We wish you a Merry Christmas

Happy New Years Eve, everyone! As promised, here I have a little post I've been meaning to make for quite a while. I gave you all a sneak peek of my Christmas dress a few weeks ago when it arrived in the mail, so now I'm here to give you the deets.

I ended up wearing this dress to Christmas Eve mass while I opted for something a little more casual for Christmas day. This dress was actually my first online purchase at Forever 21 so I was really excited for it to come in! I squealed like a little girl when it did. I read reviews about it being too long, that it hit too close to the knees, but I personally found it to be the perfect length. It was flattering and classy, just what I was looking for. After all, what's more classic than a little black dress?

Dressed down and layered, I could definitely see myself wearing this dress to school. It has this sort of versatile feel to it that I find all black dresses seem to have. A cold night meant it was time to add a blazer, tights, and booties, and voilà!

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have a safe New Years Eve!

Hugs and kisses,
Maria

bold halter bodycon dress - forever 21 (similiar here)

black semi-sheer tights - forever 21

black ankle booties (similar here)

tan blazer - h&m (similar here)

Three Days Later

And just like that, my Christmas money disappeared. Today, I finally made my first trip to and purchase at Sephora in the gorgeous downtown Seattle! I was pretty excited, to say the least. So, here's the lowdown on everything I scored. Let's get to it!

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation - Barcelona

$44.00

I've had my eyes on this foundation ever since I borrowed it from my mom, but since that bottle was running low, I decided to invest in one of my own. I admit, it was a bit of splurge but after reading countless positive reviews and even using it for myself, I couldn't resist!

E.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner - Black

$1 - 2.00 (at Target!)

This eyeliner wasn't actually purchased at Sephora. It was given to me by one of my best friends, Mary (love you)! Unlike the foundation, this was a very inexpensive buy. On Target's website, it is listed as costing just $1, but my friend said she bought it for about $2 - the cost may vary. I've lived my life for the past few months convinced that eyeliner just wasn't for me, but recently becoming fascinated by Alexa Chung's obsession for cat eyes (which she talks about in her book, It, which will be part of an upcoming post... stay tuned!) I decided to give it one more try. As I am a beginner, this eyeliner was a little difficult applying by myself, but I was quite satisfied with the results nonetheless. Definite must-have.

Smashbox Lipstick - Plum Scene

$20.00

I've wanted a darker lip color for a while since lighter colors don't stand out on my lips as much as I'd like. I had my mind set on the MAC rebel lipstick but this seemed to be the perfect alternative. Described as a burgundy plum color, I picked up this Smashbox product as it was the cheapest lipstick in Sephora and because I was open to try a new brand! New things are always good.

And there you have it! So, bit of a splurge, yes, but totally worth it. To end this post, I want to mention a few bloggy things:

• Starting in January, I am going to begin a monthly favorites feature! I will pick about 5-10 items I bought in the past month and offer links, reviews, and pictures. Yay!
• Also in January, I hope to begin (at the very least) bi-weekly posts on anything that I can. School, working out, and family time has kept me busy and tired, but this is my New Years resolution! Let me know if you have any suggestions in the comments below or at my Instagram, @mariavmarin :)

UPCOMING POSTS

november/december favorites (as promised)

christmas outfit details

Get excited, folks!

xo ♡ Maria

Sneaky sneaky

                

Hey guys! How is your Thanksgiving weekend?

Sorry for the total lack of posts lately, but I pinky promise weekly posts (at the least) will begin soon. To keep your appetites satisfied until then, here's a little selfie Saturday sneak peek at my Christmas look! (Also seen posted here on my Instagram.) The dress and lipstick I ordered online arrived in the mail this afternoon and I couldn't have been any happier. Details on those will be up sometime after Christmas. In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys all the goodness that comes along with the holiday spirit leading all the way up to New Years! Woohoo!

Hugs and kisses,

Maria

The Sweetest Sixteen

I'm finally sixteen!

Last weekend was one of the best weekends of my life. Spending it with close family and friends was everything I could have asked for and more to kick off the sixteenth year of my life. My parents brought me out to Thai food on Friday, I celebrated with family on Saturday and then with friends on Sunday. Kim Kardashian much?

I was fortunate enough to have my dad order this pricey dress online from Nasty Gal for me to wear to my birthday dinner on Sunday - it was love at first sight! I was recently inspired by (and in TOTAL awe of) Miley Cyrus' backless sequin gown she wore to the 30th Annual Night of Stars late last month which helped me envision the type of dress I wanted for such a special occasion. After hours of searching online, I had finally found my dream dress!

Although I didn't find a gown as daring as Miley's, I did find one that fit my style while still pushing me out of my comfort zone. This champagne colored dress from Nasty Gal was gorgeously covered in sequins from top to bottom, featured side cutouts, and a perfectly flared skirt. The plunging neckline was what really made me hesitate when it arrived the afternoon of my birthday. However, I was discouraged for about two seconds until I talked myself out of it. In the past, I've always been able to make adjustments to my outfits to make them work and I consider myself quite savvy for developing that skill (I also may or may not be a borderline hoarder). After all, I didn't want to wear something boring and predictable, so I embraced the challenge.

A lot of the time, that's what fashion is to me. Being open to new styles, having confidence in what you wear, being daring like Miley Cyrus, and, as Tim Gunn would say, making it work! Everyday I try to rewire my mind to figure out how I can impress myself with the outfits I come up with. I think that's why I love fashion so much: there's no stopping the creativity going on in your mind. I then topped my look off with a pair of H&M pumps, a mini-clutch bag and one of my favorite hair styles, a halo braid.

Wearing a dress that made me feel like a princess and spending time with my best friends was such an amazing way to end my whirlwind of a weekend. I wouldn't have wanted to celebrate any other way. So, here's to another year of happiness, hard work, and positivity!

♡ Maria

nasty gal dancing queen sequin dress
plum h&m imitation suede pumps
black dsw clutch bag (similar here)

You may also find me on Instagram and Tumblr! Come join the fun :)

Everyone has their firsts

After much consideration and persuasion, I am so beyond excited to (finally) be venturing just a bit further into the blogging world today! What better way to start than by offering a little view into life lately. From birthday parties and eating sweets to discovering the wonder that is makeup and study study studying for school, fall has been such a great season thus far. I can safely say that of all the seasons, I love autumn the most. To me, fall means that at last, it is time to bring out the tights and blow money on seasonal Starbucks drinks, among other great things. I also love this time of year because my sixteenth birthday is just around the corner! Eek! Until then, I hope to get to know this platform more and start posting! Happy Halloween! 

♡ Maria