What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?
My favorite holidays aren’t defined by one place or one trip. When I think about them, I think about my father, my Aba, and the way he made travel feel like so much more than just going somewhere new. He didn’t just take us on vacations, he made us a part of something he truly loved. From sitting by the window on the Pacific Coast Amtrak train watching the ocean stretch endlessly beside us, to long drives from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe filled with conversations and quiet moments, every journey felt complete simply because we were together.
Some memories still feel almost unreal, like climbing over a thousand steps to reach Mount Saint Michel in France, exhausted but happy, or traveling across Europe from Paris to Zurich and Amsterdam, experiencing new places while holding onto that same sense of closeness. Aba always said his trips would feel empty without us, and now I understand what he meant. It was never about the destination for him, it was about sharing those moments with family, about making sure we were there with him in everything he experienced.
Now when I look back, those memories mean everything to me, but they are also bittersweet. I sometimes think about going back to the same cafés and places just to feel close to him again, even though I know it won’t ever be the same. And maybe that is okay. What stays with me is not the places, but the feeling he created, the warmth, the togetherness, and the quiet happiness of being there as a family. I have already lived my favorite holidays and most of my wish list. I was 29 when I lost my father. He is a big part of me and will always be. I dream of him often and find comfort in that.
Do you have a favorite place you have visited? Where is it?
Los Angeles during December has a gentle magic to it. The city feels slower, softer, and calmer compared to the constant rush of New York City. The weather is cool but never harsh, and there’s this bright winter light that makes even an ordinary day feel special. Everywhere you go, there’s a quiet sense of warmth in the air, like the city itself is relaxing.
Some of my most peaceful moments were spent by the water. Laguna Beach and Malibu Beach quickly became two of my all-time favorites. No matter the time of day, they carried a calm that settled straight into your chest. Morning waves, golden afternoons, evenings when the sky turned soft, or late nights when the ocean was the only sound around you—each moment felt healing in its own quiet way.
Glendale became the heart of my time in LA. During the holiday season, the whole city feels inviting. The lights, the music drifting through the streets, the cozy crowd at the Americana at Brand, and the decorated corners all around the city created a soft holiday atmosphere that made me feel at home. Glendale is also famous for its vibrant Persian community, and it shows everywhere you look. From the markets to the restaurants, it’s full of life, and the Persian cuisine there is some of the best I’ve ever had. Even simple routines felt comforting, like quick grocery trips to Target/Ralphs or wandering around the mall with Christmas songs playing in the background.
There were also the little details that made the experience unforgettable. The drives along Angeles Crest with mountains opening up around the road. Grabbing In-N-Out almost every day without ever getting tired of it. Stopping for Salt & Straw ice cream. And remembering the Godiva outlet that no longer exists, especially their rich dark chocolate ice cream that became a small tradition for me whenever I passed by.
Even the quiet evenings in Pasadena added to the feeling. Walking along Colorado Boulevard felt safe, lively, and full of gentle energy. The mix of nature, holiday lights, food, small routines, and late-night drives created a season that felt warm and deeply personal. Los Angeles in December became more than just a place to visit. It became a memory that settled in my heart, full of moments that still feel alive when I think about them.
All of this traveling and seeing these places was thanks to my amazing father. He literally showed us the world. He was a very involved, loving, and caring father who made every trip special. Glendale has a personal connection for our family too, because it is where my father went for his further studies in the 1980s. Today, it remains one of the safest neighborhoods in LA, and experiencing it with the memories of my father made it feel even more special. I will forever carry his memory—his favorite restaurant, his favorite cuisine, his recommendations. I just can’t believe he is no longer here with me.
Hey guys! I hope you all had an amazing summer, today i’ll be listing my top favourite foundation I’ve previously used and currently i’m using.
P.s I always go for the same line(brand) for the primer and concealer. Just to make sure everything goes on well smoothly.
I have been in love with makeup since I was 5. I used to take my cousins metallic purple lipstick and put it on myself and do my nails metallic green. I was a baby. And metallic purple is a very ugly shade. I don’t know why I was obsessed with purple when I was a kid. Fast forward to now I still do love makeup (occasionally) but nothing as dramatic as a metallic purple lip shade, I’m more into subtle pinks and nude shades.
