My Birthday + July Birchbox

 Hello!

 So my birthday was on Monday (remember? Most gorgeous picture ever?), and, if you've been reading my blog, you know I already celebrated it in Atlanta and at the Coldplay concert. So I didn't do anything spectacular on the day...But I did get my permit!! I went earlyearly to the DMV (there was still a crazy line), took the test (I actually made a 100 on it, didn't miss any!), and got a really hideous picture of me put on the permit! Yaaay! Seriously though, it was waaaaay easy-- it was mostly just questions identical to those on the state website. I've also been taking these fantastic tests (it looks like it's down now though?) for the past two weeks. Anyway, redeemed my free IHOP coupon after that, then got home and took a nap. PARTY HARD, YO. Oh, but before that, I opened my present "from my brother"... LOOK!!

 I'm so, so freaking excited. I've always wanted to be a pilot!! I think I'll do it over fall break.

 So later that day, we went to a fancy schmancy mall and exchanged some boots at Nordstrom and got my freeeee burthday gift at Sephora (as sort-of seen in the very first picture). Then, we ate at this place called Jamaica Way; it was featured on that show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives a while ago. It was all right, I guess. I especially loved those Jonny Cake biscuit things. I love biscuit things.
 After that my mom and I saw Brave, then home for cake (DQ cake with the crunchy stuff in the middle. HOLLER.). My mom and I finished off the night with some freaky Twin Peaks.

 ~

   Now, on to part two of this post, my first Birchbox!

  I just got it yesterday. Freaking August. Whaaaat. I guess 'cause I'm a new member? Whatever the case, I got the shipping confirmation on the 21st, but didn't get the package till August 2nd. Points lost for crappy shipping.

  When I finally did get it, here's what was inside:

Harvey Prince Eau Flirt - Lavender Pumpkin: This smells okay; not like something I haven't smelled before.
dirt. luxe salt scrub - lemon leaf: Maybe if I were more into scrubs I'd like this, or maybe if it were big enough to actually work on any body part I'd care for it more. It smells fine; the sample wasn't big enough for me to fairly judge if I really liked it or not.
Ada Cosmetics Bronzer: Again, it's not something fresh and new that I've never tried... I mean, I've never tried this particular thing, but I've tried things exactly like it.
theBalm® cosmetics Stainiac: It's okay. A little red for my taste. The only thing worthwhile in the whole box.
LÄRABAR® über: I got a nasty almond bar. At least it didn't break a bracket.
Birchbox Exclusive Earbuds: Great potential, I guess. They're cute and everything, but the sound quality is totally awful and they just don't play music well. I guess I was set up for disaster since I regularly use SkullCandy ones.

 Overall, I'm pretty disappointed. I don't know what I was expecting (actually, I do. A Stila lipgloss sample or a Zoya polish wouldn't have hurt! :). I'll hold on one more month, and then I'm out.

   ~

 Anyway, that's my birthday and my first Birchbox!

  xoxo,
  Zoe

One of the Most Gorgeous Pictures of All Time Ever

 I'm not totally sure of the source. Sorry, Charlie.

 Cue fog and ominous music, it's about to get all sorts of dramatic up in hurr.

  When I first saw this picture, I just stared at it. I was totally hypnotized. I didn't know who these people were, but I was immediately in love with them. I thought (and still think) it's the most gorgeous photo I've ever seen. I can't pinpoint one thing that makes me love it-- it's the combination of all the beautiful elements.

  Who were these delightful, mysterious beings? I showed it to my mom, and she instantly knew it was Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner (my mom blows my mind on a daily basis), and spurt out some trivia: Miss Wood died in a drowning accident, and many people think Mr. Wagner pushed her off the boat! What?! I obviously don't know anywhere near enough to make judgements or believe anything, but I just thought that was absolutely fascinating. The perfectly mysterious story to go with the perfectly mysterious photograph.

 Anyway, just thought I'd share one of my pictures of all time ever. I didn't want it to be understated in a Stellar Stuff Saturday, so I decided to share it all special like, here... On my birthday! Since it's my favorite picture, I decided to share it on my favorite day! haha.

  Have you ever seen a picture that totally freaked you out with its amazingness? And where can I see it?!

  xoxo,
     Zoe

Teenage Boy Clothing, Style & Shopping

   Hello!

I showed him this picture of what proper, classy-young-boy winter clothing looks like. You know I couldn't talk about boy style without One Direction popping up at some point.

