California here we come...

Hello everyone! I am finally back which is bittersweet. As you know I spent the last 10 days in California! I can’t even begin to explain how amazing it was but I will try my hardest. I tried to vlog as much as I could but I was so capsulated by everything I saw that sometimes I forgot. I did take some videos though and I made them into a little video for you guys that I will link below if you want to watch. I also will be posting some pictures so you can see more from my trip. I posted some other pictures on my Instagram and I know for a fact I will be posting more because I had to many to Instagram! So if you want to see even more from my trip my Instagram and my Twitter is linked above so give it a follow and tell me you’re from here so we can chat! 

 

The first day we got to California we just had a chill day where we explored a little bit and most importantly went to In-N-Out Burger. If you haven’t had In-N-Out I really feel horrible because it is amazing and it needs to make its way from just the west coast to the east coast because everyone needs some In-N-Out Burger in their life. Later that night we stumbled upon The Beverly Hills Hotel where we somehow managed to get a private tour which was insane because that hotel is beyond gorgeous. A few days later we actually went back to get dessert and some cocktails which if you are visiting California I definitely recommend because it’s an incredible experience. The next day was a beautiful sunny hot day so what better way to spend it then at Venice beach. Honestly this was beyond beautiful. When I first got there my mouth dropped open. Yes you’re probably thinking it’s just a beach and they have beaches everywhere but something about it was just so incredible I didn’t want to leave. Later that night we went to one of my favorite parts in California, Santa Monica. This was insane. They literally have a little amusement park on the boardwalk and at night with all the lights lit up and stuff it was just incredible. Of course I indulged on mint chocolate chip ice cream. How could I pass that up?! The next day was actually Jamie’s birthday so we spent it at Rodeo Drive doing what we do best...shopping. While we were in one of the shops we actually ran into Rick Ross. It was cool to see someone famous. Although we didn’t ask for a picture it was still cool to just run into someone. Also we visited the huge Beverly Hills sign. Beverly Hills is also one of my favorite parts of California. The houses are insanely beautiful and they have the most beautiful palm trees on every street. 

 

The next day was an adventure let me tell you. Jamie and I thought it would be a good idea to not only do one hike but two. We picked the absolute worst day to do this because besides it being hot,  the humidity was unreal. We first hiked Runyon Canon which had an incredible view of all of LA. By the end of this hike we were actually dying. Clearly we are not in good shape. But if you are going to the LA area I do suggest you do this hike because the view really was beautiful and its unlike anything you will ever see. The second hike however was my favorite because we hiked up to the Hollywood sign. Yes you read that right! It was still hot during this time because the sun was still shining but it was more breezy so it wasn’t as bad. I can’t even begin to explain how insane this was. If you go or have been to California you know when you see the Hollywood sign you can’t really see it or get to close to it so with a little research Jamie and I found where you can hike and get a better view of this beautiful landmark. Of course once I got there I started singing almost every song that mentions anything about the Hollywood sign but come on everyone probably does this! Later that night we took a visit to the Urban Lights which was incredible.  I definitely want to get proposed to there because I have never seen anything like that. Of course I did some dance moves while I was there because it was a perfect place for it. The next day we did one of my favorite things on the entire trip. We did a Warner Brothers studio tour. Yes it was a little pricy but it was definitely worth it. We got to go on the actual sets of The Fosters, 2 Broke Girls and Pretty Little Liars. Yes I said Pretty Little Liars which means now there is a high possibility that I am A hehe. All three of these sets are actually for my favorite shows so this was insane like you wouldn’t believe. It’s amazing  how different everything is in person compared to the show. It was 100% worth it because you will never get an experience like this again. The next day we went to the Walk of Fame. If you are going and you have specific stars you want to see my best advice would be to get the address of the star because the Walk of Fame goes on for blocks and blocks on both sides of the street and you will never get to see the ones you really want without looking up the address. This was pretty cool except it was very crowded so it is hard to take picture but still it’s a must do when you go to California. The last day in LA we spent it at the Grove which is an outdoor shopping mall and also farmers market. This was good because they had amazing food in the farmers market and an insane amount of options to choose from. 

