Summertime Superfoods to Fuel Your Sun Soaked Adventures

This summer make the most of the long days and extra sunshine by boosting your energy with a healthy diet and this year's trending super foods. These 5 ingredients are easy to add into your weekly menu and they each provide health benefits and promote overall wellness for an even better you. Plus, they can be used in a variety of ways to benefit your mind, body, and even your skin! I got to attend a Shiseido masterclass on the ultimate ways to create long lasting effects for better skin with their new WASO line featuring 5 amazing Japanese superfoods. Check out the list below to find out more about these nutritious ingredients.

1.Organic Honey 

The honey made from bees used in the quick gentle cleanser of the Shiseido WASO line is perfect for adding a little something sweet to your oatmeal in the morning or using it to flavor a dish like these amazing carrots by Chef Shirley Chung.
The cleanser is also one of my favorite products in this line because it gets rid of all my make up but still feels gentle on my skin and doesn't leave it dry after use!

2. Loquat

The loquat is a delicious fruit grown right here in California and is used in the Shiseido Color smart day moisturizer as well! This fruit has such a unique taste and so many nutritious qualities. I love just peeling the skin and snacking on the juicy treat!
The color smart moisturizer harnesses the power of the Loquat leaf in order to pamper your skin to start your day off right!

3. Red Shiso 

The red shiso plant is a leafy herb that is used in the Shiseido purifying peel off mask. This plant has so many great health qulities including being an antioxidant. Plus it has an amazing and unique flavor that can be used in so many meals. I got to taste it at the WASO launch party in Malibu in a delicious salad. You can read more about the party here!
The peel off mask is perfect for resetting your skin when you need to look your best and using the red shiso provides a natural purifying quality to the mask so you can get rid of dirt and bacteria quickly!

4.Carrots

Carrots are a great vegetable to include in your diet because they can help improve your eyesight and provide important nutrients but did you also know they could be moisturizing? The clear mega hydrating cream by Shiseido uses them to help hydrate your skin! I have several favorite carrot recipes but I got to try them a new way in this yummy and simple dish by Chef Shirley Chung. You can read the full recipe here and I would definitely recommend trying it!
I love this hydrating cream as my skin gets super dry in the summer and it has really made a difference for me in creating a healthy glow!

5. Yuzu citrus

The Yuzu citrus is another exotic fruit that has tons of great benefits as well as tastes delicious! I got to try it with Chef Chung but you can also eat this fruit in many other ways!
The Shiseido Beauty Sleeping mask also uses the Yuzu to help rejuvenate your skin while you are sleeping and is another one of my favorite products from the WASO line!

Meet Madeline Rosene: LA Singer/songwriter and All Around Cool Girl

Madeline Rosene is a rising indie pop singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles who recently performed at the hotel cafe off Sunset boulevard. Read my article on her breakout performance here! She sat down with me for a poolside chat to discuss her music, life in LA, fashion and more! Watch the video below to get all the latest updates on summer style and music trends!

Catt Sadler Shares Her Advice for Owning Your Career and You Want to Hear This!

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Catt Sadler is a female media powerhouse. The lifestyle journalist has built her own brand from scratch that includes everything from her own site called TheCattWalk.com to her brand new podcast titled Naked. She celebrated the launch of Naked with an intimate brunch in Malibu on Sunday June 2^nd and episode 0 went live just as lunch was served. She toasted to the launch and thanked everyone for coming to celebrate the special occasion with her. Today, episode one has just been released and listeners can tune in to hear Olivia Munn and Catt Sadler in the first official Naked interview.

Sadler shared her vision for Naked and what she is hoping to accomplish from her latest project saying, “I just wanted to have a community through Naked where my guests are raw and revealing and exposing their truths and sharing their struggles and triumphs. So that the audience can feel a little less alone in a world in which we all walk around with this armor all the time. I think it’s important to continue having conversations where people feel empowered or have a take away or where you feel inspired to be your best self.”

