we're already back to thursday again?! praise the lord! linking up with bex for my weekly roundup of things i've been thankful for.
got my newest elf shipment in last night! [ told ya i'd buy all the lip glosses ha ] i placed the order just in time to be able to use the coupon code to get a free goody bag of stuff with my order since it was recently elf's birthday/anniversary. the only thing in the top picture i paid for was the make up wipes, one blush and the setting spray - how amazing is that?! can't wait to try out all these new products and colors.
this stuff has been my newest obsession - so good! it's only 150 cals for 2.5 cups of popcorn, so a great way to get that sinful snack craving in without busting your diet.
emergen-c has been a lifesaver this week. somehow i managed to catch a horrible head cold while it's 90+ degrees outside...totally normal. i religiously drank 2 packets a day of this stuff all winter and i never got sick, then i stopped when the weather got nicer and i guess it's finally catching up to me. i don't take vitamins regularly [ i know, i know ] so this is an easy way for me to try and get them in [ and drink plenty of water to boot! ]. the raspberry, orange and tangerine are my favorite flavors. the tangerine tastes exactly like clementines to me - yum!
"I’d known since I was 5, when my parents forced me to move to
California, that I was going to live in New York eventually and that
everything in between was just a horrible intermission. I’d spent those
sixteen years imagining what New York was going to be like. I thought it
was going to be the most exciting, magical, fraught-with-possibility
place that you could ever live in; a place where if you really wanted
something, you might be able to get it; a place where I’d be surrounded
by people I was dying to be with. And I turned out to be right." - Nora Ephron
there are those certain movies you come across on tv, stop flipping, and watch. doesn't matter if it just started, it's right in the middle, or about to end. doesn't matter if its on dvd 20 feet away from you, ready to be popped in commercial-free. you just watch. and it's still just as amazing and powerful the 100th time as it was the first. for me these have been, and always will be, nora ephron's movies.
part of the reason the upper west side was the only area in manhattan i wanted to live in was thanks to kathleen kelly, joe fox and my absolute favorite movie of all time: you've got mail. every time i walk past cafe lalo or sit at the window seats at the 81st street starbucks, i can't help but smile. it's like living in the magic of that movie.
the world lost an amazing writer and woman last night, but her wit, wisdom and spirit live on in the stories she told so well.
"The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat,
etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on
earth they are, can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an
absolutely defining sense of self: Tall! Decaf! Cappuccino!"
"Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today I saw
one. I couldn't believe it. It got on at 42nd -- and got off at 59th,
where I assume it was going to Bloomindale's to buy a hat that will turn
out to be a mistake. As almost all hats are."
"Well, it was a
million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant
we were supposed to be together... and I knew it. I knew it the very
first time I touched her. It was like coming home, only to no home I'd
ever known. I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I
knew. It was like... magic."
"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes
you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little
crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love
that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on
my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to
before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's
not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you
realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want
the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
"Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you
choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the
rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will
choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women. Thank you. Good
luck. The first act of your life is over. Welcome to the best years of
your lives." - Nora Ephron
first things first - my absolute favorite thing in the world right
now: AIR CONDITIONING. one of my favorite things about living in new
york is having 4 distinct seasons. i may only really enjoy 2 of them [
spring & fall ] but it's still nice to get to experience it all.
blizzards in the winter, 100+ degree days in the summer like we've had
this week and everything in between. so as long as i have AC, i'm good!
ever since buying apple tv about a year ago my netflix has been getting a
lot more use. this next show was recently added to their list of
instantly streaming shows and i am LOVING it. brings me back to the
good ol' days. though i do still contend that no high school students
ever talk like this in real life, i do love me some dawson's creek.
since i didn't get a manicure this week [ can't wait to go this weekend - i hate unpolished
nails ] i do have a pedicure of the week color that i'm really loving.
the perfect combo of a bright and pastel pink in one..great summer
choice for a mani or pedi.
one of my all time favorite foods/appetizers ever is spinach artichoke
dip. that stuff is like crack and i can't stop once i start. this is
usually not a good thing as 99% of spinach artichoke dips are loaded
with mayo and cheese and who knows what else. while perusing the
grocery store this week i came across lean cuisine's version of the dip so i obviously had to buy it. i must say, this stuff
is GOOD. tastes just like real version except served in a much smaller portion
to keep you a little more in control. if you're a fan, i definitely
recommend going out and picking this stuff up!
