Kind of a bummer.

Well, I really don't know how to feel about this, but I guess I do feel a little bummed. I had to open up a new blog; The Classy and Sassy. So, all my new posts (after this one) will be written on that blog instead of this one. I really don't want to think of it as "a new blog" but rather that this blog got a new look and changed its name. 

It's obviously going to be a bit tiring to upload each and every post I already had on The Chic Comedienne. But, I guess I'll have to embrace change. 

I want to look at this as something positive and as a way of starting off fresh. 

Here's to new beginnings!

*kisskiss* - Adrienne.

Fashion Inspired By: Family & Friends Part I

Some time ago I wrote a couple of posts called Fashion Inspired By: My Favorite Literary Characters. You can read Part I here, and Part II here. I also did one inspired by the Hogwarts Houses. Yeah, I'm THAT kind of Harry Potter freak, ha! You can read that one here.

I just want to make something clear, these posts are not an exact replica of how these people or characters dress. They are a lot more of what I pick up from their personal styles by looking at them or spending time with them. They are my own interpretation of their different styles.

Anyway, this time I thought it would be fun to inspire my next two (or more?) posts on real people. And by real people I mean, people I know (and love!) personally. So, here it goes...

Fashion Inspired By: Family & Friends! 

Melissa Parra (baby sis)

From left to right; E.L.F Blush, H&M lace trim top, Revlon Just Bitten Lip stain in Beloved, Topshop Petite Ankle Leggings, Gap Heathered Open Front Cardigan, Repetto Cendrillon Leather Ballerinas, Henri Bendel Debutante Pearl Stud Earrings, Pretaportobello Dragonfly Necklace, L'Oreal Double Extend Lash Extension Mascara.

First up is my adorable little sis; Melissa (note: she's only a year younger than me!). Having a sister who is the same size as you in clothing and shoes, is kind of what dreams are made of! All our lives we've never really shared clothes, each of us has our own entirely different closets. But it is fun to swap clothes every once in a while. Though, I do have to say, our personal styles are extremely different. Sometimes, I'll wear a shirt, skirt or dress that my sister would never wear. Or sometimes I pick out an accessory (*cough, cough* most recently an edgy ear cuff) that my sister admits is cool, although again, she would not wear herself. Or sometimes it's the other way around. However, I've come to admire the way she dresses with every day that goes by. She has this very clean and simple way of putting her outfits together. And I have noticed that her favorite colors are almost always nude tones or pastels. She once told me one of her favorite stores were The Gap and H&M hence the cardigan and the lace trim top; both of them in soft nude tones. My sister has this weird fixation with wearing leggings, she just loves them. Especially in black. So I picked out these pair from Topshop. 

The same "less is more" rule applies to her makeup, I think. She uses the same mascara I do, which I really can't reccomend enough; L'Oreal's Double Extend Lash Extension Mascara. It just makes eyelashes pop. For her lips she always uses the same lip stain (she adores it) by Revlon. Recently, she told me her favorite makeup brand was E.L.F Cosmetics because, drumroll please...it's cheap and it has great quality. And I can't argue with her there, they definitely have some pretty great quality products, and the awesome prices are just a bonus!

For accessories, I decided on a Dragonfly Necklace by Pretaportobello because she actually does have a dragonfly necklace. She loves dragonflies because of what they represent; change and going beyond self created illusions. They do actually remind me of her. And for earrings, simple pearl studs. Because you just can't go wrong with classy pearls, am I right?

Paola Reyes (my not related but equally loved cousin)

From left to right; Miss Selfridge Double Layer Cami Top, Clinique Powder Blush,  Hollister Bettys Overalls,  Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, Keds Taylor Swift Trainers, Bracelets: Baublebar Cape Knot bracelet, Michael Kors Heart Chain bracelet, Juicy Couture Pave Color Crush Genuine Beaded bracelet, Essie nail polish in Peach Daiquiri. 

