City Spirit

The Smarty

A couple of days ago, I met up with my friend Yoli before she moves to Sweden later on this week (!!!). I hadn't seen her since last year and we had made a plan to buy each other Christmas gifts from the 99cent store. We did this in 2010 as well, but it was just a regular gift exchange. 

(Yoli, I think we should keep doing this even though you're moving! *wink wink nudge nudge*)

She knows I love novelty items, so she got me a set of cheesy mustaches, and I'm here to show you 'The Smarty': 

Have a good Saturday! 

//Panda

Influenster: Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist

I'm kind of picky when it comes to perfumes and body sprays since there are a couple of popular scents that I just can't stand. So when I saw this bottle of Paris Amour from Bath & Body Works I was kind of hesitant to try it. 

I must admit I haven't stepped foot into a Bath & Body Works since, middle school maybe, so I had no idea what scents they were using now. But I popped it open and took a small whiff of it. It's not that bad. I tend to like light, citrus-y, scents. Nothing too heavy or floral so I felt maybe I could like that if I gave it a try. 

I've smelled this on other people and it smells good, but the problem with me is, after a couple of hours, I don't feel like you can smell it anymore, so I end up putting more on. 

The sample I received was the full 8 fl oz bottle that you can get at any Bath & Body Works store. This mist comes in 20 different scents and retails for $14.00. 

I really can't add much else to the review except that I feel I need to constantly reapply it every few hours. 

On a five star scale, I would give this about a 3.5 rating. I'd probably wear it until the bottle has run out but most likely I wouldn't buy this scent because there are other scents that are offered in this mist collection that I enjoy better. 

//Panda

Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes and the above is my 100% honest opinion.

 

Influenster: Chap Stick LipSHIELD 365 Review

Let me first preface this by saying that I am a HUGE Burt's Bee's fan. Check out what's in my bag, if you don't believe me. 

When I saw this in the Spring Beauty Voxbox, I was a little disappointed. I never really liked Chap Stick because it always felt too waxy on my lips, and that's never fun. Beside, whenever I hear 'Chap Stick' all I think about are all those mid-90s commercials with Picabo Street. (That TOTALLY just dated me! Haha!) 

Then, to even further my disappointment, I was looking at the package and from the looks of it, it wasn't flavored. Oh, how I LOVE me some flavored lip balms! "Oh well," I said, "I'll have to try it anyway" so I stuck it in my purse and went about on my day. Later on when I realized I hadn't switched everything over into that day's purse, from the one I was using the day before, and hadn't put in my Burt's Bees, I was left with no other resort than to finally try the Chap Stick. 

As soon as I opened the tube and smelled it, (Yes, I'm one of those people that constantly smells things, like my deodorant before I put it on, but that was probably TMI) I was pleasantly surprised! Lemon! Hmmm.  "This could be interesting", I thought and applied it... 

*MIND BLOWN* 

This stuff is awesome and this little thing soon became my favorite product in the box! I don't even know how to put it into words, but I guess for the sake of Influenster, I'll have to try. It's sooooo soft and smells SOOOOO good! Honestly, every time I put it on, I feel like I'm putting Lemon Custard on my lips. The lemon smell is strong but not overpowering, and not at all tart-y, but more sweet, LIKE LEMON CUSTARD! Instead of tucking it into the little cell phone pouch that comes in purses, like I do all my other lip balms, I stuck this one right in my wallet, so no matter where I go, I know I have it with me and a few hours later I could tell the difference on my lips. They were a little softer and a little less chapped. Go figure!

What about the Burt's Bees, you ask? Well, I have to admit, I've kind of stopped using them since I got this, and I think I'll continue to buy this particular Chap Stick once this tube runs out. I really do love this stuff, so hopefully I'll be able to find it. Plus, I have to remind myself not to lick the stuff off my lips and to reapply it about every hour or so. (Yes, I use it a lot). Now, on to the details. 

This is the LipSHIELD 365 Chap Stick and has an SPF of 50+ so it helps to protect against the suns UVA/UVB rays. It helps prevent sunburned lips because the higher SPF gives more sunburn protection. It also helps prevent and temporarily protects chafed, chapped, or cracked lips and is for all seasons for year round protection. The sample I received is 0.15oz which is the normal sized tube of Chap Stick and it retails from $1.89 to $2.39

I would totally give this product, FIVE STARS! 

//Panda

Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes and the above is my 100% honest opinion.

Friday's Favorite Things

I rarely ever post more than once on any given day and I rarely ever post these 'Friday's Favorite Things' posts but this past week was just full of awesomeness (and sadness) that I just had to share. 

First up, 'The Avengers'! Ugh! I never see a movie more than once in the theater but this movie was SOOOOO GOOD that I had to see it over and over again. I actually want to see it again even though I already know what happens, and as much as it pains me to say this, you HAVE to watch it in a semi full to full theater. It's so much better that way. I saw it with my sister the last time and there were only two other people in the theater and it didn't seem as funny. 

