OOTD Instagram photos throwup

Hola, friends! I've been so lazy with keeping up with my blog! My apologies! First of all, Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years to all, because I left off pretty much right before Halloween! =/ Catching up in order would be impossible, so I'm just going to randomly upload! Please follow me on Instagram for faster updates @CestLaViii.

Cousin's baby shower: H&M blouse, toggle coat, and scarf, CarMar jeans (LF Stores), Costume National booties (75% off from Barney's!!!), Proenza Schouler PS1 medium satchel (color: saddle)

New Year's Eve: Both dresses are TFNC sequins pencil dresses (LF Stores & Topshop), Michael Kors "Layton" two tone boyfriend watch, Miu Miu glitter pumps

Lights All Night: BCBG MaxAzria tutu dress (last seen here), Bebe hooded sweater

 Company Christmas party: H&M Fashion Star open back dress, Ann Taylor Loft bib jeweled necklace, Celine nano luggage tote (on sale from Last Call), Chanel booties (on sale from Neiman Marcus), Urban outfitters bracelets

Annual Girls Secret Santa exchange: Zara flared dress (seen here and here), Topshop tights, jeweled bib necklace from TJMaxx, Dries Van Noten boots 

Halloween Zombies: LF Stores knitted cut-out sweater, hair blown out by Adrienne Schoech

  Cynthia's wedding: Zara flared dress and glitter heels (seen here), BCBG jeweled necklace (seen here)

Tea Party Shower: BCBG MaxAzria illusion neckline dress, Miu Miu glitter pumps

Hien visits Dallas: Zara open back knit sweater, CarMar jeans (LF), Kate cage heels, BCBG jeweled necklace, Derek Lam "Evie" clutch

Tina and Daniel's tea ceremony: Jones+Jones dress (Topshop), Louis Vuitton Eva clutch, Sam Edelman "Lorna" studded bow heels, Givenchy bracelet

Restaurant week: Kimchi Blue sequin skirt (Urban Outfitters, seen here), Vince Camuto booties, Chanel jumbo flap

Hope you all enjoyed my Instagram OOTD throwup post! I'll try to post as I go, but no promises. been so busy with trying to keep up with 2013. Hope everyone is off to a great start! Don't forget to follow me @CestLaViii to stay posted. Xoxo!

Mixing it up

I love pairing a casual, simple piece with nice shoes. It changes the whole outfit completely! This hi-lo dress is a really comfy dress I scored from the recent Zara sale for $20. I am in love with it. I want to wear it 4 times a week... but I won't. I only do that sometimes with my shorts. ;)

Zara basic hi-lo dress, Zara heels, Chanel classic flap, Nordstrom necklace

Yeah, I really need a haircut bad. I can't really tell how long my hair is until I look at pictures and then I'm like, "Dayyuuuumm." Especially when it's straight! I have been behind on the blog, everyone knows that. Follow me on Instagram @CestLaViii for faster updates. I do outfit posts every now and then! ;)

Cointreau Summer Kick-off Party

I know it's been awhile since my last post! I've been so busy with everything that I've been neglecting this thing! Sorry! I'm about to upload like all my summer posts this week... if I have time. ;)

This party pretty much kicked off our summer. It was a pool party at Ku De Ta in downtown Dallas, sponsored by Cointreau Tequila and hosted by the lovely Dita Von Teese. Umm... GORGEOUS.

Target Mossimo sleeveless blazer, Urban Outfitters tank, Balenciaga mini skirt, Alexander Wang booties, 3.1 Phillip Lim studded clutch, Nordstrom peace necklace, Givenchy bracelet

I found this Balenciaga mini at Neiman's outlet and HAD to have it. It's chic and it's timeless! A. Wang shoes and Phillip Lim clutch are from Barney's, one of my other motherships. Wow, I just realized I haven't been back in awhile! Not since my Derek Lam clutch, which I'll try to get pics of up soon! :)

If you like piña colada

TFNC sheer tank from LF Stores, J Brand denim, Forever 21 crossbody bag, sunglasses and wool floppy hat from Urban outfitters, Michael Kors watch, H&M cuff

As I said in my previous post, I've been so lazy to bring my camera out lately. It's so big and after losing one in Vegas and having a drink thrown at my new replacement by a drunk girl at the bar, it's just risky bringing it out. I'm starting to use my iPhone more now for pictures but because I have a 3gs and there's no flash, I can only take photos during the daytime. I don't mind it though, since most of my night pictures are drunk ones that are not usually flattering anyway.

With my free photo editing site I used to use being shut down, I've been frequenting Instagram for editing. It's also fun having another social media account to be OCD about. Feel free to follow me @CestLaViii. I definitely post more often on it.