 

The next day we were off to Disneyland!!! We got to go for the 60th anniversary which was great because it was the diamond age so everything was glittery and sparkly and just beautiful. We went to California Adventure the first day which has more of the rides. My two ride suggestions is Cars Land and Screamin. Those had really long waits but was so worth it because it was really cool. While we were in the park we actually ran into Miranda Cosgrove who was so sweet and actually complemented us on our homemade Mickey ears. We spent the rest of the day at the park and stayed to watch the shows at night which were beautiful. The next and last day of our trip we spent it in Disneyland’s main park where we met every princess and some more characters which is always fun. We saw three shows but my favorite was the Paint the Night show. You can actually find this show on Youtube and I highly suggest it because it was the greatest show I have ever seen. The lights, costumes and floats were insane. Disney really knows how to put on a great show and made our last day the best! Unfortunately for us our trip then came to an end which is the worst part of any trip because then it means back to reality. I can definitely say this won’t be my last time in California because I absolutely loved it and had the time of my life with my best friend. So sorry this post was so long but I had to tell you all about my trip! Come back next week when I discuss one of my favorite Youtubbers Bethany Mota’s new perfume and my experience meeting her. You don’t want to miss that! Until then have an amazing week! 

Sincerely, Sam

We're All Mad Here...

Hello everyone!  As I said last week at the end of my blog I will be talking about my day at Alice’s Tea Cup in New York City! It’s always good to go for a girls day in the city but often times things can be expensive and the food might not be all its hyped up to be. My three friends (Jamie, Caitlyn, Megan) and I decided to go for lunch in the city and catch up because it’s been a while since we all hung out together. I had such a great time. I swear all I did was laugh that day but I also got some delicious food that I would like to share with you. When we were first trying to pick a place to go we all had zero ideas. A few days later Megan and Caitlyn suggested we go to Alice’s Tea Cup. Now I was instantly like YES because I love tea. After I told Jamie and she looked up pictures of the food they have there and the menu she was instantly in also. They have a few places in the City but we went to the one on 6th Avenue. One thing I suggest is whenever you are going to a new place to eat always look up pictures on Instagram, Google, Facebook, etc and see what other people are getting and what they think of the food because it’s always good to get someone else’s opinion before you go and spend a ton of money. Also call and see if they take reservations so you don’t need to wait long to eat! Unfortunately this establishment only takes  reservations if your party is 6 or more. After looking at probably a hundred pictures on Instagram (I wish I was joking) Jamie and I saw these two meals that we were dying to have. Apparently they have the best French toast in New York because every single person was raving about this and almost all of the Instagram tags were of the French toast. Jamie however had her heart set on eggs Benedict which actually did look very tasty! Unfortunately for us they stopped selling breakfast at 4 and we were there at 4:30. Which is ok just means I have to go back to get it (which I plan to).

 

When we first got there it was pretty packed and there was a little bit of a wait time. In total, we waited an hour which isn’t so bad because we were four people. What I really liked is that they took our phone number and called us when our table was ready which was great because it’s close to 5th Avenue so you can go shop while you wait which is exactly what we did! After we got the phone call that our table is ready we practically ran back because we were so hungry! Once we sat down we noticed there were two floors which I didn’t actually get to see because we sat downstairs. The place was beyond adorable. They had Alice and wonderland pictures, quotes and pictures of random models recreating scenes from Alice and Wonderland on the walls. It was a rather small place but it was very cozy. They had 3 booths on the right side and on the left were 3 table and chairs set up for parties of 2. They were very kid friendly, they even had hooks on the walls that had butterfly wings that little girls can wear while eating. When we first sat down I was overwhelmed with all the tea options (they had an entire menu on just tea!) because I didn’t want to pick the wrong one! I wound up sharing a pot of tea with Jamie and we decided on Birthday tea. When we were in Disney they sold the Mad Hatter loose tea in a tin and I really wanted to try it but wasn’t sure if I would like it so I never got the chance to so, when I got here and saw they had the tea I was so pumped! Caitlyn and Megan shared the Mad Hatter-”Tea for two!” which came on a caddy. (Pictures to follow). This included 2 choice of scones, 2 pots of tea, 2 different types of sandwiches and assorted cookies. Jamie and I decided since we couldn’t get our French toast or eggs Benedict that we would share a pot of tea and get scones with it. For our main meal we had a burger with fries. 

