T R A V E L // What I Ate in Portland

Here is a breakdown of the places that I visited in case you don't want the wordy explanations of why you should visit these places:
SANTERIA http://thesanteria.com
SCREEN DOOR http://screendoorrestaurant.com
KOPI COFFEE http://bit.ly/1WV5zvb
NONG'S KHAO MAN GAI http://khaomangai.com
VOODOO DOUGHNUTS http://voodoodoughnut.com
BREWED http://www.brewedcafepub.com
CUP & BAR http://www.cupandbar.com
BLUE STAR DONUTS http://www.bluestardonuts.com
PBJGRILLED http://www.pbjsgrilled.com
POTATO CHAMPION http://www.potatochampion.com
PIP'S DONUTS http://bit.ly/1pnQfww
SALT & STRAW http://saltandstraw.com

SANTERIA http://thesanteria.com

• 1 location (Downtown Portland)
• Mexican Food
• Must try: Desebrada Chimichanga
• FYI: Open late (til 2 am)

SCREEN DOOR http://screendoorrestaurant.com

• 1 location (off Burnside Street)
• Creole/Cajun Food
• Must try: Hot Dark Chocolate 
• FYI: Get there early! Most days this place is super busy, but I was fortunate enough to only wait 30 minutes

KOPI COFFEE http://bit.ly/1WV5zvb

• 1 location (off Burnside Street, right next to Screen Door)
• Southeast Asian Coffee
• Must try: Thai Tea
• FYI: This is definitely something you might need to get accustomed to

NONG'S KHAO MAN GAI http://khaomangai.com

• 1 location + 2 food carts
• Thai Food
• Must try: Khao Man Gai
• FYI: DO NOT ORDER THEIR THAI TEA. You'll definitely regret this purchase.

VOODOO DOUGHNUTS http://voodoodoughnut.com

• 2 locations
• Donuts
• Must try: Didn't sample too many things, but I liked their glazed donut
• FYI: Voodoo Too (the second location) has better rating on yelp

BREWED http://www.brewedcafepub.com

• 1 location in Vancouver, WA
• Coffee, bear and wine
• Must try: Kumbacha
• FYI: Once a month they have comedy nights!!

CUP & BAR http://www.cupandbar.com

• 1 location
• Coffee & Chocolate
• Must try: Con Panna
• FYI: SUPER bike friendly. You can bring your bikes into the shop and mount them onto the wall

BLUE STAR DONUTS http://www.bluestardonuts.com

• 3 locations in Portland + 1 in L.A. + 1 in Tokyo
• Donuts
• Must try: The O.G. Glazed, hands down
• FYI: These donuts are on the pricier side but they are so high quality it's worth every penny

PBJGRILLED http://www.pbjsgrilled.com

• 1 location (Hawthorne Blvd)
• Peanut Butter and Jelly styled sandwiches
• Must try: Smoking Goat
• FYI: Share with friends so you can try multiple food carts!

POTATO CHAMPION http://www.potatochampion.com

• 1 location (Hawthorne Blvd)
• Poutine
• Must try: Satay Poutine
• FYI: Order the smallest size because it's very filling

PIP'S DONUTS http://bit.ly/1pnQfww

• 1 location
• Chai and Donuts
• Must try: Ginger Rodgers
• FYI: Do not visit if you've already eaten donuts today

SALT & STRAW http://saltandstraw.com

• 3 locations in Portland + 2 in L.A.
• Homemade Ice Cream
• Must try: Stumptown Coffee and Burnside Bourbon
• FYI: There's not an actual age restriction on the 'Kids Cone' :)

T R A V E L // Tips for First Time Travelers

Going to Portland was my first adventure where I did very 'adult' things. I bought my first plane ticket and rented my first car. So I've compiled a list of tips for first time travelers.

1. OVER PREPARE

I had booked Spirit Airlines with reluctance. I had saw so many videos saying how terrible it is in terms of service and having to pay for everything. I had wanted to bring my Jansport backpack which went over their height limit by .75 inches. I called their customer service and they stressed as long as my bag fit in the seat in front me, I will not be charged the "Carry-on fee". Okay great. I went to pack my bag and had a freak out moment because I thought I had over packed since my bag was started to bulge. This was a blessing in disguise because unloading my bag of unnecessary things made my trip easier to travel light. I had also preplanned my outfits and toiletries so I wouldn't have a lot of unnecessary items to carry and everything I brought I used. I had also reserved my rental car online prior to arriving to ensure I would have a car and prepaid for gas for when I returned the car (not sure if that was the best option but let me know what you have done).

2. CALL AHEAD AND ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS

With my first tip, I called the airline customer service to verify the carry-on rule. I had also called my hotel to let them know I will be arriving at a really late time. Not sure if that would have affected anything, but I'd imagine that them knowing I was showing up really late would alleviate their stress of wondering where I am. I'd like to believe that right? Anyway, during this call (I had read on their website they charge for overnight parking in their garage) I had asked if they include free parking. Unfortunately, they charge $30 a night but because I had told her that I was coming in so late, she had suggested to park on the street overnight for FREE because the parking meters typically run from 8am to 8pm, and then wake up in the morning to pay by the hour for parking. Thank you to the front desk lady who had given me this information. I had saved $52 from NOT parking in their garage ($60 minus the $8 I had put in the meters in the morning). Personal WIN!

