– hydrangeas that have lasted for two full weeks – wowza (shoutout to Whole Foods) –
– the cutest shoes that are perfect for C’s new city walkin’ life –
– seriously happy earrings I bought at the Museum of Ice Cream gift shop –
Happy Friday, my friends! I had a very slow, relaxing week, and quite honestly I don’t remember the last time I walked into the weekend feeling so rested. It’s not my norm… so I can definitely stop to appreciate it.
I skipped last week’s Friday recap, so this is covering a few weeks! Two weekends ago we went over the bridge to Sausalito for the day. It was my first time visiting that area and it felt a little bit like a Northern version of Laguna, which you know I loved. Ah, memories!
Another fun highlight we’ve recently tried are the Scoot rentals around the city. We watched a class online, rented them through our phones and then “scooted” all over town. For the first few rides Christian and I used our Air Pods to be on the phone with each other the whole time so one of us didn’t get lost (that person would obviously be… me). It was a great way to see different neighborhoods, and I’ve always wanted a Vespa! I know we’ll be using these often on the weekends.
C’s week has been pretty busy and we are both working this weekend, but word on the street is that he’ll have a light schedule next week so I’m looking forward to that! In the meantime, I hope y’all have a beautiful weekend. Thanks so much for reading – XO –
Earlier this year I got really stuck on this whole dress-as-a-top situation. I was raiding my closet for ways I could put different looks together. I came up with this one that is similar and summery and this one that is a little more appropriate for the office.
This button down dress is perfect dress-as-a-top material. It has buttons halfway down and then opens into a flowy, drapey dream! If you have any button front dresses, you can totally recreate this look at home on your own by only buttoning it halfway down.
And I’ll go ahead and address that no… my hair didn’t grow overnight! My length is currently in between long bob and long, so I clipped in some hair extensions (full post here) that added about three inches. I have to say, it was weird to see myself with long hair again. Even though I’ve had long hair for most of my life! I actually think I might prefer it shorter… what do you guys think?
One of the most frequently asked questions I get from you guys is what to do in OC + LA. I have a Guide to OC, but I lived an hour south of Los Angeles… so I never really considered myself the guru of all things LA.
BUT, my brother, Patrick, and his fam have lived in LA for the past four years, and thanks to him, I have a list of recommendations for those of you looking for tips and tricks to the city!
I’m also including some of the photos I’ve taken over the years in LA. I’m not linking items because many are years and years old, but I hope they’ll give you an idea of the vibe of some of the different parts of town!
WEST HOLLYWOOD
STAY
Sunset Tower | I’ve never stayed here, but I’ve eaten at the restaurant here twice and it’s pink and darling and fabulous. Have only heard great things about the hotel!
Sunset Marquis | I’ve heard great things about this hotel as well!
EAT
The Hungry Cat Musso and Frank Grill | Classic, old school dinner restaurants that have been open since 1919.
Osteria Mozza | Upscale Italian
Petit Trois | Upscale French
The Sycamore Kitchen | Casual breakfast and lunch spot.
Larchmont Wine and Cheese | Lunch
Bludso’s Bar & Que | And we’re Southerns so we don’t take bbq lightly.
Connie and Ted’s | Seafood
Son of a Gun | My brother’s personal favorite seafood spot
Animal, AOC | Upscale American
Republique | Upscale French and great breakfast spot
Blue Jam Cafe | Breakfast
Meals by Genet | Ethiopian, another personal favorite of Patrick’s
Odys + Penelope | Brazilian
Jon & Vinnys | Pizza
Sur | Food is good not great, but I mean, if you’re a Bravo! superfan you gotta go. We actually saw Lisa and Jiggy here!
Gracias Madre | Vegan Mexican food, which sounds like a #fail but it’s actually delicious and decor is on point!
ACTIVITIES
LACMA | I think this is both mine and Christian’s favorite museum visit in the city. You can walk around outside for free, which also gives you free access to the Urban Lights Exhibit you’ve seen in movies and social media.
