Dress: Vintage / Necklaces: Olive + Piper

The other day I was marching around Robson Street (the main shopping street in downtown Vancouver) as a woman on a mission. I wanted a unique piece of clothing, something new, something DIFFERENT for crying out loud. Finding something that fulfills said criteria in Vancouver is next to impossible because we love to all do and WEAR the same damn things here. If you have ever walked into an Aritzia you will understand this uniquely “Vancouver” phenomenon. 

After shopping my way through all the usual suspects with no success, I happened upon a small vintage shop. It was like a beacon of shining light amongst the mass-produced crap we normally buy. In highschool I used to always shop vintage and found some of the coolest pieces. So, I decided to give vintage another go and was THE MOST excited about what I found!

Let’s start by pointing out the fact that I was clearly born in the wrong era. I am a 70’s girl at heart — so naturally I was drawn to the most hippie dress in the shop. 😜 

BUT NOW I AM SO HAPPY. I AM A LITTLE FLOWER 70’S PRINCESS IN THIS DRESS. 😁 😁 😁 

Anyways………… *ahem*.. Next time you are out shopping — try something different! Go vintage. It also feels like you are hunting for treasure, which makes the experience that much more fun.

x,

Want your longer and thicker hair? Try Roots!

If you are a person who I have come into contact with sometime over that past month, there is a 98% chance that I have forcefully told you about this product. ROOTS. It is in my hair while I write this post. It is the best beauty product that has come into my life since… well…. my god I don’t even know. I CANT EVEN.

Okay let me slow down and start from the beginning. One weekend I was visiting a girlfriend in Los Gatos, California. It had been a few months since I had seen this friend, and last time I saw her she had a short bob haircut. When I saw her this time, her hair was long, wavy, and STUNNING. I was like HOW did this happen so quickly?! My hair grows insanely slow so naturally I was super impressed. She comes to tell me that she started using this miracle working product called “Roots” from Lush a few months ago, and has it to thank for her newly found beautiful long locks.

I basically ran home and bought out every bottle from the closest Lush to my house. (Wish I was kidding.) But this stuff really works. It has been about 3 months now that I have been using Roots, and my hair has grown significantly faster than normal and has more volume. When I went to see my hairdresser (who normally comments on how thin my hair is lol) he was SO impressed with how quickly it had grown.

How does it work?

You need to do the treatment 2 – 3 times a week.

Step 1: Section your hair into small parts and apply it RIGHT to the scalp. Not the hair, the scalp. Cover your entire head and massage it in.

Step 2: Let the treatment sit for a full 30 minutes. (They recommend 20 but I do 30 because I want to get the maximum benefit.)

Step 3: Shampoo and condition as normal.

I am a very results driven person, and this has shown me tangible results after just two months. But consistency is key here. If you just use Roots a few times sporadically, chances are it won’t work very well. It needs to happen twice a week before you shower (and you should not be washing your hair more than 3 times a week anyways.)

SO. Basically what I am saying is you need to try this product if you want your hair to grow faster. Trust me on this one, it works.

ENJOY!

x,

Beautiful sunrise from Mt. Batur in Bali.

This was a fantastic experience in Bali. I feel like I keep saying everything is “my favourite thing”… but THIS WAS TOTALLY MY FAVOURITE THING!!😜 If you like hiking and early mornings, this is for you.

We were picked up from our Villa at 1:30 am and drove for about 2 hours up to the base of Mt. Batur, WHICH IS AN ACTIVE VOLCANO. (Yes, ACTIVE volcano.) 😐 From there, it was about a 2 hour hike up the volcano in the dark. Sounds sketch, and it kind of was haha. All you had was a small flashlight to navigate your way up this volcano (which I would like to point out was VERY close to rock-climbing… “hike” is a loose term😉) I’m one for a challenge so it was great fun for me.

Once you get to the top, you will freeze your ass off, drink some very questionable tea, sing Bob Marley in a hippie guitar circle, and wait for the sun to rise. Once it finally does, it is a thing of beauty. There were lots of people at the top of the volcano but it was so beautiful I honestly didn’t even notice it was crowded.

Can we also talk about the actual volcanic steam that is coming out of the top of the volcano? Yea, that was a thing too. (Again, slightly sketch lol.)

Anyways, if you are ever in Bali this is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you need to carve out some time for. Totally recommend.

What do you think? Would you do this hike?? Comment below!

x,

Quite possibly the best day ever 😀

Welcome to Bali! This is where the final leg of my trip was spent. It was definitely a very unique spot that I feel a need to go back to because there was so much more to see. Whenever you are booking a trip, two weeks sounds like an ETERNITY. But in reality it flies by way faster than you could have imagined.

Anyways, one day we went to go visit some elephants. I would like to say we went to a beautiful elephant park in the middle of the jungle, but unfortunately traffic at this time of year in Bali is horrible and a 15 minute drive can take up to 2 hrs. So we just went to the closest elephant feeding area which was the zoo (gross, I know… but it did the trick haha.)

They are the SWEETEST ANIMALS EVER and I am in love. Totally need to go back and book a proper full day jungle elephant ride, one of the ones where they teach you how to ride the elephant without one of those horrible chairs on their backs. Just love those animals. Also that little bird was super cute eating his nuts there haha, couldn’t resist to post a few pics of him too!

Have you guys ever done elephant riding before? Any recommendations??

x,

Beautiful Thai temples in Bangkok!

Okay so full honesty here… this was THE HOTTEST DAY EVER AND I WAS DYING. Really though. Way too hot to be out and about and we lasted all of 30 minutes before we dejectedly retired to an air-conditioned cab.

