Beaded Baubles: ALJ Jewelry

Hi everyone! One more semester to go! In all the madness, I still haven't gotten around to Christmas shopping, but I told my sister I would go with her when she comes back from school.

Recently, I helped my mom create a jewelry shop on etsy.com. She really enjoys making bead bracelets and necklaces in her free time. As a result, she decided she wanted to share her creations with others and created ALJ Jewelry. I wanted to help her promote her creations and display some of her beautiful pieces.

Enjoy!

Lovely Black, Gold and Silver Bracelet made from seed beads!

Beautiful Black Bead and Red Pearl Bracelet

Elegant Black, Pink and Wine Colored Pearl Bracelet

Let me know what you think of her pieces below! Feel free to also visit her shop to see more of her creations!



Tasty Treats: Molly's Cupcakes

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! My goal is to survive the week and then I'm home free! However, I wanted to take a short break from my papers to put up a post on some yummy treats I purchased for my friend a while back. Enjoy!

I had seen Molly's Cupcakes featured on a local show and for the longest time, had wanted to give their cupcakes a try.

When my friend came to visit from out of town, we decided to pay Molly's Cupcakes a visit. Of course they had a wide selection and since it was my friend's b-day that day, I decided to get a dozen so that we all could try some different flavors.

From Top to Bottom

Row 1: Boston Cream Pie (x2), Cookie Monster, Peach Cobbler

Row 2: The Ron Bennington (x2), Cookies 'n Cream, Peach Cobbler

Row 3: Red Velvet (x2), Cake Batter, Peach Cobbler

To top it all off, some of these babies are cream filled in the middle. Yummm.

If you are ever in Chicago, definitely consider giving Molly's Cupcakes a try!

♥ Joy ♥

 

Note: Products were purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

the Balm

Hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday! The weather is getting colder and I am looking forward to finishing up the semester. Can't wait until break! At the moment, my short-term goal is to survive the next two weeks. If I make it, then I should be home free...at least for a little while... However, I am taking a break from paper writing at the moment because I wanted to put up a product post for you all!

After hearing much hype, I gave in and purchased some "the Balm" products from Hautelook. I had originally seen some of the makeup products at Marshalls, but I didn't take the bait then. However, I only purchased three items including: Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette ($19.50), Frat Boy Blush ($10.50) and Down Boy Blush ($10.50).

 I really love the packaging. Yes, for some it may be viewed as being flimsy since it is predominantly paper and not plastic based, but I really like it because it is very slim and portable. Plus, I love the cut pics!

 There were three different palettes on sale, but this one appealed to me most. I think these shades are very wearable.

 I think the eyeshadows are really pigmented. These swatches were only created with one swipe! The swatches match their place on the palette above.

 Along with the eyeshadow palette, I purchased two blushes as well. One is more peachy toned and the other is a more cool toned pink.

 

I have very fair skin as you can see via the picture, so both blushes show up pretty well. I swatched them in the order they are shown above.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchases! Have you tried the Balm products before? What did you think?

 ♥ Joy ♥

Note: Products were purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For those of you that celebrate the holiday, just wanted to wish you a...

Happy Thanksgiving!

 ♥ Joy ♥

Mini Haul: Drugstore Lipsticks

Hello Hello! Hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday! I wanted to put up a quick post before I headed off to work. For the past six weeks, I have been working with some high school students on a magazine project relating to substance abuse prevention. It was very rewarding to see the change in these students over the course of the program and hopefully I'll get an opportunity to do it again in the Spring! The program finished last Saturday and on the way home, I decided to treat myself. Here's what I picked up!

 I picked up three lippies. Two are from Rimmel and one is from Revlon.

 From L to R: Revlon Lip Butter in #085 Sugar Plum, Rimmel "Kate" Lipsticks in #14 and #09

Revlon Lip Butter - $8.00

Rimmel Lipsticks - $5.50

From L to R: Revlon Lip Butter in #085 Sugar Plum, Rimmel "Kate" Lipsticks in #14 and #09

I think out of the three, my favorite is Rimmel #09. It is a very versatile pretty berry red and you can go light or heavy on it to create the look you want. I think it is really pretty for Fall/Winter! However, I do love the other two colors as well!

