Bad

My Goodwill rescue has seen its last day. "bad" is all I got as I attempted to finish watching Raging Bull last night. I was actually sad for a second there. I realized this was the end of a relationship that brought me so much joy. I've laughed, cried, and even cursed because of bad. I've enjoyed many nights letting my mind run wild with all the films I've watched.

I immediately considered running out to purchase a replacement but considering it was late and X-Mas is right around the corner, I figured this can go on my wish list. And this is actually a need vs. a want.

Thank you for all your service "bad". I will treasure the good moments.

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

Tis The Season....

Nothing screams Holiday Season like a warm, colorful cup of  joe from the one and only.

Coffee = Energy, Excitement, Happiness. and Love. I heart you SBUX.

Its amazing what a cup of beans can do for my mood and outlook on any given day. Its the perfect pick me up whether I'm preparing to face a long morning of busy work or as my 2 shots of energy booster to get me through a power shopping trip.

I am definitely enjoying the Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino and the Eggnog Lattee. What's your favorite Holiday drink?

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

The Calm after the Storm

Hey Guys! For those of you that celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you all had a lovely time with friends and family. I enjoyed my downtime with my favorite people and managed to squeeze in two movies over the weekend. Rampart and The Descendants which I totally recommend. I absolutely love going to the movies, especially during the Holiday breaks. George Clooney simply gets better with age, doesn't he? I love the days that immediately follow Thanksgiving, with the exception of Black Friday. Did anyone participate in that madness? I use this time to relax before all the Xmas shopping insanity begins. Pepper spray... really people. Is that what its come down to. Geez!

Hope you all had a good break and are ready to face Round 2.

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

Giving Thanks

Our Annual Friendly Thanksgiving dinner was held at Casa Guerra this year. We ate, talked, laughed, played, and of course, ate some more. The food was delicious and the company, even better. Good friends are like a needle in a haystack. Hard to find. So when you do find them, hold onto them and treasure them. Each of these individuals have been a very intricate part of my life and have played huge roles in my Happiness. Thank you all. I love you with all my heart and you are all more than just friends to me, you are Mi Familia.



  

The food was delicious. After we stuffed our bellies, we played Guesstures, aka, sherades. The game got intense. Boys against Girls. And under pressure, the boys buckled and resorted to cheating. Still, the women were crowned the Victors! Did you expect anything else?

I had a great time with my friends and look forward to it next year and for many more years to come.

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays. May Life continue to Bless you and your Loved Ones.

p.s. Thank you Jaime for the mashed potatoes.

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

New Specs

You Dig? I totally Dig! Maybe the pics don't do these babies justice but the reason I fell in LOVE with these bad boys by Oakley is because they are a Matte frame. Something I have not seen before. And they're in a perfect "taupish" color. A color I've been addicted to for a while now. The actual color is pewter.

So, basically, I'm sick and tired of having to follow the lights from vehicles in front of me in order to get anywhere. I'm tired of eating shitty food because I can't read menus, hey, you can never go wrong with ordering 3 tacos de carne asada por favor, but still, there's other things I'd like to try. Waving at strangers and calling them out by their names just to be completely embarrased. And according to my doctor, "How do you get by"? His question and mine as well. Its time I buckle down, stop annoying people by asking them to read things for me and start wearing my glasses once and for all.

I ventured out from my regular Optometrist and tried LensCrafters for once. Thank you Dr. Javier Villalobos for giving me the gift of sight again.

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

My Top 15 Fall/Winter Nail Polishes

Vampy Reds, Taupes, Grey's, Greens, Black, Blues.... Oh My! This time of the year has me diggin into my polish stash craving for the darker side. Nothing screams more ladylike and elegance than seeing a woman with perfectly manicured hands. Polish has recently taken off like wildfire. It has become the new accessory and I am totally "crack" addicted to it. How is it that a bottle of liquid chemicals make me so giddy? Let me count the ways.... 15 to be exact.


Essie's Bobbing for Baubles (A dark blue, greyish polish. Appears black in picture)



L to R: Naughty by Orly, Carry on by Essie, Owl's Lust by L'oreal, Very Structured by Essie, Jazz by Essie

L to R: Sequin Scandal by SH, A-Taupe The Space Needle by OPI, Commander in Chic by SH, Moonstruck by Confetti, Graphite by Chanel

L to R: Power Clutch by Essie, Cocktail Bling by Essie, Sew Psyched by Essie, Case Study by Essie, Starry Night by Sonia Kashuk

                                                          

Stop the Madness!!!