Regardless, the temples were STUNNING. Totally recommend checking these out if you are ever in Bangkok.

Now, it’s off to Bali for the next few days! Make sure you are following me on instagram (@robynkimb) to stay updated with my travels 🙂

x,

Hong Kong during a typhoon = EVERYTHING IS CLOSED.

For real though. This area was near a big temple in Hong Kong, and was supposed to be a big tourist area where you can go get your fortune told, buy souvenirs, etc. Naturally we decided to go on day 1 of the typhoon, which essentially just shut down the entire city. So, here are some pics of my twirling around in my dress amongst all the closed shops. 

Bangkok update coming soon!

x,

My first few days in beautiful Hong Kong 🙂

Hong Kong? Yes please.

This is the first stop on my latest adventure! I’ve been in Hong Kong for a few days now, and this city is definitely one of a kind. The best way I can describe it is a mix of Vegas and Shanghai on steroids. Make sense? 😜

I’ve been getting over my jet lag and taking it easy these first few days. We are staying at the Peninsula Hotel (which is DOPE, follow my snapchat to see more 👻 @robynkim) and just laying low while we get used to the time difference. 

Plan for the next few days? Eat, eat, and eat some more. Woke up and had a great American style breakfast this morning which was a nice change from all the dumplings we have been eating. It is kind of dumpling madness right now, and I cannot get enough. Last night we had the best dumplings by far at a Chinese fusion restaurant called Ho Lee Fook (LOL, so much respect for that name 😂.) If you are ever in Hong Kong, you NEED to go here. It was unreal. 

Can we also talk about the spas here for a second? Sweet baby jesus are they ever nice. Got a killer massage yesterday then hung out in this “relaxation room” with fresh juices, fruit, coconut water, tea, etc etc etc. Basically it was heaven on earth. I don’t know about you, but when I am in a room full of “free” fresh juices I have an irresistible urge to drink ALL OF THEM — like I will never see a juice again in my life.😂 It is probably the student in me haha. 

There is some typhoon weather coming in today, so it will be a bit tricky to play tourist with my camera. But — there will be many more photo ops and I will be sharing my trip here with ya’ll. 

Lots of love!

x,

My fave anti-aging and smoothing eye mask by Sephora!

These little under-eye masks work wonders. My mom was over last time I used them, and after I took them off she literally said “oh my god those things actually work! All your wrinkles are gone!.” That sounds like some sort of terrible corporate ad or something but it’s true lol, she legit said that.

I love using these if I feel like my skin is tired and dry, because they really do perk your face right up. They are also great to use right before going out because you will look fresh AF.

You can pick these up for yourself at Sephora. They make a bunch of different kinds but my favourite is definitely the “Anti-Aging and Smoothing Orchid Eye Mask.” Each pair is $6, which considering the immediate results, is not bad at all.

Have you tried these before? Thoughts?? Comment below! <3

x,

A perfect summer salad, that you actually WANT to eat!

Let’s start by pointing out that salads have a seriously bad reputation. Salad is typically the sort of thing you eat when you are dieting, and there tends to be minimal enjoyment in eating them (at best.) WELL THINK AGAIN. Salads can be beautiful delicious creations, if you know what you’re doing. I swear if I see one more person eating iceberg lettuce with crappy ranch sauce and deep fried croutons……… I may actually cry.

So here’s how you do it right, friends. This salad is so simple but ohhhhh so flavourful.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 roma tomatos
• 1 avocado
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• Coarse sea salt
• Fresh cracked pepper
• 2 tsp dried basil leaves

Step 1: Whisk your lime juice, EVOO, sea salt, pepper, and basil together. 

Step 2: Chop your onions, avocado, and roma tomatoes. Toss with your dressing and boom! All done 🙂

See? I told you. Super easy. 

This is perfect if you are busy and still want to eat healthy and delicious foods! Loveeee this.

Enjoy!

x,

A little spicy, a lot messy, and even more tasty!

Ohhhhhh baby yes. Would you look at these gorgeous little creations that have come down to heaven to us in the form of a breakfast sandwich? Simply beautiful.

These are a huge mess to eat because chorizo isn’t really the best to form patties with, but I am definitely willing to get chorizo all over my face/shirt/table/hair/left foot/etc because it is so scrumptious. Messy food is fun. Messy food is good. So embrace the chorizo that is undoubtedly going to be all over you in about 10 minutes.

Here’s what you will need to start your weekend right with my Chorizo Breakfast Sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• Ground chorizo from Whole Foods
• Sharp cheddar cheese
• Eggs
• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• English muffins (I used whole wheat!)

Step 1: Form 4-inch round patties with your chorizo and set them aside.

Step 2: Heat up your skillet with EVOO and try until browned and cooked all the way through. I like to make sure my meat is well done, so I did about 5 minutes a side. If you like to live on the wild side, 4 minutes per side should do! Once these are done set them aside on a plate (or in the oven on “keep warm” mode.)

Step 3: Make your eggs “over easy” by having your skillet on medium heat and cooking only a few minutes per side. Make sure that yolk stays nice and runny!

Step 4: While you are cooking the eggs, cut your english muffins in half, lightly toast, and slather those babies in butter.

Step 5: Assemble the sandwiches!! I like to do egg –> cheese –> chorizo so that the cheese gets nice and melty between the hot chorizo patty and egg.

And finally…… DIG IN!!! This is the perfect breakfast after a big night out. Just enough grease, and just healthy enough that you won’t feel bad about eating something that feels so indulgent. And remember, like I always say, BALANCE is the key!

Enjoy!

x,