hip-hop is dead

DIY: oats & honey facial mask

I am very passionate when it comes to skin care and I love to dabble in homemade skin products. Why spend so much money on fancy skin products when you can make some of the same products right at home? Today, I'm going to teach you how to make a simply oats and honey facial mask. This is a wonderful toning mask and is great for people with oily skin or skin that tends to be very red.

The combination of oats and honey has a tremendous effect on skin. This simple, easy-to-make mask gently unblocks pores and helps to dramatically improve skin texture. The duo of these two ingredients restores a healthy glow to the skin, making you look fresh, young, and beautiful.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of plain oatmeal
1/4 cup of honey
A blender
A bowl/jar

Yields: enough mask for one treatment

To make:

1. After the oatmeal has been cooked and cooled, combine the two ingredients and blend until a sticky paste is formed. This is best used immediately.

2. To use, spread thickly onto the skin, avoiding the sensitive eye area. Leave on for twenty minutes and then rinse off with warm water and pat dry.

How it works:

The oatmeal absorbs the oiliness from the skin and pores and also removes dead skin cells. It also exfoliates the skin. The honey is just used so that the oatmeal can better adhere to the skin.

Of course, before you apply this mask to your face, it is suggested that you do a patch test on another part of your skin to see how your body reacts to this mask. Like all facial masks, this is not suited for everyone's skin types/skin needs, so please exercise caution.

Enjoy!

fierce

trouble following?

Hey guys, quick question.

It has come to my attention that some people are having trouble following my blog? When they click follow, it says, "URL Request Too Large." Is anyone experiencing this?

Please let me know so I can try to fix it.

travel inspiration: magical marrakech, the red city

featured: souks & marketplaces
photos via flickr

painting of the week

  

Portrait of a Lady c. 1460
Roger van der Weyden, Netherlands
Oil on Panel, Gothic

blogging is hard

Blogging is not an easy task.

I've had this blog for about a month and I feel like I'm disappointing my followers.  You see, I want to entertain you, but I don't know what to post. 

When people start a blog, I think everyone has the hopes of getting a million followers and becoming a blog icon.  But how do you go about doing that? 

I've figured out some of the ways.  One, be patient.  This is probably the most simple yet hardest thing to do.  I, for one, am not a patient person.  I hate waiting for anything.  I'm the type of person who likes to get things done, receive things quickly, etc. 

But I don't really want to rant about all that good stuff.  I'd like to know what you - the readers - would like to see on this blog.  That's ultimately what a blog all boils down to: you.  So, what attracts you to a blog and leads you to ultimately clicking that fabulous little button that says 'follow'?  What is it that you like to see?

Please, do tell.  I'm all ears for you guys.

:(

I CAN'T FIND MY CAMERA :( :( :(

hellohellohello

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING!

Nothing better than starting off your day with a cappuchino and some frozen blueberries.

I can't believe it's already mid-July.  Where is this summer going?  Can, ugh, someone call and tell summer to please slow down a bit?  I don't want to go back to school! :(  Summer has been good, even though I've only been to the beach once and I've spent most of my time working.  I have good reason to work, though.  My mom okayed a trip to Spain next summer with just me and my friend.  I have to save up my money because I'll be paying for it by myself.  Hopefully it happens though!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!  That would be so fantastic.  Spain is my dream.  And we'd also take a boat to Morocco for a day because it's only about an hour away from Spain by boat.  EEEEP, so excited to just think about it!  I was supposed to go to Croatia by boat when I was in Italy, but it never happened.  Oh well.  One day, one day!  My goal is to see the world, so I'm sure one day I will see it.

That reminds me.  I have a question for you guys.  Can you recommend any good skin care lines?  I have to buy face stuff because I'm running out.  I'm thinking of going with my usual Darphin, but can anyone recommend anything?  It would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I realize that there is a lack of photos on this website.  Guys, I promise I am working on this.  I'm getting a Macbook soon, so when that comes, expect picture overload.  For now, I just have to deal with the camera I have.

I don't have plans until tonight, so I promised myself that I'd dedicate a good portion of the day working on this blog. 