La Brea Tar Pits Museum | This was on Christian’s list, and I went with him. I said it should be renamed the “Tar Pits Memorial” because it is both fascinating and so sad. The entire museum is about the natural asphalt that rose from the ground over 10,000 years ago. The museum shows the fossils of the animals who died there as the asphalt has been able to preserve their bones.
Getty Museum | You only have to pay for parking and you can walk around outside. The outside of the museum is beautiful itself with its landscape architecture and has incredible views of the city and Pacific Ocean.
The Grove and the Farmer’s Market | Very popular with tourists… but probably smaller than you think it is!
La Brea Avenue | Great shopping between Beverly and 6th.
DOWNTOWN LA
STAY
Ace Hotel | I’ve had so many meetings here and also attending many events here as well. A great spot in the middle of the action. I mean, a cappuccino is probably like… $12 but that’s LA for you!
The Line Hotel | Technically in Koreatown, but I’ve stayed in this hotel before and it is very, very cool with huge windows overlooking the city.
EAT
Grand Central Market | Very good, but has gotten very touristy and crowded (just a warning!).
Smorgasborg Food Truck Meetup | Sundays in the Arts District.
Bestia, Drago Centro, Baco Mercat, Alma, The Factory Kitchen, Church and State | All popular downtown picks!
Langer’s Deli | Easy lunch, Patrick’s pick.
The Original Pantry Cafe | Patrick’s personal favorite.
Intelligentsia Coffee | Good people watching and good coffee. You’ll see this spot featured a lot on TV/movies.
Mh Zh
Night Market Song
Land’s End
Pine and Crane
Little Dom’s | One of my sister-in-law’s favorites.
Masa of Echo Park | Incredible deep dish pizza and personal favorite’s of Patrick.
ACTIVITES
Griffith Park/Hollywood Sign | Great hiking. We hiked to the Hollywood sign on New Years Day and it was pretty epic!
Griffith Observatory | La La Land fans, you gotta go! Also the view is outrageous both day and night.
BEVERLY HILLS
STAY
The Beverly Hills Hotel | Ok yes, this is a crazy splurge. I’ve only stayed here once but I wish I had saved up for a second visit! It is truly darling and lives up to the expectation. If you DO stay here, make sure you take a visit to the pool and Polo Lounge… great celeb spotting place!
Sofitel Beverly Hills | The Sofitel is reasonably priced and dog-friendly, so we have actually stayed here with Bailey several times. Great location and easy!
SLS Beverly Hills | I’ve stayed here a few times as well and have had a great stay each time.
EAT
The Cabana Cafe | So yes, the salads are like $45 but the ambiance and people-watching is top notch. I’ve eaten here a few times and it was always worth it! Try to make a reservation if you can!
The Ivy | I’ve been here a few times – you absolutely need a reservation, no matter what day of the week. The food is good but the people-watching is GREAT. A must-do in the neighborhood and worth the hype (in my opinion). Even the valet is good people-watching.
Villa Blanca | Christian took me to lunch here on my birthday when we first moved to OC and Scheana was waiting tables that day, ha! Food was good not great, and I bought a $50+ bottle of wine that I’ve still not drank because I’m that kind of person.
Rodeo Drive | A quick walk but a must-do if you’re visiting for the first time!
Melrose Avenue | Another great stroll. TONS of amazing stores and boutiques, be sure to pop in Alfred Coffee!
Greystone Mansion | Absolutely breathtaking and completely free. You can walk the property and peek in the windows… but leave your fancy cameras in the car because they’re not welcome here. I learned that when snapping this post!
Beverly Gardens Park | A beautiful park in the area you can drive by or walk through easily.
COASTLINE
EAT
Malibu Farm Pier Cafe | This restaurant is out on the pier, but you’ll definitely will have to wait to get a table.
Venice Canals and Abbot Kinney | If you’re in that area these are fun to see, but Patrick and I both agree it’s not worth a trip just to see it.
Malibu Country Mart | Lots of upscale shopping and restaurants with a big playground in the middle for those with kids.
Manhattan Beach | A favorite beach for locals. You can easily spend an entire day here with half the day at beach and half the day walking around the stores here.
