Most Delicious And Light/Healthy Lunch

I have been really into experimenting with my food lately, especially now that I have more knowledge about what nutrients we need and what are good options vs. not-so-good options. If you love peanut butter and alfalfa sprouts then you MUST try this recipe out. It will only take you a minute or less to prepare!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbsp All Natural Peanut Butter (no added salt or sugar; I used the Krema brand)
• 1 Turkey Deli Slice (healthy opt for oven roasted)
• 1/2 cup Alfalfa Sprouts (or however much you can fit on your deli meat)
• Black Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place deli meat on a plate and spread the peanut butter on it.
2. Place alfalfa sprouts on one half of the deli meat, on top of the peanut butter.
3. Dash black pepper over alfalfa sprouts to taste.
4. Fold deli meat so that it is in a shape of a taco.
5. Enjoy! <3

This recipe (as calculated on My Fitness Pal) is one serving for only 81 calories, 4.6g total fat, 3.6g total carbs, and 7.7g protein.

If you try this out let me know how you like it! :) Also if you make adjustments or alterations, please let me know because I want to learn from you too!

e.l.f. Sale Alert! $10 (includes shipping) for $14 worth of products

I got an email today from e.l.f. (eyeslipsface.com) about a 48-hour sale they have going on. As my post heading states, you get one of their "get the looks" set of beauty items for $10 (originally $14) and shipping costs ARE included. What a deal! If you have never tried e.l.f. products before, or have just started makeup, this is something you don't want to miss out. I was actually looking at their stuff yesterday (literally) and really wanted to order their new lip balm tints but did NOT want to pay the expensive $7 shipping, so I opted out. Now that they send me this deal, I really couldn't resist. Here's a snapshot of my order summary:

It is $10 AFTER they include the shipping cost. Honestly, it's not a bad deal in my opinion. I don't know if I'll like everything I get, but the price will definitely forgive it. I am excited about the eyeshadow. After my order arrives and a few trials, I will definitely do a review.

Again, this deal is only a 48-hour deal, so it ends tomorrow! I got the email at around 7AM this morning, so you have until 7AM Thursday I believe before this deal ends. Go get your orders going! :P

PROMO CODE: ECw14B

Click HERE to go to add the Steal vs. Splurge set of products.

Spoiled by Wet n Wild

So I recently did a nail polish haul from CVS and for the first time purchased Spoiled by Wet n Wild nail polishes. I got the shades: Vamp n Vinyl, I'm Ba-roque, Jewelry Heist, and Checkin Into Rehab. I also picked up the shade Haze of Love from the Megalast collection. I have used all but Checkin Into Rehab, and I can tell you that I don't regret buying these considering the awesome opacity they offer and the price. 

I wanted to check in with you all that the shade Jewelry Heist has become my holy grail glitter polish. It can literally be applied on top of any nail color. I love how it adds sparkle and glam to a boring cream polish in one coat! However, it is a bit of a challenge scooping glitter out because the nail polish is so fluid that the glitters will drip off (with the polish) the brush quickly so you gotta be fast and tactic when applying it. I like to get excess polish off one side of the brush and then dabbing the glitters with the other side. This makes it harder to dry fast but I still love it. 

I am personally a fan of large nail polish brushes because I tend to get uneven strokes with Essie's type of small brush (especially when the color is sheer). I thought I would love these Spoiled brushes too but some of these have horrible bristles like one of a broom. Maybe that's just my luck, but I noticed that these brushes also have a curved (or uneven) end at the tip (most brushes are flat tipped). This makes it difficult for me to freehand French tips (but it's still feasible since I've tried and it worked). 

Hope this mini review helped. Here's a photo of my current manicure using Haze of Love as my base, Jewelry Heist on my ring finger, and I'm Ba-roque on my tips. 

Makeup Musts and Favs for Hot Days

So even though summer is coming to an end, the hot weather will not stop here in LA. I personally feel that September is the hottest month of the year here. I know, I know, it's hotter in other places, but still, this is my limit of heat tolerance. Anything over 85 degrees is killer if there's no AC around. Too bad my AC only reaches the first floor of my home (and my room is on the second).

