Summer Rolls Restaurant

A friend and I were looking for a place to eat some lunch. We weren't sure where to go, and I wasn't feeling anything too heavy or greasy. Fortunately, he had the brilliant idea to suggest some spring rolls! Although he said the place was a little far and a little pricey, the idea sounded perfect so away we went!

We ordered two things at the restaurant, and the first thing was a dish called banh beo. It consisted of small plates of steamed rice cake, topped with dried chopped shrimp, scallions, and croutons. We poured fish sauce on top, and scooped it out of the dish with a spoon. It was a little bit salty for my taste. We couldn't figure out what it was that was salty, but it was still delicious! The fish sauce added a little bit of sweetness to the savory dish.

As we were working through the banh beo, our spring rolls arrived! The rice paper came with hot water for soaking, so that it would become pliable for the rolls. The plate of veggies consisted of lettuce, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, chives, and Asian basil. The meat came grilled and skewered, and everything was ready to be assembled!

We dipped the rice paper in the water, and assembled a little bit of all the veggies on top and added some meat as well. I remembered a YouTube video I watched on spring rolls (linked here), where the girl instructs the viewers to roll "gently but tightly, the way you hug your sweetheart." Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the finished rolls because this was a hands on process, but the spring rolls were fresh, light, and incredibly appetizing! I would definitely recommend this restaurant, and would return for another visit :)

~Tiffany

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Foundation

Finally, finally!

I caved. I have been waiting to get this product so long, that I may or may not have paid too much to get a hold of it. But finally!

The full name: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup. If you saw the post on the Instant Age Rewind Concealer, you would know that the concealer is what got me interested in the foundation. And I am happy that I decided to try it!

This foundation is lightweight, medium coverage, and incredibly easy to apply. I don't have too much to say about the merits of it's lasting power, but I would say that this foundation is situationally amazing.

Time for a story. One day, I was feeling pretty upset and I ended up crying. Unfortunately, I am not a pretty crier! My eyes get swollen, and my nose and the center of my face get pretty red and I look like a hot mess. I wanted to go to the grocery store, but I didn't want to go looking like I had obviously just cried, but I also wasn't particularly in the mood to carefully and meticulously apply my makeup. IN COMES THIS FOUNDATION TO THE RESCUE.

This foundation took absolutely no time to apply, was ridiculously easy to blend, and covered all the blotchy redness on my face. It erased all the evidence of my tears! It was a miracle worker, a time saver, and was perfect for that moment.

The finish is definitely not matte, and would maybe be considered between satin and dewy. The applicator makes putting on the product a breeze and is a great time saver. There is a slight chemical smell to the product, but it's nothing too offensive.

Again, I wouldn't be sure about recommending this for the lasting power. But if you have somewhere you need to be and want to get out of the house in a few minutes and want to even out your skin, this would be a good option!

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

~Tiffany

Double Take: Four Eyes Reviews Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

Here's our take on the concealer everyone on YouTube raves about, full name: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer with Goji Berry & Haloxyl. Phew!

Ashley 
Concealer might be my most important makeup item, and it is definitely the hardest to find a good one.  I've been loyal to the Amazing Cosmetics concealer for 3 years now for the great coverage it provides, but I've become increasingly dissatisfied with the dull finish it leaves and the cakiness and creasing after a few hours of wear.  Also the exorbitant price.  But as a makeup snob, I've never found a drugstore concealer up to par so I was skeptical of this Maybelline one before I bought it, even with all its hype.  I'm so happy I made the leap though because it did not disappoint, and now I have a great concealer for less than 1/4 the price of my old one!  Yay!!
I bought mine in the color 'Light' at Ulta for...was it $7?  I can't remember, but it was in the $5-$8 range.  It comes with a fuzzy sponge applicator on top and you wind the product to distribute it through the applicator.  I'm not a fan of the applicator I have to say, because every time I swiped it under my eyes the concealer got all in my bottom lashes and it applied too much.  Not a major problem though, because I can use my finger to dab the product from the applicator onto my skin.  The coverage is good enough to cover my dark circles and any redness in my skin.  The finish is somewhere between luminous and matte.  That's to say it doesn't look wet and shiny and it doesn't look dry and cakey; it strikes a nice natural-looking balance.  I've found it to fade only slightly throughout a long day of wear and it doesn't crease at all on me. I love it!

