Fall 2016 Favorites

AHHH. Happy New Year!! I know this post is way overdue. I had started this post right before Fall ended and am now posting it in 2017. I guess that is life! It moves quick!

I feel like every year zooms on by quicker and quicker. Like chillax time. Why you such in a rush?

I'm 30 now. Slow down. LOL.

Just as with every season, we fall in love with new things and old things. Sometimes, all things. LOL.

Here are what stole my heart this Fall:

TARTE: LIGHTS, CAMERA, LASHES

I had hauled this in a post in early October. I purchased it during Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty. It was originally $24 and sold as beauty steal at $10. GAH! I hate that I love it. Mascara should not be more than $10. Ugh. 

I really love how it makes my lashes look. I naturally have long,curled lashes (don't hate me). The mascara helps my lashes to fan out. Love it. 

TOO FACED: NATURAL EYES

I got this beauty as a birthday gift this past May. I didn't really use it until this Fall. I don't know why I waited so long. I love it! I love playing with eye shadow looks and using fun colors from time to time, but I do love a natural smokey eye. You can never go wrong with neutral colors. You can go natural or va va voom!

The packaging is pretty with a sturdy tin case. The only down fall is that the product itself is pretty heavy. Small, compact size for traveling but it definitely has some weight to it.

e.l.f. ANGLED BLUSH BRUSH

When I went to Las Vegas on Thankgiving, I realized I had left my makeup brushes at home. The first time I didn't make a packing list, I forgot something. That's why lists work! >_< I did not want to spend loads of money on brushes because I had perfectly find brushes at home. 

I went to the drugstore CVS to hunt for some cheapie finds. AND DANG! They were expensive. Why are they in the drugstore?! Brushes were $12-15/piece. I decided to bite the bullet and grabbed the essentials - foundation brush, powder brush, and blush/contour brush. Oy my wallet. 

I walked towards that cashier register and found e.l.f. Oh thank the Lord! We all know e.l.f. is affordable. I grabbed the essentials I needed from the studio line which was $5/piece. This angled blush brush was my favorite. It is the best for contouring. It's so much better than my expensive Sigma contouring brush. 

I will use this brush now for contouring. It really just adds that chiseled affect to my super found shapeless face. 

CHINA GLAZE EVER GLAZE ACTIVE TOP COAT

Holy freakin' cow! This is the best top coat I have ever experienced. This is something I would have never purchased if it was not for a sale. This retails for $10. Ugh excuse me? No.

Ulta had a sale on China Glaze for 2 for $12 and decided to give it a go.

I hope I don't jinx it by saying this, but that picture was taken on day 6 of having those nails. DAY 6. There is no chippiness anywhere!! The only downside is the very very strong chemical smell. Yeek. 

I am probably going to end up splurging on this top coat from now on. It is amazing. Amazing! Amazing!!!

FARMERS MARKET DELIGHTS

This a random favorite, but I just had to share! In Mar Vista Los Angeles, there is a farmers market every Sunday that a friend and I attend as often as we can. She lives a lucky two blocks from there. The market is very family friendly with fresh produce, baked goods, flowers and lots of great eats to choose from.

All summer, I've been eyeing this half load of roasted garlic bread and finally decided to pick it up. It's not the garlic bread that has been buttered up. The bread has garlic pieces baked into it. AH! DELICIOUS. If you know me and know how I cook, I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some garlic. Recipe asks for 2 cloves of garlic, I'll put 4 or 5. Yeah, that's how I do. No shame in my game ;)

After I purchased the bread I walked by this stand with samples of pesto on small pieces of bread. I tried several. HA. And I loved the pesto habanero. I do love my spicy. I knew right then and there that the spicy pesto would go so well with the garlic bread. AND LET ME TELL YOU. The taste was a match made in heaven <3 I also tried the pesto on pasta. Delicious too.

BATH AND BODY WORKS PUMPKIN SPICED CHEESECAKE CANDLE

Fall is not fall without pumpkin. This smells like sweet (but not overly) sweet deliciousness.


PURSE

This purse! I have no been in love with a purse for a really long time. I have purses and use them daily but I am not really in love with a purse. I buy cheapies because I get sick of them quickly and just kind of throw them around.

I was in search of a new weekend purse. Something small but yet big enough to hold my essentials - wallet, phone, hand sanitizer, lotion, mints, chapstick and lipstick. 

