'Murica! | 4th of July Sequins

Forever21 black and gold sequin skirt // Forever 21 American flag headband //

H&M mesh sweetheart neckline bodycon dress // Forever 21 gold sparkly strappy sandals //
H&M and Forever 21 gold bracelets //

Photography: JJ

Before the calendar starts tearing pages out of itself and it's suddenly the 24th of July, here's what I wore for a sunny Fourth of July in Pitt. Though this almost-all black outfit turned out to be a stifling hot getup for the summer holiday, the way the sequins reflect light made up for the dark colours - they give off a blinding shimmer with each little movement and remind me of fireworks in the night sky. The interesting sequins are black on the top and gold on the bottom so you can run your hand through them to make the skirt more gold or more black. My headband was the centerpiece that shamelessly screamed "MURICAAA!!!"

JJ and I set about exploring downtown, where we normally don't venture. In the park there was a giant fountain where people dipped their legs in to cool off, frisbee-catching pups, BMX-riding kids, pogo stick tricks and all kinds of entertainment. Riding the subway made me nostalgic for St. Louis and the 4th of July celebration we attended a few years back. At every turn that day we seemed to have the best luck and found seats right in front of the firework display. A long, long weekend of fun and adventures accomplished, back to researchin' and happy hourin' (repeat).

Click to see more pictures → → →

[CLOSED] Poshlocket Jewelry Review + Giveaway

You guys all know that when it comes to jewelry I like pieces that people can see from miles away, with an edgy-yet-pretty feel. Poshlocket is a small jewelry company based in New York and they have all kinds of styles, from dainty and ladylike, to big statement brights, to hefty metal wardrobe staples. They even offer free shipping and returns on all their orders (US only). Today they're so kind to sponsor a giveaway for $25 store credit for their jewelry!

At first glance a lot of their pieces remind me of what I see on Jewelmint, but their average prices are $18-24. They do range up to $50 for certain pieces, so it all depends on the individual product. Each piece is named after girl's name, and there is a necklace with my name too. When I received the Celeste Silver Roped Bracelet, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the material and how beautiful it looked in person. See how I styled it in this outfit post.

I made a set on Polyvore with my favourite gold jewelry from Poshlocket:

Golden Girl by pandaphilia

Chloé bracelet, $36
White pearl jewelry, $35
Celeste Silver Roped Bracelet, $38
Flo Necklace, $25
Tate Crystal Cross on Black Studs, $26
Nikki Cone Cuff, $20

Now onto a quick review of the Celeste Silver Roped Bracelet: it came in a pink scallop edged soft felt bag - I just adore the cute packaging. The bag smelled strongly of cinnamon as well. The bracelet itself is a sturdy piece with good weight to it. It fits just loosely enough on my wrist so that I can slip it on without undoing the tiny clasp (worried that it'll snap) and tight enough that it doesn't slip right off randomly. I look forward to styling this with many more outfits, since one of my more concrete resolutions this year is to accessorize more on a daily basis.

THE GIVEAWAY: Requirements are listed inside the widget below - you must complete ALL of the requirements on the first page of the widget to be entered (these are mandatory). The widget may take a few seconds to load. If there are any bugs, please leave a comment letting me know! Rafflecopter makes counting and verifying entries much easier, so the winner get chosen faster :) For an optional +3 entries, you can post this picture to your sidebar (blogs made for giveaways will be disqualified)

<a href="http://www.pandaphilia.com/2012/01/poshlocket-jewelry-review-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTeK4vDLgAQ3neRNN9tWBFUHGDhX8l0YXaeIy5VI8VH-DeHeFSbs93wG51WYdVfvVNnrWKZZAa7Gh_ugVp6X4ganddtx0WL3CqKuQ6b1tcalbR0ylFiUwUddqucWor3wDx9NcmrTIdTAa/s258/Poshlocket%252520giveaway.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a>

a Rafflecopter giveaway This giveaway is for United States only (sorry international friends - there will be more giveaways for you soon). Please ask parental permission if under 16. The winner randomly chosen using Random.org. Giveaway ends at 1/26/2012 at 12:01 EST. The winner will be drawn and contacted by email. If there is no response within 48 hours a new winner will be selected.

If you're interested, sign up for Poshlocket's mailing list for exclusive discounts/store credit.

$25 store credit will be provided by Poshlocket. I am not otherwise affiliated with the company. Image credit: Poshlocket. Compilations by me.

.:Aurora:.

Erin Fetherston gold strapless mini dress with ivory sash (0) // Aldo nude pumps (5) //

Photography credits: Allison Li, Jenny Sun, JJ, me

This past Saturday was the Chinese Students Association Winter Formal at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. I had the time of my life and danced my face off in those painful nude Aldo pumps of mine. In fact, my legs are still sore and I'm proudly wearing my "lasted over three hours in killer heels" badge. This Erin Fetherston gold dress had just enough room to expand for half of dinner, then it was time to burn off some of the scrumptious chicken and cheesecake in front of the speakers. Took some photos with JJ's HTC Evo 3D, not the best camera but it let me snap some quick ones and enjoy the rest of the night carefree.

The venue was gorgeous, modern, romantic. I could see the city skyline through the sheer ceiling high curtains and the centerpieces had floating white orchid blossoms lit with beautiful aurora-like lights. The dresses were stunning, the music was bumpin' (shoutout to some impressive mixing by DJ Keeno and some soul-searching croons by Jordan Ing), and we danced the night away. Who soaked her designer rental in sweat? ; ) Grotty, yes. Fun, heck yes. Btw I did my friend's teal and brown makeup. The flash washed it out but the super-pigmented Coastal Scents 88 palette really shone through! Review on that too soon :)

Review of my Rent the Runway experience and close up details of makeup and the dress taken with my SLR to come! For now, packing for home and see you on the sunnier side of the country!

Readers - what did you last wear to formal/prom?