Archive | July, 2011

Birthdays, Cupcakes and Winners

30 Jul

 

Today’s my birthday! It’s a big one, I’m now thirty and officially out of my twenties. Tonight my husband, friends and I are are celebrating at a party in my honor at a swank karaoke joint in Manhattan. There will be lots of great food, singing and vegan cupcakes!

I’m also excited to take a quick minute to announce the winner of the Paul Labrecque Hair Care Giveaway. The winner was selected via random.org. Drum roll please…

 

Congratulations Adriana!  Please check your email for a message from me to coordinate delivery of your prize.

Everyone have a great weekend!

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Early Birthday Gift

28 Jul

Michael Kors Watch

My husband surprised me at work today with a delivery containing a Michael Kors watch.  It’s perfect and exactly what I’ve always wanted in a watch.  I’m a lucky girl!

LYTMB.

Office Inspiration

27 Jul

Please excuse this temporary break from the 30 for 30 challenge as well as outfit posts.  I’ve been having a pretty stressful week at the office this week.  Nothing horrible, just a huge workload and impending deadlines.  So I’ve been spending more time at my actual office this week than I usually do, coming in early and staying a bit later.

The hubby and I are fortunate enough to have a home office in our smallish, Brooklyn apartment.  Problem is it’s a bit of a mess.  It’s not organized at all, and we haven’t finished getting everything for it to make it perfect.  In particular we still need to pick up a white version of our desk (our current version is a dark brown, which doesn’t suit our style).  The office and the entire rest of our apartment is on our list for a purging in the next coming weeks.  We’re looking to purge what we don’t use and only keep things that are useful that we really love.

In preparation for this project, I’ve been keeping a “home office ” file on Pintrest where I’ve been keeping inspirational images.  Here’s a few examples.  We also recently placed a big order at Poppin which I received already with some chic looking desk items to make the task less tedious.  My goal is to get the office in working condition so if I have to work overtime, I can do so from home as opposed to spending crazy hours at my actual office.

Also, a reminder to all you curly girls if you haven’t done so already,  the giveaway for the four piece Paul Labrecque Curly Haircare Kit is only through Friday of this week, so enter soon if you haven’t done so already.  Regular outfit posts and the completion of my 30 for 30 challenge to come soon, I’m going to take it a bit easy this week through my birthday Saturday and start back up on a normal posting schedule again next week.

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Weekend in Pictures

24 Jul
Greenpoint Brooklyn NYC Skyline View
In Greenpoint, Brooklyn {What I’m Wearing: Shirt: Old Navy; Shorts & Cuff: H&M; Loafers: Dirty Laundry via Delia’s; Clutch: Curly in the City via Etsy}

Wow, what a crazy weekend. But totally crazy in a good way. It’s amazing how much I did and saw in the span of two days.

In summary, it was freaking hot this weekend. Like over 100 degrees hot. Just plain gross. Saturday morning I woke up early and grabbed an ice coffee and a quick walk with my hubby to check out some stoop sales (what we call “yard” sales in the city).  I went to the gym and did some “lazy” cardio (i.e. cardio while reading a magazine), and then I did some random chores around the apartment.  Later on in the afternoon both the hubby and I met my friend Tracy for lunch. Tracy and I then got mani-pedi’s and made a quick stop at a new shoe store (that has vegan shoes, yay!), and then we all met up again for a late afternoon cocktail and bar snacks. The hubby and I enjoyed the rest of the evening relaxing at home.

Sunday is where things got a bit crazy. We were originally supposed to go to the beach, but since it was drizzling we scrapped those plans. So the hubs and I decided to grab brunch and figured we’d head home right after. Long story short, after brunch we took an adventurous drive around our surrounding neighborhoods, discovering everything from a rooftop farm in Brooklyn, the actual boardwalk set from Boardwalk Empire, and some JR street art. To keep up our spontaneous adventure, we decided to take the bridge on over into Queens and visit the Noguchi Museum, make a quick trip to Costco and then ended the evening at our local dog run with Portia. Phew!

What did everyone else do this weekend? I’m so excited for next weekend, it’s my big 30th birthday weekend!

