WANT

2012 is going to be a great year full of awesome sneaker releases. I want to share some of the ones I'm especially looking forward to, because I just can't contain the excitement to myself! :D


New Balance 996 Valentine's Day
Copped these already! They're currently making their way over from China, so it's gonna take a while for them to get to me. I love the colorway and heart details on these. They're only available through Ebay right now, but if you're looking to cop these elsewhere, be sure to keep up with sneakHerbox.com for updates on US availability!


Air Jordan 4 Tech Grey
These are a classic, I really need them. Dropping February 18th!


Air Jordan 4 Voltage Cherry
These come out the same day as the Tech Grey 4's... por que??!?! I don't know if I'll be able to afford these :(
They drop just before my birthday though, so there's still hope (:


Nike Dunk SB Mid Un-Tiffany
I admit, these don't compare to the originals at all. The Tiffany Dunk Lows set a ridiculous standard since they're so highly revered, and I feel like comparing these to the originals make them seem like a complete fail. These don't even have the silver swoosh or croc print, and I think it's weird that they chose to release these as mids. I mean, is the opposite of low mid?! No, it's high. I know it's stupid, but I think I'd like these better if they weren't associated with the Tiffany Dunks, because then I wouldn't feel like these were a wack job rendition of the originals.
But anyways, setting all standards and expectations and comparisons aside, I really like these. The light aqua colorway is just so pretty (:  These are set to drop in March this year.


Air Jordan 4 Ultraviolet
Purple accents in all the right places--LOVE! I already marked my calendar for these--April 21st!


Nike Air Max 1
My heart starts beating a little faster whenever I look at these. They make me want to run around squealing!!!! :D They're supposed to be coming out sometime this summer... can't wait!

Will any of you be making cops with me this year? (:

Rainbow Sole

Here is a super wearable look to go with my Dunk Lows--just a wash of grey eyeshadow with rainbow liner to mimic the grey upper and multicolored sole.

Product breakdown:
-Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil, Black brown
-Shiseido Eyebrow Compact, Deep brown
-Urban Decay Primer Potion to prime
-Wet n Wild Vanity Palette (upper left color to set primer)
-TheBalm The Basketcase to highlight
-TheBalm The Mother-in-Law blended all over lid
-Sleek Circus Palette (blue and purple for liner)
-Sleek Acid Palette (neon green and neon orange for liner)
-Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (used to intensify eyeliner colors)
-Benefit Eye Bright (used as base for liner)
-Cover Girl Volume Exact mascara, Very Black

Minty Oranges

OPI Hey! Get in Lime! + PA Nail Color A124

This is the layering experiment that I'm currently fawning over, featuring another one of my Japanese nail polishes. I actually got the idea for this when I was browsing Forever 21 the other day, because I found the prettiest minty green polish with orange sparkles! Their polishes usually don't catch my attention, but this one was such an interesting combo that it peaked my interest. But anyway--being on my no-buy, I thought about similar colors I had, and realized that I could come up with essentially the same thing.
Aaaaand this was what I came up with! The iridescent glitters (my favorite kind!) flash pale orange in the light and fade to green. Since the PA polish has a slight orange tint, it toned down the green a bit, but not overly so. I really like how this combo turned out, because the glitter brings new life to a color that's so overplayed. What's your take on it?

Glitter BOMB

Sinful Colors See You Soon + Kleancolor Afternoon Picnic (2 coats)

Afternoon Picnic is probably one of the craziest glitters I've come across. Application requires a bit of patience since you have to work with the glitters to get them where you want it, but the result is amazing! From far away, it looks like I encrusted a bajillion rhinestones onto my nails :D

Love Potion

Missha Nail Color PK104 + OPI I Lily Love You 

Let me introduce you to one of the prettiest glitters out there--OPI I Lily Love You!
I've been wanting this polish for the longest time, and I finally found it! It was hiding at  a beauty supply store in L.A., on Melrose... how sneaky. But thanks to some luck and an outing with the bestie, it's all mine now... puahaha!


The flakies in this polish are my favorite part, because there are lots of ginormous ones in the mix. I picked up quite a few interesting shards on my thumb.


A lot of polishes look more awesome in the sunlight, but this one actually looks cooler in the shade because of its iridescence.


In these shots, I layered two coats of I Lily Love You over two coats of my favorite jelly polish.


Oh, and in case if you were wondering why my bottle looks all foggy at the bottom... it's because I was too lazy to put away the polish after doing my nails and left it by my laptop. I guess the heat coming from my computer wore away at the bottle so now it's matte instead of shiny. Nothing a top coat can't fix... right? Haha ;P

Citron

Nike Air Trainer SC II
Le Bloc Society, Los Angeles

Happy Lunar New Year!

