My January and February Favorites

I've wanted to do resume my monthly favorites posts this year, but all I had down from January was a few songs, and I didn't think that was enough for an entire post. So I'm combining January and February, because February was a lot more exciting and had more going on for me.

I feel like all I did in January was listen to "drivers license" on repeat. (I'm 100% serious.) But I actually gave my attention to other things in February, so here we go!

drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo

Do you know how much I love "drivers license"? I love it so much that it's the song that finally got me to stop listening to Taron Egerton and/or Aaron Tveit on repeat for the first time since late spring of 2019! When it first came out, I listened to it on repeat for at least a few days straight.

Olivia is a genius and a star, and I've been so proud of my fellow Filipina because of her monumental success since releasing her first single. "drivers license" is truly something else. I mean, it's got to be if it finally got to me to stop listening to Taron Egerton every day! I'm 100% one of those people who cannot and do not relate to any of the lyrics in the song, but that's how good it is. It just hits you in the feels regardless. And the bridge? It's a dramatic burst of musical fireworks.

Skin - Sabrina Carpenter

Yes, I am a fan of both Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.  I listen to both "drivers license" and "Skin." We exist. I would like to never see or hear of any supposed drama relating to this ever again. Pitting women against each other isn't cool. Thanks.

Now that's out of the way, if you've followed my blog for a little while, you may know I've been a fan of Sabrina Carpenter for a while now and have loved her since she was on Girl Meets World. It has been so wonderful hearing and witnessing Sabrina's musical journey and growth, and "Skin" is a great example of that. Plus, it has an A+ message and reminds us that we do not need to give or pay attention to those who don't deserve it. It's not easy, but if people are trying to hurt you or tear you down in any way, you can choose to not let their words or actions hurt you. 

My Favorite Books Read in 2020

Every year for the past few years, I've set a reading goal for myself. My 2020 goal was 30 books, and I read exactly 30 books! In the middle of the year, I hit a bit of a slump and didn't think I was going to meet my goal (which would have been totally fine, especially because nothing went as planned in 2020), but I got out of it and got back on track.

I read mostly YA, and a lot of great new YA books came out last year. I really enjoyed a lot of the books I read last year ― more than usual ― so I wanted to share my favorite new reads (I had two rereads last year) and what I enjoyed about them!

Usually I buy the books I read, but 2020 was the first year where most of the books I read were from the library, saving me a lot of money. (Full disclosure: I work at a library, so I am a bit biased, but libraries are underrated, and people should use them more.) I loved a few of the books I borrowed from the library so much that I'm probably going to buy copies of my own in the future.

For all of the books I read last year (and have ever read, for the most part), take a look at my Goodreads!

Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli

Full disclosure here: Jennifer Iacopelli follows me on Twitter, but that 100 percent had no effect on how I felt about this book. As a gymnastics fan and avid reader, I will read pretty much any (young adult or adult) book where gymnastics is a major part of the story. So of course I read Break the Fall, and it's by far the best gymnastics book I've ever read.

Not only does it do a good job at addressing abuse and other problems rampant in the sport, which have been especially relevant and newsworthy for the past few years, but the writing about the sport and its skills is accurate. Though readers don't need to be big gym nerds like myself to understand, appreciate, or enjoy the story. The book tells the story of Audrey and her teammates on their journey to the Olympics and is overall inspiring and powerful.

Anna K. by Jenny Lee

This modern retelling of Anna Karenina instantly gave me Gossip Girl vibes but with a cast of diverse characters in a story and setting that's typically/traditionally white. With that said, there's absolutely no shortage of drama. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, but it isn't hard to keep up with all of them and their drama. Plus, it's one of those stories where everyone and everything is connected, which is quite satisfying. I haven't read the original Anna Karenina but think this is a great modern adaptation that will give you enough of the classic whether this makes you want to read the original.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki

I don't usually read graphic novels and have only read a few ever, but I got this one for Christmas in 2019, and it is a fantastic read. There's LGBTQ+ representation and Asian representation. It deals with the struggles that come with coming out, abuse, and relationships ― both platonic and romantic. I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it ended up being a pretty powerful read despite it being so quick.

What I Got for Christmas 2020

I don't know about you, but I personally like and enjoy seeing what gifts people get on their birthdays, at parties/showers, and on Christmas. So I'm going to share what I got for this past Christmas in case you're one of those people who also enjoys that sort of thing. Also, it's a fun little way for me to reflect on what I got, share what I like about the gifts, and is another way to say thank you. Some people may see it as bragging, but I see it as "Hey, I like what you got me so much I want to show/tell everyone!" But maybe that's just me.

If you'd like to buy any of these for yourself or someone else, I linked the product title/subheading for what I could find. (I did not purposely search for what people bought me online/the prices ― a lot of these gifts came with little promo cards from the company they're from so I could see what other products they sell and/or I was already familiar with the brand. Plus, I have no idea if people used promo codes or coupons or what. I just like to link things, because I often go searching for things I see online from people I follow on social media and whatnot.)

So thank you to my family, friends, and co-workers who generously gave me a present for Christmas. Happy holidays, everyone, and I hope 2021 is better than 2020 for us all!

Book Babe Library Keychain Bangle - My Secret Copy

My twin sister bought me all book-themed gifts this year, because I love books, and I also work at a library. This bangle keychain is super cute. I've been seeing bangle keychains and little bangle pouches/bags a lot online these days, and this one is perfect for me. In case you're new here or somehow don't know, my favorite color is pink. Also, I love glitter. So I love the light pink color of the bangle and the tassel, and the plastic heart keychain with glitter that says "book babe" is my favorite part. This is perfect for my work keys and so much more me than the standard library lanyard I used before.

