Tag Archives: Trip

All Posts, Beauty, Travel

The Must-have Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm

(DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the product links and make a purchase, we may or may not receive a commission for the referral.)

When I travel, I like to bring skin care products that have plenty of hydrating elements, which is especially important when I travel or stay in hotels with air conditioning blasting on all the time.

For years, I’ve been using some of the Sisley’s skin care products (see my blog post for more detail) when I travel. Recently, I added another beauty product to my travel essentials. This beauty product is called Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask, and Balm for Baby Soft Skin by Charlotte Tilbury. (The product is packed with vitamins, floral extracts and antioxidant ingredients.)
Charlotte Tilbury Multi-Miracle Glow Cream

As the Charlotte Tilbury’s Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm for Baby Soft Skin product name indicates, this cream-based skin care product is for multiple purposes. You can use it to clean your skin by massaging it on your face and rinsing it out. You can also use it as a facial mask by massaging it on your face, leaving it on to let the product penetrate into your skin, then rinsing it off after 10 minutes. Or you can simply leave it on your skin overnight as a skin balm.

What’s even better about this Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product is that it can also be applied to your body to moisturize your skin and add some healthy glow. (I use it on my arms and legs when I go out.)

The Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm comes in a 3.4 oz. container. When I travel, I like to transfer some of this product into a small jar. I’d use it as the second cleaner after I wash my face with Shu Uemura cleaning oil. When my face gets really dry, I’d also use the Multi-Miracle Glow product as a mask and balm for overnight. The floral smell of the product is so pleasant; I found it very soothing. I also use this product on any area of my skin that feels dry.

Of course, I use the Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product whenever I want to at home; it’s not only limited to traveling. But if I was stranded on a island and ould only have one skin care product, the Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product would definitely be my choice!

For more skin care products I recommend you to try, visit Skin Care page.

All Posts, Travel

Summer Disneyland Trip with My Nieces

Video

During my most recent trip to visit my brother’s family in Irvine, California, we went to the Disneyland park.

(A short clip of the “Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” fireworks at the Disneyland Park)

Because my brother’s family lives in Orange County, we’ve never considered staying in the Disney hotels when we visit Disneyland. However, this time my brother’s family and I checked-in to the Disney hotel the day prior to our visit to the Disneyland parks and took the advantage of the “Extra Magical Hour” opportunity to get into the parks one hour before they opened to the general public. We also did park hopping between Disneyland and the California Adventure theme parks.

We were at the parks from 7:00am to 10:30 pm, the longest time I’ve ever been in any Disneyland or Disneyworld parks in one day. By the time we got home we were exhausted! (But we had a blast!)

Below are some of the many pictures we took during the trip!

Brunch

Before we checked into our Disney hotel we ate brunch at the Storytellers Café, where my nieces took pictures with the Disney characters.
Disneyland Storytellers Cafe Brunch

Mickey Waffles
Disneyland Storytellers Cafe - MickeyPancakes

Views from our Disney Hotel Room

View of the California Adventure Park from our room during the day
Disneyland Hotel Room Window View

Night view of the California Adventure Park from our room
Disneyland Hotel Room Window View at Night

Lunch Break

Angry Dog (spicy hot dog) at the Disney California Adventure Park, Pixar Pier
Disneyland Angry Dog

Mustard and Hot Sauces (Seething: Sriracha Ketchup and Raging: Buffalo Hot Sauce)
Disneyland Angry Dog Sauce

Wine Break

No vacation is complete without a wine break in the middle of the day! At the Mendocino Wine Bar, Disney California Adventure Park, Pixar Pier.
Disneyland Mendocino Wine Bar

A Glass of Sauvignon Blanc – the refreshment “juice” to keep me going in the hot summer day!
Disneyland Mendocino Wine Bar - Sauvignon blanc

Cheers to the Disney California Adventure Park, Pixar Pier!
Disneyland Mendocino Wine Bar - Cheers

Dessert Time

Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats at the Disney California Adventure Park, Pixar Pier
Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats

Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait (Nondairy Lemon Soft-serve with Blue Raspberry Swirl)
Disneyland Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats - Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait

Mickey’s Toontown

Mickey’s Toontown at the Disneyland Park
Disneyland Mickey's Toontown

Disneyland Mickey's Toontown - 2

Disneyland Walt Disney and Mickey

“The End” of the July Disney Park trip!

