Kit Kat Purple Sweet Potato flavor review

Our newest tradition among my siblings during Christmastime is to exchange yummy snacks and sweets. Of course, I received a bunch of funky purple treats. First up, let's talk about these Japanese Kit Kat bar, Beni-imo (purple sweet potato) flavor...

Packaging is appealing (especially if the recipient is a lover of pink and purple girlishness). Although I do wish it had more English words on the nutrition and ingredients label. No clue what's in this! But it does taste like purple yam, earthy sweet flavor. The actual coloring of the Kit Kat is a bit muddy lilac, not as pretty as illustrated on the package, but still a sweet surprise in an unusual way. Since I'm not a huge fan of sweet potato or yam taste, I probably wouldn't buy this again for myself. But fun idea though! 

Asian American Barbie Lea taking over this blog

This year is definitely the year of the Barbie doll for me. Ever since I discovered Barbie Style on Instagram, my inner child "really really really wants a Barbie doll" again, and especially when I spotted the Asian model! First time ever Mattel came out with a doll with an Asian complexion without the heavy too-glamorous eye makeup. I owe it to my little-girl-self wish come true. I decided to buy myself my very first Barbie (at the age of 33, ha!) Of course they don't stock the one I wanted at my local stores, so I went on Ebay and ended up buying two for over $50! A little bit crazy, but I can afford it now! Yay! But of course, a few days later after I purchased my dolls, I noticed ToysRUs  (and Amazon) began selling the same doll on their website for only $14.99. Yes, I got jipped. Oh well, that's how life goes when it comes to wishes. But I'm happy with my "Lea" Asian Barbies, definitely worth the $50's! This one can do yoga and wears a PURPLE top! I'm so excited about this, I'm revamping this Blog and my Instagram for Lea to take over and be my spokesperson from now on! Also changing the title to "Búp Bê Life" (meaning "doll" life in Vietnamese). 

Purple potato chips kettle cooked style

Remember my excitement over the discovery of the PURPLE POTATO in Portland, Oregon? Well, I'm over the moon when I found these Lay's Kettle Cooked Medleys (limited edition) at my local grocery store. Made in purple, red, and gold potatoes...best part is no food coloring! 

I'm happy to report they taste like normal potato chips, crunchy and salty. The red ones are actually more like a magenta hue, and the purple ones are a dark vampy purple (perfect for the Halloween mood today)! The colors are so much fun! I'm surprised there aren't more companies making natural colored potato chips a staple. Well, maybe not, I can think of one reason...I did find that the darker chips may leave little visible bits on the teeth (like spinach or Oreo cookies), risking embarrassment in social situations.

Click on picture for larger details.

Purple Label at Ralph Lauren

Why do men look better in purple? Is that why Ralph Lauren has a collection called "Purple Label" for men but not for women?

 I am especially crazy about these purple socks on this guy... 

From Ralph Lauren Mag. Issue V111 Fall 2015 pg. 14

$30 cotton version here (expensive $110 cashmere version here)

Purple dress fit for a princess

I cannot seem to take my mind off this breathtaking purple dress after seeing it on the gorgeous fashion blogger Mary Orton of Memorandum 

Black Halo Karlowe Gown in Orchid

Worth the $650?

I think it's worth every penny on Mary O. at least! 

Doesn't she look like a princess?

A fairy tale! I couldn't help saving snippets of her beautiful photos here. 

Spooky Halloween bouquet looks pretty

Was at my local Michael's and spotted this really cool Halloween decoration....loving the polka dot vase and the stripe gold canes (reminiscent of whimsical witches in Wizard of Oz). Not a big fan of the scary skulls and skeleton hands, but I like the idea of the pretty gold, black, and dark purple combination! 

Edible flowers made of kale

If I were throwing a party today, I would like centerpieces decorated with edible kale in hues of purple and pink like this! 

From Better Homes and Gardens October 2015 issue:

page 111

page 68

page 71

...and maybe add some fresh plums to the kale decorations too! Yeah!

