My April Favorites

Even though I had a pretty busy April, I didn't have a lot of things to include in this post. I actually had a rather difficult time coming up with stuff to put in this post, so this is a pretty short favorites post that is being published later than I'd like. But if you like fashion and shopping, this is a good favorites post to check out.

Monteau Los Angeles striped jumpsuit from Marshalls

dress to impress (myself, obviously -- and employers because I need a job) . . #ootd #wiw #marshallssurprise #marshallsenthusiasts #agacigirl #targetstyle #FrancoSarto #jumpsuit #springfashion #springtrends

A post shared by Amanda Wijangco (@amanda_carmela) on Apr 13, 2018 at 5:24pm PDT

I'd seen this jumpsuit in multiple Marshalls stores and wanted it the second I saw it, but I could never find it in my size. I eventually found it in my size, tried it on, and decided to buy it. Despite how much I liked it when I saw it in stores, I didn't fall head over heels for it until I went out and actually wore it.

I wore it to my first in-person job interview, which was to work at a fashion retail store's headquarters, so I knew I wanted to show my knowledge and love for fashion with my outfit. If I was going to interview for a fashion job, I needed to dress like it. I didn't just want to wear nice pants and a blazer, so this jumpsuit was the perfect piece for me to get.

It's really comfy and trendy, as stripes and jumpsuits are big this season. I love the colors, and it can easily be dressed up or down.

 Riley Rose

I first heard of this store (which is actually Forever 21's beauty/gifts store) on Facebook when I saw a video featuring Riley Rose. It looked so pretty and fun in the video, and the Chicago Water Tower Place location is exactly that. There's a ton of makeup products for sale in addition to a cute little counter complete with tablets and mirrors to help you try out certain looks. And if you're not super into makeup, there are lots of other fun items there as well from hair and beauty accessories to snacks to stationery and home decor. Riley Rose has such adorable decor with white tile walls and neon pink quote lights. Every location also has a little selfie/photo wall (pictured above), which I absolutely love.

Chloe Lukasiak's Brandon Maxwell prom dress

“Keep your head, heels, & standards high” -Coco Chanel 🧡💋💗

A post shared by Chloé Lukasiak (@chloelukasiak) on Apr 28, 2018 at 11:01am PDT

Chloe has such good taste in fashion! This dress is absolutely gorgeous. I love the colors and the design. The pink straps for the halter around the neck and at the waist add a nice contrast and cute details. The dress is flowy and has a little train going on but isn't your typical prom dress. This is the kind of dress you'd see at a red carpet event rather than a prom, but I think it's a good choice for Chloe. It's more mature but still age appropriate. I'm not even upset there aren't any rhinestones on it because it doesn't need any. I'm actually getting Grecian goddess vibes from this dress, and I love it!

Rose Gold Metallic Diamond Popsocket

I needed to get a new Popsocket after I accidentally messed up my other one. I unknowingly forcibly moved it twice trying to put my phone in my arm sleeve before running, and that's not how you're supposed to move Popsockets. So after getting annoyed with trying to stick it back on a bunch of times, I just got a new one. I love the color and design of this one as it's rose gold and looks like a diamond. I love rose gold, and the design of it is simple yet chic.

I was worried it would scratch rather easily since it has a smooth aluminum like finish, but it hasn't scratched once. I've been relatively careful with it to prevent scratches, but there were occasions I forgot about its finish and did something where I thought it might get scratched, but it still looks like I just got it!

What were some highlights or favorites from last month?

My January Favorites

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January was a pretty chill month (literally and figuratively) as I spent most of it watching TV, reading, listening to music, eating, or job searching. That gave me a lot of time to find and try some new things that I really enjoyed, which I've listed below:

Supernova - Ansel Elgort

Actor and musician Ansel Elgort released his latest song last month, and it's so fun! It's definitely unlike anything I've heard before with the electronic beats and jazz flute combination. His voice sounds amazing and really stands out against the electronic-sounding music, creating a cool juxtaposition of sounds and vibes.

What I Want to Read: Winter 2018

A new year means new books and a new reading goal! I'm aiming for 30 books this year and plan on starting off with these:

Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything by Aly Raisman

Image via Goodreads

Aly Raisman is amazing, in case you haven't heard recently (which I find hard to believe given the Women's March and Nassar trial happening last week and this week). So if that isn't enough reason to read her book, Aly tells her stories of struggle and success well. Fans and readers get more of an inside look at her gymnastics career and even her family.

She shares more of her inspiring and motivating words that teach young girls, women, and everyone really to love themselves and not be ashamed of how they look or what others say about them. I think it's one of the best ―if not the best ― memoir/biography a gymnast has written in recent years. Plus, it has a great author's note and resources at the end.

