MONDAY MUSIC // ARCTIC MONKEYS

Whatever People Say What I Am, That's What I'm Not // Favorite Worst Nightmare // Suck It And See // AM // Hamburg

THE ARCTIC MONKEYS //

I'm a little late to the party with these guys, but I've been reccomended them time and time again and they never stuck.  This week I had nothing to listen to, so I decided to give their album a look see, and now I haven't been able to stop listening to them!  I've had their albums on my itunes for a long time, so listening through now is super weird as I've heard to one or two of their songs over and over.  Little did I know I was missing so many gems!

All their albums are amazing in their own different ways.  I can't declare my favorite, but I have to say Hamburg and Favourite Worst Nightmare are up there.  You can listen to them on Spotify.  Find them at arcticmonkeys.com.

xxTanya

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#100HAPPYDAYS // WEEK ONE

Sunday nights with Mad Men // PLUSH parade across campus // Rumba the pug comes to visit the print labs // A cup of tea in one of my favorite mugs // Dinner with Brian // The Grand Budapest Hotel

Week one of #100HAPPYDAYS is over, and I only missed one day!  This was a good week full of getting things done and general tomfoolery.  It's so lovely looking back at all the little moments this way.  I can't wait to keep going with the project!

xxTanya

original post // my instagram // #100HappyDays // One Hundred Days of Happiness

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SKETCHES // SENIOR THESIS

About three weeks ago, I broke out a new large sketchbook and started drawing the final designs for my thesis pieces.  Some designs are completely cemented and because of my relaxing spring break, I finally started working on the final pieces on bristol.  I'm up to five completely sketched so far.

These are the drawings in the sketchbook I did a couple of weeks ago.  Enjoy!

xxTanya

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TREATS

Over spring break, I broke my spending ban (oops!) and bought quite a few items.  I do think that I got some great bargains, however, and I'm really happy with everything I purchased!

Forever21 Everyday Maxi Dress ($9.80)

Forever21 Off Duty Striped Crop Top ($5.80)

Forever21 Favorite Scoop Neck Cami ($1.80)

Forever21 Rose Petal Nail Polish ($2.80)

The Body Shop White Musk Libertine Eau De Parfum ($30)

The Body Shop Mango Eau De Toilette ($12)

e.l.f. Essential Eyelash Curler ($1)

e.l.f. Essential Lipstick in Flirtatious ($1)

 

For clothing, I went to Forever21 and went away with the three items I initially brought in to the dressing room.  That's the first time shopping has ever been that easy!  I initially went in to the shop to check out their camis, since I needed a replacement black one, but I couldn't help but look around.  I also picked up a maroon maxi dress, since I didn't own one, and a cute striped crop top.  I always found I didn't like how maxi dresses looked on me, but I think part of it was not being completely happy with my body.  The dress fits really wonderfully as well, which helps.  I've wanted a crop top for a while and the striped one just called to me.  I've already worn it with shorts and it looks great.  I can't wait to wear it with my disco pants and some skirts!  

I also bought a pair of high-waisted jean shorts (which used to be pants) from Salvation Army.  I was super proud of my DIY result, as it kept me from spending about $60 on shorts from American Apparel!  I wasn't able to take a photo of those, however, but I'm sure they'll be in an outfit post soon enough.  Another DIY I achieved was I finally got around to altering a striped shirt that used to belong to my dad.  I wanted to cut off the mock turtleneck for a while, but never got around to it.  I finally cut the neck and the sleeves off to make a nice slouchy shirt.  It's a little long, but we'll see how it'll work out with my new love of high-waisted bottoms.  Maybe I'll finally get the tuck-in-front method down! 

For beauty, I had wanted to check out The Body Shop's perfume lines for a while and give them a little sniff, so I went in with a friend to smell them all.  I was torn between the new Smoky Rose and Libertine, but in the end I chose Libertine for it's musky sweetness.  I've been absolutely enjoying wearing it so far and I plan to do a little post on it in a while.  It's amazing!  The Body Shop was also doing a buy 2 get 2 sale, so my friend Celina got a body mist as well and we each got a free item!  I chose the mango eau de toilette because I wanted to try something fruity in contrast to the musk of the parfum, and I love the mango scent.  I can't wait to try it once it gets a little warmer!

