Friday, January 31, 2014

My First BIRCHBOX - January 2014 Edition

I received my very first BirchBox this Thursday, which is pretty exciting for me.
After the new year I decided it was time for change, and that I needed a new beauty routine, but since so much is out there to check out, I didn't want to waste a ton of money trying new things.
So I decided that a BirchBox subscription would be the best option, trying out new samples every month, giving me the time to test everything before the next box, to see if its a good fit, and its just a completely fun thing over all. 

For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about, the concept of Birchbox is that you pay $10 every month to receive a box with beauty and other product samples that the Birchbox site itself also sells. So you can try out new products to see how you like them, before you might buy them, or just keep sampling things forever :p
the products apparently are different from person to person, depending on your hair/skin type, personality, style, and what you're interested in trying.
Even though the full-priced items can be a bit expensive, the samples themselves seem like they can last you quite a while.
I was actually surprised it was only $10 considering cheap mascara costs the same amount, but hey, I'm not complaining.

My January Birchbox:









I haven't tried everything yet, but I would like to note, this Nail Rock textured nail polish is awesome! My husband even liked it. It looks lighter here because of the way the sun was shining, but it is actually a bit darker, like the polish in the picture would suggest. Also it seemed to me as though the nail polish was actually the same size as all my normal nail polish, so I'm not sure if the regular one is a lot bigger or something, but they gave quite a lot. 
again, I am so not complaining, just pointing out that they don't gyp you on the sample sizes.

It's safe to say that I'm happy with my first Birchbox, and very excited to receive more!

The Adventure Chronicles of 2014 - Chapter 1

I don't particularly want to talk about this right now, but since I keep forgetting to do it and I have another post I do want to talk about today or tomorrow, I should probably get this one done first.

 My husband Michael and I agreed that this year we wanted to go on more adventures, explore more, get out more, instead of cooping ourselves inside all the time or going to the usual places and then complaining that we never do anything or go anywhere, lol. So we went on our first adventure this year, of course we would like to do more then one a month, BUT, with all the planning, and getting me set up with Project Life (which is another blog post I will be working on soon) we just didn't have the time or finances yet, so for this month, one will have to do :) 

Not this last Saturday, but the Saturday before that, we had our first adventure of the year.
This story starts by me being lazy in bed, checking instagram to see what people were upto, and I follow a few different bloggers, and it just so happened that one of the awesome lady bloggers I follow was at an expensive looking patisserie/restraunt in LA, that looked fabulous and made me want to get out and go so bad. 
But by the time we had finished talking about if we should get out and do something or not, it was 1:30 and with that late of a start we didn't know if we should even try and get out. but we were both craving adventure. so we decided maybe not LA today, but instead we would go to lunch and check out Long Beach.

So we headed to a little place called The Attic.

Outside The Attic
An adorable little place thats set in a house from the early 1900's.
Revamped into a resteraunt with an urban, and welcoming feel. Each room is a different color, and the old fashioned windows everywhere bring in lots of light. 
it also has an artsy flare to it, with art and mirrors on the walls, and benches with pillows and cushions. They also have an outdoor seating section as well.


We had been there once before when we were looking at apartments in Long Beach back in October, and decided to try it again since we had a good experience the last time


I ordered the Turkey Meatloaf, and a Carbonated Strawberry Lemonade.
the Lemonade was absolutely fantastic, not like I'm a drink connoisseur yet, but I would defiantly go back for the Lemonade, and the meal was delicious as well. I could tell the mashed potatoes and beans were fresh. The beans and tangy vinaigrette kind of sauce on then that I was not expecting, but thoroughly enjoyed. The meatloaf was nicely done, I think it had carrots in it because it had a pleasant sweet taste, and the wine sauce was sweet as well, but in no way was it overly sweet, just the right amount.


Michael got the Chef's Pasta (which is whatever pasta the chef feels like making you)
and I wasn't sure what exactly he ended up getting, all I know is that it was very good and my husband really enjoyed it.


