As a woman, heck as a human, I have my fair share of insecurities. It’s something we learn living in a society built on image and status, but it’s also something we unwillingly accept from judgements passed on to us from others. Something I always try to teach my daughter is that the the one thing you can wear everyday, the one thing only you can give yourself, the most beautiful accessory, is confidence. “Confidence and being comfortable are things you can see on the outside when you feel them on the inside.” – Carrie Underwood
I heard this quote from the ever beautiful (on the inside and on the outside) Carrie Underwood. If you know me than you know I love country music. I like LOOOOOOVE it. I bought Carrie’s first album after she won American Idol back in 2005…whew time flies! And I love her, I love what she stands for, I love her voice, and most importantly, I love what uses her voice for. She conveys love, confidence, and empowerment to her listeners, to women, and I respect that she hasn’t let the industry change her.
This campaign is sponsored by Almay who recently named Carrie as their latest ambassador, and I think that says a lot about the brand. Usually when a celebrity personality and a brand team up, you hear the celebrity say things that are out of character for them. So I was pleasantly surprised to read and hear Carrie’s words in her own….words, on what she thinks makes a woman truly beautiful and why she chose Almay.
I’ll share with you the video of her that I’m talking about, just click here. I’ve always loved her, I really enjoy her music, and I find it really lovely that she remains true to her own brand, still inspiring, still giving words of encouragement, and still doing what she loves. This video made me think about my own definition of beauty so here goes.
Beauty is something that everyone possesses. Most people think of beauty and what comes to mind for them initially, is the esthetically pleasing kind. Yes, outer beauty is indeed beautiful. But ‘looks’ fade with age, everyone is beautiful when they are young, what makes you beautiful as you go through life and age in years and in experience, is just that. Experiences. Your thoughts, your dreams, your words, your feelings, all make you beautiful because they make you an individual.
No one can take away what makes you beautiful, you can only add to it. I, like most women love makeup and clothes, and perfumes, and all things girls, and though they enhance my personality and my features, they don’t make me beautiful. My ability to love unconditionally, the way I’ve raised my daughter, my loyalty to my friends, my honesty with myself, and my big ol’ cheesy heart make me me. I like that.
This video provoked me to feel these things so I’m sharing them with you. It’s been a hectic few weeks but I wanted to say hello and that you are not forgotten, and that you too are beautiful!
So tell me what you think makes someone beautiful, how is beauty defined to you, thank you for reading and I’ll be back here soon. And thank you to Almay for having me a part of this campaign, I truly am inspired by this beauty:
Basics are all you need to dress up or dress down for any event and today’s style watch features Pop Basic and how I styled myself in this business chic outfit for an occasion.
This week I did a guest spot on Inside The Noise, a radio station hosted by two hilarious and witty actors, Chrissy and Barry right here in L.A. I thought, oh I don’t need to dress up or anything it’s just my voice. But then I thought, wait, they’re going to do photos and behind the scenes video, so I decided that I should probably put myself together.
I went with a business chic lil number, and if you know me than you know I love being comfortable but there are times when I have to be trendy and professional, and this is my happy medium. I’ve been talking about Pop Basic for the past few weeks because it’s something I recently discovered, so if we’re friends and you’ve already heard this spiel it’s ok, love me still 😉
So unlike a normal subscription you hear about where they pester you each month, Pop Basic is something you check in at your leisure for their latest and greatest collections, and it’s an awesome way to stay trendy but in the comfort of your own style preferences. I like being trendy but I struggle with it because being comfortable is just too strong of an emotion for me. So this month when I saw the basics they are featuring, I just really enjoyed the colors and how I knew I could style them so many different ways.
They feature micro collections each month and this month is the Paloma collection, with it’s grey leather clutch, and featuring a rose gold zipper. I accessorized this outfit with the Paloma clutch, and I don’t usually wear clutches because they’re too small to carry most of my things, but this clutch is pretty spacey.
For the outfit itself, I took the Pop Basic white tee, tied it up on the side since my skirt is pretty scrunchy on one side, and paired it with my black asymmetrical skirt. Over top I threw on my Forever 21 black blazer, wore my Steve Madden strapped DeJaVu pumps, and popped on this beautiful necklace my friend Lindsay Albanese gave me. I finished off this business-y chic-y (is that a word?) look with my Urban Outfitters sunnies and off I went!
