Cincinnati’s Asian Food Fest 2016

This post will be a little different compared to my usual topic of choice. As you guys know I love beauty products, but there is something I love more than a good moisturizer. FOOD. Seriously, I’m like a DIE. HARD. FOODIE. 

Discovering new places in a city where you’ve never been before gives me a certain high. I can spend a good 35 minutes on Yelp just to find where my next meal is going to be. Living in Los Angeles where there’s abundance of food from literally all over the world spoiled me rotten. Bubble tea? There’s a shop in every corner like a Starbucks. Want ramen? Little Tokyo here I come! Dirty, guilty pleasure, carne asada tacos? Go to the taco truck on the corner of this and that street. The options are endless.

Moving to a city/state where it’s currently being developed was a sacrifice but well worth it. To be with someone you love to have a family with obviously has no comparison to my city of gluttony pleasures. About a month ago, I saw a poster promoting a food festival…an ASIAN food festival! OH. MY. GOD. I was so excited!! I literally stalked their website to plan my attack on every booth who would be serving on that weekend.

I would say “I’m eating for two” but let’s be honest, I was just being a fat kid and proud of it.

I’m so lucky to have someone who would try anything at least once. Otherwise we would have a serious conversation about our future…

Handmade dumplings?! Not only was I amazed at them for doing a menu that’s ‘fresh to order’ at a hectic food festival where there’s thousands of hungry people. But praising their team for having EXTREME patience for cranky customers who couldn’t wait 5 minutes to receive fresh dumplings, major freaking props!!

LOOK AT ALL IT’S GLORY!!

Mandatory couple selfie shot.

Did I mention it was a 2 day festival? 2 GLORIOUS DAYS OF STUFFING MY FACE.

I regret NOTHING.

As I write this post next to my boyfriend’s lifeless body due to a serious case of food coma, I would like to give thanks to the genius bastard who came up with this food festival. Bravo, sir or madam, bravo. I still miss LA very much it’s my home after all, but I can’t wait to go to my next food fest with partner in crime and our little man. Who’s coming in t-minus 3 weeks exactly!!

❤︎

 

Lets Catch Up!

April has been one hectic month from back to back road trips to Indiana and Tennessee, my baby shower, friends coming in from California and Chicago, and our babymoon to Key West, Florida!! As crazy and tiring this month has been I’m very thankful for all the friends and family who showed their love and support to our little man who is about to make a big debut in 5 weeks! Can’t wait to meet you little one but until then Mom & Dad are going to savor every last drop of time together before we become a family of 3.

Of course I have to give a shoutout to my main squeeze, Mitch. With all the crazy commotion that has happened within the last 7 months he’s been nothing but my support system. He makes me a better person, a happier person. And the best part about him? He watches cartoons as much as I do. #realtionshipgoals

Beauty Haul

Moving to a new state where it’s cold every, single, day. My skin has been reeking havoc..I suffer from dry skin already but moving here where it’s bloody snowing every other week made it worst. I used to live in California, where I can go to Korea Town, Los Angeles where they have abundance of Korean skincare stores to help me in my desperate time in need. Since my buffet of LA’s beauty care is over, I’ve discovered a couple of new websites that allow me to have access to Korean skincare and beauty products. Product links down below!

SON & PARK BEAUTY WATER 

A multi-tasking toner and cleansing water. It has a mild exfoliation abilities to help sweep away dead skin cells, revealing brighter skin and texture. For normal, dry, combination skin types. I really needed to step up my toner game so when I saw this and all it’s magical promises I thought I would give it a try.

I got this from Sokoglam where they sell a huge variety of skincare and makeup from Korea. Click here check them out.

CLEAN IT ZERO BANILA CO. 

Before toning you must cleanse! I am horrible at making sure all my makeup is washed off. I usually just cleanse once and call it a night but due to recent skin problems I figured I should double cleanse. Clean It Zero is a sorbet-soft cleansing balm that transforms into silky oil on the skin. Very lightweight texture that effortlessly dissolves stubborn makeup without stripping your own natural oils.

