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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Book Review: On becoming Fearless by Arianna Huffington


I picked up a new book this week, in need of an extra boost and inspiration. It's difficult to wake up every morning feeling inspired and hopeful, and I've found reading to be one of the greatest tools for self-reflection, awareness and motivation.

Arianna Huffington's On Becoming Fearless in Love, Work and Life is an inspirational read for all women. It's an easy read broken down into short, readable chapters, and I'd like to recommend it for all women from working professionals to stay-at-home moms, singles to divorcĂ©es.

I believe there are certain obstacles and trials that are specific to women in this world, and Arianna Huffington does an excellent job exploring women's experiences in love, life and the workplace using research, statistics as well as personal stories.

Women often feel lonely in their journeys through life, work and love. Instead of traveling in solitude however, we can reach out to other women and learn that our journeys are all intertwined in one way or another.

We are all travelers seeking love, happiness, fulfillment and connection-- and at times this journey puts fear in our hearts. I too, face some fears of my own, including fear of failure, fear of imperfection, fear of rejection and fear of passing time.

Somehow this book placed me back on the path- and I will keep pushing forward in courage & gratitude.

One element that fearless women share is the sense that there is always more- more challenges to face, more risks to take, more failures to overcome, more influence to have, more success to revel in, more trees to plant.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Sunnies for Summer

I'm a huge sunglasses lover and for a good reason. I spend most of the week wearing nothing on my face but sunscreen and BB cream so having the right pair of sunnies is essential for me. It covers my flaws and instantly transforms my all-natural face (sometimes not so sightly) to one that is stylish, confident & chic.

I live in So Cal so it's often hard to find the exact model/color I'm looking for even at the most popular high-end department stores. New & popular models are often sold out or limited in stock so this time I decided to take my chances and search for them online.

I've been on the hunt for the perfect pair of sunnies for Spring/Summer of 2014 and after some research, I was able to gather some helpful information which I now want to share.

1) THE CLASSIC:

CELINE AUDREY SUNGLASSES




OLD CELINE AUDREY- MODEL NUMBER CL 41755/S
Photo credit Ma Chic Vie
Celine Audrey sunglasses have been popular for a few years now, and it comes in two models- CL 41755 and CL 41805. These are sold out and difficult to find at major department stores and very few online retailers carry them.

The above model with round bottoms are often referred to as 'Old Audreys' as this is the original design inspired by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

As expected it is classic and chic-- the perfect epitome of Hollywood glamour. I love its thicker frame and Celine's signature dots at the edges of the frame. It is truly a timeless piece, and will add a dose of glamour to any outfit.


CELINE NEW AUDREY CL 41805/S Havana/Brown

I recently purchased the Celine 'New' Audreys in turquoise to replace my brown Chanel's that I recently lost (heartbroken*). Celine Audrey in black is a timeless classic you can never go wrong with--but I wanted to try a different model & style so I took a leap of faith and decided on the revamped design.

The New audrey's have a more squared bottom and the top frame is slightly more cat-eyed. I love how effortless it looks in the above picture. It's oversized much like the original Audrey's and fits well on my face. I'm extremely happy with this style.

2) RETRO INSPIRED

I've been on the hunt for a retro-inspired round glasses for some time now and it's been nearly impossible to find the right shape/size that suits my face! I like my sunglasses slightly oversized (I feel that this is most flattering for all face shapes, making your face look more delicate and smaller) and most round glasses are too small, too old-school, too John Lennon-like.

Then I came across a few designs with good reviews- slightly oversized round glasses that are more modern yet still keeping true to its retro roots.

  • KAREN WALKER SUPER DUPER STRENGTH

Photo credit Fashion toast

I absolutely LOVE the oversized round look with the perfect amount of classic, edgy & funky --and I recently purchased mine on Shopbop. I received it, loved it but it's a little too oversized for my slender face. Still debating whether I should keep it or not-- but will most likely return them for another round glasses. I highly recommend the Super duper strength for others though, and it makes any average face look 10 times smaller.

I definitely want to add a pair of Karen Walker sunglasses to my collection and here are a few models I particularly like.


Here are few more round frame sunglasses I'm lusting after. I recently ordered the Stella McCartney round ones- will post another review when I receive it.

  • STELLA MCCARTNEY- ROUND SUNGLASSES





  • ILLESTEVA- LEONARD I & II


ILLESTEVA Leonard I & II

Here is a helpful article about choosing the right glasses for your face type by Cutler and Gross, which by the way is another great designer for eyewear. 

I'm loving my new Celine Audrey's-- It's well made with distinctive sophistication. The Stella McCartney Round glasses are cute & retro and will look adorable with any casual summer outfit.

*UPDATE*


I ended up returning the Stella McCartney round glasses for another pair of round Celines. Model number is CL 41801/S.

By far these are my FAVORITE round sunglasses and my go-to pair. Smaller than Karen Walker's Super Duper Strength and with better shape than Stella McCartney's round pair. I've had these for about a year and still good as new.



Wearing Celine Round Sunglasses

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Made for another world


I was made for another world.
But I have no choice but to be here.

I will strive to be happy.
I will make it out okay.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

On Pain & Suffering


I don't like the words pain & suffering.

They sound too harsh, too deep and too dramatic. I hate feeling pain and I hate the suffering that comes with pain. These feelings are usually felt with a deep sense of loss, and I hate losing things that mean something to me.

I lost a few friends & family members to death. At age 11, I lost a close friend who 'accidentally' killed himself while playing with his younger brother. It involved a scarf and a door knob. Everyone tried to keep it a secret from me as I was only a few weeks away from moving far, far away. My mom suddenly told me I didn't have to go to school anymore. I told her I didn't get to say good-bye to my friends yet.

I knew immediately something was wrong because my mom never let me skip school unless I had a fever but I played along as if I didn't know or hear anything.

Until this day, I never got to say good-bye to my friends.

Pain & suffering continued throughout teenage years into adulthood. The worst kind of pain I would soon realize, comes not from losing people to death but from losing things & people to currents of life---like my childhood innocence, an old lover--or loss of a friend & trust built upon years of memories now turned to broken promises.

It was such loss of connections that seemed most painful & tragic. I later discovered in adulthood that such losses were considered to be normal, a natural course of life.

Indeed, pain & suffering are inevitable for a deep understanding and deeper heart. Depth of pain teaches us the depth of our soul and depth of suffering teaches us the depth of life.

I guess pain & suffering taught me something; I'm now 'intelligent' enough to know this. Yet one fact remains.

I don't like pain & suffering. I especially hate watching a loved one endure such a loss. I hate this. I wish I can curse it in the face and make it go away.

Go away.