chicago!

so several weekends ago i took a trip to chicago with my two sisters and mommy. it was definitely a blast and we had a mission to eat anything we wanted! so here is our trip in pictures...beware it is mostly food :)

sushi wabi
842 W. Randolph Chicago IL. 60607
TEL: (312) 563-1224

first stop as soon as we got into town was at sushi wabi. this joint is tiny and popular, so it was very very crowded. we made the mistake of just showing up with no reservations so we had to wait a good 45 minutes before being seated. i loved the atmosphere, very stylish yet low key with dimmed lighting and jazz music playing in the background.

my mom has never tried miso soup, which is crazy to me since she loves any kind of soup! so of course we got a bowl to try. my sister wasnt too crazy about it, but my mom and i really enjoyed it. this was my first time trying miso as well so i have nothing to compare it to. the tofu was the perfect texture and the broth was flavorful with definite bursts of seaweed flavor.

next my sister encouraged us to order edamame, which if you didnt know is boiled soybean pods. that description makes it sound slightly revolting, and actually i am not a fan of soy in general (not really a fan of tofu, soy drinks/milks, or soy sauce...) but here they were warmed and salted and SO good! i really enjoyed eating these tasty mealy morsels. you just peel open the pod and eat the beans inside, a little like peas.

finally to the main dish! whenever my sister and i go to sushi places we always order so many different rolls! haha this is just the first part of our order...tarantula roll on the left...smoked salmon the right. i loved the tarantula because of the crunchiness of the soft shell crab, and i didnt really care for the smoked salmon just because i dont care for the raw texture of the fish.

next up is the spider roll in the top left corner, dragon roll in the center, and smoked tuna in the bottom right. out of these the spider is my favorite because of the mixtures of soft and crunchy textures. the dragon roll was good as well but i didnt really care for the sauce that was drizzled all over it, it was a bit too rich for me. and for the smoked tuna, again i didnt really care for it because of the raw texture.

usually my family doesnt order dessert but when it comes to mochi...we make an exception! i absolutely love icecream mochi...but unfortunately they had very "americanized" flavors: chocolate strawberry and apple pie. fortunately...i love mochi so much i didnt care...it was delicious! the mochi rice cake was the perfect chewy texture and the icecream was creamy and smooth.

next we got green tea tempura icecream. both my mom and sisters liked this but i really did not. the two flavors really didnt belong together and the icecream was a bit bitter and grainy.

overall a good place for sushi! it has been the best sushi ive had so far, and ive been to quite a range of sushi places. i would definitely revisit.

the next day we decided to dedicate our whole day to a full day of shopping down magnificent mile. we happened to come across the hershey store, which made both my sisters really excited because they are definitely fans. im more of a dove chocolate girl :P

Hershey's Chicago Store
822 North Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

inside they had a whole bunch of hershey paraphernalia. giant candy bars, hersheys syrup coin banks, chocolate packages for gifts, you name it. they also had a little cafe you could buy various cookies, drinks, shakes, and basic chocolately snacks

smores in the cafe.

i didnt want to get anything, but my sisters did! they ended up getting a icecream and cookie sundae.

looks yumskis, yet it wasnt that great at all! the cookie wasnt chewy and warm like i was expecting, it was actually very crunchy and stale. we couldnt even finish it all and all not worth the calories!

after our stop we shopped around for a couple hours and of course became hungry again. we decided to find the closest hot dog joint to try out the famous chicago hot dog! the way we picked our place of choice was easy...pick a small shop in the general vicinity we were that was full of people. we ended up coming across this little shop:

Downtown Dogs
804 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2006
(312) 951-5141

this shop was again, tiny and busy. it was a bit shabby with pictures of dogs all over the windows. the shabbiness of the shop didnt turn me off from gettin my dog from here!

my sister really wanted to try out their sweet potato fries since we've never tried them before, so we ended up ordering the special with potato fries. i really enjoyed the hot dog, but it wasn't outrageously good. and i prefer regular fries over the sweet, but hey now i know.

at the end of our long day of shopping...we decided we were in a seafood mood. i had read great reviews on Shaw's Crabhouse so we took a taxi and headed for the restaurant.

