the bourgeois hippie part 1

I kind of consider myself as a bourgeois hippie... meaning that while I appreciate luxury/materialistic things, I do have an innate passion for nature and well-being. Every time the subject of something like forests, marine-life, animals, or health and well-being comes up, I get so into the discussion that I can ramble on about it. I recently went on a camping trip and just driving up the mountains to the campsite was such an amazing thing to see and to think that the forests are depleting at a fast rate really affects me. Or even when there's a brush fire that burns a vast amount of acreage, it really makes me sad (and not to mention very angry especially when I find out it was due to arson). And ocean life has also been suffering. At one point, numerous species of fish such as tuna and cod were plentiful and now it is a scarcity due to overfishing.  What once were common fish are now a rarity.

My health has kind of been out of wack. I've been so inconsistent with my diet - either not eating at the right times, not eating anything, heffing out, or doing good for a while, then somehow I break down and have to eat a hot cheeto. It's horrible! But after watching the documentaries, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead and Food, Inc., I have really been inspired to take control of my health again, be consistent, discipline myself and support local farmers. From that, I've also been inspired to plant some seeds and grow my own mini garden with fruits and vegetables that are in season so that not only do I know where my food is coming from, but so that it would just help me learn to take care of something. And I plan to do that garden asap!

AND! I was totally enamored by Farmer Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms Owner) in Food, Inc. because his philosophy on his line of duty is the same as what swoonLAB's philosophy is to me:

"I have no desire to scale up or get bigger. My desire is to produce the best food in the world and heal. And if in doing so more people come to our corner and want stuff... then heaven help me figure out how to meet the need without compromising the integrity. That's where I am."

I really just want to make people look and feel good about themselves. There's nothing else that makes me happier than seeing someone see themselves in a way that they never thought possible. And if I've done that, then I can go to bed knowing that there's 1 more person in the world who's life I have inspired. That is all.

It's day 2 of my 40 day detox (I've ditched carbs, sugar, and all processed foods - only eating fresh fruits, veggies) and I actually feel pretty good. Don't get me wrong, I do get mad cravings to eat sushi, or cheetos, but I know that if I want to make a difference and live a long, healthy life, it needs to start now. And um, before I started this detox, you know I went straight to Mc Donald's and got myself a Big Mac and fries.

I HAD TO!

When it comes down to it, I really want to preserve the few remains of beauty that we have left on this Earth (both human and environmental) and protect is from diminishing - or at least slow down the process...

It's going to be a challenge, but it's something that I'm willing to do... but breaking away from leather is probably not going to be in my future anytime soon... I'm borurgeois, remember?!

Check out this website to see how you can "take part" in being more healthy not only for yourself but for others while also protecting the environment.


ARTWORK  & PHOTOGRAPHY BY swoonLAB

skinny, healthy & very alive

There's nothing that I love more than watching documentaries. It doesn't matter what the piece is about, I just really love watching it. It can't get any more real than that. I'm especially a huge fan of documentaries on MSNBC (Lock Up, Witness to Jonestown, Dateline). I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called, "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead." It chronicles the journey of 2 men who are overweight and trying to get their health back in order through a 60 day juice cleanse. I know that sounds very cliche and typical for an LA girl to be interested in a juice fast, more specifically if it's from Pressed Juicery in Brentwood, but the documentary was very inspiring and you really begin to identify and care about the people featured in it. You really are going on the journey with them as they try to battle horrible health issues, mental and physical fatigue and you really just hope that they stay strong and fight through their diseases and sickness and become happy, healthy people.

I don't want to give away the whole story or ending, but it truly is something that everyone should take the time to watch. It's inspiring, motivating and makes you think about the current state of your life/health and where you want to be in the future. With that being said, it really motivated me to get back into a healthy lifestyle, and it was just in time too since I went grocery shopping yesterday and purchased soy milk, some honeydew melon, cantaloupe and leafy greens.

Part of having a healthy lifestyle is all about preparation and moderation. I really need to set the time aside to prepare my lunches, actually eat breakfast and make healthier decisions. It's hard when people send brownies to your office or when 3 cookies at subway are only $1.25 or when the manager just throws them in your bag and says, "don't worry, they're on the house! See you tomorrow, ok!?" Arghhh.