Not featured in this photo is the 3rd basic that came in this month’s Pop Basic delivery, a grey striped infinity scarf. It’s a bit warm here in L.A. so I opted out of the scarf, but when I do style it with an outfit, I’ll be sure to show you what I do with it! Each month they also send you a lil make up goodie as a treat and this month I got a strawberry lip gloss that doubles as an awesome lip balm!
Probably the only fashion thing I’m fairly good at is dressing up and dressing down my basics, they’re versatile and no matter how you outfit them, they’re comfortable and that’s important to me. What’s your favorite style of clothing to wear, your go to look?
I’ll link everything I’m wearing just click on the item in my description and it’ll let you shop the look. Pop Basic also has a referral program so here is mine to you 😀 $15 your collection here! And they offer free shipping world wide so if you get the Paloma collection, tag me on Twitter or Instagram so I can see how you styled your basics!
So that’s my style watch for today, see you next week when I’ll talk about crop tops and how obsessed I am with them. Any styles you obsessed with as of lately? Let me know, I love hearing from you all! Oh and if you want to see me talking about this in my video blog, it’s live on my YouTube channel here.
So a few posts ago, I talked about my morning skin care routine, if you missed that click here, and today I share with you my night time skin care routine. When we sleep, our skin really gets to work healing and renewing so here are some products I use to make the most out of that process! Seems like a gazillion things to do but you’ll thank me when people ask how your skin looks so glowy!
1. Spin for Perfect Skin – exfoliating brush here: I make the most out of my cleanser and ramp up my exfoliation with this guy. Skin looks dull if you don’t slough off the dead cells so exfoliate exfoliate exfoliate! Vanity Planet was awesome enough to share a coupon code for $30 off plus free shipping in the US just use SPIN4JESS at check out woot! 2. Ole Henriksen exfoliating mask here: I exfoliate at least 3 times a week, at least once a week I’ll use my exfoliating brush and every other day I’ll use my exfoliating cleanser below. Once a week (usually after a few days of hosting and being on set with 394747 layers of makeup) I will use a peel off mask and this is a great mask because it exfoliates and then you rinse off or allow to dry and wipe clean with a warm wash cloth. Your skin will feel soooo smoothe! 3. Kate Somerville Exfoliating Treatment here: And this is the exfoliating cleanser I use in between the masks and exfoliating brush. It’s gentle enough to use about twice a week, it smells like kelp and leaves my skin feeling super refreshed and soft.
4. Dickinson’s witch hazel toner here: I use a toner both day and night after I’ve cleansed my skin. It’s soothing, it removes any residual dirt and oils, and preps my skin for serums and lotions wahooo!
5. Mario Badescu skin care peptide renewal serum here: If you have dry skin, aging skin, or very sun damages skin, I suggest this amazing serum. It’s a peptide serum, super rich yet easily absorbed, it’s soooo hydrating and my skin literally looks plumper and dewy when I wake up in the morning! Just two drops at night and they won’t believe how old you are. 6. DHC Olive virgin oil here: I’ve talked about this product a lot but I can’t help it, it’s incredible. I put just a drop on a clean mascara wand and then give my lashes a good swipe of it and boom, conditioning and nourishing your lashes so they get longer. And thicker! NATURALLY! omg I know! 7. Peter Thomas Roth Mega Rich Intensive Eye Cream here: They holy grail of all eye creams, it’s rich and moisturizing, has anti aging ingredients in it (can I get an Amen!), and if you’re over the age of 20 I think you should be using an eye cream of some kind. The skin around our eyes is the thinnest of all of our face so we age there the quickest! I personally love this eye cream because frankly I’m no spring chicken and this does the trick! 8. Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic invigorating night gel and sheer transformation cream here: Lastly, on days where I just use a gentle cleanser with my exfoliating brush, I’ll use this killer combo after. PTR is magical in of itself, but these two work in combination to hydrate, replenish, and rebuild your skin from the inside out. No literally, from like 5 layers deep! haha Ok so I know that’s a lot. But I do just a few different steps each night, alternating between the exfoliating brush, the peel off mask, and a gentle daily exfoliant. It’s all about the serums and moisturizers and ALL about the eye cream. I spend 3 to 4 minutes doing this nightly routine but I promise it’s worth it and I’m raising a 16 year old. I’m sharing my secrets with the world 😉 Let me know if you try any of these things out, I always love hearing about what other people use and trying them out myself. Thank goodness for now……Asian don’t raisin 😉 And if you’d like to see me talk about all of this on my YouTube channel, here it is 😀 Disclaimer: I talk. A lot. Stay young at heart my friends, Jess
Perhaps it’s that I needed to remind myself to slow down, or that I love receiving actual letters in the mail that I can touch and read, or perhaps it’s that I love surprises and meeting new people. Well in fact, it’s all of that. I love meeting new people, especially when they are in another country, I love corresponding via snail mail, I love purchasing stamps, and I love the idea of these lovely letters.
