Happy Earth Day!

My hometown beach, Sunset Beach.

What I love about the earth the most is the ocean, especially the beach. I love the unapologetic power of the waves crashing on the shore. The beaches near me have strong, rough waves especially the earlier you go. I would regularly run at the beach in the mornings, around 7 or 8am, with my fiance. Before the shelter in place we had grown our endurance to 6 miles. 

An Earth Day shirt I designed for my Graphic Design Website. Click Here to see it.

Now, although we are allowed outside for exercise I don’t feel comfortable staying out that long so we run 3 miles. I think this is a great way to connect with the earth that will at the same time increase your happiness and confidence. Running has helped me develop these traits, which to be honest I was lacking.

I had fun painting marker stones for my garden.

Since the beginning of shelter in place, being confined in my home has made me seek other ways to enjoy the outdoors in my yard. One of these has been attempting to garden. I planted carrots, bell pepper, cucumber and broccoli. I’m not sure if anything will grow since this is my first time but I had fun planting and painting my marker stones.

Last weeks free paint party image. 

Painting the outdoors is a common theme now that I am stuck inside. Last week my fiance who is an artist, collaborated with another artist to do an Instagram virtual paint party with the theme being a wave. This Friday at 6pm join us as we paint the California state flower, Poppies. Click here for the link to the free paint party! Or search for @gi.zambrano on instagram. 

Free Facebook Paint Party

What do you love about the earth?

Thank you,

Perla

March Empties

These are the items I used up in March.

Hello,

Today I’m sharing with you beauty products I have used up and which ones I will repurchase. I like this series because I feel it better represents what my favorite products are based on the ones I use consistently. The items I used up last month include moisturizer, face soap, concealer and wrinkle cream.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer

Hands down this is my favorite moisturizer! I like how it feels lightweight when applied but at the same time is very moisturizing. It also has a very slight natural shimmer which I think adds a nice glow to the skin. Another plus is the SPF 15 to protect from sun damage. I will be repurchasing this item for sure!

Shea Moisture African Black Soap with Shea Butter

This is my favorite face soap for cleansing my face morning and night. I don’t get acne very often but when I do, this always stops it in place. I notice any acne is minimized or gone by the following day. Although I have used this brand for years, I recently learned that there are other more natural brands of black soap. I am very interested in trying a more natural, raw version of this soap so I might not repurchase this exact brand.

Revolution Fast Base Foundation in F10

This is my favorite everyday affordable foundation. It goes on smooth and has the right amount of coverage if you have a bit of hyperpigmentation like me. I also felt like this shade matched mine perfectly. However, I am not sure I can repurchase since it seems they are not restocking this item in United States stores. I have not been able to find this shade in any Ulta stores even online. Do you have any medium coverage foundation recommendations?

ROC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum

Last year I became aware of my skin changing. I began to show signs of aging and felt I should start using a wrinkle serum. I bought this one and it showed great results right away, minimizing wrinkles. The only issue is that I think it was too strong for my skin. When I put too much my skin reacted with acne. I will not be repurchasing this specific product but want to explore other options from this brand.  

Have you tried any of these products? What medium coverage foundation do you recommend?

Thank you,

Perla

Top 5 Shelter In Place Activities

Our shelter in place activities.

Last week shelter in place began in California and similar responses to COVID19 have been implemented in other countries as well. The first few days it felt like a staycation but by the third day of not being able to go outside, I was losing my mind trying to think of other activities to occupy my time, besides cleaning and Netflix. Here are my top five favorite activities for passing the time at home:

Our arts and crafts table.

1. Painting

My fiance enjoys painting and can do it for hours at a time, so I decided to give it a try. I found it to be a very relaxing way to pass the time! You can decide how much detail you add, this can help make the activity last longer. What is great about painting is the variety of surfaces to paint on. We painted on canvas, plant pots and will be painting egg shells next.

2. Coloring

I could not remember the last time I colored but once I began I quickly found a rhythm. Like painting it was relaxing and helped ease my anxiety. I found a cute Disney Princess coloring book along with many of the other items pictured here at the DollarTree.

