My Meals Monday: October 19, 2015

Today I started off with a mix of Raisin Bran and Quaker Oats Granola and Raisins with Almond milk. I also had a nice big glass of water and a Nesspresso Lungo with frothed Bliss Natural Creamer. 

We then went and saw a movie which wasn't very good but I did get a free meal from my movie theater which was a Coke Zero, Popcorn, and Hotdog with Mustard, Ketchup, and Relish. It also came with a candy but I passed it up :)

After returning home from what can only be described as the most negative movie ever made (Sicario), I had another glass of water and a black Nesspresso Lungo.

I was starting to feel quite hungry but it was so close to dinner time I didn't want to eat something really big or heavy so I sliced up a baby cucumber and has that for an afternoon snack.

We went to costco to purchase my upgraded camera (which will be used in next weeks My Meals Monday video), and whilst there we go the Costco Flatbreads and a Caesar Salad. I also chose to have an Angry Orchard Hard Cider, I don't drink alcohol very often but I did actually enjoy this little beverage.

For dessert we had the little hazelnut and chocolate Italian rolls, when I was growing up my best friends family was from Italy and they would always spend the weekends making pasta sauces and this little rolls, I don't know what they are called but as soon as I saw them I knew they needed to be in my life :) It was 130 calories and 10g of sugar for 3 so I thought I would play a little dietary mind game and only eat 2 as thats less than the allotted amount lol.

I would love to know what food reminds you of your childhood, and what did you eat today?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

              

              

Style Sunday: Casual Sunday OOTD

Today I am preparing my house and life for a highly anticipated family visit, my brother Brandon and his wife Olivia and their son Doug are coming to stay with us for a week!!!

So today's OOTD is very casual, I needed to do a bit of cleaning but I also had a few errands to run so I wanted something I could do housework in but also go out into public and not feel ashamed of how I left the house. 

As you guys know I struggle with body confidence because I am over weight but also I wasn't raised in a household where we talked about things like that (I was raised in the 90's nobody was talking about that lol), so I have been trying to make an effort to not only lose weight but also to feel comfortable how I am and learn to dress for myself and not care what other people think. Let me tell you those last 6 words, is and will be a long struggle for me.

On to the outfit, today I am wearing a pink Calvin Klein top from Costco, black jeggings from jordache (walmart), and black flats from Ross. This outfit is truly the epitome of a budget looks as the shirt was $12.99 the pants $13.99 and the shoes were $8.99. 

Yesterday I started editing my daily vlogs with a slightly more creative hat on and would love to know your thoughts on it so please watch yesterday's vlog and let me know if you guys prefer the standard piece together clip vlog or the more artistic style that I did yesterday.

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!!

               

               

Stat Saturday: October 17, 2015

Another disappointing Stat Saturday today, but I am going to the gym regularly now, it's so habit now that if I don't go I feel like it throws my whole day off. However the diet needs a massive overhaul! I am going to be spending the next few weeks focusing on that and hopefully we will see some progress soon.

Also Don recently surprised me with a new vlog camera it's the Canon G7 X, which has made my vlogs, Stat Saturday, and My Meals Monday videos look so much clearer, but it's also a lot heavier so I will be purchasing a small tripod/grip so that I don't have to hold it for the weigh ins as I feel that it affects my weight, it's not the chocolate cookies I ate its the camera lol.

Weight: 183.2

Arms: 13 Inches

Bust: 39 3/4 Inches

Waist: 36 Inches

Hips: 45 Inches

Thigh: 24 3/4 Inches

Calf: 14 1/2 Inches

I also wanted to mention that I get a lot of requests to post more tourist stuff since I live in Hawaii, my brother and his family are coming for 10 days on Tuesday so watch my Daily Vlog Channel for all of the Hawaiian Tourist Stuff lol.

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

                

                

Fun Friday: Fall Decor Tour

Today I wanted to show you guys how I have spruced up our house for Autumn, with a little Fall Decor Tour. 