I joined the Lovely Letters snail mail exchange after suggestion by my amazing friend Esther, who one- is an amazing photographer and foodie, and two- inspired my daughter and I to start our mother/daughter blog. But more importantly, she and I have been exchanging snail mail since she moved from LA to Vegas a few months ago. It’s such a refreshing gesture that shows you’re being thought of when friends reach out and say howdy, even when they have a gazillion other things happening in their own lives. Esther definitely does that, she’s great at making you feel special and remembered. I thought I’d pay it forward and chime in on this pen pal thing and I’m loving it so far! I’ve only has the chance to correspond via email with my pal, who lives in the UK and her name is Adrienne. However, it’s so awesome to get to know someone new, someone with a completely different life, in a completely different environment, in a completely different country! She’s a few years older than my daughter, in college, and I think it’s funny that we all live in this great big world with our very own lives to worry about, but that we’re all under the same blue sky. Think about it. Crazy right! So interesting to me that I now get to know someone I would under any other circumstances, not have gotten the chance to know. So if you love meeting new people, reading new blogs, writing, and snail mail, join us in the Lovely Letters snail mail exchange and get your pen pal! It’s like a ‘Paris Hilton’s new bff’, except less drama, more bff’s, and no air time ;)….well except for the snail mail part.
You can read more about Lovely Letters here from Esther and Lauren here, and sign up for May’s exchange here. So grateful for friends like Esther and for new friends like Lauren and Adrienne! Happy reading and writing to you all, hope to read about all of your exchanges and pen pal lovin’ next time! Hugs, Jess
Summer is upon us here in Los Angeles, thought it’s usually warm and sunny, it’s been especially warm lately and we’ve been finding ourselves at the beach or prowling for a pool to dip into a lot these days. Thought I’d share with you the things I pack with me each time, my beach bag essentials! You can pack this bag for the beach, to go pool side, or even for any time you hike or spend an extended period of time outside. These are just some of my must have items for my skin and lips to keep my protected, hydrated, and refreshed.
1. A beach umbrella: Any time I know i’m going to be in the sun for an extended period of time, I bring my umbrella. It’s cute, it shades me, and it keeps me cool. I love the Asian pattern on this one, and I feel so kimono when I have it. haha
2. Harmless Harvest Coconut Water: If you know me than you know I love love love coconut water. Most coconut waters taste like butt though, not gonna lie, but this coconut water is LITERALLY like putting a straw in a coconut. If I don’t like something you’ll know, and this I LOVE. If you don’t usually like coconut water, give this a try, I promise it’ll change your mind about coconut water tasting like butt 😉
3. Caudalie Beauty Elixir: The beach air, the sun, the water, it can all be uber drying to your skin and this spray is amazing. It’s refreshing with it’s citrus derivatives, it’s calming and moisturizing, and smells AMAZE! A definite must try even if you don’t have dry skin and just want to try something refreshing for a mid day pick me up.
4. The Body Shop Body Butter in Coconut: This body butter is perfect for summer time parched skin. It smells divine (yes coconut everything), it’s travel size so it’s great for your to go bag, your tote, and your beach bag. It’s nice and thick but absorbs quickly, a little goes a long way, and it’s rich without being oily.
