HAPPY SPRING!

Hi Everyone! How are ya’ll doing? I know it’s been a while since I last posted on here, but as many of you know, I’m a full time student at San Diego State University studying to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing. Let me tell you guys, it’s hard work, especially when you’re already in love with your job… but I always tell myself, “gotta get that degree.” I gotta “work, work, work” … thanks Rihanna, you’re song is oh-so catchy!

Anyways, the inspiration behind this post is obviously the new season… I’m 8 DAYS LATE, but it’s still Spring, we haven’t rolled into Summer, so I’m not laggin’ too much. I woke up this morning, looked out my window & was just in awe with my view. I could hear the birds chirping, cars flying by, and beautiful flowers blooming…. it was a beautiful sight!

Some of you may know that I recently moved, same city just a new house. I’m still getting used to everything. The previous owners had planted these flowers and mind you, I have no clue what they are! I wish there was an app where I can take a picture of something and within seconds, it could tell me what I’m looking at, awesome, right?

With Spring here and Summer rollin’ up in a few months, I’d really love to know how I can make this site more appealing to you all. I personally want to re-design my blog, so if you have any suggestions, please do let me know. I’m thinking of incorporating more food recipes and of course, reviews on cosmetics & hair products. If you have any specific products you’d like a review on, let me know in the comments below.

Thank you SO much for all the support & love! Take care, xo!

Kiehl’s Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Masque

Hey Everyone! Thank you for tuning in as always! 🙂
Today’s post features a new facial mask from Kiehl’s.

Kiehl’s added 2 new masques to their skincare line– they’ve officially launched and are available for purchase. The one I’ve been testing out is the Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque.  According to Kiehl’s, the main benefit of this mask is to brighten and energize the look of tired and dull skin, and it’s supposed to restore your skin to have that flushed look– “healthy, rosy, appearance.” My skin definitely looks tired every morning; I could sleep for 8 hours and I’ll wake up looking like I didn’t get any sleep at all. I have dark under eye circles and sometimes, I even scare myself when I wake up and look into the mirror. Thankfully, skin care and make-up comes to the rescue. This masque is meant to be used during the day after you’ve washed your face, used your toner, etc (do your normal skin routine and then use this masque). I ended up doing a little research online about the 2 main ingredients (turmeric and cranberry seeds) in the masques. Here’s what you need to know:

Turmeric, part of the ginger family, is actually a spice for those of you who don’t know, I know this because I LOVE to make yellow curry and white rice.. YUM! Aside from using this spice in the kitchen, it actually has many benefits for your hair and skin. It’s been found that turmeric can prevent aging. It’s a great exfoliant when mixed with water and/or milk. Turmeric is also an anti-bacterial agent, so it can definitely help heal cuts or burns. It can also help lighten any pigmentation/discoloration on your skin and will improve your skin’s elasticity.

Cranberry is of course one of many fruits and it’s actually very good for you!! It’s high in antioxidants like pomegranates! Anything that is high in antioxidants can actually help prevent you from getting some diseases. Cranberry seeds & oil absorb into your skin and hydrates your skin giving you that supple feeling and fresh look. The cranberry seeds in this masque will make for a great exfoliation while providing other great benefits to your skin.

I apply a thin layer of this masque to my dry skin and I leave it to sit and dry for about 10 minutes. The packaging suggests to leave it on for 5-10 minutes, but you all know that I like to do the most. After my 10 minutes are up, I go to the sink and rinse it off. When I first applied the masque onto my face, I felt a tingling sensation, and definitely felt the mask get tighter on my skin. I rub in a circular motion and the cranberry seeds in this masque make a really great exfoliant. Rinse with warm water, pat dry and follow with a moisturizer or serum/oil. I don’t see why this masque wouldn’t work for everyone and I highly recommend that if you have oily skin, give this masque a try. This stuff will definitely make anyone’s skin GLOW!

