Happy Valentine’s

I hope you all have a year full of love!

Arki

January Ipsy bag

What I received in my January Ipsy bag:
London Soho eyeliner brush
Josie Maran Pure Argan Oil
Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter
A mini Big Sexy hair Spray & Play
And Nailtini Lacquer in Frappe

All this for $10. Not bad, huh?

Lush Henna

I received so many awesome gifts from my familia on Christmas. One of my gifts were all these products from Lush. They knew how much I’ve been wanting to buy lush products. Everytime I go shopping with one of my sisters, we end up at the lush store smelling and trying all these products until we get so overwhelmed that we end up buying nothing. This time my sister said let’s just go into lush and buy you your Christmas gift. The best part, was that, I had made a wishlist with all the products I have been wanting to try. We went in, gave them my list, they showed us the products, and finally we made the selection. It wasn’t that hard after all.
From the things I picked, I have tried a couple so far. This post will be about their Henna, the Caca Noir.

As a middle eastern, henna is one of the widely known product we use for various things and occasions. It is used in weddings celebrations, for drawing on hands, tattoos, and for dying hair. Henna is a plant, it is natural, and it has so many benefits for hair and skin. Personally, I have never used it before.
I like to color my hair black once in a while; however, I haven’t done so in a while because I am trying to avoid all those products with the harsh chemicals. Therefore, I thought I would give this henna from lush a try since it is beneficial for the hair and claims to deposit color to your hair.
I followed the instructions and applied it to my hair last night. As directed, I kept it warm through out the process when applying to my hair and left it on for a couple hours. It definitely felt super nice when applied warm to your scalp. It refreshened and conditioned my scalp. Now, it didn’t deposit any color to my hair even though I chose the black color; however, It is definitely a nice hair treatment because it left my super silky and shiny.

I would use it again because they suggest giving the hair another application to get better color results, but I would do so just to get the silky shiny hair. It is worth it.

Next I want to try the Indian/middle Eastern henna and find out if there are any differences. I will give an update once I do so.
Now I am going to give my other lush products a try.

Happy Suday!
Arki

That’s how it looked after a couple hours ^

Latest bargain

So here is my latest haul, I mean steal from Beauty.com/drugstore.com site. I love those sister sites because they have everything and always have deals and coupons going on.
I had more than $20 in store credit from previous purchases and on top of that they were offering other promotions. I scored those 4 items for fraction of the cost. Instead of $53 I only paid $9.15 including a two day shipping. I mean can it get any better? I will answer that. Nope!

Here is what I got:
Origins Blade Runner (for the hubby, see? I am not that selfish).
Revlon Moon Drops Lip conditioner.
Revlon Photo ready Concealer.
It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush in Je Ne Sais Quoi

Happy shopping!
Arki

1.7 Years ago.. This happened

Randomly, I go back to look at our engagement session pictures, and I fall back in love with them all over again.
I still haven’t printed any of these pictures to hang on my living room’s bare walls, and I need to make this part of my New Year’s to do list/resolution. The photographer did an amazing job and took beautiful shots. You can check Ken Pak amazing photography at his blog VisualSketch I am already planning on having another Photoshoot on one of our upcoming anniversaries.

I will share more amazing shots with you in the near future.

Ipsy December Bag

This is what I received this month from Ipsy:
Urban Decay 24/7 glide on eye pencil in black
Mai Couture Highlighter Paper
Mirabella Prime for Face & Eyes
NYX loose pearl shadow
It’s a Bombshell Hot Mess Lip Gloss
And it came with $20 promo code for JustFab and other discounts promo codes.

Glossy Box November

OMG! The November Glossy Box is awesome. It has a great selection of products and a few of them are full size. The value for what I received is at least worth $70, how amazing is that when I only paid $20 dollars for it? Oh I love me some bargains.

Epionce restorative hand cream – full size
Illamasqua LTD lip & eye pencil- full size
Nume Style arganics Argan oil
Perfumies solid perfume stick- full size
Skin&CO Roma truffle serum

And not to mentions I also received two gift cards to Nume website for a $100 and a gift card to Skin&CO for a face set sampler!

Stay fabulous,
Arki

Love River Island <3

River Isalnd is definitely my favorite brand out there. I enjoy how they mix the different patterns and come up with a brilliant piece. I own a few of their pieces, and I would like to add these babies to my closet. The print T’s are so in now. They would look great paired with a blazer, some skinny jeans, and a wedge. The peplum top is everywhere these days. I love how it is sleeveless. That dress.. Oh that dress is beautiful. It combines my two favorite prints: leopard & houndstooth. I l 

Love River Island &lt;3 by arkiazar featuring print tees

I own a similar dress; however it is sleeveles, and let me tell you, it hugs the body in the right spots and accentuates your curves. The perfect fit for me!