After leaving E! News in 2017 where she worked as a host and journalist in LA for 12 years she has branched out on her own and is making a statement for women everywhere with her entrepreneurship. Sadler has since shared that after leaving E!, where the male anchor she worked with made “significantly more” than she did according to an Us Weekly article published in December 2017, she has been able to make double the salary they paid her working for herself. She is a great example for why talking about money in women’s careers can be the difference between making a living and taking control of the future.

She shared her expert advice for young women just starting out in their careers and I've broken it down into 6 key takeaways you can easily remember wherever you go! 

Tip No. 1 Talk to Other Women!

Money can be a sensitive subject and many women don’t feel comfortable discussing it with their friends or even seeking advice. It’s usually a topic society avoids so it can be hard to know how to start the conversation but it can lead to greater things.

Sadler says, “I think transparency is key. I think getting past the taboo is huge. I think most women want to shift into that type of discussion. So, it does fall on every single one of us.”

Tip No. 2 Don’t Underestimate Your Power

Sadler says, “This conversation is so critical, it’s important because number one we are equal, we are not less than, we are not inferior. We are more than capable…Money is integral because if women are paid what is fair, society as whole does better, the economy does better. Women typically, in a household, they spend the money so there’s all these many reasons and incentives. It just makes more sense for our overall economic structure as a country…Knowing what we know we have to do as much as we can to shed light on that and continue to make change.”

Tip No. 3 Don’t Make Assumptions

She continued saying, “All that is there. Even though maybe we know that we have to move the needle. So many women, across all industries are doing the same job as their male counterparts and are making significantly less and it is even more brutal for minorities and women of color. It is not ok, its 2019.”

Tip No. 4 Do Your Research

“The research is out there. Information is out there. I don’t think in the past we even thought to go look for it. But, what is this particular job at this particular level? What is the going rate for this based on said experience etc. etc.? I think that some of the onus is certainly on us to look for it, work for it, find out about it.”

Sites like Glassdoor, and Payscale.com are great tools to use for researching specific roles and salaries. It’s always a great idea to do some research before going into a job interview so you have a ballpark figure in mind in case an employer asks about your salary requirements or offers you a salary range.

Tip No. 5 Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions and Advocate for Yourself

“If you are interviewing with your first employer, I think it’s ok to ask the question, if you hire me or if I choose to work here, can I be assured that, someone who has the same experience or the same education or you know all the same boxes checked, would a male be making more than me? I think it’s ok to ask your employer that and I don’t think we used to do that...Be as choosy as you possibly can.”

Tip No. 6 Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate

“It is important especially for college graduates, that first salary is super important because you know your salary does follow you throughout your life. So, if you start really low you’re constantly playing catch up…Try and hold out for the best possible salary that you can negotiate because that will stay with you. I know that’s easier said than done in a climate when people have bills to pay and rent to pay and you just want to work and get started.”

Negotiating for your salary can seem intimidating since even landing a job offer at all can feel challenging at times. But asking if the company is open to negotiating should not feel like an extra burden. It is part of the hiring process and each individual employer will have specific hiring practices for their company. 

These are certainly some great tips to remember when starting your job search and at any point in your career. Staying confident and informed, and starting these important conversations with your friends are all skills that will prepare you for any new challenge that comes your way! Maybe even building your own brand one day like Sadler.

You can find Catt Sadler’s new podcast Naked, on Spotify, iTunes and many other places to hear more amazing advice and stories from this businesswoman as well as her guests. You can read more about the Naked concept in my article on the amazing brunch here. 

Catt Sadler Launches Her New Podcast "Naked" in Style

On Sunday I headed out to the Shiseido Malibu Beach house for the ultimate blogger brunch hosted by the amazing Catt Sadler.

She welcomed me and a select group of other bloggers to the intimate brunch celebrating the launch of what she calls her "next chapter". Watch my interview with Catt below to hear her describe Naked in her own words! She also told me about her sparkly look for the event and we had the same thoughts on wearing a jacket for the event since it seemed like kind of a grey day in Malibu. The sun did come out for us in the afternoon though and I got some great pictures of the amazing views for you guys!


