Bangkok - S31 Hotel

8:08 AM

Our pool at the hotel. So cool. We got a 2 floor duplex.

photo

Travel: On Sleeping

4:22 PM


The beds make the biggest difference. When staying as a guest at a friend's house, you are pretty much grateful to even have a bed and a roof over your head. But at hotels, it's a different story. If you are deathly allergic to feathers or animal dander of any kind (ie, goose feathers or down beddings), which most hotel comforters and pillows are stocked with, you share my pain. 

I remember in Seoul, as soon as I put my head down, my nose immediately got congested, making breathing almost impossible. Eyes were itchy and red, and throat was scratchy. Forget sleeping. 
It was quite difficult to explain to housekeeping, who primarily spoke Korean, how I was allergic and needed synthetic or cotton sheets, pillows, and comforters. 

Shangri-La took it a step further and had a down feather mattress pad, which we found after replacing everything else, and wondering why I was still dying from allergies, only to pull back the fitted sheets in the  middle of the night to find the culprit laying right beneath us the whole time.

This time at the Quote Hotel, we were pleasantly surprised when they replaced our feathered stuffed pillows with ones filled with silkworm excrement.

Hong Kong + Macau

4:22 PM


This is the view from our friend's balcony. Very envious.

At the peak in Hong Kong.

Macau!
Dinner at the Venetian

Never. Ever. Never

12:56 AM






There is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything. Negative people find their walls. So never apologize for your enthusiasm. Never. Ever. Never.
Ryan Adams


Seoul - colorful alleyways

12:55 AM
our first night in seoul

Travel tip: Make up

11:36 PM
Vitals: Dior Hydraction eye moisturizer with spf, Chanel Inimitable mascara (waterproof is a must in this humid SE Asia heat), YSL Touche Eclat is an instant facelift without needing concealer or foundation, Missha Make-Up Base (i raved about this) , Banila eye duo (more on that later), and lancome eye palette.

I love collecting cute match boxes to stow away jewelry when I travel. Got these earrings in Shanghai.

That blue mat in the first picture folds up into a nice little basket/tray for my make up, and to the left is my travel make up bag.

quote hotel - taipei

11:29 PM

the lover and i are big fans of boutique hotels. our favorites have always been under the lists of Small Luxury Hotels. So the Quote hotel in Taipei was beyond satisfactory. The comp mini bar, mood lights everywhere, modern japanese toilet (need one), and a bed that felt like sinking into a cloud made this whole trip worthwhile. I think it's only a 4 star hotel, but you can't notice the difference. We stayed at the Shangri-La in Beijing, which is 5 stars, and dare I say, the Quote surpasses the Shangri-La by far. 




 My new jelly flats for the summer! These are made by Melissa, a really awesome brand based in Brazil that uses recycled plastic. It's also specially patented to be extra soft and flexible. These were super comfortable. Check out their collaboration with Vivienne Westwood.

florals for spring/summer

2:37 PM

Make up Tip: Eyebrows

2:08 AM

Jessica Biel recently revealed this nice little gem for how to achieve the perfect eyebrows on bellasugar:
“A gray color works for anybody’s eyebrows. And it doesn’t turn your eyebrows orange. . . I was tipped off by a makeup artist that gray works for blonds, for brunettes, for redheads.”
I am constantly paranoid about whether my current eyebrow pencil matches with my skintone/always changing hair color, but being the low-maintenance person that I am, I have like one eyebrow pen and all I do is change how dark or light I apply it because I am too damn lazy to go to the make-up counter to play guinea pig for a day. So as soon as I read this little tidbit, I knew gray would answer my can't-be-bothered take towards make-up.

Nail Love - Shanghai

11:41 PM

One of the things on top of my list of to-do's before our month-long travel of Asia, is to get the nails did. Yep. Being a novice when it comes to anything professionally done, I had only recently learned about gel nails applications, and thought it was the perfect low-maintenance way to ensure a fresh mani/pedi while running around in Asia:
During a gel manicure, the gel is applied to the nail and cured under an ultraviolet light. The gel is durable and adheres easily to fingernails. Gel nails are removed only by filing them off. When these nails come off, the real nails are not damaged like when acrylic nails are taken off. The downside of a gel manicure is that it costs more than an acrylic manicure. [my notes; this is only in the US, where the market price is controlled by demand. In China, it is dirt cheap.]
Natural nails continue to grow under the gel, and a gel manicure can improve the health of natural nails. The gel acts as a shield against anything that might weaken or damage them, such as moisture or other elements. After this type of manicure, natural nails are stronger and more durable, as long as they were filed and maintained properly before the manicure. Gel nails can last up to a month without chip or damage.
So I found Nail Love online and decided to give it a try. It only costs 88RMB, equaling around $12USD. Pretty freaking sweet deal if you ask me. None of the girls there spoke English, but they understood what "gel" meant, and we did pretty well with pointing and nodding (there was 2 phone calls made to the bf to help with the trickier translation as well), but all in all it was a great first time experience for me. They charged me honestly, which made the whole thing even more pleasant. Highly recommend getting your nails done here. It's right by Xintiandi.

My nails are so freaking shiny and hard as a rock! They look amazing. I'm a little worried, now that I've had my first foray into the world of gel manicures, I'm not going to be able to accept any thing else.

Nail Love
717 Huangpi Nan Rd,
3332-2833
10am-10pm
highly recommended! =)

Old Navy Mobile Tour in NYC - 6/4 and 6/5

11:16 PM
A friend at Old Navy wanted my New York readers to know about this event:


I wanted to reach out and invite you and your readers to two fun, free events happening this weekend – the Old Navy “Quick Change Tour” hosted by Fashion Expert and TV personality, Jill Martin. “Quick Change” participants will receive a free new accessory and be rewarded with a coupon for 20% off a $50 purchase at Old Navy.

Background details:

-          This Quick Change-mobile tour is in celebration of Old Navy’s newly remodeled stores; New York is the final stop on our country-wide road trip to spread the word, and some cheer.

-          New York events include:
o   June 4th at TASTES Food Festival at Gansevoort and Hudson in the Meatpacking District (11:30 am – 3:30 pm)
o   June 5th  in Brooklyn (1:00-5:00pm)  – 66 Boerum Place Brooklyn, NY 11201
*Corner of Boerum and  215 Atlantic Ave.  in the parking lot

-          Jill Martin will be on-site offering fashion tips to give your summer look a quick change simply by adding Old Navy accessories to your style – just like the stars… (Celebs who have recently added Old Navy’s pieces to their looks include Kristin Cavallari, AnnaLynne McCord, Milla Jovovich, and more!
-          Jill is the author of two fashion books – Fashion for Dummies, and I Have Nothing to Wear!

Jill will be available for on-site interviews at both events.