Braided Top Knot Bun

As some of you may know I am an avid "sock-bunner" thanks to my hair being very unmanageable most of the time. Evidence of sock-bun overload: Here, Here, Here, & Here. Not to get too crazy & start styling my hair in ways other than with chopped up old socks (don't worry they're clean) I saw a tutorial on the OH SO PRETTY THE DIARIES & had to try it! The blog is written by two bffs & they are so adorable & always doing fun little projects so I was really excited to try this one out. It's really simple, & would look even better I'm sure if I didn't have so many split ends lol. To see the steps click here.

PS: I wore this hairstyle last night to the pre screening of the new HBO show Girls. I was a bit skeptical at first, but let me tell you it was freakin hilarious!! One of those shows that you're like "OMG I've seriously done that", anyways I enjoyed it & can't wait to have Girl's nights to catch up on episodes :)

It was a BEAUTIFUL DAY

Do you ever have those days where you just think to yourself "this is too good to be true"? I had one of those days two weekends ago, right before David left for Korea. It really was a simple day, but when you have great company, fabulous weather, & a yummy lunch you're pretty much guaranteed a fabulous day :) This was my first time experiencing the cherry blossoms up close & personal, & let me tell you they were gorgeous!

shoes:SPERRYS, shorts:SPORTS GIRL, blouse:LOFT, sunnies:F21

Tasty Tuesdays: Mambo Italiano

As much as I really have loved cooking these past couple of weeks, there really is nothing better than having a delicious meal prepared for you, & NOT having to clean up afterwards :) Last Sunday I was spoiled by my Mother in Law AGAIN, this time with fresh homemade pizza! This lady is a profectionist, & I've eatten many pizzas made by her before, but this one has the BEST crust thanks to Martha Stewart. I believe that THIS is the recipe she used, but I'm not 100% because the one she used she ripped out of a  magazine at the Dr's office lol, but I'll double check with her later :)

Actions Shot: Spreading the freshly risen dough on a wooden pizza board

**Make sure to put cornmeal under the dough so it will easily slide off the paddle

You can totally tell which 1/2 is David's because I DESPISE olives, you couldn't pay me to eat one!

YUM!! The final the masterpiece :)

The toppings we put on ours were: fresh buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil,

fresh tomatoes (they made the dough a little mushy, so in the future I wouldn't use tomatoes), grilled onions & fresh onions, & olives (yuck!)

I'm still a little nervous about making my own dough, so for now I'll stick to running over to Mamacita's house to pig out :) Hope everyone's having a good week so far!

GUCCI: OMBRE LIPS

While stumbling across cyber space yesterday I came across a simple yet beautiful lipstick look via GUCCI at Milan F/W. The shadowing/ombre effect gives the illusion of a deep & full lip which is awesome for people like me with small lips. The whole look only takes a couple of minutes which is perfect for when you want a dramatic look on the go :)

[photos 1, 2]

What you'll need: 

2 Shades of lipstick from a similar color scheme. I used  a bright red & a dark brick red.

You also need lip liner in those 2 shades or ... you could use black eyeliner if you don't have the darker shade [like I did]. 

Last but not least I suggest you use a lip brush when applying the lipstick, it's much easier to control the blending. 

1. Apply the lighter shade of lip liner around your lips as well as filling them in with it.

2. Apply the lighter shade of lip stick on both lips.

3. Gently pencil in around the bottom and top of the lip with the darker liner.

4. Using the darker shade of lipstick apply a coat only around the outside portion of the lip allowing the center to remain bright.

5. For a more dramatic look gradually add more of the dark liner around the edges using the lip brush to blend it in. 

**I was in a bit of a rush myself when taking these photos so I don't have any eye makeup on which I think would definitely complete this look. Keep your eyes muted with neutral eye shadows, but make sure to apply a couple dark coasts of mascara to achieve this GUCCI-ISH look :)

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial & that it was helpful!

PS: idk why I look so hostile in the last 2 pictures lol, but at least you can see the shading of the lipstick :)

I'm so glad it's Friday & that Davids coming home tomorrow!!

LPM'S 1ST B-DAY!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending La Petite Marmoset's 1 YR Birthday Party at Tabaq! Katherine & Ashley the brains & creative forces behind this brand are both so awesome & sweet :) The night started off kind of rocky because I scratched a car while parallel parking (booo) but what better way to distract yourself from your problems than by surrounding yourself with fashionable people, liquor, & cupcakes !? 

Katherine on the left thanking all of the guests with Ashley to her right 

(don't you just love all the florals)

deeeelishhhhhious Chai Cupcakes 

My fellow Amazonian Katie [photo c/o Vivi]

A better shot of her awesome finger candy & polish

Brunette Beauties (with Marilyn creepin in the background)

Apollina, Sara, & Carlis

Stunning attendees they were both glowing, I <3 all the pinks & reds

My lover Gwynne wearing a vintage necklace & earrings from her store, Ear Candie

My fellow Chef Michelle :)

Vivi & Zi such beautiful sisters

Gwynne & I checking out pics from the night [photo c/o Vivi]

My Co-Mayer of Cheeseville Katherine & I ! 

I'm so excited, I'm going to check out her studio for the first time this Friday :)

It's almost Friday people, what are your plans for this weekend?!

Tasty Tuesdays: The Girl will play when the Hubby is away

As some of you may know David's going to be in Korea til this Saturday, so I've jam packed me week with dinner dates :) Last night a handful of my girlfriends came over for an impromptu potluck! Gina brought some interesting "Girly Beers" I really wanted to like them, but I still don't like beer :( We had a scrumptious salad & I made a Caprese Pasta (which turned out even better than I expected!) For dessert we had *drum roll please*   ... B A N A N A S P L I T S ! ! 