My Little Pony Twilight Sparkle for Halloween

I saw this Little Pony hoodie in a Kmart advertisement last week and thought to myself "I need this for Halloween!" Granted I don't really celebrate Halloween anymore, but if I had to wear a costume, I just want to wear this hoodie:

1. There is more than one purple shades in it.

2. The pony has bangs (so do I!)

3. I probably can fit into size girls XL (yay for being a petite)

4. I read about "Twilight Sparkle" online, and the character is very similar to my kind of persona (student, librarian, magic, friendship...love her!)

Best toddler recycled dinnerware ever

I may be on a roll with amazing purple sightings on Instagram for a long time! Today, it's these Re-Play recycled plastic dining sets for kids! Spotted from one of my favorite fashion blogger Nini's Style instagram:

Lavender purse on sale at ASOS

Pieces Leather Mini Shoulder Bag

 Why I'm loving this:

• Sleek minimal classic style
• Lavender of course!
• On sale for $27 (from $63)
• The small size is perfect (not too tiny nor too big, just right to fit the necessities)

Donating toys with purple hair

Speaking of purple hair, this weekend I went to Target to buy toys to donate for my local children's hospital. Wow, July is a good time to buy toys! Lots of clearance items. A true girly girl at heart, I spent almost all my time in the Barbie doll isle and became inspired about toys again! I was excited to get these with the purple hair and purple outfits of course..

I know there's a lot of controversy over Barbie dolls over the years and present-day for being unrealistic bad role models for children, but I grew up wanting to own a Barbie doll, and it did not influence me in getting plastic surgery, nor spending my money on figure-tight clothing, nor having low self-esteem in comparison to my own image. I just love Barbie dolls because they have cool hair to play with, one can get creative with her outfits (use of arts and craft skills), imagining fun stories of the places she'll go with her makeover, and just appreciation of fashion and beauty. Barbie dolls are pretty, and when I see something pretty, it makes me happy! There is a saying..."a thing of beauty is a joy forever!" - John Keats

Trending ombre purple haircolor

I'm usually a lazy all-natural girl who grimaces at resorting to chemicals to maintain my outer appearances, but there is one thing I dream of trying when I'm old and graying...to dye my granny hair PURPLE! Thanks to the inspiration from this old-lady character (Mrs. Slocombe) portrayed by actress Mollie Sugden in Are You Being Served? on the PBS channel that I grew up watching. I had no clue what the show was about, but I enjoyed seeing the changing hair colors from this old lady:

I was also re-inspired when I saw this picture on Instagram recently from one of my favorite fashion blogger, Ella Catliff of La Petite Anglaise. Her friend with the gorgeous purple ombre hair! Perfection!

Discovering the purple cow

As I was perusing the July 2015 issue of Bon Appétit Magazine with the catchy blueberry-purple title font...

...I came across this tiny blurb on soda ice cream floats, particularly the words "Purple Cow". 

Wow, of my 33 years in life, I have never thought of or seen grape soda ice cream floats. Yes, I've had root beer floats and whatever-soda-one-has-on-hand with vanilla ice cream...but not grape (or any crazy colored soda come to think of it.) Well, probably because I'm not fond of the artificial grape flavorings. But man, I've been missing out on the wonderful color it would create in a tall icy crystal glass. My next goal in life is to attempt this Purple Cow! 

Some interesting tidbits I've come across while searching on "Purple Cow":

• Purple Cow Restaurant in Little Rock, AR - purple theme decor and famous for their purple ice cream floats; a trip to Arkansas, anyone?
• Welch's Purple Cow recipe - instead of unhealthy artificial soda, try real grape juice with Welch's. I remember Welch's use to have the cutest kids for their tv commercials too. 
• Serious Eats ranking of best Grape Sodas - sodas to keep in mind for my home experiment with the purple cow...future post to come! 

Wishing I loved Taro more

Of all the shades of purple, the palest lavender hue is my absolute favorite! This beloved shade is often found in "taro root" flavored Asian desserts and drinks...like my recent splurge on this taro milk smoothie with rainbow jellies at Arizona Donut Co, forgetting that I'm lactose-intolerant and had an upset stomach after consuming this.

Honestly, I don't even like the earthly sticky back-of-throat taste of taro, yet I keep gravitating towards picking this flavor all for the pretty color. That's when I realized I have a purple problem.

