Gong Hey Fat Choy!

Today is the start of Chinese New Year! As the president of my school's Asian/Pacific-Islander Club, we decided to celebrate it a few days ago by throwing a New Year's party! I don't have any good quality pictures from the event, but with our limited budget we had to be creative with it!

I couldn't help but post with this Chinese baby decoration I bought at the local Asian market!

Most of this simple Chinese New Year's Eve party that we had involved lots of DIY things--one of them was using this wooden board painted with chalkboard paint to create a backdrop for our photobooth! I wrote Happy New Year in Chinese characters, the spelled out version of it in Cantonese, and the old Chinese version of the word "horse" for year of the Horse! To add more embellishment to the board, I doodled a bit and drew some Chinese coins as well.

We even made Chinese lanterns out of scrapbooking and construction paper! I will definitely keep this simple and easy DIY in mind for future events! I got the idea from Pinterest, but my friend and I learned how to make them through an Australian craft site for kids! 

This post is shorter than my usual posts, but I just wanted to give a short update on my life and say Happy Lunar New Year, year of the horse! 

To the People Getting Engaged and the People Who Hate It

Love is in the air... I think.

Over winter break, so many friends from school got engaged, and during that same time, articles and blog posts everywhere started popping up about things to do instead of getting engaged by a certain time or age. I don't know if this phenomena of young marriages are just because I go to a Christian university or if it happens elsewhere, but you can let me know if it happens a lot at your school too. Here is one of the most popular ones of those posts, which quite frankly has a couple stupid and selfish items that I don't think people should do to mess with other people (see #11 of that post).

As someone who has been in a relationship for almost 4 years and still is in college and not engaged, I have something to say regarding the issue of getting engaged young and to the people who don't agree with people who get engaged young.

I'll start with getting engaged young.

Okay, so getting engaged while you're in college may not be the best idea, depending on your situation.

If it is your senior year and you and your significant other have been together for at least a year, then I think that getting engaged shouldn't be such a bad thing. I mean, I'm assuming that you two have fought and endured some hardships together and came out stronger as a result. If maybe a girl got pregnant and feels comfortable and loves the idea of spending the rest of her life with the father, then I can support that too, although getting married because of a baby will most likely cause lots of trouble in the beginning of the marriage, and maybe after but I wouldn't know.

Honestly, other than that, I don't think it would be best to get engaged to someone before that or if you haven't been with them for very long. I know that some couples date and marry within a few months, and I think that situation works best (doesn't mean it always does or that other situations don't work) when both people are out of college and maybe a little bit older and know exactly what they want. Why do I say that? Well, if you have been with someone for a few months, how can you be sure that you know all of their positive and negative traits? If you've been friends with them for a long time then sure, I give you that. But if you haven't, what makes you so sure that you truly know that person, inside and out?

Another thing I've heard while being at a Christian university is that people sometimes marry to be able to have sex, since it isn't a sin within the context of marriage. Now while I don't know how many couples actually do this, I sure hope that this isn't the basis of your marriage or why you want to get married. Basing your marriage completely on the physical aspect will bring upon other issues later, once you realize that a successful marriage requires more than sex.

And then there is the Pinterest wedding that so many girls want. I will be honest and say that I do have a wedding board on Pinterest and am not ashamed of it! I already know what I want in my future wedding, but that surely won't be happening anytime soon.

Why haven't I chosen to get engaged even though I've been in a relationship for a few years?

Back to School with Office Depot!

Disclosure: Sponsored by Office Depot, courtesy of Her Campus. All opinions are my own. 

A new semester means back to school shopping!

Whether you buy pens or replenish your collection of school supplies, it's always fun to go back to school shopping! I love shopping for school supplies, and I love going to Office Depot to do the job. It has everything that I need in one place!

One of my goals for the new semester and new year is to become and stay as organized as possible. I want to make sure that I'm prepared for anything this semester!

Darell, my boyfriend, also tagged along to go back to school shopping himself. He's trying to stay on top of his school work this semester too. He really wanted to capture me during our shopping experience, haha.

I Was Nominated for the Liebster Award!

Sami from Sparkle and Shine nominated me for the Liebster award! It's an award for bloggers who have less than 200 followers. I'm so honored to have received this!

