Los Angeles trip: Part 1

This past weekend contained both a happy and sad anniversary. It has become tradition for both my boyfriend and I to get away for the weekend and since we weren't able to go desert camping we decided on our usual trip up to Los Angeles. I really do love Los Angeles in small spurts so a two or three day trip is perfect. Lots of driving and walking was involved but it still ended up being a relaxing two day getaway.

Our first stop on our trip was lunch in the Fashion District. Down a tiny nondescript alley is Bronzed Aussie. Blink and you'll miss the sign for it. Bronzed Aussie is a must eat for me because of my love for meat pies. The owner was working there on our last trip up and you could tell how much pride she takes in her food; her face lit up when we said that the pie we had was delicious. This trip we each got a pie. I went with the standard mince pie while my boyfriend got the chicken, bacon and mushroom. The crust was light and flaky on both even after being in a warmer for awhile. The mince pie needed no added sauce. It was filled with tomato flavor and the gravy was top notch. The chicken pie was also delicious but needed a tiny bit of hot sauce. The flavor of the chicken pie was on point but on the milder side.

Alleyway with Bronzed Aussie to the left

Mince pie (left) and the chicken bacon mushroom pie (right)

Bronzed Aussie 
714 S Los Angeles St a, Los Angeles, CA 90014

I wanted to explore more of the Fashion District this time around. We spent quite some time walking around and looking into the various textile, trim and leather shops that surround the area. I managed to find some remnant pieces for half off at Michael Levine's and we stumbled upon a leather shop with $20 hides. I picked up a gorgeous deep purple and rose gold hide. It has some shine and almost looks like the purple was hand painted on. The hide is large enough that I will be able to make more than a few card cases and simple clutches out of it. Santee Alley was also an interesting place. I can see why people flock to it; cheap prices and rows upon rows of shops. I will admit that some of the clothing was pricier than I thought it should be but then again, I've done a lot of looking on AliExpress.

The leather shop

Grand Central Market

After our walk around the Fashion District we rested a couple hours before heading out downtown. Some happy hour drinks at Seven Grand and food from Grand Central Market were in order! We have our own version of Grand Central Market down here in San Diego (Liberty Public Market) but for some reason I prefer L.A.'s version and I can't pin point why. Maybe because it's a bit more gritty and market-like than ours. Like the last time we were there my boyfriend and I split up our meals. I opted for the curried shrimp from Bombo and the boyfriend chose the maccheroni and cheese with added prosciutto from Knead & Co.

Curried shrimp from Bombo

The curried shrimp has generous portions of large shrimp in it and was served in a creamy curry broth along with crushed peanuts, chili paste, roasted onion, kabocha squash, potatoes and rice. It was surprisingly spicy, the good kind. The heat built up the more you ate but the flavors of everything all blended well together. The jumbo shrimp were just a tad overcooked but that may be because I let my dish sit for an extra 5 minutes while my boyfriend waited for his pasta.

Maccheroni and cheese from Knead & Co.

My boyfriend ended up loving his maccheroni and cheese but then again, he's a cheese fiend. Made up of three cheeses (fontina fonduta, goat cheese and mozzerella) it was on the milder side of mac and cheese but all the flavors shown through. He added prosciutto to it and the saltiness of the meat played well with the mild cheese.

McConnell's Fine Ice Cream

After our filling meals we wandered around a bit and ended up sharing an iced coffee from Valerie's (G&B Coffee was closed) and two scoops of ice cream from McConnell's Fine Ice Cream. The ice cream was fantastic. Dense but still light and didn't start melting right after being scooped (which is great because we spent more than a few minutes watching a small protest march by). The churros con leche flavor was packed full of cinnamon and had bits of chewy batter pieces in it. The other flavor we tried, eureka lemon and marionberries, was my favorite. It was tart and tangy with the sweetness from the marionberries. Very refreshing and it paired well with the cinnamon from the churros con leche.

Grand Central Market

317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Overall, our first day was a success. I may have mixed up our museums (don't ask) but the sights, food and drinks made the day a fantastic one.

October Favorites

I can't believe it's already November! October went by far too quickly

My favorites list this month is fairly small. I've tried quite a few new things but only a handful have made it into my daily routine. 

1. Pure & Aqua Purequa moisture water cleansing sheets ($4.98 for 50 sheets): I'm usually not a big fan of makeup remover wipes but some days you either get lazy or just need a quick cleaning when you get home from work and it's too early to start your night routine. I picked up a pack of these sheets at Marukai and I really, really enjoy them. The sheets are fairly large and moist and feel gentle when removing makeup. Instead of feeling dry afterward my skin feels slightly moisturized due to the hyaluronic acid in the sheets. 

