I'm an Intern!

I'm not attending school this semester, but I still want to use my time to do something productive.  I want a fresh start, and I want to try some new things.  Last week marked the first few days of my first-ever internship! 

 JACKET; Urban Outfitters BLAZER; Urban Outfitters TOP; Hot Topic JEANS; zipia.net SHOES; Salus BAG; Chanel ACCESSORIES; Jewelmint, Salus

Been really busy catching trains back & forth between my full-time job and the city.  Lugging around this borrowed & obscenely large laptop, but not for long...a beautiful, brand new baby Vaio is on its way to me as I type! 

I've been lucky enough to land an internship at Nexus Showroom in NYC.  Nexus Showroom houses designers & brands like Jac Langheim, Katty Xiomara, Maggie Jeans, Amalia Mattaor, and Carlos Luna, to name a few.  I'm going to have the opportunity to work alongside designers, stylists, and buyers.

With NYFW just around the corner, there's a lot of work to do.  I'm really excited for the things to come~ Follow Nexus Showroom on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook where I'll be making some guest appearances!

Avon's Mosaic Effects

I'm totally late getting into the crackle trend~ to be honest for the longest time I wasn't sure how I felt about this look, and it was something I didn't want to shell out the money for.  Lucky me, my mom's an Avon lady and got me their crackle polish for Christmas!  So here I am, finally trying it out.

Avon Mosaic Effects

I'm so pleased with how this turned out!  It actually looks really stylish and totally fits my dark winter aesthetic.  It's also super easy to do~

Silver has been my favorite color this season, so I used Revlon's "Metallic" as a base.  I achieved this crackle effect with a very light application of the Mosaic Effects polish.  If you use a heavier application you'll have bigger chunks, but I prefer these smaller cracks as it looks more intentional.

Not good at giving yourself manicures?  No worries, this is the just the polish for you!  This polish doesn't require a perfect application, and it dries almost instantly.  It's impossible to mess this up! 

I think this would look awesome with so many different color combinations, I'm definitely going to continue playing with this in the weeks to come!

Overall: 5/5

Buy Avon's Mosaic Effects here.  There's a sale going on right now, get 3 nail polishes for $9.99!

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

I'm always looking for new skin primers to try~ I was happy to receive a sample of Hourglass' Veil Mineral Primer with a recent Sephora order!

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

"A mineral-based, water-resistant primer with SPF 15 that neutralizes the skin, minimizes shine, and creates a smooth, uniform canvas for flawless makeup application."

This is a slightly opaque white formula that applies semi-sheer but leaves my skin looking really white, pale, and washed out.  There's no way that I would be able to wear this alone, like the product description claims you can.

It leaves skin feeling slick & slippery, making it a little difficult to apply makeup over it.  I didn't notice any change in the appearance of my pores, however it did assist my makeup in concealing redness & blemishes.

Doesn't really hold my makeup in place or keep it from fading, and by the end of 8 hours my skin is just as oily as usual.

Overall:  3/5

Maybe this has better results when used with mineral powder foundations (which I don't use), and it may also be better for people with dry skin (which I don't have).  For me, it had neither a positive or negative effect on my skin.  I'm skipping this one!

Oracle Fox X Billabong

Something caught my eye today when I walked into my local Billabong shop...

Right away the color stood out to me, and I've been gravitating towards these loose, easy shapes and simple designs lately.  The zodiac motif is reminiscent of works from some of my favorite artists as well.

Once I took a closer look something else caught my eye...the label, Oracle Fox for Billabong!  Oracle Fox is one of my favorite blogs, and Mandy is such an inspirational stylist!  I knew that she had collaborated with Billabong, but I didn't realize that the collection was in stores already~ I was so excited to recognize the name on the label, I had to snag this tee for $28.

Here's Zippora Seven modeling some of the other pieces from the collection inspired by Mandy's own wardrobe, artwork, and vintage finds~

source; oracle fox

Um...I finally built up a decent winter wardrobe, but I'm ready for summer now!  Beach, BBQs, rock concerts, sun, sand, and bare feet~ yeahhh!

Avon Pamper Yourself Giveaway

Last year certainly had its ups and its downs.  I think we could all use a little pick-me-up to get this year started off right!

My mom recently became an Avon representative, so I've been getting the chance to try out tons of new products.  I got lots of goodies for Christmas too!

If you think about Avon, you probably think of makeup right?  When my mom started selling Avon, I was really surprised to see that the company offers so much more than that!  Skin care, perfumes, clothing, accessories, jewelry, men's products, and other miscellaneous gifts...there's so much to choose from in those little Avon books!

One of my favorites is Avon's "Naturals" body care line.  Body lotions & shower gels in so many yummy scents!

So, to thank you all for reading my blog throughout the year I am having an Avon giveaway!  My mom & I put together this prize package to make one of my lucky readers feel really special & pampered at the start of this new year~ the giveaway is open to anyone worldwide!

Included in this giveaway:
Naturals Canvas Bag
Naturals Flower Bath Sponge
Naturals Sugar Plum & Vanilla Body Lotion
Naturals Sugar Plum & Vanilla Shower Gel
Imari Seduction Eau de Toilette Spray 1.7 fl oz
Imari Seduction Eau de Toilette Spray .5 fl oz
Imari Seduction Roll-On Anti Perspirant Deodorant
Care Deeply Lip Balm
Dew Kiss Lip Balm
Flavor Savors Lip Balm in Bubblegum
Slick Tint for Lips in Glossy Rose
Slick Tint for Lips in Glossy Wine
Step into Sexy Earrings
Assorted Samples 

RULES

Mandatory entry:  Comment with your name and a valid e-mail!

For extra chances to win, you can...

-Visit my mom's Avon shop online and tell me one item that you like! 

-Make an order from my mom for 5 EXTRA ENTRIES (leave 5 separate comments with your name & order #)

-Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect, bloglovin', etc

-Follow me on Twitter @hachidork

-Tweet the following message on Twitter: "Hachi's having a New Year's giveaway! Pamper yourself with Avon~ @hachidork http://tinyurl.com/6vrjd8g #win #giveaway" (you may do this once daily)

-Blog about this giveaway

-Comment on any of my other blog posts

Be sure to do the mandatory entry first!  Each method of entry should be submitted in a separate comment.  ANY COMMENT NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES WILL BE DELETED!

The giveaway ends on Monday, January 9th at midnight EST.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and contacted by e-mail.  If the winner does not respond in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Another Year

How was everyone's New Year's eve?  Hope you all had a safe & fabulous night~ I spent my first half of New Year's eve with family & good food, then crashed a private party at Miraku to ring in the new year with just a few of my favorite people.

New Year's day has been a day of reflection for me.  To put it plainly, this really hasn't been a great year for me and I've been feeling rather cynical today.  It may be the first day of the new year, but it's just another day.  There's no reset button, it doesn't change anything.  Life goes on.

But, I don't wanna focus on the bad things~ so here are a few of my really stand-out memories from this past year!

Turning 21 and having the best birthday party ever with everyone that I love.

Meeting the guys from Incubus and getting to see them play five times, up close & personal.

Going to Anna Sui Spring 2012, my first runway show and first time at NYFW.

Being filmed for Tokyo Kawaii TV with all the NY gals.

Getting to try my hand at casting, wardrobe, and makeup for Mike's film.

Happy New Year to all of you!  I hope 2012 will be filled with lots of fun & happy memories~

Stay tuned for a New Year's giveaway, coming soon!