Vaccination

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Vaccination

As it is getting closer and closer to my due date, I have been reading many books and topics about anything related to mommy and baby. One topic, with a lot of controversy, is vaccination. All I can say is that I do not feel comfortable with the CDC vaccination schedule. The amount of chemicals injected in the babies tiny bodies is alarming. One book that I enjoyed is written by William Sears. I loved his book, his recommendations, advice, and suggestions. Here is a little summary I came up with after reading his book.

Lush Henna

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I received so many awesome gifts from my familia on Christmas. One of my gifts were all these products from Lush. They knew how much I’ve been wanting to buy lush products. Everytime I go shopping with one of my sisters, we end up at the lush store smelling and trying all these products until we get so overwhelmed that we end up buying nothing. This time my sister said let’s just go into lush and buy you your Christmas gift. The best part, was that, I had made a wishlist with all the products I have been wanting to try. We went in, gave them my list, they showed us the products, and finally we made the selection. It wasn’t that hard after all.
From the things I picked, I have tried a couple so far. This post will be about their Henna, the Caca Noir.

As a middle eastern, henna is one of the widely known product we use for various things and occasions. It is used in weddings celebrations, for drawing on hands, tattoos, and for dying hair. Henna is a plant, it is natural, and it has so many benefits for hair and skin. Personally, I have never used it before.
I like to color my hair black once in a while; however, I haven’t done so in a while because I am trying to avoid all those products with the harsh chemicals. Therefore, I thought I would give this henna from lush a try since it is beneficial for the hair and claims to deposit color to your hair.
I followed the instructions and applied it to my hair last night. As directed, I kept it warm through out the process when applying to my hair and left it on for a couple hours. It definitely felt super nice when applied warm to your scalp. It refreshened and conditioned my scalp. Now, it didn’t deposit any color to my hair even though I chose the black color; however, It is definitely a nice hair treatment because it left my super silky and shiny.

I would use it again because they suggest giving the hair another application to get better color results, but I would do so just to get the silky shiny hair. It is worth it.

Next I want to try the Indian/middle Eastern henna and find out if there are any differences. I will give an update once I do so.
Now I am going to give my other lush products a try.

Happy Suday!
Arki

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That’s how it looked after a couple hours ^

Latest bargain

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So here is my latest haul, I mean steal from Beauty.com/drugstore.com site. I love those sister sites because they have everything and always have deals and coupons going on.
I had more than $20 in store credit from previous purchases and on top of that they were offering other promotions. I scored those 4 items for fraction of the cost. Instead of $53 I only paid $9.15 including a two day shipping. I mean can it get any better? I will answer that. Nope!

Here is what I got:
Origins Blade Runner (for the hubby, see? I am not that selfish).
Revlon Moon Drops Lip conditioner.
Revlon Photo ready Concealer.
It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush in Je Ne Sais Quoi

Happy shopping!
Arki

1.7 Years ago.. This happened

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1.7 Years ago.. This happened

Randomly, I go back to look at our engagement session pictures, and I fall back in love with them all over again.
I still haven’t printed any of these pictures to hang on my living room’s bare walls, and I need to make this part of my New Year’s to do list/resolution. The photographer did an amazing job and took beautiful shots. You can check Ken Pak amazing photography at his blog VisualSketch I am already planning on having another Photoshoot on one of our upcoming anniversaries.

I will share more amazing shots with you in the near future.

Ipsy December Bag

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This is what I received this month from Ipsy:
Urban Decay 24/7 glide on eye pencil in black
Mai Couture Highlighter Paper
Mirabella Prime for Face & Eyes
NYX loose pearl shadow
It’s a Bombshell Hot Mess Lip Gloss
And it came with $20 promo code for JustFab and other discounts promo codes.

Glossy Box November

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OMG! The November Glossy Box is awesome. It has a great selection of products and a few of them are full size. The value for what I received is at least worth $70, how amazing is that when I only paid $20 dollars for it? Oh I love me some bargains.

Epionce restorative hand cream – full size
Illamasqua LTD lip & eye pencil- full size
Nume Style arganics Argan oil
Perfumies solid perfume stick- full size
Skin&CO Roma truffle serum

And not to mentions I also received two gift cards to Nume website for a $100 and a gift card to Skin&CO for a face set sampler!

