Mario Badescu- I LOVE THIS STUFF

FashionSISTAS!!!  You NEED this in your life!!  I just got this a few days ago because I was looking for something to hydrate my skin, since Vegas is a super dry place to live.  I decided to try this because in the description it can be used to set makeup AND even spray on your hair to hydrate it.  SOLD!!

This is the description taken directly off of Ulta's website:
A refreshing, hydrating mist to use anywhere anytime. Simply formulated with fragrant herbal extracts and rosewater for a pleasant, pick me up for dehydrated, tight and uncomfortable skin. Spray your day and night creams for a boost of hydration or use it to set make-up or spray on dry hair throughout the day. Safe for all skin types. Gentle, non-irritating.

Here is the list of ingredients:

I do not know why I have not heard of this before.  It is maahvalous dahhling, simply maaahhvalous.  I keep it in the fridge so when I spray it on my face, it feels sooo refreshing.  After I put on my moisturizer in the morning, I give this a few spritz before I walk out the door.  Then, if I feel I need a little "pick me up" for my face throughout the day- I just go to the fridge and spray a little on my face for an instant boost.

This product is not sticky, it smells heavenly, and it is super light.  I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!  I also used it after I put my "face" on the other day.  It added that "special touch" to the final product.

At only $7-- I give this product 5 stars.  GET IT!  Keep it in your fridge and give your skin some extra TLC through out the day...especially since the cold weather makes everyone's skin so dry.

Da 9th Island Kitchen

You ever see those "sponsored" posts on Facebook?  They are just paid ads for stores in your area or whatever the person is selling.  Yesterday, I was slightly intrigued when I saw a sponsored post for FOOD.  Duh, of course, I would be right?! LoL. What caught my eye was it being called "Da 9th Island Kitchen."  With a name like that, I knew it was going to be some local food!!

Sooo I clicked on the link and was diverted to their FB page.  I discovered that they are a plate lunch DELIVERY service for most of Las Vegas.  $5 for a plate lunch at at that.  Local food delivered to me, at NO extra cost?!  Okay then. Sold.  Here is the menu for this week:

I decided to order today's (Monday)  plate lunch.  I sent them a text with my order of the plate and spam musubis for the girls.  My girls love spam musubi-- true local babies right there! Lol Since it came with a drink I got a squirt.  To prepay for plate, they sent me an invoice via PayPal.  Easy, peasy.  Oh and I told them to text me when they would be on their way so I can make sure to be back from the gym.  Gotta workout to eat, right?! Ha!

Alas, no gym for this morning. I am sick. Boo.  But luckily, I placed the order and didn't have to make lunch for me and the girls! Mom win!!! Yessss.  Anyway, they texted this morning at around the time they said they would drop the food off 10:55am, which is what they quoted me yesterday (around 11am).  Cool.  On time, and they did do a delivery text confirmation. I dig it.

Bam.  I got all that for $7.  What?! Yea. $7!!!! The plate lunch was only $5 WITH a drink and the spam musubis were a $1 each.  Although, the plate was not hot (slightly cold)- the food was good.  The bok Choy was cooked perfectly and the chicken was tasty!!! I loved that the chicken wasn't too greasy either.  The girls mopped their spam musubi and the peach dessert.

I would def order from them again.  I mean, it was only $7!! You can't beat that.  Food was good, on time, and decent portions!  PLUS, I am all done for supporting local businesses, especially on "The 9th Island."

Check out their facebook page, Da 9th Island Kitchen, to see their weekly menus.

**A disclaimer.  Apparently, based on my FB investigation, they operate out of a commercial kitchen and are a catering company as well.  I liked them and if you were ever contemplating trying-- this was only to tell you that it is worth it to sample!!

MOM HACK- Getting my toddlers to drink more water

My girls do not like to drink plain water.  In fact, I have to add a little bit of juice to their water.  I use Trader Joe's "Green Plant" juice which is pretty sweet.  Not only that, but I feel like the girls are getting SUPER juice since it has Spirulina and Chlorella in it.  

Here is the full ingredient list of it.  The only thing I question in it is the gellan gum.  Still not too sure how I feel about that.  Feel free to leave me any comments about gellan gum if you know about it.

