Summer in Tahoe

Credit to Kyle for the photos!

I love sunshine and being near the water! That's when I'm the happiest :) With that said, here are a few photos from my trip to Tahoe the other weekend. Enjoy! 

Red

I've been on the hunt for the perfect red, which may or may not exist. The proper occasion to wear a red lip may come limited but it's always confident-boosting to know it's within reach in my make-up drawer ;). I took a trip to the MAC counter inside Nordstrom and tried on 'Russian Red', while my sister had on 'Ruby Woo'. I think I prefer the Russian Red color more since I love a deep and rich red; Ruby Woo seems a little too matte (and thus, drying) which doesn't go well with my Chapstick-craving lips. 

By the way, can you believe I'm in sweaters, boots, and coat in the summer? I swear, San Francisco weather is so odd. It's a good 10-20 degrees WARMER outside of the city--I actually might have it the worst considering my part of town gets most of the fog (sigh). 

In other news, I'm turning 22 this Thursday! I would like to keep my aging cap at 25 please...haha. For me, birthdays seem to get less exciting as I get older. Totally. Understandable. At least August means an end to a month infested with bad luck (and the return of Breaking Bad! Wooooh). July is probably the worst month I've had in awhile. Among other unfortunate things, I got my first parking ticket and my iPhone stolen. Thankfully, those are just material things that can be replaced...but I must admit, it's a hassle importing things into my temporary phone and making it feel like "home" again. Technology: both a blessing and a curse!

mascara routine!

I've been meaning to do a post about my everyday mascara routine for awhile now and it's finally here! I thought it would be better to do a video because well...videos are always more interesting, right? I've been getting lots of encouragement from people to do more videos so I'll definitely to make that happen. It's a little awkward talking to the camera at first but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Enjoy!

Miami!

I actually wrote this post on the 2nd day of Miami but never got the chance to upload it due to laggy internet and loads of festivities to accommodate. I know, I'm pretty horrible at updating but I thought I would post what I intended even though it's about 2 weeks late (so sorry!).  I fell in love with this city at first sight. Beautiful city with such a lively atmosphere -- especially it's night life. I felt like I was in Vegas even though I've never been there haha. Definitely a party city, which I'm not sure if I can quite keep up with since my college days are over ;). Here are a couple of pictures from the first day. Laying by the pool for just a couple hours has already made me a few shades darker which is great because I know I won't be getting any glow in San Francisco. 

flight delayed

I'm currently waiting at SFO airport and my flight to Miami is delayed (I'm not surprised). We should have boarded 30 minutes ago but the plane didn't even leave LA yet! Wifi really sucks at SFO too so I'm blogging via my phone. My laptop is running out of battery and I'm trying to conserve my phone battery so I can listen to music on the plane haha. I finished the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars and debating if I should start on the fifth season of Breaking Bad (I was saving this specifically for Miami). Luckily I packed some snacks to munch on to kill time. In this picture I'm eating Haribo's sour s'ghetti candy. Thanks Amanda for introducing me to this years ago! I love sour candy!!! I'm really hoping to board soon so I can sleep :(

mini update

Ever since I moved back home from Davis, I feel like I've just been constantly running around. Haven't really had time to relax because when I AM home, I have to unpack and rearrange my room. So tiring! Still haven't finished and the mess/disorganization is making me have the most uneasy feeling ever haha. I'm currently at my brother's house in San Leandro and, if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm bored out of my mind. I'm waiting for my sister to come by so we can run some errands for her birthday party tomorrow--she's doing a wine tasting event nearby in Livermore. I never knew there were wineries in Livermore so this is going to be a nice scenic change from Napa Valley! Also, we need to buy last minute items (i.e. travel size toiletries) for our trip to Miami. We're flying out Monday night and staying until Sunday. I'm super excited because it'll be the first time I'll be in the east coast! I suppose we're going at a very good time too (or not?) since the Miami Heat just won the NBA championships. It's going to be craaaazy. I'll be sure to take lots of photos and even come up with some videos! Now back to Pretty Little Liars...hehe.

first vlog!

