10Q via Tumblr

The other day I asked my lovely followers on Tumblr for some questions. They ranged from simple questions about myself to fashion and music. Hopefully you'll get to know me better through this!

Music Monday: Blue Milk

This week's outfit is inspired by Big Chocolate's Blue Milk. I came across Big Chocolate when I was looking through the line up for Warped Tour 2013. Blue Milk's funky and urban vibe translates into a laid back chill day for me.

Blue Milk by nguyentage featuring cotton t shirts

Passport cotton t shirt / Oasis skinny jeans / NIKE cushioned shoes / MICHAEL Michael Kors navy blue bracelet / New Era 59 FIFTY NY Baseball Cap / Liquid Blue Galaxy Glass Plugs 2 Pack | Hot Topic

-Iz

Tan and Toasted

Now that we're getting into the hotter half of summer, days in the sun are becoming the norm for many. Whether it's taking a dip in the pool, tanning at the beach, or just enjoying the nature in your own backyard, the sun is bound to get you. Some people are blessed with the ability to tan easily and evenly. Then you have vampires, like me, who just burn. My worst was earlier this year at a 12 hour, outdoor music festival, Laneway. Oh the horrible, painful days following...
There are many products on the market advertised as a panacea to the effects of sunburn, but I have yet to find one that is more effective than mother nature's own remedies. Here are three simple and natural at-home treatments to help soothe your burns. As every one's bodies are different, keep in mind that these remedies might not be quite as effective for you as they were for me.

Music Monday: Golden

Happy Monday! Music Monday that is. Each week I will be posting an outfit, either my own or one I put together on Polyvore, inspired by a song. This week happens to be Fall Out Boy's Golden, a little ballad from their album Infinity on High.

Golden by nguyentage featuring a clasp purse

Minimum viscose maxi dress / Giuseppe Zanotti leather pointed toe pumps / Nine West clasp purse / 14k yellow gold jewelry / Lanvin oracle waist belt  / Deborah Lippmann gold nail polish

-Iz

Pretty in Peach

Here's a little OOTD from a few days ago featuring my new jeans from Calvin Klein and a thrifted top.
Click the hype button below! 

Top: Russell 
Bottoms: Calvin Klein
Shoes: Dr. Martens
Jewelry: Thrift & Dharamsala, India

I'm currently in love with these pants. Comfortable and stylish, you'll be seeing these babies a lot. I paired it with my newly thrifted peach cropped tee, tied at the front. I'm not usually one to wear vast amounts of pink, just a subtle accent here and there. I wanted to balance out all of the pink tones, and so for shoes I went with my Dr. Martens to toughen up the look.

Fan me on lookbook to see my other looks!
-Iz

Jeffery Campbell Edea-SP

I absolutely adore Jeffery Campbell shoes, especially JC heels, but I always feel a bit out of place when I'm casually rocking heels in a sea of sandals and sneakers. After taking a quick glance through the JC website, I found these amazing studded, laced up 'sneakers'. Perfection? I think so. Not only are these versatile in terms of formality but they also have a hidden wedge! With these, you can get the height you need, yet still look as if you're not trying. I've seen many wedge sneakers, however I was never completely sold. I didn't like how obvious the heel looked, even from a distance. With these however, it's barely noticeable. It's edgy, slick and can be dressed down or up. All in all, this shoe just screams my personality.

What do you think about them?
-Iz

Thrift Haul

I'm not ashamed to admit that I am terribly frugal. I will go out of my way to find dupes and cheaper alternatives for trends. My favourite place? The thrift store. I only have a few opportunities a year to go thrift shopping in the US so I try to make the most of it. Conveniently located downtown, my local Salvation Army is only a ten minute walk from my apartment. It's also where I tend to find amazing steals. On this trip, I snagged seven versatile pieces for a mere $20.43. Basically, three dollars each. 

Blueberries & Lemons

Whether it's a scone at Starbucks or Something Natural's sparkling water, nothing encompasses a New England summer quite like blueberries and lemons. They also happen to be my favourite fruits! Following my recent post on appetizing apparel, I carried on with the theme of edibles. This time around, I was inspired by the colours of these delicious fruits to put together this little number.

Sheer Shades

Step over solid wayfarers, in the spotlight this summer are your colourful cousins, the translucent sunnies. From Marc Jacobs and UNIF (shown above) to Lucky Brand and Forever 21, clear tinted sunglasses are popping up everywhere. Remember Balenciaga's spring collection of 2007? Each of Nicolas Ghesquière's looks were paired with clear frames inspired by The Terminator. Taking a more vibrant stance this summer, plastic returns to grace your face in bright, but not overwhelming hues. The tint subtly adds colour to your outfit without being too distracting. Want to try out the trend this summer? I've picked out five pairs from Urban Outfitters to get you started.

