A week from now, I will be back in America.
…
omg…. that’s so crazy to think that I literally spent my whole summer in Shanghai. I have SO many more thoughts + reflections about my time here. But I’ll save that for a later post hehe ;)
For now, imma talk about all the treasures I picked up here! Yes, it’s basically a haul, but I didn’t want to use such a cliché word, sooooo this is what we’re gonna roll with!
okok in all honesty, i told myself i wouldn’t buy that much stuff here, cuz it already costed a ton for me to be here. Did I listen to myself? Ehhhhh…. I’ll leave you to be the judge of that (*nervous laughter all around*). Sooooo we’re just gonna jump right in!
[ C L O T H I N G ]
Light pink striped short sleeve button-down (Uniqlo)
Alright, let’s start with this short-sleeve button-down. You can’t see it from the pictures, but this shirt has thin light pink stripes running up and down it. It’s a superrrr simple piece, but it looks so cute + playful + innocent! I forget if i’ve already mentioned this, but I’m a button-down and blazers typa gal, so I thought this was a cute way to adhere to my button-down theme while also changing it up a bit. ALSO ALSO ALSO!! This shirt was from the men’s section AND it was on sale!!!
Red striped button-down (Uniqlo)
Guess where this bad boy is from… the MEN’S SECTION!!! why do I keep straying over to the men’s section in stores??? y’know, das a real gud question. I just think a lot of the men’s clothing silhouettes are actually very flattering on women. Especially women like me who have broad shoulders. I recommend exploring the men’s section next time you find yourself bored with the selection in the women’s section!! Anyways, it would be very unlike me to not purchase a classic button-down, so here we are!! I really like this one because I think the wine red color is a statement in itself. The color paired with the relatively-thick stripes make such a sharp ‘n clean look. Aaaaand it’s a very unexpected print in my opinion, so it gives it an extra POP effect!
Light pink eyelet ruffle top (MyStyle)
ok wow this top is such a darling. It’s definitely different from what I normally gravitate towards cuz I feel like the ruffles on this one make it more girly. But I saw this hanging in the store, and for some reason, I knew I wanted to at least try it on. And once I did, I was sold. I think because it’s so different from what I normally wear, yet it still feels like ~me~. I love how the light pink shade instantly makes my complexion seem brighter, and the eyelet detailing makes it even more playful! It’s like I can hear this top saying to me: “Don’t take yourself too seriously, Jo!! Have fun, be jolly, frolick around, etc. etc.” Not to mention, the cutouts that come with the eyelet detailing also lets extra air pass through, so on those HOTHOT summa days, imma wear this top to give a gurl some breeze.
Mauve blazer (H&M)
Remember when I said I’m a button-down and blazers typa gal?? welp here’s the evidence. Not only did I manage to get a button-down, but I also got a blazer… smh… What really attracted me to this one was the color. I’ve been told by my mother that mauve-colored things look best on my skin tone, and I’ve come to agree with her. I got this blazer oversized bc I prefer a more casual look with my blazers… also cuz I like to wave my arms around a lot when I talk and an oversized blazer gives me plenty of freedom to do that… lol… the only complain I have with this one is it didn’t come with a button, so I’ll probably sew one on myself so I can also wear this blazer buttoned-up for a more chic look.
Rose-colored lace camisole (MyStyle)
I have been looking for a nice-quality, good-colored, but not-too-expensive and not-too-scandy lace camisole for so long. And I’ve finally finally finally found it!!! I spotted this qt on the sale rack at MyStyle and I died. Cuz like… perfect scenario?? I was expecting it to be pretty thin because it was so cheap, but when I touched it, it was surprisingly really thick and sturdy. The straps of lace camisoles are already pretty fragile and delicate, so I wanted one that at least had a sturdy body. The color and sheen of this one is also so beautifullll. It perfectly matches the whole delicate theme of the camisole. I’ve seen a lot of neon-colored lace camisoles floating around and to me, that’s just the strangest thing. Cuz camisoles are a very elegant piece, so when you make something like that neon-colored, you totally ruin the value of that piece, IMO at least. But this was a 10/10 purchase!!
Just showing ya some of the darling lace detailing on this piece! Can you see why I absolutely love this camisole now?!?
add a blazer for double the fun!!!!
Girl en vogue sweatshirt (Zara)
My one n only purchase from Zara ever!! Normally Zara is a bit too trendy for me, but I saw this sweatshirt on a random rack AND it was on sale!! I absolutely NEVER wear things like this, but the bold colors drew me to this piece. Also, the fact that there’s a random (fashionable) girl who looks like Carly Rae Jepsen j chillin on the front with her MAXIMALISM OUTFIT!!! Something that I aspire to rock one day. As usual, I bought this oversized for MAXIMUM comfort and CHIC-ness hehe.
High-rise straight-leg jeans (Uniqlo)
If you didn’t know, my favorite fabric is denim. I seriously need to stop buying denim. But here we are, buying denim again. You’ve already seen these jeans in my above photos, but I absolutely love the wash of these, not too dark not too light they’re juuuuust right. And because they’re not skinny, they give me so much room to move. I can bend my knees as much as I want and it feels so good, esp. because I like to sit on chairs with my knees pulled up.
Basic black tank (MyStyle)
ok this one is a very simple piece, but depending on how you dress it up, simple pieces can sometimes be the most stylish! I’ve been looking for a tank in this style cuz I don’t like to wear my spaghetti strap dresses by themselves. I normally layer something under them to hide my broad shoulders, but a shirt is oftentimes too bulky to layer underneath. So a form-fitting, modest tank is the perfect remedy! I can also wear this tank as is and just accessorize to make it chic, as I’ve done here.
