Tailored Tuesday & Travel

1. J. Crew 'Jersey cardigan'

my love for cardigans will never go away. this one is especially pretty - love the color. 

2. Juicy Couture 'Printed silk chiffon dress'

very classic - would last a lifetime.

3. See by Chloe 'Fluffy cherry small suede shoulder bag'

my weakness for bags come in the form of cross-bodies - this one is so freaking pretty.

4. Linda Farrow Luxe 'D-frame tortoise shell acetate sunglasses'

i love vintage-y sunglasses.

5. Zoya 'Nail polish in freja'

mmm metallic.

6. J. Crew 'Luggage'

gaaaaaahhhh j. crew.

7. Lights Out 'Sleep mask'

trouble sleeping on planes? this would do the trick splendidly.

8. ROC Nation 'Aviator headphones in black'

very sleek and classic.

9. Canon 'EF 85mm lens'

one of my dream lenses... one day... one day.

10. Nars 'Velvet matte lip pencil in cruella'

vampy love.

11. Converse 'Studded high tops'

pair a bit of trashy with a bit of classy and you've got the perfect outfit.

12. Forever 21 'Leopard laptop case'

leopard is always a win.

{bangkok, thailand}

possibly going to thailand this year. be jealous.

{antarctica}

i don't think i'd ever get the chance to visit antarctica. but i will always have my dreams...

{tel aviv at night, israel}

i love city lights.

{nepal}

wow, i bet nepal gets the prize for the most beautiful night sky. it's a shame we can't see stars that well where i live.

{golden ray migration, off the mexican coast}

this is beyond... 

{monterey, california}

finally, a place i've actually been to. and yes, it is this gorgeous!

{the colosseum, rome}

i wish the sky looked like this all the time!

{bologna, italy}

looks like a little slice of heaven.

{red autumn woods, portugal}

i'm a big lover of red. this is win win win.

{phantom ship island, crater lake national park, oregon}

that's it... oregon, i'm coming for you!

Chapter One: The Modern Local {Santa Ana, CA}

A night out with girlfriends deserves a meal to be remembered. I had heard about The Modern Local for months and when it was time to choose a place to dine out at, the choice was pretty easy. When we first entered, I loved the feel of the place. Casual but hip and definitely the kind of place you'd want to be at on a Friday night.

To start, my friend ordered the scotch egg: a hard-boiled egg wrapped in ground turkey, coated in panko and fried to a golden crisp. By the description, you can probably tell that it was pretty damn delicious. Crispy on the outside and meaty on the inside. Perfect.

For dinner, I ordered the Moroccan chicken sandwich to go alongside my Dutch Courage (an alcoholic concoction made with gin, banana-infused rum, lime juice, acai, celery bitters and simple syrup). The sandwich was served with a simple lentil salad. My meal, along with the martini was a bit sub-par. The sandwich was good but not great and the lentil salad was extremely bland - sadly. 

Even though the drink sounds super exotic, it wasn't exotic tasting. It was weird - I didn't not like it, I just didn't love it and nothing really stood out, taste wise. 

My friend got the Italian Burger, which was cooked perfectly medium rare. The burger was thick, just as it should be and paired with a meaty portobello. Served alongside duck-fat fries, it was pretty delicious. 

My other friend got the southwest salmon blt. Sadly again, it gave us the promise of grandiose flavors. I wish all promises people made were kept. Again, good but not great. 

For dessert, we opted for two, even though we were stuffed. But hey, there's a different stomach for desserts right? On the left is the 'milk & cereal' dessert which was a vanilla panna cotta served with cinnamon toast crunch ice cream and seasonal fruit. The panna cotta was all wrong in texture but still had a subtly great flavor. The best part was the ice cream - it tasted exactly like cinnamon toast crunch! 

On the right is the 'soft chocolate,' which was a soft chocolate ganache, served with crispy wonton strips, chocolate soil and sesame powder. This was a bit too rich for me and the texture was a bit wonky. Not totally creamy and a bit hard - weird. I didn't enjoy this one too much.

I really wanted to love Chapter One: The Modern Local, but it just did not deliver for me. Since I loved the atmosphere so much and did have a great time with my friends there, I'd definitely give it another chance - especially since they have $5 endless mimosa brunches on Sundays!

Website

Yelp

Lychee Martinis

A little libation for your Friday?

Lychee martinis are one of my ultimate favorites. If you've never heard of the lychee, it's a fruit that comes from Asia that's sweet and a bit floral-y. Besides the mango, it's one of my favorite fruits ever! Please enjoy your Friday with one of these - sure makes them go by faster :)

Lychee Martini

Yields: 2 servings

Original recipe here

.

1/2 oz. dry vermouth

3 oz. gin or vodka

2 oz. lychee juice, strained from pureed lychees (optional)

2 oz. lychee syrup, from canned lychees

2 whole lychees, for garnish

Fill a cocktail halfway with ice. Add the vermouth, gin/ vodka, lychee juice and lychee syrup. Shake thoroughly until well chilled, strain into two chilled martini glasses and garnish with the whole lychees.

Tailored Tuesday & Travel

1. VPL 'Stripe b stretch cotton soft cup bra and briefs'

quite possibly the coolest bra and panties ever!

2. Aubin & Wills 'Linwood striped cotton tank'

i love stripes.

3. Current/ Elliott 'The boyfriend mid-rise rigid denim shorts'

awesome color shorts.

4. Oliver Peoples 'Emelita frame acetate sunglasses'

oliver peoples sure knows how to make some banging sunnies.

5. Masterpiece 'Backpack'

reminds me of those mexican ponchos. love the backpack version.