I found this bad boy which is simple yet edgy at the same time. It's black with gold studs lining the edges. It has a metal tassel that makes noise when I walk. I sometimes think someone is following me and realize it's just me. LOL. Sometimes it's annoying when I am in a rush. It's easily removable but I do love it.

The best thing about this purse is the price. $16.99 at Ross. Oh yeaaaaah...

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

( credit : www.goodhousekeeping.com )

I am not a big TV watcher at all and I wasn't a Netflix watcher until I found out Fuller House was coming out on Netflix. I borrowed my brother's account just so I can watch it. LOL.

Then in early November, I got reallllly sick. I was sick for 2.5 weeks with a upper respiratory infection. The first week I was on and off work. The second week, I was bed-ridden. And in my sick days, I decided to watch shows that were popular.

I found myself watching Orange is the New Black and holy freakin' cow! ADDICTION.

I was trying to finish all four seasons by the time Fuller House 2 started on December 9. LOL. 

AND I DID IT!!!

At the expense of my sleep though. Whomp. My addiction and race against the clock had me sleeping at 2 in the morning. I would come to work dysfunctional and groggy. It was awful. Eventually I learned to better manage my Netflix time. LOL.



Well, those were my favorites of the fall 2016 season which came and gone.

Now that it is winter, I am already falling in love with new products. 

I hope you have a wonderful 2017 filled with love, hope, health and all kinds of wealth.

Blessings be with you.

Xoxox

Pumpkin Patch Day + Ollie's Belated Birthday

Hello everyone!

The best part about working at a Jewish agency is all the holidays in the Jewish calendar. This year, there are 7 holidays in October allowing me 7 paid days off that does not come out of my PTO.

During the Jewish holiday season, I had the opportunity to go to the local pumpkin patch with my nephew, his newborn baby brother, his other auntie and of course his mama.

The pumpkin patch is one of my most favorite places. I love fall and going to the pumpkin patch just screams FALL!

Oh...and I also picked up an iced coffee with one pump pumpkin beforehand ;)

My nephew Ollie also turned 4 on 9/28 so we had an opportunity to celebrate since I was unable to make his birthday party due to a wedding and out of town visitor.

Baby boy has got swag ;)

Is anyone else looking forward to all things fall???

Xoxoxo

Summer 2016 Favorites

Oh my word!! Fall is here ya'll!! I am sooo excited but also so sad to see summer go. Time goes by so fast, I want it to slow down and enjoy whatever is left of my youth. LOL.

Like in seasons past, new favorites are discovered and old favorites resurface. Not too many beauty items this time around probably because when it's summer and hella hot, I wear less and less makeup.

Here are the loves of my summer:

COVERGIRL LASHBLASH PLUMPIFY MASCARA

( credit : www.ulta.com )

I went to dinner with a friend of mine and loved her lashes. She always has great lashes but that dinner, they were more va va voom! She was using the CoverGirl LashBlast Plumpify mascara. I got myself one and loved it! It really accentuates and extends my really long lashes. I am not the best at applying mascara but something about the wand allowed me to easily fan out my lashes to give them shape comparable to falsies <3

SHEET MASK

Sheet masks have been my jam! One of my favorite Youtubers +AprilAthena7  / Youtube AprilAthena7 is the queen of sheet masks and she actually got me on the boat! During the summer, sheet masks have been the greatest thing! The coldness of the sheet mask on my face when it's 90 degrees out was the most settling and amazing feeling right before bed.

I am not sure if they actually do what they say they do. I just really love the sensation. I get my sheet masks at Daiso. They come 3 in a pack for $1.50. I also get masks at Ulta when they are on clearance.

ZUMBA!

( credit : www.clipartion.com )

I have probably mentioned this in a previous post, but I joined by local YMCA and have fallen in love with Zumba. I have had gym memberships in the past, but never really stuck because it got boring and repetitive. 

I wanted to get back into exercise when my primary care doctor told me that I should get active. I was in late my 20s at the time and she said exercise is good for heart health and overall health. I've always known that through the news, friends and family, etc, but when my doctor told me to my face, I took it seriously. 
I already have Lupus which is working against me. I need to work 10x harder to keep my health up. I joined the Y and found an exercise routine that has stolen my heart. I love music and I love dancing, put them together and it's a match made in exercise heaven.

