Hair Chameleon

{My newest hair color!}

Just a few weeks ago, I was crazy about my blonde hair. I gushed, "I LOVE this color! Never going to change it!" Let's just say I was in over my hair.

When I decided to take the bleach blonde plunge, I totally did one of these: "Psh! Bleach my whole head? No biggie! Black roots coming in? I can handle that! Purple shampoo? It can't be that hard! Fried ends? It's only hair!"

As you can already tell, it turns out that blonde hair meant high maintenance (seriously, where was my light bulb? Common sense, Diana! Common sense!)

Back track to this Saturday. My uber talented sister-in-law-to-be touched up my roots with some bleach. After washing out the bleach, we attempted to tone the roots with an ashy shade to counteract the warmth. We pulled the toner towards my ends to make it blend nicely. My porous hair took the toner SO quickly and I got a seriously ashy, nearly green outcome. Because the color was even, I thought it would be an easy fix - add more warmth and get back to my beautiful blonde.

So, there I was at Sally's on Sunday - ashy hair and all. The lady there told me to go with a gold-based dye to warm up my color. I went home, tried it, and it didn't do much but make my roots ginger hot. Blorange roots and ashy ends... I was ecstatic. 

While letting my hair chill out for a few days - and also staying shy from the rest of the world (who would really want to show off the colorful mess I had going on?) - I dissected browsed the internet for more solutions. I also found myself on tons of fashion blogs and websites checking out what people wore to fashion week and this season's trends. 

And a new hair craving began. Yes, every so often I get a craving/itch for a new color. The thought process goes something like this: "Ou! Loving that pleated skirt for fall. A pumpkin spice latte in hand? I can't wait until the leaves change colors. How gorgeous would rich chocolate locks look against a fall palette? I must be a brunette... ASAP!"

This brunette conclusion came just in time. I was having a hair crisis and autumn was rolling in. Four boxes of level 5 golden brown dye later and I am back to my brunette self. I love how changing hair colors can make you feel like a whole new person. That's probably why I've been a hair chameleon since the ripe age of 12 - playing hair dress up whenever my moods or the seasons change.

My point? Autumn, I'm officially ready for you! Don't worry, blonde, we'll meet again someday.

{My changing hair colors in the past year}

Are you a hair chameleon too? What's your go-to hair color for this autumn? 

Tell me in the comments below!

Head Over Heels {3}

If you watched my latest haul, you'll know that I have this obsession for neons and spiked accessories - two trends I never imagined myself wearing, but somehow I've come to love them. And dressing in all black? It's not something I do often yet I love how it makes the neon pop in this case. So, after a few weeks of not wearing heels, I slipped on a pair yesterday (oops! wore them in this post too!). I have to say I love this outfit. I can see myself wearing it again and again this summer.

As for the makeup, this is something new to me too... wearing pale pink lipstick that is! It has become one of my everyday makeup looks and I might just need to film a tutorial to show you all soon! Down below, I added an instagram photo to help you see the makeup a bit better (I hope!).

Anyways, hope you all are having a perfect weekend! If you're not having the best one, try getting dressed up or putting on heels or makeup - even if you're not going out anywhere - and most likely it will lift your mood!













blouse, shorts, bracelet & necklace, Forever 21heels, Costa Blanca Xwatch, Fossil

April Obsessions

1. BENTO BOXES

Before this month, the term 'bento box' only brought Japanese food to mind. So, when I came across blogger friend Emily's 'Bento Fun!' board on Pinterest, I was so amazed and inspired! The idea is to make lunches more fun by presenting healthy food in a creative way. Since Carter is a tad picky when it comes to vegetables, I am going to try this out to see if it will get him to eat more veggies.

Bento 1//Bento 2//Bento 3

2. FRESH FLOWERS

April is a funny month in terms of weather. I feel like mother nature has been playing jokes on me all month - letting out a bit of sunshine and warmth and then dumping a bunch of rain and cold wind on us. So, to make myself feel a bit better, I have been trying to bring spring into our home. I bought some hydrangeas and potted them in these cute mint buckets I got from Michael's. Seriously, fresh flowers - whether it's just a single stem or a bouquet - can transform a room.

Flowers 1//Flowers 2//Flowers 3

3. BRIGHT, COLORFUL KITCHENS

Thanks to Pinterest and home DIY blogs, I am in love with idea of renovating old, drab kitchens into bright and colorful ones. The colors make the space so inviting and cheery.

Kitchen 1//Kitchen 2//Kitchen 3

4. PONYTAILS

Any kind of ponytail - messy, slicked back, dainty - I love at the moment! I have been growing my hair for years and now that it's finally reached a long length, I can finally pull off pretty ponytails (without little hairs sticking out all over the place). Being able to throw up my hair makes life easier too!

Ponytail 1//Ponytail 2//Ponytail 3

Happy organizing!

I have never ever thought of cleaning as fun until yesterday. Just writing this makes me wonder if I am going crazy. It could even be possible that Pinterest is driving me insane since Pinterest is where my organization craze sprouted from in the first place. Let's rewind, shall we?

