Art & Travel Blog: Rome, Italy - Vatican City

Finally I can write a post about my globe trotting experiences. As some of you may know Traveling is my passion, my heart and soul. I love it more than anything else. Immersing yourself in a different culture and learning about the history of the city, the Art and Architecture is a real treat.

After studying Michelangelo's paintings and sculptures for almost 2 decades of my life. I was definitely in awe to see the real original works of the grand master himself. As I sat at the end of the Sistine Chapel staring up at the ceiling, it was at that point in time that I found myself tearing from it's beauty. It was beyond believe of how someone could paint such massive fresco murals on a ceiling in such short time.

Fresco, the painting technique is to apply a layer of plaster and applying pigment or paint to the plaster when it is still wet. With this technique, only 2' x 3' sections could be painted at a time. I'm sure the math is easy as Michelangelo completed 12,000 sq ft of ceiling space in 4 years, 9 murals from the Book of Genesis. Basically depicts the story of how the world was created by God. Birth of the Sun and the Moon; Creation of Adam (mankind); Birth of Eve (the creation of women); Temptation (the forbidden fruit); and etc.

Unfortunately no photography was allowed in the Sistine Chapel or else I could show what a beauty these paintings were. Approximately three years ago the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was cleaned and restored. This was only to reveal the beautiful bright colours in the fresco paintings done by Michelangelo. The Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican city, at the top of the chapel there is a golden sphere that fits 4 people inside.

Those whom don't follow Art themselves may be interested in a bit of a background story. Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II to do paintings on the large stretch of 12,000 sq ft of ceiling. These masterpieces were completed within 4 years time and were considered one of his crown jewel works of art. Michelangelo was one of the longest living artists of his time, he considered himself more of a sculptor than a painter, he was well versed with many talents. He was a poet, an architect and an engineer.

Vatican

Beauty Review: Dr.Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm

As a beauty blogger I've read numerous reviews and heard great things about Dr. Jart+ products. I was determined to climb the highest mountain and dive into the deepest ocean to find the perfect product for me. As a college graduate, I am constantly searching high and low for a proper product for my problematic skin.

Western market full coverage foundations covered my hyper pigmentation but it did not treat them; it often looked cakey as well. I've tried other light to medium coverage foundations, which required too much effort with layering and blending and setting with powder. Resulting in clogged pores and acne. Most foundations on the market didn't provide the breathe-ability that my skin requires. My skin is also intolerant to perfumed products, growing up with sensitive skin has taught me that even though a product is advertised as Unscented. There could still be some sort of perfume lingering within. I've tried drugstore to high end brands and somehow I found myself going back to the mid-range prices.

Asian BB Creams have often been too light for my complexion and too oily for my acne prone skin. Nothing has ever seemed right for my complexion. I'm constantly looking for the perfect marriage between all my day time skincare needs and coverage in a makeup product. I try to find a multitasking product to eliminate steps in my morning routine. I think I found "the one."

My method of usage and recommendations for this BB cream; as it has a light to medium coverage, it comes in one universal shade. Often I find the shade a little too light for my summer complexion but a great match for the fall and winter months. Hence I would only recommend this product for shades up to and including NC25. I am currently an NC 30-35, although it is too light for my skin tone, I compensate by using mineral bronzer (unfortunately there are not a lot of Asian brand bronzers on the market, I use the Bare Minerals Bronzing Mineral Veil) to contour the outer parts of my face and cheekbones to make it look more uniform. This resulting in an effect of the BB Cream acting as a highlighter. If you are using this as a cover up for scars or darker spots, you may need to put on a few layers and blend well. A translucent setting powder (Skinfood Buckwheat Loose Powder in Transparent)` is recommended for extremely oily skin, you can also use a finely milled rice powder (Skinfood Rice Shimmer Powder) to set it.

Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Cream has done wonders for my skin, it's not too oily, sticky or perfumed. The matte finish counteracts my oiliness in my T-zone, but it still contains moisturizing properties that eliminates scaly skin. This product is also marketed to both men and women. The other perks is that this product is free of parabens and sulfates, which are some of the top irritants for sensitive skin on the market these days.