This stuff is AMAAAZZING! Literally all your makeup will just melt off even with waterproof eyeliner or mascara. Leaves your skin smooth and makeup free.

Also bought on Sokoglam but you can purchase it on Amazon here

I’M CLEANSING OIL #1 

Followed by my new holy grail cleansing balm, I use this facial cleansing oil by I’M MEME. It uses good oils to cleanse away bad oils and cure dry, flakey skin. It’s watery lightweight oil gently removes makeup, dead skin cells, and pore-clogging impurities.

It left my skin feeling silky soft without that oily residue feeling. Discovered this on another great website called MEMEBOX. Purchase it here

SKIN FOOD RICE MASK

I really needed a good exfoliator to use 1-2 times week to get rid of the flakey dead skin thats around my chin and nose area. But I wanted something gentle to get the job done without risking more dry skin.

Rice extract is known to moisturize and brighten skin tone. With grounded rice mixed in, it creates a skin-softening exfoliator that will leave your skin with a lustrous complexion while getting rid of white and black heads. Purchased on Amazon here

BOTANIC FARM SALMON EGG HYDROGEL EYE PATCH

I never suffered from dark under eye circles until recently thanks to my wonderful dose of pregnancy hormones. I knew I needed extra help when my concealer lacked in covering my under eye area.

Botanic Farm’s Salmon Egg Hydrogel Eye Patch effectively eliminates these imperfections around the eye area in an instant. Infused with premium ingredients including salmon egg, snail slime filtrate and colloidal gold, each hydrogel patch gives the thin skin layer around the eyes more strength and elasticity to be able to prevent further damage caused by the environment’s harmful elements. It also contains aloe vera extract that gently soothes sensitive skin.

FYI, it doesn’t smell fishy incase you were wondering.

MEMEBOX for the win! Buy it here

KAT VON D LOCK IT FOUNDATION 

Not a skincare item but I wanted to share how awesome this foundation is! An ultimate full coverage foundation insanely long-wearing. I got this dynamic duo combo that comes with a full size Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation and a BeautyBlender for $46! This stuff is VERY full coverage, a little really goes a long way for this item. You definitely don’t want to apply too much otherwise you will have a cake face. It covered all my imperfections with just one layer and with the BeautyBlender I can achieve that airbrush finish.

Buy your combo here

And that’s a wrap to this haul! Hope you guys enjoyed reading! xoxo

Face Goodness

Hey loves! It’s been such a long time since I last posted, so sorry!! It’s been a crazy end of year/beginning so many things happened but we’ll get to that in the end! Even though I’ve been lacking on my blog posts that doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped hunting down some goodies to share with ya’ll!

First off,

• NATURE REPUBLIC AQUA FRESH WATERY CREAM

Gorgeous packaging, right? This jar of hydrating gel goodness is the perfect last step to your skincare routine. Made of sea water and 30 different maritime extracts, it can provide ultimate hydration and protection from environmental pollutants. It has a very clean, refreshing scent to it which I really enjoy.

• TONYMOLY I’M REAL FACIAL SHEETS

Originally I had 3…but I’m a horrible blogger and couldn’t wait to use one, while throwing out the package before taking a picture of it…(insert shrug emoji)

Mask sheets! LOVE, LOVE, LOOOVE! I use mask sheets fairly regularly 2-3 times a week depends on what my skin needs/wants that day. Picked up some these last minute while standing in line for checkout at ULTA. Seriously, damn those aisle displays! Whoever thought of lining up extra products near the checkout counter is a genius cause I always get suckered into buying something.

We all know that aloe vera is very moisturizing but if you don’t know what “Makgeolli” is it’s Korean fermented rice wine. According to Google, Makegolli extracts brightens the skin and keeps it healthy looking. Sold. I’m a sucker, I know.

