Christmas in LA

Time for a personal update. Its about time, right?

My boyfriend and I spent Christmas in his family's home in LA. One of the downfalls of living in socal is that even during the holidays, its hard to feel warm and cozy when the weather is still in the 80s. Its more like hot and sticky.

 

See how clear the sky is? And the ray of sunshine perfectly on his face? Yes, this was a shameless attempt to flood this post with adorable dog pictures. His name is Charlie and he's a teacup yorkie. Technically, he is my roommate's dog but he spends 95% of the time with me, including Christmas so he's basically mine lol. And don't worry, his leash is on when he hangs out the window like that so he was safe!

 I mean, come on. Did you know Yorkies are known for sticking their tongue out? I'm glad he doesn't do it all the time or else I be a big mushball all the time. "Oh you peed all over my new shoes? Thats okay!!".

This is Sophie, Charlie's wife! She's also a teacup yorkie but a little bit smaller than Charlie. My roommate was really lazy about spaying her so unfortunately, she's had a few puppies. Don't worry though because I finally took her to get spayed myself. They're both six years old, which is pretty much the latest they can be to get neutered or spayed safely. Any older and the dogs are considered at risk since they're thought to be "seniors" after six years old. 

Sophie's a really special dog. She has a blown ear drum so her balance is a constant struggle for her. Poor thing actually runs in circles all the time and bumps in to pretty much everything within distance. She also has rotating patellas so her knees are constantly dislocated so she can't really jump at all. The highest she can go is the sidewalk and stairs are an absolute nightmare for her. When she's excited, she gallops around like a horse but also falls on her face when its time to put her harness on. She's a feisty little thing though to the point where she tried to attack a pitbull at the dog park and it decided to take a bite out of her hip instead. Luckily, she survived and is still trying to bully large dogs to this very day. We... don't go to the dog park anymore. 

If you ever wonder why I have more pictures of Charlie, its not because I'm playing favorites but because I barely have any pictures of Sophie where she isn't some type of blur! Her balance issues really make photo taking a challenge! She's a cute blur at least.

This was during the car ride to LA and Sophie was trying to stay awake so she ended up falling asleep while sitting. Charlie was knocked out in his Christmas sweater.

Whenever we're at my bf's home, I love taking advantage of their orange trees. They have two enormous trees that are at least 20 feet high with hundreds of oranges. I was never a big fan of orange juice until I tried freshly squeezed juice from this tree. It is almost mind-boggling how different it is from store-bought! Its really dark in color, sweet, and really flavorful. His family doesn't appreciate it as much since they've had it all the time for years but I gave a few oranges to my neighbors and they were absolutely in love with them. I definitely plan on building a couple orange trees in my future. They seem to grow really well with hardly any effort? And their branches are so high, they just hover over the backyard without getting in the way at all. 

Charlie was watching my boyfriend pick oranges. It was so cute how he was walking all over the backyard, wondering why the trees were rustling! I love that Google+ automatically turns pictures in to .gifs! It saves you guys from being bombarded with dozens of pictures by me ;)

And just because I love seeing "Whats in my bag" stuff, here is what I consider my travel essentials to be. 

- Muji Purse hanger, only $1.50 and has saved numerous purses from all junk on the ground.
- AmorePacific Enzyme Peel; stuff is amazing and you only need the tiniest amount.
- Bliss Body Butter; This lotion was part of the free amenities for staying at a W Hotel. Nice, but nothing special.
- Dior Nudeskin Hydrating Concealer; surprisingly pigmented and a little goes a long way. Its the only concealer I've found that doesn't emphasize my under-eye lines.

- Hoola Bronzer; this and Nars Laguna are my top two bronzers but I prefer Hoola for the more natural days and Laguna during the summer for the sun-kissed look.

- Venus travel razors; Despite being disposable travel razors, the quality is amazing and the blade seems just as sharp as their regular blades. They also come with a little blade cover so you can toss them in your bag without having to worry about your stuff getting damaged.

- Stila Eyeliner; I've tried over a dozen drugstore and high-end eyeliners and Stila's formula has worked best for my oily, eyelids. I wish it were a brush tip applicator instead of a sponge one but its still great regardless. I know K-Palette eyeliners are huge in Japan and I do like them but Stila is great for more pigmentation. 

- Tums; You know you're getting old when you start reaching for stuff like this. I love stuffing my face with new cuisine when I'm traveling but it's getting harder and harder to do that without needing some backup.
- Shu Uemura eyelash curler; 24k gold because, why not. Shiseido may be more popular but most of my friends seem to have better luck with the Shu Uemura one.
- Anastasia Brow Powder; definitely my HG. I was a huge fan of Laura Mercier's Brow Definer for a while after discovering it through Raeview but the wax did break me out on occasion. I loved that it was a pigmented, dry wax so I was very reluctant to try the Anastasia brow powder.  I'm glad I did because the staying powder on the Anastasia powder lasts much longer than both the Laura Mercier and Tarte waxes, at least on me and I achieve a more natural look with the Anastasia.
- Bliss Eye Masks; love love love. My eyes appear so much brighter and the lines are nearly gone whenever I use these masks. They are definitely a splurge item so I save these for when I'm traveling since I always look rough when I'm not sleeping in my own bed. Like, really rough. (Cheaper at Amazon).
- Eyelash conditioning gel; I picked these up from a Japanese market just for the heck of it. I don't think they've helped them grow but they do look good after I apply the gel. 

- Goody Spiral Pins; For whatever reason, I still can't do the damn sock bun. Maybe my hair is too layered or whatever but these Goody pins are foolproof and work best when the hair is a bit damp.

- Alterna Bamboo; another HG item for me. My hair is really thick so even the smallest amount of oils will cause it to weigh down and look as if I haven't showered. I do like the Macademia hair products but they're a tiny bit heavy for my hair texture. The Alterna one is just amazing and makes my hair look so shiny and soft without looking greasy. I do also like the Ojon Revitalizing mist but I can't stand the smell. The Alterna one smells fantastic and I've had really good results with everything I've tried from this brand so far.
- Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream; I've had a lot of good luck with this brand and am a huge fan of their Ultra Light moisturizer for my extremely sensitive skin. The coverage from this CC cream is great, feels light on the skin, and doesn't break me out if I end up wearing it for more than 12 hours.
- Starbucks Via Coffee; There is only one Starbucks where my bf's home is located so I prefer having the Starbucks instant coffee on those days I don't feel like waiting a half hour in line just for a cup of Starbucks. They're much better than traditional instant coffees and I love how bold the flavor is. 

- Lip Conditioner; aka chapstick. I forgot to include them in the picture but my favorites are the Fresh Sugar Lip Balm and the Dior Lip conditioner. I can't stand the rose scent from the Dior one but it does work wonders on your lips.

I'd love to hear what you guys consider 'travel essentials' to be! I'm also planning a small giveaway later so stay tuned. It's my way of thanking you guys for putting up with my inconsistent blogging and the weird layouts. I'm still new to blogging but I do appreciate every single one of you.

Follow me on my Instagram if you don't mind constant pictures of dogs.