Summer Vacation Essentials.

The summer solstice is coming up, everybody...it's in 5 days! I know you are all getting ready for summer and planning your weekend getaways or even bigger trips. I, for instance, am getting ready to go on a vacation to Spain in a couple weeks, and I've been planning the essential things I need to take with me for weeks. Whether its an international trip or a weekend getaway, there is always a way to travel in style and I'm here to tell you how!

I've gathered 9 products that are perfect for vacationing smart as well as in style. I'm sure you know that sunscreen is important to take with you on vacation, but do you know which one has the most protection and the least amount of oil? Airports give you paper luggage tags, but wouldn't a stylish luggage tag do a better job of lasting and standing out among a sea of luggage? That's what this post is for...

Without further ado, let's begin our holiday!

1. Do Not Disturb Hat: This hat is the perfect way to lay by the beach and get lost reading a book without being interrupted. The floppy brim is also a good protector from the sun! This hat is a bit of a splurge, but you can make your own DIY version by reading this tutorial here. Or buy the hat here.

Eugenia Kim Do Not Disturb Hat. $219.95

2. Tortoise Shell Sunglasses: When packing for a vacation, space is key! There is no room to take 3 different pairs of sunglasses, nor should you try to find room. Tortoise shell sunglasses flatter every outfit, every color you wear. They are a universal accessory that looks good on almost everyone and matches with literally anything you wear. They are the perfect accessory to take on vacation. Get the pair pictured here.

H&M Sunglasses, $12.99

3. Comfortable Sandals: Let's face it, when you're off to go on new adventures in a new place, its going to be hot and you're going to do a lot of walking so you need to perfect shoe that is ventilated and also comfortable. These Birkenstock sandals are both of those things. I used to think they were really manly shoes, but there are a bunch of new colors incorporated now that make them more feminine and stylish. The arch support on them are also great for those touristy days where you'll be walking a lot. Get them here.

Birkenstock Madrid Birko-Flor Sandal, $69.95

4. One Piece Swimsuit: Bikinis are great for laying by the beach and getting a great tan, but if you're going to a place where a lot of swim activities are available, you're going to want a swimsuit that you won't have to worry about falling off or having an accidental, unwanted body exposure. Get your adventure on with the peace of mind a one piece swimsuit gives. And it doesn't have to be a boring, sporty one piece. This swimsuit's scallop detailing gives it a girly look, while still covering the right parts. Get it here.

Everything But Water One Piece High Neck Halter, $319.00

5. Rose Bud Salve Lip Balm: The summer, in general is really hot and it dries out your skin, including the skin on your lips! Being in airplanes also dries them out. So to remedy this, Rose Bud Salve is one of my favorite lip balms that gives your lips a ton of moisture and shine when you want that dewy summer look. Get it here.

Rose Bud Salve, $6.00

6. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen: Don't learn the hard way...take sunscreen from home when you're going on vacation because everywhere else you go will sell it to you for an insane markup! This Neutrogena sunscreen goes on super light, but protects like crazy. It has Helioplex technology, which protects from UVA and UVB rays, is water resistant, and doesn't clog your pores. Find it in stores here.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 70, $11.49

7. Long Kaftain: Kaftains are the perfect thing to wear over your swimsuit to cover up when you're on your way to or leaving the beach or the pool. This H&M kaftain's print is Middle East inspired and so cute. Get it here.

H&M Patterned Kaftain, $34.99

8. Large Tote Bag: When you are on vacation, you are going to want to have a lot of things on hand. A large tote bag carries a lot of items, perfect for the beach. It can even double as a carry on bag, if it is big enough. This striped tote bag from Forever 21 is a large enough bag with a bunch of tiny compartments inside of it as well. Get it here. 

Forever 21 Striped Canvas Bag, $22.90

9. Colorful Luggage Tag: Have you ever mistaken someone's luggage for yours on the carousel because they all look the same? With a bright, unique, and colorful luggage tag, you'll be able to spot your suitcase right away. This bright Kate Spade luggage tag cannot be missed in a sea of suitcases. Get it here. 