 ♥ Joy ♥

Note: Products were purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

Get the Look: Jenna Dewan

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! I got some work done over the weekend, so I'm pretty excited that I have a little bit of downtime. We have had pretty mild weather lately, so I thought this look would be something perfect for the fall. 

I used items from both Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe to recreate this look. No, it is not exact, but I tried to get as close to the look as I could. At the moment, you can still find all the items I used via the links. Hope you like!

Items Used

Flounced Abstract Print Dress w/Belt ($22.90)

Epaulet Utility Jacket w/Belt ($34.80)

Scrunched Platform Boots ($39.80)

Leatherette Cross-Body Bag ($16.50)

Aviator Sunglasses ($5.80)

Rhinestoned Bow Ring ($3.80)

Let me know what you think below!

♥ Joy ♥

♥ Fall Nails: Brown & Gold ♥

Happy Friday everyone! Yay! The weekend is almost here. So much to catch up on, but on a positive note, I don't have anymore assignments for my one of my classes ^__^ woot woot! Since my schedule is so crazy, I normally don't really do much in terms of painting my nails, but I decided to actually make the effort to do so and wanted to share how they turned out.

I used, Essie nail polish in Decadent Dish (2 coats) and Revlon Colorstay polish in 140 Fall Mood. Decadent Dish is a brownish red. I did also add one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Let me know what you think. Hope you like!

♥ Joy ♥

Note: Products purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

City Travels: Artopolis Bakery

Hello hello everyone! Happy weekend!

After a long day yesterday, I mentioned to my friend that I was having dinner with my cousin in Greektown in Chicago. Upon mentioning Greektown, he excitedly suggested that I should consider visiting a bakery he frequents called Artopolis after dinner. Of course, I did just that and brought my cousin along (yes, I am an enabler)!

He had recommended...

Mango Yogurt Mousse

And I had decided to also pick up...

Pumpkin Tarts

I definitely recommend stopping by this bakery if you are ever in the Chicago area. Now I have a new detour destination to take the next time I visit Greektown! What are some of your favorite fall sweets and do you have little gems like Artopolis in your town? Let me know below!

♥ Joy ♥

Note: Products purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

Fall Accessories!

Alas! No outfit is complete without accessories! I am loving jewel tones for the fall and what better way to wear them, then in the form of accessories.

Things have been getting crazy again with school, but I am looking forward to the holidays and a nice break. Forgive me for not being able to post as much as I'd like to. Hope everyone is having a beautiful Sunday!

♥ Joy ♥

Fall Favorites: Berry Burgundy

Happy Sunday everyone! My schedule has been a bit crazy thus far and I'm in my last year of graduate school (yay!!!), so I apologize for not being able to post as much as I did during the summer. I am starting to get into a routine, so juggling all that I have on my plate has become a bit easier, but nonetheless, it has been a trying time. Despite my busy schedule, I have been trying to find some more jeans and in the process of trying to do so this morning, I kept finding myself drawn to this beautiful burgundy color. Plus, it is perfect for the fall (one of my favorite seasons). Therefore, I wanted to share some of the items I've been craving in this hue!

Let me know below what your favorite fall color is and what you think of this hue. If you have questions about grad school, feel free to comment below as well!

♥ Joy ♥

Outfit Idea: The Working Woman

I know it has been a while since my last post. I have been having a difficult time adjusting to all my commitments along with the start of my courses. Despite this fact, I have finally found the time to put up a new post and I thought it would only be appropriate that it relate to "The Working Woman." My little sister asks me all the time about what to wear in a professional setting, so I thought I would share some ideas I came up with for business casual attire!

Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day (for those who live in the US) and a lovely Monday! Let me know what you think below!

♥ Joy ♥

Summer Outfit Idea: Date Night!

Hey everyone! Hope your having a lovely Thursday! I am very excited because two friends are coming into town tomorrow. Even though finals week is approaching, surprisingly, I am not as stressed out as I should be because I was able to get a lot of things done this week. For those of you that are thinking of having a fun night out tomorrow to celebrate the end of a busy week, here's an outfit idea that I put together!