 

SATURDAY

Damn heat!The ridiculous temperature.

Stoop SaleStoop sale!

Trash Mags and CardioLazy cardio and trash magazines.

Mani Pedis with TracyMani-Pedi.

Mai ThaisMai Thais.

New Shoe StoreNew shoe store with vegan shoes!

SUNDAY

New Leopard LoafersMy new leopard loafers.  I luz them!

BrunchBrunch at Enid’s.

Rice and Bean Breakfast at EnidsRice and beans.

Back of Boardwalk Empire SetBack of the Boardwalk Empire set.

"Swigegin" Portrait (Ian McShane)Random “Swidgen” (aka Ian McShane, Swearagen from Deadwood on HBO) portrait at the entrance to the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm.

Eagle Street Rooftop FarmEagle Street Rooftop Farm.

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, BrooklynEagle Street Rooftop Farm.

JR Street Art in Greenpoint, BrooklynJR street art.

Graffiti in Long Island City, QueensPretty graffiti.

Sculptures at the Noguchi MuseumNoguchi Museum indoor/outdoor sculpture garden.

Noguchi Sculpture GardenNoguchi Museum outdoor sculpture garden.

Noguchi SculptureNoguchi sculpture.

Noguchi MuseumNoguchi sculptures.

Jim Being SillyHubby being silly.

Noguchi Museum GiftshopNoguchi Museum Gift Shop.

McGorlick Dog Run in Greenpoint Brooklyn with PortiaMe and Portia at the dog run.

Portia and Dadee at the Dog ParkHubby and Portia.

Roses from my HubbyDozen roses from the Hubby for no reason other than he loves me.  Isn’t he the best!

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Paul Labrecque Hair Care / Review and Giveaway- Closed

22 Jul

Paul Labrecque 1

The folks over at Paul Labrecque had contacted me a while back to review some of their products. I didn’t feel right trying any products that weren’t vegan, but after a few emails back and forth confirming their curly hair care products were in fact vegan (they are) we were good to go. A few days later I received a package in the mail containing their curly shampoo, conditioner, styling cream gel and finishing spray (not pictured).

I have to be honest. I totally put off trying these products out for a while. Main reason being I was really happy with the products I was currently using on my hair. Everything I use is normally vegan, organic and chemical free. So I was slightly terrified to put something else in my hair. Why would I? I liked my current stuff.

Well long story short I’m really sorry I waited so long to try them out. Immediately after rinsing out the shampoo, I my hair felt softer. The conditioning cream is rich and thick, and really moisturized my parched locks. The cream gel was also a surprise, it gives fantastic hold with no “crunch” (if you’re a curly girl I know you know what I mean). The finishing spray makes my locks shiny and not greasy, and keeps them frizz free. I’ve also found the spray has helped perk up my curls the following day, so I can now go a day or two between washes.

The absolute nicest surprise has been that my curls have been 100% frizz free in the humid, NYC summer weather. I didn’t think that was possible!

Paul Labrecque 2

Better yet, Paul Labrecque is giving Brooklyn Bliss readers an opportunity to win the same, four piece curly hair care kit I received valued at $92.00!

To enter to win, you need to…

  1. Be located in the Continental United States
  2. Leave a comment below about how you currently fight frizz.

Follow me on Twitter and leave your twitter handle in the comments, and you’ll receive a bonus entry.

It’s that easy! The giveaway will be open until 11:59 pm on Friday, July 29th, after which a winner will be chosen randomly.

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Chiquita

21 Jul

Day Twenty Five 1 Display

{Scarf: Cynthia Rowley via TJ Maxx; Shirt: H&M (husband’s); Jeans: Mavi; Sandals: Alloy}

For years I’ve tried to successfully pull off a headscarf and always felt more like a pirate than fashionable. Keiko Lynn did a great tutorial on how she ties her head scarves, so I figured I’d try it out and loved the results!

My hubby said I looked like the Chiquita Banana lady but then again, the last time he made fun of one of my outfits I ended up on MTV Style, so he has no credibility in my book.

