The Acceleration of Trends

How do you feel about fashion trends these days? Do they inspire and excite you? 

I fall in and out of love with trends so quickly now because once I’ve seen something cool and new, it gets regrammed again 1 million times within the span of 24 hours... and suddenly it’s not new anymore I’m already over it.

 

This is why classics never fail. 


But I still love a good trend which is why I chose to purchase a variation of it instead.

I found this hair clip in a little family owned shop up in Great Barrington, MA called Church Street Trading and I love it.


I think it’s good to find variations on trends so that we all don’t look the same, as much as I do love those pearl hair clips.

What do you think? 

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The top is from the fabulous Lornaluxe’s collection with In The Style. I love the way her collection came out, so I was happy to purchase and support another blogger who’s been one of my favorite girl bosses for a long time. Check her blog out here.

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Top - Lornaluxe x In The Style 

Jeans - Love Bonito 

Shoes - Zara  

True Love

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True love isn’t just about couples.  True love is between any two people who fight their hardest until the fire must physically go out.

 

I witnessed it on Valentines Day - in a different way from everyone else.

I remember clearly because it was minutes after I had come back from my work break, and had just finished posting my “girl-squad” photo.

We had a patient brought in for a procedure because her symptoms were worsening and the next day she was going to have surgery. 

Usually, when people come into the hospital, they have a family member or significant other with them. So typically, that’s the first deduction you make when they come in, especially when the two look alike. 

But you ever notice how, when people spend a very long time with each other, they sometimes start to look alike? I did my pre-procedure intake, and found that it was a best friend, and not a sister like I’d thought.  Best friends since 7th grade, they said. 


As I continued to ask my routine questions (when’s the last time you ate or drank anything? Do you have allergies to food or medications?), they both contributed to answers, acquiescently…absent-mindedly, as their thoughts were quite obviously elsewhere. Most people, before procedures, nervously hang onto your every question, making sure nothing is missed for the sake of their own successful outcome.  Instead, this pair clearly had thoughts that were less in the immediate present and more in the realm of the big picture - what this sudden chain of events now meant for her, that this was the marker for the beginning of a much bigger battle that was about to ensue, and with a quiet knowledge that things were about to quickly go downhill from here. 

“What are you thinking?” Her friend said, tearily.  “I don’t want to say,” she responded in a low, shaky voice, in between quiet sniffles.  I felt so much pain and sadness behind her watery, reddened eyes.


Her friend responded by reassuring her, reminding her to breathe and thinking positively - because, even though she had the same exact unspoken fears, she knew she had no choice but to be the strong person to support her loved one. 


Imagine, as a nurse or a doctor, there are several other patients that need tending to and so many other monitors and alarms going off that these moments are easy to miss… but I saw it. And I knew exactly what she was feeling because I had gone through this same thing with Gma.


I couldn’t help but think of the darkly ironic way in which the two of them, with their strong, loving bond, came in on a “day of love,” and felt deeply saddened by it, as well as mildly guilty for having posted a photo with such superficial concerns and caption only moments before, even though I had really done nothing wrong.


What could I do? For these strangers that I had just met, and during one of the most significant moments of their lives? Not much, aside from offering a box of tissues, a warm blanket, and telling them to let me know if they needed anything else… while knowing that nothing I could offer would reverse the inevitable. 


She was rolled in for the procedure and I never saw her again.


Anyway.  That’s true love.

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Photos by Jansen Dacuag 

Family Portrait

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Cultural identity was a bit of a mix for me, growing up- as it is for many in the US.  I grew up hopping between Long Island, Queens, and Manhattan, but most of my impressionable school-age years were spent in suburban Long Island.

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I attended elementary school in the town of New Hyde Park, which borders a much more ethnically diverse borough of Queens, so there was some, but minimal, diversity amongst school classes.  I still have plenty of memories of kids saying things like “Ching-Chong” or singing the pee-in-coke song and making fun of my homemade lunch that my mother had carefully prepared, and I had begun to resent (and in retrospect am thankful for having had, and skipping the American junk the other kids ate which contributed to diabetes, obesity, etc).  I even wrote a short story about it in my college creative writing course which my professor had pulled me aside to tell me very seriously to publish but never did (hmm maybe I still should...).

Anyway, I moved to queens for a bit in middle school where I was shocked by both the diversity of backgrounds and the Catholic school environment, having come from public schools in the suburbs.  

Then I moved back to Long Island, to probably one of the the waspiest towns to exist, for the rest of middle and high school.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved school wherever I was, and was lucky that I always found my way and got along fine... I just never really had many Chinese or asian friends.

....the few asian kids I did know, called me a “twinkie.”

I mingled a bit with the asian kids at All-County music festivals- but they were all in the orchestra, and I was there for vocal. 

Again, I didn’t fit.

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I arrived to college and was once again re-immersed in unfamiliar territory, this time in a highly populated asian community, through which I would find myself discovering & learning - about my own culture and that of others, in ways I’d never thought. 

 

Fast forward to present time.  I still find myself in diverse groups, and I think this is why I’m most comfortable this way.  Most of you give little head tilt when I say that I work both in fashion and healthcare, but to be honest I think I’d be extremely bored to be in one niche my whole life. 

