space corgi / kawaii / big wave / be brave / ugh / yikes / human disaster / dogs make me emotional / plant / even artichokes have hearts / colorwheel / mt. fuji / wink / you're toast

Because I can't have pets in my current apartment, I'm becoming a bit of a crazy plant lady. But honestly, with cute plants all over instagram and hashtags like #plantgang and #plantgoals, I think we're all becoming crazy plant people. Though I come from a family of gardening geniuses, I am a little less talented and have lost a few plants over the years. So here's a little update on the greenery currently in my life.

I've had this Schefflera since I lived on Whidbey, so about 3 years now. I recently had to re-pot it as it was getting root-bound and now it's got a massive lean that I'm trying to correct. I'm so in love with it though. I have to stop myself from just filling my home with Scheffleras - something about them is so charming!

This tiny little palm is fairly new and seems happy so far. I've had a few different plants go through this little Ikea pot and I'm really hoping this one sticks! I try to spritz it with water every week or so to create some humidity. Hopefully that's a good thing...

I actually don't know what this plant is. I rescued it as a cutting from a trash bin at my work and threw it into some dirt on a whim. It's grown a little since then, mostly just new shoots at the top. I stuck a little raccoon friend that I've had forever in there. I'm not really sure if this plant is happy - I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not but I don't know what it needs. If anyone knows what this is, help!

Yes, I'm aware this plant looks like it's exploding. It's kind of a hot mess right now. I just repotted it into this large basket and it's having a field day. I'm really bad a plant pruning because I don't want to cut off any growth, but I need to get over it so I can encourage it to grow in a prettier way. This is starting to feel like a little bit of a self-reflection as well... 

Here's the new baby! This plant is so popular with instagrammers and people with more money than me that I've been searching for it for well over 3 years. I FINALLY got my hands on one from Pistils Nursery in Portland (it was quite expensive and the stock was super limited!). I cannot even tell you how stressed I am about accidentally killing this guy. I'm being very careful with it and it had grown a few new shoots so I'm hopeful that I'm doing ok! I'm going to have a go at propagation once it's a little more settled and happy so then hopefully I can fill my home with more pileas. 

I did leave out my cactus collection as they're currently enjoying their summer holiday out on the porch and I forgot about them entirely. Oops. They're all pretty dormant which is bothering me so if anyone has any cactus tips to pass along, please share!!

If I'm being 100% honest with you, the Clinique pep-start range first drew me in not because of its reputation or formulation, but because of its packaging. I know! I'm such a sucker. Good design is my kryptonite. And the bright colors and simple packaging caught my eye. I did a post on the initial capsule range, but since then Clinique has brought out two new products: The HydroRush Moisturizer with SPF 20 and the Double Bubble Purifying Mask.

As a (very) pale gal, SPF in my facial products is a MUST, and this was one thing I didn't love about the original HydroBlur Moisturizer. I also love the ease of an SPF moisturizer - not having to think about putting on a sunscreen and then a separate moisturizer saves me both time and stress. The formulation is on the thicker side and does require a little rubbing in to blend. A couple things to call out - it has a light sunscreen smell, which while fine for me may not be appealing to everyone. SPF moisturizer can also create a white cast in flash photos, so not something to wear on your night out.

I've seen a few images of bubble masks around the internet and I've been so curious to try one. The premise is that you apply the mask in a gel form and while it sits on your skin it foams up, removing impurities. Using this was like no other mask I've tried before. I'm more used to masks that tighten or even sting a little, but this literally felt like little Pop Rocks candies were exploding all over my face. I laughed out loud! It's such a bizarre sensation. (pic on the right is my face while experiencing the bubbles - obviously shocked!)

One strange thing about this product is that you really need to pile on the product to get the foaming effect to show up. When it bubbles is also shrinks, so what I thought was a sufficient amount quickly shrunk to a few patchy bits of foam (as you can see in the pic below! where did it all go???)

After one use I'm not sure I'm completely sold on the purifying effects, but I'm interested to see how my skin changes over time from using this mask. It's definitely a lot of fun and would be hilarious for a girl's night in. 

Have you tried any of these products? Do you agree with me that this packaging is awesome or are you yawning at it? Let me know in the comments! 

(btw, this is not sponsored!)

I'm one of those people with a huge stack of "to read" books. I love reading but lately, I've been having a hard time allowing myself to sit down for a couple of hours and really get into a book. There's always something else (laundry! dishes! 2 hours on tumblr!) that needs to be done. So these magazines and books have been my savior - easy to pick up and put down. And as a bonus, they've given me a lot of great life inspiration!

