warning: sushi photo overload

I spent my beautiful 80 degree wednesday at the park across the street from my house. I packed up a book, my water bottle, my puppy, & off we went! I was working on my tan, catching up on my reading, all the while, sushi was munching and rolling around on the grass. often I feel bad about cooping her up in the apartment all day while I'm off at classes or what not; I can tell how much she appreciates being outside when I do take her out.

we spent most of the afternoon just laying outside on the grass, a rare amenity in Philadelphia. a few dogs stopped by to play and smell Sushi, including her best fellow-shiba friend, akita. of course I had to have an mini-impromptu photoshoot - particularly for sushi's instagram: sushi_the_shiba.

how cute is it that akita's tail isn't curly anymore. also, the last picture of her eating a treat & sushi just staring at her is priceless.

other than the photoshoot of sushi, the best part of the day was honestly being able to finally just relax without my phone in my hand and constantly obsessing over checking it. putting it in the bottom of my purse & just people watching was lovely. being able to disconnect, even if its only for a few hours, is a beautiful thing.

also here are some songs I've been digging, I always do this, but these songs are so dance-y.
much love for cherub lately.

here's what I'm listening to:

monogamy - cherub

&

doses and mimosas - cherub

humpday confessions

I'm totally not one to do a weekly post like this but I thought - why not?
Humpday confessions Cat style.

source

1// I'm totally ready for summer, which is why I picked a beachy picture for my humpday this week!

2// I haven't vacuumed my apartment in like a week and the hairball tumbleweeds are starting to get on the gross side. Especially since my dog is shedding like crazy. My red rug is actually a shade of white at this point. oops.

3// I really should truly "spring clean" my apartment but I'll probably hire a maid. again… oops.

4// Legitimately I failed a math test yesterday. If I get more than a 2% on it I will actually be surprised.

5// Jhene Aiko has been on repeat since last week.

6// The last two weeks I used a tanning bed to get a base tan before memorial day.
TAN LINES ARE IMPORTANT.

7// I've mentally checked out of classes… good thing I'm taking a full course load this summer too.


What are your confessions this week?

Here's What I'm Listening To:

Marvins Room - Jhene Aiko

&

Smoke, Drink, Break Up - Mila J

o' natural

Living in a time where straight hair always seems to be the preferred norm, having curly hair I always felt as though it was a flaw of mine. I used to spend hours on hours straightening my wild, crazy, "has a mind of its own", curly hair into being completely pin straight… only to have it start frizzing or curling on the ends in a matter of minutes. It was an exhausting process but I had convinced myself that I was physically unattractive with curly hair.

curly hair & sushi! 

I read this interview the other day that couldn't have hit closer to home. Rafaela Avidago discussed "Natural Hair Confidence" with Refinery 29 and when I saw it on my Facebook timeline I was like "woah, hold up. Curly hair lady over here - click." I couldn't have agreed more with her - I grew up with people who were always asking me about my hair, touching it, "boinging" it. Boys and girls alike weren't used to girls with curlier hair. The preferred look throughout my middle school and high school days was the pin straight, long hair. I had completely curly as fuck hair with a mind of its own and although I tried to tame it with a straightener, like I said before, it was a hopeless effort. It would usually end up being somewhat curly in a matter of time and it made my hair so dry. I grew out of trying to impress everyone around me and just became comfortable with myself, my natural self. I stopped straightening my hair, stopped dressing to impress others, and just let my own confidence take hold.

Natural confidence is something every woman needs to embody. It makes me feel so much better about myself knowing that I look just as good with my hair just out of the shower than if I spend two hours styling it. If a significant other doesn't dig my curly hair then they can eff off. If they ain't digging your o'natural beauty too then fuck 'em.

Here's What I'm Listening To:

Over Your Shoulder - Chromeo

review - ipsy may box **

Happy Friday to all of my lovely blog friends out there! Happy graduation for all of you who are graduating college in the next few days too! I'm jealous af obviously - feels like eternity before I'll be wearing my cap & gown.

A few days ago I got my first subscription to ipsy in the mail. Which, for me, it turns out to be basically like a mini-Christmas when I get anything in the mail. The only things I ever really get in the mail are bills and junk so getting the cute pink package was a relief. Upon opening it upstairs I was happy to find the products all came in the cutest, mini make-up bag; it's perfect for keeping small make-up items together on the go. I love the natural, spring look of the design on the bag too.