This set of what I call dead flowers lol is on the table when you first enter our house, I added some of the DIY Room Spray I did a few posts back and so the moment you walk in you feel like your inside fall, for a lack of better term hahaha, it smells like pumpkin pie and it just makes you want to curl up on the couch with a blanket your puppies and the worlds greatest book (for those of you who don't know thats Wuthering Heights lol). $4.99 Ross

In my kitchen is this amazing Pumpkin , it lights up when you plug it in so I added a timer so it goes on at 6:30pm and off at 6:00am. I placed it on my kitchen counter so that as people walk by they are able to see it, and maybe get a little fall cheer from it as well. I dropped about 4 whole cloves into the center of it so that it would have a little scent on there without having to spray it, because with the lights on there I thought that may not be a good idea. $8.99 Ross

I got this Gourd Filler set which has some fake leaves and pine cones with the gourds, I sprayed it with the DIY Room Scent and so even when we are eating it has that smell of cozy fall all around us. $8.99

I also added this glass leaf napkin holder which I totally hold. $3.99 Ross

This Center Piece  isn't as "fall" as I thought it was going to be but I still wanted it to fill the space on my little bookcase in my office because it was just so empty. $6.99 Ross.

Finally I changed my screensaver on my iMac in my office to be a bit more fall like, this was a free download and I did the largest file possible because I wanted to make sure it wasn't pixelated when it came on. 

Growing up we pretty much decorated for every season and holiday, and funny enough it was my dad that was really into it so I think thats why I do it in my own home now, and in a way its one of my favorite things to do because I feel like it allows us the opportunity to stop life just for a moment, and acknowledge the passing of the seasons and the passing of time.

Do you try and decorate for the different seasons and holidays?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

I quickly want to mention that I did all of this for under $50 by shopping at Ross, unfortunately they don't have an online store so I thought TJ Maxx would be the next best thing but they actually have very little online as far as fall decor goes, so instead I ended up at pier 1, so the links in this post will take you to pier 1 but I highly recommend going to your local Ross as some of the items were 75% cheaper there than pier 1. 

           

           

Thoughts Thursday: Tanya Burr Cosmetics Hollywood Palette

Today's Thoughts Thursday post is all about the Tanya Burr Cosmetics Hollywood Palette, I want to preface this post with Tanya Burr was my first youtuber, she does and always will have a special place in my youtube/blog heart, not only do I think she is a super nice person but I also think she is genuinely a fantastic makeup artist. Now that I have said that I'm going to tell you all the reasons why I sadly cannot recommend this palette. 

As you can see from the above picture the shadows in this palette are ribbed rather than pressed, I have to say in general I never like ribbed shadows as they tend to powder more because it isn't flat. On top of the powdering from the ribbed shadow this palettes shadows powder A LOT, you will end up with a lot of excess powder when you use Nude Delight & Gold Coin, Bookworm doesn't powder that much and Enchantment doesn't really powder at all. 

As far as color pay off goes this palette would be a 3 out 10, especially in Gold Coin, and Enchantment, you get a little better payoff with Nude Delight and Bookworm but even they will need some building to really get the color your looking for. Enchantment for me was the most difficult color to work with because not only did you get only 10% color transfer but it seemed to be more glitter based which seemed to make it very hard to blend.

I also want to point out a massive pet peeve for me which was the mirror, I really hate this mirror, I think it needs to be bigger and get rid of the heart. When your doing your eye makeup you should always be able to see both eyes at once, my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick is the same size as this palette and yet the mirror is the perfect size.

Finally I feel like the price ($9.30), is a bit high for the quantity of of shadows (4), as well as the quality, in fact I know Maybelline the Nudes is a 'mainstream brand" but you get 12 eyeshadows for $11 and the quality is much better than this palette. 

As I said in the beginning of this post I adore Tanya Burr and I hate having to write this post, but in order to give you a proper review I feel like it's important to move past the "Tanya Burr' of it all and remember that when you spend your hard earned money you should get a quality product for that money and frankly this palette was a massive disappointment to me.

