Longchamp

Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it can buy you handbags and handbags make me happy!

Every since I was old enough to appreciate the longevity and variety of designer handbags (early college years) I've been hooked. Maybe it was because I could finally afford some of the lower-end designer bags, but I also realized the great investment a few more dollars (okay a lot more dollars) could buy. Purchasing a good handbag can last you many years, if not a lifetime. Of course there are the seasonal trends in style and design, but then there are the classics like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry, and Prada that endure the decades.

My first expensive, or overpriced as my husband would say, handbags was Dooney and Burke. I have only one at the moment, having donated my first one when it became worn from years of use. Next, I moved on to Coach and do I have a LOT of Coach purses, totes, and wristlets! I also currently own a Juicy Couture tote and a few Vera Bradley bags. I have yet to expand into the LV, Burberry, and Prada bracket as my income does not allow me to spend $800-$1000+ on a handbag... yet :)

Which brings me to my most recent purchase... Initially, I was not a fan of Longchamp. It's a french brand and not as common as some other designer brands. I thought they were aesthetically boring in design. However, I recently began to admire a LC bag of one of my co-workers. It was a vibrant hue of pink/red and we all know how I love PINK. I'm trying to grow out of it and expand to different colors (besides black too), but it's hard. Anyways, after some researching I realized how surprising affordable, durable, and multipurpose these bags can be. There are very classic in design, but with an elegant understatement, which logo-driven buyers will overlook. From the reviews and comments of other LC owners, it seems that they are very pleased with the products and own multiple styles and color... and boy do they come in a variety of colors!!!

So, I finally caved and bought 2 (yes TWO) handbags from Nordstrom.com. There was a sale on some last season colors, which was also available on the Longchamp.com website, but Nordstrom was a few dollars cheaper. Here's what I got:


Longchamp Le Pliage mini tote with short handles in "Rosalie"


Longchamp Le Pliage medium tote with long handles in "Garance"

Can't wait for them to come in the mail!!!!!

Time to Grow Up

Sometimes I forget how old I am. Not that I think I'm a teenager again or suddenly believe I'm in my forties, but sometimes I'll step forward or back a year or so. Today I remembered that I'm 25 years old, not 24 or 26. Have I finally gotten to that point in life where age is just a number? Remember when you where little and you couldn't wait until you were 15 because you could get your learner's permit or 16 because you could drive on your own with a license. 21 is the big milestone because kids (yea, I still felt like a kid when I was that age) can purchase and drink alcohol legally in the States. So at 25, I can rent a car without paying premium... woo hoo.


As we get older, milestones are no longer determined by age, but by events that occur in our lives... getting engaged, purchasing your own place, marriage, having a baby, etc. Well, soon I will be officially moving out of my parents' house and into one of my own with my husband. Even though we've been married for over a year and have had the house since last October, I still don't feels as if it's my own or that I'm truly living life as a grown up. I've been living mostly in my parents' residence for the past two years due to nursing school, which is located in Maryland and not in Virginia. Since nursing school is over I will hopefully take my boards sooner rather than later and start looking for a job down in Virgina closer to my own house. I will start paying bills which I have never had to pay in my youth and young adult life. Sometimes I will have to spend weeks alone during times when my husband ship goes out to sea (at least until November when he gets out of the Navy). In the near future I want to start thinking about having kids and starting my own family.

As we get older we crave independence. I recall wishing that my parents would treat me more like an adult. Now that they do and now that complete independence from them is becoming a reality... I'm kinda scared. I know this is normal and that everyone feels this way when they set off on their own. I'm lucky in that I've found my partner and never have to truly spend my life alone, but the notion is scary none the less. I've spent 25 years of my life surrounded by the same people and seeing them on a daily bases. I've slept in the same room for the past 20 years. Even though I am excited for the change and welcome it, there is always the level of fear towards the unknown and unfamiliar.

I've been blessed with a great childhood. Not too many kids had it as easy and as wonderful as me and my brother. We never wanted for anything, our parents were always there for us, we never were exposed to pain and suffering some people experience early in life. We never really had to struggle. That's not to say life was always easy and we were given everything, but I had a happy childhood. Even my teenage and college years were fulled with great memories. I actually liked my high school years. I finally realized what it means to be nostalgic towards something. I'm going to miss living at home with my family. I do miss those younger years, but I'm glad that the memories I have to remember are happy and wonderful ones!

Circle Lens:::My Collection:: Part Deux

Okay, here are my FAV circle lenses. I've had some for almost a year now and I will be sadly tossing them out. Others I've purchased over the winter, so they still have some life left in them :)



*The lenses on the right I pitched as mentioned in "Part Un" of this post//


EOS Adult Green:

~With my niece Frankie. The lenses look more blue than green~



Geo Nudy Brown:




Geo Tri-Color Grey:

~These are pretty much identical to my old FreshLook ColorBlend Grey~




EOS DollyEye Grey:

~These will definitely get you noticed! Kinda freaky a first, but they grew on me. Not a pair that I would recommend for daily, casual use... though sometimes I do :)~




Geo Nudy Blue:




Geo Nudy Grey:



So, those are my most recent circle lens. Currently, I just have Geo and EOS brands. There are many styles within the brands, as you can see. I don't know if I will venture out beyond Geo and EOS in the future... maybe next year. I'm fairly happy with these lenses and will replace some when the time comes to throw them out. I'm UBER excited for my batch of new lenses to come in!! Stay tune for my next circle lens update!

ps. Please feel free to comment if you have any questions concerning Circle Lens and I will try to answer they to the best of my ability :)

Circle Lens:::My Collection:: Part Un

So, here are some pics of my most recent circle lenses. I'll be tossing a few when my next purchase comes in!! My first pair was Geo Honey Wings, which I lost and can't find a pic of me in them. Sorry :(



I didn't like the look of the Honey Wing on me personally. The color was not great, my eyes still looked dark, and it maybe because my eyes are darker in pigmentation. All in all, my eyes did not look like the image above.

