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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TRAVEL | it's how far up

This was maybe one of the scariest things I've ever done for a blog post, and I never saw it coming. I'm not scared of heights, so the 8k foot ascension above the Sonoran Desert on the Palm Springs Aerial Tram sounded like a great idea when they invited Sallie and I aboard. Then suddenly, I was in a glass bubble that was slowly rotating up a cable into the San Jacinto mountains, and....it was incredible. 

Somewhere along the way up, the terrain changes from dusty desert to a heavily wooded forest, closely resembling those where I live, far in the north of the state. It was an oasis unlike what you'd typically expect in a place where average temperatures can, and regularly do, reach 116 degrees fahrenheit. An alpine forest, the state park is significantly cooler than the land below it. Walking into the ground lobby, where you board your tram, and then the lodge at the top of the mountains, I almost forgot where I was. It reminded me of lodges in Europe, with their rickety wood paneling and dark restaurants. Outside, you feel like you're in a National Park ad, with the few tourists who found this gem, and the regulars who know where to locate a good hike meandering among the meticulously maintained paths. 

According to the guide, you pass through five different biomes on the way up, and it's easy to believe. The landscapes change drastically. Or maybe it just looks like that because they're getting smaller and smaller.

10/10 would recommend taking a bit of a hike up to the Tramway if you're looking for something different to do - or even just the slightest bit of a cool breeze in Southern California.

x J

ps. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway runs year round, minus holidays, and tickets can be purchased online up to 24 hours in advance. 



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step to it

sneakers: toms

So, fun medical fact about Justina: I have plantar faciitis. (Not, in fact, planetary fascist, which is what I thought my chiropractor said the first time) Basically, long words short, it means that my feet hurt rather a lot fairly frequently in most shoes. It's made me very picky, and justified a lot of shoe shopping. Sneakers are the worst, because they're always really grossly stiff or just pointlessly thin. Like think about it, there's a reason your chiropractor isn't pushing Yeezy's. My Converse are ADORABLE but after like two hours I'm out. Basically, I didn't have crazy high expectations for this pair from TOMS, but they were cute and I'm a sucker for a cause. 

Here's a thing I swear I didn't get bribed to say: THESE SHOES ARE AN ACTUAL MIRACLE AND I NEED MAYBE SIX MORE PAIRS. Or least these snazzy suede ones. Beyond the fact that they're sporty enough to make me look like I know what I'm doing, (you all know better, don't you) they're just really comfortable. As previously stated a hundred thousand times, that's all I'm ever looking for anyway. If they had workable pockets I could probably just throw out half my wardrobe for them. They're so great, in fact, that I felt the need to give them their own blog post. Sneaks are also part of TOMS amazing one for one program, so another is getting some fresh kicks to live their life in too.

Side note: I definitely didn't think about the whole "sneakers in sand" thing until I tried to very carefully put these back in my rucksack - and dropped them in a drift that they were promptly covered by. So they're a bit gritty now, but that's FINE, it just adds to the experience.

But seriously, if you have a way to get sand out of shoes, slide into the DM's.

x J

ps. It's march? how? when? what?

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sleep right

pyjamas + yawn london*


When I was in England, I procured a great appreciation of British behaviors. Tea drinking, wellies wearing, and PYJAMA DWELLING. Spelling it "pyjama" instead of "pajama" or (ugh) "jammies". Seriously. When was the last time you had a proper set of pyjamas that you wanted to artistically wander around your house in?  I know the whole "undies and a tshirt is enough" argument Americans like to pull, but that's just because we've been DEPRIVED. We may as well have dumped  better sleep in the bay with the boxes of tea back in the day. After London, I simply had to have my own pair, and since American's would insist on covering everything in camo or sports logos, I went to the source.

YAWN is a cute lil company based in London that's focused on the moment, not just the clothes. They're all about cuddling, coziness, and equipping people with the proper apparel for those activities. Also, they believe in pockets, which you know got me hooked. Gotta keep snacks somewhere. Just looking at these photos makes me want to put them back on and take a nap.

