*picture via ban.do*

hey all!!
today marks my blog’s 4th birthday. CAN YOU EVEN? i can’t. four years. oh my gosh. oh my gosh. oh my gosh. yeah. um, so yeah, i’m just so incredibly happy and i cannot even begin to explain what this means to me.
started in october 5th, 2014, macarons and must haves (formerly macarons and marchesa) was created as my passion project as a freshman in high school. inspired by bloggers which i had seen and i just decided ‘why not.’  because simply why not?! there was nothing for me to lose at the point in time and i just really wanted some way to journal my thoughts and feelings as well as being able to share with friends and family what is up in my life, how my style is evolving and what to shop for (for me) and their other friends and family!
my blog became my respite, my creative passion, my time suck and my COLLEGE ESSAY (yes you read that correctly, i wrote about my blog in my college essay).  i’m not kidding. macarons and must haves has become my life, first and foremost i’m a person and a student, but #3 has been ‘blogger’ because i’m honestly so incredibly proud of what i’ve been able to accomplish on my blog.
my blog has allowed me to explore a career path in the creative arts and now i’m in school for graphic design in hopes of somehow working in the fashion industry in some form and way. i’ve honestly met so many people and created bonds over the fact that i blog and i ALWAYS have a ‘fun fact’ when we do icebreakers. i have found an ultimate passion, something that i can be creative with in an unexpected way, and honestly as the blog has grown so have i. its absolutely insane but it has allowed me to take chances and think ‘why not?’ because it gives me the confidence i need to try new things.
thank you all for staying here and journeying with me, and cheers to another four years!

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hey all!
guess what! i believe its been at least 2 years since i’ve done this, but i’m doing something big, MOVING AROUND THE BLOGGING SCHEDULE! you probably noticed that in the month of september i posted only twice/week. not going to lie, the transition was hard – AS I EXPLAIN HERE – but i finally feel as though i’m in the flow again!
so what are my days right now? up until today, my blog posts had gone up on tuesdays, thursdays and sundays – with an occassional special ‘saturday’ post here and there thrown in along with 4 times/month for december for all of the gift guides.
so what am i changing that my days to? M – W – F! why monday/ wednesday/ friday? my college schedule is super hectic and it honestly makes way more sense – with the time i’m allotted to be able to post on these days – of course sometimes with a special saturday or sunday post for whatever reason!
soo, october, its started, as my friend said this morning “its the first of halloween,” so basically yes! fall, halloween, pumpkins, skeletons, apple cider and other fall moods i am totally for. i am so excited to experience a ‘classic’ fall, you know like the ones you see in books, movies and on tv! i am already drinking my apple cider and eating my pumpkin bread and am pumped for this month!

so what am i looking forward to?

#1: halloween

#2: ~fall vibes~

#3: my 4th blogiversary

#4: unlimited pumpkin bread

#5: SWEATERS

#6: pumpkin patches and cute apple orchards

#7: my 5 day long fall break (i’m exploring dc/va/md)

#8: lattes and coffee dates

#9: corcoran ball!! (will explain later)

#10: a GIVEAWAY!

guys! let me know down below what your october will look like!

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hello all!
september was a whirlwind of a month, to say the least. it marked my first whole MONTH in college, i did so many new things, met so many new people and just overall had so many new experiences. sorry i was fairly MIA for most of this month, i swear thats gonna change, and you’ll hear all about it TOMORROW! and i’m so excited to share all THAT with you then!
so on with the stuff right!

dc exploring! i got to do LOADS this month in terms of exploring. i honestly took all the free time walking around, taking the metro and just seeing what i could see. since i’d only been to dc three times before i moved here its been my most important thing to do. one of the reasons i picked GW is the fact that it was in dc, and since that was a reason, i really needed to be able to explore all of what dc has to offer! even though i haven’t explored everything ~yet~ i have plans to see more soon with fall break coming up soon!

