Met Gala: High School Edition

PUNK: Chaos to Couture. (Catchy, isn't it?) It is the name given to tonight's exhibition at the Met Gala. As (assumably) other fashionistas around the world are doing, I am browsing, no, stalking Instagram pictures to see whats being sported at tonight's magnificent event. 

Sure, I've been to weddings, average school dances, and lavish sweet sixteens throughout my high school career, but I have never been to anything quite like the Met Gala... Maybe one day I will get my chance. There is something about getting my hair done, turning the makeup up a notch, and putting on a gown that makes me feel like a princess. 

Though I've yet to attend a Met Gala, I have attended a party recently that is kind of a big deal in the high school world: PROM. 

(Scroll down to see pictures... Scroll down to see more about prom, magazine coverage of it, and basically how big of a deal it is.) 

This Saturday was my first prom. I'm a junior, and this is the first year that I was allowed to attend because no junior or senior took me my freshman or sophomore years (tear, tear). I will admit, my expectations for prom were quite low; I heard that the best part of prom was the looking pretty part (that is only half true). Before I ramble on any further, here are a few of my prom pictures. 

Trey and I

Bianca and I

Leah and I

Mommy

Daddy

Because we are goofy people

 (Left to right: Josh, Rebecca, Drew, Gina, Eric, Bianca, Trey, Me, David, Alisyn)

Once a Homestead Girl (and boy), always a Homestead Girl (and boy). Left to right: Nicole, Me, Michelle, Evan, Melissa, Leah, Emily... These people live in my neighborhood-- I grew up with them. I will always love them! 

Anyways, I thought that I would share those pictures. Prom is something that every high school girl should experience, it is kind of a big deal. Magazines such as TeenVogue and Seventeen have their Prom Issue each year, featuring prom trends that revolve around dresses, hair, makeup and jewelry. 

As far as the whole dress thing goes, I didn't focus too much on staying on trend with my dress. Instead, I focused on finding a dress that I loved, fit me well, and flattered my skin tone and my body. Personally, I think I did a good job with those things. 

The dress I'm wearing is the first dress I tried on. I did try others on after that, but none could compare. The dress is from Bloomingdales and is by Ralph Lauren. It was affordable and it comes in other colors as well. 

Prom definitely wasn't the Met Gala, and my pictures definitely don't resemble the pictures from the Met Gala, but I still had an amazing time. As the title says, this was my high school version of the Met Gala- we should all have one. 

If you went to prom this year, feel free to link/ share pictures and posts of your dress, hair, makeup, experience, etc. 

xoxo

Alyssa 

Trend Mashup | Spring 2013

MARC JACOBS

(photo from style.com)

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG

(photo from style.com)

Fluorescent hues and bold stripes graced the runways this season. My favorite looks in particular were from Marc Jacobs (stripes) and Diane von Furstenberg (neon). Will we ever see the day when some sort of neon isn't a spring trend? I hope not. However, the addition of the stripes into the mix creates a recipe with a touch more flavor than the electricity colors have by themselves. The same goes for lone standing stripes. 

Though the two trends are equally chic worn independently, the combination of the two is what one would describe as "FREAKING GREAT". 

Spring Trend Mashup by bellalurosa 

Kenzo
net-a-porter.com

Rebecca Taylor denim waistcoat
rebeccataylor.com

Topshop
topshop.com

Nicholas kirkwood shoes
net-a-porter.com

Turquoise handbag
cache.com

R J Graziano white bracelet
stylebop.com

Eddie borgo bracelet
theoutnet.com

How Many Candles?

With Bianca, one of my best friends. 

On the RED CARPET

This photo basically sums up my awkwardness as well as the "quality", or rather lack thereof. 

The Friday before easter consisted of waking up early in the morning, setting up for a party, eating a rather large breakfast, sleeping in the car in a parking lot, getting my makeup done, getting dressed, then heading over to one of my best friend's brother's 21st family and friends birthday party.... Wow... typing that all out makes it seem like a lot, and it was.

