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Peace. Love. Aloha.

Forever 21 Haul

Hey, everyone! This is my first haul post and I'm so excited to share this with you all. This haul was a Christmas gift from Jade. I'm completely happy with everything I ordered except for one item. I, sadly, have never had the pleasure of shopping in an actual Forever 21 store (but that's going to change in August or when Guam's first Forever 21 store opens). The above photo is courtesy of We Heart It. Let's start with the clothes:

The left and middle classic cotton jersey tees (in faience and charcoal) were $5.90 each. The right heathered baseball tee in cream/blue was $12.90. These shirts are so comfortable! They feel like a hug (:

First and foremost, I would like to say that I do not sit like that on a daily basis. It's to help with the dimension in the picture. I put this outfit together in my mind when I was online. The classic button-down cardigan was $12.90. This is from the contemporary line so the small is a bit oversized but it still keeps me warm. The rose print peplum top was $12.90 and I fell in love with this shirt from the get go! It's my favorite color and peplum tops complement my figure. The classic low rise skinny jeans were $15.90. They fit well but are a little long which isn't a surprise because I'm shorter than the average standard. I folded the excess so it didn't look messy. I'm not a fan of jeans but I love this pair! It's almost as comfortable as leggings!

Now for the hair accessories/products!

1) teardrop-shaped dotted paddle brush ($3.90) I'm not fond of this product at all. It feels plastic and generic. The only upside is that it's pretty.

2) embellished hair tie set ($2.90) These type of hair ties are the only kind that can hold my mane, everything else breaks. I love how pretty these are! They're cute, feminine AND functional!

3) large bun donut  ($1.90) I have been searching for this on Guam for months now so there's no way I was going to pass up this opportunity. I'm happy with the size and I'm so glad I like how sock buns look on me (I wasn't completely positive I could pull it off).

4) classic bow barette ($2.90 each, in fuchsia and nude) These are my first bows since childhood and I love them. They were bigger than I expected but it's still easy to work with (:

That's it for this haul, I hope you all enjoyed reading! If you would like to see more haul posts in the future, please let me know by commenting below (:

Peace. Love. Aloha.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2015, everyone! I'm optimistic about how this year will turn out. There are so many things I'm looking forward to! They are as follows:

January - Elise's first birthday (:
February - Ava's first birthday ♡♡
March -
April -
May - Jade and I's three year anniversary ♡
June - the Manibusan-LaCoste wedding (:
July - turning 21!
August - Hawaii with Ava ♡
September - Jade's 22nd (:
October -
November -
December - Xander's 8th (:

The above picture is courtesy of We Heart It. On to my resolutions! What exactly is a resolution?

Resolution [rez•uh•loo•shuh n] /noun/ the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, etc. (Source)

1. Get fit. Cliché, I know but I am finally at that point where I am happy with my body shape. I just need to tighten up my muscles. This is going to be a little difficult because diet is so important when you want to get in shape. I am slowly making healthier food choices which started with drinking water daily. Luckily, I'm not alone. My father wants to be healthier so we're going to help each other regarding diet and intake. I just want to take care of my body because it's the only one I have and I would like to live longer to see my daughter grow.

2. Save money. Ava and I are going to Hawaii this summer so I plan to splurge there. Guam doesn't have some of the store selections that Hawaii has to offer. I have already done research so I know which stores I want to go to (but of course, something in a different window might catch our eye). Also, I want to save for Ava's 2nd birthday party. Since it takes place so early in the year, saving the year before is a must! Jade and I aren't able to throw her a big party this year (which sucks and makes me feel disappointed in myself as a parent especially because it is her FIRST birthday). We are determined to throw her a second birthday party in 2016.

3. Make sure Ava has fun in Hawaii. This is Ava's first trip off-island and I am determined to make it astounding. I won't settle for less. I'm not sure when my next opportunity to take her to Hawaii will happen so I hope I can make my girl smile the whole trip (:

4. Work on my patience. Anyone who knows me knows I am impatient. It's one of my worst flaws. I plan on having a career in business and I want my daughter to learn patience (How can she if I do not set an example?). Patience is a necessity when working with people and having customer service. This one is going to be tough to accomplish but I am determined.

5. Find a skincare routine. I have no idea why it took me so long to want to take care of my face. I'm not entirely sure if I will be able to find the right products this year but I will try. I want to clear up my t-zone, which is my most affected area. I think it's because I used to have bangs so the oil from my hair fell to my forehead together with my oily skin caused me to break out.

6. Improve at work. I'm an Admin Assistant doing basic work. I want to get somewhere so I'm going to start taking initiative to learn more and do more around the office. We are currently not hitting our monthly quota and I want to change that. We did lose some accounts last year so I plan on carrying business cards with me to give people our services as an option.

