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Simply Stylist – Social Media

July 19, 2015

This post should have been completed long ago, my apologies for not getting it up sooner! I’ve been really enjoying the events being put on by Simply Stylist, ever since attending their Fashion & Beauty Conference earlier this year. Recently I attended the monthly session focusing on social media, hosted by the extremely personable, entertaining and knowledgeable Ashley Torres of Pursuit of Shoes. She touched on every major social channel and how to make the most of each, and got in depth on photo editing. I learned so much and have been implementing these tools every day since! After the session, the boyfriend and I headed to lunch at The Little Next Door, a cute little French place not too far from the Grove, then for shopping at the Santa Monica promenade, and finally, to the Grand Tasting at the Santa Monica Pier.

With our extraordinary guest speaker, Ashley Torres from Pursuit of Shoes.

Dress – Rachel Roy (rented)
Floral bomber – Forever 21
Heels – Matisse Footwear
Clutch – Ela Handbags
Midi rings – Forever 21
Square ring – similar
Pyramid bracelet – Banana Republic – similar
Wire-wrapped bracelet – The Crowned Crane – similar
Cage bracelet – Nectar Clothing – similar
Dragonfly necklace – Kyle Chan Design– similar
Stone necklace – Kyle Chan Design – similar

Near the end of her presentation, Ashley announced that we would be practicing the fine art of the #flatlay. I grabbed a couple of items from TopShop and arranged them with some of the things that I brought with me, to the keep the color palette simple. I didn’t win the contest for “best flatlay” but I was pretty happy with the outcome.

After the session, I met up with Mark and we headed over to The Little Next Door, a casual brasserie located on West Third. I can’t say many good things about the service, which at times ranged from lazy to just plain rude and insulting, HOWEVER, the food was incredible. I would go back for the food alone and just ask for a different server 😉

Ahi tartare with pita slices.

Fresh, crusty bread with olive oil & balsamic, and a cup of carrot ginger soup. Yum.

We had some time to kill after perusing the vendors on the Santa Monica Promenade, so we stopped in to the Ristorante al mar for a couple of cocktails. Not a bad view, right?

After a quick outfit change, I was all ready for the Grand Tasting. Not my favorite dress that I’ve rented from Rent the Runway, but it was perfect for the warmer temperature.
Dress – Badgley Mischka (rented)
White sandals – Steve Madden
Tassel necklace – LA find

After the tasting, we still weren’t feeling satiated, so I hopped on my handy Yelp app and scouted out an awesome spot called Bacaro LA. It was the sweets that we were after, but will absolutely be back to explore the rest of their menu.

Presenting the brown butter cookie dough and homemade bread pudding. OMG yes.

Overall, it was a fantastic day with my love. Improving my craft, enjoying some fantastic food, and taking in the sights with my favorite person.
😀

Walt Disney Concert Hall OOTN

May 11, 2015

While trying to decide what we wanted to do for Cinco de Mayo, it flashed in my head that we’d already purchased tickets for Brahms with Bronfman at the Walt Disney Concert Hall! I wanted to keep the evening somewhat festive for Cinco, and found the most amazing restaurant, Pez Cantina, right down the street. They had tons of specials for the occasion, great service, and incredible food. Mark was kind enough to grab a few shots of my outfit and our surroundings throughout the evening. Such a good night 😀

Dress – Erin Fetherston – Rent the Runway
Crocodile bag – vintage
Initial bracelet – LA find
Sunnies – Amazon
Sandals – Matisse

We were pretty obsessed with the food at Pez Cantina. We took advantage of their special menu, ordering the ceviche tostada, beer-battered fish tacos, chorizo queso fundito with made-in-house corn tortillas, shrimp and avocado taquitos and al pastor tacos.

Inside and outside the gorgeous Frank Gehry-designed building. We walked around the seemingly endless walkways and staircases and found some gorgeous views of the city.
Perfect night! 😀

Artisanal LA with OOTD

May 4, 2015

I swear, I should live in LA for how many events I end up attending in the area! Last weekend, we went to the Artisanal LA expo, this weekend, the Gluten Free Expo, and day after tomorrow, Mark and I will be going to a concert at the Disney Concert Hall. Since I’m a smidgen behind in posting, ahem, I will first share photos from last weekend. Artisanal LA is a collection of vendors selling everything from pickled veggies to freshly charred s’mores to vintage dresses and potted succulents. We picked up several goodies, like spicy green beans, ancho chili and tamarind sauce, small-batch chocolates, and of course, I grabbed a couple of things from the vintage clothing pop-up shop. Below, some highlights from the show…

The handsome boyfriend and I. I wanted to wear something spring-y but super comfy knowing that we would be walking for a significant part of the day.

It was pretty awesome watching our s’mores being made. I seriously want to own a brulee torch now.

OMG. So good. The one on the right.. has bacon!

Gorgeous, simple bouquets.

A table full of bliss.

A little shoefie, stopping off at Anthropologie. No purchases were made here, but my eyes were darting everywhere at the thought of 20% off all dresses!

Next stop was the Farmer’s Market. Being faced with the difficult decision of where to eat, we finally decided on The Gumbo Pot, a creole spot serving up gumbo, jambalaya, and my pick, softshell crab po boys. For dessert, we had to try the beignets, which unfortunately, were not as fluffy as I prefer so we decided to give the other two to an adorable older couple who were sitting next to us. They seemed to enjoy them! 😀

Open-front cardigan – Vince Camuto
Tank – J. Crew
Blue jeans – Old Navy
Sneakers – Old Navy
Necklace – Penguin Holley Handmade

Thanks for reading!