3. Board Games

When playing Monopoly was suggested by my sisters, I have to admit I was less than excited. I have never cared much for Monopoly in particular but it ended up leading to many laughs! My all time favorite board games include UNO, Sorry!, Cards Against Humanity and Jenga. A surprising new favorite was BLINK, a matching game by the creators of UNO.

Here are some of the postcards I made for my cousins.

4. Making Postcards

This activity has become my new obsession. I really like making postcards to send to my family. I use cardstock and cut it to 4x6in. I then draw and color an image of a celebrity or game they like.

5. Workout

I was very reluctant to workout at home because I love running at the beach. I had to force myself to workout for one hour and thirty minutes at home. It was definitely worth it in the end, I felt accomplished and it pulled me out of my couch potato routine.

How are you keeping busy during COVID19? Any fun new hobbies?

New Blog & Disneyland!

Our first Disneyland trip together!

Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve written. I finally feel ready to begin again but this blog will be changing a bit. I want to shift focus more on traveling and lifestyle for now. I will do product reviews now and then. Today’s destination is Disneyland!

Birthdays in December are easily forgotten! I have experienced this first hand with myself and my fiancé. Both of us are December babies and it is always difficult to get together with family for traditional birthday celebrations. Instead we have begun a tradition, since last year, of traveling for our birthdays. This year we decided to go to Disneyland!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle was the most beautiful at night.

I think winter is one of the best times to go to Disneyland. Christmas decorations can be found on every corner, putting everyone in festive spirits. Even in the heat! It’s funny, I had envisioned hot chocolate and churros for our snacks of choice. However, we ended up buying many ice tea refills.

What we enjoyed the most on this trip were the rides and fireworks. I was very worried about the lines because when I bought the tickets the website stated the date I had chosen was a Peak day. On a recommendation of a friend I bought the MaxPass and it was well worth it! It allowed me to get FastPasses for rides right from my phone. This saved us a lot of time walking between the different FastPass stations.

I loved the lights of the arcade.

It also sent right to my phone, any pictures of us that were taken by the photographers there. I made us pose for many pictures! I just wish more locations in the park had photographers. 

My tips for a Disney trip include buying the MaxPass and packing 4-5 water bottles. Having water with us meant we didn’t have to get in line for drinks until we had our meals. If it’s your birthday, you can walk in almost any store and request a birthday button! I had no idea, so I got mine at night because I noticed other birthday Disney guests.

My favorite rides had to be Indiana Jones and the Haunted Mansion. Indiana Jones is a classic ride that I always look forward too. I don't like roller coaster and this one is as close as I get to one! The Haunted Mansion is great because they change the decor for Christmas! I liked seeing Jack and Sally’s version of Christmas.

One of our favorite rides.

Happy New Year!

-Perla 

Pinto Lake Park Altar

A wide picture of the altar.

Hello everyone! It’s been awhile since I’ve put up a new post but finally I’ll be posting regularly again. In today’s post I’ll be sharing with you a few images from my photography portfolio. I took a photography class this semester and for my final project I chose to photograph a local alter in a park, where a women had visions of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Well I hope you enjoy the pictures!

¡Hola! Ha sido mucho tiempo desde que hice un nuevo post pero finalmente voy a tener posts mas regulares. En el post de hoy, voy a compartir con ustedes unas imagenes de mi portafolio fotográfico. Tome una clase de fotografía este semestre y para mi proyecto final escogí fotografiar un altar local en un parque, donde un mujer tuvo visiones de La Virgen de Guadalupe. ¡Ojala disfruten de los fotos!

Motivational Monday

Hello there, amazing readers! Today’s post is a new series I’m starting which is called Motivational Monday. I saw a post like this on Sprinkle of Glitter and it really motivated me! I read her post at a time when I was feeling disillusioned about my dreams. Each one of us has dreams and sometimes they can seem daunting. Because of this I wanted to share what inspires me to keep going.

¡Hola maravillosos lectores! El post de hoy es una nueva serie que voy empezar se llama Motivational Monday. Mire un post como este en Sprinkle of Glitter ¡y si me motivo! Lei su post en un tiempo en que me estaba sintiendo desilusionada sobre mis sueños. Todos nosotros tenemos sueños y a veces pueden ser muy difíciles. Por esto quiero compartir con ustedes lo que me inspira para seguir dándole ganas.

