tuesday//

sweater // vintage

henley // one nation

shorts // oneteaspoon

neutrals

A color that I can't get enough of recently is that amazing neutral camel, nude color. I love it! Seriously. It matches with everything. Next time your staring at your closet pick a neutral base and then go wild. 

sweater // philosophy
shorts // rachel pally
shoes // dolce vita

visit dress for more pieces

what's in my medicine cabinet // skin care staples

Everyone loves to take a peek in their friends medicine cabinet to see the beauty goodies that have lurking in there(and don't say that you don't, everyone has seen that clip on America's Funniest Home Videos where someone opens their friend's medicine cabinet and marbles come falling out...).
Instead of going through all that trouble... here's a peek into my medicine cabinet.

My first set of staples are my Bobbi Brown Lathering Tube Soap and Hydrating Face Tonic 
Ahh... I just LOVE my tube soap and tonic. My face is extremely sensitive and reactive to almost basically any new make up/face product I put on it so when these babies didn't make me break out in hives I knew they were the ones(it really is true love... I've got 3 bottles of each, on stock, at all times). And I can't forget about my Aria cleansing brush. Although I have been neglecting it these past two... almost THREE weeks! I keep forgetting to charge it and believe me when I say you will notice a big difference with your skin on days you use it and days you don't.

My next set of staples are my Rodin Olio and Caudalie Pulpe Fluid. 
Okay. I know the 1oz of face oil for $150 is extremely ridiculous. But it's aaamazing. You can probably make this yourself at home but you'll have to know precis measurements or you'll end up with an oil slick on your face. And this stuff just sinks in beautifully. I could go on and on about it but just google it!
My Caudalie fluid is a MUST HAVE. A. MUST. HAVE. This stuff is just heaven and a miracle all in one. I mean what doesn't this miracle potion do? I have been out for TWO days and I'm dying. I must order more from Sephora ASAP.

I also love my Tom's toothpaste! But more importantly my Origins GinZing and Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream
The Caudalie eye cream is for prevention and it's so luxurious! And my GinZing is terrific for puffy eyes in the morning! It gets rid of puffiness and makes the skin around your eyes so bright!

Okay, another thing I have 3 tubes of, on stock, at all time is the Clinique Exfoliating Scrub. This stuff gets rid of all the dead skin and softens fine lines. A MUST. My Vaseline Rose and Almond Oil Lip Therapy is something similar to what they just started selling in the States. I got a few tins of this a couple years ago when I was in England. And as you know products differ from the US to Europe(and Europe's selection is much better). It smells great and gives your lips a rose tint. Love.

Honestly, these products have cleared my skin up SO much. And I've been on everything from prescription acne creams to antibiotics. This has been my skin care regime for years and I don't see it changing any time soon!

There you have it... my medicine cabinet.
What's in yours?

diy thank you notes and envelopes

A couple days ago I went to get my hair "refreshed" and it's been a loooong while since I've gotten it cut and colored.
I'm EXTREMELY particular when it comes to my hair and a bit of an obsessive freak(If I was a hairdresser I wouldn't deal with me, we'll just say that).
Anyway- I went to a new hairdresser and long story short, I loved what she did and was very satisfied.
Now, while I did tip(always tip!), I was really satisfied with my hair and I thought it would be a nice gesture to send a thank-you card as well(why send thank you cards? etiquette. and it's a nice thing to do!). 
I think sometimes while thank you cards are great, depending on what and why you are sending a thank you, you can add in something a little extra, like a simple gift card(I did a gift card to Starbucks. Who... well what... girl doesn't love Starbucks?).
Now, you can make a DIY thank you card in all sorts of ways, this just happens to be how I made mine.

For the card:
What you'll need:
Colored card stock of your choice
Stencils
Letter stickers
Silver Sharpie
Gold colored pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Razor blade
Blank note-cards

First, you'll want to take your colored card stock of choice and cut it to the size of how big you want your card to be. Then, choose how you'd like to decorate it. I decided to do a simple chevron pattern.

Next, I took a gold pencil and outlined my pattern.

Now, take your note-card and write a note before gluing it inside the card!

Add on your stickers and you're done!

For the envelope:
What you'll need:
Cardstock
Old envelopes
Ruler
Scissors
Pencil
A brown paper bag

First, you'll want to carefully pull apart an old envelope(you can also skip this step and get an envelope template of your choice on line to print).

Trace the envelope on to the cardstock paper.

After cutting the cardstock paper, take a brown paper bag and cut a rectangle out smaller than the envelope(this step isn't necessary but it adds a little more pizazz). Then glue to the inside of the envelope.

Aww... snazzy.
Now. Push the sides in, glue the sides where needed and firmly press the bottom portion of the envelope over the sides.

What's going in your envelope?

Okay then! Put it in there!

Now seal it up! I glued and taped the front. You can glue and put a sticker if you're feeling extra fancy!
Also, be sure to make the writing pop-out. Nothing crazy... cause you want to make sure it can be read by the post office, but something that gives it a little extra something!

I hope this makes everyone want to send out thank you cards! :)
Enjoy your weekend everybody!

school musthaves

Ahh... another semester has arrived and let me tell you that nothing gets me as excited as school supplies. BTW, I just discovered cultpens.com a pen lovers dream! 
These are my must haves every semester:

1. I don't like to carry binders because they are a bit heavier and can weigh down my bag so I always opt for a good quality 5 subject notebook with folders as dividers. Having a folder for each subject lets me keep track of any papers or graded exams I receive in class. Then it makes an easy transfer and keep track of when I bring it home and file it away to bring out later to study for finals, etc.