Graze Box: A Review

April 18, 2015

Several weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try the Graze snack box subscription after a deal came across Groupon that was just too tempting to resist.. I’ve always been a fan of subscription services, (we know this!), and currently have them for everything from makeup, skin and hair products (Birchbox and Ipsy), to blouses (Elizabeth & Clarke), and of course my beloved Rent the Runway unlimited membership, among others.. But the idea of food being shipped to me didn’t really strike as something I “needed.” Well, now, that’s all changed, because I feel like I can’t get enough of these boxes!
Here’s the deal.. You go to their website, Graze.com, and chose from several options, like strictly sweet or savory or a mix of everything, a 4 or 8 pack.. You can even go more in depth and choose which snacks, amongst over a hundred choices, that you would like or would not care to receive (all nutritional and allergy info is listed). I prefer to be surprised, so I just let it ride with whatever they had in store for me. You also select the frequency at which you’d like the boxes delivered.
My first box did take a few weeks to arrive, but I feel that’s normal with any subscription service, until they get you in the loop. Here’s what I got my first time around:

They come stashed in these cute, themed boxes, and are in little packs that you can just grab and go. I’ve yet to find one that requires a spoon or fork, but you may need a napkin. In this box:
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dippers with Oat & Spelt with Berry Compote – I found the compote to be a bit on the sweet side, but it definitely worked in place of the dessert I was considering the night I had it.
Chai Latte dried fruit & nut mix – this one was really good and gave me a nice boost before doing my vinyasa yoga class.
Thai Sweet Chili Bites – definitely my favorite from this pack, the sweet and salty and savory balanced so nicely and was only 80 calories!
Southern BBQ Pistachios – these were also really yummy and I was surprised by how much flavor they got into the shell, a nice smokey bbq flavor.
I didn’t change any preferences after I finished this box because everything was great!

Two weeks later, I received this box filled with:
Tutti Frutti mix– a blend of dried fruit which I enjoyed on my lunch break at work when I was having one of my frequent sweet cravings. I love that all of the fruit is still soft and chewy and tastes very fresh.
Honeycomb Flapjack – this one I definitely wanted to eat on a day I knew I’d be getting in a workout, because at 240 cals, it’s one of the more caloric options available. The taste was insanely good, but could have just as easily been had in place of dessert.
Fruity Mango Chutney – now, this is surely a personal preference, but I HATE cumin with such a passion, I actually spit this out, not knowing that cumin was one of the ingredients. Some may love it, but I quickly removed it from my options online.
Chili & Honey Almonds – OMG, are these things addictive. I will say that with almost all of the Graze boxes I’ve tried, I don’t feel left wanting after I’ve finished the pack, with the exception of these guys.. I could have had like 2 cups of these. So good.
After this box, I decided to up my frequency to every week, because it really was saving me time and money if I had not planned ahead from not going to the vending machine to buy some crappy processed food with no health benefits that had been sitting there for months. I can just throw the whole box in my work bag and decide which snack I’ll have based on what kind of food I’m feeling and how many calories I’ve allotted for the day.
It did take another two weeks to get my next box, adjustment time which I was fine with, and here’s what I got:

Aren’t the boxes just the cutest!
Herby Bread Basket – I was surprised to like this one as much as I did, even with the pronounced herb flavor staying with me longer than I would have preferred haha! It was a great savory crunchy mix.
Popping Corn – Lightly Salted – the flavor of this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but definitely included enough popcorn (along with some blackberries and a yogurt I’d left in the work fridge) to help me through a day of forgetting to bring my lunch!
Beach Bum Mix – another great combo of dried fruit, soft and wonderful.
Caramel Apple (dried apples and caramel dipping sauce) – this one again I felt was just a touch too sweet with the caramel, but you get just the right amount of it to avoid that sugar rush.

A few things to note about Graze…
The expiration dates can vary. They’re listed on the booklet that comes in each box, along with the nutrition facts and ingredients for each snack. I’ve seen them vary from several months to just a few weeks, so definitely something to stay on top of if you’re not planning on eating the goodies right away like I do.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that I only eat these as a part of an estimated 1,400 calorie, relatively healthy and fresh meal plan. I’m not advocating eating all of your food out of pre-packaged pouches (the horror!), but these are convenient, inexpensive, and generally health-conscious snacks to supplement a balanced diet. I strive for a 350 calorie breakfast, 400 calorie lunch and dinner, and 200 calories of snacks. I bump that up a bit when I know I’m going to be exercising that day, so I have enough energy for my workout.

I’ve recently upgraded to the 8-snack box option, but reduced frequency to every other week, so essentially the same amount of goods, but I will get them all at the same time so I’ll have more to choose from. This option is $11.99, and the 4-snack option is $6.99, with shipping included.
All in all, I highly recommend Graze and will continue to purchase it until I get bored, although with all of the options, I’m not sure when that will ever happen! If you use the code ZVXGLZT6P at sign up, you will receive your first and fifth box on me free of charge, and can cancel the subscription at any time! I do get $1 off my box for referrals (disclaimer) but I would be recommending this service regardless, because I think it’s pretty awesome.

I hope you all enjoy!
😀