Going Paleo. I think I can keep this up. I AM allowing myself one cheat day a week on Fridays. But now that today is my cheat day, I kind of don't want to cheat. Maybe I'll make a grilled cheese sandwich later on. Who knows. 

I don't know if these words have ever been uttered in modern day academia but, I really don't want the semester to end. I LOVELOVELOVE my merchandising classes so much that I wish we could keep going. I even love the math part, and I'm generally not good at math but this markup/markdown stuff is awesome! I keep telling my sister and friends that going into fashion merchandising was probably the best decision I've ever made! 

This sweet Double Hearts Necklace from Stella Saves the Day on Etsy. I already E-mailed the sir and asked if he liked it as well. 

Three Sixty-Five from Kam over at Campfire Chic. I've been to Kam's blog before but I've finally added her to my daily blogroll. This resource is AWESOME! You can totally spin off and create more topics from the ideas that are in here. 

This video! I totally teared up watching this! Hilarious. 

This bird will teach you how to dougie. Too cute! 

This White Cat One Piece over at Karmaloop! Adorable! I think I just might have to get this! 

Offline: 

Modern technology! I was able to speak with the Sir right before he left on Monday. 

Strawberries! They're my favorite fruit and since starting paleo, that's the closest thing that I'll be eating to sweets without having actual candy.  

Iced coffee! The only dairy I'm allowing myself while on paleo is in coffee and even then, it's only almond milk. 

Warm, sunny, beautiful days! The heat's starting up a little in Southern California and I'm loving these last couple of days even though, the heat's been staying until late in the evening. I can tell Summer is right around the corner and really excited for it. 

P90x! Still doing this and Yoga X is getting a little easier. Actually, everything is getting a little easier. I have a rough estimate of six months to get into shape and lose a majority of this weight that I'm having trouble with.

The Sir! He left on Monday and that's what made me sad but I'm trying not to dwell on that. I'm gonna miss him so much and I just keep praying that he comes back in one piece. I can't wait to hear from him sometime soon but I feel bad that he's going to be in the middle east during the Summer. I don't think I'd be able to handle that. I won't see him until next year, according to him. :(

Okay. That's this weeks 'Friday's Favorite Things'. Who knows when this will come around again so take care and have a good weekend! 

//Panda

 

Influenster: Soy Joy Review

A few days ago I blogged about what Influenster is. Well, today I'm posting my first review. 

When I opened the Spring Beauty Voxbox, I was both excited and a little bummed when I saw this. Excited because I had been meaning to try a Soy Joy bar but nobody I know could give me a recommendation so I never did. Bummed because 1.) I recently started Paleo and dairy is one of the things that is given up and 2.) I don't really like blueberries. But for the sake of "research" I bit the bullet and tried it anyway. 

So what is a Soy Joy bar? It's whole soy baked with real fruit. It's also gluten-free, which I guess is a plus for those with Celiac disease, and retails between $0.99-$1.29. So as I mentioned earlier, I had to break paleo that day to try it but in the packaging alone, it mentions milk six different times. Yikes. I checked the calories and one serving (bar) is 140 calories. Honestly, it's probably not something I would waste 140 cal. on because it's so small. I would probably end up being hungry an hour or so later after eating this. (Although that's not what happened since I tested this right after eating.) The smell of it reminded me of a Nutri-Grain bar while the consistency was something thicker that made me quite thirsty after eating only a piece of it.

Oh blueberry. I was looking at photos that other Influensters posted on the Influenster Facebook page and saw that other people had gotten Strawberry. Strawberries are my favorite fruit so I think I might have liked it better if not for the unfortunate circumstance of getting the blueberry flavor.  I tried eating the rest of the bar but couldn't muster enough tolerance to get passed half of the bar. 

As excited as I was to try the Soy Joy bar, I must say it let me down quite a bit, and I don't think I'll be giving it another go any time soon. 

Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes and the above is my 100% honest opinion. 

Cesar Chavez Park

A few days ago I went on the longest bike ride to date.(Post coming soon) It probably isn't as long as others may have gone but beings that I don't actually own a bike, I borrow my sisters, so I don't ride very often. Well, on that adventure I came across a park that's kind of hidden and it's the cutest little park!

Caution: It's about to get photo heavy up in this beesh. 

There are four different playgrounds in the park. This is just one of them. Kids were playing at the other three and I didn't want people to think I was some creeper taking pictures of their kids.

 There are tons of grassy areas and benches to sit and relax in. 

Along the paths, they have these cute little stampings and each path has it's own theme

There's amphitheater type seating that was closed off. I wonder what they have there. I'll let you know if I see something later on in the summer. 

For some reason, I always like taking pictures of lamps. 

Flowers are everywhere. These were the three that I thought I could name: Lily's, some form of a rose and Gardenia. I love the way Gardenia smells. 

The park also has a community center with a waterfall in the middle of the driveway. You can read who Jenny Oropeza was on the plaque. I went inside to see what kind of stuff they offered there, and they have a weight room, a rec room with table tennis, shuffleboard and tv's set up. They also had another room that was filled with couches and whatnot to just sit and relax. Of course there were a bunch of teenagers in there so I just headed back on out and into the evening sun.  Also, probably on weekends only, there's this little kiddy train that goes around the park. I think I'll be riding on it sometime soon because I'll definitely be coming back to this park. 

