Missing In Action 'til Summer Solstice

A good quarter of my posts are how I fail at being blogger. I'm inconsistent with writing, I don't promote my blog and what's weird is I do feel like I'm constantly creating but I never take the time to sit down and put it out there for others to read. Here we are half way through the year and I've only written one; it's shameful. I'm only a couple short days from my birthday with no real plans to celebrate, which I'm not entirely mad about, I'm more annoyed I haven't kept up with writing especially because of how I feel after I complete a post. Accomplished, happy, energized... but summer is finally here and that always gives me a boost. I'm hoping to have many more adventures to share. Until then enjoy the photos from my raging weekend of yesteryear above, I'll be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my 21st birthday on Saturday.

Share with me your summer plans, I promise I'll be back.

Mini Korean Beauty Haul

I have heard so many great things about Korean beauty products for such a long time that I finally had to try some out for myself. I highly recommend checking out Amazon for some great steals and there's plenty of reviews to read so you can pick what's best for you and your skin type.

Product #1: MIZON Snail Recovery Gel Cream - it has 74% snail secretions, I know EW right? But snail secretions are packed with nutrients that are in most skin care products already so you're basically getting the good stuff directly from the source! Even better this one is a 2 - pack! Check it out here.

Product #2: ETUDE HOUSE Collagen Eye Patch - as I think most people know collagen has many benefits that aren't just limited to your skin care but it is a building block for elasticity and necessary for reducing signs of aging. You can get this in packs of 10, check it here.

Product #3: ETUDE HOUSE My Lash Serum - I love this serum! I'm unsure of what ingredients are directly beneficial for eye lash growth but it seems to work; making my lashes fuller. I even use some on my brows and it makes a difference.
Find it here.

Product #4: MLMSY Life Hospital Collagen Lip Gel Mask - again with the collagen! People I'm telling you it's like magic. Softens lips and fine lines around your mouth reducing the signs of aging. My boyfriend says I look like I'm from Silence of the Lambs, "it puts the lotion on the skin" lol. Check it out here if you don't mind the serial killer look.

Share with me your favorite skin care/beauty products in the comments below; and don't forget to subscribe!

Big World, Petite Girl: Murphy Ranch Hike

I am so excited to share my Saturday adventure. 

The boyfriend suggested this great hike that also includes some interesting history. 

Located in Rustic Canyon not far from the Pacific Palisades a little piece of World War II is tucked away in the hills. Take a mile hike up a paved road until you reach the stairs (so many stairs) that will lead down to Murphy Ranch. Once a large compound with a water storage tank, a fuel tank, a bomb shelter, now only a few structures remain scrawled with many layers of graffiti. Murphy Ranch was built in the 1930s by Nazi sympathizers for Nazi activities in the United States. The compound was intended to be self-sustaining for many years until law enforcement seized it in 1941 after the Pearl Harbor attacks. By 1990 the ranch was abandoned and closed. Just last year many structures were demolished as they were deemed unsafe.

Unfortunately when we took the hike to check out the grounds many of the buildings we had heard about were boarded up or knocked down. Although there isn't much left it is still fascinating to see the remnants of what could have been and signs of people that actually lived there. We spent 2 to 3 hours exploring the area, even taking a trail that lead to nowhere. 

Check the pictures below. I highly recommend Murphy Ranch trail, if you're bored on the weekend, need something to do or just like history... Just make sure you do it before they tear down the remaining buildings.

For directions to Murphy Ranch and what trail to follow, these ones proved to be the most helpful:

Thanks to Jeff Hester, creator of this one.

SoCal Hiker: Murphy Ranch - The Nazi Compound in Rustic Canyon

And AllTrails... one of my favorite apps.

AllTrails - Murphy Ranch Trail

Hopefully this will be the first of many in the "Big World, Petite Girl" series. :)

Hair Identity Crisis: Part II

Back in February I wrote a post about my "hair identity crisis". Hopefully you've read it, if you need a refresher or if you missed it you can catch up here: Hair Identity Crisis

My mane was, and is still, going through a massive amount of changes this year. Though my undercut is not completely grown out, I am finally content with my hair color. As I had previously posted I had dark brown/black hair for all of my 20's and I wanted to go back to my natural blonde roots. 

