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Handwritten font - 6PM



Hi there,
I've always had a fascination with fonts, especially handwritten ones. Similar to my previous 5PM font, this was made around 6PM and finished right before 7.
Making my own font has always been a lot of fun so there it is, my 6PM font that is free for download


It's a quick fun font! I hope everyone has fun with it!

All for now,

What's In My Bag - GG Marmont Matelassé Mini Bag


A few months ago, I decided to purchase the Gucci GG Marmont Matelassé Mini Bag.
The bag retails at $980 which when deciding between this bag and the Gucci Disco bag that retails at $1190, I decided to go with this one. With Gucci seemingly raising the prices (The Gucci Disco bag was $980 when I saw it for the very first time), I had to get it quick - or that was my reasoning to make sure I got it lol.

The bag comes in multiple sizes and because I was in need of a smaller black bag that I would wear with leggings - let's face it, I mostly wear leggings so black was a must need color in my closet. I'm not quite sure why I don't have that many black bags.
Seeing all the bloggers and influencers get this bag ages ago, I was a bit behind trend but I needed a staple for my closet more than just to follow whatever trend was going on.

The description on Gucci's website is: 'The mini GG Marmont chain shoulder bag has a softly structured shape and a zip top closure with Double G hardware. The chain shoulder strap has a leather shoulder detail. Made in matelassé leather with a chevron design and GG on the back.'

Honestly, if I knew how much I would be using this bag, I would've bought it right when it came out.
I have been using this bag almost EVERY SINGLE DAY ever since I bought it - Louis Vuitton who? JK - but really though...

So I thought it would be necessary to show what's in my bag every day, in a way, also showing what fits in this tiny bag.


It's safe to say my essentials fit perfectly in this bag. However when I add my phone in, it's a big of a snug but it can still be closed without having to force it in.



My wallet - Louis Vuitton Monogram Pocket Organizer which I may or may not have bought just to fit this bag. Oops. Honestly this wallet is under the men's category which I hate because I think it's more of a unisex wallet. All my cards fit perfectly inside and closes nicely without having to unzip or button anything. You can just flip it open and pull out your cards. 



My keys - LV Upside Down Illustré Bag Charm and Key Holder. The key chain is more of a bag charm - also under the men's category. I guess when it comes to smaller accessorizes, they list it all under the men's? lol. Well it's pretty big which was perfect for people who tend to leave their keys just about everywhere, it's perfect to just reach in a bag and grab it right out. I joke that I could probably put a cocktail on it since it's the size of a coaster.





My sunglasses - Gucci 57mm Square Sunglasses. Last season Gucci was hitting all the right notes with every single one of their products. Honestly being from someone who owns nothing from them to wanting everything from their collections, they've done an amazing job! These cover up my whole face which is perfect for anyday and with Houston's sun, I need it! (The prices seem to keep bumping up for these too)






My Perfume - Commodity's Mimosa 
My all time favorite brand Commodity truly comes out with the best scents. I love the smell of oranges and honestly who doesn't like mimosas? If you're not sure about the scents, they have testers that you can purchase before committing to a full or travel size bottle but honestly, I love all their scents so it's hard to pick just one, believe me.
This goes with my everywhere and just a few spray lasts forever, having me smell like oranges - in the best way.






My lipbalm - Smith's Strawberry Lip balm. OMG. One of the best lipbalms hands down. They come in tubes like this or little tin cans that you can apply with your finger. Personally, this fits me so much better since it's easy and fast. The smell is amazing and it makes your lips heavenly soft. I mean who can complain when your lips smells and tastes like strawberries?








Everything fits in perfectly with a bit of room to spare





I'm definately more of a dress as casual as possible type of person so if this bag can go with everything from leggings and sneakers to dresses and heels, it's an amazing investment. The bag to me also isn't tacky in a way that it shows off the brand just enough. I've never really been a huge fan of chains on bags hence why all my bags are leather straps but for some reason, the amount of chain on this one gives it a nice pop so you can dress up or down with it.

Black V-Neck T-Shirt: link // link
Black Jeans: link // link
Stan Smith Sneakers: link // link
Gucci GG Marmont Matelassé Mini Bag: link 


All for now,


Sephora PLAY! LUXE Vol. 1 Review


As a monthly subcriber of the Sephora Play! Subcription box. I just had to get every special edition of the play box as it’s released.

The PLAY! LUXE box came out 2 days ago and you could get early access through their Sephora app. Being a Rouge gives me free 2 day shipping and because the LUXE edition was $25, I was able to get a deluxe sample along with my order.

I placed my order and got the package in the mail today, exactly 2 days after. Honestly now, 2 days seems like a life time compared to before when you had to wait 5-7 business days just to receive a package - oh I do not miss those times.

Since the products in all Sephora PLAY! boxes are supposed to be a secret. If you bought this box and want to be surprised by what's inside, stop reading now! 

This is my honest review as I paid for this LUXE edition.



The PLAY! LUXE comes in a pink faux leather pouch. Much like jewelry carriers, there’s a string to wrap around it which isn’t exactly the most secure way to close something but it holds it together.