We were so pleased with how lunch turned out and what a nice time we had that we didn't want to just go home, it was only about 5 -


So we decided to go check out the patisserie in LA that I saw on instagram that morning, after seeing countless amazing pictures from the place, Bottega Louie looked like an amazing place to visit, and though my Husband and I had been in and around LA before, we had never been in the city, so we thought, HEY we have nothing better to do, lets road trip.

Let me say now, we made it in and out of there alive, but going into a city you have never been in, without a map, or GPS, looking for a specific place, is not as fun as it sounds :p
Short version, is I figured out that I am not a city girl, at least not an LA girl, I think we definatly decided we would like to come back and explore more, but defiantly in the day time (getting yelled at by homeless people on a quiet street at night time, does not make me feel safe, I know I'm a little paranoid, but I'm ok with that if it keeps me prepared and safe) But more then any of that, I do want to go back to eat at the Bottega Louie at some point, because everything looks amazing, and I gotta say, the Macarons, (Which I guess is a main reason people go?) were pretty good, I definitely want to go back for more.


Violet Cassis, Rose, Grand Cru (Dark Chocolate Ganache), Lemon, Vanilla, Raspberry, Chocolate Orange, and Espresso. 

Photo from phone.

We also ended up dropping by an asian market for no reason other then we could, and then ended up buying a ton of asian food, probably asian junk food, but we wanted to try new things, so whatever.

As we were heading home we decided to have dinner in Huntington Beach, I thought we should try someplace new and Huntington Beach is well known so I thought the place would be still bustling at 8 at night, I was wrong about that, but as we were walking down one of the main streets near the beach, we heard people and noticed there was a restaurant, on the second floor.

So we ended up at this populated Bar/Restaurant that was connected to a hotel on the second floor of a Huntington Beach street building. The place is called Zimzala. They had outdoor seating that looked down on the street, the whole place had a very modern vibe but still kept its warmth, what I thought was cool is they had couches and little tables for people to just lounge and sip cocktails on. It was a pretty neat place, with a very refined menu that although we could not afford the main dish's at the moment, the small dish's were just our size.

I ended up going with the Smoked Duck Flatbread, but other then the actual duck on top, I didn't care for it, so I switched with Michael and ended up eating the Prime Burger:
Bacon Jam / Tomato Jam / Wild Arugula / Chipotle Cheddar / Fried leeks, on a buttermilk roll.
looking at it, I never would have ordered it, but it was scrumptious!


I think both Michael and I were a bit disappointed with the duck flatbread, it was ok, the duck was amazing, but the rest of the ingredients didn't mix well and there was too much cheese.


The treat though, the thing work going back for, was the homemade ice cream. we ordered the Breakfast Cereal Trio and it was AMAZING! Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice cream, Cookies and Cream ice cream and Cocoa puff ice cream. 


I would highly recommend trying this.

All it all, it was an amazing day, I gotta say its been awhile since me and my husband had been out doing stuff like that and damn, it felt good! :)


Monday, January 20, 2014

Did my foundation dilemma get fixed that easily? Thanks CoverGirl!

New Foundation.

Scares the crap out of me. 
no seriously... it's so expensive and finding the right color for my skin tone is extremely frustrating, I never seem to get it right. 
I know it sounds crazy, but I've had the same foundation for 4 years now, I've switched between 2 different shades, but it never seems to be right. It's a powered foundation, and I went for powder because when I first got the make-up advice talk when I was 12, I was told that most liquid foundations clog your pores and cause breakouts.
But recently I know I've needed a change, for the past year I've been so frustrated having the wrong color foundation plus my concealer is wrong as well, and since new makeup is being made all the time, and I've heard a lot of great things about liquid, I wanted to finally try some.
I put it off for a awhile though, it's expensive, and I never really had the finances to experiment, so it freaked me out a bit, I thought I would just go see an professional... maybe someone at Sephora would help me, and my husband backed me, knowing I've wanted/needed a new foundation for a couple years he wanted to help me get a nice one.
But it just never seemed like the right now, there is always other stuff that we need, so I continued to put it off.

