{GBF Birthday Week Giveaways Day 2} $150 Boohoo.com Gift Card

On my fourteenth birthday, I received flowers for the very first time. Before high school, few boys paid attention to me as I was relegated to a string of unrequited love that left me feeling a bit hopeless about ever finding true love. High school commences and for reasons beyond my comprehension, I find myself on the receiving end of unadulterated adoration from a tall, handsome, and rather bad-ass dude. L was an alpha male, a man's man who focused his time and energy on looking, being, and staying cool. And because he was 6'2 in a school of petite Asians, he looked tough and scary and was feared by many. 

We first met in hallway D right after PE class. I was with my friends, and he with his. Our friends stopped to chat thrusting us into the conversation as well. He was wearing a baggy Nike jacket, baggy jeans, a letter belt, a Nike newsboy hat, and when our eyes locked, his face contorted into a happy smile that couldn't be controlled or wiped off. Ladies, that smile is everything. It's every guy's tell. If they can't stop smiling around you, they're into you. He got my number and called me that very afternoon. For weeks, we'd chat late into the night. I snuck a phone into my room and used the fax line to pass detection by Mom. At school, he'd show up to my class as soon as the bell rang so he could walk me to the next one and he passed me notes on the daily. To everyone else, he was a chest beating alpha male. To me, he was a big fluffy puppy.

On my birthday, we were chatting on the phone, a daily ritual, when he told me to go outside in fifteen minutes. I did and saw a dark silhouette holding a big ball start to approach. L had walked more than a mile from his friend's house and was breathing heavily from both the cold and the brisk walk. He was holding a beautiful bouquet of Hong Kong style wrapped flowers in his arms and his heart on his sleeves. He dropped to one knee, wished me a happy birthday, and asked me to be his girlfriend. So many firsts were colliding at once! I said yes and we stood outside hugging for ten minutes. I'd never felt so special on my birthday.

Our romance was short-lived as we broke up two weeks later. But we remained friends and my fondness for him remains fade-proof as he was the first guy to ever smile THAT smile at me.

I wish I had worn something dramatic and romantic like this red boohoo.com mermaid dress on that night as special moments call for special dresses. Since I can't turn back time, I'd like to change your future. On the second day of my Birthday Week Giveaways, I'm giving away a $150 gift card to shop boohoo.com. May you find that special outfit for special moments that are waiting in the wings. 

dress {boohoo}
shoes {christian louboutin}
clutch {justfab}
necklace {chanel}
lips {wet n wild "red velvet"}

{GBF x boohoo.com $150 Gift Card Giveaway Rules} 

1. follow me via Bloglovin' or Google subscriber
2. leave a comment and tell me about a special birthday moment
{bonus entry} follow me on Instagram @goodbadandfab and "like" my boohoo dress photo
{bonus entry}  tweet: "follow @goodbadandfab for a chance to win a $150 @boohoo gift card! Details on the blog! http://bit.ly/1jlXPQT "

Giveaway ends December 18, 2013

{live fabulously ...for free!}

 

{GBF Birthday Week Giveaways Day 1} Essie Encrusted Treasures

I love celebrating birthdays. Just not my own. I definitely feel loved and appreciated when friends and family take time out of their lives to celebrate my existence, but at the same time there's just something about shining the spotlight on myself that makes me feel awkward and a bit sweaty. So, this year I'm celebrating my birthday by turning the spotlight on my fabulous readers!

The Good, Bad, and Fab Birthday Giveaway Week commences today! Everyday for the next seven days, I will be giving away amazing prizes to lucky readers so that we can celebrate together.  On the first day of my Birthday Giveaway Week, I'm giving away three sets of the Essie Encrusted Treasures collection. The dazzling array of polishes come in matte and holographic finishes that redefine "nail bling." Scroll down for deets.

 On my seventh birthday, I borrowed some of Mom's white-out and proceeded to white out my nails. It was my first brush with painted nails which made me feel so grown up and fabulous. At age seven, I was finally going to be an adult! I was able to get through most of the evening without detection but the moment I ceremoniously cut the birthday cake, I got caught white-handed. Mom wanted me to take off the toxic paint immediately but I pleaded with her to let me wear it for the rest of the night. I screamed, "C'mon, it's my birthday wish!" She relented and so wearing white-out for another hours officially became my seventh birthday wish.