Anyways, in an effort to get them to drink water and more of it- I make my OWN flavored water at home using organic fruit.  My girls absolutely LOVE to eat fruits.  Kiana's favorite fruit are strawberries.  Kailea loves her pineapples!  What I started to do was make flavored water with some of their favorite fruits and then I would add lemon and mint.  I clean out an empty gallon jug (for some reason, I hoard plastic jugs/glass jars- so I always have some laying around), use a cup of their favorite fruit(s), and then fill it to the top with distilled water.  I keep it refrigerated and use the fruit for 2 days.  On the 2nd day, I take it out and we eat the fruit (if applicable).  

Right now, in our fridge I have pineapple, mint, and lemon water.  I add mint or lemon to my them sometimes for the health and digestive benefits.  I add lemon to taste.  Usually one whole lemon per gallon works.  And the mint doesn't bother the girls.  They eat it as well!

So not only are my girls drinking more water but they are getting all the health benefits that each fruit gives.  Plus, no fruit goes to waste. We eat the fruit!  Have fun with it and experiment with your favorite fruits!

Allow me to RE-introduce myself....

Hey fashionsistas!!  Second post in a row!!  Yessss!!  I am on a roll!!!  ha!  Hopefully, this continues on well into the next few months and fooo life.  I mean, who doesn't need a little dry, sarcastic, sometimes  corny, humor in their lives???  No, really.  Some people either REALLY, really like me OR some people just don't get me.  But I promise, to know me is to LOVE me.  LOL

Hey girlllll, heyyy!!!

Anyways, it has been about 2 years since I vanished from the face of the blogging world.  I started this in conjunction with my online boutique as a way to do reviews, write about all things fashion, share my love of food, and all kind of fun stuff.  WHY?  Because I love to write.  (I love to read even more.)  I actually got my BA in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Hawaii back in 2007.  Whoop! Whoop!  College.  Seriously, funnest time of my life.  I have found that being a stay at home mom, really intervenes with my social skills and my grammar.  (By the way, in case you wanted to know.  I just spelled grammar, grammer.  Good ol' spell check.)  I mean, moms, you know how it is.  All our sentences are grammatically incorrect and our vocabulary is pretty much slim to none.   Plus, I feel like my babies just sucked all my brain cells from me when I was pregnant.  SOOOOO by starting this blog; I was hoping to increase my writing skills (writers block is real, ya'll), share my "mom" stories (because let's face it: it is good to hear that you are not the only mom that wants to jump off a building one minute and then snuggle your monkeys the next), and share my reviews and maybe even some food tips and DIY stuff.   I mean, hey, I can shoot big right?! LOL If I start sharing DIY stuff,  high five me.  Cause that means I actually had TIME to DIY project up in my house.

This post is a just a RE-introduction to myself.  Because if you are reading this, 80% chance you found me through social media of my online boutique.  (www.shoptiel.com -- see what I did there? HA!)  Yesterday, my post was the first one in almost 2 years.  I was pleasantly surprised I could even log on.  Like, whoa.  It still works?  Halleleeeur.  A LOT has changed in those 2 years.  I mean A LOT.  Change is inevitable, Growth is optional.  ( I love quotes.  If you follow my instagram @shoptiel, I post a lot of corny quotes.  Sorry, not sorry.)  So if you are new to me,  in the wise words of Jay-Z, "ALLOW ME TO RE-INTRODUCE MYSELF":

Can't do an introduction without my FAMILY!
My Princesses: Kiana and Kailea and My King: Walt
Mommy is Queen B around here!

My name is Tara and I started my online boutique back in Feb 2013.  I had just given birth to my FIRST baby and always dreamed of having my own store- so "Tiel Boutique" was born.  Why Tiel?  My middle name is Lee: Tara Lee.  My initials are T.L.  Said out loud, it is "Tea" (like what you sip on)- "El"(like the masculine noun in Espanol).  Written out it was, "Tiel." Yup.  That's how I got my boutique name.  It is my name but without it being my name.  Oh, and I got to dot the "i" with a HEART.  SOLD!  At the time, we were stationed in Tacoma, Washington.  A few months into being a new mom and operating my online boutique, I found out I was pregnant again!  Two girls.  Oh my poor bank account.  Kiana is the oldest, who is now 3.5 years old.  Kailea is the youngest, running crazy at a little over 2 years old.

When I first started.   Pregnant and taking care of  my 7  month old, all while shipping items out of my kitchen, everyday!