River island dress
$56 – riverisland.com

River island
$40 – riverisland.com

River Island print tee
$32 – riverisland.com

River Island tiger tank
$32 – riverisland.com

River island
$29 – riverisland.com

River Island print tee
$25 – riverisland.com

River Island leather jacket
$120 – riverisland.com

River Island padded jacket
$95 – riverisland.com

NARS Cosmetics eyeshadow
saksfifthavenue.com

Nail polish
beauty.com

Beauty.com Haul

There are a few things on my wish list that I have been wanting to get for the longest time. On a daily basis, I come across a product or an item that I would like to try, and I end up adding it to my wish list until it became enormous and unmanageable; therefore, I decided to dig in it and treat myself to some of the items I’ve been wanting.
This is my first time ordering from Beauty.com. It is one of my new favorite sites and the customer service is amazing. On top of that, they always have amazing deals, gifts, and coupons.

My Haul:
L’Occitane Exfoliant Lumiére Minute (brightening instant exfoliator)
Amande Huile Tonique (firming and anti-water tonic body Oil)
L’Occitane Regard Radieux Eye Roll On
IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer
Beauty Blender

and finally got Bioderma Cleanser from Amazon.

Well, this is the start. There are still a lot more items on the list and for some reason, the list never gets any smaller, on the contrary, it keeps growing.

October’s Ipsy

It’s been a while since I posted my monthly bags, so here is one. If you didn’t know, MyGlam is now called Ipsy. I love this months selection. It is very fall inspired.

Food Truck Hopping

Today, my bestie and I decided to hop on the shuttle and go to Farragut Square in DC for some Food Truck hopping. This was my first time at Farruget Square and I loved it. If you’ve been to DC, you know how the weather always plays a major role in any outdoor activity. Luckily, it was gorgeous out! We had to make a few minor seating adjustments by running away from the sun and hiding under those enormous trees.

Once we got there, a few of the vendors were still setting up; therefore, we decided to take a walk around the Square and check out what everyone had to offer. There were more than ten food trucks in that area. After observing all those trucks, we made a decision!

We chose two trucks: Far East Taco Grille and Korengy Bibimbap.

We had: Chicken, Pork, and Steak Tacos with variety of toppings. We took the owner’s advice with what goes well with each protein. It turned out to be delicious and perfect!

We got the Beef Bibimbap with the works. Just perfect!

 

I can tell you that we made the perfect decision. Both meals were amazing! The Tacos were spot on and the Bibimbap was so fresh and perfectly made. This is definitely one of the many times I am planning on visiting the Farragut Square. If you are ever in the DC area, do yourself a favor and stop by those food trucks.. Hey, you might find me there!

You can click here to check out the expanding list of all those Food Trucks around DC, their location(s), and schedules.

Well, we couldn’t leave without having a little bit of Froyo!

Happy it is Friday tomorrow!

What does you Bag Say About You?

I love this personality exam Refinery 29 put together according to your bag. I think it is spot on!

Now, which bag are you? Which bag would you love to be?

Hump Day

Shirt from Zara, belt from Asos, Skirt from H&M, Heels from Zara

Outfit of the Day

Top: TJMaxx, Skirt: Urbanoutfitters, Heels: Zara, Chain Necklace: H&M, Badge necklace: Arki Jewelry.

Zara Haul

What are you snacking on today?

Miso Soup

Obsessed with..

I recently bought 3 amazing items from Zara. Oh Em Gee, I cannot get over my neon blazer!
I am sure this particular piece will be worn to death. Oh, and those heels I got, I cannot get over them either. They are very feminine, yet edgy. They are very sexy!

Take an advice from me, and run to Zara. They have the most amazing pieces for this summer!

Arki

diy Inspiration

Slashed Tee? Studded shorts? Yes Please!

BBQ Leftovers to Makeover? Easy

Many times, we tend to grill enough chicken to feed an army! So what do we do with the leftovers when we realize that?

BBQ chicken leftovers are not the best on the second day. The chicken tends to become more dry as it loses some of its juice and marinade. Well, no problem, I got a solution: Creative BBQ pizza!

It is quick, easy, and very DELICIOUS!

