Nail Wraps!

  I’ve seen this stickers long enough and was finally brave enough to try them out! No, these are not the famed Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips. They are just off brand something something with a cool design. Before using these, I’ve always thought the application process would be tricky because of the extra material left over. I found that filing them off was relatively easy! However, my edges are a bit rough and not as seamless as the pictures would have you believe.

Pros:

-awesome design that I could never freehand in a million years

-longer pieces can be used on 2 nails for me since I have tiny everything

-no dry time wait! Can instantly go about your business afterwards

Cons:

-these “standard” sizes don’t exactly fit the width of my nails. I had to go in with a cuticle trimmer to make them look okay.

-good at a distance. Close up, the tips are not exactly smooth since these are stickers. I had some unavoidable bumps.

-weird texture. Maybe I shouldn’t have picked such a crazily glittery set. After application, my nails are catching onto my beloved tights and sweaters and blankets.

-removal? I have no idea! I guess we’ll cross that bridge next week!

 And I couldn’t resist throwing in a shot of my cuddly fur goblin, Pangur Ban. This is one of her rare sleepy moments as all the other times, she is wrecking havoc in my house and waging war against my home decor…

October Times

  Fall mani time! Of course, I waited 5 days before taking a good pic of my mani so you will see some inevitable chipping. This true, smooth blue is brought to you by Sephora polish and the ring finger is brought to you by Bikini So Teeny Essie! As you can see, Essie is doing okay but the Sephora is chipping steadily…I must be into opaque blues because I have 4 super similar shades by 4 different brands.
  A killer frost swept over the Pittsburgh lands last weekend so that my beautiful zinnias that I grew from seeds all died. Are they perennials? Will they come back automatically next year? They sure are lovely and come in a variety of colors! This one here is my favorite batch yet.

  I can’t really figure out what the pale orchid wildflowers are. They suddenly popped up on my front lawn out of no where after I came back from China. They were rather cute so I put them in a vase. I have a sneaking suspicion they are actually weeds but it would have to be my favorite weed ever!
 And at last! I have reunited with my fur goblin baby! Pangur Ban is at home after her vacay at my parents’ house. She made a new friend and got plenty of love and socializing. Now she is back destroying my silk flower arrangements and scratching my all tweed outfits. Note to self–do NOT wear tweed outfits around kittens!

Liebster Award!

I have been nominated for the Liebster Award by my newfound blogging gal pal: lifewithlilred!

Here are the fun questions she’s asked and my answers:

-What’s the one beauty item you couldn’t live without?

What? One beauty item?! Okay, fine, I guess lip balm. Wait–eyeliner. Do skincare products count? Then I would go with a good cleanser. Shoot, this first question is way too hard.

-Who are three of your favorite bands?

I’m not really a band or artist follower, but I will give this question a shot. I guess…Train, Evanescence and The Beatles.

-The best gift you’ve ever received?

The opportunity to live and grow in this country. Yes, I went all deep on you guys. If it wasn’t for my brave, talented parents making the HUGE leap from leaving the country they grew up in to a whole new strange one, I would not have had any of the wonderful experiences in my life. I am thankful everyday. Best gift ever.

-The weirdest food you’ve ever ate?

Honestly, coming from China, where diary products are just not very common, my next sentence will be surprising to anyone who is not Asian. To this day, I still think eating a plain block of cheese is just about the weirdest thing one can do. To me, squid, pork hock, or even oxtail is really not that weird.

-Favorite childhood movie?

It’s definitely a 3-way tie between Terminator II, Alien II and True Lies.

-Your favorite pair of shoes?

My golden blinged-out wedding heels!

-A story of the worst date you’ve ever been on?

Haha, probably when I agreed to go out with my hip hop TA my freshmen year of college ;). When he picked me up, the whole parking lot was shaking because his sound system was blasting out the windows. He proceeded to not wear a seat belt and insisted to drive to a location that was half a mile away. We got some milkshakes of which I paid for with my student swipes and he pretended to like everything I liked.

Him: What’s your favorite show?

Me: Family Guy

Him: Oh my god, me too. Who’s your favorite actor?

Me: Johnny Depp.

Him. No way, me too. Do you like skydiving?

Me: Um, no.

Him: Pssccch. Me neither. That stuff is dangerous.

I pretended to pick up a non-existent call from my mom saying it was an emergency and I had to leave to talk to her more. I assured him I could walk the whole way back myself and let’s just say there was no second date.

-Favorite book?

Gone with the Wind.

-Do you have any pets?

H to the yes! Pangur Ban, my furry, gray love of my life kitten.

-What is your favorite subject to blog about?

Probably my documentation of good food. I like to blog about fashion, travel, beauty and shoes too though!

Here is my own list of questions to answer for people I’m nominating!

-What is a foreign language you’ve always wanted to learn?

-What is the maximum height of shoe you’re willing to wear for a special occasion?

-What is the funniest news story you’ve heard recently?

-What is one feature your dream home would have?

-Describe your favorite restaurant.

-What is the best dish you know how to make?

-What is favorite Pixar movie?

-If you could go on a date with any Avenger, who would it be?

