Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts

Life Update #8 ⎜A New Camera for the Blog

I've been eyeing this videocamera for the longest time. I thought this would be the perfect one to do small tutorials on my Youtube channel as well as vlog for my own personal joy (probably nothing for my channel).


I don't know anything about cameras. DSLRs? No idea how they work. Ultimately, all I do with a camera like that is put it on auto and hope everything works out. I do use a DSLR for my blog right now, but it's something my sister lent me. She tried explaining things to me, but... I just don't get it!

So while I'm taking pictures with a camera I still have to figure out how to use, I made this really cute purchase! It is the Canon VIXIA mini x HD

Seriously though, how cute is this camera? You can lift the screen so you can see what you are filming and also film yourself. I love that it is horizontal so it gives more stability. They have a more recent edition that has image stabilization and longer battery life- but they didn't have it in white! And it was about $100 more - and I just came down to conclusion that with what I need, this cute white one will do.

Also, I love that it is so small. It is as handy as a cellphone, and I think that's more comfortable to walk and record around with. Although I love vloggers I wonder how they ever have the courage to walk around filming themselves. I love that this camera is a bit more subtle.




a new york girl searching for london in soho





When I went to London last winter, I had searched up tea parlors to have my experience being British. It failed all together when Google only provided the very best ones, ones that cost more than 60 pounds per person. I mean, that was a lot and definitely more than I was willing to spend. But then I spent months thereafter whining about wanting a proper afternoon tea, and being sullen over the fact that I didn't get to try it out in London. 

But today, my friend and I whisked ourselves to the city where we found a small tea heaven called Bosie Tea Parlor. I was promised that I would get that "afternoon tea" here. 

Although I had always imagined a tearoom to be one of those in a luxury hotel, I was more than thrilled to have a quaint one if I must! It is located deep in Soho (downtown NYC) where all the quaint shops reside. When I walked in, it was definitely a cozy, quaint, and very Soho-esque shop. It had small round tables, about six in the front by the entrance, and about three more near the back. You immediately see an array of tea buckets displayed all along the way. You also see their cute pastry display full of macarons, cakes, and scones. 

My friend and I went for their tea service. They have three selections, but cheapest one seemed to be sufficient for us. The most basic tea service for 2-persons came with a selection of 2 teapots of our choice, 3 choices of tea sandwiches for each person, 2 scones per person, 2 macarons per person, and 4 assortment of cake/bread. I thought that was quite a nice deal!  



I highly recommend their "Brandied Apricot" tea, as it was light with flavorful notes of apricot. It was neither too light nor too heavy, with the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor. The other tea we ordered was Fujian white tea, which wasn't all that great. We first chose Island White, but they no longer had the tea, hence. 

As for their pastries: I highly recommend their salmon cream cheese sandwich and their cucumber cream cheese sandwich. I particular loved those two! And macarons? They had a few seasonal macarons out, but I definitely enjoyed a classic Pistachio and Earl Grey. 

But, what I really enjoyed the most? Their scones. Crusty outside, moist inside. They came with cream and jam, and oh they were seriously so good. I had to get two more to bring home for some of my family to try!






And just look how well we finished our plates! We spent a good hour and a half there, having a swell time. The staff there were so friendly and kind, and that really matters to me. Service is 80% when it comes to rating any eating place, and they definitely was full score for me! They were so helpful picking out which teas and pastries. 

If you are ever around Soho, I highly recommend this tea parlor! Of course, if you're from the UK, you may not find the need to go to a place like this. But if you're an American girl looking to nurture the British girl within, you may want to give yourself a pick-me-up at a relaxing quaint Soho tea parlor as this place! xx


DIY: How to Make the Best Virgin Mojito



For all you non-drinkers, this DIY drink is for you. After trying an awesome virgin mojito when in London, I thought I'd make it my job to make it myself at home. It's the perfect spring/summer drink, and a great way to serve your friends and family who are over! It's my favorite kind of mock-tail and I hope you enjoy it too! 

I am no chef, let alone even being good in the kitchen so bear with me if my directions are ambiguous. Here's what you'll need:
  • Ginger ale
  • Pellegrino or any kind of Sparkling Water(optional/ you can use all ginger ale, but I like to dilute the ale with the sparking water)
  • Lime Juice (I used the Italian Volcano Organic Lime Juice)
  • Limes
  • Mint leaves
  • Cilantro (optional)
  • ICE.
  • Sugar (optional)
  • Apple Juice (optional)




Let me tell you how I like my drink. FULL OF MINTS, and tasting more than just sweet or sour. I like a bit of depth so I did use pretty much all the ingredients I stated above.

Here's what I did:

  • Chop up the mint leaves. I used about one whole batch of them. 
  • Cut the limes into decent sizes. Make sure you wash them first since they'll be soaking in your drink the whole time!

