A Dream in Paris

                           

 

Call me stupid, silly, underachieving, flunky and unapologetic but all I really wanna do is drop out of college and start leading an exciting life.

 

                                

As I've said before, I was suppose to go to Japan. I was supposed to be smacked dabbed for Tokyo Fashion Week, #100Tokyo, #CoolJapan and be on a week long crazy adventure. 12 hours away, working through my entire spring break, only to take a few hours away to enjoy the pre-bloom of Japanese Cherry Blossoms.

 

                          

 

Welp, if you follow me on Instagram, you obviously know that didn't happen. 4 days before take off, my plans got canceled and hastily re-arranged. I got 2 working efforts that paid off somehow someway. I may not be a famous blogger but hell I know how to get places.

 

                       

One of the locations I went to was Paris, France. I went with lexss than a hundred bucks in pocket, a carry-on full of clothes, a hotel reservation, and a bit of crappy French and Creole.

 

 

                        

 

I can read French fluently but I can't really speak it. I kinda assumed that there would be a big Haitian population concentrated in one area. I found out from a random Haitian-French man on the train that no such things exist and unlike in New York, the Haitian population is spread out and their customs are often churned out. Luckily my creole is somewhat similar to the French of Cote-de-Ivory so I managed to get around only speaking Creole.

 

My mission was to attend a few shows, style-spot what Parisians wear, and overall get inspired by Parisans as a whole. I had only 3 days to make this opportunity into a grand scheme. I took a lot of inspiration from my favorite bloggers who had also made the trip. Primarily Yutaki and Michelle Phan.

                            

 

I had to make the best of what little money I had. No food could cost more than 3 euros and I avoided buying drinks in excess. Most meals costed around 10 euros. I tried to refrain from spending more than 4. Subways, Mcdonalds, and Crepe stands were the wave. Who cares if I missed out on authentic French cuisine, I wasn't on a pleasure trip  anyway.

 

I often had to think twice about eating.

Just note that their porta-potties are way better than ours.

                         

 

I honestly don't know why but I have a tendency to stick out everywhere I go. I got stopped everywhere I went. 

 

                                            

I got photographed several times.



People automatically assumed I was French too, in highly populated tourist areas. I don't know if that was common or not but I could sense a bit of annoyance accompanied by my broken French.

 

 

But one things was for certain, things did change after this trip. For one I can't stand people strolling in the city. Unlike in Manhattan, where people do take their time walking, Parisians walk extremely fast and their bags will hit you if you are in their way. A brief "pardon" and the zoom off. 

 

But more importantly, inspiration was drawn upon. For some reason I didn't find France very romantic like I did for Washington, DC. I found it ambitious and aesthetic. Fashion is different from the states and I was lucky to pack clothes that stood in a bit more. The French are proud in their oxfords, bright scarfs and simple silhouettes. Their silhouettes are flowy and portray a bit of fleeting freedom and yet personify their emotions. I was expecting them to wear a lot more black but instead they wore rustic colors and pastels.

 

And love was a matter of identity. Love was unspoken but can be seen. I saw a lot of different couples. I was in awe at the amount of bi-racial couple I saw and the amount of nannys stringing along a fleet of children. Love was personified in their art. Romance was found in their food. Everything showed the romance of the creation and their creator. 

                           

Still, Paris was not a romantic place  per say. Maybe if I was on a pleasure trip I would be saying something different but I didn't feel it. I felt more artistically inspired.

                   

 

What inspired me the most was the Jardin du Luxemburg. We skipped out on Versailles and took on this free alternative. 

                        

 

In France, spring had only just entered with some temps in the low 60s but Jardin du Luxemburg would make you think we were well into April. Flowers in full bloom everywhere, Kids running and playing meanwhile adults enjoyed their jog or conversation and a picnic. 

      

 

 This was the most romantic place I visited in all honestly. It was pure in unusual ways. It was obviously well taken care of.

                    

Now you must be asking. What will I do with this unkept creativity and what was the final product of my trip to France? Welp, you'll find out soon and I can basically totes that you will love it.

Adieu mes amis. S'il vous plaît aller me suivre sur  instagram, twitter, et tumblr pour mises à jour quotidiennes <3

Geo Nudy Blue Review

For some girls, falsies are the must wear thing. For others it might just be a bold eyeliner. For me, bright contact lenses are the must do of my look. 