this week i have been very thankful for a quiet upcoming weekend. it's been non-stop for the past month or so and the only thing on the agenda for this weekend is a little baseball (going to the subway series on saturday!), trying out some new recipes, and walking around central park & this beautiful city.
a quick snapshot from last friday's mets/reds game
linking up with the vintage apple for oh, how pinteresting wednesday!
today's edition is going to be interior design focused. i recently moved into a new apartment on the upper west side of manhattan in a pre-war brownstone. loads of charm, including an exposed brick wall, super high celings and a fireplace. i knew this was the apartment for me the second i walked through the door and i've been so happy ever since i moved. i've been slowly but surely decorating the place and the one area i'm having the most difficulty with is the fireplace, as i have never had one in my own apartment before. its in the very, very beginning stages so don't judge my before pics, ha!
here's an overall view of the area in question. the items on the mantle were just some knick knacks i had so they might not necessarily be staying where they are, i just wanted something up there! my biggest design issue is the ceiling height. i'm in the market for a large-scale mirror to hang above the fireplace.
here's a closer view of the fireplace detail and the items on the mantle
and here's a detail view of the interior of the fireplace [ obviously it is not a functioning one ]. currently it's home to my wine rack/wine bottles.
ever since the day i signed my lease i've been scouring pinterest for ideas on styling a fireplace so today i'm going to share all my inspiration photos!
i love this mantle for springtime with the pops of bright yellow against the mostly white accessories. i also love this mirror's non-traditional shape.
i love this little vignette for a mantle. hydrangea are one of my favorite flowers and i love the idea of filling apothecary jars with various items that can be changed based on the season.
anyone else have any great ideas or inspiration photos for decorating a mantle? i'd love to hear them!
as i mentioned yesterday i have super oily skin and have been trying to figure out the best foundation/skin prep routine since high school. finally, this weekend, i think i perfected it. i've had great results from saturday through today and i couldn't be happier!
first things first: the primer. i've tried every primer under the sun and have done tons of research into this. my 2 favorites have been the smashbox photo finish light and the too faced primed & poreless skin smoothing primer. at $36 and $30 respectively, these primers aren't cheap, but they last a few months and work so i was willing to pay.......until i came across a youtube video and subsequent reviews on makeup alley claiming that monistat chafing relief powder-gel had almost identical ingredients to the smashbox primer. yes, you read that right. i obviously immediately ordered it since it's less than $7 on amazon [ and because i was a little embarrased to run over to cvs and purchase this in person, ha ].
i am happy to report - the monistat gel is AMAZING. if you use a primer and like either of the two higher end ones that i mentioned above, you should take a chance on switching. the texture is exactly the same as smashbox and its super lightweight and non-irritating. best find in a long time. i wonder who figured this out.....
next up: foundation. i've tried a bunch of these as well and, surprisingly, my two favorites are straight from the drugstore. i used to be loyal to revlon colorstay foundation for combination/oily skin but recently switched over to l'oreal paris infallible advanced never fail makeup and i'm loving it. they have a very similar level of coverage (medium to full) but what i love more about the infallible is that it has a pump dispenser.
third step: powder. as i mentioned in yesterday's post i am a new convert to elf studio high definition powder. i credit this as being the missing piece to my ever-changing foundation routine. ever since i started using this last weekend i have notice the biggest change in not only how long i can go without seeing shine, but how fresh my makeup stays throughout the entire day without touching up. love, love, love this and at $6 there's no reason not to use it!
last, but certainly not least: finishing spray. i received a trial size bottle of urban decay's all nighter finishing spray with an order from sephora and loved it. it didn't necessarily help with the shine/oiliness but it did keep my makeup looking fresh all day. i did a little more research before purchasing the full size bottle and found out that urban decay also makes a de-slick oil-conrol mattifying setting spray. after using it for about a week i was sold. does the same thing as the all-nighter but definitely keeps my oily skin at bay for hours at a time. if you don't happen to have oily/combination skin like me i would definitely recommend the original all nighter spray - just as good!
and there you have it! about 10 years of wearing makeup and countless hours of research and i finally figured it out. better late than never!