Are there any must haves that I've missed that you feel I need to add to my collection?

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

Gettin My Nerd On

I never thought I'd say this (because I always wanted to) but, yes, I belong to a BOOK Club and I love it! We're small in numbers but powerful in strength. We started with four and now added another divine spirit, Wendy to the mix. We are definitely a melting pot of personalities. We've had two meetings so far and with each one, we've only gotten to love one another even more. Tish, Celina, Glenda, Wendy and Myself make up the Reading Rainbow.

First line of business, The Hunger Games. It is becoming all the Rave. People are comparing this Trilogy by Suzanne Collins to the next Twilight. I can see why they would make that comparison but I must tell you, there is so much more to the Hunger Games. I've seen the Trailer to the movie and by the looks of it, I have to say, it looks pretty darn cool. Can't wait for it. We are considering the 5 star movie goer experience that the Gold Cinemas in Pasadena claims to give you for this special pick.

Tish, aka, the quirkiest, smartest, talented, loving, and admirable woman I know writes an amazing blog. She's done such a great job of introducing each one of us and discussing our club that I urge you to click on the link provided to her blog. She took all the wonderful pictures and I love her for giving our club so much love, recognition, and props. Thank you Tish. I love you.

Book Club Meeting #1:http://www.luvandkiwi.com/2011/10/book-club.html
Book Club Meeting #2:http://www.luvandkiwi.com/2011/11/reading-rainbow.html

Shall you get your hands on the Hunger Games, I wish you Happy Reading.
I LOVE my Book Club. Wanna join the fun?

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

New Product Alert - Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

I had to share with you all these new lovelies that Revlon has recently released. In my opinion, they are the best of all three worlds. A lipstick, a lip moisturizer, and a lip gloss. I purchased the five shades shown below but I know there are more to this collection. Unfortunately, this was all that was left at my local RiteAid. If you come across any, pick one up and try it. Its going to be hard to dislike it. These Lip Butters are being compared to Dior Lip Glow and by price comparison, Dior $29 vs. Revlon $7.99, its a no brainer. I am very pleased with the quality of these lip butters. They're very convenient and the quality is very impressive. So far, I give them two thumbs up! Will be going back for more.

Dior Lip Glow $29

 L to R: Candy Apple, Cherry Tart, Tutti Frutti, Strawberry Shortcake, Cotton Candy

  

I have worn all five of these butters and I can tell you, they are a great product. Especially for my low maintenance girls that like to slap on some chap stick/ lip balm and go. These will moisturize your lips and give you a hint of color as well.

I am wearing Candy Apple today. What I love about the Reds in this line is that they are less maintenance than traditional Red Lipsticks. You don't have to worry about them bleeding, having to apply lip liner to make them stay, etc. Treat yourself to one if you happen to be lucky enough to spot them. Happy Shopping.

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

405, 105, 110, 5..... I despise you all!

I recently professed my love for Los Angeles and that is still true BUT cut me some slack, throw me a freakin bone already! Traffic in LA is a nightmare. At least its mine, daily. LA, if its true that on average, everyone will loose about 3 years of their lives to traffic, then I'd say I've served at least 15 yrs, half of my life, give or take.

What is your goal? I already have grey hair. Should I just pull it out next? See photo.
Daily, I am living in my car anywhere from 3 1/2 hrs a day to 4,and that's if I stick to my work/home routine. This is my plead to LADOT to create a Super Shuttle that can whip me from the Valley to the Westside in record time.

Surprisingly enough, I don't have road rage. I just have an aching back, headaches, and stress knots that need to get worked on by a much needed massage.

If I had 3 magic wishes, having my private helicopter would be one of them. Magic Lamp, where are you?Y'all feel me out there?

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

Gross!!

Alert: Nail Shops can be/ are Dirty and Nasty!