I am always asked about my skincare routine and always complimented on the appearance of my skin with and without make-up. Why not share secrets? What are you impressed with and can’t live without? Please do share with us!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I hope you all learned a thing or two, and if you already knew all this… give yourself a pat on the back 🙂 As always, thank you so much for tuning in and reading– love you all. xoxoxo

PROS: WORKS, great mask & exfoliator!

CONS: none

PRICE: $32 (2.5 fl oz.)

AVAILABILITY: Kiehl’s, Nordstrom

RATING: 4.7/5

FTC:  This masque is a PR sample.. I am not obligated to write this review, nor do I get paid to do so– I speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Thank you for reading. Xo!

Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation- Photos & Review :)

Hey Everyone! Thank you for tuning in as always! 🙂
Today’s post features a NEW foundation line from Becca Cosmetics!
Introducing the Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation from BECCA!
These foundations will be available for purchase online via the Becca Cosmetics site and at Sephora  — launch date is 1/12/2016.
There are only 8 shades of foundation and sizing is 1 fl oz. 
swatches for shades fair, light, beige & medium ^^


swatches for shades: tan, warm honey, dark golden & deep bronze ^^
^ pictured above is the dropper for the foundation! 

Let’s begin by first addressing the packaging– Becca simply never fails. I love the frosted glass, it screams luxury in my opinion… love, LOVE. If you own Becca’s Backlight Priming Filter, the packaging is quite similar except there is a pump on that primer and here, we have a dropper and it’s easy to use. Just SHAKE the bottle, TWIST the cap, it will POP, and DROP the foundation onto the back of your hand, onto the brush, onto a mixing palette, beauty blender, etc. Do what works for you. Remember, SHAKE, TWIST, POP & DROP!

As for the formula, it’s definitely very light weight. When you apply the foundation to your skin, it really evens out your skin color. Not only does it feel like skin, it looks like skin too. For me, it removes any redness and gives me even coverage. I think this foundation is build-able.. it’s definitely light coverage, maybe medium coverage, but definitely not full coverage.. which is totally ok! I personally don’t need full coverage for school, the beach, to go shopping or to run errands. This will be a go to!

As for the shade range, there are only 8 shades and I happen to be in the shade FAIR. That is the lightest foundation shade in this line. I really do like the coverage and the finish for this foundation, but I feel as though the color selection may not work for everyone. However, if you’re eyeing this foundation, I hope that you will go to Sephora, get color matched and take home a sample. Try it out for a few days & if you like it, purchase it!

Becca Cosmetics also suggest that you not only apply the foundation to the back of your hand, but to your face, blend it out & then make your decision. When I first took swatches, I thought that FAIR would have been too light, but LIGHT would have been too dark. But when I applied FAIR to my skin, it blended into my skin perfectly when it oxidized. I think it may have the technology to adjust to your skin tone, so give it a try!

Shade: Fair Shade: Fair
———-Shade: Light

Shade: Light
———-
Shade: Beige Shade: Beige
———-Shade: MediumShade: Medium
———-Shade: TanShade: Tan
———-Shade: Warm Honey Shade: Warm Honey
———-

Shade: Dark Golden
Shade: Dark Golden
———-

Shade: Deep BronzeShade: Deep Bronze
———-

EDIT: Overall, I’ve been using this foundation for over a week, the shade FAIR works for me best, but if I want to look a little darker, I mix equal parts of FAIR & LIGHT. I love the finish of the foundation and some of you have asked about my skin. I do have normal to dry skin, so I love a foundation that is luminous and gives my skin a dewy finish. For those of you who have oily skin, you can use a mattifying primer. A really great primer to use with this foundation if you have oily skin is actually also from Becca Cosmetics called the Ever-Matte Poreless Primer. This primer literally sucks up any oils on your face and will give you a matte finish for about 10-12 hours. If nothing has worked for you, give it a try! I hope this info helps some of you out.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. As always, thank you so much for tuning in and reading– love you all. xoxoxo

PROS: dewy-luminous, long wearing, feels& looks like skin, blendable, great formula.

