the graceful savage

Wow, I haven't posted since September! I guess that's what college does to you though. I've been enjoying UCLA so much, and it feels like each week just flies by (but honestly that could just be attributed to the quarter system). I had three busy weeks of two midterms and a presentation so I disappeared from the face of the earth to prepare for them— at least that's what it felt like. ;) Can I just say that UCLA's food is waaaay too delicious for my own good? I'm fearing the freshman fifteen, and I've already gained three pounds so I'm a fifth of the way there. Thankfully I just went to the gym for the first time in my time here and I hope turn that into a habit. *fingers crossed* Anyways, I have new music for you! These are some of my favorites for when I need to take a moment to chill after studying and whatnot. And I promise I have more posts coming up soon; I just need to find my groove here. I hope to have another post up before Thanksgivi

I've been a huge fan of Pura Vida for quite a while now.. According to my Gmail account, at least four years! Surprisingly, I haven't made that many purchases from them.. This one is only my second. My first purchase consisted of a seafoam blue infinity charm bracelet and the Sandy Hook Elementary charity bracelet. But oh my gosh, their 2016 Rio Olympic bracelet.. So cute. I'm so sad I missed out on it. I'm like a die hard Olympic fan. I seriously admire their extensive collection of charity bracelets. In the aftermath of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Florida, Pura Vida decided that 100% of proceeds from their LGBTQ bracelets would be donated to the families of victims. That is so incredibly kind. Plus, no matter what you purchase, you're helping to provide jobs to Costa Rican artisans. Definitely a purchase you can feel good about. Now onto my new purchase! I'm heading over to Newport Beach/Balboa Island for the weekend and wanted a new

After posting tips on how to verify the authenticity of a Triangl bikini , I thought it'd be helpful to also post a side-by-side photo comparison of an authentic Triangl and a (very good) dupe . I actually bought the dupe off of Poshmark after being told by the seller it was authentic.. So don't trust everything sellers say without proof! The Triangl style I will be using in this comparison is the Milly top. The blue one is the dupe while the yellow is the authentic Triangl Milly in Las Vegas Lights. As you can see, dupes of the Milly have gotten so accurate that it can be nearly impossible to tell a fake one apart from a real one. In fact, many Milly dupes have started covering up the raw hems near the labels, so even that isn't a guaranteed sign of a dupe. Meanwhile, Winnie bikinis haven't quite caught up, and dupes of those aren't as spot-on; raw hems have remained raw on those. As for the bikinis Triangl has released in 2016, selle

Summer is sadly coming to a close, and many people are starting to head back to school. Luckily, I've still got another four weeks of relaxation (thanks for starting in September, UCLA!). During the summer I tend to favor music that befits the season. Unless, of course, it's the middle of July, which is when I begin wishing it were Christmastime and play lots of Christmas music. It happens every year and I'm not entirely certain why that is. Maybe I just want presents, hah! Don't worry though, I won't force you to listen to Christmas music while you're at the beach like I just might. :) Here is some of my favorite music this summer! I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I have, and if you're returning to school, I hope it brings you some level of calm. 1. Goldroom- Fifteen feat. Chela (Oxford Remix) I've been listening to this song since I was fourteen, and I still haven't tired of it. 2. Khai- Alive 3. The Knocks- Class

I have to admit I'm a bit of a Lokai enthusiast. I love that there is a deeper meaning behind each bracelet, and that a portion of proceeds from charity bracelets gets donated. Plus, I do like that they're just so squishy. :) I've recently spent a bit of time looking through Poshmark and Mercari's Lokai listings, only to find that the mass majority of them are fake. Some sellers are adamant that their bracelets are authentic when they know that the exact opposite is true (the things people will do to make a quick buck.. sigh), while others just don't know how to tell whether or not the bracelet they're selling is real or not. Therefore, I thought it'd be helpful to offer some pointers on how to tell whether or not a Lokai bracelet is real or fake. First off, I'm going to completely disregard the tags. I've seen many fake bracelets that had tags that were spot on. Tags are so easily copied in their fonts and design, so I don't believe