Stay fabulous,
Arki

Love River Island <3

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River Isalnd is definitely my favorite brand out there. I enjoy how they mix the different patterns and come up with a brilliant piece. I own a few of their pieces, and I would like to add these babies to my closet. The print T’s are so in now. They would look great paired with a blazer, some skinny jeans, and a wedge. The peplum top is everywhere these days. I love how it is sleeveless. That dress.. Oh that dress is beautiful. It combines my two favorite prints: leopard & houndstooth. I l Love River Island &lt;3
I own a similar dress; however it is sleeveles, and let me tell you, it hugs the body in the right spots and accentuates your curves. The perfect fit for me!

River island dress
$56 – riverisland.com

River island
$40 – riverisland.com

River Island print tee
$32 – riverisland.com

River Island tiger tank
$32 – riverisland.com

River island
$29 – riverisland.com

River Island print tee
$25 – riverisland.com

River Island leather jacket
$120 – riverisland.com

River Island padded jacket
$95 – riverisland.com

NARS Cosmetics eyeshadow
saksfifthavenue.com

Nail polish
beauty.com

November Ipsy

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So here’s what I got from Ipsy (formerly known as MyGlam) for the month of November.
Nailtini nail polish in Millionaire
Chella eyebrow defining gel
Bare Minerals marvelous Moxie lipgloss in Dare Devil
Meet Matt(e) eyeshadow from the Balm in Matt Batali
And finally
Starlet Cosmetics black eye pencil

❤ happy Saturday!
Arki

Luxury Wishlist

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Now this must be my most expensive wish-list of all. I have been dreaming of visiting Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. I’ve always wanted to spend my Honeymoon by the Mediterranean; however, with all the wedding planning and stress, that never happened. I have been married for almost 18 months now, I am hoping and praying that our second wedding anniversary will be celebrated on the shores of the Mediterranean. Luxury Wishlist

Fashion Wishlist

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Fashion Wishlist

Beauty.com Haul

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Beauty.com Haul

There are a few things on my wish list that I have been wanting to get for the longest time. On a daily basis, I come across a product or an item that I would like to try, and I end up adding it to my wish list until it became enormous and unmanageable; therefore, I decided to dig in it and treat myself to some of the items I’ve been wanting.
This is my first time ordering from Beauty.com. It is one of my new favorite sites and the customer service is amazing. On top of that, they always have amazing deals, gifts, and coupons.

My Haul:
L’Occitane Exfoliant Lumiére Minute (brightening instant exfoliator)
Amande Huile Tonique (firming and anti-water tonic body Oil)
L’Occitane Regard Radieux Eye Roll On
IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer
Beauty Blender

and finally got Bioderma Cleanser from Amazon.

Well, this is the start. There are still a lot more items on the list and for some reason, the list never gets any smaller, on the contrary, it keeps growing.

Refinery29 + Glossy Box = I am down!

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I just received an email from Refinery29 shop about the Glossy Box deal. Now, it has been a few months since I first heard about the Glossy box from different Youtube Beauty Gurus and have been wanting to jump on that wagon. Well, today was the day. I received an email from Refinery29 as they have partnered with Glossy Box for a 3 month subscription and offereing hand picked items by Refinery29 experts. Being a true fan of Refinery29, I though this was the best news ever, and not to mention the 3 boxes were for $60.00 and I had this coupon code for $10.00 off! FANTASTIC.

 

Scroll down fro coupon code..

 

If interested in this deal, click here to sign up for Refinery29 awesome deals and here is a $10.00 off coupon code “OrianaR29Shops”

Printed Leggings and Jeggings!

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One of the things I am looking forward in the fall is this Printed leggings/jeggings trend! I get so sad when I think of how the summer is ending so soon, I mean where the heck did it go? That’s the reason I always rely on fashion, beacuase no matter how sad I get, or how much the weather tries to put me down, trends that are fun as this will always bring me back to the summer’s happy bright mood. Bring it on!
Printed Leggings and Jeggings!

Skinny legging
urbanoutfitters.com

BDG slim fit pants
urbanoutfitters.com

BDG high rise legging
urbanoutfitters.com

BDG slimming legging
urbanoutfitters.com

BDG high rise legging
urbanoutfitters.com

Food Truck Hopping

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Today, my bestie and I decided to hop on the shuttle and go to Farragut Square in DC for some Food Truck hopping. This was my first time at Farruget Square and I loved it. If you’ve been to DC, you know how the weather always plays a major role in any outdoor activity. Luckily, it was gorgeous out! We had to make a few minor seating adjustments by running away from the sun and hiding under those enormous trees.