By the way, do you guys have twitter?  Post your links and I'll follow you!

Lots of love,

Bella

QUE VIVA ESPAÑA

GRANDE ESPAÑA!  LOS CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO! <3
2010 - 2014!
ilusión es mi camino, victoria mi destino.

Well done, boys!  You certainly deserve it!

You know, there is not one drop of Spanish blood in me (well, not that I know of, anyway) and yet, I feel such a connection and love for the culture and the people.  I really feel Spanish today!  haha

I'm going to miss writing about the world cup though.  Now, it will all be strictly fashion and whatnot.  But now, I want to live in Spain more than ever.  I've wanted to for a while, but all the energy surrounding the world cup has just amplified my desire.  I can't wait to start studying Spanish in school!
Well now, I hope everyone is celebrating!  What a nasty game, though!  The Dutch were very violent but, in the end, they both deserved their positions in the final and I'm happy that Spain is bringing the cup home!  See you in 2014 in BRASIL!

PS - Since I have a few Spanish followers, please take pictures of the celebrations in Spain and post them on your blog!  I'd love to see them!

this is it!

Today is the day: The Netherlands vs. Spain.  Who will win?

I have to say that I am extremely happy that my two favorite teams in the tournament have made it to the top.  Even though I want Spain to win, I won't be disappointed if Holland wins because they have played a spectacular game all tournament long. 

Paul the Octopus has predicted Spain to win.  An Asian Oracle has predicted the Netherlands.

So, who will it be?

All I know is that it has been such a beautiful cup.  In the semi-final, history repeated itself.  Tonight, history will be made.

Good luck to both teams! <3

wear your wishes!

Hi guys! I wanted to share something with you, something that I, personally, find very interesting. Now, I guess I'll start off by saying that I'm not particularly suspicious, but, from time to time, I tend to believe in things like wishes and tarot and whatever.

Brazilets are a 200 year old tradition from Bahia, Brazil. The bracelets, which are 47 centimeters long, are said to bring good luck as well as the completion of three wishes. When you get your brazilet, you are supposed to tie it around you wrist and secure it with three knots, making one wish for each knot. When the bracelet naturally falls off, it is said that your wishes will come true. The bracelet says "Lembrança do Senhor do Bonfim da Bahia" or, "In remembrance of our patron saint good luck in life."

Brazilets come in a bunch of colors. I have one in red and I just ordered another one in mango. Each brazilet is $5.00 and 20% of that ($1.00) goes to Plant a Billion Trees.

I really like brazilets. You can buy one for $5.00, as I said before, or a whole pack for $70.00. The colors they come in are ruby, black, white, mango, sunflower, iris, leaf green, light pink, ocean, chocolate, lime, flamingo, and turquoise. They make for great gifts to.  They come with a cute little sheet as well so that you can write down your three wishes.  I'm generally not that superstitious, but I do believe in the wishes coming true with brazilets. I think they're a really great accessory to have. Plus, it's not something that many people have, so you'll certainly stand out with it. I was reading through on Kael Robinson's blog and she talked about the magnificent church in Bahia whose gates are covered with Brazilets. People really believe in this. It's a huge thing in Brazil. That's what's really cool about them; you can connect to a new culture through means of accessory, and isn't that what fashion is all about anyway?

The color of the brazilet, in case you were wondering, is totally subjective.  There are certain symbolisms attached to each color, but the color you choose is dependent on your style.  Like, let's say you were wishing for money.  Even though green is the universal color for money, you don't have to purchase the green brazilet for it.  Personally, I think it's just fun to read through the symbolisms that they have.  Here is what they said about my ruby brazilet and my mango brazilet (I obviously purchased red and mango because they are the colors of Spain.  Just kidding =])

RUBY:
"Ruby red is associated with strength, power, determination. It is an emotionally charged color that is symbolic of passion, desire, and love.

Red gets noticed. It is not subtle; it does not hide. It bears forward unthwarted and inspired. It stands for important things and calls attention to these items. It is bold, striking and intense.