If I have things in writing and if they are in my agenda, then it becomes concrete and everything is going have to work around that. Again, like I said before, if my friends want to hang out with me, we're going to have to do something active. I really like this article from Women's Health Magazine that helps create a work-out and meal plan (see here!).

Also, have I ever mentioned how obsessed I am with Glaceau SmartWater?



I think it's time...

Stella Raychel gonna get her groove back if she wants to endorse SmartWater.

MAKEOVER x swoonLAB (RAQUEL PART 2)

Last Saturday, I posted a makeover I did of Raquel (see here!). This is part 2! Way before the colored ombre hair was a trend, she has that thing on lock! She had this interesting tumble of an aqua-ish green spread out through her hair and I thought it was really cool! It really took me by surprise because before we were "real friends" and were "just classmates", she came across at the quiet type. We started to interact more because we both had a mutual friend and we all worked on a project together and would study for some really hard math class at school until the janitor would kick us out. It was then that we started to talk more and she would ask me questions about hair and makeup and we started to open up to each other more. When we graduated she said, "we really should hang out sometime... maybe we could go eat sushi or go shopping or something," and I was like, "yeah totally for sure!" and I didn't know if she really meant it, but she really did! And when school was over, that's when took the time to play around with her look and teach her about really good products to use and HOW to use them and really transform her.

HAIR
Raquel has short, thin hair and her main concern was wanting to make it look fuller, longer and voluminous so... I gave her a weave. HOLLA! We went to the local beauty supply store and bought 18" length human hair extension clip-ins. Since her hair was really short, I had to cut the hair pieces so that it would blend nicely with her real hair. Then, I began to style it...

First I lightly spritzed her hair with a heat styling spray. Then I used a 1.5" curling iron and curled her hair outwards (leaving the ends of the hair un-pinched in the curling iron) in loose waves so that it would blend into her real hair even more and give her that tossled, beachy look since we were going to have our mini-photoshoot at the beach. I then finished off her look with a fine mist hair spray so that it would give her hair movement but still hold the curls in place. I then shook my hands through her hair to break up pieces of her hair to make it look imperfectly perfect - you never want to look like you're trying too hard.

MAKEUP
Eyebrows: One of the best things about Raquel is her eyes. I really wanted to make them pop, but in a smoldering, sultry way. First thing I did was define her eyebrows. Brows are really important because it's what frames your face and makes you look really polished. She already has a really nice shape, so all I had to do was fill in any sparse areas with a brow pencil and extend her brow length just a little bit and then groom it with a colored brow gel.

Eyes: Normally, she lines the waterline of eyes (bottom rim) with a black eye pencil, but I told her to not do that anymore because it makes her eyes look really harsh and actually makes them look smaller. She has beautiful, big hazelish, green eyes that I refer to as snake eyes because they're kind of glowy but translucent. I used a soft brown waterproof eyeliner and just lined the bottom lashline NOT the inside rim. This not only defines her eyes, but makes them appear larger. I then swept a soft shade of taupe eyeshadow all over her eyes (even to the brow bone) as a base, then used a really soft seafoam green shadow only on the corner of her lids and extended it outwards - again making the eye appear larger. I finished it off with a few coats of black mascara and applied a few individual lashes on the corner of her eyes to add a fluttery effect and widen the shape of her eyes.

Face: I used a sheer foundation to add a bit of color to her face and make it glow (she has perfect, blemish free skin so we didn't use too much product) and dusted some finishing powder. I wanted to make her cheeks bones glisten a little bit so I used a light dusting of bronzer and a gold highlighting powder.

Lips: We finished off her look by applying a soft nude lipstick with a baby pink gloss on top.

DETAILS
Face: MAC Face + Body Foundation, Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights Bronzer (Baked Stardust), MAC Mineralize Skin Finish, Bobby Brown Shimmer (Bronze)
Eyes: MAC Eyeshadow (Shroom & Aqiadisiac), Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner (Espresso), L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara (Carbon Black), Anastasia Brow Wiz (Medium Ash), Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel (Brunette)
Lips: L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick (Fairest Nude), Kat Von D Lightening Sheer Lip Gloss (Retox)

Makeup, Styling & Photography by swoonLAB

LANA

For the longest time, I used to wear ALL BLACK. Nothing else. I'm a bit more colorful these days... i.e. grays, taupes, blushes, and cremes. I practically only have 4 colors in my closet (shade variations don't apply). I always said that if I lived in Spain, I would wear colorful dresses, have a golden tan and sunkissed hair. Maybe that will happen here in America, but I don't think it'll be anytime soon. Although the thought of breaking away from the norm is nice. But for now I'll just experiement with color on my nails... but even then I still resort to opaque skin-toneish nudes, patent chocolate-browns, and maybe the palest lilac.

