Christina of Tide & Bloom – Page 5

the warmest winter

You’re probably well aware by now that this has been the warmest winter. I write this as the sun is beating down outside and the temp reads somewhere in the 60s. I will never complain about Spring weather coming early (except that I’m not into this whole climate change situation) but I’m just a little disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to wear these new boots for just a little while longer. I got them from Target for $20. How.

I typically have a tough time with shoes, but I mean.. don’t we all. I have even worse trouble with boots this high; I can never find ones that hit the right spot and also have the right heel and also don’t look like hooker boots. The color of the grey faux suede is probably what did it for me. And I also can never wear boots all the way to my knees because it’s just not flattering. Trust me.

yet tuh

Okay so I’m Asian and I love food, but that doesn’t mean I’m an expert on all Asian food. Of all the variety of Asian cuisine out there, I undoubtedly have strong opinions about Chinese food and Vietnamese food because that’s my heritage and that’s what I’ve been eating all my life. What I don’t know much about is Korean and Japanese cuisine. So when it comes to trying new Asian restaurants, it’s those that I’m going to go for because I want to continue broadening my experiences with each. Being in Atlanta, I have plenty to choose from! Last week I tried Yet Tuh, a small little spot off of Buford Highway. Thanks Instagram!

We got there extremely early so the place was completely empty. Its location is definitely off the beaten path but it’s well worth the trip. Again, I remind you that I know nothing about what good Korean food is supposed to be like. But I very much enjoyed most aspects of this dinner. It was tough to only be a two-person party because of how many items we ordered (we just had to try them), but that made for plenty of leftovers to carry me through the week. Of all the dishes, my favorite was

current beauty routine

Once upon a time, my mom bought me an Urban Decay makeup palette for Christmas. Lil old me had no idea how to make a good eye look out of it so I did what any normal person does, I looked up a tutorial on YouTube. I found one YouTuber who I thought was so beautiful yet down to earth – she reminded me of one of my college BFFs. One video led to another and the rest is history. Here I am over a year later and I am addicted to watching YouTube makeup gurus every night before I go to bed. Part of it is to learn more about beauty and skincare and the other part is that its become ritual. It may sound lame, but it starts to feel like these personalities are like your friends.

Some of the products I list here are from YouTube recommendations, others were random finds, and some were recommendations from real live friends. I have no idea if you’re interested in my beauty routine at all, but I’ve found some really good keepers so I thought I would share just in case! This is not my entire makeup collection – just my absolute staples for the last month or so. Without further ado…

Starting with skin; I feel like I’m so dumb when it comes to skincare. I’m rapidly approaching 30 this year and I’ve yet to figure out the best things for my skin. Since I have a short makeup attention span, it’s been hard for me to stay with something long enough to love it. The products above though? They’ve been working for me for the last month or so and I think I’m in love. Everything feels great on my skin – light scents, refreshing textures, and really easy to incorporate into my bedtime routine. Of all the things, the Origins GinZing moisturizer is probably my favorite. It smells like a tall glass of OJ for my face! Oh and here’s what I look like without anything but moisturizer on:

Yup, that’s me. My biggest qualms with my face are texture and tone. I’ve been trying out lots of foundations and concealers this year (high end and drugstore) and the combo pictured above is the best of the best right now. The other foundations I used this year were: Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Foundation, Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation, Maybelline FitMe Liquid Foundation, and Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation. Surprisingly enough, this L’Oreal Infalliable Pro Glow is pretty much the best of all worlds. It gives me good coverage (not too much but not too little) and leaves me looking dewy, like myself. Paired with the Hourglass primer and the Maybelline FitMe Concealer… match made in heaven. At least for now.

bomber girl

I’m starting to wonder if I’m slowly becoming addicted to jackets. Perhaps it’s my style continuing to evolve or perhaps it’s just the chilly weather – I don’t know. What I do know is that the jacket section of my closet is growing and I don’t know how to get rid of any of them. I love them all! And yet, I still don’t feel like I have a jacket for every occasion.

This one is my newest addition and I’ve been wearing it almost every single day.

a weekday drink

I love myself a weekday drink with a friend and I’m assuming you do too. I mean if you don’t, you’re missing out on one of the great joys of being an adult. Meeting up in the afternoon and knowing that you’re going to catch up and simply enjoy a smooth drink and a salty snack – there’s not really a better way to top off your workday.