food! y’all know that this month i recapped the little food situation at gw, yes its a time, and i’m still figuring everything out, but yesterday i had the chance to meal prep for this next week ahead and i’m so glad i did! anyway, this month within my exploring i’ve found some pretty great auxiliary food options! i love compass coffee for lattes and peanut butter cookies! (seriously i get a pb cookie whenever i go and study as incentive to study more), i love bluestone lane for when i walk to georgetown – also dean and deluca for sandwiches! i love dolcezza (so many throughout the city) gelato but especially when i visit the hirshhorn. and south block makes AH-MA-ZING acai bowls (& on my meal plan!) which remind me of home.

gw stuff! since coming to school and starting classes i’ve been able to have some pretty amazing experiences so far! gw’s location in the city truly allows me to explore and creatively get up to some amazing ideas. for art classes so far i have visited the NGA both normal and east building and been in the european study room, and the hirshhorn but i have plans to hit up more soon! i have been able to join some fashion orgs – at the helms in the creative dept and gotten to sit in, model and creatively direct some photographs (COMING SOON!) and been able to create projects for classes which expanded my formal training with artistic materials.

this has truly been one amazing month, and as fall REALLY sets in and as the leaves begin to fall i can only imagine what next month will look like!

thanks all for the read & see ya soon!

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hey all!
i feel like its been awhile since i was like really inspired for a blog post and as soon as i got my hands on this one i was like ‘oh my GOSH’ and i totally knew what i was gonna do! since y’all JUST read about my first month in college – and i’ve been getting many comments about making more college blog posts, and i was really excited for it. i had seen in another friend’s blog that recently she featured some really cool GIFS in her posts! so today i made a gif to go along with the post i created!
these are just my basic college backpack necessities, things that i basically keep in my backpack 24/7 because of the amount in which i use them, the frequency of needing them or simply because they make me happy! here we go!

firstly, my backpack! ever since i decided that the fjallraven was too small to use as a school backpack (i couldn’t even fit my sketchbook in) i’ve been carrying the adidas national plus backpack! i picked it up on the nordstrom site while it was on sale in late august. it has been the best decision i’ve ever made because it gives me the right amount of space while being really light and maintaining a great waterproof texture.
#1: glossier balmdotcom: obsessed. like literally. i use it as a lip balm, to lay my edges if my hair is poofy, on my cuticles if they’re dry and its a fix all solution. i feel as though it does not chap my skin like other lip balms and y’all know i’m obsessed and could not say one bad thing about glossier.
#2: leuchtturm1917 dotted notebook : i’ve been using my leuchtturm notebooks for bullet journals since 2016 so they’re pretty much my most trusted product. i honestly could tell you about how cute set-up planners are but fact is, i used them for awhile and then stopped after a few months. i have been on the bullet journal system for a little over  two years and honestly its probably the best thing that i’ve decided to do, because i need a really personalized product to keep in my life and to keep me working.
#3: glossier bag : okay, okay, yes i’m a glossier stan. and yes i am that basic girl who carries everything in her glossier bag. they are gifted free with a purchase both in a store and online, and pretty much all of my skincare and makeup are glossier so you can see i have a few in my posession. i just love the way they are shaped and padded, they are so easy to clean and perfect to keep my pens in.
#4: mead five star folders : one of the things that has greatly benefitted my college organization have been those paper mead ‘five star’ folders. they’ve been fantastic because i have one for ~almost~ all of my classes and they are thin enough to always carry in my backpack and be able to locate whenever i need them on me. i seem to accumulate loads of paper and this is one of the ways in which i organize it.
#5: kate spade umbrella : one thing i’ve learned about DC, always carry an umbrella on you. when my dad and i came here in april we noted that everyone seemed to have umbrellas on them, where their backpacks had the pocket for your water bottle. at the time, i found this really curious, but now, i totally understand. it can basically start raining whenever it wants here (even if rain is NOT in the forecast) so i’d rather be safe than sorry and just carry it with me all the time. and i have actually been able to use it when i think i wouldn’t need it.
#6: rayban evolve round sunglasses : another thing about the weather here, its bipolar, yes one moment it can be raining and overcast but the next moment its sunny and hot. i’ve learned to just be able to accomodate both extremes by always carrying sunglasses and an umbrella. also just sometimes i like to wear my sunglasses to feel invincible – yes thats what i mean. i just feel powerful wearing them for some reason.
#7: madewell leather pouch wallet : in my backpack i carry an ‘abridged’ wallet. it has a few things that i seem to always need while leaving out all of the gift cards and loyalty cards which are in my bigger wallets. its just enough space to carry some cash, a few cards and my metro pass, and the little zipper chain can connect to my lanyard and i can wear it around.
#8: apple earpods : okay, so you don’t have to be ‘boujee’ and get these ones, but headphones are definitely a must. i find myself in the library wanting to listen to music, on the vex headed to the vern wanting to listen to a podcast (omg i’m dying listening to serial season 1! so so good!) or just walking around and NEEDING to  listen to ‘killer queen’ by queen (my anthem) as a ‘pick me up’. also sometimes you need them in classes or to finish assignments so i’d rather just always carry them with me.
#9: mead composition books :  don’t @ me, but i much prefer composition books to take notes in than spiral notebooks. you don’t have to believe me, but here are my arguments: #1: they don’t take up as much space as a spiral notebook #2: they cost less than spiral notebooks #3: they make my notes look much prettier, sorta like in a bullet journal style, #4: (LOOKING OUT FOR YOU LEFTIES) they have no spiral to hit your hand on! anyway, i’m obsessed with using them and really love em.
#10: rx bars : i’ve talked about this before, but breakfast and i are foes. i am not a ‘breakfast fan’  by any sense of the word. i do more like mid-morning breakfast like snacks. my favorite things to carry with me are rx bars. they are pretty clean with no added sugars, gluten free and sans grains. they have an egg white and date base and flavors go on from there. my favorite to eat are the coffee chocolate and the dark chocolate sea salt! i just love em, and they’re easy to carry with you!