Here are the steps and ingredients:

1. Shred the leftover bbq chicken.

2. Decide what vegetables you’d like to have with it. I used: Spinach, Organic Cherry Tomatoes, Grilled onions, and on some, I used olive spread.

You will also need some BBQ sauce, your favorite cheese, and a few Pita/tortilla bread.

First, spread the BBQ sauce along with the olive spread on top of the Pita or Tortilla bread.

Second, add the spinach on top.

Then, add the BBQ chicken pieces and the grilled onions.

Then, add the cherry tomatoes on top and cover with a layer of cheese. In this case, I chose Chipotle Gouda Cheese.

Place it on a tray lined with aluminum foil, put it in the oven for 4 minutes on Broil (The time can change depending on your preference. I like to take it out when all the cheese melts and can hear and see the sauce sizzling) .

Now, ENJOY the delicious, quick, and easy BBQ chicken makeover!

Designer of the week: nOir

Absolutely in love with nOir’s collection! That’s who I chose for this week’s designer. Fun statement pieces are just what I am loving now.

 

From My Mind to You

I added a few more pieces to my Etsy store today! I am absolutely in love with them. 

I have been thinking about them and making them in my mind for a while now, I am so happy to finally have executed them, and now they are a finished complete product and just how I envisioned them! 

I hope you are all having a great weekend. 

Now i have a few other crafty projects waiting for me on the kitchen table. Catch you in the next post!

arki

My Glorious Monday

If you don’t know yet, I am off on Mondays since I work 10 hours a day Tuesday- Friday. I love my work schedule and my 3-day weekends!

Yesterday, the weather was gorgeous; therefore, my sister and I decided to go to George Town, DC.

G Town is one of my favorite spots in the DC Metropolitan area. If you ever visit DC, you have to spend at least a day at George Town to visit all the cute little shops, the boutiques, the landmarks and historic sites.

 

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am looking for furniture pieces for my office. We decided to visit CB2 & WestElm and I decided on the pieces I need!

We also stopped at Chipotle and had burritos for lunch, Zara 9where I tried to “control” my spending),  Urban Outfitters, and finally the cutest coffee shop Muncheez Mania, where we had the best crepes!

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures from my Monday

 

 

Arki

 

MR. DANNIJO <3

I am loving these new evil eye designs from Man Repeller and DANNIJO, which they call MR. DANNIJO!
FABULOUS

More items to add to my wishlist!

Birthday Wishlist

I am not sure how it is for you, but it seems like my wishlist never shrinks in size. It keeps expanding and expanding by the day! Well, my birthday is coming up so I think it is ok for my wishlist to keep expanding =)

What a better motivation in life?

Today’s Haul

I’ve been wanting to go shopping for the longest time! So it seems..
I cannot get over the beautiful trends for this season. I love everything from the dainty jewelry, to the statement pieces. I never get enough of neons or pastels. Everything in the stores is so pretty, I might just go broke soon
Anyways here is what I got today:
From dELiA*s – btw this is my first time there and they have the cutest stuff!
Hot neon pink crop jeans
Faded floral print shorts

From H&M
Nude Blazer (I forgot to take a picture of it :/)
Dainty set of skull necklace and earrings
A rose gold cuff and a gold one
A gold cuff hair tie

From Sephora
Jose Maran Argan Matchmaker Powder Foundation
Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss in Divine
Make Up For Ever eyeshadow #9
Fresh Sugar Kisses mini lip duo (a gift from sephora for my birthday!)

I love everything I got!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂

❤
Arki

Gold Digger

I used to hate gold tone accessories. In a fact, I didn’t own any piece of jewelry in gold tone. I always thought it was for older women and never got to like it. However, for the past couple seasons, gold tones started attracting me more and more everyday.

Now, I am totally obsessed with gold tones. I do not wear silver toned jewelry as much anymore! Actually, many times I find myself not wearing my wedding band & engagement ring simply because it doesn’t match!

Since I have olive skin tone, I love how the gold accessories compliment my skin. Here are some beautiful pieces I came across. My wishlist keeps expanding everyday. My wallet and I are in a huge trouble!

 

Click on me for more details and where to find these pieces.

I found a $1000!!!

