Top Five Embellished Headbands

Lately, Bao has been really into sparkly embellished headbands. She claims it adds so much spunk to any wardrobe, and it makes you feel girly pretty at the same time. I think she’s right. Last time I saw her, my eyes went straight to that attention grabbing hair accessory. I have to admit, it made me want one.

In no particular order, here are Bao’s top five most recommended sparkly embellished headbands Personally, I like the big bow headband the best.

Forever 21 Bow Headband
$4.80

Forever 21 Funky Felt Headband
$6.80

Forever 21 Spiral Floral Headband
$5.80

Silver Metalic Rose Headband from Sheek Inc.
$32.00

Faceted Posy Headband from Anthropologie
$19.95 on sale
“I got this! My sister bought it for me this weekend, and it’s sooo cute!” says Bao.

Eyeshadow of Stars

Bao just bought this amazing eyeshadow and loved it! It’s called Stardust Eyeshadow from Urban Decay, one of our top favorites when it comes to the most captivating colors and textures. The glitter doesn’t fall into your eyes and stays put. Good job, UD. You can wear it dry or with a little eyeshadow base for the wet look. Bao picked the color Bobby Dazzle and wears it with white eyeliner. Bao claims this shade of shadow makes your eyes POP and appear bigger. Space Cowboy was also one of her favs.

Here’s the information taken directly from Sephora:

Urban Decay Stardust Eyeshadow $20
What it is: An eyeshadow that has a prismatic sparkle set against a wash of captivating colors with 40% more glitter than the most sparkly shadows from Urban Decay!

What it does: Stardust delivers a silky texture and an incredible amount of sophisticated, twinkling sparkle. In one swipe, you get a sheer wash of color that’s topped with teeny bits of iridescent sparkle that glisten like wet snow. Reflecks & Mirage Glamour Silver Pigments deliver superior visual effects with a very high level of color purity that will stay on your lids. There will be no fallout, no chunky glitter just stunning, sparkling eyes. From uptown neutrals like black, grey, and brown to bright pops of turquoise, green, and purple, this galaxy of shades creates tons of looks and blends well with other Urban Decay Eyeshadows and 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils. The futuristic, squeeze-open case holds over two times the amount of product than other Urban Decay eyeshadows.

Oooh, I’m so getting Diamond Dog. Bao, stop making me shop so much!

Cute Sun Hats for Spring!

Once again, we’d like to remind you that spring is just around the corner. And what better way to be stylish and safe from the sun than with a super cut sun hat. These will also last you throughout the summer months to come. Forever 21 has a nice lil selection so be sure to check them out. Also, as you know, Bao’s picks sell out fast. I think almost everything on this site that was recommended by Bao have been sold out. She has a keen eye for popular products.

Flecked Straw Fedora $9.80
Description from Forever 21: This woven fedora is flecked with contrasting color and a matching belt.
BUY NOW

Diamond Floppy Hat $10.80
Description from Forever 21: Stylishly keep out of the sun in this floppy straw hat with diamond woven cutouts, grosgrain interior trim and a three string trim. Comes in Black also.
BUY NOW

Hampton Straw Hat $10.80
Description from Forever 21: Look North Hampton chic in this floppy straw hat with a basket weave design. Woven polka dot belt is neatly tied.
BUY NOW

Fashion Floppy Hat $9.80
Description from Forever 21: Shield your gorgeous face in fashion with this floppy straw-style hat which features an interior grosgrain sweatband and gathered hatband. Metallic or color-matching stitching.
BUY NOW

Valentines Mini Cupcakes

I don’t really cook or bake, so the fact that I went to the effort to make these tiny cupcakes is close to a miracle.

I just used Pillsbury cupcake mix. But I got the tiny baking tin, tiny cupcake cups and a heart sprinkles set all from target. The silver tray was from Crate and Barrel, and it’s nice because it came with a plastic lid. I liked baking these smaller cupcakes because they bake so much faster. They’re so easy to frost too! Coming from a complete amateur like myself, these mini cupcakes are the way to go!