Point being, I’ve had a bit of a journey before I got to where I am now, to be in my level of comfort with who I am.  I’m happy to have been surrounded by people who have taught me things, big or little, and it’s why I’m always grateful to meet people who come from all walks of life.

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I had this idea to get a few of us together for this project I wanted to do: to have the same production concept as Crazy Rich Asians, where everyone involved was asian, for the purpose of not only awareness but supporting our community as well. So I rounded up Leo of Levitate Style and Vera of WG Empire to be in this shoot with me, asked Nick from Coastal Flicks who is half-Filipino to be a part, and went to locations in Chinatown, NYC, as well as China Blue restaurant with their beautiful interiors and lovely service.

As for clothing, it was actually a bit of a search to get Chinese designers here in NYC involved, but Vera and I are wearing her line Verafied.

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The whole thing was really about representation as well as experience-sharing - and I love that, along with my personal story as an Asian American, it ended being done alongside Vera, who was born in China, Leo who was born in Hong Kong, and myself being born in Manhattan, all of whom are making our own paths here in New York City.

Really, that’s what everyone is doing no matter the background, but we still need to remember the importance that our long-standing history plays in tying us together, whether we see it on the surface today or not. And some cultures here in this space lack that more than others.

Now that I have a platform where I can share my voice and maybe influence someone positively, I’m going to do my part, especially when it’s around culturally significant occasions like Chinese New Year. 

Happy Lunar New Year everyone, hope you enjoyed the read and images.  Please share if you’ve had similar or different experiences, would love to hear them!

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Galentine's Day

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Valentine's Day is a day of love.  But people forget that love is not limited.  Romance for couples is certainly beautiful, but so is love for friends and family-- including your best girls.  Jenna, Gita and I got together for some sweet milkshakes and girl time to celebrate the special day and had so much fun.  Note, these two chicks have Valentines of their own, but are always willing to get together for some girls-only QT.  I love these photos because they are representative of how we spend our time- always looking out for each other and always celebrating each other's happiness- not just on Galentine's or special occasions.  Something not to be forgotten on the daily, but nice to have the holiday to remind us and make it extra special. 

How did you spend your Valentine's Day? Sending love to you all! xx 

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Photos by Lauren Kara

My Holiday hangover beauty secret

 

 

TL;DR: Use a face mask before bed! Favorites are here ranging from $6-25 a pop and ALL cheaper than a spa treatment. (Note: the Purlisse one lists at $36 but that's for a set of 6!)

I'm just here relaxing on the last day of the year with one of my sheet masks, part of a collection that I've developed a bit of an obsession with.  I'm laying here planning in my head for tonight's regimen, after I stumble in tipsy from whatever celebratory activities I end up partaking in.  So I figured, why not share it?
I now have this mission to do whatever I can to avoid looking like death the day after a night of fun, because to me that's one of the worst feelings-  waking up feeling dehydrated, exhausted, and in multiple forms of discomfort and unease-- and then looking into the mirror to see your face perfectly matches your feelings.  Typically I'll go into rescue & recovery mode, reaching for the huge bottle of water, grabbing a bagel and popping some Advil, then washing up and slathering on whatever moisturizer I can followed by some brightening products and a good dose of foundation to pull myself together.

Though I try not to have too many nights that will lead to mornings like this, I work in an industry where inevitably it still happens.  Let alone that I frequent these events after a 12 hour shift and subsequently wake up at 5am again to go back to work.  Given the fact that this is my current lifestyle, I've decided recently to make some changes in favor of prevention and optimization, for the sake of my skin.

With all of the beauty experimenting and new product testing that I do, I've found a favorite routine that I quite enjoy: night time sheet masks.  I'm sure most of you have heard all the rave about Korean beauty that seems to have brought on this obsession, and I want to share my best way to go about this particular method.  

Usually I put the mask on at night after my shower, when the pores are open, and go to bed with it on.  The cooling feeling is super relaxing, and it's easy to fall asleep with it on.  Oftentimes I end up pulling the mask off in the middle of the night while I am tossing and turning, which is totally fine because the recommendation on the package says 20-30 minutes anyway.  Either way, when you wake up, you feel amazing and refreshed with bright, hydrated skin.  

Now, when we are talking about coming in from a night with the girls or after having some drinks at happy hour, this can't always be the case.  You might be lucky if you put your pjs on the right way.
 
My proposal to you is to try this:
Take off your makeup and wash your face.  
Get some pj's on.  
Grab a sheet mask and a bottle of water (take a sip. or actually...chug it)
Put said mask on.
Pass out.

Instead of waking up with a pale, dry, and rugged-looking face,  you wake up with skin that looks like you slept well, with good color, even brightened and supple.  You may have a headache but faking it will be all that much easier.  Bonus: grab a fresh-pressed juice first thing when you go out.

What better way to start off the new year than with an amazing feel-good skin routine? Try it tonight.  You'll thank me tomorrow.  And then keep doing it.  You thank me again in a month.  

Happy new year everyone, be safe and stay warm tonight!

xx