So If I found a $1000.00 right now, I would get all those gorgeous pieces!
click for more detail

I Love TJs

One of my absolute favorite grocery stores is Trader Joe’s. I love that store. Every time I shop there, I end up purchasing new favorites. I always go back, buy our favorites plus new items to try. Soon, I will dedicate a whole post to our TJ’s favorites, but for now I want to share this new favorite: the Freeze Dried Strawberries. These babies are unsweetened and unsulfured, they are low in sugar and carbs, and contain fiber. They make a perfect snack and can be used with yogurt and on top of your cereal. I love them because they aren’t too sweet, actually, they are a bit soury lemony sweet. My perfect combo!

I love you Trader Joe’s!
Arki

Must Haves

Here are few of the pieces I would like to own before the spring. You can see it has most of my current obsessions: neon colors, spikes, rhinestones, chains, yellow, animal prints, cuffs, and finally one of my favorite jewelry designers Iosselliani. [click on the board to get directed to the different pieces]

My new goodies

Stay tuned for detailed post..

Outfit of the Day

Its Wednesday and the weekend is almost here! Today I was in the fun and bright mood and this outfit was the outcome:
Faux fur vest from Forever21, Lime Yellow Green shirt from Forever21, black dressy pants from Express, leopard pointed toe heels from TJ Maxx, chain necklace from Arki Jewelry on Etsy, bracelet from Target, Huge love knot earrings from Asos, stackable pyramid rings from Shop Akira, and large clutch bag from Urban Outfitters.

Happy Wednesday loves,
ArKi

Blazer Love

I have been obsessed with blazers lately. However, those two for to be my absolute favorites. They combine both my love for blazers and bright neon colors. I love everything about them: the color, the shoulder pads, the cut, and the hardware. I cannot wait to pair them with jeggings, cute shoes/ boots, a simple T shirt, and one of my jewelry pieces.

ArKi

Happy Valentine’s Day

❤
ArKi

HELP!

Please, help me pick one. I love the bags from Paul’s Boutique and I think it is time for a new one. I own two of his designs so far. So, now, which one you like the best?

February Birchbox

Here is what I got in my Birchbox for this month.
1. Eye Rock designer eyeliner. I am pretty excited to try that. I will have a review on it soon.
2. Glow and Go Travel Puff self tanner.
3. Jouer luminizing moisture tint. Previously I received the clear moisturizer and I loved it. I am excited to use this one a well.
4. Dermalogica daily Microfoliant.
A couple cute other things:
1. Hot pink heart shaped nail filer.
2. A code to download a free track for Green River Ordinance. I’ve never heard of them before.

I cannot wait to receive my Glam bag and compare it to this.

Happy weekend everyone!
ArKi

Lips is Details

So here is a detailed post about those lip colors from the previous post.

Those three colors are:

Divine Divine 330 by Cover Girl

Gumdrop 060 by Revlon Color burst Lip Butter

Unending Kiss 112 by L’Oreal Infallible

These products are amazing. First of all, my absolute favorite is Divine Divine. Beside the gorgeous purplish pink color, it has a great staying power. By great, I mean 24 hours, I wake up sometimes in the morning and I can still see it on lips even after washing it off! I’ve always had that dilemma of my lips eating the lipstick. I’ve always struggled trying to find a lip product that would stay on my lips for at least an hour. Everything melts off or gets absorbed within a few minutes of applying it. Well, not this one! This lip product is absolutely AhMazing!

I currently own 3 colors from that line of Cover Girl. This weekend I am planning on visiting a drug store and purchasing a few more colors. I am not sure if it is advertised as a long lasting lip product, but it sure does work 100 times better than any other product that claims it has a long lasting power.

Now, the Revlon lip butter. Those are amazing as well. They do not have the same staying power as the Cover Girl product, and even though they are lip butters, they still stay on for quite a while and definitely longer than other brands I’ve tried. Not to mention, the color is super cute. Its almost as if its an icy pink color; however, it doesn’t wash you out. I have an olive skin tone and it looks gorgeous on!

Last but not least, the L’Oreal Unending Kiss. This is such a gorgeous nude color. It is definitely warm nude that doesn’t wash you out. Its staying power is not bad, however, it is a bit drying on my lips. Nonetheless, I love the color!

I hope you enjoyed my little review. I highly suggest checking out the Cover Girl line. It is fabulous!

❤

ArKi

Go Green!

I know we haven’t gotten one single decent snow storm yet, but I like to keep thinking how Spring is approaching. I am looking forward to that. Spring has got to be my favorite season!

In spring everything turns green, flowers and trees blossom, life returns to the nature, our mood gets lifted, and our days become brighter!

I always associate Spring with pastel colors, my birthday, Easter, and finally the color Green! What a better color to symbolize the Spring season than Green?