• NATURE REPUBLIC EYEBROW PENCIL

If you couldn’t tell already I’m a huge fan of Nature Republic, they just know how to make really good products at very reasonable prices. I’ve used all kinds of brow products, pencil, gel, brow dip, powder, but nothing comes close to this!

You can say this is my holy grail of brow care. It’s a pencil form but product itself is very light, if that makes any sense? It’s not dense like a regular pencil, it’s more like a powder in a stick form. It glides on beautifully, I can control how dark or light I want my brows to be depending on the pressure I put while filling my brows in. It’s so good I bought two for back up.

• PHYSICANS FORMULA 2-IN-1 LASH BOOSTING EYELINER + SERUM


If you’re a big fan of Kat Von D’s infamous Ink Liner but not a fan of the hefty price tag than this is a really good dupe for it for half the price! Discovered at my local Walmart I was lured in by it’s marketing promises. Not only is this just an eyeliner, it’s a lash serum as well.

“High-tech formula enhances the appearance of lashes while providing the instant definition of a liquid eyeliner, in one easy step.”

Longer eyelash promises to the side, the eyeliner itself is amazing! It’s everything you want in an eyeliner, precision with it’s fine-brush like tip makes application like butter. And for $10, why not? You can easily achieve that cat eye you’ve always wanted with this baby.

• LOREAL LUMI CUSHION FOUNDATION IN N3.5

After abusing the hell out of my Tarte’s Amazonian Clay I was on the hunt for a new foundation but wasn’t in the mood to spend $40. If you’ve been following other beauty gurus or your’e an makeup addict then you must’ve heard the phrase “cushion foundation”. This style of foundation is very popular in Korea, the sponge inside is drenched in liquid foundation. With the sponge applicator (I use a BeautyBlender but you can use the applicator that comes with it or anything you have in hand) you tap a bit of product and just start building your desired coverage. This picture below shows the before and after with Lumi, completely bare faced, no photoshop, just me, naked….not even brows…#nomakeup :P

As you can see the picture on the left is dramatically different from the right. My dark under eye is less noticeable, so is my discoloration in my cheeks. It’s light but build-able, and its gives this iridescent glow that I’m totally digging! I usually do a second layer just to build up more coverage but if you have perfectly good skin from the Gods than one layer should be enough. Final verdict? I would by a whole case of this if i could.

• LOREAL INFALLIBLE PRO MATTE GLOSS IN 314 NUDE ALLUDE 

Creamy, rich, long lasting, everything you’ve ever wanted in a tube of lip gloss/lipstick. I love matte lips, but they’re such a pain to achieve! I don’t wear much color in the lip department but I really wanted something that had a mauve nude tone just to bring some kind of color to my zombie lips. This color is perfect for my everyday look and it only took one coat! Unlike other matte glosses this one doesn’t dry out your lips so it does have a slight sheen to it which I don’t mind at all cause look at that color!

So, that’s it with my current favorites at this time. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing about them! In the beginning of this post I mentioned my lack of blogging due to recent changes. Well guys, I want to introduce you to….

Mini me! Well, half of me but you guys get the picture :) This scan is an oldie but he (yes, it’s a boy!) came out so perfect in this that I had to post it. I’m currently  22 weeks and I’m so excited for this new chapter in my life. It was a very complicated pregnancy in the beginning, I went to the ER twice for bleeding but thankfully the little guy is doing just fine. I did my second prenatal screening yesterday where they measured every inch of his body and checked out his anatomy, which came out perfect! He’s getting stronger everyday to the point where I can see my tummy move whenever he’s moving around. Ugh, I’m so happy you guys! I can’t wait to meet him, 17 more weeks to go!

VLOG: LA ➜ PALM SPRINGS

Hope everyone had a great 3 day weekend!! My best friend (Patricia) and I, took a last minute trip to Palm Springs. Believe it or not, we’ve been best friends for nearly a decade and this was our first road trip together! Despise the fact that Palm Springs is the city for retired seniors, we ignited our inner “weird” and had a blast. Even with this 100 degree face melting, sweat drenching, cursed weather!