Ruby Brazilets put passion and intensity at the forefront of your wish list. They remind you of the power that drives your desires and the strength and determination that bring your dreams to fruition. Share Ruby Brazilets with friends and loved ones who need a spark of fire and drive. Show them that their dreams and wishes are important to you."

MANGO:
"Juicy, sunshine and a full body wake up are associated with the this tropical color. Recognized as a tonic for the soul this healthful color is associated with joy, enthusiasm, determination, encouragement and success. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain is said to increase immunity and sexual energy. It is a creative, exhuberant color that artfully blends the fire of red and the joyfullness of yellow.

The warm color symbolizes the needs of the physical body making Mango Brazilets a wonderful gift to friends and family who need a mental pick-me-up or a shot of creativity and detemination. Wrap a Mango Brazilet around your wrist to remind yourself that joy, excitment and success belong to everyone. Wear it on your wrist alone or in combination with other Brazilets."

So, what do you think? Will you be purchasing a brazilet? If so, what color?

You can purchase brazilets at http://www.brazilets.com/

AHORA: ESPAÑA

SPAIN IS ONTO THE FINALS! VIVA ESPAÑA!

Guys, I am literally so beyond happy! I'm happy that it's the Netherlands vs Spain! Do you realize how historic this is for both countries?! I'm thinking Spain is going to win, but if the Netherlands win, I won't be mad at all. I'm just so beyond happy! AHHHHHH <3 I've been smiling and screaming all day. And let me tell you, that was no easy game to watch! I literally started crying as soon as they started playing the national anthems. Plus, throughout the game, I felt nauseous and...ugh, it was a miracle that I survived!

And Silva finally played! Olé!

Anyway, since I love Spain so much, next summer, my best friend and I are planning to take a trip to Spain. Just me, her, and her sister who will serve as our chaperone. She's so chill though, so it will basically be like having no chaperone. But we can't tell the parentals that! ;)

And I apologize to you! I will put more fashion updates as soon as my world cup fever fades away.

Off to work now!

Adios!

new findings

black machinery dress by Rumi Neely
sweet hitchhiker by Erin Wasson
Hello!

I'm sorry for the lack of updates I've had. I've been so caught up with the World Cup, but even that is ending in a week. All my predictions were right, by the way! I know I posted Argentina in first, but, literally, the next day, I changed my mind to Germany. So, long behold, I was correct with the top four and I believe the order of placement will ring true at the end.

Fashion wise...

I guess I've been living under a rock these past months because I had no idea Erin Wasson designed for RVCA! I mean, I think I remember reading about it somewhere a while ago, but it completely slipped my mind. I like the shirts a lot in her spring/summer collection. I like the fluidity of them and the looseness. I mean, I'm not sure if she did, but it seems like she played off the idea of a summer breeze. And, personally, I like loose clothing in the summer. It's very reminiscent of Europe, I believe. I like the loose clothes during the day and the tighter, more scandalous ones at night.

And I am obsessed with the Machinery Dress designed by Rumi Neely at fashiontoast.com! Want it!

Check out the collections here: http://shop.rvca.com

IX

Hello & Good morning!

I'm so sorry for my lack of pictures. Things have just been getting sort of hectic around here and I keep pushing the blog off to the end. I promise that I'm going to get some pictures up within the next couple of hours. Besides, I think my earrings might be coming in today! :)

Anyway, I wanted to give you all my prediction for the top four of the World Cup. I think it will be:

1. Argentina
2. The Netherlands
3. Spain
4. Uruguay

What do you guys think?

Anyway, I have to go to work now! I will chat and put some more stuff up later!

xoxo, Bella

PS - did you notice the "time travel" section in the sidebar? I'm going to start posting some of that stuff this week to! Hope you will enjoy it!

VIII

AND I AM OVERJOYED AGAIN BECAUSE SPAIN HAS DEFEATED PORTUGAL AND MOVED ONTO THE QUARTER-FINALS!

They'll most definitely advance to the semi finals because, no offense, Paraguay does not stand a chance! I am so happy!!!

