Us at Fishermen’s Whalf! There’s whole bunch of cool shops and a food market with tons of yummy food so if you’re visiting San Fran – this place is a must!

Enjoying the BEST clam chower soup I’ve ever had at Boudins! Mmm…I actually bought some canned soup home but it’s just not the same : (

After we finished stuffing ourselves with some more food we walked down the boardwalk, along Pier 39! It was kind of chilly so we didn’t stay that long but I’m sure it’s beautiful there in the summer! There’s places where you can rent bikes/rollerblades and you can actually ride along the pier and there’s a trail that leads you to the Golden Gate Bridge – How awesome is that?! I have to come back here in the summer time!!

Us enjoying the sunset down by Pier 39! : ) I love this picture!

We then headed to Union Square to shop a bit (this place is the perfect shopping and dining area! From high end boutiques to your everyday shops, I’m sure you can find whatever you’re looking for here!) We then finished off the night with some yummy Thai food at Osha Thai Restaurant! My all time favorite thai dish would have to be the chicken green curry and their’s was the BOMB! (It came with this crispy roti instead of rice and it was just perfect!)

Pad thai, Tom yum soup and the Vegetarian crispy roll at Osha Thai Restaurant! Not only was the food amazing but the customer service was as well! For all those Torontonians – the vibe reminded us of Spice Route!

After a good night’s rest we were ready to start our jam packed day! The night before, Jenny and I literally wrote down a list and made a schedule of what we had to see! First stop, Mission Beach Cafe for breakfast! Mabel and our friend Peggy both have been here and they couldn’t stop raving about it! Mabel’s exact words were “Dude, seriously it’s the best pancakes I ever had, it just melts in your mouth”

Me with the the yummy pancakes and french toast at Mission Beach cafe!

At the heart of Union Square – sneaking in some quick shopping! : )

A cable car!! We actually didn’t have time to ride it : ( So whenever we saw an empty one we would jump on it and take some pictures! haha

We had to make quick stop to union square again so miss Jenny could find her Celine bag and after that our next stop was Hong Kong lounge for some dim sum but sadly it was closed : ( so we yelped some best dim sum places in town and it brought us to Good Luck dim sum! It’s kind of neat though, in Toronto – all dim sum places is usually a sit down restaurant where this restaurant had a whole ‘fast-food’ spin on it! I do highly recommend checking out these Dim Sum places! Next stop, the famous winding road  - “Lombard street”! It’s famous for being steep and having 8 sharp turns! Apparently, it’s usually so packed that you would have to wait at least 20 mins to drive down this road! We got pretty lucky and didn’t have to wait at all – it’s totally a touristy thing to do but you gotta say you’ve seen it at least once! : ) Speaking of roads, everyone knows San Fran is known for their hills and steep roads but I must give a shout- out to all the drivers there! DAMN, parallel parking is hard enough, just imagine parallel parking on one of those steep streets (I wish I took a picture to show you guys!)

Our attempt of doing a “jumping” picture and being silly on Lombard Street!

Next stop, we made our way to china town to the Golden Gate bakery to find the BEST egg tarts ever! Our friend Peggy told us we had to go try it, but when we got there it was sold out and we would have to wait at least an hour for the next batch  so we left : ( We thought we would leave San Fran without trying these egg tarts but before we headed to the airport the next morning, we decided to ditch breakfast to go back to the bakery! It was a MISSION but was it worth it? – YES! They literally melted in your mouth, the crust was so flakey and it was simply amaze-balls!

In china town, right outside Golden Gate bakery! Egg tart lover? You gotta try them at this awesome bakery!!

When Jenny and I was googling top 10 things you must do when you’re in San Fran – one of them was actually to try the famous irish coffee from Buena Vista and boy were they right! It was SUPER cool..the coffee was made perfectly to mask the whiskey taste and it was actually yummy! I’m a red bull-vodka kind of girl and I even enjoyed it!  

About to try the “Irish Coffee” from Buena Vista Cafe! It’s so cute how they give you a small to-go bottle of whiskey! Fun fact: The Irish Coffee recipe perfected in 1952 is the one still being used today!       

So the ONE thing I really wanted to do was to actually bike the Golden Gate bridge but by the time we made it there it was already 5 and super cold and windy : (  So we ended up just driving to it and took some pictures! BTW I know my “love for rent” sweater is literally in every picture (Adriane actually makes fun of me cause I wear it all the time now) but I actually bought it on the day of to keep me warm while we rode our bikes but it’s now my favorite sweater! It’s so comfy!! (You can probably still get it at f21) But yes, bike riding the Golden Gate bridge is still on my bucket list so I’m coming back! 