Motivation Monday: Evaluating 2017 and Setting New Goals for 2018

I know it's the end of January, and goals and resolutions and whatnot are typically a start of the year thing, but it's taken me a few weeks to figure out what I want my goals for this year to be. It took me nearly a month, but I'm definitely motivated now and know what I want.

But before I get to my goals for this year, I want to go over my goals from last year and see how I did. I surprised myself with how I completed some of them but definitely had a lot of work to do with most of them.

Evaluating 2017 Goals

I've color coded the goals I set by whether I accomplished them and/or by how much I did/didn't accomplish them.

Green means I successfully completed the goal!
Yellow means I somewhat completed the goal.
Red means I definitely did not complete the goal.

Professional/journalism

• Get a job

This one's pretty simple. I don't have a job, so I didn't meet my goal. I do contribute to the popular gymnastics website, FloGymnastics, and get paid for it, but freelancing isn't what I was thinking of when I set this goal.

My Favorite Blog Posts of 2017

Happy new year! For the first post of 2018, I'm taking a look back at my favorite posts from 2017. Blog posts were not very abundant in the first half of 2017, but once I finished school, I had so much more time to blog. To read the original blog post, just click the blog post title in pink!

College Reflections from a Recent Illini Alumna

What kind of journalist, blogger, or writer would I be if I didn't reflect on my four years of college with a nice, long blog post? While I'm not sure I would call my four years at the University of Illinois the best four years of my life, I did very much enjoy my time there. From the people I met to the fun times I had to the many lessons (academic and otherwise) I learned, I couldn't help but reflect on it. Plus, it gave me a chance to post some of my favorite graduation photos!

Pretty Little Liars Fashion Favorites

While I've done a favorites series with a TV show before (I did a blog series about all of my favorite songs from Glee), I'd never done one about the fashion of a show. Pretty Little Liars finally came to an end last year, and in addition to the excessive drama and numerous reveals, it was known for styling its cast with some really awesome clothes. As a fashion lover who'd watched the series from start to finish, I thought it would be fun to go back at all the episodes and choose which outfits I liked best.

My December Favorites

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Happy New Year's Eve! To end 2017, I'm sharing my favorite things and places from December from food to clothes to music.

Superdry

I visited my first Superdry store at the start of the month and was a fan of the store right away. Superdry is a British brand with some Japanese influence and inspiration. It has such a wide variety of clothes, from sweatshirts and activewear to sweaters to dresses and polos. However, its big category is jackets and outerwear. Its merchandise is on the pricier side, but based on the quality I saw and felt when I was in the store, it seems to be worth it.

In addition, Superdry has tons of accessories like hats and backpacks. I looked at their winter accessories, and many of them were lined with soft fleece, which is such a good idea. If you can afford it and are in need of some winter accessories to keep you warm and cozy this winter, I'd definitely consider a Superdry beanie or scarf.

Crop Cop Hoodie

The store had a sale when I was there, so I took advantage of it and bought myself this hoodie. It doesn't look like it based on the picture, but it is a cropped hoodie, so it doesn't go past my waist, which I actually like. Anyway, it's super soft and warm on the inside, and I love the bold colors and graphics. The drawstring is also great quality, as its much thicker than any other sweatshirt drawstring I've seen and has metal ends that are sure to keep it together.

What I Got for Christmas 2017

I love Christmas, and presents are definitely a big part of why. However, I actually like giving gifts more than receiving them ― but I enjoy getting them, nonetheless!

This Christmas was much smaller for my family than last year's as no one came to our house to celebrate the holiday. Majority of the family members we usually spend Christmas with are in or going to the Philippines for the holidays, so it was just an immediate family occasion for me this year.

With the smaller celebration means less presents, and I'm honestly okay with that. I'm at that age where I don't really want things for Christmas anyway. (Seriously, though. What I actually wanted for Christmas was no student loan debt and a job.) So I didn't expect to get much this year but was pleasantly surprised with what I did get!

If you want to shop online for any of the items below, click the link in the caption or the heading!

Tweexy wearable nail polish holder

tweexy in Pink Frosting

My brother got me this nail polish holder, and although I haven't used it yet, I love it. I enjoy doing my nails and am pretty clumsy, so this is a perfect gift for me.

November Favorites

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November wasn't too eventful of a month for me, even with Thanksgiving happening, so this monthly favorites post won't be as long as others. However, I did find and wear some new things I really enjoyed.

e.l.f. brown sugar lip exfoliator

Although I consider myself to be a girly girl, I don't actually own that many beauty/makeup or hair products or am that into that stuff. However, I highly recommend this lip exfoliator. Whether you wear lipstick or just lip balm, it's an easy-to-use and wallet-friendly product.

