what's on my phone. photo editing apps.

are you an app-a-holic? (defined by the urban dictionary as someone who is obsessed with buying apps for their phone.) let's say facebook, twitter, and instagram are a given...how many other apps do you have on your phone?

as you can see from this screenshot of my phone, i don't have many. i usually only look for new apps when there is something in particular i need. as a blogger who documents what i wear, eat, and do, i take an obscene amount of photos, so naturally photography and photo editing apps rule my phone. then i have a sprinkling of random apps from fitness trackers to traffic apps to business apps for banking and square register.

i generally don't spend too much time editing photos for quick posts to instagram, but it's nice to have options when a need arises. here are my go-to photo editing apps:

PicFx - $1.99

PicFx is known for its infamous bokeh filters. it makes your photos fancy schmancy and sparkly. this is one of the first apps i got for my phone and i still use it. i don't use the bokeh as much but this app has a couple of filters that i use all the time. i like that you can rotate and play around with the opacity of the filters. this is my most used app.

above - original

below - layered and rotated five filters

After Photo - free

from time to time, i help manage social media accounts for individuals and small businesses. i needed a way to add my own text to photos for labeling, event announcements, and other marketing pieces. After Photo doesn't have the easiest interface, but it allows you to add layers of text, comes with approximately 30 filters (many similar to instagram's), 30 textures, and 52 fonts! that was the seller for me (wait, it's free!) as many other apps come with slim selections at the free level. more fonts and a pro upgrade are available for in-app purchase.

i haven't even scratched the creative surface of this app - check out the after photo description page to see screen shots of its capabilities.

above - original photo

below - crop, filter, layered text w/drop shadows

Pic Jointer - free

i'm sure we all have a collage app for combining multiple pictures. i came across Pic Jointer years ago and stuck with it for its easy interface. it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it gets the job done.

Big Lens - $0.99

sometimes we can't choose who steps into our background. hello, guy on the phone! so i needed a way to separate my main objects from everything else. Big Lens allows you to adjust the depth of field just like you would with your dslr. for $0.99, you get a range of f1.8 - f3.5, 23 filters, and eight lens flares.

you can see the range offered here.

sometimes just a little separation makes the subject pop.

PicLab - $1.99

i learned about PicLab from misskait a while ago, but only recently purchased it. it is actually a free app, but your photos will have a piclab watermark. $1.99 gets rid of it plus unlocks a bunch of other fonts and effects, so i thought it was worth it. i got PicLab for the sole purpose of being able to post my entire photo to instagram without having to crop it. it's an added bonus that it comes with 80+ fonts, 90+ borders and shapes, 39 light fx, 15 textures, 24 patterns, 15 filters, plus a pencil to scribble with. you can create tons of fun layouts with this app.

above - original

below - filter, border, text

(i previously used A beautiful Mess to post full-length photos, but for $0.99 you get slim selections - 4 fonts, 16 borders, 6 filters, and a bunch of phrases and doodles that i found myself never using. if you like to decorate your photos with pre-made sayings and doodles, you'll like this app, but be prepared to dish out lots of $0.99s for each additional pack. easy to use and very fast.)

what are your favorite phone apps?

all the pretty flowers.

it wasn't the minty green that enticed me.

it wasn't the pretty florals that called my name.

it wasn't so much the fun romper that said, "try me on!"

it was the vibrant radiant orchid in the pretty florals against the minty green on the fun romper that screamed,

"i'm perfect for spring!"

don't forget to enter the totally awesome target giveaway for a chance to win a $500 gift card. who doesn't love target?

(Patty's Closet romper/fedora/necklace (808-625-6440);

JustFab 'gallerista' bag; sweater (mini-she's))

[oomph.] on instagram | facebook | pinterest | twitter | google+

the skort.

the asymmetrical skort, made popular by zara...did you jump on the bandwagon? trends generally arrive to the islands much later, which can be good and bad. as a blogger, you are exposed the latest and greatest products and trends, and it's easy to get caught up in the hype. next thing you know, you've spent oodles of money on things you don't necessarily need. i'm guilty of that. not having physical access to things gives me time to really evaluate a trend to see if it's right for me.

i nearly gave up on the asymmetrical skort because there was always something that didn't work for me...the material (too see through), the length, the waistband...but i gave it one last shot with these from Patty's Closet. the material is nice and thick, it has a flat front so it's not bulky, and the points aren't too pointy.

and below are some pics from our mother's day weekend. saturday, i was treated to lunch at the oceanarium restaurant which is located alongside pacific beach hotel's 3-story aquarium. it's pretty cool when the divers jump in and feed the fish. apparently, there is a mermaid show in the evening.

how was your mother's day?

do you have the zara skort?

that fish sat behind mini-she for a while, and in our 2-hour stay we must have seen at least 5 different divers.

(photo: www.pacificbeachhotel.com)

a huge buffet with everything you can think of. everyone goes for the crab legs, but i stuck to breakfast. and mimosas.

sunday was dinner with the family. since i had just gotten a mani + pedi from mini-she, mini-he helped by decorating cupcakes while mini-she made a lasagna.

(Patty's Closet  top & shorts; JustFab shoes;

shop lately necklace)