Appetizing Apparel

Loves and obsessions fail to stay in their own domain; somehow they always inch their way onto clothing racks. You have bands and musicians screen printed onto t-shirts, movie themed accessories, toys based on television shows and pop culture, the list goes on. Of course, food is no exception.

In 2008, you had the fabulous collaboration of Project Runway designers with Hershey to create chocolatey couture. In 2009, you had Ted Sabarese's photographs of clothing made completely out of food (shown above). In 2010 you had... Lady Gaga's meat dress. 2013 marked the return of food back into the world of fashion, in a less perishable manner– food prints.

Food prints have been recently spotted in the designs of brands such as DKNY, Black Milk and even Etsy sellers. Beware though. Take extra caution with these statement pieces! Like with any bold print, it's best to even them out simple and basic pairings. Overdoing it can turn your outfit from yummy to last night's leftovers.

Here are some awesome food printed pieces to check out.

Tumblr

Curious about my style or looking for some inspiration? Follow my fashion tumblr at http://nguyentage.tumblr.com/ ! There, you can also ask me questions which I will be happy to answer :)

-Iz

Warped Tour 2013

If you're unfamiliar with Vans Warped Tour, tsk tsk. You're missing out! Beginning in 1995, Warped is an international music festival, stemming from North America into Europe and Australia. Though initially catering to punk pop and rock fans, Warped has broadened it's arms to reggae, pop, electronic and even hip hop/rap. With approximately 100 acts and 10 stages, it's an experience of a lifetime. The anticipation from music fanatics lasts all year long; from the day the bands are announced in the winter, to the beginning of summer, Warped can be considered a yearlong topic of conversation. At least for me it is.
Though this year I was unable to attend due to personal issues and complications (brb, going to cry again), here's a playlist including a few of my must see bands for Warped 2013. Also below, I broke down the acts in genres to help you get a feel of this year's lineup.

Dining Out Healthy

For a casual sit-down lunch the other day, my brother treated me to grub at Rudy's, a pub and restaurant in the Yale University area. Rudy's is notorious for their brews and Belgian frites that come with a variety of dipping sauces, including my favourite: maple sriracha. It's a great place to meet up with some friends, have a few drinks (if you're of age), and to chow down on fresh, juicy burgers. No need for setting up the table, no kitchen accidents and of course, no dishes to clean up. I love dining out, but it tends to lead me astray from my healthy eating habits. At home, I'm able to moderate should-eats and shouldn't-eats. At a restaurant, you never know what exactly is making up your oh-so delicious meal. Whether it's frozen ingredients, unhealthy oils or just nasty stuff that shouldn't be mentioned, here are some of my tips to eating well while eating out.

DIY yin yang nails

Throwback Thursday! This DIY was posted practically a year ago on backtorealitea and I figured, why not bring it back? It's interesting to see how my writing and style has progressed over a year.

Top 3: UNIF

If you're on grungier side of fashion, UNIF (Ur Not In Fashion) is not an unfamiliar name to your ears; the L.A. brand created by the minds of Eric Espinoza and Christina Lai that's notorious for their graphic tees, pastel palettes, satanic references and covering everything they can with spikes. While I wouldn't see myself in every single one of their pieces (check out the clarity bustier), I am in love with many of them. Here are my top three buys.

Fashionably Fierce: the story

Feline prints have earned themselves a questionable reputation over the years. Some pull off the prints effortlessly, while others may have gotten their inspiration from watching Tarzan and The Jersey Shore. I was always one to shy away from any cat prints, afraid of ever again being dubbed as the fifth Cheetah Girl. However, with the recent release of his F/W 2013 Collection, Jean Paul Gaultier proves that leopard print can in fact, be chic.

Fresh.

Izzy here!

Some of you may remember me as backtorealitea on either blogger or Youtube. After much debate, I found that it was time for a fresh start. I realized that it was very difficult to integrate my Youtube channel into my busy schedule, especially with the school year. Filming and editing just consumed too much of my time. For the blog, I focused heavily on music and less on style and beauty. After receiving an editorial internship for the music website Other Sounds, I had found a new outlet for all things music related. So here we have nguyentage (pronounced as win-tage / wɪn-tɪdʒ). Nguyentage will tie style, beauty and quirkiness together.

To get things going, here's a playlist of songs dedicated to things fresh and new.

I can't wait to see what's in store!

x Iz

Fresh Start. from dizzyxizzy on 8tracks Radio.