Kate Spade Petula Stripe Luggage Tag, $14.00


Happy Summer!!

Spring Stripes and Ruffles.

Spring is in full effect y'all, and I'm rocking the season's biggest hits in one look...stripes and ruffled sleeves!

This weekend my boyfriend's niece turned 4 and celebrate with a Hello Kitty themed birthday, which was so adorable! It was a bright, slightly chilly Spring afternoon so I decided to bust out this gorgeous top I found from the Who What Wear line at Target. Stripes are really in style this season so I knew I found a fashion winner in this shirt, and the sleeves were an added bonus. The sleeves are ruffled, which makes the top look so chic and fashion forward. I could totally see a Parisian girl wearing this as a part of her street style. Or maybe a fashion editor at Vogue who would pair it with a pencil skirt. Can't you?

There was a really cute balloon artist at the party, and I couldn't help but ask him for a pretty pink Hello Kitty balloon bow for myself! I think I was more excited about it than the kids were. I actually may have cut in front a couple of kids to get it :P

I paired the top with jeans and a really simple strappy gray kitten keel shoe. This simple strappy shoe style is really hot for Spring. I found this pair at H&M and it also comes in white and black!

Shop this look by clicking on the photos below...Happy shopping!...

     

Kylie Lip Kit!

When Kylie Jenner first started becoming more popular and rivaling her famous Kardashian sisters, she focused a lot on her look by accentuating her lips. At first, I wasn't a huge fan of her overly plumped lips, but after a while, she started wearing some really awesome and flattering lip colors and I became slightly obsessed with her look. I had to get those lip colors in my hands, so I was so excited when she announced her own line of matte lip colors.

They've gone on sale so many times for months now, but each time, all the kits sold out in minutes! I tried and tried and tried to get my hands on them, but with the high volume of people ordering them, the website would time out often and would quickly sell out of products. People were selling kits on Ebay for double the price because of the high demand! Desperate to get Kylie's look, I researched and bought similar shades of the matte liquid lipstick just so I could get the color, but they never came close to the colors in Kylie's kit.

But then last week, my best friend, Natalie, texted me letting me know the kits were on sale, and I got on the website ASAP.

It's a good thing she let me know, because I finally was one of the lucky ones to get a Kylie Lip Kit!! The demand was still high so I was only able to order Dolce K. I'm a big fan of brown undertones so I thought it would be the good color for me regardless.

There are a lot of pros from the product and some issues I had with it. Let's get into it...

Color: It's important to know that the colors really look different on different skin tones! I loved Dolce K, but I didn't anticipate it being so dark and as brown as it was. I'm fairly light skinned so it was a deeper color on me than it is on tanner people. I'm definitely going to try to get Candy K for a more pinkish hue.

The Liquid: The color is very pigmented. You could cover your entire lips with one swipe, which is awesome. It dries matte and stays on for a LONG time. I'm talking all day. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with it on and only had to reapply after dinner.

Usually, matte liquid lipsticks tend to dry out your lips so I was expecting this from Kylie's lipstick too, but her formula actually dried out my lips to an extreme. My lips were super dry, even more than how dry they are when I use matte lipstick from other brands like NYX.

The smell of the liquid is really cute. It smells like the vanilla flavor Lip Smackers we all used to get in 8th grade. I can't quite decide if the smell is nostalgic or a reminder of my awkward pre-teen years. But at least the scent doesn't linger when you put the lipstick on.

The Liner: I usually don't wear lip liner when I'm putting my face together, but I was pleasantly surprised with how buttery this lip liner was. It glided on so smoothly on my lips and kept the lipstick in place. The liner, also, lasted on my lips for a very long time and I didn't have to reapply it.

Packaging: I loved the packaging of the Kylie Lip Kit! The dripping lip color on lips logo is so edgy and fun. It just screams fun and youthful and it's something I can definitely get on board with. The packaging box also had the drip decal on it...I immediately knew what that package was when I saw it in the mail. I also enjoyed the note that came with the kit, which is printed, but in Kylie's handwriting. I think it added a nice personal touch to the product.

