travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, influencer, brand influencer, influencer instagram, fashion blogger

California Blooms

California is blooming and she is magnificent. I’m sure by now you’ve seen all the wildflowers everywhere. Spring has got to be one of my favorite seasons at all time. The other week ago, I finally got a chance to stop by and see the beautiful poppies in Lake Elsinore.

It was so relaxing to be surrounded by nature with thousands of poppies. I made this one shoulder floral dress for the beginning of the spring season. What do you like most about spring? Have you seen any of the super bloom yet?

XO,

Joy

Hotel Z – Stay Pineapple

Hi Friends,

It feels like it’s been years since I last wrote a blog post… as life has been crazy and I had to take a break on blogging… the past month, a few things have changed and I finally caught my breath and I feel like I actually have a chance to get back to it! *squeals from excitement* Last week, Eddie and I went to San Diego and stayed at Hotel Z – Stay Pineapple and we absolutely loved it! It’s soo cute and it’s literally in the heart of Gaslamp! They also offer free shuttles anywhere in Downtown San Diego, Balboa Park and Little Italy.

They also have bikes that you can rent! We strolled all the way down Balboa Park and visited the cute little Spanish Village.

Each room is designed with pineapple – everything!

Even their bathrooms!

But one of my ultimate faves is the afternoon delights!!! They serve little pineapple cupcakes in their lobby around 3 pm with pineapple infused water!

Do you ever see yourself staying in one of the Pineapple Hotels? I definitely would love to come back at this sweet hotel! They are also pet friendly 🙂

Till our next adventure,

Joy

March 27, 2019March 27, 2019

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Fallin In Love With Big Bear

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I stayed at Cabins4Less and we woke up to snow falling! Growing up in California, I’ve never experienced snow falling so you can probably see how excited I was that I got to dance around with my glitter tutu in the snow. After eating breakfast, we headed to the Alpine Slide Magic Mountain and went tubing! It was sooo fun and probably one of my favorite things that we did in Big Bear.

We then headed to their cute little town village – Big Bear Lake Village. It was filled with cute little shops and restaurants and everything is so close to each other.

For the rest of the night, we decided to to dine in and stay warm with our fire place. The next morning, we attempted to hike the Castle Rock Trail and casually failed. We ended up just having a snow ball fight and finding sliding down the hills.

We had so much fun our Big Bear Weekend Trip that we cannot wait to go to the next one hopefully this year’s winter again later this year or next year. We also loved staying in our cute little cabin and we will probably stay here again.

I could not believe that Big Bear is only 2 hours away from my house! This will definitely one of my winter get aways. Do you have any travel plans any time soon? or even mini road trips?

Xo,

Joy

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019

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Christmas Games For Family & Friends

Hi Friends,

Hope y’all had a fun and amazing Christmas. Every year, my family & friends have a get together and celebrate Jesus’ birth – and a huge part of this celebration is playing games & competing with each other. Therefore, I wanted to share a compilation of games that you can play with your own family and friends next year!

Candy Cane Game – Opponents must transfer as much candy canes as they can using one candy candy with their mouths from one bowl to the other. Whoever has the most candy canes in the set time – wins!
Magic Carpet Ride – Two teams compete against each other. They must go from one station to the next only using the carpet to move them. You cannot use your hands and feet outside the carpet. We played this version with my friends and family and it was the party favorite!
Ornament Twerking Competition – Using two empty tissue boxes filled with many christmas ornaments (the same amount on each box), opponents must twerk their butts off until most of the ornaments are out or whoever has the least ornaments inside the box wins. You will also need lots of tape and a rope to tie the tissue box around the competitors waist.
Santa’s Reindeers Sweat Shop – Two teams pick their “reindeer” and must try their best to make their reindeer look like an actual reindeer with antlers. You will need stockings and balloons. Cut the end of the stocking so that the team will be able to insert the balloons inside. You can either time them or they can keep going until whoever finishes first.
Rudolph’s Nose – Each players has the same amount of strings with glued pom pom at the very end of the string. Whoever gets to make their pom pom touch their nose and make it stay there for at least 3 seconds win!
A Penny For Your Thoughts – Each player puts a coin on the top of their forehead – whoever gets the coin into their mouth without using their hands, wins! (this can also be played with oreos; but my family has become an expert with the oreos (we decided to make it tougher)

Hope you had fun watching our Christmas games and we hope that you’ll be able to play these games next year!

