Tag: lifestyle

Peel Off Mask & Moisturizing Oils Review

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Boscia Mask

Over the years, I’ve grown tired of applying a mask and having to rinse my face over and over to get it off so I was really interested in trying a peel off mask. I really love the fact that I can just peel this mask off my face. Whoever came up with this idea is a godsend. That being said, I don’t see many other benefits of this mask besides the fact that it’s so easy to remove because I can peel it off. The peeling process itself is not as painful as some of the “black mask peel off” Youtube videos would have you think, especially if you follow the directions on the packaging. However, you do need to keep the mask away from your hairline and/or facial hair (peach fuzz) because you don’t want to cause yourself any unnecessary pain. You also need to keep the mask away from your eyes. The directions say not to apply the mask above your orbital bone and take my advice on this… DO NOT APPLY ABOVE YOUR ORBITAL BONE! You want to apply the mask on your cheeks and nose but if you get too close to your eyes, your eyes will sting and start to water. I kind of feel like I’m wasting product when I’m applying the mask because you have to use enough to get an opaque layer on your face but you can’t just rub it all on like you would a normal mask since you have to be careful where it goes. A brush of some sort would be better for application purposes. And like I said, I don’t see a real benefit of the mask that justifies the $34 price tag.

Luna Sleeping Oil & Farsali Rose Gold Elixir

Both of these oils are amazing. They are extremely moisturizing without leaving you with that greasy feeling. The Rose Gold Elixir is a little oilier than the Luna oil though. They are both very easy to apply and all you need is three drops of oil to get the job done. They are both about $55 which is considered expensive (to me) but since you don’t need much, it makes me feel better about spending that much money. Obviously the Luna Sleeping Oil is to be used at night, whereas the Rose Gold Elixir can be used in the morning and at night. I use the Rose Gold Elixir in the morning and the Luna oil at night right now. But if I were to travel, I would only bring the Rose Gold Elixir since I can use it twice a day.

I will definitely buy the Farsali Rose Gold Elixir and the Luna Sleeping Oil again. I will keep buying peel off masks but I may keep shopping around before I settle on one. I have the PÜR Blue Agave mask on my list of things to try. Maybe I’ll see more benefits from that one.

Wedding Etiquette Mistakes

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Over the weekend, I did some research on wedding etiquette. And I was a little shocked to find out that some things that I have seen other people and/or was considering doing are deemed poor etiquette. I figured I would share this information because a lot of brides are doing the wedding planning thing for the very first time so most etiquette mistakes are made because the bride didn’t know better, not because she was trying to be rude.

Unplugged ceremonies

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I’ll admit that this was something that I was seriously considering doing at my ceremony. I thought the cute little signs about being present and putting the phones away until the reception were cute. But apparently, they are extremely passive aggressive and snooty. It’s a wedding, not a classroom. So your guests shouldn’t feel like they are being treated like children. That being said, this trend of “unplugging” has risen due to brides (and grooms) “need” to say something that they shouldn’t have to say. If that makes sense…

Specifying the Attire

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Even though you may want to give people a reminder of the suggested attire for your event, it’s rude to do so for two reasons. Continue reading →

Lemon Asparagus Pasta w/Chicken

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Here is yet another recipe that I found on Pinterest. I like pasta, I like asparagus and I’m okay with lemons, so I figured I would try it. I did make one kind of big mistake though. I must have glossed over the part where the recipe said that the chicken would need to be grilled prior to making this dish. I don’t have a grill or a grill pan (but they are on my wedding registry) so I just through the chicken in a regular pan and cooked it. So I’m pretty sure that this meal would’ve tasted ten times better if I had actually grilled the chicken first. Other than that minor issue, the recipe was very easy to make. And it lasted for a very long time. My fiancé went out of town for a work trip and I literally had 1 ½ weeks’ worth of food. Also, one serving of this recipe is less than 400 calories. I’m counting calories now (can’t eat more than 1200 a day) so that’s really important to me nowadays.

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INGREDIENTS
  • 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into strips
  • 1 pound of asparagus, ends removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 10 ounces of linguine pasta (spaghetti or fettuccine will also work)
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
  • Optional garnishes: lemon slices and ¼ cup chopped parsley

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NYX Cream Highlight & Contour Palette Review

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A couple of weeks ago, I needed to restock my Clarins products. Since I order my Clarins products from a department store online, I always look for a new makeup product to try because you never know what you may find. This time around, I found the NYX Cream Highlight & Contour Palette. It was only $15 so I figured it’s not too much of a loss if I don’t like it. But I actually like it a lot.

Cream vs. Powder

I typically contour my face with a powder blush from MAC called Blunt. So I was eager to see if a cream contour worked better or worse than what I was already using. Right now, I’m liking both cream and powder products so I don’t really have a preference. But I do see a difference between the two types when I wear them.

Dull Highlight or Wrong Color?