All Posts, Beauty, Fashion, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – August 2018

Summer is a popular wedding season. It’s no surprise that my best friend is choosing August to have her wedding. After a few weeks of searching for the prefect dress to wear to her big day, I finally found mine.

Below are a couple of other things I plan on doing in August.

New Beauty Product

I am currently running low on my existing eye cream. I’ve been hearing some nice things about Estee Lauder’s new eye cream, Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex Synchronized Recovery. This product contains hyaluronic acid and Estee Lauder’s ChronoluxCB ingredient to help promote skin’s natural repair process. The price for this new eye cream is relatively inexpensive compared to other high-end skin care products I’ve been using; therefore, it’s worth it to me to give it a shot for experimental reasons.
EsteenLauder_EyeCream

(Estee Lauder Eye Cream)

Dress for Friend’s Wedding

My dear friend’s wedding is less than two weeks away. I finally found the perfect dress (Self-portrait Embroidered Mesh Dress) for me to attend her wedding. I just ordered it and can’t wait to receive it, soon I hope!
Self-Portrait Embroidered Mesh Dress

(My New Dress for My Friend’s Wedding)

Gel Nails

After last month’s girly light pink and iris gel nail color, it’s time to go back to my favorite red glitter nail color. Since we are still in the Summer season, my gel nail artist added golden seashells and sea stars to the finish look.
5Things_August2018_GelNails

(picture of the red gel nails)

Baking for Fun

The other day I came across a baking recipe for the Almond-Orange Pound Cake from Williams Sonoma web site. The idea of a dessert with both almond and orange seems very refreshing for the hot season. I plan on trying out the recipe this weekend!
Almond-Orange Pound Cake

Wine and Cheese Party

I got invited to a Wine and Cheese Party for this weekend. The event is hosted by some friends at their home. Although they told me I don’t have to bring anything, but I plan on brining a bottle of my favorite Long Shadows red wine. The question will be which red wine to bring!

5Things_August2018_LongShadowsWine(Long Shadows Red Wine – Feather Cabernet Sauvignon)

All Posts, Food, Travel

Spago Restaurant in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas

While I was on my business trip to a Deep Learning conference in Las Vegas last month I ate at the new Spago restaurant in the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. (The Spago restaurant was in their soft opening when I ate there and they were officially opened on Thursday, June 7.)

The Spago restaurant is owned by the celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck, who has many restaurants including five Spago restaurants (in Beverly Hills, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Maui, Singapore). The Spago restaurant in Las Vegas used to be at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, and it’s now re-opened in the Bellagio hotel in June.

The Spago restaurant serves California cuisine, which means it offers fresh ingredients and all-natural meats, and the food is prepared in different cooking styles.

The décor of the new Spago restaurant in the Bellagio is simple and yet has a modernized look and feel. It is located by the Fountains of Bellagio. If you sit at their patio, you will get the close-up view of the fountain show every 30 minutes.

During this Las Vegas trip, I ate at Spago twice; dinner with colleagues on Monday and lunch with a friend on Tuesday. I guess this shows how much I enjoyed their food!

For dinner, my two colleagues and I sat at the patio. We shared Smoked Salmon Pizza, Sweet Corn Agnolotti, Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms, English Pea Soup, Seared Alaskan Halibut, Grilled Prime New York Steak, and Roasted Colorado Lamb Rack. Each dish was delicious. After a day of work, a couple of Dirty Martinis with Gray Goose Vodka, delicious food, and great company were just what I needed!
Smoked Salmon Pizza
(Smoked Salmon Pizza)

Seared Alaskan Halibut
(Seared Alaskan Halibut)

Roasted Colorado Lamb Rack
(Roasted Colorado Lamb Rack)

The next day, I met a friend for lunch and we went to Spago. The menu for lunch is slightly different than previous night’s dinner, but I was glad that they offered the same Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms as the previous night. This pasta dish brings out the best flavor of mushrooms, and it has became my new favorite at the Spago restaurant.

Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms(Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms)

For lunch at the Spago, my friend and I shared Half-Dozen Kusshi & Beausoliel Oysters, Caesar Salad, Tuna Tartare (served in Sesame-Miso cones), Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms, and Grilled Double R Ranch Filet Mignon. We also had assorted treats for dessert.

Half-Dozen Kusshi & Beausoliel Oysters

(Half-Dozen Kusshi & Beausoliel Oysters)

Tuna Tartare (served in Sesame-Miso cones

(Tuna Tartare – served in Sesame-Miso cones)

Grilled Double R Ranch Filet Mignon
(Grilled Double R Ranch Filet Mignon)

My overall experience at the Spago restaurant in the Bellagio hotel was great! The service on both visits at the restaurant was equally great. I like the fact that they are open for lunch while most fine dinning restaurants at the Bellagio hotel don’t open until dinner.

Next time you visit the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas and are looking for a place for dinning, I recommend that you try the Spago restaurant!
Desserts at Spago Restaurant
(Desserts)

The featured image of the Spago Restaurant’s patio was from the restaurant’s Web site.)

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – July 2018

July is a great month for me. Workwise, I just finished a project that I’d worked on for months and can take a few days break before I go into the planning mode for the next one. Personal-wise, I get to enjoy the 4th of July with my nieces and go Disneyland park hopping with them.

Below are a few of other things that I will do this month.

Making Flan

My nieces have been my big fans when it comes to eating the desserts I make. The flan is one of their favorites. While my elder niece spent her Summer with me, I made flan for her many times. Each flan is about nine inches and she can literally eat more than two-thirds of it per day! Nothing makes me happier than when she enjoys the things I make for her!
Homemade_Flan
(My homemade flan covered with berries.)

Homegrown Mushrooms

Last week my mom and I visited our local Farmer’s Market and bought some home-grown mushroom kits for both baby oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. This is our first time growing mushrooms at home and the idea seems exciting. It only has been five days since we started the mushroom kit and we already have seen a great result on one of the kits. Just in a few days, we will be able to taste our first mushroom harvest!
Hoemgrown Shiitake Mushrooms
(My homegrown shiitake mushrooms.)

Disneyland Park Hopping

In the beginning of July, I am taking my niece back to CA. Since it’s a holiday weekend, we are going to Disneyland park! My brother’s family lives in Orange County, so we’ve never considered staying in the hotel at Disneyland. However, this time my brother’s family and I will check-in to the Disneyland hotel the day prior to our visit to the Disneyland parks and take the advantage of the “Extra Magical Hour” opportunity to get into the parks one hour before they open to the general entry. We will also do the park hopping between Disneyland and the California Adventure theme parks.


(Disney California Adventure Park.)

Girly Gel Nails

While my niece was enjoying her Summer vacation with me in Seattle, I took her with me to my gel nails appointment. Initially I was concerned that she might be bored sitting in the nail salon with me for one and a half hour, but I was glad to see her wanting to participate in selecting the nail colors for me. After scanning through the gel nail magazines, she picked the combination of light pink and light iris colors with glitters for me. Since we were going to Disneyland in a few days, the color and the design of my new gel nails are perfect for the occasion!
GelNails_July2018

Dress for Summer Wedding

July is a popular wedding month in Summer. I need to look for a new dress for a wedding I am going to. Since floral patterns are in vogue, I want to pick one with a floral design that would be perfect for the wedding reception. I think it will take a lot of work to fine the ideal dress.
Zimmermann_FloralPrintedDress
(Floral Printed Dress by Zimmernann.)

