Monday, September 29, 2014

Book Recommendation: #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso



I wasn't planning on doing another book review so soon, but when a good book comes along I can't resist sharing the awesome. When I heard about what it was, I wanted to read #GIRLBOSS instantly. Sophia Amoruso is the Founder and CEO of Nasty Gal, and this book is half autobiography and half motivational/self-help. I wanted to read it so badly because living in a pretty boring suburb I don't find books related to fashion often (independent NYC bookstores have become my savior), and I thought this book release would be big enough that I'd be able to easily get ahold of it this summer. I eventually bought it in August and read it my first week back at college. 

This is a pretty useless statement as far as helping to tell you about this book, but I have to say it: I love this book SO much. What really demonstrates the greatness of the book is the fact that Amoruso and I are very different people. From what she writes in the book I've learned, we do not share many beliefs in common, there's a good chance if we ever met our personalities would clash, and out paths through life (well the path I'm beginning) are polar opposites. But the advice and the way she tells her story is gold. 

The autobiographical part of the book gives the reader an idea of how Nasty Gal was founded and the real work that goes into building a business.  As the retelling progresses you do get to a time in Amoruso's life where she was committing crimes. Prior to reading the book, I had seen some people commenting that they didn't like it because it perpetuated the idea that crime can be a part of your path to success. Someone might get this idea if they read a really bad summary of Amoruso's life, but when it comes to those events in the book she clears that up right away. Yes, she did commit crimes. No, she is not under any delusion that that was a good choice. She is just as amazed as you are that she never had any serious consequences for these actions. But you shouldn't disregard this part of the book just because of these events. I enjoyed these glimpses into her life because you clearly see how she's grown as a person. I feel like there are always two camps: one saying that you should stick to the person you are, and one saying that you should be changing every second of your life, but really both are going on to make you one cohesive person.  The book clearly shows how Amoruso has grown as a person, as well as the parts of her that have remained through all the change. This more than anything humanizes her to me, and aided with convincing me I should be listening to her advice. 

The advice side of the book is the part I enjoyed the most. She gave real advice about sticking up for yourself and working hard to become a #GIRLBOSS. This type of advice is always floating around the internet, or popping up in vague quotes that are barely helpful, but I was captivated here because it was so simple. It was like getting advice from someone I respected, but wasn't unaware of how other people think. The advice was useful and applicable to everyone regardless of field or entrepreneurial aspirations. It was motivating because it gave me the urge to organize my goals and stick up for what I want. Even though I'm pretty much at the beginning of my path towards a career, it still got me thinking about decisions I'll have to make in the future, which is pretty important because they're my decisions to make and no one else's. Amoruso is not here to tell you what to do, she is here to tell you how to stand up for yourself, work hard, and how to go above and beyond to become the #GIRLBOSS of your life. That's just the kind of kick in the butt you need sometimes. 

The book also features cute illustrations, quotes galore, and profiles of other girl bosses in various careers. The profiles brought in even more advice and showed different career paths, giving a more well rounded definition of what being a #GIRLBOSS is.


Quotes, as always, will be on my Tumblr 
Good luck becoming a #GIRLBOSS 
xx Jasmine 

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Making Do


Despite the pain they cause me, I'm in love with my new chelsea boots. They are exactly what my shoe collection needed, especially since all of my other boots have become quite worn out. Right now, I'm preoccupied with getting through a cold and finishing some school work, but I should be in a routine soon and that means more trips in to the city (and less photos of me in my half decorated dorm room). Looks like I just have to keep trudging through.
xx Jasmine

top and shoes: ASOS jeans: Gap necklace: Etsy


Nail polish: O.P.I in Where did cindy's man-go 

Friday, September 19, 2014

New York Fashion Week SS 2015

I took a quick break from blogging to get adjusted to school, but I'm back and sharing my favorite trends and looks from New York Fashion Week. So here we go: 

Button-up Shirts


(From left to right: Public School, Proenza Schouler, Proenza Schouler) 

A button-up shirt was my starting point for re-building my wardrobe. It was the one thing that I absolutely wanted to be a cornerstone in my personal style. I enjoy the idea of making the usually strict shirt more cozy and relaxed, but a classic outfit is always good as well.

Capes


(L to R: Tadashi Shoji, Tome)

Capes seem to be appearing more often (maybe because of the famous Lupita dress?) Either way I'm for it, it's a more formal, old school silhouette that I appreciate. I've already spotted some on Nasty Gal.

Crop tops and skirts 


(R to L: Prabal Gurung, Sally LaPointe) 

Some people may be getting tired of this trend, but I'm still in love with it. The shapes and ease it can create are amazing. More crop tops and skirts will be piling into my closet this spring for sure. 

Dresses



(L to R: Zimmermann, Erin Featherston, Marissa Webb)

As I've mentioned before, I'm starting to become more of a dress girl, so I zoned in on them at each show. I love the Zimmermann halter dress, because the metallic color looks so nice, and I was really drawn to that 90's style neckline. The Erin Featherston dress is just perfect, cute, and not over the top at all. Lastly, the Marissa Webb piece is effortless (easy, breezy, beautiful). Just what I want. 



Overall 

I'm so indecisive sometimes I don't know why I bother trying to pick one collection as my sole inspiration for the season. Here's three.

Band of Outsiders 




Band of Outsiders' collection was so relaxed without compromising any structure the pieces had. I could easily picture myself in all of the outfits (minus the hats though). 

Karen Walker 




I loved Walker's show because it made me want to wear more colors and patterns, and that's a big feat. I think the more 70's vibe of the clothes made them seem more approachable to me. 

