Hi, all! Today I am finally sharing some of the pictures from our trip to Thailand. It took such a long time to sort through all of them and edit everything. So I will be splitting the content up. So this blog post will be a general round up and what we saw, where we stayed, what we did and what I wore on our couple days in Bangkok.
We stayed at the Lebua at State Tower Hotel which was so beautiful!This hotel was seriously amazing, it was so luxurious and relaxing!
I have never had such bad jetlag- but 18 hours of traveling will do that. The first day I pushed through to stay awake. It also didn’t help that I had a terrible cold and a painful cough. But between our room’s bathtub, dreamy pool and a yummy Mai Tai I quickly felt like I my self again.
This day we woke up early (which is why the pool looks empty) and had breakfast by the pool (which was included with the hotel). Quite frankly the pool at the Lebua hotel was probably my favorite part of my stay in Bangkok!
To be honest Bangkok was not what I expected. It was a dirty city with lots of pollution. And unfortunately, we were not able to visit any of the temples. And it's not that I'm trying to be snobby (because my family is from Mexico City which is also dirty and full of pollution) but the city it's self was not what I expected. Its definitely not a place to walk the streets. So- from my experience I recommend a good hotel room where you can unwind from the chaos of the city traffic.
On our full day in Bangkok we visited the Floating Markets. We drove for hours to get there, passing miles and miles of palm trees. #jungleAF
One of the most relaxing sunsets. After so much travel watching these pretty colors cover the sky was the best.
Today I wanted to talk about some of my favorite makeup products for Summer. Also, since the #Nsale is still going on I wanted to share some items that are similar to the items I am sharing today. The sets and pallets are so good this year!
To start I wanted to talk about why I switched up my makeup in the past couple months. I think it goes without saying that everyone’s skin changes from season to season. For me, I initially wanted to switch out my routine because my skin tone had changed and I expected it to change even more especially when we went on vacation (I tan SO quickly).
In the past I’ve failed to prepare for my face makeup matching my skin…so my face will look so strange when my body has tanned so much… and my face…but my makeup is still a lighter shade. #notflattering
So instead of getting the same makeup I went into Nordstrom to try some new products that would match my skin tone once it tanned…and would hold up during the warmer days.
I was actually more concerned with my makeup staying in place when we went to Thailand. I knew it would be hot, humid and that I would sweat! My skin can get oily so I wanted products that would not melt away and looked good even if my face was sweating.However, I’ve loved these products so much I’ve been using them every day for Summer.
So to preface this, I don’t really believe in primer. I always thought it was hyped up more than it really needed to. In my opinion, it is better to invest in a good toner to reduce the size of pores and a good moisturizer to make foundation apply flawlessly.
However, I was approached by the SA at the Hourglass counter about their products and she recommended I try the primer. She did a quick little demo on her hand showing how the primer made makeup smudge proof and waterproof! I was sold !
So I decided to buy the travel size version- since I WAS going to travel..and to try the product first before I purchased the full size bottle. It’s been months now and I’m still half way on the travel size that is only $19! However once, it runs out I want to purchase the larger size because it works so well and it makes my skin feel so soft. It reminds me of a moisturizer instead of a primer.
So the main reason I switch up my makeup routine was to find a foundation that was darker and held up in the heat... a.k.a. through me sweating more during the Summer. I actually tried the Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer as a highlighter…but I wanted to try it as a foundation this time. I was color matched in-store and fell in love with the color they recommended. It was the perfect shade!
And you only need a little bit to cover your whole face. I used the Angled Foundation Brush to diffuse my makeup…and quite frankly I though the brush did the majority of the work to blend out the makeup. The consistency of the product is creamy and kind of thick so the stiff synthetic brushes are made for the Sensual Skin enhancer to diffuse out.
I was gifted these contour sticks by NYX. AND FELL IN LOVE. I use them every day…even if it just light makeup. The colors and the cream application are perfect for a dewy glow-y summer look. Also, it’s so easy to build up color and it’s easy to blend them out. I highlight recommend... plus they are only a couple bucks!
For bronzer, blush and highlight…I’ve been using the Benefit Cheeks on Pointe Bronzer Blush Bar Palette. It has a good variation of colors… and a palette is so nice when you travel because it keeps everything in place. It has the cult favorite ‘Hoola Matte bronzer’ and one of my favorite blushes ‘Galifornia Blush’. Also, all the colors are full size… so the value is just too good to pass up.
For Summer a bright complexion is a must! So the key to achieving this a good highlighter and a concealer that closely matches your skin tone. To be honest I LOVE a good contoured look. But for summer having an overly contoured face can look over done. Especially if you use a concealer under your eyes that is too bright. I really love the YSL All hours Concealer…it’s really easy to apply because you just apply, pat out, and let it dry- done. It doesn’t look cake-y and you don’t have to add powder to set…and it doesn’t crease. For added brightness you can add a light layer of the YSL Touche Eclait Highlighter. The Touche Eclait is a very sheer highlighter… that I don’t love on its own. But the glow is so pretty after you have already highlighted an area.
However, on days when I don’t want to conceal and highlight I just use the Sensual Skin enhancer under my eyes. For a beachy or natural look I think your under eyes should be the same color as the rest of your face. So I use the Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in the same color as I put on my whole face (shade 08). I just add a second layer of it and it cover all the darkness…it works so well. However…the only thing I hate is that I do have to set the Kevin Aucoin product …because it does crease on me. So I add extra powder and a setting spray. Also, my under eyes tend to get a little dry so I have to add extra moisturizer in that area if I plan to use this product as concealer.