My dear friend Marisa, one of my very FIRST models.  Taking pictures on her balcony.

At the end of 2013, we moved to Maui.  That is where I am from.  I always dreamt of raising my girls on the island so they could experience all that Hawaii has to offer.  From surfing, to the food, to the diverse cultures- Hawaii was going to be our final place we moved as a family.  WAS.  (Will touch base on that later.)  And then in 2014, I started a lumpia truck!! What?!? Yup.  We had one running for a few months.  What is lumpia?  It is basically a Filipino version of an eggroll.  We only lasted about 5 months and then I had to shut it down.  Not because we didn't have the right permits or sales were lacking, but because as a mom to 2 toddlers who were both under 2 at the time AND running a food truck everyday- WAS EXHAUSTING.  If you ever journey into opening a restaurant, I highly suggest starting off with a food truck first.  The restaurant business is very, very time consuming.  So alas, my lumpia truck had to get put on the back burner while I focused on becoming the best mom to my babies.  I could have put them in daycare, but for me, personally- it was not what I wanted for my then 6 month old.  My long time goal would be put my lumpia into stores.  Like the asian frozen section of Costco's or something.  I still need to figure out how to do that.

My beach babies.  MAUI NO KA OI 

LUMPIA FOR DAYS!!!

RIP my little lumpia wagon that could. 

If you see from my previous posts, that is when I basically died from the blogging world, in the beginning of 2014.  That summer, I competed in my FIRST bikini fitness competition.  Yup.  I did it as a way to keep me accountable to get back in shape after having babies back to back.  My girls are only 15 months apart.  Kiana was 5 months old when I got pregnant with Kailea.  This was a way for me to really focus on diet and exercise to get me stage ready.  It was quite an experience!  Food can really affect your physique.  You can workout all day, but if you don't eat right- it doesn't matter.  I dieted for about 8 weeks and worked out hard.  I placed 5th out of 10- not as high as I wanted, but at least I was not last.  LOL  I did notice what my weak points were (glutes and shoulders), and now I work harder on those areas.  Would I do another one?  Yes, but I would definitely start my diet more than 8 weeks out.  Prob more like 16 weeks out.

Can I have those abs back, please?

Ready to eat some delicious carbs.  Announce the winner already. Thanks!

Around this time, Tiel Boutique really started to die out quite a bit.  When I lived on the "mainland", my shipping costs were decent.  Once I moved to Maui, that all changed!  Not only was I paying an arm and a leg to GET my inventory to me, BUT then I had to turn around and ship them BACK to the customers in the mainland.  Believe it or not, 75% of my customers are in the continental US.  I would cringe every time I had to pay exuberant shipping fees.  I wanted to do more with my boutique because it was and still is a dream of mine to open a store- but I just could not justify losing money on shipping costs.

Oh and the HIGHLIGHT of my year (perhaps my life LOL) I was an EXTRA in MAGIC MIKE XL!!  Yes, girl, yes!  You remember that scene that Channing is in Jada Pinkett's house and he dances with those girls.  Look at the right hand of your screen, that Asian girl is me!!  I just so happened to be in town and they needed more extras for that amazing scene.  So I gots paid to see tanning dance shirtless in front of me.  Winning!!!!

The happiness is genuine, folks! LOL

You don't even wanna know how many takes this took!  I swear it was over 2 hours for just this dance scene!  LUCKY ME!! 

At the end of 2014, I started to do feature articles for Mauiwatch.com as their Food and Dining editor.  I told ya, I love to eat!!!

One of the many places I featured.  How's that dress?  One of our best sellers LOL

Hands on!!  Always up to something!

In 2015, I started my own cleaning business.  I know, I know.  I have lots of ideas.  Or maybe it is just a bad case of adult ADHD, I don't know. LOL  A long story short, while it was a GREAT idea- I just could not find enough reliable people to staff.  It is such a low overhead business and EVERYONE could use professional cleaners, that I may just start one here.  Key word: MAY.  We shall see.  It became too difficult after a few months of running it.  On more than one occassion, I had to drag my kids with me to finish up some jobs because they weren't up to standard.  Yea, don't sign me up for that.  I was not to keen to paying people to do a horrible job.  Lesson learned.  In order to have a successful business, you need employees that take pride in their job.

