Friday, June 21, 2013

Fashion Files: Hello Summer!

6.21.13.



Hello Summer!
Happy Summer Solstice!
Hey there Mr. Sun!

There's so many ways to say it but today is the official day when summer begins! Whooo! ...it is a little strange when you live in a place that feels like summer year round ;) Are you ready?

Some summer essentials:

1. Anything white!
White is the color of the season! The more white pieces in an outfit the better! I have to admit that I am totally buying into--figuratively & literally--this HOT trend. I plan to do a more extensive post on my obsession with this later :)

2. A rad bikini or one-piece. (Think fringe or details!)
I've been all about the home-grown brands like Mikoh (the OC) or L*Space (SoCal)...sadly I haven't been able to invest in suits made by local companies like these... 

3. OMBRE.
Whether it be your jeans, clothes or your hair, this trend is on point.
I've personally be dyinggg to try the ombre hair trend with Loreal's Feria Wild Ombre DIY kit.

4. Beach inspired jewelry.
Who wears jewelry to the beach? Well, magazines & local companies have been pushing this trend hard...& I'm hooked! Again, I like to support local, small businesses; check out local girl Misha Hawaii, she does amazing work & is one of the few gals who uses rose gold (beautifully)--my fav!!

5. A smile!
Yes, if anything be happy, smile & laugh your okole (butt) off! It's free & will give you that healthy glow that elude so many people ;)



xoxo
~carlykins

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Thrifty Thursday - the head scarf trend!

6.20.13.


The head scarf is making a comeback this season & is the perfect accessory for an updo, especially on these hot summer nights!

Instead of going out and buying a piece, here's a cool thrifty way to create your own head scarf!


1. Find a scrap piece of fabric long enough to wrap around your head; (a wide strip about 5-10 inches is good!) An old scarf will do also.

2. Tie a knot in the middle of your fabric or follow Keiko Lynn's steps to creating a head scarf with an actual scarf... I tried the basic overhand know but use this diagram to try out different ones!


3. Take your knotted fabric and position it across your head like you would a headband. Place the knot in the middle, side, wherever you want!

4. Tie the side of the fabric behind the your head right below where your hair meets your neck! You can use a bow or tuck the extra fabric under the band you created!

5. Enjoy your new, free!, head scarf/head band/head turban look! You'll be the talk of the town ;)


See Marcela's lovely post about this raging trend here for more inspiration!





xoxo
~carlykins

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Wednesday Wisdom - Karma is a b$%#&!

6.19.13.


I have been obsessed with infinity symbols for a long time...yes, even before the TV show Revenge debuted a season ago...


...and I have always been a firm believer in things happening for a reason; fate & karma. I guess I am superstitious haha.


I finally purchased a jewelry piece with this symbol from Imi Jewelry (at the Honolulu Night Market)...& I'm in love! And I want more, more, more!


Keeping this in mind will change the way you view the world, your surroundings & will influence your actions in ways that can make you a better person...at least this is what I've come to learn by remembering this piece of wisdom.


"...& in that moment we were infinite."
~The Perks of Being a Wallflower



xoxo
~carlykins

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

How-to Make Mochi

6.18.13.


How-to Tuesday: Mochi!

One of my fav desserts to make is mochi (sticky rice cake)!! I used this recipe all the time in college & my roomies loved it! So go ahead, try it yourself...you won't regret it :)



1lb box mochiko*
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
13.5 oz can coconut milk*
1-1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
food coloring
katakuriko (potato starch)* for coating -- or -- cornstarch

Preheat oven 350 degrees
Grease 9x13 pan
Cover pan with foil
Bake 1 hour

Remove foil & cool
Sprinkle cooled mochi with katakuriko
Use plastic knife to cut mochi into strips; coat with katakuriko




Most of these items can be purchased at any grocery store. You may have to do a bit more hunting for the * items...but if you're near a Marukai or Asian food store, you can probably find these there!

Happy baking!



xoxo
~carlykins

Monday, June 17, 2013

Flame It Out!

6.17.13.


Recently Covergirl launched a new collection of items with vamped up packaging to appeal to the fun & sexier side of women...

A lot of talk has been focused on the Flamed Out mascara that was debuted. Covergirl's newest addition to it's fabulous mascaras is meant to help you achieve a bold look that makes a statement! "The unique wire brush coats your lashes for an instant volume boost...with winged lashes that curve up and out."