5. Shiseido Urban Environment: This is my all time favorite SPF for your face. It’s thin and light, quickly absorbed with no greasy feeling after you’ve applied it, great under makeup, and the SPF is high enough that it makes my heart happy 🙂
6. Rosebud Lip Balm Minted Rose: My most favorite lip balm, smells great, super hydrating, glossy, with no need to pack a lip liner or lipstick….WIN!
7. Harajuku Lovers G perfume: I’ve talked about this perfume a bunch of times, but this is my go to perfume, I keep a travel size in my clutch at all times. It’s a light tropical coconut sweet but not too sweet of a scent. Weird description I know. But I love smelling good, and this one definitely does it for me. Sexy and lady like.
8. Canon Vixia Mini: This is my vlogging camera, compact, wide lens, easy to tote, and the perfect hand held camera. I love this vlog camera and literally don’t leave home without it. All of my daily vlogs are shot on it.
9. Sunnies: The classic black sunnies, good for any and ALL occasions and protects your eyes. No squinting, no wrinkles 😉
10. Barbara’s Snackimals: I love these lil suckers! Like a healthy animal cracker. I use the word healthy loosely btw. I like to incorporate the word into my vocabulary as much as possible, makes me feel like I’m ACTUALLY being healthier.
11. Scooby Doo Mystery Machine Lunch Pale: I initially purchased this for my daughter a year ago and she didn’t use it so I’m making the most of it! I pack all of our picnic stuff, beach snacks, and pool side yummies in this sack and it’s awesome. Nostalgic AND keeps my things nice and cool, love this!
You can check each of these out simply by clicking the name of the product 😀
So what do you pack when you go to the beach or pool side? I think my next post will be on our hiking essentials since we’ve done a few big hikes these past few months. But with this warm weather I wanted to give you what I have with me right now. Literally….I’m posting this pool side in Palm Springs. My skin is burning off in this 110 degree weather but I can’t complain. We needed a mini vacay from LA, and I pool time is always a good time!
The dress above is my new favorite cover up, it’s flowy and feminine, it’s from The Muheeka Collection. It’s very Princess like and I can wear it over my bikini or wear a body suit beneath it and feel like a Queen on a night out. My favorite accessory, and the only one I’ll wear to the beach or pool side is this beachy star fish beaded necklace from Kai Blue Designs. It’s dainty and I love how it adds just a splash of color, very beach themed, and delicate enough to wear with any outfit, especially on my beach days. Not to mention the designer of this collection is one of my best friends and she’s incredibly talented. Check out the rest of her designs if you love beach themed jewelry and hues of blue!
And a very happy and safe Memorial day to all of you, I’m remembering our fallen soldiers today and grateful for our men and women in the armed forces currently. Proud Army brat!
If you know me than you know I’m ALL about fragrances! I have about 20 perfumes at home, it’s a problem I know. Anything that makes my skin or hair smell divine, I’m all about. I always have at least 2 different perfumes with me at any given time. I also ALWAYS have a roller ball of some sort ON me ALL the time, just in case! haha. I’ve changed my sense of smell over the past few months, switched out my current faves, and today I’ll share with you my favorite summer fragrances and why I love them so much!
1. Harajuku Lovers G here: I’ve loved this particular perfume for a few years now, it’s very light and smells like a sexy coconut. My descriptions will be weird. I’m just saying it’s such a refreshing light scent ;D
2. Escada Moon Sparkle here: If ever you’ve hugged me and ask what scent I’m wearing because you liked it, this is IT! I’ve been wearing Moon Sparkle for years, it will always forever be one of my most favorite scents to wear. Wear this scent on a date, or for a dinner night, or girls night out, it’s sexy, and musky without being old lady musky ewww. It fruity and literally the best.
3. Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche here: I don’t normally go for the heavier smells, the older more mature scents, but this one I’ll make an exception for. It’s Chanel’s ‘fresh’ one, it’s lighter than the original, still sexy and sophisticated, but not fruity at all which I normally grab for. This is classy and I feel like such a lady when I wear it.
4. Escada Taj Sunset here: I have been wearing Escada since I was able to afford my own perfume, and each year they come out with a new scent, I rarely go for new scents because they usually smell almost identical to the one before it, but THIS, this is INCREDIBLE. My new ALL TIME MOST FAVORITE SCENT! It’s fruity and sexy and young and flirty and girly and smells like papaya and summer breezes hahaha. Wow that was a tangent! But this perfume is hands down my new favorite of the 101 faves I have lol. If I’ve ever turned you on to Moon Sparkle, take Taj Sunset for a spin, you’ll love it I promise!