I also ran in the Mrs. Hawaii state pageant as Mrs. Maui 2015!  Wait, what?! She did what? Yeah, toss the idea that you have to be 20 to run in pageants.  This pageant was for the married folk. HA! I was 30 years old at the time, and a MOM.  And I ran in the state pageant representing my island, Maui.  The winner of the pageant went on to Mrs. America.  I placed 3rd runner up, which was not too bad.  The competition was very tight.   I think if I was to do another pageant, I would def get a better dress.  In order to cut costs, I borrowed a gown; but it did not really fit me as it should have.  Oh well.  It was fun and now I can tell my babies, "Mom did it, so you can too..."

I choose to wear a pink dress, cause the color pink represents Maui.

My dress was BEAUTIFUL.  But alas, it was too long for me and I tripped.  Not to self,  next pageant- buy a cheap dress and alter it.  

Our winner of Mrs. Hawaii 2015, actually won 1st runner up at Mrs. America 2015.  Okay, Hawaii.  Represent!

Yes, I will be putting my kids in pageants.  But not the ones that you need fake teeth and the toddlers wear makeup.  No ma'am.  Just the more natural ones.  Why?  Because I believe being in pageants def helps you later in life.  My girls will never have "stage fright", they will know how to conduct themselves in public, they will know how to excel in an interview, and some pageants even offer scholarships.  ( I actually won Miss Maui Filipina 2002 and won a $2000 scholarship to school.)   Their first one was great! They both had fun and every child won a crown.  Kiana did not really like being on stage.  She is our shy baby.  Which is fine.  I was extremely proud of her for overcoming her fear and walking anyway.   (See?  Pageants help to overcome certain fears.)  Kailea, on the other hand, LOVES to be on stage.  She will talk to anyone and is always "performing."  If Kailea wants to do more as she gets older, I will def support her!

She was soo happy! Smiling and clapping like crazy

You see this diva?  Had to be in the front by herself. LOL

I will always love these memories.

Look at my Kiana!  She faced her fear and walked on stage!

"Mom, can I have my ice cream now?" 

In the summer of 2015, we were so lucky to be able to take the girls to Disney world in Florida.  Here are a few tips:  pack food and drinks, bring your own stroller, pack lots of sunscreen, go right when they open and head towards the "popular" rides first, oh and download the "Fast Pass."  Bring extra clothes for your minis too.  There are tons of fountains they can play in and make fun memories.  Word of advice, if your minis want to see Disney characters- use your Fast Passes for those.  The lines just to see Ariel could set you back 2 hours!!! Just to sit for 3 seconds and take a picture.  Ain't nobody got time fo dat!

Fulfilling my inner 5 year old's dreams.  AND as luck would have it, Ariel is  my girls' favorite, too!

Then at the end of 2015, we decided to move to Las Vegas.  Why Vegas?  Well, unbeknownst to most of ya'll- Las Vegas is known as "The 9th Island."  There are 8 islands that compromise Hawaii, and since Las Vegas has a HUGE population of local people, we call it "The 9th Island." My really close friends from high school live here.  Let's face it.  As we get older, making friends is akeen to dating.  Let alone being a Mom?  I just don't have the energy to cultivate new friendships when it is hard for me to keep in touch with old friends! Plus, my husband's family is from Georgia (Savannah) and Florida (Jacksonville), so now it makes it easier for that side of the family to visit us.  Flying to Hawaii was out of the question, it could just be too expensive coming from the East Coast.  And now if I want to go home, it is just a 5 hour flight for me.  Hawaiian Airlines flies direct from Vegas to Hawaii, hence the huge local population that lives here.  Me?  I LOVE Vegas.  It is food heaven for "foodies."  Always something to do.  And I love to gamble.  From sports games to table games- I love it.  But I gamble smart.  I research my games and I play double deck blackjack.  (I know how to play, because I was a professional dealer for 2 years. LOL Jack of all trades, I tell ya!)

Spangler Ohana 2015

I Live in Vegas, but Hawaii will ALWAYS be HOME.  One day, we may move back... but until then we will just visit every summer.