What's In My Makeup Bag? | Arizona

My travel makeup bag.

Hello wonderful readers! If you saw my last post, you know that I was recently lucky enough to visit family in Phoenix, Arizona.  Well in that post you got to see pictures from my trip, including the Grand Canyon. (click here to see my previous post) In this post I’m going to show you what I took in my makeup bag to Phoenix, Arizona. I completely over packed this time! (That’s putting it lightly!) So, I will also show you what I did end up using, what I didn’t and the products I recommend for traveling.

¡Hola maravillosos lectores! Si miraron mi post anterior, ya saben que recientemente tuve la suerte de poder visitar familia en Phoenix, Arizona. Bueno, en ese post pudieron ver fotos de mi viaje, incluyendo el Gran Cañón. (haz click aquí para ver mi post anterior) En este post les voy a mostrar lo que me lleve en mi bolsa de maquillaje para Phoenix, Arizona. ¡Empaque más de lo necesario esta vez! (¡y eso no es una exageración!) También les enseñaré los productos que si use, los que no use y los productos que les recomiendo llevar si van a ir de viaje.

Phoenix, Arizona

I love that blue sky!

Hello! I hope you have had a great week. Today’s post is on my trip to Pheonix, I mean Phoenix, Arizona! ( I have misspelled the name so many times...) I have been lucky enough to visit Phoenix, Arizona, twice. We went to visit family last year and this April, so I will include pictures from both trips. Most of the pictures will be from my first trip there because we stayed for a longer period of time and got to see more sites, like the Grand Canyon.

¡Hola! Ojala han tenido una semana maravillosa. El post de hoy es sobre mi viaje a Pheonix, quiero decir ¡Phoenix, Arizona! ( ¡He mal escrito el nombre tantas veces! ) He tenido mucha suerte en poder viajar a Phoenix, Arizona, dos veces. Fuimos a visitar familia el año pasado y este abril, voy a incluir fotos de los dos viajes. Casi todos las fotos van a ser de mi primer viaje porque esa vez nos quedamos por más tiempo y miramos más paisajes, como el Cañón Grande.

March Favorites 2015

Hello lovely readers, I hope all of you had a fantastic March! In this post I'm going to share my favorite things from March, Including beauty, style, tv shows and moment. I can't believe it's already April!

Hola queridos lectores, ¡ojalá todos han tenido un marzo fantástico! En este post voy a compartir con ustedes mis cosas favoritas de marzo, incluyendo belleza, estilo, programas de tv, y momentos. ¡No puedo creer que ya es abril!

Baltimore, Maryland & Washington D.C.

A view from above!

Hello! Today’s post will be slightly different from most of my previous posts because it will be one about travel. Last year I got the chance to travel a lot with Americorps and my family. Two of the places I got to travel to, around this time last year, were Baltimore, Maryland and Washington D.C.

¡Hola! El post de hoy va ser un poco diferente de mis otros porque va ser sobre un viaje. El año pasado tuve la oportunidad de viajar mucho con Americorps y mi familia. Dos de los lugares que pude viajar a, por este tiempo el ano pasado, fue Baltimore, Maryland y Washington D.C.

How To Get: Reign Inspired Hair

Don't they all look gorgeous?!

Reign is such a wonderful show! I love the characters, the drama, the intrigue and the fashion! With the second season resuming, this coming thursday the 22nd, I couldn’t resist writing a post on my favorite show. I mean, have you seen the incredibly beautiful hairstyles they wear?! If you need to catch up on the show or view the lovely hairstyles for yourself, you can watch it on Netflix or The CW. Now here are the steps to achieving Reign inspired hair!

¡Reign es un programa maravilloso! ¡Me encantan los personajes, la drama y los estilos! Con la segunda temporada empezando de nuevo este jueves el 22, no  pude resistir escribiendo un post sobre mi programa favorito. ¡¿Has visto los bellos peinados increíbles que usan?! Si quieres ver el programa o ver los peinados por ti misma, lo puedes ver en Netflix o en The CW. ¡Ahora, aquíestán los pasos para conseguir los peinados vistos en Reign!

