Herbs!

I guess it’s not that bad having so much rain lately. I was just checking my herb planter box and it looks like it’s been nursed so well. I’ve always wanted a hampton windows look planter box for an added fashionable outdoor piece but knowing that my husband can only do so much, we decided to just buy a regular plastic planter box instead since we still have other projects to finish inside the house. 

All these herbs started from seeds and I’m so proud to say that I planted it myself. I bought the seeds from home depot and the one packet that I got already comes with four different seeds. It has Cilantro, Chives, Oregano, Chives, and Basil. Although I don’t see a single leaf of basil but so far I’m happy that the rest made it. I also added a couple of Lavanders in there just for extra aroma.

I found these pictures from Pinterest and I can't help but adore them. I would love to have the same thing if it's not too much work for my hubby then I'd definitely want one asap! I searched for them online too and I was pretty shocked at how expensive they can get. I wanted my herb box to be right out my kitchen window but right now it's just an odd place to hang them. My herb box is sitting pretty on my deck rails at the moment and loving the rain water and little bit of the sun.

NYX Blush Review + Swatch

At the time when I purchased these, I realized that I only own three blushes. One powder by MAC, second is the lip and cheek tint by Sephora and last is the Maybelline mineral blush. Back in the day when I was still a career woman, blushes don't last long on me. It has been a staple for my beauty regime and it only takes weeks or past one month to hit pan. This was my haul from Ulta's previous sale which I'm not sure when that was. I guess it's about time to do some reviews. Everything here was purchased by me with my own money and the rest, in packets or sample size, are just freebies.

I decided to include this Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm in my cart just because at that time I was on a hunt for a good lip balm since I was experiencing a terrible dry and cracking lips. I think this is an okay product but I'd still go for my new favorite lip balm which is Blistex.

For my blushes, I only picked three shades that I'm familiar with and I believe would look okay on my skin tone. NYX blushes offer tons of different wonderful shades. You can really get all the options you want. 

NYX PB06 Peach is my most sought after blush at the moment. The color payoff is kind of sheer yet buildable. I love how it makes the apples of my cheeks blushed. So far they don't fade easily and no retouch or whatsoever should be made.

NYX PB02 Dusty Rose (No. 2) is also one of the closest shade or rather the shade next to Mauve. Not quite sure why it shows bright pink in the picture. And since I'm on the medium side skin tone, I don't really think the color pops out nicely although I still feel like it's a good color for me just to be on the safe side. I don't want to end up looking like a clown.

NYX PB13 Mauve (No.3) is another pretty color but like I said, the shade is pretty much close to Dusty Rose. I somehow regret getting this color though, I could've gotten a different one. Overall, I think these blushes are great. I highly recommend them. They are originally $5.99 from Ulta or $6 from other stores but I was able to get them for $2.50 each. Sometimes you can get a better deal if you just wait for store sales.

L-R: Peach | Dusty Rose | Mauve

Rain, Rain...

...and more rain! The green dot indicates my exact location right now and it was just showing yellow earlier. I just finished my diy project for our patio set and now I couldn’t try them on because of the constant rain. The cable network sometimes freezes while my internet is acting up too and oftentimes I get really slow connection. This is the time when other means of entertainment should take place. I would really appreciate something just like a fender jazzmaster from musicians friend to rave up this entire house. What activities do you do during times like this? I know gloomy days just wanna make you sprawl around.

Mustache

Top: Forever 21
Short: JCP
Shoes: Converse
F21 Sunnies
Aero Arm Swag
Swatch Watch

I was excited to wear light clothes again. It couldn't be comfier going around doing some shopping on memorial day sales. Well, not shopping galore...I only went to two stores. So since there's always a weather shift and the rain plays seesaw right now, I still end up wearing my cardigan. So what's with the mustache trend, anyway? I'm so curious how it even started. Here's me giving you my obligatory duck face saying have a great week everyone!

I'm Linking up with:

Father's Day Gift Ideas

I can't believe the month of May is almost over. I have just had my best mom's day present (shopping galore) and next thing I know Father's Day is coming. I seriously don't know what to get for my husband even though there are tons of great ideas out there. Sometimes whether the ideas are all laid out, you still can't decide what to get for them because you're not sure if they'll love it. So here are some ideas that "I" think my hubby would enjoy, perhaps yours would enjoy too! 

I know we've talked about getting a musical instrument that we, as a family, could have fun playing it. And since we both know the basics of guitar, I think making exciting seagull guitars on the top list would be a great idea. 

