Hey guys, I am back with another post today! I am so excited because this is my first travel post on my blog, back in August, I went to San Francisco for my 2nd time and just fell more in love with the city, I happened to see more and different areas. There were so many more places I visited, unfortunately at some locations I just did not happen to really take any photos. A few of my favorite areas that are not shown below include; Japantown, Ghirardelli Square, and Fisherman’s Wharf!
(Also, do not forget to click the photos for a clear look in the gallery).
Lombard Street (known as the crookedest street in the world) happened to be our first stop!
After Lombard Street, we approached Chinatown for some sight seeing.
Cool lanterns in Chinatown.
Later that night, my parents and I went to a Cubs vs. Giants game at night, It was so much fun.
On our second day we ended up taking a bus tour, our first stop was Alamo Square where there was this beautiful mosaic tile mural.
This is one of my all-time favorite photos, hence is why it’s my blog photo.
My iconic blog photo mosaic tiles.
During our visit through Alamo Square, we had to stop at the famous “Painted Ladies Houses”.
Time to cue in *The Full House Intro Theme song*.
Our tour bus then took us through the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which I had never visited before, a very unique funky area!
Fun fact: The Haight-Asbury Neighborhood is the origin of where the Hippie Movement began! Never forget, “make love, not war.”
Throughout our walk we visited vintage shops, grabbed some delicious pizza, and saw this cute lil guy outside of a hair salon.
Peace, Love, and Hippie Vibes!
On our third day, we took a bus to the beautiful town of Sausalito, located right over the Golden Gate Bridge, the temperature difference was crazy!
The Beautiful Coastline of Sausalito, a sunny 65 degrees.,
Taking a ferry back to San Francisco from Sausalito, we got off at the Port of San Francisco.
Bright and early, our last day in San Fran was unfortunately here, we began in downtown finding a hidden valley in the city.
Our first destination was Castro District, this was also a new area I had never been to.
We stopped at Hot Cookie, for a delicious cookie treat, the shop celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, definitely one of my favorite spots.
The Castro celebrates Gay culture and pride! ♡
Taking a break we stopped at the Mission Dolores Park, it was absolutely stunning and relaxing, my parents and I took a little nature nap.
Mission District is my favorite neighborhood in San Fran, there is so much to do and it is so lively.
As you can tell, I have a slight obsession with flowers, make sure to support your local street vendors!
Mission District embraces Mexican culture and the influence there is in the community. Murals cover the walls and inspiration is all around.
My favorite cute little bookstore that sells new and used books!
Cute little boutiques and shops are all down Valencia street in Mission District. (Before this I actually stopped at the Balm Cosmetics store!)
Fulfilled Wall art is found all down Valencia, mostly political change art!
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed my photo diary! Please feel free to comment below any questions you have on my experience or anything at all about my trip! If you guys would also like to see a travel guide of San Francisco, then give this post a like and comment down below so I know! If you enjoyed this post then do not forget to like it and please subscribe with your email in the sidebar, to be notified of new posts through your email, (be sure to confirm subscription in email) also make sure to follow me on my social media pages, down below!
Hello everyone, it is officially Friday, so happy weekend! I am back with another Ipsy post, of what I received in my Glam bag for the month of February! Personally, off of a first impression, both my January and February glam bags are neck and neck, however I do prefer this month’s theme and bag itself more than January’s. (See What’s in my Ipsy Glam Bag for January 2018?).
This month’s theme is “Unzipped”, about embracing everything you are. It is about redefining sexy, and that you are not limited to a specific size, shape, or age. I think this is a great theme especially for February, practicing self-love and celebrating the beauty everyone holds.
It cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Waterproof Concealer in Medium Tan
I am a huge fan of It Cosmetics, I love their CC+ cream, it’s my go-to! I have tried the concealer once before, and I will say I was not a huge fan. I felt that it was very heavy, and although it is full-coverage, it creased for me. I am willing to try this product again, because before the shade was actually too light for me, so fingers crossed for this one!