Shiny pink faux leather pouch
 The PLAY! LUXE box includes:
  •  Giorgio Armani makeup product
  •  Guerlain makeup product
  •  Yves Saint Laurent makeup product
  •  La Mer skincare product
  •  SK-II Skincare product
  •  Atelier Cologne fragrance
  •  Special-edition beauty bag
  •  Collectible set of cards


So let's start with the Giorgio Armani Makeup product.
It's the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara (Link to product)


I myself am a huge Giorgio Armani makeup fan and I die for their cc cream. This mascara was pretty amazing. I don't have long lashes so I can't say it made my lashes longer but it certainly went on well as it didn't clump together and the brush glides on softly.


Next is the Guerlain makeup product - Guerlain L'Or Radiance Primer (Link to product)


Who said diamonds are a girl's best friend? In this case, gold definitely is a girl's best friend. This tiny sample really had me falling in love with the brand. The primer is luxurious even down to the price point as a full size of this baby will cost you a good $74 - but you get what you pay for in some cases. The primer is lightweight and will make you look radiant -  I mean you should, for that price?!


Yves Saint Laurent makeup product - Yves Saint Laurent Plump Up Glossy Stain (Link to product)


I've been a bit spoiled when it comes to lipstick ever since I found out about lipstick that lasts forever but I do appreciate a good red lip gloss when I see one. I love Yves Saint Laurent's packaging and I think we can all agree that this tiny container of lipgloss sample might last you longer than you'll think. The formula goes on smoothly and the red is a bright red, perfect for a night out during summer.


La Mer skincare product - La Mer The Eye Concentrate (Link to product)


La Mer products are notoriously expensive in the skincare world. I bought their full line one time and it cost me more than I would like to mention. I ended up not falling in love with their products and gave it to my mom who loves and swears by it. I think age might have a factor to do with how well their products work for you. This eye concentrate if you buy the full size will come with a little applicator that works really well for eye wrinkles. However, with this sample, you'll have to make do with just your finger.


SK-II skincare product - SK-II R.N.A Power Radical New Age Cream (Link to product)


Much like La Mer, SK-II prices are also high so this would be a great sample to try out the product before you spend your money getting a full sized one. You only need a tiny bit of product to cover your entire face so this sample isn't too crazily tiny. I think it's super moisturizing but again, because I have acne prone skin, I have been scared to try out new products because being so sensitive, I've broken out due to SK-II products before. However, my mom loves this brand and many ladies I know swear it makes their skin look more radiant.


Atelier Cologne - Iris Rebelle (Link to product)

To be completely honest, this is probably my least favorite item in the box. I like the packaging of this brand but the smell itself is too musky for me and it reminds me more of moss and grass than it does of iris. 

The PLAY! LUXE package also comes with cards explaining each product and not really sure how collectible it would be - more of a clutter to me but it's still a nice luxe touch to the package.

The item itself is sold out on Sephora but if you get a chance, here is the link to it and it's $25 + tax, free shipping if you have rouge and you can also get another deluxe sample that offer with $25 purchases. So it's like getting 7 deluxe samples ;)
However, if it really is sold out, I wouldn't say you're missing out on much.






All for now,







FREE Valentine's Day Print Out Cards

To me, Valentine's Day has always been an unofficial official holiday, ranked in my Top 3 favorite unofficial holidays right after Halloween.

Yes, I know it is widely recognized and celebrated but we don't exactly get the day off to go find our loved ones chocolates or flowers. We still wake up, go through our busy days and sometimes, we forget that Valentine's Day is next week, tomorrow or even today!

Now I don't know about you but forgetting to get your significant other something for Valentine's day for many is almost the same as forgetting an anniversary. But you know, life happens.

I was talking to my friend's little brother and he had no idea when Valentine's Day was, he thought it was on Thursday this year and I've seen many adults make the same mistake. 

That's why, I've whipped up some fast, and I do mean fast as in you can print it at work, school, even at the local Fedex right before you get home. 
It's free, it's fast, all you have to do is click on the link at the end, download the pdf file (this is so the image won't be pixelated), save the card to your computer then print it out!
You could also right click on directly on the image, open image as new tab but the resolutions would not be as good.


I have been in love with Instagram's and Facebook's heart shape and color since they came out. They picked the perfect shape and the perfect shade for the emoji.
So in a world where social media takes up such a huge chunk of our daily life, we should probably reassure our loved ones that we'd "like" their photos right? 
I mean, is it real love if we don't double tap their 2359th selfie or their 120931st food post even though they were right in front of us?
I DON'T THINK SO!

Reassure them with this Facebook inspired heart card that makes sure they know we'll DOUBLE TAP their photo any day!
If you're feeling spontaneous, here's a folded heart version where you can cut up the shape of the heart and then fold, or you could just fold the paper in half and get 2 hearts on the front and back.
Go crazy, be creative!



I used to hate the sweetheart candies because they tasted like chalk to me, well I still hate them now but you can't deny that the pastel colors and the way the words are printed on makes such cute photos, especially for Valentine's Day!
Since both of these were inspired by those tiny chalk feeling candy hearts, just follow the guidelines and cut the 2 hearts out then fold in the middle.






All 3 of the designs can be downloaded on any paper, any rectangular shaped.
In my honest opinion, if you can, download them on card stock paper so it will look nice and thick and won't be too flimsy. Keep in mind these are to be the outside so be sure to right a cute little note on the inside so when they open up the card, there is a sweet message waiting for them inside!