 

After our little shenanigans at The Saguaro Hotel, we grabbed some dinner and called it a night. We had an early morning because we made it a mission to visit Salvation Mountain.

We were the only car on this whole entire highway! So we did what any girl would do, PHOTOSHOOT!!

BEHOLD! Salvation Mountain and all it’s glory!!

40 minutes and 200 pictures later, it was time to go home. Back at the hotel we met a couple of girls who told us they’re on a road trip as well. During their travels they stopped by a “beach” called, the Salton Sea that was on the way to Salvation Mountain. We stopped by for a bit but it was so damn hot that we couldn’t bare standing out there just to look at a body of water for more than 10 mins.

With such chaotic work schedules it’s always a strain to plan a trip together. But somehow time was on our side for once (we didn’t even know it was a 3 day holiday!) and I’m glad it was. Love you, P ♡

FIRST VLOG!

Eye Need You

Gels, creams, pencils, liquids. So many options how do we choose? One of my beauty must haves is waterproof eyeliner, hence WATERPROOF. I have very oily eyelids, which is why I need to make sure I won’t end up with panda eyes at the end of the day. I was in dire need of a new eyeliner since the one I just purchased was such a disappointment. I went to my local Target with my sister and she pointed me out an E.L.F. product. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of their makeup products but I looove their angled brush to a point that I have backups of it.

I wasn’t having much luck finding a new eyeliner so I’ve decided to bite the bullet and try this sucker out.

When in doubt, check Amazon. At least that’s what I do…4.5/5 stars out of 200 reviews. Okay, screw it! To the check out counter I go!

Hmm..impressive. Glides on smoothly but how about the rubbing test? Waited a few minutes to dry then I abused the heck out of it. Rubbed my wrist to a point I ended giving myself an indian burn…I decided to wear it for the day to see what this stuff is really made of. But first, let me take a selfie(s)

Okay, overall I’m impressed. It didn’t run, or smudge, and it took a little bit of elbow grease to wash it off. This is probably the best dupe for M.A.C.’s Fluid Line, I honestly like it WAY BETTER than M.A.C.’s since that crap smudges. Not to mention the huge price difference!? I paid $20 to look like a tired panda on crack vs. $3, that right there proves “high end” products aren’t always the best option. Bravo, E.L.F. you made me into a believer.

xoxo, ji

Liebster Award Nomination

About a week or so ago, a lovely blogger named SIYU nominated me for the Libster Award. This award exists only on the internet, and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. I’ve only been blogging for about a month and all I can say is, thank you. There are thousands, and thousands of beauty/lifestyle bloggers out there and for that I’m very thankful and honored for you to to click on my blog. It’s truly amazing how an online community such as this can be so loving and supporting.

1 | THE RULES

1. Thank the nominator
2. Display the award
3. Nominate 10 more bloggers with 10 new questions
4. Answer the new questions provided by the nominator
5. Notify the nominees

2 | THE ANSWERS

1. Instagram, twitter, or Facebook? (leave links to your account!)
• Instagram! I love capturing moments whether it’s food, or a gorgeous scenery. I have 2 accounts jichristine my personal account and rhythmofji my blogging account. It’s fairly new and I’m trying to gain an audience, if you like what you see please follow me to see more!

2. Who/what inspires you?
• Everything is an inspiration. If you look at the world as the incredible place it is, then each moment is a feast.

3. What is something you would never do, even if you were given a million dollars?
• Never will I EVER hurt an animal. I truly believe animals have purer souls than human beings, I despise people who have that mentality to think hurting any living creature is ok. Seriously, go to hell and f**k yourself.

4. If you had a million dollars, what is the first thing you’d spend that money on?
• I’ll would most likely give half of my winnings to my Dad, and then splurge on a loft. I’ve always wanted a huge open living space that was refurbished from either an old warehouse or fire station.