Sometimes I vlog on my MacBook just to voice my thoughts (with no intention of sharing it, of course) but I decided for the first time to make this one public. I know, it's not very attractive for me to talk with my mouth full haha. 

the morning of

Quick post to document the morning of my big day...college graduation! 7 AM and eating breakfast (oatmeal with strawberries) while getting ready. I decided to curl my hair! Yes, shocker right? Photos of my graduation will be up soon :)

Update on the Clarisonic

Remember when I wrote my brief review on the Clarisonic? I bought it back in April and now it's almost June (!) which means it's the adequate amount of time for me to give an update. In case you can't find it or have no clue what I'm talking about, here is the link to that blog post. Anyway, here is a brief update to compliment that brief review I did:

Thumbs up for the Clarisonic! I'm not sure if it's just the change in weather (my skin is noticeably worse in the winter time and more obedient during hotter months) but I find myself breaking out less and my skin is a lot smoother. I think I may have become dependent on this thing...I don't feel like my face is clean unless I use it, especially when I've been wearing make-up all day. Opposed to the recommended 2x a day, I only use it at night time (way too harsh, once a day might even be a little harsh already). The only drawback that's still worth noting is the price tag: the brush head turnover rate is 2-3 months and they are retailed at $25 each. But hey, I've been on the lookout for promo codes, especially 25-30% at the dermstore which is where I bought my Clarisonic in the first place so I might have just found my solution.

I hope this helps those who are contemplating whether or not to make the purchase!

Past Weekend in a Nutshell

I love food!!!

Birthday girl!

Maybe half way there? I wanted to give up...

But I didn't!

Proof

Not really a fan of pizza but someone had limited options due to the vegan life (not me)

Been craving for tapioca all the time lately...bad, I know!

Sunburned not from hiking but from the sun shining on my shoulders during my1.5 hour drive

"Nem Nuong Cuon" -- basically a spring roll with charboiled pork & crispy egg roll skin. YUMMY GOODNESS.

"Banh Beo"

Finally got my noodle soup fix. Quail egg was such a nice addition

So this past weekend I went to Santana Row in San Jose to celebrate Amanda's birthday (happy 22nd my love!) and then later that night I experienced my first ever Speakeasy. Very cool and different environment and I'm sort of bummed I didn't take any pictures to document what drinks I had. Let's just say I tried Absinthe...which I was excited but nervous to try from watching that episode of Anthony Bourdain in Paris. Since I was in the south bay I decided to hike up Mission Peak, too. I know everyone and their extended families have been there and took pictures with the infamous pole, but as a pretty physically inactive person, I'm pretty darn proud I made it to the top (please see picture for proof). Then during my 1.5 mile drive back up to Davis on Saturday, I actually got sunburned. I have only gotten sunburned twice in my entire life and these two times happened within 12 months. I'm going to look really credible when I give my persuasive speech this coming Wednesday on the importance of wearing sunscreen...haha! Anyway, my sister and her boyfriend decided to visit me on Sunday and we went up to Sacramento to eat Vietnamese food. I normally don't eat out at Vietnamese restaurants because my mom is a phenomenal cook but this place has some really good "nem nuong cuons". The captions do a pretty good job at describing my weekend in concise and chronological order so I'll leave it at that! Now back to that "credible" speech...I hope you all had a great weekend!

Tribal Inspiration

With the weather going well into the high 80s and low 90s, it's a must to wear thin fabric. These shorts are so airy; it's actually a romper I purchased from Target two years ago but I hated the top so I cut them at the waist and rolled it down for a super casual and comfortable look. I'm also in love with the print! I paired it with a white top with little key holes along the neckline from Urban Outfitters. Hot weather usually means minimal make-up (seriously, who likes a melted cake face?) so my morning routine consists of just two coats of mascara and that's it. I'd happily sacrifice showcasing my flaws of freckles, hyperpigmentation, and redness on a typical school day for the couple extra minutes of sleep!

crochet on crochet

Spring and summer are pretty much synonymous with crochet pieces. Pair it with a striped garment and it instantly becomes a classic look. The downside of these slip-ons? I wear them too often and for this reason, in addition to the color, they get dirty really quickly! However, they come in handy when I'm on the go and I can't spare a couple seconds to tie the laces on my Chuck Taylors. Ahhhh, I can never stress enough that I absolutely love spring. 

Army Green + Coral

Spring time is synonymous with nice weather, flowers, bright colors -- everything that I love. San Francisco was so gorgeous over the weekend and I'm glad I was able to grab brunch at Sweet Maple in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. Even though I grew up here,  I've never really ventured out of my neighborhood (other than Downtown, of course) to really see what makes this city so beautiful. In typical San Francisco fashion, brunch was packed and my good friend and I ended up waiting about an hour for a table. However, the restaurant was really hospitable and provided complimentary coffee and fruit-infused water to aid the long wait. I wore my very trusted army green skinnies (seriously, I probably wore these to death), bright coral sweater, and simple nude ballet flats. Now moving on the food...doesn't it look delish? I'm salivating thinking about it. Too bad I can't eat like this all the time!