Proud Babe

.head to toe. em lipstick passion berries, f21 pleather shorts, thrifted denim jacket, NARS polish Ethno Run Left

images shot by Geneticboi

I'm bringing out the booty finally. Why?!? Because I'm PROUD of those squats. I got a new gym routine that's been keeping me on my toes, literally. 

Lately I've been passionate again. My creative juices are flowing. No procrastination. So yeah, I'm 100% back into styling. Which makes me so happy. It's gratifying to see your vision come to life. Especially when it exceeds your expectations. I've always been a very PROUD person. And by that I mean I've always strived for the best. Expected the best. And sometimes I wouldn't do anything until it was perfect. But you know what?!? Shit is not going to be perfect all the time. And that's okay.

That's what this Summer has really taught me. You have to always leave some room for growth. You will never be perfect. How are you going to improve yourself??!? There's something about myself that I love so much more than before. It's that I've grown into myself. And I know that I won't be the same person in 5 or even 10 years. But one thing is for sure. I love myself more. I love every moafuckin' thing about my personality, body and thoughts. 

xoxo

Extension Overload

Image does not belong to me. 

Oh my GOSHHHH. I am so obsessed with this hair editorial. I mean look at THAT HAIR. I'm so inspired to try one of these looks at one of my upcoming photoshoots (I'm back into styling again, woo hoo!) Seriously cannot believe the detail that this person has put into the hair. Love it when creative people push the boundaries and introduce crazy new trends.

I will update you soon with pictures of my latest work. Keep in touch with me on 

Instagram @zabbbeyy

xoxo

^ DUMBO, you have my heart ^

.head to toe. vintage bra, thrifted floral blouse, American Apparel pant, Zara heels

I have made such wonderful memories during my time in Washington Heights. But deep inside I knew my heart was somewhere else. I mean it's obvious that living in the city(Manhattan) changed me. For one - my fashion choices went down the drain. Like seriously... I looked a hot mess. I had absolutely zero inspiration to play dress up.  Which totally isn't like me. And in the mess of it all the smallest things like "people" started to irritate me. Like you know it's bad when you want to cuss at every tourist. Basically imagine some adolescent girl who never stopped being on her period. That was me for a while. 

Although - I do need to thank the Heights for many things...like my adult (because this can be hard to find ANYWHERE) roomies who were willing to take me in when I needed a place to stay, the tasty and flavorful Dominican food/hott Latin men, the only Chinese take-out spot that made fried cheese wontons the way I like it and the convenience of the "A" express train esp. during my drunken extravaganzas. 

Can I also say that I am so blessed to have found this room in DUMBO for a fairly reasonable price. God was definitley with me throughout this difficult time. And of course my fabulous friends and family. Finding an apartment and being unemployed is the most stressful thing EVER. But as always - I ALWAYS find a way to make it work. 

This Spring I'm looking forward to traveling light and incorporating more neutral colors in my color palette. This will definitely be a challenge as I was constantly sporting darker shades. Not trying to go all psychological on you all but maybe it can be blamed or reflect the lack of inspiration that I fell into? And as the sun appears brighter each day I will begin to pull out those high-waisted shorts. 

Honey, you just don't know how long these legs have been wanting to be touched by the sun.  

xx

// CHROMA ENLIGHTENING

.head to toe. thrifted Bonworth floral blouse, F21 pant, Mossimo flats, thrifted Martin Sanford coat

I'm loving these images because of course they were shot in my home town of Wausau, Wisconsin. Wausau has always been so good to me. It holds many dear memories - good and bad. LOL Being home was enlightening for many reasons. I was able to have private moments with my lovely grandmother, babysit my nieces and nephews and of course go out and have a blast with my cousins. It was the getaway that I needed.

A day before I left Wausau I wanted to shoot some outfits. I asked my cousins Amy and Vicki to take me to the best places in town. We only had a limited time but they did their best! Let me tell you - it was FREEZING. I'm so glad these two ladies endured the horrible weather with me. We found this spot in one of the newer buildings across the old mall that I use to shop at when I was little. It was the perfect spot. It looked like a greenhouse meets a coffee shop. Not sure why no one takes pictures here but if you're in Wausau you should.  Of course there wasn't the amazing sun glares but the light was gorgeous. Vicki did an amazing job for being an amateur. I hope you enjoy these. I have a few more outfits I'll be sure to share with you all soon.

xoxo

// 2 0 1 4 - " I SEE FIRE " \\

2013 went by so fast and I can't believe I'm 24 already. Lawddddd. Whatever because I enjoyed 2013. I really did. It was the most spontaneous I have ever lived. I mean I went to a bunch of concerts. Traveled a few places. Splurged on a few goods. Loved a lot of people. That's the life man. That's the life.

