What A DAY For Both Adults n' Kids!!

Yesterday, the weather is surprisingly nice so we took kids to California Academy of Sciences in SF city.


We leave home around 10:30AM n' arrived back home at 10:30PM....3 of them all past out after a full day packed activities!! ^O^ 

Side Note: Niel loves Hot Cheetos so we had to rush to Target to get it for him. DH loves Jumbo Pearl Milk tea, we drove off to get it. Me...since everyone is not considering to sacrifice their cravings, I decided to buy my favorite custard bum too!! ..... This was almost a whole hour task before we actually hit the road!! :P

We met Irene's family at Academy Cafe' which is inside of the museum. 

Why? Cafe? 

We love the food served there, they are delicious too. Yes, it is an important factor that we love to go to California Academy of Sciences. ^O^

My ODJ of Saturday. 

1. Top:

• Scallop lace bodysuit from Benetton 
• URBN (urban outfitter) black tube bra
• Gray deep V neck n' quarter sleeves sweater

2. Bottom: Huston skinny black jeans

3. Accessory: 

• Max&Co. brown belt
• Crystal silver necklace
• Hermes Gris T. Birkin

4. Shoes:

Christian Louboutin beige simple pump

 Oh, I forgot to mention: the 3rd must-have thing is a nice brown/beige/came coat... like my alpaca MJ coat the other day I wore to Filoli Garden. 

 
Then the 4th wardrobe essential is a warmth gray sweater....any cut, as long as you think it flatters your body figure.  ;)

Irene's son....Ethan!

Ilona's riding a turtle...

I know, her hair is blocking her sight....I want her to have a long bang....n' i forgot to clip her hair. 

 

I love the ruffle/peplum detail at back of this RUGBY herringbone jacket. That little detail would accentuate your waist even more.

If not a big coat, I would also recommend a blazer or military inspired brown coat (just the cut, not the metal buttons...) to fulfill the 3rd must-have as your wardrobe staple. 

That's Irene's 2 months old son n' her 09' Chanel black beads bracelet w/ dangled logo CC bracelet. 

SEE..that is Cheetos...for Abby n' Ilona....n' Ethan. Niel loves HOT ones only!! 
 

At 4:30 PM, we took kids to do pottery painting at Terra Mia in Castro St. ...No, we only drive through the homosexual district ..... then there are lots of cute stores past there. ^O^

I am not sure is there are two couples are getting married...but look at that golden/pinkish coat n' stacked white boots..... 

How fashionable!!  I want to ask him where did he get those!!! ^O^

They all wear wigs somehow!! 

Here we are!

I need to do all the touch-ups..to make sure every piece is worth the money..haha... 

Ilona's painting a penguin in a very black color.... I later transform it ..... we will see after we picked them up then!!! :) 

We finished pot painting around 6:30 PM n' had Korea BBQ at Brothers Restaurant at Geary st.

They have pretty good portion for each order so you don't need to order A LOT.... to be satisfied!!

Today (Sunday), I did Power Yoga in the morning(almost late since  day time saving begins).... then I realized that I need a lot of rest until I see you on MONDAY!!

Happy St. Patric Day!!

xoxo Rachel

Reiss gorgeousness and clothes ramble

I have really started to get into Reiss and the overall style of their range. However, I hate the fact that we don't have Reiss in Aberdeen so I have to admire their clothes from afar...I did treat myself to some items from their sale on the website...so stay tuned for an update on that in the next few days. I am not a fan of buying online as you never know if something is going to fit! I have had a peek at the brand spanking new collection and I want almost everything! I love the way they have styled their new ads...I would describe it as understated, sophisticated, 'grown up' glamour at it's best. I even love the makeup concepts...it's all smokey eyes, nude lips and laid back messy hair...

I ADORE their accessories and this naval inspired rope bangle caught my eye. I love the little details like the Reiss text on the rivets...

They also do really pretty bags that have some unique details. I thought bag was quite an unusual colour, almost like a duck egg blue and I love the gold chain tassle. It's just adorable!...

I'm totally coveting this weave belt as well...it would be perfect to add a bit of interest to a plain dress...

I have been drooling over their 'Lookbook' online and these are some of my favourite outfits that are, in my humble opinion, achingly stylish and chic and perfect for the summer months ahead...

I am the type of girl who goes on a shopping trip looking for sensible work clothes and I end up coming back with skyscraper heels and beaded dresses...why can't I stick to my initial shopping game plan! I just get sidetracked when I see beautiful clothes and they always tend to be the type of clothes you would wear on a big night out. I start justifying the purchases to myself saying things in my head like "it's an investment", "these reflect my personality better" and "work clothes shopping is boring anyway". I definitely have my eye on this fringed 'Bali' dress from Monsoon....

I think this could totally be tranformed from a summer daytime look with flat gladiator style sandals to a more glamourous night time outfit. These Dune shoes would be perfect to transform this dress into a kick ass outfit...