{GBF x Essie Encrusted Treasures Collection Giveaway Rules}
1. follow me on Instagram
2. follow Essie on Instagram
3. "like" my Essie Instagram photo 
{bonus entry}tweet "follow @goodbadandfab on @instagram for a chance to win the @essie Encrusted Treasures collection! #birthdaygiveaway http://bit.ly/ICzVC2

{Giveaway ends Dec 17, 2013}

{live fabulously... for free!}

 

{GBF Style} Layer in Style

I'm back from Hawaii! As a cold fearing anemic, I happily bathed in the sun and warmth of Oahu's season-less cozy climate as jackets and sweaters dissipated from my vocabulary. Alas, paradise is always fleeting. The moment I stepped on the other side of the glass doors at LAX terminal three, the last line of demarcation between paradise and everything else, I was hit with the cold reality of the December chill. It's time to bundle up.

As a working professional cohabiting both a sartorially austere work environment and a rather colorful after hours lifestyle, I gravitate towards jackets, blazers, and coats that draw out versatility without compromising style. Dump the frump and go for pieces that can bundle stylishly and effortlessly with all species of skirts, pants, jeans, and skirts. After all, it's the holidays and you never know if a mistletoe party at an industrial warehouse in Silverlake will keep the midnight oil burning long past your 9-5. Here are a few jackets, coats, and blazers from Target that make the transition into reality that much more stylish (and affordable!). 

collarless ponte blazer 34.99 | faux leather trim dinner jacket $34.99 | oxford blazer $29.99 | colorblock tuxedo blazer $34.99

plaid bomber jacket $39.99 | classic blazer $34.99 | ponte blazer $29.99 | printed oxford blazer $34.99 | belted trench coat $59.99



printed oxford blazer $34.99 | double knit stripe blazer $29.99 | boucle blazer $34.99 | stripe oxford blazer $34.99

faux fur collar coat $79.99 | double breasted wool coat $39.99 | plaid shawl collar coat $47.99 | trench coat with fur collar $39.99

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Target via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Target.

{live fabulously}

 

{GBF Life + Travel} Thanksgiving in Hawaii

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm spending the holiday with my family in Hawaii! Follow and experience my trip frame by frame on Instagram.

{live fabulously}

 

{GBF Staycation} Hotel Bel-Air

The moment I turn left on Stone Canyon Drive, I leave behind clutter and noise and enter a place where reality is suspended. Densely rooted statuesque trees on both sides of the road letting in mere speckles of sunlight flank the quarter mile drive down Stone Canyon to Hotel Bel-Air. As soon as the Spanish mission style hotel enters my sight,  a landscape that nestles perfectly with the regalia of the surrounding Bel Air estates, I feel my entire body sigh and relax. I step out of my car, walk across the bridge built atop the swan lake, and enter my place of serenity.  

The hotel is quietly luxurious and classically regal. Private villas sprawl out across the 24 acre property providing the perfect hideout for anyone desiring complete anonymity. The staff is genuinely friendly and puts up with silly me skipping about like Ramona Quimby, age 8. Predictably, I skip to the Spa by La Prairie as I can't stay away from the serene ambiance, the decadent treatments, and the veggie chips in the relaxation room.

 On my most recent visit to the spa, I experienced the Estancia Vinotherapy facial where the infusion of antioxidant rich Pinot Noir unmasked a radiant glow inside and out. The Estancia vinobright facial uses resveratrol plant extract to hydrate and extend the skin's cellular life and a collagen grape seed mask to protect cells from free radicals. And while my skin's still masked and tingling, I'm handed a glass of wine to truly taste the vinotherapy experience. 

Hotel Bel-Air defines luxury in every pragmatic sense of the word. But for me, its luxurious lies in suspending time, hiding reality, and providing reprieve from the noise.

{live fabulously}