Links are posted here
  1. I'd Double Tap You
  2. I'd Double Tap You folded
  3. Hey folded
  4. XOXO folded

Have fun!
Happy Valentine's Day!



H2O+ beauty products & Foreo's "Save The Sea" luna mini 2



A few weeks ago, I entered an Instagram contest from H2O+ beauty and Foreo; where if I won, I would get five products from H2O+ and a special edition Foreo Luna Mini 2.
I was so excited to actually WIN the items from the giveaway!!

I’m all for skincare simply because I think it’s so important for us to take care of ourselves and make sure our skin stays healthy.
Personally, I’ve always had skin problems since high school, so I’ve been trying countless different products to find the right one for my skin so you know I HAD to do a review about this new product on my blog! What better way to start off the school year than with nice, glowing skin, especially after all the long nights of staying awake during summer?


SEPHORA 500 POINTS REWARD | DIOR

There have been so many complaints about Sephora's rewards system.

One of the new 500 points reward




Basically, how the system works is for every dollar you spend, you get a point.
It sounds good ideally but to claim something as small as a sample size product, you have to have at least 100 points meaning you've spent at least $100 on products.
To be honest, $100 on make up and/or skin care products is no biggie because they can cost a lot of money.
But then, every month, Sephora gives you these 250 points which are usually perfumes or 500 points which are a collection of deluxe samples from a brand. That's where your points can fly off really fast.



I have over 2000 points saved up in my account because honestly, there really has been anything that I wanted to spend my points on - for the 500 mark that is.

Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip - Liquid lipstick that will literally stick with you till the end!

DROP EVERYTHING GUYS.
This is a huge game changer!

lipstick that doesn't rub off!


I used to hate lipstick because they would get so messy, I would have lipstick on my sleeves, on my coffee cups and on every single napkin after I eat. The worst part about it is that the color rubs off so you would have to constantly apply it which means you'll always have to carry your lipstick where ever you go. Not that lipsticks weigh like 10 thousand pounds and you'll have to pick that or your organs - It's a pain if you are like me and don't want to carry anything but your phone so you can skip the bag check lines.

Honestly, I've been trying so many different brands and I still haven't found the perfect lipstick that would stay forever.
That is, until I found Beauty Bakerie's liquid lipsticks or lip whips.
I'm guessing you may have seen a bunch of beauty clips on Instagram showing how after the lipstick dries, it does not budge; not even under water (enough with the "take your date to go swimming joke" since make up doesn't even wash away anymore. LOL).
Let me tell you something, NO ONE and I mean NO ONE posted the name of the lipstick brand so I spent a good few weeks trying to find the name with ridiculous searches like "lipstick that doesn't smudge" or "liquid lipstick that dries matte" - none really gave me the result I wanted until one day, I happen to stumble on their own Instagram page.
THANK THE INTERNET GOD.


Complaints - Nike Thea running shoes from UO

     I honestly complain way too much that I should probably just start a segment for my complaints!

     So recently, I've been shopping for new sneakers since the last time I bought new sneakers was probably a year ago (valid excuse I believe)
     Nike has always had my favorite sneakers (though I have watched the documentaries about there factories) but they are expensive!
     I've gone through my fair share of runners, roshes, air maxes, internationalists and everything in between. I'm not completely sure if the Thea is new but I've only seen it recently and I love the form of it! It honestly feels like a mix between air max and a bit of nike free. I LOVE IT!

I decided to place my order after debating between which color I should've gotten since they had a pretty lavender color (spoiler alert I bought that as well so I will review that too) and grays and a whole bunch of my favorite colors. I ended up buying some that were labeled "mint" and I do love my mint blue colors so I thought it was the shoe for me. Oh boy if only I knew what I had just ordered for $90 + tax!


Grumpy Bunny

Hey, just wanted to show off very quickly my guinea pig.
I have a slight problem when it comes to pets is that I am OBSESSED with buying them seasonal items wether it's treats or outfits!

I don't think I uploaded one for Christmas but here is Bun Bun in his Easter Bunny costume!

A photo posted by the ✿ Pink Sushi ✿ (@pinksushi) on

Let me tell you, he hated every moment of his glam photo shoots!
However, the best thing about it is that he's so busy eating the grass, he won't move so you won't have to worry about him scurrying somewhere when you're trying to find that perfect angle (Still, do watch your guinea pigs closely since they can escape pretty fast!)
Follow me on instagram for more quick updates!
Happy Easter,



All for now,


Memebox Korean Face Masks - First Thoughts

     I think for beauty products, many on the affordable side and some on the high-end side, Korean beauty products would be the best. For me, being Asian and having the skin type, I feel like K-beauty products suit me more than French brands or American brands. I'm not sure if it's because of the way skin types work or I sometimes feel like Koreans are truly leading when it comes to beauty supplies. 
     However, I'm not a big fan of the whole whitening or do I believe in the face slimming products that everyone in Asia seems to be obsessed with. I think I draw the line there where it comes to fixing how your natural body is. Of course, I hate acne and having to battle acne ever since I was in high school, I'm very cautious when every single product I put on my face. Sometimes, a $200 mask doesn't work as well as a $2 mask but I think it varies between brands and of course skin types. 
     For me personally, I've tried countless moisturizers ranging from $500 to $60 and I finally found one that doesn't (hasn't) irritate my skin and actually does what it's supposed to do without the side effects. I think for masks, it's a little bit cheaper although I'm pretty sure the total amount of money I've spent on face masks would probably be able to put me through college now. OOPS.

