Lush | Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! We usually spend the weekend in Jersey but went out there just a couple weekends ago, so decided to stay home. We're making the most of the start of spring by doing a full cleaning. We made so much progress yesterday! Life is much nicer with a clean apartment. I picked up the latest from Marie Kondo, Spark Joy, to serve as a bit of inspiration. I also purchased a few goodies from Lush. I'm loving it as a simple, little Easter tradition. Plus, I have taken up rock climbing and am so sore-I could use a luxurious bath!

For Easter goodies, I went with the classic Bunch of Carrots. But this year, it has an heirloom, farmer's market update. I love the bright fruit scent. It's great that it's reusable. I always end of breaking my bath items up for several uses, but with this one, I don't have to. You just swirl it around in your tub, then remove, and let dry for next time.

I had to go with the glitter bomb that is the Golden Egg. It's a bath bomb melt. It feels super soft and smells very sweet. Perfect for a relaxing evening in.

As I was walking out of the store, the Intergalactic bath bomb caught my eye. I loved the bright, swirling colours. It reminds me of those rubber balls from the quarter machines-you know what I am talking about, right? It has a mint, cedar scent. Very refreshing. I feel like Preston is definitely going to want to steal a piece of this one.

What are your favourite Lush products?

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Christmas Lights in Dyker Heights

Dyker Heights is a quiet little neighborhood in Brooklyn. It resembles a suburb more than the city with single family houses and large yards. It is probably best known for its insane Christmas light displays. We had never been before and were quite blown away. As suburb kids, we remember driving around in the car to look at neighbors' decor. This walking tour was like that-times a million, all in four blocks.

We probably had a little too much fun playing with camera settings to bring out that bokeh.

Do you go scouting for Christmas lights?

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Christmas Wish List 2015

The older I get the more difficult it is to make a Christmas list. When your sole income is based on birthday money, it's easy to have a laundry list of things you want. This year, I am really after little luxuries and upgrading some everyday items (putting some Christmas money towards the higher ticket items).

Smeg Kettle Pastel Green

Cuyana Passport Holder

Canon G9X

Urban Decay Naked Smoky 

Moscow Mule Mugs

Rifle Paper Co. Cosmetic Bag

West Elm Reeve Mid Century Coffee Table

What's on your wishlist this year?

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Hello Winter!

Last night, we picked up our Christmas tree and spent the evening decorating while watching Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. It's crazy how fast the last quarter of the year goes. Our wild Thanksgiving weekend journey from Jersey to upstate New York has come and gone, and now I am counting down the days 'til Christmas. Every year, we make the trip down to Florida. Though there is no chance of it being a white Christmas, being with family is what really makes it feel like the holidays.

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Holiday Card 2015

I love the idea of sharing with friends and family a yearly photo update. What started as a tacky (on purpose!) photo shared on Facebook, went to a photo printing evening-plus some rubber cement. This year I decided to go all out with some professional printing. I decided to go with Tiny Prints. I received their catalog in the mail and fell in love with the variety of designs. I went with a classic Christmas theme. Of course, adding a touch of gold foil! I added on the tree envelope liners and buffalo plaid return address labels. I can't wait to write a personal message on the back and mail these pretties off!

Ones that didn't quite make the cut!

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Holiday 2015 Video

Happy Thanksgiving! I thought I would make a video with some recent holiday purchases and other 2015 updates. Stay tuned for reviews on the items mentioned in the video!

Too Faced French Kisses Melted Lipsticks Set

Bite Beauty Rewind Set (See last year's version here)

Bite Beauty Lip Duo

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit 

Freeman's Face Masks

Sonia Kashuk Brush Set

West Elm Faux Fur Key Chain

Sugar Paper LA x Target 

David's Tea Advent Calendar

Holiday Cards from TinyPrints

Have a happy holiday season!

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Fall Nails | Zoya Hunter & Aggie

Just wanted to share a simple fall mani. I have been loving pairing Zoya Hunter, a deep forest green, and Zoya Aggie, a bronze-oil slick duochrome. I have done the accent nail thang and loved it, so I decided to pair it again but as a gradient. A touch of glitter is perfect for this time a year- just a bit more festive. If it's a metallic polish using a make-up sponge for the gradient is the way to go. If it's a chunky glitter in a clear base, you can go straight from the bottle.

What's been your favourite fall polish combo?

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Sugar Paper x Target 2015

Woo-hoo! The 2015 Sugar Paper for Target collection is here (It hit my store Nov. 5th). I love a fresh calendar and planner for the new year and always stock up on extras to give to friends and family over the holidays. This year I went with the leatherette style planners in blush and gold in the large and medium sizes and the kraft and blush large calendars. I was hoping to find some of the wrapping products but didn't have any luck at my local Target. I'm excited to wrap these pretties up.

Did you pick up anything from the collection?

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The Weekend | Happy Easter

Hope you are having a lovely weekend! I am relaxing in Jersey which has been the tradition since we moved to New York (see 2013 & 2014 here). It's so nice to be near family for these occasions. The weather is spring-like, but I am not going to jinx it.

