Irresistibly Cute // The Face Shop x KaKao Friends

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Do you have a tough time resisting these adorable KaKao Friends, too?  Hope you've enjoyed this post and thanks for stopping by!

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24 Hours in New York City // Korea Town Beauty Shopping & Yummy Dessert Tasting

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My brother flew in from Asia and one of his short stops was New York City, so I flew down there to meet up with him.  We had some great meals and museum visits, but of course, when it came to beauty shopping in Korea Town, he opted out.  No worries, my trusted roommate from college @concon95 (who lives in NYC) was more than happy to go with me since she's just starting to dabble into the exciting world of Asian Beauty!

Given my 24-hours time limit in the city, I could only afford to be in K-Town for 1.5 hours.  It's not an issue as it was a Sunday and all the shops were pretty quiet.  I drew up this so-not-to-scale map of the key part of K-Town we ventured to - On West 32nd St, between Broadway and 5th Ave.  In this short block, you can hit all the major K-Beauty brands and taste some super yummy Korean food and desserts.

~ FUeling up before our express shopping spree ~

I've been to a few really great dessert places in NYC, but I've never ventured into K-Town before.  I did some homework prior to arrival and found Grace Street as one of the new faces in the K-Town dessert scene.  It has some rave reviews and it sure did not disappoint! 

P.S. I included 2 honorary mentions on the map for food - BCD Tofu House (which I frequently visit in California and love their tofu stews) and H-Mart (which is a Korean supermarket...I don't think I need to tell you why it's a must-see!)

~ ready for some k-beauty shopping?? ~

With that yummy meal in our stomach, @concon95 and I said goodbye to Miss S and began our express shopping spree.  

 

// The face shop //

 

// nature republic //

 

// The Mask Bar//

~ must shop more! ~

I can't believe I live so close to New York City and I don't go down there more often!  But now that I know all the "treasures" I can find there, plus having found my new Asian Beauty shopping buddy, I'll be making more visits to the fabulous Big Apple.  I do want to venture into Chinatown on my next trips to explore other Asian Beauty brands that are not available in K-Town.  Any suggestions on other Asian Beauty brands I should explore?  Leave me a comment below!

~ and i want to share this with you... ~

Needless-to-say, @concon95 and I have collected quite a few pieces of new masks to try (and nose strips for her)!  It's been so much fun reading all of your mask reviews on Instagram and I love it when you ladies share some honest insights to help me figure out if a mask is "worthy" to be added to the stash.  With that inspiration in mind, I am launching a new series where me and a few guest writers will share our utmost honest reviews on sheet masks we love and, sometimes, meh, not love.  I hope you'll join us on this new adventure on Hula With Me!

Thanks for stopping by!

If you're curious about the other legs of my NYC adventure, click links below for previous posts:

The Food Edition @ Caracas Arepa Bar + Spot Dessert

All About MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)

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Skin Health Series 1.2 // Taking Skin Health Beyond Rituals & Products

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// Part Two //

Taking Skin Care Beyond Rituals and Products - Improving Your Skin Health Through Food

Continuing our skin health journey in this part two of the Skin Health Series.  If you've missed part one, where I've discussed in length the "what" and the "why" behind a multi-steps skin care ritual, I'd recommend reading that first (check it out here).  It'll help you connect to today's story much better!

I also used to focus only on the skin care and the associated products.  Nothing wrong with that at all as they are integral parts of our overall skin health.  At the same time, I've learned that what we eat and how we live also play a key role.

Oh gosh, I love to eat and my favorite foods may not be considered super "healthy".  But similar to skin care, we don't have to follow the trend because the key is to create balance - Eating my beloved Asian desserts every night wouldn't be the best choice for me, so I balance it with fruits on most nights.  Remember, key word here is "balance"!

A friend recently asked me if she should do a detox.  My own experience didn't turn out that great...I almost fainted at work!  I've since opted for adding more fruits and veggies to my eating habits as not to shock my body like that again.  The key here is the same as in skin care - Listen to your body!  For me, my body didn't like detox, so I look for a different way to cleanse my body.  I'll share some my of favorite foods along with their skin health benefits and super easy recipes that you can make! 

I'm sharing my personal skin health journey with you and, same with skin care products, foods or habits that my body takes in well may or may not work for you.  Always listen to your body and cater to your own needs.  Also, always consult with your family doctor or nutritionist on any dietary needs or if you have any pre-existing health conditions. 

1. You start to think of your skin in terms of overall skin health that incorporates rituals, products and eating habits.

2. Always listen to your skin and your body. 

3. Skin health is a journey and there's no shortcut to it, but the rewards that you get along the way are simply priceless.

Ready to take your skin health one step further?

Let's go!!!

skin health super hero nutrients

As I was thinking about how I should write this post, I realize there are soooooo many nutrients and foods that have great skin health benefits and I can probably write a 100-pages blog post about them all!  But of course, who has the time to read that and I definitely want to give you something that you can easily absorb and, more importantly, take action on!  So I've narrowed down to these 3 "super hero" nutrients based on the foods I eat regularly and on the promise that the recipes are super easy to make.

~ 1. Antioxidant ~

~ 2. omega-3 fatty acids ~

~ 3. vitamin b6 ~

Now it's time to feed our skin some yummy goodness!

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a terrible cook!  Fortunately, my mom has some exceptional cooking skills and I occasionally figure out a way to copy some of her causally-whip-together recipes.  She's also probably the healthiest 60+ person I've known and it's because she understands how her food affects her body.  Despite our occasional disagreements, she remains my motivation in my quest to live a balanced life, inside and out.  Enough of my mushy stuff, let's move onto the fun part!