Since tea always comes first in the meal we had that first. I personally didn’t need anything in my tea because it was pretty sweet without it but some people don’t like the distinct taste of tea so you do have the option to put honey or sugar in it. Honestly I think it smelled just like regular tea to me but a little sweeter because it did have a floral ingredient but it was delicious, definitely on my top 5 favorite teas. Caitlyn and Megan really enjoyed their tea as well which is always a good thing. Next our food came and boy was I hungry. The burgers were definitely the size of my head. I didn’t know how I was going to finish it all but with great difficulty I did finish it all! It smelled and tasted just like a burger off the barbecue which is one of my favorites. The fries were crispy and golden made to perfection. Caitlyn and Megan got turkey sandwiches and egg salad sandwiches which they said were absolutely delicious. After the main course we finally got our scones which I was super excited for because they are known for their amazing scones. All four of us got a different flavor and every single flavor was divine. Jamie got a buttermilk scone, Caitlyn got the chocolate butterscotch, I got the vegan cranberry orange and Megan got the number one seller which was the pumpkin scone. It came with raspberry jelly on the side to put on it and I don’t think it could have been any better if you ask me. When I finished the scone I was so sad because I didn’t want it to end! It complemented the tea very well also! After we finished and paid the bill I was very sad to leave because the food was so amazing. I just wanted more! From here we went to 5th Avenue to do some shopping (would you expect anything less from me?). I had such a great day shopping, eating and catching up with old friends and I can’t wait to do it again soon. If you are in the New York City area or live in New York I highly recommended checking  this place out They have multiple locations so you are always near one so check them out! If you are new to my blog then hello and welcome! Be sure to check back next Saturday when I post outfit ideas for Coachella! Talk to you soon! 

 

Sincerely, Sam 

Stroke At Midnight...

Hi everyone! So I am very excited about today’s blog post because it is a collaboration post with one of my good friends Kelsie. Last year, when I studied abroad in London, I met Kelsie at the orientation. We realized that we had almost every class together so ever since then we sat together in class. A few weeks into the semester I found out she makes youtube videos. Now I am a big fan of youtube. I love to watch tutorials and diy videos so when I found out she was a youtuber I was very excited! Now it’s about a year later and I still watch all her videos religiously. She has a beauty channel and what I love about her videos is that she is extremely honest about the products. She gives amazing feedback that way if you are interested in the products you can hear an honest opinion before you go out to buy them. Let’s be honest, makeup is expensive and we want to make sure we have the best products! So when I learned she was going to do a video on the new Cinderella products from Mac I thought it would be awesome to do a collaboration because I also purchased products from the Cinderella line.  At the end of this blog I will leave her link for her channel  and  I will post the video at the bottom as well. I highly suggest you check her out because she has some incredible videos! 

When I was a little girl I, like every other little girl, absolutely loved Disney movies. I took a liking to Cinderella because I loved her dress and her shoes (which I believe is the fashionista in me). When I first went to Disney World with my family and I saw the Magic Kingdom I knew Cinderella was the greatest princess, in my eyes. When I learned that they were making a live action film of Cinderella I could not express how excited I was. Then I saw Mac was going to be doing a collection and I just freaked out. Personally for me I am not a big makeup person except for when I go out because I don’t have the time in the mornings and also because I don’t want to clog my pores. This is my personal choice not everyone will agree with me but this is just my preference. However the one makeup item I wear every single day is lipstick because I am absolutely obsessed with lipstick. I have an entire makeup bag filled with lipsticks alone so I knew I had to get at least one of the Cinderella lipsticks. I actually bought this in the mall I work in because this collection is sold out online. I think now the collection might be sold out in stores because there was such a high demand for it. There were two lipstick colors in this line one was Royal Ball and the other was Free as a butterfly. Because I absolutely love nude lips I leaned more towards Free as a butterfly. When I got this I was blown away by the packaging because it was such a gorgeous periwinkle color and I just couldn’t get over how beautiful it was. After seeing just the packaging I couldn’t wait to put this on my lips. The first thing I noticed was how soft and smooth it  felt on my lips which was a first to me because a lot of lipsticks are sort of hard on the lips. I was really impressed about how soft it was. However it wasn’t very pigmented at all and it was extremely very sheer on the lips. Keep in mind I am extremely fair skinned so if I am saying it’s sheer then you know some things up. I put on about four coats and I still couldn’t see the color at all. I was pretty disappointed with that. After watching Kelsie’s video she said the exact same thing! She actually tried the Royal Ball color and she also said she was disappointed with it. 

When I was in the store I tried the Royal Ball color and I couldn’t agree more that it was extremely sheer.  What I found to be weird was that both of these colors in the actual tube doesn’t look like it would be very sheer. It looks like a very beautiful nude and pink color. If anyone ordered this product and is still waiting for it to come in you might be a little disappointed. However  the good thing about Mac is if you don’t like a product even if it is used you have 30 days to return it which I think is so smart because when you go home it is always going to look different than it did in the store. In Kelsie’s video she said her favorite product in the line is the eye shadow palette and she’s correct because the colors in it are absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately they were sold out of this online but hopefully a store near you has it!  After my experience with this collection I have to say I am a bit disappointed but it won’t stop me from buying future products from Mac because even though I was unsatisfied with this lipstick there were a lot of positives I saw with this collection. Don’t forget to check out Kelsie’s video on her perspective of these products and also check out her other videos! Talk to you soon in my next blog! 