Zoya Kimmy + Kleancolor Firework

So despite my last post, these are the actual tips I'll be rockin` for Chinese New Year. I was going through my stash of untrieds when I stumbled on these two polishes, and they're SO perfect for the occasion that I thought it'd be a shame not to use them.
Oh, I forgot to mention this, but I'm currently on an official no-buy! I started sometime towards the end of last year when I realized that my untried polishes took up more than a drawer of my Melmer. I've always told myself not to go overboard with polish purchases, but it's forreals this time. Sooo... no more polishes until I go through all of my untrieds! :P (That's another reason why I was motivated to change up my nails haha)

Year of the Dragon

As you may know, this Monday (January 23) is Chinese New Year! Here's a special set of nails I came up with for this year's festivities since it'll be the year of the dragon. It took me a while to think of the design for the non-accent nails, but I ended up going with a reverse french since I thought it complemented the shape of the dragon on the accent nail. Oh, and if the dragon looks familiar... it's because I drew inspiration from the Mortal Kombat logo! That image came to mind first when I thought of dragons to paint on my nail. Gotta give props to my childhood for this one :P

Old to the New: Bringing Sneakers Back to Life with Jason Markk

For sneaker addicts, Jason Markk is basically a household name for being the best and most trusted sneaker cleaner out there.
I picked up a premium sneaker solution set for a friend's Christmas present a couple years ago and he said the stuff was freakin` amazing, but I hadn't picked up a set for myself to try out. So when Sneakercon rolled around last month and premium kits were running for only fifteen bucks a pop, I jumped on the chance to try out the leading sneaker solution for die-hard sneaker fanatics.

Here's what I had to work with...

--Jason Markk Premium Sneaker Solution
--Jason Markk Standard Sneaker Cleaning Brush
--wiping cloth (I used a microfiber one that I picked up at Staples for a dollar)
--aaaand of course, a pair of dirty sneakers!
I used my little cousin's gnarly kicks because I wanted to see how well Jason Markk would hold up to her super dirty sneakers. She's just your average five year old, who loves to wreak havoc on the playgrounds during recess! She's been beating these up for about four months before I stepped in with Jason Markk (:


Even though it's not noted on the instructions, taking out the laces first is definitely recommended if you're going to be cleaning the whole shoe--tongue and all. Oh, and if you're working with a tag (like the Adidas one on the tongue shown above), you probably want to scrub carefully because it might start fraying the material (I know this from trial and error... oops)!

Otherwise, the instructions on the kit are real simple and straightforward. 

It's so easy and foolproof, even my five year old cousin could do it! (And eww... look at all that dirty solution just drippin` off the shoe!)

My thoughts on the kit:
-Packaging is dope! Simple, clean, and purple... Can't go wrong with that! (:
-Brush takes a bit of getting used to since it's awkward to hold at first, also gets tiring to scrub after a while. I kind of have low stamina/patience though, so maybe that's just me.
-Sneaker solution smells nice. Not masculine or anything of the sort, just soapy and clean smelling. Even though I don't mind the scent, it did leave my hands smelling like the solution after I washed my hands with hand soap and water. So... I'll probably use gloves next time to avoid smelling like sneaker solution!
-Solution foams up nicely. Brush rinses clean easily and dries quickly.
-No crazy chemicals in the formula, and the solution is almost entirely natural and biodegradable. Awesome.

Alright, now for the results!
Here's a comparison shot of freshly cleaned kicks vs. dirty ones...



The sneakers are basically restored except for the scratches. Not bad!
My verdict: This stuff works!!!!! Yay (:

Rolling Shots

After the officially planned photoshoot, we had a voluntary session for rolling shots. I've been wanting to do rolling shots since forever, and this was by far the most fun I've ever had taking pictures! I wish I could do rolling shots all the time... adrenaline rush!!!!
It would be so cool to be a professional car photographer... (:

Imports Photoshoot

Imports@UCI had a photoshoot this past weekend.
Jump for more shots (:

A Midsummer Night's Dream

China Glaze Gussied Up Green + OPI Last Friday Night

This is two coats of Gussied Up Green topped with a coat of Last Friday Night and a top coat. I didn't think these two polishes would go that well together, but I'm really diggin` the result. I really like how the pale pink glitters in Last Friday Night turned kinda orangey on the dark green... makes me think of an enchanted forest with faires or something. Shakespeare, anyone?

Comic Book Series Guest Post feat. SN'EADS by REE

Guess what y`all--I've been asked to do a guest post for Sahily over at Pretty in Pigment!

Since this month's theme is Comic Book Series, I had to create a look and tutorial inspired by my favorite comic.
When most people think of comics, typically superhero ones come to mind. However, the inspiration for my post comes from an underground comic known as SN’EADS by Ree, which is an online comic about the subculture of sneakerheads. My look brings together the Spiz'ike "Knicks" colorway featured in a strip of SN'EADS.


To check out my guest post, click here (:
Aaaand if you want to check out more from the sneakerhead/artist/mastermind behind SN'EADS--Tyree Dillihay--click here! :D

Black Cement 3 Match-up

Probably should have painted my nails to match, but I just realized it now.

Like a Boss

These are some shots from a mini photoshoot I had with this beautiful BMW 750Li. I especially like the second picture because of the sun glare (: The sun was too bright at the time of the shoot, so we're trying to set up another photo session at a better time of day.

I had my moment of bliss when I got to test drive it around. It is SO nice and it feels like a beast!
But of course, reality set back in when I hopped into my little Honda, which has about half the horsepower, and neither 8 cylinders nor twin turbos :(

Pretty Edgy Pretty

Essie Pretty Edgy

This is two coats of Pretty Edgy with no top coat. This has got to be the most awesome green creme polish ever! Application and finish was flawless, and the color is freaking amazing. Can't find anything wrong with this one!