Feeling A Tad Bit Blue

Feeling a tad bit blue? After all it's Monday (and lucky me, I'm sick). To cure the case of the Mondays or a cold, give yourself a mani-pedi! Now, normally I don't do blue nail polishes. Blue is simply not my color; I'm more of a red or neutral polish type of gal. So, when I finally found my favorite blue nail polishes, I had to share! FYI Essie's blues are by far my favorite polishes. FYI these blues will help cure your blue. 

From the top left, you'll see After School Boy Blazer. One coat of this is enough, but two coat helps deepen the color. It's classy and nice for these cold winter days. It also goes very well with a hot cup of tea (#selfie #basic #seriously). It's also my "don't mess with me this week" polish. For some reason, it gives me confidence during finals week or when I know I'm going to have a bad week. However my favorite part about this Essie nail polish, is that it's easy to apply! Something I often struggle with with Essie verses OPI polishes. Besides my personal opinion about this polish, this After School Boy Blazer doesn't have any shimmer but it's shiny. Something I really like.

Bikini So Teeny is a great color for summer. Although it's not summer yet, it's a nice blue for my toes! This polish always reminds me of snowflakes for some reason. Bikini So Teeny has a bit of a shimmer to it, but it's not overwhelming. The only reason why this may be a pain to use, is that it's very streaky and need several layers to look smooth. But all in all, it's a lovely blue! 

Last but not least is Style Cartel. This should be renamed...how does Tardis or Police Box sounds? Sadly, only Whovians will get the reference. From the bottle, Style Cartel looks more royal blue, but after a few coats, this nail polish is more dark blue than royal blue. Personally, this color always seem to charge on me. Depending on what I'm wearing and in certain lighting the polish seems to lighten or appear darker. So much so, that people often question if I'm changing my nail polish everyday! Between the three polishes, this one shines the most, literally. The shine from this polish always makes my at home mani look like a professional did it. Tip! Try this with a matte top coat! 

Which is your favorite nail polish?

Beauty Favs: SPF Edition

It's no secret that you have to wear SPF during the summer when the sun is blazing. But did you know that you still need the same protection during winter? The truth is, whether it's rainy, cloudy, or snowing you still need to wear sunscreen! The sun's powerful rays not only penetrate through clouds, but even your very own car windows. The damage to your skin is much greater, because it's something you can't visible see until later. While UVB is dangerous and results in sunburns and skin cancer, you're somewhat protected during your commute, because UVB doesn't penetrate through your car windows. UVA on the other hand does. UVA not only causes aging and wrinkles, but also contributes to skin cancer too! No matter the weather or seasons, both the UVA/UVB is dangerous and harmful to your skin and health.

So, remember--wear sunscreen even during the winter to protect yourself and your skin from skin cancer, aging, and hyperpigmentation. Choose a sunscreen that offers broad-spectrum protection (to protect yourself from UVA/UVB) with SPF 25+.


These are my three favorite broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sun protection SPF:

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 30
I started using this product when I was in high school and just never stopped! This is my go-to lazy day and gym day SPF. Even during my Netflix-in-bed-marathon, I'll cleanse my face in the morning and lather this on.  It also has a nice floral scent meanwhile giving me the ultimate protection and it's budget-friendly. I also apply this on my hands before driving. It doesn't leave me hands sticky or white, but I love knowing that I'm taking care as well as protecting my hands as I do for my face. Can't be looking all cute and having my hands ruin (or more like age) me!

Image Skincare Prevention+ Daily Tinted Moisturizer Oil-Free SPF 30+
I looove this tinted SPF!  I wear this literally everyday (unless it's my lazy day, of course) and even my night out around the town. It gives me great protection, coverage, and a nice glow. For me, the tinted moisturizer has the right amount of moisture and coverage that I can actually substitute foundation. It's the only thing I wear, day or night, working or clubbing--I'm wearing this!

BareMinerals Original Foundation Board Spectrum SPF 15 in Medium Beige 
Like I mentioned before, you must reapply your SPF every 2 hours! But like most ladies out there, I don't like touching my face after I've put on my "face". Especially when blush is involved. However, I found out that dusting on a power that also has SPF, like BareMinerals is the secret! Not only are you eliminating your chances of smearing or messing up your make-up every time you're reapplying your SPF, you're also applying a layer of coverage and protection! That is something I can't get out of any regular SPF.


What's your favorite SPF? XX

5 Beauty Places I Regret Not Visiting While in Europe

1. Florence, Italy 

First stop, Florence! I was only in Florence for 1 day and 2 nights and very much jet-lag. Needless to say, I should of stopped by Officina Profumo - Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella to stock up on some natural soaps and hand cremes. I'm a little bummed that I didn't, but then again I was throwing up almost everywhere (like outside of the Prada store and inside a Prada bag--not cute) so...maybe it was good I wasn't out in public too often. Although I was sick, I wished this was my first stop (before everything went down hill)! A little about OPFSMN and why it's a Florence beauty buy is that all of OPFSMN products are made with all natural ingredients and the flowers, herbs, and spices that are found in OPFSMN products are also found in the garden next to the store! How cool is that? Not only that, but their recipes date back to 400+ years!