Some of you may know that I love music if you’ve read all about me . Because I was a member of my high school’s dance department, I was frequently exposed to new music. Dancers really do have a great taste in music (and they should, or they wouldn’t have much to dance to other than the same old top 40 songs, which, by the way, my dance teacher forbade), and they frequently find your favorite tunes before you do. This was definitely one of the perks of being a dancer. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my current favorite songs. I might make this a regular thing as I’m always on the lookout for new songs, and honestly I think there’s nothing better than sharing music because music is.. just amazing and can be so relatable. In addition, I feel that Saturday is the perfect day for these posts; it's the one day of the week that I truly enjoy as it is my most chill day. Plus I always listen to music as I put makeup on before going out. Here we go!

Continuing my obsessive love for Triangl, my next purchase was the Chloe top in Miami Mint in XS. Clearly the Chloe top is different from your average triangle bikini tops. Oh boy, I nearly spelled “triangle” as “triangl.” Guys, Triangl is getting to me. The main difference is that the triangles are shifted a bit more to the side, so there is a bit more cleavage while the triangle extends to nearly under your armpit, distance-wise. Since there is no padding, the ties cause the cup to stretch when worn, pushing down on your boobs and creating more cleavage in the front. From the side, this top also causes your boobs to look a bit more flat if you’re a member of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee. Again, this isn’t really an issue for me as I am okay with my Itty Bittiness, but if you’re around the same size as I am (32A/B) want to look fuller all around, this may not be the top for you. If you have a fuller chest, this shouldn’t be an issue. In fact, if your chest is fu

Guys, I’ve struggled with sunglasses my whole life. Well okay, just the past few years. I didn’t really care about protecting my eyes from the sun before that (I know, how naughty). However, when I did start looking into sunnies, I found that the vast majority of them didn’t fit me. You guys have no idea how heartbreaking it is when you walk into Nordstrom / Illesteva / Warby Parker /any major fashion retailer and try on sunnies that can’t even fit around your head, especially when you heart these babies (I don't need glasses, but just in case, right?). The arms were always so, so tight around my head— it was like they were trying to squeeze the brain juices out of my noggin. Have any of you watched the show Brain Dead ? Remember the CHI- catastrophic head injury- scenes? Yeah. Side view of my rather flat face. I'm the one holding a phone, teddy bear, and bag, right next to my cousin who is also on his phone (hi John!). This is at my other cousin's high scho

Oh, the Milly.. It is now one of my favorite Triangl tops. As always, here is a friendly reminder that I am reviewing exclusively the top. Also, I must disclose that this is unfortunately a dupe. I've learned only fairly recently how to determine authenticity , but by that time I had purchased dupes of both the Winnie and Milly. Therefore it is up to you to decide whether or not this review applies to an actual Triangl bikini; however, I have heard that some dupes are almost exactly like the real thing, and this one definitely had me fooled for quite a while. This raw edge is how I figured out it was a dupe and that I had been lied to when told it was authentic. The rest of the top is literally spot on. My second Triangl top was the Milly in size XS and also from Poshmark. First off, the issue of beamers, a problem I had with the Winnie top , is nonexistent with this top. The Milly has thick, molded bra cups that are quite supportive. I love the color; it'

I'm so excited to share my first review with you! This review will focus solely on the Winnie top, as I've been searching exclusively for Triangl tops (my reasoning is in this blog post ). First off, I'd like to disclose something. I purchased this top believing that it was authentic, as it seemed to have all the traits of a real Triangl Winnie top. However, I learned fairly recently that it was actually just a very good dupe, likely off of AliExpress. Therefore, it is up to you to decide whether or not this review accurately gauges a Winnie top, though I've heard that AliExpress bikinis are almost exactly identical to the real thing. I now know better, but there are some very fine distinctions between the real thing and a fake, so if you'd like to find out how to tell a real Triangl from a fake, read this . Without further ado, here's the review! My first very first Triangl purchase took place on Poshmark; I bought the Winnie top in Arizona Suns