I’m a little late to post but better late than never right? Happy Valentines Day~ Hehe.

New Nude Lips

Nudes are all the rage this Spring, and I love it! I’m not usually a lipstick wearing girl, but I’ll definitely do this velvety shade of nude by Revlon. I love the subtlety and lightweight feel, and to top things off, it’s only $7.99! What a steal! Sorry, Sephora, I think Target, CVS and Walgreens beat ya on this one.

This is also a part of Bao’s Spring 2010 Must Haves so be sure to check out the rest of her awesome recommendations!

Above Product: Revlon Matte Lipstick Nude Attitude 001 $7.99
Bao’s Tip: “Add a little layer of clear lip gloss on top.”
BUY

Bao’s List of Spring 2010 Must Have Fashion

Spring is upon us, and Bao has compiled a fully loaded list of 2010 Spring Must Haves. And I have to say, I love the list! I find myself decked out in a lot of dark tones so it’s awesome to have our dear little Bao punch up the colors and remind us all that it’s almost time to tuck away our warm gray sweaters and fat winter coats.

Looks like Spring 2010 is going to be full of light denim, interestingly colored floral skirts, darling lace and some nude fun (the color, silly!).

Ready?! Here we go:

CUTE SKIRTS & BOTTOMS:

Urban Outfitters Floral Waisted Skirt $58
BUY

Heritage81 Knitted Floral Miniskirt $12.90
BUY

Urban Outfitters Denim Cutoffs $50
BUY

Forever 21 Denim Cutoffs $15.80
Bao says: “A cheaper version of the Urban Outfitters Denim Cutoff shorts!”
These will probably sell out soon so get them quick!
BUY

Forever21 Pretty-in-Lace Skirt $24.80
Dang, sold out before we could snag a photo. FAIL!
BUY

LOVELY TOPS:

Banana Republic Denim Shirt $69
Bao says: “It’s fitted on the model, but I would buy a size bigger just to give it that loose boyfriend look.”
BUY

Victoria’s Secret Denim Boyfriend Shirt $58
Bao says: “On sale now for $49!”
BUY

Urban Outfitters Pins and Needles Lace Long Sleeved Top $58
BUY

Lightweight Cardigan in Pastel or Neutral Colors $99.50
Bao says: “Martin & Osa cashemere silk cardigans come in tons of colors on sale for $99.50. A bit pricey but well worth it! I have this in orange and always wear it.”
BUY

NUDE is all the rage:

American Apparel U-Neck Dress in Nude $36
Bao says: “Love nudes – from lips to nail polish to pumps, heels and dresses!”
BUY

Revlon Matte Lipstick Nude Attitude 001 $7.99
Bao’s Tip: “Add a little layer of clear lip gloss on top.”
BUY

Urban Outfitters Kelsi Dagger Nude Wedges $148
BUY

HOT ACCESSORIES:

Betsey Johnson Rose Gold Studs $40
Bao says: “Rose Gold Jewelry is a change from your typical gold & silver, and it’s so much girlier/prettier!”
BUY

Cute Sun Hat
And yet another sold out even before we got the picture…Urrrgh!
BUY

iPad: It’s Official!!

The rumored Apple Tablet is called the iPad. It’s official! Sounds a bit weird and maxi-pad-ish, but whatever. It’s half an inch thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds with a 9.7 inch IPS display. It also has a 16GB to 64GB flash storage. It even has a compass   Bluetooth and Wifi of course…And omg, Jobs just said that you can fly to SF and Tokyo and watch video the whole way on one charge. That is 10 hours of video and 1 month of standby charge. OMG! He’s downloaded all these apps unmodified from the App Store. First, Facebook. He runs it in a tiny iPhone-size window oin the middle of the screen. But he can tap the “2x” button and run things full screen. It’s the same resolution, but just bigger.