CONS:  8 shade range, we need something lighter than FAIR.

PRICE: $44 (1 fl oz.)

AVAILABILITY: beccacosmetics.com, sephora.com, Sephora stores

RATING: 4.5/5

FTC:  These foundations are a PR sample.. I am not obligated to write this review, nor do I get paid to do so– I speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Thank you for reading. Xo!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! #2016

Hi my loves! Cheers to the start of a new year! I hope this year brings all of you so much joy, happiness, and success. 2015 was nothing short of amazing and I am so grateful and thankful to be surrounded by loved ones and supporters– my social media fam, thanks for sticking with me. You all inspire me and thank you for allowing me the chance to share what I know and love. I urge you all to continue to chase your dreams. Stick around and I’ll be uploading my new room and work space studio, tips on how to stay organized, healthy eating, more recipes per your request, and obviously more beauty related posts.  Back to unpacking for now, but I’ll catch you on the flipside 🙂 Love you all! xoxo

BECCA Cosmetics AFTERGLOW Palette: Photos & Review!

Hey Everyone! Thank you for tuning in as always! 🙂
Today’s post features a new palette from Becca Cosmetics!Introducing the Afterglow palette from Becca Cosmetics,
now available to purchase from your nearby Ulta! (in store or online) TA-DA! Isn’t it just beautiful? This may just be Becca’s 1st ever all cheek palette and I’m in love! This palette includes 3 of their highlighters and 2 of their best selling blushes. Highlighters (aka Shimmering Skin Perfectors)  included are: MOONSTONE, ROSE GOLD, and TOPAZ. Mineral blushes included are WILD HONEY and FLOWERCHILD.From left to right: Moonstone, Rose Gold, Topaz, Wild Honey & Flowerchild. So now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get to the juicy details of this palette. I think this is a great way to explore Becca’s cheek products if you don’t own or have yet to try their fabulous cheek products. Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors (highlighters) retail for $38 for .28 oz. and the Mineral Blushes retail for $32 for .20 oz— this is a great value because you get the chance to try 5 products for only $39.50, in my opinion, totally winning! I really love how slim and compact this palette is–
it easily fits into my makeup bag, not bulky and very travel friendly.

As for skin tones, I think these blushes will be stunning on the lightest to the darkest of skin tones, however, as for the Shimmering Skin Perfectors, Moonstone is my ultimate fave… yes, it even tops Champagne Pop. I’m pretty fair skinned, and Moonstone is my go to along with The Balm- Mary Lou Manizer. So I find Moonstone to work with all skin tones, it’s the perfect shade for a stunning glow. As for Rose Gold and Topaz, I find that these 2 work better as highlighters on medium to darker skin tones. However, that hasn’t stopped me from using this palette recently. I love using the Shimmering Skin Perfectors as eye shadows on my lid for some extra PIZAZZZ. They add oomph and define your eyes perfectly — in love.

Here we have an up close shot of the Shimmering Skin Perfectors! 🙂
Left to Right: Moonstone, Rose Gold & Topaz 
And here was have an up close shot of the Mineral Blushes!
Left to Right: Wild Honey & Flowerchild And last but not least… the swatches. As you can see, excellent color pay off. Highlighters aside, these make great eyeshadow colors!
Left to Right: Moonstone, Rose Gold, & Topaz. Here, I’ve included swatches for Wild Honey & Flowerchild.

*Overall, I think this palette is very much worth the price tag. You get the chance to try out 5 of Becca’s cheek products at such an incredible value. It’s definitely affordable in my opinion, and I always like to remind you all that a little goes a long way when using these products. These cheek products are incredibly pigmented and long-wearing. This palette also makes for a very nice gift for a make-up artist, make-lover, make-up enthusiast.. you get the point, right? If you get the chance, go to your local Ulta and try out this palette for yourself.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. As always, thank you so much for tuning in and reading– love you all. xoxoxo

PROS: amazing pigmentation, long-wearing, affordable, versatility!