Pyjamas aside, what I love about this company is that they represent something I think we all struggle a little bit with now: taking time out to appreciate little moments. Their motto is "phone off, kettle on, pajama time". When was the last time you ignored snapchat to finish your chapter? Or drank a cup of anything NOT out of a travel cup? I'm basically surgically attached to my phone and am a Starbucks gold card member until 2019 due to my inability to find time to make myself a cup of coffee. Today was the first time in three weeks I've been in bed for a straight eight hours. It's not healthy, but it is normal. We all move so quickly now that we forget that we ever slowed down.

My brilliant idea for a closing line was "see you in your sleep" but then I realized how utterly terrifying that sounds and decided that a simple "sweet dreams" will do.

x J


ps. Speaking of slowing down: it takes ages for me to scan instax but don't these photos look dreamy? 

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how utterly pants (jeans)

HIGH WAISTED SKINNY JEANS  c.o DSTLD

Pants.

1. a very necessary clothing piece

2. a great way to say "rubbish"

I've said it before and I'll say it again: denim is a classic for a reason.

It is also a classic pain in the butt to find a pair of jeans that fit you properly.
Especially if you don't have a butt. Like me.

Every single pair of jeans I've ever had are deficient in some way. 

That weird waist thing where it sticks out in the back, the knee bunchy bit, 

or the *worse* of all - loose ankles. Don't even get me started on loose ankle struggle.

DSTLD promised they had it down, so I went full hog. Dark indigo wash, high waisted, skinny jeans. Simple enough, but hard to get right. They arrived, fit, and I was hopeful. A month later, THEY STILL FIT and it's a miracle on level with grilled cheese Jesus. No less.

I have worn these jeans in every possible situation, because I trust you guys with my selfies, and you trust me to give you solid opinions on jeans. So they went to the Boardwalk, the an airplane, two ambassador retreats, several roadtrips, quite a few soccer games, and every other outfit I've worn since they arrived. I've run (ok, kidding, but I could run if I WANTED to), done yoga, criss-cross applesauce'd on the quad lawn, and climbed stairs.  Fair and photoshoots, they survived it all. There's no rips, no fading, no stretching, and the waist is still on my waist. Majorly impressive for a pair of $65 jeans.  They're my new favorite ~capsule wardrobe~ piece, mainly because I know they always look good. That's worth some serious sartorial street cred. 

Gold stars to DSTLD. All of them. 

x Justina

ps.  DSTLD has a pretty rad company story, you can read it here.

 

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my ipad is endangered

 case c.o dodocase

 *crack*

For anyone who owns a glass face Apple product, 

this is the noise of nightmares.

You turn your iPhone/iPod/iPad/iWhatever over, 

to witness for yourself the shattered window that used to be your favorite smooth surface. 

Nothing could have been done to save it.

except 

maybe

 a better case.

As you may know, I have shattered several iPods in my time,

 and every single one was because their case failed to hold onto them. 

So when my snazzy little ipad mini arrived from Teen Vogue, 

I was desperate to keep it safe. 

Enter every tech blog on the internet.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE MAKE IPAD MINI CASES!?!?

But then I found DODOcase, and hey,

 if President Obama trusts his presidential ipad to them, who was I to doubt? 

Also, all their cases are handmade in San Francisco,

 which makes my 'murican pride happy.

 

 When it arrived, I was a little skeptical. 

The cases are made in a bookbinding technique, and the case itself is bamboo.

 There was a suspicious lack of...well, anything. Holding it, I mean.

I was pretty sure I'd need iron rods and possibly some superglue.

I stuck my ipad in, then rattled it around a bit two inches above my comforter. Nothing moved. 

Two weeks of rigorous field testing 

(read: two weeks in my purse, my hands, the park, and a rather dubious trip to the library)

MY IPAD IS SAFE FROM EXTINCTION.

The DODOcase has protected it, propped it up, saved it from several near misses,

 and made for a very cute accessory.
The only thing I'm sliiightly worried about 

is the elastic that holds the front cover to the case wearing out,

 but it seems like something that could easily be fixed.

I would 100% recommend it. 

 

Maybe not if you're trying to, say, film Niagra Falls,

 but why would you be doing that with an iPad anyway?

xx,

Justina

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let down your hair // tangled teezer review

 tangle teezer c.o tangle teezer

 fun fact: my hair is directly related to ironman, and as such, is indestructible 

I have, to date,

snapped a wooden hairbrush,

 emptied thousands of bottles of conditioner, 

and lost millions of  bobby pins.

All in the name of taming my hair to some degree.

Nothing doing. 