     So, I recently found this online(?) store called memebox, really rather randomly - I was looking for subscription boxes and stumbled across someone's review about a sheet mask box they ordered. Since K-beauty finally hit the states and have been highly popular last year, I thought why not get some (very cute) face masks to pamper myself - my routine is normally when you're in the shower and it's all steamy, the steam is supposed to help open up your pores which helps your skin absorb more minerals(?) - so I wash my face in the shower then the moment I get out, I put on a sheet mask or any mask. For me, I get the best results this way.

I read a lot of reviews and comments before making any purchases on any online store simply because I don't want to wait forever to finally receive something that is incorrect. I stumbled across some pretty bad looking reviews on Facebook where people were complaining that they did not receive their products correctly or that they have not received any emails about their order being shipped. But along side those comments, many people seemed pleased with the store so I decided to give it a try. 

If you click on this link: CLICK ME
You will receive 20% off your first purchase or more of $25 and you'll get free priority shipping for orders over $30.
Doesn't sound to shabby at all. Right?

I placed my order on March 13, 2016;
Got a shipment confirmation on March 16, 2016;
Received my package on March 19, 2016.

I would say it is pretty fast but certainly not the fastest I've seen a company work. However, considering many many stores take forever to ship out your package, I would give memebox a 8/10 for the whole shipping process.
I took a week for me to receive my box but I am willing to bet that maybe not everyone received their package in this time period. Hopefully next time I order, I will get the same luck?

The outside of the box is just your typical brown cardboard box.
When you open the box, for me, this is what it looked like:

I will admit that I am a little bit obsessed with the hot pink and the cute receipt.
A lot of the masks I purchased were on sale and I will say that they have some really good deals on masks, and in my case, some of the masks actually cost less if you purchase them separately instead of buying a whole "value" pack so be careful and calculate the prices first.



Places - Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

Guys, don't forget to make spring break plans when you can.
I literally never make any plans until the day of when no one can go with me so I always end up stuck in Houston. And to be honest, since I've lived here for 4 years, there isn't much for me to go discover.
Especially during spring break since all you can go is drive to the closest beach - Galveston and do nothing at all then drive for an hour till you go home.
Don't be like me.
Plan your trips.

Anyways,
if you're stuck in Houston or if you are here visiting, I think Houston has a fair trade of places that doesn't involve food or eating. Let's be honest, when in Houston, and I do mean Houston, not Katy, not Woodlands, just what says Houston on the GPS, there's not a lot of places that don't revolve around food. Of course except from your obvious like zoos and parks and speciality locations.
Other than that, this is a pretty nice place to stuff your face and gain that extra 50 lbs. LOL

Out of all seriousness, I don't know if I would consider Houston to be my favorite city because ever since I've been here, I've literally packed on about 10 - 12 lbs and since it's literally impossible for me to resist food, I really don't think I'll ever shake the weight off. Oh well, everything's bigger in Texas... even Tami.

Alright,
For me, spring time is the best time to go out and take Instagram worthy shots. All you really need is a handy photographer (basically anyone who agrees to go with you), a car (because let's be completely honest, if you don't have a car in Houston, you will either end up wasting insane amounts of money on transportation or be stuck in one place for your whole entire trip), money (sometimes?), and of course, an idea of where you should be headed.
To me, Houston is such a wide spread of different locations that can provide you with decent backgrounds for your Instagram shots.
However,
Nothing screams spring like flowers, am I right?

Well since you can't really walk around and take random photos in front of people's houses with their bushes, I would recommend you try out the Bayou Bend garden. The full name is in the title but since you want flowers, the only thing you would want to know about is their garden.
The place is closed on mondays as far as I know so plan your trip accordingly. Also, they sometimes are closed for special events which are posted on the website because I know there's nothing worse than planning your whole day and then it doesn't happen the way it was supposed to.

When I went, there was a special event so you have to buy tickets to everything (house tour as well) which cost a little bit more (I believe it was around $25 for 2 people) than normal days where you can just buy an entrance ticket to the garden, obviously a bit cheaper ($5-$6 per person).
Surprisingly I did not have to fight for parking like I usually do literally everywhere that is an attraction so that's already a big plus.
HOWEVER, the only entrance is across a bridge.
I HATE HEIGHTS. I'm very very paranoid and I think anything will probably kill me. When I first saw the bridge I thought it was sturdy and would not give me a mini heart attack.OH BOY WAS I WRONG. DEAD WRONG.
Even though the bridge looks very safe, I was shaking like hell when I walked across it and NO it wasn't because of my heavy weight if you were wondering. It actually wasn't as stable as I thought it would be. I couldn't run across because that would just make it shaky even more and there was no other entrance so guess I had to suck it up and walk it like a grown woman. Chicken problems :(


The first thing you see after you cross the bridge is a booth for the person who pops out to check if you have a sticker on.

