Birthday Weekend Getaway

Hello and how do you do?

So, it has finally happened.  I have hit the big

It's not as all bad as television makes it seem.  I still feel young at heart.  ^_^  On the actual day, my brother took me to a stellar place in Little Tokyo where he treated me to some top notch sushi.  TOP. NOTCH.  It was really good.  Thanks, Brother!  ^_^

Then, on the weekend, Mr. P took me on a mini-getaway up the coast to Santa Barbara.  We went walking on the beach, squiggling our toes through the sand, and enjoying the sights of the Pacific Ocean.  I particularly enjoyed thinking that Taiwan was only on the other side of the Pacific.  Then I got to thinking about the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan and I prayed for their survivors and those who were lost.  We saw some kids on their skate boards and bikes doing tricks on a course.  We wondered if any of them would ever make it to the X-Games and thought that it'd be cool if they did.

Carpinteria, CA

Mr. P treated me to my very own whole lobster at a restaurant on the wharf called Moby Dick.  The lobster was simply DIVINE!!!  My favorite part was the claw!  Mr. P ordered a chili burger but was so disappointed when they brought it out.  The restaurant had basically disassembled the burger and oozed chili over the entire thing!  You couldn't eat it like a burger, you'd have to use a knife and fork... and maybe a spoon as well.  *snaps finger*  I should have taken a picture of all this!  Why didn't I?!

After our Santa Barbara tour and meanderings, we went to Carpinteria where we stayed the night.  We saw a local concert in an old movie theater.  It was $5.00 to get in to see 3 high school rock bands performing.  We finally realized that they mostly played covers of hit songs, but one band in particular (Jaded Cloud or Faded Cloud) had ORIGINAL SONGS!  That really excited Mr. P's inner musician.  I was quite impressed that these high school kids had the nerve to form their own bands and perform their own music live!

We also bought some frozen yogurt and ate it on the beach.  The oil rigs off the coast look like alien space ships when they're all lit up at night.  The best thing about getting away from Los Angeles is that there is less smog and pollution in the air, so we actually saw A LOT OF STARS.  Actually, we saw the

MILKY WAY GALAXY!!!

This picture from usbible.com

What we actually saw was much more muted than this picture, but nevertheless we saw it!  Again, I wish I had been able to take some pictures, but I didn't think to whip out my camera or my cell phone or anything like that.  But this was the best birthday present - to be able to see something so spectacular with Mr. P.  ^_^  It is tied with the time we saw a lunar eclipse together at around this same time back in 2007. 

The next morning, we checked out and started our search for breakfast.  Mr. P and I have this thing for good American breakfasts.  We were going to go to the Worker Bee Cafe but we walked past a place called Cajun Kitchen.  You can't get any more American than Cajun food, so we went in and sat down to some good coffee and a hearty breakfast.  I had my phone on hand so I snapped a couple of pictures.  Let this whet your appetite!

Cajun Eggs with Home Fries

Really moist corn cake and whipped butter *nyum nyum nyum*

Crazie Suzie with hash brown

Salsa and Apple Butter

Buttered wheat toast

 So, after another brisk walk on the beach and admiring Nature's Grandeur, we decided that we should get back to our kids (cats & hamster).  I love the California coast and these next pictures don't do it justice.  However, I just have to share.  ^_-

PCH/101

PCH/101

PCH/101

I have some pictures coming up of some presents my Kindred Spirit sent me from San Francisco.  I haven't taken the pictures yet, but I'll edit them into this post later.

All in all, I had a spectacular birthday.  I'm most thankful and touched that the people who are most important to me wished me a happy birthday.  ^_^  I'm going to end this post with a picture of Mr. P and me.

 Thanks for reading!

Q.T. Skin Gold Foil Cleanser & Bad Skincare Routine

Hi Everyone!  Have you ever had bad skin as a result of trying too many new things at once?  I'm having one of those forehead slapping moments of clarity that says, "Maybe you shouldn't have changed up your entire skincare routine in the excitement of the Sasa purchase."

My facial skin right now looks dull and feels so uneven and rough.  *sadness sadness sadness*

So in a nutshell, here's the skincare routine that helped make my skin uneven, rough, and dull:

The only things I kept from my old skincare routine were the last 3 products in the Day Time row.

So, what's the lesson learned here?  Don't change up your skincare routine so drastically, especially if you're excited about new products!

I'd like to break here and move onto a mini review (more like an impressions review) of the Q.T. Skin Gold Foil Cleanser with Unispheres.

I'll be the first to admit that I saw the gold in this cleanser and immediate went $_$, "It looks luxurious, therefore it must be luxurious for my skin."  And therein lies the irony.  I don't believe it does anything for my skin.  Here's a brief description from Sasa on this product and how to use.  Note the strangeness of the following:

I understand that if I can't read the product description, I must go off of the seller's website.  And based off the seller's website, I have a inkling that I may be misinformed on what the product claims actually are.  Now, please keep in mind that I always only state my personal opinion, and I'm fine if I'm the only one who thinks this, but I don't think this product does any of what the seller's product description says.  And even if the seller's product description is kooky, I don't think this product even cleans all that well.

I don't know if I feel motivated to use this cleanser anymore.  Also, this seems weird, but I actually feel guilty for washing the gold foils down the drain considering that the good ol' U S of A is heading toward more economic instability.  Maybe it's just me.  :-?

Thanks for reading & have a great week!

Montagne Jeunesse Crystal Mask

Hi Everyone!  Today's post is going to be an impressions post because I didn't use this product long enough to feel confident in a quality product review.  So I'm going to just give my first, second, and third impressions of this mask.  First, though, a couple of descriptive pictures for your viewing pleasure.

My Kindred Spirit in all things gave this to me last year for either my birthday or for Christmas.  But I've only just finished using it up this year.  For me, one packet is good for 3-4 uses.

Regarding the claims of this mask making my skin smooth, radiant, and sparkling, I'd have to say: YES!

Okay, I'm not made of metal or glass so it's kind of hard for me to say my skin is sparkling.  However, my skin does feel smooth and radiant after using this mask.  I think the salt or sugar crystals in this mask really help with exfoliation (I only wish there were more crystals to cover more surface area), and the ingredients in the gooey mask are very hydrating.

All in all, I really enjoyed using this mask and wouldn't mind getting my eager hands on more of these.  ^_^

Thanks for reading & have a great day!

A LOT of Goodies!!!

I'm so happy!!!  My order from Sasa finally came through and MUCH sooner than I thought, too!  I thought I'd wait until I got home to open up the box but I couldn't wait!  I had - HAD - to open it up right away and see with my own two eyes exactly what I had bought.  Maybe I'll do some product reviews of these products in the future.  ^_^

Anyways, I thought it would be a good time to go over my skincare and beauty collection and see what I have used up and what I've collected.  As some may recall, I moved from Texas back to California at the end of 2010 and did a quick take on my ENTIRE beauty and skincare collection when I was packing.  Here is an update of what I posted in that post.

Now, the old stuff:

And now, the new stuff:

*Aaahhhhh!  I can hear angels' voices!  Okay, and now the detailed view of such happiness:

Real... Gold... Foil...  *waahhh!*  $_$

Can you see the gold inside the gel???  $_$

Aveeno was from Target.  Sisley Ecological Compound from Mr. P.  *weee!*

 Yes, product reviews on a lot of stuff in the near and distant future!!!  ^_^

Thanks for stopping by!