Call it unhealthy, but I dont think I look good if I'm not wearing color contacts and tout them with pride almost all the time. 

As you know, I purchased a pair from Lensvillage last month and got a pair of lenses for free with my order. Its almost obligatory that I give you insights of my newest lenses in my collection. 

You see I'm no stranger to Geo nor am I a stranger to the Nudy Series. This is the 3rd lense I bought from Geo Medical and the second from their Nudy series. 

These lenses have a diameter of 14mm, 8.6 base curve, and a water content of 38%.

Here's my thing with these lenses. Ever since I got hooked to the Dueba Puffy 3-tones, I can't come to love these lenses but I can't hate em either. I hated Eos Natural 3-tones and the Geo Nudy Grays used to be my favorites. Its a complicated relationship.1

For starters, it gives very little enlargement. Which is good for girls with big eyes but not so good for girls like me who don't. 

Versuses---> 

Shes wearing Geo Nudy Browns but you get the gist of the argument. They are perfect on her. 

So in all fairness Enlargement gets a 3.5/5 

However in terms of color. Its really nice in natural way. Would I like it to be a tid more vibrant? Hell yes! But it works very well with what it does. 

However it only fairs so well in different light situations. This score is going to be a bit bias lol.

4/5 for Color 

As far as comfort go, I do believe that Geo Medical as a whole, their contacts are less comfortable than most major circle lenses company. However comfort is the most bias scoring because everyone is different.  My eyes don't get dried out easily  but as far these contacts go 6-7 hours at most without feeling them irritatingly drying out versus 8+ hours for most contacts. Way better than the Geo Angel Blue which could only fare for about 4 hours. Still dryness is always disappointing.

So 3.5/5 for comfort.
  

Overall, these lenses are a good staple lenses for everyday look. Its not as gorgeous as my Puffy 3-tones but it does the job. 

Galloween NYC

I know Halloween was a while ago but I haven't had the chance to post about it until now lol...

I cleared one thing off my bucket list. I finally met the NYC gals. Well I got to meet a few of them. I met Lisa (Sayuri) and Hannah (whose online name I don't really know). They are both cool and really fun to party with. Halloween night was just sooo crazy in the city. I'm glad I went!

These photos were some of the few I managed to uncover from photographers that shot me that day . I got my photo taken so many times by various of bloggers and even reporters. I didn't think my costume was that great (it was just aspects of my usual clothes and a target add ons)

The worst part was I lost my IPod which held all my photos from that night. I took pictures with the cutest costumes too -__- 

Outfit

Top: Agaci ($15~)
Bottoms: Conway ($5)
Necklace being used as a belt : Forever 21 ($8)
Ears, bowtie, bracelet set: Target ($8)

The Things You Don't Know feat. My Darling Rainbow

Hello lovelies!

There aren't many blogging Queens this far west and Carisse Iris is one of those on the rise. If you haven't heard of her, SHAME ON YOU! But lucky you, I got the exclusive details on this blogger. She has unique style, impressive makeup skills, and 2 awesome blogs. Now you get to find out more about this super cute blogger. 

I skipped over the most commonly asked Questions and went straight for something different so here is "Things You May Not Know about My Darling Rainbow"

Q. Can you tell us about yourself?

A. Okay! So, my name is Carisse Iris and I run a blog and operate  under the title My Darling Rainbow. I'm coming upon 24 years od age and I don't have much to show for it but my Makeup Artistry certificate and a few wrinkles.

Q. How would you describe you style?

A. My style is something between himekaji gyaru and oneegyaru in a pastel spectrum.

Q. What made you get into blogging and what push you to keep blogging to this point?

A. I started blogging when I first got my MUA certicifate and I would post my client's makeup looks. But then, I got bored of it and just wanted to talk about myself, point blank. Eventually, I realized that people likes what I had to say and I wanted to post things not only about myself but that could help others be it tutorials, reviews, or just random life experiences... What keeps me going now is making my readers happy.

Q. What is the most worn item in my wardrobe?

A. Probably my American Apparel light blue skater skirt. It's perfect for summer.

Q. Since you are by profession, a makeup artist, how does fashion play a part in your life professionally and personally?

