Car Shopping!

I HATE CAR SHOPPING. It was literally the worst and most stressful thing I ever had to do. Particularly because I was on a time crunch and my old car had become incredibly unreliable and borderline dangerous. A lot of you guys have been asking me for tips since you're in the car market, so I'll show you what I was considering / my thoughts.

So I wanted a car that was:

• Japanese or Korean (Euros...are headaches.)
• Low mileage- wanted to buy slightly used, cars are one of the worst assets for depreciation
• Preferably leather but could do without
• RELIABLE. This is big
• Could take 24,000 miles a year- which is what I've been driving lately
• Was reasonably priced. I've been saving a lot towards retirement lately and pushing as much to the principal of my school loan so I didn't want something I would heavily finance

So these were the cars I considered:

Volkswagen Jetta

New body style

Pros: 

• The new ones are SO CUTE. Such a clean body that I think will age well (I don't like the last body model but I like the ones from early 2000s). 
• German (only for drivability factor...I drive so much! But I love how responsive German cars are and how they feel
• German paint also tends to age better, which is part of why they look better for longer 

Cons:

• German (unreliable) haha
• Cousins Jetta went out at 80k with perfect maintenance... WHACK. They should be embarrassed. Theyre suckers too so they always brought it to the dealer 
• Last body model had electrical problems and there were numerous reports of cars stalling on the freeway. Just turning off...on a FREEWAY. INCREDIBLY dangerous
• Cheap looking dash/steering wheel that doesn't match the body
• Base doesn't come with air conditioning. Yes. You read that right. A new car with no air, pass.

Honda Civic

(any of the past two body styles)

Pros: 

• Hondas have a reliable history 
• More stylish than comparable cars like a Corolla 
• Great gas mileage (highway is in mid 30s)
• The new ones come standard with a rearview back up camera in the dash

Cons:

• Feels SO light to me, when I brake it feels like a toy. Doesn't have great "feel" to it
• Hondas have fallen off the "Best Cars" list for awhile due to reliability issues with their newer models

Hyundai Elantra Coupe

(2012 and on)

Pros:

• Really sporty look for an entry level car
• Amazing gas mileage 38 MPG! Win
• AMAZING turn radius...try it! You'll be amazed. Crank the wheel as far is it will go and it just turns in the tightest little ball
• Drives heavier than a civic (more like a German but still very light) fairly responsive

Cons:

• The door panels look cheap on the inside, especially the window buttons. A weird thing to notice I know but stare at them and you'll see what I mean
• Has a great powertrain warranty BUT still haven't stood the test of time like Honda/Corolla so you'd be taking a leap of faith
• Don't like the space ship looking dash

2008 TSX

This is the only year I considered since it would be the 'newest'

I'm not very fond of the 2009+ tail lights...weird I know

Pros:

• Reliable entry-level luxury car
• Has the same background as Honda, cheap oil changes, tranny flushes etc.
• Leather, comes stock with HIDs

Cons:

• Would be hard to find without a lot of miles
• Would also be hard to find the color I wanted (black or white)
• Braking power/ brakes SUCK. Absolutely suck
• Doesn't have a whole lot of power to the engine
• (Something I've learned while owning it) the gas mileage is pretty bad for a Japanese car, I'm filling up just as often as I did with a much older German. So sad -_-'

So I ended up getting the TSX...even though it wasn't the color I wanted. I found one with JUST over 40k which is a little high but not so high that it would be something I had to worry about.

Here are my tips for car shopping:

1. Go with a guy. I hate to be sexist, but they will always try to run you around for an idiot if you go by yourself. Also I'm really uncomfortable with bartering, and apparently they thought I was a dumb*** because they all tried to sell it to me for sticker price (you must be joking) but I didn't have the balls to speak up so that's also my fault. 
2. Know what the car is really worth so you have some leverage
3. Put as MUCH down as you possibly can...I had to put a lot aside for tax season so I only put down 5k but if you're a first time car buyer (as I was) with no co-sign your finance rate will be horrible- even with good credit. Talk to a local credit union to see what kind of rate they would finance you for so you have some leverage

and last but not least...
BUY YOUR CAR IN 626. This doesn't help you if you live far away (unless you have some large Asian population nearby) but 626 is the area code and psuedonym for a predominantly Asian populated area of Los Angeles. It includes cities like: Alhambra, West Covina, Pasadena, Monterey Park etc. 