CONS:  only available for purchase at Ulta– sorry.

PRICE: $39.50 (.26 oz)

AVAILABILITY: Ulta (online and in stores)

RATING: 5/5

FTC:  This palette is a  PR sample.. I am not obligated to write this review, nor do I get paid to do so– I speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Thank you for reading. Xo!

Redken’s Frizz Dismiss Line – Photos & Review!

Hey Everyone! Thank you for tuning in as always! 🙂
Today’s post features my current obsession from Redken. 
Redken recently introduced the Frizz Dismiss line and it definitely stands out. Prior to using this shampoo, conditioner, and smooth force lotion spray, I was only using styling creams and the shades EQ from Redken. I had used Redken shampoo years ago and found that the line I was using wasn’t giving my hair life. So I switched… I’m back now. I have been using this combo for a month now… this combo is giving my hair life. I have wavy/curly/frizzy hair and it is SO hard to maintain my hairstyle on a hot summer day in San Diego. With the Frizz Dismiss line.. it’s possible. Thank YOU! My review is all about the shampoo, conditioner, and smooth force lotion spray. These products are all SULFATE free. So, if you are one of my clients reading this, yes, this is color safe, so feel free to buy it and use it if you feel this fits your hair needs. I really think this line has a great scent! I washed my hair and after walking by, my siblings kept saying something smelled really good. Turns out it was my hair… the scent isn’t fruity, it’s more floral! Frizz dismiss includes Aquatoril which is a molecule that fights humidity and will lock in moisture. Nothing feels better than smooth, luscious hair on a hot and humid day! Let’s control our frizz ladies!  Pictured here is the shampoo which sells for $18.50 (10.1 oz) at Ulta.
The shampoo lathers well, smells amazing;
cleaned my hair and did not leave any buildup!
Pictured here is the conditioner which sells for $19.50 (8.5 oz) at Ulta.
The conditioner smells amazing and is really moisturizing!
My hair felt very smooth after my shower. Also world as a great detangler.
Pictured here is the smooth force lotion spray & sells for $22 (5 oz) at Ulta.
As the bottle claims, this spray is lightweight and that’s how I like my sprays.
My long hair was so thirsty for this… and it puts my frizz to shame.

*What I personally love most about this product is that it keeps the frizz at bay, yet defines my waves, which means that I don’t have to use gel or mousse on my hair the following day. If you like to apply heat to your hair, you will find that your hair feels a lot smoother and even if it is hot and humid, my hair maintains it’s curl/wave when I use the spray. If I don’t use the spray, my hair does not cooperate and I’m back to my frizzy fro… not cute.

PROS: smells great, lathers, cleans.. love the packaging.

CONS: can be a little pricy.

AVAILABILITY:  Ulta

RATING: 4.7/5

FTC:  These are PR samples. I am not obligated to write this review, nor do I get paid to do so– I speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Thank you for reading. Xo!

Tuna a la Bun | Recipe + Photos

Hey Everyone! Thank you for tuning in as always! 🙂
Today’s post features another food recipe. Food Friday… YAY! For this easy to make recipe, you’ll need the following items on hand
along with a bowl and can opener:
tuna
olive oil
dill pickles
pitted olives
tomato paste
hamburger buns
chick peas/ garbanzo beans
This is an incredibly fast lunch or dinner fix and it tastes yummy. I personally dislike seafood, with the exception of shrimp.. but this recipe makes eating tuna enjoyable since we’ve added ingredients with flavor. HOW TO:

1. place your bowl and your cutting board nearby
2. open all of the cans using the can opener
3. drain the water from the chick peas, tuna, and olives
4. empty the tuna into the bowl
5. finely chop 10 dill pickles
6. chop a handful of olives into small pieces
7. now add the chick peas and the chopped up olives & pickles into the bowl
8. mix the ingredients together & add olive oil along with salt & pepper for added flavor.
9. now, you’ll need 3 table spoons of the tomato paste.
10. add olive oil to the tomato paste and mix well to create the sauce.
11. you’re now ready to spread the tomato sauce onto the hamburger buns.
12. after you have the sauce on your bun, apply the tuna mix.
13. fill up all your buns… I was able to fit 8 on a platter. pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.
    here i’ve added the sauce to the buns   and i’ve now added the tuna mix to the buns.
    place the buns into your oven rack for 20 minutes @ 325 degrees.
    ok. 20 minutes are over. time to eat:)
    I hope you all give this quick and easy recipe a try. If you try it, let me know 🙂 If you changed it up, let me know what you left out or added. Until next time, xoxo!

Touring San Diego | OB + Sunset Cliffs.

Hey Everyone! Thank you for tuning in as always! 🙂
Today’s post features some of San Diego’s fave spots!

Every once in a while, after a long and busy week.. it’s always nice to go unwind. And what better way to unwind and relax at a place that you’ve never been before. I have lived in San Diego for 12 years and had never seen Sunset Cliffs or OB (in person that is).. I had seen photos!

Gotta love a beautiful sunset and a long walk exploring my city.  What are your favorite spots in San Diego? I’d love to know!

Mani Monday ~ Essie ‘Tart Deco’ – Photos & Review :)

Hey Everyone! Thank you for tuning in as always! 🙂
Today’s post features a nail polish from Essie! As summer is nearing it’s end, I’m changing up my nails and really loving the brighter colors. Tart Deco is a beautiful coral shade perfect for summer! This shade is definitely more orange than it is pink. I think this color would look great on all skin tones, but especially if you have a lovely tan going on, or if you’re blessed with a darker skin tone. I’m Casper white.. literally.

Overall, I’m really liking this shade, but I’m giving it a lower rate overall because I felt that the consistency of this nail polish was a little off… it’s not the same as all the other Essie polishes I’ve purchased. It seems as this one is very runny and two coats are definitely necessary. As always, I use the CND base coat and CND top coat. As for the longevity, I was able to get 4 days without any chipping, usually I can go a week, maybe I was washing too many dishes or it goes back to the consistency of this specific nail polish. All in all, I still love this color and will continue to wear it!

PROS: love the color, great color selection, beautiful shine.

CONS:  streaky, formula of this color was slightly disappointing.

PRICE: $8.50

AVAILABILITY:  Essie, Kohls 

RATING: 4/5

FTC:  This nail polish was purchased by me. I am not obligated to write this review, nor do I get paid to do so– I speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Thank you for reading. Xo!

Fall 2015 Fashion Trends with Neiman Marcus!

Hey Everyone! Thank you for tuning in as always! 🙂
Today’s post features Neiman Marcus’ take on the upcoming trends for Fall! Fur, whether faux or real is most definitely making its comeback. On the first photo, the model is rocking the Marbled Fox Fur Vest by Brunello Cucinelli.

          For men, black and red seemed to be a recurring pattern. Check out the Graduate Cabernet Sud Jean in the color red by AG.

                              
White Out: Wearing white and piling up on the jewels and pearls is a BIG yes this Fall. As for make-up trends, berry lips, feathery brows, and gold lids are essential this upcoming season!
          

Can we all just take a minute to stare at this gorgeous bag by Valentino?!
My Rockstud Striped Satchel Bag, Rubin Multi

Or how about this gorgeous clutch from Fendi… so perfect for a night out.
Baguette Medium Calf Shoulder Bag w/Crystal Strap, Black

So when you are out shopping these next few weeks and preparing your fall wardrobe, remember that wearing white is defintiely a great and fashionable choice along with red. If you’re wearing all white, add some color when it comes to picking out your jewelry… the pop of color will pull your look together. Lots and lots of layering this season… ohh and fringe. Saddle bags and flared jeans are making a comeback, but do remember to wear your flared jeans/pants will a chunky heel. Try to stay away from stilettos, sandals, or flip flops while wearing flared jeans.