6. Modcloth 'Thoroughly modern musician headphones in pool'

how cool are these?!

7. Nars 'Nail polish in schiap'

the perfect fuschia.

8. Forever 21 'Polka dot brush set'

funnnnn.

9. Basil Bangs 'Le pixel umbrella'

i'd be the coolest girl on the beach for sure.

10. Forever 21 'Blotting paper with stripe case'

such a cute case for blotting paper. oily skin = no no. this = yes yes. 

11. H&M 'Hair comb headband in black'

day at the beach = crazy hair day. let's tame it with this!

12. Benefit 'High beam highlighter'

my most favorite thing in the world ever!!! gives you the most awesome dewy-glowy skin.

13. Forever 21 'Hydrating lipstick in rose'

i've never seen this in the store - but such a pretty color.

14. Forever 21 'Rhinestone crowded gem ring'

faux costume rings = win. 

15. Portel Etsy Shop 'iPhone/ iPod touch retro modern pearl leather wallet sleeve'

love this! perfect for the beach when you don't want to carry too much.

{cala vedella, ibiza}

party town. gorgeous party town. sounds like my deal.

{the treasury, petra, jordan}

so massively gorgeous.

{pura batu bolong, talot, bali}

wow, i can totally understand why elizabeth gilbert had an 'eat, pray, love' moment here!

{miami, florida}

planning a trip to miami this year. white sand beaches ftw!

{morocco}

no, i don't only want to go here because the ladies of 'the real housewives of new york' went here. also, please don't mock me for watching 'the real housewives of new york.'

{abu simel, egypt}

gosh, i'd love to explore egypt. such awesome history!

{cano cristales, serrania de la macarena national park, columbia}

what is this?!!? can't help but stare at it forever!

{murcia, espana}

picturesque doesn't begin to describe this...

{st. tropez}

sure looks lover-ly.

Manicure Mondays: Summer Sunshine

This is basically just another riff on this manicure, but I thought the combo was too cute to not share. Don't you agree that it's just the perfect summer mani?! The yellow just pops on my summer tan and the glitter is just fun!

{what i used}

CND stickey anchoring base coat

Zoya pippa

Cacee color artist with striping brush #42

Seche Vite dry fast topcoat

Now Tweeting + Mixtape

Hi!

As per usual, my latest and greatest songs of the moment.

Not as per usual, just wanted to let ya'll know I'm on twitter now! I'm still fudging around with the whole mechanics of the thing but I've managed to tweet a bit so far. Hopefully if you have any questions, I'll be able to answer you there on a more personal level :)

{tweet me here}

little dragon {ritual union - tensnake remix}

smoooooooooth is the best word to describe this song. her voice, buttaaah baby pure butttahh.

bodies of water {open rhythms}

i'd like to travel route 66 while listening to this song. just sayin'...

theophilus london {why even try - RAC remix}

of course, i'm always a big fan of RAC remixes, and this one is no exception. but i happen to especially love the fun retro feel to this song.

swedish house mafia vs. enur vs. congorock {one vs. calabria vs. babylon}

this is like EPICx3. formula: take three incredibly epic house songs and mash them together to make the biggest banger ever!!!! but, i will always have a special place in my heart for shm!

gyptian {hold yuh- major lazer remix}

i can't for the life of me figure out what this type of music is called, the name escapes me, but it's an amazing mix of reggae and house. this song has amazing vocals and is backed by great beats. major lazer win!

koko vs. prutataaa {first state mashup - sander van doorn vs. afrojack, r3hab}

two of the best house songs, mixed to become an ultimate MEGAsong.

digitalism {miami showdown}

showdown is right! i can totally see this in an incredibly cinematic fight scene or something like that. amazinggg.

robyn {with every heartbeat, acoustic version}

i am a HUGE fan of robyn. her music is so fun, but this acoustic version of 'with every heartbeat' shows this tender side that i love seeing!

clams casino {i'm god, instrumental version}

such a chill song. perfect for this windows down, hair flying in the wind kind of mood i've been in lately.

the beatles {and i love her - allure remix}

the beatles were instilled in me since i was in utero. i don't think my dad instilled remixed beatles in me, but it found its way to me in the end.

alessi's ark {simple man, lynyrd skynyrd cover}

folky female vocals always do me in. is it in my genes? i just can't help but love it!

dirty gold {california sunrise}

this song epitomizes it's title. it's crazy how a song can epitomize my home so well!

black light dinner party {small boxes}

i'm a sucker for great instrumentals. this isn't strictly instrumental but it has an utterly gorgeous, jaw-dropping instrumental backbone.

beethoven {moonlight sonata - sound remedy remix}

if you hadn't noticed, i love remixes. the original will always be the original... meaning i will always love it. but remixes have a way of reinterpreting and breathing new life to a song. beethoven remixed?!?!? YES.

katy perry {last friday night - laidback luke remix}

pure F.U.N.

gta ft. zashanell {u & i}

ahhhhmazing! avicii has been playing this song in all of his recent sets and i've been lapping it up.

Ólafur Arnalds {brotsjor}

something about icelandic music!!! there's always this ethereal quality that seemingly can't be produced anywhere else but iceland. iceland, i thank you very much for your music.

celeste lear {light through the branches - kris p. kreme remix}

i love 'so you think you can dance.' if you haven't heard of it before, it's basically this amazing television show that showcases all kinds of gorgeous dance types. i also love it for introducing new music to me, this is one amazing song. i happened to find an even more amazing remix of it... YAY.

september {party in my head - coucheron remix}

another euro-teen with remixes? that may be a redundant fact but it never gets old. and this song is anything but - fun with an insane drop.