Although I didn’t get to bike along the bridge it was still beautiful to look at!!

We ended our night off with some sushi and drinks and then we jetted off to LA the next morning  - and that’s where we really celebrated Adriane’s 25th birthday!! This trip was really to celebrate her birthday so bf I hope you had fun!! : ) 

Group picture at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar : )

Us out celebrating miss Yee’s birthday! Happy 25th birthday bf!! : )

For those who are thinking of taking a trip out to San Fran, DO IT!! – it’s a wonderful city! Until next time, xo – ange

Hope you are all doing well! For those of you who are Chinese, HAPPY BELATED CHINESE NEW YEARS!! So if you follow me on Instagram (its my private one mabelle_lee) you will know I’ve been posting pics of my time here in Sydney! This vacation was a last minute trip for me (but more about that later) and since Sydney was SO AMAZING I had to share my experience with you guys! So enjoy!

So as I mentioned earlier, this was totally a last minute trip for me as itwas a so called Valentine’s day trip from my bf haha (it’s a long distance relationship and he’s temporarily in Sydney for a project) and he literally told me two days before my flight that I was going to spend VDAY with him in Sydney!! I had food poisoning while I was in Toronto and I was so bummed because I lost so much weight and missing him like crazy didn’t help, so he flew me over to Sydney to visit him! *Yes that def cured my tummy and so I packed my bags and off to Sydney I went!

Off to Sydney Australia!!!

I arrived on Valentine’s Day….oh so romantic right? NOT! haha I was sooo tired from the flight I just wanted to cuddle and sleep so thats what we did, but hey I ain’t complaining I’m in Australia baby!!!

Oh man, we stayed in the MOST amazing hotel (The Park Hyatt Sydney) the view of the harbor and the opera house was unreal, the picture below really doesn’t do it justice. Not only did I have an amazing view to wake up to every morning, the room itself was FAB!!! What do you think? 

The left building is the Park Hyatt which I stayed in. The right building is The Sydney Opera House of course!

The beautiful view from my balcony! : )

The washroom going straight to the bedroom ; )

Our room : )

So the few days before I left for Sydney, it was like FREEZING in Toronto and we just had a huge snow storm (see below, im not kidding) so one thing I was so excited about was getting my TAN on and soaking up that beautiful Australian summer sun;) So I tanned… A LOT….and then got burnt

Two days before my flight, Toronto had a huge snow storm SO glad I left during this time : )

Chilling by the pool the first day I arrived (I WAS SO PALE!)

This was the second day in Sydney tanning, still so pale!

My second last day before leaving! hehe loving my Sydney tan!

One thing I can say about Australia is that…IT’S EXPENSIVE! Everything is so expensive, and usually im a huge foody when it comes to travelling but because I experienced food poisoning, my entire time in Sydney I was paranoid with eating anything fancy or too heavy! But even eating at cafes or lunches, everything is super expensive, but then again it’s maybe because I was eating at all the touristy places haha! OH! If you guys ever visit Aussi here are a few things I learned 1) They LOVE thai food, must try 2)They don’t tip (I wish someone told me that lol) 3) When you go shopping, the tax is included in the price Other than eating great food, I really didn’t want to spend any money shopping but of course, I had to buy UGGS when in Australia and given the winter back in Toronto, I mean a hat was necessary right!? (I know, signs of a shopaholic here!).

UGGS from Australia! I had to get em : )

The only other shopping I did was for the bf! Ladies, when you start shopping for him and not yourself theres clearly something wrong lol …or hes doing something right ; )

I did some awesome “touristy” stuff as well (BUT I will admit it’s not that much since I am coming back in September with Angela, I wanted to save a lot of the excursions for her), I have some friends living here and I had the chance to meet up with them to do some really cool stuff (since he was sooo busy with work)! Such as surfing in Bondi Beach and taking scenic walks along the beaches!! Thanks to Lisa and Kendra for meeting up with me, I had a BLAST with you dolls

Surfing in Sydney! Haha I had such a blast

WIPE OUT!!! haha did you guys know I CANT swim!?

Kendra and I learning how to surf at Bondi Beach!

Bondi Beach

Taking a long walk with my friend Lisa!

Lisa and I taking a break and chatting by the water It’s so peaceful!

Our walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach it was SO SCENIC, you guys MUST try it!