Descanso Gardens | Also beautiful but not as beautiful as Huntington Gardens (in Patrick’s opinion).
OTHER SUGGESTIONS
Runyon Canyon | Finally went on this hike toward the end of my five years in Southern California and it totally lived up to the hype. This website is great for showing the hiking options in the area.
Dodgers Baseball, LA Lakers, LA Clippers | I’ve been to a Clippers game and my brother says Dodgers tickets are easy and inexpensive to get!
Live Music | This site will show you who is playing and they have a free app as well!
Studio Tours | I’ve done both the Universal and Paramount Studio Tours with visitors and they were both so fun! I learned so much about the behind-the-scenes of movies and television shows, and now I honestly look at them so differently. Mind-blowing!
I hope this guide will be helpful to any of you looking to visit! Huge thanks to my brother Patrick for basically writing this post for me. Thanks so much for reading – XO –
It’s been a while since I shared some books that are on my reading list (I shared this post two years ago), and since there is still one month left of summer I wanted to put it out there! I keep a note on my phone of books that are recommended to me, suggestions from others in the digital industry as well as books you guys have told me are really good! From business to steamy beach reads and LOL-worthy, the gang’s all here.
I read this book of Mindy’s years ago, before I even got addicted to The Mindy Project (it’s hilarious if you’ve never watched – available on Hulu!). I knew I had to read her next book and was so excited to get a copy for my birthday!
Several people I respect have shared that they read this book and this book. Judging by the reviews… yeah, they seem pretty incredible.
Have you read anything this summer that you loved? I’d love to hear! Thanks so much for reading and sharing – XO –
Some of you may have seen this scarf tutorial video on IGTV, but I also wanted to share it on YouTube and my blog as well!
I love styling scarves and have many of them. I think they’re so fun, and can be super inexpensive and versatile. After getting a lot of questions from you guys, I wanted to put together a video sharing some of the different ways I like to style a scarf on my head, around my neck and on the bod as a top.
It’s a little long, so feel free to fast forward to get to the desired style you’re looking for. I hope you guys will like it! I’ve already gotten messages from several gals that they’ve discovered how to play with their own scarves at home after watching this on Instagram which makes me so happy!
Thanks so much for reading and watching, and let me know if you have any requests for future videos/tutorials! XO –
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There are only three days left in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and there are still some great pieces left!
I think the best purchase I made this summer in the sale was these jeans. I haven’t hardly taken them off, the high waist fit is perfect and I loved the cropped ankle for summer and fall. I sized down one full size, and you can see my size guide for the pieces I purchased here!
This sweater comes in five colors and is the kind you never want to take off. In my opinion, Free People makes some of the best cost-per-wear sweaters in the biz.
I’ve seen these heels on some other girls and they look so chic. I haven’t taken the plunge yet, but the nude is so tempting. If I was going to make one more splurge this weekend, these would be it.
I’ve never tried Cashmere Mist, but I’ve heard so many great things about it. I think this is the perfect time to try it out!
I’ve been wearing my trench coat nonstop this summer because of the weather in San Francisco, but this trench is such a classic year-round piece. If I didn’t already have one I would totally be snagging it!
I got the shorts version of these pajamas and I am already obsessed. The fabric is so soft, they’re the perfect travel pajamas for when you’re a guest in someone’s home.
You can see all of my NSale posts by clicking the “NSale Picks!” page at the top of this site. Don’t forget items will continue to be on sale through 8/6, and then the prices of everything will go back up. So far, Nordstrom has not been restocking items this year (#tragic), so if you see it… snag it!
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you guys have a beautiful weekend! XO –
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This little striped dress and this classic San Francisco house… I feel like I’m having an SF moment.
I think wrap dress are one of the most flattering dress styles on women. I love that they’re snug and flowy in all the right places!
I thought this dress was versatile in the way that it layers with a trench for a more church/office/bridal, baby shower occasion, or you can ditch the jacket for girl’s night, date night or a wedding.