With that being said, here are the rules:

• 11 random facts about yourself
• Answer 11 questions that the blogger who nominated you has asked
• Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers
• Let those bloggers know you nominated them
• No tag backs

11 Random Facts:

1. I love spicy food! When something isn't spicy already, I add Sriracha or Tabasco to my food to make it spicy. Yum. 

2. I have only been to three other countries other than the U.S. of A, all on different continents: Philippines (Asia), Australia (Australia), and Peru (South America). And I live in North America!

3. I recently got super into One Direction. It's pretty bad, but as a singer myself I must say they are talented!

4. I am 5'2", making me one of the tallest women on my mom's side of the family. 

5. As a kid my dad used to make me sing at weddings and birthday parties. I love to sing but I hated that my dad would force me to perform. 

6. I have shot a gun before (two, actually!). My boyfriend, Darell, took me to a shooting range for a date recently. I was terrified because I'm so clumsy and could've accidentally killed someone, but it was cool!

7. I'm pretty sure that my boyfriend loves League of Legends more than me.

8. As a kid, I always wished I was a tomboy. I loved dressing up, but I also wanted to be considered "one of the boys" so I tried playing sports and hanging around them in elementary school. Unfortunately, I sucked at every sport except dodgeball. 

9. Other than the fashion-type TV shows and dramas on ABC Family that I love, most other shows I like are very much "girl power," female protagonist shows--Sailor Moon, Totally Spies, and Legend of Korra--all cartoons by the way!

10. I am a hopeless romantic. Chick flicks, long letters, grand romantic gestures--I love it all. 

11. I am a foodie. I take so many pictures of my food! (These are only a small select few; I have so much more than this!)

Gillette Venus Embrace Sensitive is Smooth

Although I only need to shave my armpits (genetics allow me to be hairless everywhere else!), I still need a razor that makes me comfortable and doesn't hurt me when I use it.

I have very sensitive skin that gets irritated easily, whether through cuts or even acne (yuck, I know). Whether you need to shave your legs or armpits (or both), no girl wants to walk around and feel like Chewbacca. It is also probably not the best sight to see when a girl especially hasn't shaved her armpits. Trust me, #itsnotme!

Another pet peeve of mine with razors? When you have to store them in the shower but they rust after one use, so you need to replace them more often.

Your razor needs to be able to alleviate all those worries.

Thanks to Influenster, I had the opportunity to try out the Gillette Venus Embrace Sensitive!

When I opened the box, the razor was in its normal packaging. It claims to have "less feel of irritation, even on sensitive skin." Upon opening the package, you find that it comes with the razor, two sets of blades with five blades on each set, and a suction-cupped razor holder.

I finally got to try out the razor myself, and I really enjoyed how well it shaved! It was a close shave and it left my armpits feeling smooth. It stayed that way for a few days, which I liked! I like when I don't need to shave everyday. 

Another plus: having a place to hang up the Venus Sensitive allows me to put it where it won't be in water all the time, but yet I can still keep it in the shower without rusting. This way I'll be able to keep this a little longer! 

Is it weird that I keep saying armpits? Should I have said "underarms" instead?

Disclosure: I received the Gillette Venus Embrace Sensitive complimentary of Influenster, but all opinions are my own.

What I Love About the Carrie Diaries (and Austin Butler)

This past weekend I got hooked on a new show: the Carrie Diaries. If you don't know what the show's about, it is a prequel to Sex and the City, where it goes back to the 1980's when Carrie Bradshaw (the main character from both series) was a teenager dreaming about Manhattan.

Thankfully, there have only been two seasons so I haven't missed much. I'm currently almost halfway through the second season, and it's still in the middle of the season so I'll have something to look forward to when I'm done. I'm so into this show that I almost forgot to write a blog post for today, so right now I'm taking a break to write!

I must say, Annasophia Robb is amazing in this series, although Carrie gets really irritating and dramatic at times. Other than that, I love her hair, her outfits, and her whole persona. Seeing all of hers and everyone else's amazing outfits reminds me why I was so obsessed with the 80's a few years back. The good thing about this show is that it goes past the typical workout outfits that everyone knows and shows off more everyday outfits, though some may be a little too glamourous.