I also stopped in to e.l.f. as my friend Anna wanted a little coaching on what brushes she should buy (and it was right next to The Body Shop).  I restrained myself for the most part, but I bought an eyelash curler since I don't own one.  I know a lot of people say that this is one of those items where you should buy expensive one, but I don't even know if I'll end up using it that often, and I don't have unlimited spending money.  I also tried one of their lipsticks as I've heard good things, but it was awful!!  It broke in the tube as soon as I went to apply, and the color is sheer and hard to apply.  Maybe it'll work as more of a wash of color once the summer months arrive, but I have a feeling I won't get much use out of it.  Whelp!  At least it was only a dollar.  While in Forever21, I also purchased a nail polish at the register as an impulse buy.  It's not great, but it's not awful either.

Overall, I'm really happy!!  I'm basically done with purchases for a while, though I was thinking about buying a new dress for my Thesis show in May.  And maybe a MAC lipstick?  I went in to the MAC store for the first time and fell in love.  Help!  They're so gorgeous and they smell so good, which is so important to me.  Maybe as a treat?

xxTanya

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100 HAPPY DAYS

I stumbled across this lovely idea on A Beautiful Mess's blog: the One-Hundred Days of Happiness challenge!

The challenge is about recognizing the beauty in everyday moments and realizing what makes you happy every day.  By recording and sharing each moment, you end up with 100 photos of little things you love!  It seemed like such a fun and cute challenge, I just had to go for it.  I'm pretty happy right now (they ask you happy you are currently while signing up and I put a 9 out of 10), but I know from the last two months that I'll be stressed out over my thesis soon enough.  Spring break truly helped me take a break, calm down, and re-evaluate what needed to be done, but I'm afraid that all that stress relief will be all for naught now that I'm back at school!  I figured that the 100 Days Challenge would if not really help, at least help a little towards making me realize how the stress isn't necessary through my thesis, graduation, and the general tumultuous time approaching me.

I'll be uploading my photographs on my instagram every day starting this evening using the hashtag #100HAPPYDAYS.  I'll also be doing a recap post every week or so here on my blog for those who don't have an instagram or don't want to follow me.  I'm picky with who I follow, I understand!

I hope that this prompts you to maybe join, or at least begin to love the little things in life!  Enjoy!

xxTanya

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PERSONAL STYLE MOODBOARD

all images from pinterest

ELEMENTS //

high waisted

feminine vs. bold, casual, & comfortable

red

dark vs. light & bright

classic silhouettes

alternative casual

I've been thinking a lot about defining my personal style recently.  It's hard!  I have a basic idea of how I want to dress and how I'd like to present myself, but to better cement the ideas floating around I decided to create a little mood board.

This goes hand in hand with my desire to slim down the clothing I own.  I want to be able to look in my closet and love every single thing in there; I've wanted that for years.  I hope to one day have, ideally, a 30 piece capsule wardrobe, though I doubt that'll happen.  However, even a little more than that is less clothing than I currently own, and I'll like more things in my closet than I do now.  I want to be able to pull anything out, put it on, and love it.  I don't want any more days of wearing a "meh" outfit.  I've reached the point where quality trumps quantity (or cheapness).

Look out for a post seriously defining my personal style soon!

xxTanya

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LOVING RECENTLY

Greetings!  I've had a lovely spring break so far, but I have been lacking on my usual posting scheme, so I thought I'd just let you in on a couple of articles and videos I've been loving recently.  These, of course, have no rhyme and reason, so enjoy the wide range of actives I get up to on the internet!

ARTICLE // "Wes Anderson's Characters Have Lost Their Freedom of Movement"

A super cool article on how Wes Anderson's characters only move on the horizontal or vertical plane, never diagonally.  I'm so hyped to see The Grand Budapest Hotel!

BLOG // "Dear Cutie-pie"

A very sweet and heartfelt letter from a father to his daughter.

TELEVISION // Mad Men

I've bitten the bullet and finally started watching Mad Men again!  I started a while ago and just didn't get hooked, but I started again since I was done catching up with Elementary (also another fantastic show) and now I am totally hooked.  Hopefully I don't get bored like I've heard a lot of people did towards season three. 