VII

I just wanted to share this trailer for the movie Never Let Me Go with you guys.  I think it looks absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to see it! I want to read the book first, though. It's starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, the guy who played Fred Weasley and the teenager from Lions for Lambs (I don't know their names, sorry).

And, it must be said, that the little girl in this movie is absolutely stunning!

VI

Oh, this has been quite a morning!  I started off with my usual coffee (cappuchino this time, not a latte) and watched the soccer game, England versus Germany.  I was rooting for Germany and, after a splendid game, they won 4-1, making this the biggest loss England has ever experienced in World Cup history.  England was, unfortunately, robbed of one goal, but it wouldn't have made any difference.  It is sort of sad to see England go home so early, though.  Both these teams are very good teams, and they are teams you would expect to see in the quarter/semifinals.  I suppose this has just been a WC of embarassments: Australia, North Korea, France, Italy, and now England.  A lot of the usual powerhouses are going home early.  I didn't expect England to win, but it would have been nice to see them advance a little further.  It was just unfortunate that these two teams had to meet early in the competition.  But alas!  I am happy that Germany won and congratulations to them!  I have a feeling they will be winning the WC this year and if they do, it will undoubtedly be deserved.

Argentina will be playing Mexico in a little bit, and I have no doubts that Argentina will win.

But enough about soccer (I'm a big soccer enthusiast, if you couldn't tell ;)).  I finally got an idea for what to do with my shirt that my mom accidentally ripped while ironing.  It's going to be a suprise, though, and I have to hit up a fabric store ASAP.  All I know is that it's going to look great!  I can't wait to show you guys.

In other news, my mom has okayed me buying a dress form for my room.  I'm really excited for that and I'll probably order it later in the week.  Also, I have a picture of a new pair of shoes my mom gave me to show you.  I'll have that up in a bit!

xoxo, Bella

PS - I have new features for this blog currently in the works.  They'll be up within the next week or so, so just give me some time.  I'm spicing up the blog for you guys :D

i never should have asked for black leather

I just got these from Urban Outfitters.  The bag was $ 68.00, which isn't bad considering it's very versatile and I'll get a lot of use out of it year round.  The jacket was originally $ 138.00 but I got it on sale for $10!!!  I couldn't believe my luck!  I've been looking for the perfect leather jacket for ages.  I don't know if you know this, but it's actually really hard to find a good leather jacket.  But I finally found mine.  It's good quality and it was dirt cheap (this is why I love the sale rack)!  I like how to sleeves are half leather and half cotton.  It makes the jacket even more interesting than it already is.  The great thing about this jacket is that you can really dress it up or just wear it casual.  I mean, how great would it look over a white lace dress (which I found online, by the way, and I am waiting for it to become available in my size.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!).  On the flip side, you can totally wear this everyday over jeans or leggings.  It's honestly perfect.  I'm really so happy with my jacket and bag!  And you can never have enough leather, right? ;)

V

SPAIN IS THE WINNER!  I CALLED IT <3

They will now play Portugal on Tuesday at 2:00!  So excited and happy!!!

IV

God morgon!

Some Swedish for you there :)  Today's the big day!  Spain vs. Chile everyone at 8:30 South African Time (that's 2:30 for me, over here on the East Coast).  Will you be watching?  I sure will!  I'm confident that Spain will move on though, so no worries there :D

I was thinking, though, and I think I really want to purchase a dress form for my room, this way I can take pictures of all the things I have been wasting my money on.  I've always wanted one anyway.  What do you think?  I mean, as the blog gets more followers, I'll obviously start posting pictures of myself, but it's kind of pointless to do that now because no one is following yet.  BUT PATIENCE!  I'm sure they will come.  :)

I have pictures for you guys to!  I want to show you some of the things I recently bought.  I hope you'll like them as much as I do.

Anyway, I am off to work!  Casual Friday, so I am wearing jeans and the most fabulous vest ever (I'll post a picture up later).

Tootles, cats!

III

Hey, guys!

Final post of the night, I promise.

Tomorrow, I'm going to start posting my fashion stuff (there are a few things I want to show you guys).  I would have posted them today, but between work, my mood, and my mother's birthday, I was kind of busy.

