Wait, It's May Already?

Life has been busy lately! I had so much fun on my little weekend solo jaunt to New York City last weekend. I survived a great barre class at Exhale Spa, did tons of walking around the city and through Central Park, and met up with a friend who recently moved from Chicago. Jessica's bridal shower was a great celebration and I loved being able to hang with her close girlfriends before the wedding next month (already!). The group ventured out to the Standard's biergarten on Saturday afternoon, where I could have continued people watching for daaaays. I was super diligent about packing my camera, but somehow forgot to put the battery back in it before heading out, so I was only able to snap some iPhone photos. Oops! I need to get better at remembering to actually use my real camera. 

This past weekend was spent enjoying a little Cinco de Mayo action, grilling on the porch (steak fajitas), and finally meeting up with Lauren (for mani/pedis + cocktails), who was in town from DC. I only wish the weather was warmer. I'm ready for more spring-like temps and less rain! 

What about you! How was your weekend?

favorite new polish combo: Chanel's nouvelle vague + gradient glitter

remnants from Saturday's homemade margaritas using this recipe (which was so good!)

late takeout sushi lunch on Friday (sashimi is my fav!)

pretty packaging + tape from Anthropologie

minty fresh watch and neon bracelets for warmer weather

Special Delivery: Birchbox

After seeing countless bloggers post about their monthly Birchbox, I finally broke down and added my name to the wait list. Tiane got her first Birchbox last month, and the $10 seems worth it for a few fun beauty goodies and the anticipation of a monthly snail mail surprise. I probably waited less than a month before I got the e-mail prompting me to subscribe, and I went with the month-to-month option so that I can cancel at anytime. I was so excited to see that little pink box in my mailbox Saturday afternoon, plus miniature anything is somehow more exciting and cute! My first Birchbox contained the following:

-Befine skin care sampler
- Color Club turquoise nail polish (how did they know I'm obsessed with nail polish?)
- Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy perfume (which I've tried before and love!)
- June Jacob Perfect Pumpkin Enzyme Polish (probably the product I'm most looking forward to testing out
- Show Stoppers designer fashion tape

All in all, it seems like it was worth the money. I'm already super excited for next month's Birchbox because it's a Gossip Girl theme! Do you have a subscription to Birchbox now? What's been the best product you've gotten? I want to know what else I can look forward to receiving!

Interested in trying Birchbox? Sign up here!

Life Lately...

There's been some serious downtime around here since returning from San Diego. Between the time change and getting back into the work routine, my weekends have been reserved for leisurely brunches, walks in the fresh springtime air, and catching up on my favorite blogs. I've also been trying to tackle some of the recipes that I've been pinning for months. Among my new favorites: Pioneer Woman's cold brewed iced coffee (liquid gold, if you ask me), Taza's puffed pancake (which I've been justifying as breakfast during my 40 days of no sweets + alcohol), and the best homemade salsa ever. Seriously, I am not exaggerating when I tell you this salsa comes together in under 5 minutes and will make your taste buds incredibly happy (and leave you craving a frosty margarita). Make all three recipes and tell me they're not amazing.

How have you been enjoying these springlike temps?


puffed pancake right out of the oven


...and with a drizzle of real maple syrup


home-brewed iced coffee (in its sludgy mid-brew state)


fun, springy polishes


my favorite orangey-coral hue by Chanel

Nailed It

I love nail polish and trying out different manicures. Two of my favorite sites to go for inspiration are ...Love Maegan and the Beauty Department. Lately, I've wanted to keep my nails subtle and neutral with a little pop of color here and there. These are some images from my Pinterest boards that I may try this weekend. I am especially lusting after that new shimmery purple Nars color, diamond life. What kinds of nail trends have you been trying? Do you have a favorite nude or neutral polish that I should try?

Subdued Nude

Have a look at my favorite polish combination of the moment. I love it because it goes with everything, but still has a little holiday glitz. What's your favorite shade right now?

Cocktail Bling

I finally found Essie's Cocktail Bling at my local Ulta. I have been looking for it everywhere and I scored the last bottle in stock. I also got a new topcoat that claims to dry in 30 seconds. We'll see about that.

