floral and spice

90's Grunge

I met up with a fellow friend from college, Joe, and explored the city to find some cool locations. I never knew that he took such great photos until he started his Instagram, otherwise I would've shot with him a long time ago!

We headed to Haight St. and used the graffiti art as backdrops. After, we made our way through Golden Gate Park and ended up at the Conservatory of Flowers.

I chose a 90's Grunge look inspired by Blogger Lua aka @luanna90 on Instagram. I love her overall aesthetic :D

Oh and the Stumptown coffee, Winter Cheer is so good. Tastes like gingerbread. :) I found it at a local Whole Foods.

Thank you to Joe for his patience and I look forward to more projects! Make sure to check out Joe's Instagram to see his awesome photography! @dailycupof.joe

Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner Review

Disclaimer: This was sent to me by Memebox.
I've been using this Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner on and off for about a month now and honestly haven't seen much of a difference. I have combination skin and during the summer, my skin is very oily and shiny. However during the cold weather, my skin is very dry. I always thought clarifying toners would be more for acne and would dry up my face. However, it says this toner is good for flaky skin. I tried it out and I think I felt more bumps on my skin. It says to use a cotton pad and I find that odd because it's a spray bottle. I used it as a face mist and yes I went against the "Caution", but I also used it with cotton pads as well. I don't think I would use this very much because I felt like my skin didn't like it. It isn't clarifying for me. I will try this during the winter if I get dry, flaky skin to try out. But as of now this didn't do so well for me.

Fall Attire w/ Almost Famous Clothing

Thank you to the lovely people at Almost Famous Clothing for the cool ripped black skinnies.

Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick Review

Disclaimer: This Su:m 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick was sent to me. I am a Memebox Ambassador.

I received my first skincare product from Memebox a few weeks ago and I've been testing this cleansing stick out.
This Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick has very interesting packaging, a lovely scent, and leaves the skin feeling super soft. I've been using this every night and using it as a second cleanser, after I removed my makeup.
I don't really like using bar soap cleansers because I feel like all the product melts, and not to mention sometimes you can drop the soap in the bathtub (I take baths), and then during those moments of trying to navigate your hand through the water, the soap product is melting and wasting product.

Packaging: This cleansing stick has a mechanism just like a deodorant stick and twists out the product from the bottom. I love it because it's different and also convenient.

Scent: I really love the smell of the roses and there are chunks of rose petals.

Overall: My skin feels super soft after using this and puts me in a good mood :D I highly recommend if you love roses and want to try out a new cleanser. It is very easy to use. Just wet your face with water, dispense product and apply by massaging it onto your face using circular motions, and rinse off with lukewarm water.

You can find this Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick: Here. It is currently sold out, but Memebox is restocking!

Pretty in Pink

Thank you Mikarose Boutique for this beautiful Antique Pink Floral A Line Skirt. I've been wearing lots of midi skirts lately because it's comfortable and modest. I like to pair higher waisted, long skirts with crop tops. This skirt is versatile because you can wear it high-waisted or low waisted. The print has dainty white flowers. I love the floral print selection from Mikarose. Be sure to check them out at: www.mikarose.com

Heels: Justfab in Farrah (here)

Crop Top: Heavenly Couture

Skirt: Mikarose (here)

Santa Cruz/Capitola Overnight

Spent a lovely weekend last weekend with my friends in Santa Cruz. We decided to visit there because we are all graduates and it's been a few years since we last visited. We were all going down memory lane in our heads and also saying some thoughts out loud of the memories we shared. We started off with some Verve, which is my favorite place to get a mocha especially with whipped cream. We went to Natural Bridges to watch the sunset, but it was too cloudy. We still enjoyed the calming view.

My photographer of the weekend, Meiko took my photos. I bought the black maxi skirt from the thrift store. It's velvet and has silver glittery details. Not very summery, but I still wanted to wear it out. We headed to Oswald for dinner and I got the venison. This restaurant is on the pricier end, but so worth the $. We also got a refreshing melon sorbet after dinner.

The next morning, we got Cafe Brasil for take out. Cafe Brasil is a must if you are visiting Santa Cruz. The acai bowls are delicious as well as the food! There's always a wait on the weekends. We headed to campus and ate there. After, we took a stroll around campus and if you've never been to UCSC, just know that the campus is a ginormous forest. After that we went to downtown to Penny Ice Creamery, which is another must go! I got the hazelnut mascarpone flavor and my friends got the blackberry sorbet. We then headed to Capitola Beach, which is about a 10-15 minute drive away from Santa Cruz. It was surprising because we have never been to Capitola Beach during our college years. I mainly wanted to go to see the Capitola Venetian Hotel.