Next up is my "not-actually-related" cousin, but whom I love just as much as any blood relative; Paola. I've known this girl for a really long time and she is definitely one of my favorite people and one of my best friends. Right now she's studying abroad in New Zealand, and I miss her like crazy because she's been there for almost a year now! She comes back home on July 2nd and I am just counting the hours, seriously. Paola's style (and her personality too, by the way...) is very laid back and she definitely knows how to take fashion risks! I recently saw a picture of her wearing short overalls and I don't think anyone but her could have pulled it off. I loved that she paired them off with a simple white tank top, which just made the whole outfit look very fresh and relaxed. The options I chose were a pair of overalls from Hollister and a cami top from Miss Selfridge. For shoes, I picked out these adorable floral sneakers by Keds which I think are the Taylor Swift edition. These are also a lot like the sneakers she was wearing in the picture. The shoes and the clothes just make the perfect outfit for hiking out Down Under, don't you think?

When it comes to makeup, Paola also likes to keep it pretty fresh and clean. She actually does use this exact same blush from Clinique. For her lashes, I chose Maybelline's Great Lash mascara because as I always say, you can't do better than the classics. And if I'm not mistaken, Paola has said this some time before.

 I don't think I've ever seen Paola out and about without having her nails done. She is always wearing at least one bright and daring color of nail polish and I respect that; plain nails are boring. 

Accessory-wise, it's not very common to see her without her array of stack-on bracelets. I like to think she's that kind of girl who wears bracelets from different special moments in her life. Like for example, one that was a gift from her boyfriend or a woven bracelet which she bought from the natives in New Zealand. 

Sofia Osorio (my actual cousin, ha! also very loved)

From left to right; Oakwood leather jacket, Kate Spade New York small square stud earrings in clear/gold, Mango skinny jeans, Alice + Olivia Amal Boxy Tank, Converse Women's All Star sneakers, M.A.C Viva Glam II lipstick in A33 Matte, Maybelline Falsies Waterproof mascara, M.A.C Mineralize Blush in Love Joy.

Next up is my actual blood related cousin; Sofia. I love this girl. She is kind of my confidant, I tell her everything. Boys, friends, anything really! We can talk for hours and she always has the best advice. She is just so mature for her age! She turns 17 this August and I feel like time is going by so quickly. Since we were kids, we've always gotten along so well, no matter the 4 year age difference! We were always making up creative and entertaining games; we once even pretended we were running our own magazine! It was so great. Moving on, as well as her personality Sofia's style is just so chic and classy. Every time, I approve more and more of the way she dresses. I picked a tank from Alice + Olivia which I thought looked A LOT like one she was wearing a couple weeks ago when we went to the movies. And she was wearing it with a brown leather jacket which also looked a lot like this one from Oakwood. For bottoms I chose these skinny jeans from Mango, which would look incredible on her. And for shoes, white Converse sneakers that she was in fact wearing the day of the movies. The overall look is simple but amazingly classy and trendy! 

Sofia's not much of an accessories girl I think, so I just picked these cute square stud earrings from Kate Spade New York. 

And for makeup, this is the actual lipstick she uses; M.A.C Viva Glam II lipstick in A33 Matte. I think this tone looks amazing on her! The other day she told me that she was currently trying out Maybelline's Falsies Waterproof mascara and that she was in love with it because it really never smudged. Great tip to know for summer! For blush she uses M.A.C Mineralize blush in Love Joy which looks great with her tan skin tone. 

Regina Gonzalez (one of my best friends)

From left to right; Forever 21 Love 21 sparkling lipgloss, Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Lash mascara, Kate Spade New York small square stud earrings in clear/silver, Ralph Lauren Sullivan super skinny dark wash jeans, Dune Kacey leather embellished sandals, H&M sleeveless blouse, NARS Cosmetics Blush in Orgasm. 