Hope you like! Let me know what you think below and thanks for all the support/advice on my last post!!!

 ♥ Joy ♥

Sunday Funday: Double Post!

Hi everyone! Just thought I would do a double post today. I just wanted to update everyone on some exciting changes! I started graduate school in the Fall of 2011. I heard that graduate assistant positions (you work with professors or school departments) are great funding opportunities, but difficult to come by. After trying for a whole year and not having much luck, I was feeling a bit down.

However, at the start of the summer this year, I did get a part-time job in my field of study, which made me feel a bit better. With the encouragement of my friends and family, I continued to apply for positions that came up through school. Towards the beginning of July, I was given an opportunity to interview for a graduate assistant position! Despite the previous rejections I received before, I stayed hopeful and just last week, I got a call letting me know I got the position! I'm excited, but apprehensive because of the time commitment it will entail.

My schedule will be as follows (starting in August)

Internship (required for school) - 3-6 hours

Part-time work - 12 hours

Graduate Assistantship - 20 hrs

Classes - 4 days a week; nighttime

Yes, it will be a crazy year!

Bonus: Even though it is almost the end of July and we're getting close to August, I thought I would still leave you with some cute ideas for the remainder of summer!

 

Have you girls had similar experiences or crazy schedules? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Let me know what you think of the outfit above and if you have questions about graduate school, feel free to leave them below as well!

♥ Joy ♥

Versatile Blogger Award

Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday! I was nominated by the lovely Carlota for a blog award a while back and have not had the opportunity to post it. I truly appreciate the nomination and support as this has been a crazy and busy year!

For this award, I am supposed to post up 7 random facts about me. I will also nominate some other lovely bloggers for the award. Here goes!

Random facts:

1. My mom says my stomach is like a garbage can because I enjoy eating and trying new foods.

2. I am currently a graduate student, going into my second and final year of school (hopefully, I make it out alive).

3. I have been told I like "old people" candy because I enjoy eating lemonheads and strawberry filled hard candy.

4. My favorite scent is Marc Jacobs "Daisy." I get headaches with scents that are too strong.

5. I can only wear gold/platinum/white gold earrings for extended periods of time because my ears are really sensitive.

6. I love watching Disney classics! They never seem to get old.

7. My next major purchase goals will either be a new camera or a new phone (my phone is from several years back).

The lovely blogs I nominate:

fun beauty

Alis Volat Propiis

Am I hip now?!

Betzy's Makeup

Blow a Rainbow

CreoqueKim

Effy

Everything That Matters...

Girly and Glamorous

Nina Mia's DIY

One Creates Oneself

Simplement heureuse

something POSH

Sunshine & Pretty Things

The Wallflower

♥ Joy ♥

Last Day in Providence

Hiyas everyone! Hope you enjoyed my Boston pics. Today, I'm posting up my last day in Providence. My little sister and I decided to make our last meal count, so we visited one of the food trucks parked along the Brown campus streets. I had passed by Mama Kim's many times during my stay in Providence and I finally got to indulge in what the truck had to offer! Here's what we had....

To start, we ordered some delicious Fried Kimchi Dumplings. Since these were made fresh, they were absolutely delicious, but be careful, their hot!

Then we both ordered sliders. My little sister ordered the Portabella Bokkeum Slider (left) and I ordered the Chicken Gochujang Slider (right). Although the portions were smaller than your average burger, it think it was just the right amount of food before getting on my plane home. 

Have you tried Korean BBQ before? Do you like Korean cuisine? I look forward to seeing what you have tried. Let me know what you think below and as always, follow if you like!

Happy Thursday!

-Joy

Note: Products purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

Trip to Boston!

Hello Hello! Hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday! In today's post, I will be sharing a few pictures from my trip to Boston. Despite it being pretty hot outside that day, they were also preparing for a water parade of the boats in their harbor for Independence Day. From Providence to Boston, it was about an hour train ride. We started out the day by meeting up with a friend and grabbing some Dim Sum at Hei La Moon Restaurant in Boston Chinatown. The food was so yummy...I only realized at the end of the meal, that I forgot to take pictures. As we were leaving though, we saw this giant sitting in his tank...