So now I am determined to get my boutique back up and running like my very first year!  Can you believe I sold almost $100,000 in total sales from my small kitchen in Tacoma, Washington??? Don't get that twisted with "profit."  Profit and total sales are NOT the same.  These past 2 years set me back, but we will get there again!! I want to be every Fashionsistas go-to boutique for amazing finds at great prices.  Who said you have to break the bank to look good??? With that said, who said you can't have quality items at a decent price?  (I do still covet that Chanel purse though, LOL)  Oh and now I will be having my OWN column titled, "Tara's Las Vegas" at Mauiwatch.com.  Basically, highlighting things to do "off the strip" as well as great places to eat at.  DUH.  I plan my day around meals. HAHA!

Showing off some new gear and my frizzy hair. LOL

Chef's are rockstars to me!  

So there you have it folks.  Me in a nutshell.  Now when you read my posts maybe you can understand me more.  Basically my life is my kids, fashion, and food.  Oh and I live at the gym.  (But you can't really tell because I love to EAT like a teenage boy.)  I want to be the next "Oprah." Have a store one day.   Dream big, right?  LOL  But for real, my kids run my life and I would not have it any other way.  (Sometimes.)

Spangler Sisters

I am such a blessed Mommy!

LUSH- FRESH face mask, "The Sacred Truth"

Wait, what?  Has it been almost 2 years since I wrote on this??  Yes, sadly- I have been MIA on my blog.  BUT my new year resolution is to get this going again.  (I will do another post to explain what I have been up to for the past 2 years later.)

But anyways.. what a better way to restart the blog then with a post about LUSH!!!  Are you a lush fanatic?!? I am!  Hands down.  I am what you would call a "granola mom."  I love anything natural and organic.  Why?  Because I believe that our bodies only deserve the best!  I think my "tree hugger" side came out more when I had my babies.  As parents, we always want the best for our kids.. hence, becoming a "granola mom." Kinda.  LOL

So what is LUSH?  Lush produces soaps, shampoos, shower gels, lotions, moisturizers, scrubs, masks and other cosmetics for the face, hair, and body using VEGETARIAN recipes.  They also use as little packaging as possible or packaging that is recycled/recyclable.

I love their "Cup o Coffee" face mask to use every other day in the morning to give my skin a refreshing boost!  If you are on the fence about trying a mask from Lush (because they are pretty pricey), I would highly suggest starting off with this.  It is friendly on the wallet and it leaves your skin feeling amazing.  Plus, you can use it on your body as well.  Oh, and it is made with coffee.  Coffee.  Yup, need I say more?! Coffee lover in the house!!  If you have sensitive skin, use it one or twice a week.

Anyways, like I said.  I tried their FRESH face mask for the first time tonite.  Let's pause a moment to say "THANK YOU" to the mad scientists you created these amazing products!  All of their fresh face masks are made with fresh fruit, vegetables, butters, clays and the world’s finest essential oils- so they need to be refrigerated and only have a shelf life of 3 weeks.  So before you buy it, check the expiration date.  Since there a many different face masks to choose from I asked the sales associate for something to help with my wrinkles (yes, Asians get wrinkles).  She recommended "The Sacred Truth."

Taken from LUSH website: "Can you handle the truth? The truth is, your skin needs more regular maintenance and care as you get older. As you age, your dermis is thinning, losing its elasticity and ability to retain moisture, which can make the skin appear dull or sallow. Don’t fret! Taking care is easy thanks to this nutrient-packed mask. The Sacred Truth contains a powerful combination of rich, softening ingredients like linseed, eggs and shea butter to deeply moisturize and nutritious wheat grass, papaya, green tea and ginseng root to restore essential vitamins and brighten skin."


(Kailea saw me taking a selfie, so she wanted "IN" on the action!  Gotta love my mini!)

Let me say, this was absolutely amazing on my face.  It does not dry or harden on your face like most face masks do.  It stays the same creamy consistency.  The green tea gives it a calming, herbal scent and I loved the way it made my skin feel after.  It felt really, really soft.  Since it was my first time using this, I can't say that it made my wrinkles go away.  Maybe after a few uses? I mean, one can only hope right? LOL  However, my skin did look "refreshed" and have a "glowing" look after.  I can see this being a regular addition to my nighttime regimen.  Well, maybe 2 or 3 times a week.  The product is small, so you can probably get 5-6 uses out of it.  But remember the fresh face masks are only good for up to 3 weeks!

For $7.95, I highly recommend treating your face to LUSH's fresh face mask, "The Sacred Truth."

Oh yea, MAHALO Jordan for making it! LOL