Well last week we went into CVS to grab some new mascara because the one I had was past it's prime. I stumbled across an add by CoverGirl for their new liquid foundation, and I'm sure it wasn't, but it felt like the first time I had ever seen liquid foundation samples out....so i decided to check it out, i saw one that looked close to my skin tone, and tried it on my hand, i then walked away to go grab my mascara, and as i was there i noticed that my mascara was also by CoverGirl, and they had a BOGO 50% sale on everything Covergirl. I realized, that considering I was going to buy the mascara anyways, I could get the foundation for half price. Now when you are trying to find a new foundation and you want to try liquid for the first time, I would say thats a pretty good deal to help you do so. So I asked my husband if it looked like it matched my skin, and so after trying a couple of the other shades, I actually found out the the lightest one, which looked way lighter then my skin tone, actually blended in and looked very smooth.
So I said screw it, and decided to give it a shot.

I officially tried it saturday for the first time, and I honestly think it worked out Fantastic!!!!


Now I'm no foundation expert, OBVIOUSLY! But I do want to say something. 
CoverGirl Tru Blend foundation is light, and blends well. It actually worked with my skin color, which I haven't fully had for years, if ever. and although I need to work on moisturizing my face better, the foundation itself did not clog my pores, did not feel heavy, or greasy, and it dried almost like poster, it evened out my skin really nicely :) and I'm super excited about that!

Sure, I may have problems with it down the road, but for now I am so happy about it and I'm ready to get back on the experimental horse as well, so I also signed up for Birchbox, which I'm excited and hopeful to see what comes of that.
It may not be perfect for you, but if you need to try a new foundation i would highly recommend Tru Blend as an affordable option.

                      

Sunday, January 5, 2014

A new year, A new plan... but first lets recap.

The holidays are over, the pictures have been sorted and posted, the new years plans have been made. and there is still so much to do, I feel quite overwhelmed.

A lot of things are taking place this year. This years focus is on structure, consistency, and adventure;
and thats going to be a lot of work for the both of us. Neither my husband or I grew up with a lot of structure, which honestly isn't always a bad thing, but we both feel hindered in the fact that we can't seem to stick to plans that we make or the goals we set. We seem to just do what we feel like doing at the time. and after 2 years of struggling in a lot of area's, we decided its time for change.
So, we have a weekly and monthly goals, including a weekly meal plan. Which with hopefully that in place, we will become healthier. Also we have plans to get out more and explore, as well as walking, although starting very small. Since we get very overwhelmed if we have too much change at once, and end up just giving up. So this is going to be difficult. I think both of us are ready for change, ready for structure, ready to be healthier physically and spiritually.

Our weekly plans, budget, goals, and reminders are all laid out on a giant white board, on our living wall. and we framed our weekly meal plan right next to it :) Hoping that that will help keep us on track, especially since we have each other, and its not just one person trying to achieve so much alone. 
Honestly it is so nice to be married to a man, who works on the same things as you, wants to achieve things with you, support you in anyway possible. Someone who shares your life goals. It's so important to share those things with your spouse, even if you have different goals, its great when you can both help each other to achieve them. Support is soooo important. and that is why I am confident in our goals for 2014, because we both support each other, encourage each other, and we are both ready for this change, ready to be better, for ourselves and for each other, and for the future. 

The last couple years I've been dieting, I've been through a lot of emotional turmoil, my health and diet did quite a number on me, and its hurt my emotional state and my self-image. I think one of the reasons it's been so hard, is because I wasn't ready for change, I was constantly mourning how things were, or what I couldn't do or have, I wasn't ready to let go, to move on and change my life, I tried to stay in the in between, and it was a roller coaster, also without the consistency or structure, it drove me insane.