 VIDEO // First Kiss by Tatia Pllieva

An amazing look at intimacy between two human beings. 

 BLOG // "10 Sweet Little Moments In The Morning"

A perfect way to reflect on your day and place in the world.

BLOG //  "3 Minute Morning Yoga"

I've just been loving the Free People blog recently!

VIDEO // Grizzly Bear Caught On Camera by KickThePJ

One of my favorite youtubers.  Never fails to cheer me up with his amazing & hilarious video ideas.

BLOG // "How to Build the Perfect Wardrobe"

Absolutely obsessed with Into Mind's wardrobe building posts recently.  I'm planning on doing a post about building my own wardrobe soon.

GENERAL // Wardrobe Planning

After discovering Into Mind's blog, I've been thinking a lot about refining my personal style and creating a definitive wardrobe where I can pull out any item and love it.  It'll definitely take a little while, but now that I've thought about it, I know what I'm looking for.  With the help of pinterest, the journey has been a little easier.

I hoped you liked that little peek in to what I've been enjoying recently!  I think I may just go and watch more Mad Men now....

xxTanya 

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THE LIPSTICK TAG

Hey everyone!

Since I'm so absolutely in love with lipstick, I thought I'd do the lipstick tag!  I've been wanting to talk about my collection for a while; I even planned out a whole collection post a while back with swatches and everything that I never got around to posting.  I'll probably re-do it at some point and post it later.  I know this seems like I have a lot of lipstick for one person (though some people will think I have hardly any) but it's my number one makeup staple!  I don't feel like I'm ready to go out without a bit of lip color, especially my statement red.  I feel like you get a lot of bang for your buck, especially when you buy drugstore brands like I do.  They make me feel great, so why not, right?

Enjoy!

1. How many lipsticks do you own?

Sixteen, not including lip glosses and lip balms.  Not too many, compared to some, but way too many, compared to others!

2. What was the first lipstick you owned?

I'm sure it was something my mom didn't want any longer and gave to me.  Or a Wet N' Wild lipstick of some point, I'm sure.  I remember when they smelled so awful!

3. What is your favourite lipstick brand?

It's a tie between Revlon and Rimmel!  I by far have way more Rimmel lipsticks, but I have never been disappointed by a Revlon lipstick, whereas I have with Rimmel (and I absolutely despise the floral scent of the Rimmel lipsticks).  It just ends up that Revlon is about three to four dollars more than Rimmel, so I end up being able to talk myself in to getting Rimmel more often.  Oops!

Kiss Of Life, 10, Ravish Me Red

4. What is your most worn lipstick?
Ugh, this is hard.  I have to say either Rimmel's Kate Moss collection in 10 or Revlon's Ravish Me Red.  But recently I haven't been able to stop wearing Rimmel's Kate Moss Matte in 111 Kiss Of Life!

5. What is your favourite finish?
Definitely Matte.  Creme is fine, but I love my mattes, especially since lipstick feathers really easily on me and matte finishes means I don't really need a lip liner.  I also like that more vintage vibe, and you can't go wrong with a matte red lip!

6. What was the last lipstick you bought?

Kate Moss for Rimmel in 107.  I've wanted it ever since Zoella claimed it as her favorite but I don't think it was available in the states until very recently!

7. How many lip products do you currently have in your bag?

At the time of photo taking, only four, surprisingly!  Though all those lipsticks are now out of the bag and back with the others.  I usually have more than one lip balm but they've been migrating around to my bathroom and my bedside table.

8. What is your favourite red lip colour?

Gotta say, it's a tie between Rimmel's 111 Kiss Of Life and 10.  Kiss Of Life is the perfect red matte, but 10 is just a slightly darker, more blue toned red that looks so sophisticated.  I love both!

9. How do you store your lipsticks?

Currently they're just standing in a group on my dresser.  However, I'm planning on putting them in their own little box soon enough!

10. Which lipsticks are you currently lusting after?
Definitely Revlon's Lover's Coral.  Any sort of pinky/orangey shades for spring.  I love my reds, but I want some other brights for the spring and summer, since I didn't start buying lipstick 'till the winter months!