Then after the booth,

So totally worth the whole bridge crossing situation right?

My Top 5 Favorite Facial Mists

Do you ever sit through a whole day working and feeling your face get burnt off by the dreadful light of your computer screen?
Have you ever gone hiking or strolling outside under the sun and feel your face also melting?

Don't you wish you could just splash water on your face but when looking around, you either:

(A) are in the middle of a park and the closest water source is a puddle that may or may not be filled with germs (just kidding, it most certainly has germs and only germs, there ain't no minerals in there!)

or

(B) are in a public space where the only source of water comes from the public bathrooms where they want to be eco friendly and decided paper towels must go so after your face is soaking wet and you reach for a paper towel, none can be found so your only solution to getting a dry face to walk outside in public without looking like a freak is to wipe it on your shirt (or in desperation, CLEAN toilet paper) but then since all the people in line to use the bathroom are waiting for you, you have to pretend to sneeze and wipe your face to look less gross. (may or may not be a true story. LOL)

WELL THEN.
It seems that you are in luck!

Thanks to the advancements of technology in the twenty-first century, 
designed for your convenience,
in no way making you look weird for spraying stuff onto your face,
with little to a lot of scent to annoy the people around you,
..
...
FACIAL MISTS!

ok fine, facial mists are not that new and literally everyone has one or at least have heard of them (if not, have you seen the scene in Lilo & Stitch where Stitch doesn't behave and Lilo just decides to squirt him with water - it's basically the same concept but in better intentions? and better, more expensive containers. LOL)

So I've been in love with them ever since I've had my horrible skin problems and had to figure out a way to stay moisturized throughout the day.
After trying different mists from different brands, I decided to list out my top five that I love and use on rotation.

In a decreasing order, number 1 being the one I love the most and 5 being my least favorite out of the five. And you might notice that I like to mention price and calculate the worthiness of the price or not. You can never have too much money :)



1. CLINIQUE Moisture Surge Face Spray (http://bit.ly/1MdkBqz)
 ($23 for 4.2 fl. oz. so roughly ~$5.47/ fl. oz.)

        I would like to start off by saying this mist worked miracles for me months ago but lately has been quite stingy and sticky (it burns my face at times and leaves my face feeling sticky and not fresh).

        However it stays a lot longer than other facial mists. For example, when I spray another mist, it feels so good literally the moment the spray hits my face but after a few minutes, my face feels incredibly dry and I would have to keep respraying to make sure I feel refreshed - which in my case, the life of the sprays don't last very long and I constantly have to restock them again and again within a month or two, could be harmful to your budget.

        The price on the product isn't too crazy and to be honest I've gone through three of them in almost a year? Obviously not bad. The reason I love this moisturizer the most is because of the ability to moisturize your skin just by spraying! I know you may think that oh, all of the sprays refreshes your face, but I've actually tried so many and this on actually does provide the ability to moisturize your skin - hence the stickiness feeling. My face so dry during very single day of the year (because of the acne products I use) so for my worst days, I actually apply 2 layers of moisturizer before I leave the house and I constantly have to reapply throughout the day if I don't want to feel like a walking mummy. This sort of eliminates the factor of carrying a container of moisturizer with you everywhere and touching your face with your hands. The design is a plastic bottle with a sheer pink color and the logo in silver. Not much creativity super artistic drawings on the spray but I do love the pink color very much. 

        Overall, I think this would be my number 1 because the price isn't too crazy, it comes in a easy travel friendly packaging (plastic) however I don't think it's allowed on planes because it is 4.2 fl. oz. So maybe not the best for flights. It moisturizes your skin and theres a bit of a smell when it first hits you but I got used to that and I'm sure if you use it long enough, the smell will kind of just turn into nothing. I would saw go for it if you have used the brand before (I used to use their line of acne solving products but I just grew out of them).




2. CAUDALÍE Grape Water Harvest (http://bit.ly/22asMNo)
($22 for 6.7 fl. oz. or $13 for 2.5 fl. oz)

        The pricing to me doesn't make any sense because of how the pricing is, the bigger version is $22 for 6.7 fl. oz. which makes it roughly $3.28/fl. oz. while the smaller version retails at about $13 for 2.5 fl. oz. which almost doubles the price to $5.2/fl. oz. WHAAATTTT? Pretty crazy right? So if you know FOR SURE you like raisins, buy the bigger version to get your money's worth. Don't be like me and buy the tiny version to test it out then to eventually finding out that I paid almost double for what I could've paid for less. SIGH. However, I still believe out of the five, if you buy the 6.7 fl. oz. version, you will ultimately get the BEST DEAL! 

        Now that I got the most confusing part out of this review of this product, I can actually talk about how much I like it. So i'm not a HUGE raisins fan but I do love fresh grapes, this to me smells completely 100% like those raisins you would get in your lunch box when you were a kid and not at all like any other grape products, doesn't even smell like grape juice. But honestly, raisins are grapes so I guess I would give them a pass on the whole smell detector test. The spray compared to all the others is a lot lighter, essentially a mist that barely seems like anything but once it hits you, it actually does drench a bit (if you spray like half the bottle at a time like me, you'll look exactly like you just stuck your head out of a window while it was raining). 