I don’t use the highlight portion of this palette very much because it didn’t show up very well on my skin. Continue reading →

Tory Burch Miller Sandals

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I finally got them!

Back in June, I listed the Tory Burch Miller sandals as one of the five things I wanted to buy before the summer ended. These sandals were actually a “just because” gift from my fiancé. He tried to surprise me with a pair of snakeskin Miller sandals but the pair that he bought was just a little bit too small. When we went back to the store to exchange them, they didn’t have the pair that he had purchased in my size. So I ended up having him exchange for the nude pair instead. To his surprise, he was able to get some money back AND I got the pair of sandals that I really wanted.

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New Designer

As I said in the “5 Things I Want to Buy This Summer” post, I didn’t have anything from Tory Burch. No shoes, no handbags, nothing. So I’m very excited about my first Tory Burch item. It’s always cool when you make your first purchase somewhere (even though I didn’t buy these, I’m taking credit for the purchase). Sometimes I feel like my whole wardrobe came from the same place and that can be annoying. So it’s refreshing to be able to broaden your horizons with new stores/designers. Continue reading →

Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Damier Azur

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Last weekend I bought my third Louis Vuitton bag (fourth LV item overall). I really wanted the Montaigne MM and I was able to try it on, but I ultimately decided on buying another Speedy 30 in a different canvas.

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Another Speedy

Top handle bags are my absolute favorite type of handbag. And the Speedy bags are the most iconic Louis Vuitton bag and they are definitely the brand’s most iconic top handle. And I freaking LOVE the bag. I love the shape, I love the size, I love the look… I just really adore everything about the Speedy as a whole. Since I am building a collection, I have always entertained the idea of having a Speedy in all three canvases: Damier Ebene, Damier Azur, and Monogram. Plus, Lux_Mommy (one of my favorite YouTubers/Snapchatters) has said that the best way to build a versatile collection is to: get a top handle in every canvas, a shoulder bag in every canvas, and so on.

Damier Azur

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My favorite Louis Vuitton canvas is Damier Ebene. But it would be redundant to have a collection of Louis Vuitton bags that were all the same canvas. Continue reading →

5 Things That Are Helping Me Plan My Wedding

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I’ve had to take a brief break from posting due to my schedule being overloaded with extra work (I got a promotion) and wedding planning (things are moving really fast now). I’ve had to start juggling all of the things going on in my life during these past few weeks so the blog had to take a backseat for a little bit. But I know I have a few brides and/or potential brides who read my blog, so I figured I would share the five things that I have been using to help me plan my wedding without having my head explode.

Pinterest

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Pinterest is my digital vision board for my wedding. If I need to visualize something regarding décor or attire, Pinterest is my go-to app/website. The main reason why I love it so much is because even if I’m not on Pinterest at the moment, I can still pin things to my wedding board from YouTube, The Knot, Buzzfeed, random sites, etc. I find things everywhere, so it’s great to be able to store it all in one place.

The Knot

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The Knot (app/website/magazine) is something you literally have no use for if you aren’t planning a wedding. I only got familiar with this site after my engagement but it is a godsend. I can find articles about wedding tips, Q&As, vendors, dresses, etc. I could keep listing things but basically any tool you’d ever need to plan a wedding is featured on The Knot. Continue reading →

My Top 5 MAC Lipsticks

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I have quite a few MAC lipsticks in my makeup collection. I would say I have at least twenty and I’m still adding to that. These are my five favorite MAC lipsticks that I’ve collected thus far. They’re not in any particular order, I change my mind too much for that. Plus, I love them all equally but for different reasons. Enjoy!

Up the Amp (Amplified)

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100 Followers!

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Hey everyone!

I’ve reached my first milestone/achievement today! 100 followers!

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I’ve been blogging sporadically for about 2 years but I didn’t get consistent with it until late last year. Apparently that consistency is paying off.

I want to thank each and every one of my readers. Your comments, “likes”, and views mean a lot to me.

I really appreciate your support!

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

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Okay I finally tried another Pinterest recipe, so I can actually post the ingredients and instructions today. I made this on one of the weeks when I really didn’t feel like cooking anything. I hadn’t cooked a real meal for a few days and I was feeling bad for my fiancé so I turned to Pinterest for a basic chicken recipe. I was lucky to find this recipe already on one of my Pinterest boards because I already had all of the ingredients at home so I wouldn’t need to make a stop at the grocery store (thank GOD!).

Baked chicken doesn’t really excite my taste buds like a juicy steak would so that makes me less excited about cooking it, but this recipe actually surprised me. It didn’t taste like regular baked chicken. It was more fun to make and more fun to eat. I just served it with white rice and some canned green beans that I’ve been trying to get rid of for a while (I want to use fresh or frozen veggies only).

Ingredients
  • ½ cup Mayonnaise
  • ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets.
  • 4-5 teaspoons Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • pinch of salt

Continue reading →