Another thing I love about Carrie? She's a writer, just like me. She has huge dreams to work for a magazine, but the difference between her and I is that she's actually doing it, while in high school! Now I know that this is so unrealistic and unlikely especially in New York today, but it's really awesome watching her live out her dream at the fictional Interview Magazine. It's almost like I'm living vicariously through her.

Another favorite of mine from the show? Well, I can show you better than I can tell you.

Austin Butler. I've been a fan of him since he made small appearances on shows like Zoey 101 and iCarly a few years back. And wow, he has grown up!

Not only is he easy on the eyes, but his character, Sebastian Kydd, is a bad boy who is madly in love with Carrie! Austin Butler is known for playing the bad boy in his roles, but Sebastian is also a good guy who treats the girl he loves so well and with so much respect. He just has a pretty messed up past, so it translates into some of his actions sometimes.

This may be a small spoiler for anyone who may want to watch the show or get into it, but he respects her even when she tells him she hates him! He looks at her like he's her everything, and he is so vulnerable with her, something you don't normally expect from a so-called "bad boy." He was the first to tell her he loves her, and he just keeps coming back to her even after she blows up on him and breaks up with him multiple times.

With that being said, I love how the show portrays their relationship. You know right from the first episode that they have a thing for each other, so much of the series surrounds that, even if the two may not be dating each other at the moment (sometimes dating other people). There is just something so raw about Sebastian's feelings and his vulnerability that makes their romance feel so real (even if Carrie's dramatic actioins may not feel so real). I really like it. It's different from most other shows I've seen where the romance between the main character and that person is put off for so much of the series.

There are a few things about Carrie's and Sebastian's relationship that reminds me of my own. I can relate to many of the emotions and even situations that they go through throughout the course of the show. Everyone has that person that they keep going back to no matter what they go through, good and bad. Even when things get really bad, you can't help but keep loving them. In Sebastian's case, you love them so much that you'll take the heat from that person and sacrifice your happiness for theirs.

I'm still watching through the series and I'd like to get back to it now, so I'll stop right there. If you haven't gotten into the Carrie Diaries but have been thinking about it, I recommend you watch it! It's worth a shot. The show brings out the dreamer in me, which I think is the intention. It just might do the same for you too.

Nailed Kit Nailed It + Giveaway! (CLOSED)

I love doing my nails and making them look nice when I have the time. I recently discovered Nailed Kit, a brand that makes adding designs on your nails easier!

You can buy kits individually or subscribe to their monthly subscription boxes for only $14 a month! You get a kit with a few different decal designs and a special item as well, that NailedKit adds on just for you.

The set I was sent was meant to be for winter/New Years, but due to my being home during winter break, I wasn't able to get ahold of my package sooner! Nonetheless, the designs were still really cute and so I still tried them out. Better late than never, right? I mean, it is still winter, even if it is almost 90 degrees in Southern California.

Anyway, Nailed Kit sent me the basic nail set with the base polish and the winter decals to choose from. On top of that, I received a cute nail file (which I desperately needed) and special New Years' decals!

So You Want to Start a Blog?

I've been seeing many of my friends starting blogs, and people have been asking me about blogging lately, so I felt it would be appropriate to put it all into a post! I'm in no means a blogging expert, but if you want to get into blogging (whether for personal posts or sponsored posts/less personal posts), then this simple list should help you get into it! It's not too detailed because most people I know want to start a blog as a diary, but if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask me!

1. What do you want to write about? 

Do you want to write all about your faith? Do you want to document your relationship with that person? Do you just need a diary? Or do you want to chronicle your adventures in school, travel, food? Pick what you want to write about and stick to it. If you intend to write about multiple subjects like I do, then you can just categorize yourself as a "lifestyle" blogger. Just make sure that you know what you want to express to your audience when you come up with this. 

2. What are you going to name your blog?

Depending on if you want to blog just for fun or yourself and/or (eventually) for compensation/as a job, this may or may not be very important to you. Regardless, pick a name that is relevant to your topic. Some people just use their name as well, which you can do too. If you can, try to use the same URL as your blog's name. 