You just apply it to your lips in a circular motion and then wait a bit for it to do its magic. Then you wipe it off, and any dry, chapped, and/or dead layers of your lips come off with it. Put some lip balm on top afterwards, and you're good to go! This makes your lips a clean and smooth canvas to apply lipstick. With winter coming, this is a good product to have and use regularly so your lips don't get chapped.

What I'm Listening to: Fall 2017

Before Thanksgiving comes and it doesn't even feel remotely like fall anymore, I thought it'd be good to finally get this post up. This fall has been interesting in terms of the music I've had on repeat. Some of it consists of new music that I've recently added to my iTunes and Spotify while the rest of it is music I've had for a while now and went back to for whatever reason.

To easily listen to my complete fall 2017 playlist, use the embedded playlist at the bottom of the post. Otherwise, you can listen to each song/artist individually under each subhead.

Jeremy Jordan in Smash

Last month, my sister and I watched the old NBC show Smash in its entirety during our Jeremy Jordan marathon. I was an instant fan of the songs his character Jimmy sang, especially his solos. While they are songs that are supposed to be in a Broadway musical, they have a different sound and feel to them that I enjoy. They do feel like normal songs you would hear on an artist's album. They all tell a story but it doesn't necessarily feel like they're part of an entire soundtrack telling a big story.

My October Favorites

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Now that I have a bunch of leftover Halloween candy to eat because no one came to my house for trick-or-treating, it's time to share my October favorites.

Jeremy Jordan

My sister and I basically had a Jeremy Jordan marathon in October and watched almost everything he's been in, including Newsies (a few times, actually), Supergirl, The Last Five Years, and Smash. The first time I watched Jeremy Jordan in anything was in Newsies, so I was definitely used to seeing him as a "tough guy," but after watching him in 2+ seasons of Supergirl, it's funny how he does well as the complete opposite role as Winn Schott is kind of the dorky, smart best friend type.

Anyway, although he was only in one season of Smash, I loved hearing him sing and really enjoyed a few of the songs his character sang, especially "The Love I Meant to Say," "High and Dry," and "Broadway Here I Come." 

What I Want to Read: Fall 2017

It's officially fall (and has been for a while), and I actually read nearly every book on my summer to-read list, so it's time for another list! I still have a lot of free time since I'm not in school anymore and don't have a job yet, so I want to read as much as I can. I've already read about half of the books in this post but didn't get around to figuring out all of the books I wanted to include in this post until now.

What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen by Kate Fagan

Image via Goodreads

I first heard of Madison Holleran when her suicide made national news and Kate Fagan wrote about it for ESPNW. As a supporter of the mental health non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms and just a general mental health advocate, I knew I wanted to read this book when I first heard it would be happening. Fagan's ESPNW piece the book began with was such a powerful and well-written piece that told such a heartbreakingly real story.

What I'm Listening to: Summer 2017

For the first month and a half or so of summer, I listened to a lot of the same music I've been listening to for months ― some of it even since December and January. But this month I finally started consistently listening to some new music that it'll probably be playing for the rest of the summer. As usual, you can check out all of the music in the playlist at the very bottom of this post, but since I really like some of these songs' music videos, I decided to include those as well.

Why - Sabrina Carpenter

When Sabrina's sophomore album came out earlier this year, I listened to it on repeat for months. Then she announced she would be releasing a new single ― off the album ― right near the start of her summer tour. I was definitely excited for it as I was really enjoying her new music.

I actually got to listen to it a few hours before it was supposed to be released because the lyric video was released earlier on one site. I don't remember my initial reaction to it, but I liked the message immediately.  It doesn't really matter if you like different things. You can be different and still have a good relationship with someone.

Plus the music video has Casey Cott from Riverdale, which is probably my new favorite show, so that's cool. This is one of the music videos I really like even though I feel like Sabrina looks a little too young to be with Casey in the video. I love the photography aspect of it, though!

Motivation Monday: Evaluating 2016 and Setting Goals for 2017

At the beginning of last year, I did a blog post about my goals for the year. This year, I'm going to do the same but also evaluate how I did with last year's. This motivates me, makes me more accountable for my goals. and helps me be more serious about them.

Fashion Friday: My Favorite Outfits of 2016

It's no secret I love clothes, fashion, and taking photos of my outfit. A good chunk of my blog posts are OOTD compilations. But of all 365+ outfits I wore in 2016, I've narrowed the choices down and featured my favorites below.

