I'm Baaaack!

Long Time No See!

So sorry for the gap in blogs, I've been working and summer-ing. Yeah, I just made a word up. So here's what I've been up to:
1. I got a haircut! I had been looking like a yeti for quite a while, not cute. So I booked an appointment with the best hairstylist in the world, Katy Magagnotti from Hair Sculptors, and she worked her magic. While the hair is a little short for my taste, it's no longer unmanageable and it's no longer turning into dreads while I sleep. This picture isn't great but you can see I have beautiful layers.

I'll need to get it colored again in August. What do you think about me going red again? Ha ha evil laugh.
2. I am working at PacSun now! I absolutely love it. It's a great atmosphere and I obviously love being surrounded by clothes! I've already picked out a few things for school, including a new schoolbag, a gorgeous large tan bag with quilting details and big handles. Very exciting!
3. I went to the Chicago Gay Pride Parade. I thought I'd use this time to express my opinion. I saw a sign at the parade that said "Straight But Not Narrow." That was so touching to me. I was raised to be a Christian, yes, but my parents taught me to love everyone equally. There was never a time when I thought homosexuality was wrong or that it made you less of a person. I believe that the gay community deserves all the same rights as the straight community. Another sign said "We hold these truths to be really freaking obvious." It should be obvious to everyone that gay people aren't any different than straight people, and that they are not to be excluded from the same civil rights as anyone else. I am including a link for PFLAG, an organization that supports parents and friends of lesbians and gays.
http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2
Now I'm going to do something fun, a 25 question tag that has been floating around YouTube and Blogspot. Anyone else with a blog is welcome to do it, consider yourself tagged.
1. Do you have any pets? I have a dog named Oliver and a cat named Layla. Oliver is a yorkshire terrier. He's a tiny little guy. He was supposed to be bigger, but he's 8 and has never gotten above 5 pounds. He's one of the loves of my life. Layla is technically my brother's cat, but I love her as my own. She is, without a doubt, the fattest cat I have ever seen. She's also incredibly loving and sweet.

Oliver and Layla

2. Name three things that are physically close to you right now. My cellphone, the TV remote (I switched to Gilmore Girls at 4, not that I watch that show every single day and have seen every episode more than twice), and the new Rolling Stone with Gaga on the cover.
3. What's the weather like right now? Hot and gorgeous, with a nice breeze! Wish I was at the beach!
4. Do you drive? If so, have you crashed? Yes and yes. I'll spare you all my car accident details but the worst is this: I got side swiped by a semi in DRIVER'S ED.
5. What time did you wake up this morning? Mmm, ten thirty? Sometime around there.
6. When was the last time you showered? At one o'clock today.
7. What was the last movie you saw? In the theater, I saw... wow, I cannot remember. The thing that springs to mind is A Nightmare on Elm Street. On Monday I watched Inglourious Basterds (again) and Anchorman (again) at Neal's apartment.
8. What does your last text message say? Let's see, it's from Neal and it says "Yikes." I'll let you wonder about that.
9. What's your ringtone? Oh, I love this, I made my own. It's Maggie May, the Rod Stewart song, but I made it so when the phone rings it says, "Wake up Maggie I think I got somethin' to say to you." I'm such a dork.10. Have you ever been to a different country? I have been to Puerto Rico and some Bahamian islands.
11. Do you like sushi? I LOVE sushi. One of my favorite foods is raw tuna. I'm a little obsessed. The thought of a spicy scallop roll makes my mouth water.
12. Where do you buy your groceries? WiseWay, of course.
13. Have you ever taken medication to make you fall asleep faster? Hahahaha yes. I have chronic insomnia and I have taken just about everything. Right now I'm on Lunesta, it works great.
14. How many siblings do you have? I have one sibling, my older brother Adam Karabel, or as I call him, Bubby.15. Do you have a desktop computer or laptop? MacBook FTW!
16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? My birthday is next week, July 5th, and I'll be 22.
17. Do you wear contacts or glasses? I've worn contacts every day since I was 13.
18. Do you color your hair? OH YEAH. I am a natural blond. I look TERRIBLE as a blond. In fact, finding a picture of me with blond hair is quite difficult because I've been dying it brown since I was 13. I just prefer it. I've had red hair also, which I loved, but I got a little tired of it and went back to brown.
19. Tell me something you are planning to do today. Well, this isn't really a happy thing but I'm going to a wake tonight.
20. When was the last time you cried? I cried Sunday while I was rereading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Not kidding.
21. What is your perfect pizza topping? At California Pizza Kitchen, they have a roasted red pepper, feta cheese and bacon pizza. Best thing ever.
22. Which do you prefer-hamburgers or cheeseburgers? I don't like either. I'll only eat plain hamburgers from McDonald's which barely even count. I prefer hot dogs, but not grilled, just boiled. I'm difficult.
23. Have you ever had an all-nighter? Not on purpose. Only because of insomnia.
24. What is your eye color? Dark brown.
25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke? I sure can, and I like Coke. I can also tell the difference between Diet and regular Coke because I only drink Diet.

Have fun doing the tag! Au revoir!

Inspiration for This Week

PICTURES!

Here are some pictures of things and people that have been on my mind lately, I use these as inspiration when I get dressed and put makeup on and this is kind of a view of what's been on my mind lately.

Juno was on TV recently. I had forgotten how much I love it! Ellen Page really created a girl who was a total original, someone you would want to be friends with. It's funny that a pregnant teen could be a good role model, but this is America.

Oh Amy Winehouse. I miss you. I know you're not dead but you used to be awesome. I love your album and your old style. Now you have big fake boobs and you don't make music. So sad.