And last but most definitely not least, is one of my best friends; Regina. This girl is a beloved friend of mine. She is the kind of girl who is seriously super nice. I really can't think of anyone who doesn't like her. She's mature and well composed while still being silly when we're having fun. She's also the kind of friend with whom you have the greatest time when you're either drinking coffee together or at the club late at night! If I had to describe Regina's style I would say, SOPHISTICATED. She always looks classy and up to date, trend-wise speaking I mean. She definitely knows how to pull of the night-to-day transition look! So, I chose this cute soft pink top from H&M and paired it off with these pair of dark wash skinny jeans from Ralph Lauren. To finish of the look I picked these embellished sandals from Dune. I can SO see her wearing this. 

For accessories, I chose a pair of Kate Spade New York square stud earrings in clear/silver which are actually a lot like a pair of diamond studs I saw her wearing once. As well as Sofia, Regina keeps it pretty simple on the accessories. 

For makeup, I picked this lipgloss I got her from Forever 21 the last time I traveled to the US. I love that because she's blonde and tan, she can pull this adorable light pink color off! I would look so washed out. For her lashes, which by the way are like super long and nice, I chose Benefit's BADgal Lash mascara because I've heard such wonders about it! I definitely have to try it out myself. And for blush, I picked NARS blush in Orgasm which I myself own and can say that it is definitely worth the splurge! It looks great on any skin tone!

So, these girls make up the first part of my Fashion Inspired By: Family & Friends. Like I said, I enjoyed writing this post so much I will get working on the second part ASAP! 

What do you think?

*kisskiss* -Adrienne. 

Diet Coke.

If there's a fact about myself that I'm sure everyone knows is that I'm addicted to Diet Coke. It's not a real addiction strictly speaking, but I do drink way too much of it. I drink about 3 to 5 cans of it daily. And that's only right now that I'm not in school, but when I was in school I used to drink up to 7 cans a day. YIKES!

I am very aware that this habit is extremely unhealthy but I haven't had any alarming health problems because of it...yet. It seems that every time I meet someone for the first time and they find out about my "guilty pleasure", they ALL have a 5 minute pep talk about why Diet Coke is going kill me. I mean, I know it's terrible but bear with me, it's my own refreshing version of coffee! Although, I do drink coffee sometimes too.

What I think is funny is that many people point out that I'm technically ruining my body's system by drinking Diet Coke and that it would be better to switch to regular Coke. I mean, WHAT? According to most people, the reason Diet Coke is worse than regular Coke is that it has copious amounts of aspartame, which is a nasty substitute for sugar. But then again; aren't they equally bad?

Other people's opinions aside, I have lowered the amount of Diet Coke I drink everyday and I recently noticed that when I'm really thirsty, I now tend to go for water instead. Which in my case is a miracle, because I've never really been a fan of drinking water but I have been doing so lately. And because I like it, which is weird but great at the same time.

I will try to keep on drinking more water and maybe take up that 8 glasses a day challenge. But for now, I don't think I'll kick the habit that I have of indulging on Diet Coke, maybe later. I really enjoy my meals when I wash them down with DC, and isn't enjoying it the whole point?


Do you have a guilty pleasure?

*kisskiss* - Adrienne.

Inspiration Boards.

This post is about a creative and personal aspect of my life that I would like to share. So, here goes...

Inspiration Boards. 

All my life I've collected clippings of pictures I like in magazines and kept them somewhere. When I was very young I would keep them in different places like; folders, cardboard boxes and even in notebooks sometimes. But as I grew up I decided that I should turn my hobby into something creative and dare I say ARTISTIC? 

When I was about 10 I asked my Grandma about a bulletin board that was in my grandparents’ house and seeing as I was so interested in it she gave it to me! Got to love your grandparents, am I right? It didn't take me longer than a few weeks until I was already gathering my favorite pictures and any other thing that I liked and pinning it on my new board. 

A decade and a year later and I'm proud to say that my adored bulletin board has been remodeled so many times that I can't even count them. Over the years, the things I love and think that deserve to be on my board have been on it. And right now is no exception. This is the "Inspiration Board" (as I like to call it) that's currently in my bedroom. I add anything that I think will inspire me to be more creative. 


Check it out below...

