I’m an amateur, self-taught home baker who’s only been baking about 2 years now. I was always intimidated by pastry and dreamed of learning to do pâtisserie but never thought it was possible! If someone like me could learn how […]
Living in San Francisco, layers become your best friend. Mornings can start off balmy and end in a freezing, breezy afternoon! After working all day, I try to get outdoors in the afternoons and I often end up hunting for […]
So many people recommended we visit the town of Sintra while we were in Lisbon, and I wish we’d spent more time there! It truly is a beautiful, charming town full of old palaces and Moorish castles perched high atop leafy green mountains. People will tell you it’s a 40-minute trip from Lisbon… IT’S NOT! It’s about 45m on the train (or via car) just from Lisbon city center to Sintra town center! Give yourself at least 1.5 hours to get to any of the sites… Getting there for us was an epic fail involving a very Frodo/Samwise climbing up Mount Doom type situation, but at least we have a crazy story to share with friends now! 🙂 My advice? Neither walk, nor run up to the castles from Sintra center. Take a bus. Or taxi. Or anything on wheels 🙂 Links to the best Sintra itineraries below, along with one hilarious story of how we got there – so read on if you want a good laugh!
Many of you have asked for tips on how to pack for trips like Portugal, where you’re just as likely to chill at a sidewalk cafe or coastal beach as you are to wander around a centuries’ old palace amidst narrow, winding cobblestone lanes… Sharing some tips on where to shop all the outfit styles I wore on this trip (lots of flowy dresses + wide leg pants!), along with links to some of my current favorite finds to inspire your next vacation wardrobe refresh below! SHOP THE POST
I love bright and pastel floral prints for spring/summer – but come fall/winter, I’m all about the dark, rich jewel-toned hues. For those of you who still think florals are a bit much for cooler temps, I find that pairing them with other classic cold weather staples like turtlenecks, leather jackets or velvet blazers really bring that rich depth of textures and patterns I crave in autumn.
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Fall is my favorite season! It used to be summer until I discovered pumpkin-flavored… well, EVERYTHING! 😀 Seriously, if it has any pumpkin in it, I’ll gobble it up! I also feel the same about fall fashion – pumpkin or cinnamon colored sweaters, turmeric trousers, mustard or marigold maxis – LE SWOON! When it comes to sweaters, the chunkier and cozier, the better. This fall, you’ll probably find me living in oversized everything now that I’ve popped my cherry – ahem – pumpkin – in Paris 😉
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To say I’m a coffee snob is a bit of an understatement! 😀 Admittedly, I do get extremely nerdy and excited about coffee culture! I think it’s safe to say cafe hunting has become almost a bit of a sport for me and my husband, where we subconsciously compete to find the best coffee wherever we wander across the world! And understandably so! When you’ve spent as much time as we have in Melbourne – the coffee capital of the world – and you’re married to an Aussie from said city who tours the world with his own espresso rig (I know – I couldn’t believe it the first time I saw it myself!! :D)… sniffing out the perfect strong flat white kind of becomes a sixth sense! Everyone likes their coffee a little different – some prefer a silky smooth flat white or milky latte, others (like me) need a more robust cuppa cappuccino that packs a strong punch like a cortado or magic, and then there are those (ahem – my italian friends 😉 ) who can handle the heavy hitting espressos sans milk! Regardless of your cup or capp of choice, I’ve done the legwork, traveled from arrondissement to arrondissement all around Paris in search of the perfect third wave coffee and coolest cafe design (yup, some quite Insta-worthy peeps!), and am here to share my favorite finds with you… Keep in mind this is just a partial list – there are so many amazing cafes popping up all over Paris, it’s hard to keep up! But I have included a list of other great spots to check out across quartiers (or neighborhoods) at the end of this post in addition to those highlighted below!
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It’s finally fall and that means one thing: having tons of fun with fashion! For me, fall is the best season to really play around with new trends because you can layer and easily mix and match textures, prints and patterns! But after spending the summer soaking in the sun on the beach or traveling around the world, your wallet may be taking a bit of a hit… No worries – enter Nordstrom Rack, where you can find pretty much everything you need to fit out your fall wardrobe without breaking the bank! This place is my little secret spot for finding all the cool contemporary brands, my basics, and even designer threads at a discount! The Washington, DC Nordstrom Rack stores are especially amazing – keep reading below to find out more about the incredibly cozy, chic autumn pieces I picked up this weekend like this olive green Theory jacket, the snuggliest sweater coat from the eponymous French brand Iro, and the coolest printed silk blouse from DVF (all at a fraction of the original price!!)! I’ve shown you guys a few different ways to style these pieces below, and provided links to shop these items and similar pieces online… but I find that the best kept deals and unique pieces are found in store, and good news for us shopaholic fashionistas – A NEW NORDSTROM RACK STORE HAS ITS GRAND OPENING THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 @ 555 12TH STREET NW, STE C210, WASHINGTON, DC 20004-1216!!! If you visit the store at its grand opening, there’s a super sweet treat in it for you – check my Instagram the morning of Thursday, October 27th for a special giveaway!
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I was super lucky and excited to attend my first ever Paris Fashion Week this fall (for the Spring-Summer 2017 collections) – le défilé de mode comme on dit en français! I was extra stoked to sit front row at one of the most iconic, quintessential Parisian brands in contemporary history – agnès b. – at the epic Palais de Tokyo! To me, the essence of French girl style is the effortless chic, modern but feminine, cool but not overly trendy look that contemporary Parisian designers like agnès b., Vanessa Seward and A.P.C. embody! The collection was a perfect mix of gamine, flirty and colorful prints plus menswear-inspired everyday street style looks perfect for strolling through Canal Saint-Martin or the Marais! Scroll through to check out my favorite looks from the show, along with the latest luxury Parisian designer jacket I wore to the shows that all the fashion it-girls are currently coveting!
Feeling blah every time you look in your closet and feel like you have nothing to wear? Or maybe you have a ton of options, but you’re just having one of those days where you feel gross in everything you try on? I go through this struggle at least a few days a month (girls – you know what I’m talking about ;)) when I just feel like I’m not myself and nothing looks flattering. Lucky for you guys (and me!), I’ve discovered the perennial style secret to help you look and feel your best with zero-to-minimal effort using pieces everyone probably has in their wardrobe already! And if you don’t have these items, shop my favorite picks below for every budget!
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