Day Twenty Five 2

Day Twenty Five 3

Day Twenty Five 4

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Vegan Versions \ Leather Shorts

20 Jul

Not Vegan: Alexander Wang Leather Shorts

Sometimes I wonder how it is I can be a vegan but still LOVE the way leather looks. It’s so bad ass and slick. A good leather item can instantly make any outfit less girlie and more tough.

I’ve been absolutely loving the recent leather short craze. Especially Alexander Wang’s version. Let me tell you searching the internet for vegan options on this trend was infuriating, because if you input the wrong search terms you get a bunch of bootie shorts and banana hammocks. Yuck.

After some research I did find several viable options. While researching this post I fell in love with the Free People pair below, though they’re not high-waisted like the inspiration pair.  While in Manhattan after work this past Monday, I happened by their storefront (which I didn’t know they had one, I thought they were an online retailer).  I ducked in quick to see if they had them, and treated myself to an early birthday present.  They were on display right up front so I viewed it as a sign they were destined for my wardrobe.  Happy (early) Birthday to me!

What’s your thoughts on leather shorts? I have a feeling it’s you either love them or hate them, there’s no in-between.

Vegan: Free People Vegan Leather Shorts

Vegan: Play Me Faux Leather Shorts

Vegan: Plastic Island Faux Leather Shorts

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Soundgarden

19 Jul

Day Twenty Four 1 Display

{Tee: Forever 21; Denim Shorts: H&M; Boots: Gifted; Bag: Score Swap Meet Find}

I totaled up each item I’ve worn during this 30 for 30 challenge and I realized I have yet to wear two items! I hadn’t worn my long sleeve cardigan or my regular skinny jeans. Since my chosen footwear up to this point wasn’t appropriate for a concert, I instead decided to pull a wild card and break out these booties to wear to the Soundgarden concert.

Day Twenty Four 2

Day Twenty Four 3

The hubby and I are huge 90′s grunge fans and Soundgarden is at the top of our list of favorite bands. We were beyond stoked to hear they were doing a reunion tour. At the concert we were too lazy to push our way all the way upfront, but did end up with great seats to enjoy the show from. They sounded exactly the same as they did on their CD’s, so we left the show very happy fans. My favorite part about concerts are the crazy light shows, and this one had no shortage of them.

Are you going to any concerts this summer? I love summer for all it’s concert choices.

Soundgarden 1

Soundgarden 2

Soundgarden 3

Soundgarden 4

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Pinkadots

18 Jul
Day 23 1- Display
{Blazer: Calvin Klein (thrifted); Tee: dollar store find; Shorts: Market Publique; Wedges: Dolce Vita; Cuff: H&M}

I’ve been sitting here for the past five minutes trying to think about what to write for this post.  Even worse the best title I could come up with for the post is Pinkadots.  Hmmmm.

Not much happened on day 23.  It rained.  After taking these pictures I went to the gym and used the stepmill (which by the way totally sucks but does the job).  Thrilling.

Only seven more of these 30 for 30 challenge posts to go!

 

Day 23 2

Day 23 3

Day 23 4

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Weekend in Pictures

17 Jul

Uncrowded City Beach

What a chill weekend! It all started Saturday morning with an early yoga class, and then a beach day with my hubby and friends. We packed a delicious, healthy, vegan potluck lunch (Even though I was the only vegan. I have awesome friends!). My contribution was collard wraps with walnut pate and cabbage slaw. Yum! We also enjoyed some drinks on the beach, along with trashy reading material and naps in the sun. When we got home that evening, the hubby and I were so wiped out we fell asleep at around 9 pm.

Vegan Collard and Walnut Pate Wraps

Beach Libations

Hubby

Tracy

Beach Reading

This morning the hubby and I woke up and decided to take the dog for a walk to get some ice coffee and pastries, and then went to hang out at his art studio. Portia loves running around the studio so we let her do that while we enjoyed our breakfast and caffeine and I got to see some of his recent projects. Since we got home this afternoon, I’ve been catching up with blog posts and reading, as well as some light housework.

How was your weekend? I’d love to hear what everyone was up to, so do tell!

Hubby's Studio

Vegan Chocolate Chip Scone enjoyed at the studio

Hubby's Art

Hubby's Art

Reverse/Negative Mondrian by my Hubby

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