You will literally save thousands if you buy your car here. They will beat any offer you can get anywhere else. 1) because they care more about volume than profit 2) they deal with Asian people all the time and they won't sell a car if they won't move on prices LOL. Even if you have to drive 2 hours or so I think its worth it for how much you'll save.  Literally no one else will even come close to the deal you can get here. 

Hello from my new car :D Did you guys buy a car recently...what did you get? Dying to know :)! Haha

Why I Hate Fad Diets

Do Detox Diets Work? You Tell Me.

I hate fad diets. Hate them all. Which one? In my opinion, whether you're juicing, doing the "master cleanse", or the cabbage soup diet its all the same.

Here's what usually makes up a fad diet:

• Lasts 2-7 days
• Usually made up of a few hundred calories
• Usually lets you have some fruit or veggies

And this is why I hate them.

1) There is NO detox here: I can imagine there is a spiritual aspect to things like juicing etc- I can admit that. When the whole world was gasping at Adriana Lima's pre-Victoria's Secret show diet I agreed it was extreme but I  understood. Modeling, her body, thats her job. If she looked like everyone else wouldn't we all be Victoria's Secret models?

But I hate when people call these things "cleanses" saying its "detoxifying" their body. According to WebMD and MayoClinic, researchers at Harvard Institute and registered dietitians  they don't work. And you will never find a professional (outside of a extremist group of eaters) that say they do. So I just  wish people would call a spade a spade- its not detoxifyng anything. Stop kidding yourself. You want to detox? Don't go to happy hour every other day after work. Boom. Problem solved.

Your body doesn't need to detox. That's what your kidney and livers are for- and they do a great job at what they do.  Fad diets havent proven to remove toxins from your body.

probably didn't get like this by juicing :P

2) People are kidding themselves. The truth is, the majority of my friends who try fad diets aren't in great shape. Why? Because they do things like fad diets all the time. They haven't accepted the fact that eating well is something you have to implement every single day (or at least 80% of the time).

That being said I always try to stress that it is perfectly OKAY to have "cheat" meals. But you can't eat badly 7 days of the week, every single week, crash diet a weekend before your Vegas trip and expect to look amazing. You know what really happens when you do that? You lose a few pounds (on a scale), still feel bloated, look the same and and then blow up with sodium and water weight the second you have a normal meal. And now you're especially cranky because you were trying to kill your calorie intake. Its a viscous cycle.

Now I agree- juicing is a great way to get vitamins in. But your body can only handle so many vitamins in a day- the rest leaves your body via urine. So if people were to add it as a supplement to their meals? Nothing wrong with that. But I don't like how its become the new "quick fix" that I'm sure will just be replaced by something else in the near future.

You want to look great all the time, then be mindful of what you eat most of the time. I love food- there's no denying it. The fatty stuff, tacos, noodles etc. So its not like I don't like food. But this is I how I think of it- I only go out to eat 3-4 times a week on the weekends. If the food isn't great (and if I made it it won't be LOL) then I'd rather just eat clean. Whats the point of being bloated and tired for some mediocre mac and cheese?

So that's just my two cents. I can understand the spiritual aspect of it for some people- feeling connected to your body and owning it is a wonderful thing. But no more of this "detox" nonsense please. Let's just call a spade a spade, and that is all :)

PS. I'll be uploading a video today about my favorite pasta substitutes for my fellow carb lovers :D Stay tuned!

Bye guys!

All about HOT YOGA :)

So a lot of you have asked me a ton of questions about hot yoga...I'm such a big fan so I wanted to answer all of your questions both on my blog and in this video:


So the main questions.

Is Bikram the same thing as hot yoga?
Bikram is a type of hot yoga- it's a series of 26 postures, no music, 105 degree heat and high humidity over 90 minutes. The classes are the same everywhere and there are rules to be aware of: scheduled water breaks, leaving early is discouraged (even if you're feeling sick) some people may describe Bikram as being militant- but I think it ultimately comes down to preference. Many people ONLY do Bikram and do it their entire life!

PROS of Hot Yoga:

• Your skin will look amaaaazzzing
• Lean, long muscle. But you can get this from regular yoga and pilates
• I (personally) think hot yoga is good for type A personalities that may have a harder time concentrating in vinyasa type of classes
• Therapeutic...and all that good stuff

CONS of Hot Yoga:

• Its expensive, expect to pay $100/month but more in the $130-150 range in a larger city
• You may have scheduling conflicts 

Can Bikram/ Hot yoga help me lose weight?

I have heard stories of people losing 30, 40 or even 50+ pounds with hot yoga. However in my experience, most people I know will never get shredded/super lean off of just yoga. The people I know who have had amazing bodies off of just yoga were people who were already naturally fairly slender and just needed to tone up or lose a few vanity pounds. However I do think yoga makes you more mindful of what you eat- which will of course help you shed weight. However the caloric burn cant compare to a brutal gym session/running. Ive heard people say hot yoga can burn 800+ calories a class...I really think 300-400 is much more accurate. The elevated heat makes your heart pump + burn more calories but 800 is definitely an exaggeration. 

What to wear to a hot yoga class: 

Girls: For bottoms I'd recommend shorts or crops, on the top I like to wear a sports tank top but lots of girls wear only sports bras and thats fine too :)! (If you're brave! ahaha).

Guys: usually shirtless with board shorts or short shorts

Things to know before class:

1. Be well hydrated (drink a TON of water) and no big meals 2 hours before
2. Arrive to your first class 10-15 mins early, never go in late
3. Don't set your mat directly in front of other's mat, manners :)! Make sure to stagger so everyone can see themselves in the mirror

My new Nikes, where to buy athletic shoes for less and why toning shoes are ridiculous

My offending "ugly boy shoe" asics :'[ haha

"Wow babe, those are really, really ugly" 

This post kind of started with a conversation I had with my boyfriend the other day. When we originally started dating over 18 months ago, one thing we both really found common ground on was our love of fitness. Ever since the first time we worked out together I always remembered his comment whenever I looked at my shoes. That and the "those are like little boy shoes" comment that followed. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my asics. Honestly they're the best runner shoes and nothing feels quite like them. But it blew my mind that a man who is incredibly minimalistic and indifferent about worldly goods would comment on something like my shoes being ugly. That being said these little champs served me well for over 5.5 years now. You can't see in the photo but they're starting to get holes so I decided for a bit of an aesthetic upgrade. I chose the black (a little more expensive, paid 130 at the time) since I was doing a lot of outdoors stuff and I didn't want the traditional white colored shoes to get ruined.

PROS of asics shoes:

• Long lasting
• Amazing on the arch of the foot
• Different styles focus on different running habits- it really feels tailored to you. I'd try on as MANY styles as you can until you find one that fits just right

CONS:

• "Ugly"- even by men's standards apparently *roll eyes*
• Very expensive- around $100/pair but I noticed they came out with a more economical version in the 50s range! Can't say much for how the more affordable line works though)

We we're both shopping around and first stepped in to Dick's Sporting Goods...never been in here in my life but it reminded me of a bigger, brighter and slightly more pretentious Big 5 Sporting Good store- which by the way is where I bought my infamous pink pepper spray.

Anyway so we eventually decided to hop skip over to the Famous Footwear next door- now let me tell you this place is SO neat. They had tons of Nikes for men and women, as well as a lot of heels and boots. I also noticed quite a few of the women's footwear was made by Franco Sarto- impressive considering thats mostly a Nordstrom and Department Store brand. I didn't exactly like a lot of the sandals and heels but did notice a few classics among the crowd. The color selection for women was admittedly a bit limited for athletic shoes so I asked the sales associate where I could get the baby blue version on display but was told it was a child's size. I must have looked pretty disappointed because he asked me my size (6) and told me I'd have no problem finding them in that size. I was blown away, most my friends who squeak by with children's sizes have 3.5-4 size feet. I think i'm pretty solidly in the adult sizes but according to the kind folks on Twitter apparently anyone even up to a women's 7.5 can wear children's shoes. I purchased these in a size 5Y.

I settled on these baby blue babies! Lunarglide's are the children's version of the Nike Lunarflys- which is PERFECT because that was the shoe I had been eyeing inside of Dick's. The price was right under $52 before tax, $51.99 I believe. They're an all around running shoe, but can also be used during weight training. They only had two children's options available so thats something to think about as well- but the adult women's shoes were a good 20 bucks cheaper than at Dicks. But of course, Dicks had a much larger selection.