So if there is one brush I recommend it’s the Chanel Eyeshadow Blending Brush. I bought this one at the beginning of the year and quite frankly I can’t live without it. I know it is a splurge but I think it is so worth it! I’m not a makeup expert so I like to watch Youtube videos to see how other girls do makeup and what tools they use. And I always noticed that there is always a part in the video where they say, “ take a fluffy brush and blend blend blend blend blend…”. So I assumed that the key to a diffused eyeshadow was to blend for a few minutes. WELL I don’t have time for that..and ever since using this brush I don’t have to blend forever. The brush deposits color quickly and blends it out effortlessly. Also, the brush releases all the eyeshadow when you blend so you don’t have to spot clean in between to use a different eyeshadow shade. Not to mention the shape of the brush makes to so you can precisely apply color. You can use this brush for a full eye look if you really wanted to!
So I think I will always be a fan of a sparkly eyelid and a matte brown shade in the crease. I love this combination no matter what the makeup brand. However, I really love this Dual Intensity Eyeshadow from Nars. The color is really pigmented and it can be used wet or dry. Also, for traveling I like to just take one shade …and not a whole palette of colors. Because realistically I only need one that is sparkly. Also, I like using a bronzer powder as a mid-tone color for eyeshadow. It pulls your look together and if you are traveling you don’t need to pack an extra thing.
In the Summer I lean towards waterproof mascaras- especially when at the beach or in humid climates. If it’s really hot a regular mascara can smudge…or if it rains (like it did in Thailand) the last thing you want is your mascara running all over your face. I used this one by L’Oreal and it worked okay… in my opinion it lengthened more than it added volume. But again, for Summer having a bulky makeup look can look strange. So thin long lashes look very pretty.
For brows I’ve been loving the NYX Brow Pencil. It’s inexpensive and works really well. It’s the dupe to the Anastasia Brow Wiz…however the NYX Brow Pencil does tend to smudge a bit if it is really hot (aka your skin gets sweaty). But for summer or for a beach makeup look a super sharp eyebrow look is not ideal so a brushed out brow with a little color is my favorite.
I planned this post as a general Summer Makeup roundup but since the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is going on I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the palettes and set that I think are worth it. I bought my Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks separately and payed more than this set- which has two lipsticks and a lip liner. Both colors in this set are new and exclusive to Nordstrom and the lip liner is the classic color ‘Pillowtalk’.
In this makeup post I shared the Benefit Blush Bar Palette but this one from Charlotte Tilbury seems like a great investment. The colors in both palettes are similar. But one of my favorite things about Charlotte Tilbury are their powders. They have finely milled powders that improve the look of the skin- make it seem more flawless.
Other favorite from the sale is the Laura Mercier sets. If you want to try their famous setting powder try this set.. it is only $38 and you get two powders, a primer and the puff. Also their highlighting palette is SO beautiful! The colors are really pigmented and the shades are really flattering on any skin tone.
Stripe Off the Shoulder Swimsuit- Topshop | Brown wide brim Straw Hat | White Cut Off Shorts- Express |
While staying on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand we stayed at the Melati Resort. They have a private beach area, but that was always SO packed with people. So we would hang out for a while at the adult pool...which was quite and peaceful!
This day I wore this cute striped one piece swimsuit- which is under $60! I love how flattering this suit is..and it also doubles as an regual OTS top when paired with some shorts. At first no one realized I was wearing a swimsuit until I took my shorts off to go in the pool. #multifunctional
The reason we went out to Thailand was because Clint's brother was getting married. The ceremony was beautiful and even though the weather was a little shaky the whole thing was amazing.
Pineapple Ruffle Sleeve Top- Lush | One Teaspoon High Waisted Denim Shorts | Square Straw Bag- Michael Kors |
Between all the rain, we managed to take a motor bike to visit the Big Buddha in Koh Samui. It was actully one of the few temples we visited, so it was a nice stop that was very close to our resort.
Hi guys todays post will be brief....ORRR not because I know ya'll are excited about the Nordstrom Anniversary sale as much as I am. So I am sharing tons of my top picks. To be honest the Nordstrom sale always hits me out of no where.... because in Southern California it will feel like Summer through Christmas. So Fall fashion means Summer to me. So I was looking for cute items that could also work now and accessorized for later to fit for Fall. For example, I'm crushing on the light weight cardigans! I'm OBSESSED with this bell sleeved cardi... which is under $45.
There are a couple things I want to go see in store before I buy...like the Charlotte Tilbury beauty products. The lipstick set has two colors which are exclusive to Nordstrom and the classics lip liner in 'Pillowtalk'. I have a couple of the Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks already and I LOVE them. So I'm excited to see the new colors. I also want to color swatch the new palette... the colors look so cute!
So the above picture you should be able to hover the image and click the item..which will take you to the direct item. But you can also click throught the images above and the round up below.
So this picture is from a couple years ago...and guess what not much has changed. I think I will always be an at home shopper. I like being able to have my things delivered or now Nordstrom has in-store pick ups. That way I can order what I like, skip the lines...and try things on at home to make sure things fit. It's a win-win. That way I don't crowd the stores with my indecisiveness.
But on another note... this rose gold watch was a purchase I made years ago...and this year the same one is available!! It's such a good buy. It is marked down $250!
I stayed up late last night trying to shop the sale...I could not wait to see the new items. But I was so tiered and delirious so I was like, "I'll shop it in the morning". Little did I know some items would sell out so quick. AHHHHHHH. So don't pass on a good deal...because prices will go up...or things will sell out.