This pasta is TOO easy! While your pasta is boiling dice up several roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, & basil. In a bowl combine those 3 ingredients & toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, & a dash of garlic salt. By now your pasta should be done, drain it & throw it into the bowl with all the other ingredients, & bon appétit !  

OMG .. where do I begin ok we'll start with the base brownies & cookie dough :) 

Add: Ice Cream + Bananas + Pineapple + Strawberries + Hot Fudge = AWESOMENESS

Ok, I'll admit I had 2 of them & waddled away with a tummy ache, but it was so worth it :)
Thanks so much ladies for stopping by & keeping me company! 

Tonight Michelle & Vivi are coming over & I can't wait, we're doing enchiladas (again) & key-lime pie for dessert <3

Outfit for: LPM @ TABAQ

A quick little outfit post from La Petite Marmoset's One Year B-DAY! Wonderful company & tasty treats ensured for a Fantastic night :) Yes, this is THE DRESS that I mentioned (in this post) I bought at the Thrift store last Sunday in Virginia. It was originally floor length, but I decided on hemming it in the front & altering the back portion. I have been ABUSING my new Maybelline  CORAL CRUSH lipstick, it never leaves my bag.

I ended up wearing another purchase from last week's Eastern Market adventure, an oversized chain necklace. This was my first time wearing these d.i.y.'d neon gem earrings. They were originally a dull dingy green, so I amped them up a couple of notches with some neon nail polish. 

These lavender heels were my most recent purchase, but unfortunately they are going back to where they came from. It was my first time ordering from the online boutique JUST FAB, & as much as I wanted to keep these shoes (I <3 the COLOR!!) they were just so dreadfully uncomfortable (& I've worn some painful heels in my time) not to mention that arrived to me with glue marks all over them. Oh well, back to the lavender drawing board. Yes, that is a bracelet on my ankle, I seriously used to LOOOVE ankle bracelets & I'm kinda really glad that trend is recycling it's way back in :)

Dress-THRIFTED (D.I.Y. post coming soon), Earrings-2ND CHANCE, Heels-JUST FAB, Bracelet worn as Anklet-H&M, Necklace-EASTERN MARKET

PS: Stay posted for more pictures from Thursday's event to see what all the other stylish attendees were wearing!

Early Irish

As soon as I left work yesterday I headed off to Annapolis to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with my friend Nicole. We went to a little hole in the wall bar called Perry's to bring in the holiday a day early since Nicole had to work today. We spent the evening playing darts & pool (which I'm surprisingly decent at), eating wings, & sippin on whiskey (in true Irish fashion). Also I'm starting to think that I might be a little Irish in the sense that I was very "FIREY" yesterday, & almost got in a fight with a girl (not classy I know, but she was seriously asking for it) anyways I was able to walk away so the night ended peacefully :)

rockin' my new FAVE shade Maybelline CORAL CRUSH <3 

I <3 huge oversized scarves, & this sun printed scarf is no different so I paired it with Sun earrings

Blinged out St. Paddy Cup, Cute little bar, Darts, & Whiskey Sour

Dress-NY&CO [Last worn HERE], Crochet Vest [Last worn HERE & HERE]& Scarf-THRIFTED, Shoes-CONVERSE 

I spent actual St. Patrick's day today with David walking around the monuments & cherry blossoms :) We're off to go eat dinner with his family before he leaves tomorrow for Korea to play in a soccer tournament. I don't want him to go :( but I have jam packed me week with plans with friends so I won't have time to lol. 

Hope you had a safe & fun St. Paddy's day!

Eastern Market & VA Thrifting

I can't believe this week is almost over already, not that I'm complaining :) This beeeeautiful Spring weather has literally been making me go crazy while sitting at my desk at work! Last Sunday I was able to enjoy the D.C. sunshine while browsing through the Eastern Market & later thrifting with some fellow bloggers. I met up with some good friends in the morning to visit E.M. I had the most delicious spinach empanada (thanks to Abby not being able to finish it) & a bite of the most melty, scrumptious, AMAZING churro! Ok enough about food, lets get to the purchases :) The first booth that we went into ended up being one of my favorite purchases of the day, the PERFECT black boots! It was also a wonderful surprise when I found out that the two ladies running the shop are the owners of It's Vintage Darling. They were both so sweet & they had such a wide selection of boots I was in heaven.

That afternoon I also purchased these 2 necklaces for a total of only $7

I absolutely love just walking around the Market, because it's so inspiring to see all the beautiful & creative pieces that people have made. I seriously wanted to run home & start d.i.y.ing!

I wanted those pink chairs soooo bad how cute are they & they were really comfy! So much fun vintage stuff to look at. After the Eastern Market Michelle picked me up & we were off to Virginia to meet up with Stephanie & Brenda. We went to the Unique Thrift Store which I LOOOOVE because they are usually HUGE & pretty well organized. I walked away with this floral dress <3

It doesn't look like much on the hanger, but I've got some ideas up my sleeves! I also scored these shorts for around $4, I think I'm going to shred them up & bleach them like the d.i.y. vest I've been working on for the past week (pictures & tutorial coming soon!)

I had so much fun spending time outside in the gorgeous weather & with wonderful friends, I can truly say it was a PERFECT Sunday! Check out Brenda & Stephanie's blogs for their recaps :)

Leggings:F21, Button-Up,Scarf,& Belt:THRIFTED, Boots-random shop in NY, 

Purse-random shop in the mall
Thanks so much again to Stephanie for arranging this trip & for taking my outfit photo!

PS: I got 1 more dress thrifting, but I'm wearing it tomorrow to the LPM party so it's a surprise :)