Here are a few pictures from New Year's Eve. I spent some quality time with a few friends in Brooklyn. We always throw an annual themed party. This year it was "Back to the 80's". I was really trying not to be a stereotypical 80's celebrity but of course I waited last minute. So all the things I had in my closet could only translate into Madonna. I mean I guess I only own trashy clothing. OOPS.

Looked at my Style Resolutions from last year. I think I did pretty good. I accomplished all of them except for #4 - "Wear more pants" and #5 - "Try new hairstyles". I think I've given up on the fact that I just don't like pants. LOL According to my last laundry day I found that I had one pair of pant. The rest were skirts. Let me remind you it's Winter in New York too! See I just don't do pants. I've accepted that now. As for hairstyles that was a complete fail. I finally learned how to properly take care of my dead hair. It was destroyed by countless curling iron sessions and box dye. Now it's all soft and silky. For one I quit using the hair dryer. Air drying is the way to go! Plus I never sleep with my hair wet. That's just uncomfortable and I hate when my pillow gets all wet. And I quit curling my hair all the time. It was frying the fuck out of it.

This year I've written down my goals. Broke them down into short and long-term. This year I really want to make moves and besides all the fun I need to work harder on building my brand. Time to get to work!!

Let's all have another great year! 2014 I'm readyyyyyyyyy! 

moafucka'

Wow, it's been months since I've written here. Life has been crazy.

I finally got a good paying job and was able to focus on "living life" as some may call it. For the first year in NYC all I did was struggle and to struggle a little less seemed like the perfect idea. I'm not taking any of this time for granted. I always say to myself that I'm only living my 20's once. Which is damn true! What do I have to lose? I'll always be working and paying bills for the rest of my life. Why withhold myself from an experience?

I've always worked so hard throughout college that I never really relaxed. I was never taking any vacations or spontaneous trips. Working two full time jobs and going to school full time wasn't the best idea in the world. But I think that I really like this new thing about myself. I've learned how to dance in the wind a little more. Go with the flow. Scream if I want to.

Despite the usual struggles I've also managed to put on hold my styling projects. Next year will definitley be the year that I make more moves. This year was really about experiencing life. Traveling has been so fun and it really makes me happy. I use to think traveling was too expensive. Probably cause mom and dad taught me to always save my money. Something that I still have yet to learn.

I've decided to change my blog name to moafucka' simply because I'm growing up. I think part of me really wanted to end this blog and move on to something new. But I feel like I've been identified as Mastermind Of A Fashionista for so long that I didn't want to let it go completely. As you can tell the first part of moafucka' still has the abbreviations for Mastermind Of A Fashionista. This has always been a part of me and I never want to forget it. As you grow it's only common for you to move on. I'm growing as an artist and I want my blog to reflect that. Thanks again for still sticking through with me.

RUNWAY FEVER: Short Stuff

If you aren't following my instagram then you probably don't know that I dyed my beautiful blonde hair to black. I made the decision to keep my wild streak to a minimum. Only because I'm still in the process of looking for a decent paying job. And that would require me to look very corporate like. I will miss the blonde - I already do. I tend to get bored of my hair and like to reinvent myself. This time I'm just regular ole me. Nothing wrong with that. But something inside me screams for change.

So I've been thinking about maybe get a new haircut. My hair is currently uneven since I did shave my hair last year. It has grown out but now one side is shoulder length while the other falls below my breast. I really love my long hair but thi short edgy cut is really cute. I'm thinking my hair would work really well since it's full of volume. But then again I really think I look great with longer hair. And with my face shape I might not pull it off like the pictures below. Decisions, decisions.

What do you think? What should I do?

 

Personal: Style Resolutions + Urban Denim Chic Editorial

First post of the year. Seriously can't believe it's 2013. Probably because I'm getting so old. I shouldn't be complaining. ha ha (I'm really not much older than I perceive myself to be)

A few STYLE resolutions I want to play around with this year:

1. Less is more - I'm not really one to be simple when it comes to my personal style but I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. Like I stated last year I feel like my style is gently maturing each and every day. I love it and I'm so excited to continue to explore! Pintrest has really got me addicted to the simple yet tailored look. Btw follow me here!

2. Incorporating my culture - Being a Hmong-American I find that it's really our job to inform the community about the identity of the Hmong people. It wasn't until I moved to NYC did I realize how uniformed or misunderstood we really are. I mean it is great that some know of us due to Clint Eastwood's film but geez we really need to step it up. This year I'm vowing to represent my culture in whatever I wear. Whether it's color choices, an accessory or even a hairstyle.