Have you tried this palette? What were your thoughts on it?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

            

           

Workout Wednesday: Beach Workout

Today I decided rather than going into the gym I would head to my favorite place in the whole world, Sandy Beach in the early morning!!! I had a whole plan of doing a full on Kayla Itsines workout, unfortunately those very ominous looking clouds behind me didn't get the memo, so my workout lasted maybe 5 minutes at most lol, but I will say doing a workout on the sand rather than a stable surface is sooo much harder, I honestly couldn't believe how hard it was just to do the high knees and handful of burpee's.

I would love to know where your favorite place in the whole world is, is it the beach, a forest walk, or just cozied up in your bed watching The Vampire Diaries? 

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

              
              

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Coconut Sea Salt Body Scrub

I don't know about you guys but the cooler the weather gets, (yes we do drop to the low 70's high 60's here in Hawaii for winter lol), the drier my skin gets, which considering I have really dry skin all the time, it starts to make me feel like its just going to start falling off like the leaves from a tree. I know I need extra moisturizing going on aside from my morning and night routine but with how sensitive my skin is I didn't want to by a moisturizing scrub for $30, so instead I made my own for about $5!

For this you will need:

2 Cups Fine Grain Sea Salt (Pink Sea Salt would look awesome!)

1 Cup Coconut Oil

5-10 Drops Essential Oil (optional)

3-4 Drops Fragrance (optional)

Pretty container to store in. 

In a bowl mix Sea Salt with Coconut Oil. Once it is completely combined and the oil has melted down add in your essential oils and or fragrance. I chose not to as I have very sensitive skin, especcially when fragrance is involved, but when you add in your essential oils add it in 5 drops at a time, when your happy with the combo then add in your fragrance 3 drops at a time.

Then store in a pretty waterproof jar in your shower/bath and use 1-2 times a week, you will notice the coconut oil is very moisturizing so it adds a little extra moisture to your body throughout the week. 

What other kinds of DIY posts would you like me to do? 

Here is todays Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

            

           

My Meals Monday: October 12, 2015

Today I started my morning off a little different, I have been wanting a Nespresso Citiz for so long I honestly couldn't even think about anything else and the other day Don surprised me at the mall and bought it for me as an early birthday present! So I started off with a level 11-12 espresso, I know it looks like there is milk in here but you will be able to see in the video below it's actually just pure espresso. 

Then we got a little more normal and had the usual oatmeal with almond milk, I haven't been adding granola or raisins in lately just because it ends up being a lot to eat. 

I have recently started buying this Brooklyn Bread and its so amazing for grilled sandwiches and its super thin, so this was made with mozzarella and black forest ham.

Then I had something a little different, my afternoon "snack" was this amazing tiered chocolate cake, no I didn't eat the whole thing lol, I had maybe 1/3 to maybe 1/2. I then threw away the rest as I knew if it was here I would eat it lol.

For dinner we had Marie Calanders corn chowder pot pie, and I added in peas, which aren't normally my favorite but I never eat the crust on any pie so I always feel like I need more filling.

That is everything I had today, what did you have? Do you allow yourself sneaky treats as well?

Here is todays Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog. 

                

                

Style Sunday: Fall Look

It is actually feeling somewhat like fall here in Honolulu, the weather has been cool with a nice breeze throughout the day which not only allows us a break from the heat, but also allows us to bust out the pants and boots!

I also wanted to take today's blog pictures in front of this pretty waterfall/planter that my building just installed.

Today I am wearing a Calvin Klein t-shirt, Calvin Klein burgundy pants, and Forever 21 Ankle Boots that have the cutest little rosettes on the outer sides.

I paired it with my Michael Kors handbag, Tiffany Bracelet, Butterfly necklace from Macy's (the link is for something similar but i couldn't find the exact), and drop earrings from BCBGeneration.  I sadly cannot remember the brand of my sunglasses and left them in the car as I write this blog post.

For makeup I m wearing Bourgjois Healthy Mix Foundation, Sephora Primal Palette, Mac Lingering eyebrow pencil, Mac False Lash Mascara, Rimmel Bronzer, Mac Pink Cult Blush, Bourgjois highlighter, Revlon just bitten "Adore".

