Teavana Goodies!

Hello Everyone,

I have always like drinking tea and it is so much better for you than coffee. At home, I do have a Keurig that makes earl grey tea, however, after tasting the tea from Teavana, I have become even more obsessed. I would use my Keurig to make tea when I just want something quick and Teavana tea when I want something more rich. Teavana has loose tea leaves that need to be filtered with a tea strainer  in order for the desireable flavor to pass through. All you need is a pot and a mesh strainer. This is what I am using for now until I can get a real cast iron tea set.

Teavana has so many varieties of teas to choose from and my two favorites are: oolong and flavored scented white tea.

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To keep the tea leaves fresh, it is best to get a sealed container. I got the containers from Teavana ($7) and it is convenient to bring the tin back to the store when you buy more. There are two different types of tins, one for the regular tea and the other for the citrus tea.

The container for white tea mixed with fruits has a extra plastic cover because of the citrus oils.

Here is the flavored scented white tea in Youthberry. It supposed to taste youthful and fresh. The tea is made from pineapple, mango, fuji apples, red currant, acai berry, and white tea. This is a source of antioxidant and detoxification. It contains 1% of caffeine.  It smells really good.

Oolong tea are know to aid with metabolism and be used as part of a weight loss plan. It can also aid in digestion and promotes healthy skin and teeth. My favorite Oolong tea is the Monkey Picked Oolong which is the most expensive one they have. These are the highest grade of oolong in the world. The reason it is called Monkey Picked Oolong is because "legend has it that Buddhist Monks trained monkeys to gather the youngest leaves from the tip-top of wild tea trees." It has 10-15% of caffeine.

I would have my cup of tea with a snack or during a meal.
Have a great night and drink your teas!

<3 <3 <3

Jessica Simpson's Hairdo clip-in hair extensions

Hello Everyone,

Having short hair is great because it's low maintenance, however, I do prefer to have long hair because there is so much more you can do with it. I miss having long hair..... there is a quick solution! One word: extensions. I don't bother using extensions too much, but they do give me the instant gratification of having long hair. When buying extensions, I prefer the ones that are 100% human hair so I can use my heating tools without having to worry about it burning or smelling like plastic. The brand that I use is called Hairdo by Jessica Simpson.
Yes, the 100% human hair are expensive, but they last so long. Definitely a great investment if you want instant volume or length. They come in different colors, you can dye it, cut it, etc....

As most of you know, I still have my asymmetrical bob which I colored back to black.

For the Jessica Simpson Hairdo, I bought it in the color dark brown from Hautelook.com for a portion of the price. It blends very well with my hair color. I like the 10 clips because they are very easy to attach. First, section off your hair. Then, use the clip to attach the extensions to a portion of your hair so it stays put. The clip does pop in and out to close and open.

Here is how the extensions look like blended with my hair.

With my Nume Pearl Curling wand, I was able to create loose beach-y waves. I used the $100 coupon from MyGlam bag to purchase this. I am loving it.

It comes with a black glove to protect your fingers from getting burned.

Here is the result:

With my short hair style-

After I attached and curled my hair and extensions-

Now, you don't have to be afraid to cut your hair too short because there is always an option to get extensions.

Have a great night!

<3 <3 <3

March favorites

Hello Everyone,

Dang! The month of March went by quick!
Here are my favorites from last month and since I love them so much I will continue to use them for the rest of Spring.

Mint color nail polish from China Glaze in Re-fresh Mint. This is a popular color for Spring.

Fresh Sugar Lychee and Brown Sugar eau de parfum- anything with the name Sugar is a favorite scent of mine. I wear these two scent 85% of the time. The scent is not too overpowering and at the same time it is sweet/fruity. Definitely a day time wear, but I like to wear this for all occasions.

Along the Fresh line, I also like their tinted lip balms. These are expensive for lip balms but they feel like butter on your lips. I only buy these when there is a discount from Sephora because they are luxury items. I got Sugar Plum and Sugar Honey. Honey is my favorite out of all the colors and Plum will give my lips a bit of color which I like. They all have SPF 15. Reminds me of the Revlon Lip butters but smoother and nicer packaging.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Shadow pencil: Midnight Cowgirl, Morphine, Narc, Clinic, Sin, and Lit. These can be used as eyeliners or as eyeshadows. They do stay on for a long time without creasing. Sometimes I would just use one or two colors on my eyelid and call it a day. Initially, it was hard to apply because they were a bit dry, but after a few usage it has gotten better. When they say 24/7 they are for real!!! Once the product dries, it's not going anywhere so you need to blend it quickly.

Now that it is getting dark later, I like to get my workout in by jogging around the lake and doing some weight lifting to get toned up for summer.

Have a great night!
<3 <3 <3

Updated Night Time Skincare Routine

Hello Everyone,

I have been trying different facial products and I think I am getting close to what works best for my skin. I believe taking care of you skin at an early age is important. Any preventive care is good. These are just some of the products that I use almost on a daily basis. Some more than others. I will go in more detail about the ones that I NEED versus the ones that I can alternate/replace.

It looks a bit scary because there are so many products, but once you start getting into a routine, it's not so bad.

