think pink

top: primark

jeans: topshop

clogs: troentorp

look who's back in the sunshine

25 hours and an aggressive case of jet lag later, I'm hoooooome. I've spent the last two days tearing around town in my Jeep, enjoying the 75 degree blue skies, and clopping about in my new Troentorp clogs. I never remember how much I hate leaving my house until I do for, you know, a week or four. 

This top is the last thing I bought at my beloved Primark before we left Europe. It's part of my effort to wear ~real shirts~ every once in a while, instead of my usual graphic tee or massive sweater. I wasn't sure how I felt about the pattern,  but am pleasantly surprised by the ice cream man vibes it give me. Plus it's got massive sleeves, which is pretty nifty for hiding the massive amount of hair bands I wear looped around my wrists like a 6th grader during the silly bandz era. 

x Justina

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trust me, it's in here

eye palette: stowaway cosmetics

Anyone who knows me also knows that at any given point in time you can find snacks, chargers for a range of electronics, the electronics they plug into, two smaller purses, and at least three Starbucks cards in my purse. It's very big, very heavy, and could support my entire life for up to two weeks. There's no base uncovered. There's also no relief for my poor shoulders, or the people I routinely smack with it. So every once in a while, just for laughs, I'll switch to my Small Purse. It's the exact size of a pocket in my regular bag, and forces me to "prioritize", aka dump the full cosmetics range I'm hauling at any given point.

That's where Stowaway got me with this eye palette. Not only am I always down for ~innovative  makeup solutions~, IT'S SO TINY AND CUTE LOOK AT IT. It's literally the size of a business card. I've managed to save several looks from slipping off completely with it, and it saves me having to explain my gel eyeliner at TSA ("no ma'am, it's not a liquid. swear.").

I was also pleasantly surprised by the color range. As a person whose skin tone is regularly described using a variety of coffee based-drinks, it can be really hard to find individual products, let alone palettes or collections, where I can use more than one color without looking frosted. The lightest color here is a shimmer, and worked as a bomb last-minute highlight. Major key to The Justina Look.

While writing this, my brother meandered out of the house with his keys, phone, and wallet in his pocket. Because he has real pockets on his clothing.

Life is unfair. 

x Justina



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get glow

dress: american eagle
bralette: aerie

You guys know how much I love makeup. You've seen the snapchat hauls and the highlighter swooshes. I had bad cystic acne back in the day (a year ago), and in the process of healing it, taught myself how to sparkle my face to cover what were some truly horrendous scars. (Mad props to Cat, my former LUSH queen, for hiring me/saving my life there.)

But I passionately love my eyeliner. Especially my dramatic blackest-black wingtips that extend further than is probably entirely appropriate for any given situation. It makes me feel ~intense~ and ~fashion~. But during the summer, it also has a tendency to droop more towards the bottom of my eyes by the end of the day, and gives me this rather sad look. It is also very hard to go to a pool party and keep your eyeliner intact. That was the deal breaker. Something had to give.

So, as an experiment, I stopped wearing eyeliner. And then suddenly, stopped contouring. And strobing. And all those other -ing's that take up so much money and space in my makeup bin. Very quickly it went from an experiment in my ~self image~ to an extra thirty minutes in my day and I was like HEY nice. I got used to my face again. Not to say I'm putting away the eyeliner for good, because that would just be nonsense. But I had gotten to the point where I didn't really remember what I looked like without it. (Five years old.)

Also, Aerie? Makers of all things pretty and lace-y? STILL not photoshopping their ads.  Just because they're still trying to spread the word: the real you is beautiful. Not saying the you in false lashes and full contour isn't beautiful too, because  that version is actual fire, but you don't need it. I know that's a very mom-ish thing to say, but some(most)times, mom is right. I love glossy and no-hipbone having high fashion as much as the next blogger, but I'm not trying to buy a bralette off it, you feel? I think it's hard to go out and let the world see you, but once they do, they're down.

Other things I'm down for: swing dresses. It's too hot to be clingy in any way, but especially with fabric. I don't even care that I got called ""ma'am" today. Much.

BUT I'M 18 OKAY LITTLE GIRL

x J

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