Here are my Angel Grey by Geo. They have a slight enlargement effect and a thick limbal ring (the dark outer ring around the iris), but my eyes still look dark in them. I don't wear this much, if at all recently, and have already tossed them.



As you can see, they're noticeable with a flash, but unfortunately I don't walk around in a state of camera flash upon my face ;)

Along with the Angel Grey, I'm also pitching the following lenses. They didn't really do much for my eyes. Obviously, with the camera flash you can tell the difference, but not much in regular or dim lighting. All three are Geo styles...



Geo Ash Wing:




Geo Angel Blue:

Circle Lens... Continued...

How did I discover circle lenses? I randomly came across a video on YouTube about someone reviewing the circle lens they had just purchased. I recall them mentioning how the lenses lasted for a year and that they ranged from $20-$30+ per pair depending on who you bought them from. That fact alone sold me. They're also a HUGH craze in Asian countries such as Korea and Japan. Honestly, I was just simply tired of having to pay $100+ for a package of bi-weekly lenses that only lasted me 6 months.

I'm not going to go into more detail about what circle lenses are and how to purchase them. There are a bunch of videos on YouTube explaining this. Here's a few that I've found uber informative...


http://www.youtube.com/user/ahanhbarbie34


http://www.youtube.com/user/mellove5


http://www.youtube.com/user/MizValeer

There are a bunch of places where you can purchase circle lens and many people who sell them online. The first pair that I owned (I've been wearing circle lens for a year now) I purchased from LensCircle.com, which I believe only sell Geo Medical brand lenses. They were soooo OVERPRICED and I never bought from them again. My next purchase from from http://geoeyecandy.blogspot.com. At the time, they only sold Geo lenses, but I believe they now have EOS styles available. Overall, much cheaper lenses, great customer service, and Annie is awesome! When I wanted to try other brands besides Geo, I purchases some lenses from http://prettyandcute.com/. Janie is really sweet, but as expected, brands other than Geo such as EOS, Dueba, and T-Top are more expensive. Unfortunately, Pretty&Cute no longer supplies circle lenses :( :( :(

Here are the most recent places I would recommend for purchasing circle lenses:
- http://www.pinkyparadise.com/index.asp
- http://www.tokioshine.com/Default.asp ---> I've recently bought 6 circle lenses from them. Excellent prices and good variety. I can't wait for them to come in the mail :)

Circle Lens... In the beginning...

I remember the moment I realized my bad eyesight as if it was yesterday... I had just gotten my braces taken off and I was on all-time high. Sitting in the lobby of my orthodontist's office, my dad pointed out the doctor's PhD diploma hanging in the office across the room. I had to squint to read out the university from which he had graduated. My dad asked me in a state of shock, "You can't read that?!". Thus, I went from the bane of wearing braces to glasses in a day.

I was in 7th grade and therefore only 12 years old. Luckily, I had many friends who wore glasses at the time, so I never felt out of place or stigmatized. However, I hadn't discovered the wide variety of "stylish" glasses nor contact lenses at that point in the late 90's. My first pair of glasses were "grand-motherish" and I'm thankful that I don't have any pictures of me wearing them at the time. This was also BDC (before digital cameras). I still have them tucked away somewhere *I think*. My next pair of glasses were more modern and befitting a teenager girl going into high school. I also got my first pair on contact lens during the time. **I currently own a lovely pair of Juicy Couture frames <3 <3 <3

Before circle lens, I have worn only FreshLook ColorBlends in all of the available colors. My favorite color, and therefore being the one I wore most, was Grey. I've also worn a pair of FreshLook Radiance in Moonlight, which weren't as appealing to me as the ColorBlends. I found that the Radiance collection served to enhance one's eye color rather than change it.


~FreshLook ColorBlends in Grey~


~With my little brother (who's not so little anymore) during a vacay trip to the Philippines~




~FreshLook Radiance in Moonlight~



So, why colored contact lenses? I love to shop. I love fashion. I love change. I have way too many clothes, shoes, handbags, and accessories for a single person to ever need. Therefore, I naturally like to wear a variety of contact lenses. Not only do they allow me to SEE, but having different contact lenses allows me ACCESSORIZE :) Don't get me wrong, I DO wear my glasses (I mean, the frames alone were $200+), but I don't like how the clarity of your vision is limited to the size of the frames. And trust me, if I could have multiple styles of frames, I would. But frames are more expensive individually and you still need to purchase the lenses for the frames :P