Maria's Guide: Winter Boots!

Uggs, Bearpaw, EMU, all those brands have never been in more style than they are now. So here is a guide to choosing a style of boots, buying boots, and taking care of them.

Choosing A Brand. Now, I know this is a guide about Uggs, but there are more alternatives than Uggs. So, assess the following brands, and figure out what is right for you.

• Uggs. Before you have your heart set on getting Uggs, assess your financial situation. Are you, and your parents willing to spend over $100 on a pair of shoes? If you can, then keep reading. Uggs are obviously the most popular brand, and probably the easiest to find. However, don't dismiss the other styles first. Uggs start at $100, and can even get to a mind-blowing $900.
• Bearpaw. Bearpaw is the most recognized brand for having Ugg-like boots, without actually copying Uggs. Bearpaw is famous for having uggs that will genuinly keep your feet warm, while in style. I personally have Bearpaw boots, because they aren't cheap knockoffs, yet look great. Bearpaw shoes can be found at prices between $60-$80.
• Emu. Emu is often dismissed as a cheap, knock-off brand. However, it's actually got a very distinct style, and has lower prices. While they are original with their styles, they also have original prices, which range from $150-$200.

Choosing A Style. All brands come in different styles, yet there are three factors you must think about.

• Sturdiness. Do they keep your feet warm? Are they water-repelant? Do they make your feet hurt? This is where sturdiness comes in. When looking for warmth, always go for a thicker sole, and fur on the inside of the boots. If your looking for boots that won't make you sweat, opt for one that can roll up and down, with minimal fur embelishments.
• Height. Height is a big deal. Knee-highs are cute, at a very expensive cost. They can be rolled down to reveal a fur-embedded inside too. Mid-lengths look great, feel great, and come at a good price. The ultra-short ones come very cheap, and typically aren't as warm.
• Color. Uggs can come in all colors. There are the natural colors. From dark brown, to light brown, black, white, grey-blues, and brown-yellows. There are also fancy colors, with everything from sparkly gold, sparkly silver, and every bedazzled and neon color of the rainbow.

Choosing A Price. Now, the time comes to buy. Price depends on what brand, what store, and what carrier. Online prices are often cheaper than real-life ones.

• Online. If you want the real-deal, newest, and potentially cheapest boots, look online. The UGG website tends to have bigger prices, with the newest models. Bearpaw and EMU offer cheaper online prices, and free shipping.
• Shoe Stores. Places like Priceless, Famous Footwear, and Journeys will oftentimes carry boots. If you want genuine Uggs, then Journeys is your best stop. Famous Footwear carries EMU and Bearpaw brands, while Priceless carries cheap knockoffs.
• Aeropostale. During Black-Friday sales, Aeropostale tends to carry a limited range of Uggs. American Eagle, Hollister, and even Costco carry brands.
• Department Stores. Big stores like JCPenny, Target, and even Walmart are catching on with the trend of boots. If your in a serious financial situation, and can't afford $120 on boots, then have no fear - Walmart carries Ugg-like boots for as low as $12.

Whatever you decide to buy, good luck, and stay warm and stylish!

Maria's Guide: Winter of 2012's Fashion Trends

It's winter of 2012, and if you should be very happy. Unlike last winter, the trends actually look like you could wear them without freezing your butt off. This fashion-guide isn't based off of those far-out clothes that you see on the runways. No no, this list comes from a normal person who isn't looking to spend $1,000+ on a sweatshirt, or anything insane like that.

Onwards, here are the trends, from head-to-toe!

HAIR: Sadly, hair is going into a difficult direction - a natural look that takes a lot of work and effort. And styling materials. In order to get the most out of this guide, the most important style tip will be highlighted. Note: If you have curly hair like moi, you're screwed.

• Messy Buns. Thank God that messy buns are still in style, otherwise I'd go insane trying to do my hair every morning. Yes, you can go out the door with a messy bun, and it'll look great.
• Pin-straight hair. Pin-straight hair has never been dominating more often. Long gone are the days of beachy waves and dip-dyed hair. Now, it's all about dead-straight hair.
• Short hair. It's not like last spring, when bob cuts were all the rage. Any type of short-hair will do. If you have super long locks though, don't chop it off. This is a minor one. If you have short hair currently, then feel free to embrace it :3

CLOTHES: Do you remember last year, when skirts and heels were all the rage for the winters? Lucky us, the Hollywood stars have given in to sweatshirts, jeans, and normal boots for this winter.

• Sheer Blouses. We haven't officially gone into winter-mode... yet. So, if you feel like staying warm while showing some skin, go for sheer sweatshirts.
• Comfy Sweatshirts. Yes, you can go out in a sweatshirt and it'll be a fashion-statement. I promise.
• Colored Skinny Jeans. This is a big one - colored skinny jeans have been around for a while, never popular until now, and since it's winter, now is the perfect opportunity to stay warm, and stand out from all the white snow.