The process all together took about 9 months because I wanted my hair to remain healthy and continue to grow. I am extremely happy with the end results, after stripping out some of the dark allowing it to grow out more, toning it and finally putting a gloss to get rid of orange tones I look like my old self.

Now all I need is Rapunzel long hair to experiment with braiding and I'll be set ;)

Share your hair changing adventures and journeys in the comments below. Don't forget to subscribe via email under "Stay Up To Date" or with Bloglovin' over on the right side. 

the Life & Styles of a Petite Girl

As you may have noticed I had a change of heart (name) when it came to my blog. I wanted to be a little more specific and hopefully spark some interest with a cute/clever name because let's face it, if it doesn't catch your eye when skimming you won't follow the link to read. Now after blogging inconsistently for a little more than year I feel it needed re-branding... so allow me to reintroduce myself.

Having blogged about life, small adventures and a little bit of beauty I realized I was never going to be a "fashion blogger" I am much more of a lifestyles blogger with some fashion, beauty and random nonsense thrown in there. I wanted to keep "petite" in the name because it's kind of my identifier. I've always been described as the small girl, the short girl, petite girl or whatever other synonym that fits.

So "La Petite Viee" is dead and gone but risen from the ashes like the phoenix is 

the Life & Styles of a Petite Girl. 

New and improved, and hopefully you think so too. I've already impressed myself by posting three times last month - that is a record! Please take the few seconds to subscribe by adding yourself to the email list, it's over there on the left under "Stay Up To Date" or there's Bloglovin' over on the right.

I promise I'll make it worth your while :)

Eyebrows on Fleek.

Agreeing to be the guinea pig for a friend learning a new trade is always.... gutsy. Luckily I have a very talented friend and I got eyebrow microblading done. It is the future of the brow game ladies, I tell you! Take a look at my before and after pictures above.

What is microblading you ask, well I'm here to explain. "Microblading is a semi-permenant makeup that provides a means to partially or fully camouflage missing eyebrow hair with the appearance of simulated hair using fine deposits of cosmetic tattoo pigments." (I googled that.)

Your esthetician should apply numbing cream to your brow first before blading starts... FYI it still hurt like a "mutha" because it is literally tiny slices/cuts being made to your face. I don't have a high pain tolerance but I survived and I do love the results!

Ask your esthetician or hairstylist if they offer this new trade, you will not be sorry!

If you have more questions contact my girl @melpinon on Instagram.

ALL SUMMER '16

Can you say breathtaking? Just got back from a lovely time in Cabo San Lucas to watch a couple of lovebirds say their "I DO's" and it was truly magical.

Now being back in Southern California and summer is officially in full swing there's so many wonderful things to do outside. With the sun shining and the breeze lightly blowing there's no other place I'd rather be.

Here's my top 5 favorite things to do "ALL SUMMER '16":

1.) Amusement Parks - we have some options between Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios and 6 Flags Magic Mountain. This year I went with a membership to 6 Flags and I forgot how much I really love roller coasters and funnel cake.

2.) Dodger Games - I know I'm a broken record on this one but you can NEVER go wrong with watching the Boys in Blue live. Fireworks on Fridays, free gifts and deals on the weekends and Dodger Dogs all the time!

3.) Rooftop bars - a nice rooftop bar on a beautiful evening is one of the many perks of Los Angeles. A small few that are worth checking out are: the Perch, the Standard, E.P. & L.P., Ace Hotel and Skybar. Although Skybar doesn't fully qualify as a rooftop it has an amazing view.

4.) Coastal Road Trips - not sure if it counts as a road trip but being from the Central Coast I love going back to visit family and friends in the northern 805. The drive ain't that bad either, ocean views on one side and rolling hills on the other.

