A Day in LA

As you probably know if you've read my older posts, I live in the sunny and beautiful Southern California. I love my home and the communities around it. It's so incredible to me how much of a variety of things and people there are around me. Today for fun, my family and I decided to go on a little day trip to Melrose Ave and The Grove. Here's a little sneak peak of my day.

Melrose Ave

I took this right by my car park and this little boutique is literally the cutest thing in the world.

For lunch we had some delicious rice balls from kawaba rice ball. Incase you were wondering, I ordered a Takana Rice Ball (gluten free and vegan).

As a fan of Justin Bieber, I couldn't resist adding this pic:)

 The Grove

The view from above of Nordstroms at the Grove.

Here's two pictures of me and my lovely sister enjoying our day!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and don't forget to follow me on instagram @eliselemans and my twitter @lemanadee. Comment below if you'd like and let me know what places I should visit in LA. Btw I'm going to try and post every week at least once.

XoXo,

Elise

*disclamer* all photos are taken by me and my mom with a Canon rebel T3.

Review: Maybelline Color Ink Eyeshadow

I just tried the Maybelline New York Color Ink eyeshadow and I'm impressed. I love cream eyeshadows for an everyday look. I particularly like neutral colors that I chose. Them being BE-1, a champagne vanilla-y color, and PK-1, a shimmery pastel pink color. These eyeshadows were purchased in japan while I was on vacation so the packaging may be different in other countries. I know that in america for example, it is called the Maybelline color tattoo 24 hr metal.

I like to apply the eyeshadows first with my finger and then I blend it out with a domed shadow brush. The BE-1 color looks great all over with a gold or copper color in the crease/outer corner, a thin stripe of black eyeliner, and a good coat of mascara.
When I run out of this, I will definitely repurchase this to keep in my collection.

I hope you like this short little review and follow me on instagram @eliselemans and comment below if you have any suggestions for me to review or anything else you want to talk to me about!
XoXo,
Lemanade<3

Review! Mask of Magnaminty

A Little Background Info

     So I have been struggling with my skin since 5th grade. I used to and continue to be very self-contious about my situation. Although I am no expert, I have tried a fair share of skin care products ranging from drug store to higher end products.
     One particular product/ range of products is the lush fresh face masks. In particular, the love lettuce and catastrophe cosmetic ones do the best for my skin. Since I love these two products so much, I try to get them as often as I can, usually about once a month. This month in particular, I went to go buy a pack only to find that they were sold out completely of any fresh face masks. To say I freaked out would be an understatement. The lady working on the floor informed me of the self preserving mask of magnaminty. She said that it was similar to the fresh face masks so I decided to try it.

Image from google images/polyvore

Get to Know my Skin

     I have skin that breaks out very easily. My t-zone is quite oily, especially my nose, and the rest of my face can get rather dry. My break outs are usually targeted around my nose but not on it and at my temples. I cleanse daily with the Kiehl's ultra facial cleanser and about once a week I use The Body Shop tea tree skin clearing face wash. To moisturize I use the Kiehl's blue herbal moisturizer.

Images from google images/mens journal and google images/the body shop

What I Thought

     When I first applied it all over my face, I liked the creaminess of the mask as well as how soft the beans felt. I'm not a big fan of the smell though. It was a bit too herbal for my liking. I left it on for about 7 minutes and I loved the icy fresh feeling it left on my face, similar to the effect of a mouthwash in you mouth. It came off quite easily and it left my face feeling smoothed and refreshed. 

Better Than the Fresh Face Masks?

     In my opinion, no BUT when there isn't a refrigerator around and my skin is having a bad day then I definitely will repurchase it. Lush has never disappointed me and I hope to continue to be impressed with more products as time goes on. 

     Make sure to follow me on instagram @eliselemans and tell me what brought you there. It would mean so much to me if you comment below and tell me about your favorite skin care products! 

XoXo,

Lemanade<3

Purikura

If you've ever been to Japan and into one of their arcades, you may have seen a Purikura station/kiosk/game/photo booth-idk. In case you don't know, it is a sort of photo booth where your face is photoshopped to have bigger eyes, perfect skin, makeup, an "ideal" face shape. Depending no the particular machine, your body may be warped to have longer legs, smaller waist, and glowing skin.

My reaction/opinion to these photo booths?
Well, although I find myself playing around with them whenever I visit Japan, I don't agree with them AT ALL. Yeah I love how they make me look but I despise how they make me feel. After I use it I always find myself wishing I looked like that...at least to some degree. I'm not gorgeous, I'm not really skinny, and I definitely don't have great skin. Usually, I am perfectly happy with how I look accepting my flaws and trying to accentuate (what I find to be) my best features but when I see myself looking great in these pictures, it makes me a bit insecure.

My advice:
Be careful. Its okay to play around with them but please don't feel put down by them! Love yourself for who you are and be confident.

Here's an image i got off of google,

If you like the message behind this and feel the same way about these machines, make sure to follow me on instagram @eliselemans and please, please, please, comment below:)
XoXo,
~lemanade