Once we got there, a few of the vendors were still setting up; therefore, we decided to take a walk around the Square and check out what everyone had to offer. There were more than ten food trucks in that area. After observing all those trucks, we made a decision!

We chose two trucks: Far East Taco Grille and Korengy Bibimbap.

We had: Chicken, Pork, and Steak Tacos with variety of toppings. We took the owner’s advice with what goes well with each protein. It turned out to be delicious and perfect!

We got the Beef Bibimbap with the works. Just perfect!

 

I can tell you that we made the perfect decision. Both meals were amazing! The Tacos were spot on and the Bibimbap was so fresh and perfectly made. This is definitely one of the many times I am planning on visiting the Farragut Square. If you are ever in the DC area, do yourself a favor and stop by those food trucks.. Hey, you might find me there!

You can click here to check out the expanding list of all those Food Trucks around DC, their location(s), and schedules.

Well, we couldn’t leave without having a little bit of Froyo!

Happy it is Friday tomorrow!

Inspire me!

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A couple of inspirations for today

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Click me ^

Evil eye symbols are something I grew up with, it is part of my culture! Lately, it became very popular and almost everyone around the globe owns an evil eye piece or has seen it in some piece of art. I personally own a few pieces. I will be listing new jewelry pieces featuring the Evil Eye to my Etsy store within the next month. Stay Tuned!

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Image from Zhush – click me ^

I am loving the color combo in this picture. Purple has been one of my top favorite colors. I love the paint color and how it is accented with the deep turquoise sofa, while both colors are brought together in that tufted ottaman. Briliant!

Obsessed with..

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I recently bought 3 amazing items from Zara. Oh Em Gee, I cannot get over my neon blazer!
I am sure this particular piece will be worn to death. Oh, and those heels I got, I cannot get over them either. They are very feminine, yet edgy. They are very sexy!

Take an advice from me, and run to Zara. They have the most amazing pieces for this summer!

Arki

Persian Garden

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Who else feels guilty when spraying perfume on? Who doesn’t like perfumes that much?
Well, I will admit that I am probably one of those few people who do not like perfume that much. I’d rather use a nice fabric softener with a nice refreshing smell than wearing a perfume. I love lotions and body washes, but perfumes are not my thing.
However, today, while shopping at Whole Foods, I came across the oil perfume section. I fell in love with this particular smell “Persian Garden”. It is so musky, yet sweet. I love musky smells. They are so warm and inviting. I had to have it. Not to mention, it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals, it’s a pure fragrance oil.

This will be my first fragrance oil. It is so tiny that it fits in my wallet. Perfect for the days on-the-go. I will definitely go back to purchase a few more of those smells, such as the Egyptian Musk and the Tunisian Jasmine.

Smell good, feel good, and go green.

Arki

Target Haul

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If you like Macadamia Natural products, or have been wanting to try them for the longest time like me, then run to target and buy two for the price of ONE!
I heard great things about those products, and I cannot wait to use them. I am loving everything I got and super excited to use them.

Arki

Chanel Jumbo

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So I have been dreaming of owning one of the Chanel Jumbo Flap bags for the longest time; however, it seems like I can never afford its price tag. But, it is ok, I will keep on dreaming till I get my hands on one. It is bound to happen one day! [stay positive 🙂 ].

In the meantime, while I am daydreaming about my Chanel bag, I came across these gorgeous bags from Kate Spade! Those bags are gorgeous. Oh My!

 

 

 

Click on me to find me.
 
They are even more beautiful in person. Here’s a couple pictures:

I absolutely love the quilted design, well maybe because it reminds me of my dear Chanel bag, but without the price tag.

I also came across this gorgeous Vince Camuto bag. The color is so beautiful. I have been obsessed with this green color lately.

And now, one of the second most favorite bag which comes after my beloved Chanel is this Marc Jacobs Stam Quilted Satchel. Oh Em Gee, it is so gorgeous! And, Yes, of course, the quilted design again!

Now, until I can get my hand on all these gorgeous bags, I will stick around with this bag I got at Marshalls for only $20.00 🙂

 

Happy Friday!

Arki

BBQ Leftovers to Makeover? Easy

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Many times, we tend to grill enough chicken to feed an army! So what do we do with the leftovers when we realize that?

BBQ chicken leftovers are not the best on the second day. The chicken tends to become more dry as it loses some of its juice and marinade. Well, no problem, I got a solution: Creative BBQ pizza!