    So my older brother, Tommy, has a birthday in a few days, and all he wanted this year was clothes (he's been reading a lot of GQ... I'm so proud! :). The problem, though, is that all those really cool clothes aren't really the kind he'd wear daily, to school and all that stuff. (Honestly, the everyday uniform of a teenage boy is despicable. Hollister shirt, those stupid cargo shorts, atrocious black socks pulled almost to the knee, and those hideous Nike Slide sandals. It's freaking ridiculous. Oh my god.) So, I researched and researched, and finally found clothes websites for young guys that don't suck.
  This article may not (and probably won't) apply to you... You'd need a brother my age! But I feel like if I had found this article at the beginning of my search, it would've made everything so much easier. So, here are my top picks for shopping for guys' clothes. (The link is on the logo)

Topman

Think Topshop's cute boyfriend! Oh my gosh, this is stylish-guy heaven. It's got sweaters, chinos, shoes, jackets, and everything. If I could, I'd buy it all! The sweater/chino combo is to die for... If only the prices were, too!

River Island

This isn't as widely known, but has just about the same variety-wise. Another good choice.

ASOS

Again, full of variety.

Urban Outfitters

Didn't have as much luck here, but great shoe selection!

You can also try...

American Apparel

Found some good sweaters.

Nike

Found some good shoes.

TOMS

Botas botas botas!!

Forever21 Men's

I think they've got great tees, but my brother doesn't like the fabric. Boo.

   You can also try mall staples such as American Eagle, Hollister, and Abercrombie & Fitch. I'm not one for logos across the chest, but whatever floats your boat (or pleases your sibling, I guess).

     For inspiration, try Lookbook.nu. There's also a slew of fashion blogs that aren't just women; a longtime favorite of mine is The Sartorialist.

  If you're searching, I hope I helped! If you're not... At least you know about these stores now! :) Every one of them has great women's apparel, too.

 xoxo,

   Zoe

Glowing in the Dark: Coldplay Concert 7.2.12

  Hello!

Seas would rise when I gave the word...

  I recently traveled to Atlanta, Georgia for a Coldplay concert! It's my (early) birthday present this year, and it couldn't have been a better one.

  We (my mom and I) were running late due to Atlanta traffic (three wrecks within five miles?! What?!), but we finallyfinally made it. We were led to a little pre-show reception, then headed down a while later. We were the sixth row back, to the right of the "catwalk". I really expected our seats to be too far back to be able to see anything, but they weren't.

 We missed the first guy, Wolfgang Something, but we got to see Robyn.

  Slowly, people started taking their seats. Then, Coldplay took the stage!!

  Confetti burst through the arena within the first two songs, and our Xylobands started flashing immediately. Man, it was insane.

    

   Every aspect of it was just amazing. I wish I never used that word, just so I could begin to describe the actual amazingness of the performance.

 Notice anything different? Chris changed shirts halfway through, because the blue one got so sweaty! His energy was incredible!

   By the end, I was exhausted (naturally). I took over 800 pictures (3/4 of them being blurry messes. Shoot!), "danced" (moved my knees/head up and down, hopped around...), and screamed (there were these really obnoxious fortysomethings in front of us who kept being rude to my mom. My screams weren't without reason.) Even compared to Katy Perry, I can say without hesitation this was the best concert I've ever been to.

Guy, Chris, Jonny. Will, the drummer, is the one missing. I'm so proud of this picture! :)

    xoxo,
        Zoe

Overnighting in Atlanta :: 7.2 to 7.3

  Hello!

  I recently went to Atlanta for a Coldplay concert, but only got to stay for two days. :( While I was there, though...

  I tried a fast food place located exclusively in Georgia. It was kind of a grease pit, but I'm always happy to try new places.

  I went to the concert, of course. :)

 

  I went to the sixth best donut shop in the U.S.: Sublime Doughnuts! They had cute little "potions", too.

 I finally hit up H&M! I was so stoked; H&M doesn't sell their clothes online, and they don't have any stores in Tennessee, so I always look forward to visiting whenever I can.

 I had my first experience with IKEA!! It's weird how excited I was. That place is massive. They have a restaurant and a bistro and a play area for little kids. It was spectacular.

 I went to one of the nicest Goodwills ever! My regular Goodwills are okay, but this one was the cleanest, most organized I've ever been to. It was pretty close to IKEA. (Then again, I guess everything was pretty close to IKEA!)

I Union Jack-ified my nails for the concert... What a mess that turned out to be!

   As a whole, it was a pretty great trip (we stayed at the Hyatt Regency, by the way). My mom says we'll start going to Atlanta every year for IKEA! I'm so psyched.

  Be on the lookout for a Coldplay concert post soon!

  xoxo,
   Zoe

It's Chris Martin's Birthday!

 Hello!

 GUESS WHO'S BIRTHDAY IT IS TODAY! (Without looking at the title, and excluding Dr. Seuss) *Drumroll* .... CHRIS MARTIN!! Yay! Coldplay frontman and my pretend much-older boyfriend turns the big 3-5 today. This inspired me to post some of my favorite Coldplay/ Chris Martin pictures (I didn't remove any source links, by the way). Take a look!

I'M COMING FOR YOU, CHRIS! Well, in July...

   xoxo,
        Zoe