You may also recognize this trench coat from this post. I have a few different trench coats (my pride and joy being the vintage Burberry one I scored on eBay), and while I think trench coats are classic and go with almost everything, I feel like I’m going to be fully embracing them this year because it’s crazy windy here. You don’t even want to know the outtakes of me in the dress nearly flashing the passersby. Literally!
While I feel like it’s been going on for months, this is the last full week of markdowns from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I was thumbing through some of the pieces still included yesterday, and I saw there were still so many great travel pieces on markdowns. Cashmere, adorable travel bags, headphones, the best sneakers, luggage and passport holders. It’s all there, okurr!
You can see all of my NSale posts by clicking the “NSale Picks!” page at the top of this site, including this post with a size guide of everything I purchased. Items will continue to be on sale through 8/6, and then the prices of everything will go back up. Word on the street is that they’re not restocking items this year (#tragic), so if you see it… snag it!
Keep in mind there are still free returns so when purchasing clothing, if you can’t do it in-store I would recommend trying two sizes and sending back whichever one doesn’t fit.
Thank you so much for reading, and I’d love to here what you’ve snagged so far! XO –
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After I bought my first pair of Levi’s several years ago… I now almost exclusively wear them. I love the fit, I love the high waist and they’re so classic timeless. They’ve been cool for so long! Ask your parents… you know they wore them in college.
I wanted to put together a post styling denim on denim to show how I like to wear this trend. Personally, I like to mix two different shades of denim when wearing them together. I also think a chambray shirt would look so cute with these jeans! I love this one that is listed for under $25!
If you search “Levis” on this site, you’ll find tons of posts with different styles and how I styled them, including this post that is a fit guide to the some of the pieces I wear the most. This pair is a new addition to my closet, and I haven’t stopped wearing them since I got them.
Fun fact: did you guys know you can find some seriously amazing deals on Levi’s at eBay? You can get a major price cut and get the exact same styles. They have a huge selection!
And don’t forget that you can check out the most current promotions on their Daily Deals page… I’m talking like, 60% off Macbooks, discounts on camera equipment and TV’s. Okurr! AND know that over 80% of the products listed on eBay are actually brand new.
Thank you so much for reading! And if you have ever scored amazing things on eBay, I want to hear about it! I once got a vintage Burberry trench for $100, no joke. One of the best steals of my life!
Last week, I had the privilege of visiting a new place for the first time with NetJets and Four Seasons… the gorgeous island of Anguilla!
Originally when I was arranging this trip, I’d only been living in San Francisco a week. I thought, “am I going to be too scatterbrained to travel 10+ hours across the country on this work trip?” The past month has surprised me in terms of being challenging (as you guys know from this post), and I was hoping this week in Anguilla would be an opportunity to slow things down and get some fresh Caribbean air.
Before I get into it… I have to say this was one of the most refreshing, gorgeous and jaw-dropping trips of my entire life. Growing up in Mississippi, visiting Mexico and the Caribbean were quick flights and a favorite spring break destination for the fam. I haven’t been in several years due to the travel time from the West Coast. I am so so SO thankful that I was able to experience this island.
We flew to the island on NetJets, the first and largest private aviation company in the world. What I learned about this company is that members can purchase a certain percentage of a type of aircraft. That percentage grants a certain amount of hours a year on that class of plane for a 5 year duration. You can’t just buy a single flight or charter a plane Kardashian-style. However, if you need less than 50 hours of flight time a year, there is a program for that… so this is clearly my new #lifegoal. All of this essentially means that all 700+ planes are actually owned by NetJets customers. How incredible is that!?
This was my first experience flying private, and I will just say that it was literally sad when the flight is over. And I’m confident I’ve never said that about a flight before!
When we walked onto the Four Seasons Anguilla property. Wow. I knew it would be beautiful, but this was on another level. I quickly found out on social media that many of you honeymooned here, and I can’t even imagine what an incredible experience that was! This would be an ideal honeymoon, babymoon or anniversary trip. The property is so large with multiple pools and restaurants, giving lots of options and plenty of privacy. There are rooms with balcony plunge pools, private villas and breathtaking views of the insanely gorgeous Caribbean water. Bonus points to find out that one of the beaches below the property is called Barnes Bay!