Sincerely, Sam

Kelsie's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcVKp6EW6V3N5gSqi3yZ76A

Disney World...

 Last month I was lucky enough to go to Disney World with my two best friends. The last time I went to Disney was in 2010 (when the new parts of the park were still under construction) so when I got there I noticed a lot has changed. Every time I go to Disney I feel like a little kid again and I just get so excited! On the first day we visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Don’t get me wrong I love this park but I felt like it didn't have very much to do unlike the other parks. My favorite part of the day was when we went on the safari because it was so realistic and seeing the animals so close up was unbelievable. We finished that day with riding one of my favorite rides, Expedition Everest. Since this is a very popular ride the line was kind of long.  My number one suggestion for anyone going to Disney would be to get the new Magic Bands and pick your fast pass rides in advance (trust me you’ll thank me later).

The next day we went to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, my all time favorite park. My absolute favorite part of the day was when we ate lunch in the brand new restaurant “Be Our Guest” (this is located in Belle’s/Beast’s castle in the new part of the park). We started our meal with an amazing onion soup; our entree was what I like to call the world’s greatest turkey sandwich (it also came with fries) for dessert we finished up with a chocolate ganache cupcake. At this point I never wanted to leave. If you’re traveling to Disney I highly recommend going here for lunch (get the turkey sandwich, you’ll thank me later!). The rest of the day we rode a ton of rides which was so much fun! We ended the night with the most amazing shows I’ve ever seen. We saw beautiful fireworks, floats, an amazing light show but my favorite part was when Elsa “froze” Cinderella’s Castle; it was absolutely stunning. (Pictures to follow). The next day we visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately, the huge sorcerers hat that was in the middle of the park is now being removed but according to the map and the employees they are building a pond in that spot (why, idk).  I loved Hollywood Studios because I felt like I was living in a cartoon and of course they have the best rides! My favorite part of the day was going into the Toy Story part of the park because, who doesn’t love Toy Story? We rode rides all day until it was time to go back to the hotel and off to the next park!

            
The next day was another one of my absolute favorites! When I was little I never truly appreciated visiting Epcot.  However, now that I am older and developed a love for traveling, I appreciated Epcot so much more and was so excited to go here. We started the day with seeing the countries because who doesn’t want to go around the world in 80 minutes?! We started with Canada and then took a few steps farther into my favorite country, England.  I studied abroad in London for 6 months and still don’t think it was enough time there, so when I got to that part of Epcot it felt so real to be back (even the food was to the tee.) It’s safe to say this was my favorite part! As we kept going through the countries we finally got to France. I also visited France last year and I have to say Disney did an amazing job, because it was very realistic. The best part was the macaroon ice cream sandwich. Macaroons are my favorite dessert in the entire world and who doesn’t love ice cream? If you’re in Epcot I highly recommend going to L’Artisan Des Glaces for this dessert. We kept going through the countries and when we got to Italy, oh did I want some pizza! Although I didn’t get my slice of pizza there, it did smell just like Italy’s pizza. I’m going to say if you want pizza like they make in Italy, this is probably the closest you’ll get. We kept going until it was time to ride test track which has been redone and let me just say they did an amazing job as usual! If you’re visiting Epcot I highly recommend Test Track and Soarin’ because those, in my opinion, are the best rides there!

            
At night we saw the beautiful firework show, which I watched in awe. This day couldn’t have ended any better if you ask me. The next day was our last and final day in Disney = ( . Back to Magic Kingdom we go! This day was all about the rides we didn’t get around to and meeting the different Disney Characters. We met Mickey, Tinkerbell, Rapunzel, Cinderella and even Ana and Elsa! I was really upset we didn’t get to meet Olaf because he is my absolute favorite but I am hoping to see him when I go to Disneyland this summer! We ended today in tears because I was so sad to leave this amazing place but I know I will be back soon and I can’t wait for that day! Also, if you’re visiting Disney I suggest making your very own Mickey ears like my best friend and I did. Not only are they original and super cute but you’ll get a million compliments, which is always a good thing! (If anyone is wondering how to make DIY Mickey ears, let me know!  I can upload a step-by-step)  If you’re looking for a hotel to stay in at Disney, there are so many beautiful ones to stay in. This time around I stayed in Disney’s All-Star Movies and I would absolutely recommend this hotel. The staff was phenomenal, the food was superb, and the hotel itself, as well as all of Disney was immaculately clean. I know this was a long entry but I just get so excited talking about Disney! I hope you enjoyed this week’s blog and hopefully it can help with your next trip to Disney. Until next time everyone!

Sincerely, Sam