The podcast has a unique twist to it and at the brunch Catt explained to us where the name "Naked" came from. Her idea is to have each of her guests take off a piece of what she calls "armor". Armor can be anything from red lipstick to a bra and according to Catt one of her guests decided to take the opportunity to go braless!
She said she wants to have her guests be, "raw and revealing and exposing their truths and sharing their struggles and triumphs.
She hopes the audience, "can feel a little less alone in a world in which we all walk around with this armor all the time. I think it’s important to continue having conversations where people feel empowered or have a take away or where you feel inspired to be your best self.”
Her idea really stands out in the world of lifestyle media and episode 0 went live as we all toasted to the occasion.
I got to sit down with Catt and asked her more about her idea for Naked and how she feels about the current media landscape.
 She told me that she was inspired to create Naked hoping to offer something different to her listeners and be more authentic.
Catt said, "It's really tricky because all the platforms kind of have a different tone or a different realm in which they operate. I feel like we're moving towards a shift right now where people look at Instagram and they know ok, this is polished or this is photo shopped or this is your highlight reel and I think everyone is privy to it at this point and I think it's gonna swing the other way where people just want more organic realness. You know, that is real life. There is a place for everything obviously, it's beautiful so many beautiful images on Instagram so much art so much inspiration I love it. But, it's doing a disservice to people, especially young girls who look at it and think that their mentors or icons, the people they look up to look a certain way because that's just not reality."
The former E! News anchor who now has her own brand complete with a site called the Cattwalk.com and her new podcast shared so many inspiring quotes throughout the day. She was truly excited for her next big adventure and was full of energy all afternoon.
She teased episode one of the podcast which is coming out this week, and talked about what it was like interviewing her first guest Olivia Munn. I don't know about you guys but I can't wait to listen in to episode 1 and hear what it's like to get "naked" with Catt Sadler and Olivia Munn! The brunch was amazing and the views from the patio were even better! Plus meeting this super inspiring entrepreneur and seeing her in action was definitely a highlight of my weekend! Check out more pictures from the event below!

Add Some Color to Your Life This Summer at The World of Fruit Experience in LA

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I attended the opening night of the World of Fruit exhibit and immersive experience which will be in LA all summer and it is the perfect place for bloggers, and anyone to come and get an adventure right in the city this summer! The World of Fruit is a fun exhibit for all ages located on N. La Brea Avenue where you can explore a colorful and whimsical universe of fruit and art! The night kicked off with a champagne tower and fruit cups for guests to enjoy as the party got started. Guests were invited to start taking tours through the exhibit in groups of about 10 or so.

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This fun field trip was inspired by the founder's love of fruit from around the world and each room has a different theme whether it be polka dotted bananas or a giant watermelon nothing says summer quite like a Mondrian inspired display of luscious life size fruit sculptures.

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Some of the rooms even bring the fruit to life with tastings. Stop and discover a new flavor with the dragon fruit power bowls in one room or take cute pictures with watermelon popsicles in the bright pink watermelon playground. I had so much fun exploring this cool new exhibit and even dressed for the occasion in my Kate Spade lemon dress and matching lemon print purse!

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I went to a disco party with a giant pineapple and really felt like I could have been in the jungle with the hanging vines in one of the rooms. It was a fun way to start the summer and is a perfect photo op for bloggers looking to add some color to their feed. I loved getting to taste the exotic melons from Africa in the next room and was actually full by the end of the night! There were so many delicious options to discover.

If you are a fruithead like me you can get your tickets here!
https://worldoffruit.co/

Watch: Celebrity Chef Shirley Chung Teaches Me How to Make the Perfect Healthy Snack for Any 20-something

I got to attend an amazing master class with celebrity chef Shirley Chung who now owns her own restaurant in Culver City called the MsChi cafe. You can read all about my fun day at the Shiseido Malibu Beach House learning about their brand new WASO skincare line made with superfood ingredients here!
Chef Shirley shared so many amazing recipes with us but today I wanted to share this one with you guys because it is so easy and super delicious! Plus if you love snacks as much as I do you will love this recipe perfect for any occasion.
I have posted the ingredients below so you can follow along in the video and try these out at home!

