Do you love make up? Do you love trying new beauty products? I do, I do, I do-ooo. (please say someone gets the reference) Last month through Stitch Fix I heard about a program called Birchbox where for just $10 a month you get to try out samples of beauty (and sometimes snack) products. I had to try it out. I was lucky enough to get off the waiting list right away and I couldn't wait to get my first box.
Here's what I got this April:
1. Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner (Purple): This was my favorite item in the box. I was nervous and excited to try purple eyeliner. It wasn't too crazy and looked great with my eyes. It went on smooth and lasted all day. I want to try it in blue.
2. Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream (Light to Medium): I was impressed that this blended with my skin color so well. It has something in it that is supposed to match to your skin color...and it did.
3. Color Clubs Gala's Gem's Collection (Aquamarine Azulino): I love nail polish. I grew up around one brand and haven't tried too many others just because I tend to find something I like and stick with it, but I'm trying new things and this is such a fun spring color.
4. Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle: This smells A-Maz-ING. Seriously can not get enough of the smell of it. Didn't really feel any difference with my hair. I don't have long hair and my conditioner detangles it anyway. I guess it's protecting my hair from the heat so I wouldn't see/feel that overnight.
5. Kind Healthy Grain Bars (Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt): I was expecting this to be more chewy, but it was pretty crunchy. I did enjoy the flavor though. Really salty so if you don't like salt this isn't for you. I would buy more though.
What I really like about this service is that I get to try and learn about new brands and I love that it is only $10 a month...seriously it's extremely affordable. When you sign up you fill out a style profile so they can pick out items they think will work best for you.
Want to learn more? Check it out here!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Review: Las Vegas Strip Hotels
Ok so I've been lucky enough to have stayed at 6 of the hotels on the Las Vegas Strip so far. Each of them have pros and cons so I thought I'd let everyone in on my opinions on them. I hope to be able to add to this list in the future...
Cons: Location, Pool, Room
2. Caesar's Palace: Home of The Hangover, and while I didn't stay in a penthouse I did truly enjoy my stay here. First and foremost the location is IDEAL. It is seriously in the center of all the action on the strip. You are close to tons of food choices, malls, entertainment, clubs, and the always fun in Vegas people watching. Everything there just seems clean, and yes it is Vegas so it probably isn't all clean, but it's a lot of white marble looking material and just feels uncluttered. I loved that I felt pretty rich staying there...even though I'm not. Next happiness...the POOL!! To me this is also super important in Las Vegas. The pool has an amazing atmosphere. Once again it makes you feel like you are a millionaire at your own luxurious pool. There are four pools you have access to. One round, one rectangle with a swim up bar/gambling area at the end, and two smaller rectangle pools. The room was fine. Nothing super special, but everything looked clean and not too small. The window again didn't open. I would love to stay at this hotel again.
Pros: Location, Pool, Atmosphere
Cons: Price
3. Paris: This hotel definitely has charm. When you walk it in it meant to feel like you are walking around Paris, France. The check in area has very pretty chandeliers and mirrors to give it a luxurious Paris atmosphere. The hotel also has a small Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumph which is pretty fun. The room reminds me of what I would imagine a bed and breakfast or boutique hotel to look like. The shower and tub were separate and the bathroom really spacious. The food at this hotel is amazing. They have crepes, a buffet with French food (yummy), a Piano Bar, Sugar Factory (an awesome candy store and restaurant), some other specialty restaurants, and the restaurant on one of the floors of the Eiffel Tower. Sohere. The pool was average, it was under their Eiffel Tower, but overall it was just a pool. Location is great on this hotel. It's right across from the Bellagio hotel which is really center of all the action on the strip. I would stay in this hotel again if I came in the winter, because of the pool I wouldn't pick this hotel to stay in the summer.
