The deets: Banana Republic bib necklace and turtleneck; J.Crew pencil (similar) ; Steve Madden shoes (similar); Coach bag; Giorgio Armani lipstick in "400".
Another day, another work look, nothing new to see over here. My theory is that if you constantly are the one in your office that is wearing neon, leopard, and overall obnoxiousness, they get so used to it that its almost like it's not even happening. "Oh, that over-sized multicolored bib necklace she's got on today?" "Snooze." Am I right?
1. This is a very intense list of wedding prep charts that seem pretty on point. To all my engaged ladies out there or for ladies who will be attending a wedding they have questions about...this list is for you. Love me a good diagram.
2. This video on the distribution of wealth in the US was pretty eye opening/scary. I definitely was in the group of what you "think" it is.
3. Hilarious video of men trying to guess how much girl products cost. The part where the one guy guesses women go through about two bras a month had me laughing.
4. Nine DIY at home fancy pants coffee drink recipes. I need to cut back on my Starbucks spending and this seems like a great way to do it.
The deets: SAM coat (similar), Express dress (similar); J.Crew boots (similar); GAP tights; prescription Ray-Ban sunnies; Steve Madden bag; The Seam Designs hat; gifted necklace.
Saturday Mike and I went to Mike Isabella's restaurant Graffiato for their extended restaurant week menu. It was another fabulous meal but the most amazing thing we ate all afternoon was the Top Chef's famous pepperoni sauce. We ordered a side of it just to dip everything else we had left into it. On the walk home we ran into some other amigos having drinks at a local bar so the awesome day date turned into an even longer one filled with chit chat and beers with good friends. One of the many reasons I love Arlington, you never know who you will run into or what the day will become.
The deets: Max Studio leggings (similar); Express top; DV Dolce Vita heels; Chloe & Isabel earrings; Elizabeth and James sunnies; Piperlime clutch (old).
There is something very nineties grunge about this outfit that I didn't really see before. How embarrassing, I slightly resemble a Nirvana groupie. Anyway...these leggings are very comfy and have become my go to for outfits on the fly. I wear them with flats and boots and now heels. I tell myself the zipper on the side makes them fancy enough to wear like real pants even though they are leggings and feel like workout clothes (ahem..please let me continue believing this). Oh, and I know my nails are naked but I recently had a very serious relapse into nail biting and polish seems to just highlight the destruction I have done so I'm going bare for a while. You can always tell exactly how stressed out I am by the condition of my complexion and nails, sigh.
1. A quiz on what city you should really be living in. I got LA? Hmmm..
2. A skateboarding cat, need I say more?
3. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why he does not want to live forever in a beautiful way.
4. It might be silly but I LOVE these new Chobani Flips. Yummy yummy in my tummy. I eat one almost daily!
The deets: Torn by Ronny Kobo top (very similar); GAP jeans; ShoeDazzle heels; Coach bag; Chloe & Isabel earrings (c/o TFB); Giorgio Armani "301" lipstick; vintage bracelets; Michael Kors watch; perscription Ray-Ban sunnies;
Last week was DC's restaurant week (a.k.a. the glorious week where they let riff-raff like me into highfalutin places to eat three course meals for reasonable prices) and I went on a little lunch date to Brasserie Beck to take advantage. It was probably one of my favorite restaurant week experiences to date. We indulged in pumpkin soup, veal meatballs, creamy muscles, leek and wild mushroom crepes, red velvet waffles, and creme brulee. The lunch feast was polished off with a couple of espressos (for fanciness and to avoid going into food comas on the metro ride back to Arlington). Needless to say, I was so glad I wore this peplum top as it was very conducive to camouflaging my full tum tum.
1. This creamy face scrub by Clinique is exfoliating and moisturizing all at the same time, which I find to be a rarity in grainy cleansers. I absolutely love the way my face feels after using it. Period.
2. I have super super super (can't emphasize this enough) sensitive skin. As in if something isn't working for me, I will know within an hour or two because my face will start to itch, revolt against me, and then break out in cystic acne. Usually any moisturizer that has a strong SPF in it will irritate the hell out of my skin and these days it's so hard to find basic face lotions that don't have it in there. This little Simple brand gem was picked up at my local CVS and it is a dream come true. It's made with a few basic ingredients so it doesn't bother my face yet it's still very moisturizing. It also rings in at a drug store price. Can't beat that with a stick, y'all.