My problem must be rubbing off on people around me too. When my sister took a short trip to California last weekend, she couldn't resist taking a picture of this taro dessert from the trendy Taiwanese 85°C Bakery just for me!

So pretty! My awesome sister also brought back a bunch of their desserts home for us to try and yummm! Now I know what's all the hype about. If I ever visit California, I would definitely love to drop by this popular bakery (and remind myself to stay away from the enticing taro stuff that might not be as tasty as the others, haha.)

Touring Portland Oregon in June

I am really a complete homebody. Usually my ideal vacation is spending days off from work just sitting at home, organizing my closet and maybe reading a good book. But I do have many family and friends scattered about the United States, and I'm obliged to visit them ever so often. Late spring, early June, I had the opportunity to visit my brother who recently settled in Portland, Oregon. This is my second time visiting this city, and I must say, each time had been a positive experience. Actually, it was on this trip, that the idea of starting this purple-loving blog came to life! Thus, I snapped a bunch of purple thrills I encountered in Portland...

Powell's Books - I love the organized color-coded rooms at this place. With the store map in hand, self-help computer kiosks in each room and friendly staff, I was able to find the books on my wishlist quite easily in this massive place. I was jumping for joy when they had copies of Paul Gallico's Mrs. Arris Goes to Paris...and New York. For some reason, I have never been able to find these Gallico books at my local library or bookstore. Also, shopping is tax-free in Oregon. No guilt feelings with my purchases here. I enjoyed my experience so much at Powell's, I also bought myself a souvenir tee shirt (in purple of course! Can you spot it in my basket below?)

Pioneer Courthouse Square - this pretty urban park was holding their "Festival of Flowers" during the time I was there. Purple pansies are my favorite flowers. Every time I see these, I feel like it's a personal love message from God. This place is also across from Nordstrom (where I found those lavender sunglasses I mentioned in my introductory post). 

Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe - has quite the creative selections of chocolates. Do not try the tomato basil ones though (tastes literally like tomato basil sauce in chocolate, a weird combination). However, I favored their macarons. Usually, my purple selections are not the best-tasting, but this time, the purple marionberry with the chocolate filling was the best! 

International Rose Test Garden - of course I had to check out the roses since Portland is the "City of Roses." The blooming flowers and landscape was breathtaking. However, I was disappointed that I didn't see any purple-purple roses (maybe they don't exist yet). The closest to purple were these lilac-pink ones called "Love Story." My sister and I debated if they were more pink?

I did manage to find some elusive purple flowers (not roses) on the outskirts of the garden.

Annual Spring Rose Show at Lloyd Center - since they also had the Rose Festival going on (oy, early June is definitely the best time to visit Portland!) we also stopped by the Portland Rose Society Annual Rose Show to check out the winners. Once again, I failed to see any extreme purple roses. The closest was this "Blue Ribbon" variety which has a very similar hue to the "Love Story." Ironically, it did not win a ribbon. However, I thought it had the strongest scent. It brings me back to a time when my family rented a house in southern California where the neighborhood was known for their carnation and rose gardens. My parents had once noted that the pale dusty lilac roses in the neighborhood always emitted the most powerful perfume.  

Andina Restaurant in the Pearl District - this was my first time to a Peruvian restaurant, and I'm in love! I'm ever so grateful that my sister decided to drag me to this place during our adventures downtown. There are so many interesting restaurants in Portland, that it can be overwhelming. This place was definitely the highlight of my trip. Especially the tapas, and especially this Causa Morada...

PURPLE POTATOES, where have you been all my life? I was a bit skeptical about the taste of the Peruvian purple potato, thinking it'll be sweet and musky like the vibrant Filipino purple yam I've tried in the past, but this tastes like regular mashed potatoes. I love that this dish looks strikingly vibrant and exotic, but if you close your eyes, it's like simple homemade mashed potatoes with egg salad, yum! I want to go back to Andina! The desserts were also amazing...we had the crème brûlée, where once again, the local marionberry flavor (I now realized that marionberry is an Oregon thing) was the best. And it's purplish.