After researching further into the ingredients of the Dr.Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Cream, I found a lot more hidden benefits as well. Caviar extract is found to speed up natural production of collagen and firms your skin as well as hydrates it. This extract is high in Vitamin A, D, B1, B2, B6 and Amino acids in which slows down the aging process. Caviar extract also protects the multiple layers of skin from pollutants and reduces inflammation. This product also contains active botanical ingredients that purify and calm sensitive acne prone skin. This is definitely a key selling point to suit my needs. I found most creams on the market that are made for acne prone skin are not catered to sensitive skin. Hence my skin flakes and looks dull and dry. SPF 25 to block out the sun's harmful rays and to slow down the aging process. Arbutin is a skin lightening agent which treats my hyper pigmentation.

BB Creams, Blemish Balm, Beblesh Balm or Beauty Balm was originally created by a German dermatologist as a post-op cream used to treat scars, moisturize, mattify and prime the skin in the 1960's. This product was later introduced to South Korea & Japan in the mid 1980's and has shown a great success. As in most Asian cultures porcelain skin is a prized asset and is well sought after as a form of beauty. These balms usually contain about 5 or more active skin care ingredients to moisturize and smooth dry skin; to prime and perfect the skins texture; used for colour correction or to create a more uniform skin tone; SPF to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

Although being born in North America and brought up in the western culture. I prefer a bronzed glow over the porcelain skin look. Hence I have given you my method of usage in the above paragraphs. I hope you enjoyed reading my journey of hunting for the perfect product to suit my needs. And I hope you can find your "one" too.

Travel Blog: Los Angeles

Hello Travel Junkies:

Today I am back with a blog about my past travels to Los Angeles, California. It is a beautiful quiet city. Everyone seems laid back and one thing I learn is that a high percentage of the residents are Latino. Oh gosh, asking for directions was hard as I don't speak Spanish. But they were still friendly and helpful. "Gracias."

LACMA, absolutely a fanstastic art gallery located in the heart of downtown. And of course, there is the famous installation of multiple lamp posts that you may have seen in many movies.

If you ever travel to LA, definitely try the Korean food in Korea Town. I tried the Bossam for the first time at Kobawoo, and it was delicious. Many of you may not know what that is. So, here's a little bit about it. It is chilled thinly sliced pork that is served with an assortment of pickles and cabbage leaves. The method of eating this dish, you eat it with your hands. Basically it's the Korean version of the 'lettuce wrap.' Grab a leaf of cabbage place a slice of pork in the middle, place some pickles on top, fold the cabbage leaf over and indulge. It was so yummy and exciting to try something new. 

From downtown LA, I had also traveled to Long Beach. Yet another quiet and beautiful place. The beach was very nice and is literally a 'long' beach. :-) I got a great tan and indulged in many chapters of a great novel (The Continuity Girl). I tried visiting the art gallery also, but unfortunately it was closed early for a private function. I also wandered over to the aquarium and walked around the marina. There's a nice assortment of restaurants in this area. Across the way is a mall and mini amusement park. 

By far my favorite area is Santa Monica. I enjoyed all the unique restaurants, vintage stores, yoga studios and beautiful pier. For the shopaholics there is Santa Monica Place and Third Street Promenade. In the summer weekends there's a nice farmers market, great place to visit if you like fresh produce. If you enjoy vintage shopping a great place to go is Wasteland. They have funky finds there. I proudly support recycling and reducing my carbon footprint. :) 

In Santa Monica, I love dining at Real Food Daily organic vegan cuisine. Everything is delicious at this restaurant and they have a lot of gluten free choices as well. Located on Santa Monica Blvd, between 5th & 6th.

As a dinner takeout I've ordered '' Stir It Up'' which is a gingery stir fry of julienned veggies with your choice of brown rice, soba noodles or daily greens. Yummy!

One of the vegan gluten free cheesecakes, light, creamy and fluffy. This was a great dessert after a long day. Served with a fresh raspberry topping.

Another favorite in the Santa Monica area is Mon Roll Sushi on 4th Street at Colorado. They serve innovative works of art. Some of my favorites are Maui Maui Roll, Pink Lady and Dragon Roll. 

Maui Maui is a salmon, avocado, grilled pineapple roll served with a special homemade plum sauce. If you enjoy sweet and sour, this is the way to go.

Pink Lady is a tobiko & salmon sushi that is served with thinly sliced lemon. This sushi is very refreshing and great to start your meal with this roll.

Dragon is a deep fried shrimp tempura, crab, unagi, avocado and tobiko roll. Served with a house blend sauce. This is a meal in itself. Very delicious and great mix of textures and flavors.
 

