A Beautiful Saturday.

I woke up this morning with the sun shining on my face... amazing. With the unusually crazy weather in SD, it's nice to feel the warmth of the sun again. While my bf was napping, I decided it would be a good time to take photos. LOL. Behind me is the white blanket with my bf underneath it... haha. We're in the process of moving, so we don't have any furniture left! We still have our bed, but we can only stand laying in there for so long. OH! and I received my eyelashes that I ordered from ebay yesterday! 100 pairs! I know! But it was a super deal! I took photos of those as well, which I'll post up later. Don't have really exciting to post, but I just wanted to post a little something. Have a wonderful weekend!

Tone and Moisturize...Naturally!

So, in the midst of running my errands, I stopped by Target and realized that I needed some toner and moisturizer. Now, I've been using korean/japanese brand cleansers, moisturizers, and toners for as long as I could remember. It started when my mom purchased me my first set, which she still sends me from time to time. :] I've never really fallen in love with any of them. Recently, I went to the mall and purchased the Purity face wash from Philosophy. I've gone through a little less than half of the bottle (the large size), and I must say, this stuff is amazing! My skin feels smooth, soft, and hydrated! I have really sensitive skin, and this cleanser did not make my face irritated at all. It has kind of a sandalwoody scent, a bit musky, but it doesn't bother me. It's not organic, but contains plenty of natural ingredients. LOVE it! Anyway, back to the toner and moisturizer. I really can't afford to be spending tons and tons of money on really expensive stuff, so while I was at Target, I picked up Alba face toner along with the aloe and green tea moisturizer. I just used both products a few minutes ago when I got home (I like to take off my makeup and switch into pj's if I know I don't have any plans for the night), and although I can't form a valid opinion, since it's my first time using the products, my skin does feel soft and refreshed! The moisturizer feels amazing! My skin feels sooo soft! It hydrates without leaving the skin greasy and absorbs really well! All Alba products are made with 100% vegetarian ingredients, so I felt safe purchasing what I did, since I have such sensitive skin. I've only used these products once and I already like them better than my expensive korean products, especially the moisturizer! They were on sale for $11.99 each, which normally I think they're only a dollar more, but hey, I won't complain about the dollar savings! :] Definitely give these products a try if you're looking for an all natural skin line. Affordable and good for your skin, you can't lose! I'm telling you, I can't believe how soft the moisturizer made my skin! (I'm literally feeling my face right now in awe! lol) I was skeptical at first since I don't usually purchase my skincare products at the store, but I'm glad I did! Hopefully they won't let me down after a few uses... I'll let you know once I've been using the stuff enough to form a valid opinion. Now go quench your skin! :]

Got Apples?

I went over to my mother-in-law's for dinner and surprised everyone with candy apples! I used both red and green apples and coated some with caramel and some with the traditional red candy coating. I topped some of them with coconut and others with sprinkles. For the caramel ones, I decided to keep it traditional with and coat them with peanuts. I thought I'd share with you guys the end result! :]

Candy apples are a fun and easy, so try bringing them to a gathering instead of the typical cookies or pie! They'll be a hit! I promise! :]

Oh, to be a girl...

Rarely do I ever wear red lipstick, but it's always fun to play with makeup and hair. I love being feminine and being able to express my femininity by dolling up a little once in awhile. A lot of times we forget to take the time to take care of ourselves as we get caught up in the everyday rushes of our busy lives. We all deserve a little pampering, even if it is just to make ourselves happy. Whether you've got a hot date or you're just lounging around the house, it's always fun to remind yourself that you're beautiful!

Have a beautiful day! I'm off to grab lunch and run some errands!

the many faces of me.

just a random because i'm bored kind of thing. :]

fitness goal.

Lately, I've been slacking on my health and well being. As of tomorrow, I'm hoping to keep a consistent fitness regimen, and attempt to not treat my mouth and stomach as a garbage disposal, by refraining from throwing junk in it. After the holidays and a visit back home to see the parents, I've felt considerably more unhappy about myself, both physically and mentally. Hooray for being asian and having parents that like to fill you with love by feeding you nonstop! NOT. I'm sure that extra donut won't feel as good as I will once I reach my ideal physique. It's not like I want to lose a crazy amount of weight, and I definitely don't think I'm overweight. It's more of a self confidence thing. If I work out and eat healthy, I feel better, and that makes me feel confident. Anyway, I'll try to update my progress on here as I go on.