Finally, the bf had some time off so we went on a “date” hehe it was probably one of the more romantic nights we spent together (I mean common, sunset ferry rides to a harbor, and then fireworks by the water??)….I was like a kid smiling with 80 teeth all night, it was just so nice spending time with him again! And the best part was that our dates are always so random like the last date we went on was in Toronto going skating in the COLD, and then a month before that was a ferris wheel ride (london eye) in England! Pretty cool eh? But it’s def tough trying to juggle this long d relationship but I think we are doing okay so far

Our ferry ride to Harbour Darling

Kangaroo Steak for dinner! (He got that, I just got ribs haha)

And after dinner, fireworks by the harbour

It’s really too easy to fall in love in Sydney, we went to check out the Open Air Cinema by Bondi Beach (basically an outdoor movie right by the water) super nice & COZY!

Kisses from Sydney! I miss him already

Okay, I have to admit something, I have an addiction problem….yes, with food! When I find something I like, I REALLY REALLY like it meaning I stock up and go crazy binge eating on it….my friend Lisa who moved to Sydney told me I had to try these Tim Tam cookies…and oh my gosh….I’m so mad at her for introducing me to them bc I am officially HOOKED! (And im trying to get everyone else hooked haha) So much for trying to keep fit! I stocked up to bring some home for my family and friends too

I went a bit crazy on the Tim Tams! Hehe

Another Australian FAVORITE was the Lamington Cake that Lisa introduced me to….OMG it was DELICIOUS and I found a recipe online to make it! I can’t wait to try this again

Another one of my Favs was Thai Food at Holy Basil! The right is a roasted DUCK red curry! SOOO GOOD

That’s pretty much my time here in Sydney. I really wish I took more pictures for you guys but honestly I wish you all could see it for yourself, pictures REALLY don’t do it justice! And I didn’t want to lose experiencing the FULL MOMENT because I was busy taking pictures But Ill leave you guys with a little secret note (of the best resty’s/cafes etc) a local wrote for my friend who gave to me Now it’s time to come home to Toronto for a few days and then off to LA again for “The Makeup Show”, can’t wait to see everyone there! Enjoy! -Mabel xoxo

A list of the AMAZING restaurants you must visit when in Sydney

Us posing with Talia (taliajoy18) Mabel and I were just in awe when we met her – we love you Talia!!

We finally got to meet Heart! (ThatsHeart) – she’s even cuter and sweeter in person! : )

Mabel and I with Jeffree Starr – seriously, the coolest person.

This was from the TMS La show we did last year, and I remember we were SO excited that we almost sold out!

Mabel and her preppy outfit, taking a break at the show from last year, TMS 2013 WE CANT WAIT!!!

With all our trips – we usually like to extend our stay just to work, eat and live like we would in Toronto! We really believe in working hard but at the same time it’s really important to us to ENJOY life (and that means to EAT LIKE A KING!). A friend gave us a list of all these great restaurants in LA and of course, Mabel and I couldn’t resist (we are HUGE foodies!) – we wanted to try them all! Most of you who have seen us at these shows, you will notice we are ALWAYS EATING haha! Get ready for lots of yummy pictures!

Our LA tradition – the black squid pasta “Tagliolini al Nero di Seppia” at La Piazza Ristorante Italiano, at the Grove!

Huckleberry, Santa Monica – How good does these pastries look?!

Bru’s Wiffle, Santa Monica – known for their chickens and waffles! The best brunch place we ate on the trip! I highly recommend it and the cobb kale salad is a must!

Us enjoying our drinks from Urth Cafe : ) By far, Mabel and I’s favorite discovery! We went back like 4 times! She loved the honey vanilla latte and I loved the spanish latte granita (although I found out they put ice cream AND condense milk in it – that’s why its so good!)

Musha, Santa Monica – izakaya style restaurant! One of the best seaweed salads we ever had!

Milo and Olive, Santa Monica – La Quercia prosciutto pizza! We also tried the arugula salad and now Mabel is in love with anything Arugula.

Oh man, this is probably one of Mabel’s favorite places to eat, The Boiling Crab!! For seafood lovers, you NEED to try this out!! (but it get’s messy!)

Are you guys bored with the food pictures yet? I also recommend checking out Milk for desserts! Besides stuffing our face with yummy food we did find time to do some pretty cool stuff in LA!

At the Getty Museum! It’s so cool here and they have this huge beautiful garden! We definitely have to go back in March to take more pictures.

Hello Getty Museum, such a beautiful place!

Does anyone recognize this? It’s in a scene from the movie No strings attached hehe – at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Finally got some much needed sun at Runyon Canyon Park!! It’s a great place to hike and spot for celebrities ; )

Us eating at Cha Cha Chicken, Jerk Chicken!? YUMMMM!!!