Matte is the New Ombré

Completely obsessed with the new Chanel matte topcoat. Thanks to Quyen for making me run out and track it down as soon as I heard about it. And can we talk about how perfect Essie's Cocktail Bling is, too?! I think I've found my go-to winter shade already.

Ice, Ice, Baby

Wintry mani inspired by this freakish October snowstorm. Chanel Riva with Deborah Lippmann's Today Was a Faity Tale glittery accent nail. I'm in love with this pale blue polish.

Color Me Black

I'm not usually a fan of matte nail polish, but Chanel's black velvet is an exception. It goes on smooth and really does have a rich, velvety finish. It's the perfect polish for October (duh, Halloween) and I'm even thinking of using gold glitter as an accent nail later in the month.

Sparkle and Pop

I obviously can't get enough of the accent nail trend. In this case, I paired two Chanel shades: the sparkly Graphite and the hot pink Pulsion, which complement each other really well. I feel like I'm getting better at giving myself a manicure, too! Got any tips? Nail polish remover pens seem to make the job a lot easier.

Fall Lineup

Fall lacquers are my favorite.

Weekend Snapshots: Parisian Invasion

Leslie getting ready to feast on sushi at Haruki.


Shared sushi-the Mexican roll with cilantro and fresh jalapeño.


Multicolored party.


George's at Salty Brine state beach.


Leslie in the surf.


Pre-dinner beach stroll.


Rocking the gingham and chambray.


Corona and seafood make the perfect pair.


Leslie + me out on George's deck.


Sunday morning Pinkberry run. Watermelon, please!


Neon nail polish at American Apparel. Their fall pencil skirts are perfect.


Souvenir shopping at Craftland.


Amazing grilled pizza with spinach + feta at Bob & Timmy's on Federal Hill.

As I said before, my cousin was in town for the weekend in mid-August. She goes to school and lives in Paris, but spends summers in the states. This was her third year visiting Providence and we had so much fun! It's great to have visitors, because we do lots of things that we wouldn't typically get around to doing.

Some highlights of our weekend:
sushi date at haruki. hope street farmers market. pb&j pinkberry. matching bracelets. clamcakes + chowder on the beach. live music out on the restaurant deck. putting our feet in the ocean. grilling up a breakfast pizza. silly photo shoots. iced coffee runs. shopping on westminster street. bob & timmy's grilled pizza. and most important = carrying on a fun summer tradition!

Can't wait to see you next summer, Les!

It's a Shore Thing

My favorite shade of the summer: the palest sea foam green of Essie's Absolutely Shore.

Flash Forward to Fall

Finding this super sparkly nail polish has made me a little bit excited about fall (but I still don't want summer to end either)!

Weekend Snapshots: Overdue

Essie's California Coral--so bright and summery!


Best cracker ever. Seriously, good little dippers for hummus or guac.


Freshly grated nutmeg going into zucchini bread batter.


Early Saturday Pinkberry run. No line!


Used local RI summer ale...


...to make a tasty littleneck clam and mussel dinner!


M's chocolate birthday cake that I slaved hours over!


New favorite summer cocktail: vodka + sparkling blueberry juice.

Oops! I'm a little overdue with this photos, but they're from a couple weekends ago when M's birthday weekend continued. We did a lot of running around on Saturday and then stayed in to cook a local seafood feast, complete with clams and mussels in a spicy Narragansett summer ale and roasted tomato broth. It was insanely garlicky (and therefore insanely good!).

I felt like I spent most of the weekend in the kitchen because I ended up baking zucchini bread for a brunch on Sunday and then M's family came over for a birthday cookout in the afternoon where we served up grilled corn and sausage and peppers. Whew! It was definitely a packed summer weekend and I can't wait to keep the entertaining going next weekend when my cousin Leslie visits!

How are you spending this weekend?

Today Was a Fairytale

No, actually it was just a Monday, and a very typical Monday at that. It's so tough to get back into the work routine after such a fun, relaxing weekend. Luckily, a little sparkle can help ease the transition. I added a glittery Deborah Lippmann topcoat to my Essie manicure from the weekend to jazz things up a bit.