Teen Choice Awards

Last night while I was channel surfing I stumbled upon the Teen Choice Awards. It's been a while since I sat through a teen awards ceremony, and the results were well, interesting. My top 10 thoughts throughout the two hours I stuck with the show were the following:

1. Demi Lovato's ponytail was insane. Reminded me of My Little Pony a bit. Why is this girl famous?

2. Speaking of which WHY IS KRISTEN STEWART FAMOUS?! She's so awkward and seems to hate that she has to be there and be nice to people. I get that she's Snow White pretty, but what the eff, pretty girls are a dime a dozen in Holllywood, non?

3. Out of the entire cast of Glee they picked Artie to host? He and Demi are the two most awkward hosts ever. Chris Colfer's there, why didn't he host? Kurt is way cooler. 

4. I'm so old, I have no idea who half of these people are. They must be out of Disney Channel shows or something? Maybe I don't watch enough TV. Mini wave for me!

5. Someday, I hope I look as good as Nina Dobrev looks in a dress. I've heard she does a lot of Pilates. Should I take up Pilates? Who am I kidding, I don't have it in me to do three hours of Pilates a day. Pilates is such a great word. Pilates.

6. Speaking of Nina Dobrev and people who I didn't know where on TV, why are there two Nina Dobrevs?! There's another girl at the show who looks just like her. Will the real Nina pull a Slim Shady and please stand up?

7. Selena Gomez looks really cute in pink. Best dressed girl at the event. She's like a healthy version of Miley Cirus. Selena, please don't do drugs and take naked pictures of yourself that end up on the internet, you seem so nice.

8. Everybody's so tan on this show. I need a tan ASAP, my skin looks green. 

9. Pauly D is the DJ of this party. Seriously? You should've gown with the lesser famous Knowles sister. Why do all of these teens scream when they talk about Pauly?! Do they want to be him??? I'm worried.

10. Who are those two little girls with Ellen DeGeneres? They are so sweet they make me diabetic.  Amazeballs. 

Traveling on a budget part 2: spirit airlines

The ugly about coming back from vacation? No, not your credit card bill. That inevitable moment someone will mention it to you, or you will remember that "x days ago I was shopping at x". Today I didn't wake up with a shopping craving but with something much worse, munchies for a piece of Whole Foods carrot cake. I ate a cookie, but it just wasn't enough. The craving eventually went away, but it sucks to have that feeling that you want something you just had a couple of days ago! 

I'll probably have to wait at least a year to have a piece of that delicious carrot cake, but at least traveling up north lately has gotten a whole lot cheaper since Spirit Air started operating from our airport. I don't have the complete 411 about how airlines work here in El Salvador, but what I know is that the law makes it really hard for new airlines to start operating. That's why when last year the cheap airline started flying from our airport, I did a little victory dance! I had been hesitant about trying it, and even asked around if someone had flown Spirit, but nothing. So, like with airbnb, I just said carpe diem, bought my ticket and hoped for the best. 

Miami Beach

The good:

1. Those PRICES: 

Seriously, it's ridiculous. Even though I had to pay extra for my bags, my ticket including all of those zillion annoying taxes you have to pay, came up to under $250. The only thing that could beat that price is flying with frequent flyer miles. 

2. The schedule:

Some people might hate red eye flights, but I love them. You arrive extremely early at your destination, but you get to enjoy a whole day there the day you arrive. Nothing interesting is open before 9am anyway, so there's no wasted time if you sleep off your jetlag. When coming back, it's also great because you get to do other things other than worry about arriving at the airport on time. 

Sunny Weather :)

The not so good:

1. The delays:

Be warned, their flights are always delayed. This can be a problem if Miami isn't your final destination. My flight was an hour delayed from SAL to FLL, and a whopping two hours late when coming back home. I didn't have a problem with that, but it sucks if you are going to have someone pick you up from the airport. Have them check online if the flight is going to be on time before leaving to pick you up. Speaking of which...

