Olivia Frescura — los angeles beauty & lifestyle blog

The Perfect Pumpkin Loaf Recipe

September 19, 2021

Since Fall is rapidly approaching, also known as #thotumn, I thought it was about time to share a recipe— especially because it’s been so long! I got into this recipe last fall and it’s now my new go-to pumpkin bread. I don’t know about you, but I am a huuuuuuge pumpkin spice person, so it’s pretty much a staple the entire last quarter of the year for me. The thing I love most about this recipe is that it is so easy and doesn’t require any special equipment, so I hope you guys give it a try! All you need is to pick up my favorite loaf pan, a couple of bowls and a whisk and you’re ready to rock.

Pumpkin Bread

1?½ cups all-purpose flour ((204 grams))
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup white sugar ((201 grams))
¼ cup brown sugar ((55 grams))
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup canned pumpkin
¾ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line 8-1/2×4-1/2-inch loaf pan.
Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, and salt) together in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
Beat eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, or a whisk, until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in pumpkin and oil. Add flour mixture in batches and mix until batter is blended and smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 70 minutes.

Want to get into some more iconic fall recipes? Try my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

Pacifica Vegan Collagen Hydrating Masks for Undereye & Smile Lines Review

March 30, 2021

I loooove using little eye patches in the AM for a morning pick me up. Pacifica recently sent me their new Vegan Collagen Hydrating Masks for undereye & smile lines— we love multimasking! I don’t know how many times I have to say I love hydrogel masks, they’re so much better than cotton fiber sheet and eye masks.

These biodegradable biocellulose masks feature vegan collagen, hyaluronic acid, and cucumber extract to address both aging and fine lines (hence why it works great for both under eyes and smile lines!). I’ve only used these under my eyes, and I really liked ’em and appreciate the clean ingredients.

I love bringing these single use packaged masks on trips with me (not that that’s happening anytime soon…). They’re $6 for a single mask, so I wish they’d make a set of several of these for a little savings.

**This post includes gifted products and affiliate links— for more information, please read my Disclosure Policy**

Passionfruit Black Tea Boba Recipe with Torani Puremade Syrup

March 17, 2021

Growing up in the 626, the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles, I have always been lucky to have access to some of the best boba in the city (among countless other things).

A few years back, I started making my own boba— and while they’ll never compare to my favorite hot honey boba, it sure is fun to experiment with! I use Torani Passionfruit Puremade Syrup to create a refreshing springtime sipper, Passionfruit Black Tea with Boba, which is both easy to make and delicious.

Torani Puremade Syrups deliver amazing flavor with the ingredients you love. No artificial flavors, no artificial colors and no artificial preservatives. GMO Free. They make the perfect addition to tea, coffee, soda, lemonade, etc. One flavor can create endless recipes!

Passionfruit Black Tea Boba

14 oz tea (black or green tea works) (brewed & cooled)
2 oz Torani Puremade Passionfruit Syrup
1/4 cup boba aka tapioca pearls
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar

Prepare boba to package instructions, adding brown sugar & honey to the finished pearls and stirring to form a syrup.
In a mixing glass, mix tea with Torani Puremade Passionfruit Syrup.
To serve, spoon boba in the bottom of a tall glass and pour over tea. You can add ice, but I like mine without ice so the boba stays warm and chewy!

If you’ve never tried to make boba at home, I highly recommend you to try it out! I’m going to be sipping on this all spring & summer long. Get your own Torani Puremade Syrups online at Torani.com and get to mixing! I plan on making this with my Torani Lychee & Peach Syrups next.

**This post is sponsored by Torani— for more information, please read my Disclosure Policy**

NOTE: Since I’m sharing a Taiwanese inspired recipe amid an uptick in anti Asian hate crimes, I have donated a portion of my sponsorship proceeds to Gold House, a non-profit which aims to accelerate the inclusive representation and empowerment of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to benefit all of society. I hope my post inspires you to visit, support and uplift your local Asian owned businesses, whether it’s an Asian market to pick up some boba to make yourself, a restaurant, or a boba shop in your area.

ZitSticka Press Refresh Sheet Mask + Hyperfade Dark Spot Patches First Impressions Review

March 2, 2021

I just received a few products from ZitSticka— a brand I’ve been wanting to try for a few years now since hearing about their microdart patches for acne (and now dark spots!). I don’t struggle with acne nearly as much as I used to growing up, so I picked out their PRESS REFRESH Exfoliating Hydrogel Mask & HYPERFADE Dark Spot Patches to try out.