Okay, enough said, this post is dedicated to what I love wearing and almost became a "must" have for summer and hot days. When it's hot, you don't want to have a full face of makeup on because that's just too much touching up to do! I don't have "high-end" makeup that will last forever and not melt off my face or make it glow like an oiled pan by the end of the day. Here are some things I've been really enjoying lately, and I think they are fast to apply and just get out the door when I need to.

1. FOUNDATION
Okay, maybe not exactly foundation, but a light-weight tinted moisturizer is nice. The one I've been wearing is the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer. I love the packaging because it has a pump and the see-through container allows you to see how much you have left. It's light-weight so that I won't feel gross putting this on when it's 90+ degrees outside. It's also one of my darker available face products right now so it matches my summer-tinted skin tone better than my bb creams (which are too pale for me right now). This one is a bit pricier than other face products like drug store foundation, but I like the smell, feel, and how it nicely evens my skin tone.

2. BLUSH
Once I have my face makeup on, I MUST put blush on. I don't know what it is about blush, but it gives a perfect glow and almost a contour sometimes. It nicely shapes my face and brightens it so that I look more happy and alive. The one I've been going to recently is the Be a Bombshell blush in Sweet Cheeks. It has very micro shimmers in it but pretty much unnoticeable on the face. It's a nice light pink shade and very pigmented so a little goes a long way! I got this from a previous Ipsy bag this year. Ipsy by the way is a monthly subscription beauty bag that is only $10/month (free shipping). If you're interested, check them out here at http://ipsy.com

3. BROWS
I used to never do my brows, which I think is pretty common for makeup amateurs/beginners. Who needs brows? Well, I realized that having nicely groomed and defined brows will really make you appear cleaner and frames your face well. I have a lot of brow products, but I still love using the very first one I purchased which is the brow kit by e.l.f. They are a great company for any makeup beginners to go to because of it's cheap price and unlimited options. I think the brow kit is actually one of their popular products, so check it out if you haven't already!

4. LIPS
I am not much of a lipstick girl mostly because my lips are scrunched and look very chapped if the lipstick dries up. I like wearing glosses and maybe tinted balms. Recently I've been wearing a lot of Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I am LOVING the shade Honey and funny enough I love the shade Cherish only after it stains my lips (not when it is just applied, because it is too bright for me). They are moisturizing, minty, and super easy to apply.

That's it! Also, I forgot to mention that I use Maybelline's Dream Matte Powder after the tinted moisturizer so that I cover up the areas of my face that need more coverage (around my nose) and my oily spots (forehead).

Hope you guys found this useful/helpful or interesting. What are your must-haves and favorites for hot weather?

Super Booster Pen Review (Whitening Lightening)

So I think I mentioned that I recently made a purchase from Whitening Lightening and got their mix & match 3 whitening pens with a promo code. Well, I got them rather quickly and began to use it on a daily basis. I had previously tried the Zero Whitening Pen, and I did like the minty taste, however I felt like I was eating it off my teeth right after I applied it. I never felt like the product "dried" on my teeth. And yes, I did wipe my teeth prior to application, so it was a weird experience. However, I decided to start with the Super Booster Pen this time, and it's very different.

My first experience with the Super Booster Pen was that it took FOREVER for me to click (by twisting the bottom of the pen) some product to the brush tip. I think I overclicked/twisted it and when the product finally appeared on the brush, it wouldn't stop flowing out. I quickly grabbed a q-tip to transfer the product on my teeth so the product wouldn't overflow and come off the brush. I may have gotten some on my lip in the process but I will never forget that BURN that I felt when it most likely did. My lips were literally BURNING. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. It was not THAT bad. However, it left a lasting impression, so that should tell you something. The pros to the this pen over the Zero pen were that I could SEE the product drying on my teeth. It looks like a foggy layer of sticky stuff (almost like if you were to put a really thin layer of glue on your teeth---not that I've tried it before). The product did not feel like it was dissolving in my mouth after I waited a minute for it to dry and closed my mouth. The only thing was the initial burn of my lips and that this one does not have a nice minty taste. It tastes kinda weird---maybe like other typical whitening products (such as the Crest White strips).