3. PLAN OUT YOUR ITINERARY 

I had less than 48 hours to be in Portland. I had arrived around 10pm Thursday night and I had left around 8pm Saturday night. Realistically, I had about 26 hours accounting for sleeping. So I had written down everything I wanted to do/see and organized them in a way that would allow for them to all fit. Multnomah Falls was a must, so this drove my reason to rent a car versus taking Uber. I figured I wouldn't be back in Portland for awhile so this is a must see. Screen Door, Voodoo Doughnuts, Powell's Bookstore, Nong's Khao Man Gai, Pip's Doughnuts, Salt & Straw and PDX Bike Tour were necessary on our itinerary. So assuming each meal would take an hour long and bike tour would take approx 2.5 hours and mapping out each destination, I organized the events as such:

Thursday: 

- Arrive around 10:30 pm

- Get car @ 11 pm

- Check-in Hotel around 11:30 pm

Friday:

- Screen Door

- Multnomah Falls

- Powell's Bookstore/Voodoo Doughnuts  (because they were within a block of each other)

- Nong's Khao Man Gai

Saturday:

- Bike Tour @ 9 am

- Pip's Doughnuts

- Salt & Straw

- Dinner ?? @ 4:30 pm

- Return Car by 6 pm

Which leads me to my next tip

4. ALLOW FOR SPONTANEITY

With having everything laid out, I knew where I would and would not have time to do things. Clearly Friday was the day to fit most things in because there weren't any restrictions on arrival or departing. I was hungry when I arrived in Portland, so I yelped restaurants open at 12 am and found Santeria; after eating at Screen Door we stumbled upon Kopi Coffee; after seeing the Falls we made a view stop at the the Columbia River and stopped at the outlet stores; and made an impromptu trip to Vancouver, WA after eating dinner. Each of these little finds made my trip memorable and I'm so glad I got to experience each stop and food I ate.

With that being said, I wish you first time travelers the best of luck on your trip and hope you have a great time. Please ask questions if there is anything specific you would like to know about traveling or what I did in Portland.

Have fun!

F A S H I O N // P O R T L A N D

When you're traveling a place

with so little time

finding ways to be fashionable

is such a crime

But never fear

when there's a will there's a way

and thank goodness

it was sunny all day

When you go to a place

that rains most of the time

you'll be glad

you spent that dime

Rainwear is important

When you live in Portland

So don't be a fool

And play it cool

Find a way

to sneak your favorite outfit

Under the layers

And you'll still look legit

They won't see

You're a tourist in disguise

RAIN JACKET // The North Face

SWEATER // Forever 21

PLAID // H&M

DENIM // Levi's

BOOTS // Alice + Whittles

H A I R // Argon Oil 2N Black Review

Going from colorful hair to my old black hair is one of my worse nightmares. Not because I don’t think black hair is beautiful, but because I feel like I’m losing a sense of myself. A chameleon that constantly keeps changing whenever I feel like it. Going into the real job market has forced me to conform and become their standard of “clean cut” and “professional looking”. 

2 applications my butt. I needed the whole tube for my hair.

With that being said I used Argon Oil’s 2N Black Dye with a 20 Developer. Using this dye was super easy as previous reviews had written. The women at Sally’s suggested that I use a protein filler so that color would hold. Truthfully, I don’t think I really needed the protein filler because of the type of dye but I couldn’t take any chances. I transferred the protein filler into a spray bottle so I could easily apply it and be less messy. So I washed my hair, blow-dried it until it was damp and then sprayed a generous amount into my hair. I then brushed my hair so the filler would get somewhat evenly through the hair and let that sit in for 20 minutes. My hair was probably wet with the amount of filler I sprayed in my hair so I believe I ended up dying my hair damp. My hair is fairly long and pretty thick, and the lady at Sally’s told me that the bottle of dye I bought was more than enough. Here I’m thinking, 2 ounces of dye should be enough. Big mistake. I should have poured the entire tube out because I think my ratios were off, which eventually made my hair a bit uneven. The under parts of my hair a darker while the upper parts of my hair are more brown. This could also be due to the way my hair was bleached but I think the unevenness was attributed to the dye-developer ratio. So when measuring the developer, make sure it is truly one ounce because I just used the cap of the bottle to measure it out which was probably under an ounce. 

Long story short, I would use this dye again to do my ‘normal’ colors. My sister and mom have used this dye before so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with this dye but other reviews were complaining how the color didn’t hold and that it fades fast (probably because they didn’t use protein filler?), so we’ll see how this dye washes out. Argon Oil definitely does make your hair softer after use which I find very interesting about the product since developer is going into the mixture. Would recommend for people who are transitioning from colorful hair to darker hair.

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FTC: This blog spot was sponsored by ZNU.

H A I R // Manic Panic Purple Haze Review

So I realize this review is long over due since I have already changed my hair color and failed to update what purple haze looks like, I thought I would let you know my thoughts on this particular dye in words and pictures.