Overall Look

The image above is basically how the whole thing looks like. As I mentioned before, it has everything I like pinned on it, from magazine clippings, pictures of family and myself, sketches I have drawn, silly polaroids with a friend from Denmark, "fortune cookie" quotes, and even a few stand out souvenirs from trips. To pin everything on it I use some simple Acco gold thumbtacks I got at my local Office Depot.

Left top side

From top to bottom, the first thing you can spot is a sketch I drew that has one of my initial letters "S" and the imaginary Hogwart's House I think I would belong to, that is if Houses combinations were a thing...Hufflepuff + Ravenclaw = Ravenpuff. Why not? Haha!

Next to that is a magazine clipping I found in a magazine about Natalia Alaverdian, who is the fashion director of Harper Bazaar Russia. She is also a huge style icon and a great source for fashion inspiration. You know me, right? I'm a die-hard fashion magazine buff! Sigh. 

The few pictures below and beside Natalia Alaverdian's profile are more magazine clippings which feature either backstage beauty looks from fashion shows (sleek ponytails and bright fuschia lips? YES, PLEASE), Guess Ads ( I love their advertisments! They're just the right amount of retro/glam), Teen Vogue Photoshoots (the girl with the dog is Victoria Justice; I love the dress and sweater combo!) a VOGUE subscription I kept, a couple looks from the Moschino Chic and Cheap and the Holly Fulton runways, and a picture of a Louis Vuitton travel bag with a few luxury beauty products inside it (and Chanel flats!)

The more unique pieces I have on this side of the board are...

A hot pink Sobranie Cocktail Cigarette I got from a classmate who had just gone to Europe, a couple of Fortune Cookie quotes which really spoke to me, a Polaroid a friend and I took with an Abercrombie and Fitch male model ( HE WAS SO DREAMY) in their 5th Ave. store in New York, and last but certainly not least, a picture of about 7 years ago I have with my baby cousin who's like a sister to me, and my actual sister who is probably going to kill me for posting this, ha! Both of them are two of my favorite people in the world and to see their faces everytime I glance at my board just brightens my day. 

And we're on to the left bottom side!

Left bottom side

I left off on the picture of my sister and my cousin so, below that is a strip of photo booth pics I took with the same friend in the Abercrombie one, she's from Denmark and we got along while on a school trip to New York; there were a couple of photo booths inside the Forever 21 on Times Square and we figured why not make a few more memories? The results were some pretty goofy looking faces which I'm sure you can tell we completely improvised.
Next to that is a magazine clipping of super-cool model Cara Delevingne in a red hot dress and contrasting black combat boots. A few more miscellaneous pictures of outfits I found in yet more (!!!) magazines and a profile of the amazing fashion blogger Hanneli Mustaparta whose style I adore; she always looks so chic! On top of Miss Mustaparta's profile is a picture I printed off my laptop of Anna and Elsa, the sisters from the Disney movie Frozen. I have said before that I relate to Elsa a lot because of many personal reasons and my sister and I think our relationship has a lot of similarities with that of Elsa and Anna.

And on to the right bottom side!

Right bottom side

Next to Hanneli Mustaparta's profile is a photo of Georgia May Jagger (which in this shot is really hard to notice...sorry about that!), daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall. Mick Jagger is the lead singer of Rolling Stones and since they are one of my top ten favorite bands, here is his daughter! Ha, no but seriously, Georgia herself is a model and represented British Fashion alongside (the Queen) Kate Moss in the 2012 London Olympic Games, she's kind of an idol for me, too! 

Next to Georgia's picture is a few red carpet looks starring; Cameron Diaz in Oscar De La Renta and Taylor Swift in Marchesa. 

More pics of models from various magazines and we're on to the right top side!