Flamed Out Mascara, Covergirl


Some things to note about this product:
  • Gives a natural look; if you're looking for bold, I would suggest trying another in Covergirl's range of mascaras. (My personal fav is the LashBlast Volume Mascara). Application of additional coats is also an alternative for a bolder look.
  • The unique brush applies the mascara fabulously--very little clumping if any!
  • Longlasting & very appropriate for the 9-5 working ladies!
  • Great packaging! ...& I love that P!NK is the Covergirl for this new collection!

I'm still trying to decide whether I would repurchase this product...I do like that it is a little more natural...but I do also love the boldness of the LashBlast :) I will try to update this post with a side by side comparison later!



xoxo
~carlykins

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Birthday Week - 25 is the new 21

6.16.13.



Sadly all birthdays must come to an end...& a new chapter in life really begins...


...but being 25 doesn't feel much different from being 24 (and under)...

There are some things to look forward to though:

  1. I can rent a car--who's ready for a road trip! Also car insurance discounts??
  2. Prime age for the 7 year rule ;) ...still a Puma, not quite a cougar yet HAHA.
  3. People think you are mature; don't let their judgements get too far into your thoughts though!
  4. Others will value you more what's inside than what's on the outside.
  5. The best of life is ahead--I hear the mid-twenties are awesome!


I am so fortunate to have such wonderful family & friends who made my 25th birthday fabulous! I can't say enough thank you's to everyone who helped make this birthday so special :)


Honolulu Night Market, Kaka'ako, HI


Also stumbled across this in the Thought Catalog--which i LOVE!--6 Rules for Turning 25.


I am also loving this; it reminds me to love MY life, because it is mine & it's OK to be 25 :)




xoxo
~carlykins



Also want to wish a Happy Father's Day to my Daddy (and all of the other father's out there!)--"you're the besssssssst"! :)


Saturday, June 15, 2013

Birthday Week - Ichiriki

6.15.13.


I can't tell you how special I felt today with all of the lovely messages, posts & phone calls that I received from fam & friends... Birthdays always seem like the best time to catch up with old friends that you don't get to chat with much too.

While I had to stay at work later than I expected today, this lucky gal was really looking forward to the dinner plans for the night--Ichiriki (nabe)!! YUM!


Happy Birthday to meeee!

nom nom nom


xoxo
~carlykins

Friday, June 14, 2013

Birthday Week - 25 Things I've Learned

6.14.13.

In thinking about what to write to commemorate this "milestone" in my life, I stumbled across a fabulous article by Young & Prosperous...I really liked this take on beginning a new chapter in my life.

So, I will attempt to share 25 things I've learned before (I have half an hour left!) I finally turn the quarter "mile"...just a disclaimer, some of these will be quoted as they are from Y&P....

  1. Be you.
  2. When one door closes, a window opens.
  3. You deserve it, whatever that may be.
  4. Happiness is the way.
  5. "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
  6. Stand up for yourself.
  7. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. How else are we going to grow?
  8. DREAM.
  9. Without risk, there is little reward.
  10. Only concern yourself with the things you can control.
  11. There is always an opportunity to learn something.
  12. Hug, kiss, say ILY everyday to someone; it's easy to take these things for granted.
  13. Karma IS a bitch, so be nice.
  14. Laugh everyday--it's good for the heart, soul, body, mind...& it reduces wrinkles right?
  15. Appearance is only temporary; your personality & first impression(s) last forever.
  16. Save, save, save! Your future self will thank you :)
  17. Confront your fears. Do one thing everyday that scares you.
  18. "Happiness is the way."
  19. I am a goddess. I need to worship and love myself before I can reciprocate it to others.
  20. "Be the type of person you'd like to meet."
  21. It's ok to JUST DANCE.
  22. Mom's really are always right...as much as we/I don't want to admit it. #itoldyaso
  23. Running moves you forward, but sometimes you just got to stop and smell the roses.
  24. Life is good. 
  25. Believe that everything happens for a reason!



I am sure there are so many other things that I've learned...but in these 30 minutes, theses were the 25 that came to mind first :) I would love to hear what you feel are the most important life lessons you've learned in your lives!