2. Korres bergamot pear hand cream ($14.50 for 2.54 oz): Thanks to the weather and all the fabric dyeing I've been doing my hands have been extremely dry. None of my standard hand creams have felt moisturizing enough. Korres' is great; it's thick and super moisturizing but sinks in fast and doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy (which is a hell no in my book). The scent is also light and fresh. I feel like this tube is going to last me months since a little goes a long way. 

3. Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot powder ($16.00 for 0.31 oz): I'll admit that I only owned this powder for a few days in October but I already know that it's one of my new favorites. It goes on smooth and doesn't irritate any of my dry spots while, at the same time, helping out the oil slick that is my t-zone. I tend to use quite a bit of powder and unlike some that I've used in the past I don't look overly powdery with it. I still need to blot during lunchtime but that's a given. The price point of this powder is also stellar, especially when you use one of Ulta's ever present coupons on it 

4. Too Faced Hangover replenishing face primer ($32.00 for 1.35 oz): I used to think primers were kind of gimmicky but then again, maybe I just hadn't found the right one for me. I had a deluxe sample size of this primer and really enjoyed it; so much so that I'll be purchasing a full size during the Sephora sale. It played well with both my oily t-zone and dry cheeks. My foundation (ABH stick foundation) blended in beautifully and my dry spots stayed moisturized. It even seemed to help my t-zone from becoming too much like an oil slick. 

5. Urban Decay Vice lipstick in sheer Shame ($17.00 for 0.11 oz): After trying out Glossier's Generation G line I've kind of fallen in love with sheer lipsticks. The unfortunate thing is that the Glossier line seemed to dry out my lips something fierce after daily use. To replace my favorite shade, Jam, I turned to Urban Decay's sheer Shame. It's a gorgeous berry, not as deep as Jam, and slightly glossy. Shame is fairly moisturizing and has decent staying power for a sheer. It's a great everyday work appropriate lipstick. One swipe will give you a barely there flush and two or three will give you a deeper berry. 

Lately

I'll admit that it's been more than a few weeks since my last post. I sort of let things run away from me and this blog fell by the wayside.

Lately my time has been taken up by work, school and practicing textile design. Currently I'm focusing on shibori which, in layman's terms, is basically the Japanese version of tie dye but elevated. Right now I've been practicing my itajime shibori which is a technique where you fold pieces of fabrics and clamp them prior to dyeing. Clamping the pieces using wooden or acrylic blocks allows parts of the fabric to resist the dye and remain white. I've done shibori work before with an indigo vat but it was a challenge, at first, trying it out with procion dyes. Patience is key and patience isn't exactly something I'm well known for.

It's a fun experiment and I finally managed to figure out the best way to achieve a good deep black in a cold dye bath. Typically any kind of black dye needs a hot bath but after a couple (well, more than a couple) small projects I've managed to achieve a blue tinged black that I'm totally in love with. I've also managed to figure out how to get crisp white resists against my dyes. The semi faded look is great with natural indigo but I really disliked how it looked against my black and amethyst shades.

Now that project after itajime project is coming out how I want them to it's time to try out the arashi (pole wrapping) method!

(the projects above are all available in my shop right now)

Recent Eats

Some photos from recent eats I've had. Two meals at an old standby and one meal at a freshly opened restaurant I've been following with bated breathe for months.

I ended up at Rakiraki twice in one week. Once for lunch with my aunt, the second with my boyfriend so a late night meal after a Saturday closing shift. I ended up with the sesame tofu don both times because it's just that good. We ordered the chinois custom gyoza Saturday night and, while small, the gyoza were delicious. Nice and moist inside and the gyoza casing had a slight chew to them. I really do need to try more things off their vast menu. Next up I plan to try their fried rice. I've been craving a good Japanese-style fried rice (chahan) ever since one of my childhood favorites closed down many years ago.

Rakiraki Ramen and Tsukemen
4646 Convoy St #102-A, San Diego CA 92111

www.rakirakiramen.com

Pop Pie Co. soft opened the other week and I couldn't wait until their official grand opening. I'll admit, savory pies are one of my favorite foods and I've been waiting for what seems like years to my food addicted mind for Pop Pie Co. to open. 

