Oversized Coats

Although I’m looking forward to warmer weather and Spring coming up, I do enjoy being able to throw a sleek coat over my outfits to create a complete look. But in many places, it’s still going to be really cold for a while longer, so if you’re not over coat season (like me), here are some of my picks for oversized coats perfect for throwing over any outfit!

Sights in Florence and Rome

I have tons and tons of pictures of our trip to Italy and I recently put up a Youtube video recap as well.

Here are pictures of the sights that we saw in each city. I honestly have no words to describe the beauty and history behind everything we saw. I was pretty much walking around with my jaw dragging on the floor. Here are pictures of the sights that we were able to visit during our trip. Let me know what your favorite sight or attraction was in either Florence or Rome if you’ve ever been!

 

FLORENCE, ITALY

VATICAN CITY

ROME, ITALY

New Video: Trip to Italy!

Here’s a recap of our amazing trip to Italy! We were attending a wedding in Florence so we decided to make a small trip out of it. We visited both Florence and Rome, making it our first trip to Europe ever! But we’ll definitely have to go back to visit other cities.

Everywhere we went had so much history and having studied art history in college, i was just in awe at seeing these structures, landmarks, and buildings in person!

 

Below are outfit details if you were wondering what I was wearing!
PRODUCTS:

OUTFIT 1
Blouse (Similar): http://bit.ly/2xpL42I 
Jeans: http://bit.ly/2xpWLeL
Purse (Similar): http://bit.ly/2gkLPEE
Shoes: http://bit.ly/2kubxLE

OUTFIT 2
Dress (Similar): http://bit.ly/2xpxP25
Crop Top: http://bit.ly/2yP9dku
Espadrilles (Similar): http://bit.ly/2ywiTUT
Bag (Similar): http://bit.ly/2yOtyGw

OUTFIT 3
Long Cardigan (Similar): http://bit.ly/2xpTkQF
Tank (Similar): http://bit.ly/2gjDCAE
Jeans: http://bit.ly/2xpWLeL
Purse (Similar): http://bit.ly/2gkLPEE
Hat: http://bit.ly/2y1xFQn
Sneakers: http://bit.ly/2kw7dLX

OUTFIT 4
Pink Blouse: http://bit.ly/2yPDMGQ
Skirt (Similar): http://bit.ly/2ywRZfN
Hat (Similar): http://bit.ly/2fQSAxe
Flats (Similar): http://bit.ly/2wFkZNP
Purse: http://bit.ly/2gkLPEE

 

Music (Epidemic Sound): Dance and House Session 12

Please SUBSCRIBE for more videos from me! 🙂

Foodie Friday: A Weekend in Portland

The fiance and I took a little weekend getaway to Portland and because I couldn’t really take some time off of work, we were really only there for about a day and half. So we flew in late Friday night and left early Sunday afternoon. With such little time there, we tried our best to maximize our eating experience by coming up with a strategy for our meals! We agreed to choose a dish that both of us want and then getting a smaller dish of some sort with it. That way, we don’t get too stuffed, get to try what we want, and be ready to eat more shortly after!

Check out what we had!

SCREEN DOOR

We went here for brunch through recommendations from our friends. They serve a cajun inspired brunch menu that is drool worthy! We got the shrimp and grits and their bacon praline waffle. Although we kept seeing everyone order the chicken and waffles, we didn’t feel the need to have it there and really just wanted to get the shrimp and grits. I stand by our decision because we were the perfect level of fullness and both dishes were absolutely tasty! I highly recommend coming here but be prepared to wait if you come on the weekend. It was just the two of us and we waited about 45 minutes to get seated.

 

LARDO

We discovered this spot from the Food Network and have been wanting to try it ever since! After hearing constant ravings about porchetta from our friend and finding out that Lardo has an amazing porchetta sandwich, we knew that we had to come here. They specialize in pork and meaty sandwiches. Porchetta is almost like a thick slice of pork belly so it’s mouthwatering juicy goodness. We got a side of crispy pig ears to go with it and loved every bite of our food. We need to come back and try some of their other sandwiches!