Read more at http://live.gizmodo.com/. They’re live blogging, and it’s awesome.

All pictures courtesy of Gizmodo. Go to live.gizmodo.com. Seriously, go now!

Best Gourmet Fast Food Burgers

Scarfing down a big juicy burger may not be so cute, but heck! A good burger makes me and my tummy feel good!

Recently, I visited my boyfriend’s work in Cypress during his lunch break. He took me to this burger place called Paul’s Place. We went in, and there was a sign that said “We’re a gourmet fast food place.”

Gourmet?

As I sat in the cozy burger joint eating a fabulous hot pastrami sandwich, I had a revelation. I want to go on a burger adventure. (Why was I thinking about more food while I was eating food?)

I’ve already had my share of cheap burgers from McDonald’s to Carl’s Jr.
Check!

I’ve had slightly fancier burgers like Steve’s Burgers and restaurant burgers like Red Robin.
Check!

I’ve also had expensive Kobe burgers and even made my own trendy burger at The Counter.
Check!

Well then. Now, I will create a new genre in between Wendy’s and Denny’s burgers.. and I will name it.. Gourmet Fast Food Burgers! (Oh oh! In-and-Out totally belongs in this genre!)

Perfect. Now, after some extensive research and burger munching, here are my top three:

1. Five Guys Burger (restaurant pictured in beginning of post)
Indulge in your dream burger! It’s kind of exciting when there are 16 different sauces and toppings to choose from, and they are all free. The fries are a little salty, but you can get them regular or cajun (we tried the cajun). It’s so big one order easily feeds two.

20700 Avalon Blvd
Carson, CA, 90746
11:00am-10:00pm Daily
www.fiveguys.com

2. The Habit Burger
Onion rings are to die for.. (and I dont even like onions!) It’s perfectly seasoned and super crunchy ($1.95). Their Charburger ($2.95) tastes fresh and juicy, the fries are thick cut and yummy! I liked how they have peppers like jalapeno to crunch on, and they have malt vinegar for the fries.

3829 West Torrance Boulevard
Torrance, CA(310) 316-4048‎
Mon-Sat: 10:30am-9:00pm
Sun: 11:00am-8:00pm
www.habitburger.com

3. McCormicks and Schmicks Burger
I know, this is probably considered a restaurant burger, but I included it in this category because during happy hour, this plate of cheeseburger and fries is only $2.95! This juicy burger (one bite and you’ll know what I mean!) was the highlight of my day. The really hot wings ($3.95) were quite spicy and the zucchini fries ($1.95) were piping hot and delicious!

2101 Rosecrans Ave.
El Segundo, CA 90245
Prices only available during Happy Hour!
Mon-Thurs: 3:30pm 6:30pm & 9:00pm-11:00pm
Fri: 3:30pm-6:30pm & 9:30pm-11:00pm
www.mccormickandschmicks.com

Ahhhh.. With a tummy so happy, who cares if it’s pouring rain outside and your car just ran out of battery and won’t start… (btw, this really happened the day I was burger tasting)

p.s. All these burger places have other locations besides the ones I’ve listed, so peek at their website to find out if there is one near your area!

Even Poo is Cute

Being Japanese, I can say without hesitation, Japanese people are weird. We like things like Godzilla and Ultra Man. The randomness doesn’t end here. I was just in Japan a few weeks ago and the new little trend was poo. Cute poo.

Enter Unko-san, Japanese translation being Mr. Feces.

Allow me to tell you a little bit about him. Unko-san (pictured above) is a young boy that is on a soul search for true happiness. He is a bit shy but loves festivals. He also has a younger baby brother, Unko-chan, who can use ESP (aka, ESP Baby). It doesn’t stop here. Unko-san has an entire set of unko family and friends and even a Nurse Unko who is currently looking for a boyfriend (what the…). The Unko family is very special and is very much known to be little spirits that can only be seen by “lucky” people (is that really lucky?).