My friend's brother's party was in this gorgeous barn (not an actual barn, but a barn-like building in which parties are always held). The party, like any good party, had a theme: Red Carpet.

My extremely photogenic awkward self ended up not translating well into the iPhone-taken pictures, so don't mind me.

I had such a fun time with my best friend's family and I can not seem to thank them enough for inviting me to the party.

Red Lips, Red Heart

It has been awhile since I've posted and there is a very reasonable explanation for that: school, my job, studying for SATs, and being the COSTUME DIRECTOR of my school's musical Legally Blonde.

I am trying to post more consistently.

One thing I am pretty upset about though is the fact that before 2013, I said that I would begin posting short, fictional stories with my outfit of the day posts, and I have yet to post more than one story. (If you haven't seen my first story then click here: short story: Little Lion Man)

I keep promising this, but I will find a way to post more regularly and post more short stories. I promise!

xo
Alyssa

Finals Survival Guide

Fashionable Finals by bellalurosa featuring t by alexander wang

This is my survival guide for finals. I know, it might be a bit late, considering college students had finals before winter break, and most high schools already had their finals last week. My school's schedule was affected by the hurricane earlier this fall, so we are finally ending the first semester. I have two tests to take tomorrow then I can leave school  for the day (it is awesome).

The Kit:

1. Baby Lips by Maybelline. It is winter. It is cold. So, combat chapped lips with chapstick.

2. Essie polish. Because, who doesn't like to look at their beautifully painted and colorful nails while they are taking a test?

3. Pretty Little Liars. After weeks of studying, then hours of test taking, it is nice to have a little R&R. One of my favorite forms of lazy relaxation is catching up on my favorite TV series.

4. Tea. It is a great stress reliever, so I definitely will be drinking some before I take my tests.

5. A comfy/ cute outfit. Still want to look fashionable while wearing sweats and not look like a bum? Try an outfit like this. No need for overly baggy sweats, or overly tight yoga pants, both with a huge "Pink" logo on them. These sweatpants are still chic. Now is also the ideal time to take advantage of the "statement sweater" trend!

I hope everyone's finals went well, and I hope that I don't pull out my hair as I continue to study.

ps. I will have an upcoming DIY as to how you can make your own statement sweater.

Pursuit of Happiness

Mint green polka dot sweater, vibrant red beanie, riding boots, Brighton bracelet and a fun pearl necklace. Score.

"I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know everything that shines ain't always gonna be good. I'll be fine, once I get it. I'll be good." ~ Kid Cudi, Pursuit of Happiness

I know I said I was going to start posting my short stories with my outfit posts, and trust me, I am going to, but for this post, I wanted to do something different and talk about things that have been going on in my life. Also, I felt like I had no inspiration today for a story and I didn't want to post a story that I wasn't truly passionate about. 

Anyways, right now I am in my junior year and it has been the most stressful year ever. That is one of the reasons I don't post as frequently as I'd like. I have a million (excuse me for my exaggeration, but it gets the point across) things to do this year and it is getting harder and harder to fit all those things into a day. If only I could freeze time to get things done. 

For those of you who have experienced junior year or are going through it now, you know where i'm coming from. AP classes, SAT preparation, extracurriculars, volunteering, and my part-time job-- there is just so much! 

The point of this post is for a few reasons. The first reason is because I am doing all of those things I mentioned above in order to get into the college of my choice and turn my dream job into a reality. My dream job of writing for a fashion magazine is what would make me happy.

The second reason for this post is because in doing all of those things (loading up on the hard classes, overloading on extracurriculars, etc), I feel like I lost myself and part of my happiness somewhere in between. I've been stressed, anxious and worried about planning for college. One "B" on a test is enough to make me have a breakdown. Where is the happiness in that? I know in the long run it will pay off, but for right now, I need to find my happiness again. I need to find myself. 

Recently I have been taking the time to do things that make me happy like writing, reading, catching up on my favorite shows, etc. I am on the pursuit of my happiness.

Now that you've seen my outfit, look below at the photos that represent my pursuit of happiness.