Recipe

Wonton Filling Ingredients

3 King Trumpet Mushrooms
3oz Carrots (about half of a whole carrot)
3 tbsp grape seed oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced ginger\
 2 tbsp minced scallion
6oz firm organic tofu
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

Mince mushrooms and set them aside to cook later. Mince carrots and set aside. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a saute pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add minced mushrooms and garlic into the pan, season with 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, and saute till mushrooms are golden brown. Set aside to mix later. Heat up 1 tbsp oil in the saute pan over medium heat, add carrots and ginger in the pan, season with 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and saute till they are tender (about 2 minutes). In a mixing bowl, combine cooked mushrooms, carrots, tofu, and scallion, mix well so the tofu binds all ingredients together. Finish with sesame oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Honey Yuzu Vinaigrette Ingredients

1/4 cup yuzu juice
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp chili oil

Combine everything together in a small bowl.

To fold Wontons:
20 Wonton wrappers
1 egg
1tbsp water
wonton filling

Directions

Crack the egg and whisk egg and water together to make as egg wash (this is what we will use to seal the wontons.) Put 1/2 tbsp. filling onto the middle of the wrapper, dab the egg wash on the edges of the wonton wrapper, bring one corner to the other, seal and make a triangle, then wet the skinny corners, bring them together to make wontons.

To cook Wontons

Boil a pot of water, when the water comes to a boil, add wontons in it. When the wontons are floating on top, let them float for 1 minute, total cooking is about 3 minutes.

Celebrating the Start of Summer with Shiseido: My Fruit Filled Day in LA

You guys know that my blog is all about fruit and cherries were the inspiration for the blog name, so I can't wait to share my summer kickoff celebration filled with exotic fruit, amazing skincare, and even a private cooking class with celebrity chef Stephanie Chung.

Spoiler alert, she loves fresh fruit almost as much as me! I even discovered a new fruit during her class called a loquat. She shared this delicious sweet fruit with us which she uses in several of her recipes. We even took this picture together with some of the ingredients, lemons to match my dress!

I started off my day heading to the Shiseido Malibu beach house where a select group of bloggers and celebrities were invited to come celebrate the launch of the Shiseido WASO skincare line.

 We were treated to an amazing master cooking class with Top Chef finalist Stephanie Chung using the same ingredients found in the Shiseido WASO skincare line! The line features several superfood ingredients which are good for your skin and your health! We learned how to double it up on these superfoods so we can eat them and use them on our skin for the ultimate glow!

Stephanie shared her favorite easy recipes made for entertaining with us starting with a delicious Tofu aioli and glazed carrots.

We got to taste the amazing recipe while enjoying the waves crashing right below us. We took in the stunning views from the patio while enjoying our lunch and then headed back inside for more cooking!

I got to help Stephanie prepare carrots for the next meal and she gave tips for the best way to shave carrots creating pretty spirals for garnish.

We also used Yuzu, which is found in the hydrating sleep mask of the skincare line as well for our next dish. Stephanie invited us to come "garden with her" and create our own custom salads.

After enjoying more delicious food I headed upstairs to take in these amazing views from the second floor while testing out the latest Shiseido products.

We got the full WASO line to take home with us and I have already started using the moisturizer. I can already see a difference and can't wait to try out the rest of the products! Don't forget to check back on the blog soon for more about the cooking class! I will even be sharing one of the recipes we made!

After spending the morning enjoying the amazing fresh recipes from Chef Chung I headed over to Melrose where I continued my fruit themed adventure celebrating the grand opening of the World of Fruit installation in Beverly Hills.