2. As I mentioned I looove writing utensils and sticky notes and highlighters and the list can go on. I like keeping these gems in a good quality pouch. This way if I ever need to transfer items from a book bag to a tote to another tote it's all right there.

3. Umbrella. Enough said. You never know when it's gonna rain!!

4. I keep my beauty habits to a minimum while at school. So once again, I stick with a good quality chapstick and hand cream throughout my day. Usually I wear no more than mascara and a BB cream so a lotion and chapstick do just fine.

5. I always switch up my bag for school. It will either be my vintage North Face book bag(from the early 90s, thanks boyfriend!) or a Longchamp tote. The Longchamp totes are very durable and not flashy which I love.

6. It's just always good to know the time and have a nice watch on you as an accessory :) And I love my Nixon!

7. Always, always, always carry my Ray-Bans!

8. I like to bring a cup of green tea or coffee in my thermos to keep me energized and I always have a bottle of water with me! And don't forget to put your water in a glass bottle! They're sustainable!

banana pudding with peanut butter sandwich cookies

While my blog is suppose to be a mixture of all things fashion and sweet... I'm going to have to do two back to back sweet treat posts.
I was craving banana pudding the other night and had almost everything I needed to make it except milk and cookies. I made a quick run to Whole Foods and started to make this DELICIOUS dessert soon after.
The words "OH MY GAWD" don't even begin to cover how amazing this is!

For the banana pudding you'll need:
3 cups of milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 all purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4/5 ripe bananas
1 package of peanut butter sandwich cookies

Let's begin!

Take your milk, eggs, flour, and sugar and throw them in a sauce pan over medium low heat.

And whisk for at least 15 minutes. Constantly. It's not fun but it's sooo worth it(it's homemade pudding. Yum.)!
As you can see it will start to get frothy.

And you're there!

When it gets nice and thick you know it's ready!

Now turn off the heat and add in the vanilla extract and butter. Whisk until everything is combined.

Now put the sauce pan in a big bowl of ice and let it rest for 30 minutes whisking occasional... And yes, I know, I put my sauce pan in water! I had no ice! So I put this big bowl of water in the freezer for a bit! So if you have no ice this is another way to go!

Meanwhile get out your bananas and cookies!

Break your cookies into large chunks and your bananas into slices.

Now let it all hang out...

For the whipped topping you'll need:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

Take your heavy whipping cream, pour it in a bowl, and turn on that electric whisk.

Once it gets frothy add in your vanilla and sugar and keep whisking!

Until you get soft peaks like this...

Now set that aside and get back to your pudding....
Grab a dish and pour half of the pudding into the dish.

Add your cookies.

Add your bananas.

Add the rest of the pudding.

Let it chill in the fridge for 2-24 hours or however long you can last for... me personally, lasted an hour and a half... whoops. Top with your whipped topping whenever you are ready to serve!

YUUUUUMMMM!

PS: if you don't want to go through the trouble of making the pudding just substitute boxed vanilla pudding!


Hope everyone has a great week!

detox water

Ahh... another New Year is here and there are lots of resolutions to be fulfilled. Last year my resolutions were pretty simple and of course I didn't really go through with any of them... maybe it's a good thing my blog more resolution didn't really happen... because as you can tell, all of my pictures got deleted. Sigh. Google you've really let me down this time. I've still haven't come to terms with this. I feel that maybe they will magically reappear on my blog one day. 

Okay. They're not.
I'm going to take this brand new year and start over my blog with this delicious detox water recipe...

I think on anyone's New Year resolutions list you can find the words: get healthy, lose weight, etc. Which is great. Even myself, as a vegetarian, try to be as healthy as possible but sometimes I give in to a Kit Kat too and I don't want to. And starting from right now... right now at 9:30 pm on this Saturday night, I am going to hold myself accountable and stop giving in.

Now aside from my personal resolutions here is a detox water I like to drink in the mornings and throughout my day. I sometimes switch up the fruits I use but for the most part I keep it the same : lemons / oranges / a type of berry. The reasons behind my choice of fruits are.........

To begin with lemons, there are plenty of reasons why lemons are good for you : supports weight loss / aids digestion / anticancer properties / balances pH levels

To add on, oranges : vitamin C / boosts hearth health / rich in carotenoid compounds / protects the skin with a punch of free radicals 

And to finish, we all know why strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, snozberries, etc. are good for you! Just kidding about that last berry...

Hopefully this water can be the kick start to your get healthy resolution!

You'll need:

1 mason jar or any personal drinking container you have on hand

Pitcher

2 lemons

2 oranges

2 handfuls of your choice of berries(a mix if you're feeling crazy)

First: Take your yummy lemons, cut them in quarters and then cut them again.

Then take your oranges(these, by the way, are cara cara oranges. to die for!!!) and cut them the same way.

Now add your fruits to your glasses! I always use a jar I can carry with me to work or school and then one pitcher to keep in the fridge to drink at home.

Once you drop your fruit in, add your water(I get my water purified by the bulk from Whole Foods!). Let this sit in your fridge overnight so it can soak up the flavors and vitamins and all the good stuff! And voila! You have amazing, fruit filled, vitamin enriched water! Yummy...

I like to start my day with either this or a nice hot cup of lemon and honey, depending on the weather! It's super refreshing!

Let me know if you try this out! Hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!