so it's been a year now

Well, today is the day. It's been one year since everything changed. Mostly for the better.

dusty days

 jacket: american eagle
shirt: wrangler

I love the desert. I always have - something about the wide open space and how resolutely old everything is. Joshua Tree is one of those rare places where we can get as close as possible to earth untouched by humans, and it's a good place to just chill out and recenter. On Sunday we packed up some pastries and hit the road to Pioneertown, an abandoned film set that looks exactly like many of the abandoned actual towns dotted over more northern areas in California (you know - where there's water sometimes). The town itself is very cute - I 10/10 fully recommend the petting the goats (Mitzi, Topanga, and Sam) on the porch of the fiber shop and playing with Emma the Pitbull who lives in the Pioneertown General Store.  There's also loads of photo ops, so put on your boots.

It was nice to get out of the city, breathe in large quantities of naturally produced dirt, and look at some prolific cacti. I think sometimes it becomes very difficult to slow down, especially when you're in college and working and trying to maintain the facade of being a functional human being. Lately "self-care" has become this thing that we're really comfortable talking about, but I don't think we always have the ability to implement the practices we wish we could. We try shortcuts - meditation apps, "soundscape" podcasts, lights that change color and change your mood - but there's no replacement for just rolling down your window and looking at some really old mountains that don't care if you met your deadline, or if you bought some shoes you shouldn't have, or that someone from highschool is moving to the same city as you. It's a calm that can't be replicated, and really doesn't need to be. 

In the immortal words of Ron Swanson: "I think it's pointless for a human to paint scenes of nature when they can go outside and stand in it."


Yee-haw.


x Justina 

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skincare sunday: drunk in love

all product was a gift from drunk elephant (inspector drunk kit, $88) but I actually put it on my face

If you dig back far enough into the internet, you'll easily find photos of 16 year old Justina, whose cystic acne had reached Pro-Activ commercial levels of damage. It wasn't great for my self-esteem, but it was the catalyst for my obsession with skincare. After years and years of talking about literally anything else, I've decided it's time to pursue my true goal: 

making my skin look half as good as Rihanna's.

Until that happens, I'm just going to keep trying out new skincare products and routines, and because I am categorically unable to keep anything to myself, I'm going to document it right here. 

Welcome to *distant airhorn* SKINCARE SUNDAY.

A few weeks ago, Drunk Elephant very generously sent me their Inspector Drunk holiday kit to explore. I'd heard about the brand a lot, all good things, and will admit I was suspicious. As a naturally cynical person, I am obviously disinclined to believe in anything that has 100% positive reviews from people I love and trust. So it was with my doubts close in mind that I first slathered the night serum across my face and drifted to sleep.

Long story short, THIS STUFF IS EXACTLY AS GOOD AS EVERYONE SAID.

After a few days of using the cleansing jelly, intensive hydrating serum, and the night serum, 

my skin is *snaps in Jonathan Van Ness*  

hydrated, glowing, and beING ITS BEST SELF.  

I live in LA now, so it's not that easy anymore.

I am not a dermatologist, so I cannot explain exactly why all of these products work, but I can testify to seeing an overall improvement in the texture and look of my face.  I would definitely recommend this kit for anyone wanting to give their skin a nice, glowy boost without doing anything too intense. Plus, it comes with a super fun magnifying glass so you can read all the ingredients 

(or, if you're me, inspect your pores.)

Skincare Sunday Rating: Rihanna at the Met Gala in 2015.

May you go forth and glow up.

xx Justina 

                                        ps. my 21st birthday is in two days WHAT
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hey what's up hello

Well, that was it, my biennial drop off the face of this blog. It's crazy, because so many blog-gable things happened, but by the time I processed they were over. Now's the moment thought, we're back on air. Here's what happened on the previous episode of "Justina's Life":

1. I GOT A TATTOO. It's a lil 4-H clover. No matter where I go in this world, I'll have grown up in that program and it seemed fitting to me that it would be permanently represented on the outside the way it is on the inside.

2. I QUIT MY JOB. It was absolutely devastating. I know most people aren't attached to their jobs, but the women (and men) I worked with at LUSH taught me so much, not just about soap and bathbombs, but about being a grown-up person, and I will forever love them for that.