enjoy all! tell me what y’all carry in your everyday bag!

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hey all!
its tuesday! i have NO CLASSES TODAY! and i also have no classes on fridays – but i have a massive project which is 20% of my 3-d art grade due tomorrow and i’m nervous of how it will be recieved but i know i have put 750% of my effort into it and it could not be better. so thats my life, but i really wanted to write a reflection about my first month in DC, my first month at college and specifically my first month at gw. so here we go why don’t we!

one month in…

well i moved in on august 23nd, so its actually been a few days but its the sentiment that counts. college has been a time to say the least. many many things have happened, both good and bad and i kinda want to break down both the best and the worst things so far here.
 

homesickness & a new place

so almost immediately, okay maybe it was a few days, but my first feeling about college was about how homesick i felt. you all know that i am from LA and am in school in DC those are two larger cities on the opposite sides of the country so clearly there is going to be things different about the places and the people but i didn’t think i’d be nearly as homesick as i was in my first week. i knew i’d be homesick, i wouldn’t call myself a ‘homebody’ nor would i call myself an ‘adventurer’ i’ve always just found a safe happy medium in the center. this huge change was not something i wasn’t ready for, but definitely was something that i could never have imagined. obviously, i literally wasn’t at home, but i was also not ‘at home’ in terms of the people and the experience. clearly college is NOT high school and i pretty much rocked high school so it was a huge switch up for me.

friends & people

one of the things that shocked me almost immediately is the idea that people already somehow seemed to be in groups by the time i got here. this could not have been further from the truth, honestly, no one was actually in a group just people weren’t being real enough for me to read that into. something that is really weird and different about GW is that we do not have a traditional campus, i’ve explained this more than countless times before but we’re all over the city and since we are in a city it’s often very lonely in existence. i’m not innocent with this, (i actually do this more than i’d care to admit)but it feels like everyone walks around wearing headphones and sunglasses and are in their own world and are very unapproachable. so its been REALLY hard meeting people and really getting to know them. but i LOVE the people who i live with, both my roommates and my neighbors and i love the people i have classes with! my people in my art classes are great – its an extreme bonding experience all being able to complain about projects together and these are the people who can seriously relate to my experience. but i love being able to go out with my roommates and neighbors, its good because it means my whole world is not dominated by art and that occasionally i get to talk about different things.