        For me personally, the spray dries up super fast and I don't know if it's just because my skin is dry or is it because of the formula. However, I think in the case that you are buying the larger version, I would believe you would get more uses out of it to keep your face refreshed compared to the tiny travel version I bought. Even though it says on the bottle that it hydrates, I'm not sure if it's the best product for the job.

     This grape water spray is perfect for traveling because it comes in two different sizes and obviously the 2.5 fl. oz. version is designed for just that. The bottle itself is very cool as in cold because I read it contains nitrogen? (I mean I'm terrible at chemistry so I don't know if that's why it's so cold when you touch it or not. Sorry) It seems to be in a steel? like bottle so it's always lower than ran temperature (so on those hot desperate days, you can just push it against your face. YAY for germs!) I love the design even though when I first bought it the grape looked like dried up human fingerprints but that's just me being creepy; the over all design is very chic and the brand is known for the color green so it stays true to the brand :) Buy and test it out if you like the smell of raisins/grapes, if not, I'm not 100% sure you would want to spray it all over your face, you know, where your nose -  the only part of your body that can smell, is.




3. EVIAN facial spray (http://bit.ly/1plFn2D)
($7/bottle so $1.78/oz ; normally you will see it being sold in sets of 2 or 3)


       For this mist, the prices differ a bit from store to store, some selling them at $8 while others go for $7 or $7.50. It's super weird considering all the stores I looked at were pretty big stores (you would think that they would match the price right?! NOPE.) I would say $7 is a right price because it was $7 everywhere when I first bought it before the prices differed. 

       I love this product so much but because it's tiny and when I say tiny I mean use it within a good few weeks or so and it will be gone!
I love Evian water because I think they have the best packaging for their bottles out in the water market (something about pink I guess) so when I found out they had a facial spray I was SO EXCITED.

       However guys, this is literally just spraying water on your face, the contents printed on the bottle literally is just water and nitrogen. there is no extra anything to make your face sticky or there's no special smell to it. I personally love it because it's just a cute bottle that has no smell and is extra cooling. But beware, it isn't a slight gentle mist, this spray legit hits you in the face - it reminds me of the scene in Lilo & Stitch every single time I use it. When people see me using this, they always suggest be just washing my face since it's the same thing but THEY DON'T GET IT. (gotta pay extra for that nitrogen aqua right? LOL it comes in a super chic bottle so.... gimme 10. DUH)

       I mentioned before that this gets used up very fast especially if you follow the label that suggests you use it "several times a day". If you follow their suggestion, you will end up probably using up the whole tiny thing in ONE day. That's probably why they are always sold in packs but do not fear, in many places I found them to be sold separately and one could pay less than $10 for the experience before dropping $20 - $30 or more. I love it but I do think the price tag is a bit steep for water in a tiny bottle so it might not be for everyone.



4. TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL aqua gel mist (http://seph.me/1pejEJo)
 ($20 for 3.38 oz so ~$5.90/oz)


     Of course a Korean brand had to be included because it is the new hype in US right now. I couldn't find this product anywhere else but on the Sephora website (where I bought it) so I'm wondering if it was exclusively only in Sephora? 


     I just bought it the other day so of course I can't talk about my long term based feelings and thoughts about it but it's number 4 just because I do like it a lot. 
   
     The name causes a bit of a pause when you first hear it but cm'on, it's from a brand called "too cool for school"; maybe they were also too cool for an english class but let's not be judgy. BUT. when you actually look at the product, the liquid inside of the bottle is actually.... GEL. WHAAAATTTTT? I know, it's pretty weird. I guess someone didn't fail chemistry in high school like a certain someone (me.sadly.)

It's so cool how it transforms from gel to mist (hey, i'm not excellent in chemistry so let me be!) This one different from a few above actually has a terrifying long list of what it contains and quite frankly, they lost me at the second row as soon as chemistry words started to flow in. Because it is filled with chemical ingredients to miraculously transform such magic, it has a bit of a fragrance smell to it, a little bit more than a bit and I think it covers up chemical smells? I haven't gotten used to it but it's not a harsh smell, it's just a bit of a lingering smell that stays a bit longer than the mist.

The design is very cute, very doodle-ish and I think it's a great look for something that isn't too serious, it is a mist you spray on your face after all :) But I think the biggest flaw for this design is that it doesn't exactly stand out on the shelves so you would have to be looking for it in the first place to maybe catch it.

It isn't my favorite obviously because of the fragrance smell and the price but I think if you're embracing the whole Korean skin care trend that's been going on, you'll like this product just because it's pretty cool, very Korean :)




5. CAUDALÍE Beauty Elixir (http://bit.ly/22asJRY)
($18 for 1 fl. oz. so literally $18/ fl. oz.)

Ok, last on the list guys. I mean there's a lot more than I've tried but these would be my top five reoccurring.

For this product I think, for obvious reasons, it is the most expensive out of the five. You pay almost $20 and get 1 fl. oz. of product. However, this was the first facial mist I've ever bought because of the quality.

Let me start off first with the bottle itself. It's a thick glass bottle with a metal cap. The bottle itself is very heavy compared to all the other bottles (even though it has the least product inside) so it seems very sturdy. I've brought it along with me and carried it around multiple times, haven't had an accident so I doubt it'll break unless you actually put force and try to.