2. Barcelona, Spain 

Tapas, Paella, churros...wait a minute, those are not beauty products, but they sure were tasty! But Taller Amapola is the place to get some Barcelona beauty buys that are natural. Taller Amapola is budget-friendly and have a variety of beauty products. However, one of my beauty weakness is essential oils, which Taller Amapola carries! I don't think I've every mentioned this, but I am obsessed with aromatherapy. Essential oils are extremely beneficial for your mental and physical health. I probably would of grabbed a few tea tree oil, since it's great for zapping away pimples and something I was running low on. I would of also loved to try Taller Amapola's Illuminating and Relaxing essential oil. One for my skin and the other for the panic attacks I randomly get at airports and on airplanes.

3. Paris, France

I can go on for days about the beauty products I regret not getting my hands on in Paris! Especially since I actually visited and spent about an hour in City-Pharma while I was in Paris! While there are many pharmacies around Paris, City-Pharma was by far the cheapest and most popular. I had a bunch of Parisian beauty products like Bioderma, La Roche-Posay, Nuxe, and etc. in my little red basket, but of course with my luck--my card wasn't accepted! Let's just say, when I walked out of City-Pharma empty-handed, I was close to tears (but that might always be because I was all alone and lost for about six hours too).  

4. London, England

Although I visited Boots while in London. I wish I had a chance to visit BeautyMart. It's like a Sephora with better packaging! Jo Malone would of been a wonderful place to visit too. Maybe not a wonderful look on my bank account, but wonderful nonetheless. (P.s Pearl Pharmacy is a great alternative if you can't go to City-Pharma in Paris. But the pricing might be a wee bit off...or by a lot).

5. Rome, Italy 

Rome was my final stop, before I flew back home. I wished I had a chance to shop for myself at KIKO, which I told myself while I brought my mom lipsticks at KIKO in Paris. Even though KIKO can pretty much be found anywhere in Europe, KIKO is an Italian cosmetics brand. KIKO is like MAC, minus being overpriced. It's a lovely place to visit without spending all your euros! I like that it's high quality, not tested on animals, and has a bajillon different products to choose from (without breaking the bank). The lipstick selection is just amazing and it's priced around 4-8 euro. So you can pick whichever price range you're comfortable with. A friend of mine actually stocked up on one of the eyeliner, before heading back home! 

Check-In Beauty Essentials

Ciao! Hola! Bonjour! Hello! It's been forever since I've blogged (21 says to be exact)! As many of you have seen on my Instagram, I've been traveling around Europe for the past few weeks. It's been exciting and a tad bit tiring. That's what a total of eight flights in less than three weeks does and perhaps the pain of carrying a 50 pounds luggage, carry-on luggage, and a Mary Poppins' purse around the busy streets of Florence, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, and London. My god--The London Underground! Why does The Underground have so many stairs, yet lack lifts?! My only regret was taking a check-in luggage with me, but I do not regret being rescued by the men in London! Swooon! Especially, when they ask, "are you alright, love" and causally picked up my luggage and carried it down three flights of stairs. Let's just say that I feel very fortunate to have traveled to so many countries and met so many beautiful people! 

Now to the good-goods! Here are some of the beauty products I took with me to Europe! 

1) Bandages for the boo-boos and blisters. 

2) DoTerra Deep Blue Rub for my aches and pain from a long day of adventures and walking (or PMS cramps). 

3) A mini nail polish remover, just in case I need to fix my nails during a long layover. 

4) It's A 10 shampoo, conditioner, and leave in-conditioner. Not only does It's A 10 smell great, but it leaves me hair smooth, shiny, and healthy! Plus it's sulfate-free. 

5) For my body, I brought two travel sized body wash. Why? Because I was worried that I wouldn't have enough and because I like to use Aveda Rosemary Mint Body Wash to de-stress especially after a long day of exploring in Paris. While Caress Evenly Gorgeous Burnt Brown Sugar and Karite Butter Body Wash on a daily for ultra smooth skin and when I need a little scrub-ba-dub! 

6) Vaseline Total Moisture Cocoa Butter--my go-to lotion when my skin is freaking out and just in general. It's inexpensive and does the job! 

7) Two contact solutions, because without my contacts I would be blind as a bat! 

8) Yes to Cucumbers Facial Wipes to remove my make up and to freshen up. 

9) Of course I always have to have my Image Skincare products! (Yes, I did bring a bunch of mini-travel sized...but my skin needs as much loving as it can get from the harsh winter weather of Europe! #californiagirl) 

10) Chanel Vitalumière Hydra Moist Radiance Emulsion Compact SPF 15 for my blemishes. Although this is intended for dry skin, my skin may be too dry for this product, leaving my skin looking flakey and cracked! However I love to use this as a concealer since it's gives great coverage.

11) Finally, the beauty roll-up bag! It's a lifesaver when traveling! Especially during my stay in hostels! When there's nowhere to place my beauty bag, I just hooked this bad boy up and everything is within reach--there's no mess and no hassle!