organization & classes 

as i’ve said, college is much different than high school, like in every sense of the word. i have had to experience a whole new level of organization. i am taking 3 art classes, one art history class and one writing course. art classes are very different than the ‘typical’ college experience, for me, they are 4 hours and 30 minutes long and only happen once per week. so i have three classes for 4.5  hours only once a week.  seems easy right?? seems like a light schedule?? nope, if you couldn’t guess, 4.5 hours is a long time. like longer than you could even imagine. its amazing for getting things done like seriously – when given that much time you can really get your butt into some real work but when you are doing something you don’t prefer it lasts an eternity. because i only have these classes once per week and my other classes twice per week only m&w i have no classes on tuesdays or fridays which has both proved to be dangerous and beneficial. the no friday classes are amazing in terms of exploring the city. i’ve been able to use my fridays to really get the full on ‘dc’ experience and especially being able to get to museums to finish homework assignments for my classes. but tuesdays can be dangerous – it feels so easy to just be able to just sit and get lazy, but you really gotta just power through and get your work done.

ups & downs

so you know my schedule, but you don’t know the background of it all. i signed up for classes online by myself, and had a basic idea of the classes i should be taking. i knew i’d be taking 3 art classes and ah & writing but its the art classes that i messed up on. i accidentally signed up for the wrong section of a class – and would not have known any better unless my advisor hadn’t checked my schedule because i booked an appointment. so i had to change classes and this made me two weeks behind in two different classes. it was horrible at first but have been working my butt off to make sure that i convince my teachers that i am not only just right on track with everyone else – but that i am even ahead and rocking all my class x100! because i always aim to impress!

conclusion

in short, college has been a whirlwind of feelings, experiences and people. finally after one month i feel that i am on a good footing and i can do this. i can pull through. i am excited for thanksgiving break – which i will not be going home (i’m still working on my plans but i’m sure it’ll be killer) and i’m ready to kill the rest of my first semester in college!

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hey all!
happy sunday my friends! i’ve been having such a weird weekend because i thought yesterday was sunday and i have so many things on my plate for my schedule sundays so i just freaked out! but thank g it was saturday and i still got to take my sunday chill and work on a very important art project due this week! CRAZY! i’ve got a super insane week ahead but i am ready for all it has to bring for me ahead! although i spend most of my ‘entertainment’ time watching netflix, big brother (its almost over!) and listening to podcasts (this is pretty much mostly when i am running) i’ve been hearing so much about some amazing books both coming out this fall and ones that have come  out at the end of the summer so i thought i would share them with y’all now!
also if you wanted to know, this cover photo on this post is a sketch by a famous artist that i got to sit with for TWO hours this past friday #onlyatGW #onlyinDC! its so surreal and art school is so insanely cool!
just a note, i have not read any of these books but i am very excited to get to read all of them soon! so here we go!

a very large expanse of sea

by tahereh mafi 

“It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.
Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.
But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.”  – amazon 
a few years ago when i was really into the book fandom communities on twitter, i got a follow from tahereh mafi. i  had never heard of her before, so naturally i stalked her, and following a quick google search and a twitter search and i’ve basically been a fan since then. when i heard that she had a new book coming out i was so so so excited! naturally i read the  summary and was just hooked! i’m so excited to read it!
pre-order here on amazon!

small fry

by lisa brennan jobs
“Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents―artist Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs―Lisa Brennan-Jobs’s childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley. When she was young, Lisa’s father was a mythical figure who was rarely present in her life. As she grew older, her father took an interest in her, ushering her into a new world of mansions, vacations, and private schools. His attention was thrilling, but he could also be cold, critical and unpredictable. When her relationship with her mother grew strained in high school, Lisa decided to move in with her father, hoping he’d become the parent she’d always wanted him to be.
Small Fry is Lisa Brennan-Jobs’s poignant story of childhood and growing up. Scrappy, wise, and funny, young Lisa is an unforgettable guide, marveling at the particular magic of growing up in this family, in this place and time, while grappling with her feelings of illegitimacy and shame. Part portrait of a complex family, part love letter to California in the seventies and eighties, Small Fry is an enthralling story by an insightful new literary voice.”  – amazon
this one came out only just a few weeks ago but totally grabbed me by the face when it did. its written by the daughter of steve jobs, and recounts not only her role as the daughter of the creator of the device which i am typing on right now but really drags me in because of her life which i cannot even begin to relate to!
buy it here on amazon!