  • Make the juice:
    • In one serving cup size, I put in 1/4 cup of lime juice.
    • Then, I added 1/2 cup of ginger ale.
    • Added just a sip of apple juice (apple soda). Literally, a sip. Nothing too much!
    • Topped it with pelligrino to the top. 
    • Add ice accordingly. (I didn't have ice, so I made sure to make all my drinks really cold before using them).
  • Add the mint leaves. More the better.
  • Squeeze in some fresh lime, then just drop them into the drink.
  • MIX! Let the mint really get soaked with the rest of the drink.
  • Pour more ice (if you want)
  • THEN, VOILA YOU ARE DONE :)
  • You've got yourself a fresh, icey, minty, refreshing sweet tarty VIRGIN MOJITO :) 


Yum yum! It is so refreshing, I love it. What I did was, make just the juice and constantly added it to my drink as I finished it. I think it's easy to get creative with it, no set rules!

Tell me if you've ever made a mock-tail before, and what drinks you recommend. If you do try this virgin mojito, send me a link so I can take a look! I love to see it :)




Wishlist #4 . Non-beauty Edition




  1. Loeffler Randall bag, Pouchette in white snakeskin
  2. Mr & Mrs Furs army parka
  3. Frends rose gold headphones
  4. Fijifilm Instax Mini film
  5. Warby Parker* (just placed my at-home trial kit!)
  6. Sorel "Joan of Arc"
I know I mentioned how I feel satisfied with what I have, in terms of makeup. But there's been so many fashion/lifestyle things that have been getting to me! These are a few things that I find myself looking at over and over, wishing I had them on me, with me. In fact, the Warby Parker glasses is soon coming true since I placed my at-home trial kit today. You can pick 5 pairs that you'd like to try at home and what they do is send them for free. You have five days to try them out and after you place an order for what you want, you just send them back, again free of charge. Exciting isn't it? Anyway, it's been snowing so much here in NY, I am thinking that I really need some legit snow boots. Uggs classics aren't keeping it up for me anymore. I need really waterproof snow boots. So, I've been thinking of getting a pair by Sorel

BAG ALERT. Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac in Plum



This is aka "What's in my Bag" post, showing you what I carry around in my bag. It is an edited version, meaning, I've cleaned my bag a little and decided to feature things that were only beauty related. But this Rebecca Minkoff bag only allows a certain amount anyway. It is my first Rebecca Minkoff bag, and I bought this last Fall actually, and it is only now that I'm featuring it on my blog.

I absolutely love this bag, and in my recent trip to Europe, this was the only bag I carried around and it was the perfect size. Although it is a mini mac quite a lot can fit inside this bag. I loved it for chucking essentials in: like the beauty products that I feature, as well as carrying around my iPhone and travel billets and such. I decided to bring this bag to Europe because as a tourist, you want to be careful of picket-pocketting, and the last time I was in France, I was a victim of picket-pocketing and so I wanted to be extra careful.

I like to wear this cross body, and when I'm walking around, I kept it in the front of my body. The zipper is something I love about this bag, because it zips up so well. There are quite a lot of bags, I have to tell you, that just don't zip up well! You actually need your two hands to zip up, but this bag has such a smooth zipper that when you are in a rush and want to zip up, you can do it easily. Small unnecessary fact you say? Not for me, since zippers are something I always check up in a bag!

And with the functionality of this bag, comes the absolutely beautiful style. This color just makes my heart flutter. In some lights it may look a bit dark, and then in some lights, it looks bright plum. I love it! You may know that I have a huge obsession with plum colored things, and when I bought it last Fall, I knew I'd get a lot of wear with this. It is both chic and feminine at the same time!


So, finally here are some handbag essentials that are really do carry. They aren't just placed this way for the blogpost. These are my current handbag necessities that I took out of this bag for this post.

As a whole, I think all girls carry around a hand cream of some sort in the winter. I have been falling head-over-heels for This Works Deep Sleep Dream Cream lotion for hands and body. I loved it when I first bought it, but decided to give it to my mother to use but when I found she wasn't really using it, I took it back and fell in absolute love! I recently bought another tube of this and it's been loved very much by me! Read here.

Then of course, a lip balm. I featured this balm before but Nuxe Reve de Miel is just a great lip balm for the harshest winters. It has a matte finish, and it is very thick-- almost so thick, it's hard to scoop out of the tube when the weather is cold. But nonetheless, it masks your lips and instantly binds the torn skin on the lips upon application! The small is also lovely. The only downfall is that when you apply this too much, you may end up with residue of the balm on your lips. You want to make sure you are applying it without leaving particles of its content visible on your lips. (Anyone else know what I mean?) Read here.