//Panda

Influenster

I first heard of Influenster about a month or so ago through my friend Alina. She had posted a few reviews of the items so she received in her voxbox and I got interested and signed up soon afterward. 

So, what is Influenster? 

Influenster is a "community of trendsetters who are invited to share their lifestyles". What happens is, you sign up for Influenster and answer a bunch of questions to reflect your lifestyle and earn badges. When you earn badges, Influensters can increase their chances of being chosen for a themed Voxbox. Voxboxes are complimentary and filled with products to test and review. 

I qualified for the Spring Voxbox and have been working on the reviews for the products that were chosen. I'll be sharing my reviews of those items in the coming week. 

//Panda

Oh, Kids

Source: Uploaded by user via Kalle on Pinteres

 

As I begin to write this, there are a couple of minutes left for Mother's day and I thought, what a fitting day to start this post. I've been trying to write this post for the past month or so jotting down lines here and there in my Blog Journal. I've tried to put some organization to it but I believe I've failed at that as well, so sorry in advance if you feel this post is a bit scattered. 

As I work my way through my late 20's it seems as though now should be the time to start seriously contemplating a child. I know when I was dating Art, a few of his family members would ask, "So, when are you two going to have a kid?". Um. To be quite honest, I'm glad we never got to that point. If you don't understand the gravity of that situation, I'll give you some insight. Imagine having a child with somebody, and your mortal enemy is also in that family. But the past is past. 

There was a time when I was baby crazy. Where all I wanted was a child to call my own. Honestly, I did want to start a family while I was young but I'm so glad my plan didn't come into fruition. At 24, 25, I felt like my clock was ticking. That I wasn't getting any younger and that maybe I'd get left behind on this whole "family" thing. But as 27 is in my horizon, I don't feel the need to have a kid. Actually, l don't think I want one at all. 

I've been adamant in the fact that the only exception I would make to my 'No kids' rule, is if the Sir wanted one. I've known it for a while, actually since we first dated. The only person in this world that I would have a kid with/for would be him. Funny, we actually sort of touched on the subject lightly but I think it's because he's leaving soon. 

One of the reasons I don't want a kid is their constant need for attention and supervision. You have to make sure they've done their homework, that they've taken a bath, that their chores were completed. They have to be fed and disciplined and I know it's a lot of hard work, something I'm not willing to do or feel that I can do, at this point in my life. 

I'm turning 27 in a couple of months and now is the time where there are baby showers and weddings and 'grown up' things. At times, it makes me feel left out. Like, why aren't I getting married and, why aren't I inviting my friends to my baby shower? It's happening to more and more people around me and I can't help but think, 'Well, maybe I should just get pregnant too", but then I remember, it's a choice, and as far as I'm concerned, it's a choice that I don't feel like dealing with right now. 

Fits, tantrums, crying, screaming. It all irks my nerves. I can't handle it. I treat kids like they should know better even though I know that they don't. By 'kids', I mean those under 7 because by then, they already do know better. Don't get me wrong, once they know how to behave and what's expected of them, I like them. It's just the wild, unpredictable phase that annoys me. Yes, annoy. 

I had a conversation with my dad recently. Surprisingly because he wants grandchildren. He doesn't seem like the person to want grandchildren but he keeps asking me. I've told him repeatedly though, that I don't intend on having any kids. First, he called me selfish. That the best thing to ever happen to him, was my being born. That he remembers when I was little and he would play horsey with me and crawl around on his hands a knees like an idiot but only because I wanted to play. 

While it's nice to hear those things and the memories of telling my dad, "More horsey, dad! More!". I just don't think kids fit into the lifestyle that I envision. I like the freedom of not having to look for a sitter or making plans with my partner to have a kid-free night. I want to be able to travel the world and experience things and not have to worry about kids. 

Don't get me wrong, I commend all the mothers out there for doing such a selfless thing, but I don't think I'd be that good at it. I've been told I would be but, that's one of those things that you don't find out until it's kind of the last minute. I think maybe one day eventually, I would like to be a mom, maybe. But I really don't forsee it happening any time soon. 

And simply because I know this post is crazy long already, I'll leave it at that! 

Have a good Tuesday! 

//Panda 

Monday Quotables

Source: Uploaded by user via Blair on Pinterest

 

"You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars guides you too."

        -Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

Slow Deterioration

The other day I went to my friend's art show. Really, it was more of a student exhibition but whatever. There were only three slots for the art education program and she got one of them. 

There were some other cool pieces there too 

I'm a sucker for illustration. 

This was made out of nothing but toothpicks and clay. 

This was a letter written on like, 3 pieces of glass so it has this weird mirrored effect and made you dizzy but I still thought it was cool. 

But it's shit like this that makes me wonder, "How the HELL is this art?". Obviously, it's supposed to mean something right, but what does the person say when they're trying to justify it to the review board? Oy! 

//Panda