The service is unmatched – I was truly amazed at how friendly, warm and helpful the entire staff was – which you guys know can really affect a vacation. I experienced a deep tissue massage with Stephanie. I learned my new favorite Mezcal cocktail from Julie at the bar (Mezcal, simple syrup, lime juice on ice) and found out which was the “best” pool according to Tanisha who had all the insider scoop. The most fun golf cart rides were from Sonny. I never remember people’s names from vacations, but I fell in love with this island and its people!
If you’re considering a tropical vacation, I can’t encourage you enough to consider this resort. Anguilla blew my mind with its turquoise water, cotton candy sunsets and perfect breezy warm weather. We literally left the island so motivated to work hard so we could all visit again. I told Christian I felt guilty because my week there was one of the happiest I’ve been in a long, long time. Too bad I experienced it without him – ha!
We took a boat out on one day and I was floating in the salty sea (captured below), and I felt so overwhelmed, so grateful and peaceful… and endlessly thankful that I was able to take a week to slow down, connect with some amazing people and get what I didn’t know I needed, some beach therapy.
I came home feeling centered and refreshed. It was a trip I’ll never forget.
– being given the cat stroller that I know I deserve, thanks to my sister –
– the runner rug finally coming it and bringing a pop of color into the apartment –
– needing a new dish drying rack and finding the perfect one from simplehuman (it drains into the sink!) –
– finally getting the luxe version (these are in the NSale!) of the dupes I’ve been wearing for years, thank you mom! –
Happy Friday, friends! I got home this AM… like wee hours of the AM, from a work trip to Anguilla that blew my mind. Living out West, I haven’t traveled much to the Caribbean because of the time/distance to get there. Growing up in the South, it was much easier to visit!
Now having moved to San Francisco, I feel like we’ve skipped summer because as you guys probably know, SF is has a very mild and windy summer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about skipping the heat, but when I stepped off the plane and felt the warm, salty air on my face, it was just the kind of therapy I didn’t know I needed. I didn’t really consider that after living near the beach for five years, something kind of feels like it’s “missing” without it. I’ve actually chatted with friends that have lived near a lake or beach and they’ve confirmed that it becomes a little addicting once you’ve lived near the water. Who knew!? Are any of you like that?
I’ve shared some photos on Instagram from our trip, but being back at the beach was just what I needed, and it was definitely hard to say goodbye! I plan on doing a roundup on the blog next week after getting some requests, so stay tuned for a little Anguilla photo diary.
Sidenote – I wanted to share the details of the pet stroller I’ve been strolling Queen Lu in because some of you have been asking! We’ve taken her out three times in it so far, and I shall continue to be the crazy lady with her animal squad walking down the sidewalk. I also received quite a few questions about the runner rug we purchased for our hallway, so I wanted to share the details here!
I’m really grateful I was able to travel during the week so I could spend this weekend with Christian. Between my girlfriend’s bachelorette party in Napa and Anguilla, I haven’t been able to explore our new city much outside of our neighborhood. We’re going to a Giants game tonight and thinking about renting some Vespas and cruising around town, so I’ll keep you guys posted!
Thanks so much reading and I hope you guys have a beautiful weekend –
I wanted to round up some of my OOTD’s that I’ve put together from the pieces I snagged in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! You can see all of my NSale posts by clicking the “NSale Picks!” page at the top of this site, including this post with a size guide of everything I purchased (not including this bra… because I love y’all but I’m not going to model a bra for you… I don’t love you that much).
Items will continue to be on sale through 8/6, and then the prices of everything will go back up. Word on the street is that they’re not restocking items this year (#tragic), so if you see it… snag it! Keep in mind there are still free returns so when purchasing clothing, if you can’t do it in-store I would recommend trying two sizes and sending back whichever one doesn’t fit.
Let me know what you’ve scored – and be sure to check out some of my favorite pieces still on sale here. Thanks so much for reading! XO –
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