Dune have to be my favourite place to shop for gorgeous shoes. Whilst surfing the net, once again looking for sensible boots, my peepers locked on these amazing suede and silver coloured sandals on the Dune website. I feel I must have them! I think my life may actually depend on it!...ok, SLIGHT exaggeration but just check out these babies...

So ladies...what is your favourite place to shop at the moment? Have you got any 'must have' items on your clothes lust list? How do you justify purchases to yourself?!

And one last thing...am I the only person who has a list/file on their computer of things they want to buy in the next few months like makeup, shoes etc...please don't let me be the only one...I don't want to be a saddo on my own!

Self-Pity Party and a hair ramble

I have been feeling guilty all week for not putting up any videos, especially as I have all these great ideas in my head, but no time to do them. Come Friday I was ready to rectify this and was all set to dedicate a good proportion of my weekend to filming.

However, my body did not agree, and decided to punish me for the lack of care I have been taking recently. With 5 hours of sleep a night, rubbish food (I see it= I eat it) and lack of exercise I don't think it likes me very much at the moment. So on Saturday morning I woke up with a horrible swollen red eye, which not only looks disgusting, but sends needles of pain through my face every time I blink. All in all, I have spent most of the weekend in bed feeling sorry for myself and probably taking it out on the bf more than I should be :(.

So next week I need to cheer myself up! I have noticed that my hair is looking quite lackluster at the moment, with far too any split ends, so the time has come for the dreaded biannual hair cut. Yes, I always put it off as long as I can because I have a rather love/ hate relationship with hairdressers. I have never found one I can really trust with my long hair. I can just see their eyes light up at the thought of slicing it all off. It fills me with fear every time I murmur "Just a trim please", knowing that I am about to lose 4 inches of beloved hair. It takes me weeks to get used to a cut and, though I am ultimately happy that even though my hair is shorter it looks healthier, I still dread it.

However, the time has come. I think the last time I had it cut was in October! Since I'm so bored of it I have just given up and have been wearing it in the same styles for far too long.

For work I usually just blow dry it quickly, then pin back the front section as it's too short to stay back by itself, but too long to be a side fringe and just irritates me all day.

Or if I have an extra 10 minutes in the morning I use large barrel curling tongs to add some waves and body to the hair. Even though after a gruelling tube ride these usually fall out and I arrive at the office looking frazzled and sleepy.

For nights out I just use the babyliss conical wand to create loose curls and pull the front back with a head band.

So before I book my appointment I want to ask you guys for help :). What kind of style I should go for and what do you think would look good, while being easy to manage? I want to keep the length and add some more layers, but sort out the front portion, as at the moment it just doesn't blend in with the rest.

If you have some inspirational pictures I'd love to see them!! I trust your opinions much more than any hairdresser and I think I would feel a lot better about the whole experience if I could specify exactly what I wanted and maybe bring a picture :). xxx

Review of Revlon Photoready Foundation

I have wanted to try this foundation for ages, given that I'm a steadfast fan of Colorstay...not everyone's cup of tea but in my eyes, it's my go-to foundation for a flawless, long lasting finish. There has been a big buzz around this new foundation in the blogging world which basically is said to deliver the same effect as MUFE HD. The first thing that caught my eye was that Revlon have finally decided to come to their senses and have included a pump dispenser for this product. Hurrah! This now means that there's less mess and less wastage of product.

I chose the Cool Beige shade which is a good match for my skin when I have a slight tan. The consistency of this foundation is a touch lighter than Colorstay and this transfers well to the skin...it feels very natural once applied so when you touch your face, it doesn't feel like you're wearing any foundation at all!

Now I know that alot of people have been put off by the 'shimmer' in this foundation (this is what actually creates the soft focus effect when you are being photographed hence the name of the product). I'm guessing it works by blurring any fine lines/blemishes.

I was a bit worried when I heard people mention the 'Cullen' effect! I really didn't want to look overly shimmery in the harsh light of day...but I was pleasantly surprised that the so-called shimmer wasn't that noticeable. Sure if you look REALLY closely in the mirror then you can kind of see it, but it doesn't look ridiculous. If you stand just a few inches away from a mirror in natural light then you don't even see it.

I took this picture wearing the foundation with just a slight dusting of MAC MSF Natural. I took the pic with a flash to try and demonstrate how the foundation photographs in different conditions....

I was REALLY happy with the medium coverage it gave me and how light it felt, whilst giving my skin a flawless finish. It lasts all day and as long as you set it with a good powder then you shouldn't get too shiny. I often get a very shiny T-Zone which is always a pain but I was delighted with how natural my skin looked. It also gave my skin a nice, healthy radiance. This foundation is definitely easier to apply and blend than Colorstay.

I took the next pic in direct sunlight...

So in conclusion, I really like this foundation and I think I now prefer it to Colorstay! I will be using this as my everyday foundation from now on. I know that some people would hate the shimmer in this as some people prefer a fully matte look. So ultimately, this foundation is like the makeup equivalent of marmite...you're either going to love it or hate it! I personally think it's a fantastic drugstore/pharmacy foundation that's affordable, enjoyable to use and it makes my skin look great. It also offers a cheaper alternative to the likes of Nars Sheer Glow.