December 26, 2018

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Golden Magenta Roccoco Style

Hope everyone had an amazing Halloween this year! For this year’s Halloween I decided to take a fashion editorial shoot using the Roccoco Fashion as an inspiration. I created this headpiece with fall colored flowers and painted the sticks gold. For my outfit, I decided to use a vibrant magenta charmeuse to complete the look and made a blousony dress. I wanted this photoshoot to focus more on the dramatic hair and make up done by my dear friend, Celina

Photography: Eduardo Salazar

I enjoyed doing this photoshoot so much and the process on making this happen. For my fellow creators and my viewers, do you prefer this high fashion content or more of everyday lifestyle?

Xo,

Joy

November 1, 2018

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Why It’s So Much More Fun To Go To A Pumpkin Patch Than Just Buying A Pumpkin

Soooooo let’s begin with I’m not from here and I wasn’t raised here in the U.S. Maybe that’s why I’ve never been in a pumpkin patch before (so don’t judge me lol) and I might’ve over done it this year as I’ve already gone twice this month! So you can just imagine the look in my face when my boyfriend brought to my first pumpkin patch earlier this month at Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch. I was like “Omgggg this is better than a fair!!! There’s dogs everywhere!” I loved it so much that I also hosted the second Influencer Girl Gang Meet Up event at Tanaka Farms. But other than dogs, here’s the main reasons why I personally love going to pumpkin patches rather than just staying at home carving store bought pumpkins.

It’s just a ginormous place of magical pumpkin land. Every corner is pretty much a photo opp and insta worthy.

2. There’s sunflowers!!! (Ok, maybe I just got lucky but both pumpkin patches, I’ve gone to had sunflowers.)

3. UMMMMNNN. CORN MAZZZZEEEE FUN! Need to say more?

4. It’s just a fun place to be with you girl friends or your significant other!

Have you gone to a pumpkin patch near you? Don’t forget to do so this year & enjoy the festivities!

October 22, 2018

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3 REASONS WHY FALL IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT MAMMOTH LAKES

1. It’s off season = not the busiest time of the year since summer just ended and winter is about to come; therefore, less crowds, less people. Yeyyy! With fewer visitors, accommodations and Airbnb is actually cheaper.

2. The BEST weather EVER! I was able to do the whole 3 mile walk around Convict Lake wearing Reebok’s Pure Move Bra and North Face Windbreaker. The average temperature ranged between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. But it wasn’t really until the sun was setting did I need my windbreaker as it got a little bit more chilly.

What I love about my Reebok’s Pure Move Bra is how it’s natural shape literally feels like it’s molded for your body with free-cut edges that allow you to move freely-from the gym to a hike to a brunch with friends. The fabric almost feels like your second skin. I also love how modest this bra looks that I didn’t feel self conscious walking around without a top covering me.

***I was gifted this product, but all views are my own and I was wearing a size M Bra.***

3. MAJESTIC VIEWS AND FALL HEAVEN!!! – I mean where else can you find this view? Like how is this even real? I honestly lost it and just fell in love. As I walk around Convict Lake, I cant help but marvel at the sight of golden Aspen leaves everywhere. It almost looks like real gold when the sun hits the leaves. And seeing all of the trees together with different colors was truly a stunning sight to see!

I hope you find your way to squeeze in some time to go to Mammoth Lakes soon before winter starts. It’s a lot more amazing in person, I promise! Happy Fall!

October 17, 2018

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How Traveling Can Benefit Your Mental Health x Twenty Nine Palms Holiday Inn Express Review

Did you know that traveling can be a huge benefit for your mental health? And due to today’s Mental Health Awareness Day, I wanted to write a blog post dedicated to how travel can actually benefit your mental health.