5. Why did you start blogging?
• I started blogging because I felt like it was time. I’ve always wanted to start one since I was 17 but I was way to shy to start one. I relish the world of beauty tutorials/reviews, hauls, fashion, all that jazz. But as I got older, my favorite beauty gurus (in my opinion!) started to lose what I loved about them. Reviewing or showing different looks by using products that I can get hold of myself was no longer their style. I wanted to blog to show that you don’t need that $30 eyeliner to achieve a beautiful cat eye, or a $100 small bottle of serum to get radiant skin. I want to give real reviews to people that are like me. Also, going back to my instagram answer, I really enjoy photography and blogging is just another platform for me to share what I see through my camera.

6. Would you rather spend money on shoes, handbags, jewelry, makeup, or clothes?
• Most likely on all of them, no? lol But if I had to it would most likely handbags. I don’t like spending a lot of money on clothes or shoes but I will splurge on a beautiful handcrafted leather handbag.

7. Favorite quotation?
• “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs (listen to his commencement speech here)

8. Biggest pet peeve?
• When someone tells me what to do in way that it seems like they’re commanding me to do it. I dislike that A LOT.

9. What fictional character do you wish you could meet?
• Sailor Moon. Duh.

10. What is(are) your must-have makeup product(s)?
• My Younique 3D fiber lash mascara! Amazing stuff!! Here’s my review if you haven’t read it yet. (are those mine?!)
Anastasia Brow Gel because every girl should have eyebrows that are on fleeeeeeek.

3 | THE (NEW) QUESTIONS

1. What is your favorite food?
2. If you could only chose one beauty product to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be?
3. As a blogger, what is the best advice you can give for someone who is starting out?
4. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and who would you go with?
5. Summer, winter, spring, or fall?
6. Sephora or ULTA?
7. If you had only one wish and it can’t be about money, what would you wish for?
8. When you’re stressed or overwhelmed, what do you like to do to destress?
9. Favorite place to eat?
10. If you could meet a celebrity who would it be?

4 | THE NOMINEES

bokikwok
jessthorburn
heyehren
charlemilyox
funlittlejoys
valsvougexo
infinitehipsterblogger
oliveaolive
ataleofpooandkan
nospaceformilk

Thank you again SIYU for nominating me with your kind words. I love the fact that we all support each other and I hope we continue gaining inspiration while pushing ourselves to be better bloggers.

Xoxo, Ji

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Oasis of Skincare

If you followed me on instagram then you would know that I took a trip to downtown LA with @korfoodstagram (amazing korean food pictures btw) We wanted to hike the infamous Hollywood sign, which we conquered like bad asses. After our little scorching nature walk she mentioned that she has never been down to Santee Alley in Los Angeles Fashion District. In my shocking state of mind of “YOU NEVER BEEN?!” we ended having a little day trip in the City of Angels.

I’ve been going to Santee Alley since I was in high school. It’s a dirty, loud, crowded, literally an alley in the heart of LA’s Fashion District. Filled with hidden goods that you can haggle and score some great finds at a lower cost verses going to your local mall. In the midst of chaos we stumbled upon this…

http://thesanteealley.blogspot.com

Attracted by its flourish green scenery and of course their air conditioner, we headed into this lovely oasis called Nature Republic. I’ve personally never heard of this brand but it’s clearly a brand from South Korea, the country that’s known for their crème de la crème skincare products. We sampled, swatched, sniffed, wiped, from head to toe of this place.

Nature Republic’s concept is to use all natural ingredients from Mother Nature in all of their products. Another major bonus is everything they have is very affordable! I ended up buying 5 products for $27, which is a steal!

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Aloe Vera Soothing Gel – Their #1 best seller. An all-in-one moisturizing gel contains California CCOF-certified organic Aloe Vera, great for all skin types. Aloe Vera is filled with vitamins such as E, C and other minerals, that keep the skin moisturized and protect the skin from harmful UV rays. You can use this for your hair, body, and face; I personally use this as an extra step to my skin care, it gives this refreshing feeling and doesn’t leave a heavy sticky residue behind. Not to mention this jar is HUGE!