Louisa May Alcott Quote Sweatshirt - Storiarts

This is also from my sister, and the first thing I need to say is that the inside of this sweatshirt is SO SOFT. It's the softest sweatshirt I've ever felt before, so I am most definitely excited to wear it. Anyway, I love the quote, because I am definitely fond of books. As a design person, I of course have to comment on the font, which I think seems very fitting for the quote and the person who said it. The sweatshirt isn't pink, but that's okay, because I still like the color.

My Favorite Outfits of 2020

I think we can all agree 2020 was quite a year. No one was allowed to go out as much, which definitely impacted fashion. Sweatpants and loungewear certainly reigned supreme over suits and dresses. I certainly had fewer outfits to choose from when trying to pick my favorite outfits of the year.

I enjoyed working from home for a few months but ultimately did go back to working in person, which meant I still had to go out and wear "real" clothes. I didn't mind that so much since I do enjoy putting outfits together and dressing up. So while 2020 wasn't ideal, I am glad it didn't take away everything and still allowed me to enjoy fashion and outfits, casual or not.

As usual, I linked products in the captions. Some are exact while some are similar since they may be out of stock or discontinued.

January 11

I've never gotten the chance to wear a pretty gown before since I didn't go to prom or anything, so my great aunt and uncle's wedding provided me the chance to do so! I was hoping to find a more sparkly and pink gown for this occasion, but this dress was too good to pass up. I found it at a Camille la Vie store on sale, and it has pockets! I like the pink, black, and white floral print of the skirt and the mesh triangle cutouts at the side. Gowns and formal dresses aren't usually thought to be comfortable, but this one was.

Thankfully my great aunt and uncle's golden wedding anniversary was at the start of 2002 before everything shut down and big gatherings and celebrations were no longer safe, because it would have been such a bummer if my great aunt and uncle had to cancel their big celebration.

February 3

I bought this dress and top during Zara's semi-annual sale and thought they could pair well in the risky art of mixing patterns, and I like how it turned out! I felt very Gossip Girl-y meets '80s meets editorial fashion in this outfit.

February 11

This is my Lara Jean To All the Boys I've Loved Before copycat outfit to mimic the outfit she wears on the movie poster and in the final scene of the first movie. To All the Boys 2 came out on Netflix on this day, and I love TATB and Lara Jean. I was so excited about the movie I had to wear this Lara Jean outfit. It was so easy to put together and is something I could reasonably wear on an everyday basis.

The Ten Amongst These Threes: Creating My Katherine Howard SIX the Musical Costume

Like most everything in 2020, Halloween was definitely different. Having Halloween and costume parties wasn't a good idea, and trick-or-treating was iffy. But it was pretty much the same for me since I don't anything to celebrate besides eat candy and dress up for work or just for fun. This year I dressed up as Katherine Howard from Six the Musical, which is a musical about Henry VIII's six wives. (It was actually supposed to open on Broadway the day Broadway shut down.)

Ever since I first saw the costumes from the show earlier this year,  I admired and adored them and thought they were so cool and unique. They're edgy, sophisticated, and modern yet have touches of regal Tudor era attire. Each queen has her own color, and of course I like the pink one best, which is Katherine Howard's!

The costume was unlike anything I'd seen before, and I just wanted to have one to feel and look as amazing, cool, and badass as them. Eventually I looked up the costumes and did some research after seeing a lot of people make their own cosplay versions and decided to take on the daunting project.

For some fun reading music (and/or to understand my subheads), press play to listen to Katherine Howard's solo from the musical!

Also, big shoutout to six.costumes on Instagram for all of the costume photos and resources on her page! (Scroll down to the end for a TikTok of my costume in the making and the final look!)

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A post shared by Six The Musical Costumes (@six.costumes) on May 4, 2020 at 11:09am PDT

I can give it a try

The typical way to go about making a costume or constructing anything from fabric would be sewing. I don't have a sewing machine and realized how expensive a good one is, and I was not up for hand stitching an entire costume when my sewing ability is only okay. So I had to come up with another way to make this costume.

Style Icons: Naomi Scott

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

If you know me, then you know I love Disney, especially Disney Princesses, and that Princess Jasmine is one of my favorites. Last year, the live action remake of Aladdin was released, and British actress Naomi Scott took on the role of Princess Jasmine. Aladdin's one of my favorite Disney movies, so of course I was hesitant to see how the live action version would turn out, but I loved it. Naomi Scott is an amazing Jasmine, and Jasmine as a character was really elevated in the 2019 film.

So in honor of the Aladdin remake's first birthday, in addition to Naomi Scott's 27th birthday earlier this week, I'm featuring her in my latest edition of style icons!

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Thank you Anna and @vogue for having us at the #eveningstandardawards. It was an honour to present the Emerging Talent Award, congratulations @lauriekynaston! Thank you to @miumiu for my beautiful custom piece, ❤️❤️

A post shared by Naomi Scott (@naomigscott) on Nov 25, 2019 at 9:04am PST

I love two piece dresses, and this one is unlike any I'd seen before. The half sleeve off-the-shoulder top is unique and sharp. The burgundy color is stunning, and the jeweled top contrasts with the solid sheen of the skirt really well.

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✨✨✨

A post shared by Naomi Scott (@naomigscott) on Nov 8, 2019 at 7:40am PST

Black never goes out of style and is such a versatile color. I love the different textures with this outfit, from the ruffled top to the beaded pants.The high-waisted pants create a flattering line and shape and pair with the cropped tank perfectly.