Honolulu Zoo

The Honolulu Zoo is located right in downtown Waikiki and is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.  General Admission is $14 for adults and $6 for kids 3-12 years old.  Kids 2 and under are free.  There are also Kama'aina and U.S. Military rates available.  Parking is $1 per hour in their lot, or free at Kapiolani Park right across the street.  Kapiolani Park is where we park when we go to the main strip in Waikiki.  It is so close to the zoo.  Seriously, park there.  Don't pay for the zoo's parking.  The Honolulu Zoo has some fun animals, some of my favorites to see were the endemic animals such as the Nene Goose.  We had a good time there, but it is not really a must-see on your trip to Oahu.  I feel like the Hogle Zoo back in Utah was just as good (and less run down.)

 

March 2013 Ipsy Bag

The theme for March's Glam Bag was 'The Great Escape.'  Although this wasn't the most exciting bag I've had, the products fit well with the theme and I know I'll get good use out of these products.

First is the bag that everything came in.  I love how Ipsy sends our products in a different makeup bag every month.  I'm not super keen on anchors, but it is fun for the theme and I think it will make a great bag to bring to the beach!

I received two samples of Yaby eyeshadow in the colors So Vein and Sand Dune.  So Vein is a teal green and Sand Dune is... well, sand colored.  I might also call it camel.  These have very good pigmentation.  I'm not super crazy about the colors themselves, Sand Dune is very close to my skin color so it makes a good neutral, and So Vein, while it is a color I like, I just won't have many opportunities to wear it.  But I will wear them occasionally, and the quality is very good.  (Ok, I admit, I made Sand Dune blurry in this picture because I accidentally got a fingernail mark in it when taking it out of the package.)

The next item was a GlamRX Palette.  It has a mirror on one side and it is magnetic on the other.  Which means....

Ta-da!  The Yaby eyeshadows we got fit inside!  I kind of think it's super cool.  I can see how this would be great for traveling, especially if you get several different colors in there.  I was however, super bummed to find out (the hard way) that the Coastal Scents shadows we got from the February bag don't stick to the magnet. :( But I might try gluing a magnet on them or just taping them in.  We'll see.

We also received La Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes.  I'm not gonna lie, I was a little bummed to get makeup remover wipes because those are so cheap.  But, I probably wouldn't have gone out and bought any, so now I have some to use anytime I go on vacation.  I tried one of them out, and it's not super great at removing makeup, but it works.  I will use them next time I stay away from home.

The last item is Juice Beauty Organic Solutions Hydrating Spray.  I had never heard of hydrating sprays before, but I actually kind of like it.  I'm not sure if I like the smell or not, it kind of smells like roses.  I definitely don't hate it.  It's supposed to be for your face, but I can only handle spraying stuff on my face so often.  I like using it on my legs, because they get dry occasionally and sometimes I just don't want to put on lotion.  It's a fun product and I'll get good use out of it.  Hydrating sprays are probably not something I'll add to my usual purchases though.

Okay, so overall, this wasn't my favorite bag, but it wasn't bad.  Once you consider the theme of beaches and travel, it is actually kind of fun.  And since I live in Hawaii and travel a lot, I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of these products.  I'm excited to see what April has in store!

Home is Where the Heart is

Last time I left Hawaii for Utah, I realized that I wasn't ready to move back yet.  Last time I flew from Utah to Hawaii, I realized I still love Utah too.  It's strange, but apparently your heart can belong in two places.  Right now, the thought of leaving my beloved Hawaii almost brings tears to my eyes.  I have fallen in love with this place and with the ocean.  On the other hand, my heart aches when I think about the people I left behind.  I know we will be moving back to Utah, since Blake has projects he wants to pursue there.   But one thing's for sure: I'll be leaving a little piece of my heart here in Hawaii.

Sunrise where I work at Hanauma Bay, photographed with an iphone a couple months ago.  It was really that amazing.

Diamond Head Hike

Hiking Diamond Head is a great experience.  The Diamond Head hike is open from 6am to 6pm every day and costs $5 per car or $1 per person if you walk in.  It consists of a somewhat rocky dirt path for the first part, then continues through what used to be military installations closer to the top. The views from the top are incredible, overlooking Kokohead, the ocean, and Waikiki.  I would definitely recommend this hike.  It isn't that hard or too long but gives you a good workout and is lots of fun.

Coastal Scents Order

I was super excited when I got my Coastal Scents order!  I found out about them in my February Ipsy bag and used the Ipsy coupon to get a few items from them.  I think they are a great company and love what I got.

I got a few makeup brushes.  They were a very good price, and so far I really like them.  I got a natural and a synthetic crease brush and a blending brush.  They are all very soft and do a great job.  

I also purchased Bright Eyed concealer/eye brightener in the color Light.  It blends into my skin well.  I feel like it is around the same quality as the other concealers I have used, but it is a good value for the size.

Now here's the really fun one.  I bought the 252 Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette.  It has three layers of amazing colors in all sorts of different finishes, from matte to sparkly to shimmer.  I love the endless possibilities with this.  I'm sure there are some I'll never use, but I hope to try out most of them.  The great thing is that you can find all the names of the colors in the palette and order them separately later.  That way you can make smaller palettes of only your favorite colors.  It's pretty awesome!

Everyone needs some good neutrals.  I love the 28 Neutral Palette so far.  It has a nice range of colors for everyday wear.  The more I use this palette, the more I love it.  It's amazing how many different looks you can get just with neutrals.

And Coastal Scents was super awesome and included a free sample of four eyeshadows!  This will be amazing to bring along when I am traveling light.  That sparkly brown color is so pretty.

I am very happy with my order, and am always excited to try out new colors from my palettes!

Grateful

There are so many things I am grateful for in my life right now.  I wanted to take some time and write down a few of them.

I live in Hawaii!  What an amazing experience!  It's an unbelievable blessing that the girl who decorated her room like Hawaii as a young teen now gets to live there.  Sometimes I am overcome with how incredible it is that I get to live here, between the beaches, the ocean, the fish, and the incredible views and greenery. 

Although I live in Hawaii, I get to go back to Utah quite often to see family and friends, which is wonderful.  It is great to see everyone I love, and helps me not go stir crazy being in Hawaii without any friends. 

I am so grateful I was able to find so many friends in Blake's family.  What a blessing it is to have some of your best friends be family.  Shout out to Emily, Maddy, & Katie.  I love you girls so much.

I am so proud that my dear cousin Haley is serving a mission right now.  Reading her letters makes me so happy because I know she is going to do amazing things.  I am so glad she made such a huge sacrifice, even though I miss talking to her terribly.

There are so many things that I am grateful for right now, but I'll stop there for now.  Life can be really, really hard sometimes, but thinking about the things you are grateful for can make things feel so much better.  Go ahead and try it, maybe it will brighten your day too.

Pow Wow Hawaii

Pow Wow Hawaii is a contemporary art movement that brings artists from all over the world to Honolulu, where they paint amazing murals on buildings all over downtown.  This year was the fourth time this event has taken place.  I love how many of the artists incorporated Hawaiian culture into their art.  If you want to learn more about it or see a map of where you can find the murals, visit their website here: http://powwowhawaii.com/.