Winter Survival Kit for the Fabulous Self

As much as I love the fall season, winter is looming sooner than I want it too. As depressing as winter can get (especially if you live in Minnesota like me), it can seriously discourage any sensible person to ditch on style altogether. I’ve come up with a lust-list of fashion and beauty finds and suggestions that I think can at least help alleviate this upcoming winter depression.

1. Platform Boots

I’ve recently came across these pair of platform boots from H&M and I fell in love with them instantly. I’ve been obsessed with this chunky heels trend for a while and was really happy to have found an affordable version of it, gotta love H&M for that. The chunky heels and and thick platform soles also make for ideal walking on snow. On top of that, they’re still incredibly wearable for the fall season as well, go chunky or go home!

2. Skincare

We all know how crucial it is to find THE perfect moisturizer especially come winter time. One of my personal favorites is Neutrogena’s Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Moisturizer. The low price tag is an added bonus! Great product with great value.

It has been a struggle for me to find the perfect toner to use. As a result, I tend to skip the toning step during the dryer seasons. That has all changed since the day I came across this baby, Kiehl’s Calendula Herbal-Extract Alcohol-Free Toner. It’s a little bit on the pricier end, but I think it’s totally worth it. In addition to transforming my skin texture for the better, it is also incredibly hydrating, and the fact that it is alcohol-free makes it ideal for my acne-prone skin. I can’t stress how much I am in love with this product enough!

Next on the list, I highly recommend MAC’s Strobe Cream. During winter, I like to swap my normal primer for this product instead. It moisturizes the skin while making the foundation last longer at the same time. It also illuminates the skin to make it more dewy looking. I normally don’t like dewy-looking skin especially in the summer, but its a great look for the dryer winter weather.

3. Light Hair Color

When the weather gets colder, it seems like a lot of people tend to dye their hair a darker color. What not go lighter? Go bright when others are heading the darker route, in that way, you’ll certainly stand out! I don’t know about you but I love seeing lighter hair colors during the colder seasons, it warms up my day!

4. Sunglasses

Even during winter we still need sun protection! One of the latest sunglasses trend I’ve been obsessed with is mirrored sunglasses. I find them to be incredibly suitable for winter, can’t quite explain why, maybe because it can really add a pop of color to one’s outfit in a nontraditional sense. And I sure do love to embrace colors in the winter!

Speaking of sunglasses, I’m obsessed with these ones from Pacsun under the Kendall and Kylie collection. In addition to the reflective glasses, I love the metal frames, super chic.

That’s all I have for now, stay warm people!

DIY – First Hair Cutting Attempt

This past weekend, I decided to take a major risk at cutting my own hair for the very first time. I have zero experience in cutting hair, I go to school for public relations for God sake! But I decided to do it anyway because I got so frustrated with not only the current state my hair is in, but also at the thought of looking for a professional hair stylist that will do the job.

Before

This is how my hair looks before it went under the knife. I had a blunt cut with no layers, so everything is pretty much the same length throughout except for my bangs. It looks fine when I first cut it because it was way shorter a la Elin Kling. My hair has since grew out and the blunt cut totally wears my hair down. I desperately wanted layers, but I’m very picky when it comes to how I want my layers done, and several hair stylist in the past had failed to fully understand my request and preference.

Elin Kling – The inspiration for my previous hair cut

Thus, I decided to take matters into my own hand. I figured, I paid attention during my past visits to the hair salon enough to kinda know how hair cutting works, or at least how to use hair cutting shears and thinners. Ballsy move, I know. I also looked up some YouTube videos on how to cut hair at home, but all I picked up from watching those videos are what NOT to do. The end results were not what I was expecting in the videos I watched. Do let me know if you came across any good videos for cutting hair at home!

So on to my DIY attempt! Viewer discretion is advised.

The evidence

Here’s the after pictures!

I’m really happy with how my hair turned out considering the fact that it’s my first time cutting it myself. I cut some layers to frame my face as well as some in the back to compliment my ombre better, though I was a little bit saddened that I had to trim off the lightest tips of my ombre to accommodate the layers, but I can always re-color it later. It definitely took a long time because I was going through some trial and error to see how best to cut the layers, such as at what angle and so on. I’m so glad with the results. Definitely no regrets!

How it looks when I curled it

So, will I ever go back to the salon? Probably… once in a while. Let’s just say that I’m soooo gonna save a lot of money from now on! Cheers!