NECKLACES

I was not much of a daily necklace wearer. I love necklaces, but I love statement necklaces that I wouldn't wear daily. 

A friend gave me this small, dainty heart pendant necklace for birthday and I have been hooked ever since on small simple necklaces.

( credit : www.target.com )

( credit : www.target.com )

( credit : www.target.com )

I have been eyeing these twoTarget necklaces ($19.99 each) for the longest time but I'm a cheapie (LOL) and couldn't fathom paying $20 for a cheapie necklace that would probably turn rusty over time. 
Then one day, I saw both of them on clearance for $9.98 and using my Target Cartwheel app, it was an additional 20% off making each about $16.
DEAL! LOL. I purchased both which totaled to less than one original piece :D

SNAPCHAT

I thought I would never give in but one of my best friends kept pushing it. Whenever we got together, she would tell me something new and I would say "What! You never told me!" and she would respond with, "Well if you had a Snapchat..." LOL. So I gave in and eventually learned to love playing with the filters. I must admit, I am not the most photogenic person, BUT Snapchat makes me look and feel pretty! LOL

Some of my favorite selfies:

(Waiting 10 minutes to remove my sheet mask)

ENGAGEMENT RING:

Words cannot even describe how over the moon I am! Self-explanatory :D

DOUBLE SHOT ESPRESSO OVER ICE (with milk + sugar)

I love coffee not so much for the caffeine but for the taste! My coworker and I love coffee and would together get our afternoon coffee. She has a long drive home after work and would always get the double shot espresso over ice with milk and syrup to keep her up. I tried it one time and became hooked! It's delicious! Tastes just like a latte for half the price. You can ask for the double shot in a grande/medium cup and put milk and a little bit of sugar (how I prefer it) and boom!! 

What were your Summer 2016 Favorites?? Are you ready and excited for Fall?

Fall is when the dark berry lipsticks start to come back and I anticipate I will be wearing those colors. A dark berry is my favorite color to wear and in my opinion looks best on me. 

Bring on the pumpkin everything! Fall, I am ready!!


Xoxoxo

Crazy for Lippies Part 2: Wet N Wild

As mentioned, here is part 2 of my Crazy for Lippies installment. If you're interested, check out Part 1 in which I talk about my most recent NYX purchases. 

This post is about my [kind of recent] Wet N Wild haul. At $1.99/lipstick, how am I not supposed to get as many as I can??

I picked up 5 colors: Don't Blink Pink, Smokin Hot Pink, Stoplight Red, Cherry Picking, Sugar Plum Fairy.

Here are the arm swatches:

I included arm swatches in two different lighting.  

Here are the lip swatches. Just a little disclaimer, I tried to take pictures in different lighting to see how the color would fare. That is why I am lighter in some shots and darker in others. Enjoy :)

Don't Blink Pink

Verdict: Looks great in pictures, but in person, it's just way too bright for me. I'm not sure how I feel about this color quite yet. Maybe I'll feel more confident rocking it when I have a bit color in my complexion Spring/Summer. It was just too Nicki Minaj for me. But unlike Nicki, it was just not working 

Smokin' Hot Pink

Verdict: I do like this color too. Less vibrant than Don't Blink Pink, but still pretty vibrant. It's darker than Don't Blink Pink which makes it less overwhelming. A beautiful, fun color for Spring/Summer

Stoplight Red

Verdict: Before this purchase, I only owned one red lipstick by NYX. It was a red lip pencil (name, can't remember sorry!). I saw swatches of this color on other makeup lovers and dang, it looked so pretty on them! I don't know why there's so much shine on my lips? Maybe it was the light? Maybe I should have blotted it first? I'm not a glossy, shiny lip person. Love it on others, not so much on me. Lastly, I'm not a fan of bright red lipstick on myself. This color is way too bright. I love dark, deep wine reds or brick reds

Cherry Picking

Verdict: I thought it was going to be more purple-y because the sticker on the lipstick looks a little purple/plum to me or am I colorblind? The color is still nice. It's like a pinky red. I do look forward to rocking this later on as the weather warms up

Sugar Plum Fairy

Verdict: Definitely my favorite of all my Wet n Wild purchases. I've been totally digging the vampier purple lip. I love this one! Makes me feel pretty badass ;) I have been rocking this and NYX's Aria all Fall and Winter. And heck, if I still have some by the time Spring and Summer roll around, I'm sure I'll be wearing it then too.