Right top side

On the very top and at the very right edge, there's a runway look of Elie Saab which I loved (I actually love ALL their looks!) MORE models, a picture of the sea (oh, the serenity...) and a picture of the ever lovely Poppy Delevingne. Actual three dimensional objects include: a clipping that says "Girl of the Moment", two pieces of candy that I got from an exposition at the MET Museum; they were giving them away as part of the art! Actually, right below the candy you can spot the little pin they give you when you enter the MET. Last but not least (finally, ha...) is a little chart I kept from a box of colored pencils. I kept it because I like the way it looks on my board and also because this way it's easier to see what colors I'm actually working with when I'm drawing.

So, that pretty much sums up the Inspiration Board I have on my bedroom wall right now. Oh, I almost forgot. In the back you can see the plum-colored wall behind the board which I painted by myself! Well, me and a friend. I loved the deep and strong tone!

What do you think? Do you have an Inspiration Board?

*kisskiss* - Adrienne. 

The Ups and Downs of Loving A Self-Destructive Person.

It's a fact that sometimes we get attached to certain people in our lives, who we know are not the best influence on us. These people can be any type of relationship; family, friends, a romantic interest, etc.

The thing with these relationships is that no matter how much we love them and care for them, we will most likely end up getting hurt ourselves. Loving someone who is self-destructive can often lead to a suffering that is entirely our own.

Maybe recognizing that someone you love so much is making your life really hard isn't the easiest thing to do. I know this because I've been there myself. But it certainly is a step you need to take so you can start living your life to the fullest. 

We may feel that helping this person with their problems is the best option because it probably is. When we love someone, we help them get up every time they fall and we are there when every one else is not. We want to support them and hold their hand through the hard times. Yes, I know relationships are complicated and none of them are perfect. But this issue shows up when the bad times are greater in quantity than the good times.

So, when does all this start to fall apart? 

• When their actions begin to affect our own mental health and well being.
• When no matter how much we've tried helping them, they just don't seem to want to get better. 
• When we are no longer helping them but rather handling almost EVERYTHING in their lives. 
• When we realize we are just being dragged into a lifestyle that isn't healthy for neither of us.

Personally, I've always been a very loyal person. When I love someone, be it as a friend, family member or any other relationship, I tend to really care about their well being and happiness. I still am very loyal and sincere, but some time ago I had a type of wake up call. I realized that some of my "friendships" or relationships were hurting me more than it was really necessary. I believe that some times you have to cut free from certain people, who no offense (honestly) are just no good for you. You may not feel appreciated and the truth is that it is completely respectable that you put yourself first. Because as they say, how can you help someone else if you yourself are not okay?

I am in no way saying that you stop loving these people. You just won't love them in a way where they hurt you repeatedly. Trust me, it's better to know where you really stand. And in some cases, keeping your distance is the best solution.

I loved Chuck and Blair, but I have to admit that their relationship was extremely toxic.

What do you think? Have you ever been in a self-destructive relationship?

*kisskiss* - Adrienne.

Great music.

Woah. Now I really did take a long break from posting. Well, not that I needed to or wanted to, but I was kind of busy with school stuff and what not. First year of college this fall...bring it!

Anyway, I have lots of other posts already written. All I need to do is publish them, ha! But first I wanted to share some amazing music I found recently.

The first one would be...
Lana Del Rey's new album: Ultraviolence.

I've been a Lana Del Rey fan ever since her album Born to Die came out in 2012. I adore the sound of her voice and the way her lyrics are always a bit dark and very glamorous. Her previous songs were a little more upbeat than what we get to listen to on Ultraviolence, but I really loved that every song on this new album makes me feel like I'm in some kind of trance. It's so relaxing and inspiring. She also has this ability to make me feel like I'm in another era, I love it. I definitely recommend this album, it just came out today.

The other great musical discovery I made recently is a band (I think they're a band...) that covers today's hit songs as if they had been recorded in other decades. They have some really cool songs. Among my favorites is a vintage klezmer style cover of Jason Derulo's Talk Dirty To Me and a 1950s Doo Wop version of Pitbull and Ke$ha's song, Timber.

I've been listening to all these songs (and album) non stop. I love it when I find out about new music because it's such a big part of my life that it just helps me get through the day.

Check those songs and album out and you'll know what I'm talking about!