The soft opening menu was limited but we snagged a steak and ale pie, chicken pot pie, gravy with mashed potatoes and creamed corn. Everything was delicious and you know that a pie crust is good when it's still light and flaky after sitting in a pie warmer! $8 for a pie may seem like much but the pies are quality and will fill you up. With a side a meal ends up being $11. I hope they end up doing a mince pie. I'd love to see how it stacks up to The Bronzed Aussie up in Los Angeles.

Pop pie Co. officially opens tomorrow October 8th.

Pop Pie Co.

4404 Park Blvd, San Diego CA 92116

www.poppieco.com

September Favorites

I can't believe that tomorrow is the official start of October already. I guess the months really do go by quicker when you're older.

This month my favorites are pretty much all skincare related. The mash up of heat, cold, humidity and dryness we've been experiencing lately in Southern California has really done a number on my skin so my focus has been on combating everything the weather has thrown at it.

1. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum ($5.90 for 30ml): First off, I'll admit that I haven't been using this long enough to see a drastic change in my skin but I have seen some good results in the few weeks that I've incorporated it into my routine. I have less redness and the closed comedones and pimples that do occasionally pop up are smaller and not as apparent. I really like what The Ordinary is doing: bare bones formulas at fantastic prices. The niacinamide serum I purchased is slightly viscous and dries fairly matte so don't expect a super hydrating serum. I also enjoy the minimalist packaging and the dropper gives out the perfect amount of product for my whole face. I plan on trying their retinol and vitamin c serums soon. 

2. Humphrey's lilac witch hazel skin softening toner (around $5.90 for 8oz): I was first attracted to this toner because of the label, it's gorgeous (thanks, aunt Jenny!). I recently ran out of my toner and when I saw the lilac version at Marshall's I snapped it up. The formula is great; it's alcohol free and has some great ingredients. Besides the witch hazel it also contains some of my favorite things: hyaluronic acid, all the teas and aloe. It's soothing but also takes off all the extra grime that my micellar water and foam cleanser leave behind. 

3. Etude House Sunprise Mild Airy Finish Sun Milk (about $11.50 for 1.85oz): I love Asian sunscreens. They're cosmetically elegant and wear great under makeup and they don't have that typical sunscreen smell to them. Out of the multitude that I've tried I think this Etude House one is my favorite so far. It's mattifying but doesn't dry out my skin like Biore's offerings do. It also sinks in quickly so I can be ready for makeup after only 10 minutes. The quicker my routine is in the AM, the better! This may be the first one since Shiseido's hada senka that I will actually repurchase. 

4. Anastasia Beverly Hills stick foundation ($25 for .32oz): I love the ease of use of stick foundations. A few swipes, blend and you're done. I've tried a few different offerings (Bobbi Brown, Hourglass and Revlon's though Revlon's is more for touch ups) and unfortunately they've been more geared towards normal to dry skin. They good great at first but after a few hours my oily skin shines through and it's not pretty. When ABH announced a stick foundation for us oily skinned guys and gals I knew that I had to try it, especially at that price point. So far it's been excellent. The formula is on the drier side so normal/dry skinned people will want to prep for that but the finish and wear time on me is fantastic. It's a natural matte finish and even though I still have to blot halfway through a work shift my skin looks natural and not like an oil slick. I can't attest to the full coverage claim but I really love how it looks applied with a Beauty Blender; I end up with a "my skin but better" look. 

More pillow designs

Here are two throw pillow cases I made this past week. The fronts are hand dyed cotton and the blacks are black cotton with an envelope closure. Both are currently in my shop with the ability to purchase an optional pillow insert.

I've been really enjoying this method of dyeing fabric but I will admit that I toss more than I keep. The method is very much centered around trial and error for me and if I'm not happy with the way a piece comes out there's no point in keeping it. Unfortunate since purchasing practice yardage eats quite a chunk out of my bi-weekly budget.

I really wish I was able to take better photos, colors in real life always look so much brighter. Unfortunately my almost but not quite a DSLR camera bit the dust recently so I'm relegated to using my phone for photos until I can save up for another camera.

Watercolor hand dyed throw pillow

 This hand dyed throw pillow was an experiment in color mixing. Using a handful of dyes I was able to achieve the colors you see above. I couldn't bear to cut this piece apart so I turned it into a square accent pillow. It's the perfect piece to add a pop of color to a bedroom or living room.

This piece measures approximately 15" by 15". The front is 100% hand dyed cotton and the back is a black 100% cotton. Hand finished with a polyester pillow insert. Now available in my shop.