And even though it's summer, I like to wear sweaters; particularly loose-knit sweaters - (anything that is drapey, or openly woven) I throw it on over a body-con dress or a long maxi dress, clunky booties or combat boots and I call it a day. Since the sweater isn't heavy and is lightweight and sheer I don't get hot and flustered. I'd probably be more hot and flustered if I was wearing a white t-shirt.

I'm really obsessed with oatmeal colored pieces and have been for a while now and can't get enough of it.

DETAILS
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell (Lana)
Sweater: Random
Black Tank Dress: H&M

Photography by swoonLAB

MAKEOVER x swoonLAB (ALEX)

Alex is one of my oldest friends (and one of the first) that I made in college. As long as I've known her, she's always had really short, pixie haircuts or had her hair pulled back in a cute bun and always had side-swept bangs. She only wore mascara or eyeliner which I never even noticed, unless I stared at her (not in a stalker way). She recently got extensions and I couldn't wait to see it because I just couldn't imagine her with anything but short hair. I always told her that she should have large, wildly fierce lion hair but she would always say, "Ew, why? That would look weird. I'm not an animal." And I'd say, "No trust me, it would be cute. Obviously we don't have the same vision of what wild, lion hair is." She's super creative with her outfits and even more creative when it comes to costumes - last Halloween she designed a cupcake outfit and even put sprinkles on her lips. I was a "peacock."

I picked her up last weekend to go to the LF Sale in Larchmont Village and when I yelled out her name through the window, she came out of her door with long, pig-tail braids and she looked so free-spirited and bohemian-chic. It was so shocking and exciting at the same time to see her in a different hairstyle after knowing her for 4 years. I decided to give her a little makeover with the makeup she already has and we threw on this really cute lacey dress that made her look like an etherial princess frolicking in the garden (so corny, I know). Her next hair experiment is going to be the wild lion hair... see! I know what I'm talking about. I have good vision :)

DETAILS
Face: Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer SPF 15
Eyes: Mayebelline EyeStudio Color Pearls (Bronze Blowout), MAC Plush Mascara (Plush Black), MAC Eye Kohl (Smolder)
Lips: MAC Surf, Baby! Lipstick (Bust Out), MAC Tinted Lipglass (Nymphette)

Makeup & Photography by swoonLAB

THE MAKEUP BAG (CRYSTAL)

If there's one thing I wish I could do and get away with it, it would be wearing bright colored lipstick... I just can't do it. I can, but I just don't feel confident or feel like myself. My look has pretty much been the same since 6th grade: nude lips, glowy cheeks and black eyeliner. I guess you can say that that's my signature look. But I love it when I see other girls wear makeup in a different way than I do and it just suits them so well. Crystal is my colleague at work and I remember her first day at the office - she was wearing bright fuchsia lipstick and I was stunned. She really pulled it off well and didn't make it look tacky or sleezy or worse - a clown! But most of all, it really suited her persona. Crystal barely ever wears makeup (she doesn't need to) but she does love a good tube of lipstick. The brighter, the better. That's her thing... "I love makeup. I really do. People just think I don't because I don't wear a lot of it." I took a look in her makeup bag and all she had was a pink Chanel blush, a few colored lipsticks and a mini tube of Clinique High Lengths Mascara that I gave her from a Clinique Bonus Time purchase of mine. The only thing I used outside of her own personal makeup was a sheer silvery white eye shadow to make her eyes stand out a bit more.

It's amazing to see how makeup can change someone's attitude. When we first put the bright pink lipstick on she was very happy and energetic, but when we put the red lipstick on, she became more subdued and chic. I guess here at swoonLAB we found the right formulation to make Crystal bubbly or sultry.

