NOTW: Green tribal

Surprise surprise. Yet another tribal manicure. What can i say, I REALLY like tribal. I used Essie's "Mojito Madness", OPI's "My Boyfriend Scales Walls" and a black striper polish. Tribal is getting easier and easier the more I practice. I need to find a new design though. I feel like tribal is starting to get a bit boring. Oh and for some reason my cuticles look really dry in the pictures, but they weren't. I put Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter by Lush on them right before these photos were taken. Eh, oh well. Too late now.

This actually isn't current. It was in my drafts and because I haven't been wearing any nail polish lately, I decided to finally post this. My nails are crap lately for some reason. They keep breaking and peeling really close to the base of the nail. Sometimes it even bleeds! I don't know what to do about them, so if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them!

Galaxy Wishlist

Sweater | Skirt | Leggings| Shirt | Phone case

Finally got my first wish list up! For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to remove the background of pictures so I could make the collage! After toying around with Photoshop for awhile, I figured it out! 

Anyway, galaxy print is BIG right now and I'm jumping on the bandwagon. These are some of my fav's from ebay! Especially the cat t-shirt, which everyone I've shown it to thinks is ugly. I love it it regardless and I'm definitely going to purchase that really soon.

Let me know if you like these wishlist because I'll definitely do some more!

Have a great day everyone!!

-Erica xx

Sephora Instant Moisture Kit Haul/Review

I went to Sephora with my sister on a whim a few days ago. I was in the market for a new moisturizer, and my sister recommended this one. I was skeptical because it came paired with the Instant depuffing roll-on gel for your eyes, and as I've never used an eye gel before, I didn't see any use for it. My sister persuaded me to buy it and when I got to the cash register it was reduced to $14 from $28! I was so excited. I wanted to buy another one but it was one of Sephora's Christmas sets and the one I bought was the last one in stock.

I absolutely love both products. The instant moisturizer is light, but heavy enough for the winter time. It  sinks in quickly and doesn't make me feel greasy at all. The scent of it is fresh and clean, and the pot doesn't get messy at all. The eye gel is a good product as well. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but it actually does do a great job with depuffing. It says it can help get rid of dark circles as well, but I haven't seen any evidence of that yet. I have only been using it for a week, so I'll update if anything changes. All in all, I think both of these products are great and I would definitely repurchase both of them. It just sucks that I'll have to repurchase them separately.

Have a great day everyone! xx

-Erica

Experience NYC: The Museum of Natural History

I had to pick a museum for a project for school, and I decided to go to the Museum of Natural History. I've decided to start doing "Experience NYC" posts on places in NYC for the people who view my blog that don't live in New York. Let me know if you want more of these kinds of posts.

Anyway, The Museum of Natural History is SO big. Unfortunately, most of it is very dark as well. The best pictures I got from this trip were from the large mammal and dinosaur exhibits, which happen to be my favorite parts of the museum. The structures are huge and viewing them is always an amazing experience. I enjoy history and science, which is why the museum is my favorite in New York.

I have a few beauty posts(skincare) and a haul and ootd's coming soon! The weather here has been horrible and my schedule hasn't really permitted me to shoot any outfits. I want to make this blog as diverse as possible so don't always expect an outfit post. Also I REALLY want to start doing wish lists but I can't quite figure out how, so if anyone can help me that would be greatly appreciated!

I hope everyone is having a great week! xx

Foggy Days

Sweater: Forever 21 

Skirt: Topshop

Tights: American Apparel

Boots: Asos

Bag: Zara

I hate fog. I took roughly about 50 picture and these were the only ones that were useable. There was pretty much 0 visibility and I had to enhance all of these photos. I apologize if the coloring is off. 

Anyway, I wore this simple outfit Saturday to go to work. I love this Topshop skater skirt. It was slightly pricey at $32 but I couldn't pass it up. I paired it with this really old sweater from Forever 21 and my black asos chelsea boots. It was such a simple outfit but I'm making an effort to shoot most of my outfits.

Have a great day everyone! xx

Thrifty Sessions: The Boyfriend Jean

Blazer : Thrifted

Top : H&M

Jeans: Topshop Harper Jeans (Thrifted)

Booties : H&M

Bag : Zara

Watch : Nixon

I'm starting this new "segment" on my blog called "Thrifty Sessions". Every now and then I'm going to post an OOTD focusing on an item that I picked up at a thrift shop! I thought it would be a good idea and I hope that it will inspire more people to go thrifting! Its amazing how many great things you can find for just a couple of dollars! For instance, these jeans are originally from Topshop. They were $80 retail and I bought them for $8.99! I've wanted a pair of boyfriend jeans for awhile and these are the perfect pair. I decided to pair it with my new striped top from H&M and a blazer that I also picked up at a thrift shop a few years back. Its my favorite blazer and it was only $6. 

