audrey fong fong

If you're in the SoCal area, then you probably know about Roasting Water, the super cutely decorated boba chain that gives out free bottles with each tea. They recently teamed up with Rilakkuma to bring the kawaii character dining experience to the US. And lemme just say - I love it! Everything is so well thought out from the zipper down the backs of the chairs to the galaxy printed tables matching the Rilakkuma murals. They also sell super cute mugs and bottles featuring any character you could thin of - Baymax, Totoro, Hello Kitty, etc.

The next stop on my dog friendly tour of the California desert was Borrego Springs for their statue garden and the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, which isn't technically dog friendly but Charlotte still got a chance to romp around. Charlotte wasn't as big of a fan of the statues as I was, but she still had a fun time wiggling in the sand and sniffing all the new smells. For me, I just thought the whole area was so beautiful; the desert is one of the many things that makes California the best state.

Sunglasses: miu miu
Top: T by Alexander Wang

Since this last trip to Japan marked my third time being in Tokyo, I decided to take a day trip out to Kamakura to see all of the temples and shrines. It's a beautiful town that'll make you feel like you're in an anime. My brother and I basically didn't do any research about where to go, so we stopped by the tourist office by the station, picked up a map, and just did a full loop around the town. Highlights included a money washing shrine (Zeniarai Benten Shrine), wild koi swimming around the streams, and picturesque views everywhere you stopped. Seriously, such a dreamy town for people who like traditional Japanese culture.

Jacket: Maje
Top: Zara

If you're looking for a doggy friendly place to road trip with your pup, Salton Sea is a beautiful spot to take them. Charlotte had a lot of fun trotting around off-leash and sniffing at the fishy terrain. It's a bit hot, but nothing a bottle of ice cold water can't fix. Be sure to keep your eyes cast downwards to see bits and pieces of fish skeletons embedded into the salty earth.

Sunglasses: miu miu
Dress: BDG
Top: Topshop
Backpack: Fjallraven Kanken
Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman

DisneySea is arguably the best Disney park out there. It's so beautiful and aesthetic, especially if you're a Little Mermaid or Aladdin fan. What makes this park stand out is that it's located next to the ocean, so the ocean winds its way throughout the park, making for some pretty scenes similar to Venice and New England. The other thing that gets me is how dressed up DisneySea goers get for the day. I'm talking loads of key chains dedicated to their favorite character, ears on everyone, kids running around in bear suits, and more.

This purse from The Kooples is just too cute. I've been eyeing it on Instagram for awhile and finally went through with it. I love its gold embroidery on black velvet and the price point was pretty good as well. The best part is the way it juxtaposes strict rigidity in its design with whimsical golden bees. I can see me using this purse with outfits both formal and casual.

On the second day in Tokyo, I walked from Sumida to Taito. It's surprisingly walkable! I started the day at Tokyo Skytree before heading over to Taito to check out Asakusa and the Christmas fair going on at the time. The Asakusa area is touristy, but definitely worth going to. It's one of the few areas in Tokyo that feels more traditional like Kyoto. Asakusa is also nice because there's lots of school children running around and couples in matching kimonos/yukatas. It's just a pleasant area with next to no car traffic. Additionally, there's a cool af owl cafe called Jungle Cafe that also has flamingos, a monkey, a fennec fox, and more. The owls were so friendly and the girls working at this cafe were super helpful. My favorite part was that unlike other cafes, you paid once and could stay for as long as you wanted.

Even though I get a ton of new beauty products through Ipsy and going to the mall/Target, I hardly ever write reviews because I usually only end up trying two new products a month. Instead of opening up every new product, I prefer to use it up and then start a new one so it could be months before I use a new product. I'm trying to get better at testing out my products as soon as I get them so here are the latest I've tested out.

• Bliss - Jelly Glow Ball Radiance-Boosting Cleanser with Lychee: I honestly only bought this jelly glow ball from Target because it came in a lychee scent and I love anything lychee. To my surprise, this cleansing ball is awesome! It removes all my makeup and leaves my skin feeling clean and oil-free. Not to mention, it smells yummy and is super fun to use.
• Fresh - Eau de Parfum Spray (Sugar Lychee): This isn't a new purchase for me, but I wanted to include this for all other lychee fans. This perfume is amazing! It's sweet without being gross and smells just like lychee and nothing else. 
• Rodial - Glamolash Mascara XXL: Ipsy sent me this mascara and I'm not a big fan of it. The brush is pretty chubby so it's hard to do my tiny lashes without brushing my face too. Additionally, it smells like chemicals.
• Glossier - Balm Dotcom (Rose): I like how moisturizing this product is and it offers a soft pink shade to your lips. Only problem is I don't like rose scented items, but I would get this product in a different scent later.
• Aurora - 24H Lively Lip Stain (Soft Pink): This is one of the coolest products Ipsy has ever sent me! Lip products are my favorite and after trying liquid lipsticks, I thought I'd just stick with lipstick and lip crayons in the future. However, this lip stain is awesome in that it doesn't smudge and is super easy to apply. It's basically a felt tip marker for your lips. The only thing I wish is that the color I got was more red or berry.

Sorry for not posting in forever, but I've been busy actually doing my readings for class and watching too many episodes of Brooklyn Nine Nine and Fresh Off the Boat. Anyways, I spent a week in Tokyo in December and wanted to share my trip with you. The first day I was there I didn't do much, but walk around the Harajuku area and Roppongi. I also held hedge hogs for the first time at Harry Hedgehog. Surprisingly,  hedgehogs aren't as friendly as I thought they'd be. They're super cute, but all they did was sleep and poke my hand. Tokyo is probably the most exciting/cleanest city I've ever been to, so I love going back to Tokyo whenever I get the chance.

• SIDMOOL - Real Moisture Mask: I couldn't find any English instructions for this face mask, so I left it on for 20 minutes and then rubbed the extra fluid into my skin. I liked how this mask wasn't heavily scented, but I have yet to see any change in my skin. To be fair, my skin is usually pretty smooth/healthy other than the occasional acne, so it could help someone whose skin isn't as hydrated.
• Holika Holika - Smooth Egg Peeling Gel (Gudetama Lazy & Easy Edition): Not gonna lie, I bought this product strictly for its Gudetama packaging. For the most part, I like this product. It peels away dead skin effectively, leaving your skin smoother. The only issue I have with this product is it's not easy to dispense. To dispense it, you squeeze the bottom half of the egg, which you have to squeeze hard. However, if you squeeze it hard, too much comes out, so a lot of product goes to waste.
• Holika Holika - Gudetama Jelly Dough Blushers:  Other than the super cute packaging, there's nothing special about this blush. However, I do like how bright pink it is and how it comes unscented. It's just I'm sure there are lots of other blushes that work just as well for cheaper.
• ENature - Birch Juice Hydro Sleeping Pack: Ipsy sent me this face mask in its September glam bag and Soko Glam claims that it'll leave your skin looking rejuvenated.  I was excited to try this product because keeping your skin moisturized is super important, especially during the colder months.  However, I haven't noticed any change to my skin after using this product for several weeks. If anything, I think my skin was more hydrated when I used Cetaphil every day.