 

PINE STATE

This was also a huge recommendation from our friends. We came here for breakfast before we had to catch a flight back to LA, so we made sure to arrive early in case there was a long wait. Plus, I also wanted to get a little dessert after so we really needed to try to fit everything in before we left. 😛

We got there bright and early and maybe waited about 10 minutes to order. Once we ordered, we grabbed a number and sat at the counter where we could see them make the dishes and where all the magic happens. Once again, we went with our fail proof strategy by ordering a biscuit to share and a side dish of some sort. We got the biscuit that included fried chicken, honey mustard, pickles, with a side of sausage gravy. And our second dish was their corn dog. I know, corn dog? I have a weakness for corn dogs so anytime I see it on a menu, I have to get it!

Both was really really good. Especially for breakfast. It also didn’t feel incredibly heavy so we had plenty of room for dessert! Stop by here if you’re like me and LOVE biscuits and gravy. You can’t go wrong!

 

PIP’S ORIGINAL DOUGHNUTS

Pip’s was our last stop for the weekend. I knew we had to get donuts, but since Voodoo moved down to LA and Blue Star wasn’t very convenient for us to get to, we decided on Pip’s. Well, it was mostly the chai tea flight that won me over. I’ve never seen this anywhere and because I am a huge chai lover, this was a must! For the two us, we ordered half of dozen, which was 1 of every flavor they offered. The donuts are small/ mini sized and are almost like cake donuts. Slightly crispy outside and soft inside. Love that they are made to order!

The chai flight, oh the chai flight. I fell in love with the lavender flavor and it was so fun to be able to try out all the other flavors too. The fiance liked the coconut milk one! So much better than an alcoholic flight! 🙂

 

The Neon Museum

During our little weekend in Vegas, we decided to do and see things that we normally don’t. At the top of my list was the Neon Museum, which features old neon lights from the strip. It was such a cool experience to hear the stories of Old Vegas, the science behind neon lights, and the people associated with it. I really learned a lot of cool facts during the hour tour that we took.

The guide really encouraged us to take as many pictures as we could and helped us with the best picture angles with the signs. I loved it so much and highly recommend visiting this spot! Just remember to make reservations ahead of time because they tend to sell out!

 

“>

Little Striped Dress

During our trip in New Zealand, we stayed at a small beach cottage in Tauranga and after researching things that we could see or do around the area, I found that everyone mentioned the Mt Maunganui Summit hike. For some reason, I got the impression that the hike was leisurely, so I wore my Converse sneakers and a comfy dress for it. Big mistake.

It was a very difficult hike for me, which may be slightly more leisurely for others due to my asthma. Nonetheless, we kept at it and finally made it to the top after a while. It was so worth it. The views were spectacular and pictures really don’t do it justice. Probably because I had a huge sense of accomplishment after completing the hike, but either way, it’s a must see!

 

OUTFIT

Striped Dress (Similar HERE and HERE)| Sneakers

Foodie Friday: Sydney, AUS

The second half of our trip was spent with my family in Sydney, AUS. We ate past our stomachs’ capacity while we were here. My family spared no expense to make sure that we were full at every single moment we were there which I would have to say, they succeeded. I was never hungry and we ate tons and tons of food. My fiancé gained about 10 pounds by the end of our trip. Fiancé, still weird saying that! 🙂

Here’s ALMOST everything we ate during our time here! Enjoy!

Cured meat platter at Meat District Co.

Bone marrow at Meat District Co.

Party Platter at Meat District Co. Includes pork ribs, beef ribs, burger, salad, fries, steak, and sauces.

Gazpacho at Cafe Sydney

Shrimp at Cafe Sydney

Clams and Shrimp at Cafe Sydney

Dessert Platter at Cafe Sydney

Sausage Sandwiches

Pastries at Brewtown Newtown

Salmon Benedict on Brioche Buns

Cronuts at Brewtown Newtown

Giant platter of seafood

Plaid, Fringe, and Green Grassy Hills

I wore my Madewell fringe cardigan yet again! It was definitely a lifesaver for me during the trip since it was the heaviest sweater/outerwear piece I brought on the trip with me and some nights got kind of chilly! Anyways, New Zealand was not short on tons of green grassy hills, sheep, and cows. Everything was so picturesque that even getting a picture on the side of the road looks amazing!