The smell. The smell is like you're standing in the middle of an herb garden and a strong wing blows by. It literally smells so amazing. I will admit that at first, when I first tried it, I wasn't too sure about the fragrance just because I like light and airy smells and this is a very "in your face" sort of smell that stays on for a while before fading away. In the worst thing to me about this product is, sometimes it actually stings. I'm saying this because I've first handedly experienced the sting after i sprayed my face. However, I'm not sure if it was because of the nature of my skin or was it just a reaction I had.

For me, this Beauty Elixir could be a hit or miss because of the price, the smell and the practicalness of the design. If you're looking for something quite lux and like a strong smell, I would say give it a try but if if you're trying to stay budget friendly and would rather have little to no fragrance then I really don't recommend this product.





So that pretty much sums up my top 5 most favorite facial mists (at the moment).
Did I help you solve your problem of facial mists? Probably not but it's ok. 








All for now,

Houston Rockets Dog Walk 2016

If you don't already know by now, I am pretty much a hardcore dog person. I love all animals but when it comes to dogs, they will always have the biggest chunk of space in my heart! I mean who can resist the sloppy drools and the fur shedding along with those floppy ears and bouncy butts? Not me, that's who.


Gotta support the city's b-ball team!
So every year since 2012 there has been this dog walk called the "Houston Rockets Dog Walk", with proceeds going to the Hermann Park Conservancy.
You get to spend a nice morning with your best friend, get a T-shirt, Houston Rockets game tickets and some doggie goodies while supporting a good cause, I'm not sure how it can even get better than that!

Last year, being that Waffles (my dog) was way too young to be able to attend (I got him near thanksgiving of 2014 with him being a few weeks old, while the even was march 2015). I missed out on the event, this year however I took the chance. Waffles is a big boy now, though still pretty young at heart since he could not stay focused throughout the walk. Let me tell you, I was beyond excited!

Living in a big city like Houston, it's hard to drive my dog all the way downtown (about a 20 minute ride) without him getting bored of the ride. Also since he's still pretty young, I didn't want to take my chances and let him go off lease in a park just in case he wouldn't come running back. So a doggie human walk was the perfect idea!


The walk starts at 8am on a saturday and you could either pick up your package on thursday at 3pm or on the day of the walk starting from 6:30am to 7:30am. We didn't actually know that the package pick up closed at 7:30 as we literally left the house at 7:20. Thankfully traffic on an early saturday morning is nonexistent so by the time we got there, they were still about to close the registration. THANK GOD.
I would probably cry if I missed out my chances especially getting so excited about it. (I mean I probably got a bit cranky while driving there thinking I missed the check in... OOPS.)

Since Houston's weather is as predictable as a girl's mind, it was actually pretty cold (for us) in the morning but as the sun came up, it was the perfect weather for an event - nice and breezy in the shades and plenty of warmth and sunlight under the sun.

at the start gate (ironically after we had finished the walk)


If I'm not mistaken, the walk starts at 8am is the longer walk, or as they call it, the "active" walk. Which goes around the park (or sections of the park) for a total distance of 2.7 miles while the walk that starts at 8:10am is a shorter walk, totaling a mile around the reflecting pool. We wanted to go with the shorter walk but in the end decided to go along with the active walk just to see how it was. 2.7 miles isn't bad at all, but if you have a smaller dog, I've seen many of them ended up being carried because they were pretty exhausted! - I know Waffles after the event went straight home and slept for the rest of a day (and a little bit on the ride back home too. LOL)
Keeping in mind that almost all of the photos posted were taken after the walk had ended or around the time we have been walking for a bit, since it was the only way he was able to stay still and not try to go sniff another dog's butts - HE WAS SMELLING EVERY SINGLE BUTT WHEN WE FIRST GOT TO THE PLACE!!!!

Little side note to people who decide to attend and have a bit of a forgetful memory like myself, bring  poop bags! LOL. I know it sounds super irresponsible that I forgot the poop bags at home but since we switch out leashes and we were late this morning, I guess it would make for an OK excuse? Probably not. If you do forget it, people around are super nice and will probably lend you a bag for the accident if you ask them nicely. BUT. inside the goodie bags (with the dog bandanas and tshirt) there is also a poop bag container with the bags included (we got a fire hydrant with the Rockets logo, not sure if it's the same for every year) but unfortunately, we didn't figure that out till AFTER we got home. Oops. Anyway, lesson here is that never leave the house with your dog without a poop bag and Southern hospitality from fellow dog lovers is the best! Thank you kind person who just was about to clean up after her dog but decided to give me a poop bag for Waffles when she could've told me to wait.

For people who don't want to pay $35 for the event, the Hermann Park is truly one of the best places for early morning walks/runs/photos with your dog or any friend for that matter (since we saw birthdays being celebrated, baby photos being taken and obviously of course, people exercising)


The walk is at your own pace, there aren't any winners or losers so you can literally just sit down and start creating your own photo shoot.


Of course people will be looking at you for a bit but it's a photo with your furry BFF so who cares?