many options. I really do recommend the buffet...see my other post about Vegas buffets
Pros: Location, Food, Atmosphere, Decor
Cons: Pool, Price
4. Flamingo: Flamingo is right across from Caesar's Palace so again, excellent location. They used to scent the casino with coconut spray which I enjoyed (so it smelled like a mixture of tropical and the usual Vegas cigarette smoky smell) but the last time I went I didn't smell it so maybe they stopped. The hotel itself is ok, nothing super special to see on the inside. They do have a flamingo and tropical bird garden that's fun to see outside. They have a buffet and Margaritaville, which is a pretty fun place to eat. The rooms had just been remodeled when I stayed there. No carpet on the floor, average bathroom, cute decor in the room (some pink fluffy pillows...not for everyone). The pool was great. There was a DJ, lots of shade, waterfalls, lots of space, and a tropical atmosphere. I even participated in a limbo contest (and came in 2nd). The pool was for sure the best part of the hotel. For that reason and it's location I would totally stay there again.
Pros: Location, Pool, Price
Cons: Atmosphere
5. The Quad (Formerly known as Imperial Palace): This hotel is right next to the Flamingo so the location is still in the area I would consider decent. This hotel was under construction while I was there and still was when I came back 8 months later...not impressed with that. The room was pretty small, but it did have a balcony which I appreciated. It was nice to get some air in the room even if it was 100 degrees outside. At least it wasn't humid in the room. There really isn't any food choices there except a small convenience store where you can get snacks and sodas. There is food close by though since you are still pretty much in the heart of the strip. The pool was average. It was in the middle of a courtyard so you are surrounded by tall buildings and not too tropical feeling. With all the buildings and pavement around it is HOT in that area. I could only lay out for about 10 minutes before I had to get back in the pool. This hotel though is one of the cheapest hotels to stay at on the strip so if I was going in the winter or had no other options I would stay here again based on location.
Pros: Price, Location
Cons: Pool, Construction, Atmosphere
6. The Mirage: I stayed at the Mirage most recently and to be honest I have some beef with them right now that if it gets resolved I will update my feelings on how things were handled. Basically I stayed here in the month of April based on the fact that they advertise on their website a heated pool (since in April the temperature can range anywhere from the 50s to the 80s). The pool was not heated...like at all...when you stay at a place to enjoy pool time and then can't because their "heated" pool is freezing it's quite a downer. I've emailed them and have yet to hear back from their customer service team. Despite this situation the pool area was beautiful. Extremely tropical and very similar to the flamingo pool. I would have loved to have used it...the room was average (the window did open a crack). It is in a great location still. There are restaurants at the hotel, but I didn't eat at any of them. They do have my favorite show in Vegas at this hotel, Beatles Love, but it wasn't playing when I went this last time. Overall if they can do something to fix their false advertisement and sufficiently make it up to us in some way I would love to stay at this hotel again. If it's not fixed then I have no desire to stay at hotel that has horrible customer service and doesn't take care of their guests. Again, I will add to this post if it is ever resolved.
UPDATE: So I emailed them and while it took a long time (almost two months) to finally get it all resolved we figured out something to make things a little better. They offered us a one bedroom tower suite room for a very discounted price for 3 nights. One of the nights was technically free, but we still paid for the other two. This stay was much different. Maybe it was the room and the fact that it was the dead of summer. I was happy with this outcome and since they fixed it I would stay here again, but probably not in the winter. The pool still wasn't heated in the summer (not that I would want it to be) but their description still states it is heated year round. Oh well. The room was amazing and we had a great view.