2. Make sure there's someone picking you up at the airport:

There are no cabs at the time the flight lands here in El Salvador, the airport is basicaly deserted so make sure you have a plan for getting home when your delayed flight lands. 

3. Luggage fees:

Their flight prices are ridiculously low, so I guess this is why they charge for bags. Make sure to buy them online and not at the counter, because that way they are about $10 cheaper. I didn't have trouble taking with me a small (16 inch) wheelie without having to pay extra, so don't worry and think that you'll only be stuck with your handbag as a free carry-on item. Just make sure to measure your bag first, to see if it matches the dimensions for free bags on Spirit's website. 

One last tip, watch out for weight. Spirit only allows 40 pound bags free of charge, which is 10 pounds less than other airlines. All of this measuring and weighing can be a hassle, but you can get a ticket for less than $300, so I'm not complaining (that much at least). I would 100% fly Spirit again. 

why everyone should watch downton abbey

Now that all of my favorite shows have wrapped their seasons, I find myself with a lot of free TV time. I'm not a huge TV fan, but there are a couple of shows I watch loyaly every week: Mad Men, Gossip Girl and Revenge. During last winter's hiatus, I discovered the PERFECT show to fill my TV void, and now I want to share it with you: Downton Abbey. You've probably heard about this british show before. Lots of designers, from Ralph Lauren to Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton have shown Fall-Winter 2012 collections heavily influenced by early the early1900 fashions shown. But the gorgeous clothes are only a small part of why I love this show. 

For those of you who haven't heard of it, Downton Abbey follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the early 1900s (think Titanic era). I'm a sucker for english period dramas (doesn't everything sound prettier in a british accent?). I loved the Pride and Prejudice movie and watch it every single time I catch it on TV, and this show reminds me of it. It's like every Jane Austen novel rolled into one neat and pretty looking, well-dressed package. 

You know another reason I love this show? (I've said "love" about a zillion times in two paragraphs, sorry I'm a woman obssessed) THE CHARACTERS, especially Maggie Smith who plays the Dowager Countess: she is one bitchy lady and I love her for it! Among her best lines: "I'm a woman and I can be as contrary as I choose!", "Don't be so defeatist dear, it's so middle class!" (to her niece). Everyone, even the servants, are snobby on this show. I find their snobbery very amusing, because this is no Toddlers and Tiaras, this show is highbrow and complex and it almost makes you feel smart for watching it. It's full of historic references and accurate period information, from the sinking of the Titanic to World War I, think of it as a History Channel Lite. 

On the opposite end, the show is oh so telenovela. All of the characters have at least one dark secret, which conveniently for our amusement, always pop up at the most unconvenient times. There are love stories everywhere: from the rich girl who falls for her driver, to the servant who falls in love with the married buttler. The villains are beyond evil, and the insults are great! You can feel smart and guilty for watching this show at the same time! And I've never been on crack, but this is what it must feel like. You just can't stop watching it. One weekend, I was sick with the flu and watched an entire season in a day. It's just that addictive. 

So what are you waiting for??? Give this show a chance! The characters are fabulously wealthy, have great taste, live in gorgeous houses and have rich people problems. It's addictive escapism.

***note: sorry for not writing this post in spanish, but I think it would've been too long :)

beauty shortcut: dry shampoo

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? On a good day, if we manage to jump from bed quickly , we'd say we take anywhere between half an hour and 45 minutes. But there are those dreaded days when hitting the snooze button just once won't do. Maybe it's cloudy outside, or maybe we stayed up late watching Toddlers and Tiaras (guilty pleasure), or maybe it's monday and we just don't want to leave our bed. We want and need those extra 10 minutes of sleep. If there's a shortcut for our morning beauty routine to be had, we'll give it a shot. Which explains why we love dry shampoo so much: nothing makes limp hair look fresh and clean for another extra day.

Dry shampoos weren't available here at salons for ages, that's why we had to resort to stocking up when we or someone we know traveled anywhere near a Sephora. So when we heard from a friend and bloom reader (yay!) that dry shampoos are now available at the supermarket, we jumped for joy and did a happy dance! We were told that there are two brands available: Tresemme and Suave. We found the Suave version but there was no sign of Tresemme anywhere, so if anyone spots it, please let us now! Now, on to the review!

