2015 Amazon Purchases

I became an Amazon Prime member exactly a year ago and I don't think I could go any other way. The wide variety of things that I buy from Amazon plus two-day shipping makes the annual fee well worth it. And when I say wide variety, I mean I really purchase the most random things. Let's take a look (titles are clickable):

FYI: If you download the Amazon App you can get an instant $5 credit.

#Tweet Mug
I bought this mug for a white elephant gift exchange at work around Christmas last year. I figured it was office appropriate and well-suited since I work in the digital marketing department. 

Makeup Organizer
This is a space-saver compared to the organizer I had before and it fits all of my makeup beautifully. Blogger blame for this purchase goes to Biana from BLovedBoston.

Tan Towels
I used to use self-tanning lotions which can be a huge mess until Kerri recommended Tan Towels so these have been a major repeat purchase to keep a slight tan throughout the year.

Pink Flamingo Pool Float
I bought this pool floatie as a birthday gift for Kate since she has a pool in her backyard and was looking for something different from the norm.

Solar Garden Lights
Another really random purchase but we needed some lighting for the walkway in the front of my house and instead of venturing to Home Depot, I browsed online on Amazon and found exactly what I wanted with free shipping.

Doggie Dental Treats
Lola absolutely loves these and I try to give her a toothbrush treat once a week usually on the weekends. Of course I like the fact it's good for her gums and teeth.

iPhone Case
This case is more pretty than it is protective but I bought it anyways because I thought it would compliment my rose gold phone nicely. Well I somehow purchased the 6 Plus size when I actually own the regular size 6S phone so I ended up giving it away to a coworker but it was still a purchase nonetheless.

I ended up purchasing a more durable and protective sparkly iPhone case which is also clear so you can see through to the rose gold. I'm jealous it's now on sale for 54% off from what I initially paid.

Mac 'Flat Out Fabulous' Lipstick
This lip color is just gorgeous and lasts a long time because of it's matte texture. Just being able to buy good quality, name-brand cosmetics from Amazon Prime is so convenient.




Blog Planner
I bought this planner as a Christmas gift for myself and, admittedly I haven't used it to it's full potential as yet but it's certainly a good way to stay organized and plan your blog posts ahead.




What are your favorite products to purchase from Amazon?

Swim Lover's Holiday Gift Guide

Luckily Florida doesn't stay cold for very long so beach/pool weather is usually in our favor. As you can probably tell from the name of my blog, I'm a big fan of swimsuits and beachwear in general. The holidays is the perfect time to stock up on some new suits for the year ahead and I usually pick up a thing or two for the husband and my girl friends as gifts.



SwimOutlet.com contacted me to review their online store and merchandise and of course I agreed. I purchased the Volcom Wild Marks Bikini top and matching Brazilian cut bikini bottom for myself and the Rusty Men's Boardshorts for K with the gift card they provided. I have to say the material of the bikini is so incredibly soft you can tell it's great quality. Actually same goes for the shorts. I also love that they kind of (not on purpose) match each other.



From growing up in the Caribbean I've always been a fan of good quality swimsuits and beach clothing that will withstand the salt and sun. Luckily SwimOutlet.com carries most of my favorite brands including Vix, Betsey Johnson, Volcom, Roxy and Kate Spade just to name a few. I picked some faves for Him and Her that would be perfect for gifts or just to gift yourself.

Gypsy Road Kimono / Wrap Bikini Top , Bikini Bottom / Pineapple Kaftan Cover Up
Free Spirit Dress / Jaime Bikini Top, Bikini Bottom / Pineapple Paradise Tank

Desert Fringe Crochet Shorts

Pineapple Paradise Beach Bag

One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six

Garmin VIRB X Action Camera

They offer a whole lot more than just fashion swimwear like for competitive swimmers, techies, kids, and water sports such as surfing and water polo. The fashionista in me naturally drifted to the beach clothing and bikini sections of their online shop.

If you're looking for gift ideas, SwimOutlet.com's Holiday Gift Guide is a good place to start as they offer some great ideas for different types of swimwear and equipment. I also like that they offer free shipping on purchases over $49, which always helps to cut the cost of shopping online.

Pig Floyd's & Blog Direction

 Photo Credit

Earlier this week, a friend and I went for lunch at a fairly new restaurant in town called Pig Floyd's. We wanted to check out the menu and see what the hype was all about. We sat down and were chit chatting when the owner stopped by offering us Cuban-style tacos he had just created in the kitchen. Have you ever seen tacos with black beans, rice, pulled pork, plantains and a fancy avocado sauce? They were amazing!! He said he's thinking of calling them The Fidel. (aka Fidel Castro = perfect name based on the ingredients)

We chatted with him a bit and convinced him these tacos needed to be on the menu asap. Not before long, he was back with with a plate of BBQ ribs for us to taste test. Amazing once again! We had such a great time on our lunch break away from work. Thanks cool dude who is the owner of Pig Floyd's for making our experience so enjoyable. We'll be back to try more of your menu options. P.S. sorry I thought you were Canadian when in fact your accent is that of Puerto Rico. #blondemoment 

He posted the #Fidel tacos photo on their Facebook page and we even got some love.

Lucky for him, he was sharing his creations and chats with a blogger and had no clue I would share my experience online.  The Big Floyd sandwich is amazing btw! Tough to finish as the menu says but worth a shot.

So about my blog direction...

I've been thinking for a while now about where I want to take my blog and different avenues I want to explore. Experiences like this at Pig Floyd's solidify what I've actually been leaning towards the whole time. Outside of blogging, I love to write restaurant reviews on Yelp & UrbanSpoon as well as reviews for retail websites and stores. 

I want to create a section specific to Orlando or at least Florida life in general. I love the city in which I live. There's lots to do and I want to be able to share that on my blog. It's part of my lifestyle and what I enjoy. While I know most of my readers and blog friends don't live in the Orlando area, it is a popular vacation spot and I think my reviews will eventually be helpful to both locals and visitors looking for recommendations for different types of restaurants, entertainment, shows, festivals and so on. This won't be the focus of my blog but I plan to do a review here and there based on my experiences and what I think is worth mentioning.

I travel quite a bit and I already have a section for that where I can do my travel recaps and restaurant reviews. I think it's time to create a section for the city I live in and love ~ Orlando. 

What do you think?