My hubby enjoys taking shots of his Johnny's at night so I'm thinking maybe a nice crystal decanter to make the whole drinking thing a bit fabulous. Kind of like in James Bond movies where cool men drinks from their expensive glasses and decanters. Well, we're not that cool but why not?! 

He also loved strong scented colognes and I know he's been eyeing on this Paco Rabanne Million cologne. If your dad or husband loves the Jean Paul Gaultier type of scent, then this will also be a great gift.

Lastly, we all know that guys man cave is usually in the garage. My hubby spends most of his free time there aside from playing with my daughter, and at the moment all his stuff in there are not even close to being organized. I do want him to have a nice, clean and organized man cave but this would be a very lavish gift. But it's something that I would someday, somehow be materialized. 

Terrarium

Do you love plants? Would you prefer indoor or outdoor plants? As I have mentioned before, I never had a green thumb and most of the plants that I tried taking care of end up in plant heaven. I'm just not good in plants I guess. But I really want one! So here I am again for the nth time, trying another batch of greenery with hopes that they'd survive. It's been weeks now since I planted them in this stylish Apothecary Jar. I don't have a detailed instruction on how to make it but If you want to learn how to do it, head on to Pinterest and you will surely find such overwhelming tutorials.

This tabletop Wardian Case is not mine (image below). I just took a picture of it when we were at the Nursery Tree store while shopping for plants. I would love to have one of this greenhouse type of plant container. But someday, if my plants would actually make it then I guess I'm ready for more.

Time To Go Swimming

As far as I can remember, my previous spring season wasn’t as wet as this year. Though I remember one time, I experienced my first ever extreme thunder boom with matching cracking rumble which happened late night. It felt as if the lightning bolt was just right by my ear. The cracking sound scared the hell out of me. So for an update, which I doubt you even care, it is supposed to rain all week. I recall it was about this time when we were already out enjoying in the pool. It would be nice to have electric swimming pool heaters in our city pool just so the kids could enjoy a longer vacation. After all, all kids look forward to going to the pool when school ends.

New Projects Coming

 

I'm sure most of you went shopping today. It's Memorial Day! I still don't know why the big sales happen on this day though. Anyway, I have only been into two stores because I don't really feel that I need to haul stuff just because I know everything was on sale. Not unless I have plenty of moolah to spend! So I was at Joann's store and I super enjoyed my trip there. And since I'm starting a new DIY project for our patio set, I was able to snag some materials at a very good price. 

Have you done any shopping today? 

My Getaway Wish

I haven’t thought about “the perfect escape” yet but I sure do have a bucket full of lists for summer getaways. Summer officially and astronomically starts by the end of June. Have you made any plans yet for summer? I think going to the beach is the best path to beat the heat however, living in the Midwest means there’s no way we are near the ocean water. My husband and I would love to travel Europe someday. I would often give him a hard time every time he travels there for work while I’m here waiting for him to come home with souvenirs. I want to buy the souvenirs myself though! 

One of the best UK destinations to be considered is Scotland. If you are a Braveheart (film by Mel Gibson) fanatic like me, you will definitely have to add this in your tour list. Scotland is a part of the UK, also a part of Great Britain and the British Isles. I have a friend who lives in the UK and he would always tell me nice stories about their trip to Edinburgh. He recommended a few places to check out while visiting there but knowing me, I wouldn’t miss any spot. Not much worried about where to stay since Edinburgh hotels are pretty much abundant. And I'm excited to see Nessie the Loch Ness monster! If she would even show herself up to me.

But here are the places I would love go if we ever get the chance to travel there. I admire castles so much and that one day I would love to be in a real castle. I got Stirling Castle up on my list first. It is known to be one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. I know there will be a great amount of information about its history and legends to take in.

(Stirling Castle. Photo by Wikipedia)

Of course, I wouldn't forget the Edinburgh Castle. The most important fortress and the most-visited paid tourist attraction which is positioned atop the volcanic castle rock in Scotland.

(Edinburgh Castle. Photo by Wikipedia)

The Edinburgh Festival Theater. It is a performing arts venue used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, large-scale musical events, and touring groups.

(Edinburgh Festival Theater. Photo by Wikipedia)

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is also a must see. These amazing architectures can't be found just around the corner of the United States. It somehow gives the feel of being in a Greek garden where goddesses hang around. The RBGE was originally founded as a Physic Garden to grow medical plants and is now one of Scotland's popular tourist attractions.

(Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Photo by Wikipedia)

The Scott Monument would be my favorite architecture around Scotland. A tribute to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, this Victorian Gothic monument is a tower that holds a series of narrow spiral staircases which gives panoramic views of the entire Edinburgh.

(Scott Monument. Photo by Wikipedia)

Well, these are just a few of tourist attractions that I discovered while picking my vacation wishlists. For me, Edinburgh Scotland is such an interesting place to visit. It's a kind of place where great legends and fascinating history will never be forgotten because of the beautiful landmarks that was left behind. With all the castles, monuments, and beautiful architectures, this country will surely be a recommended destination and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Listening Online vs Buying CDs

I was once addicted to buying CD's. Whenever I see all the CD's I bought, it makes me feel like a collector of something special. I also have a friend who use cd replication services to send me some albums that I couldn't acquire. I did that for a while but eventually I stopped due to lack of storage and basically most of them just collects dust. Since my big move to the US, I decided to give all of them away and I do feel bad because most of them are original. I'm glad though that you can actually buy the whole album online now and just store them in your portable device such as ipod and etc. I know it could be pricey too if I even start collecting them virtually but I couldn't thank enough that online radios were created. And if I want to listen to a specific song, I'll just look it up on YouTube.

Aussie Hair Insurance Heat Protecting Hair Shine Spray

How many heat protecting products do you ever need? I got quite a few. My last post about my best heat protector  was 2012 and as days go by I'd still continue to hunt for better ones. It's always a trial and error but the good part is, it's fun to try new things or products. At the moment, my best heat protector is the KQC Thermal Shine which was sent to me by flatironexperts. Everything is great about it, from the smell to the application, I just love it. But I don't want to use it all the time especially if I'm going to stay home all day anyway. 

The new love of my hair is the Aussie Hair Insurance Heat Protecting Hair Shine Spray. "It helps keep the heat off and lets you get your shine one." It claims to leave hair soft and healthy....not really sure how true but I think it works okay. The smell is okay, not as strong but I just love  the smell of almost all the Aussie hair products especially their shampoo and conditioners. Another thing that you will love about it is the price. Each 8.5 fl. oz. bottles only costs $2.97 plus coupons, if you ever use that, totals a super good deal. The only thing I don't like about it is how it sprays the product on my hair. I do like the mist spray type because I feel like it distributes the product evenly whereas this type of spray bottle don't. I had to use my hand to spread them all over my hair. Overall, I highly recommend it. 

Playtime

This week marks the beginning of play time outdoors. I've been taking my daughter to our neighborhood playground so she can run around and interact with other kids her age as well. There are basically a lot of parents and kids going to that playground that's why my little one knows she's going to have fun there. I was thinking about getting her a play set for our backyard, something like those swing sets arlington va makes, but the only downside is there won't be other kids to play with. Anyway, it is quite a walk to the playground and I do enjoy it because for me it's another way of exercising. Do you have any specific activities for your kids this summer?

Stripes

My typical outfit.

Don't you just love it when you are 

out and about and you're worry-free

with your outfit? These are!

These new Levi's skinny jeans are

the most comfy and soft jeans I've 

ever own...

Top: F21
Scarf: Burlington
Jeans: Levi's
Shoes: Old Espadrille
Bag: H&M

I'm linking up with:

Her Nail of the Day

Every time I'm doing my nails, my sassy daughter always bother me because she too wants to pretty up her nails. It's either she chooses the color she likes or she would also want the color I'm using. Well, obviously today she decided to go for a gold color. It actually turned out pretty on her nails because she has such cute fingers! I only applied one coat so it'll come off easily. I don't want them to stay on her nails too long and I don't want to use polish remover on her cuticles either. The gold turned out pretty, it's just not as super gold as the gold eagles at moderncoinwholesale.com though. My daughter makes me smile all the time, she is such a mini-me! She just told me the other day that she wanted a makeup table for herself. Say what?! It was funny...I can definitely see a fun bonding mommy and daughter at a makeup store someday.

DIY Floral Shorts

As we are nearing the summer, I wanted to do a sewing project for my daughter that is easy and will be perfect for the weather. I searched online for a free pattern on shorts for toddlers and I came across this really wonderful blog which shares great sewing tutorials. As a novice in sewing, I enjoy making toddler clothes because they are so easy and the results are so cute. 