P.S. What on earth is goji berry and haloxyl?  I looked them up and found that goji berries are full of antioxidants and vitamin A which are great for skin, and haloxyl is a man-made compound that is supposed to remove dark pigments from skin and reduce the appearance of broken capillaries over time.  I can't speak to their benefits in this concealer because I don't know if there is even enough to make a difference.  I can say I haven't seen a change in the short time I've been using it.  I wish beauty product's skincare benefits always lived up to their claims but sadly that is not usually the case so I don't expect to see much of a change in the skin around my eyes.  At least it's nice to know they tried!


Tiffany
This concealer is a wonderful product from the drugstore. The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer is incredibly blendable which is something I absolutely love! It also does not crease on me or settle into fine lines, and it looks very natural. Many people also love the Maybelline Fit Me concealer for the under eye area, but I think the Instant Age Rewind does a better job of looking natural.

Another positive point on this concealer for me is the packaging. I love the sponge applicator! It is incredibly soft and spreads the makeup quickly and evenly across the areas where I need it. It makes my makeup application so fast and easy when I have places to be! The way I apply it is I swipe it under my eyes, and blend it with my Sephora Airbrush Concealer brush. 10 seconds: done!

This concealer also does a great job of brightening the under eye area. For me, it cancels out the darkness which can drag down my eyes and make me look tired. It makes me look fresh and awake, without looking like I have on makeup!

Another thing I like about this concealer is the wear. It doesn't settle into fine lines during the day or come off patchy, or do any other sketchy things that makeup can do. It fades a bit after a while, but in a natural way, which is a check plus in my book! (The natural, not the fading :3)

One negative about this concealer though is that if you apply it directly onto dry spots, it will accentuate them on your skin. So if you have a dry under eye area, I can't recommend this in good conscience (unless you have some magic techniques to make it work, then you do you boo).

Rating: 4/5

I would definitely repurchase this product, and it has actually gotten me interested in the foundation. I have been wanting to pick it up for the last week and a half and have checked several places and it's always out of stock in my color! So unfortunate, but if I can ever get my hands on it, I might write a post! Let us know with comments or suggestions whatever you are interested in :) 

Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana

This "bronzer" has been a recent favorite of mine! And by recent, I mean that I have been wearing it almost daily over the last several weeks--none of that first impressions nonsense! The word bronzer is in quotes because unless you were the color of a sheet of paper, this product would have no bronzing effect (it looks darker in this particular picture than in real life). However, this powder works beautifully as a subtle highlighter.

I picked this up at my local Walgreens on sale for $2.50 (AMAZING) but the regular price is closer to $3.50. And for the makeup world, $3.50 is incredibly affordable!

This bronzer gives the most beautiful glow to the skin in sunlight! I like wearing makeup that doesn't look very obvious, which is why I love this product. There aren't any chunks of glitter or obvious shimmer, and I don't feel self conscious going out into the bright California sun. I feel that natural light is very unforgiving if you have overdone makeup, but I always feel safe with this highlighter!

Reserve Your Cabana doesn't come across as strongly as some other products (ex. Nars Albatross), but some days I don't want all of that. For days I go to work or if I will be outside, I want a pretty product that I can quickly swipe on without being particularly careful, and will leave me with a healthy looking glow (and not like a disco ball). For this purpose, and for this price, I believe this product cannot be beat!

S/N The name of the bronzer is just too cute, does it make anyone else crave a holiday at the beach??

Rating: 4.5/5

Edit: here is a picture where you can see how light this product actually is! 

Quote and Thoughts

Thoughts on a quote by our bro, the good man Teddy R. :

Teddy Roosevelt at Glacier Point, Yosemite Ntl. Park (Image Courtesy)

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

There is so much in this speech to be appreciated, but I wanted to focus on the last few lines. I think there are many quotes to be considered on the merit of trying and putting forth effort, but this one in particular spoke to me! 