My last photo is my outfit of the day. I thrifted the shorts and also the long sleeveless, button up maxi dress. It was a lovely weekend spent with warm weather and the best company.

MakeupbyEvon x Memebox #HDReady Cream Matte Lipsticks

I am a weirdo wearing True Marsala (above)

My iPhone camera has a crack hence the blur of my neck haha. Wearing Daring Marsala in this picture.

MakeupbyEvon x Memebox Cream Matte Lipsticks were sent to me by Memebox and these are my honest opinions. There are three colors in this collection.

Shy Marsala is the lightest color and is a pink beige nude. I don't have any makeup looks with this color, but I did wear it and it was a very nice neutral nude and I loved it! I don't like wearing nude colors that make my lips look dead and this did not do that.

True Marsala is a warm brown and with the marsala undertone. I really enjoyed this color as well on my lips.

Daring Marsala is the darkest color and it is wine marsala. I really love dark, wine colored lipsticks especially for the fall. In the picture it doesn't look as dark or pigmented, but I didn't layer it on.

Pros:

-Moisturizing

-Beautiful, Wearable Everyday Colors

-Pigmentation is good, may need to layer for bolder look (half pro, half con)

-Versatile, can use on the cheeks

Cons:

-The scent.....I don't know how to describe it, but it smells like an overly scented flower?

-The taste. I don't eat my lipstick, but of course I can taste it if I am eating something or pursing my lips together, and it doesn't taste good...

The formula of these reminds me of the NYX Soft Matte Cream. It is moisturizing and feels nice on the lips. I love the colors because it's wearable for every day.

What I didn't like was the scent and taste. The scent isn't too bad, but the taste may linger around.

All in all, I would wear these out since they do give a good moisture and pop of color. It can also be used for cheeks, so if you think it is too overwhelming on the lips, use it as a blush! The color lasted about 4 hours on my lips. I have yet to try it as a blush.

These are currently selling for $10 each, but there are several value sets available. You can use the code 'MEME10' to receive 10% off their order!

I will also be doing a giveaway for this set! Please check my Instagram @floralandspice for details.

I Left My Heart in San Francisco #SFHEARTSCHALLENGE

#SFHEARTSCHALLENGE! I wanted to explore San Francisco in a different way soI tried to find as many hearts in the city. Even though I was born and raised in SF, I wanted to do a Hearts Hunt! Since SF is a big city, there were no clues to look for these hearts - except for the internet! I actually used the maps that Mr. Lee Lim created. Here's the article about his adventures with his son. I found so many places I have never been to. The weather was beautiful so it was even better. Some of the hearts are in corporate buildings - about 8 hearts are in the Financial District and I couldn't see them since I went on a Saturday. There are some in private residences that I, of course could not access. I wanted to be creative so I wrote some quotes on hearts to spice the pictures up and say "I was here!" instead of just taking a picture of the hearts by itself. I wanted to leave each quote at the hearts, but it was pretty windy and I didn't want it to blow away. Enjoy and hope this inspires people to explore and visit San Francisco!

Started the adventure at Sweet Maple to get some fuel for the day. The Millionaire's Bacon was so delicious!

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
The first heart is the easiest to locate because it is in the most touristy spot - Union Square.

"Love the life you live, and live the life you love." - Bob Marley.
Also at Union Square.

Unfortunately only three hearts are in Union Square. Each corner of the Square you will find a heart, but one corner is under construction, so they took the heart out and it was the Yoda Heart too!

"Don't brood. Get on with living and loving. You don't have forever."- Leo Buscaglia This one is in the large Macy's across Union Square.

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection." -Buddha Located inside Wells Fargo Bank on Market St.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi
Located in Montgomery Wells Fargo Bank.

Took a photo cause I'm loving the colors and the sign.

Union Square - flowers so pretty!

Went through Chinatown to Financial District.

And all the hearts were inside closed buildings. :( SoI suggest to go on a weekday if you ever want to do this hunt yourself.

"Tis better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all." -Alfred Lord Tennyson.
This was inside a gated community. So I stuck my hand in. :D

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky
A popular Office quote and not really baseball related...but oh well. Located in The Public House next to AT&T Park. Don't forget to look UP!