That's my guy friend's hand used for comparison...

We decided after lunch, that we would take a "duck" tour (tour on land and water). Along the way, we passed by the Old State House where the US Constitution was read off the balcony for the first time.

We also passed by the Children's Museum where I saw Arthur lounging on the roop...

Then we transitioned from land to water and sailed by the USS Constitution (black boat in the back). It is actually the oldest sailing ship (makes 1 trip a year on the 4th of July).

I love the older styled ships. I think they are always so majestic and pretty!

We also had the opportunity to see some naval ships in the harbor. I don't think they normally dock there, but again, due to the holidays we were lucky enough to see them.

After an eventful day, we wound down with some yummy food at Anthem. My friend purchase this sangria. I had never tried it before and am not partial to alcohol, but this actually tasted pretty good (I took a sip ^__^)!

My little sister and I shared a Mac n Cheese with butter poached lobster. The lobster was pretty good, but all of us agreed, we wished the sauce was thicker.

Of course, when in Boston, we had to get the Clam Chowda! This was absolutely delicious!

We returned back to Providence later that night and the next day, we bummed around and just chilled.

For dinner, we ate at La Creperie on Fones Alley. I took the "Connie" to go (Nutella and Banana crepe). I couldn't resist!

I think next time, I'd like to visit Salem, Massachusetts (1 day trip). Have you been to Salem or Boston before? Do you like trips to historical places? Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

-Joy

Providence Day 2

Hiyas! Hope you all are having a lovely Sunday! Schedule-wise, the end of my week became a little hectic, so I didn't get a chance to put up the second installment of my Providence trip. This post will be a little bit pic heavy since we covered a lot on Day 2. Hope you all enjoy!

We started out the day by meeting up with our friend and grabbing breakfast at Loui's Family Restaurant on Brook St. My little sister said they had been featured on the Food Network on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives", so we decided to give it a try. I has also visited Yelp.com to check for recommendations. Here's what we ordered...

 My lil sister had ordered a combo with 2 eggs, toast and homefries.

The three of us also shared a stack of pumpkin pancakes (yummy).

My friend and I both ordered the "Drunk Johnny" because that's what Guy Fieri (host of the show) ordered. Needless to say, if you like corn beef hash, this is a pretty delicious choice.

After leaving with our bellies full, my lil sister said she wanted to show us a pretty view over the Brown University campus. Along the way I saw...

Pretty flowers

 

 View of campus from the Sciences Library

Statue of Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor)

Beautiful stained glass windows in Sayles Hall.

 

The largest Hutchings-Votey organ in the world is also housed in Sayles Hall. My little sister said she did some exploring in the basement with some friends and she came across a tombstone in one of the closets (o_O). We tried to go and see it, but sadly, there were people in the classroom that she had discovered it in.

Oldest building on campus, University Hall, built in 1770.

We then went on to visit the John Hay Library where we were told housed 3 books bound in human flesh. We spoke with the librarian and she showed us this one, the "Dance of Death." The other, which we didn't have a chance to see, was not surprisingly, on human anatomy...creepy...

I also saw this pretty clock in one of the library hallways and when I took a pic, it came out hauntingly beautiful.

After we finished exploring the library, we went on to visit the mall and saw "Magic Mike (yes, we dragged our male friend along, tehe ^__^)." Sadly, I didn't really think the movie turned out to be that great. 

We grabbed food quickly after the movie and went for an hour of archery (hadn't done it since 5th grade). I thought it was a lot of fun. It definitely requires technique. Thankfully, the staff gave us mini lessons and were extremely helpful.

We ended our day with some delicious sushi at Sakura.

My friend had the Sweetheart roll with 2 sides of Ikura.

My lil sister and I shared the sides of Miso soup and salad that came with...

Our Yam roll (this was delicious by the way)!

What do you like to do when you visit a new place? What's the most interesting place you've been? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Also, thank you everyone for helping me reach my goal of 100 readers! It really means a lot to me that I have such lovely, supportive readers ♥ and it always makes my day to read your comments. Next stop...Boston!