PRESS REFRESH is a hydrogel exfoliating sheet mask that features chemical exfoliating acids (salicylic, glycolic, and lactic) and graphene technology that syncs with your body heat, increasing your skin’s ability to absorb ingredients.

I love chemical exfoliants, so having that in a sheet mask is a really fun weekly treatment mask. Hydrogel masks have been my holy grail for years, since they feel like a second skin and stick to your face so well. The two piece mask is easy to apply, doesn’t burn (it actually feels cooling!), and makes for the perfect #maskie.

ZitSticka Press Refresh Hydrogel Exfoliating Sheet Mask

I have fairly reactive skin, especially when using chemical exfoliants, and this mask left my skin bright (no redness!) and baby soft. This set includes 5 masks for $36— a bit pricier, but the effects are immediate. I think this might be my current favorite sheet mask!

ZitSticka Hyperfade microdart patch for dark spots

HYPERFADE is a self-dissolving microdart patch that targets dark spots from post-zit damage. I thought these would be more up my alley since I don’t have a ton of active breakouts anymore. I only tried these once, so I’ll give my first impressions.

ZitSticka HYPERFADE Dark Spot Clarifying Patch

This was my first microdart patch experience, surprisingly enough, and I really liked it! The patch is larger & stays on very well. I forgot I had it on! The microdarts dissolve after ~2 hours, and release brightening ingredients including hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin c, and arbutin. These are $34 for a pack of 12 patches. I really do think I noticed a change with just one use on an older dark spot, but since I haven’t broken out since receiving these I can’t speak on how they work for a new post-zit dark spot. I’ll keep you posted!

**This post includes gifted products and affiliate links— for more information, please read my Disclosure Policy**

My Favorite Alani Nu Energy Drinks

March 1, 2021

My current fav rotation of Alani Nu Energy Drink flavors…

I was majorly influenced by a ton of people I follow to get back into energy drinks…I had a real Monster energy phase in high school (while everyone else was underage drinking I was Unleashing The Beast™), that graduated into a brief stint with vodka redbulls once I turned 21 due to not knowing what to order at bars (phew, I’m glad I graduated to actual cocktails)…and now, a decade later I’m back into energy drinks. Now, I prefer to use them as a preworkout, or to get over that midafternoon slump when I’m not in the mood for coffee.

I like Celsius energy drinks and dabbled in those a bit since they were more readily available, but now that I once I found Alani Nu Energy Drinks at my grocery store, Target, and online— there’s no going back. Their fun flavors and branding really sucked me in, and thankfully— the drinks are so. damn. good. and effective too!

The Alani Nu Energy Drink features 200mg of caffeine, 0 sugar, 10 calories, and Vitamin B + Biotin to support your natural glow. I have been curious about their pre-workouts for a while, but always resisted because I haven’t done well with pre-workout in the past…I hate the itchy feeling. But after trying these…now I’m tempted!

The flavors I’ve tried so far (kinda in order of favorites) are Hawaiian Shaved Ice, Blue Slush, Tropsicle, Breezeberry, Cosmic Stardust, Mimosa, and Watermelon Wave. I think that’s actually all of their flavors except for Arctic White, but I haven’t seen that one in store anywhere quite yet.

I like these because they’re the right amount of sweet, sweetened with sucralose, the same compound used in Splenda— my favorite alternative sweetener. It’s no wonder I like these. These can be pretty sweet for someone who mostly drinks water, coffee, and LaCroix, but I love these flavors so they don’t bother me. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, dilute them with some sparkling water!

I don’t know what a Breezeberry is…but I like it.

These give me the extra boost I need to accomplish my tasks for the day, or get the motivation to hop on my elliptical at home. I don’t use them daily, as I don’t want to become too caffeine dependent more than I already am with my morning coffee, but when I’m feeling a bit “meh” at any point throughout the day— these really do the trick. You can find these online as a 12 pack for $27.99, but I recommend popping into a Target, GNC, or Vitamin Shoppe instead to try all the flavors before committing to 12 of them. I’ll take 12 packs of all of the above, though…any day.

**This post includes affiliate links— for more information, please read my Disclosure Policy**