To be honest, sometimes, I wish waffles was as small as he was when I first got him home (and I could barely lift him back then).
Being 100lb dog that gets easily distracted doesn't really help much in photos because you either have to take 10 of them and pray that you two were both looking at the same time or you just kind of have to settle with an OK one.
Settling isn't bad.
Right???


Most of the time, Waffles really does not care about the camera and he would just be in his own little world but sometimes, very rarely (when he's a bit tired) you get his good photogenic face, other than that, he closes his eyes or turns his back about 98% of the time.

The best weather for this walk!


Places - Bird Bakery in San Antonio, Texas

Now, with social media on the top of our heads, it's always so important for us to find cute, unique places or you know, those "Instagram worthy" photography locations. Don't worry, we've all been there (if not still lurking). I decided maybe since my blog is just all over the place, why not actually go all over the place?
So, I'm going to start talking about locations around Houston (since I live here) and around the places I've been too that I think is worthy of a share.
I moved to Houston in 2012, so it's still safe to say I'm not that familiar with ALL the places around Houston. However, when I first moved here, I didn't drive and I don't really do much so all I did was shop (whether it was for groceries or the mall). Sadly, probably nothing has changed (you can see me strolling down the isles of grocery stores and doing quick mall runs still) but I would say, the biggest plus is that Houston is so huge, there are tons of great coffee shops, dessert shops and restaurants just waiting to be found.
I will admit that when I first moved here, boy did everything look sad (sorry). Everything is so apart and because the city itself is huge, it takes at least 20 - 30 minutes driving to get around so unless you know where you're headed towards, it's hard just to cruise down the streets and suddenly stop for some coffee (unless Starbucks is your call).

It's sort of ironic how I decided to start this whole series with a location from San Antonio rather than Houston. But rest assure Houston will be so frequent you'll probably ask yourself: "Does this girl even get out?".
All that aside, Places series will just be about my experience and findings of local (or not) well.. places that I adore.
I think it's mainly a collection of my favorite places and something just to prove the Texas isn't all BBQ and Tex-Mex like I thought it was first coming here. (Oops.)



********

San Antonio, Texas.



(We were in a hurry due to traffic and me taking forever at Buc-ees so the best I could do was get togo cupcakes and pose really quick outside of the bakery - I promise my writing isn't as lousy as my photography plans... maybe.)



I found this bakery rather randomly.... watching cupcake wars on TV.
The owner was one of the judges and she was just gorgeous. So of course, if you can look great, you can bake great right? LOL. I searched up her bakery on Instagram (because where else would I go to look at all the best pictures?)
Let me tell you,
I FELL IN LOVE.
I will tell you some bakeries/restaurants are NOT love at first sight, I grow to love them or just love them after I actually get there. This bakery stole my heart.
The decor, it gives you that country-side-backyard-organic-fresh feeling.
Honestly it really felt like those time management games I've been in love with and still in love with all these years. So this was definitely worth a try.
I mean we were headed to San Antonio for a soccer tournament anyways. Why not, right?

When you first step in the store, the decor is welcoming and it has that nice warm glow to it (probably because of the string lights hung above and all the neutral, pastel colors?)

Since this was my first time here, I had no idea what flavor was what and how it would come about to order. Of course, there's a huge display case of cupcakes that lead right to the cashier. I stood there for a while and no one asked me anything. I was a bit confused and to be honest, pretty frustrated (because they were just pushing us aside and taking care of the other people). But soon after they realized no one had helped us, they quickly fixed the problem.
Since I wanted to make sure I got the little egg carton that held cupcakes, I HAD to ask them how I could make that possible. I mean it is called "bird" right? You can't just not get the egg carton cupcake box. DUH.
It turns out of you get half a dozen or a dozen of (mini) cupcakes, they come in the egg carton. THANK GOD.
I can never finish a big cupcake by myself so this was perfect!



If you order half a dozen, the egg carton you get is literally a normal carton sawed in half so you can see a bit of your last 2 cupcakes sticking out (no biggie though)
I really wish I had more time to actually sit and get coffee/tea at the place but since I was in a hurry and they didn't seem to make ice coffee? - I asked the girl and she pointed straight to their cooler that contained those coffees in the can (it took me forever to find since I thought it was a carbonated drink - silly me right?). Honestly, I wanted them to actually just give me hot coffee over ice but maybe I wasn't really making myself clear? Coffee is still coffee though so I don't really mind. Nothing a little cream and sugar can't solve ;)
Since I didn't get any cupcakes and was too busy looking around, the verdict I heard is, good cake but not the best frosting. (Don't take my word for it I didn't manage to get any :(. Maybe next time, Tami.)

Overall, I think for this post, it isn't one of my strongest because I wasn't thinking of recording this at all. All I really wanted was to get those egg carton cupcake boxes. It's the tiny little things that make you oh so happy I guess.
Generally, I just loved the whole decor and I feel like I'm in the Anthropology of Bakeries. (Just a fun fact, if you order hot coffee in store, they will give you those cups that are actually being sold in Anthropology with the letter B).
If I could just live in a bakery, it probably would be this one. That's how much I LOVE the decor.
(again sorry for literally no pictures of anything but some cupcakes!)
The only thing I would do next time (and hopefully update the blog post) is actually sit there and eat.





If you get a chance, maybe visit and tell me how it went so I can at least see how the cupcakes were :(






All for now,