So, stay tuned!  I'm excited to show you guys haha so hopefully you are as excited as I am!

Night!

Bella is signing off.

PS - don't forget to follow me on twitter!  link is in the sidebar!

II

I need it to be tomorrow right now.

I

Uffa, what a day!


I'll start from the beginning.  My mother woke me up at 8:15 for work, even though work doesn't start at 10:00.  My mother, you see, has very specific tactics for getting a person out of bed.  Her methods?  Scream.  Loudly.  Normally, I wake up at 8:30/8:45ish.  I understand that complaining about fifteen minutes makes me sound like a complete and utter bitch, but, hey, fifteen minutes is sometimes necessary.  This is coming from someone who woke up at 5:30 everyday to go to school, so I've paid my dues and I've earned those fifteen minutes.


Anyway, my day.


Alright, so I'm up.  Make a latte.  Read a little.  Get dressed.  Off to work.


Work has to be the biggest pain in the ass ever.  It sucks that I get paid well, otherwise I would have no reason to drag myself to the office everyday and slave around for everyone else.  I can't even say I hate work because it gives me an excuse to get out of the house.  There is nothing I hate more than being stuck inside the house for more than an hour.  My tasks at work are fairly simple but extremely annoying.  I make appointments, file papers, write letters, make wills/powers of attorneys/other legal documents, send mail, get coffee, answer the phone, etc.  Lately, some tax thing came up and my boss wants to inform all his clients about it.  This is murder in some form, I assure you.  I have to make letters and envelopes for every single one of my boss' clients and, trust me, there are a shitload.  Today's total: 68 letters.  I thought I was going to kill myself, I kid you not.  Not to mention, I'm also retarded because only I can manage to cut my lip licking an envelope.  But that's not even the worst part about letters.  After you make the letter, you have to file a copy.  Filing is balls.  It's torture.  For any of you who have filed papers at some point in your life, I'm sure you feel my pain.


The worst part, however, came when I realized that I couldn't watch the soccer game because of work.  Thank God for twitter is all I can say!  Lucky for me, I get updates straight to my phone, although, I might have been better off not getting anything because Italy lost.  Really, Italy?  Champions of the world and you can't even make it past the first round.  World class my ass.  I'm honestly really pissed off about that.  No offense to Paraguay or anything, but how the hell did they manage to move on?!  And Slovakia?  Goddamn.  Do they even have soccer stadiums in these countries?  Okay, that was mean, but you get my frustration!  Italy played like crap, in all honesty, and they honestly don't deserve to move on.  I really hope the Italians throw tomatoes at them when they get home.  It really is so embarassing.  And, not to mention, I'm sh*tting bullets for the Spain game tomorrow!  Spain has my heart as far as soccer goes and, even though I think they have the potential to beat Chile, Chile has been doing really well while Spain has only been doing okay.  It's so nervewracking and I really don't want to wait to see the game.  I want to know now!  I'm literally going to be dying at work as I wait for 2:30 to roll around.  Do I think Spain will win the World Cup?  Honestly, no.  I'd love it if they did, but I think either Argentina, Germany, or Brazil (ew) are going to claim the gold this year.


Today is also my mother's birthday.  I won't reveal her age though (hehe).  I got her a bottle of Bulgari perfume (it's called Blue II, I think) and a bracelet.  I told my dad to bring home some cake and pastries for her, and he said he would.  I have yet to give her her gift though.  As far as she's concerned, she didn't get anything.  Sneaky, sneaky me.  :)  Of course, she's know using her birthday as an excuse for me to iron the clothes and clean the house.  This would be, according to her, a "birthday gift."  Pfffffffft.  Yeah, okay, mom.  I'll do it this time, just because I'm feeling extra sugery nice today (that's a lie, by the way; I'm really not). 


On the plus side, my jeans feel like a canoe on me.  They are super loose!  Hoorah!  That's always good news...to me, anyway.


Anyway, I am off to slave around the house!  And I'm curious to know: are you World Cup fans?  Who are you rooting for?


au revoir for now,


Bella