At the end of the day, I usually wash my makeup off in the shower first. In the shower, I have my Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore scrubs. I would squeeze a drop of this onto the rubber facial scrub and rub it all over my face. This is one of my new favorite face scrubs that I love and need in the shower. It smells so good and the beads are small which provides a gentle scrub to your face. There are no harsh chemicals, parabens, dyes, etc....  Rate: A

Also in my shower I have my Clarisonic which is an awesome investment. It takes away any makeup or dirt. I don't recommend anyone to use it everyday because it can be a bit harsh. I would use this every other day or every two days.  Rate: A+

Sometimes if I feel like using a stronger facial scrub, I would use this in addition to my Neutrogena. The beads are bigger, but I like the smell of citrus and ginseng.  Rate: B

Once I am out of the shower, I use my Forever 21 makeup cleansing tissue to take off any makeup residuals that are left. This is very cheap to buy at Forever 21: $2.80 for 30 towelettes. I think this is comparable to Yes to Cucumbers. Rate: A

With my face so fresh and clean, sometimes I would like to use a facial mask such as My Beauty Diary or Kose Mask white. Most of the time, I tend to skip this part because I am lazy. When I do use them, my skin feels very good after.  Rate: B

The next step is the toner. It refreshes your skin, makes it soft, and creates a clean base so when you apply any serum or cream on top it helps absorb the product into your skin. I always love using Lancome toner, but you can use any toner to help freshen up. Lancome Tonique Douceur is alcohol-free which helps prevent your skin from drying. Rate: B because there are cheaper toners out there that work the same.

One of the important steps to my updated facial routine is the Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum. It is expensive, but it makes your skin look radiant. The result is to see visibly younger skin in just 7 days which I do feel it is working but not dramatically. I still like the product and I feel it is a good buy.... Sephora VIBs go get it with the 15% discount this week!!!  Rate: A-/B+ because of the price.

Now that the serum is absorbed into my skin, I apply some face lotion from Laneige- Love!!!  Rate: A

Next, to prevent wrinkles around the eyes. I have been using Laneige eye designer cream every night and it works wonders! Rate: A

I have discovered another eye product from Naruko which also works great. So now, I alternate between the two products at night. You can pick up this product at SUNE or at any Asian facial product stores. It is called Job's Tears Night Gelly. I like the texture and feels very refreshing when you apply it around the eye. Rate: A

Yes, that is it for my face..... now for my body. I cannot stand dry skin so when I get out of the shower, i need to apply some sort of lotion. The two lotions that I am currently using are: Nivea and Skinnygirl. Both are great for moisturizing and firming up your skin.  Rate: B

It is important to pamper your skin at night because that is when you body is resting and is able to absorb moisture, especially if you do take showers at night it helps also.

Have a great night and keep those skin looking healthy! Drink lots of fluid too!

<3 <3 <3

Japanese Hair Color Product: Palty

Hello Everyone,

Ever since my last blog about my hair cut, I have not done anything special to take care of it. My roots were going out, the color was fading, and I was just too busy. I always find myself going back to my original color which is black. It is so much easier to take care of and I can be as lazy as I want.

To get back my natural roots, I used a Japanese hair color called Palty in number 48 Natural Black. Be careful because it is super dark. I did spill a little on the floor and I couldn't even wipe it off!! Damn!

I like this brand because it gives me exactly what I want, however, the bottle is so little that sometimes it doesn't cover my whole head. I would have to buy two boxes..... they are not cheap either.

I leave the product in for 30-45 minutes and then washed it out. My hair feels super soft like I just went to a salon.  Rate: B+ mainly because there wasn't enough product in there for my whole head.
They should have a Costco size of this!!!

Now, my hair looks health and shiny.

Have a great night! 

<3 <3 <3

Skinnygirl Face and Body product Review

Hello Everyone,

Anyone heard of Bethenny Frankel? Besides being a food chef and a mixologists, she is the obnoxious woman on the reality TV show called "The Real Housewives of New York."

There was a moment where her Skinnygirl Cocktails were just selling off the shelves. The most popular one is the Skinnygirl Sangria and coming in close second is the Skinnygirl Margarita.

Not only has Bethenny expanded her cocktail line, she also went into developing her makeup line for Walmart.

At Walmart, the prices are decent so I thought why not give this brand a try. So, here are the items that I have picked up to review.

First, the red and white packaging is very cute. Very eye catching!
I got the Skinnygirl Cleansing Facial Cloths- $5.47
There are 25 towelettes in a packet. It helps wipe away dirt, oil, and makeup while conditioning your skin. I can feel my skin feeling soft after using it, but I still prefer to use the makeup wipes from Forever 21 for $2.80 (30 towelettes). Rate: B-

The next thing I got is the tinted daily moisturizer: $10.97 in the color beige. It has vitamin E with broad spectrum of SPF 15. Rate: C

The product is not bad, but it's not a holy grail. The color is a bit too orange for me. If you look at the left hand corner you can see the difference in my natural skin tone and the tint.

I find myself having to mix it with my BB cream that is a bit too light for me. After mixing both products, the color turns out better. I will still continue to use it on days that I do not feel like packing on a lot of makeup. I wouldn't buy it again because I would always have to mix it with a lighter BB cream to make it work and that is just too many steps.
I do like the brush that it came with even though I still need to use a stippling brush to smooth it out at the end.  Rate: C

Skinnygirl Face Solution: $14.97.
It came with Instantly smooth line filler (aka primer), detox face mask, and a small tube of energizing lip shine. The only thing I like from this set is the detox face mask which has cucumber and sweet almond oil. This is a good size to carry for traveling and again, very cute packaging. The other two products are decent and I will continue to use it until it is gone, but will not re=purchase. Rate: C+

This last item I got is the one I like the most- Skinnygirl Firming Night Cream-$14.88
Anytime it says "firming" it works similar to products that have Coenzyme Q10. The scent is not very strong and I like the thickness of the cream. It contains sweet almond oil and linseed extract. I haven't see much difference after a week of use, but it does claim to lift and firm skin while you sleep. Hmmmm..... I just hope it is working. Rate: B+

Well, my overall impression is..... you can skip on it. Maybe just stick with the Sangria.  There are other products out there that are cheaper and that works better. The only thing I would re-purchase is the Skinnygirl night firming cream because I don't feel it is too greasy and the consistency is just right.

Have a nice night!
<3 <3 <3