DETAILS
Eyes: Revlon ColorStay 12-Hour Eyeshadow: Nude Elements (only used the white shade), Clinique High Lengths Mascara: Black
Face: Chanel Joues Contrast Powder Blush: 99 Rose Petale
Lips: MAC Lipstick: Girl About Town (Pink), Ruby Woo (Red)

Makeup & Photography by swoonLAB

MAKEOVER x swoonLAB (RAQUEL PART 1)

The other day I met up with Raquel at Urth Caffe. Instead of my usual Green Tea Blended Boba with Coconut Flavor, I got a Thai Iced Tea Boba instead... felt like switching it up a bit. Raquel and I have been friends for a little over a year now, but we knew of each other for probably 2 years. It's funny how we didn't become "real friends" until we graduated college. People tend to let their guard down and have more of a sense of camaraderie towards the end since we endured the same tests, same projects, cray professors and annoying classmates. But, we both agree that last summer was probably the best summer ever... we just graduated. We didn't have any homework. We always went to the beach and tried to get tan, errrr, more like I was trying to get tan because I'm naturally really white and "pasty." We went on many new outdoor/nature adventures (Descanso Gardens, hiking, beach), and heffered out (mainly at Lala's). After seeing her, it just reminded me of all the good times I've had with her in the past and seeing that she's moving away to Boston in a month, I wanted to go back and revisit our friendship. I went through my computer and found so many pictures and videos and it was like I was reliving those moments all over again. Some made me feel happy, a lot of them made me feel nostalgic, and others had me laughing at how douchey we are (more like just me), and how much we both have grown in together in our friendship and separately in our personal lives. 

But my favorite part of that summer was helping her unleash her inner-diva and seeing herself in a new way that she never would have seen for herself. I FREAKIN' LOVE MAKEOVERS!

She told me that she always wanted to try an edgy but fun look... a bit of rock, but not too grungy... this is what we came up with...

DETAILS

Raquel
Natural Look:
Face: MAC Face + Body Foundation, MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (Comfort)
Lips: Vaseline
Eyes: LORAC Multi-Platinum Palette (Serenity), L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara, Anastasia Brow Wiz (Medium Ash)

Edgy Look
Face: MAC Face + Body Foundation, MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (Comfort)
Lips: MAC Lipstick (Blankety)
Eyes: MAC Eyeshadow (Carbon, Soba) Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner (Onyx), L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara, Anastasia Brow Wiz (Medium Ash)

My Look
Face: Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation: , MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (Comfort)
Lips: NARS Lipstick: Belle de Jour
Eyes: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil (Zero), L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara, Anastasia Brow Wiz (Medium Ash), MAC Brow Set (Show Off)

Makeup & Photography by swoonLAB

WELCOME BACK, YOU

Things are going to change around here...

And I'm starting with myself. I'm all about clothes and makeup, but for a while, I wasn't using much makeup and I wasn't dressing up either (hence my absence in writing posts). My inner-diva went on sabbatical. I'm not sure if it was voluntarily, or un-voluntarily. I think it was just by default. And it happened. But I'm coming back now.

I think I was going through a phase where I felt like dressing up daily and putting on some mascara was just a waste. My reasoning was, at the end of the day, the clothes are coming off and the face becomes bare and none of those extras matter. But really, they do matter... to me they do. My whole persona is about thudding around in cray cray shoes on the daily, expanding my leather jacket collection, or being exciting to share with people my latest and greatest discovery in foundation and bronzers. That's ME!

I'm not saying that people should be extreme and should either only wear a shit-ton of makeup and over-the-top outfits, or be completely bare-faced and wear yoga gear, what I'm saying is that people need to do what makes THEM feel happy and confident about themselves.

I, personally am not exactly the poster child of au natural, it's just NOT me. However, I AM the poster child of enhancements and bringing out the best with what I have and working with it.

