February 2020 - Page 2 of 3 - Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: February 2020

Palo Alto, California

February 18, 2020 / TRAVELS & PLACES / 0 comments

Every year or so, I get a chance to visit Palo Alto. It is absolutely one of the most exciting trips I look forward to out of all the trips I planned because it puts me in a California dreamin’ mood. It’s nice to see palms, pines, and lots of sun again.

On this trip, I stayed at the historic “The Cardinal Hotel”. It is probably the oldest if not one of the oldest hotels in Palo Alto, California. It has a charming old-world vibe with a quaint lobby and a vintage elevator. Entering this hotel will give you a glimpse of what it’s like during the old Palo Alto times. Just outside the hotel, there are lots of restaurants and shops to choose from. It’s what I really love about California, the varieties of things to see, the shops to explore, and the people from all walks of life, busy crossing the streets, just going about their daily lives, not to mention the fresh air in a very sunny yet slightly chilly early Fall. Yes, the Fall in California can still feel like Summer at most times.

Just around The Cardinal Hotel is Bistro Maxine where they have such delicious crepes and hot chocolates. I highly recommend that you try any of their breakfast specials because they’re all so good.

Whenever I’m in Palo Alto, I always make sure to visit the Stanford Shopping Center. This is one of my most favorite places to shop. I just love the whole laid-back vibe of this outdoor mall, and the decor is really beautiful. I could spend the whole day in this mall without getting bored just because some of my favorite shops are here. I love seeing Aesop’s unique store and Madewell has some really interesting styles that I could not find at my local Madewell store. The same is true for Sephora where here they have such a wonderful collection of Pat McGrath products. Also, the Anthropologie store in this mall is very fun to explore. If luxury is your thing, you will find several high-end brands here, and Neiman+Nordy are just around the corner.

A visit to Palo Alto is not complete without a visit to “The Farm” a.k.a Stanford University. As to why it’s called The Farm? just ask google, lol. I love the look of this school. It has a very relaxed unassuming architecture that gives you a sense of prestige nevertheless. Whenever I enter this campus, I think of the great minds that have been here, and also of the minds of the ones who are about to change the world.

Getting to Stanford University is a whole lotta walking especially if you came from shopping at the Stanford Shopping Center. However, the long walk is worth it because you get to stroll along and enjoy the view of the very scenic Palm Drive, which will remind you that life indeed, can be a peach. 🙂

Walking inside and around campus is like walking through a bunch of gardens, vintage corridors, and passing through bicycles after bicycles. Students bike a lot here because the campus is very vast. I would not have been able to survive walking around here if it wasn’t for my comfy APL sneakers that didn’t need breaking in and can withstand hours of walking in different terrains. The nice thing about this campus is that there are plenty of seats to relax upon and chill.

I concluded the end of my trip to Palo Alto with a nice dinner at my favorite spot along University Avenue which serves delicious Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Food. The restaurant is called Gyros Gyros and I highly recommend this place, but you have to come here with an empty stomach. 🙂

Have you been to Palo Alto before? What are the favorite spots you like to visit in California?

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The Briogeo Scalp Revival Experience

February 12, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello there! Suffering from hair and scalp issues this Winter? This is going to be an exciting review because I teamed up with Briogeo to feature their full Scalp Revival Line. During this cold and dry season, our hair and scalp can suffer a lot. They can go awry due to fluctuating temps and unpredictable weather conditions. Which means they could overreact in different ways. For example, our scalp may get very dry, flaky, and itchy, while our hair could get very oily and sticky, sending our sebaceous glands in overwork mode.

Briogeo, a brand known for its clean natural haircare and scalp care, has some products to address the hair and scalp issues I mentioned above. Let’s take a look at them below.

Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-exfoliating Shampoo (8 oz: 42 USD) – This charcoal and coconut exfoliating shampoo is one-of-a-kind. First of all, I love the amazing peppermint scent of this that awakens my senses every time I use this on my hair. Second, this is a charcoal shampoo that detoxifies and removes excess oil from the hair without making the strands dry because this has coconut oil in it. Third, this is micro-exfoliating, which means this isn’t very gritty on the strands and on the scalp, and that helps to prevent extra dryness. This shampoo is not just a shampoo, this is also a treatment to restore the health of hair by removing product buildup, delivering hydration, and soothing the scalp. I find that this works really well in combination with the Briogeo Scalp Revival Stimulating Therapy Massager below in order to remove scalp flakiness and restore normal hair and scalp health. This product is made of clean ingredients and is an Allure Best of Beauty winner.

Scalp Revival Stimulating Therapy Massager (16 USD) – This massager is great for any hair type and this works really well for my straight hair without pulling any strands. This can be used on dry scalp or wet scalp and this helps to increase circulation on the roots, thus, making the entire scalp and hair more healthy in the long run. On top of that, the soft spiky rubber tips feel really relaxing on the head. I find that this scalp massager can be used with just about any haircare products, but this works really well in partner with Briogeo’s Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo for that complete relaxing hair and scalp treatment experience. Tip: When using this, try not to make large circular massage motions as you could tangle your hair. Just massage with medium pressure using semi-circular strokes especially if you have long hair.