3. Tell us about yourself.

Somewhere on your blog, tell us about yourself! When people visit your blog, they want to know who you are or at least get an idea of who you are. Other than the homepage or post I'm reading on a blog, I always like to look at peoples' "about me" pages. I like getting to know the person behind the blog. You can read my "about me" here. I just changed it up!

4. Leave a place for people to contact you!

You never know when someone might come across your blog and be touched or want to ask you more questions or want to work with you. Leave an email address or social networks for people to connect with you. You want to be accessible to your readers, especially if they aren't friends/family who don't already know you!

5. Last of all, be confident in your blog!

When I first started blogging, I was really scared and intimidated to share posts on my personal Facebook because I was scared of being negatively judged by people that I knew. While I'm still working on this tip, I'm mostly confident in sharing my posts online, especially to people I know. 

When you write or post anything online, just know that you automatically open yourself up to criticism. People may just try to hate on you, but it's your blog and it's your voice! 

However, I will also say, that while I don't want you to hide your beliefs, please do not rudely state your opinion in an ignorant way. That's not cool. There's a way to state your opinion in a stern way that can still respect the opposing opinion. 

But other than that, I think you should be bold and brave in writing your blog. If you are writing personal posts on your blog, kudos to you! I know just how hard it can be to be vulnerable for the public, but just know that there are people who will read and care about what you say. If you feel comfortable enough to write it, people will support you. 

I hope so much that while these tips are fairly simple and vague, I hope they can help you. If you have any more questions, please email me at kriselle@livinandlovin.com. 

You can always just comment below as well, haha.

Check out my part 2 to this post if you are looking for more basic tips for starting a blog! If you want some more in-depth tips, tricks, and worksheets to help you start up your blog, sign up for my FREE blog course, "I Want to Start a Blog!"

Taking the Time to Breathe

Today marks the first day of my second semester of my sophomore year of college. As I think back to last semester and balancing school, church, boyfriend, friends, this blog, and other extra curriculars, I realize that I was taking on so much at one time and just going and going and going. 

It took a point of me breaking down in the middle of a conversation with a friend last semester to realize that I needed to take the time to just breathe.

Up until that point, I'd been spending so much time relying on my own strength that eventually I caved because, well, I'm human. How could I hold myself up for so long? 

So yesterday, I kept getting the urge to paint, so I did. I'm no painter by any means, but I do love expressing my creativity through creative outlets, like painting, sculpting, crafting, anything, really. 

A word kept coming to mind all day yesterday, and the word was breathe. I think that this will definitely be my mantra this semester, seeing as how it is so important to take a step back to just reflect and relax every now and then. 

I kept the canvas simple; I wanted the word to be the focal point and to stand out from the background. 

I also used a frame I got for Christmas and filled it with paper to write a simple phrase on it. I went with "Be amazing, do amazing." To me, the quote simply means that in whatever you do, put your all into it. Make yourself and your work the best you can make it. I think that fits perfectly for this semester, and maybe even this year. 

As I go through this semester, I hope to keep both of these mantras in mind. I am ready for what's to come, and I'm just excited for what is going to happen. Let's do this! 

I've Got Mail!

Who doesn't love getting things in the mail? I know I certainly do! Even if it's just an email I'm happy. Receiving gifts aren't my primary love language, but there's just something about checking your mailbox and getting something in the mail, especially if someone sent it for you and you didn't just buy something off of Amazon. Haha.

I didn't check my mailbox at school the whole time I was gone for winter break (although I intended to), so when I moved back to school earlier this week, I had tons of mail! I had five packages and a few magazines, which is a lot for me.

I did a haul video to show everything that I got! I will definitely do a review of one of the packages I got, but comment and let me know if there is anything specific you want me to review!

What did I get?

• My business cards! I ordered 10 free business cards from Moo.com, and although I got them from a free template, they turned out amazing. And the type of cardstock used for them is amazing. I will definitely order more soon!
• Stunner of the Month: I won a giveaway through another blogger where I won a subscription to get a free pair of sunglasses every month for a year. So far, I've been enjoying getting fun sunglasses for free! I don't have to buy them myself. This month's style was aviators with blue frames. I don't really care for the frames but the style, I like that. 
• Birchbox: I opened this package a month later than I was supposed to, but that's okay since I'm not getting this month's Birchbox delivered to me. If you still would like a review of this stuff, comment below!
• PinchMe: This is a site where you can test available products all for free! Sounds exciting, right? I got Kotex pads to try, so we'll see how that goes. 
• NailedKit: This brand does monthly subscription boxes for $14 a month, or you can just buy their stuff in the shops and customize it or buy a design. I will be doing a full review of this very soon!