I do have to say that I believe I am seeing results quickly though. It is already my 3rd night applying the product and I am a happy camper. Interestingly enough, the burn that it initially gave my lips now only feel like a slight tingle (like minty lip balm). I also forgot to mention that the Zero pen sometimes gave my teeth a sensitive feeling (like drinking super cold/hot water), which the Super booster pen did not have.

Overall I have sensitive teeth (I cannot eat ice cream without feeling some pain, or drink cold water at restaurants) and I actually prefer the Super Booster pen. I did not experience any increased sensitivity, but it has only been 3 days so I will make a later update after the recommended 14 days of application.

Hope those who are looking for a teeth whitening solution will find this mini-review helpful :)

I will try to have photos available next time, but my lighting is not the best so hopefully after 14 days there will be a noticeable difference between my before and after photos.

Small Rite Aid Haul and More

Went to stop by Rite Aid today as I killed time waiting for my car to be done with maintenance. There were quite a few BOGO 50% off deals and knowing me, it took forever to decide what I was going to settle for. 

I decided to try out the some of NYC's stuff. Was hesitant on their bronzers since I already have a physicians formula one and barely use it. I decided to get colored eyeliner pencils for my lower lash line and maybe to even layer over a regular liner look for a pop of color. Wasn't sure what was so different between their automatic, waterproof, and duet liners so depending on the available colors I got a regular liner In the Navy, and two duet liners in Through the Storm and Island in the Stream. I also got two more Revlon just bitten balm stains in Crush and Honey. I already have the shade Cherish but it's too radiant and bright purple-pink for my taste. I wanted a dark shade so I got Crush and Honey was highly recommended by leighannsays so I couldn't skip out on it. 

No reviews since I haven't tried the liners yet but I'm excited! Only thing that worries me is the pigmentation. Not too bothered about smudging since everything smudges on me unless its liquid liner. 

Also for those Cheetos fans out there, have you ever tried Tapatio Cheetos?! I was lucky enough to find a small bag of em at the rite aid and am super hyped to dig into it when I get home. I LOVE Tapatio and I also LOVE hot Cheetos so I am super excited about this combination. It's genius. 

Last thing: Halloween is slowly creeping up and I really want to dress up as something cool (game character or something) but it would need to be PG because I most likely have work that day. Any ideas? I'm not crafty so anything with armor is out the window. I was thinking a White Mage (from Final Fantasy) is doable. Let me know! What are you going to be for Halloween? :)

How to Devote to a New Lifestyle

So even though summer is coming to a close, that does not mean we girls (or guys) can slack off on our fitness! Of course I am kind of guilty because I've been lenient on myself in terms of food, but I am still working out strong 6x/week! For those of you out there who are struggling to get on or continue your fitness journey, I hope you find this post helpful.

I have always been on and off on exercise and "being healthy" whatever that may mean. The meaning really depends on each individual. I used to think that being healthy was being fit and not eating out so much. Now I realized that it's really a mindset. I have to think healthy (positively) for my mind, and then eat healthy (for my body), and exercise healthy (to challenge myself but not over or under do it) for my stamina. It was really hard for me to stay on track with exercise in the past especially because of being so caught up with school, volunteering, internships, etc. When I graduated and had more time for myself, I lost access to a gym (because I moved). I'm not the type to pay for a membership, so that was out the window and I began to gain a lot of weight. It was quite depressing because I would eat horribly, live horribly, and on top of all that think horribly. That could really be a downwards spiral to hopelessness. I don't want any of you to get there, so that is why I'm writing this.

Not everyone likes to run on the treadmill. Not everyone likes to do yoga. What's important is to find what YOU would like to do. Of course you can always change it up. I used to always do treadmill and then I began to integrate weights into it. Now that I no longer have a gym, I would try those cheap yoga trials (some which are free) on Livingsocial. Then I realized that I have other options, that are completely free, and totally fun as well. I absolutely fell in love with blogilates. If you guys don't know what that is, you are MISSING OUT (in my opinion). Check out the bubbly Cassey Ho at www.blogilates.com. I became so obsessed with her and her workouts I began to live by her.