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – June 2018

June is the beginning of the Summer season. I am excited for a couple of trips I have lined up for this month.

Business Trip

Las Vegas is one of my favorite getaway places, even during the hot summer season. I will be there on business and I plan to find time to visit my friend who lives there. Las Vegas is a great place to mix business and pleasure and I got a new outfit for the business part.

Shirley Style Business Trip Outfit
Outfit for the Business Trip in Las Vegas

New Restaurant Spago

One of my go-to lunch place at the Bellagio Hotel, Olives, has been closed since the beginning of this year. I am very glad that Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant will be open at where Olives restaurant used to be. During my June trip to Las Vegas, I will definitely check out the new Spago restaurant.


Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms from the Spago Restaurant

Seattle Great Wheel

After my business trip to Las Vegas I will go to CA to pick up my seven year-old niece and bring her back to Seattle with me. She will be staying with me for three weeks. One of the things I’d like to try with her is to ride on the Seattle Great Wheel. The Seattle Great Wheel is the tallest Ferris wheel (175 feet) on the West Coast of the United States. I hope my niece will get a thrill on the ferris wheel, which is bigger then most of the ferris wheels in CA.

Seattle Great Wheel at Night

Red Gel Nails

After last month’s hot pink gel nail with multi-color glitters, I am ready to go back to my favorite red. This time I have gold glitters and Swarovski crystals over the red gel nails. I also have a gold embroidery stickers over both ring fingers.

Red Gel Nail for June
Red Glitter Gel Nail for June

Father’s Day Afternoon Tea

Since my niece is with us this month, she gets to celebrate Father’s Day with my dad. Along with the usual dining celebration, I put together a afternoon tea in our backyard. The weather on Father’s Day was very nice and it was perfect for our event.

Afternoon Tea by Shirley
Father’s Day Afternoon Tea in our Backyard

All Posts, Beauty, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – September 2017

September is the beginning of the Fall season. Luckily, there are still a few sunny days left before the chilly weather kicks in. Below are five things that I am trying for September.

New Liquid Lip Colors

Rouge Dior Liquid Lip Stain is one of the latest beauty products Dior has launched recently. For someone like me, who loves lip color products from Chanel, Dior,and YSL, it’s hard to resist the temptation of getting my hands on the new Rouge Dior Liquid Lip Stain. Out of the 27 new Rouge Dior Liquid Lip Stain shades, I bought Impulsive Matte, Spicy Metal, Impetuous Satin, and Rock’n’Metal. I guess these should be plenty for me to use in September.

Black Truffle

My friends and I plan a trip to Las Vegas in the beginning of September. One of our favorite restaurants in Las Vegas is “Sinatra” at the Encore Resort. It’s part of our tradition to try their pasta dish with black or white truffles at the Sinatra restaurant. And I expect our upcoming experience will be as great as always.

Making Paella

While I visited Spain in the past January, I really enjoyed eating paella at different local restaurants. I haven’t found many restaurants in Seattle that offer great paella. My goal for this month is to try to make paella. I just bought a paella pan and I am looking forward to trying it.

Embroidered Hat

Embroidered hats have been very popular in the summer. If you haven’t tried one, it’s not too late to do that for September. Usually, it’s hard for me to find a hat that fits me perfectly, but I found one for my September trip to Las Vegas. Embroidered Beach Hat

Bookstore for Fun

Amazon just opened another brick-and-mortar bookstore in Bellevue, Washington. I had the chance to visit it a few weeks ago. I found a new book that I’d like to read for September. The book is “Thinking Fast and Slow”. It’s a book about behavioral sciences and explains the systems that define how we think and respond at every moment of our daily life. I can’t wait to read the book and find out more about the topics.
Think Fast and Slow Book

All Posts, Food, Travel

The Picasso Restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel In Las Vegas

The first fine dinning experience I had in Las Vegas was at the Picasso restaurant (French cuisine) in the Bellagio hotel, back in year 2005. I was there celebrating our best friend’s engagement. My memory of the restaurant was upscale decoration, fancy food, and great  wine!