Here's a little sneak peek of a little birthday present to myself. I've always wanted one but could not convince myself to dish out the $$ for any of the colors until now! ...& my bff just purchased the Mini M.A.C.! Uber in love with this...I can't wait to use this today! Happy Birthday to me :)



M.A.C. Clutch, Rebecca Minkoff


Even Google said "Happy Birthday" :)




xoxo
~carlykins

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Birthday Week - Take me back to yesteryear...

6.13.13.



Since it's Birthday Week I'm going to throw it back to when I first entered my twenty-somethings chapter of my life...

Say hello to one of my dearest and longest best friends Kimi-chan (my fabulous beauty guru friend)! She has been there for me through thick & thin and I can't wait to see where the rest of this chapter in our lives will take the both of us :)


#throwbackthursday



xoxo
~carlykins

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Birthday Week - Wednesday Wisdom: Stay Ocean-minded

6.12.13.



An extremely late post on my part, but since it's Birthday Week I just got to post something!

...& I stumbled across something that I really want to live the rest of this week/month/year/infinity by...

(courtesy of Pinterest, follow me!)

I found this highly inspirational! I have also noticed that lately I've been very ocean-minded...

What words, phrases, affirmations do you live by?



xoxo
~carlykins

Birthday Week - Summer Neons

6.11.13.

This weeks How-to Tuesday will also be birthday themed!

Summer is the perfect time to play around with bold, bright & NEON colors!!

Last summer...I was dyyyyying to try out a neon make-up look and of course I also wanted to try the hair chalking craze that took the fashion world by storm...

Unfortunately, I had no clue where to start on either of these beauty ambitions so I turned to some fab Youtube beauty gurus to complete my sassy birthday look!



Elessa's "Naughty Neon" tutorial

Kandee Johnson's Hair Chalking (for dark hair!!) tutorial



....and drumroll please...

TA-DA!!




Honestly, I was a little disappointed that the hair chalking didn't work out so well--I think this works better on lighter hair and/or I needed to invest in better chalk--but Kandee's results are amazing! You can kind of see the yellow/orange/red ombre I was attempting to go for in the bottom photo; if anything my girls look so GLAMOROUS! I was VERY pleased with my neon makeup look though, which is all thanks to Elessa's tutorial--I followed most of her steps but had to substitute some of her products with my own or ones that I could find--mostly drug store finds too! Loved the way they popped without being too out there--went very with the boring black ensemble that I chose to wear haha.

See below for a list of main products used for these looks! Happy experimenting :)



xoxo
~carlykins



"Naughty Neon" Products
  • Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Urban Decay Cosmetics
  • Jumbo Eye Pencil, Milk, NYX
  • Paint Eyeshadow Palette 01, Milani Cosmetics
  • Fluidline eyeliner pot, Blacktrack, MAC
  • "Cool Kitty" lashes, Katy Perry for eylure
Hair Chalking
  • Soft pastels (check the label), Daler-Rowney (from Walmart); I would suggest looking for a better brand!!
  • Spray bottle + water
  • Flat iron or curling iron (to "seal" in color)
  • Hair spray
  • Heat protectant hair product
  • Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty! ...or use a towel to cover your outfit.
  • Just a note: for darker hair, warmer colors tend to come out better!





Monday, June 10, 2013

Birthday Week - Get Ready with Me!

6.10.13.

It's Birthday Week!

...but I thought about this too late to do any "special" posts. As such, the cleverest thing I could come up with is a "Get Ready with Me!" post for the day...sorry ladies, I'm a little too self conscious to do a vlog...yet? Haha. Still trying to convince a girlfriend of mine who is a beauty genius & local guru amongst our friends to start vlogging!!


1. (night before) Exfoliate: Ocean Salt, LUSH
2. Tone & Moisturize: Eau Rosa? & Vanishing Cream, LUSH
3. Primer: PhotoReady Perfecting Primer 001, Revlon
4. Foundation: (a) NAKED Skin, Urban Decay (b) CC Cream, Smashbox; (blend together)
5. Powder (fav ATM): Multitasker Face Powder, Milani Cosmetics
6. Eye Primer: Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Urban Decay
7. Eye Shadow (for everyday wear ATM*): Matte Eye, Too Faced
8. Eye Liner (ATM): Three Wishes Eyeliner Set, Disney & Sephora collaboration**
9. Mascara: LashBlast Volume, Very Black, Covergirl
10. Brow Liner: Fluidline, Dip Down, MAC
11. Brow Fill: Palette, "London Girl", Stila
12. Blush: Orgasm, NARS
13. Highlighter: Pearlmatte Face Powder, Veronica's Blush, Archie's Girls Collection, MAC
14. Lips (fav ATM): Lip Glow, Dior

*ATM = "at the moment"
**I usually use the MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack.