First up, a recent discovery: Dog magazine. I found this at the magazine seller stand at Pike Place Market in Seattle (you know the one if you've been there!) and despite its $18 price tag, I knew I had to have it. It's an absolutely stunning publication, with high-quality paper and beautiful color photographs throughout. This issue (the 2nd!) featured the Shiba Inu and had several articles about Japan, as well as profiles on people and their dogs. I love to photograph dogs so this is giving me some ideas on what could be for me in the future...

My recent blog "look" update has definitely been influenced by Japanese magazines - especially girls fashion and beauty ones. I'm in love with the sort of OTT crammed layouts they do and all the extra little doodles and add ons all over the place. Minimalistic design style is lovely, but I've never felt quite connected to it - so this is a welcome deviation! Each of these magazines is filled with a variety of fashion styles that are encouraging me to take some fashion risks again. I've mainly been finding these at Kinokuniya Bookstore.

I've shared a few posts about my tidying journey on the blog, and it's not over yet! I've read the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up which was super inspirational, but for some reason, the manga version felt like a real revelation! The illustration style is absolutely adorable and there is a story that follows one girl's overhaul of her apartment and life using the Konmari method. It's a very quick and enjoyable read. I'm still in the process of going through my things but I might share an update when I'm closer to being finished! 

What inspiring things have you been reading lately? Let me know!

(Portlandia image)

As you know from my previous review, I'm a big fan of Zoella Beauty products. The range has a variety of bath, skin, and fragrance products. The new line, Jelly & Gelato, just launched and is available on Ulta.com in the US! I ordered most of the products with the exception of the bath milk sachets which were sold out. 

When I say the products online initially, I thought maybe they looked a little cheap but in person the packaging is lovely. The tubs are sturdy and the gold labels are gorgeous. Luckily Ulta shipped the products in plastic bags with scotch tape over the lids so nothing spilled, but the scent of the products was still super strong. They all have an Elderflower & Pomegranate scent which is very very sweet, so if you're into that type of scent this is perfect for you. 

Cream Scrub: This in-shower scrub is formulated to brighten, smooth, and tone.

Shower Sauce: A bright and fresh shower gel.

Pink Bath Wafers: This bath fizz bar is made to look like a pink wafer cookie and has a divide down the middle so you can get two baths out of it. As a bonus, this fizzer is moisturizing!

Shower Shake: The companion to the Shower Sauce, this moisturizes skin in the shower.

Body Pudding: Last but not least, the body pudding! This is a creamy moisturizing cream with little pink bits that dissolve on the skin when you rub it in. 

This range is really affordable and would be a great gift for a younger girl (or guy!) in your life. You also get a lot of product for the price so they're a good value. My favorite product will most likely be the bath fizzer because I'm obsessed with all things bath at the minute. Overall I think this is a lovely product range!

I'm sure if you're on Instagram you've at least seen someone posing in a room full of mirrors and dots, or heard the name Yayoi Kusama recently. I first encountered her work in college, when I had a work study project hanging art posters in a wing of the art department. Her poster was striking - an image of the artist lying naked covered in polka dots. And many years later, her themes have only intensified. 

Getting tickets to the show at the Seattle Art Museum was something I had given up on from the get go - they sold out so quickly that there seemed to be no point in trying. But as luck would have it, I happened upon an announcement on Facebook from SAM releasing more tickets. After 40 minutes of battling with the crashing web page and constant refreshing, two tickets were mine! And even luckier, my Seattle friend Jenessa was available to go with me. 

One thing to be prepared for if you attend this show is the amount of time you'll be waiting in lines. The exhibit is made up of several "infinity rooms" which are timed at 20-30 seconds each. And they really mean 20-30 seconds, there's a gallery attendant with a stop watch outside each one! Entering each room is a sensory overload and you definitely have to get your camera ready if you want to capture some images in your 20-second allowance. We lucked out with a tip from the gallery attendant at the first room we visited, who clued us in on a "single rider" line for the Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity room (shown in the first picture). The line for that room was ridiculously long but if we went alone and allowed ourselves to be tagged on to another group, we could skip the line. This saved us SO MUCH time. This was my favorite room of them all and I wish I could have experienced it again but by the time we'd done them all, even the single rider line was long. 

The experience of being in these rooms was magical. Some felt intense and chaotic while others were calming and womb-like. Some of the rooms you physically entered and some you were only able to look into (like the one above). The show culminated with The Obliteration Room, where we were given a sheet of stickers to help obliterate the white space in the room. 

While the experience of each room was mind blowing, what really got me emotional was a 20-minute interview video with Yayoi Kusama where she talked about her inspiration and meaning behind her work. She said that the infinity rooms with their endless mirrors represented her "ever-expanding hope" in the future. This kind of optimistic work was such a breath of fresh air for me. In these current times, when so many situations seem dire, having a joyful and colorful participatory art show like this is uplifting and courageous. 

If you get the chance to experience this show, please go. And Instagram it all with no shame - it's what Kusama wants!