If you haven't already checked out, or been checking out, thebeautydepartment.com, you should add it to your reader now! I love all the DIY's and tutorials, and this is one that I actually tried recently, with a few differences to tone it down for daytime. Image on Left (Sorry for the bad photos - had to take them myself with my iPhone since my sister wasn't around to help! LoL) I followed the tutorial pretty closely, but used lighter colors for the crease and for the top shadow from my Naked2 palette ("Tease" for the crease and "Suspect"...

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From Top Left: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 It's amusingly appropriate that it's today of all days that I'm posting about the White on White trend - my office's A/C isn't working until 11, and although it's only 9:30 I'm already feeling disheveled and HOT!  One trend I've noticed out in the blogosphere is white-on-white: white is such a staple summer color, crisp and fresh and cool, why NOT wear it head-to-toe? Some bloggers played with texture and wore lace, some paired white on white tops with denim, some let...

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Notebooks: Left // Center // Right // Tape // Pens // Marking Clip // Index Clip I love stationery, and have ever since I was a kid. My parents love retelling the story about me wanting to be  a waitress when I grew up just because I liked the little pads of paper waitresses took orders on - and although my career aspirations have since changed, I still love stationery! Upon browsing the Madewell website, I found the adorable stationery above from Top Hat, a New York City gift shop, who collaborated with Madewell to curate the items...

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Happy Memorial Day! 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 I love American holidays (like Memorial Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving) just because of the nostalgia they evoke - I don't feel that way about other cultures' holidays, even Chinese ones, but I just love good old American fun, tradition, and values, I guess - does that make any sense? I guess it's just the type of feelings that the photos above evoke! Regardless, I hope your day is filled with good food, fun, family and/or friends, and some summertime fun. :)  ...

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Although Fridays are normally Food days over here at the Jess Journals, since it's Memorial Day weekend this weekend I've done a roundup of Memorial Day (or, really, summer) essentials! Whether you're getting out of town, hitting the beach, the park, a BBQ, or having a "staycation", here are some fun summer items to kick off my favorite season of the year! 1. Sunglasses // 2. Tote // 3. Bikini top & bottom // 4. Nail Polish // 5. Bikini Bag // 6. Cover Up // 7. Beach Blanket // 8. Bracelet // 9. Shoes // 10. Beach Oil...

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I love buying nail polish. You should see the medicine cabinet in the bathroom I share with my sister - we must have over 30 colors, the majority of which are Essie. I currently own 2 Deborah Lippmann colors, since they tend to be much more expensive than regular Essie or OPI colors, but I simply could not help myself when I saw and tested this color at Bloomingdale's about a month ago! Image of nail polish from here It's a mainly gold color, but when the light changes it looks more metal-like, and more green, as you...

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NEON! This is definitely one of my favorite trends this year! Zara Denim Jacket // J.Crew Skirt & Tank Top // Rebecca Minkoff MAB Mini // Nine West Sandals (old) First up is one of my favorite bloggers, Blair. She clearly loves her neon! Top // Bottom: : Left // Center // Right Of course, wearing super bright colors can be daunting, so another option is to incorporate it in a skirt or shorts, like these bloggers: L'Inconnue // Style Scrapbook // This Time Tomorrow It's surprisingly difficult to find neon clothes & accessories that AREN'T pink or...

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There gorgeous hot pink & nude wedges from Sigerson Morrison. Look at that lucite heel! Le sigh! ...

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This Theodora & Callum Madrid Scarf - I'm in love with colors (neon yellow and lavender and gray? Yes please!!) and know it'll go with almost everything in my wardrobe! Plus, I love how it's huge and you can wear it several different ways (video below; click on the link to the left to see more!) - versatility is essential for any summer traveling! After spending some time going through the videos, I am thoroughly convinced I need one...now. (As if I live by a beach! Guess that's just another excuse to plan a beach holiday, now isn't it?)...

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From top, then from left to right: The Great Googa Mooga // My friend Katie & myself at Googa Mooga // My neon pink pedicure // Lychee Martini at Verlaine // Myself and my sister on the way to Verlaine // Playing with my watercolors and patterns! Happy Monday! How was your weekend?? Hope today it isn't pouring wherever you are when you're reading this - I feel like I went swimming in my clothes on the way to work!! The weather was GORGEOUS again here in NYC this past weekend, which was really nice! Saturday I went...

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Madison Square Eats is back! It's been on for a little while now and will continue to be there until June 3rd, and is open daily from 11am-9pm. I've been there twice now, and still have not tried everything possible! I saw some fried chicken & biscuits that looked good, I heard about some rice balls but didn't even see those (it was crazy crowded on Friday, since the weather was so nice!), and that's all that I can remember. My sister works near there so I told her she should go every day and try something new!...

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Top Image via Glitter Guide 1. Foundation // 2. Concealer // 3. Clinique Mascara // 4. Clarins Mascara // 5. Bronzer & Blush Duo I looooove makeup. (Partly why I work for a cosmetics company!) However, on a daily basis, I can never be bothered to put on eyeshadow or eyeliner anymore, especially since I'd rather sleep in for an extra 10 minutes than put eye makeup on. What I can't live without, however, is my mascara, foundation, concealer, and blush - the essentials! The Routine:  First I pat on concealer under my eyes, around my nose, and any other red spots. This is the best concealer...

