Cruising around Santa Monica

Just got home from walking around all day in Santa Monica.  My feet are going to fall off soon...x.x But it was fun exploring around LA for Diane's 18th birthday.  What better way to celebrate than by having a mini shopping spree, right?  =P  Unfortunately, Diane wasn't able to buy anything she liked so we might have to go to South Coast so I can get her a birthday gift.  Honestly, after comparing many different malls I've been to, nothing beats South Coast Plaza.  It's sophisticated, indoors (I hate walking around in outdoor malls), and consists of a variety of stores from high-end designers--like Gucci, Burberry, Miu Miu, etc--to more affordable shops like AE, Wet Seal, etc.  They're even opening up a Forever 21 soon, which Diane is excited about.  Personally, I'm not a huge Forever 21 fan as I used to be.  Mainly due to the poor quality of their fabrics.  And their merchandise is pricier now!  Lamesauce.

Anyways, to sum it up: you get the most at the coast! =P

Back to Santa Monica...

It took about an hour for us to drive over there.

 We played around with the camera to pass the time.

The sexy birthday girl.

Do I look older with glasses?

My hair style for the day--I love them braids!

We first stopped at this little Japanese boutique called Anap.  It was my first time there so I was really excited to check out all the J-fashion.

The store wasn't open when we arrived because they open a little late (at noon).  So in order to pass the time, Diane and I munched on some Beard Papa cream puffs =) After browsing around the store, I was a little bummed.  Maybe it's because I couldn't find anything to my liking but I felt like most of the clothes were a bit overpriced for their quality and it was either a hit or miss.  The boutique itself was cute (it's extremely pink and girly haha) and the sales associates were super friendly.  My mom ended up buying this really bizarre zebra-striped blouse which was a bit questionable for my tastes...It was quite amusing...

We headed out to Westfield Century City Mall afterwards because mumsy wanted to shop at Macy's.  Parking was ridiculous!  It took us 30 minutes before we were able to secure a spot for us x.x. I wasn't in the mood to take a lot of pictures of the stores because it was terribly windy today and my eyes were super irritated.  This is why I hate outdoor malls--you have to deal with annoying weather.

I did manage to get a picture of Zara though <3

The Juicy Couture here was pretty big!  It's not as big as the flagship store in Las Vegas, but it's the biggest one I've been to in Cali.  Everything was very neat and organized and the dressing room was SO PINK.  I loved it. I felt like a princess in there haha!

Front of the store

Messing around in the fitting rooms

Later, we finally headed to our final destination: the Third Street Promenade in downtown Santa Monica.  I liked how a lot of the stores were just there side-by-side along one street.  It was easy to browse through each store (a lot of the stores were pretty huge!) but with Veteran's Day sale n' all, it was super crowded.  I wanted to check out the Mango store here since I heard it was a flagship store.  The design and layout of the store is pretty modern, chic, and sophisticated.  It's more spacious than the one at South Coast but the available merchandise was very similar...which I thought was rather strange.  I figured it would have more since it's bigger.  Oh well, it was cool checking it out nonetheless =)  I would probably prefer working at the Mango in South Coast though hehe

Sorry, a bit blurry since I didn't use flash.

I liked their window display. 

Here's my purchases for the day:

1) Two lace tanks - Abercrombie

2) Sweater - Forever 21

3) Pink belt - H&M

4) Heritage Crest Wallet - Juicy Couture

I've been hunting for that cream colored sweater everywhere!  I first saw it at the Forever 21 in Mission Viejo, but didn't buy it because I was a bit tight on money and figured I could find it at another store closer to home.  But I had the most difficult time hunting it down!  When I saw it randomly hanging on a go-back rack at the Third Street Promenade store, I dashed towards it before anyone else could get it xD

Anyways, that's my haul for the day.  I might stop by Sephora this weekend because I hear they're having another 20% off event?  Not so sure...but I hope so!  I've been wanting to buy some new skincare products.


Alrighty, gotta go rest now since I have work tomorrow.  *sigh*  At least tomorrow's paycheck Friday! ^^

<3,
Juju

Retail Therapy

Yesterday was payday at work and it was probably my biggest check I've earned so far.  I've been feeling extremely exhausted from working so many hours so I decided to pamper myself a bit and go on a mini shopping spree with Diane.  We were originally supposed to go karaoke at the KTV in City of Industry, but we didn't wake up early enough for their happy hour =( But it's okay...some shopping therapy didn't hurt either =P

Since I'm sick of South Coast (I feel like that's my second home!), Diane and I headed over to Fashion Island.  I wanted to check out the Juicy store since they're currently having their friends & family sale.  After much debate, I decided to splurge and purchase this pink velour jacket:

 

I love the design on the back!  Usually, I stay away from any kind of designs because I think they're flashy...but I thought this was cute.  And it's baby pink!  Lol...yes, I know I know, how girly...

I've been eyeing it for awhile and could never bring myself to buy it because it's on the expensive side.  But since I'm earning a bit more now, I wanted to treat myself.  Life is short, so you should indulge yourself once in awhile! That is my philosophy (which usually causes me to end up broke haha). 