Shaw's Crabhouse
21 East Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 527-2722

shaw's definitely has an upscale feel to it, with all the servers wearing bow ties and the multiple utensils laid on the table. i would definitely recommend reservations, we ended up being lucky and showing up at a time no one was around so we scored a booth!

first things first, of course my mom got soup. this time she chose gumbo, one of her favorites.

they had so many oyster choices! i didnt even know there were so many to choose from. with a little help from our waiter he recommended the oysters rockafeller. these were soooo delicious! ugh they were so flavorful and perfect. we gobbled these up.

next up we ordered fried calamari. ugh these were so perfect. they were crispy and chewy and the spice of the batter perfectly complimented the squid. i loved this!

we also ordered crab dip, because honestly how can you go wrong with crab and cheese? soo bad for you, but sooo yummy! i wished the bread was soft instead of cracker like, but nonetheless the dip was good!

the only entree we ordered (we ordered everything at once and split everything) lobster tail, fillet mignon, and watercress salad. ugh the fillet mignon was so juicy and cooked perfectly, the lobster tail was the perfect texture (not tough but not mushy and falling apart), and the watercress was so fresh and crisp. delicious!

my little sister really wanted to try their homemade ice cream so we ordered a bowl. it wasnt the greatest...

the next day we decided to eat some breakfast then head out to the shedd aquarium. for breakfast my sister read reviews for the best breakfast places and settled for this place:

Lou Mitchell's
565 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60661-5701
(312) 939-3111 phone

this place was packed as well. the line continued outside! luckily the wait wasnt bad at all since everyone sits together regardless if they know each other or not. as soon the number of seats you need is open, you sit. while we were waiting in line the hostess passed out homemade doughnut holes! they could have used some more sugar but i enjoyed it regardless.

as soon as you sit you get a bowl with an orange and a prune. refreshing!

apparently they are known for their fries with cheddar and feta cheese. i honestly didnt care for this. the feta really didnt compliment the fries or the cheddar. skip this!

eggs over easy, bacon and hash browns. i was so disappointed in these hash browns! i prefer my hash browns to be shredded potato instead of slices. they really werent that flavorful either.

i really didnt see the big deal with this breakfast joint. i wouldnt return, the food wasnt that memorable.

after breakfast we moseyed on over to shedd aquarium

on the steps

mr. seahorse.

gigantic lobster. yum haha

psychedelic jellyfish. i always love the jellyfish section...they are so serene and peaceful looking.

inside the little 3-D theater feature they have.

overall...i really was disappointed with shedd. its pretty expensive (around $30 per person) for a mediocre experience. the place looks impressive from the outside but it really doesnt have that many species to offer on the inside.

to end our trip, we stopped in china town to visit joy yees! cant go to chicago without visiting joy yees

Joy Yee Noodle
Chicago, IL
2139 S. China Place
312.328.0001

this place is the bomb. if you are ever in chicago, please visit joy yees and order a boba or specialty drink from them. im telling you, if you havent tried it you are missing out.

strawberry mango boba, mango boba, my moms (she just chose the picture she liked so i dont know the flavor. it has basil seed in it though), and watermelon. ughhh so good! i look at this picture and wish i had it. they make their drinks with fresh fruit and add fresh fruit on top. so refreshing!

we also order food while we were there. a lot of food actually...we took a lot of it home to eat again haha.

appetizer plate. this was so yummy!

chinese broccoli. i could eat this everyday!

fried calamari. this was very bland.

pho and viet rib sandwich. both look promising, but both tasted awful. the pho was way too herby and the sandwich was just blah. ive had much better.

teriyaki spare ribs. so fatty and good! very flavorful, i recommend it

pork and shrimp stir fry. this was good but had a very strong black pepper taste. if you really do not like black pepper, you wont like this.

chicken and pork pad thai. this was absolutely awful. please dont order this, it gives pad thai a bad name.

to end off our trip...we went to the newly opened joy yee plus and ordered frozen yogurt with fruit

this was soooooo good. ugh the yogurt was creamy and smooth and the fruit was so fresh. perfect end to a perfect trip!

obsession: short brown strappy boots

if you are a follower of mine, you should know by now that i have a complete obsession with boots. of all types may i add. at the moment i've been looking for the perfect short brown boot. (i also have been searching for the perfect black, suede thigh high but that's another story har har) here are a couple boots i have been drooling over:

jeffrey campbell brit wrap strap boots $230
(img courtesy of kaboodle.com)
oh jeffrey campbell boots, why cant you be mine? i love the straps and rounded toe

vintage shoe company rayna wrap boot $328
(img courtesy of freepeople.com)
i actually love these ones more than the j.campbell but the price is killing me! again, i love the strap detailing and i especially love the tongue on this boot.

