- perfect for a comfortable, lazy day. Usually, I would default to black pants (you can never go wrong with those) but I wanted to take these babies out for a spin this winter day. These Bullhead jeggings from Pacsun look like real pants- back pockets included! I love how clean they look and the torn up knee detail really makes them less formal and a bit grungy. To complete the look, I slipped on these favorite booties from Charlotte Russe :) 

Here's the look:

Holiday Party

     Let the Christmas parties begin! I always find it super easy to just slip on a red dress during the holidays and be on merry way. For some reason, the color red has always been my favorite color- it's so bold, sexy, and such an eye catching shade to wear. 
     This dress is a body con dress I found at Forever 21 for under $15! Such a steal for a multipurpose dress. I've worn it a couple of time (to dinners and girls night outs) and I found a couple of ways to style it. I typically wear this with no stockings or with super sheer stockings but for the sake of the weather today (which was freezing at ~45 degrees) I went with a more opaque stocking. I actually doubled up on jackets because I was so cold and good thing I did- it was extra chilly today. So I wore this look two ways, with a longer gray coat that has a military flare to it (from Macy's) and a cotton/pleather jacket from Charlotte Russe.
     To accessorize, I wore a couple of gold bracelets from Charlotte Russe (not pictured here) and a smaller statement necklace that I got from J. Crew (it's defintely one of my favorites!) Threw on a pair of Jessica Simpson pumps from Nordstrom Rack and off I went to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season!

Looks like ornaments :)

Cheetah Everything.

     I am an avid cheetah print fan. I don't know why, but something about it just catches my eye. I'm pretty sure I have something in cheetah print for every piece of clothing (pants, shirts, shoes, you name it!). To be honest, I think I'm just a lover of prints and colorful things. 
     This Charlotte Russe dress is amazing- I love fit and flare dresses! They're so flattering for every body type (don't you think so?) and this color is just perfect for the holiday season. The sheer piece over this dress gives it a super romantic touch with a bit of a rocker flare. I wanted to stay in the print series and went with these lace-up cheetah print shoes (also from Charlotte Russe). I absolutely love lace up shoes because they make for a more casual piece that's great for everyday wear! The look was completed with a jeweled necklace and a chic bracelet/bangles series to accessorize and if you're looking for outerwear, a denim or leather jacket would be perfect! :)
Photos by the awesome Ryan Chua!

Sparkles for December.

     Tis' the season to glam up my nails! These polishes were all sent to me by Beyond Polish- a super convenient website where you can order all your favorite nail polish brands all in one place. Now, as a lover of all thing sparkly I find myself going with glitter nail polish about 90% of the time!
     The first one that caught my eye was this one from O.P.I called Kiss Me at Midnight (from Mariah Carey Collection). Since I am a lighter skin tone, I usually prefer dark colors but this particular blue definitely caught my eye! I loved how concentrated the glitter was for this color and was really impressed because with glitter nail polishes, I find myself having to brush on at least 2-3 coats for a true-to-bottle color. I've never had a textured nail polish before and the whole package just seemed so fitting for the winter season; it reminded me of the snow and the texture was the perfect finish touch. 

 

     As mentioned above, I usually wear a darker tones on my nails. This one was more my style and I wanted to try this brand because I've heard wonders about it. This is day 2 of the color from CND Vinylux named Dark Lava (post shower and errand running) and I usually get chips by now but this one is a strong one! I love the metallic-y purple sheen this polish gives off! And I tried to do without sparkles this time but as usual, I can't help myself. Within a couple of hours, I found myself furiously painting on this chunky red glitter from the Jessica Effects Glitzy Collection called Sizzle. My favorite holiday is during this time and the red sparkles just complimented the season so well! I layered the glitter (two coats) over the purple and voila! This happened :) Try layering different polishes to see what cool effects you can get!

Before glitter..

Sparkles are so difficult to photograph :(

...after glitter!