Another place I think you should check out if you're interested in getting asics on sale is Nordstrom Rack- I see a ton of random ones there all the time now. They're really a fantastic runner shoe if you're in to running. I like how these Nikes feel but I've worn the same running shoes for so long that its taking me awhile to form an opinion on them. It definitely feels different when I run- but I can't tell if thats a good or bad different yet.

Anyway while I was running around the store I noticed a somewhat elderly woman trying on those infamous Skechers Shape Ups shoes.  I followed these pretty closely because I thought they were fascinating (read: dumb) but they seemed to be SO embraced by the weight loss community. I almost wanted to warn her- they won't help you lose weight. Save your money- in fact the company is facing a flurry of lawsuits one by the FTC and one mass tort (which you can read about here) but I won't delve in to that. They charged something like $100+ a pair too, ridiculous! Honestly now, I love the Kardashian sister's fashion sense and perfect extensions but after endorsing a company like Quik Trim I would never buy their products outside of their nail polish collections. Besides-in Kim's endless paparazzi photos she's always wearing Nikes. There will definitely be no shortage of fad diets or funny weight loss products. I remember once for kicks and giggles I tried on a friends weight loss belt which starts with smearing a strange sonogram like jelly over your stomach and then turning it on -those little electrical zaps HURT. Of course it doesn't work but it just blows me away how much money is spent on pills and fantastical devices devices each year- but yet America's battle with obesity is one they're constantly losing. There's just no short cuts with weight loss. People will search for the right pill, the right equipment, the perfect answer but there's just no substitute for a healthy diet and exercise.

One thing I read lately was "Sometimes, you just have to go and the motivation will eventually come". That's true- there's countless days I'm tired, feeling lazy and really don't want to go to the gym. I'm sighing on the mat stretching and dragging my feet to the machine but once I get a bit of sweat going then im 110% in. Sometimes you won't be motivated right away, and that's okay because getting yourself there is half the battle. Once I'm there, I just think about how hot ripped abs are and that gives me the energy to push through running when I'm tired. That and sexy songs. Like this music video: has both sexy lyrics and sexy girls (indifferent about the beat though). Very NSFW by the way. ahaha 

So think of whatever makes you feel sexy (or vindictive, that always works for me too) and just embrace it. Even if its a cute new pair of sneakers or a sexy music video.

love,
Jackie

Beautiful nail polish haul

Hi Guys :)

So one of my beauty new years resolutions was to stop being scared of things being ugly- what does that mean? As you guys know i've always been timid of trying bright colors or funky accessories and thats mostly because everytime I have in the past, I always thought it looked ugly on me and so I wouldn't try again for a few years. However lately I kind of realized that in order to find anything really special I'd have to be willing to take risks that I wont like something and thats all part of the learning process and it happens to everyone. Worst comes to worst I can blog sale it right?

PS. Some of these are some fall/winter stragglers. Im sure you guys can tell which ones :)

Orly- Ancient Jade

A rich, milky mint green. 5 days NO significant chips. Ridiculous staying power

Orly's solid gold a matte bronzey gold 

Amazing staying power for a matte polish- 4 days no chips! Very expensive looking too- the gold has a lot of depth

 OPI- Do you Lilac it?

Beautiful creamy light lilac - one of my absolute favorite polishes of all time!

OPI- I don't give a rotterdam

It looks nice from far away and sometimes in photos, but in person its very flat and dull. Some of the people on instagram mentioned this as well

 OPI- Meet me on the star ferry

Looks nice in photos but in person is a metallic plum that doesn't really excite me. Not bad but easily overlooked

Chanel- May

Bright bubblegum pink :) Very cute but admittedly not too special. Still a favorite for me though

Basically a large haul of all the polishes I've been trying lately! I have a newfound love and respect for Orly polishes- they can really take a beating. I won't go in to depth here so if you're interested in my thoughts please watch my video!

Random things I'm really liking

So yay! Finally came back from Norcal but am super exhausted. We drove since it was a holiday and figured it'd be some good bonding time. But let me tell you, driving for 17 hours in 2 days is no fun! I'm fairly tired still but I still wanted to share some of the random things I've been liking lately before I put up a "real post". I like random blog posts anyway :)

Trader Joe's Chinese Chicken Salad $3.99

GAH, This is so effing good. However I stopped buying them for awhile because if I wanted to eat something that was 650 calories, I wouldn't be eating a salad. I tried the low fat one and its just not as good since the dressing is so artificial tasting, so for awhile I started just halving the dressing since that alone is 300(!) calories. I'm not in to calorie counting but come on...so I thought of a better solution.

Look! 300 calories. JUST FOR DRESSING. So I thought...this is a sesame oil dressing. A lot of oils have 100 cals or so per tbsp. (which is why I avoid cooking with oil as much as I can) so I figured...why not just scrape off the oil? So I carefully scrape off the majority of the oil and boom. Much lower calorically and even without the majority of the oil there's more than enough dressing for the rest of the salad!

 So. Much. Oil.

You can also omit the wonton chips (but I eat them separately because I love fried wonton skin!) and you bring it all down to 350ish anyway :) Without sacrificing any of the taste! Its so amazingly good. The dressing is just so perfectly tart and I love that the salad has whole snow peas, bean sprouts and cabbage to give it a nice crunch.  It really is one of my favorite asian style salads. I take out the water chestnut though since im not a big fan, unless its chopped up in my lettuce wraps! If you don't know what water chestnut is its the little white hard disk you'll find inside. Its kind of like a sweeter crunchier daikon? :x

Spiritual Gangster Magic Carpet hot yoga towels

Here's another admittedly sort of random thing I've been liking- Spiritual Gangster's Magic Carpet yoga towels. As a lot of you already know I've been very in to hot yoga lately, and I don't like sweating all over my mat so I always use a towel for class. These don't have any plastic nubs on it- instead the microfiber is SUPER dense and short, which is what helps it stay in place. Its very heavy weight and sits down nicely on the mat. The only complaint I have is that these are a bit too big for a standard yoga mat, maybe 1 inch or so longer across each border.

It doesn't really bother me now but if I did yoga in a carpeted (aka smelly yellowed sweaty old carpet) studio then I wouldn't want any part of the towel touching the floor. I refuse to pay 40-45 bucks just for a towel so I actually found these at Marshalls! Another place i've started really liking lately. They have SO many knick knacks, most of the time you won't find anything but when you do it's a steal. They were only $16 compared to the MSRP of $55-58. 

So that is all :) Norcal foodie post soon! Hope you guys had a wonderful new year and I'll be announcing the giveaway winner to this video very shortly!

love,
Jackie

Dupe for Butter London's Teddy Girl

So I was prancing around in Target today because I was traveling and forgot to bring an eyeliner. That's my one thing I can't do without- no eyeliner and there is NO WAY you are dragging my butt outside the house. Because I can't hide in a room all day I headed over to Target to get my favorite drugstore liner- Milani's Infinite liner in 'everlast'. Heavily armed with oversized shades I was glancing at all the drugstore polishes when I found this on the shelves:

Last night I painted my nails in Butter London's Teddy Girl. It's one of my favorite pinks! But if you look...its pretty much a perfect dupe. I'll probably need to buy it later to know for sure but here's another bloggers picture of Covergirl's Outlast Stay Brilliant polish in 'Pink-finity'

I found this picture via a Google search on justporciuncula's blog. Doesn't it make you excited for the day I can give you photos like this? So if her photo is the true color then this polish is a bit more cool toned and pinky, a la Essie's French Affair. But apparently its a great 1 coat formula. I actually hate Butter London's formula AND brush. Its skinny and goopy, a lot like Essie's. Its just easier for me to use a wider brush such as Chanel or OPI.

But I thought it was interesting that inside the bottle it looks practically the same. But lighting can play a HUGE factor in to how something looks on camera so perhaps it truly is closer to BL's Teddy Girl.  I was hesitant to buy it because its $4.99 which is hitting the OPI range and expensive for a Covergirl polish in my opinion. However if the formula really is nicer then I suppose it'd be worth it. She said 6 days no chips (which means 2 in my world hah!) and I've noticed many companies are now imitating the Chanel bottle. So has ELF if you've checked out their newer stuff. So I thought i'd share just for the curious to know :) I'll probably buy a bottle soon as my Teddy Girl is quickly drying up -____- never buying a BL polish again. Even though they have some great colors.

Take care!

Love,
Jackie