New Year's Resolutions! 2015

Happy New Year! Can you believe we have lived another year of heartbreak, laughter, change and love? Although, last year was my year, (according to the Chinese Zodiac) when it was the year of the horse, I’m going to make this year mine too! And so should you, by outlining your New Year’s Resolutions. Thinking about them isn’t enough to make them last, writing them down and being able to look at them will help you stick to them.  So that is just what I did! But on doing so, I realized I have way too many! To help make my New Year’s Resolutions more realistic and attainable, I tried to make them small. Like reading a page a day, practicing on weekends… This way my enormous list doesn’t feel overwhelming, because I just couldn’t cut anything out! There are just too many things I want to accomplish, to help me become a better person.

¡Feliz año nuevo! ¿Puedes crear que hemos vivido otro año de corazones rotos, risas, cambios y amor? Aunque, el año pasado era mi año, (en acuerdo con el calendario Chines) el año del caballo, voy hacer este año ¡mi año!  Y también tu, escribiendo tus resoluciónes de año nuevo. Pensando en ellos no es suficiente para que duren, escribiendo los para poder verlos otra ves te ayudará mantenerlos. ¡Y eso es lo que e hecho! Pero en hacerlos, ¡note que tengo muchisimos! Para ayudar hacer mis resoluciónes del año nuevo más realisticos y alcanzable, trate de hacerlos pequeños. Como leyendo una pagina al día y practicando guitarra los fines de semanas… De esta manera mi lista no es tan enorme, ¡porque no pude cortar nada de mi lista! Hay tantas cosas que quiero cumplir, para ayudar me ser una mejor persona.

¡Dia de los muertos!

Want to find out more about Day of the dead? Keep reading!

Hi there! Yes, I am posting early again!! I promise next week I will stick to my schedule. Now on to the post! (posting every Friday)

¡Hola! Si, estoy haciendo post temprano otra ves!! Les prometo que la próxima semana si me quedaré en el horario. Ahora al post! (haciendo post cada viernes)

Halloween in California | A sneaky post!

The skeleton garland I picked out ended up looking better than I expected!

Happy early halloween! I know I usually  post on Friday, but I couldn’t resist uploading this post early! Once in a Halloween, my sisters and I get really, REALLY, into decorating. Well, this was one of them years. Just a few days before Halloween (oct. 26) we, cough, I kept insisting we get started decorating. What can I say? I guess I was bitten by the halloween bug. And after insisting and insisting my sisters finally agreed to help me decorate. They even ended up enjoying it!

¡Feliz halloween temprano! Se que usualmente hago post los viernes, ¡pero no pude resistir poner este post temprano! En algunos Halloweens, mis hermanas y yo nos emocionamos MUCHO en decora. Bueno, estos era unos de estos años. Solo unos días antes de Halloween (oct. 26) nosotros, o mejor dicho yo, insistí que empezaramos a decorar. ¿Que puedo decir? Supongo que estaba entusiasmada por halloween. Y después de insistir y insistir les ha mis hermanas, finalmente se convinieron a ayudar me. ¡Al final, haste les gusto!

Get Ready With Me | My Sister's Sweet 16, Quinceañera!

Hello everyone!! I’m really excited to be able to FINALLY, share this video and post with you! This video has been almost a whole month in the making, and I’m not joking… at all. YouTube took many weeks to upload and I had to reupload many times. Well enough complaining. Here is how I got ready for My Sister’s Sweet 16, Quinceañera!

¡¡Hola!! ¡Estoy muy emocionada de finalmente poder compartir este video y post con ustedes! Este video ha durado casi todo un mes para editar, y no estoy exagerando… YouTube tomo muchas semanas para subirlo y tuve que tratar un montón de veces. Pero ya me queje mucho. Ahora les voy a mostrar como me arregle para la ¡Sweet 16, Quinceañera de mi hermana!

My Sister's Sweet 16, Quinceañera style!

