I’m a HUGE audiobook fan I’m pretty sure I’d go insane driving in LA traffic if I didn’t have audiobooks and podcasts to listen to. I’ve been an Audible member since 7/8/2011! I pay about $15 a month and get 1 credit for a free audiobook monthly. The Audible app is great and super easy to use as well and keeps your bookmark in the place you left off even if you switch between devices. My favorite part about the Audible app is being able to adjust the speed of the speaker which I usually put at 1.25x. You can sign-up for Audible and get a 30 day free trial with 2 free audiobooks:
As you’re about to see, I read almost exclusively non-fiction and love biographies, science, and self-help type books. Here’s some recent books I’ve been enjoying from Audible: Continue reading “Audible Book Recommendations 2016”
Category: Health and Wellness
health, wellness, working out, mental health, exercise, meditation, self help, personal development
LA Guide – Hollywood
3/2/19 I am updating this post, but it’s incredible how most of the originals are still my all-time favorites and go-to’s when I have guests in town or give recommendations!
I’ve added mostly photos, but a few great newer places to check out – Rubies + Diamonds, Tocaya Organica, The Highlight Room, TAO, Blackwood Coffee Bar, Lono, Division 3, Afters Ice Cream, and Pace Joint. There’s also a few OG’s I can’t believe I didn’t include the first time – Mashti Malone’s Ice Cream which has been a Hollywood Staple for about 40 years! And Tiago which was my go-to breakfast place when I lived in Hollywood. I’ve also included a few gyms to burn off the calories after you eat and drink at these incredible places.
Recently I had my 5 year anniversary of moving to Hollywood so what better time to write up a guide or list of recommendations for anyone who wants to explore my neighborhood? Sorry for the lack of photos, most of these places are dark and sexy so even if I posted photos from there you wouldn’t be able to see anything!
Where to stay in Hollywood
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Father’s Day Gift Ideas
Last year for Father’s Day I gave my dad a themed gift that was semi-“beauty” related so I thought I’d share the idea here! I’ll start by saying that the photo in this header is from when my dad took me to Turks and Caicos. We’ve been boating and going to tropical locations since I was in the womb (literally) so this is a “fun in sun” gift idea that isn’t actually fun at all, but it is super useful and practical, so… But seriously, thank you so much daddy-o for inspiring my love of travel and exploring!
I’ve posted about how I’ve had melanoma before and my dad had basal cell carcinoma removed from his head somewhat recently. This means I try to be VERY diligent about my sun protection and try to convince my family to do the same since we live in Florida and Southern California. Here’s what I got him:
 Jack Black ‘Double-Duty’ Face Moisturizer SPF 20 ($28) This is a broad spectrum sunscreen meaning it protects agains UVA and UVB rays (major key). The ‘Double-Duty’ part is that it contains powerful antioxidants that help protect skin from aging from sun exposure. No matter who you are those 2 things are what you should be looking for in a sunscreen. This also had great customer reviews. Also, what man knows how to buy himself a moisturizer… Continue reading “Father’s Day Gift Ideas”
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Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
Welcome to the first ever Blushing in Hollywood Book Club post! Today I finished Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun, and Be Your Own Person and I really enjoyed it a lot. If you didn’t already know, Shonda Rhimes is the incredibly talented creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder. She is a serious boss lady that pretty much runs things on TV right now. She’s so much more than that though because she’s really changed the face of television to make it look more like how the world actually looks (instead of adding diversity she likes to refer to it as normalizing) and for her efforts she’s won a GLAAD award, several NAACP Image awards, and a Peabody Award. She’s a pretty impressive person.
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Zenni Glasses Review
Soo my childhood dreams came true and my vision is finally at the point where I need reading glasses! I seriously faked an eye exam when I was 10 years old because I wanted glasses so badly. I managed to fake one worse than the other and they told me I needed to wear a patch. I said no thank you I don’t need a pirate patch I’ll just take the glasses, thanks! My mom told me she knew I didn’t need the glasses and that I was lying, but she got me a pair anyway because I was so committed to my lie. I wore them for one day (the first day of 5th grade), got a terrible headache, and never wore them again. My prescription is +0.75 in both eyes which is so weak they don’t even sell them at most drug stores. I originally thought I was just getting makeup and/or oil cleansers in my eyes and that was what was making my vision blurry.. so if you’re like me and thinking this is the problem definitely get your vision checked out because you may need an adorable new accessory oops I mean prescriptive eyewear like me! Continue reading “Zenni Glasses Review”
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Does This Thing Really Work? Ask Beautypedia
With all of the advertising and marketing in the beauty industry it’s very hard to tell what is going to work and what will not. This is so important because who wants to waste $$$ on a product that does not live up to it’s claims? So how do you research a products claims and find out if it contains ingredients that will actually make your skin better? This is where one of my favorite websites Beautypedia comes in. Beautypedia was started by Paula Begoun who is known as the cosmetics cop. For decades now she has been breaking down ingredient lists vs. manufacturer claims to de-mistify the (sometimes) fuzzy beauty science and to educate the masses. Whenever you sign on to Instagram, Youtube, open a magazine, see a commercial, etc. you’re constantly being bombarded with “This is the one! The product that will make you flawless and fix all of your skin’s problems! BUY NOW!!” and Paula helps you separate the BS from the truly beneficial products.