It has been a long time since my last visit to the Picasso restaurant, because there were too many great restaurant options on the Vegas Strip, and the Picasso restaurant was closed sometime during last year for renovation. But I finally had the chance to eat there during  my recent trip to Las Vegas!

As I walked into the Picasso restaurant by the award-winning chief, Julian Serrano, I recognized the newly renovated interior. It looked different than what I remembered, but the restaurant was still unique and colorful. And the Picasso paintings were all over the walls just as they used to be.


I’ve dined at most restaurants in the Bellagio property many times, such as the Prime Steakhouse, Le Cirque,  and Todd English’s Olives. I’ve also sat at the tables right by the window, where I could enjoy the closer view of the Fountain of Bellagio. But for this time at Picasso, we preferred to sit at the table a slightly away from the window, so I could sat back and get a bigger view of the fountain via the window frames throughout the night.

My friend and I ordered the prix fixe menu ($118 per person). We got to choose from the menu for each part of the three-course meal and a dessert in the end.

I ordered Poached Oysters, Roasted Langoustine, Roasted Milk-Fed Veal Chop. And my friend ordered Crème of Butternut Squash, Sautéed Filet of Scottish Salmon, and Sautéed Filet of Black Bass. (The pictures are presented below in the order of the list.)

Poached Oysters

Roasted Langoustine


Roasted Milk-fed Veal Chop

Crème of Butternut Squash

Sautéed Filet of Scottish Salmon


Sautéed Filet of Black Bass

My friend and I were craving for different food on the night we went to Picasso (as you could tell from the items we ordered). But all of our dishes were delicious.

I love to sample a variety of foods. I was very satisfied with my choices. The Poached Oysters (garnished with Osetra Cariar) were slightly warmer than the regular chilled oysters, but they were delicious.

The Roasted Langoustine was prepared exactly to my liking. The other restaurant that makes a great langoustine is Joel Robuchon in MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. And the Roasted Milk-Fed Veal Chop is the perfect main course. It was tender and flavorful.

I tried a bit of my friend’s dishes; they were also very tasty.

I’d say no fancy meal is completed without a nice drink. I ordered a Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail drink. It is made of Bacardi Light, Luxardo Maraschino Cherries, Fresh Grapefruit Juice, and Fresh Lime Juice. The drink tasted different than other Hemingway Daiquiris I’ve had in the past, but it was definitely very good.

Hemingway Daiquiri

After we finished our delicious three-course meal, we were pretty stuffed. When it came to ordering the desserts in the end, I got to make the choices for both of us, because my friend wasn’t as into desserts and I was.

For desserts, we ordered Chocolate Bread Pudding and Pineapple Tart. My friend only had a few bites of each dessert, and I basically ate all of the them. (When it comes to desserts, I just couldn’t resist the temptation of the delicious sweets sitting right in front of me! )

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Pineapple Tart

Our overall experience of the Picasso restaurant in the Bellagio hotel was great! The services was outstanding, food was unique, and the ambience was perfect.

I’d say for a fancy restaurant like the Picasso in the Bellagio Hotel, the price we paid for our meal was well spent.

 

 

All Posts, Food, Travel

Harvest by Roy Ellamar Restaurant at Bellagio Las Vegas

Last year July, I ate at the Harvest by Roy Ellamar restaurant in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The Harvest by Roy Ellamar restaurant was the new additional to the Bellagio property. It replaced the Sensi restaurant (Italian, Asian, American and Seafood fusion), at the location by the Bellagio Spa Tower.

It has been too long since I dined at the Sensi restaurant (in Year 2009), so my memory of the dinning experience at the restaurant is limited to good service and some pictures of my meal. It was good, but wasn’t good enough for me to have the urge to go back there again.