I had been hoping to be on top of the Easter basket making, card writing, and egg hiding this year, but alas, it has been a crazy couple of weeks. This is my 'Kim, why are you wearing bunny ears & you have failed at Easter presents' face. I might just have to send "spring" gifts out this year. I love the idea of having little traditions every year. While spending time with Preston's family we shared our traditions from childhood, like having scavenger hunts for easter baskets and hiding a prized egg with geocaching. I guess a lot of these things come with having kids, but why not have some fun traditions before too. I know I'd still spend time searching for pastel-coloured plastic in the yard...

How was your weekend?

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Photo Diary | Florida Holiday

Before

My hometown is in Florida, so every year Preston & I (& the cats) fly down to spend time with our families. We are lucky that it doesn't have to be a choice since our parents live so close to each other (though 45 minutes in high school felt like forever). My 'hood is definitely more suburban beach town (and old rich peoples...golf) while Preston's house is almost a petting zoo in the woods. I love it. 

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Holiday Spirit

I haven't posted many holiday related posts this year. I'm going to accredit this to the rush of the holidays. I haven't had much time to paint my nails, compile a wishlist, or even just take pictures. But I have been having a blast in Florida this week and even though the weather is warm, I am still feeling the holiday spirit.

To see what I am up to daily, check out my Instagram.

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Tatcha Holiday Collection | Kinhaku & Miyabi

Pretty boxes. Full of pretty things. I can't get over how gorgeous the limited edition Tatcha Holiday Gift sets are. There are nine sets, so you can definitely find the perfect gift for the skincare obsessive in your life. I have the Kinhaku and the Miyabi sets to show you.* Warning: The words gorgeous and luxurious are going to be thrown around quite a bit...

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Countdown to Christmas | David's Tea 24 Days of Tea

Well, hello December! I can't believe it's already time to open up door number one. I actually almost forgot. I am always very excited for the holidays. I love shopping for the perfect gift for someone (see my Gift Guide here), and I love taking the time to slow down and enjoy the company of friends & family. I had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend with my sister and little brothers exploring NYC and am now counting down the days 'til I head to Florida for a Christmas vacation.

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Holiday | Starbucks Dot Collection

Something I may just love more than beauty products-coffee. I have quite the collection of mugs and always find myself falling in love with a new design. This year Starbucks has a huge collection of limited edition mugs, cups, and travel containers. I believe there's over 100 different designs in this Dot collection. So, there is a cup for every person on your list.

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Holiday | Too Faced 5 Star Favorites

Another Too Faced set, this one at a lower price point. Perfect for stuffing stockings or making your own gift baskets. Or for stocking up on your favourites in travel size...

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Holiday | Too Faced Everything Nice

Too Faced has some lovely holiday sets this year (as they do every year). This one just might be my favourite. It just has everything-shadows, blushes, bronzer, brushes, mascara, and a cute pouch. I think this would make a lovely gift for the make-up lover or someone new to make-up as it's all encompassing.

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Holiday | Bite Beauty Best of Bite Set

Bite Beauty is a brand I am getting more and more obsessed with. After purchasing this little duo, I have wanted to add more shades to my collection. This set definitely caught my eye as I love the winter shades, and lip pencils are one of my favourite lip products.

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My First Video | Holiday Gift Guide

I can't believe it. I made a YouTube video and man was it difficult!

1. I was extremely nervous (does anyone like the sound of their own voice??)

2. My nice camera does not do video, so I tried a point & shoot-fail 

and then had to settle for an iPhone.

3. The white balance...is so off. 

4. Editing.is.so.tedious.awkward.jump.cuts.everywhere.

5. It takes forever to export & upload
(& then you find out it's wrong,  and you have to do it again.)

Plus, a million other things....

Okay, back to the video. It's a Holiday Gift Guide. I hope it's at least a bit helpful/entertaining/something. Most of the items have been (or will be) reviewed on here for some more in depth photos and descriptions. Here is a list of the products mentioned...

Too Faced Everything Nice Palette

Too Faced 5 Star Favorities

Bite Beauty Best of Bite Set

Tatcha Miyabi Holiday Set

Tatcha Kinhaku Holiday Set

BaubleBar Meme Alphabet Bracelet

Starbucks Dot Collection

Birchbox Home Sweet Homespun 

SugarPaper LA x Target

Candles

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Playing Tourist in NYC | Manhattan

It's kind of amazing how infrequently Preston & I go into Manhattan for recreational purposes (not counting going to the office...) Having friends & family visit (especially NYC newbies) gives us the chance to play tourist for the day. We stopped by the usual destinations: Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, Herald Square (including a detour through Koreatown), Grand Central, Times Square, Central Park, & Columbus Circle, which all had a holiday twist for the upcoming season.

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Birchbox Limited Edition Box | Home Sweet Homespun

The holidays are approaching! I have decided to start Christmas shopping early this year, as we have quite a lot planned in the next few weeks, and I don't want to feel even more rushed than I already do! Birchbox has several options for limited edition boxes which are perfect gifts for the holidays. Last  year, I bought the Snow Day box which is one of my favourite BB purchases. The Home Sweet Homespun box is a very similar concept-lifestyle items with a touch of beauty included.

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