5.) Wine Tasting - this is an activity I usually do in San Luis Obispo County when I go to visit but I've been hearing wonderful and amazing things about a few Malibu wineries so now I'm dying to try. Nothing spells "fun" like sunshine and a few bottles. #cheers

Share with me what you've been up to this summer and what your plans are! :)

Don't forgot to check me out on Pinterest and Bloglovin'.

Off the Grid

I have abandoned my blog yet again, though making my way back... again.

 I have since abandoned social media as well, all profiles have been deleted or deactivated - insert shocked emoji here. I was "social media queen" as my friends would lovingly tease. Indeed I liked being constantly connected but it started to feel like more of a distraction from real life. There are times when I miss it.... like when I'm eating and I can't share my delicious looking meal, *wink emoji*. Really though, it's been very freeing not checking my phone a million times a day.

Like breaking any habit it was a little weird the first few days - repetitively pulling out my phone to look at Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, etc. but I've appreciated all the free time I had forgotten I had. Thankfully I enjoy my life enough to where I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

Off the grid with no social media, next step is to move into a tree house!

Let me know your thoughts on social media and giving it up in the comments.

How hard would it be for you to get rid of? Could you, would you do it?

I personally recommend it.

With Her Nose Stuck In A Book

 "The Last Bookstore" is quite literally my favorite place in the world. 

Growing up as a kid with no cable might sound like a tragedy but I enjoyed my escape with my nose stuck in a book. Unfortunately I lost my desire to read while in college due to being forced to read tedious textbooks. In the last year, I've been able to pick up again in my neglected hobby thanks to this store. 

If you are anything like me you will fall in love with the novelty of this place. 

Bookshelves upon bookshelves, a book arch tunnel, the Labyrinth, a special vault for all my favorites like Stephen King, Dean Koontz and other authors of horror, suspense, murder and other worldly. Then there's the classics, historical fiction, celebrity biographies, children's, rare books - the list goes on, you could lose a whole afternoon roaming the aisles. In a world of technology with iPads and Kindles, I absolutely love being able to hold a physical book.

Our most recent haul

Besides the plethora of books, one section of the second floor is dedicated to art and creative shops. There are few art showrooms, displays and an area where occasional classes take place. Not only is it the Last Bookstore it is a place where the creative juices can flow.

If you are ever in Downtown Los Angeles, this place should be one of your stops.

You can thank me later.

 Share with me what you've been reading or dying to read in the comments.

Empty Promises & Daylight Savings are the worst.

Valentines Day Pretties

I feel like my blog has become a bad relationship. Making empty promises saying I will follow through and then inevitably abandon for a few weeks, just to pop back up at the worst time when my blog is over me. Thank God for my "annoying blogging nag" fairy - she knows who she is. 

I've read a few blogs and I realize a lot more are just simple, straight to the point entries. Short and sweet - like me, ha! Maybe that's what I need to do, keep it short and sweet. There I go again with the empty promises, anyways....

Spring is upon us and Daylight Savings is this weekend. Who came up with this idea that we should lose an hour of sleep once a year?! I don't know about you but I have a hard enough time catching enough Zzz's in general.

Soon to be longer days and warmer nights, despite the horrid time change I'm most excited about dusting off my shorts, floral skirts and bright colored tank tops. My girl Tana wrote a great little piece on what the ladies should pull out of their closets for the new season (check here: Spring Fever). The sun just pulls me outside to run to the beach or hike a trail. Unfortunately LA's ever popular and beloved Runyon Canyon will be closed most of the summer but there's always Griffith Park or the Hollywood Trial... OR if you're up for an adventure go on a hunt for the Abandon LA Zoo. If you're really feeling active you can always brave the Santa Monica Stairs, which might kill you if you're not careful - that's my goal for the summer.

What are you all most excited for this Spring? Share with me in the comments.

xx Ashley

Follow Me!

IG @lapetiteviee

Pinterest @lapetiteviee

Bloglovin' @lapetiteviee

ALSO; just started using POSHMARK - check out what I'm selling for great deals.
https://bnc.lt/m/cL1bAaJCDr