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Green Tea Cleansing Cream – A cleaning cream that double acts as a makeup remover made from green tea leaves to calm redness and help with dry skin. I tend to double cleanse whenever I come home from work or a day out to make sure my skin is squeaky clean before applying my skincare regime. Again, huge jar!

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Facial masks in Rose & Royal Jelly – Self explanatory, I’m obsessed with masks and Nature Republic has a huge selection. Rose, is known for calming down redness, and ideal for dryness. Royal Jelly, filled with numerous of vitamins, helps rejuvenate skin cells, it’s perfect for overworked or overstressed skin. It killed me opening one of these..the packaging is so pretty!

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Aurora Pink #33 Eyeshadow – GORGEOUS sheer glitter eyeshadow! Very pigmented! I wouldn’t say this is pink, it’s more like a champagne color with a very subtle pink undertone to it. Believe it or not, this was the most expensive item out of all of my purchases at the retail price of $8. But it was love at first sight so I had to bite the bullet and go for it. Totally, obsessed ♥ Overall I’m a huge fan of Nature Republic they offer very high end quality without that high end tag price. If you’re looking for all natural products please check them out! I hope you enjoyed reading this post just as much as I enjoyed sharing it ♥

xoxo, ji

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Are those mine?

Have you ever seen a product and thought to yourself, “omg this is too good to be true..” so you refuse to buy it cause you didn’t want to get scammed but can’t help that “what if” feeling? That was my first thought when it came to this product. I’ve seen so many before & after photos, endless Youtube reviews, countless hours on Instagram, just to see what this product was all about. Now, I don’t mean to sound like a hater but to be very honest these girls who review this product ALREADY HAVE LONG LASHES to begin with! It’s like saying, “oh em gee, this diet tea makes me so skinny!” OH, BUT WAIT! Weren’t you skinny already? *rolls eyes* I wanted a review from someone who has similar eyelash struggles…short, straight, no volume, no Kim K va va voom, kinda person. I’m not a guru, I’m just an average person who appreciate honest answers. If that’s something you’re looking for then WELCOME TO MY BLOG! ♥

Alright, lets do this.

Younique 3D Fiber Lash Mascara 

Claims to increase your average lash volume by 400% while giving you that false eyelash look. I’ve been eyeing this product for awhile now but this sucker is $29! No, No, NO. Spending that kind of money on a beauty product that I barely use is ridiculous. But thanks to the glorious world wide web I was able to find it for a lot cheaper. At a whopping $10.98 on eBay (click here) I was finally able to try this sucker out!

It came with a beautiful velvet lined, hardcover case with two different mascara tubes, a transplanting gel and natural fibers. According to the instructions you: 1. Curl your lashes with your favorite mascara. Let it dry. 2. Apply transplanting gel 3. Immediately apply the natural fibers. 4. Seal it all with another coat of the transplanting gel.

The fibers will latch onto your lashes, giving you that extra length while pumping up your volume game.

Final results?

LASHES?! ARE THOSE MY LASHES?! Lashes that I didn’t glue on?! WHAT WHAT?! OMG this sh*t actually works, unless I’m having one hell of a placebo effect.

I’ve used countless of mascaras from high end to drugstore that swears their product will give the consumer “bigger, fuller, longer, lashes” and every single time I get sucked into their market schemes I get nothing but flat, more noticeable, unflattering lashes with a dash of disappointment. Younique 3D Fiber Lash Mascara definitely blew my mind, it’s now my favorite thing in my makeup collection. I’ve been using this product for over 2 weeks now and haven’t found anything negative to say about it. I work long hours, but my lashes are still full, curled, and fabulous! I can’t believe it took me this long to buy this damn thing! I hope this review will help someone out there that’s skeptical about purchasing this, it’s truly amazing. I’m not sponsored, or a makeup artist. I’m just one hell of a satisfied customer.

xoxo, ji