MY PERSONAL CHECKLIST OF ESSENTIALS TO EMBRACE YOUR INNER-DIVA & FEEL GOOD
1. Crest White Strips - Banana Chicklets as teeth are not cute. I have one slightly crooked tooth that bothers me, and it's in the front of my mouth :( argh, but I keep my teeth clean and white and make it look as good as possible. Also, invest in a spin tooth brush. It really keeps your mouth and teeth "dentist office clean." And, it's passe to brush your teeth manually these days anyways (errr, not really... that's just me being a betch)
2. Get Your Nails Done - For reals. Unkept hands and feet really bother me, and a few my friends who "get me." I once read an interview on Enrique Iglesias (in 6th grade... in Teen Bop... or J-14... or Tiger Beat perhaps) and he said that when he meets a girl, the first thing he looks at are her nails (hands and feet) because it's a sign of how well she takes care of herself. Don't do it for other people though, do it for yourself... and for the sake of not being the person people secretly talk about at a social event when you're not around. They don't HAVE TO be polished - trimmed, filed and gunk free shall suffice.
3. Subscribe to Women's Health Magazine & W Magazine - One is for your health and well-being and the other is for creative inspiration. Both are important. It's good to have balance in your life. And it's good reading material for the gym or when you're waiting to get your car serviced... :D
4. Good Music - Every month I usually make a mixed CD... a little bit of my current favorites, a little bit of my all time favorites, new discoveries and then some random things thrown in. There's not a day that goes by that I'm not listening to music. It's what helps me get by. The favorite part of my day is actually driving alone in my car to work and back home because I get to zone out and get into the groove. If I start off my day with the wrong music, my whole entire world is thrown off. A few of my all time favorites:
Deerhunter- Agoraphobia; Vox Humana
Interpol- Specialist; Public Pervert (pretty much all their music)
Radiohead- Black Star; Weird Fishes/Arpeggi 
The Strokes- Evening Sun; Soma
Amy Winehouse- Frank; Just Friends
5. Green Tea Blended Boba with Coconut Flavor from Urth Caffe- I wish I was the mayor of Urth Caffe (Beverly Dr. location) on Foursquare, but I'm not. No matter how crappy one of my days can be, I swear, if I just get a Green Tea Blended Boba with Coconut Flavor (I've gotten so many people to order it that way), suddenly the day doesn't seem so bad and I can accomplish anything. My alternative... A Regular Green Tea Blended Drink from Coffee Bean... maybe with some whip cream if I'm feeling sassy.
6. Perfume/Cologne - Eau de Parfum, NOT Eau de Toilette and none of that AXE shit. ... Eau de Parfum lasts longer and "toilette" just doesn't sound appealing anyways (sounds like "TOILET"). I have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell. I can smell anything, everything, tell you what notes there are and what something dries down to... but that's not always a good thing because that also goes for bad smelling things. I think it's important to smell good and have a signature scent.
7. Shu Uemera Eyelash Curler - Apparently they no longer sell this in the U.S. (that's what SHE said), but if you curl your lashes it makes a HUGE difference in your appearance. It gives your lashes the most perfectly even, curvacious curl to your lashes which instantly opens up your eyes. Hands down, this is the best eyelash curler because it fits the actual shape of your eye, unlike those jank kinds at drugstores. Save your $5 to buy a Mickey D's value meal... then cry about it... then sweat it out for 2 hours at the gym... then go home and eat chocolate cake and then swear that "the diet starts on Monday"... at least that's what I do.
8. Go Hiking - Or do something active and get your lazy ass outside. I've made it a point that if my friends want to hang out with me, we have to do something active. I hate going out to eat. I don't want to "go grab drinks" because I hate the taste of alcohol and realized/accepted that I'm allergic, and I just find those types of social gatherings very boring anyways. However Lala's Argentinean Grill, Versailles or Urth Caffe, or Yogurtland are an exception.
9. Go to Disneyland - Who goes to Disneyland pissed off? Who arrives to Disneyland pissed off? And who leaves Disneyland pissed off? I don't think you could ever be pissed off at the most magical place on Earth. If I could, I would go to Disneyland everyday... as long as the temperature isn't hotter than 82 degrees fahrenheit.
10. Be Yourself - This is the most important step. It's the first thing we are taught as youngsters and the rule doesn't change as you get older.

AND... the most important part on my list...

11. Wear a robe - Terry. Silk. Waffle Knit. It's all amazing. It's the most comfortable thing ever and it's literally life-changing. I just can't wear normal clothes at home. It's too constricting.

THIS IS ME. BASICALLY. PRETTY MUCH. IN A NUTSHELL.

This checklist may not apply to A LOT of people, but these are things that I like. Different strokes for different folks :)

Thank you. Now, sashay away.
(btw, I LOVE RU PAUL).

DETAILS
Face: Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation
Eyes:  L'Oreal Paris Carbon Black Intense Liquid Lineur
My Favorite Knit Sweater: From a random store on Melrose I always go to that doesn't even have a sign

Makeup by swoonLAB. Photography by Leslie Rojas