Another attraction is the Santa Monica Pier, a travel attraction all in one. There are street vendors, souvenir shops, restaurants, an amusement park, an aquarium, and a large beach with a great view. I love going to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co for the seafood, chimmichurri sauce is delicious, and for the fact that I love the movie Forrest Gump.

Hope you enjoyed my little journey in Los Angeles. I look forward to write more blogs about travel in the future.

Happy Travels :)

 

Beauty: Coconut Oil Cleansing Method

Hello Beauty DIYers...

I have been loving this cleansing method a lot lately. The weather changing has made my skin dull and dry. But this method fixes everything easily and quickly.

I know some people that have oily or acne prone skin may be reluctant to try this. But I can say it hasn't clogged any of my pores or made existing acne worse.

I have acne prone skin as well as hyperpigmentation. Coconut oil helps fade my acne scars with it's vitamin E properties. While it unclogs my pores with it's antiseptic properties.

Here's what you will need:
Wash cloth
Hot tap water
1 tbsp organic extra virgin Coconut oil

Massage your face in circular upward motions. This will remove makeup as well. It removes my waterproof mascara too. Smells delicious, moisturizes your skin and is a great antiseptic for acne.

Massage for about 5-10 minutes. Turn your tap water to hot and wet your clean wash cloth. Ring out the excess water and drape over your face. Steam for a minute or two. Remove the wash cloth and rinse with hot tap water. Ring out the excess water and remove the oil from your face in an upwards circular motion.

Follow with your favourite toner and you're done!

Cheers,

Vivian

Lifestyle & Travel: In Flight Essentials - short flights

My lucky no. 13's travel essentials for short flights.

1. A good book to read or in this case lots of nice pictures to see.
2. Organic Vitamin C pops. Beat the travel cold before it hits you.
3. The Sling Sisters reusable snack bag. Nothing better than your personal favourite treats especially in a cute eco-friendly bag.
4. Assorted snacks & teas
5. Blum naturals cleansing makeup removal wipes for combination/oily skin. I like to remove all my makeup before take off.
6. My Scheming Mint Collagen Mask
7. A Watch as I like to have good timekeeping
8. Pronamel Sensodyne Toothpaste & Travel toothbrush
9. A moisturizing hand cream
10. Valerian pills great for overnight flights. Helps you sleep.
11. Sunglasses can be used to block light out as you try to catch some Zzzzz's.
12. Real Techniques travel brush set for redoing my makeup before landing.
13. Hand sanitizer & lip balm. I went for a tinted babylips balm because it's a 2 in 1. Save space and extra moisturizing plus it's got SPF.

Hope you enjoyed my little post today. Comment below if you'd like to see more travel related blog posts.

Safe Travels

Vivian :)

Travel Blog: San Francisco coming soon

Hello All,

I have exciting news to share! I am going to start doing more travel blogs and sharing local specialties in all the places I travel to or stumble upon. I will try to bring more entertainment and lifestyle posts to you as well. Stay tuned :)

Vivian
maydaydesigns

2013/04 Beauty, Fashion & Lifestyle: Current Obsessions

Hello Beauties,

Here is a list of my current obsessions, not listed in any specific order. But I have broken them down into seperate categories.

Beauty Obsessions:

• the No Makeup makeup look
• Baby Lips tinted lip balms
• Short & colourful nails
• Heatless curls
• Top knots
• side dutch/french/fishtail/rope Braids
• Ombre highlights
• Lavender & Vanilla perfumes
• Rosewater Toner

 

Fashion Obsessions:

• Navy Blue & Olive colours
• Boho Chic styles
• City Chic styles
• Preppy Casual
• Maxi dresses & skirts
• Black & grey skinny jeans
• Loafers 
• Floral prints
• Tunics
• Eyelet fabrics
• Dainty jewellery
• Crochet
• Simple stud earrings
• Yoga capri leggings
• My DIY Hot Pink Sneakers
• Blue sapphire 
• Men's style watches 
• Boyfriend blazers
• Waterfall cardigans
• Boyfriend shirts, dress shirts

Lifestyle Obsessions:

• Rosebud tea
• TV Shows: Mentalist, Rizzoli & Isles, The Good Wife, Revenge, Criminal Minds
• Music: Stay - Rhianna
• Travel: Seattle
• Store: Target
• Language: Italian

Let me know what your obsessions are for the month of April in the comment box below. Hope you enjoyed this months blog.

Cheers,

Vivian
May Day & Lifestyle