Green is definitely a cheerful lively color that symbolizes life and nature. It has this positive energy when looking at it, and it brings this sense of relaxation to your mind as well. I love Green! It has been one of my top favorite colors.

Now, let’s talk fashion. Green color is big in fashion trends this year/spring. Especially, lime green shades and neon greens. They are quite fabulous colors! I have so many favorite pieces I am planning on purchasing soon. Seriously, what a better color to welcome the spring?

Enjoy the little inspiration board I put together. You can click on it to direct you to the individual pieces.

Valentine’s Pink

Usually we associate red color with Valentine’s day. Well, not this year!

This year has been the year for bright neon colors, and the Hot Pink color has definitely proven to be the color of choice for many clothing articles and accessories out there. I am not a pink girl (shocking!), but I am definitely a Hot Pink fan. It makes everything look sophisticated, glamorous, pretty, yet edgy!

Hot Pink is definitely one of my favorite colors. It is such a beautiful color and it brings glow to my skin. It definitely suits my olive skin tone. If you are not brave enough to rock a Hot Pink outfit, well, this Valentine’s day should be your excuse! Everything out there is in that Hot Neon Pink color, go grab a piece and rock out wearing it on February the 14th.

Happy Hot Pink Day!

ArKi

On my Finger

What’s your favorite statement ring?

A couple months ago, I purchased few rings from HauteLook. They are absolutely my all time favorite statement rings!

If you do not know what Hautelook is, it is a website where you can purchase designer/name brand items for 50-75% off, all you have to do is sign up! Everyday they introduce and bring a new brand name. It is incredible as you can snag your favorite designer items for less, and sometimes get introduced to a new brand that becomes your absolute favorite. In my case, “Beyond Rings” became my favorite. I am obsessed with all of their rings’ designs, and the price is AMAZING!

I already own rings 1, 6, and 8. They are absolutely even more beautiful in person!

xoxo

ArKi

 

Stack Me Up!

I can never get enough Neon!

Those vibrant colors make it easier for me while waiting for the spring/summer to arrive. I hate winter! It is such a depressing season where color disappears from everything. It even disappears from your complexion!

Those pastel and neon colors help bring it back into my life. All these stackable bracelets are on my to get list.

Cuff Love

My favorite piece of jewelry has always been the bracelet. I love stacking a bunch of bracelets with different dimensions and characteristic to create a unique look. Bracelets are definitely the arm candy!

What better candy than those neon vibrant colored cuffs. How about those studded cuffs with bold geometric shapes?

Those are a few of the many bracelets I am getting my inspirations from.

Valentines?

So what do you guys have planned for Valentine’s day? Are you one of those who hate Valentine’s day, don’t really care for it, or look forward to it every year? Personally, I love Valentine’s day. Aside from the fact that you are allowed to enjoy chocolate on that day and maybe receive flowers, I love it because it was the day my lovely handsome brother was born!
But we should never forget the reason behind this day: Saint Valentine. This day is to commemorate saint Valentine. There are many legends, stories, and history behind it. It all sums down to this: Saint Valentine was martyr of love!

Love to touch..

Currently, I am super obsessed with those two things: the Chevron pattern and Sheep skin throws. Those two things add so much character to my living and dinning area. I am in love ❤

Neon Love

I just came across this website that has “inspired” designer items. I could care less if the items are inspired by a designer or not, what caught my eyes were those vibrant neon colored accessories.

I love the idea of having a neutral or monotone outfit and then bring it to life with a pop of color through your accessories.

– all images are from FashionJunkee.com : Over sized Yellow, Neon Pink Love.

Coffee Talk

Sharing with you our first Cup of coffee.

I am not a great coffee drinker, it is actually more of a treat to me. I use the K-cups and my Kuerig coffee machine, since I don’t know much about coffee, or making coffee. I love that coffee machine!  I bought a couple sample boxes from Amazon and we fell in love with most of the K-cups we got. Last night, I went on Amazon to try and buy more of those sample boxes as they give you the best variety. To my surprise, most of those K-cups we liked were out of stock, discontinued, or their price was marked up 3 times higher! It is such a shame they are getting discontinued 😦

Now we are on a hunt for new favorites!

I enjoy the Jamaican Make Me Crazy flavor! it has a Coconut/hazelnut flavor to it and I absolutely love it! My hubby hates it, which is AWESOME! It means all for me 🙂 and the best part, it is not one of those that will be discontinued.