Love this color. However, it did not come out as I had expected. The pictures on Manic Panic's Website and Sally's Beauty Supply looked more red. This was a solid purple. Then again, I had dyed over my pink hair which may have altered the coloring on it, but I figured Purple Haze was dark enough that it was over power my pink hair.

2 days after dying session. 

2 days after dying session

Just like all the Manic Panic dyes, the consistency is fantastic. It's easy to apply and it makes your hair feeling soft after. Unlike most Manic Panic dyes, this one started to fade pretty fast. Fortunately, it was fading into this cool ombre pink/purple colors which totally worked but then it got really weird when the under colors of my blues (from like 3 dye sessions ago) was showing through. This could have been for a few reasons.
1. I've been taking obnoxiously hot showers.
2. Lately, I've been washing my hair more often.

3 weeks after dye

Or it could have just been the dye. I was honestly expecting Purple Haze to fade into a more greenish color, like the way Ion Color Brilliance faded into this grayish/greenish/blueish color. And I expected it to hold in general. When I used Purple in Ion Color Brilliance, the color was still even throughout and it maintained whatever color it became whereas when Purple Haze faded out, it returned back to its bleached state (like a coppery blond). So it ended up looking like this.

9 weeks later

A mixture of lavender towards the end, some pinks, and the copper blond in the middle. Doesn't make any sense to me. It still looks cool, but as I said, I wish the purple lasted a little longer. Let me know how your Purple Haze turned out!

F A S H I O N // B E T W E E N

There's always that fine line

between black and white

black is the absence of color

while white is all color

Black is mysterious

White is innocence

Black is evil

White is good

I could lie in between

where all is grey

but we're all extremists

and want to see in only black and white

I could dress in all black

and take away the color

but little pops 

just make everything better

I need color

I love the colors in my hair

and the color throughout the world

so I'll continue to travel between spectrums

taking on both extremes

Hat // Dresslink

Coat // Dresslink

Button Up // H&M

Black Jeans // Levi's

Wedges // Tilly's

This has become my favorite coat. It's lightweight but still keeps my warm. And I love the length which goes right above the knee. You can never go wrong with black and white. As I've mentioned, I've been wanting a hat like this for some time now so it's been a great addition to my wardrobe. 

Check out Dresslink and their great affordable styles. 

♥Coat:  http://bit.ly/1OnCVxS

♥Hat: http://bit.ly/1JGQICQ

♥Dresslink:  http://bit.ly/1UKO13V

♥$0.01 Items:  http://bit.ly/1mRJD8b

♥Free Shipping Items:  http://bit.ly/1IZJl9z 

FTC: this post was sponsored by Dresslink

F A S H I O N // DRESSLINK WISHLIST!

When coming across ZNU, I also found Dresslink which has crazy affordable prices! The best thing about their website is that they offer 1 cent items! Isn't that crazy? However,  I do feel their clothing it is a hit or miss. A lot of the reviews really seem to like the products but the sizing is a bit confusing since they are Chinese sizes. With that in mind, I would suggest ordering a size up from your normal size. Also, sometimes the product is not the same as the picture/description so be weary of that, but the item still looks great. With that being said, let's jump into the wishlist!

One of the 1 cent items I adored was this Fashion Fairy Princess Skirt. Tulle is my weakness and if I had found this skirt sooner, I would have put it on my order! 

http://bit.ly/1UPpVoB



Ughuhhh. The color and texture of this coat is lovely. I really wanted to pick this one but it was totally out of my price range and I felt it would just sit in my closet. But I had such an urge to buy it. Maybe on my next purchase

http://bit.ly/1N7S7NE

Ripped denim is definitely coming back in style. I think the last time I purchased ripped denim jeans was about 7 years ago, so it definitely seems about that time it comes back to a popular style. Specifically black ripped jeans. I've never owned a pair of black ripped jeans but they would work perfect with a grunge outfit. Dress the jeans up or down, you can't ruin the look. AND these particular pair were high-waisted. Triple win for me.

http://bit.ly/1ZuE29t

I absolutely adore these trousers! I feel like I would neglect them if I actually purchased them but I love this look so much! personally, I'd pair it with a crop top but I love what this girl did with them.

http://bit.ly/1PbRPH5


I've also been needing another pair of high waisted shorts and these come in multiple colors!


I am in love with this coat. I had to have it! So this is one of the first items I've ordered in which I ordered a Medium (usually I wear a size Small). Hopefully it fits well because I'd be so bummed if it fit too tight.

http://bit.ly/1OnCVxS

I also ordered this hat because I've been wanting one of these suckers for a long time. I keep borrowing my friend's hat so I thought I'd get one of my own.

http://bit.ly/1JGQICQ

So at this point, I'm waiting for the last two items to come in and I'll put a look together with them, so stay tuned for that. Hope you're all well. Let me know which item is your fav in the comments!

xx

Visit Dresslink: http://bit.ly/1NQwSaj  

NOTE: All images were provided courtesy of Dresslink.

FTC: This blog is sponsored by Dresslink. All items picked in this wishlist were chosen by me. I am not being paid to write this blog.