Miami

I got to visit Miami last week because my friend was down there with her family. It was a lot more humid than I had expected (I didn't even know Miami was known for its humidity) but I had a great time and got to work on my tan a little bit (which was kind of silly given that I haven't had a chance to show it off at all here on the east coast!)

Here are some photos from my trip:

Gorgeous South Beach:

Delicious adorable key lime pie from random beachside bar:

Random mannequin with enormous boobs (there's a surprising # of these in Miami!):

Stunning lobby at the Fontainebleau hotel:

Spa at the Fontainebleau - "Lapis" -

My friend and I got "September specials" which were 50 minute massages for $99. I got the Swedish Rubdown and she got the Hot Stone. I was really happy with my experience with my masseuse Parker - I would highly recommend her to anybody interested in checking out the Lapis Spa! She was so professional and the entire experience was lovely. Also, the $99 gets you access to all of the spa amenities (which are gorgeous) and the pool!

Here are some photos poolside at the hotel:

Delectable looking pastries at the Solo coffeeshop in the hotel (I didn't have any because I was trying to be good!):

Cute little jars of honey the spa has out for your tea:

Overall, I really enjoyed my trip to Miami - it has a very different beachy vibe from LA and the water is bluer - I would love to return sometime!

Europe photo dump

I took over 1500 photos in Europe but I am terrible at organizing them, so I just thought I'd share a few of the ones I have on my iPhone!

Not surprisingly, most of them are of FOOD.

My friends who are connoisseurs of Paris told me that I just HAD to try the macarons from Pierre Herme, and they were right! I was not disappointed - they were divine and the fillings were perfectly creamy but full of flavor.

The first stop on our road trip was in Reims, France, where we had delicious garlicky steak with the most AMAAAAZING buttery potatoes. I know I was on vacation but they felt so decadent that I had to give half to my bf ... also partially because he devoured his in 2 seconds and then began to eye mine ...

After which we enjoyed some ENORMOUS profiteroles. They were huge!!! And filled with vanilla ice cream.

Then we made our way over to Germany where I was ecstatic to find limited edition flavors of my absolute favorite chocolate bars. If you've never tried Ritter Sport bars, you must. They are divine. I loved the amarena kirsch - it tasted like cherries and had crunchy bits throughout (I think they were supposed to be the cone?)

At an adorable little cafeteria in Amsterdam, we found this fancy little Diet Coke. It came in a metal can that had been designed by Karl Lagerfeld, so of course I had to get it.

And lastly, I'll leave you with this photo of Amsterdam at night with the moon over one of its many canals. Amsterdam was such a gorgeous picturesque city - I can't wait to return to Europe!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Latest Skincare Obsession

My skin used to be very oily as a teenager, but as I've gotten older, my skin has gotten a lot drier - to the point where it can feel really tight a lot of times even with a moisturizer. So I went out hunting for a good heavy duty moisturizer, and this L'Occitane Ultra Rich Face Cream has been a godsend.

It sinks in quickly, has a very light scent that doesn't bother me at all, and hasn't caused any problems on my skin. Despite the fact that it's quite heavy, it hasn't caused any acne or any adverse reactions at all! Also, it creates a good base for my makeup - I find that a lot of very emollient moisturizers can "eat through" my foundation after a couple hours, but this doesn't do that at all.

I recently visited Vegas, and I brought this cream along because the desert air can really wreak havoc on my skin. I am happy to say that this cream left not only my skin feeling soft and supple but also worked wonders on my pale Romanian friend who suffers from extremely sensitive skin.

If you have dry skin and have been looking for a soothing rich moisturizer, you should definitely give this a try. I call it "face butter" since I consider it the equivalent of body butter for my face!

New toy

Got this for my upcoming trip to Miami! Should be helpful for blogging.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sorry!

I'm sorry I was completely MIA for the entire summer. It was a completely whirlwind few months - I had an amazing internship back home in LA that kept me intensely busy (but also got me a job for post-graduation!) and then my boyfriend whisked me off to Europe for two weeks! We went to Paris, then road-tripped to Luxembourg, after which we drove along the Mosel River in Germany to visit Trier, Koblenz, and Koln - then we took a train into Amsterdam. I am now back to splitting my time between LA and DC, but with a renewed appreciation for life. Despite how exhausting the summer was, it was also wonderful in the sense that it made me realize that I really need to take advantage of every single day because soon I will be a working woman without nearly as much free time.

Once I return to LA with a job post-graduation, I plan on getting an apt by myself - and it will be the first time I've ever gotten to do that! So I have become completely obsessed with interior design - I can't wait to decorate the place to my liking and throw dinner parties (so I've also gotten a renewed interest in the culinary arts.) If you have any recommendations for cooking/interior design/fashion, please drop me a line.

This year is shaping up to be a lot more relaxed and leisurely than the past two years, so I do plan on blogging more. I hope you guys will accompany me on my final adventure into adulthood!