Product: Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray

Rating: B+

Price: $6.00

Where to buy: Super Selectos

FYI: A can will probably last you anywhere between 3 weeks and a month, depends on how often you apply it and the length of your hair.

We tested out the Suave dry shampoo, and though we are happy that it's available for cheap, it's really not that great. The smell is nice and pretty fruity, sort of a mix between pineapples and lemons. It is also very strong, but you sort of get used to it because it's nice. People unaware that we had the shampoo on, commented that our hair smelled good. 

After applying it (we used it in the morning and after the gym), we did notice that our hair looked cleaner and bouncier. Beware, not to apply too much of the product. If your hair is dark, you will end up with white hair! If you go spray happy, you can just brush your hair and it will disappear. 

The veredict: We've kept on using this dry shampoo, probably not because we love it, but because it is a good option for the price. It's great for a quick fix. Will buy again!

Cuánto tiempo necesitas para arreglarte en las mañanas? En un buen día, si no nos tardamos mucho en salirnos de la cama, diríamos que entre 30 y 45 minutos. Pero están esos días terribles en que solo no nos podemos levantar, y necesitamos apretar snooze más de una vez. Tal vez anoche nos desvelamos viendo Toddlers and Tiaras, o el cielo está nublado o es lunes y no estamos listas para empezar la semana. Cada minuto es indispensable! Es por eso que recibimos con los brazos abiertos cualquier atajo en nuestra rutina de belleza, por lo que nos encanta el dry shampoo! 


Los dry shampoos no estaban disponibles en nuestro país, así que teníamos que esperar irnos de viaje o que algún conocido fuera a algún lugar con Sephora para que nos trajera un par de botes. Recientemente nos enteramos a través de una amiga que los dry shampoos AL FIN están disponibles en los supermercados, así que corrimos a buscarlos. Se supone que hay en existencia dos: uno Tresemme y uno Suave. Solamente encontramos el Suave, así que si alguien ve el otro, por favor avísenos!

Product: Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray

Rating: B+

Price: $6.00

Where to buy: Super Selectos

FYI: Una lata te puede durar entre tres semanas y un mes, dependiendo de tu frecuencia de uso y el largo de tu pelo.


Probamos el dry shampoo Suave y aunque nos alegra que al fin esté disponible y a un bajo precio, es bueno pero no es excelente. Tiene un aroma cítrico, como una mezcla entre piñas y limones que aunque es rico, es bastante fuerte. Toma un rato acostumbrarse al olor, e incluso puede ser percibido por otros (recibimos buenos comentarios que nuestro pelo olía rico).

Lo ocupamos dos veces, una vez en la mañana y una vez inmediatamente después del gimnasio por las noches. Sí notamos que nuestro pelo se veía más limpió y con cuerpo. Advertencia para las que tienen cabello oscuro, no se apliquen mucho porque les puede dejar un residuo blanco. Si les pasa, solo cepillen su cabello y se quita fácilmente.  

El veredicto: Hemos seguido usando este dry shampoo (y lo seguiremos haciendo), tal vez no tanto porque nos encante, pero si es una buena opción para un fix rápido y a buen precio!

must try this weekend: red-orange lips

We LOVE J.Crew catalogues. Seriously, we do a happy dance here at bloom once a month when it gets updated. The styling of each outfit is just so quirky and colorful! Some of them are a little too much for our taste (sneakers with a pencil skirt? no), but they're a great source of inspiration for how to put together colors and patterns for on and off duty dressing. The clothes aren't the only thing that's pretty and inspirational, we also love the beauty looks. The models are always styled in an effortless chic kind of way: tousled hair, understated eyes and red-orange lips. That lip color! We think that the lips are what tie everything together, it's what takes the look from messy to chic. So after months of debating whether or not to hop on the bold-lip bandwagon, we finally decided to give this look a try!