3. I MOVED TO LA. I know, I know, I finally did it.  (If you want to see my apartment, click here.) The confetti has settled, but I still wake up every day and am shook that we actually did it. I transferred to Cal State Fullerton and got a new job, and am now on a deep dive in LA blogger + influencer culture. (But that's a whole other blog post.)

There are other little things - I bought a cow skin rug, went back to Austin again, changed my major, got a Disneyland Annual Pass - but that's all you really needed to know to get caught up.

In a week, I'll be 21. In two months, this blog will be 8 years old. It's incredible to think that what started as a (okay, I'll admit it now) minute rebellion by my 13 year old self ended up shaping my entire life path. Almost as incredible as the fact that you're still reading it. Thanks for that.

It's good to be back.

x Justina 



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a few short hours in austin

First of all, a MASSIVE thank you to my main (Texan) man Trent, who picked me up at the airport and was the most excellent tour guide, even though I was sticky and mildly sleep deprived. 

Picture it: two days before camp, in the middle of the busiest summer of my life, I get on a plane to Austin for a trip that will last about 27 hours. Great, you're caught up on my reality. I'm here for the spring meeting of the ONA Board, eating tacos and discussing structural frameworks. Ahead of an all-day meeting, I had a couple of precious hours to explore, and Trent made sure they didn't go wasted. Here's what we did:

1. Get a (cold) drink at Fleet: This cute lil industrial-style coffee shop probably fits like 25 people max, and makes a mean vanilla iced coffee. Very photogenic, and I would definitely recommend trying some of the non-tea items.

2. Drive dirrrrectly to Torchy's: TACOS. TEXAS. TORCHY'S. Is it a coincidence that all of these start with the letter "T"? Probably not.  I had a Wrangler and a Trailer Park (Trashy style) with chips and queso and a Mexican cola. 11/10 would recommend.

3. Wander around South Congress: We walked down the street, peeking in the artsy little stores and hijacking their air conditioning. Highlights included Russell's Boots, the "I love you so much" wall, and the self-identified homeless man selling macrame bracelets to benefit his dog. (I bought one. It's great.)

4.  Get (another) cold drink at Patika: A bigger spot than our first stop, it's a community gathering area, and serves lots of fresh local foods. I had a vanilla Italian soda with LOTS of ice, met Trent's mom, and the barista looked a bit like Jon Snow, so a fantastic use of time all around. 

5. Sit down to dinner at Lenoir: *FULL DISCLOSURE* I did not have to pay for this eye watering-ly expensive dinner, but it was so beautiful that I felt like it deserved to be here. Special mention: the wagyu steak I had that was perfectly, perfectly seared exactly the way I like it.

ANNNNNNNNNND TIME.

That's how I passed six hours in Austin,
gained approx. 573995 pounds,
and sweated out every ounce of liquid in my body.

xx Justina

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let's enjoy this

Life is stressful. And sometimes, even if you're doing things you really want to do, you burn out. Your to-do list is terrifying, you don't want to talk to anyone, and staying in bed bingeing on Brooklyn 99 seems like the most reasonable way to pass your day. Or summer. Whatever. 

It used to hit me for weeks at a time, and I was really doing things I love. When you're looking for help pulling yourself out of your slump, it seems like every mommy-blogger and "fitspo" model is telling you all you need to do is pray, juice a lot of raw vegetables, and buy a SUV full of Lululemon and your whole existence will turn around. As someone with neither the inclination or the budget to do any of that, I sort of just bumped around and crashed into a lot of self-help books. Then, writing my advice column, I started to get a lot of questions from people on how just be ...better. I'll be honest: I don't always feel qualified to answer this, but I do believe strongly in leaning into your desire to better yourself. I make myself lists all the time, so here's one for you on how to make everything just a lil more joyous:

1. Fix the outside: Look, in the immortal words of my hero Tan France, "You'll feel much better when the outside matches the inside." I love overalls, sparkly makeup, and my wild curly hair, and I embrace that every day with the way that I dress and present myself. My aesthetic is fun, but can get serious really quick. I have a nose ring, and will probably eventually accumulate some tattoos, and that may affect future opportunities. Whatever judgements people may pass on me as a result of the way I look is on them, and while we're both going to have to live with that, it's an easy price for me to pay to unleash my personality.  Allow yourself to express the person you are, and you'll feel a lot more confident and comfortable in your day-to-day. It won't always be easy - budgets, judgement, and a host of other outside influences may discourage you. Ultimately, you need to make that call though, because you're the one walking around every day as yourself. 