I won't advertise blogilates that much, because I understand if not everyone is into pilates, but I want to remind you that when you do find that one thing you really enjoy doing, please remember to pay attention to the other important aspects of fitness: mind and diet. I'm not telling you to cut out carbs, cut out dessert, or fats, etc. I want you to make food choices you WILL NOT regret. It can be an ice cream here and there, or a "healthy" alternative of unhealthy foods. If you are stuck on what to eat, but love cooking, I would suggest checking out Cassey's recipes at www.blogilates.com/recipe-index. I used to think I loved cooking, but now I feel even more empowered about cooking because it makes me feel good in the mind AND body (when you cook healthy food).

Alright, if you have already started your journey of fitness, but are struggling because you cannot sustain it as well as you'd like, don't give up! Don't let those numbers get to you. Success should not be measured by weight or inches. It should be measured by your happiness. Think about your achievements and think about your goals. They should help you keep going. If not, maybe you should alter your goals to be more achievable (in short-term) and slowly build up to more challenging goals.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions!

P.S. For those who are competitive for money, there is always dietbet.com that will allow you to make bets with other people and as long as you lose 4% of your starting weight, you will get your money back (plus some extra too if others in the bet did not succeed). They also give you the option to donate to charities (so you won't feel as guilty? Haha jk, you earned it anyway!).

Very First Video

Inspired by the Meet & Greet with YouTubers yesterday at BeautyCon, I decided to get my act together and try filming for the very first time. I have to admit it was really just a quick video where I didn't care about lighting, focus, audio, etc. I just wanted to try filming all the way through for the first time and actually getting something out there. I think it was a good trial run? Anyway, I decided to do an August Favorites video. I know, I know, August is not over yet, but it's about to end! I was thinking about doing a tag video but it would be kind of hard. I think the next easiest video would be a haul video or review.

If you're interested, please check out my video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9nQRs6AlaQ

Please comment and leave feedbacks/questions :) I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Other than that, I just recently made a purchase from Whitening Lightening because of all the raved reviews about it. I was debating whether to get the dial-a-smile kit + booster pen or just get the 3-pack mix-n-match pens. I decided to give the pens another try before upgrading to the more complicated kit. It was $39 if you use ilikeweylie's code: WEYLIE39 at checkout. There are so many discount codes on YouTube for this site, so if you're ever interested in giving it a try for teeth whitening, you can just look it up!

I will keep updates on my teeth whitening progress. So far I really can't tell a difference but maybe I should start taking pictures.

Beautycon 2013 in LA, Siren Studio (Sunset Blvd)

Last night I couldn't sleep (not because of the sudden appearance of ants in my room) and when I finally went to bed I only slept 3 hours before waking up from excitement and angst. I was so pumped to get ready for Beautycon! If you don't know what it is, it's like Comic Con but Beauty Con, get it?

So anyway, the event was scheduled to start at 10AM, so I decided to get there early (like an hour and a half early) to ensure that I would get ONE of the 100 postcards Weylie (ilikeweylie) was going to pass out during her meet and greet. I parked at 8:30AM and when I started walking to the location, I was a little disappointed. There was already a line. Yes, at 8:45AM there was a line that was half a block long. I thought, good thing I'm early, until two hours later I was still in line at 10:45AM. At this point everyone was dying from the burning sun and I was so sure I'd get sunburn (which I did because I didn't bring sunscreen).

I finally got in at 11AM and was so overwhelmed by the different signs. I got my GA wristband and started wandering where the crowd was.

To summarize everything, there were a lot of small freebies: greek yogurt, popcorn, "secret" gift from bareMinerals, button pins, phone case or flip flop DIYs, lulus jewelry&clothing spin-the-wheel raffle/prize, and I'm sure there were more.

I was able to meet my YT idols: ilikeweylie, fromheadtotoe, and xteeener. They were usually spotted together. I got pictures and gave them my homemade snicker doodles and a thank you/greeting card. For Weylie, I actually made a quote journal with quotes from her Instagram.

Overall it was a great day (besides the 2hour+ wait in line and sunburn). I am so fortunate to be living in LA where I get the opportunity to meet so many YT stars. Last time I was at IDEA fitness convention and got to meet Cassey Ho from blogilates. Both that convention and this one were FREE. Must keep my eyes peeled for more free events in the future :)

And that concludes my post.