fashion climbing

by bill cunningham
“For Bill Cunningham, New York City was the land of freedom, glamour, and, above all, style. Growing up in a lace-curtain Irish suburb of Boston, secretly trying on his sister’s dresses and spending his evenings after school in the city’s chicest boutiques, Bill dreamed of a life dedicated to fashion. But his desires were a source of shame for his family, and after dropping out of Harvard, he had to fight them tooth-and-nail to pursue his love.
When he arrived in New York, he reveled in people-watching. He spent his nights at opera openings and gate-crashing extravagant balls, where he would take note of the styles, new and old, watching how the gowns moved, how the jewels hung, how the hair laid on each head. This was his education, and the birth of the democratic and exuberant taste that he came to be famous for as a photographer for The New York Times. After two style mavens took Bill under their wing, his creativity thrived and he made a name for himself as a designer. Taking on the alias William J.–because designing under his family’s name would have been a disgrace to his parents–Bill became one of the era’s most outlandish and celebrated hat designers, catering to movie stars, heiresses, and artists alike. Bill’s mission was to bring happiness to the world by making women an inspiration to themselves and everyone who saw them. These were halcyon days when fashion was all he ate and drank. When he was broke and hungry he’d stroll past the store windows on Fifth Avenue and feed himself on beautiful things.
Fashion Climbing is the story of a young man striving to be the person he was born to be: a true original. But although he was one of the city’s most recognized and treasured figures, Bill was also one of its most guarded. Written with his infectious joy and one-of-a-kind voice, this memoir was polished, neatly typewritten, and safely stored away in his lifetime. He held off on sharing it–and himself–until his passing. Between these covers, is an education in style, an effervescent tale of a bohemian world as it once was, and a final gift to the readers of one of New York’s great characters.” – amazon
this book’s cover and its title really made me excited! then i read the summary and liked it even better. with my interest in the fashion industry, i think i would really love to read this and this would be a great thing – a nice and happy read of the life that i find so amazingly cool!
buy now on amazon!

the stylist 

by rosie nixon
“Amber Green loves working at Smith’s, London’s ultra-exclusive boutique frequented by everyone who’s anyone, including Mona Armstrong, the stylist to the stars. She is fierce, demanding, and can make or break a career with a snap of her manicured nails.
When Mona’s latest assistant walks out and with awards season arriving faster than you can say “Rodeo Drive”, Amber finds herself agreeing to work for one of the most infamous—and volatile—women in Hollywood. And the stars aren’t much better. Amber’s life is turned inside out as she becomes familiar with all Hollywood has to offer, on and off the red carpet.
As she begins to enjoy life in the dressing rooms of the hottest stars, Amber discovers she’s the one in the spotlight when she catches the attention of two very different men. But Mona’s behavior is growing increasingly erratic and unless Amber can out-style everyone in Hollywood, she’s in danger of being Mona’s latest fashion victim.” – amazon 
with compared origins with ‘the devil wears prada’ this fiction novel is supposed to be a more updated 2018  version of a similar story. i am so excited to read more fiction about fashion in LA and amongst the stars – instead of classically in new york within the publication industry!
purchase it here on amazon!

the proposal 

by jasmine guillory
“When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part–they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…
At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up–in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes…” – amazon
okay, y’all know i LOVE a good romcom – to all the boys i’ve loved before DONT GET ME STARTED! i am just in the MOOD for a book like this! something nice and lighthearted with some great LA twists! what could be better!
buy it here!

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