2. Plan it out: I know, I know, this is a worn out soap box, but everyone needs to get their **** together and in order to do that, you need a schedule. Start light - write down when you need to go to work, what time you want to wake up, stuff like that. Then start adding in time for studying, family time, or date nights. Eventually, you'll be down to when you want to do laundry and the dinner reservation you made for your next anniversary. I used to be a MASSIVE procrastinator, because I knew the last minute was always there for me. Now, I like a two week lead on everything. Routine is SUCH a huge component of organizing my life and not only making sure that I stay on top of stuff, but that I know what I'm looking forward to when it gets done. You'll also start to see it in other parts of your life, whether it's what you do before breakfast every day, or how you budget yourself. As you become more naturally organized, you'll start to feel like you have more time - because you will. Go do something fun with it. 

3. Build a tribe: I will be the first to admit that I am a serial friend-maker. I am extremely interested in people, and will genuinely encourage you to tell me your entire life story. With that said, I realized about two years ago that while I was launching a lot of relationships, I wasn't cultivating them, and so I was essentially investing my time in dead stock. I had to take a serious look at a lot of my friendships and ask "How are either of us benefitting from this relationship? Do I genuinely enjoy spending time with you?" Too often when spending time with some people I would catch myself spacing out, checking my phone for the 4578238x time, or listening for an opportunity to speak. I became more comfortable with the idea that it wasn't selfish to bow out of those relationships, because neither of us were truly happy. As I began to thin the ranks, some people truly began to shine, and I could truly invest in them. I find myself today with a smaller, but much more solid front line of humans I am delighted to call family. 


These three things are the building blocks I've used to improve not just myself, but my life. I still get easily anxious, procrastinate, and find myself tearing through my closet because "nothing looks good", but it's less frequent now. I feel, well, not peaceful per se, because I'm pretty much always over-caffinated and under-slept, but happy. I hope that by sharing this, you get a little piece of that too. If we all do it together, maybe we can take over the entire planet and get rid of all the "juice bars" which are definitely just traps for people who go places solely to take Instagram photos.

Just checking to make sure you were paying attention. 

x Justina 

ps. if you read this and want to chat about it, email me: justina (at) abentpieceofwire (dot) com



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click click

Some of these probably look familiar to you. They're the most popular photos of me or taken by me over the last three months. But they have something else in common: they were all shot with a Fujifilm x-t10. 

Right before we left for Germany, Fujifilm reached out and offered me a bloggers dream for a European trip - a new camera to document the whole thing with. There's plenty of reviews for it all over the internet from people who understand the inner workings of a camera better than I do, but here's the lowdown on things I think are important.

I've never been a fancy operation, and honestly we shoot a lot on an iPhone, so this was a serious upgrade. The Fujifilm x-t10 is a little more sophisticated than I'm used to working with, and I was definitely a little skeptical of all its bells and whistles but man oh man have I fallen in love with this camera. It has the ease of use of my point-and-shoot cameras but the quality of image is beyond. I also found that it was really simple to adjust to whatever we were shooting. People? Done. Massive historical landmarks? Simple. Really low light? Covered. It's also wi-fi equipped which was perfect for when we're traveling, and is the one feature that truly kept my Instagram ALIVE. Jordan would also like it noted that it's not as bulky and heavy as most DSLRs, and is a lot easier to carry around all day than bigger cameras. (It's like I made him carry the backpack all month or something. heh.)

Overally, the x-t10 was the PERFECT camera for what we do: shoot fun photos of our adventures, overalls, and occasionally, our friends. It made everything look fantastic, and caught details I swear I can barely see with my eyes.