These pictures were taken by a combo of my iPhone and my friend's camera and were all edited on Instagram. We checked out something called "Taste of Addison" this past Saturday, which is sort of like a little festival in Addison, a suburb of Dallas. The city of Addison's restaurants set up tents and sell samplings of what they offer. There are over 100 vendors there selling their goodies. It's a good way to try a little of everything. I liked that it was outdoors, since doctor says I'm low on Vitamin D and the best way to get it is to get some sun (hopefully I don't get skin cancer while I'm at it). I've been craving some sunlight and outside air lately so this was really great. I'm hoping to get more outdoor time and sun before it turns anything over 95 degrees here. Texas heat kills! Enough of my rambling. 'Til next time!

Happy quarter century to me

Last year, when I turned 24, we had a huge celebration for it. I celebrated with two other girlfriends, whose birthdays are very close to mine. We had a super fun Jersey Shore themed all day and night party. This year, we were determined to top it, but were unsure how. We didn't really make any decisions because our boyfriends went ahead and booked us a limo so we just rolled with that. Oh, and we incorporated a simple black and white theme. We pretty much had the same great time as last year's or even better. We're so glad to have such awesome people in our lives to celebrate with! Enjoy the photos!

Starting the night off with a yummy cocktail

Pageant pose!

Cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, cake! Thanks to sis and her bf.

As always, a good amount of alcohol was involved

Girls' side of the limo

Birthday girls with our obnoxious tiaras :)

The whole limo party

Ummm.. yeah, we cute!

And the photos after this just get progressively worse so that'll be all! We ended up going to a nightclub afterward and partied until we vomited and then some. That's how you celebrate a quarter century!

LF Stores Millau sequin dress, Vince Camuto booties, Zara bag, Givenchy necklace

The Shak & The French Room

Last Thursday, The Shak at Stanley Korshak (at the Crescent Court) had a trunk show for my friend's line, Nha Khanh. My friends and I stopped by for a sneak peek and some champagne before dinner at The French Room.

Here I am, with the talented designer, Khanh Nguyen. Seven months preggo and still rockin' it. So presh!

After stopping by the trunk show, my friends and I headed to The French Room at the Adolphus Hotel to celebrate one of my friend's birthday. The pork belly starter is the best (above)!

H&M blouse, BCBG MaxAzria bandage skirt, DV Dolce Vita pumps, Givenchy necklace (obsessed!), Chanel flap bag

The French Room is one of the BEST restaurants in Dallas. Souffles are a MUST! Great fashion, food and company! Win!

Easy breezy beautiful Dries-y

Fur coat from T.B.D. dept. Nordstrom, F21 knit top, Urban Outfitters skirt, Chanel Jumbo flap bag, HUE tights, Dries Van Noten suede boots

It didn't really get cold enough this season for me to wear things like this (fur coat and boots) out in Texas. With the recent move, I sort of just missed boot season, since I couldn't find a lot of my stuff in the new house. Sad that I couldn't wear these Dries Van Noten (pronounced like DREEZE) more times this season. I picked them up from a Barney's Outlet sale for a SUPERB deal. Probably one of the best deals ever! They were originally $805, but you know I wouldn't pay full price for these! They are such nice boots, too. Great quality and just beautiful. I'll try to slip them into a few pre-spring outfits here and there if I can pull it off. Love them!

Je suis là!

Banana Republic trench coat, 3.1 Phillip Lim 'Edie' bag, Barney's New York infinity scarf, Ann Taylor tights, Forever 21 blouse, BCBGeneration flared skirt, Givenchy necklace, ALDO flats

Even though it was my third time in Paris, there were still so many things to do and places to see. My first time was when I was 19, and second was when I was 21, so it's been 3 years since I've been. I still recognized and remembered a lot of places there, but also still discovered new ones, too. I love everything about this city: the food, language, sights, music, and everything! I can't wait to be back again. Paris is one city I'll never mind visiting over and over again! Je t'aime!

Too soon for colors?

Leifsdottir Lingonberry Corset dress, Zara cardigan, Nordstrom belt, Guess cage wedges, Louis Vuitton Berkeley bag w/ Hermes pocket square

I know it's early for a sundress, but this Leifsdottir dress has been sitting in my closet for too long and was waiting to be unleashed to the world. It's a very lovely silk dress with cute little details but I had to pair it with this Zara cardigan because it's still too cold out. On the top picture, you can see some of the girly details like the corset bust, the sheer slits in the side, the unique wavy cut at the hem, and double straps. This is probably the most colorful piece I have, since most of my closet consists of blacks, whites, navy, and other neutral colors. This dress retails at $328 at Anthropologie, but I picked it up on the clearance rack at Nordstrom Rack (a size too big, btw). Can't wait til the weather gets warmer so I can wear it without the cardi.

