Fall collections have rolled out in perfect timing with my Southeast Asian vacation! A few of my closest girlfriends planned this vacation months ago, but I've actually been stressed out about it because I've been so busy lately! To decompress a little, I swung by Nordstrom to pick up some new color and stock up on essentials. I’m so pleased with everything that I chose that I had to share!
Now that I'm in my own element and nearly done settling in, I'm back on a roll and so happy to be! My office space isn't perfectly organized and it's by no means picture perfect just yet, but I hope you enjoy this sneak peek into my new apartment. I have some fun interior design videos in the works, but in the meantime, stay tuned for my upcoming weight loss update and meal plan video! xo
Since I couldn't include all the Tokyo beauty goodies in my new haul video, I decided to share some here! Lots of you requested swatches of the gorgeous cobalt blue Chanel Vibrato nail polish. Yes, it is similar to Dior's Sailor, but the Chanel formula is better. Some cobalt blues can be tricky to apply but Vibrato is silky smooth and creamy without feeling heavy or clumpy. Perfect in 2 quick coats. I highly, highly recommend it! I swatched it next to ADDICTION's Blue Moon, which is more navy in real life and has a slightly translucent jelly finish (as seen below) that is prone to bubbling. I love Blue Moon nonetheless, but Vibrato is brighter and barely requires any clean up around the cuticles because it's that easy to apply. If you live in the USA, don't fret because it is rumored to be released in the United States in September!
ADDICTION on LEFT (ring finger). Please forgive my super dry cuticles! I need to go get a manicure.
A couple of you asked how much less Commes de Garçons PLAY clothing is in Tokyo. I will update this post when I find the receipts. I stashed them away for safekeeping but forgot where. I believe I saved approximately 20% when factoring in Los Angeles tax. It's not a bargain by any means, but it is significantly cheaper considering that CdG Play never goes on sale! The quality is worth the splurge. I do know for sure that the clothes at Uniqlo were half the price of everything they charge in the USA. I bought tees for $5 apiece and awesome comfy pants for about $25 each! Even budget buys like Uniqlo in Japan are so much better in terms of quality — and fit for shorties like me — than your run-of-the-mill Forever21 items (which are absurdly overpriced these days). In general, clothing that is worth the money is hard to come by now! I was lucky enough to go right as the sales were starting, so I also found a few skirts at a steep discount.
March has been a fabulous month on all counts! I'm steadily maintaing my weight of 105 pounds, hitting the gym 3x a week and eating as healthy as possible. I only eat red meat 2x a week or less and fill up on seafood and brown rice and zucchini noodles. I am truly enjoying the lifestyle change and am optimistic for my progress this year. Oftentimes, however, I find myself wishing for more hours in a day because my puppy Beau is growing up too fast. I posted more photos of him on Instagram, and he actually made a cameo in one of my videos earlier this month! I'm also creeping nearer and nearer to my 26th birthday, which feels nerve-racking yet exciting all at once. I was told time after time that the mid to late-twenties years would fly by, but I never anticipated how true that would be! Anyway, I hope you will enjoy discovering new products with this Hits & Misses episode because there are so many incredible releases to discuss.
Beautylish brought in the phenomenal Saikoho white goat Takumi brush series, and it may very well become my favorite collection for daily use. If you are a working professional in the beauty industry often, the Takumi series is a must-have! They're also ideal for those who travel a lot. I only reviewed my top 3 picks from the lineup, but I will work on a comprehensive blog review in the next couple weeks. Since the episode was getting a little too long, I had to cut out the MAC x Nordstrom Naturals Eyeshadow Palette (worn below), Shu Uemura Blanc Chroma Cleansing Oil and the Marc by Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Crème, but I will be sure to include the latter two in my April Haul video! Have fun but stay out of trouble on April Fool's! xo
The color of the season is neutral. I have seen it all over Nordstrom's beauty department, where every beauty ad is featuring minimal makeup in nude, neutral color palettes. That is why I will be sharing the best nudes and pinks to deep rose and soft violet-hued makeup in my collection today! My top 10 picks after the jump xo
Glittery eyeshadow looks are all the rage right now, but I wanted to take a different route and show you a quick preview of Chanel's drop-dead gorgeous, feminine Spring 2015 collection instead! The holidays might seem like an odd time for the Parisian garden theme with pastel metallic mint nails, but this look is incredibly flattering and perfect for photos! Be unique and try branching out this NYE. The Darling Pink liquid lipstick, by the way, lasts through food and drink so I highly recommend it. I paired the makeup with big loose waves using NuMe's Curl Jam Set and a trendy chunky turtleneck sweater. Hope you enjoy the tutorial!
October has been a successful haul month! This episode has a little bit of everything from drugstore skin care to flattering fitness clothing to Chanel Holiday makeup, so I hope you'll appreciate the variety! I tried my best to incorporate only the best and most memorable from my loot. I also wore a couple of pieces from Anna Beck (see above), the new jewelry line I have fallen head over heels for! AB jewelry is beautiful, comfortable, and totally collectible. Rounding out this month's haul, however, is Chanel Holiday 2014 makeup which includes the elusive Reve d'Orient eyeshadow palette and the phenomenal new Rouge Allure Lip Glosses! Hope you enjoy xo
London is now officially my favorite travel destination. I love the architecture more than words can convey, and there is just so much history to explore! I spent the bulk of my 'tourist' time at Westminster Abbey, which was breathtakingly beautiful. We even got some very sneaky albeit shaky footage of the interior! Unfortunately, I do not have a vlogging camera, but I will look into purchasing one soon because lugging around my DSLR was pretty painful. For that reason alone, I was not able to capture as much footage of the city as I had hoped. That is why in addition to the vlog, I decided to create and share this London Photo Diary!
The highlight of my trip was the Burberry runway experience. I finally got to meet and watch the incredibly down-to-earth, talented Wendy Rowe in action.. twice! At the Spring Summer 2015 Beauty Look Preview, she walked us through the new products. I am absolutely loving the Effortless Brow Pencil and Fresh Glow Powder Foundation, both which will likely launch in America in a few months or so.
The 'Birds and The Bees' runway show was magical, with live music by James Bay. I was lucky enough to go backstage, so make sure to watch the vlog (at the end of this post) to see clips of Wendy Rowe and the gorgeous models!
The marvelous views in London took my breath away. I wish I could have taken better photos, but I hope these iPhone snaps will suffice! I plan to take a few days to visit more sites like Buckingham Palace next time. We passed the Trafalgar Square a couple times, but I alway seemed to miss my photo opportunities. I was so impressed by its grandeur!
Now for the food journal.. many of you know how much I love to eat. First up is Amorino! Rose-sculpted gelato on a cone. Need I say more? Next up is Balthazar, where I had the yummiest escargot and seafood pasta! Definitely visit this romantic brasserie for dinner. Then we have Petrus. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Gordon Ramsay? My London trip was planned last-minute, so I was unable to book Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Petrus, however, was a pleasant surprise! Each course was plated to perfection, and every element was as tasty as it looked! Hawksmoor is another lovely restaurant you should visit when traveling to London, especially if you love steak.
All the buses stopped for a mile!
I am already planning another trip to London in 2015 — most likely for my birthday — and will do my best to shoot the entire adventure. Vlogging outdoors in front of strangers makes me feel awkward and super self-conscious, but I will try to walk/talk you through my days! Please let me know if you'd like to see more of these vlogs!