I love the Urban Outfitters at Fashion Island because they have a wider selection of merchandise.  I wanted to buy some new tights but it was a bit pricy there, so I ended up getting some at Forever 21:

I am in love with this necklace I bought too ~ hopefully it doesn't end up rusting too soon...

Afterwards, we wanted to try some cupcakes from Sprinkles.  I've never tried their cupcakes before so I had high expectations since I've heard many rave reviews about them.  When we arrived, there was a really long line outside!  It reminded me of the insane long lines at 85 degrees bakery and I was hesitant about waiting...I mean, they're just cupcakes...are they that worth it?  But we decided to wait since it was our first time and all.  One cupcake was $3.25 (expensive imo)!  We ended up getting a box of four ($13) because we couldn't decide on one flavor:

I chose the Black & White (which is just chocolate with vanilla frosting) and red velvet; Diane chose the milk chocolate cupcake and also a red velvet.  I only ate the Black & White one because I was too full...one cupcake is so filling!  Now I know why they cost so much... So what's my verdict on the infamous Sprinkles cupcakes?  They're actually quite delicious!  The texture is very smooth and soft, and I like how the frosting and cake just melt together in my mouth.  Also, I like how there isn't a mountain of frosting on the cupcakes, unlike Mrs. Beasley's!  Man, just eating all the frosting on Mrs. Beasley's cupcakes is filling...and their frosting is just gross.  I remember BBW used to always receive free leftover cupcakes from them because they didn't want to just toss them at the end of the day.  This was what I brought home one night:

So many cupcakes!  And at no expense!  I'm surprised I'm not fat from sugar overload. 

Anywho, I basically just spent way too much money today.  And I need to purchase some contacts soon too (great...more money...)! If only I had a garden full of money trees...

<3,
Juju

Juicy Madness

Today was a wonderful start to my spring break! I woke up early this morning to get ready for my date with the Jackie. When she came over, she told me, "Julie! You have a package at the front door." Excited, I rushed over and discovered that my Juicy haul arrived! ^.^

I absolutely adore these cherry earrings!  As you can tell, I love cherries/strawberries and all that cute stuff.

Looking at this necklace makes me want to eat some funfetti rainbow chip cupcakes. The cupcake charm actually opens up too!

I was lucky enough to purchase both of these on the website while they were still on sale. I've been wanting to buy the earrings for quite some time now but when I finally decided to purchase them, they were no longer available in stores! So I'm quite the happy duck. For all you Juicy lovers, their Friends & Family event ends this Sunday. Here's the coupon:

So yeah, Jackie and I went karaoking today over at City of Industry. I think my singing skills have deteriorated over the years since I haven't been training my voice as much as I did back during my choir days (I miss choir!). But Jackie, I think you sound fine! haha. Later, we decided to go take some purikura pics at Cue Studio. I've never been in this store before...they have sooo many different machines that my head hurt trying to figure out which one to use x)

These two are my favorites:

Peace signs everywhere!  Can't get anymore Asian than that. =P

After singing and taking pics to our heart's content, we decided to get some ramen at Mitsuwa and walk around Fashion Island. It was quite an eventful day =)

Jackie enjoying her miso ramen (Ur!)

We discussed some interesting topics today. One was about arranged marriages (or matchmaking). I didn't know that such practices are still taking place today in the U.S.  Maybe I'm just oblivious to what's happening around me.  Actually...I am very oblivious ^^;; I thought that arranged marriages were just a traditional practice and probably didn't occur as much in today's modern society. We were talking about how some people still endorse such traditional views and are fine with matchmaking. I personally think matchmaking is okay if someone is struggling to meet people for dating. But in terms of marriage, having someone arrange that for you seems so forced to me. What if the two individuals don't like each other? However, it is possible that with time, feelings of companionship may evolve between the two and that mutual comfort may grow into love. I don't know, I have mixed thoughts about the topic. What do you all think?

Alrighty, I must try and get a decent amount of sleep since I have a 7am meeting at work tomorrow *dies* Hope everyone is enjoying their spring break!

<3,
Juju

A lazy shopping day

Hey everyone!

Since I only had one morning class today, I decided to shop around for a bit.  I know, I know...I should be studying for finals like a good girl...but my butt hurts from sitting in my chair for hours hehe. 

First, I stopped by Mitsuwa and purchased Mashta green tea:

It's pure powdered green tea so it's rich in antioxidants.  Lots of antioxidants means healthy skin, healthy immune system--healthy everything!  x) It's weird because I originally hated the taste of green tea...but I guess it's grown on me.  I didn't even know Mitsuwa carried the brand!  I'm so fortunate to live only ten minutes from there since I love checking out all the japanese food and goodies they carry =)

Later I stopped by Nordstrom Rack and purchased this Juicy Couture cherry top:

Hehe, Snoopy <3 Now I'm hungry for cherries...

Later, the little sister joined me and we cruised around our second home: South Coast Plaza.  I actually ran into Tanya at Nordstrom!  It was fun catching up a bit with her =)  We stopped by the Disney Store:

*Chip!*

Afterwards, I purchased this cute Hello Kitty hat at Sanrio:

What better way to relax than by drinking hot tea?  Oishii! 

Okay, now the little sister is serenading me with "My Heart Will Go On"...well, more like screaming her lungs out and making dramatic hand gestures... save me!

<3,
Juju