I’m pretty lucky that I’m surrounded by women of such a high caliber in my life. I’m even luckier that they don’t hate me for taking pictures of our food and drinks before we dig in (they know me by now).

Last week I met up with a friend and we dipped our toes into the menu at Cooks & Soldiers over on the Westside. To be completely honest, I can’t say I’ve made a decision about whether or not it’s worth a visit. I’ve had high expectations for this restaurant for quite some time now. Maybe that can be blamed on instagram, particularly the mouth-watering shots of their chef stirring huge pans of paella.

this year

This year, I’ll let myself do what I want.

This year, I’ll enjoy the small moments and seek to make extraordinary new ones.

This year, I’ll make more art that speaks true to my soul.

This year, I’ll make more products that connect people to my designs.

This year, I’ll visit more and love more.

style in review

For most bloggers and creative makers, December is when there is the most social media activity. Holiday gift guides, giveaways, vlogmas and the like. But if you’ve been following me at all then you know that I also work as a retail manager full-time so that means for the month of December (and well into January too) – my focus is on being merry for others IRL and preserving my energy for that part of my world. Hence, I’m going to commence the year in review! First up is my style.

These are my favorite looks from the past year and yes, they’re all from Anthropologie. As you can see, I am a lover of a little flair – whether it be in the pattern or silhouette. The older I get the more I gravitate towards length (even in summer) to accentuate my features. That way my look is less about skin and more about my face and how I carry myself. A little bit of confidence goes a long way.

And don’t get me wrong, I wear separates just as often as I wear dresses.. I just happen to take more photos of the dresses because of their wow factor. Next year I’ll try to mix it up more and showcase assembled looks instead of all just statement pieces.

electric love

The clothes I buy fall into two categories. The first being versatile basics – the moto jacket, the turtleneck, the black pencil skirt, etc. The second is the “I can’t live without this” category. The combo of these two categories make my closet wearable while still having a stylish edge. Women typically overthink their outfits and make it much more complicated than it really is, but after enough practice you begin to see the formulas pretty easily.

I don’t consider myself the fashionista that people think I am. It’s really more about knowing what works for your body shape, skin tone, and age. Like I said I’ve had a lot of practice since I work in retail (having to dress stylishly every day) so I’ve had the advantage of being able to try out many different silhouettes and trends. This moto jacket I’m wearing here – which you’ve seen before since I’ve worn it all of fall – has literally worked with almost anything I put it with. The color is neutral yet rich and is cut in a flattering and feminine shape.

5 thing i’ve learned from doing festivals

Now that I’ve completed my two craft festivals for the season (that’s the max I can handle right now), I wanted to put together a short list of the big takeaways I have from doing craft festivals. Take these with a grain of salt, because everyone has a different experience and I’ve really only done a few. Things may be totally different in different cities or with different organizers, I’m not sure.

photo via Capture Life Through the Lens by JONATHAN PHILLIPS

The very few I’ve done are Indie Craft Experience (Holiday 2015 and 2016), Root City Market (Holiday 2015), and American Field (Atlanta 2016). I mainly sell art prints of my own artwork so that may also affect my experience as a vendor. But I feel somewhat confident that if you are at all interested in doing shows like this, these things will be useful for you to know before going in.

8 arm

When a new coffee spot in town opens up, you know you’ll find me there drinking lattes like there’s no tomorrow. Typically I visit a new place just once or twice to take pics and feel the vibe, but with 8 arm I’ve already been there like 5 times since I first visited it a month ago. Is that insane? I very rarely find a place I love as much as Octane but this one is right up there.

First of all, how come no one knows about this spot? It’s right on Ponce, in that spot that used to have all the scooters. It’s open morning until night and has a breakfast lunch AND dinner menu. While the pricing is a little too high to be my every day spot, everything I’ve tried there is delish. Atlanta magazine claimed that 8 arm now has the best biscuit in Atlanta, but the item I’m dying over is the CINNAMON BUN. Go get it. The dining room is flooded with natural light and a weekday is quiet enough to sit and really enjoy the morning.

This particular morning that I went, I was feeling really down, out, and tired.