SHOES: Shoes are the only thing that have made an official step from summer to winter. So, here goes:

• Uggs. Uggs are reigning nowadays. Seriously, this is obviously the biggest trend of the winter. If you aren't comfy spending $120+ on boots, then there are alternatives. Payless has knockoff Uggs for around $50, and other stores carry Uggs are great prices. See my Uggs style-guide on how to buy, wear, and handle your Uggs here for more.
• Moccasin-style TOMS. If you aren't fully in winter-mode yet, then get a pair of TOMS! These are great, since they can be worn in basically every season, yet are in style right now.

MAKEUP: Makeup hasn't changed a whole lot, there's just one basic rule you need to follow with makeup. Either go little, or go big all the way.

• Light Eyebrows. If you have light-shaded, light-colored, or thin eyebrows, then don't stop - eyebrows are practically extinct this season. However, if you are of spanish descent, and have naturally thick eyebrows, then embrace it. Like this season's rule of makeup states - "Either go little, or go big." There is no in between.
• LOTS of Foundation. Do you remember the times when you would only apply concealer on dark circles, and foundation on your blemishes? Well, those times are over, because perfectly smooth, clear, and single-colored skin is officially in.
• Light Lipstick. Nude colors, or very light pinks are good in this case. However, if you feel like today is a bold red day, then don't stop. The rule of "Go little, or big," applies here the most.
• Smokey Eyes... or not. Smokey eyes are making a bit of a return. Just a bit though. So until it becomes an official trend, avoid the Taylor-Momsen raccoon-eye look.

JEWLERY: The days of large, extravagant jewelry are over. Now, it's all about accessorizing with very simple pieces, and lots of them.

• Thin and Silver. If it's thin, and silver, then there's a good chance that it's a good trend. It applies to all jewelry. Silver stud earrings are easily the best type of earring. 
• Tribal Prints. You can count on the Mayans for more than the potential apocalypse this winter - the Aztec/Mayan patterns are coming in style.
• Multiple little piercings. Multiple little piercings  on the ears are now very-much in-style. Don't go crazy with this one though - a tiny piercing in the cartilage will do.
• Cross necklaces  With all of the end-of-the-world talk, people are getting religious, and this is being exhibited through jewelry. Don't force a cross-necklace if you aren't religious, but if you are Christian, then let go ahead, let the cross hang from your neck :)

That's all! In short, the trends are straight hair, colored skinny jeans, Uggs, and thin-and-silver jewlery. Stay strong, stay pretty, and stay warm this winter!

Maria's Korean Lesson #3: Major Consonants

Remember in the last lesson, when I said that you should try to memorize those 6 letters I gave you? Yeah, you really should, because the next tidbit of info might overwhelm you.

There are 3 types of consonants in Korean, with a subgroup. They all function as consonants, Here are the remaining Korean consonants, sorted by where they appear on the Keyboard. Note: if you haven't downloaded a Korean keyboard, this is a tutorial for Windows 7 users, this is a tutorial for Mac :3

TOP ROW:
ㅂ is /b/ and /p/
ㅈ is /j/
ㄷ is /d/ and /t/
ㄱ is /k/ and /g/
ㅅ is /s/

MIDDLE:
ㅁ
ㄴ
ㅇ is silent and /ng/
ㄹ is /r/ and /l/
ㅎ
BOTTOM:
ㅋ is /k/
ㅌ is /t/
ㅊ is /ch/
ㅍ is /p/

I know, I know. There are bolded, gray, and blue letters. Let me explain why:

The bolded letters make two seperate sounds. Let's use ㄱ - it can either make the sound /g/ or /k/. In korean, some letters share sounds - that's just the way it rolls. Like in english, /c/ either makes an /s/ or /k/ sound - you just have to recognize when you make the /s/ or /k/ sound.

With one of those bolded letters, ㄹ, it's easy to tell. Remember how ㅇ becomes 'ng' when at the end of a character? ㄹ makes an /l/ or /r/ sound - when at the begining (eg: 렌) it makes an /r/ sound. When at the end (eg: 엘) it makes an /l/ sound.

In short: bolded letters make two sounds. ㄹ makes /r/ when at the beginning of a character, and an /l/ at the end.

The blue letters are letters that are only used when writing english words in Korean. See how ㄷ is t? That only when writing Korean - if you were to write the name "Tina" - you'd write the T as ㅌ, since 'Tina' is an english word. Same with ㅋ and ㅍ.

In short: blue letters are used for english words. All of these letters are on the bottom row of the keyboard, so it shouldn't be too hard to remember.

The gray letters are letter that have been already introduced!

There's no way for me to "teach" this part of Hangul, you just have to practice it yourself. Some big things I would consider doing:

1. Write your favorite K-pop stars names in Korean! Not the English-based ones, like "G-Dragon", but the ones who go by their actual Korean name, like Taeyeon.
2. Write your friends' names in Korean! This gives you good practice with recalling letters, not so much with knowing the rules. If your friends' names are English names, then there are certain rules that have to be followed. Nethertheless, go ahead and try. Save what you write now - you'll laugh about how badly it is later on once you've mastered Hangul. I know I did XD.