What is mental health? It includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps how we determine how to handle stress, relate to others and make everyday choices. Today marks the start of mental health day. Sometimes the little things really do matter like helping a stranger, sharing a cup of coffee or simply having a chat can dramatically change a person’s day. I don’t claim to be an expert but I do know that sometimes listening is important so listen up, talk more, take a break and support each other.

Also, take a vacation, a change of scenery or even just a few hours down the road can magically improve your mental health. A lot of people normally ask me, as a designer – how do you manage to travel so much or go on many road trips on weekends? My answer is always because I absolutely need it. I’ve made traveling and adventuring become a part of my lifestyle because I truly believe that it heals me & it helps me keep my sanity & gives me that small break that I need. So here’s other few reasons why traveling is good for you.

It’s another form of stress relief except more fun – Traveling helps us take a break from our constant boring routine from our day to day lives. It helps us escape our responsibilities for a bit and our worries!
Excitement and happiness is boosted before you travel – Have you ever noticed how happy and excited you are right before your trip? Yes, that alone is healing to your body and mind. When we get so pumped about how much fun you’re going to have in your trip, that’s when you’re the happiest and when you’re actually doing what you had planned to do.
It enhances your creativity – Have you noticed that most artists, designers, writers get their inspiration from a place or their latest trip or vacation? Maybe it’s because when our mind is at rest – that’s when we learn and soak in as much knowledge and inspiration the most. Plus, seeing/experiencing things you’ve never done before is always a great tool how to see things in a different light.
It makes or break your relationships – Traveling helps you learn how you react with certain situations – it helps you as a person and how you adapt to certain unexpected scenarios and it also helps you learn what you can and cannot tolerate from another person. When put in a foreign country/place and you have a traveling buddy, it either strengthens your relationship or breaks it. Either way, it teaches you a lesson.
It’s just so much fun – When you feel happy, your brain is happy. You get to experience life and things you’ve never done or seen before and because of this you’re constantly adapting and becoming the person you’re meant to be.

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I stayed at Twenty Nine Palms Holiday Inn Express, which is situated along Highway 62 and provides easy access to area attractions. The hotel is located three miles from the Oasis Visitor Center and seven miles from Joshua Tree National Park.

This suite is pretty spacious and is perfect for busy bee business travelers. It has two TVs, a small kitchen with a sink, microwave, a fridge and coffee maker! We were surprised and happy to have all these features as we ended up using them more than we intended to. Also, there’s a free breakfast from 7 – 10 AM that has many options. They even had pancakes!

There is much to see and do in 29Palms. The hotel is seven miles from Joshua Tree National Park where you can hike, mountain bike, climb and more. If you know me, you probably notice that I’m in Joshua tree almost every other month. It’s honestly my favorite place to have photoshoots in, hike, de-stress (they have the most beautiful sunsets and if you’re lucky, you even get to see meteor showers) & they also have vintage thrift shops almost around every corner!

Thank you so much Twenty Nine Palms Holiday Inn Express for having us! We had a great stay for the weekend.

October 11, 2018October 12, 2018

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Puppy Friday With Solid Gold Pets

Before summer ends, I wanted to make a matching outfit of me and Coco and a few weeks ago, I finally got a chance to do that. We went to the dog park in Hollywood and we got so many compliments! Coco also had so much fun running around with her fellow doggies!

Last month, she actually tried Solid Gold Mighty Mini and she couldnt stop eating it. Coco is normally picky with her food so I was glad to see that she loved this one! This grain- and gluten-free recipe is made with USA-sourced beef, nutrient-rich fruits and veggies, and a balanced blend of superfoods with omega fatty acids. She loved the savory lamb, sweet potato recipe – especially the wet food – it was also filled with plus nutrient-packed superfoods like vitamin E-rich cranberries.

I was thinking of doing more blog posts like this one where Coco and I have matching outfits – what do you guys think of this blog post?

Xo,

Joy

September 21, 2018September 21, 2018

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3 Reasons Why You Should Go To The Fair

When I think of fairs, it reminds me of my childhood – when my grandpa would take me and my cousins to the fair every summer in the Philippines. If you still haven’t gone to the fair – you definitely should & here’s three reasons why~