I hope you enjoyed this little peek in to my absolute love of lipsticks.  What's your lipstick collection like? What's your number one color you can't live without?

xxTanya

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OLYMPICS IN REVIEW

So, the Olympics are over!  I know this post is late, but I haven't been able to find time to really focus on it until now.  But, wow, weren't the olympics awesome?  This is the first year I watched away from home and it worked out pretty well!

I was mostly only able to watch in the evenings due to class and work, so I only really saw the primetime and what was considered okay for prime time (no curling, sadly).  Therefore, I watched boatloads of ice skating, almost to the point where it began to bore me a bit.  I also watched the snowboarding, some skiing, and the biathlon.  Still don't know where the concept of the biathlon came from.  So, I figured since I enjoyed watching the olympics so much, I would do a little post talking about my favorite athletes and moments!

The thing that made an impact on me the most was ice skating/dancing, since I watched that the most.  I definitely had favorite teams and competitions.

I loved the Russia skating pair of Tatyana Volosozhar and Maxsim Trankov.  Their dances were always devine, their skill fantastic, and their connection palpable!  I loved watching them skate.  None of the videos of the actual performances are on youtube right now, but as soon as they are I recommend checking them out if you didn't see them!

Of course, I loved Meryl Davis and Charlie White.  They absolutely stole the show with their wonderful skating.  I think that the NBC commentators kind of beat a dead horse with their continuous mentioning of how long the two of them had been partners, but I think it's really cute that they had been skating together for that long.  Their ice dancing performances were by far my favorite!

The rest of the skaters were absolutely lovely.  Kim Yu-Na was elegant, Evegni Plushenko was powerful and stunning.  My friend Janet's favorites, French duo Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat, definitely put on a fantastic show.  The Canadian duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were also absolutely lovely.  Overall, amazing!

Last but not least, I just had to mention the cutie that is Iouri Podladchikov in snowboarding.  Shawn White was talked up so much this olympics due to his performance four years ago, though his reign is now over.  Iouri was adorable when he won, talking non-stop about how much he admired and loved Shawn White (so much so, NBC cut him off in the middle of fangirling during an interview).  He was absolutely amazing, and totally deserved the gold.

I absolutely love the olympics.  It kept me from doing certian things, like watching certain TV shows or films or reading, but it only ever happens every two years so I think it's worth it.  I can't wait for the 2016 summer olympics!

xxTanya

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MONDAY MUSIC // SCHEHERAZADE

Art by Edmund Dulac

This week, all I've been listening to is Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korasakov.

It started when I was looking up the music played at the Olympics while writing my "Olympics in Review" post (which will be up later this week), and the I couldn't stop!  I listened to it while doing my statistics homework to studying for my statistics test this week.  It even got to the point where when I started studying without it the music immediately popped in to my head!

Scheherezade is the legendary queen from the story One-Thousands and One Nights.  The story goes as such: The Persian king would marry a new virgin and behead his previous wife every day, as he was angry that his first wife betrayed him (dramatic, much?).  Scheherezade went to him and told a story every night, but never finished it before dawn, so the king kept her alive another day so she could finish the story.  This happened every night until on the one-thousanth day, Scheherezade had no more stories to tell.  The king, however had fallen in love with her by this point and made her his wife.  All I heard during the olympics was about romantic this story was, but I don't agree.  Either way, the music is beautiful, even if the king was kind of an idiot.

I've been meaning to listen to the piece for a long while and I'm so glad I finally did!  It is so beautiful and moving that it definitely will be something I come back to listen to over and over.  It also has special meaning to me, as when I mentioned it to my mother (who loves classical) she told me this was what she listened to while giving birth to me!  That makes it so much better, and gives it so much extra emotion to listen to.  I love it!

I've been listening to the version played by the London Philharmonic HERE on Spotify.  I'm sure, however, you could look it up on any of your preferred music players to check it out.

xxTanya

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WEEK(ISH) IN REVIEW

Happy Sunday!

This week had a lot of ups and downs.  I had a minor freak out over my thesis and just not being able to actually start it and get working, but I had a little break, relaxed, and then began to think about it and work again.  The trick is to just start doing!  So I did.

The daffodils I bought from Wegman's also have been blooming really beautifully and have been making me happy whenever I look at them.  They went perfectly with the matcha green tea I made for myself on wednesday!  I made it with milk and a little bit of sugar, but from now on I plan on making it without either.  It's better for you that way, especially since I already have my cup of tea (+ milk & sugar) in the mornings.