I would like to thank Caila for sharing the pattern and the tutorial for this. If you want to try her summer shorts, you can visit her blog here. I definitely enjoyed making this shorts and I can't wait to do more in the future. And since floral prints are in today, I decided to pick this fabric from hobby lobby which was also on sale at that time. Score! The only thing I did to put my personal touch on this project is that I added a hidden pocket on the right side. :)

Forever 21 Accessory Finds

As I've mentioned in my previous post, I did some shopping at Forever 21 while doing my Me-Time at the mall as a Mother's Day treat for myself. Moving on to my F21 haul, I'll only post the accessories first. I'll just share the outfits in some of the outfit of the day posts some time, that is if I can get my hubby again to get a better picture of my outfit. Most of the stuff I got from there was priced less than $5 or even a little more than that but not too overpriced. If you love buying stuff from F21, I'm sure you know how much their stuff usually sells. If I ever go shopping crazy, I would turn my self in to san diego drug rehab where all this insanity should be taken care of. Well maybe not drug but shopping rehab if that even exists. Okay, enough with the jokes. All these accessories are super affordable and I'm just a sucker for super inexpensive stuff that is also super cute to even resist buying. 

These earrings are fabulous! At least in my own taste. lol! Literally it's a cheetah or maybe not, but I've never had any earrings like this. And the round mint stone earring is really pretty as well. They have a few phone cases too and they are all so cute. I had to cherry pick for the case that I really like.

Mint and Gold earrings - $3.80

Pyramid Stud Faux Leather Bracelet - $4.80

Nail Polish in Baby Pink - $2.80

Manicure Set - $1.50

iPhone 5 case - $7.80

Cat Eye Sunglasses - $5.80

My only intention in that store is to buy these sunnies! But you know how it is, once you're in there you can never stop seeing cute, interesting and really cheap stuff!

Arm Swag of the Day

Loving my arm party today. 

Everything except the studded faux leather bracelet 

is old. I love how the leather bracelet has adjustable snap 

button closure and it is lightweight too. 

Found this at the mall last weekend and it's

the last one sitting there waiting for me! :)

They still have it online though for $4.80.

 And one last thing, I love the pyramid stud look 

on this one because spikey stud bracelets

just won't go with my usual outfits.  

xoxo

Mother's Day

I know it's late but let me greet all the hot momma's out there a Happy Mother's Day! How did you celebrate it? I'm sure you all had fun being with your families and friends. I spend the whole day doing errands but I got my mother's day gift the day before that. It felt like I needed holters for too much excitement last Saturday because I basically just spent my day shopping at the mall. I didn't spend crazy that day but it was fun doing some shopping without any distractions. I guess I could call it my "Me-time" but still tagging along my well-behaved daughter which is surprising because she don't normally behave well when we're at the mall. Though she did get her carousel, ice cream, build a bear, and cinnamon pretzel fixes...we just both had fun. Starting this week with a few haul posts and hope I don't get lazy blogging again. lol! Have a great week everyone! xoxo

Printed Leggings

This is a super late post. It was supposed to be up a couple weeks ago. 

Sunday errands went all day and its a good thing the weather did cooperate. I'm wearing my comfy leggings and one of my old blouse that I still love to wear. I know there's this certain rule about wearing leggings as jeans is a no-no unless your bum is fully covered. This blouse I'm wearing doesn't give enough cover so I decided to wear a long tank top just to give a little privacy down back there.

I bought the leggings from Sears. They are very comfy and the material is thicker than the forever21 leggings. I love how the prints aren't exaggerating the entire look but it still looks trendy because of the print. Not quite sure what the print is, at first glance I thought it was a snake skin. But still not sure about that...you be the judge. ;)

I know I've been missing a lot of outfit of the day posts and since the weather has been very weird lately, pretty much I'm just being a couch potato or mostly in my sweat pants even when going around doing errands. Well I hope this will do for now. I'm linking up with Transatlantic Blonde, The Pleated Poppy, Style Elixir .

Babble Wednesday | To Shop or Not To Shop?

 

Now what to do with my life? Shopping! I know most of you had that same feeling of craving for something you don't really know then you end up shopping? Basically, I do that all the time but oftentimes I end up window shopping online instead. I check ebay once in a while for stuff that I know I could get better deals rather than buying them from a name brand store that all they ever did was to rip you off. I really enjoy buying small stuff that I don't normally wear or use. I can't believe I'm even saying this, but now that I thought about it, I should look for a best ecommerce site builder to have my own buy and sell stuff! There are times that I feel like I should just skip posting some of my hauls especially clothing and accessories because I don't want to look like a hoarder. I am just plain guilty of buying stuff that I rarely wear and I sometimes regret why I even bothered buying them. That's all for the babble today....now off to another haul post. :p~ xox