Nos ENCANTAN los catálogos de  J.Crew. No es mentira cuando les decimos que hacemos un bailecito de alegría cada mes que los actualizan en su página. Lo que más nos gusta es que son únicos para crear sus outfits: son la inspiración perfecta para aprender a combinar colores y estampados. Otro de los elementos que nos inspiran son los looks de belleza. Las modelos siempre están arregladas de manera sencilla pero chic: peinado ligeramente desordenado, ojos naturales, y labios rojos-anaranjados. El color de labios es en definitiva lo que unifica la ropa con el peinado, evita que la modelo se vea desordenada y la hace verse elegante. Así que después de meses de estar en ese estira-y-encoge de si probar o no probar este look, finalmente nos convencimos a darle una oportunidad! 

If this does not convince you of trying a new bold lip color, we don't know what will.

After hours of pouring over google and pinterest looking for the perfect lip color to suit all skin tones, we settled on two: MAC's Cremesheen in Vegas Bolt (splurge, $18, Siman) and Revlon's Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti (steal, $6, Wal Mart). If you decide to try this trend remember to K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Sweetie! Keep your eyemakeup to a minimum and let the lipstick do its job! Now on to the reviews:

Después de varias horas de buscar el color de labios perfecto para cualquier tono de piel en google y pinterest, finalmente nos decidimos por dos labiales: MAC Creemsheen en Vegas Bolt (inversión, $18, Simán), y Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter en Tutti Frutti (BBB*, $6, Wal Mart). Si se deciden a probar este look, les recomendamos mantener su maquillaje de ojos a un mínimo (sobre todo si es de día)

*BBB = bueno, bonito y barato :)

Rating: A+ for both!

Both lipsticks are great options, which one you buy depends on how bold you want your lips to go and your budget, you could buy either and get great results!

MAC's lipstick is very pigmented, a little will go a long way. We suggest not applying it straight from the tube, but instead, dap it on with your fingers. That way you can adjust how much color you want. We love that this color is bold, so you can take it from day to night by layering on more color. It has a subtle sheen to it once applied, but it can almost look matte after having it on for a while. A con of this lipstick is that it tends to dry out our lips a little, so we suggest you apply a layer of chapstick before putting it on.

Revlon's lip butter on the other hand, is very sheer. You can apply it straight from the tube, without even using a mirror and you'll be fine. This lipstick is great if you're looking to try this look in a more understated way. It has a lot of sheen to it, almost like those squeezable chapsticks (not the stick ones) but not quite as bold as lip gloss. However, if you like matte lips, this is not your option. A big plus of Revlon's lipstick is that it's not drying at all, so we recommend not wearing any chapstick under it. If you do, because of the sheerness of the lipstick, you'll wash out the color.

Nota: 10 para ambos!

Ambos lipsticks son buenísimas opciones, todo depende de que tan fuerte quieras tu color y cuanto estés dispuesta a gastar, puedes comprar cualquiera de los dos y tener excelentes resultados!

El labial MAC es pigmentado, un poquito de este se nota bastante. Les sugerimos no aplicarlo directamente del tubo, sino hacerlo con sus dedos. De esta manera pueden controlar mejor la magnitud del color, porque si es fuerte. El labial tiene muy poco brillo, así que si les gustan los labiales mate, pueden aplicar poco color o bajar el brillo con una servilleta. Una desventaja de este lipstick es que tiende a resecar los labios, así que les sugerimos ocupar chapstick debajo.

Por otro lado, el labial Revlon es ligeramente traslucido. Lo pueden aplicar directamente del tubo (¡sin necesidad de espejo!) sin tener miedo de verse como payasitas. Este lipstick es perfecto si están buscando un look más discreto. El labial tiene bastante brillo, casi como esos chapsticks de tubo apretable (aunque no tanto como un lipgloss). Así que si te gustan los labiales mate, esta NO es tu opción. Un gran plus de este lipstick es que no reseca los labios, es más, te recomendamos no ocupar chapstick debajo para que no diluyas el color.