Within the bag itself were five, sample sized items. My favorite being the Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask. Having long, curly hair, it is constantly dry and having split ends. I'm always making homemade hair masks (eggs & olive oil works so well!) so having an actual hair mask product was exciting. After applying it to my hair it felt so soft and nourished. I would recommend the product, although I wouldn't buy it myself - mostly because my homemade recipes work just as well!

The Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF 50 was another product that I will definitely being using this summer. I am a tanning fiend in the summer and am under the sun with a bathing suit on the minute I can. The product advertises saying its natural, meaning it is "chemical-free". It says free of a lot of chemicals that are in a lot of other suntanning lotions making it perfect for my super-sensitive skin on my face. I would recommend this product as well and probably buy it myself at the store if it was relatively inexpensive.

The Pacificia Mineral Eyeshadow Duo is also great for a more natural looking look in the summer. I love the two shades and will definitely be using them. I never overdo it with makeup and prefer a more natural look so these are perfect.

The final two products I won't use and probably won't recommend. The Too Faced Chocolate Soleil medium/deep bronzer is just something I won't ever use. I don't ever use bronzer in my beauty routine and this specific color is way too dark for my skin tone. The Avène Thermal Spring Water…. literally what the fuck is this shit? Its water. In a mist bottle. I'm sorry but what a complete waste of a product. I can't believe it sells! Who buys something like that?! Literally the ingredients are water and nitrogen. Are you shitting me?

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and aren't spending your money on stupid products like the "thermal spring water" mist shit.

Here's What I'm Listening To:

Bed Peace - Jhene Aiko ft. Childish Gambino

&

Say You'll Be There (Spice Girls Cover) - MØ

do my thang

Yes, the secret's out: I love Miley. Honestly, who is better to listen to in the shower or getting ready to take on the day? Miley is a good singer, but really she is just a performer looking for the next big event she can exploit to get her name out there. But my secret love for Miley is not really the point of this post. 

"Do My Thang" is one of my favorite tracks off of her album mostly because of how it promotes female independence. I've always been super independent and one to not blend in. After all, I won "Most Individualistic" in middle school and I just don't win things. Go me. I grew up believing it was important for me to always express myself, whether it was through my outward appearance or creatively through art and photography. Its so important for women to understand that blending in and just being like everyone else is boring.

I've been called strange or out of place just based off of the way I dress. I wore Free People in high school and dressed very bohemian. People thought it was strange because I wasn't wearing Michael Kors, jeans, leggings, and Sperrys, or whatever the latest trend was. I never cared back then and I still don't care now. Not caring what others thought of me empowered me, set me apart, and made me feel independent. I've never really known the feeling of being insecure about myself or what others feel towards me because not caring liberates me and makes me feel happy. If I cared what others thought I would never be where I am today or be confident enough to pursue my own personal goals. Doing your own thing without caring about others opinions is one of the most important aspects I feel about living a happy life.

Here's What I'm Listening To:

Do My Thang - Miley Cyrus

Isn't it Ironic?

Just call me Alanis Morissette right now because her song was the theme song of my Saturday night.
Basically any event that could've gone horrible did. I mean the amount of horrible things that were happening to me was actually becoming hilarious by the end of the night.

It all started when I went out on a date with my boyfriend (that's a long story that will be explained in another post) and it was absolutely beautiful outside. We both got dressed up and walked to a little Italian eatery thats about a 10 minute walk from my house and were seated outside. When the waiter sat us next to the kitchen door I knew the rest of the night was going to go downhill from there.. and it did… fast and hard. As in it started thunderstorming/monsooning right before the waiter took our order.
He tried his hardest to move us under the three inches of awning to keep us dry, but of course my boyfriend was still getting rained on. The waiter moved on to trying to put up an umbrella for us and then the rain was just running off falling on our heads. This whole situation was taking about 20 minutes and the rain was pouring out of the skies so hard I could barely see across the street. After the two of us whom were becoming more and more wet by the minute, we decided to just leave and call a cab… which, of course, never showed up. So we walked home as it started drizzling. Of course it was the only time I have ever worn my three inch wedge heels and walked to dinner. Let me tell you walking in three inch heels, wedges or not, on wet cobblestoned streets is basically a remedy for a twisted ankle.