Alice + Olivia 



The Alice + Olivia presentation didn't really spark any new trends or ideas that haven't been brought forth before, but that didn't really matter because what was presented was everything I love. A major portion was solely black and white and the clothes reminded me I don't have to grow up so fast. I should still enjoy dressing up just to look cute or adorable. It's okay not to want to wear crazy colors or traditionally clashing patterns. That's just not my thing.

I hope you enjoyed this round-up. 
xx Jasmine 

All photos are from style.com 

Monday, September 8, 2014

Make Your Life Extraordinary


You may have heard about Made with Code by Google before. Made with Code is a program that encourages girls to explore technology. With events, videos, and projects everyone can do on their website, they hope to inspire young girls to take an interest in code. Google's team states their objective very clearly on their website, "We started Made with Code because even though increasingly more aspects in our lives are powered with technology, women are not represented in the companies, labs, research, creative arts, design, organizations and boardrooms that make technology happen." 

My friend told me about the bracelet project they have on their site and I definitely wanted to make one. You get to choose the words and color you want and then they have the bracelet made with a 3D Printer. (Yes a 3D printer!! Those things are so cool). Another perk is it is free, it just takes a few weeks to get to you. I choose to have mine say "Carpe Diem" because it has been a phrase that has stuck with me for a few years now. When it's applied effectively it is a great motivator to get things done (and I mean all of it, the tedious, the boring and all the shit you don't want to do). I got it in white because it is such a versatile color and I want to wear this thing all of the time.  Other projects on the site include making an avatar, gif, or tune. 

I was never particularly interested in any form of computer science. Don't get me wrong, I love my computer but I'm more drawn to the creative platform it provides rather than the actual workings of it. But that's just me. Many other girls are interested and I'm glad Google has given them a place to explore and be creative. The problem does not lie with the lack of girls interested in CS, but their dismissal. I hope Made with Code gives girls who want to do this as a career the confidence to establish their position in this male dominated business and not be discouraged when they are met with unnecessary obstacles.

Below is a commercial to keep the positivity and support for girls flowing. The commercial is from Verizon that also deals with encouraging girls to explore "masculine" topics that could lead them to a career in the science and technology fields. Whatever your feelings are about how well the commercial was made or whether it was flawed or not don't really matter because the numbers still stand. Girls are being discouraged to take part in these fields even if they have a genuine interest. That's what we need to focus on and fix. 

Fight the good fight. 
Jasmine 

Friday, September 5, 2014

Pride


These photos have been sitting in my computer for awhile. I took them at the beginning of summer before heading to one of my brothers soccer games.  I don't remember the exact reason I ended up not posting them, but I think I was just being too hard on myself. Well, despite previous misgivings I'm posting them now, because they aren't bad photos and I've been unable to take pictures as I'm currently trying to settle back into college mode (guess who forgot her tripod). I think it's important to be critical of yourself, but too much of it can be detrimental. As I get older I realize that there needs to be a balance between trying to improve and being proud of what you have achieved. As I look back I notice that I missed a lot of opportunities because I thought I wasn't able to execute what I wanted perfectly. Frankly, that sucks because no one is every going to do anything perfectly and that's no reason not to try at all. I hope I don't make those same mistakes again. 
Sorry to spring a serious topic on you but its been on my mind for awhile. Go out, do what you want, and be proud of it. 
xxx Jasmine 

 dungaree: ASOS tank: H&M shoes: Urban Outfitters 




Monday, September 1, 2014

Brand Focus: Shiro Cosmetics



I've been wanting to do a post about Shiro Cosmetics for awhile now, and I'm so excited to have made my first purchase last month. Shiro Cosmetics is all about geeky makeup that is vegan and cruelty free. I've never honed in on whether all of my makeup was vegan or not, but now that it has been a few years of me playing around with makeup and finding out what I like I think it's an appropriate time to start thinking about what type of brands I'm supporting. 
First off, the ideas for each product and their names are great. I love the artwork that's chosen to be on the full size pots and it's all just so cool (to me at least). Not to mention the colors of the month, suggested by fans on Facebook and available for the duration of that month, are a fun addition and are usually quite humorous. My favorite part is that you can choose which individual components of the collection you want and which size you want them to be. This is really handy when you want to get adventurous, but don't want to have a ton of product or to simply try something out before deciding to get the larger size. You can see all three sizes above: the full jar, the mini jar, and the sample. You also get free samples and candy with your purchase which is a huge plus.
This round (because I'm definitely making another purchase) I only got eyeshadows, and even though I am in no way an expert or even really that good at makeup I'll tell you what I think. I was kinda nervous to use them for the first time because I am not used to using loose powders (though they just introduced some pressed shadows) but it did pretty well and I was able to blend away and pack it on for some of the more intense colors. My favorites were the golds I got (Climbing Chaos from the Seven Kingdoms Collection and Farewell, Wherever you Fare from the Hobbit Collection). The shimmer is just right and I'm always a fan of gold. 
I took some quick swatches of the shadows I purchased, but I don't think my camera really does them justice. If you want to check out much more makeup (and better swatches) here's Shiro's site and here's their Facebook to keep up to date about everything. 

Hope you have a great start to your September.
Jasmine 


From The Seven Kingdoms Collection (top to bottom): Mother of Dragons, Climbing Chaos, Hodor, and Women's Weapons

From The Hobbit Collection: Fifteen Birds in Five Fir Trees, Farewell Wherever you Fare, War of Five Armies
From The Earth's Mightiest Heroes Collection: I Understood That Reference