Moving on to my favourite foundations;
Huda Beauty Faux Filter Foundation: $42
This foundation was a game changer! This is a complete full coverage foundation yet it felt so much like my normal skin. The shade I got was Amaretti (it was quite yellow for my skin but the concealer evened out the look). I got their primer as well(which was heavily perfumed). I personally don’t like to put heavily and artificially scented cosmetics on my face because I have a sensitive skin, and artificial scent doesn’t go on well with my skin. This foundation is quite heavy and I would not recommend this to anyone with an acne prone skin. This will probably clog your pores and cause more breakouts. But it’s perfectly fine for normal skin. I remember I used this foundation at a family gathering and it didn’t even move a bit, got asked a lot on what foundation i’d used. There are immense number of shades and undertones to choose from. I would always recommend buying your foundation before your skin gets tanned while on a vacation and the people at Sephora end up giving you a shade different than your normal skin tone. I won’t be investing on this foundation anytime soon, it’s just not my cup of tea anymore.
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation: $39
So I got this foundation when it first launched (on my first trip to The States) and I absolutely loved it. It was the big thing back then because it was Rihana’s first makeup launch and everyone was gaga over this brand. I remember when I wanted to buy it they didn’t have my shade and the lady at Sephora gave a shade darker than my skin tone. I don’t understand this obsession with a tanned look but well I got it and I liked it. I used it mostly on my trip and I got it along with their primer. It’s good for someone with a sensitive skin, it won’t clog your pores. I however will not be buying it again. I have probably had better stuff so I would rather stick to that. I love fenty setting powder, Lip gloss (universal and fussy) and their diamond bomb highlighters.
Mac Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15: $39
This is an amazing foundation the coverage isn’t that good, but it’s perfect for anyone with a sensitive skin. I usually mix it with my Estee Lauder foundation to give that full coverage. I use their pink strobe cream as a primer underneath my foundation and later use their concealer to give that fully amazing glammed up look. My tip with this foundation is mix this it with any other foundation(which has more coverage) if you want something with fuller coverage. My Mac shade is nc25.
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation: $48
Okay I ordered this foundation online and the shade was a bit lighter than my skin tone, I cannot solely use it by itself. I mix this foundation with my Mac foundation to even it out. I do 2 parts of mac and 1 part of Estee when doing my makeup. The results are amazing. Mixing this particular foundation with my Mac is something I still do and I restocked on these foundations as well. Both these foundations are perfect for sensitive skin. They don’t clog your pores and the formula is amazing yet easy to apply.
Nars radiant long wear foundation: $49
I have been waiting to get my hands on this foundation for a very long time and I ended up buying it on my last trip to Los Angeles (july’22). I got the corrector, foundation and the concealer all matching my foundation shade. I use my Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niancinamide dew drops as my primer, this is my holy grail (previously reviewed in my updated skin care post). They had those cameras at Sephora which would help you choose your matching foundation shade according to the undertones and color. My shade was Santa fe. This is such a light weight yet medium to full coverage foundation. It literally feels like skin. This particular foundation has a shelf life of 24 months which was amazing. This is perfect for someone like me who has to throw away half filled bottles just because their shelf life has expired within 6 or 12 months. Usually foundations have a shelf life of a year and you need to throw them away after that. It’s not perfumed, it’s oil free, easy to apply and transfer proof (Well I use a setting spray). I don’t know about you but my Urban decay all nighter setting spray didn’t go well with my Nars foundation, so I got the Charlotte Tilbury setting spray instead. I’ve been using Urban decay (original) setting spray since 2 years now but I guess the formula didn’t really work. Specially in corona times when you need a face mask, my urban decay literally locked in my makeup and there was absolutely no transfer.
In the end i’d like to add is that your makeup will only look good if you take care of your skin. No matter how full coverage or expensive your foundation may be, it won’t help in doing much. If you have a beautiful skin, which is well taken care of, your makeup too will look amazing. Don’t ever forget to use an SPF in the morning (at the very end of your skin care routine) and don’t ever sleep with your makeup on. Remember to drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated specially in this humid and hot weather. Please refrain from buying foundation which does not match your skin tone, getting foundation lighter than your skin tone will make you look like casper (grey ghost). No offence.