We didn't walk more than two minutes before he stepped in a puddle deeper than an olympic sized swimming pool. A few more minutes passed & a car drove by & splashed the both of us with basically a gallon of yummy street water, classic Carrie Bradshaw circa Sex & The City theme.

Did I mention that by now it was  9:15pm and we hadn't eaten anything all day? At this point we were the grumpiest cats anyone had ever seen and were basically muttering satanic latin tongues to the gods. We agreed to just eat at the next place we came by, which was another Italian restaurant that I had been wanting to try. The woman sat us quickly and we were ready to order when she explained that they were cash only… & we only had our debit/credit cards. I almost smashed my water glass on the side of the table & slit her throat with the broken class, but I decided calmly walking outside was the more mature option.

By this point I could tell that my boyfriend would have literally eaten out of a dumpster for leftovers so he just got take out pizza from a place around the corner from my apartment.
I mean the evening was so horrible that I was expecting to have lost my keys somehow because it just figured. Thank god I didn't although I'm still surprised. I finished my lovely evening in a bubble bath with white wine so I can't really complain. The events were just so ridiculous that I'm laughing about it while I'm typing. You can't make this stuff up people & I swear to you it only happens to me.

Heres What I'm Listening To:

Ironic - Alanis Morissette

Lately in Philadelphia

Life has been pretty hectic lately. The warm weather is finally inspiring me to leave me couch for once and go outside. Having an opportunity to go and explore Philadelphia has been lovely. Not to mention all of the events that Philadelphia offers in the spring/summer have been starting and they're pretty awesome!

Every month Old City takes place in an event called First Friday. Local artists line up on 2nd St between Arch and Market streets and display their work. The local galleries and shops are open later too. A lot of galleries have openings the night of first friday, which means wine… for free. Obviously the best part - other than looking at art.

I also recently stumbled on an event that took place on Friday too: Movies under the Stars & Stripes. The Betsy Ross House is putting on really lame, cheesy movies from the 50s and 60s every first Friday too. Admission is $5 each and its BYOB. I saw Plan 9 from Outer Space this past Friday and with a half a bottle of wine in me it was pretty decent and more hilarious with the special effects utilized for the time.

Phantogram

Saturday I was lucky enough to catch the last act at the 104.5 Summer Block Party at the Piazza at Schmidts in Northern Liberties. I missed CHVRCHES and Cherub but did catch Phantogram! The concert series takes place once a month and is always free. I'm excited to go and dance to whoever is appearing at the rest of their summer series.

Obviously if you can't tell the only things it takes for me to attend events is free/cheap and alcohol. Philadelphia has been delivering on both of my two requirements and its been awesome. Come hang out in Philly and enjoy all the cool events that have been happening lately!

Here's What I'm Listening To:

The Mother We Share - CHVRCHES

&

Gun - CHVRCHES

Vinyls & PBR

Just call me a horrible blogger because I have absolutely no schedule when it comes to this thang. I just blog when I'd like and when I'm inspired. Sorry!


Record Store Day was this Saturday and it was so fun. I woke up and walked down to the store down the street from me, AKA Music.

Record Store Day for those unaware is basically a celebration of music on vinyl and local, small record stores; a lot of bands release exclusive music on vinyls that are only available on Record Store Day in limited quantities. The store did an awesome job providing good vibes and music. Free beer was being given out (I was in there like swimwear obv) & local, free music was being played too.

The line wrapped around the store but the PBR and music made everything okay for sure. I was amongst Urban Outfitters biggest customers, dressed in tight pants, jean jackets and beards and tattoos all over the place. Not that I am complaining. A local band from New Jersey, Ortolan, played & I fell in love. I picked up their vinyl on the way out & haven't stopped listening to it. I was also able to pick up two exclusive releases, Ray Lamontagne & a Circa Survive & Sunny Day Real Estate collab, & a Born Ruffians vinyl too.

Basically, between the PBR, live music, and vinyls, it was a hipsters paradise. I enjoyed every minute of it & cannot wait for next year.

Here's what I'm Listening to:

Votes Are In - Ortolan

&

You Don't Know - Ortolan

The B's & C's

B's & C's - also known as  Boyfriends & Ciroc.