Then for lip colors, I usually carry two shades. One neutral/nude, and the other, bright. I recently had to go to an interview, and for interviews I always wear this shade by Burberry. It is their lip mist in the shade Copper. Hands down, the best professional lip color, whatever that means. Whenever you want to look proper, read, and professional- go for this one. It always perfects the lips by moistening it, hydrating it, and giving it a color neutral peachy/rosy/pinky nude. The color is just right. Read here.

Then for the bright lip color for a sudden change in look, I have been loving Rimmel Apocalips (Show Off) shade in Big Bang. This is a Marilyn Monroe red, and I love it. But what I really love is the Apocalips formulation in general. Couldn't get better- creamy, moisturizing, and perfectly pigmented. Their lip lacquers are better than the luxe brands that I've tried. Read here.

For face, I always try to carry a face powder around, especially when I want to look my best the whole day. I hate when I see my makeup melt and I have nothing to fix it up! I have been obsessing with the Bourjois Unifying Face Powder. I did a review of this after I brought it from France. This again, is by far, better than most high end brands I've tried. It instantly perfects my makeup anytime during the day. Read here.

Lastly, fragrance. Ah, fragrances! When I was Europe, I was never without this scent. Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit fragrance. I did a whole review of this recently, so you can go read it up here.


One Fine Day in Strasbourg, France.




It's the first day of February, and that gave me more of a reason to hurry and post this long-due travel diary of my trip around Europe. The final destination of my two week trip was Strasbourg, France. It was a short trip, just one day but I found that was enough to get a good gist of the place. I absolutely loved everything about Strasbourg, besides maybe a few bits that I'll share as we go along, but overall, every single corner was a little gasp of surprise. It was just so beautiful and picturesque! 

We started from Paris, and drove about five hours to Strasbourg. It was my first time seeing the French countryside, and it was quite beautiful. In the morning, we saw a haze of fog all along the hills. I tried to capture it with my camera, but in real life, it looked much more... well, European. Something you would imagine in French paintings! 


After our long drive, we finally arrived at our destination. We gave up trying to find any parking space in their garages. They were all full. Without much help and translation available in the area, we guessed where we could park and hoped for the best. We were able to get street parking, and luckily, our car wasn't towed after five-six hours touring the place. Just driving around and looking for parking space got us excited because everything was so beautiful! Our first stop was the Strasbourg Notre-Dame. It is the definition of grandeur

What we didn't know about this area was that it is supposedly the capitale de noel. I guess it's the season for people to just flock into Strasbourg because oh goodness, it was PACKED. There were so many people all around the cathedral and Petite France that I was pretty shocked. Also, I was unaware that they would have Christmas markets tented in front of the cathedral. So when we arrived, we were both surprised and disappointed with what we saw. Surprised because the markets were so festive, but disappointed because we couldn't take in the cathedral for what it was because there was too much going on in front of it! But still, it was breathtakingly beautiful. 

As the sun sets, the gothic detailed cathedral became more and more beautiful as it glistened by the sunset. 

The cathedral just could not be captured in a single shot. It is huge and I think it's larger than the notre dame in Paris! Below are pictures of the market. Look how small they are compared to the massiveness of the cathedral. The markets were selling all sorts of things. What was especially best-selling were the vin chauds and the chestnuts.

Of course, I had to get a small cup of their vin chaud and it helped warm up the coldness of the winter day! 

Here are the pictures of the inside of the cathedral: 

It's also lovely how there were so many musicians playing right outside the cathedral and where the open markets were. It helped created that festive Christmas aura, and it really felt like I was truly in Europe! 

Then, from the cathedral we headed to La Petite France. Here you can really see the German influence of Alsace. I especially loved the architecture of the buildings in this area, and the river that runs throughout reflects the beauty of their town. 

I can't say where exactly we went, but we did wander all throughout La Petite France. We didn't eat anything special, and if anything, I don't recommend US tourists to eat at a restaurant. Rather, eat something from the markets because it saves $$$ and I just did not enjoy the meal I had in a restaurant around here and service was horrible as well! Just sip a few vin chauds, eat chestnuts and hotdogs and fill your tummies with these beautiful sights!


Here you can really see the beautiful buildings of Alsace, the particular architecture that we all know of so well. I felt as though I was in some Disney movie, and it felt so surreal: 

We stayed until late evening. The lights really made the night feel so bright, especially since the river reflected so much of that light. We enjoyed our time here so much (besides the food) and it is somewhere I'd definitely want to visit again and again, but next time not during Christmas season. Perhaps when there are less people and when it is warmer. I think if the weather also was sunnier, it would've been extra beautiful! 

Well, that's really all for this post! I hope you guys enjoyed the pictures. Tell me if any of you have been to Strasbourg, and what you loved or didn't love so much. It'll help me plan my trip better next time I go :) x
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