7. Have an anniversary to remember. Jade and I have celebrated our last two anniversaries in a laid-back way. There's nothing wrong with that. But every once in a while, it's okay to do something out of the ordinary. Since Ava will be older, it would be great if we could take her somewhere and have fun as a family. Maybe go to the beach during the day and have dinner at a nice restaurant like Taste at Westin (If you've been to Guam and have any restaurant recommendations, please comment below!). That would be simple but nice.

8. Improve my blog. I think my blog looks pretty basic right now. I don't have an "About Me" widget, a picture to use as a signature, a customized blog title picture, a widget that gives you access to my labels to help you find specific blog posts, and some of my posts still don't flow the way I would like them to. I think experience is key to improving a blog. I do want to develop my blog and make it more user friendly so I will work on that throughout the year.

9. Make a plan for my career. The only thing I am 100% sure about is that I want to be in the field of business. I need to figure out how I am going to get my Associates degree (for now, I may want to go further later in life). I hardly have time for myself but I want this. I need to if I'm going to succeed the way I want to. I want to feel and be financially secure.

10. Be the best mother I can. This is probably my most important resolution. I'm not saying I ever slack on my parenting. I mean to improve how I am as a mother and never stop. There are so many mistakes I'm scared of making. There are so many lessons I fear will not be taught if I don't teach them the right way. There are so many outside influences that could make her stray. I just want to do the best thing for Ava in every situation.

I really hope to be able to achieve the aforementioned this year (: Share your resolutions with me in the comments (:

There are also a few movies I am excited to watch this year! If I do watch these movies, I'll be sure to post reviews (: Please note that dates are subject to change.

Taken 3 (January 9)

Still Alice (January 16)

Love, Rosie (February 6)
Insurgent (March 20)
Furious 7 (April 3)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1)
Pitch Perfect 2 (May 15)
Jurassic World (June 12)
Paper Towns (June 19)
Terminator: Genisys (July 1)
Minions (July 10)
Pan (July 17)
The Fantastic Four (August 7)
Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (September 18)

The Jungle Book (October 9)
Peanuts (November 6)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (November 20)

IN OTHER NEWS: I will be making a change to my blog as well. Last month, I posted every M/W/F but because I can tell 2015 will be busier, I'm only going to be posting on Fridays now. If a special occasion lands on a Friday, I will post the day before. Thank you for understanding! Also, my domain name is now "kauifrommaui" instead of "journeythrutheseeyes" - I changed it because my old one was pretty tedious to type and that's not what I want for my readers. I also felt like I needed something more personal. I wanted something shorter and since my Hawaiian bloodline originates from Maui, it added with my name sounds a little catchy.

I know this year is going to be a great one and I hope everyone has an amazing year! 2015 is yours for the taking (:

Peace. Love. Aloha.

Remembering 2014

Since this is the last day of 2014, I thought it'd be nice to take a look back. I can't say this year was my favorite but it did give me my biggest blessing, my daughter ♡ I still remember the experience of giving birth clearly. It was pretty intense. Ava wasn't due until 15 days after she was born so I actually had plans to go to lunch with my dad but I went to the hospital around 6AM and gave birth at almost 3PM. Becoming a mother was the best thing that happened to me, I love my daughter more than anything ♡

Other things that happened this year:

- I re-established contact with my cousin who is currently serving as a missionary in Indiana. We've always had on and off contact because of the distance but we're trying to maintain it now.

- I was baptized with my daughter and my brother, that was an interesting experience.

- I went through a lot of things that opened my eyes and made them tear but that's okay because that water is going to give life to the seeds experience has sowed for 2015.

- Jade and I celebrated our second anniversary together.

- I started working for my family's business but I'm still deciding whether I would like to follow in my father's exact footsteps or not. I'm torn because I do want to have this career but I don't want to live on Guam for the rest of my life. I thought about expanding the company to the US but it depends on how finances work out in the future.

- I went through about four or five phones but only one broke.

- I started my subscription with Ipsy. I decided $10/month is worth it because the items always surpass the cost. It's like a little gift to myself every month (:

- I started this blog and hope it has a future (:

- I started drinking green tea more actively, a friend of mine said it does wonders for the skin.

- Ava gained three cousins this year: Elise, MariAnna, and Kekoah ♡

This is all that sticks out to me. I'm ready for the new year! Are you?

Peace. Love. Aloha.

Review: Skincare Products

For the past month, I have tried a new skincare products in my routine and it didn't work for me. I used Neutrogena's Deep Clean facial cleanser (for normal to oily skin) to wash my face twice a day and used Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel toner once daily.