3. Honestly, I am a gal that doesn't really believe in or do the whole everyday foundation thing. I am more of a tinted moisturizer user (if I use anything at all). I do use it for special occasions where I know there will be lots of photos taken (weddings, etc.) but it's not a normal thing for me. Unfortunately, as I have stated earlier, when something doesn't work, I know it right away and break out. During those times I need a full coverage beast of a foundation that won't make the situation worse. Price tags DO NOT always equal safety (sorry Chanel, your face products are beautiful but make my skin very very angry). This Make Up For Ever HD Foundation line is amazing. They offer tons of shades for girls who have pinker under tones (which is very rare as many products assume everyone has the more common yellow ones) and its completely covering while soft and easy on the skin.
I was craving junk food the other day and instead of caving to my McDonald's french fry obsession I decided to give it a try on my own - fancy style. It was super easy to do and the end result is much tastier than anything you would go out and buy off a dollar menu. The rosemary gets infused into the olive oil and just makes these babies SO delicious. Recipe below.
1 large russet potato, peeled and sliced into long thin sticks.
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
salt & pepper to taste (and optional ketchup for dipping)
Heat olive oil on skillet on high heat. Throw in your potato pieces and sprinkle with rosemary. Cook until golden brown then place on a napkin to drain and cool. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then EAT!
1. Some very useful tips and tricks from fashion experts here.
2. The coolest new way to clean up your inbox. I am one day in and see a massive difference!
3. A quiz that can tell where you are from by how you answer their questions. They got me!
4. Some useful money saving/debt reducing tips for all your post holiday spending hangovers.
I realize this post comes about a week later than it should, but for whatever reason I wasn't feeling inspired enough to want to reflect back on 2013. Honestly, it is probably because 2013 was a really tough year for me. I struggle sometimes with how much to share on this little blog as it will be imprinted into the foreverness that is the internet. I usually side with caution and keep it light, but today I want to just quickly remind you about how this tiny piece of my life is by no means a true reflection of it. It is me with a filter set to "sparkly days" only. This year was filled with hard decisions, heart break, an extremely complicated family situation, and a lot of self doubt. On the flip side of that ugly coin I realize I have so much to be grateful for. A safety net of friends that I consider family, a new beginning, and new self discoveries. I learned how much I can do on my own, and the depths of my bravery.
While I am happy to see 2013 in my rear view, I also hold so much excitement in my heart for 2014 (which will forever be know as "the year of weddings" for me as I already have four on the calendar). I have a few very simple resolutions that I want to hold myself to which are to be a good friend, a loving girlfriend, to believe in the good will of the universe, and to stay motivated to keep growing as a human being. Cheers.
(Recipe from Allrecipes.com here)
Speaking of New Year's Day hangovers...I nursed mine with a batch of handmade bagels! While up in NJ for Christmas I participated in what I have deemed the carbolympics (pizza, bagels, pasta, repeat) which is usually followed up by the "oh my god WHY doesn't food taste like this in Virginia!?"
I really thought about this on the way home. Why is it that down here bagels taste like someone took a regular piece of bread, poked a hole in the middle and deemed it a bagel and in order to get a good pasta or pizza dish you have to pay "gourmet" prices? IT'S SO ANNOYING. I want my pizza to be artisan crafted and feed a family of five for fourteen dollars (only NY and NJ people will understand this). While I have yet to find the reason for the pizza situation, I do think that part of the reason bagels suck are because no one takes the time to boil them down in these parts. The only real way to make a good bagel is to boil that biatch, so I found me a recipe and attempted to do it myself. While I have to admit it wasn't the best idea to do it while hungover (it takes a LOT of patients that people who drank their brain cells away the night before do not have) but they did taste muuuuuuch better than what you can get in the area AND they are like super cheap to make because all you need is flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and water. If they didn't take two hours to make I'd totally do it all the time. Nom nom nommmm.
The deets: Express dress and jacket (similar); Francesca's necklace; ALDO heels; Gigee Marie clutch; Nordstrom hat (similar).
This is the dress I wore for NYE I know it's not your typical sparkle spectacular variety that usually comes out for the holiday but it made me feel dressed up and fancy just the same. I spent all of yesterday nursing my champs hangover but definitely feel like all the fun I had was worth it (Dougie dance party of two in the middle of a restaurant? Check.). Happy 2014!
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