They make for an interesting combination I suppose. I spent my weekend visiting my boyfriend in Jersey and it was relaxing (when we weren't fighting...surprise). The two of us splurged on Friday and bought a bottle of Ciroc instead of my usual vodka of choice: pink lemonade Burnetts. Let me just tell you - that shit is jesus juice. Chaser? What chaser? Thats how yummy it is and I'm usually a huge chaser fan. As in let me chug a can of coke after my shot please. And then eat a chip. The chug-chip method is the best I have yet to come by. Strongly recommend it. Whenever I come into a few extra dollars it will definitely be my go-to choice of vodka now.

As if I wasn't treating my body bad enough, the two of us got Taco Bell breakfast Sunday morning. If you aren't already aware, I am a huge TBell fan. When I heard they were putting out a breakfast menu I was more than excited. Well let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint…obviously. I ordered the waffle taco, sans meat, and the boyfriend ordered the breakfast crunchwrap. I could have eaten fifteen waffle tacos because those things are dangerously delicious.

I am back home now and ready to start my week and stop eating so shitty. FYI -  I am writing this while stuffing my face with homemade guacamole and chips… you be the judge of how well I am adhering to that motto right now.

Here's what I'm listening to: 

Fall in Love - Phantogram

Lipstick & Travels

Happy Friday to all & hope that everyone is planning on having a lovely weekend! Luckily for me, I'll be getting out of Philadelphia for awhile and traveling to Austin, TX. Yes, I am aware that I just missed SXSW and that obviously makes me a grumpy cat… but lets just try to ignore that.

Recently, I received a lovely package that made me feel a little better about missing SXSW and the best part? It had lipstick in it! I wear lipstick often, when I am actually caring about what I look like, and we all know how much I love the word free. Rimmel recently released their new lipstick line of moisture renew lipstick and it is very true to it's name. Moisturizing was the first word to come to mind when I applied it. I've tried a bunch of different lipsticks on from many different brands but this goes on so smooth and soft that you can tell it begins moisturizing right away. The color, "As You Want Victoria" is not usually a color I would wear. I usually only wear deep, darker colors like reds and wines. This color is more like a red-pink… leaning more on the pink side. The color is very fun so it is perfect if I ever feel bold, loud, and fun. Unfortunately, I have yet to wear it for a full night out or anything so I am unsure about how long it stays on. I am definitely interested to see the other colors in the line because of how moisturizing the lipstick really does feel when I apply it.

If you're ever looking to add something new and fun to your beauty routine this lipstick line is perfect - the added bonus being that it is very moisturizing!

Here's what I'm listening to:

Don't Wait - Mapei ft. Chance the Rapper

&

Au Revoir - Chancellor Warhol

I received this product complimentary for testing purposes from influenster, but all opinions are my own.

Things I've Learned In A Relationship

Calling all ladies.
Single. Married. Divorced. In a relationship. Engaged.
I don't give a fuck this applies to every individual avec vagina.

I have been in a menagerie of relationships in my life and am currently in the middle of one that has really opened my eyes to the importance of myself and what it means to be involved in a healthy relationship. So I have created a list of some important factors for all to keep in mind when you find yourself involved with another.

Talk to Each other… and Listen
Keeping open communications between the two of you is extremely important. Neither of you should ever feel inferior to the other. It can be difficult but make sure you are really trying to listen to the other individual…. even if you really aren't interested - you might be able to learn something.

Disagreeing is Okay. 
Spending a significant amount of time with another individual, you are bound to argue about sometime. It is impossible to completely agree with someone 100% of the time and thats okay. Just make sure that you both recognize each other's points in a mature fashion and move on.

Take a breath.
Again, arguments and disagreements will occur. Just make sure that before you say the most hurtful thing, you take a breath and really think about it. Maybe it just means you have to walk away. Taking a walk to really give yourselves some time to digest the situation will make a difference. In ten minutes you will not be as mad as you were right when the argument began.

Social Media
Don't make yourself crazy with social media and the other individual, because you can... and will. Stalking their instagrams, twitters, Facebooks, whatever else, is unhealthy. If you have trust in the individual, trust that they are making smart decisions online too. If you're too worried they aren't making the right decisions maybe sitting down and talking about it is necessary.

Take time for yourself
The most important aspect of this list. Make sure you are taking time for yourself. Whether its getting together with your friends once a week, going to the gym, reading a book, make sure you're not getting completely engulfed in the relationship. It is easy to enjoy spending time with one another and thats completely normal, just make sure it isn't verging on the unhealthy side. Spending too much time with each other can have negative effects on the both of you so just make sure you're each getting you're own alone time.

