hair tutorial:: loose waves

HANA Titanium Flat Iron 1.5" c/o Misikko

A lot of people have asked me to do a video tutorial on how I curl my hair. Goodness knows I've tried multiple times to film my awkward self, but they just didn't turn out great. So, I did the next best thing in my mind: I made a photo tutorial!

Let me talk a bit about my flat iron. I've raved about this Hana flat iron when I first received it from Misikko a few months ago, and truthfully, to this day, I still love it. I'm a very thrifty gal who rarely spends money on beauty supplies, much less hair styling implements, but after working with this high quality iron, I can't ever go back to the curlers and straighteners that I find in drugstores.And trust me, I've tried a lot.

The plates on my Hana iron are so smooth, my hair never gets snagged or fried, even when I curl or straighten my hair multiple times a week. I can't say the same for other the other styling tools I've used before. I've also noticed that I don't need to put any shiny hair serums after I work with my iron, nor do I have to put on a lot of hairspray to get the amount of hold I need to get my curls to last the whole day. I was lucky enough to receive this complimentary flat iron, but when I do need to get a new one, I am not going to bat an eyelash at forking over that kind of money for a quality tool. In summary, make sure you use a quality iron if you plan on using it a lot on your hair to keep it shiny and healthy!

Ooh! What a bulky paragraph! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. And let me know what other tutorials you'd like to see! Have a beautiful weekend♥

shake it off

arm candies: L- presents from my mom's trip to the Philippines:: R- heart bangle from H&M, from Emma and her sweetest Yoshi!

I had a really long, tiring day today. Despite the gorgeous, sunny weather, new comic books, or even the fabulous dinner I prepared, I couldn't shake the blahs off until I watched this awesome parody on Gotye's "Somebody that I Used to Know." Original Star Wars ftw. 

Back with a better, sweeter Laura after a few hours of sleep! 

i was taking a walk

Bella had this wonderful idea of sharing a glimpse of her beautiful neighborhood. Here's mine. Not as gorgeous, lush or interesting as hers, but pretty nonetheless. I apologize for the graininess of my photos. I only had my iPod with me at the time, and this is best it could do. 

As you can probably already infer, I live in an older neighborhood with lots of old houses and large trees. It's a great place to talk a walk even in the heat since there's so much shade, but gardening can be a pain, too, since the weeds here are relentless. A lot of the sidewalks are made with bricks fashioned into lovely patterns, and a lot of houses are covered with ivy. 

What kind of neighborhood do you live in? 

...and a damn good chocolate cake

Look who finally got herself a sheer top. and only what? a year after it was trendy? But what can I say? I never was one to be on top of trends. Sure, I'm aware of what's "new" or "hot" each new season, but I don't usually hit the shops right when they first are available. But it's different when it comes to food. Whenever I hear of a new method of cooking or a different flavor combination, I eagerly load up on ingredients and try it out or head out to a restaurant that offers it. 
I had come across this Chocolate Wasted Cake recipe a few weeks ago, but waited until last weekend to make it for my husband's birthday celebration. It was rich and decadent and damn good. And that's coming from a gal who isn't a huge fan of sweets. It's a really easy cake to make too. So if you're an amateur baker and a crap cake-decorator (like I am) this cake is for you. It requires slapping on chocolate in a mess of buttercream icing and drizzling the chocolate collage with even more chocolate. 
If you do make this cake, please take pictures and let me know! I'd love to see them!

the sunnies i would do anything stupid for

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Today is my husband's birthday, so I'm going to be brief. I am attempting to make this cake before he gets home, and I still need to make a grocery run for an assortment of chocolate candies. He doesn't know he's getting a chocolate heart attack of a cake. 
Do you like my sunnies? I've been moaning about not being able to wear regular sunglasses because I don't wear contacts, but when I saw these oversized, Sanrio-licensed, kitty cat eyes, I definitely had to make them mine. I AM WEAK, yes, yes I know. 
So the funny thing is that I can only wear them if I'm not shopping or driving, which really limits where and when I can tote them around. My solution? Wear my glasses underneath the sunnies until I feel stupid enough to finally just go to the optometrist's and get a contact lens exam. Still not feeling that stupid. 
ps. Follow me on instagram (delightedlaura) to see my cake-making adventures. And other ridiculous adventures, actually. Instajelly?

what the smock?

My husband is my worst critic when it comes to what I wear. And being that he's my husband, and that he knows that my love for him is pretty much unconditional, he'll usually just blurt out what he thinks about my outfits without tact. His comments have never fazed me. But they are a source of great amusement and inspiration for blog posts and titles. 

It was love at first sight when I first laid eyes on this vintage jacket a few months back. I pictured myself using it as a stylish raincoat for those warmer but rainier days (no sign of those yet). I just loved the gold print and the little gold buttons against the bold blue color of the fabric. I adored how the fabric is gathered along the neckline, and when unbelted, how geometric its cut was. So I purchased it, without any regret of spending almost $30 on it. 

Then I went home to show it off to my husband. Instantaneously, he asked "are you heading out to learn to cut hair or something? Or maybe paint a house?"  I had totally forgotten that this "raincoat/jacket" of my dreams was actually a "smock." But I love it anyway. 

Breaking up is hard to do

Last week, I made a very difficult decision. I decided to break up with my ever-reliable pair of clogs that I got at Target last year. I wore those puppies to death. I wore them with stripes, and I wore them with dots. I wore them to work, and I wore them to weekend dates. Heck, I even wore them to teach a few times.



My love for them is evidenced by the scuff marks and the scratches all along the heels and the platforms. But they had to go. They were looking ratty, and the elastic on the straps was already overstretched. It was painful, but I chucked them.

Then I went and bought these swanky wedges. You can buy them here, if you are so inclined. 

I am really surprised that all the shoes that I've gotten from Target (3 pairs so far) have been really comfortable and durable. My new wedges are about 4 inches high, but they don't feel it at all. They are ridiculously comfortable to walk in, and are super perfect for adding edge to my weirdly-sweet looks I've been recently inclined to wearing (think pastels and florals. Seriously, guys, I think I may be morphing into someone else).
Have you ever broken up with a favorite pair of shoes? 

lots of cotton

If I'm looking a bit uncomfortable in the photos above, it's because I am. It's humidity season again, folks. And being a gal who likes to layer, summer can be a difficult season for me to love. My solution? Lots of cotton. Cotton top, cotton cardigan cotton skirt. Can't get any breezier than that, yeah? 
To escape the scathing heat, my husband and I  headed indoors to a grab a quick lunch at an Irish pub. We sampled their beer and their whisky and noshed on Irish nachos, which were just thinly sliced potatoes topped with Guinness-braised ribs and cheese. I had the delectable seafood chowder that had thick chunks of salmon. Yumness.
And yes, I am definitely changing my hair. I'm still unsure when or how drastic, but there will be a change. It may not be soon, but it will change! :)