At the moment I am also pooped...and this is the best I can do...I will have to finish this tomorrow :(



xoxo
~carlykins



Sunday, June 9, 2013

Sunday Fun-day at Ala Moana Beach Park

6.9.13.



Summer Sundays are now reserved. See ya on the court! ;)

Ala Moana Beach Park, Oahu, HI



What do you occupy your Sunday's with?



xoxo
~carlykins

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Honolulu Fashion Invitational

6.7.13.

Come support local designers at tomorrow's Honolulu Fashion Invitational!



Who: Aspiring local designers (go Ryan H.!!)
What: A night of fashion, fun & entertainment!
Where: Fix Sport Lounge, Downtown Honolulu
When: 6:00-10:00 pm (First Friday's after!)
Why: WHY NOT! You know you want to ;)



Check out their Facebook event here.
Check out their sponsor, Lawrence Blake Group Int'l, here.



xoxo
~carlykins



p.s. it will be my first (& prob only) catwalk debut--wish me luck!

I can't help but think of this happening...



UPDATE:

Last night was a BLAST and I have to say I kind of liked it! A lot of waiting around than I thought...but modeling & walking are a LOT harder than it looks!! I have to give a special thank you shout out to Ryan for providing me with this probably once in a lifetime experience and from taking me from nice girl to "street" haha, my dear friends Kimi & Shan for coming to support me, and the various people who helped with hair/makeup/strutting--I couldn't have made it through the night without you all :)

Ryan Hanaoka, the fabulous designer!

...also found this candid shot via Freshionable!


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

June Babes

6.6.13.

Throwing out an honorary post to a dear friend & fellow June babe...

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY LOVELY!!

Here's to the next quarter century--let's make it as FABULOUS as the last :)


circa 2009.


Do you have any amazing birthdays that you remember?

*I love my friends*



xoxo
~carlykins

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Wishlist Wednesday - Splash into Summer!

6.5.13.

I'm not usually a water person...but lately, that's all I've been thinking about: beach, sun, ocean.

Thank goodness I live in a beautiful place that can offer all of these things :)

Sadly, some fun in the sun is limited by funds & availability...and so these beach worthy items will probably forever remain as lustful thinking...

1. H&M - Bikini Top w/ metal palm trees ($19.95, H&M)

ADORABLE! Unfortunately, since there is no H&M in the 808 and no online store...forever a LUST. I just can't get enough of these palm trees!! And seriously, at under $20 you can't go wrong!

2. Souled Out Surf - 10.5' Orange Koi & Dragon ($1300, Souled Out Surf)


A dear friend (shoutout to AnaBeezy!) just purchased a GORG paddle board from this company! I had stumbled across these two tattoo-ish designs and realized that hers was also purchased from SOS. She has gotten me addicted to this popular pastime; if only I could afford this price tag...a girl can dream.

3. Aqualillies for Tarte - Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eye & Cheek Palette ($38, Sephora)


The iconic Aqualillies (sychronized swimming) + Sephora = genius summer palette & waterproof to boot! Amazing packaging...I just cannot resist this beautiful collab!

4. Fighting Eel - Ava Sky "Fish" print(s) (prices vary, Fighting Eel - in store)

I have been lusting over this Fish print FOREVER!! Finally FE has brought in more of these fab Ava Sky pieces and I think I'm going to cave! ...now if only I could decide which style...thoughts??

5. Sephora Collection - 8 hour Mattifying Moisturizer Sunscreen ($22, Sephora)


Use protection lovely readers!! I have been on the hunt for the right product that would provide me with protection & comfort for daily use. This "in-house" Sephora product has racked up quite a few rave reviews; I'd def want to give this a try! (I also purchased Smashbox's CC Cream, SPF 30, which I will be trying out soon; coverage, protection, dark spot correcting...already loving the concept)!



...& that's all folks for this weeks' Wishlist Wednesday :) happy lusting!!...

xoxo
~carlykins



UPDATE:

Sephora's next Disney collaboration will be debuting this month! One of a number of items is already available for V.I.B.s online! Dare to dream ladies...


See Beautzine's blog for more info; she posts great reviews on products before they show up in stores!