A. It plays a pretty big deal. As a makeup artist, you are your own billboard of your skills, and if you look good and put together, you get more clients and it helps instil confidence in your clients.. On top of it, I always like looking good when working with other people since I'll be in their face for a good hour and they'll be getting a good look at me.

Personally, It's not a big part but more something I do for fun and it makes me happy to look/dress the way I do.

Q. What inspires you the most as a makeup artist?

A.Gyaru makeup. Though, I'm never asked to do it on clients, I love doing flawless contour, blush and highlight on clients and using and amplifying their favourite features. Which is used quite often in gyaru makeup. I'd also be downsizing the fact, but obviously, my clients inspire me because once I see my canvas I get to visualize what to do to bring out and polish their natural beauty!

Q. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

A. Let's see... In 10 years I'll be 34. So, hopefully by then I'll have my business degree and maybe have my own desert cafe and it'll do well enough to support me and make others happy.

Q. What major tips would you give out to girls who are aspire in the world of makeup, fashion or blogging?

A.My major tip is to just go for it. If you don't know anything about what you want to do, don't be afraid to contact someone you look up to and ask for help or the steps they took to get where they are. I've realized that hesitation won't get you anywhere. It's better to keep trying and failing than to watch from the sidelines and trying to make a master plan. Also, networking will get you anywhere and everywhere! Never turn down a party and talk to everyone. The best thing you can learn is how to fake a smile and how to treat everyone nicely even if you might dislike them, because you get more flies with honey than with vinegar. 

I want to give a special thank you to Carisse Iris! She was super sweet and really kind enough to let me interview her for this special blog segment! If you don't follow her, go read her main blog and tumblr.

Thank you for reading and I hope you guys are keeping up with My Darling Rainbow!  

Vampire Knight Review

With everything that's been happening lately... I've been swirling out of control trying to keep on top of everything. Like seriously last week I was all depressed and constantly down on my luck. That changed literally in one or two days. From Fashion shows, to College to employment to blogging. It'll only be a day or two before my bad luck returns again. But I'm not going to bother you guys with all this excitement. I'm going to do what you guys have been asking for (well my tumblr following that is) I'm gonna give you a manga review.

Last year I incoherently touched up on the subject of Vampire Knight and rabbled some fangirling thoughts. Despite the ending, Vampire Knight hits home as one of my favorite mangas of all time (that list includes Tokyo Crazy Paradise, XxxHolic, Gokinjo Monogatari and other completed mangas that I will gladly review if you request it in the comment box). When I really like a manga, I read it a million times and if it's that good, you know I'm the person to come to make a review on it.

Despite my enthusiasm for the manga, according to mangaupdates (a database for manga readers worldwide),  out of 2589 votes, only 35% of readers would give Vampire Knight a 10/10. Majority of reader vote at a slightly lower range.  Its rating dropped to 7.89 when the manga ended (formerly 8.53 at the manga's peak). This makes Vampire Knight the second to lowest rated manga in my favorite (completed) reads and at the time of conclusion it was the lowest rated manga in my current reads (which is compiled of Naruto, Fairy Tail, Dengeki Daisy, Kaichou wa Maid-Sama etc).

My own personal rating of the manga would be an 8/10.00

Why?

Vampire Knight had a strong beginning. It began publication towards the end of Merupuri's serialization (another manga by the author). Merupuri was a strong story (averagely rated at 8.46, a considerably high rating for mangas) which also had a strong fanbase. That fanbase followed over to Vampire Knight expecting another compelling and charming story. The author in turn, tried to step away from the cute and charming world of Merupuri and give a dark edge to those readers. We fell for it.

Vampire Knight begins actually slow with the first few chapters, repetitive and the art wasn't too charming. I will admit it: The manga was flat. However it showed promise so I and thousands of fans worldwide read more. The author quickly changed things up. The art improved, the storyline became less "typical shoujo" and more detailed. By Chapter 3, majority of that charming and cute crap was cut out and evolved into sinister plot with the only thing with even a reminder to Matsuri Hino's usual writing is simply the heroine. Her heroines tend to be outspoken, dense in matters of love, somewhat submissive, rash... Rather typical shoujo writing in my head.