Yesterday: I sign onto Pinterest. I quickly scroll down the main page and find no interest in any of the pins there. I randomly type "spring cleaning" into the search box. Voila! The first pin I see, I click. It brings me to a blog post with a full out list of how to clean your house room by room. Mind = blown.

Basically, I ended up devouring all these cleaning and organization posts on two inspiring blogs and was so amazed by these women's creativity. I have never thought of how being creative about organization could make my life SO much easier. Now, this organization I am referring to is not your average type of organization. We are talking home management binders, intense meal planning, labels for everything, customized checklists. All. That. Jazz.

Anyways, I am so inspired and I am going to work at incorporating some of these ladies' tips little by little. I want to start off with a home management binder (I love love love lists!). If you'd like to take a look and find some inspiration, I will link the blogs below.

Hope you are all having a sweet week and happy organizing!

March Obsessions

1. PEPLUM

Peplum dresses, skirts, tops, jackets! Peplum everything just screams sweet! I have invested in some peplum tops from H&M and they make me feel so feminine - which I love.

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2. COLLARS

You may think, "Huh? Collars? Why?" Well, I'm not into just any kind of collar, but collars that either have an interesting shape or embellishment or that are worn as accessories! Super trendy, if you ask me... even though I don't think I can pull it all off.

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3. ANYTHING AVOCADO
This obsession slash LOVE of mine may have gone to the next level of crazy. I think Pinterest doesn't really help either because some of the recipes and pictures of avocados on there make me want to have a food coma!
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4. YOGA
I tried yoga for the first time yesterday... just me, my pink yoga mat, and a beginners yoga DVD. Well, after my 30 minute yoga session was done, I could not believe how great I felt! Light bulb! No wonder people practice yoga regularly! Aside from exercise, I am going to try to incorporate yoga into my regular activities too.
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5. THE HUNGER GAMES
It took me long enough to hop on The Hunger Games wagon! I picked up the first novel of the series and read it within a day (because it was awesome!) and now I am just overly antsy and impatient as I wait for the movie to come out! I might just have to order the tickets for the midnight show on the first night it's out at the movies!

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What's in my makeup bag

As if I don't love expressing myself enough, I find another creative outlet in makeup. I used to have major acne problems. It made me ashamed of my face and according to some boys in my class I was a crater face. Makeup was a way for me to feel like my best self, without redness and scars, to be what I was like before my hormones decided to go crazy. My views of makeup have changed a bit since then. Now, it's an art to me and it helps me to bring out my features. I have also learned to be careful about choosing makeup. I only buy what suits my skin type and what doesn't feel or look cakey. I can't deny that collecting and applying makeup is fun!

Here is what is currently in my makeup bag! And don't forget to enjoy the video at the end too!

Hope you enjoyed this post and are having a fabulous week so far!

February obsessions

I used to think that it was just me who had crazy fad-like obsessions, but with Pinterest booming my shopaholic/DIY/fashionista/creative self has finally found somewhere it belongs! Most obsessions come and go. You go absolutely nutso for it for a while and then another new trend or obsession bumps the old one to the curb. So, that's why I'm declaring the following things my obsessions for February 2012 (even though some aren't really relevant to February).

1. PASTELS.

Um. So this would be where I describe my reasoning for this obsession but currently I am speechless and my mind is blown because I just love these colors so much! Pastels can be so cute, feminine, romantic, and even playful. Anything pastel - from clothes to accessories to furniture - I think is amazing! I believe my obsession is also fuelled by the fact that pastel colors bring on the thought of spring and summer (A.K.A. the sun and warmth!!)

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2. CHALKBOARD.

You know when you walk into a little cafe or a random store and there is a fantabulous mural? You take a second look and you're like, "Whoa! That's chalk?! Awesome!" Well, now imagine bringing that kind of fun into your house or to your party. This has Pinterest stamped all over it. And thanks to good ol' Pinterest, I have discovered so many DIY projects that involve chalkboard paint. I've seen chalkboard headboards, chalkboard party favors, chalkboard photo booth backgrounds, chalkboard furniture, framed chalkboards. Summary: want to make me happy? Send me a chalkboard!

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3. MY OWN STUDIO/OFFICE

This obsession should be categorized under 'my dreams for the future.' One day, I'd love to have my own space, nicely decorated of course, that is a place where I can release my creativity and work on my projects, business, and blog. For now, I just daze away at ideas I find on Pinterest :)

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4. SMALL, DAINTY JEWELRY

I normally don't wear any jewelry. It's not that I don't like the way that it looks. I just don't bother and sometimes having your ears and neck bare can be nice. I'd like to switch it up though and buy a few pieces that I could wear everyday and with pretty much any outfit. Lately, I've been eyeing simple necklaces and bracelets on sites like Etsy and Ruche.

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5. MAKEUP TUTORIALS

I don't think my love for makeup tutorials will go away. Of all my obsessions, it is a keeper. After all, how I learned to apply makeup and about beauty products was through YouTube. A few of my favorite beauty gurus are: pixiwoo, pixi2woo, JLovesMac1, DulceCandy87, kandeejohnson, MichellePhan and LuxyHair/EverythingLuxy. Here are a few of my favorite tutorials: