As our blog name suggests, we both love books. Jessica is a speed-reader and Saudia has a long commute to work, so that results in a lot of books.

Here’s each of our current TBR list:

Saudia’s TBR

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Magician: Apprentice by Raymond Feist

Magician: Master by Raymond Feist

Jessica’s TBR

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Daughters of Fortune by Tara Hyland

The Travelers by Chris Pavone

Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston
Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade US to Buy by Martin Lindstrom

We both set an annual reading goal on Goodreads. Jessica’s goal is 50 books and Saudia’s is 40. So far we’re both on track (and slightly ahead) of the reading goal - yay! Keep up with what we are reading on Goodreads!  

 

Saudia's currently-reading shelf:

Jessica's currently-reading shelf:

 

- Saudia & Jessica

Makeup Revolution Limited Edition Hard Day Salvation Palette

If you shop at ULTA chances are you've probably seen the Makeup Revolution London stand. They have sleek looking palettes with affordable price tags. Makeup Revolution started in the UK back in 2014 and is a cruelty-free company. Their goal is to offer affordable beauty products that all skin tone can use.

In the U.S. Makeup Revolution I believe is only available through ULTA or their online store. Their  palettes are between $7 and $15, with the Hard Day Salvation palette sitting pretty at $10. Since the palette costs about half compared to the L'oreal La Palette and Maybelinne Nudes, I figured I give one of them a try.

The palette that called to me was the Hard Day Salavation Palette which has a lovely combination of neutral browns and purple shades. The top two rows holds a combination of shimmer & satin shadows while the bottom row has the 6 matte shadows.

Top 2 Rows Shimmer + Satin Shadows

  

Bottom Row - Matte

As you can see the shadows are pretty pigmented with the exception of the white matte shadow on the bottom left which is just chalky. The rest are of the matte shades are really beautiful. I think there's enough variations in colors to create different neutral/smoky looks without the shadows looking muddy. If you have oily lid, I definitely recommend using the shadows with a primer.
The Hard Day Salvation palette was a limited edition so it is no longer available at ULTA but it is available at the Makeup Revolution Store online.

Based on this palette I'm open to trying out more products from Makeup Revolution. If you have any recommendations & requests, pop them below and I will check them out!

Jess

Portland Japanese Garden

Last week I got to visit Portland, OR for the first time ever. This was a work trip, but I was able to spend an extra day and explore a bit. Since I had never been to Portland before I didn't really know what to expect. Everyone I talked to who had been there before declared undying love for the city, so my expectations were high.

via GIPHY

Overall, my trip was wonderful. I walked around the city a bit, ate at some wonderful restaurants, visited Powell's and on the last day I visited Portland Japanese Garden. The garden is what really stood out on my trip.

I learned about the Japanese Garden from looking at a map of the area. When I saw the garden on the map I thought this would be a great excursion because after walking around Portland I saw a lot of the same things I would find on the East coast: shops, shops and more shops. The garden was only a 15 minute drive from my hotel and I was able to walk back into the city when I was done.

Admission for adults is $9.50, which at first I thought was a little pricey. Then I learned that the garden is supported mainly through donations and memberships and I felt a lot better about the price. When you pull up to the garden entrance all you see is construction and a parking lot. The actual entrance where you pay admission is a 5 minute walk up a trail. For those who exercise regularly this is probably just a regular stroll. For me I felt like I was working out. I was SO glad I wore leggings and sneakers that day. After paying admission you walk into a large open space and it's like you are transported out of the city.

The Japanese Garden is 5.5 acres and has five separate garden areas. The garden is incredibly peaceful and tranquil. Even though Portland is pretty small and definitely not as busy as NYC, it was still incredible to experience this tranquility right next to a popular city. It takes about 45 minutes to walk through the entire garden. I enjoyed it so much that I walked around twice. There are signs around the garden that actually instruct you to not take phone calls. One interesting instruction was to not obstruct anyone's experience. That was really thoughtful and a nice reminder to be present and enjoy the experience.

Finding this Japanese Garden was hands down the best part of my trip to Portland. If you're ever in town definitely check it out!

-Saudia