It is quick, easy, and very DELICIOUS!

Here are the steps and ingredients:

1. Shred the leftover bbq chicken.

2. Decide what vegetables you’d like to have with it. I used: Spinach, Organic Cherry Tomatoes, Grilled onions, and on some, I used olive spread.

You will also need some BBQ sauce, your favorite cheese, and a few Pita/tortilla bread.

First, spread the BBQ sauce along with the olive spread on top of the Pita or Tortilla bread.

Second, add the spinach on top.

Then, add the BBQ chicken pieces and the grilled onions.

Then, add the cherry tomatoes on top and cover with a layer of cheese. In this case, I chose Chipotle Gouda Cheese.

Place it on a tray lined with aluminum foil, put it in the oven for 4 minutes on Broil (The time can change depending on your preference. I like to take it out when all the cheese melts and can hear and see the sauce sizzling) .

Now, ENJOY the delicious, quick, and easy BBQ chicken makeover!

The Genuine Blogger & Sunshine Tag

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I noticed a few of these awards floating on some of the amazing blogs I read, and I am happy to know that Hiba from Cloud of Lace nominated me to this award. I think of these more of a tag though, which connects you with other bloggers.

The sunshine award requires you to tag 10 other bloggers and letting them know they were mentioned on your blog. Well, call me lazy, but I am going to switch this up and mention top 5 blogs that I truly enjoy reading. Now after you finish reading this post, I tag you to do the same thing. [Now it is more fun as a tag. No, you do not have to thank me 🙂 ]

The only requirement, I would say, is to mention/link the last blogger you saw the tag at before adopting it.

1. LIVE SIMPLY, TRAVEL LIGHTLY, LOVE PASSIONATELY & DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE

2. The Scrumptious Pumpkin

3. Huda Beauty 

4. Ms. Brooke P.

Now here are the Tag questions:

  • Favorite color: Green
  • Favorite number: 4
  • Favorite Non-alcoholic drink: Water
  • Facebook or Twitter: Facebook
  • My Passion: Decorating and Designing
  • Favorite pattern: Chevron.
  • Favorite Print: Leopard
  • Favorite Day of the Week: Sunday
  • Favorite Flower: Orchids & Tulips

 

Now get it this going 🙂

 

Arki

May Birchbox vs. myglam Bag

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This month, I received the Gossip Girl Birchbox edition. I would like to share what I received with you. Let’s start:

Here is what came in it:

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. Beautyblender Cleanser [not sure how this going to be beneficial to me since I do not own a beauty blender yet. It would have been nice if it came with one 🙂 ]

. BVLGARI Omnia Crystalline Eau de Toilette Spray [i am not fond of those mini tube perfumes]

. Dr. Jart + Waterfuse BB Cream [interested in trying this BB]

. Eyeko Fat Eye Stick in Satin Taupe [not bad, I have to test it and see how good it is during the day]

. Twistband Hair Tie [this is the second time they send one of those ties]

. A Notecrad [very random!]

Now, onto the myglam bag and what it had:

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. Philosophy Love Sweet Love Spray Fragrance 

. Studio Gear Complete Color Lipstick in Cinnabar [not too fond of the color 😦 ]

. Miss Beauty Nail Bling [ it claims that it lasts for 10 days on. W shall find out!]

. Myglam Concealer Brush & Defining Eyeliner Brush [two more brushes to add o the collection]

I feel like this months subscriptions were not that great. I wish the Studio Gear lipstick came in a different shade. Anywho, I love receiving those two little packages in the mail every month. It is something to look forward to! 

Have you heard about the GlossyBox and how it is coming to the USA. Anyone else interested in that?

Arki

A new Love!

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I think I just discovered a new love! I am drooling over Deux Lux bags. Oh Em Gee!

They are the cutest bags I have ever seen. The colors, the designs, the patterns, the fun details, and the quality all are just so wonderful!

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The hardest part is going to be me trying to decide which color combo I love the most.. Ahhh it is going to be so hard!

Boy do they have an eye for color and details. I am so in love!

Right now they have an amazing deal on Refinery29. You can get $120 worth of shopping when you only pay $60! YES I love deals. It justifies my spending, or at least I’d love to think that it does.

Happy Shopping!

Arki

Anna Dello Russo for H&M. Who’s excited?