Japan is weird! But the thing is, these little Unko-sans and Unko-chans are really cute. So cute I bought Alisa a little baby Unko-chan plushie keychain (top row, center, with a pacifier – cute, no?). She thinks it’s utterly weird and so do most people. But whatever, it’s cute, it’s the craze so what are you going to do? Go buy one of course!

There’s even a little anime to complement our smelly hero. Here’s a clip:

What do YOU think of Unko-san? Cute or creepy??

Hello Kitty Exhibit

It’s the final week of the Hello Kitty exhibit at ROYAL/T Cafe, and we were there to experience history in the making. It was a celebration of 35 years of Hello Kitty, and it was simply amazing. The exhibit itself was collaboration with a multitude of artistic talent. You were able to see anything from Lady Gaga dressed up in a playful dress made of Hello Kitty plush dolls, six foot tall Hello Kitty with BOOBS and even a Mona Lisa Kitty. There were tons to look at , and I was even able to see some old school Hello Kitty items I had when I was 10 years old.

Since the event was held at the ever-popular cosplay cafe ROYAL/T, we were even able to devour some Hello Kitty dishes, specially made for this fabulous event. I had the ham and cheese Hello Kitty Tramezzini and some ROYAL/T Milk Tea. I even had some dessert, the Super Yummy Waffles (the waffles were ehhhh, but the syrup was delicious and what are you gonna do, they were HELLO KITTY SHAPED!)

Also, each night of this event was themed, and tonight was GYARU Beauty Parlor night! The literal translation of GYARU is simply GAL. GYARUs are typically super tan, crazy hair curled to the max, wear super trendy outfits and are often seen with an insane amount of thick mascara. Therefore, tonight, you could have gotten glammed up and done up by professional hair/makeup artists, get your nails done and pictures taken. Didn’t participate in any of this, but it was certainly entertaining to watch.

Anyhow, it was a fun, sweet night. It was an honor to celebrate Kitty-chan’s 35th year. Yay!

Enjoy all my photos below ^^

Bling Kitty…It’s like the music player.

Lady Gaga with anime eyes.

Lady Gaga in Hello Kitty Plush Doll Dress

This was super tall and had a busty chest!

We love UFO Catchers! (aka crane game)

Cute Hello Kitty Figure

My Hello Kitty Dinner

And Dessert!

Hello Kitty Appliances

More Hello Kitty appliances and gadgets

Do you see the Hello Kitty Eva Airplane in the background?

Mini Hello Kitty Food

Hello Kitty and Toki Doki

I like the skulls and kitty.

JADE Nail Polish – Fall 09 Trends

Jade nail polish is in…says Bao.  That was one of the gifts Bao gave to Alisa for her birthday dinner we just had only a few hours ago.  I don’t know why, but this stood out to me.  So I immediately did my usual searches, and sure enough, JADE (green) nail polish is a Fall 2009 must have color.

Chanel started the trend by including it in their Fall lineup, and Fashion Allure quotes, “As for Fall 2009, classical reds, avant-garde blacks, deep violets and navies will still be en vogue. However, the trendiest nail colour for this fall is…green!” It appears that jade, pine, mint and olive are the dominating laquer shades this season.  CollegeFashion.net advises that if you don’t want to pay the Chanel pricetag, you can always find a much cheaper alternative at Sephora or drugstores.

Wow, Bao’s trend awareness never ceases to amaze me.  GO GREEN!

Hot!

Rihanna wears green too.

As seen in Elle.

First To Wake

Sour Lemon でもかわいい

Hi Tangerine

Cute Japanese Pastries

Bake and Break is a super cute Japanese baking blog with the most adorable, little homemade pastries! The creator, Sakura, is a young Japanese lady making anything from swan shaped cream puffs, green tea caramel and fresh cream scones to name a few. I’ve included a bunch of pictures below, but be sure to check out her full blog because it’s pure awesomeness!  You’ll get tons great ideas for your upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s parties.

What bakery might these lovely buns be from?