It doesn't mean I didn't try, honestly I tried so hard, but while I was trying so hard in so many different area's, I was also in a way working against myself. You know the saying, "You are your own worst enemy", thats what it's been for so long. Of course I do have quite a bit of legit medical problems that do hinder what my full capability is, but before I was putting myself at the standard of normal, healthy people, I constantly thought I was a failure because I wasn't doing as much as others, and in a lot of area's I just can't. but instead of working against myself all the time, hopefully this year, I'll be working on things, instead of expecting myself to be better, and breaking down when I can't, I'm just going to slowly (with the help of the Lord) work on things. It's like when doing sports or building muscle, you can't go in full force to a gym and expect to be capable of doing all the equipment, or you can't do sports and just expect yourself to be awesome, you have to work on it, and start small, and build. Especially so you don't stress yourself out and just quite.

But now that I'm not working against myself anymore, that I've fully surrendered my wants for my needs, I'm ready to start small, to start working on things, learn things, accept things, and move forward with a new life that I may not have wanted, but I know we need, and it will be best for us.

lol maybe I'm full of shit, we will see. I'm just so tired of the dance we have been dancing the last couple years. I am so ready for change, and I know I don't have the same feelings and ties towards things that were holding me back before.

ANYWAYS... :p 
This year for the holidays we had our first house guest, my brother-in-law Caleb, who hails from Michigan. (Our homeland) which was exciting and interesting. It was nice to have him here, but I'm not used to living with another person, and with Michael and I being hosts for the first time, for 2 weeks, it was quite stressful, and I'm glad he came out, but it defiantly wore on me and my husband, I'm thankful my husband had time off work once Caleb went home, to rest up. I think I slept for like 18 hours :p haha
I did feel pretty bad, there were days I was cranky, and I needed a break, and I felt like maybe I was mean, or bossy, its really hard to host while needing space. 
but I think we all had a good holiday, and it was nice having Caleb here, and I think it was good experience, to prepare us for future family visits.




I do wish my brother-in-law was a bit more vocal about things, I honestly don't know if he liked his christmas gifts, if he had a good trip, or if there was things he wanted to do, I felt like I was constantly asking if he was having a good time, because we couldn't tell. But he talked about coming back, so thats a good sign. If I was an overwhelming crazy bitch sister-in-law I don't think he would be talking about coming back, haha.



Also we had christmas celebration at our house this year, which was awesome. I'm an entertainer, I crave hosting and love having people over. So it was wonderful to have my Mother and one of my aunts over for Christmas eve. Hadn't had a nice family christmas in awhile, at least not more then just Michael, my mother and I. and considering last year we had just moved into our fist place right before Christmas, we didn't have the chance to have anyone over or really celebrate much, no tree or decor, and without snow (since we live in California) it just didn't feel like christmas much at all. So I went full out decor this year :) I think the place looked pretty great if I may say so myself. Plus we were able to get a tree, the tree sellers were literally a block away, so considering we couldn't drive it home, we just walked it home.



I was so blessed as well, a got a bunch of the stuff I wanted, plus thoughtful gifts that I wasn't expecting at all. 


Including a new lens for my camera, that has given me a fresh fire to take more photos. Especially as we embark on more adventures this year, and... (wait for it) ...as my husband and I start our NEW joint blog :D super excited about that!....



My husband and I have been talking for awhile about starting a food blog, and then other things we thought would be cool to blog about, especially a travel blog, because we want to travel more. 
So we thought, how about we start a blog where we mix food and travel, but since we don't do that all year round, we can't, we then thought....well, wouldn't it be cool if we blogged about, the little stuff too, stuff we do together, even if its not a vacation. and we will both write, a blog written from both of our views on a specific subject. But then I was like, 'we don't always want to get out... so if we are both writing, both of our views, why not make it about, everything we do together? Not just the big and little adventure, but hobbys we work on, places we go, food we try, books we read, movies we watch, just anything we share.' which considering us, could be everything, but we are going to keep our separate blogs, we still have separate things to talk about.

We will see, its still in talks, and we haven't started working on it yet because we are still laying down the guidelines and discussing the plans.

so stay tuned!!!