I would love to know what pieces you pull out when the weather starts to turn cooler!

Here is today's Main Channel video and Daily Vlog!

              
       
              

Fun Friday: ABC Tag

I Recently saw a post on my personal Facebook page, it was from a family member who was answering a list of questions, each question started with a different letter of the alphabet and I knew I wanted to do this for youtube.

I am going to list the questions here, and if you would like to see the answers you can find the video here. 

A: Age?

B: Biggest Fear?

C: Current Time?

D: Drink You Last Had?

E: Easiest Person To Talk To?

F: Favorite Song?

G: Ghosts, Are They Real?

H: Hometown?

I: In Love With?

J: Jealous Of?

K: Killed Someone?

L: Last Time You Cried?

M: Middle Name?

N: Number Of Siblings?

O: One Wish?

P: Person Who You Last Called?

Q: Question You're Always Asked?

R: Reason To Smile?

S: Song Last Sang?

T: Time You Woke Up?

U: Underwear Color?

V: Vacation Destination?

W: Worst Habit?

X: X-Rays You've Had?

Y: Your Favorite Food?

Z: Zodiac Sign?

So that is the whole list of questions, if you feel up to it answer them in the comments below, its a great way of getting to know each other!

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

               

               

Thoughts Thursday: Erin Condren Life Planner

Today I thought I would give you guys a peak inside my Erin Condren Life Planner. Since I have owned this for a little over a month now, I can say with all honesty this is the best planner I have EVER owned, not only is it 100% functional but the price of $55 ($50 if you just do a 12 month i.e. 2016, I did Sept 2015-Dec 2016), is a total steal when you consider everything that comes with it and then compare to say Filofax.

I love the cover that came on mine, they have so many to choose from but I really felt like this one spoke to me, I actually saw this on the SacconeJolys and googled the quote in order to find the planner lol. After you buy a planner if you later decide you know longer like that cover you can actual purchase new covers that just snap in, how ingenious! 

This is what the planner looks like when you open it, it has a place for you to write your info if you'd like, seeing as mine has my name on the cover (optional) I didn't think I needed to write it in again.

In between each month will be a notes page, then the Monthly Calendar, and then for my weekly/daily calendar I chose the horizontal because I felt the vertical was a little small for me considering I am using this as my whole life planner, that includes Blog/YouTube, Appointments, Health Tracker, Household Chores, Daily Routines, and all the other miscellaneous things that pop up in life. 

There is an at a glance 2016 calendar, then at the back it has lined note paper, graph paper (personally I would have preferred more lined paper as I find graph paper cluttered to write on lol) and blank paper, it also comes with a clear pouch to store stuff in, I would have preferred a ziplock pouch as this one is really hard to get open as the edges are so short you can't really get a grip, I usually end up using my teeth lol.

You will also receive some stickers at the back of your planner, there is 1 vote sticker because here in the USA we will be holding our Presidential elections on November 8, 2016 (so get out and vote, regardless of who you vote for it's important to be apart of the process and have your voice heard...ok soapbox moment over), then there is Birthday stickers with enough room at the top of each one to write the persons name in, then there is appointment stickers for Hair, Games, Doctor, Main/Pedi, and Vacation. Then you will receive 2 pages of different colored blank stickers to use however you like, I love these the most as I was able to color coordinate my filming days (total OCD moment lol). 

So that is my Erin Condren Planner, do you have a planner, what brand is it? 

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

               
               

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Fall Scent

I recently purchased this lovely fall arraignment and I loved having it on my entry table waiting for me every time I entered my home, sadly it wasn't scented, I wanted to be hit in the face with fall every time I came home. I immediately went to purchase a room scent so I could spray the leaves and pinecones, but I was shocked to see the one that truly smelt like fall cost $15.99, and even then it had a slight tinge of chemical to it, so I decided to create my own.

For this you will need a spray bottle, Olive Oil or Coconut Oil, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Nutmeg, Ground Allspice, and Ground Cloves.

