Cacti Flowers

Two days ago I looked out my patio and saw these beautiful flowers had bloomed on my cactus plant.

This morning I looked out my patio and saw that the orange flower had disappeared and this red flower poked its beautiful head out into the world! Can you believe this is even the same cactus plant?! All within 2 days!

Update: Three days have since passed and the cacti have bloomed two more beautiful, fuchsia colored flowers!

Essie Spring 2015 Collection

The last time I got one of these mini Essie season sets was in the Fall. I was so impressed and I still use that collection even when it's not fall. I skipped the Winter 2014 collection and bought the Spring 2015 collection which is what you see in the photos. 

1) Flowerista: a deep fuschia/purple; looks darker on the nails than in the bottle

2) Blossom Dandy: a mint green color very similar to their 'Mint Candy Apple' color but with a more green/teal hue

3) Petal Pushers: a blue/gray color similar to 'Merino Cool' with more blue

4) Perennial Chic: a light peach color

I would have to say that for the spring time, my favorite out of this collection would be Flowerista. It's such a unique color that I really enjoy looking at! You can find this collection here for $17. 

Josh Thompson - Cold Beer With Your Name On It (Lyric Video)

As I’m gearing up for the Shaky Boots Festival in May, I’m binging on country music from the artists that will play there. But in case you’re curious about what an Asian girl who loves country music may be obsessed with as of late, voila!

Napa Valley

              

For the past 2 weekends I went to Napa Valley with some good friends. The town of Napa is so quaint and beautiful.  The first weekend I stayed at the Andaz Napa for 2 nights. The hotel was damaged during the August 2014 earthquake but I couldn't even tell because it was as good as new!

1st trip

Domaine Chandon

Nickel & Nickel

Cakebread Cellars

2nd trip

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Robert Sinskey

Mumm Napa

ZD Wines

V. Sattui (only for lunch-delicious!)

Chimney Rock

My favorites from the two trips were Domaine Chandon, Nickel & Nickel, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, and Robert Sinskey. I took a trade tour at Domaine Chandon and Nickel & Nickel which made for excellent experiences overall. I learned so much more about wine from these trips and I highly recommend a trip for all of you wine lovers!

NARS Audacious Lipstick

I was on the hunt for this specific shade of NARS Audacious Lipstick called Ingrid for a while now. They don't sell it in Sephora or Nordstrom so it delayed my purchase for a while. However I really wanted to try out this lipstick before the winter season was over because it is the perfect 'vampy' shade. I finally found it on barneys.com with free shipping! At $32 it is a bit pricey but after having it for a few weeks now, I would say it's definitely worth splurging on. I use this lipstick with a lip liner from Mac called Vino and it is a perfect combination! What is your favorite "vampy" shade? 

Costa Rica

My family and I took a short and sweet vacation to Costa Rica. We stayed in the Andaz Papagayo Resort, which is a fairly new Hyatt luxury hotel. The resort was breathtakingly beautiful and so enjoyable to stay at.

One day we basically went off-roading trying to see the volcano at Rincon de la Viejo. We also drove to Portero Grande to see the divine beach. On our last day we drove 5 hours to San Jose, which is the capital of Costa Rica. It was a busy city with lots of cars and lots of wind. We also got pulled over for illegally making a left turn (there were no signs to prohibit this)! However the police basically asked us to pay him money equal to $20 to get off without a ticket. Shady business!

My favorite part about Costa Rica, besides the beautiful scenery, were the hole-in-the-wall restaurants (called "Soda" in Costa Rica) that we bravely just walked into and enjoyed. It was an amazing way to experience local cuisine but be aware that people in these places do not speak any English! We sort of just took wild guesses and ordered a mix of things. The only thing I knew of was 'Cafe con leche' which is just coffee with milk - delicious! 'Gallo pinto' was another dish that I loved - basically rice with black beans but prepared with certain seasonings and flavors! 

All in all, it was a memorable vacation, one that I will never forget! Costa Rica, thanks for memories!

The Perfect Pair

 

My family always gives at least one Christmas gift upon purchase.  Usually it is the biggest, main purchase and it's because none of us can contain the excitement of giving and receiving the one thing that we know is really desired. This year my brother gave to me a pair of black suede heels.

I've been searching high and low for a pair of heels that I can wear to work every day. I was seeking both comfort and style. With an uncommon shoe size, it is hard enough for me to find shoes, let alone ones that I can walk around in all day as a housekeeping manager of 503 hotel rooms and 60 associates.

I finally found them: The Perfect Pair. Check them out at nordstrom.com