3. Building heel/pump collection - This one is going to take much more effort. I'm so use to wearing flats, sneakers, combat boots, etc. I let down my shoe game and I really want to try harder on establishing a few good classics that work with my wardrobe. This also means I want to wear them out more! Yay! Must learn to avoid pot holes. Thanks NYC for the shitty sidewalks.

4. Pants, Pants, Pants - I'm not a fan of jeans, pants, bottoms or whatever you call them. WHY? #1 - I feel like a muffin top and #2- I don't like how I look because I have no booty. YES, I am self-conscious of my flat asian booty.  (It's growing though! Working out pays off) But I want to try and wear more bottoms. Especially because there are so many options to choose from these days.

5. Experiment with hairstyles - This one might take some effort but I'm kinda bored of the curly hair that I'm comfortable with. When I was in middle school I would always try all sorts of things. What ever happened? I got lazy or maybe I just care less about it.

Veering off topic - I wanted to share this editorial because it pretty much has a few of the style resolutions that  I really want to try this year.

 

 For the rest of the editorial click here.

RUNWAY FEVER: Altuzarra + Tibi

Love me?

Buy these in a size 7 and send them to me.

images belong to Style.com

PERSONAL : New Beginnings

It's 1:07 A.M in the morning and I just can't sleep. Not really sure what's really going on in my mind but I guess it's time to play catch up. As some of you might have noticed, I haven't been vlogging for a while now. Mainly because I don't have a camera anymore. I don't want to go back to my laptop because of the quality. I'm trying to get my hands on some kind of device but to be honest I have so much going on right now. It's hard to make videos/edit/etc. There are so many stressful subjects on my mind like student loans, bills, personal life, etc.

I think the last time I mentioned my current job status was when I last worked at a law company. Law is totally not my cup of tea but it paid the bills. I was able to catch a break and enjoy NYC for a while. Things didn't work out and I'm no longer with the company.

Am I sad? No - because I was never happy there and the place didn't match up with my morals, goals, and ideas.

What am I doing now? Job hunting, interviews, freelance, and interning at shopmaeven.com (so excited).

Shopmaeven.com is this chic online vintage boutique that carries women's apparel and accessories. All products are so hip and modern. I was brought on as a stylist and will help out with the social media occasionally. Totally jumping for joy because you all know how much I love styling! I plan on updating behind-the-scenes images on my instagram (zabbbeyyy). Follow to stay updated.

Alright, that's all for now. Take care lovelies!

My Week on Instagram - Zabbbeyyy

(1-2) Photoshoot for DRESSED MAGAZINE October Issue

(2) Brunch from Mystery Man. (3) Cynthia Germain at BKFW B.A.G Expo

(4) Bindi Love (5-6) Barksdale S/S 2013 Fashion Show

(7-8) Natural Museum with Mystery Man

(9) Emerge Fashion Show (10) Dimples
(11) Throwback of me as a pinup girl

Follow me on instagram, I'd love to see your photos.

zabbbeyyy

Happy 3 years MOAF =)

Today I really had a feeling that I should check my blog for some reason. I know that my 3 year anniversary was approaching quickly but I've honestly haven't had the time to concentrate. Looking back at everything I had written amazes me. It's crazy how words can really stir emotions. Every time I read a post I can remember the exact day it was, how I was feeling, and the reason why I wanted to pour my heart out.

This blog was originally a place to document my fashion story. I recall browsing through blogs back when I first started surfing the net. I was on Xanga, Asianavenue (asian dating site), etc. It's funny cause I followed Michelle Phan's blog way before she ever got onto youtube. Crazy to see how much she's grown. From the beginning I didn't really know what I was going to write about. I'm really a private person when it comes to my personal life. There's things I will be open to talk about but often times I don't talk about much deeper issues. I think there was always the fear of having that thrown back into my face. But honestly I get a lot of positive feedback about my blog. -- I think the reason why I don't talk about certain subjects is the fear of hurting people I love. I don't want everyone to know that I'm completely depressed(not all times) or who I'm in love with. It hurts me to hurt someone else. That probably doesn't make sense but I know some of you understand. But the more I've continued to let my guard down it's become much easier to just express what I feel.

>> first blog post here

I really want to thank my readers and followers. Thanks for being so loyal and continuing to provide me with support. I would love to hear more from all of you. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself. haha. Feel free to comment - tell a joke - disagree. I want to continue to inspire you all.

Enough writing - Happy 3 Years Mastermind Of A Fashionista!