September 6th was my sister Amie’s Sweet 16! Although it was her Sweet 16, we celebrated it as a Quinceañera. A Quinceañera is a coming of age party thrown when a girl turns 15 and is celebrated in many latin american cultures. If you would like to learn more about this tradition click here. (I already wrote a more indepth post a while back)

    The whole celebration was wonderful, from the religious ceremony to the celebration afterwards. We had wanted to throw my sister a big Quinceanera last year when she turned 15 but did not have the means. That is why this year she got a Quince/Sweet 16 because she turned 16… LOL.

DIY: Quinceanera & Sweet 16 Photography

One of the photos I took of my sister for her invitations, my personal favorite though she choose another. / Este es uno de los fotos que le tome a mi hermana para sus invitaciones, personalmente mi favorito pero ella escogió otro.

After a deafening silence on my blog, I am here by going to blog regularly!! (or at least to try to agian, lol. It’s hard to get back into the rhythm sometimes.)

Today I bring you tips for Quinceañera or Sweet Sixteen DIY photography!!

         But first...

   

What is a quinceañera? Like a sweet sixteen a quinceañera is a coming of age party. However, a quinceañera is celebrated in latin american countries or by people with a latin heritage when a girl turns 15. It also seems to be a greater occasion than a sweet sixteen. I say this because for a quinceañera, unlike a sweet sixteen, a hall or other type of venue is rented, their will be live music, dj and even a church ceremony. Nonetheless, every country has its own unique way of celebrating a quince. The quinceañera I’m describing is of Mexican/Mexican American tradition.  

There is technically no “Quinceañera” season per se, like a wedding season. (at least that I know of…) This is because a quinceañera is given to a girl when she turns 15. She will usually have a court of “damas” and “caballeros.” Girls and boys her own age who will accompany her on her big day. They will usually do a waltz with her and more recently even a second surprise dance. The surprise dance can be of any type of music!

My Room Decor! / Las decoraciónes de mi cuarto!

Hello! Rooms are one of the most personal of spaces. It’s like decorating a locker in high school except ten times better. Yet for some reason… I wasn’t very into decorating my room until three years ago and even then I wasn’t sure where to start! I’m a newbie at this… But here is what I have so far! I hope you enjoy these pics and get some inspiration! :D

Journal Tips & Things… Cosas de diarios...

Hi everyone! This post is about my love for writing but more specifically journaling. I have had a journal in some form or another off and on since 3rd or 4th grade. What’s so great about journaling is you can get everything out of your system whether it’s happiness fluttering through you or anger raging in your blood. Either way, I always feel more at peace with myself even if I haven’t come to a solution to a problem or answer to a question. It’s a way of relaxation and reflection. Dare I say meditation?

¡Hola! Este post es sobre mi amor de escribir y más específicamente de escribir en mi diario. Yo he tenido un diario en una forma o otra desde el 3 or 4 grado. Lo maravilloso de tener un diario es que puedes sacar todo de tu sistema, ya sea felicidad como las mariposas en el estomago o rabia en la sangre. De cualquier manera siempre me ha ayudado a estar en paz conmigo misma, aun cuando no llego a una resolución a un problem o con una respuesta a una pregunta. Es una manera de relajo y reflexión. ¿Hasta de meditación?

2013 Recap?

I was recently reading one of my favorite blogs, Sprinkle of Glitter, when I got super inspired to do a similar post. On it, Louis did a recap of 2013 and I thought, “What a great post! I would really like to do that too!” But as I tried to remember the happenings throughout 2013, I couldn’t remember a thing! Where did 2013 go? Literally! I can’t remember anything from January or May… or most months. So here I go, trying to put together a year I can’t remember through my journal and social media.

Recientemente estaba leyendo uno de mis blogs favoritos, Sprinkle of Glitter, y me inspire mucho para escribir un post similar. En su post, Louis hizo un resumen de 2013 y pensé, “¡Que post tan maravilloso! ¡Me gustaría escribir uno semejante!” Pero cuando trate de recordar lo que pasó en 2013, ¡no podía recordar ninguna cosa! ¡Donde se se fue 2013! ¡Literalmente! No puedo recordar ninguna cosa de enero o mayo… o casi todo los meses. Entonces, voy a empezar a tratar de recordar el ano que no recuerdo con mi diario y los medios sociales.

ME! :D