New Year's Beauty Resolutions

Other than vowing to continue living a life where I put my goals, wishes, and dreams first, like I do every year, I rarely make New Year's resolutions. I find them to be poorly planned and given loftiness that almost always deflates in mid February.

 Over the course of the past year I have become more playful with the idea of cosmetology and the power it has over so many women and even men. Not only do I think about it's roots in ancient Egypt but I also play around with different looks on myself. Putting on makeup is the one task I do somewhat daily that I actually enjoy aside from eating and sleeping. Because we spend so many hours over the course of our year with our favorite beauty products in hand, I decided I would structure a few resolutions around exactly that. Beauty.

1. Take it off

 This year, before I even think about putting it on, I must vow to myself that it will come off. If I don't I will wake up with mascara stained pillow cases and a lovely batch of acne to wage war against all week. So this year I resolve to hitting the sheets makeup-free.

2. SPF. SPF. SPF.

Despite the permanent cloud that seems to loom over the city in the winter months, I resolve to slather on sunscreen of moisturizer with SPF every day. Not only is it good for the health of your skin but it also keeps you looking dewy and young...(forever, right?)

3. Clean my brushes

I do this often but probably not often enough. To avoid bumps, redness, and the transfer of bacteria I will clean my beauty brushes at least once a week. I usually rinse them once by one under warm water after slathering them with hand soap. Soaking them in warm soapy water and drying laying down also does the trick.

4. Master the art of eyeshadow

To truly understand become a woman is to apply a good smoky eye. Not to mention there is so much you can do with eyeshadow to add some pop to your winter look with bright shades and metallics. My goal this year is to pick up the right brush and walk away without looking like I'm covered in bruises. A good eye not only looks gorgeous and sophisticated.

5. Accessorize with a bold lip

Lately, lip trends are straying away from the class fire engine red or nude. In an ode to 90's beauty, deep berry shades are making a comback (sans the liner). Even bubblegum pink makes the occasional appearance on the beauty guru. A good lip can add depth to a look and make a typical outfit a shade more interesting.

Pleather and Fringe

I'm excited to announce the beginning of my internship with College Fashionista. I will be posting weekly articles featuring local fashionta/os on my campus at the University of Oregon. Tune in to check it out every week here. 

Here are a few pictures from my first post which is my personal bio. 

Enjoy!

Sweater: Belle du Jour Leggings: H&M Necklace: Forever 21 Flats: H&M Nails: OPI "Got the Blues for Red"

Tacos for Brunch

That white and yellow striped tent on 1400 N Virgil Avenue is not a circus. 

That would be the famous spot of the best fish tacos in Los Angeles. Ricky's Fish tacos was recently praised by Eater.LA which claims these tacos reign supreme to any others. 

I started going to Ricky's years ago when you could see him work his magic with a vat of boiling oil up close. Although now concealed by a truck, the tacos still taste unbelievably fresh and familiar. 

Ricky's never disappoints. 

Although I come for the fish tacos, I almost always order an agua fresca too. On saturday they served Horchata and a homemade tangy, sweet Jicama Strawberry. 

Then came the tacos. One fish, one shrimp. 

Spicy, crispy, and fresh just like I remember. 

You can catch Ricky's Fish Tacos Thursday through Sunday 11- 4p.m 

Would You Bike to Work With SmartWheel?

With increased pressure to reduce carbon emissions, save money on gas, and strive for better health more people are turning to biking as opposed to driving to work. Innovative entrepreneurs have tapped into this change, pinpointed the reason for resistance, and invented a possible solution. Two companies, FlyKly and Superpedestrian are paving the way in the market of the pedal assist wheel, which can increase the ease in riding a bike. Although they are not producing flying cars, these companies are on track to change the way you think about getting around.

The creative minds behind FlyKly are capitalizing on this idea with SmartWheel, which you can check out here at www.flykly.com. Like SmartWheel, the Copenhagan Wheel from Superpedestrian, claims to be an urban revolution, and offers the same features as SmartWheel including a mobile app and a removable rechargeable battery.

Funding for SmartWheel took place on Kickstarter in the Fall of 2013 when nearly 2,400 excited people pledged money towards the production and distribution which guarantees them access to the wheel in Fall 2014. Meanwhile the Copenhagan Wheel generated 4 million views of its very first commercial which shows that a large chunk of people are at least intrigued by what Superpedestrian is up to. Afterall, FlyKly and Superpedestrian are not just making people want these wheels, they are tapping into the fact that there is an existing need for them.

Dubbed the bike of the future, SmartWheel has the potential to begin a wave of change with motorized vehicles. Although the commute may be difficult to conquer at first, more people using these pedal assists for quicker trips around town can make a noticeable change. Marketing may be the final step needed to create buzz around the product and get people truly excited about buying an environmentally conscious commuter’s dream bike.

Find out everything about SmartWheel and the people behind it at www.flykly.com and checkout www.superpedestrian.com to learn more about the Copenhagan Wheel.

Happy commuting!