I also got a few magazines. I have not paid for a magazine subscription in over a year, and that is because of couponing websites helping me score the subscriptions! 

So that was my haul! I'll be featuring some of these items in a future post. I'm sorry for not posting this sooner; I've been so busy getting ready to start school again! I'm excited for it! 

Bon Bliss Beauty Treats You Right

As someone whose skin doesn't seem to react well or much at all to most products out there, I was amazed when I stumbled upon BonBliss Beauty recently.

BonBliss Beauty specializes in "treats" for your hands and body in the form of candies and truffles. But don't be fooled--these sweet treats are not edible! They smell amazing and like a candle scent you would find in Bath & Body Works, but yet they leave your hands and body feeling smooth and well-nourished for a few days, actually. It is quite amazing, to say the least.

BonBliss Beauty currently has two products: Scrub-2-Go "Candy" Tins, and Moisturizing Body Truffles! There are a number of different flavors, but my favorite for each of the "treats" is Mango Sorbet! Some of their other "flavors" include: Bergamot & Neroli, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Oatmeal Milk & Honey, Tropical Delight, and Vanilla & Brown Sugar.

Feedback for a New Year!

So it's a new year, meaning that I want to make a few minor changes, and one of them is catering more to my audience! I want to know what YOU think about this blog and what I write about! I want to make sure that what I post about is relevant to you and something that you would like to share with others or learn from.

With that being said, I have a completely anonymous survey to get a few ideas from you! It's a quick, 6 question survey with a few easy questions to answer. This way, I'm able to gauge what kinds of things to write about this year! It will only take a couple minutes, so if you could please take this survey and let me know your thoughts I would love to hear from you!

Take the survey here!

Also know that if you have any other questions or anything for me, you can always email me at kriselle@livinandlovin.com

Thank you so much guys! I got a review coming up on Wednesday but I wanted to get this out of the way!

Christmas Haul Update // New Year Update

I can't believe I put writing this until just now! The past few weeks have been exhausting, especially from writing everyday for a whole week for my series!

Because of my countdown to the new year series that I just ended on New Year's Day, I haven't really been able to blog about much else. A lot has happened in the past week and I'd like to take this time to share it with you guys [:

First of all, I posted a Christmas Haul last week up on Youtube! Although I didn't get much money this year, I did get a ton of awesome gifts, plus others that I got after Christmas and wasn't able to add onto this video.



Lots of bloggers have been adding disclaimers to their haul posts saying that they are not trying to show off, but simply sharing what they got in case anyone is interested in some of the same things as the blogger or needs ideas or things like that, and I will definitely say that I do my hauls for the same reason. With that being said, here's what I got:

• Gray Leather Bag: Forever 21
• Navy Blue Cardigan: RVCA
• Mustard Yellow/Green Cross Scarf: RVCA
• Mustard Yellow Beanie: RVCA
• Purple Beanie: RVCA
• Flowerbomb: Sephora
• Clean on Me Shower Gel: Sephora
• Dior Lip Gloss: Sephora
• Sephora Formula X Nail Polish in Fahrenheit: Sephora
• Boscia SuperCharge Overnight Moisture: Sephora
• White Infinity Scarf: Old Navy
• "White Citrus" Eau de Parfum: Bath & Body Works
• Dior Travel Makeup Kit with Mini Brushes and Mirror
• Yves Saint Laurent Gold Edition Makeup Palette from Travel Collection
• Sweet Pea Body Lotion: Bath & Body Works
• Sweet Pea Shower Gel: Bath & Body Works
• Black Molskine Notebook: Target
• $10 Target Gift Card
• $10 Starbucks Gift Card
• Lancome Dual-Finish Matte Porcelain D'Ivioire 
• Givenchy Healthy Glow Powder
• Lancome Absolut Rouge Lipstick in Jeweled Pink

Pretty cool line-up of gifts, huh? I am refraining as much as I can to waiting until I get back to school (which is in a few days) to start using most of this stuff, so I am excited to start the new year with a bunch of nice things. 

