Solvang and Los Angeles, CA

Hello, This is an image diary of my last trip to Southern California in August.  I enjoyed every minute of it...

Solvang

When in Solvang, you must try Split Pea Soup and all the Danish pastries you can eat!

Los Angeles

This was my second trip to Los Angeles this summer.  For beauty highlight, I visited Scent Bar (aka Lucky Scent online) in West Hollywood.  I was in heaven, I loved sniffing all the niche fragrances available in the store!  

And the rest of the highlights...

I appreciated the tranquil and beautiful Japanese garden at our hotel in Little Tokyo (above two photos).

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!  Until next post......

IMATS Los Angeles

Hello, I returned home from a fabulous weekend in Los Angeles.  I was most excited about my first IMATS experience in Pasadena and it was bigger and better than I had imagined it to be.  I was like a kid in a gigantic toy store.  There were so many brands to explore, but so little time.  I went on Sunday and I had less than three hours to cruise through all the aisles at the event before heading home.  My only regret was not having more time, but it was not an epic fail.  I spotted many new brands and spent more time at those brands that are not accessible to me at home.

Some of the brands that really impressed me include Eve Pearl, Cinema Secrets, and Senna Cosmetics.  I love that I got to touch and try the products before buying at a discount at the event.  I would say all the brands sold their products with deep discount, IMATS is a very good place to stock up on all your wants and needs.  It was also interesting to see the different techniques used in the live makeup demonstrations.  

Eve Pearl in action

When in LA, I ate a lot of good food.  

Our snack before dinner from L to R - Ozzy, Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Chili Cheese Stretch Dog

Tommy's in Burbank

Tommy's Chili Cheeseburger

I stayed at a nice hotel in downtown LA, Omni Hotel.

View from my room

Cool building in Venice

Lastly, shopping at Kitson on Robertson was icing on the cake...I look forward to attending IMATS again in the future, it is a must see for die hard makeup fans.

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next post......

Kingdom Of Dumpling

Hello, Kingdom of Dumpling is one of my local favorite hole in the wall restaurants in San Francisco.  In my opinion, their hand made dumplings are amongst the best of the best in the Bay Area.  I even dare to compare them to the quality of dumplings at Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in Los Angeles and Hong Kong.  Those are the two locations that I have been to.  


Lately I have had the craving for dumplings, so much that I went to Kingdom of Dumpling two weekends in a row.  Here are some of the staples that I never get tired of when I go this wonderful little place:


Green Onion Pancakes - one of my all time favorite appetizers

Shanghai Dumplings  - they are the juiciest soup dumplings!

Chicken and Corn Dumplings - there are many different variations of meat and vegetable dumplings on the menu, but chicken or pork with corn are my top favorites

Lamb Skewers - the spicy and aromatic spices are the perfect seasoning for this lamb dish.  The grilled meat is tender and delicious, not gamey

Once again, Kingdom of Dumpling has made it to the annual 7X7 SF's The Big Eat in 2012.  I am obviously not alone in thinking this place is a hit!  Since this restaurant is small with about seven to eight small tables and seating, it is quite difficult to fit in a large group.  Also, expect to wait in line during popular dining hours on the weekends.  If you do not have time to wait in line, you can always buy their handmade frozen dumplings to go at the Noriega St. store location.


Thanks for reading and until next post......