Neutrogena's Deep Clean Facial Cleanser (for normal to oily skin): My face did feel softer right after use but in a few hours, dried up. This product didn't work for me, I didn't see any changes in my face. I'll be looking for something else to use next year.

Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel toner: This product worked for the first two weeks but caused me redness during week three. Since this product is made with natural ingredients and alcohol free, I think the combination with the aforementioned facial cleanser caused the redness. I will be trying this with a different cleanser and will post an update on how it works (or doesn't) with my face.

That's it for now. If you have any skincare product recommendations, please comment below and I might give it a try! I have oily skin with average sensitivity. Thanks for reading!

Peace. Love. Aloha.

A-Z Favorites

I've been wanting to do a favorites post for a while. It was either this or "Fifty Favorites" but I didn't want to bore everyone with 50 of my favorite things. I created this list by myself and struggled with a few letters but it all came together.

Animal: Phoenix and Lioness
Book: The "Hush, Hush" series by Becca Fitzpatrick
Color: Pink
Disney Princess: Aurora
Exercise: Dancing and Rugby
Food: Salmon and Kalua Pig
Genre of Music: Island
Holiday: Christmas
Ice Cream Flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip
Joke: What do you call the security guards at Samsung? The Guardians of the Galaxy! (Lame, I know.)
Keepsake: Ava's outfit that she came home in.
Lip Balm: EOS Pomegranate Raspberry
Movie: Boondock Saints 1 & 2
Number: 9
Occupation (thus far): Admin Assistant
Passion: Scrapbooking
Quirk: Organization
Robot: Baymax from Big Hero 6
Superhero: Wonder Woman
TV Show: Supernatural and The Walking Dead
Upcoming Music Artist: Charli XCX
Video Game: Call of Duty: Ghosts
Website: Pinterest
X Games Category: Moto X
YouTube Channel: Michelle Phan
Zoo Memory: Hearing a hyena's laugh.

There you have it, my A-Z Favorites! I hope this was at least slightly entertaining for everyone (:

Peace. Love. Aloha.

Ipsy Unboxing - December 2014

**Ipsy provides a monthly makeup products subscription that costs $10. This is not a scripted post. I am not getting any monetary contributions for this post. Also, please keep in mind that these are just first impressions - not lasting.**

This is my first Ipsy review post so I haven't figured out how I really want to take the photos and how I want to let the post flow, please bear with me for now. Here is what I received this month: 

This month's theme was Thinking of You. The bags design was simple but pretty. I'll be using it as a pencil case for work. The products I received were Cailyn Cosmetics Just Mineral Eye Polish in Orchid, Coolway Boost Repair Treatment, Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush, NYX Cosmetics Butter Lip Balm in Red Velvet, and Tarte Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara.

Products Review:

CAILYN Cosmetics Just Mineral Eye Polish in Orchid

When I first saw this product in my sneak peek, I was a little skeptical because I have never used an eye polish before. Because of the word "polish" I thought I was receiving a cream eyeshadow but it's actually powder. I liked the built-in applicator but would prefer using a brush. I love how the color looks on my wrist but that's not how it looks on my eyes. It's a warmer color so I'll probably use it during the summer and pair it with a nude lip. For best application, close product and shake side to side. It will put more powder on the applicator.

Coolway Boost Repair Treatment

I forgot whether or not I checked hair products on my quiz but I am so grateful I received this. My hair has been giving me some problems lately despite using Organix shampoo and conditioner, which it used to respond to. When I opened the seal, the first thing I noticed was the pleasant aroma. I tried it on a section of my hair and after first use, the hair felt softer. I will keep using this and likely post an update on how it works (or doesn't) with my hair.

Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush

Once I saw the sneak peek of this brush on Twitter, I really hoped it would be in my bag! This is my first brush from Ipsy and I'm very happy with it! The bristles feel nice, they apply and blend well. It has functionality and style, isn't that what we look for in a brush?

NYX Cosmetics Butter Lip Balm in Red Velvet

I love lip balms! Living in a tropical environment causes me to constantly apply my old reliable EOS Pomegranate Raspberry lip balm but I'm always open to try other balms. I like the color but I'm not fond of application. It skipped the areas where my lips have grooves (I have a tendency to bite the skin there. Horrible, I know.). It's a nice pink/red tint and adds perfect color to the face. I think I'll be using this when I'm in a hurry and need a quick color boost. I'm also considering using it for family Christmas photos.

Tarte Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara

I'm not sure what the "4-in-1" technically entitles. Every subscriber received this so I'm excited to hear what everyone else's experience with this is. As for me, my lashes lack length and volume. This is my first product from Tarte and I am completely won over! This is my favorite product this month! I definitely plan on buying the normal sized one when I go to Hawaii. My lashes aren't clumped together and the length it adds is beautiful! Ipsy, thank you!