On a random trip to a filthy nail shop in the Montebello/East LA area two weeks or so ago, what I thought was some R&R time with my cousin turned out to be a Big pain in the Toe. I don't really deviate much from the shop I tend to go to but in the spur of the moment, I tried my Cousin's place out. Biggest Mistake Ever!!
I'm posting this and inserting this ugly picture just to warn you ladies about the risk of infection and germs that hover over these places. Granted, I'm not saying it will happen to you but still, take some precaution when getting your lovely tootsies groomed. I took antibiotics for 5 days hoping that the throbbing pain from this infection would subside. It did but now...... its back! Oh no. I feel like my toe is about the size of a grapefruit. It throbs and I can't even put a sheet on top of my foot.

Do any of you have any recommendations to a good nail shop that acutally sterilizes their instruments instead of just roll their little carts from person to person infecting them with nasty toe jam?


Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

My New Toy

I've gone MAD! Finally, I got the courage and kicked my BB to the curve and got the latest and greatest toy Ever. Ahhhh!!!

Its everything everyone has said it would be and more. I'm kicking myself in the butt for not having crossed over sooner. I understand all the excitement over Apps now. And can I tell you, Siri is a Bad Ass B#%!H. I love her. She's the main reason why I took the plunge. After being keyboard obsessed for so long, I was hesitant to go touch screen but she convinced me she was worth taking a gamble on and I'm so glad I did. I've become obsessed with this device. It has totally taken over my life in a good way. I'm more organized than ever, all my information is easily accessible,and its helping me perfect my Spanish. Its not all just for vanity purposes, this little machine can actually enhance your life. If you are on the fence about going the Iphone route, I say, DO IT! and do it NOW. Iphone + Siri makes Meli very Happy.

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

Downtown Art Walk

I made my second appearance at the monthly Downtown LA Artwalk this past Thursday. If you don't know much about it, let me tell you. There are several blocks in Downtwon LA (I think its around 3rd and Spring through 8th and Spring) that are soley dedicated to displaying Artist's work and talent. The vibe and energy is very eclectic. You have your Pro Mecha Latinos (Go MALDEF), your Rastafarian brothers and sisters, your Hipsters, and everything in between. I  Love it.  I'm amazed at people's talent since all I can do is draw stick figures and even those look horrible. As you walk down the streets of LA, feel free to pop into one of the many and I say many new bars that have materialized out of no where, grab a bite because you will work up an apetite, or simply feel free to eat a Hepatitis Dog. That is what they're called right?
Anyway, I fell in LOVE with two pieces. I wanted to yank them off the wall and run with them but what would the Artist say about that? Hmm.... Best to just admire them for now.

I'm in Love with LA. It is very dear to my heart. I make no joke when I profess the late Tupac's same sentiment of "Live and Die in LA". When I saw this piece, I said, I have to have it. Its everything! My youth, my struggles, the streets, Life, LA. This has so much meaning to me. LA, I will never abandon you.

Artist: Taylor Scott Dunfee

This piece left me completely speechless. Jaw dropping speechless. If you can see, the words next to the heart read, "Its so Simple". Really? Is it? For those who know me, and I mean, really know me will realize how much meaning this has to me and can even picture how I must of looked standing in front of this piece just gawking at it. I almost wanted to cry, no joke. She's me. I'm her. Simple? Ha! Everything but simple. The Heart. Emotinally. Physically. Mentally. Enough said. I'll leave it to your own interpretation.

Check out the ArtWalk. Here's a link with more info. http://downtownartwalk.org/


Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful

El Rey

I feel like the Luckiest Girl in the World! This past Sunday, I was blessed to be in the presence of the most amazing musical genius, El Rey. I've wanted to see him in concert for so many years and for one reason or another, something always came up and I was not able to attend. Not this year. I was pro active and bought my tickets early on. When my skin gets goose bumps, aka "chicken skin" from hearing such beatiful music, I know I'm living. I went with the best company I could of ever want with me by my side. It was Rosy #2's and my first time attending a Vicente Fernandez concert together. We sang, danced, cried and laughed together for over 3 1/2 hours. Definitely a Highlight in my book.

El Rey

Full House at the Universal Amphitheatre

Mi Linda Amiga

 For all my Latin Lovers, who enjoy listening to Rancheras, if you have not seen this man sing his heart out while tossing back too many shots of Tequila that I lost count after 10, please do yourself a favor, Go See Chente!

Posted by Meli, Adventures In All things Beautiful