Month: April 2020

Style
30 Apr 2020

Lancome Will Re-Release Juicy Tubes

As a pre-teen, I was heavily influenced by what I saw in the magazines. Back then there weren’t blogs and there weren’t influencers, only celebrities. I was just allowed to start wearing light makeup, but can you really consider a lipgloss in this form real makeup? That was the argument I made at the time. I remembered reading about Juicy Tubes and a celebrity I followed at the time calling them her “obsession” in J-14. Next thing I knew, they were on my Christmas wish list and I received a pack of five mini tubes underneath the tree.

It was exactly what you expected out of a gloss. It was cute, portable, and sticky. A younger me didn’t know that well into my twenties, I would exclusively only use vaseline. But the brand and the piece itself remained desired. For it’s 20th anniversary, these juicy tubes will be available online for $20. There are 20 shades to choose from in three finishes – sparkle, creamy and jelly.

[Source]

Style
29 Apr 2020

The Closet: April 2020

[Lirika Matoshi Hearty Corset Midi Dress] – $449

It’s interesting to look back and see how much shopping was incorporated into my life. On a lazy, but nice weathered weekend, I would easily find myself in Hayes Valley or Lower Pac Heights just to browse. Extra time after work before a happy hour? You can find me at the mall most likely picking up something that I likely didn’t need at the time. In the last year while doing a deep dive into my finances with a friend of mine, I learned that I shop to find joy. Now you’ll notice that sentence looks different than “I find joy in shopping.” On some of my worst days, for reasons I couldn’t explain, spending money seemed like the solution to solving my problems.

Since I was able to detect that in myself months back, shopping during quarantine hasn’t been an issue for me. In a way, it’s almost refreshing to a) save money and b) discover the clothes that I actually like to wear

Can you tell that we’re excited when shelter-in-place gets lifted and we’ll have a chance to donate some things? I do have to admit though, while I haven’t done my “usual” shopping, I did just purchase a set of 3 cloth masks from Etsy. I felt that was a necessary purchase.

[Little Moon Rarity Blouse] – $88

Read more “The Closet: April 2020”
Life
28 Apr 2020

Instagram Will Host A Virtual Graduation

As time went on and more events started getting cancelled, one of the things that I couldn’t stop thinking about was what this year meant for graduating seniors. Now looking back, I know that prom was the most hyped up event of my life. However, both graduations – high school and undergrad were moments I’ll always remember. They were monumental chapter closings. Yes, you can still have that moment without the physical graduation itself, but as silly as it is to wear the gown and the stupid hat, everyone still wants to do it.

In the most 2020 way, Instagram has decided to host a virtual graduation featuring Oprah as commencement speaker. On May 15, the virtual event will be a multi-hour live stream. In addition to Oprah, graduating seniors will hear from Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, comedian Awkwafina, and more. Miley Cyrus will also perform her song, “The Climb.” Classic.

It’s hard to know if graduating seniors will ever get the event they were supposed to have in these times. I want to celebrate knowing they’ll have something, but I hope they’ll also get the physical graduation ceremony at some point as well.

[Source]

Culture
27 Apr 2020

The Last Dance

In some ways, I’m shocked that I haven’t shared this trailer yet on Yow Yow! but to be honest, this wasn’t one of the things that I was looking forward to watching yet. While indoors, I’ve been consuming an obscene amount of television shows and movies. Don’t worry – we’ve got a list that we’ll be sharing after this is all over. Originally, “The Last Dance” was supposed to premiere in June on ESPN, but with games being put on hold because of COVID-19, the 10-part documentary series had moved up its premiere date.

Every Sunday, ESPN airs two episodes from the series for a total of two hours. We just wrapped up week two last night and Sunday nights watching this series is the highlight of my weekend. Growing up, I was still too young to fully grasp the magic of Michael Jordan when he was nearing his final run on the Chicago Bulls, but that didn’t stop me from knowing what I needed to know about him. Within the first 10 minutes of the first episode, I was completely enthralled. I was confident that this was easily going to be the best documentary I’d be watching in 2020 and even though we’re not done yet and we have seven more months to go, I’m standing by that.

The documentary covers the 1997-1998 champion season for the Bulls and highlights many interviews from legends and never-before-seen footage. Michael Jordan is an incredible force, but even the documentary itself doesn’t always paint him in the best light. Watching these four episodes has made me miss attending basketball games and I’m really looking forward to when shelter-in-place gets lifted so that we can do that again.

Life
27 Apr 2020

Yow Yow! During Shelter in Place

After making a sandwich for lunch, I sat down in front of my TV anticipating the announcement regarding California’s shelter-in-place. Normally, I wouldn’t even turn on the TV until after the work, but I didn’t want to miss any news. Shelter-in-Place would be extended and continue throughout the month of May. It didn’t come off as a surprise and all weekend I had been wondering when I would know if I was ready to be back out in the world. By the end of May, this will have lasted about two-and-a-half months.

Looking back, my naive self thought that this time would be a gift. For once, I was going to be able to catch up on my to-do-list – maybe even complete it in a month. Everything I had been putting off would get done. The last time I had a dedicated chunk of time to write was over the holidays and I longed for that time again. Yow Yow! would be exploding with content! What I didn’t anticipate was how shelter-in-place might impact me both mentally and emotionally. Days go by as I struggle to think of content or string words together. In addition to Yow Yow! I also still have a day job. Sometimes my focus becomes diverted from that as I struggle to process the news of what’s happening in the world.

As I think about the next month ahead of me, I’m cutting myself some slack. Some days there will be content and some days there won’t be. There will be moments where I need to take a nap in the middle of the day (hopefully not too many!) but more often than not, I need to remember to take care of myself first and foremost. After all, this is still a pandemic. We can’t expect every blogger or writer to operate at the same level as we’re used to.

Style
26 Apr 2020

Asics’ Shades of Pink

It’s going to be awhile for us to feel comfortable shopping again physically. However, I’ve been doing my part to keep a mental list of all things that I’ll need and want for after isolation. The amount of errands I run these days is minimal, but when I do go out for the occasional grocery run, I’m slipping on my adidas as if they’re the only pair I own. It’s a contrast considering it used to be heels all day every day. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone though as sneakers have been in the forecast for the last six months.

In this new pair of Asics, they’ve incorporated the shades of pink that I love: pastels. It’s a minimal, but subtle pair that will go with just about anything in your wardrobe. There are two types of sneaker wearers in this world. The ones that lean towards this pair and the ones that lean loud. That has never been us!

If you’re ready to cop a pair for yourself, you can head over [here] and purchase them for $142 USD.

[Source]

Design
26 Apr 2020

Japan’s Windowless Church

Growing up, religion just wasn’t a part of my day-to-day life. Despite that, I ended up at a private Catholic college – one that required at least two theology courses to graduate. I remember hearing about that and feeling intimidated. How could someone with no prior knowledge of religion at all get through two full quarters of these classes? The other concern I had was wondering if this would feel forced on me. I’m happy to share that that wasn’t the outcome! And that included in my four years of college were three years of voluntary participation in working with our campus ministry. Because of the environment I was in and my network, this naturally ended up being a part of my college career.

And since then, I’ve spent some time marveling at the spaces for places of worship. I’ve lost count of how many times I visited the chapel on campus – many times for attending events, but other times just for finding peace and solace during a hectic class day. When traveling, I don’t always seek out these spaces, but if I happen to come across one of them, I try to capture these moments.

In what seems to be a non-traditional build, this church located in Shizuoka, Japan was made of wooden slats and without any windows. Sunlight streams in from the top through the open roof and creates various shadows throughout the day.

[Source]