Overall score: 10/10 Justina Points.

(If I could go higher I would, 
but I don't make the rules around here)

x Justina

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outta pocket

sweater: primark
overalls: h&m
shoes: converse

Okay so unlike basically everyone else on earth, I didn't go to Coachella this year. But in my defense, I dress like this every day. 

All jokes aside, for the last couple of weeks I was so busy that I definitely started to slack off in the outfit department. I definitely have a ~uniform~ and it makes it really easy for me to get dressed quickly, without thinking about how my clothes make me feel. Noooooot the healthiest form of self-care. In an effort to reverse it before I got in too deep, I've started actually checking the weather and trying to at least lay out clothes the night before like a Responsible Adult™. I mean, true, the short dress I had planned for today didn't work out with the whole "surprise hail storm" thing, but I ADAPTED okay

 I've literally been in overalls since the day this blog was born, and I don't anticipate changing my ways anytime soon.

You really can't beat the pouch pocket
(or all the things you can fit in it, thus reducing the need to carry a purse)

x Justina




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girls girls girls

Okay I am the least domestic person I know, but I was proud of this.

When I was in Germany, I started watching a lot of Parks and Rec, and it made me miss my girl friends, as Leslie Knope does. So I sent out a spontaneous e-vite to my friends (and then texted them all about it) for a girls night in...and promptly forgot about it. In all the excitement of coming home, it became just another sticker on a day that seemed pretty far away, as far as my schedule was concerned. But then it was two days away, and I needed a Party Plan, stat. As most desperate women do, I turned to Pinterest. After a lot of harried pinning, I HAD A LIST. In an effort to save you my panic attack, here's how it went down:

1. A craft is KEY. We made floral letters like these, and all the supplies only cost me around $15 with a nifty Michaels coupon and a raid on the floral section at Dollar Tree. 

2. I have a tendency to overfeed people, (see: the Super Bowl Mac n Cheese fiasco of 2018) and since there were just four of us, wanted to keep the menu small. I set up a popcorn bar, made some cupcakes, and also (not pictured, because my camera died) made some virgin gorgeous mai-tais. 

3. Basic elementary school knowledge tells you that you must have a movie, so we watched this mini-doc on Bella Thorne, and then The Princess Diaries 2 (clearly the superior one).

4. If you know me, you know there was a dress code. I told everyone to come in their comfy clothes, be it pyjamas or leggings or whatever.  This is where the guest list comes in, because you need to have a ~safe space~. You've got to really trust a woman to wear pyjamas in her house.

Needless to say, we had a laugh. As you get older, there's a lot less opportunities to just hang out in someones house without boys or drinking or whatever. The social pressure to go out is very real, and honestly, it's exhausting. I think we can all agree that it's much more fun to sit on your couch. Or maybe not, I don't know, I've never sat on your couch.

If you need a party in a pinch, here's a link to my board. 

May you go forth and party with your girls.

x Justina




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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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pack your bags kid

lil suitcase: delsey bastille lite
big suitcase: delsey bastille lite 29' spinner

It's no secret this time - we're going to Germany in a week, for a month. That's right, I'm packing up my brand new Delsey bags and hitting the skies again, headed for the land of pretzels and lederhosen. I'm really excited, and wildly underprepared. It's always like this with me - I make a plan, and lists, and schedules months in advance, and then about a week or so before, I abandon all of them. In this way, I almost ritualistically forget things. Important things. Like my-contacts-and-most-of-my-underwear things. 

But I'm trying to change my patterns - or at least pack a little earlier than the morning of.  Mainly because it's roughly 30 degrees everywhere in Europe, and my toes can't afford me leaving my socks at home. Also because I travel too much for this to keep happening, it's wildly embarrassing.  But (obviously) I need help. Packing tips? Send 'em. Techniques? Drop me a youtube link. 

Then all I have to do is make it on the plane.

x Justina


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parked on a freeway | LA Photo Diary

You've never stood still until you've sat in your car on the 101 at rush hour in LA because a semi truck has flipped off an overpass onto the freeway in front of you. That may seem very specific, but if you've been to LA, you know it's not.