Scalp Revival Charcoal + Tea Tree Scalp Treatment (1 oz: 32 USD) – This vegan, cruelty-free, silicon-free scalp oil treatment is another awarded product from Briogeo which aims to sooth dry itchy flaky and irritated scalp by delivering hydration and restoring normal scalp health. The ingredients herein are tea tree oil, peppermint/spearmint oil, witch hazel, aloe, and biotin among other things. This aims to soothe irritated dry scalp, normalize its oil production, and promote healthy hair follicles. This scalp treatment is great for all hair types and the scent is not overwhelming. I use this by parting my damp hair in sections and adding a few drops of this treatment to my scalp and roots. I noticed a slight tingling sensation at first, followed by a slight cooling effect on my scalp. Then I massage (using my fingers or the Briogeo scalp massager above) my scalp with this treatment (do not rinse) and so far, I haven’t noticed any flakiness or dryness on my roots at all. Also, this didn’t weigh my hair down, and even though this is an oil treatment, this doesn’t feel very oily at all, and my hair didn’t look greasy as well, not even the following day.

Scalp Revival Charcoal + Biotin Dry Shampoo (1.7 oz: 24 USD) – This non-aerosolized dry shampoo is very interesting to use and has a very pleasing scent. I love that this has charcoal, clay, tapioca, and rice starch that absorb excess oil and draw out impurities from the roots, thus, making the hair look more refreshed and clean. This also has witch hazel to soothe the scalp and biotin to promote healthy hair follicles. To use this, just shake the bottle first, then twist the cap to open. Aim it at least 5 inches away from your roots, and gently squeeze it to release the powder. Try not to squeeze too fast and too soon or else this product will release too much powder and smoke. I usually let this dry shampoo sit on my roots for about a minute or two before slightly massaging and brushing my hair until the powdery residue is gone. At first, this dry shampoo may look like this will leave a whitish residue on the hair, but once you let this settle and massage this on the roots, then the residue will go away easily. I love the slight lifting effect that this gives on my roots and the way this makes my hair look clean. This product is also made of clean ingredients and is great for all hair types.

These Briogeo Scalp Revival products really deliver to what they’re supposed to. I love all the products featured in this review and I think they will help in soothing any dry, flaky, and irritated scalp this season. I also love that these products not only try to repair hair and scalp issues, these also promote, restore, and maintain our optimal hair and scalp health.

Do you have any hair/scalp issues this season? What are your current remedies? Have you tried any of these Briogeo Scalp Revival products before?

*Lots of thanks to Briogeo for providing me these products.

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Ilia The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

February 10, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Ilia Beauty is a brand of makeup and skincare that I’ve been investigating lately. I really love their concept of delivering clean beauty with high-impact colors. Their products have been hitting Instagram and so far, I’ve only heard and seen really good things about their stuff.

I was particularly interested in their clean eyeshadow palettes because I really love the cohesiveness of the colors in each of the compacts even though so far, they’ve only released two eyeshadow palettes which cater to those with warm or cool skin undertones. Also, clean eyeshadows are very important especially for those who tend to react or are sensitive to non-clean ones. However, most of the clean eyeshadows I’ve tried in the past tend to lack good pigments and staying power.

These Ilia eyeshadows are talc-free, sulfate-free, SLS/SLES-free, paraben-free, formaldehyde-free, cruelty-free, etc. Also, they are vegan and their packaging is recyclable. The texture of each shade is quite velvety because it contains Jojoba Seed oil. Each compact contains six shades that are a mixture of nude and neutral tones together with deeply pigmented colors, while the finishes are a mix of mattes to mildly shimmery ones.

The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette (0.05 oz: 38 USD)

Cool Nude – This may be made for those with cool skin undertones, but anyone with neutral or warm undertone can pull this off as well.

Warm Nude – The shades of these remind me a lot of Urban Decay’s Naked Heat, but with cleaner ingredients.

I definitely think that these Ilia eyeshadows are not your typical basic neutral eyeshadows. They may be on the neutral side but their colors are definitely dramatic and highly-pigmented. Their lasting power is really good considering that they’re made of clean ingredients, and on top of that, there is no fallout. So far, I’m very impressed with these.

I happen to have a sample of Ilia’s Liquid Light Serum Highlighter in Nova (0.5 oz: 42 USD) which is a soft gold shimmer. There is a lot of buzz about this gel highlighter lately and that’s because this highlighter is really wonderful and totally versatile. The consistency of this is actually quite creamy, thus, making this very easy to blend on the skin. There are a lot of ways you can use this highlighter. First, you can use this as a basic all-around highlighter where you can highlight the high-points of your face. Second, you can mix this with your favorite foundation and customize your glow. Third, you can use this as a lid topper, and last but not the least, you can use this on the collarbone, shoulder, and everywhere on the upper body for maximum highlighting effect. What I also love about this highlighter is its lasting power and its good adherence to the skin which can pretty much last the whole day. On top of that, this highlighter is also made of clean ingredients.

The Ilia brand of beauty and skincare has very good high-quality products that don’t compromise color impact and saturation while being made of clean and natural ingredients. I find this brand to be very promising and I hope they will keep making more exciting clean beauty and skincare products soon.

Have you tried this brand already? What are your favorite clean beauty brands?

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