Add 1 tablespoon of each spice to a cup/bowl then add 2 tablespoons of the oil, mix well then add to your spray bottle and fill with lukewarm water (not cold as it will cause the oil to clump). 

Then you can spray your pinecones, and leaves and even furniture if you like lol.

You could add just the spice mix (minus the oil) to the bottom of your arrangement and it will give the same smell but I thought that might be a bit messy as well as I liked the idea of spraying everything I could lol.

Let me know if you recreate this, also what is your favorite room smell?

Here is today's Main Channel Video, and Daily Vlog!

            

           

My Meals Monday: October 5, 2015

Today was a little crazy in my house, I woke up and went to the gym, not only did I complete my Kayla Itsines for the day but I also attended a 45 minute spin class...woohoo go me!!! 

Then I got home and was STARVING! and of course there was no actual food in my house as I didn't go shopping on Friday and I NEVER go shopping on the weekends. 

So I had the last banana, and my coffee, this was made with almond milk as I was out of creamer.

I immediately went to Costco for my weekly shop and whilst there I picked up their Rotisserie Chicken Salad, it tastes so good, you can eat it on it's own as I did here, or you can make a grilled panini with it, or my new favorite way to eat it is in a pita bread.

We had my friend Nagwa over for dinner as she was leaving for Egypt the next morning for 2 whole months :( I started off with a simple salad of romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and baby cucumbers, I added on my favorite salad dressing ever, the house dressing of my favorite Japanese restraint Gyotaku, it's the Wafu Dressing Shoyu Vinegar. 

This dressing will change your life, it's quite tangy which I love, and its just so tasty I almost want to lick my plate before washing it lol.

We then had sushi I went for the Dragon Roll, its an Unagi (eel), with cucumber and avocado, with a Unagi sauce and sesame seed topping.

So thats everything I had today, I am trying to get better about keeping food in the house so I don't have to grab just a banana after such a crazy workout. What do you like to keep on hand at all times for emergency meals?

Here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog!

             
           
            

Stat Saturday: 700 Subscriber Giveaway Winners

So as you can see from the title of this post, I still have yet to buy a scale, I know I should have but there literally are none for sale in my local area, which means a drive to downtown Honolulu :(

But it did give me an extra day that I could post the 700 Subscriber Giveaway video on. 

I want to take a moment and thank you all so much for supporting me here and on my youtube channel, I know that sometimes I can be a little weird but hopefully in a cute way lol, and I know that I have not gotten as 'Tech Savy" as most of the other bloggers and vloggers, I'm hoping to get there someday, preferably before I'm 80 lol. 

So here is the 700 Subscriber Giveaway Winners video and here is my Daily Vlog!

              

              

Fun Friday: Erin Condren Life Planner Unboxing

As you guys know, (from my lack of schedule keeping), I have been struggling to keep my life organized, so I recently took the leap and purchased an Erin Condren Life Planner. I purchased the "Belive You Can" planner as well as the Markers, Coil Clips, Wellness Planner, Pen Holder, Meal Planner, To Do List, and Elastic Bands. 

It ended up coming with 1 free coil clip, book mark, Perpetual Calendar, Complement Cards, Post Card, Designer Dots, and event stickers.

I will be doing a full walk through of this planner and my way of using it next week so leave any questions you have about it below. 

Until then here is today's Main Channel Video and Daily Vlog.

          


         

Thoughts Thursday: September Favorites & October Giveaway

I cannot believe I am writing this post right now, it seems like September just started and now all of the sudden it's October! This month hasn't been an amazing month as far as beauty products go because frankly I didn't buy anything new lol.

Favorites:

Dove Dry Shampoo

Erin Condren Life Planner

It's a 10 Miracle Styling Serum

Tangle Teezer

Bed Head Blowout

Rose Gold GHD 

MAC Brow Pencil "Lingering"

Here is today's Main Channel Video which also happens to have the winners of the October Giveaway in it!!!! Also here is todays Daily Vlog.