5. Viva La Juicy here: Juicy Couture is another one of those fragrance lines that I just pass up, but their Viva La Juicy and their Viva La Juicy Noir here are so so so delicious. They are both more sophisticated and musky, but again, I don’t go for old lady mature smelling musks. No offense to those who do, it’s just not me. These two are the ONLY scents I’ll wear from Juicy. This double ended roller ball is a must have always have in my purse or clutch. It’s such a sultry sexy scent.
Give these a go, or if you’re out next time and want to try out a perfume, try one of these! I’ve linked them directly, or you can click on the ‘perfume’ link in my side bar and check out the site I get most of my perfumes from, they’re always having a sale of some kind and are discounted from most places, so use the codes to get your discounts! 😀
10% off on orders of $49 or more using code ‘ST101’
Free Shipping on any order $49 or more using code ‘STFREE’
I’m obsessed with smelling good, with all things coconut, and with having soft skin and hair, sooooo my posts surround these things. Hope you’re loving them. I have my favorite scents for men also, any fellas out there or ladies want to know what they are? Leave it in the comments!
So being the mother of a 16 year old can make you feel really old. I mean I’m no spring chicken y’all! But I do a million different things to keep my skin looking and feeling youthful, radiant, and healthy. Here is my updated morning and night time skin care routines. Below is my fresh face with only ONE filter on it, I mean, it’s as bare as it can get so I figured I’d help myself out with some lighting! This takes about 3-4 minutes each day to complete and it’s worth it! I mean hopefully my skin will look like this forever….or until I wake up looking like Freddie Kruger one day. You know what they say….Asian don’t raisin…until one day, unexpectedly, we wake up looking 109!!!
1. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser here: I use this cleanser as an eye make up remover because it’s so gentle, and the formula conditions your eyelashes. WIN!
2. Clinique 7 day scrub cream here: My go to daily exfoliant. Mild enough to use daily, gets the job done, doesn’t irritate your skin
3. Dickinson’s witch hazel toner here: I love this toner because it’s the simplest solutions for dry, irritated, inflamed skin. Put some onto a cotton round, swipe it all over your face, and you’re instantly refreshed.
4. Rosewater here: I switch off between toners, the witch hazel and rose water. Rose water is a great daily moisturizer also and I’ll often spritz it onto my face throughout the day for a lil pick me up! Toners remove any excess oil or dirt the cleanser left behind, removes residue, and preps your skin for your serums, moisturizers, and makeup
5. Rosehip oil here: Now I am obsessed with oils. Even if your skin is oily, or acne prone, or sensitive, it still needs a good oil. Often times people over dry their oily acne prone skin which only cause your pores to create even MORE oil. This is a cold pressed organic rose hip oil, it’s light, it absorbs quickly, it’s hydrating and nourishing to your skin, and it doesn’t have your makeup sludge all over your face, it actually acts as a great primer under your moisturizer. A few drops, pat it gently into your face, and vualaaaaa!
6. Olay total effects eye cream here: I have always been an advocate of eye cream, it’s a must as we age around our eyes the quickest. The skin around your eyes is the thinnest of all your face, it shows all of our emotion and happiness, so keep it hydrated. This is a great eye cream, inexpensive, and hydrates without leaving your feeling oily. Great under eye makeup
7. Neautrogena beach defense SPF 70 here: If there’s one thing that will age you quicker than a bad life style and sleeping on your face at night, it’s the sun. I wear SPF no matter what, especially on over cast days or on days when you don’t think you need to….ya do. Uva protect you against aging rays and uvb protects you against burning rays. Get full spectrum when you can, you’ll still tan except you won’t burn. Burning is bad
So that is my morning every day, go to, skin care routine. Sounds like a ton but I promise it goes fast and you’ll thank me later 😉 I’ll post my night time skin care routine in a few, I’ve got to get all the pictures together…oh the drama of getting a good picture of product. Hang tight sweet pea!