I really appreciate that Teddy recognized that there is something to be said about a person who endeavors for great things, even in the face of failure. I know that personally I am impressed when someone achieves something great, but I am not impressed when someone gives something a shot and doesn't make it. For some reason, I had looked at that failure as a negative thing. However, this speech shows great wisdom by illustrating the value of effort. 

These words demonstrate a counter intuitive concept--failure itself can be a great thing. And although that may be hard to wrap my head around, this is a practical thing in many ways! Trying for something great sets you apart from the many people that never gave it a shot. And when I talked about this quote with Ashley, she also pointed out that trying is useful because there is so much you learn when you try!

So the moral of this post is that trying for something and failing is not bad. Repeat: trying for something and failing is not bad. Because if you get it, you have achieved. And if you don't, you were one of the people brave enough to try and that is an achievement in itself, and you have also learned! Thanks Teddy for your wisdom <3

Tiffany

Santa Monica

One of the pros of living in California is access to the beautiful beaches. Here is my current favorite--Santa Monica! This area is commercial, fun, and it's absolutely gorgeous. 

Here is a picture of the Santa Monica Pier. There are all sorts of fun things here including a little carnival area and restaurants to eat at. The arcade here is fun too if you want to indulge your inner child!

Walking towards the beach from the pier entrance affords you this stunning view. 

Here you can see fellow beach-goers enjoying the ocean!

The setting summer sun is captivating.

The sunset colors are just gorgeous.

Goodnight sun!

Santa Monica is a place I love to take people when they visit for a day trip :) The beach and the 3rd Street Promenade along with the pier  make for a beautiful and enjoyable day. If you visit Southern California, please stop by Santa Monica!

Tiffany

Thairama

Hi everyone! :) Today's blog post is a restaurant review of a Thai place in Glendale. This cute restaurant has mainly take out orders, but over my sisters spring break we decided to sit in and try a few dishes. And it was definitely a good life decision!

The restaurant is called Thairama, and the link for anyone who is interested is here :)

The first dish is the pineapple fried rice. This rice is absolutely delicious, and is my favorite! There is curry seasoning, pork, onion, cashews, egg, tomato, and of course--pineapple! A definite must have.

The second dish is orange shrimp. The shrimp is crispy and glazed with a slightly sweet sauce, and served over crisp lettuce. Also very good!

Since we came to a Thai place, we had to order curry :) This is their Panang curry, and it's literally an explosion of flavor. It's making my mouth water just thinking of it! The curry is savory, sweet, spicy, and it has chicken, green and red bell peppers. The taste can be almost overwhelming if you're not used to it, but my sister said, "this is a kind of dish I would crave on a random day," and I definitely agree with that statement.

Lastly, we ordered lard na which is a noodle dish served with chicken, broccoli, and lots of sauce. This dish is my moms favorite!

Thairama in Glendale is small and charming, and is very well-suited to takeout. When picking up the dishes, they are always piping hot, and retain their heat well for the trip home. I wouldn't necessarily recommend eating in for a glamorous experience, but I did enjoy going there with my sisters!

The food here was absolutely delicious with no disappointments in flavor. Thank you Thairama for being awesome! :)

Tiffany

Charleston #tbt

Welcome to our blog! This is our first post, a throwback to spring break a couple years back. We took a trip to Charleston in March 2013, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Here is the bridge we crossed to get into the city

Once we got to Charleston, we visited the Savannah Bee Company and bought honey! They have tons of samples and even honeycomb! I got the Acacia honey which to this day is my favorite--it is light in flavor and super delicious, and Ashley got the creamed honey for spreading on toast. Yum!

Look out for the horses in the streets, dey crazy. Just kidding :)

The architecture of this city is charming

#cooltree

This is a little alleyway we passed while walking around. These little areas were beautiful and sprinkled throughout the city.

The sunset as we left--goodbye Charleston! We will forever remember you fondly :)

Tiffany