Ur ready for a night out in West Hollywood

A trip wouldn’t be a trip without us just goofing around!

What do we do when we’re stuck in traffic? Take pictures!

It’s always a fun and relaxing time in lala land  - See you again in 2 weeks LA! : ) xo – ange

But before doing so, it only makes sense to give you all a quick update or intro to our story with Velour Lashes! So Velour Lashes officially launched about a year and a half ago (June 14^th 2011 to be exact) and boy oh boy, has it been an amazing journey for us (you wouldn’t believe how much has changed in one year, not only within our company but within our lives as well!).

When we first started to design our line (in our bedrooms, on a random weekend), it was really so that both Angela and I could have “free” lashes to use! So, the business started with the launch of a website and a few promotions here and there on Youtube by talents like gossmakeupartist, jennissemakeup, etc. Once the word starting getting around on Youtube, our company started to really take off. Never did we think that in a years time, we would be running a full out business!

A few of our awesome supporters from Youtube!

Then came our first tradeshow back in November 2011 in our hometown Toronto (Go Canadians!). We didn’t know what to expect so we set the bar really low. To our surprise, we were SO humbled by the amount of love and support we got from friends, customers, and strangers! After that first show, we decided to aim for a global level and to do a small “world tour” with Velour Lashes (it was a dream come true for both Angela and I)!

Our FIRST tradeshow in Toronto! (Go Canadians!)

Our wonderful friends came out to support us

We had such a fun experience doing our first show in Toronto!

Next stop – London England, then followed by Los Angeles California, then followed by the big apple NYC, then followed by Tokyo Japan! At that moment when we were booking all these flights, hotels & shows, we felt something GREAT was changing in our lives!

IMATS London setup day!

A night out shopping in Oxford Circus!!

I miss this soooo much, first time eating English Breakfast! YUMMYYYY!

Now it might be a shock to you all, but both Angela and I managed to travel for all these tradeshows while having a full time job on the side (you don’t even want to know how I managed to get all that time off)! Oh man, I can say we were exhausted and totally burnt out, I remember for our NYC trip we had to fly out Thursday to do the show, and fly in Monday at 6am to go straight into work! Managing TWO jobs started to really take a toll on our body mentally and physically.

Welcome to the big apple! Time Square NYC

IMATS NYC!! April 2012

Of course we had to go to Times Square!!

IMATS LA!! Look at that line!!!

Guess which restaurant is this One of my FAVS everytime, the Boiling Crab!! YUMMY!

In Los Angeles, at the beautiful Santa Monica Pier!

Only in LA will I be able to take a photo with Jamie Foxx! pwaha us in Hollywood!

Having our celebratory dinner at THE BAZAAR at the SLS Hotel

Rodeo Drive, the place of the Rich and Famous ????

There were many many times Angela and I would daydream about the day we’d quit our day jobs and become full time “CEOs”. But coming from a strict asian family that concept of taking the risk was just too scary of a thing to really pursue. BUT! During our time in Tokyo back in May 2012, Angela and I were sitting in our hotel rooms and we realized that NOW (at age 23), would be the time to pursue our dreams and to do what we LOVE (which was building Velour), it was now or never! We realized not many people are blessed with the opportunity to pursue their dreams whether it’s because of their responsibilities at home, financial debt, wrong timing, whatever it may be! We knew how fortunate we were to even have options (whether it was a steady full time job or to become the CEO of our own company), and we weren’t going to take it for granted. It was definitely a leap of faith, Angela and I came back to Toronto on May 21^st 2012, went in to work and handed in our RESIGNATION LETTER!! Man was I scared, but I’ve also never felt so “alive” before, my future was literally in my hands now, at my control, and I LOVED that feeling.

We were super excited to go to TOKYO JAPAN! *VELOUR LASHES in Japanese pretty cool huh?!

Foot spa in Tokyo, Angela FREAKED out when she dipped her feet into the water with a gazillion fishies eating her dead skin! *Gross but so funny

Welcome to Tokyo my friends

Doesn’t this remind you of the movie Tokyo Drift haha

OF COURSE we would take the japanese photo booth pictures, and of course we went crazy!

It has been a few months since Angela and I have made the “transition” and we are having the time of our LIVES!!! I can honestly say that running a business is really a 24 HOUR JOB, most people only see the sweet travels, the food, the journey but man is it hard work behind the scenes! You live and you breathe it but that’s what makes it so rewarding! And as cheesy as it sounds, we really wouldn’t be where we are today without our amazing customers, so we wanted to share our journey/travels/updates and projects with you all! Here we go!

Welcome to our world tour!!!