[ A C C E S S O R I E S ]
Floral pearl-studded headband (a random accessory store)
Pearls have been a major style trend for a while now, I’m actually surprised it’s still a trend. I guess pearls really are a classic. One of my fav fashion bloggers, Chriselle Lim, got a pearl headband on Amazon for a good price, and I thought it looked super cute. But of course, I didn’t want to be a copycat/basic, so this is a twist on that! I love how the flowers are threaded with gold-colored threads that make it sparkle and at the same time, it makes the flowers a cream color, so that it doesn’t clash with the white color of the pearls. I’ve started wearing headbands more often cuz I’ve realized that they’re such a lifesaver when you’re at a loss of what to do with your hair.
Tiffany blue hoop clip-on earrings (Gifted)
This one was gifted to me by my precious friend + wife, Hansika!!!!! These are so great because they’re clip-on!!!! Because yes, I am a scaredy-chicken who is still afraid to get my ears pierced. So far, I’ve only been able to find clip-on gold hoops, so when Hansika gave me these, I got really excited cuz that means I have another option besides hoops now!! I love the Tiffany Blue color because it gives a pop of color, so I tend to wear these when I’m wearing white or black-colored tops. I also love the feeling of them dangling from my ears, and it always makes me feel so sophisticated, like LOOK! I HAVE DANGLY EARRINGS WHICH MEAN I AM A REFINED LADY!! Last but not least, they’re actually so comfortable, I often forget that I’m wearing them. (pic of them above!)
apologies for dirty mirror, but hey it’s got its own aesthetic so maybe i’m not sorry… yeaaa i take back my apology!
Straw hat w/pearls (MyStyle)
yeeee i finally found a straw hat that looks good on my head!! I love how this one has a flatter shape, so it’s not too loud and in-your-face. Whenever I wear this, I feel like a Parisian, about to go to a cafe and drink a hazelnut latte and eat a chocolate croissant and watch passerby-ers. ALSO ALSO ALSO this hat has a couple details I would like to point out!!! The band of the hat is made of this material that resembles tweed. It’s definitely not tweed, but gives me tweed-vibes, which I’m totally fine with. Aaaaaandddd what’s extra neat about this hat is they’ve strung 5 pearls onto the band of the hat, so it makes it look extra classic + chic!!!
details!!!!
dunno what I’m looking for here…. mmmm maybe looking for my nonexistent pet squirrel???
Silky bandanas (random scarf store)
When I was browsing a local art shopping area with my amiga, we stumbled upon this itsy bitsy scarf store that was selling these silky bandanas for so cheap!!! So we both bought a few. I tried to buy ones that were bolder in color, cuz i always gravitate towards pastels/subtle colors, so I wanted to challenge myself and buy something out of my comfort zone. These two are definitely very bold and I’m still struggling to find outfits to match with them, but regardless, I still love the sheen they give off when the light hits them, looks so CHIC and I feel like a grown, working woman!! (pics of me wearing the red bandana with the black tank above)
Glasses (New Vision Eye Care)
Of course, we can’t forget to mention this lovely lady that I got from my eye doctor here in Shanghai. Honestly, when I damaged my corneas and found out I had to wear glasses for the rest of my time here, I was pretty bummed. But thankfully, I was able to get these super cute glasses that made it much more bearable and honestly made some of my outfits even cuter! My favorite part about these glasses is that they’re gold-colored, which tbh i thought would look so ugly on my face. But it’s such a unique twist that it’s actually what makes these glasses a fashion statement! When I return to the states, imma have to get new prescription glasses, so trying to savor the time I have left with my lovely gold glasses!!
j chillin in the morning light
[ M A K E U P ]
Tinted lip balm in light pink (Innisfree)
I love tinted lip balms!! You get the moisture AND the color!! But like, I’m a low-key gal, so I’ve been looking for a very subtle tined lip balm shade. I found this one at Innisfree and it’s not completely what I was looking for, but close enough! It looks pink, but when you put it on, it’s more red than pink. I was looking for more of a natural rosy-lookin shade, but this shade is starting to grow on me! Not really sure how effective the moisturizing part of it is, but I’m also bad at gauging moisturizer effectiveness. Still on the hunt for the perfect tinted lip balm! Plz send recs to yo gurl’s email/text/messenger/IG DM/etc.!!! (pic of the lip balm below with the eyeshadow palette)
Mammonism Venus Marble eyeshadow palette (Gifted)
This gorgeous palette was given to me by my beautiful (inside + out) friend Una!!! I believe Mammonism is a Chinese makeup brand, but then again, my makeup knowledge is pretty much nonexistent. When I first opened up this palette, I gasped because of how beautiful it is!! There’s so much glittery-ness and I’m definitely more of an earthy-shade gal when it comes to eyeshadow. The colors are so bold and pigmented and I feel like it has so much potential, when placed in the right hands (which is definitely not me). Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to make it look good on my face yet :/ but imma keep trying! The packaging is also A+++!!
[ T R I N K E T S ]
Frida + Karl pins (a random accessories store)
Aren’t. These. The. Cutest. Darn. Things!! I’ve been very into pins recently and found stores here with literally entire walls of pins, and ALL of them are SO cute!! It’s hard to resist buying all of them! When choosing pins, I normally try to go for weird but cute ones, and these pins are it! I laughed at their depiction of Frida with the exaggerated unibrow and the serious look on her face. I think what I found funny about this one was that even despite the serious face, they still gave Frida blush marks and flowers in her hair, which totally juxtaposes each other. I also really like how they depicted Karl (RIP) because they made him look so young + child-like, yet the look on his face screams “I’m a bad boy.” Not to mention, Chanel is one of my fav fashion houses, so there’s that too.
Alright, folks! That just bout wraps up my Shanghai “Take-Homes!” See y’all l8r!! When I’m back in the states!!
~jo