Every year I go to LA this time of year, and every year it pours rain for the first day. Then the sun comes out, the crowds resume at observatory, and the almond macademia milk lattes start flowing. (Let me spare you the $6.25. They're gross.) Sallie + I always try to find new things to squeeze inbetween our tried-and-true favorites, and this week was no different. 

We hit up The Last Bookstore for some literary enlightenment (and solid photo opportunities, if we're being honest). Let me disclaim that while this is most definitely a bookstore, it is primarily a hipster tourist trap, and is filled to the brim with vageuly 20-something year old people discussing ~philosophy~. There are also people everywhere with cameras who will probably take your picture without asking, and a couple of decent books. 

The Grand Central Market is a short walk from the bookstore, and is peak LA. Filled with every kind of food you could possibly want to try (and some you might not), each stand is topped with a massive neon sign. There's vegan japanese ramen, authentic german currywurst, and the aforementioned almond macademia latte's. There's also outdoor seating that's perfect for enjoying the food, petting dogs, and eaves dropping on people who work in ~the industry~. 

Right across the street is the Angels Flight funicular - for $1, you can ride the shortest possible railway in the US. Going 300-ish feet up the side of a hill, it's more of an experience than a necessity (you can just take the stairs) but it is fun, and you're rewarded with a great view of Downtown LA. Plus, you get to use the word "funicular", and when are you going to have that opportunity again?

The next day, we got in the car and drove 4 hours to a mountain in the desert by the Mexican Border,

but that's another story. 

x Justina




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into 2018 and beyond

Well guys, 2017 was the best one yet. 10/10 for being a good time.

Every year I write this post and realize just how much went down in such a short amount of time, and how much of it I had already forgotten.  *mom voice* that's just the way it goes.

Let's crack on then, shall we? 2017 never took a break. Not even for a little bit. Not even when I asked nicely.

 Jordan + I went to Ireland, Disneyland, and Vegas, racked up hundreds of miles on the highways and byways of California, and some in the skies over LA.  I went a'sliding on a glass slide 1,000 feet above the city, and Sallie took some of the most iconic photos in this blog's history. This year I convinced Jordan to come with to summer camp and 3,000+ (no, not a typo, the boy is trigger happy) photos were taken. Mosquito bites were had by all. We drove four hours for a burrito, and I flew five and a half for beignets.  We went to a color run that I did not run at. I stood in auditory rapture of Lorde, Chance the Rapper (twice, I'm spoiled), lil Dickey, and NPR. I turned 20! And went to New York! And got velvet overalls!

The blog turned 7.  If it were a child, it'd be in second grade, and that is as close to being the parent of a second grader that I need to be for a long time.  I finished the semester with most of my sanity and most of my grades, submitted all my college applications, and I was also appointed the Student Representative on the Board of Directors for the Online News Association, so I'll be taking names and visiting...TEXAS. To say I'm excited would be putting it lightly.

Remember when I thought 2016 was wild? We all underestimate sometimes. My resolution for this year was to "do more of what I want" and I did. It wasn't always easy, and frankly, I needed a nap most of the 365 days, but I think I pulled off 2017 in a spectacular fashion.

My resolution for 2018 is: Say yes if you want to.

 2018 is going to be a big year, and is already filling up with things I am both excited for and terrified of, and they all required a bit of a leap on my behalf. From the month-long trip to Germany to the new swimsuit, I have to summon Steph Curry and shoot my shot, even if my anxiety is telling me to sit down.

I would also really would like to go see the piggies in the Bahamas before my president figures out a way to outlaw pigs or women swimming or acknowledging that the ocean is real or something, so I supposed that's this years material goal.

2017, it's been really real.
2018, let's party. 

x Justina

it's the holidays, I'm baking (cookies)

It's Christmas Eve, SANTA IS COMING.

 I was informed by those of you on instagram that cooking posts would be favorably received. I can't really cook, but there are a few photo-worthy things I can churn out, so I figured it was worth a shot. Especially because we're almost upon a new year, and if this goes terribly wrong, we can just leave it in 2017 along with fanny packs and most of our politicians.

once I was 7 years old

Wow. It's been seven years guys. 