Let me know if you guys like or want more of these. I really like the concept and since I'm an avid thrifter, I can definitely do these semi often!

Have a great day everyone! xx

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Shea Moisture Hair and Body Haul

Let me start off with saying that I LOVE Shea Moisture. I only use their products in my hair. I have never previously used any of their body products so I'm extremely happy to have all of these to try out. Some of these products I purchased and the rest were gifted to me! I really appreciate it because their products are so expensive and I can't always afford it! I'm planning on doing a review when I use all or most of the products.

Also, I didn't really think there was a point in writing the names of the products because they're all completely visible in the pictures. If you can't make out the names of any of these let me know and I'll tell you the name.

Have a good day everyone! xx

My 2013 Resolutions: Fashion/Blogging and Lifestyle

Fashion/Blogging Goals

1. Blog at least four times a week. I currently blog once or twice a week at most. I want to try to get on a schedule and post more regularly. I take my blog seriously and for other people to take my blog seriously, I need to post more.
2. Make my blog more interesting. I want to start doing day in the life(NYC based) posts, more lifestyle like posts, some beauty/hair(I don't wear makeup though), wish lists and so many other things.
3. Promote my blog more. I want to post more on my Instagram and Twitter accounts, as well as promoting my blog on Google +, Pinterest, Lookbook.nu and Chictopia.
4. Accessorize more. I need to buy more accessories. I'm actually pathetic how little I own, and of that collection how little I actually wear. I'm very "plain" with my clothing and I believe that accessorizing will help enhance my outfits and bring the extra edge I need sometimes.
5. Buy more quality clothing. I need to stop being so damn cheap. Yes, I'm a broke college student but I think that if I invest in some quality pieces, I'll most likely wear them more often. I'm going to start slowly, with basics, and build my wardrobe that way.
6. Buy more shoes. I rarely buy shoes, and if I do they're almost ALWAYS black. I need to start experimenting with color and choosing edgier styles.
7. Experiment with prints. I'm such a punk when it comes to trying new things. When I bought those striped jeans, I immediately thought, "How the hell am I going to pull these off?" As it turns out, it happened to be surprisingly easy and has sparked my want for more patterned items.

Lifestyle Goals

1. Stay focused. I, Erica Russell, am a scatterbrain. I literally cannot stick to one thing and that is my biggest issue in life. I also try to do too much at a time, and that never really works out because I get overwhelmed. This year and for the rest of my life I need to focus on what's most important to me.
2. Get back in shape. Yes, I know this is horribly cliche, but its true. I'm skinny, I won't deny that, but I can't go up a flight of stairs without being winded and my legs feeling like they're going to fall off. I want to try to go to the gym three to four times a week.
3. Make more money. I'm currently looking for a job that will pay me what I feel I deserve to get paid. As much as I enjoy my current job, they pay me shit. I have SO much job experience and I feel as if my talents are wasted on a job that obviously doesn't appreciate it.
4. Set a routine and plan my days. I want to start setting an everyday routine life-wise, so that hopefully I can fit everything I need to do in a day in. I'm going to start using the numerous apps I've downloaded on my iPhone to keep myself organized.
5. Pay off debt and save money. I've got debt spewing from every crevice of my life. Thankfully, none of it is credit card debt. Its just school loans and hospital bills. I'm trying very hard to move out of my parents' house this year and in order to do so, I need to save, save, save. I'm planning to open a separate bank account just to save rent money.

I think for the most part that is all of my major goals for the year and life in general. Honestly, this is more for myself than for you guys, however I though it was a cool idea to express the things I want to improve about myself. Hopefully, this will motivate someone else to do the same.

Have a great year everyone! Make it count!!

Striped Jeans

Blazer: Thrifted

Shirt: Zara

Jeans: H&M

Watch: Nixon

I wore this to work and out with some friends a few days ago. I'm in love with these striped jeans and had a hard time trying to figure out what to wear with them. In the end I decided on my favorite white "tshirt" from Zara and a navy blazer I thrifted a few years back.

I'm trying to find a new location to shoot in, so that I can shoot more often. I shot this in my room which is very, VERY cluttered. There's not much space and I apologize for the stuff in the background. 

Hope you guys have a great week! xx