I really could continue but I'll save it for another time and another post.
What bits of advice do you give to other ladies in regards to relationships?

Here's what I'm listening to:

Under - AOSOON

&

I Met You - Anna Lunoe & Flume

Spring Cleaning

Although spring isn't officially until four days (March 20) I am officially ready for it. Due to my extreme willfulness for the warm weather to arrive permanently I have created a playlist for when it does. I find the tracks on the mix are perfect for finally being able to open your windows and letting the warm air rush in.

1. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) - Arcade Fire
2. Little Bit - Lykke Li
3. Big Jet Plane - Angus & Julia Stone
4. Intro - The XX
5. The Start of Something - Voxtrot
6. North - Phoenix
7. Suffocation - Crystal Castles
8. Heartbeats - The Knife
9. Auburn and Ivory - Beach House
10. Clair De Lune - Michael Dulin
11. My Only Swerving - El Ten Eleven
12. Young Bride - Midlake
13. Sex Tourist - French Kicks

Listen to the full mixtape on my 8tracks. 

Procrastination

Good evening all! As usual, I am procrastinating the shit out of studying for a biology test tomorrow morning. I've been putting it off because of a raging hangover I've been sappily nursing all day… and apparently night considering its now 7 pm.

This weekend was particularly special because it was my birthday! Birthdays are never my favorite holidays to celebrate but this year I had an absolutely wonderful time. Even though all day Thursday I sat in ER at the hospital because of horrible heartburn and acid reflux, that I was convinced was a stomach ulcer… still yet to be determined.. I had a lovely weekend. I was nursed back to health that  Thursday evening thanks to my perfect boyfriend who had a bath running when I got home and helping around the house. I can't reiterate how grateful I am for all of that.

Friday, my actual birthday, was spent in classes (unfortunately) and then at a delicious dinner. He gave me presents before dinner, hello the best part of a birthday.. The best gift was a handmade bracelet with pearls his friends mom made. I am all about local and handmade so it was perfect. He also re-upped my record collection with Haim, The Arctic Monkeys, and Anthony Green vinyls. If all of that wasn't enough, he also gave me the cutest Rilakkuma mug for my tea! Basically, perfect presents!
I got completely overdressed for dinner, neither of us had any idea that the restaurant was a hole in the wall, but the food was so delicious. Even if I was the only person who has ever worn heels into the restaurant, I looked cute and my boyfriend definitely took notice. Dasiwa by the Art Museum has the most delicious sushi, and "not-chos. What is a not-cho? Well, other than a gift from the Asian heavens, it is a fried wonton shell, topped with tuna, tobiko, scallions, crunch, and eel sauce. Still confused? Its basically an Asian nacho. YUM. As if it couldn't get any better, the restaurant is BYOB so you know that the two of us killed a bottle of Barefoot wine while we were there… only to come home and drink another half a bottle.

Happily Ever After 

Saturday we slept in and relaxed, exactly what I needed. The two of us went to this adorable coffee and desert cafe down the street from my house, aptly named, Happily Ever After. The atmosphere is all movie related and extremely clean and modern. They even had a wall-e! I know where I will be spending most of my time, and money, from now on. We meandered around my neighborhood and I took him into some art galleries. Looking at art is definitely a favorite thing of mine to do and being able to experience it with someone else is lovely. I left the galleries feeling inspired and wanting to take a million pictures again, which I never have time for. We also stopped into an antique store and the record store down the street from me and picked up some gems. An old Beatles album, Frank Sinatra, and I got the new Modern Baseball album! My boyfriend hates them, but they're a local Philadelphia band and all of their music reminds me of what I listened to in middle school, hello nostalgia.

Saturday night we celebrated my birthday with some friends at my apartment. In other words, me and a few friends got completely trashed on a menagerie of alcohols and passed out at 4 am. Explaining the hangover all of us have been dealing with all day. Some of us have puked, others have felt their heads exploding, but it was all worth it.

I am so grateful for having such an amazing person like him in my life right now and I am even able to call him my boyfriend. We do have a lot of issues but when everything is going good for us, like this weekend, we get along so well. I really am lucky to have someone who I love and care for and feel it reciprocated back. I hope that everyone is lucky enough to feel like this in their life.

Here's what I'm listening to:

You're Gonna Miss It All - Modern Baseball