This was when we were on our way to visit the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. I wish I could have gotten pictures of those caves for you guys but we weren’t allowed to take any photos so that the caves and wildlife are preserved. I do highly recommend those tours if you ever decide to go, they are very well worth the experience and perfect to add onto any bucket list!

OUTFIT

Fringed cardigan| Grid button up blouse (Similar HERE)| Sneakers

Foodie Friday: Things We Ate in New Zealand

We ate tons of food on our trip and I didn’t fail to take pictures of almost everything! All in all, I would say the most popular things to eat that we saw were meat pies, green lipped mussels, and fish and chips! Those were definitely on almost every menu we saw. I really enjoyed the seafood there. Everything was so fresh and great quality. Check out all of our yummy eats below!

Battered fish, a fish cake, and a side spinach salad.

Gelato

Hazelnut gelato from Island Gelato Company

Our dinner from Oyster Inn

Smoked eel with bread

Roasted potatoes with parmesan and chives

Raw Oysters

Yogurt and granola and an oyster omelette

Brunch at Cafe 88

Toast with cottage cheese, hummus, pesto, spinach, tomato, avocado, and a poached egg. Side of mushrooms.

Fish cakes with smoked salmon, tomato, avocado, and hollandaise.

Smoked salmon platter with blinis

Our entire lunch at Federal

Poutine

Fennel salad

Reuben sandwich

Bone Marrow at Depot

Pork hock with an apple slaw and a side of asparagus

Amazing pork hock

Panna cotta

Weekend in Palm Springs

I grew up in a really big family with about 10 aunts and uncles on both my mom’s and my dad’s side and dozens of cousins (didn’t intend to rhyme there). My dad is the oldest sibling in his family so that makes me the oldest cousin on my dad’s side. So I grew up with a lot of younger cousins and we were always causing tons of trouble together! Don’t even know how my grandma was able to babysit all of us at once so lots of kudos to her! Now that we’re all grown up, we don’t get to spend that much time together anymore so it was about time for us to plan a weekend trip together!

We decided to get an Airbnb in Palm Springs for 9 of us and had the best time! The house was breathtakingly gorgeous with such cool and fun retro decor and details. Apparently, the house was built for FDR’s son, which was a really neat piece of history about it!

IMG_6654

My favorite part of the house were these fun, colorful old telephones that were hanging on the wall in the hallway. They didn’t work, but they looked great! 🙂

IMG_6655

IMG_6659

IMG_6660

IMG_6661

IMG_6662

IMG_6663

This was the master bathroom and I was just in awe every time I used it! The shower was really open which is something I’m not used to but it was beautiful nonetheless! Just made sure that I closed the doors to the bedroom and locked it so that I could shower without feeling scared someone was going to walk in.

IMG_6669

IMG_6670

IMG_6672

IMG_6674

IMG_6683

IMG_6695

IMG_6702

We spent the weekend just lounging at the pool, watching movies, drinking (everyone else, not me), and eating tons of home cooked food! Didn’t even have to leave the house, but who would if you were staying in this one! It was such a great time for us to bond and really spend time with each other. The youngest cousin (13 years old) went home after the weekend and told his mom that he had a blast and didn’t want to go home! Isn’t that the sweetest?! I just wanted to make sure they had a fun time!

IMG_6709

Also, I just recently got this Iphone case from Caseapp which is a website where you can design your own cases from cellphones to laptops. It was such a simple process and I got exactly what I wanted! The case itself is very sleek and pretty durable! I’ve dropped my phone a few times and haven’t had any problems. I really wanted a geometric pattern mixed with a marble print so I designed this colorblock look for my phone. Isn’t she pretty?! I highly recommend checking out Caseapp’s website and products.

IMG_6728

OUTFITS

Floral Off Shoulder Dress| Striped Off Shoulder Bikini| White Crinkle Curve Top| Phone Case|

See below for more pieces similar to the ones I’m wearing during my weekend getaway!

*Thanks, Caseapp for this really cool new phone case! I’ve been in need of a new one! Now, my phone is shiny and new again! 🙂