A Touch of Gold

essie nail care

essie topless & barefoot

the face shop gel touch nails (similar)

I'm going through some serious post-holiday blues now that the festivities are over and everyone's gone back to their regular routines. Let me take a moment here (or maybe just an excuse) to share this pretty gold nail polish that I wore to all the end-of-the-year events. The parties are over, but you can't stop a girl from having a glam moment from time to time, ya know? The gold nail polish, which is from a Korean beauty brand called The Face Shop, has specks of shine and gold that creates the prettiest shade of gold I've ever seen. The color is subtle, yet looks chic and glamorous in every angle. I love that I can incorporate the color into my everyday wardrobe without looking too over the top. The quality of the nail polish is amazing, as the gel-touch formula makes my nails smooth to the touch. I only need two coats and the color lasts for at least 10 days without chipping. The gold looks good on its own and is versatile enough to use with other shades. In the picture above, I used The Face Shop gold nail polish with Essie's nude shade in topless & barefoot. I used tape to create the two-toned style and I'm very happy with how well it turned out. Who knew that I had patience for this impromptu at-home nail session when I mentioned in an old post about my love-hate relationship with doing my nails. 

Pieces of December | Monthly Round-Up

DIY gift tags for the presents this year

Filled my Christmas goody bags with these. 

Clueless about Star Wars, but didn't let that stop me from watching the new film

Fell in love with a sweet country song....

...and a bit of kpop

New favorite bag. Never letting it go. 

Also never leaving my couch because THIS.

Preparing for next year's NYE?

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HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing you a beautiful year filled with love and joy! 

All the love,

Christmas in Vegas

For Christmas this year, my parents and I took a step back from reality and spent the holiday in Vegas! It was our very family vacation and I was excited about it ever since booking the trip in July. We had an amazing time there. The shops were extravagant, the food was scrumptious, and the views were spectacular. Not a drinker nor a gambler, I still had the best of times and the days flew by. Seriously, Christmas was over in a blink of an eye. I am still processing over the fact that I have to take down my holiday decorations soon. Anyway, our first family trip was a success! My family's already planning for the next one.

Our stay was at the Stratosphere Hotel from December 24th-27th. The day before we left was hectic! I started packing days before while parents packed everything the night before. We hit the road at 6:30AM on Thursday morning, and the drive started out wet and gloomy. I was beyond excited and couldn't believe we were leaving California for once. There is something about being on the highway that makes me feel very calm and at peace. I love seeing the long stretches of roads with no end in sight, it's almost like anything is possible. The sky is the limit, ya know? I could stay on the highway and drive forever. Anyhoo, 3 rest stops and 9 hours later, we arrived to our destination. Read below for a run down of what I did in Vegas:

Day 1 | Dec. 24th

✳︎ Drove on The Strip to Caesars Palace
✳︎ Dinner at Gordon Ramsay 
✳︎ Explored Caesars Palace (the place is massive)
✳︎ Second dinner in Chinatown

Day 2 | Dec. 25th

✳︎ Brunch buffet
✳︎  Walked The Strip
✳︎  Visited The Cromwell, Venetian, and The Mirage
✳︎ Dessert at Serendipity 3
✳︎ Hit the Via Bellagio shops 
✳︎  Checked out the Christmas decorations in Bellagio 
✳︎ Dinner in Chinatown

Day 3 | Dec. 26th

✳︎ Brunch in hotel diner
✳︎ Visited the observation deck at the Stratosphere Hotel
✳︎ Dinner in Chinatown
✳︎ Went to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
✳︎ Caught the ending bit of the Atlantis Show

Day 4 | Dec. 27th

✳︎ Checked out in the morning
✳︎ Took a detour to Arcadia, CA for a late lunch
✳︎ Arrived home at exactly 11PM (spent 12 hours on the road)

On the road in the early hours / watching the sun rise 

First dinner in Vegas @ Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill

Lobby @ Caesars Palace

The Strip

Dessert break @ Serendipity 3

The Bellagio

Christmas display in The Bellagio

View from the Observation Deck

@ The Forum Shops

View from the Observation Deck at night

Last night in Vegas

  Detour to Arcadia, CA

Late lunch @ Din Tai Fung

Heading home

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Trader Joe's Tuesday: Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars

I can't express how excited I was walking into Trader Joe's last week and seeing the Christmas-themed snacks spread out all over the store. I felt like I stepped inside a festive food wonderland filled with gingerbread houses, candy cane Joe Joe's, and peppermint pretzel slims. With the endless selections of TJ's seasonal treats, I don't know how I managed to resist them all and only come out with one holiday-themed item. The winner is the Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars that caught my eye with its cute and fun miniature shape. I love mint-chocolate anything, so I knew I would enjoy these. The delicate-looking stars are shortbread cookies covered in mint chocolate and topped with white pareils. It's impossible to eat just one of these. The mini size may look harmless, but not so much after realizing that I had eaten handfuls of the chocolate stars in a single sitting. (I kept popping them into my mouth like candy). The mint flavor isn't overpowering and pairs with the dark chocolate wonderfully. The mint stars also look very cute so I think they'd make a great snack to put out when I have people over for the holidays...that is if I don't end up eating them all :p

 { rating } 

5 out of 5
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Previous Trader Joe's Tuesday posts:

1. Belgian Dark Chocolate Bar

2. Pumpkin Waffles
3. Pumpkin Rolls