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I love all the collaborations H&M does with different designers and now, for the first time, with a Fashion Director. Who’s better than Anna Dello Russo? I am super excited for this collection. It will be available in around 140 stores worldwide and online on October 4, 2012. The collection features jewelry, sunglasses, shoes, and bags!

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How amazing do these pieces look?

Check out her video talking about the collection. “Fashion is my Language!”

(Picture via Anna Dello Russo blog)

HomeGoods Haul

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HomeGoods has to be one of my favorite stores for the home. If you are not familiar with HomeGoods, it is like TJMaxx and Marshalls, but for the house and furniture. In fact, all three of them are different branches of one company. That explains why you might see the same piece at all three stores, and all sharing the same prices.

I moved into my new house at the beginning of September,2011. Even though the hubby and I have been in that house for almost nine months now, the house is far from being complete. I still have rooms with no furniture, naked walls, and empty bathrooms. In the past week, I made a few purchases that I will share with you, in future posts, once I receive them. Today, however, I’d like to share with you the little things I bought from Home Goods.

 

I am so in love with the smell of Au Lait. It is so soft and relaxing. I got soap, hand moisturizer, and body butter.

I normally try to avoid purchasing books, but I was in the mood for some and they were informative and cute.

My house is missing so many pictures. Therefore, I decided to start framing some.

I thought these would look so cute on the tray in one of my bathrooms.

I absolutely love this. Once I saw this, I instantly knew where it is going to go and it made me decide on the color scheme fro my powder room.

These will match the powder room theme.

 

 

I will keep you posted on the updates around my house.

Arki

myGalm vs. Birchbox April

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So this took me forever to post! i have been super duper busy lately, that there are stacks of post it notes all over my office for things I NEED to do. i have lists and lists of DIY I’d love to do, products that I’ve been wanting to buy and try, and other things i need to organize and build around the house. I will take you with me during all those upcoming projects.

For now, let me share with you what I received in both of my Birchbox and myglam bag for this month. I received my Birchbox on April 11th, and myglam bag got here a day or two after that.

Birchbox had:

Atlier Cologne- Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue

Marula The Leakey Collection- Omega Rich Pure Marula oil

Waleda- pomegranate Firming Night Cream

Zoya- TRUE Spring Collection

Yes To Blueberries- Brightening Facial Towelettes

In myGlam I received:

All-Belle- Eyelashes

Urban Decay- 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil

Dermstore- Lip Quench Moisture Infused Lip Treatment

myglam- All Over Eyeshadow Brush & Eyeliner Brush

Plus the little cute pouch as usual.

for this month, I think they both win!

First of all, they got here around my birthday, which was sweet. Also, they both have decent collection and products that will be useful to me. The lashes from myGlam look pretty, the brushes will be handy and I can add them now the one i received last month. The Waleeda night cream and Yes To Bluberries towelettes will be great for traveling this summer. I just noticed the name of the Zoya nail polish is Farah (aww it means Happiness in Arabic), that’s cute!

The products from both subscriptions are great, and I am pretty happy with this month’s choices.

Arki

Easy Organic?

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So over the weekend, I got a delivery package from Arganica. It is the mid-Atlantic’s premier locally sourced food club. It grants you access to a variety of local farm-fresh and organic foods. However, it doesn’t stop there, they deliver it to your footstep every week on a day you specify!

 

It is a great service, especially for those with tight schedules and who like to have organic food in their household, yet do not have the time to shop for it.

I stumbled upon Arganica on Living Social. They had a deal for One-Month Membership, One Mixed Organic & Local Produce Crate, One $25 Gift Certificate, One Issue of Flavor Magazine and all for $45. It sounded appealing and decided to try it out.

 

When buying a crate, you have two options: All Local or Mixed crate. The difference between the two is the source of the produce. I went with the Mixed crate as it was ten dollars cheaper.

The crate was delivered Sunday morning at 9:45am. The produce looked so fresh and beautiful! Some of the items I received were apples, pears, strawberries, onions, green onions, broccoli, Kale (I think), tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. I also received the Flavor magazine.

 

I am not so much of an organic buyer; however, I am working on becoming one. Therefore, I cannot really judge the price, but to me it seems very reasonable as it was delivered to my house, I received great quality produce, and not to mention it is all organic!

 

I will be using the $25 gift certificate soon for my next crate.

I definitely recommend checking their website to see if they deliver in your area. I think you should give it a try, especially if you are a busy person.

 

 

Stay healthy and beautiful!

Arki