SE Division Restaurant Row - on one of the final days of my stay in Oregon, my brother took us to his favorite Pok Pok restaurant. I had my first refreshing Som drinking vinegar, and enjoyed walking down Division street, taking note of all the delightful eateries and food carts we want to try the 'next time' we visit Oregon (regrettably, we were too stuffed from Pok Pok and Salt & Straw to attempt more food in one evening). Can you spot me next to a purple vintage dress in the whimsical Lodekka double-decker bus?

Voodoo Doughnut - a trip to Portland, OR is not complete without a glimpse of the famous Voodoo doughnut shop. Unfortunately, there's always a long, 15-minute wait line. We didn't get the chance to stand in line while there, but I was excited by the purple sign and outdoor decor. I actually have tried their doughnuts before from a day-old box a friend shared from his visit in Portland. I may be biased, but I thought the purple "Grape Ape" was the best of the bunch.

I think Voodoo should consider changing their take-home boxes to purple instead of pink, haha! 

 

The one thing I was hoping to find in Oregon (but did not accomplish), was spotting the new Rogue Wasted Sea Star Purple Pale Ale that I read about in the Smithsonian Smart News prior to my trip. It may be too new to be stocked in the retail stores during my stay in early June though. 

Overall, I felt Portland was not just a "City of Roses" but also a city of creative foods and creative people...and a city for purple-lovers! I definitely left Portland with a bigger list of foods to try and places to see for the next time!

Cutting paper with lilac scissors

I know it's way too soon to talk about school supplies. I too was one of those kids who dreaded "back-to-school sales" during the summer. First, I never got to buy the holographic sparkly things that I wanted. Second, thinking about the impending school year is as dreadful as going to the dentist for a root canal. As an adult now, with my own money, and no longer in an educational institution, I enjoy cruising down the school supply aisle of the grocery store. That's where some of the best inventions (or marketing ploys) are discovered. This time, I got hooked by these scissors: partially made of recycled content (yay for environmental waste concerns?) with antimicrobial properties (yay for health concerns?), but really the best part is the pretty lilac coloring of the handles! 

Hope you are having a great weekday! 

Gaining strength in purple foods

I was at my local Albertsons grocery store this weekend, and this juice bottle caught my attention:

V8 Purple Power Vegetable Juice

Yes, for the love the all things purple, I am a culprit of trying all foods that are purple hued too. Unfortunately this vegetable blend is actually an icky brown color, but what fascinated me the most is the bottle label on "purple carrots." What! I have never heard of purple carrots. How funky is that? I am going to put "finding fresh purple carrots" on my bucket list. 

Although I am adventurous in tasting purple vegetables and plants (eggplant, lettuce, radishes, onions, etc.) none has really hit the spot for me. Probably because I'm not a huge fan of vegetables in general since I was a kid, haha! Veggies, bleh! But looking at the natural hue from nature is wondrous! 

I'm a better fan of man-made purple in desserts and sweets. Speaking of, I'm a follower of this adorable Cakespy site. I cannot get enough of Jessie Oleson Moore's cute cupcake drawings. I'm dying over this "Desserts that are Purple" print she has on Etsy:

Making your own breakfast smoothie can be easy

Kenmore Personal Blender 

Just add your fruits, vegetables, and liquid, press one button, then ready to drink right out of the blender container made to look like a water bottle. Comes in purple! This is how I prefer my breakfast on the go! Currently spotted on sale at Sears for $17.99. 

Anyone own a one-person blender? Do you love it? 

Finding happiness through lavender colored glasses

After seeing Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture," recently, I was deeply moved. My parents were among the Vietnamese boat people who immigrated to the U.S. in the 80's with complete zilch. Growing up, we were mostly poor and I spent my entire childhood buried in books, worrying about grades, and making my family happy. I hardly ever thought about having fun or even dared to ask for anything that other kids have. So at the age of 33 this year, where my family is finally in a good place, I have a solid career and school loans paid off, I decided it is time to accomplish some of my personal childhood dreams. I always had a love for pretty purple things. One of my silly whims was to own a purple house filled with everything purple. It would be my happy place to go to when I'm sad. Still a cheap person at the moment, that dream seems a bit excessive. Then I realized that Blogger is actually a better outlet for my purple passion. I do enjoy sharing the purple things that brings me joy. What better place to document and display my favorite purple findings than right here for all the purple-lovers out there!

More from me: Childhood DREAMS