The other thing I like about her site is that you can choose how deeply you want to plunge into the scientific knowledge behind ingredients. You can find out if a product contains sodium hyaluronate acid and what the hell that means, or you can just find out if the MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation lives up to it’s claims or not (PS it does according to beautypedia and now I really want to try it!).
How I use Beautypedia:
Continue reading “Does This Thing Really Work? Ask Beautypedia”
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I Didn’t Think I Would Get Skin Cancer Either
Growing up in Florida and now living in Los Angeles I see a whole lot of sunshine. When I was younger I loved to lay out and bake. I wanted to be as tan as my fair skin would let me so I’d slather myself with oil and stay by the pool all day or go to the tanning beds occasionally. I knew it would all catch up with me eventually, but I didn’t think eventually would be at age 27.
There I was in stirrups at my annual gynecological exam (as if that day couldn’t get any worse) when my doctor. points to a mole over my heart and says “You need to see a Dermatologist about that. If I could take it off right this minute I would.” “Great” I thought, “yet another doctor’s appointment to schedule.” Luckily I was motivated by the fact that it was the end of the year and I had already met my high deductible so I went to see my dermatologist (who I was already getting annual skin cancer checks from) to get the mole biopsied.
When the biopsy came back unfortunately the results showed that it was Melanoma. This meant I had to go back and get it removed along with some of the healthy skin around it to ensure the entire thing was gone and would not spread.
It was a pretty small mole and now I have a huge scar I get to look at everyday. Here’s what it looks like today, 16 months later: Continue reading “I Didn’t Think I Would Get Skin Cancer Either”
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Reviews of My Sephora VIB 2014 Purchases
So now that I’ve had a chance to use my purchases from the 2014 Sephora VIB sale I wanted to give a quick review on them and let you know what I think. I especially wanted to get this up because Sephora sent out another perk for VIB members which is $20 off your purchase of $50 or more and the holidays are coming up so I’m sure you want to know what gifts are worth it.
1. Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Foundation Primer ($39) – So far I’m happy with this little guy. The product is a little thick so you have to warm it up on your finger tips before you apply it. You then want to kind of push and roll your fingers into your skin to best cover your pores. When I’ve applied it and look in the mirror there’s no huge “WOW where have my pores gone!?” reaction, but it feels silicon-ey and smooth and blurs your face a tiny bit. The main thing I like about it is that I think it controls my oily skin without making my face too dry which is a delicate balance. My foundation maybe looks slightly better on top of this vs. without it, but it’s not anything that a slower more intentional application of the foundation couldn’t replicate or beat. It maybe keeps my makeup on a tiny bit longer as well, but again no huge day and night transformation. It’s supposed to last for up to eight hours, but I usually have my makeup on for about 12-14 hours per day. Overall I’d recommend this if you’re oily, if you’ve liked Smashbox primers in the past, and if you aren’t counting on it to change your life. It would also be good if you’re sweating or somewhere that’s humid because it’s supposed to be resistant to those things.
2. Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 07 Dark Berry ($13) – I got this because I want to be Samantha aka ssssamanthaa on Instagram from Batalash (see video below), but instead I look like I’m failing miserably at trying to look like Lorde. I’ve only worn this around the house to try it because it is BOLD as hale. It smells really nice like the Stila Stay All Day Lip Colors a nice cake scent. It stayed pretty well and I don’t remember my lips feeling too dry and crispy. I hope I’m brave enough to wear it out into the world one day, but we’ll see. The color is really cool and I’d recommend it if you want to try something new and fun I just don’t know if I’m cool enough to rock it yet.
3. L’Occitane Voyage En Provence Set ($39) – Ugh I haven’t used all of the products in this set so far, but so far I’m super disappointed. I had very high expectations for this especially for the famous She Butter Ultra Rich Body Lotion and it was nothing special. The scent was whatever and it’s not super thick or long lasting or curative to very dry skin or anything like I was expecting. I would not recommend this and I’m wary of buying more products from L’Occitane now even though so many people are obsessed! I’d recommend this to no one because I hate it and I’m pissed. The more I think about it and write about it the more I think wow why am I not returning this to Sephora I don’t need products to travel with so desperately that I need to keep this $39 set!
4. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup in color 2.0 ($39) – I knew this guy was not going to be the perfect fit because it’s a luminous light weight virtually invisible foundation and deep down I’m a full coverage kind of girl. It’s very thin and fluid-like and reminds me of the bareMinerals bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation in that it’s luminous and nice for a day that you want to look natural and take a break from full cake face mode. This would probably work better for me at night because when I wear these luminous foundations during the day I get oily and then they’re a mess, but the problem is that I want full coverage when I go out at night. This does have build able coverage though which is good. I need to experiment with it a bit more to figure out how it can work best for me. I wish it had sunscreen in it. I’d recommend this to someone that wants to look younger (a more sheer, luminous foundation will make you look younger than a matte full coverage one), someone that already has pretty good skin and doesn’t need a ton of coverage, and someone with dry, normal, or combo skin.
5. Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush ($25) – This is a vegan brush that was developed to work with the Naked Skin foundation and overall I like it a lot. It blends out the makeup quickly and evenly. I have used it with both the super thin Naked Skin foundation and the super thick BECCA foundation. I’m back to using my tried and true Beauty Blender, but when I mix it up I love using this guy. I’d recommend it to someone looking for a good foundation brush to use with liquid foundation. I think the price point on this is great and very reasonable for the quality.
6. BECCA Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme in Buff ($44) – YASSSSSSS hunny. I am absolutely loving this foundation and I’m using it everyday and at night for going out as well. It is super full coverage and gives you a very flawless finish. I normally use a generous amount of foundation so when I accidentally put two whole pumps on my beauty blender and then went to blend it out and I was wearing a serious mask (which was fine for that day, but meant I don’t need to use as much in the future  because it’s so pigmented). This foundation is easy to blend but the only thing you have to look out for is once it dries (relatively quickly in 1-3 minutes) it is DRY and SET so don’t try to blend it out again because you will just mess it up. This foundation lasts me all day and/or night long and keeps me relatively matte without drying me out too much. Once it’s on it doesn’t feel super heavy or cakey which is nice for how full coverage and pigmented it is. I spent at least an hour trying to figure out online which color to get in this and while I like to think I picked the best match I do definitely have to blend it very well down my neck and blend very very well if I’m wearing my hair up. This foundation color is also super yellow which I like because I think it balances out my redness, but I know not everyone likes super yellow foundation. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a full coverage foundation with great coverage and staying power who has normal to oily skin. This is my favorite thing I bought. This price tag is a little high, but I’m hoping that since it’s so pigmented that I will use less and it will last me longer (fingers crossed!) Here’s a pic of me wearing it:
&& let’s keep it real here’s the unedited photo: Continue reading “Reviews of My Sephora VIB 2014 Purchases”
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How To Say No To a Date
As a person that has been socialized since birth to people-please (aka a woman) I understand how difficult it is to say no when someone asks you on a date. Today I’m going to talk about turning someone down via text message/Facebook messenger/email/etc. because turning someone down in person is a much different. When you’re in person and you’re a girl being asked out by a guy you have to worry (unfortunately) about your safety so that will be a different post.
This all stems from a man asking me out via text recently who I needed to maintain a positive relationship with for professional reasons. I think this comes up a lot when you’re asked out by a work colleague or a Starbucks barista or friend of a friend that you’re going to run into a lot and it gets tricky. If you give a creepy stranger your phone number so he will leave you alone you have my permission to never respond to him ever and block him if he harasses you. Same goes for a guy on a dating website who you have barely chatted with- no response necessary. Another twist comes when you’re not sure if someone is asking you on a date and you don’t want to presume they are and be incorrect because that’s awkward. For example, a single work colleague of your preferred sex texting you “Hey want to grab drinks?” Here’s how to handle it if the answer is “No.”: Continue reading “How To Say No To a Date”
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Ray Rice Inspired Makeup Tutorial
You have to check out this Ray Rice Inspired Makeup Tutorial this girl is hilarious.
I really love this video I think this girl is awesome and hilarious. Megan MacKay is a writer and comedian from Canada and you can check out her website for more info meganmackay.net She combines some of my favorite things in this one: feminism, makeup, humor, calling people out on their shit, and helping women. I hope this video goes even more viral than it has already!
Some of my favorite parts:
- Foundation in a new shade called The NFL because it will cover up anything just to save face
- The intersectional feminism eyeshadow primer- And to those people generally the best thing to do is um read a fucking history book.
- Bronzer time! I love this name it’s so punny it’s ‘Orange You Sad That the American News Source Most Dedicated to Truthful Journalism Turned Out To Be TMZ?’
So yeah be sure to check out this video because this girl is quick and it has a good message. Also, if you don’t want your day to take a turn for the worst I recommend (and this is just s general life tip) to not read the comments.
More of her videos that I loved: Continue reading “Ray Rice Inspired Makeup Tutorial”