The art gallery is an immersive fruit themed experience with 8 rooms full of colorful interactive exhibits. There are even special tastings offered throughout the museum where guests can taste superfruits from exotic locales around the world. There are fruits that have come from Africa, South America, and many other places! Check out all the fun below!

Indie Pop Sensation Madeline Rosene Performs at the Hotel Cafe

My outfit for the show!

On a typical weekend night on Sunset Blvd there are tons of shows and performances to explore along the famous street. However, the Hotel Cafe is the perfect place to stop in if you're looking for an intimate live music experience. On Sunday night, I headed over to the small venue that's reminiscent of a speakeasy bar with it's art deco flooring and simple layout. I was headed out to see up and coming indie artist Madeline Rosene perform her latest hit "Numb" with her band.

Rosene's music is fun spunky and totally original but she is best known for her honest and quirky lyrics. The style is reminiscent of Taylor Swift's Red album but, mixed with her cool and electric indie sounds makes her music a fun and easy listen. Her songs range from topics about growing up, friendships, relationships, and the most common millennial struggle--communicating with technology. The Ohio native has really tapped into the everyday struggles of 21st century life making her music funny and relate-able for millennial fans. 

Her style matches her honest and at times sarcastic music and she was sporting a stylish oversized white jacket with matching white tennis shoes for the concert. The crowd definitely enjoyed the show and laughed at the witty remarks in her songs. 

Madeline is not only a musician but also loves fashion and has her own blog and Instagram platform where she shares her style inspirations. She has mastered a California cool vibe meets LA transplant on her feed and I can't wait to see what kinds of styles she will come up with at her next show! You can check out more of her music on YouTube where she even creates her own music videos. The Madeline Rosene brand is definitely one to watch because, this girl is on top of all the current trends and translates them into engaging and elegant content and music to represent millennial culture.

Check Out My Interview and Article with LeeAnn Womack at ASCAP Music Expo in Hollywood Glam Magazine

This year I returned to the annual ASCAP music festival in Hollywood to get up to date on the latest from the leading tastemakers in the music industry. Check out my article and interview with country artist LeeAnn Womack in Hollywood Glam Magazine below!

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https://www.hollywoodglammagazine.com/2019/05/12/girls-power-mothers-day-a-star-is-born-songwriter-shares-his-inspiration-for-shallow/

LA Food Bowl Opening Week: LA's Best Fried Chicken at the VIP Party

I have officially peaked guys lol! Last night I got to attend the VIP Fried Chicken party at the LA Food Bowl at City Hall in DTLA. The exclusive event attracted celebrities and foodies from all over the city of angels this year. The party was part of a week long event to kick off the LA food bowl a festival celebrating all the amazing cuisine LA has to offer from food trucks to luxury dining!
The fried chicken party was full of the best friend chicken joints in LA all giving guests a taste of their most unique and popular dishes. Vendors included, Honey’s Kettle, Lucky Bird, Night + Market, Chef Kang Food Rehab, Hotville Chicken, Phat Birds and The Crack Shack.

There were even drinks and desserts as well! This LA foodie was in heaven with all the options. Proud Source water provided hydrating beverages while several other beverage vendors had even more fun options! A winery gave guests a taste of their Australian wines and Topo Chico mineral water gave refreshing fizzy waters for the spring evening.

The party continued into the night with dessert from Wanderlust creamery a delicious pink sorbet that you know I loved because it matched my outfit! There was also a DJ and a separate exclusive Doordash lounge where you could find even more sweet treats including Mochi ice cream! The whole night was a blast and I had a great time discovering some new favorite eateries all over the city! I will definitely be going back to LuckyBird Chicken because their sandwich was amazing!
Set in front of city hall the LA party was decorated with fun lanterns as the beautiful city hall building glowed in the background. It was the perfect way to end my week and I would definitely recommend checking out this year's food bowl!

Create the Ultimate Summer 2019 Playlist with these Trendy New Tunes from Long Beach Band WarGirl

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Have all your friends jealous this summer with a hot new playlist for road trips, pool parties, and much more that will make you look like the ultimate trendsetter. Wargirl, the up and coming indie rock band gave me an exclusive interview before their San Diego show at the Soda Bar lounge where they shared the inspiration behind their catchy new album.