Year of the Dragon

2bRYCH ruffle collar dress w/ belt, Louis Vuitton damier Eva clutch, Antonio Melani nude pumps

Happy Lunar New Year! Wishing everyone a year filled with lots of joy and happiness... and lots of red envelopes. Say goodbye to the year of the rabbit (my year!) and bring on the year of the Dragon! Last year was supposed to be my "bad luck year," (your 2nd cycle/the year you turn 24) but a lot of good things actually happened. Of course, there were a few things that went wrong but what year is ever perfect? I say just live your life like there's no tomorrow because whatever happens happens! C'est la vie, right!?

2012, what up!

Lots of good things happened in 2011, but I'm so excited to see what 2012 will bring! I really hope the world doesn't end.

Some fun things that happened in 2011 (in random order):

*Bought my first car: "Liv," my 2011 Pepper White Mini Cooper (and sadly, that meant selling my 2000 White Honda Accord EX V6... lots of good memories in that car!)
*The week when Texas got snow: SO MUCH of it. Was stuck in the house for 5 days! It got pretty boring but was definitely something different!
*Texas meets Germany in NYC: siblings and I went to NYC to meet up with cousins from Germany on a random cold weekend and just ate our hearts out!
*LVJ Jersey Shore birthday bash: My 2 April baby friends and my CRAZY AWESOME birthday celebration. Crawfish boil, flip cup of 20+ people, straight partying & fist pumping for 12+ hours! It was pretty legendary, IMHO. That will be pretty hard to top, I must admit.
*First cruise: Group of 40+ friends and I went on a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico... 5 days on a boat turned out more fun than it initially sounded!
*Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 championship: We went to some games this season... I don't remember much of it... But at least we won!
*Girls trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles: 8 girls in SF and 10+ girls in LA = SO MUCH FREE ALCOHOL
*2nd trip to NYC in one year: A group of some of my closest friends gather to go to NYC, again, to eat and drink our hearts out. Every night was a drunk night.
*3rd annual Fashion for a Passion: Non profit organization ATG pulls off another amazing event to raise money for the needy in Asia! It's so nice to be a part of such a meaningful organization. Please like us on FB!
*Closed on our first home! My fiance and I, after months of searching, finally found a home that we loved. Some months later, after everything we custom picked was put in and the house was finished, we moved in and now it's officially ours!
*Family reunion in Seattle: My cousin got married and we made a family reunion out of it (as usual). So good to see almost ALL my cousins (on mom's side)! 2 more reunions in 2012 bc there are 2 weddings (and one is mine)! :D
*I got engaged! Now, after 3.5 awesome years together, I can officially say I have a "frikkin' ball n chain" at home and mean it! :-)
*Las Vegas trip: Another series of drinking and partying with close friends and cousins from LA! Never a dull moment!

Ahh, so much writing and no pictures! Let's start off the new year with some fun photos!

Forever 21 top, BCBG bandage skirt, Amrita Singh and Forever 21 bangles, Jessica Simpson studded peeptoe pumps, Forever 21 burgundy bow clutch

I don't know what it is with me and black and/or gold for New Year's Eve in the recent years (last year's, and last last year's, and last last last year's at least). Maybe I'll change it up next time. Cheers to big things for 2012!

A Very Mavvy Christmas!

Check out our Mavs themed Christmas tree! I figured since we won the Championship this year, I'd dedicate my whole tree to them! Congrats again, Dallas Mavericks! We didn't have much time to set up for Christmas or to worry about decorating the tree and such since we were more interested in unpacking, trying to settle in, and furnish the house. I threw on whatever I had that was blue, green or silver and then threw on an old Mavericks Santa hat that I found in my closet and called it a Mavs themed tree. I did have to go out of my way to get those squishy toy basketballs from Party City and make them into ornaments with Christmas ribbon. It didn't really look like a Mavs tree before I had those. Anyway, I'm pretty impressed with it!


As for my Christmas outfit, I really wanted to wear something a little bit cheery. I'm going through my closet and trying to find clothes with tags on them so I can finally take the tags off them. I really need to stop buying things and storing them in my closet... But it's so hard! Anyone else have this problem?

Zara flare skirt dress (last seen here), DKNY argyle tights, Franco Sarto MaryJane pumps (Nordstrom Rack for $7!), clover necklace from eBay

I've decided that this year, one of my resolutions is to not shop as much and buy only what I need or really really really want. (You'd be surprised at how many things I really really really want.) I've got lots of big things to save up for, including a wedding (and the whole 9 yards), furniture, honeymoon, and more vacationing! What are your resolutions for 2012?

Happy 2012, everyone! 2011 flew by way too fast! It's gonna be a good one! :-)