LUXIE 249 Double-Sided Eyeshadow Brush
I absolutely love LUXIEeyeshadow brushes, they are my all-time favorite, so when I received this brush, I was so excited! This brush is double-sided, one side it is similar to my Tapered Blending brush, in between the sizes of 205 and 229. On the other side, it is a dense precision eyeshadow brush, I also think it can work for concealer, so I will definitely try it out for that.
Pacifica Beach Crystals Natural Mineral Eye Shadows
I love Pacifica skin care products, so when I heard they have a makeup line, I was very eager to try it. The colors are very unique shimmery colors, that come in cute crystal holographic packaging. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the brand Pacifica, they are 100% vegan and cruelty-free! I will also be doing some swatches down below!
From the swatches down below, I did go over the color twice to try to give it the most pigmented color. I really like “Spaced Out”, however the colors are unfortunately not that pigmented, but I will try to make them work, and let you guys know in a later post!
Please excuse my hairy arm!
Biobelle Perfecting primer Sheet Mask
Okay so this product is a sheet mask that you use as a primer before makeup application, it claims that it “enhances radiance, minimizes pores, and evens skin tone”. The concept itself seems very intriguing, and the mask also says that it is, free of parabens, gluten-free, and non-gmos. However, something that I am upset about is the fact that no where on the package does it claim to be cruelty-free, and granted that not all products mention their animal-testing policies, I could not even find it on their site, so if anyone knows if Biobelle is cruelty-free please comment down below, it would be a big bummer if they are not. 😦
PUR Cosmetics Fully Charged Mascara
Last but not least, is this mascara by PUR Cosmetics. I have not really had the opportunity to try PUR Cosmetics, but I do know that they are cruelty-free and are mostly vegan. Also I have been loving the mascaras I’ve receiving in my Ipsy bags!
The wand is perfect to separate your lashes and give them a longer look!
Thank you for reading! I hope you liked seeing what I received in my February 2018 Ipsy Glam Bag! Hopefully, I will be doing an overall review of my products sometime early March. Comment down below what you received in your Ipsy Glam Bag this month! If you enjoyed this post then do not forget to like it and please subscribe with your email in the sidebar, to be notified of new posts through your email, (be sure to confirm subscription in email) also make sure to follow me on my social media pages, down below!
Happy Valentine’s Day Lovelies! Today is the day all about love and on that note, I want to post something a little more personal today, to talk about Self-Love and the struggles I have with it. Self-love is a complex issue that many of us struggle with, both women and men.
It is quite unfortunate the society that we live in. The pressures given to us at such a young age to societal disapproval of who we are. Loving yourself is not as simple as some may believe, the constant battle is between being accepted by those around you and often comparing yourself to another person.
Believe it from a self-conscious girl, who struggled with loving herself for the longest time, and to this day still struggles. The harsh reality of life is that you are not going to be accepted by everyone you encounter in life. There will be people who despise you, will want to change you, and will not accept you for who you are. For those people who are like that, well then it’s their lost, that is a reflection of their character not yours.
One of the hardest concepts in my life is constantly comparing myself to others. I hate the fact that sometimes life seems like a competition with all these other people. Knowing the fact that there will be always be someone prettier than me, smarter than me, and well better than me, but life should not at all be about comparing each others values. We are all uniquely created with our own specialties. There is something about you that someone else will not have and you should cherish that.
Something I am and have been working on for a few months is the notion of radical acceptance, to accept something I cannot change and to stop fighting with reality. It does not mean I am okay with it or that I will get over it, it means that I will accept it for what it is. Self-love is about accepting ourselves for as we are and acknowledging our flaws. If you need a little reminder just remember that self-love is a journey that we are still discovering. Do not forget that you are loved and are worthy of affection. So for today and all the other days to come, practice self-love, tell yourself what you love about yourself, and do not forget that it is okay to put yourself in front of others.
From a time I practiced self-love. June 2017.
This was a more personal post, I think every once in a while I will plan to post something on self-love, I hoped this helped you, and it gave you some insight on the common struggles humans endure with self-love. Feel free to comment down any positive radiation, to spread the love to others. If you enjoyed this post then please subscribe with your email in the sidebar, to be notified of new posts through your email, (be sure to confirm subscription in email) also make sure to follow me on my social media pages, down below!
Life with Ariana 