February 8, 2016

Bethany Mota x Aeropostale flannel | A'GACI pearl necklace | Pink Rose sweater | Bullhead jeans from PacSun | Steve Madden boots

Though burgundy is a fall color, I wear it all year round. What I like about this outfit is that it's different from what I usually wear. It's on the preppier side with the collared shirt underneath the sweater. This has definitely made me want to try this look more and with other shirts.

My Favorite Blog Posts of 2016

2016 marked the second full year I've had this blog, and in terms of blogging, 2016 was alright. I only published about 45 posts in 2016, which is just okay compared to the nearly 70 posts I published in 2015.

While I didn't get to post as much in 2016 as 2015, I still have quite a few favorite posts from 2016. Whether it helped me remember a great day or event or expressed my feelings about someone and the impact he/she's had on my life, the following blog post links are my favorites from 2016:

My Favorite Blog Posts of 2015

Since I started this blog during the summer of 2014, I've published 75 blog posts (not counting this one). Considering I only posted 10 blogs in 2014, this year was definitely the year my blog took off. By "really took off," I don't mean it became hugely successful, I mean that I really started dedicating lots of time into this blog and trying to make it not only a fun place where I can write about whatever I want, but more than that.

In a post from earlier this year, I talked about how powerful words are. I'm trying to convey that message through this blog while still expressing myself. I want this blog to show the world who I am and what I care about. Through this, I hope others can be encouraged to do the same or at least simply find joy in what I'm sharing with the world. That's what all of my favorite posts from this year have in common. They have all brought some sort of joy to myself and/or others. (Not that the rest of my posts haven't brought me any joy. It's just that these ones in particular did more.)

My Go-to Makeup and Beauty Products

Even though I have an interest in makeup and beauty, I honestly don't use a lot of any of those products. Part of it's because I just don't know how. My mom never really used a lot of makeup or anything, so no one was there to teach me or anything. Another part of it is that I just don't want to. When it comes to makeup, I like to keep it simple. At the most, I'll wear eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. Usually, I'll just wear eyeliner on an everyday basis. While I don't use too many beauty products, I do have go-to products for what I do use.

To purchase any of the products listed below, just click the title of the product.

What I Want to Read: Winter 2015-2016

As usual, school didn't allow me to read all of the books I wanted to read for fun, but that's okay! I enjoyed the two books I read for school that I actually did want to read. It's finally the holiday season, and the first snowfall has occurred, so I think it's safe to say that it's winter (even if the calendar doesn't say so yet).

Winter break is just around the corner for me, which means I'll finally have a whole month to read what I want! Here are the books I hope to sit back inside and read while the bitter cold probably rages outside.

Finding My Shine by Nastia Liukin

Image via Amazon

Nastia is my favorite gymnast, so when I found out that she was releasing a memoir, I naturally freaked out. I mean, Nastia and reading combines two of my favorite things! Naturally, I pre-ordered the book on Amazon seconds after she tweeted about it. Since she is an Olympic gymnast and that's her claim to fame, I'm obviously looking forward to reading a bit about that, but I think Nastia's case is a bit different. Finding My Shine is more about how she finds herself after her gymnastics career is over, which actually might even interest me more than reading about how she got to the Olympics since I didn't really start following her until the end of her career. Now she's involved with a lot of other things besides gymnastics that I see on her social media a lot, and I'd like to know more about. Plus, she's one of my inspirations, so I hope to get more of that from this book as well.

2015 Holiday Wish List

It's finally the holiday season, and that means it's time to start thinking of what I want for Christmas. Usually, I have no specific thing in mind and just ask for money or gift cards so I can buy whatever clothes I want, which can make me difficult to shop for. This year is different. I actually do want specific things -- not that I don't want money or gift cards. For this list, I tried to include a variety of items and prices, which I would recommend doing if you make your own wish list to accommodate everyone. 

This can also serve as a gift guide if you think someone in your life has similar taste to me. To shop for the item online, click the item title or the photo.

Ivory Ella

Ivory Ella is a brand I featured on a past Fashion Friday, and even though I only own one shirt from there, I love it! They released a few new things for the holidays, and I look to add a few of those to my wardrobe. Besides, who doesn't want to help save the elephants?

Embroidered Electric Coral Hoodie
Ivory Ella recently released embroidered clothes, and I wanted them the instant I saw a picture. Comfy hoodies are a must for the winter, and I love the colors on this. The embroidered Ivory Ella logo on the front is super cute and is a nice little touch to the otherwise plain hoodie.

Image via Ivory Ella

What I'm Listening to: November 2015

After listening to the same 10 or so songs for about two months, I finally downloaded new music and added it to my iTunes! So here are the songs and artists that have been on repeat this month.