Confession time: I have this bad habit of aimlessly surfing the web right before I go to sleep. I know that the blue light emited from my laptop screen is bad for me, but I can't seem to help myself. It was during on of these web surfing marathons that I discovered OK1984 an online jewelry seller based in LA. 

They carry jewelry lines from Kreay Shawn (famous rapper) and Evelina Barry (popular YouTuber). They have cyber sales to clear out their inventory, all old styles are ONLY $1.99. Of course immediately I began to put things in my "cart". I bought 10 things, all $1.99, for $21.91 (shipping included). After ordering I began to worry that the jewelry would be cheap and made-in-china, because how else can something be so cheap? But after about 3 weeks of ordering my package arrived and it had some weight to it. Immediately I thought some weight means that it's not made out of cheap material!

All of the products look well made and not at all cheap. All of the necklaces even have a OK1924 charm. All of the products also came individually wrapped. 

This short statement necklace is the perfect blend of edgy and boho. Since I wear the scarf I'll probably use it as both a necklace and headpiece. It would probably be great to wear to music festivals. (Originally priced at $36.00)

It's been very trendy to wear minimalistic geometric designs. Online I was expecting this bracelet to be stiff and solid, but it was connected by elastic. It worked out in the end since if it wasn't elastic it may not have fit on my hands. The bracelet is is very lightweight and the color is the perfect shade of gold. (Originally priced at $22.99)

I love, LOVE tribal-esque designs!! This past winter I was in India and saw many Afghani style bracelets that were too expensive. Although this bracelet was made from different material (it also had elastic and was lightweight) the style and color is so beautiful. Love it! (Originally priced at $26.00)

These earrings were surprising. Online I thought that the middle would be black stone and was really surprised when the earrings felt so light. Upon closer inspection I discovered that they were actually leather, so cool! It unique and different. (Originally priced at $1.99)

The nose rings were what I was looking forward to the most. It came in a three pack, but for me they were just a little too big :( The blue stone on the middle one (my fav) is heavy and moves whenever I move. I'll keep on wearing them but be warned, they're big. (Originally priced at $1.99)

Totally digging this ring. Again it follows the minimalist/geometric trend. It looks great when pair with the bracelet or necklace from this haul. (Originally priced at $21.00)

These finger rings came in a 3 pack. I was a little worried that they wouldn't look good on me because I have short fingers but I had fun styling them. The rose gold ring is my favorite. (Originally priced at $21.00)

This cut out pendent necklace is on the short side in terms of length, but is great for when you want ti layer multiple necklaces together. I think its a cool design I've never really seen a mirror caged in with gold like this. It's very dainty yet edgy. (Originally priced at $19.00)

This is my favorite purchase from the entire haul. The necklace has a black triangle stone surrounded by gold arrows, another "dainty but edgy" piece. It's long enough to be seen underneath my scarves and whenever I wear it I get compliments :D (Originally priced at $21.00)

A friend of mine has a necklace similar to the one shown above, she bought hers from H&M, but I like this one better. It has more weight which makes me believe that it won't break so easily. It also adds movement to whatever outfit I pair it with. (Originally priced at $21.99)

The Verdict: Would I buy these pieces at regular price? Nope. But then again I am a broke college student. Do regret this purchase? Hell. No. I love all of the items that I bought. OK1984's quality is definitely better than things you could get at Forever21 or other similar chain stores. Many their products are even gold plated (Electric by Evelina). I've read online that they have some issues with customer service but I had no such problem. However the shipping is a bit slow. All in all I would recommend them :)

2. Green Metal Twine. You can find them in any craft store.

3. E600 Glue or any other strong glue.

Step #1

Take apart the flower: remove the flower buds and leaves from the stem.

Step #2

Break apart the wire stems, and throwout the stub.

Step #3

Attach a few flower buds to the stems

Step #4 

Take the ends of two of those and intertwine them. If there is wire sticking out just attach a leaf or flower to it. Do this for two more stems.

Step #5

Take the two connected flowers stems and tie them together with a naked stem. Do the same to the other side. You now have the base of the crown.

Step #6

Add flowers and leaves as you see fit. I used the metal twine to attach more flowers and leaves by looping them through the middle. Feel free to mix and match colors :)

Step #7

Use glue to make sure that the flowers stay on forever.

Step #8

Cut off any wires that are sticking out over the edge. 

And that it!!!

There's something absolutely whimsical about flower crowns. Flowers in general make me happy and do a lot to lower my stress levels. That's probably why I decided to DIY a flower crown during my final's week :)

Winters in New York are so long that sometimes I forget what spring feels like. Today was the first time in a long time that the weather was so nice. I woke up to sunshine and birds chirping. Here's the makeup look I did today :)

On my eyes I used "Last Call" and "Grifter" from the Urban Decay Ammo Palette. Its an oldie but goodie.

My eyeliner is the one I always use~ the N.Y.C Liquid Black Liner. It's cheap (only $1.99!) but works like a charm.

On my lips I'm wearing "Grind" (matte) from ColourPop.

On our way home to New York we had a 22 hour layover (our flight was delayed) in Istanbul, again. This time around we chose to venture into the city by ourselves. We put our carryon baggage in Baggage check (total of 60 lira for 3 bags). We bought coins for the train system and talked to the friendly in the tourist booth. In no time we had a whole day trip planned out. This time around we would visit the Hagia Sophia, go through the Topkapi Palace throughly, and take a ferry ride to Asia. 

The Hagia Sophia is a church turned mosque turned museum. It's history can be seen just from the architecture, the western flying buttresses and Islamic spirals. 

It was 30 lira to enter the museum. They take cash but not all credit cards. I believe that MasterCards do not work.

The Hagia Sophia was undergoing preservation work when we went. I'm not sure if they were preserving the paint or trying to reveal what was underneath it. I noticed that many of the Christian elements of the building were covered/painted over. This probably happened during the time of the Muslim conquerers. 

The gerougeous gaslight chandeliers were almost touchable. It's probably breathtaking at night.

The pictures below were taken from the second floor balcony. Beware: the walk upstairs is steep and long. There are no stairs, only a winding ramp.

The curving arches were probably once vibrant. It's actually still easy to see the detailed artwork on a few of them.

I couldn't photograph the exhibits I saw in the Topkapi Palace, but needless to say the artifacts (furniture, jewelry, weaponry, etc.) were breathtaking. I can't imagine the opulence that some of the emperors lived in. 

We were too burned out from traveling through Bangladesh and India so we skipped the ferry ride, however you could have easily done the trip. Instead we chose to wander the Grand Bazar (which closes at 5pm!!) and the Spice Bazar. You can walk to the Grand bazar or take the train there (it is clearly stated in the map). The spice bazar is conveniently located near the underground cistern. 

You pass a lot of restaurants with traditional themes. Like in the picture below, there are women rolling out dough using traditional methods. 

If you're hungry after your tours there are many street vendors, but I recommend trying a restaurant. If you're going to travel you might as well try to submerge yourself in as much of the culture as possible. You should definitely try out the more traditional restaurants (the ones where you sit on cousins around a round table).

I hope that my blog posts (there are 2 other ones) about my trip were helpful. If you have any questions feel free to comment or email me :)