Hey guys! I hope you’re all having an amazing day and getting on well with 2022. It’s September already, 4 months for this year to end. Anyways, today i’ll be sharing a few super cute and amazing products from NYX cosmetics. It’s basically an American company and owned by Loreal or in other words its a subsidiary of Loreal. Their products are sold in 70 countries via thousands of retailers.
I absolutely love some of their products and I think it’s not given the hype it deserves. The products arent too expensive and way too reasonable than what you would find at sephora. You can literally spend 100 dollars in NYX and get tons of products whereas you honestly can’t count the amount of money you spend on buying basic makeup products from Sephora. I absolutely love sephora. Have been to multiple Sephora stores (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Paris, Barcelona and Dubai) my favourite one has to be the one on Champs-Élysées (Paris). NYX is a quite decent brand too. I have a particular products which I absolutely love from them and you should definitely try these if you haven’t tried them as yet. Lets start with the list;
3 STEPS TO SCULPT FACE SCULPTING PALETTE: $13
I love face palettes. My most favourite face palette has to be the Huda Beauty 3D Highlighter Palette(pink sands and golden sands) and it retails for $45 whereas this super convenient palette retails for way less ($13). I don’t use the plain powder and I hardly use the highlighter and I rather use my Fenty or Huda Beauty highlighter. The contour/bronzer powder however is amazing, absolutely love it. This is super pigmented so you need keep a super light hand when applying it. Contouring and giving yourself a bronzed up look is quite in since a couple of years now. People usually skip blush and go for a more bronzed up look to define their facial features. I absolutely hate cream contour and I ended up buying The Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour palette used it once hated it and threw it away. It was a complete waste. And every single celebrity was crazy about this palette. Don’t ever believe these so called influencers on social media, all they do is speak falsely about companies which send them free products. I have 3 favourite contour powders first one is NARS laguna Bronzer (Retails for $38), Benefit Cosmetics Matte Hoola Bronzer Powder (retails for $32) and lastly this particular NYX bronzer in this $13 palette. NYX has the price edge here (obviously).
HONEY DEW ME UP PRIMER: $17
This is an amazing primer. Best for all sorts of skin and it gives you such a plumped up and dewy look. The Gold Flakes inside it are so cute and eye catching. I love everything about this product and it is one of my personal favourite primers. Doesn’t feel heavy when applied and makes my foundation get applied smoothly. This goes on well with every foundation. I would either use this or my mac strobe cream (pinklite). Mac is obviously more expensive than NYX, retailing at $36 where as Nyx Honey dew me up is for $17.
SUEDE MATTE LIPSTICK (In Rose a day & Free Spirit): $8
I absolutely love their Matte lipsticks. I’m more into subtle pinks or nudes and nothing too dramatic. My personal 2 favourite shades from this entire line is Rose A Day & Free Spirit (both of these shades are quite similar) while retailing at only $8. You go to sephora and you wont find anything at a full size for less than $25. My other favourite go to lipstick is Too Faced melted matte in the shade Sell out (Amazing shade and lasts super long) and it costs around $26. I don’t invest much on new lipsticks since I have a particular favourite shade from a particular brand and I don’t like going for something new. Would definitely recommend both these shades if you want something other than reds or bright colors.
THAT’S THE POINT EYELINER: $11
Okay So I have been using NYX liners since 2019, I don’t usually use liners, only use it occasionally. If you’re someone who’s super bad at doing their own liner this marker is super easy. The marker is easier to hold and the liner dries out super quick too.
JUMBO EYE PENCIL: $5.50
My Go to look is definitely a white pencil in my waterline or smudged out black pencil in the outer ends of my eyes and mascara. It’s super quick and more convenient. I absolutely love this pencil and honestly there is no other alternative at such a good price. So if you’re someone who wants white in their waterline definitely get this. Overly dramatic eyes are way too old school these days, and people opt for a more natural/simple makeup than ending up looking like something they’re not.
CONTROL FREAK EYEBROW GEL: $7
I absolutely love Brow Mascaras/gels because they don’t give you that fake dramatic look and again they’re super quick and easy to use. That is it. This is perfectly fine for someone who doesn’t want to add more color to their brows (because this is transparent). If you’re someone who has thin brows and wants more life added to them then you should definitely not get this and rather go for something more pigmented!
At the end i’d like to say that it’s not always about the price tag, just because something is expensive it doesn’t make it good and just because something isn’t that expensive and reasonable it doesn’t make the product bad!