Last Sunday, I received a gift basket as a prize for winning a contest I entered through Mary Kay last month at the New Girl Expo! My prize was a free pampering session and a gift basket with some really nice stuff! 

In the bag, I got: 

+ Mary Kay Satin Hands Set, which includes a Hand Softener, a Hand Scrub, and a Hand Cream
+ Mint Bliss Energizing Lotion for Feet and Legs
+ Two pairs of Christmas-themed socks (hehe I love socks)
+ A red Mary Kay nail polish
+ A purple Mary Kay nail polish (I got this from a mini giveaway she did)
+ A red gift box (there was nothing in here but I can use this in the future for gifts!)
+ And a cute little bear, the one you see [: (I gave this one to my niece)
















Another addition to all these wonderful gifts was that my godmother gave me a really nice sweater from her favorite store, Gilly Hicks (part of the Abercrombie franchise), but unfortunately it's closing! She said my sweater was the last thing she bought from there, which I thought was really sweet of her. Another aunt of mine got me a really nice picture frame, and honestly I could always use some nice ones because I want to print out my pictures and display them or use the frame for some pinteresty use, haha.

Now onto New Year's Eve! I spent it with family. I normally spend it with my dad since my sister and I spend Christmas with our mom and her side of the family, but I decided to spend New Years with them too since they were actually planning on doing something. We just ate a lot, made s'mores, and danced to Just Dance hilariously until we got tired. It was a lowkey, but fun night.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, so we celebrated it with an afternoon/night in Hollywood!

I never thought a picture like this would ever be on this site. Source: fanpop.com

We ended the night watching One Direction's movie on DVD at my godfather's house (my 16 year-old godsister is OBSESSED). I never really cared for them before, but I will say after watching it that most of them are cute (sorry Liam, I think that's the one) and I think Louis is the most attractive one, haha. I may listen to more of their music after watching their stories, which I think were pretty humble and ridiculous at the same time if you ask me, haha, but I can NEVER be like one of their crazed fans. I just can't. I just wouldn't have the energy in me to be so psychotically in love with anyone like that. Not even my boyfriend. Regardless, I do give them props for their dedication, no matter how crazy it is.

So, there goes my random post, catching you all up on life within the past week or so. Happy new year, once again, and I'm excited for what's to come!

Until then,

Welcome to the New Year!

Happy New Year! Can you believe that 2014 is already here? I sure can't. It's time for a brand-new start in every aspect.

Every year I set goals for myself. I don't like calling them resolutions because I feel like that would make me more prone to not following through with them. To make myself be more organized, I usually try to organize my goals into categories. With this blog's one year anniversary coming up in May, I have huge plans for this blog and cannot wait to see it all come together!

Blog goals:
[x] Fix up site design
[x] Consistently post 3 times a week
[] Schedule more posts!
[x] Connect and collaborate with other bloggers
[x] Take better photos
[] Post YouTube videos on my channel (also meant to partner with this blog) at least once a week
[x] Film better quality videos with the boyfriend
[] Participate in a few events with brands and/or other bloggers
[x] Have at least 500 Facebook fans
[x] Increase following on all social media!
[] Hit 10,000 pageviews

Personal Goals:
[] Thoroughly study through at least half the Bible
[] Get back on with daily devotions
[] Pray more
[] Read at least 12 books by the end of the year
[x] Get my car PLEASE
[x] Get a job off campus
[x] Find a place to live for the summer
[] Get my community college transcripts omg I've put it off too long haha
[] Learn to cook a Filipino dish
[] Travel to at least 3 different states
[] Go on a roadtrip
[] Do a cover video
[x] Go to a museum
[x] Do something touristy in LA
[] Try a new type of food!
[x] Do a pinterest craft in real life

I could probably go on forever, but that is the general idea of what I want to do next year. I already have a few plans that will help me accomplish some of these goals, so we'll see. Come on 2014, I am ready for you!

What are your plans for the new year?