During my first visit to the new Harvest by Roy Ellamar restaurants in July 2016, my friend and I shared a bone-in ribeye steak and pork chop for the main entre, crushed potatoes, creamed spinach, and sautéed spinach for side dishes.

(Picture of the Bone-in Ribeye steak)

(Picture of the Pork Chop)

(Picture of the Sides: Crushed Potatoes, Creamed Spinach, and Sautéed Spinach)

The sautéed spinach wasn’t on the menu. But my friend and I were craving for it, so we asked our waiter to put in a special request for it.

And as always, our craving was much bigger than the amount we could actually eat! I walked into the Harvest by Roy Ellamar restaurant with an open mind for trying the new restaurant and ended up with a fully satisfied tummy. The food and the service at the Harvest by Roy Ellamar were great! Especially the bone-in ribeye steak we had.

During the past holiday season, I came across the picture of the ribeye steak I ate at the Harvest by Roy Ellamar restaurant, and it made me crave for the same ribeye steak I had.

A few months later, I finally got the chance to go back to the Harvest by Roy Ellamar restaurant. My friend and I shared the bone-in ribeye I’d been longing for and the Harvest rotisserie chicken. We limited our sides to just crushed potatoes and brussels sprouts. (We learned our lesson from last time; three sides was too much!)

(Picture of the Harvest Rotisserie Chicken)


(Picture of the Brussels Sprouts)


My second dinning experience at Harvest by Roy Ellamar was as great as the first one! The bone-in ribeye steak tasted even better than I remembered (given that it was very good on my first visit already). The Rotisserie Chicken was surprisingly flavorful and tender.  Both the crushed potatoes and the brussels sprouts complemented the ribeye steak and the rotisserie chicken perfectly.

I have to say the two dinning experience at Harvest by Roy Ellamar were equally great! I will definitely include this restaurant in my Top Ten Restaurants in Las Vegas Strip list!

All Posts, Food, Travel

Spain Trip – Barcelona Day Two

My first day in Barcelona, Spain, went very well. The next day (Day Two) I woke up at the break of dawn and enjoyed the view of the Barcelona coast.

From our hotel room window, I saw the first shred of sunlight hitting the buildings by the coast, and the light from the lamps reflecting in the water.  The natural and artificial light combination created a peaceful and beautiful view. To me, this is a perfect view I wouldn’t mind to wake up to everyday!


(Picture of the view from our hotel room.)

Since we were on vacation, my friend and I decided to take it easy by taking our time to get ready. Instead of eating in the restaurant on the W Hotel Barcelona property, we wanted to adventure out of the hotel to look for a breakfast place.

After about a 10-minute walk from our W Barcelona property, we found a restaurant, “Amarre 69”, which was opened for breakfast. Both of us ordered Americano coffee and breakfast with sausage and egg.



(Picture of the Americano coffee and the breakfast at “Amarre 69” restaurant.)

The Americano coffee was the perfect espresso drink. Not only did it smell very good, it also tasted very delicious. And the bacon in my breakfast was especially good. I don’t usually eat bacon in the States, but the bacon I had during my Spain trip was more like fried thick prosciutto (which happens to be one of my favorites).

After we finished the breakfast, we headed over to Park Güell in Carmel Hill. Park Güell was designed by Antoni Gaudi, a famous architect whose great work includes Sagrada Família. (Stay tuned for blog posts on Park Güell and Sagrada Família.)

After we left the park, we were starving. We found a restaurant off the Internet which opens earlier than most places in Barcelona. The restaurant was called “Restaurant 7 Portes”.

At the “Restaurant 7 Portes”, my friend and I had glasses of wine, Catalan flat bread, Jamón (ham), and paella. We ordered two kinds of paella; one with meat and seafood and one with black squid ink.

Everything we had in the “Restaurant 7 Portes” was great and the bill was unexpectedly inexpensive. After the dinner we walked back to our W Barcelona hotel. The walk was nice; we got the night view of Barcelona and the W Barcelona.

More on the Barcelona Trip – See Day One