Most of the fanbase are more interested in how sexy every male character is drawn. I look at the actual writing and art. Vampire Knight storyline kept a really nice fast tempo at first. It constantly gave plot twister which was nice for the average reader. However as Miss AP, I had to delve a little further. Those twisters may satify the average reader but not me. Otherwise this manga would only rate a 6 or 7.Matsuri-sensei incorporated many literary device into the manga. It's so hard to find a literary device in a manga besides a flashback these days. Vampire Knight adeptly uses symbolism, foreshadowing, red herring, and even poetic justice.


But what stops this story from being a 9 or a 10?

To be honest, mangas rarely ever score a 9 or higher. The best ratings tend to be in range of 8.80. Vampire Knight remained strong as a a manga for long ride. As the plot focuses on Zero (one of the protagonists) it has a filling that keeps readers loving the story.  However a major plot twist makes the story reach its climax and it took about 30 to 40 chapters for the manga to complete. The manga was drawn out for too long. The pace drastically slowed and no longer had the zest the readers wanted. Everyone was simply anticipating the end. Towards the end Matsuri successfully revive's everyones interest in the story but several chapters too late. It could of been a resurgence, the story could've went places. Instead she lamely ends the series with a very pathetic and confusing chapter. The intention may of been to leave a cliffhanger but instead we are left with confusion and un-fulfillment.

Overall the story is great. The addition of literary devices, dark imagery, solid plotline, and generous amount of bishies makes the story such a win. I will re-read it a hundred times and I will hope that you guys might be persuaded to read the manga as well. So leave your opinions in the comments. I will definitely being give my commentary of Say I Love You soon and tell me what else you want to hear from me.

Xoxo,
@moonangelko on twitter and instagram.

Follow my blog and my tumblr for some awesome posts.

Some funny stuff

Blogging from my cellphone ladida. The blogger app for android isn't that bad la. Everyone always says bad stuff about it but who knows.

These past few weeks have been bizarrely stressful for me. Usually I get more stressed during my midterms in january but my school has been throwing out bullshit after bullshit.
They suspended me for 2 weeks for cyber bullying wtf. The curse of being a blogger with an opinion right? I didn't even say anything bad. I didn't go all out with a xiaxuemoment.jpg I just said this girl needs to stop bothering people or else she'll get her reckoning. I didn't say I would be the one giving her reckoning but evidently that's a threat. Futhermore she attacked me at school for a totally different reason but according to the school she doesn't need psychiatric help, I'm the one in the wrong.... okay I do sound rather guilty but the way this all played out, this girl was really just psycho.

So in the middle of my suspension, my mom up and goes to haiti, unannounced to my sister and I. We were like wtf woman, why u leave us? So most of the time me and my dad were home together. That was super awkward because we don't talk to each other much. But we are so alike that its crazy. For example he had to drive me somewhere by 8am one Saturday.

6am
Me: Daddy don't forget we have somewhere at 7:30
*he gets up and I accidently go back to sleep*
7:30
Me: *finds my dad asleep again* daddy why did you go back to sleep lor?
Dad: why did you go back to sleep?
Me: hey hey, I'm not the adult here
Dad: * grunts and slowly gets ready*
 
We didn't get there until 8:45. Mostly my fault though.

Once I did go back to school I took habit to wearing subtle gyaru makeup every so I can develop perfect makeup for senior picture.  This one is using Kiss I-envy Au Naturale 03 and puffy 3 tone grey

 

These ones uses the Ardell Fairies lashes and puffy 3tone violet. Mildy okay attempts except the fact that I had gaps in between my fake lakes and real lashes at times.

Kay kay nothing more to say. Thank you for reading.

Follow me on nuffnangx and instagram/twitter: moonangelko

My Makeup Collection

So I decided to do a post on all the make-up I own. It's not much and everything I have is pretty cheap. But hey I actually own more makeup than my mother! She believes deeply in natural beauty and hates it even when I put a bit of eyeshadow!

My makeup collection is the equivalent to the amount of makeup a not-so-beginner-but-still-a-beginner makeup kit. I bought most of my stuff with my own money.

I put all my makeup into a makeup bag that a friend gave me for christmas. Before the bag, I used to put everything in a drawer. I really need to buy mini drawer to put all my makeup in but I keep forgetting.

My first item, I'll present to you guys is the E.L.F Limited Edition Endless Eyes Pro Eyeshadow ($10). It's a super long name that gets me tongue twisted every time but it's really lovely. I got it for Christmas and this is my second palette. 