Here’s how the award works:

1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Provide a link back to their page
3. Copy and Paste the award to your blog
4. Answer the questions set by the person who nominated you
5. Nominate 5 blogs with less than 500 followers
6. Leave a comment on their blog to inform them of their nomination

I am nominating:

• The Pretty Pomegranate
• Yummcha
• Lipstick Lovely

China Trip 2015 – Food

  My China Trip food edition post! Here is my hubs holding a bowl of deep fried and seasoned crab. You eat the shell and all!
  Freshly made bean curd wraps with ground pork and vegetable filling deep fried and sprinkled with scallions and red pepper. Wushan arena street food is all too varied and overwhelming. We must have tried everything that other people were eating.

  This is delicious and delicate bread pudding. It’s more of a creamy custard folded in neat layers of biscotti-like crumbs. I should have taken more pictures at this super chic Hong Kong/Taiwan style restaurant but was too busy nom nom nom…
  The famed yang rou pao mou in Xi’an. This restaurant was loud, smoke-filled, steam-filled and totally local. I loved this hearty, thick lamb dish but could not for the life of me finish the whole thing. The pickled garlic and chli paste on the side were great additions!   Xi’an had the BEST noodles. I am a noodle connoisseur so these spicy, flavorful, handmade noodles delighted me to no end. That Xi’an chili sauce is no joke!
  Mmmm…daily buffet breakfast at the Xi’an Hilton. Best breakfast I’ve ever had in my life and I don’t even like breakfasts. This beats anything I’ve had in the U.S. And yes, that is dragonfruit on my glazed croissant ;).   This was a Northern themed restaurant in Hangzhou and that roast duck is the bees’ knees. I don’t normally eat much rice but when it’s in perfect shapes, it becomes more appealing to me.
  Buffet dinner at the Hangzhou Doubletree. What you see are 3 char-grilled oysters with a house chili sauce and a grilled lamb lollipop.   More lamb and grilled duck breast on a stick. Again, my theory of anything tastes better on a stick is still resoundingly true. This was the best duck I’ve ever had–tender and smooth as a dream and seasoned perfectly.
  Dinner buffet at the Hyatt Regency in Hangzhou. They had the best seafood assortment and dessert section to rival several restaurants put together. Yes, that is uni, which I got to try for the first time. It tastes good if dipped into a sauce. The fruit you see is rambutan and the precious little glasses contained some of the best custard desserts I’ve ever tried. What a dinner!

My relatives had impeccable taste and took my husband and I to basically the best of the best. Without their good taste and generosity I’d probably be at noodle bars all day everyday, although that doesn’t seem too bad either, eh?

China Trip 2015 – Hotel

  My new October mani! This velvety ORLY shade–Acceptance Speech–goes on smooth as a dream and has amazing staying power. Two coats will do it and still no chips after 6 days. Winner! The ring finger is coated with a pretty lilac gray from Essence.
  Here is the first in my China Trip series of posts! This is the hotel edition because I stayed at gorgeous hotels on this trip all thanks to my amazing cousin. We got to stay here for a night at her local branch in Hangzhou–the Doubletree, which is 4 stars here. Just look at this delightful fountain welcoming you!  Room is the biggest I’ve ever stayed in and complete with this plush chaise lounge.
  I LOVE that all the Hiltons in China had this luggage area in the corridor of each room. It’s dead useful and removes clutter from the main room.  What a grand lobby!
  This is courtesy of the Angsana Hotel in Xi’an. Honeymoon 3.0! These are real, fresh rose petals, baby!  Of course we had a rose petal bath with scented oils. Duh.
  The Angsana hotel belongs to the Banyan Tree hotel parent and I can definitely see the similarities! What privacy and beautiful view!  We had a balcony that opened to the courtyard here and instantly, the smell of all the blooming osmanthus trees wafted in.
    The staff did this even on our second night!
   Best pool I’ve ever been in. This was merely the indoor area. There was another entire outdoor area connected by the pool. The center is the hot tub. *Melts*

September Mani

  This was my mani to hopefully keep through all of my 3-week China trip. It lasted a week before chipping all over the place, but at least it was pretty to look for a bit. This pinky, playful theme is brought to you by e.l.f. nail polish and H&M polish. Love the micro glitter and the subtle hint of pink it has.
  The weekend before our massive getaway was also my hub’s birthday weekend. His generous company gave him $100 to spend so we used it on yummy meals and admission tickets! Here you see my impressive beef negimaki on a plate of lightly sauteed vegetables. Major yum factor but also major price. We chose Yamato last minute and it will definitely be the last time. Location is far out in Monroeville, prices are way too high and they offered NOTHING on the day of your birthday. Boo…

  Our Saturday pre-birthday meal at Spice Island was much better. Look at that freshness and thick peanut buttery goodness! Anything on a stick intrigues me so this was a win. The hot sauce was house made and the rice was in a certain, which I really like. Prices were reasonable and there was even a small discount for paying with cash. That’s the way it’s done! Credit cards accepted but you get a small reward if you opt for cash. Well done, Spice Island.
  I finally made it to Phipps Conservatory! It’s quite a drive from where I live but I don’t anticipate coming back here in a while. Of course I chose the hottest, most humid day to make it out here. I was wiping off sweat and shading my eyes the whole time. It’s the biggest botanical place I’ve been to and I definitely enjoyed the themed rooms. There was even some sort of farmer’s festival on the grounds so we got to enjoy that as well. I bought a mint plant that we nursed for a few days before dying a horrible death due to no rains for 20+ days. Goodness, Pittsburgh, get your weather right.   Standing next to a Chihuly display.
  Big, creamy orchids!  Giant Amazon lily pads! Apparently one of these can hold up a 10-yr old child!