Overall, I would recommend purchasing Kylie's Lip Kit! I give it an A- only losing points for how much it dried out my lips. But nothing that a little moisturizer can't fix. You can buy your lip kit at www.kyliecosmetics.com, but make sure you go on a few minutes before they go on sale so you won't be disappointed when it sells out in 1.2 seconds. The next time they will be on sale again is today March 28, 2016 at 4pm PST. 

Dolce Vita for Target.

Dolce Vita has always been a leader in trendy shoe wear and I've always loved their designs, but sometimes, their costs can be a little pricey. There's nothing worse than seeing a shoe you love and finding out it costs more than what you can afford! That's why I am so excited that Dolce Vita has collaborated with Target to bring a line of shoes and even more excited to see that this less expensive shoe line has pieces that are extremely similar to DV original designs! There are a lot of same details and patterns in the DV for Target line so you can snag a super cool style for prices you'd never see from DV.

I copped these beauties for a cool $25! I love the style of these sandals and the modern zig zag print.

I never really liked mixing black with tan/brown colors, but I like the juxtaposition of the black and white print with the tan heel.

There are so many styles from sandals to booties! Here are the DV for Target shoes compared to the original Dolce Vita designs. Click any of the photos to shop the looks now!

Sandals 


        

DV For Target, $22.99
Dolce Vita, $90.00


Netted Design

DV For Target, $24.99
Dolce Vita, $200.00


Nya vs Noa Booties

                    

DV For Target. $34.99
Dolce Vita, $160.00



Fringe Booties

                 

DV For Target, $37.99
Dolce Vita, $200.00

Republique.

I love everything about France, especially the cuisine. So when I heard about Republique and its French inspired bakery and architecture I knew I had to see it for myself. I came here for lunch with my brother and was immediately mesmerized by the rows and rows of pastries next to the cashier.

After ordering our lunch (and a bunch of pastries), we sat at our table, which was lit by the sun beams coming in from the skylight windows from above. It was a bit of a cold day, but the natural lighting made it feel like we were sitting outside.

The design and decor of the restaurant also was reminiscent of Paris and some of its Gothic architecture.

I'm a sucker for glass door refrigerators. I love seeing the products available at restaurants!

When our food was brought to us, I couldn't wait to start eating. I know it was lunch time, but Croque Madame's are one of my favorite French treats and I couldn't resist. Meanwhile, my brother ordered a burger that had dry aged beef. The drinks vary each day based on seasonal items available. We ordered a delicious grapefruit lemonade. The Croque Madame, by the way, was spot on!!

I was loving this wine tower where the bottles were used serve us water.

I have this thing with floors and their beauty. I was loving this green, white, and black tile!

We took our yummy pastries home to enjoy. My favorites were the glazed and chocolate donut like bombolinis. Pictured are also a chocolate bundt cake, banana Nutella croissant, and a coffee cake.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.

Last year, I ate at a cute little bunch spot in Santa Barbara called Scarlett Begonia and had the best lemon ricotta pancakes. Since then, I've been trying these pancakes from other brunch spots and I have yet to find one that was as good. Obviously, I can't be going to Santa Barbara every weekend for brunch so I decided to try to make these pancakes on my own. My lemon ricotta pancake recipe was so delicious and I'm very excited to share it with you all!

These are the ingredients I used. I like using Kodiak Cakes pancake mix because it has a hint of honey in it, which just adds a little extra flavor to pancakes. I also like using fresh blueberries rather than frozen, I think it makes the pancakes taste fresher. Most recipes suggest using whole milk ricotta cheese, but let's face it...summer is coming and even though I'm eating pancakes, a girl's gotta cut calories somewhere, so I used low fat ricotta cheese.

When adding the ricotta cheese, the batter will look a little curdled. Do not panic, this is normal! The cheese makes it a little lumpy. It's important to not mix the batter too much to make it smoother.

A griddle is the best way to get the perfect pancake.

Short stack of delicious lemon ricotta pancakes!

