The Adventures of Mandy and Tanya : Little Denmark USA

Whenever Im with Mandy, we have amazing adventures. Yesterday we went to record my promo video at Balboa Lake for the collaboration disk I will be apart of to help the tsunami victims in Japan. We got there around 12-1 in the afternoon and had a blast! I still have lots of editing to do and I can't wait to post the final product here. Lake Balboa is such a pretty place. Every spring, the sakura (cherry blossom in Japanese) trees bloom there and it looks so gorgeous. We saw ducks,a swan and a sailboat!

After we were done with Lake Balboa, we took a trip up to Santa Barbara and while there I showed Mandy the Music Academy of the West which I auditioned for back in December but did not get chosen. We explored Santa Barbara for a while and were not pleased with our findings. We went to a mall to ask for directions so we could go to Solvang since Mandy had never been there before. When we stepped into the store to ask for directions, the people looked like they were bored and had the life sucked out of them. We got our directions and went our merry way. While looking for a place to eat we discovered where we were had no food!! I guess those people don't like to eat. We got back on the 101-N. We decided to look for a gas station or food place so we could grab a bite but just as we spotted them we drove past them since they were hidden in the bushes. We drove about 25 miles then stopped at the Goleta rest stop. I thought maybe someone there could give us directions since the sign before entering the rest stop said "Tourist Information". We looked around and no tourist information booth was available! Luckily, some men pulled up right next to my car and I asked them for directions. They told me I wasn't more than 20 minutes away if that. We followed their directions and we drove on this road that was like a forest maze. It had so much green around it and there were even horses! The one thing I hated about the road was that it curved every which way.

After driving like a madwoman on the winding road we FINALLY made it to Solvang. Solvang is a little village reminiscent of Copenhagen, Denmark. Mandy and I stopped at a local restaurant called the Red Viking to to grab a bite. The food was good and the waitress was super sweet. We even had pancake balls called Æbleskiver.

Solvang looks so picturesque!

The only thing that sucked was all the bakeries closed at 5! So for desert Mandy had a hot chocolate while I chose Danish ice cream :] At 7 Mandy and I decided to head back. We had a great time on our adventure and we are sure there are still many more to come!

(Majority of the photos are taking by Mandy)

The Adventures of Mandy and Tanya : Sandy Eggo Bound!

Yesterday my friend Mandy and I took a drive down south. Not to Mexico (although we were technically near there) but to San Diego! We have been tired with the ugly weather near us so we decided to go and get some sun while we could. First we went to the Las Americas Outlet mall to go to Bath and Bodyworks.

I have been wanting to get my hands on some Cherry Blossom body butter since sometimes my hands get super dry plus I love smelling like cherry blossoms during spring! Unfortunately its been discontinued and they sold out of it in the outlet too but I bought a jar of the Japanese Cherry Blossoms for 5 dollars (which normally sells for 14 dollars in regular Bath and Bodyworks stores at the mall) and it smells amazing!

After we were done with the outlet mall, Mandy and I headed to the beach. On the freeway we saw a van with an air conditioner in the back of it! It was so funny.

We got lost and ended up at a park across from the beach. It was a nice little park and it was well taken care of but we really wanted to go to the beach.

We decided to drive around and go to the other side where the beach was. When we got there, it was like a swamp and we were sad that it wasn't the beach. 

After exploring the swamp for 20 minutes or so, we looked around for the beach and FINALLY found a really pretty dog beach. 

 

(I had to sneak in a picture of us in here lol!)

After we were done with the beach, we went to dinner with my old boss and friend Chris and his friend Rachel. We had a great time at dinner and we were sad that we couldn't go with them to the club with them afterwards. Unfortunately we had to head back and it was about an hour and a half drive which isn't bad at all ESPECIALLY for a Saturday night. We had an amazing time and were sad to go back home but we learned a valuable lesson, never trust a street called Bacon. 

On Tuesday we plan to head to Santa Barbara so I can make 2 promo videos for singles Im working on, a charity single with my band for the No Worries Now Foundation and a track I plan on recording for a collaboration disk and all proceeds will go to the tsunami victims in Japan.. 

-With <3

Project 8 Pan (Failed)

When I was getting a ready to go see an acquaintance's recital today I realized I have a big make-up collection. It may not be as big as some of the girls I have seen on youtube as their collections are massive but its definitely a substantial amount. I have enough make-up to recreate any look I could possible want to wear. When I go into the make-up aisles in department or drugstores, there is nothing that catches my eye so I have decided to start a Project 10 Pan. Project 10 Pan was created by lollipop26. You choose 10 products that you don't use on a regular basis and you aren't allowed to buy any make-up until you've completed all of the products. Since I don't have 10 products I'd like to use I decided to do a smaller scale of it, Project 8 Pan.

The 8 products I will be using are:

-Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse in 255 (Natural Buff)
-Nivea Kiss of Shimmer Pearly Shimmer Care
-Evian Facial Spray (used to set my make-up after I finish applying everything)
-Benefit "Hello Flawless" SPF 15 Powder Foundation in "All The World's My Stage" (Beige)
-Lancome High Resolution Triple Action Renewal, Anti Wrinkle SPF 15 Sunscreen Cream (long name!)
-Lancome High Resolution Intense Collagen Anti-Wrinkle Serum
-Palladio Herbal Face Primer (dupe for Smashbox Photo Finish Primer)
-Stila Convertible Eye Color in Onyx
-M.A.C Studio Finish SPF 30 concealer in NW30 (for under eye concealing, when I finish everything else and have only this left I will consider myself DONE!)

(top row left to right: Nivea Kiss of Shimmer, Evian Facial Mist, Lancome High Resolution Cream

middle: Stila Convertible Eye Color in Onyx

bottom row left to right: Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse, Palladio Primer, Lancome High Resolution Intense Collagen Anti-Wrinkle Serum and M.A.C Studio Finish concealer)

The only stipulation is I need a new foundation brush since I don't know where mine went...(I have a feeling my Dad has something to do with it) and I am also expecting swap packages in the mail within the next month or so as they are coming from Europe but I wont be opening or using any of them, just thought I'd say something about it as Ill probably make a blog post about the stuff once it gets in. I also have to do blog posts on a couple past swaps I finished last month.


-With <3

Springtime is here!

I'm so glad springtime is here. It feels like yesterday we were ringing in the new year! These last few months have been amazing. I've gotten to take a break from doing staged opera work, spend time with family and friends and I've even done some recording with Jerry 'Dross' Foltz from Sothis (who is actually a hilarious dude! Every moment of my studiotime he kept making me laugh and I was supposed to be singing an angry piece lol!). Now that I am back in school, things have been a bit more normal. I have a musical collaboration on the horizon with a very good friend of mine (more details to come!), a charity single with my band (yes you read right band, more on that soon! ) for the No Worries Now Foundation and a track I plan on recording for a collaboration disk (as well as a promo video!) and all proceeds will go to the tsunami victims in Japan.

Since I am in school for three days a week, I get a break on Tuesday and Thursday so my Dad and I spend time together watching novelas (mexican soap operas) and court shows. Even though my Dad and I fight alot and want to kill each other half the time, when we do spend time together without fighting its quite nice.

Here he is watching Caso Cerrado! lol!

he looks so peaceful! 

The new Imperia (symphonic metal from Norway, Belgium, Finland and Germany) is coming out in 3 days! I can't wait to get my hands on it. 

-With <3