Monday I played a whole bunch of Dragon Age at the boyf's house and put a turtleneck (specifically dog sized, don't worry) on his dog Hunter.  Look at that guy.  Look at his concerned old man face.  Hunter is great. 

Also speaking of Hunter, we watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on tuesday.  Yes, Hunter is named after Hunter Thompson.  His name is even on the mailbox!  The film was really great, but super hard to understand the first time you watch it, which Brian said was normally how people react.  It was filmed amazingly and I'm sure that if I ever get around to watching it again I'll appreciate it even more.  Brian knows a lot about Hunter Thompson (and his friendship with Johnny Depp) so hearing his commentary and little facts made the film even more interesting.

I also dig Ralph Steadman and have seen his work around, but I never really had a name to the style.  It was really cool to learn that he did the illustrations in the book and helped with the film.  I love when, if people are going to make a film essentially about a person who is alive, they go the extra mile to make it really, really good and artistic.  

On friday I signed my lease for august and submitted my last month's rent check!  So it's really going to happen, I'm going to live on my own for the first time!  I'm actually not too worried, I just need to get a job.  The weird thing is that I can't really worry about that just yet?  I really need to focus on my thesis now, and then start thinking about getting a job, which is tough.  Everyone says not to worry, but I still have that 1% of myself that thinks I won't find anything!  As long as I apply to a whole bunch of places, though, I'm sure I'll be able to find something.

Also on friday myself and SVAO went to the Albright Knox as a little club event.  On the first friday of every month, a lot of galleries and museums around buffalo open for free to the public, so we thought we'd take advantage!  I didn't have a lot of time to be there before I had to get to work so it was a little nerve-wracking, but it ended up okay in the end.

Here's to another great week!  Spring Break is coming up soon, which I can't believe.  I'm just going back home to NYC for the week to spend some time with the fam before crunch time really begins.  It's also one of my best friend's birthdays!  I need to get some presents!

xxTanya

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POMEGRANATE

What I'm Wearing //

Covergirl Clean Foundation for normal skin in 105 Ivory

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer in 125 Fair

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent

Urban Decay Naked2 Pallet in Tease (eyebrows), Blackout

Jordana eyeshadow in EP/1 Beige

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in 30 Pomegranate Punk

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Blackest Black

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lip Liner in 021 Dynamite Red

Kate Moss for Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 111 Kiss Of Life

I haven't done a look post in a while!  This is the makeup I wore to the Hallwalls Drawing Rally that I talked about here on monday.  I hadn't used my Color Tattoo eyeshadow in a while and I had just seen A Private Life of a Girl's post about Burgundy Eyes.  I was inspired, what can I say!  I was really pleased with this look, especially how easy it was to achieve.  Hardly any blending necessary.  I basically need every single color tattoo; they are so absolutely amazing!

xxTanya

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STOKER CINEMATOGRAPHY

I recently re-watched Stoker and was struck yet again by how amazing the cinematography is.  I have lots of thoughts on the acting, story, and other ideas talked about in the film but the cinematography is my first love.  I think I'll make a post talking about all the other ideas I loved, but I tried to keep this one relatively spoiler free (whereas the other will not).

Blue and Yellow are strikingly important in the tone of this film, something which I didn't realize until I started to look at these screenshots.  For example, when India is fantasizing about Charlie, the colors are extremely yellow, but as she wakes from her dream, the colors transition back to blue.  Charlie's representation also transitions from blue to yellow as well (or yellow to blue, if you look at it that way).  Super interesting!  I love when films pay attention to color pallets (cough Pacific Rim cough).

No post about Stoker on my blog would be complete without a video of my favorite scene, however.  The piano scene with India and Charlie was, by far, one of the most striking out of many striking scenes within the entire film.  I couldn't get it out of my head after, and listened to the piano duet quite a bit for weeks after the first time I saw it.  Make sure to watch in full screen and HD!

I wanted to share some of my favorite moments of cinematography with my lovely blog, along with being able to keep examples of amazing cinematography in one place.  I'll let the images do the talking, though.  Enjoy!

xxTanya

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