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It's a polka dot explosion!  Just kidding. Sort of. This post is about polka dots - who doesn't love this adorable pattern? It's just as versatile as the stripe...and speaking of which, the first way I've found that some bloggers love to wear their spots is with stripes! Top Image // Bottom - Blair // Krystal Blair clearly loves her spots paired with stripes! As does Wendy, below. Left // Right Of course, pairing spots with stripes isn't the only way to wear them. I paired the same white & navy polka dotted blouse Wendy has on the...

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I looooooove artichokes. I love them best boiled (30-40 mins depending on their size), and eat them by dipping the leaves into light mayo, or melted butter with garlic salt, until I finally get to the heart and get that artichoke flavor! Yum. One thing about living in New York is that I don't find them that often, or if I do, they're usually tiny and cost $5 each, which is ridiculous. I still remember visiting my grandma in California and there would be a huge cardboard box filled with giant artichokes at Safeway, each costing $1.50! I...

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I'd been on the hunt for the perfect pair of slightly cropped, skinny work pants, and finally tried on the Minnie from J.Crew ($89). Perfection! I'm lucky that my office isn't super corporate-y, and these pants go with everything, I swear. (For those of you who need more "corporate" looking pants, the Cafe Capri is similar!) I've worn it with a polka-dotted blouse, an Equipment shirt, with black heels and with nude wedges, and everything works! They're super flattering, slightly stretchy (the sales associates recommend that you go one size down since they apparently stretch out), and not...

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Happy Monday! This was the first weekend where we had gorgeous weather in NYC - finally!  This weekend I: Laid out in Battery Park with my sister - the top photo is one I took of New Jersey through the bushes Bought food at Whole Foods on the way back (notable only because I rarely go grocery shopping - such is the life of a single woman living in NYC without a car/grocery store near her!) - aren't those apples so pretty? I love all the color in the fruit & vegetable section!  Played around with my markers...

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Lauren on the left, me on the right To the best mother Lauren and I could ever have :) Miss you Mom, can't wait to see you in November! Happy Mother's Day to every mother, godmother, grandmother out there! And a special Happy 1st Mother's Day to Crys - miss and love you, can't wait to meet the little one soon! ...

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TGIF! Was this the longest week ever, or what? By Wednesday I felt like it was Thursday, and yesterday I kept thinking it was Friday...and finally, Friday is here! Last Saturday I went for brunch at Barbounia with a friend who used to live in NYC. It was her suggestion and I'd never heard of it, but of course my sister the food blogger knew exactly what it was while I was busy stumbling over the restaurant name when she asked where we were going! I was randomly craving something sweet (which rarely happens), and decided to get...

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Zara Shirt (recent) // Unknown Skirt, from my mother // Zara Shoes // Necklace: Maya Brenner // Oliver Peoples Sunglasses // J.Crew Clutch [Images above by my sister] The other night while surfing the 'net, I came across a photo (that I just can't find anymore!) featuring a mint & purple color combo, and it's now my favorite! Purple is my favorite color to begin with anyway, but a royal purple, paired with a mint green, is simply stunning! I wore the above outfit to work last week and got a few compliments on the colors specifically. 1. Maxi Skirt // 2....

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Zara Jacket I don't know about you, but I've been seeing this jacket EVERYWHERE. I tried it on in store before I ever saw it on anyone's blog, but unfortunately I didn't think it was that flattering on me! I love it on everyone else though, and ended up getting a vest (imagine this same jacket with the arms cut off) instead. Anyway, here are some great ways to wear it: Wendy's Lookbook // Atlantic-Pacific // neon blush   (Although Blair of Atlantic-Pacific isn't wearing that exact jacket, the elements are exactly the same - leather & military green, so I thought...

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I hadn't been to the MoMA in YEARS, even though I'd been meaning to join for over a year now (I hope that as a member I will be actively partaking in activities/exhibitions more often), so I finally joined on Sunday even though my friend Candice got us in with her corporate tickets. We first went to the Cindy Sherman exhibit, after deciding we'd work our way from the top floor down. I thought the concept was interesting, but visually...it wasn't really my taste. Once we headed down to the 5th floor, Candice and I both breathed a...

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With the summer travel season approaching quickly, travel guides are more relevant than ever! Kate Spade has partnered with Fathom and created the cutest online city guides, here. I'm a total sucker for good illustration, so how adorable is the art here? Click through for New York // London // Los Angeles // Tokyo // Tahiti Each city has sections including: Eat, Sleep, Drink, Shop, Explore, Itinerary, Packing List, and Cheat Sheet Can't wait to see what other cities they add! [Image 1 from the Kate Spade email, Image 2] ...

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Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I had a restful yet eventful weekend myself... Brunch at Barbounia on Saturday with a friend who was back in town for the weekend (details to come in a later post!), with the most delicious chocolate chip pancakes ever... ... A little bit of shopping afterwards, where I bought a new wallet - I love it! It's got 3 card slots, 2 pockets, a pocket designed for the iPhone, and then another side pocket. Plus, it has a little detachable strap so you can choose to use it as a wristlet or...

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