Rapunzel thought she had a problem. 

Girl, all your  perfect hair does is grow, calm down.

 When my hair wants to turn into a single dreadlock, 

that is what it is going to do and 

THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME GOD JUSTINA

 So when this Tangle Teezer came along, I was.. skeptical, at best.

Wildly doubtful is actually a more accurate description.

 But despite my previous assumptions against its character,

 it rose to the gargantuan challenge. 

This little piece of pink plastic did the unthinkable: got through my tangles.

 Granted, that is its job description,

 but it's still a big order to fill.

I tested it out on my hair wet and dry. 

It worked like a charm, 

with the only problem I see being that it does separate your curls when it's dry, which can make them a bit frizzy/flyaway,

 but nothing dramatic. 

unless you're victoria beckham's bob

Overall, it's an absolutely terrific little tool that I'd definitely recommend, 

especially if you travel a lot,

enjoy the beach but not its effect on your 'do,

or if your hair is just superhero strength.

Also there's a Shaun the Sheep one, which is a must.

xx,

Justina

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foot gloves

socks c.o. legwear loft| bow legs c.o. my soccer team

if you wanna be my lover, you better give me a good pair of socks

When you wear big stomping combat boots as often as I do, 

a good pair of knee high socks you can artfully scrunch down  is a must.

They should also be durable enough for sporadic floor sliding competitions, and pretty enough that when that awkward "I can see your untanned ankles" thing happens, it's not awkward at all.

These magical things can't possibly exist, you insist. 

and yet

they do.

When Legwear Loft sent me these, 

I was a bit skeptical, as they look a bit on the delicate side of things.

 As we all know, that won't work too well for me.

Let us take a moment and count how many 60 denier tights I go through a week

But after a rigourous two weeks of testing, I am happy to pronounce that they are Justina proof, and for all their cute little knit, they have done a beautiful job of keeping my feet 

(otherwise referred to as "those bloody FREEZING blocks of ice on the ends of your legs") 

warm and cozy.

 Everyone who wants to cuddle with me is very appreciative.

xx,

Justina

 

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instant gratification

 yay huburts * sulley wishes he was as scary as me* future home* yes I'm that tall* 

this dress * carslandcarslandcarsland* THEY MAKE GLITTERY EARS* it glowed. that's all.

all photos taken with instax mini 8 c.o. fujifilm

I love this camera like a child. 

As I have previously mentioned, 

I have wanted a mini instax since B.o.B released his "Airplanes" video. 

'sup 2010

When Fujifilm offered me one to review,
I burst into a celebratory dance moment to the song

It was completely worth the wait. 

This camera is everything I hoped it would be. 

I initially was worried that the shape

(it's the Fat Amy of cameras)

 would make it a  bit cumbersome to carry around, 
but it's actually super light, 

and easy to slip into everything but a clutch. 

Or if you're not a purse person,

 and have strong faith in thick pieces of string, 

there's a wrist strap for you to precariously dangle it from.

 The prints are adorable, and turn out way clearer then I expected. 
They're the perfect size, and more rectangular than square, 
which is good for shooting stuff like people  and castles and ice cream cones.

I took it with me on vacation, and so can vouch for it's Justina-proofing. 
I dropped it,
several times, 
 in a pile of sand, 
on a boardwalk,
into a palm tree.
don't ask. 
The plastic shell a. absorbed it and b. was really easy to clean off.

The only thing I had an issue with was the settings

 but that was more due to me being a bad judge of high sunlight v. low sunlight

I think it's really cool how polaroid cameras have evolved in the important ways, 

while still retaining what makes them a classic. 

They've also come fast and hard as an "old" thing 

into fashion blogging, which is a relatively new industry. 

Even the way the camera looks takes it from being just a tool to making it an accessory. 

It's an amazing way to capture moments and make them physical. 

You can look at a print a week later, a month, a year, and it all comes flooding back: 

the sounds, the lights, the laughter. 

It's a special kind of man-made magic.

Now I just wish I could work some magic on my wallet. 

The one true con of this camera is that the film is rather pricey, 

                                            running for about $13-$20 for 10 color prints.

 I recommend factoring in at least two "practice" shots.

(see: settings)

To top it off, it makes a really satisfying "rrrrRRrr" noise while it's printing your photo.

Total package.

xx,

Justina

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