Stay young at heart and no one will be able to tell the difference 😉
I may have a slight love obsession with leggings. I mean I have them in every color imaginable, exhibit A below. So today I met with my dream team over at Game Show Network and we have a new show concept coming up and I’m so excited about it. Pretty much hosting is all I want to do right now so it’s all I’ve been doing. I like using words and energy and tossing them at an audience. Also this is what I wore today, here’s today OOTD- style watch – dressing up leggings so that you can perform normal every day functions without looking like you just came from the gym 😉
It’s all about dressing cute but more importantly, comfortable for me. Unless I’m on a stage or hosting a show, you won’t find me in dresses and pumps. I like to dress up when I got out, but my daily grind look is just like this. Flats, leggings, a tank, an accessory, and a jacket or kimono.
The flats are from Tieks link here, the pants are from JustFab here, and the necklace is from Twisted Faith Jewlery here. I love color blocking with my Tieks, I could very well be crazy, but I’m pretty sure red goes with everything! I also am obsessed with royal blue and these JF leggings hug like a glove and I feel like with an accessory and a jacket, that it’s really day wear and not just sports wear.
The tank is from Target here, and the jacket is from Forever 21 here, yes forever 21, that is where I’m at, not a day older…..ever. I’ve actually never worn my Twisted Faith necklace with anything other than a dressy look, so it was nice to get to wear it with a more casual look.
I love that it has that antique-y feel yet it’s simplistic, I can wear it with this tank and not feel like it’s too much. I love the cuts in the stone, ( I love wearing stones period) but I also love the length. It sits just where my 3rd and 4th button would be if I had buttons on this tank. And the jacket, well I wear a jacket 24/7 even if it’s warm out, so this distressed black denim jacket was nice to layer on top of it all.
I have a video coming out this week of my hair and makeup look that I did here, so be on the look out for that. I’ve been inspired by fashion lately….and music. And macaroons. Odd combination I know, but that’s what’s happening with me. Do you like cute/comfy, or are you a dressy/formal kind of person?
Have a wonderful day and happy Mother’s Day to all your mommas out there!
Hi! I know it’s been a bit since I’ve written a post on here, so much is going on, so lets catch up! If you watch me on YouTube than you know I’m vlogging daily on my channel now. Click here to check those out, it’s ‘vlog a day in May’, which means I pick up my camera every day and video blog my life. I’m used to doing comedy, writing sketches, being impersonal about things so this is very different for me, but I like it! Also I started a blog with my daughter Corrine, click here for it, it’s called spoiledpeaches.com and she and I take turns over there writing posts. It’s a way for she and I to stay connected while she is away at college so I’m starting now! So today I’ll share with you my style watch for the week, it’s a few pieces I received from Stitch Fix.
So Stitch Fix is a monthly service that I subscribe to, where a personal stylist sends me a box of clothes that fit my style profile, my sense of style, and that are on trend. Now if I’m not being styled by someone on set, or my daughter doesn’t help dress me, I do not know fashion. I would live in uggs and sweats if it weren’t for monthly little packages being sent to me, dressing me up.
The dress above is one of the 3 pieces I kept from the box and I sent the rest back. It’s convenient for me since they include a return bag and label, just to pop in what I don’t want to keep and send back. The clothes come once a month and I can choose to keep and pay for the pieces I want, or send it all back. The monthly fee I pay for that service is $20, but I usually make that back in purchases as the stylist that I have knows my style pretty well I think.
Here are some of the other items that came in this months shipment. They send 5 things at a time, 4 pieces of clothing, usually 2 tops, a dress or skirt, a pair of jeans or slacks, and an accessory of some kind.
So I ended up just keeping the skinny jeans, the dress I’m wearing, and the arrow cuff bracelet. The two tops were not really my style, a lil too loose fitting and plain for something I would host in, yet too dressy for my normal casual lifestyle. So I sent the two blouses back and the things I kept they automatically charged me for upon receipt of my return. Pretty awesome service!
What I like most is that I don’t have to think about what’s on trend, what’s up and coming, I set it all in my style profile, I switch it up sometimes from business casual, as seen above, to dressy, or sometimes I go super boho and only request flowy skirts and off the shoulder tops. Check out the service if you need a lil help like me, let me know what you think! And if you’re already a member, let me know what was in your fix this month!
See you here later next week and over on our spoiledpeaches.com blog.