I love lipstick! :)

One of my best friends enabled me by gifting me the Tarte Kiss & Belle Lipsurgence Lip Set. I've tried on all except the lip glosses. I love all the darker colors. Not so much the nude. I'll try to do a lip swatch post for these as well.

(Tarte photos taken from Sephora website)

I am excited to play around with these! :D

If I didn't say it already, HAPPY NEW YEAR. I know totally random placement, but I think I hadn't greeted you yet.

May 2015 come out with more beautiful colors and may I find more control in purchasing them!! haha, maybe?

<3<3<3

Last Seasonal Starbucks Meal of 2014

I am one of the biggest gimmicky consumers out there. Slap on "Limited Edition" or "Seasonal" on a product and you know I'm on it.

As much as I detest the cold, Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons because of all the seasonal flavors - pumpkin, chestnut, gingerbread. And then there is the savory like stuffing! OOH STUFFING.

Starbucks is my biggest weakness this time of year! The amount of money I shell out each year on their holiday drinks is pretty embarrassing...though I must admit, half of my purchases were for others. Sharing is caring! :)

This year's holiday favorites included: chestnut praline latte, holiday turkey and stuffing panini, and the frosted snowman cookie.

In late December, Starbucks will stop ordering new shipments of holidays flavors (or so I was told). Whatever you can find in late December and early January are the last stock. I just had to get my last fix before they disappear til Fall 2015.

My Starbucks holiday favorites

I actually had to drive to two different Starbucks to find the frosted snowman cookies. The first one were all out with nothing coming in anymore. Thank goodness for living in a big city like Los Angeles where there are Starbucks everywhere. I found the cookies at a nearby Starbucks. Oh the joy!!!

Trust me when I say I was so close to buying nearly all of them just to stock up! My little nephew loves them. One of my best friends loves them. We would all be in seasonal cookie heaven.

Until next time holiday menu....you will be greatly missed and craved.

<3<3<3

My Edgy Alter Ego

{WARNING: RANDOM BABBLE..this may or may not make sense}

My parents are shy and so thus I spent most of my life being shy. It was not until around the end of graduate school (2012) that I started to really be more confident in my own skin in all respects: fashion, beauty, speaking up for myself, etc. Perhaps, a big part of being confident was getting older. At 28, I feel more and more comfortable in my skin each day.

There is just one aspect of myself that I have kept under the radar: my internal edgy alter ego.

As funky as this sounds, I'm an internally edgy person trapped in a mainstream goody two shoe body.

My parents were never ones to support taking risks in being bold and being different. The mainstream was the only stream.They were also quite conservative so it was probably a mix of both. 

I've always wanted to unleash the edgier me. It's slowly happening, but at the same time, I feel like I'm getting too "old" for the edgy look. And in my line of work, it will not fly. 

See below for pictures that I feel are the me I would've loved to express a few years ago (and I'm not gonna lie, I wish I could still pull these looks off today).

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the photos below unless specified. Photos grabbed from Instagram.

This is so gorgeous. I love it!!

This would have been fun too

I contemplated this color at one point

One of my favorites! I've been loving the pin-up look lately. I love her makeup too!

 This is YouTube's saaammage. I took this off her Instagram.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE her hair (this is an old picture by the way). 

This is the most doable hairdo I can pull off at work...I think.

I wanted to cut my hair this way when I cut it recently but my bangs were too short. Maybe one day...

All photos below are mine: 

Me in 2009. Okay, okay so I did pull an edgy 'do. Color is called Vampire Red. This was definitely the first step! 

Ever since then, my hair has [mostly] never been one color.

I express myself with my hair because somehow it is easier for me to do that than clothes.

How I would describe my attempted style: boho, feminine dark/grunge, very black-white-red. 

My recent attempts of unleashing the edgy girl inside me:

Awkward photo of me. LOL

I sneaked into my brother's room to take this. Excuse the stars to cover his mess. x_X

 Another awkward photo of me. -_-

My college roommate and sorority sister said I was the queen of not matching. 

My current style of the moment (in congruence with Fall trends): Funky leggings, booties, and a long shirt to cover my bum and then makeup wise - a dark lip

As you can see, I do love my funky leggings!! :D

If you made it this far, props to you for reading another installment of my random babble. 

<3<3<3