The Palette has 100 colors in total. Out of my two palette this is my favorite because the colors are more natural. I can make hundreds of natural combos. I can use this palette everyday.

Here are some swatches. The colors are really pigmented but some colors can be very bright. Bright colors tend not to compliment me.

This is the first palette I ever bought. I bought it off of Ebay. Its called the Pro 96 palette ($9.26). This palette tend to compete with the Coastal Scents 88 palette and Bhcosmetics 120 and 88 palettes but I've use those palettes before. The 96 is pretty much the same as those ones. I saved so much money on this palette so I just said: If it's not MAC (or any other luxgury brand makeup), it's not worth the extra money. 

Here are some swatches. I like this palette because it's super pigmented and the colors overall are deep. 

Here are my broken up travel palettes. They didn't cost more than $3 and I needed them when I overslept and needed to do makeup in school everyday (which I stopped doing, bareface is okay too). They obviously couldn't handle constant travel in my bookbag. 

My false lashes collection currently. Usually I own a box of Ebay lashes and I own a pair of Revlon Fantasy  Lengths that I never wore but I somehow misplaced it. Go figure. 

This is a pair of Ardell Invisband Fairies ($3.49) that I had since January but never wore because I'm scared I might need them for a special event,

Gyaru lashes, if I ever feel the need. It was a korean brand ($1). I think it was Darkness

The upper left corner is ELF Essentials Limited Edition Silver Box Eyelash Kit ($3). It was a gift. The upper right corner is an Ebay off-brand. Also was a gift. The bottom one (which looks really disgusting but I only used it once, the box looks disgusting because  of my bookbag and it didn't agree, like my palette) 

My liquid foundation. Maybelline Mineral Power in Latte Dark 1-3 (which I believe is no longer sold). I bought it on Ebay (and its still sold on Ebay so I intend to stock up). It gives awesome coverage and because it's discontinued it cost a little bit more than a buck. 

I get this BB Cream for free whenever I buy circle lenses from thedollyeyes.com. It saves me from buying concealer. When I use this under my foundation it gives medium coverage while my foundation gives me another medium coverage. It overall cover up my eyebags and my occasional pimple (I don't generally get pimples on my face, I usually get them on my chest)

L'Oreal True Match Naturale. Keeps all my makeup together pretty well and it doesn't cake. Since all my skin products have SPF 15, 15 x 3,  45 spf, I think my skin is getting awesome protection lol. 

An off brand liquid foundation I bought to use as eyelid primer. It was a $1 and it's such a bad foundation that it works great for other things. 

My NK automatic eyeliner ($1). Looks like a gel liner except so much easier to apply.

Mattese Eye Drama. This pretty much sucks. But it's brush is okay.

 My mascaras and random elf eyelash curler. The only thing that is missing is Maybelliner Falsies Mascara which I am going to bu

A buyincoins product! One is a fiber and one is the the actual mascara. In combination it makes your lashes super long. It's called Flamingo...... (super long name). Only $2.18 and free shipping. 

Kiss I-Envy ($4.95). This also a very good mascara because the bristles of the brushes separates your lashes and indivually coats them. 

A Lumene Mascara ($1) that's probably discontinued but it's really cool because it a blue mascara but the blue barely shows. It give good volume however. 

An off-brand mascara ($!) its does a basic job.

My lip colors.

Slightly melted but a cute color. I got it from my sister so I don't the brand or the price.

This was a deep red from NK ($1). To my surprise the bullet broke when I opened it! Oh well, I didn't really like NK lipsticks, they are cheap but they easily give me clownish lips. 

My lip glosses. 

The two small ones are Sephora's Birthday gifts. They are a sugar lip treatment. The pink one is a red tint and the maroon one is clear. They really smooth my lips and moisturize them. 

This is a lipstick/lipgloss combo stick. I don't know where I got it but I think I got it for free when I bought my clothes for my trip to Disney World.

Swatches.

That's basically it for my makeup collection. It's relatively small in comparison to gurus and might be huge for those mascara-and-lipgloss-is-all-i-need type of girls. But a makeup collection isn't something you just all buy at once. It takes time for these things to pile. It called a collection for a reason. I will always have stuff adding on. For example I just got Elf Eyeliner Pen and a chinese eyelash glue today. When starting a collection, just take things two at a time! 

Thanks for reading my post!