Luisa's Pampering Party

Last Sunday a couple of my closest friends and I threw our friend Luisa a surprise "mommy shower". We didn't want this to be your typical baby shower with cheezy baby shower games, etc. Instead, we decided to keep it very simple and intimate and make this get together all about her. We knew that she had been having a few stressful weeks so we thought that a girl's day dedicated to her would be a great idea. We spent the first few hours at a fancy nail spa around the corner from where I live called Bollinger nails. After our manis and pedis, we headed over to my place for brunch. We set up a brunch bar with a bunch of carbs like bagels, croissants,  and muffins. As well as sandwiches, fruit and mimosas (Luisa's was virgin of course...at least I hope it was). The rest of the day was spent making cute baby girl headbands, getting our make up done by a professional MUA, and meeting up with our guys for an early dinner.

Here we are getting our manis and pedis. Can we take a moment to admire the beautiful storefront of this nail salon???? The inside of the salon was even more beautiful. 

Yes that is me in the middle picking out what color I wanted to get my nails done....decisions, decisions....

I decorated a small dessert table so that she could feel extra special. 

Isn't it pretty?

 The star of the dessert table were these yummy carrot cake cupcakes my husband and I baked from scratch the night before. 

Because this was a mommy shower and not a baby shower, we filled up a basket with goodies for Luisa. She went home with a basket full of makeup, magazines, bath products, etc. etc. Lucky girl!

Here is the brunch bar we set up for Luisa.......talk about carb overload. Why do carbs have to be so damn good????

 Of course, we had semi healthier options such as turkey & pesto sandwiches on croissant bread as well as chicken salad sandwiches on buns. Oh yeas and berries.... (but I think we ended up using those for the mimosas...hehehe). 

I was going to make her a cheesecake but I ended up making a no-bake mexican "cheesecake" called "Pay de Carlota". Btw...isn't my friend's daughter so cute?! 

Here is Luisa getting her makeup done by the talented Danielle Quiroz. 

                                 

 Such a fun day to remember! I really hope Luisa enjoyed her special surprise!

XO, Liliana

My Very First Post & Living Room Tour

You know that feeling of getting on a bike after many years have passed since you last were on one? You still remember how to ride a bike (at least you hope so), yet you can't help but fear that you will fall and scrape your knee. That may be an odd example I just gave but it pretty much describes what I am feeling at this very moment as I am posting my very first blog post in what feels like an eternity. I once was an avid blogger and website moderator for a blogging community called Luuux. The experience was fun until management decided to implement so many rules and made navigating the website a total nightmare. This was also during the time I started a new full time job which left me with little to no time to devote myself to blogging. Flash forward several years later, and here I am, starting a new blog and hoping I can stick to it. Because of the fact that I am starting this blog from scratch without a fan base and without any advertisement, I am somewhat curious to see if I will attract any readers. I guess a part of me truly hopes so partially because I love to share and partially because I want to be part of an online community again. Yet the other part of me won't be too disappointed if I don't.

My plan for this blog is to post a lot of posts related to home decor, beauty and fashion. Because its a "lifestyle" blog, I will also post a lot about my life, the places I go to, the food I eat, etc etc. In addition, you will also learn about my love of cooking & baking because I plan to post a lot of recipes! And did I mention I bake cupcakes on the regular? Hence, the word cupcakes in my title (I didn't just name it Love, Lipstick & Cupcakes to be cutesy you know).

Okay enough blabbing for now......without  further ado, I'd like to present to you my apartment living room! I have been working on this space for a couple of months. I am not done with it by any means (It still needs more furniture, window panels etc) but I wanted to share what I have done so far.

Please excuse the awful lighting of my "photography".....I use my iPhone to take photos and I took these at night.


We moved into this 645 sq. ft apartment about 4 months ago and we are slowly decorating it. I knew this would be a challenge because our home prior to this one was a 3 bedroom single family house. Downsizing can be extremely difficult when you are going from a larger home to one about half the size. We got rid of our massive L shaped sectional and decided to purchase a small apartment size sofa instead. I had been lusting over Macy's Chloe Sofa for many years. I was about the take the plunge and purchase it online but was not too happy with how much it would cost to have it shipped. Being the bargain hunter that I am (see how I used the term bargain hunter and not cheap ass), I decided to test my luck and search for this baby on Craigslist. Which I found for such a great deal! About half the original price! Score!

The moment I picked up this sofa I knew that I wanted to hang my beautiful sunburst Horchow style mirror right above it. I purchased this mirror a few years ago from HomeGoods and it is still one of my favorite pieces that I own. 

Here is a sneak peak of my small kitchen.....I just love white cabinets.

 The moment I saw this sea urchin on a stick at Target, it was love at first sight. I placed it on top of my table tray which was also purchased at Target (love that store).

Speaking of love at first sight, the moment I saw this beautiful tufted club chair on Oh My Dear Blog I knew I had to have it! I believe she purchased hers from Costco Canada, but I found mine on Overstock!

I will be posting many interior decorating blogs! So stayed tuned!

Thank you for taking the time to read this long and hopefully not so boring post! I am still a bit rusty when it comes to blogging, therefore, bear with me. =) 

XO, Liliana