First, I want to share this chart with you - These are the foods I eat regularly and I dub them "Skin Health Super Foods" because they contain the skin health nutrients we've just talked about.

Now that you have a good idea of what skin health goodness these foods provide, I'm going to share below how I incorporate them into my everyday eating habits! I promise you that these are very easy to make!

~ Chia seeds + blueberries ~

Perfect For // Breakfast, Snacks

Substitutions // Any toppings will work!  If you want protein, you can add protein powder or bananas.

 

~ matcha + bananas ~

Perfect For // Breakfast, Snacks, pre/post workout snack.

Substitutions // You can use any type of milk.  I use almond milk because it's dairy-free.

 

~ carrots ~

Perfect For // Lunch, Dinner (with entrees or side dishes).

Substitutions // I would stick with carrots as the base and sub green carrots/radishes (if you don't like them) with tomatoes or melons.  You basically want at least two kinds of veggies to get a good flavor.  Note: Tomatoes are not suitable for people with GERD or suffer from heartburn.

 

~ carrots + beets ~

Perfect For // Lunch, Dinner (with entrees or side dishes).

Substitutions // I would stick with carrots as the base and sub beets (if you don't like them) with tomatoes or melons.  Note: Tomatoes are not suitable for people with GERD or suffer from heartburn.

 

~ avocado ~

Perfect For // Breakfast, lunch, pre/post workout snack.

Substitutions // You can use any kind of bread.  Also, you can switch out the toppings, but definitely stick with at least the boiled eggs.

 

~ strawberries ~

Perfect For // Dessert, snack.

Share The Love // This is a recipe by the fab Mary-June who runs Southern Meets Urban blog.  Mary-June is a nutritionist by training and a mom of twin girls.  She is always cooking up something in her kitchen and whipping up what I call magic with her Vitamix.  For more of her recipes, go check out her blog here.

Many thanks

I had so much fun writing this particular post because I get to talk about foods I love!  I hope you've enjoyed it as well!! 

In full disclosure, the list of recipes here is a combination of my trial and error, my mom's homecooking and word-of-mouth from friends.

I've narrowed down the content for ease of reading, but if you have questions about anything in particular, comment below or email me...I'd be happy to help dive in further!

I also want to say thank you to all of you who have been super supportive of this blog and just want to send you lots of hugs and kisses!!! 

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Skin Health Series 1.1 // The "What" & The "Why" Behind a Multi-Steps Skin Care Ritual

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// Part One //

What Is A Multi-Steps Skin Care Ritual + Reasons Behind Each Step

A few friends recently asked me what the steps really are and how they would know what products they should use.  And that prompted me to write this series on skin care ritual and share what I've learned throughout my skin health journey!

I used to dive head first into the products and the trends, but now I realize it's most important for me to first understand the reasons behind each step in the ritual.  When you become well-informed about the "why", then finding products your skin loves comes much easier.  

This is why I look at it as a "ritual" because it is something that allows you to connect at a deeper level with your body.  It is beyond just the mere action of putting products on your face.  And since our skin is the largest organ in our body (yes it's true!), it needs all the love we can give to it, both inside and out!  

1. You will always listen to your skin. 

2. You will become a well-informed skin care lover who will make your own choices and not the choices brands want you to make.

Ready to jump start your own skin health journey?

Let's go!!!

skin care ritual At a glance

Here is a look at the multi-step skin care ritual from 30,000 feet

Notice I am showing no more than 8 steps and can be less based on your skin.  That's all you need - Don't believe in the urban myth that you have to use 20 products all at once to maintain your skin health!

one step at a time!

I made these play cards below to help you understand why each step exists, what to look out for, and how to maximize each step.  I will minimize product talks as what works for my skin may or may not work for yours.  However, I'm happy to share my thoughts on the ones I do use.  Just ask away!

Also, in case you want to have a hard-copy of these play cards, you can download a copy by clicking on the Dropbox file link at the end of this story.

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Let's start with your Day Time Ritual

(Note: 4 of the 5 steps will be repeated in your night time ritual)

~ 1. CLEANSE ~

 

~ 2. tone ~

 

~ 3. treat specific needs ~

 

~ 4. moisturize ~

 

~ 5. apply sunscreen ~

Time to pause for any questions...

I know we've covered a lot in just this section, but hey, we're talking about your skin, so the more informed you are, the better it is for maintaining your skin health!  If you have questions at this point, ask away because I want to make sure you have a good understanding every step of the way!

Now let's talk about your Night Time ritual

Notice 4 of your day time steps will be repeated at night.  I'll be focusing on the 2 steps indicated by the white circles above that are dedicated to your night time ritual.

~ 1. remove makeup & sunscreen ~

 

~ 2. weekly bonus treats ~

Time to pause for any questions...

I know you're in an information overload stage right now, so I'll stop here.  I hope so far I've helped you gain a better understanding of what a multi-steps skin care ritual looks like and, more importantly, the reasons behind the different steps.  Again, ask away with any questions.

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create your own mini book of skin care rituals

Click on the link below for a printable version of all the play cards that you can turn into your own mini book of skin care ritual.  This file is in PDF format.  If you'd like it in other formats, email me and I'll do my best to get you a version that works for you!

http://bit.ly/printable-skin-care-ritual-playcards

coming up next...

I am a firm believer that skin health includes not only skin care (products, rituals) but also food intake.  In the next post, I'll share a few of my favorite foods along with some simple recipes.  In the meantime, if you have any questions about anything we've discussed today, don't hesitate to ask me! You can comment below or, if you prefer a more direct route, email me here.

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