(img courtesy of justjaredjr.com) here is ashley wearing the rayna.

sigh. maybe ill save up for the rayna boot because i absolutely adore them. but that would mean buying no makeup for a while...sacrifices sacrifices...

olive eyes

today i decided to rock a subtle green eye. i really love olive eyeshadows, they are fun yet easy to pull off during the day. and i need to mention that mac's sumptuous olive is one of my favorite shadows ever!



products used:

face:
MSF med dark
bonnebell glimmer bronze all over
NYC bronzer in sunny
mac blush in hipness
CCB in pearl

eyes:
kat von d dimebag all over lid
mac sumptuous olive in crease
kat von d orbi outer v
urban decay mildew in center of lid
mac shroom as highlight
kat von d clay in inner corners
lineur intense carbon black
smoulder
makeup forever smokey lash

lips:
revlon mauve it over
clear gloss

halloweenie

how was everyone's halloween? mine was actually fantastic...i went out with some of my friends from school and we had such a blast. i was contemplating my costume choice all the way up until halloween and i finally settled with being a corpse bride (the day before halloween haha). here's a pic of my handy work:



i dont really want to get into the specifics on what i used because i used soo many products haha. but overall i used revlon photoready mixed with the white face paint from walmart all over my face. i used a mixture of dark browns and blues for the tired/dead shadows around my eyes. i used nyx taupe blush for contouring. myth on my lips. ardell false strip lashes on top and single falsies on bottom.

for my costume, i made a bouquet of fake black and white roses and tied them together with a thick white ribbon and carried it around with me all night. i made the veil myself by gluing tule material and a basic hair comb accessory together. the dress is from forever 21 (ive had it...it looks very bridal when you pair it with the right accessories!)

hope you all had a fun halloween! what were you this year?

rock &republic on hautelook.com today!

hello everyone...i just wanted to post a quick little blurb to tell you that hautelook.com is having a rock & republic cosmetic sale right now! they still have tons of eyeshadows left and a few blushes. check as soon as possible if you want blushes since i think most of the blushes will be gone by the end of the day...

if you don't know what hautelook is, it is a membership website where you sign up for free then you are able to purchase high end products for cheaper than retail price. for example, rock and republic blushes are usually $40, and they are on sale right now for $20. they sell other high end brands such as diesel, stila, too faced, urban decay, current elliott, j brand and more.

i mostly watch out for jean sales and for rock and republic since i love their blushes! check out my review on them here. you can also gain credit ($10 per invite) by inviting other people or telling other people about it. so here is an invite link from me....

http://www.hautelook.com/invite/kellyyes

if you want to get started and dont have an account! good luck browsing and catching the deals! i snagged a few things from here...but i shant tell until i receive them :P

have fun with it!

chicago treats

while i was in chicago i spent an entire day shopping. i mostly got clothes and winter stuff but i did manage to stop at the mac pro store to pick up a few items ive been wanting. i must warn you all that i didnt wash the brushes before i took pictures so they will be dirty ha. here's what i got:

mac brushes from left to right 168, 214, 224

224 compared to 217. 224 isnt as dense as 217. 224 is also more tapered. it does a good job at blending. if you had to have one or the other i would say it depends on your eye shape. but i think 217 would be the better choice.

the smudger. it performs alright. i mainly use this for smudging color under my lower lash line but i think i prefer using a 219 for the same purpose.

the 168 is a very soft angled brush. it does its job perfectly. you could use this for contouring if you like that sort of thing :P i prefer using a 109 for that. i mainly use this brush for blush.

mac lipsticks in st germain(left) and lady gaga(right). if you saw my post last time, i showed swatches of these two on my lips.

they are similar in color but they arent exactly the same. st germain is brighter, more pastel, and a satin finish. gaga requires more coats to get the same pigmentation but is glossier and a bit muted. both are a bubble gum pink. to me its a bit overwhelming to wear daily. unless you collect lipsticks, i would say you would be good with owning only one...depending on what finish you like and how bright you want your lips to be.

comparing to other lipsticks from left to right: revlon pink pout, st. germain, gaga, angel. i couldnt capture the brightness of st germain because i didnt have the best lighting, but it definitely is brighter than this picture portrays compared to the other three lipsticks. angel is much easier to wear daily compared to gaga.


cream color base in shell, a nude light pink with silver shimmer. i actually picked up two cream color bases, one in shell and fabulush, but i forgot to take a picture of fabulush! so i will have to do a FOTD with it instead...

comparing shell to hush which ive had. shell (top left) has more pink to it compared to hush (bottom right). shell also has a different finish and texture. shell has silver shimmers in it and finishes with a sparkle, hush is smoother and finishes more as a frost. i like both equally depending on my mood. if you dont like shimmers too much, i would say stick with hush because shell can be a bit sparkly. i like it thought :)

a closer look at hush(left) and shell(right)

lastly i picked up two pigments (well actually glitters) in reflects antique gold and reflects very pink. i love mac glitters! it was really hard for me to only choose two pigments because the pro store had such a big range of colors! but i stuck with the glitters in the end because they are versatile and look great for night looks.

reflects antique gold on left, very pink on right. ugh antique gold is so gorgeous

here i set them over a black base. this is how i would wear it on my lid to make it stay on my eyes and to make it really stand out.

that is all the makeup i bought while i was in chicago. stick around for part two of my chicago post...ill be posting up all the food i tried while i was there hehe.