*kisskiss* - Adrienne.

Unrequited Love.

Okay, I thought it was time for a deeper and more familiar topic for everyone.

UNATTAINABLE GUYS.

Every girl has met at least one in her life, it doesn't matter if you're Emma Watson or Megan Fox (note: they have had their fair share of heartbreak too...) or have an insanely attractive personality. No. We have all fallen for some guy who we like so much that when we see him, our knees get weak and our palms start getting clammy. Thoughts race through our minds so quickly we mistake this deep attraction for...uh-oh; LOVE.

First of all, a "crush" is supposedly meant to last about four months and then we usually forget about it and go on with our lives. However, it is said that if this crush lasts more than four months, you have "unmistakably fallen in love". YEAH, RIGHT! Many times we think to ourselves that we must be in love, right? I mean, this guy is just oh-so perfect and when you talk to him you smile like an idiot and have to bite your tongue and hope you didn't blush in front of him and he noticed the whole thing ("OMG I AM THINKING TOO MUCH AND FORGOT WHAT HE JUST SAID TO ME") and all that cheesy romantic stuff. So IT MUST BE LOVE. Well, I'm nothing if not a sucker for romance...but trust me, it might just be an obsession. 

An obsession?! How dare I suggest such a thing?!

I know, I know. I hate the term too but to be honest, it's not so much an obsession with the guy but an obsession with the idea of loving/liking the guy. Have you ever heard the term "In love with love"? That's just it, we convince ourselves that we like or love this guy and every thing about him that we create a false idea of romance. We fall in love with the idea of falling in love. So many girls I know do this (myself included) and it hurts me so badly when they end up getting hurt by some jackass who doesn't even know what he wants for dinner in a few hours let alone who he wants to be with at the moment. There are of course, exceptions. Some men are just gentlemen. Wink wink.
Sadly, in most cases (and this applies to any other topic other than love and romance) if you chase after something, the only thing you'll manage to do will be to drive it further away from you.

Chasing after a guy who doesn't like you the way you like him is like trying to squeeze that impossible blackhead on your nose which for no reason whatsoever, is set in your mind to be the ONE blackhead that you absolutely have to squeeze. You've already made up your mind, the blackhead must lose and you must win. The more you try to get rid of whatever gross stuff is inside, the more it will resist and the nastier the outcome will be. Also, waking up the next day with a blotchy, red and scarred nose is never a pretty experience.

So it goes with guys. The guy is mildly (or in most cases not at all) interested in us, and yet we insist on calling/texting him, mentioning him on Twitter, posting on his timeline, or whatever other social network we've all used before. This only pushes the guy further away from us, and in an attempt to try and regain his attention we repeat the seemingly endless vicious cycle.

One may think, "Well, this world is only getting more modern by the minute. It's about time us girls made the first move...". NO. Like, seriously stop right there. I myself, am totally guilty of committing this terrible crime, and trust me, all the situations that I've had of the likes have not gone well. It may seem fine the first time you do it, but then next time he is thinking of contacting you in any way, he'll just think "Hmm, she texted me last time. I think I'll wait for her to do it again...". And then, you do it a second time and from that moment on it turns into a very ugly habit.

It's plain human nature to want something we can't have, and the more it "runs away from us" the more desirable this object seems. I've found it so common that I believe I like someone, and it turns out I just wanted him to like me because he was the only guy who didn't like me. I don't know if this applies to many other people, but it does seem like a fair explanation for all this "he loves me/he loves me not" dilemma.

To wrap things up, this issue not only presents itself with girls. It also happens to guys. I just don't get how we (again, myself included) are all so willing to fall for people who we know deep inside, don't deserve our affection because of the mere fact they are not giving it back to us. We just keep making up excuses and waiting for some kind of sign to tell us that, we should hold on to that person. When in reality, the love we have for ourselves should come first so then we can love other people fully. If there is something I've learned in my whole life, is that if affection or care is not given freely by another person it is definitely not worth your time.

*kisskiss* - Adrienne.