This month's bag was my overall favorite since I've been subscribed (October 2014). I'm excited to see what Ipsy has in store for next year!

Peace. Love. Aloha.

Update on Last Week's Goals

Last week, I posted things I wanted to get done. However my daughter had a cold and fever, most likely from teething. Her two front top teeth came out at the same time! We took her to a doctor who prescribed her everything she needed to get better. Ava is feeling much better now (: I was able to accomplish a few things while ensuring my daughter's healing.

1. Come up with plans for Christmas. I decided to be really flexible and just list things we could do as a family instead of creating a set itinerary. Plus we don't know if our family members will be calling us to see them at a particular time. Some things on the list are go out to eat, see the Christmas lights and decorations around and go to a park.

2. Figure out what Ava and I going to wear for the Christmas parties, family Christmas pictures and on Christmas day. Ava wore a pink onesie with magenta/fuchsia aztec leggings to the LS Christmas party and a yellow and white dress to the NKO Christmas party. For family pictures and the day of, Ava will be wearing the same thing. I know what I'm wearing for family pictures but decided just to wing it on Christmas day.

3. Make sure Ava has a playdate with her cousin ASAP. Since Ava was sick, of course we had to cancel. I'm going to try to reschedule for either this week or next week.

4. Buy drinks for the NKO Christmas party. Done!

5. Plan out events and finances for Ava's first birthday. Done unless plans change which are 40% likely.

6. & 7. Have fun at work Christmas parties. At LS, Jade and I participated in activities and won prizes, that was cool. There was a photobooth. I wish we took more pictures but there was a long line. At NKO, the vibe was more laid back which was how I wanted to end my day. I met new people and Jade knew someone there (not surprising with how small Guam is) so they got to talk and catch up.

8. Wrap and label presents. Done!

9. Spend time with my brother on his 7th birthday. I didn't get to see my brother on his day but I know I'll be seeing him on Christmas day (:

10. Buy Christmas gifts for Ava, Jade and my mom. Done!

So that's how last week's goals worked out. I hope you all have a great time this holiday season!

IN OTHER NEWS: baby Kekoah is finally here ♡ came out at 20.5 inches & 7 lbs, 15 oz (: I haven't had the chance to meet him but that's going to change soon.

Peace. Love. Aloha.

Why I'm Excited for 2015

2015 is right around the corner and I can't wait for it to be here! I'm looking forward to so much next year! My daughter will be one, we will be going to Hawaii where I will be reuniting with family I haven't seen in over a decade, my best friend is getting married and so much more! My work is also making changes to improve next year so I'm ready to be a part of that! I have a feeling 2015 will have a unique happiness to it. I'm contemplating doing the idea where you write down the good things that happened to you and put it in a jar throughout the year and read them on December 31st. If you have done that before, please comment below your experience with it (: Let's end 2014 with no regrets and no anger in us. If you're ringing in the new year with a party, please be safe and bring a designated driver!

Peace. Love. Aloha.

The Christmas Tag ♡

1. What is your favorite Christmas Movie(s)?
The Family Stone, The Santa Clause trilogy, Arthur Christmas, Elf, Unaccompanied Minors, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated), Mickey's Christmas Carol, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
In addition to those, I actually love the old stop motion Christmas specials: The Year Without a Santa Claus, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, The Little Drummer Boy and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
When I was younger, my mom let me open one gift on Christmas Eve but as I grew older, she told me to wait for Christmas morning. I like opening gifts on Christmas day because all the built up excitement is fulfilled (:

3. Do you have a favorite Christmas memory?
When I was young and still believed in Santa, there was a Christmas where we ran out of milk. Instead of going to the store, we put out cookies and a six-pack of beer haha!

4. Favorite festive food?
Peppermint bark! I live off of peppermint in December!

5. Favorite Christmas gift?
I was fortunate to have gifts every year as a kid. That was enough for me.

6. Favorite Christmas scent?
Christmas trees! The smell of fresh Christmas trees make me feel like Christmas is in the air (since snow doesn't happen on Guam).

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
No but I plan to start some with my little family as Ava grows.

8. What tops your tree?
This changes every Christmas. Sometimes a star, sometimes an angel, and sometimes nothing at all.

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
This answer is a little embarrassing but I'll be truthful: Holiday Barbie.

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?
Quality time. Christmas forces people to get together and talk about everything going on in their lives.

I found this tag on Victoria Barnett's blog (: I smiled while doing this tag, that's the power of Christmas. If you do it too, leave me a link in the comments so I can check it out (:

Peace. Love. Aloha.