Seven years ago today, I sat down on a much clunkier computer and started building this blog, all because my mom told me that I probably wouldn't keep it up for longer than two weeks, and I wanted to prove her wrong. I'm so glad that this is the only thing I've been right about. 

We've had an good time, haven't we? And we've all grown up (just a little bit though). When I started this, I was 13 years old, 5'1, and everything I knew came from old issues of Teen Vogue I bought at the library for $0.25. Now I'm 20, 5'8, and a hoarder who still has all of those magazines. My world has been broadened immensely, and my overall collection is getting a bit out of hand, but I'm still having the time my life here with all of you. 

Thank you for reading, liking, 
and always forgiving me for tragically failing at any kind of structure. 

You guys are the bomb.com

x Justina




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market day

photos by jordan

shirt: charlotte russe

jeans: aeo

California is a fruit basket. 

No, I'm not talking about people from LA. We just really have a ton of fruit. and vegetables. and bread. and juice. looooots of juice. All of that adds up into some pretty fantastic farmers markets. 

One of my personal favorites is the one on Saturday mornings in Davis. From the still half-drunk college students to the frozen apple juice, it's just really cute. There's tons of dogs, and a woman who makes biriani, and lots of fresh flowers for me to sniff. But this weekend, I had a more important mission: PERSIMMONS. They're my absolute favorite fruit, and I wait for MONTHS for them to show up at the market, at which point I promptly buy them by the pound. There's an art to the whole thing, and I'm not going to divulge any of my secrets because I don't want any competition.

I keep waiting for some sort of sign (other than the presence of PSLs) that it's ~actually autumn~, but it's been 20 years, and California has barely turned a leaf.

x Justina 

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twenty years later...

me in 2013, on my 16th birthday

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY. I'm officially twenty years old, which, *SPOILER ALERT* means I'm not a teenager anymore. That's just...strange. I've been a -teen for seven years, and all of a sudden it just happened and the earth kept revolving and ...

*dramatic pause*

OK.


(I'm one of those annoying people who thinks age is an arbitrary concept, but I do realize the gravity of this moment, so I want to use it to send a single idea.)

My teenage years would not make for a great YA novel. I was never that angsty, mainly just hangry. I didn't have an identity crisis. I never got invited anywhere so I never had a "partying phase". I needed my mom's help to dye my hair purple. I was homeschooled and never took the SAT.  But I did get to do a lot of cool stuff. At 13 I started this blog, at 14 I was in Teen Vogue, at 15 I stood up for Barbie, and at 16 I graduated high school. At 17 I moved to Germany, when I was 18 I gave up my dreams of being a Disney Channel star, and this last year I got on a helicopter and spoke to crowds and finally learned how to thread eyebrows.

BIG PICTURE: Young people have an extraordinary capacity for greatness if people stop using their age as a barrier. 

So no, as of today I will no longer be an "extraordinary/incredible/talented/fill-in-your-preferred-adjective teen" - but I'm exactly who 13 year old me wanted to be.

5'8, green streaks,
and still talking to myself on the internet.  

x Justina



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get stepping

shoes: vans

I cringe at being such a cliche, but I really do love shoes. I spend a lot of time on my feet, running around, and it's important to me that they don't just fall off. Sneakers, heels, boots, clogs. I wear them all, and will always buy another pair. That said, I moved with a swiftness when The Great Mall invited me to come check out their latest mall-wide sale - 

because a sale at an outlet mall is 2x better than a sale at a regular mall. 

I love to prepare for things as far in advance as possible, but yesterday, I just went with the flow - and tried on every. single. pair. of. shoes. That's not to say that I didn't predict my inevitable purchase of these pastel vans - I've been eyeing them for months - just that I wanted to be sure.

I remember as a kid being so done with shoe shopping that I literally just took them off and threw them as far away from me as I could physically managed. After being forced to walk the two feet to pick them up, I resolved that I would never make anyone go through what was clearly an act of torment.

Sorry Chloie.

x Justina

ps. this post was produced in partnership with simon malls, but remember the rules: 

no pair of shoes can buy my love. 

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