Let's get our tone on! :]

YAY for being healthy!!

So, what have i been up to? [photo overload]

Since I completely neglected my blog for 3 months and am now ready to continue blogging, I've decided to post up pictures of what I've been doing for those lost months. I recently made a trip back to Anchorage, Alaska (which is where I'm from), to visit family and friends during the holidays. So, there's those pictures, but also pictures from after I came back to San Diego. My visit to Alaska lasted a good 3 weeks. The weather was quite chilly, and I wasn't prepared for the drastic change from sunny San Diego to freezing cold Alaska. Although the weather kept me wanting to stay home, I managed to meet up with friends and show my bf (who's born and raised in SD) what Alaska has to offer. Basically, this post is just a recap of my favorite memories with some of my favorite people during the last couple of months. WARNING! There's a crapload of pictures! :D

in the kitchen.

So today, I decided to whip up the simplest tomato sauce ever made. I originally found this recipe on a foodie blog (smitten kitchen). you definitely have to check it out for some good eats. This pasta's not meant to be heavy or overwhelmingly flavorful. The only ingredients used are canned whole tomatoes, an onion, butter, and some good pasta.... tomato sauce at it's purest. Who would've thought that some butter and an onion would be all you needed!

Ingredients:

28 oz canned whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 onion peeled and halved
pasta of choice... i would've used fresh pasta, but the box kind i found was pretty tasty. De Cecco is the brand, it's imported from Italy.

All that needs to be done is opening the can of tomatoes and emptying them into a heavy pot, add the butter and halved onion, and bring it to a simmer. Once it's simmering, bring down the heat to a medium low (more on the lower side) and simmer it for 45 minutes. Stir it occasionally and crush the tomatoes on the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. 45 minutes later.. voila!

You can either throw it over some pasta and call it a day, or you can add some parmesan cheese. In my case I sliced up a piece of fresh mozzarella and put it on top of the warm bed of deliciousness. :] I added a sprig of basil for an appealing effect, but these extra steps are completely unnecessary. :]

With the left over sauce, I made my bf a chicken breast topped with oozing melted mozzarella. All I did was season the chicken breast with salt and pepper, add it to a preheated skillet with some extra virgin olive oil, cook it on one side for several minutes, and flip it over. Once the meat had been cooking on the second side for a couple of minutes, I spooned some tomato sauce ontop of the chicken while it was still cooking. Then, I topped it with a couple of slices of fresh mozzarella and covered the pan with a lid. This next step is also optional, but a minute before the chicken is done cooking, I added some chicken stock to the pan and covered it back up with the lid. I feel like the steam and the moisture from the stock keeps the chicken moist and juicy.

Sorry the quality of most of these pictures isn't that great! It's the horrendous fluorescent lighting in my kitchen!

Cooking is like therapy to me! If you guys decide to try this simple tomato sauce, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Day One.

In my pursuit to become an avid blogger, i woke up this morning ready to do my first vlog. Although I recorded the video 2 times, it was an epic fail. Since I am new to this, I figured I would just go the simple route and record on my MacBook. Unfortunately, within the midst of filming, it cut me off within the first few minutes. Since the video was a bust, I decided to post pictures of the final outcome and which products I used. I will try again tomorrow, but this time I'll be using my bf's legit video camera :D. So this is it for now... at least there's something to look at! ;]

One rendition of a smokey eye:

Products used:

FACE:

Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer

Loreal True Match Color Foundation

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark

Maybelline Expert Wear Blush in Pinch O' Pink

EYES:

Eyebrows: MAC Cork eyeshadow

MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot, MAC Smolder Kohl Eyeliner, MAC eyeshadows: Knight Divine, Cork, Embark, Retro Speck, and Carbon

Eyelashes: Maybelline Colossal Mascara, Korean Brand Eyelashes

LIPS:

Maybelline Color Sensations Lipstick in Pink Please

MAC Lipglass in Underage

Thanks for reading! Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a video up!

But... Later this evening, I might put up a really super easy tomato sauce and pasta recipe. Seriously, when I first saw this recipe I thought it was too simple to taste so good, but it's delicious!! Sometimes I feel the need to eat simply to simply eat! :]