It’s no bakery; it’s Sakura’s home!  Amazing!

Drool for choco scones…

Love Muffin tops!

Cutie bear cookie

More scones…with fresh cream!

Homemade caramel?  Green tea flavor?! Want want want!

I’ll only eat cream puffs if they’re shaped like swans from now on.

Source: Bake and Break

Hello Kitty and Swarovski Make Music

Mouse Computer recently announced the launch of the Hello Kitty Music Player adorned with 300 bling-bling pieces of Swarovski crystals (gasp!) So while this may not be a big deal to many, being a lover of Hello Kitty since age 2, this cutesy, sparkly news made my heart skip a little beat.

The cute mp3 player has 2GB of memory and allows for ten hours of continuous playback time, pretty nice! It also comes with specially designed Audio Technica earphones. It is said the tone quality can be enhanced with 5 EQ presets including Normal, Classical Jazz, Pop and Rock (how snazzy). The player supports MP3 and WMA format. The controls (play, stop, fast forward, back and volume) are placed nicely on the back of the player and don’t disturb the aesthetic on the front^^ Lastly, the included USB cable has cute, little illustrations of Hello Kitty printed on the connector section.

The adorable Hello Kitty Crystal Music Player will be available October 30th in Japan for approximately $150. I’ll be going to Japan next month, and I’m extremely tempted to pick one up…

And don’t forget about our blingin’ duckling earphones too!

Source: Fareastgizmos.com

Glow-in-the-Dark Jello (with Gin and Tonic!)

Glow in the Dark Jello?! Perfect for Halloween! This amazing little food invention was discovered by British food-design / architecture team Bompas & Parr who worked with an explosives expert to create this luminous, super cool Halloween treat for the big kids. The explosives expert came up with an edible ingredient that when added to Jell-O, it would cause this eerie glow. It turns out, when you add TONIC WATER to the jiggly-wiggly dish, it will appear to glow under the black light because of the quinine which is UV reactive! Scary and totally awesome!

Here’s Bompas & Parr’s yum-yum recipe:

INGREDIENTS
• 150 milliliters gin, such as Hendrick’s
• 300 milliliters Indian tonic water
• 50 milliliters Simple Syrup
• Splash of rose water
• 5 gelatin leaves
• UV black light

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine gin, tonic water, simple syrup, and rose water in a large heatproof measuring cup; set aside.

Cut gelatin leaves into fine pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Add enough gin and tonic mixture to cover and set aside until gelatin softens.

Place softened gelatin mixture over a pan of simmering water and heat until gelatin leaves are fully melted.

Remove gelatin mixture from heat and stir in the remainder of the gin and tonic mixture. Strain back into the measuring cup. Pour into a jelly mold or bowl and refrigerate until set.

Unmold jelly by briefly immersing the mold or bowl in a bowl of hot water, then invert over a serving plate. For maximum effect, turn off all the lights and switch on a black light, then serve the glowing jelly to thrilled diners.

Ta-dah!

Total: 20 mins, plus time to set
Active: 20 mins
Makes: About 3 servings

Source: www.chow.com

Barnes & Noble’s Double Screen E-Reader

Barnes and Nobles has been developing their very own e-reader for quite some time now—and here are its first shots!

Officially to be released next week, this device features a black and white e-ink screen (just like the Kindle), but the major difference is the multitouch display like an iPhone. Barnes and Nobles will sell the books they publish at a much cheaper price than its printed counterparts, and it is said to have access to all the books scanned by Google Books project, which is great because a lot of those are out of print. The name of the gadget will be revealed very soon.

I’m not sure how I feel about e-readers, whatever the brand. I really like having a physical book where I can turn the pages, but I also love portable, sleek gadgets that save tons of space, so I guess I’m just torn.

Although I’m super excited to see how B&N does, I think I can wait until a truly unique e-reader that is pure awesomeness to come out before I make this investment…

What are you thoughts?

Source: gizmodo

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