Ingredients:

Makes 6 pancakes

• 1 cup of Kodiak Cakes pancake mix
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest 
• 2/3 cup of blueberries

Directions:

1. Mix 1 cup of pancake mix with 1 cup of water.
2. Then, mix in 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese. Do not over mix it. The consistency should be a little lumpy.
3. Wash and fold in the blueberries.
4. Heat a griddle to 325 degrees and butter the griddle. I like using cooking spray instead, but either one works. 
5. Ladle a spoon of the batter onto the griddle. Let it cook until bubbles start forming at the top (about 1 minute).
6. Flip the pancake and let the other side cook for about another 30 seconds. 

Voila!!

Clean Lines.

I'm always on the lookout for the newest nail trends, because let's face it...they don't change that often! I'm not that big of a risk taker on nail shapes because I'm obsessed with my own squoval shape, but new designs are always on my radar.

This season, I'm obsessed with clean lines on nails. Letting your natural nail shine through alongside a cute spring color makes your nail design look really modern and cool. I love the geometric and architectural lines in this look by Buff and Tweeze...

And I'm head over heels for these tiny shapes traced onto nails by Olive and June...

This was my attempt at creating this look. I used masking tape and French tip tape to create the clean lines and painted over them. I removed them when the nail polish was completely dry...

Whether its at a salon or a DIY at home, this look is sure to keep you ahead of the trends and is a perfect spring look!

Poke N Roll.

I love sushi and when the poke craze started happening all over LA, I had to ask...what is poke? Pronounced "po-kay", it is a Hawaiian raw seafood salad served as an appetizer. Poke N Roll took poke to a whole new level by fusing it with Japanese sushi to create...sushi bowls! I had to try this so I paid a visit to Poke N Roll this week, and let me just say, it's a delicious gem and since it's located in Glendale, I think I'll be a frequent patron.

The menu offers sushi bowls, which includes white or brown rice with your choice of 2 fish, crab, 1 choice of sauce like ponzu, spicy mayo, and eel sauce, and 3 toppings like tempura flakes, avocado, cucumbers, and smelt eggs. Extras can always be added for an additional cost, but the amount of food that comes in the bowl is a lot and enough to keep you full. They also offer sushi salads where you can replace the rice with lettuce and they can always make your selections into a roll if you like tradition.

I watched the chef cut up a giant tuna and place it in my bowl...it doesn't get fresher than that!

All the different ingredients you can choose from. 

Our yummy bowls. Like I said, it's a lot of food.

Cute little Pop figurines all over the place and Polaroid photos of happy customers. 

Terrine.

If there's two things I love in this world it's brunch and anything French! Last week I visited this new restaurant in LA called Terrine with my girl friend, which was both of these things and it was so cute and yummy.

Terrine prides itself on cooking up French classics with a California twist. And the same goes for the delicious drinks that are made here. The atmosphere is warm and romantic, it's a really cute date spot. My favorite part of the restaurant was the beautiful dining garden, where we sat and dined among the trees. I really felt for a minute that I was eating brunch in Paris.

The beautiful dining garden. 

Bloody Mary made with heirloom tomatoes and a Mimosa with prosecco. 

My absolute favorite dish, Pain Perdu. Vanilla battered french toast with sea salt caramel frosting. 

Mushroom, truffle, and sage pizza with a fried egg on top. 

The beautiful floor tiles in the restaurant. 

Oscars 2015: Fashion, Winners, & Highlights.

Yesterday marked the 87th annual Academy Awards and it did not disappoint! The Oscar's were in full effect this year with a slew of amazing movies that all deserve acknowledgement of excellence. Hollywood is always glamorous and yesterday's production was a really great way to acknowledge and honor the nominated films, actors, directors, and crew.


Fashion

The fashion this year really blew me away...when you see an actress wearing a gown and you just immediately think, "Now, she's a movie star", you know the fashion had to be out of this world. I had a hard time choosing my top three best dressed actresses this year. On some actresses, I loved the dresses but didn't like the styling or hair and makeup. My top three best dressed this year were my favorite head to toe looks...

