Nail Files: Urban Outfitters Nail Polish Review

Ever curious about those little square Urban Ouftitters nail polishes that they have out on display in stores? Well, I took the liberty to try on every colour sans 2 because I didn't have enough fingers. Here's my verdict:



Wow, the lilac was gorgeous with my warm skin tone! The sea foam green didn't look so nice on my fingers in natural light. (It's like a ghetto version of Chanel's Jade). All colours except the grey and gold were a single coat. The grey was pretty translucent when you put it on so I had to double up in fear of my nail looking like a dead nail. The gold was nice with one layer but I wanted to pack a punch. The dark green is one again a ghetto version of another nail polish: British Racing Green by Butter London. I didn't really like it... Maybe it needs another coat.



Now, onto the ugly hand. We won't talk about the blue. It's disgusting. The second nail is a dark purple that I found really boring because they have much nicer ones in a similar shade at Sephora. You can't tell in this awful photo but the pink is HORRIBLE. It looks like semi-matte bubble gum. Ew, disgusting with my skin tone. The orange was disappointing. I'd call it a creamcicle color and to be honest, I have two other MUCH nicer orange nail polishes by Butter and Essie. The watermelon-ish color on my thumb was nice. One again, all of these had one coat.

Bottle photos: libbywilkie-aneyefordetail.com

The dark colours had the least staying power and flaked off by the next day. They also took longer to dry for some reason that some scientist will probably link to caner in the future.

Overall, not bad for the price but I'd stick to my first hand! UO sells them $8 for 2 in stores.

Objects of Desire

Anthropologie is a jewelry deathtrap. There are so many fun, chunky, and colourful statement pieces that my head explodes as soon as the webpage loads. My mouse always unknowing gravitates towards the most expensive pieces, and well... I can dream of a day when I can fork out $400 for some ceramic genius on a string but right now my price point is about that divided by 100. I swear this is how all my DIY's get invented (until I realize I can't even afford the raw materials).

Anyway, here are some things for you to ogle at with me.





Anyway, I'm about to graduate and hopefully then I will have enough time and resources to do millions of DIYs for you guys!! :)

6 Feet Tall

Actually, it was more like 5'11 in those heels but whatever, I'll take it! You may be asking why I'm sporting such a goofy grin. It's because of the weather. It's actually not 40°F today, instead it's 70! This is a serious reason to be smiling because it hailed yesterday and snowed the three days prior.



Anyywayyyy... this is my new dress! I finished it last night after having it sit around for weeks because I was too lazy to go out and buy a zipper. I found a bodice pattern lying around and decided to use it for the top and well... after sewing it up I realized it was a very small petite size. Lucky for me I have no boobs so it actually fits perfectly... well I actually might have to extend the darts because I actually have no chest.



If you think I look stupid smiling in these photos you should have seen the ones I didn't post. Haha.

Now I'm going to go run around outside (read: go grocery shopping).

Perfect Transition

While Pittsburgh is teasing it's inhabitants with a frosty spring breath (read: it's been snowing for 3 days), everyone is aching for spring! I've been thinking a lot about pieces that transition well from chilly spring weather to the heat of summer. I'm not quite ready to bear my legs yet, but I know as soon as it hits the 70's I'll be ready to shed my pants and tights. So what's a girl to do?

Invest in a nice seasonal skit! I couldn't find a skirt that would allow me to comfortably wear tights with in early spring, spice up with heels, play down with my All Saints boots, be ready for the heat of summer and a cruise. I mean, it was a tall order. It would NEED to be lined unlike so many skirts out there.

Inspiration: Classic lines, pops of colour.

The solution? I decided I'd make my own! I found inspiration in J.Crew's mini skirts from last year but decided to spice up the boring straight waistband. I found some beautiful twill fabric that mimicked the waistband shape and decided to fully line the skirt.

Construction: Pins & stay tape

The outcome? Instant classic!! Perfect for a cruise, fully lined for tights in the spring and can be dressed up or down. I'm in love. I made the skirt a size larger than what I wear and therefore will be selling it in my shop! The skirt required quite a bit of hand work and a lot of love.

Instant Classic! Love it!

Seasonal skirt with an invisible side zip and lining.
Fabric: cotton/spandex twill, polyester lining
Care: wash on delicate in cool water or preferably hand wash (fabric has been pre-washed to account for shrinking)



Let me know what you think!!

For sale here.

All the Things You Did & Didn't Want to Know!

People ask me questions, here is the deal.

What's your name?
Christina! People have gone around searching for me email and then finding out my real name. I never really thought about "hiding" my name because I know a lot of my readers are probably people I know anyway. :)

Why did you start your blog?
It all started in 2008 when I realized I had tons of cool links that I wanted to share with people but none of my friends were 100% interested. I also just wanted a place to put things I thought were cool or inspirational. I've been slacking because uploading photos is a pain!

How'd you come up with the name "Queen of Mayhem"?
I'm really clumsy. Sometimes I get deep into thought about something and clip a corner too close haha. My poor face. I also tend to context switch a ton... mayhem!!

What do you do?
I studied computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. I love sewing, fashion and design (hence the blog). I sew and attempt to draft patterns and do DIYs when I'm not broke. I'm going to work at Microsoft in North Carolina starting this summer.

I keep on hearing NY this, NY that. I thought you lived in Pittsburgh!
I grew up in the burbs of NY.

What camera do you use?

Cannon Xti, though I actually like the way Nikon's deal with colour better.

What's your ethnicity??
Ah, well, I'm half Asian. 1/2 Chinese, 1/4 German, 1/4 Slovak, but I'm sure centuries ago stuff got messed up along the way.

What sewing machine do you use?

I use a Husqvarna Viking Romeo that I got in 4th grade. It's white and clear blue, it was so cool when I was 9. It's still cool. I think they go under the name "Daisy Prelude" now. I recently purchased a Huskvarna Viking Huskylock 910 overlock machine.

Can you do a _______ DIY??
Email me (christinaooi at gmail dot com) your DIY inspiration and I'll see what I can do. :)