The band's long beach inspired afro punk sound is the perfect music to chill out with your friends to this summer. The band was founded by Matt Wignall who worked with the indie success Cold War Kids and was inspired to create the band to share the mish mash of sounds from his hometown in Long Beach, CA. You won't want to miss out on reading this interview with this group who are poised to break into the indie scene in a big way this year!

Question: How would you describe your sound?

Answer: It honestly depends on who you ask. Every single band member is going to answer that question in a different way which is what makes the band special. Everyone comes from such a different background and it's such an eclectic mix. We've got some Afrobeat, indie, rock and roll background, jazz, acapella you name it its in there and that kind of makes up a comprising Long Beach town.


Question: How would you describe your style? Is it more rock and roll or Boho?

Answer: Me, I just wanna be Keith Richards when I grow up. It's really up to the individual. I would say there's a lot of punk, in a weird way in a sense that if you look at Blondie, the talking heads, B52, bands that were considered in the punk scene but not necessarily the largely popularized versions of punk, It's more like that because that's what the late 70s early 80s punk scene was about just individualism and self expression.

Question: What are you playing tonight for this San Diego audience?

Answer: We have a new EP out and an album so there's 6 songs on our EP and 10 songs on our album. We've got about 16 songs that we can choose from right now. We're also going to be doing some Eagles covers. Freebird is on the set list!

Question: Who are your musical inspirations? 

Answer: The first sort of inception point for the band was that I produce records I have my own studio and I was like I want to make some music with my friends I haven't done that in awhile. So, I've always really liked the later Clash material like London Calling and Sandinistas especially Sandinistas was so interesting because again, here's something that's considered punk but they had some hip hop,  Afrobeat and the base player was into Reggae and it was like they kind of put all that together and it evolved into a much more mature band.
So hearing that stuff I was like gosh like Sandinista's could come out tomorrow and it would still sound current. I really just wanna make something like that. There was a festival recently with a bunch of like the old Orange County angsty bands playing and they're all sort of old and grey haired flipping the crowd off with their baseball hats on and it was kind of cool and relevant when you're that age, but it doesn't age well at all. And all of us in the band love music and we're kind of addicted to it. And if you found us all of us in 20 or 30 years I think we'd all still be doing music in some way or another. And I just really wanted to make some kind of music that if I'm 60 years old and playing that music that I won't look like an idiot doing it. So that's what inspired my idea for the band.

Question: Where do you find inspiration for your songs?

Answer: I think we're largely inspired by our environment in Long Beach. And what we're surrounded by culturally and artistically. We surround our self with the local flora and fauna to go out and write.
Our band does have an undertone of Long Beach because that's where we're all from. Long Beach is just this melting pot for diversity and character. In terms of writing its kind of nice to step away and be in a place where we're not in the thick of our everyday lives.
Inspiration for me is not just like where I live but like who I'm around the conversations I'm having what's happening socially. What I'm experiencing personally as a black woman in America which is really prominent right now for me. As the front woman of this band I really want to speak to that I think it's super important. But I also want to keep this music and the lyrics universal for people to take it in their own interpretation I think that like Matt was saying I want this music to be timeless and I want it to be accessible for everyone because that's what lasts. Things that you can latch onto.
We're all so diverse in the band which is like a reflection of long beach. So our influence is varied which is cool we're like a melting pot within a melting pot. We're like fondue!

Question: You've released your EP and you've been touring for about a year and a half, what's next for you guys?

Answer: We're a little bit like a freight train we never really stop. Once we came back from the last tour we started working on some demos. We wanna keep the momentum going. We recorded the album last year and we released it in both Europe and North America so now it's time to really stream our focus into what's coming next in the sophomore album. But, in the meantime we're just enjoying touring and finding some awesome venues to play at. We're heading to a festival in the UK this weekend. We're doing a lot of travel.