I watched Inglourious Basterds (again) with my best friend Ali. What a truly great movie. I focused on our two heroines, Shoshana and Bridget. Shoshana's storyline is my favorite in the movie. It's just a beautiful film, even if it's gory. See it if you haven't already.


What a great pic of Marilyn. Love the hat.

Man Jimi Hendrix was hot. Look at him. That's a rock star. When I see pictures like this I wonder where he got all that jewelry and if he put it all on or if someone got him dressed. It's just so cool.

Here's my girl Nicole Richie looking gorgeous. She's kept some weight on which is nice to see and I think she looks AMAZING brunette. I just think she's awesome, she seems fun and I love to see what she wears.

Rachel McAdams at the airport. She is so beautiful it's painful. She really has a timeless look.

Okay so can we talk about Alejandro? WHAT THE HELL? I am a huge Gaga fan, okay, but what is going on in this video? It's World War II, there are orgies, she becomes a nun, she wears a bra with guns attached to it, she dies? I guess? Goes blind at least. I just can't follow the plotline, and I am good at following weird plotlines. I love how the video LOOKS, but I just...wow.

This is a picture of me with almost no makeup on, all I did was put on foundation and do my brows. (I'm a natural blond so my eyebrows are basically nonexistent. Not a good look if you dye your hair dark brown like I do.) I love how this looks, I look fresh and I'd like to go out like this more often.

Okay, so, I put this up on my facebook because I am SO proud of how I look lately. This is two years of clean living, and it was a struggle. Yeah so it caused a big uproar amongst my parents and friends but I stand by it, I'm proud of myself and I look awesome. I want to encourage people to embrace their shape and the way they look, it will only make your life better.

Hope I gave you some inspiration! Au revoir!

Conceited

I Love This Outfit!

I wore this to church today, I think this outfit is so cute and I felt pretty so I decided to put it up. Like I said, conceited. Dress is from Rue 21, about three years old, belt from somewhere I don't remember, cardigan from H&M bought a year ago. I wore my brown and turquoise sandals from Target. Remember, every time you get dressed, it's an opportunity to look awesome!

Hope I gave you some inspiration! If you're tired your clothes, mix it up! Au revoir!

I'm A Hot Mess. Emphasis on Hot. No, Not Really, Emphasis on Mess.

Yes, This Is My Room

Okay, here's the thing. I love my room, I love my clothes, I love my belongings and I'm grateful for them. I'm just a messy person. An insanely messy person. I tend to get easily distracted (a doctor once told me he thought I had undiagnosed ADD) and so things just pile up on me. The other thing is, I don't care. Honestly, it doesn't bother me that much to have things this messy. Maybe my brain is cluttered and I'm used to the feeling? I don't know. The purpose of this post is to show most of my clothes and accessories just as they usually are. Just in case this is too much for you, I included a picture of my brother's cat Layla as a palate cleanser. This is my sickness, I'm wondering how many of you are also afflicted?

What I Want Right Now

Wish List

Here's some clothes I'm lusting over right now. To answer the inevitable question, no, I don't need anymore clothes. But I like these. It's never about need.

I love this little plaid skirt. I'm really into high-waisted bottoms right now because they show off my teeny waist. This looks short on the model but I'm so short it would be just about the perfect length on me. I'd wear it with a tucked-in white t-shirt and my white Chuck Taylor low-tops.OMG I want this belt. It snaps in the back and it's just a really interesting shape and texture. It's a waist belt of course, that's why it's so little.

I love the print on this skirt. It's sort of batik but not really and I like the idea of a print on the bottom and a solid on top.


Yes, this is a t-shirt you can actually purchase. I think it would look cool with skinny jeans and a white tank top underneath.

These shorts are adorable. They're shaped a lot like a pair I already have but again, having a print on bottom instead of on top feels really fresh to me. This shape is flattering on me also.

Sexy! Those aren't zippers, it's kind of like chain mail all the way up the leg. They would look cute with that very long distressed black shirt, now that I'm thinking about it.

I've wanted a classic black and white boatneck for years. It's very cool french girl.
I have been searching, DESPERATELY, for black gladiator heels. These are almost what I've been looking for. I really like the double ankle strap.

This is a Gaga-inspired piece. She does a lot of shoulder pads but these aren't as much shoulder pads as they are two large ruffles. I'd like it in a solid color better, a red would be amazing.

This is what I want right now, hope I gave you some shopping ideas! Au revoir!

The Higher The Hair, The Closer to God

My Feelings About Hair

Hair is a woman's crowning glory. I love my hair despite it's untamed nature. It's a mess even if I straighten it. So I don't, I keep it messy and big and I think you should too. Express yourself, don't be perfect, be yourself!

This is an average hair day for me. As you can see, I like tons of volume, lots of curl, and a little bit of messy. It suits my personality. Stick straight perfect hair looks odd on me, and I think it's boring.

Ah, the beehive. See, this is what I'm talking about. This girl is interesting and playful, because her hair is a bit of a hot mess.

J.Lo's bringing it back!

I once took a quiz about what decade I belong in, and I got the 80s. Cyndi Lauper was never boring and I have mad respect for anyone walking out of the house with this hair.

If I had someone to tame my hair every day, I'd want it to look like Blake Lively's. This is the kind of hair I appreciate on a girl, full, thick, and glossy. It's never boring or cookie cutter.

And here we have the queen of snooze-inducing hair. Listen, Jen, can you mix it up a little bit? Do you constantly have to have boring flat blonde hair? Women follow your example and if you mixed it up a little, you would show women how to have some fun with their hair!

These are just some different looks on me. None of them are perfect, all of them are different, and all of them are me. Your hair expresses your sense of style as much as your clothes do, so mix it up! Have fun! Stay away from the Jennifer Aniston look and don't be afraid to change it up.