i returned home this past thursday to a shipment from elf cosmetics. after reading a few posts from the bargain blonde raving about a lot of their products and reading some other good reviews online i decided to take the plunge. i've tried cosmetics based on reviews before and spent a ton only to find out i'm not a huge fan. the best thing about elf is that everything is SO reasonable and is extremely comparable to a lot of higher end brands. here's what i got:
i got the chance to try out each of these products this weekend. the one product i wasn't too crazy about was the concealer and that's
only because it had a little too much of a yellow undertone for my skin
color.
here is a quick photo i snapped on my phone before heading out on saturday night - i used entirely elf products with the exception of my all-time favorite bronzer benefit's hoola which i will continue using for the rest of my life [ and will cry like no other if they ever discontinue! ] :
[ sorry for the crappy phone quality ]
the so-so: the foundation didn't blow me out of the water, but for $6 it matches my skin tone well and has decent coverage so it's a great addition to my makeup bag for sure. the eyeliner/shadow stick was good but it's not necessarily better than any drugstore brand i've bought before. however, it's WAY cheaper than the drugstore brand so i will definitely switch over to this one for my everyday makeup routine.
the good: the eyeshadows & blush were both super pigmented, blended well, and the colors were so pretty in person. the waterproof eyeliner pen is so perfect for people who are spazzy like me and don't do well with liquid eyeliner.
my absolute favorites: i couldn't pick one clear winner for this but it definitely comes down to the lip gloss and the HD powder. can i just say - this gloss is just as good, if not better, than stila! this is hands down my new favorite lip color and for $1 i will most likely purchase every other color as well! what led me to the HD powder was reading a review saying it was a pretty close dupe for the makeup forever HD powder which is a whopping $32 for 0.35 oz vs the elf powder which was $6 for 8g. i was blessed with super oily skin and i'm always looking for ways to mattify my face and keep my makeup looking fresh throughout the day (especially in the summer!). i honestly cannot recommend this powder enough, even for those who don't have oily skin as it is a great powder regardless.
i don't want to drag this post on forever, but i think this weekend i finally figured out the perfect combination of primer/foundation/powder/setting spray that has kept the shine/oiliness at bay for the longest period of time in my entire life. i am honestly so excited about this discovery after trying out countless products & it really deserves a post of it's own so stay tuned for that later this week!
for the past few fridays i have been LOVING baublebar's buried baubles. when you sign up for e-mails on their site they send you a clue each friday leading you to a piece of jewlery on sale for the day for $10! not to mention free shipping as well..so for us NY'ers thats a whopping $10.86 with tax for an awesome piece of jewlery. i've gotten a few items the past few weeks [ rainbow stud wrap bracelet and stalacite stud earrings ]
this spicy chicken rigatoni recipe. had this last night for the second time in a few weeks and let me tell you - amazing! definitely not the lowest calorie option, but i put extra peas in mine, go a little lighter on the alfredo sauce and sub in some whole wheat pasta. super comforting dish, easy to make & perfect for leftovers! a warning, however: if you don't handle spice well i'd put much, much less red pepper in this than the recipe calls for - its a scorcher!
my mani this week was courtesy of the essie 'poppy razzi' collection. orange is such a big color right now and this one is perfect! i would suggest doing your base coat in an opaque white instead of the traditional clear for a brighter finish on the polish.
the drink of the week [ and pretty much every week, who am i kidding? ] is barefoot pinot grigio. definitely one of my favorites from barefoot besides the sauvignon blanc & so reasonably priced as well!
the quote of the week is a very appropriate one as i will be have a quintessential new york weekend. heading to the mets/reds game at citi field tonight [ reo speedwagon concert to follow the game - 80s tastic ], going to brunch tomorrow with one of my college friends and then heading to a birthday party tomorrow night for another friend. sunday will be much quieter as i head to long island to celebrate the graduations of 2 of my cousins - one from college & one from high school.
i started this blog almost a year ago with high hopes. i was new to the blog world & only read a handful of blogs daily. since then my blog bookmarks have grown to over 30 & i started feeling like i really wanted a place to share my own thoughts & likes as well as become more involved with bloggers i read every day [& stop being a creepy non-commenting/non-following reader :)].
i wasn't fully committed then & my technological skills were pretty lacking [still are, sorry for this newbie layout] but i think i'm finally ready to make the giant leap into the blogosphere. i've seen relationships prosper & genuine friendships form & i love the positive community created by all these talented women. i hope i can live up to everyone's standards but be patient with me as i learn the ropes. i hope you enjoy what i have to offer & i can't wait to "meet" you all! :)
