A MIDWEEK STAYCATION

December 16, 2013

Last week was a bit of a doozy as we had to be out of our apartment for a few days (long story short: renting is the worst). We tried to make the most of it by staying in an airbnb in Venice and I’m SO GLAD WE DID. Venice is normally like 10 minutes from me, but it felt like a mini vacation being able to live there for a few days. Our place was right off of Abbot Kinney and that meant we could walk to all our favorite restaurants (Gjelina Take Away one night and Salt Air another) (also beer and oysters). And jk about the walking part, it was 50 degrees outside, hello? But it sure was nice to only drive a few blocks.

Even though I was still going to work every day and spending very little time at the airbnb, my mind was in total vacation mode. I mean the host STOCKED THE FRIDGE with food for us and left homemade cookies on the doorstep. Plus, there was an indoor washer & dryer and do you know what kind of heaven that is? As a multi-year Los Angeles renter, let me tell you, it’s a rarity and a gift. Before leaving, I wrote in the guest book asking if we could move in forever and I left my phone number. Faux vacations for the win.

On another note, I am totally unprepared for Christmas. How about you?

UPDATE: How did I write a whole post about the airbnb we stayed in and NOT link to it? MONDAYS, I tell you. Also, I’ll blame the Homeland season finale. I’ve updated with the link but here it is again: BAM.

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ESSENTIALS: UNIONMADE x BAXTER CANDLES

December 3, 2013

Filed Under : INTERIORS - MY LIFE

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted one of my essentials, but since I spend a good portion of my income on candles, I thought it only made sense to share my essential one: Unionmade and Baxter of California’s KML candle. It’s a mouthful, but I promise it smells like perfection. Well I guess that depends on how you define perfection, but for me, a campfire in the middle of the forest is what I’d prefer (not ACTUALLY, just in candle-form). This Unionmade x Baxter candle smells exactly like that.

Don’t forget I’m terrible at describing scents, but it’s a blend of Cedar and Sandalwood, with a layer of musk that really hits you after a few minutes of burning it. It’s not super strong but it definitely makes my whole place smell good. I often pair it with my favorite incense, which adds another layer of campfire, and then you’re outside under the stars surrounded by the woods IS WHAT IT’S LIKE.

Anyway, I personally like the 3-wick version because we go through them so quickly, but they’ve recently come out with this ceramic one that’s making my life a whole lot better, etc. Lucky for us, there’s a Unionmade store just minutes from our apartment in Brentwood and we are literally there every few months stocking up. Want me to pick one up for you? Can’t live without.

See past essentials here, here, and here!

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HANGING PRINTS + THANKSGIVING

December 2, 2013

Filed Under : INTERIORS - MY LIFE

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I spent mine with my family and loved every second of it. Don’t even get me started on sweet potatoes. My mom makes 10 lbs of sweet potatoes every Thanksgiving and I cry for days when the leftovers are gone. All in all, it was a great day. Plus, 4-day weekend!!

Also, here’s a little peek at our updated dining area (sorry for the crappy iphone pic, yikes). We got rid of the giant wood table and replaced it with a much smaller, white one. I’ll post more details when it’s a bit more presentable, but just wanted to share Kyle’s “I-CAN’T-FIGURE-OUT-WHERE-TO-HANG-THIS-SHIT” face. We ordered this print for above our bed, but when it finally came in the mail, we chickened out and decided that the risk of death-by-falling-art is not something we want to subject ourselves to (you know, California earthquakes and such). Anyway, it’s a photo I took from our trip to Big Sur and it is HUGE. No idea where to put it now, but it might just land above the dining table.

So there’s that. December is here and I’m feeling really positive about it so far.

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A BACHELORETTE WEEKEND IN ARROWHEAD

November 27, 2013

Filed Under : MY LIFE - TRAVEL

Before Ann-Marie’s wedding, we celebrated her bachelorette party with a weekend getaway to Lake Arrowhead. Two full days with my favorite people?! Sign me up for that every weekend, please.

We stayed in a cozy cabin, drank moscow mules, explored around the lake, took endless amounts of photos, and did a whole lot of chilling out. There was some killer guacamole involved (thanks Jamie) and there may or may not have been some inappropriate convos (a must at a bachelorette, though, right?). I love these people and I’m so glad we got to whisk Ann-Marie away for a weekend of relaxing.

photos of me by Jaymee.

plus, see her post on Arrowhead here!

andddd, wearing my favorite pendleton hat, coach bag, rag&bone jeans (best jeans ever created IMO), and old h&m leather jacket.

also, since we’re on the subject: my last lake arrowhead post here.

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LEARNING ABOUT GOOD SMELLING THINGS

November 25, 2013

Filed Under : BEAUTY

If there’s one thing I know nothing about, it’s perfume. Here’s what I do know though: everyone in LA wears the same scent. I’m not even kidding right now. Go to any bar, restaurant, event, The Grove, everyone is wearing the same perfume. It’s like Pinesol meets an uncharted forest meets an ashtray meets high-quality leather. Clearly I’m not privy to scent descriptives, but that’s pretty much it. And it’s like everyone else is in on this secret scent except for me because I have no idea what it is. I’m guessing it’s Tom Ford, because everyone in this town WOULD wear Tom Ford.

Anyway, I like my perfumes to smell like foods, instead of the real floral scents, because I can’t do that strong stuff. I’d rather get wiffs of something delicious tasting than something super rosey. Also, those potent fragrances make my boyfriend nauseous and we wouldn’t want that. On a daily basis, I wear Trish McEvoy’s Blackberry & Vanilla Musk. It’s SUPER light and makes me kind of hungry, but I love it.

But I’ve been looking for a new perfume with a little more depth and lasting power for when I go out on the town or go to work events (ya know, more fancy things), but sweet mercy is it hard to find a new fragrance. Luckily, I saw the Surrender to Chance site on Kate’s blog and it totally blew my mind and changed my scent game forever. It’s basically just sample-sized perfumes of the more obscure and indie fragrances that aren’t as easy to find. My only requirement for a scent is that it’s obscure and indie sooooooo score? But seriously, what better way to find a new signature scent than with tiny little samples! These are the ones I picked: Byredo 1996 Inez & Vinoodh, Byredo Gypsy Water, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, and Diptique Eau Duelle. I also picked a bunch of sample perfumes in my last Sephora order so I have those too (the bigger bottles). So far, the Diptique one is winning over my heart. Go figure, it kind of smells like vanilla extract.

I’ve placed another Surrender to Chance order and I’ll report back when a signature scent is found. What’s yours? I’m new in the scent game and I know nothing.

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