Lupita Nyong'o in Calvin Klein by Francisco Costa. 6,000 pearls of perfection.

Margot Robbie in Saint Laurent and Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry. Head to toe perfection, best styling by far. Her necklace was created for the Duchess of Windsor in the 1930s.

Zoe Saldana in Atelier Versace. She just had twins people! She looks amazingly good, especially her girls she brought out to play.

Honorable mentions: My 2 Jennifers, Jennifer Lopez in Elie Saab and Jennifer Aniston in Versace.


Host/Cutest Couple

Neil Patrick Harris hosted the show this year, and he was okay but I thought he had a hard time topping Ellen last year. I liked the opening musical number but and his jokes and winner predictions fell a little flat. His jokes were typical "dad" jokes. He tried though! I always think Neil and his husband David Burtka are so cute together and when they showed up on the carpet, that thought was reinforced in me. How could you not love them?!

Too freaking cute. 

Winners

I watched all the Best Picture nominated movies this year, as I have been trying to do since 2013. I loved them all and definitely had my front runners for winners. I was pleased with the outcome of some and disappointed in some others. Let's talk...

• Best Picture: Birdman. I have to be honest...I left Birdman to watch for last. I wasn't excited about it and I heard it didn't do great in the box office. But much to my surprise, I fell in love with it! I kind of anticipated Boyhood winning, because of its concept of being filmed over 12 years, but having Birdman win was a pleasant surprise and VERY much deserved. I recommend this movie to everyone.

• Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything. I have to give props to The Theory of Everything. It was a good movie and Eddie portrayed Dr. Hawking really well, but in my honest opinion, Michael Keaton deserved this award. He was superb in Birdman, he really made the movie come alive so I think he was robbed of this award. 

• Best Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice. I really wish I watched Still Alice. I just didn't have enough time to, but after tonight it is definitely on my list of must watch movies! I've always been a fan of Julianne Moore and I think she's a great actress. Having this be her first Oscar, I think it was deserved. 

• Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash. Yes. Just yes. So deserved. He was great in this movie. His acting really hits you hard in the feels and brings out your emotions for the characters in the film. I really liked Edward Norton in Birdman and Ethan Hawke in Boyhood as well. These guys really made their respective movies come alive and gave a sort of antagonistic feel.

• Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood. All the women in this category were so great, but Patricia just carried the entire movie. She was great in the film and her speech was so inspirational. 

Highlights

1. Common and John Legend's performance of and win for Glory, Best Original Song. This performance brought tears to people's eyes, including Chris Pine and David Oyelowo and introduced Civil Rights issues that are still relevant in America today, like how more black people are incarcerated today than were slaves in the 1800s. The performance stage was set under a replica of the Edmund Pettus Bridge and really moving.

2. Lady Gaga's Sound of Music tribute performance. This was not the Lady Gaga I'm used to seeing, but I would really like to see more of her! She looked gorgeous and really belted out a medley of songs from the Sound of Music to honor Julie Andrews. Julie Andrews walked on stage afterwards and emotionally thanked Lady Gaga for the performance, and it was super touching. Lady Gaga really did those songs justice. 

3. That Best Foreign Language Film winner who would not stop giving his speech. Is he still there by the way?

4. Terrence Howard getting emotional when introducing Oscar nominees. Was he really getting emotional or was he high?


5. Graham Moore's speech when winning Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game. Growing up weird myself, this speech really spoke to me and I'm sure to millions of others as well.

6. Finally, in all seriousness, the speech that Patricia Arquette gave after her win for Best Supporting Actress was truly the speech to listen to at the Academy Awards. She called for wage equality among men and women and got a standing ovation from many of her peers in the audience. "It's our time to have wage equality, once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America," she exclaimed. And she's absolutely right. If you missed her speech, its a must watch...

And that's my wrap up of the Oscars this year! I'm happy that each of the nominees for Best Picture one at least one Oscar. All in all, I was really impressed. As always, I was blown away by the fashion and very supportive of the winners. What are everyone else's thoughts on the 2015 Academy Awards?