Pros: Pool Atmosphere, Location
Cons: Pool Not Heated As Advertised, Room, Price, Customer Service
Cons: Location, Pool, Room
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Caesar's Palace Pool Area |
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Swim up Bar Area Caesar's |
Pros: Location, Pool, Atmosphere
Cons: Price
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Paris Room |
Paris Bathroom |
many options. I really do recommend the buffet...see my other post about Vegas buffets
Pros: Location, Food, Atmosphere, Decor
Cons: Pool, Price
4. Flamingo: Flamingo is right across from Caesar's Palace so again, excellent location. They used to scent the casino with coconut spray which I enjoyed (so it smelled like a mixture of tropical and the usual Vegas cigarette smoky smell) but the last time I went I didn't smell it so maybe they stopped. The hotel itself is ok, nothing super special to see on the inside. They do have a flamingo and tropical bird garden that's fun to see outside. They have a buffet and Margaritaville, which is a pretty fun place to eat. The rooms had just been remodeled when I stayed there. No carpet on the floor, average bathroom, cute decor in the room (some pink fluffy pillows...not for everyone). The pool was great. There was a DJ, lots of shade, waterfalls, lots of space, and a tropical atmosphere. I even participated in a limbo contest (and came in 2nd). The pool was for sure the best part of the hotel. For that reason and it's location I would totally stay there again.
Pros: Location, Pool, Price
Cons: Atmosphere
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Yeah...I had long hair..and this is the buildings around The Quad Pool |
Pros: Price, Location
Cons: Pool, Construction, Atmosphere
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The Mirage Pool |
UPDATE: So I emailed them and while it took a long time (almost two months) to finally get it all resolved we figured out something to make things a little better. They offered us a one bedroom tower suite room for a very discounted price for 3 nights. One of the nights was technically free, but we still paid for the other two. This stay was much different. Maybe it was the room and the fact that it was the dead of summer. I was happy with this outcome and since they fixed it I would stay here again, but probably not in the winter. The pool still wasn't heated in the summer (not that I would want it to be) but their description still states it is heated year round. Oh well. The room was amazing and we had a great view.
Pros: Pool Atmosphere, Location
Cons: Pool Not Heated As Advertised, Room, Price, Customer Service
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Festival of Colors
In India, Holi Festival (affectionately called the Festival of Colors), is a celebration once a year to celebrate the start of spring. Well we like to celebrate it in Utah too. I've gone 4 out of the past 5 years to celebrate.
Usually around the end of March the Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah opens it's grounds for a huge party where thousands from all over (I come from Idaho about 4 hours away) to throw dry colored paint on each other. Every hour they have a giant throwing where they count down and everyone throws their colors at once. Throughout the day they have Indian food, music, meditation chanting, and yoga. It's quite a joy to participate in. I love it...hence going back 3 times after the first time I went. It's such a fun thing to do with a group of friends.
This year some of my friends and I got up super early (6am on a Saturday is early come on people) and drove the long journey (4 hours...maybe I'm exaggerating on the long journey) and went to throw color on each other. We all start out clean and usually with white shirts because it's more fun that way.
By the end I'm not sure what color we are!?! Pink, Purple, Green, Orange, and Yellow are the colors you see.
Here are a few tips for going to Holi Festival:
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We like to dress the same... |
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We were clean at one point... |
By the end I'm not sure what color we are!?! Pink, Purple, Green, Orange, and Yellow are the colors you see.
Here are a few tips for going to Holi Festival:
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In the middle of the hourly throwing |
- Buy a cheap white shirt from walmart...it will get ruined
- Bring cash to the festival. There's a $3 entrance fee and then the bags of color cost money ($12 for a 5 pack of colors)
- Wear sunglasses. These help protect your eyes. You could still get hit with color, but this can block a lot of it.
Lots of people celebrating spring! - Cover your head and mouth with bandanas...yes you might look ridiculous...but it's so nice not to get color in your mouth and up your nose.
- Cover the car seats you will be leaving in with old sheets or towels so you don't get colors on your seats. The car owner will appreciate this.
- Bring garbage bags to put your dirty stuff in. I also would say to bring flip flops to put on so you can put your dirty shoes in the garbage bag immediately.
- Bring old rags or towels to dust off the color before you ever jump in the shower or get wet. Adding water to the color is when it starts to really dye things...including skin and hair.
- Have FUN!!
We are awesome<3!!
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