DC love

our days are dwindling here in DC and today was the absolute perfect day to hop on the capital bikeshare bike's and capture all of the monuments and uniqueness of this city.  it was an absolutely picture perfect, sunny day to enjoy everything i love about living here.

hope everyone is having a great weekend!

i think american flag themed refreshments were definitely in order...

RJ taunting the children...they were jealous

photography tip

I had picked up the latest issue of bon appetit magazine to get some restaurant recs for Paris (pinch me! cannot wait!) and noticed a mention of a blog post on their site for camera reviews and tips.  i've already got my camera, but check out the tips mentioned for taking photos.  I especially liked this one...


TIP: When shooting in a restaurant (and the auto function isn't cutting it), turn the shutter to 1/30, the aperture as low as possible, and then adjust the ISO incrementally until the image looks good.



So helpful! and I always am trying to get yummy food photo's in restaurants.  Check out more tips here:
http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2012/04/best-camera-for-food-photos.html

Photos by Will Hereford via Bon Appetit

best dressed: the met ball

hands down my best dressed of the met ball was solange knowles.  you can say she played it safe with minimal make-up, natural hair and solid gown but darn she looks good.

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new!

holy moly its may!  it's safe to say it's full on wedding season.  my social calender is b-o-o-k-e-d, BOOKED!  between bachelorette weekends, weddings, and finding some time to just relax and enjoy DC i have been all over the place.

i have a lot of life updates to share with you friends, details about trips, outfits, food, life, and just about everything in between.

in an effort to start with the most exciting piece of news i'll give you a hint...

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me + my love + paris in june

more to come! i promise...

inspiration: emma stone golden globes

with wedding season upon us i have been researching versatile cocktail dress options to get me through.  i can't wait to wear the fun short, bright dresses of wedding seasons past and present; however, this year i got a curve ball:  black tie. new york city. may. 7:00pm wedding.

pretty sure a tight, short hot-pink number would be frowned upon so i have been scouring the internet for an affordable option.  sure there is RTR but i'm picky and i usually prefer the gowns that rent for $200+ - that doesn't really seem like a deal to me.  so with a trusty black option in my back pocket and as a last resort (so boring though right?) i decided to take the plunge and order the clean t-shirt maxi from Topshop.  at $116 i have relatively low guilt and i kind of feel like i may have an emma stone moment in it??? (see inspiration below).

Topshop - Clean T-Shirt Maxi Dress

now i just need for the fashion gods to smile upon me and make this work. a few very serious concerns:
the length
the color
the fabric

wish me luck!

nailed it

i love getting a manicure and the $20 is so easy to justify when you're in the mood to be pampered - but hey, let's face it, it adds up.

since i would generally rather splurge on happy hour drinks than on my nails i've tried all sorts of DIY manicures.  and the harsh reality is that i stink at painting my own nails.  it's not even worth the 20 minutes where i attempt to paint them and then remove it once i realize that more of my cuticles were painted than my actual nails.  

so when hearing about the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips i was a bit skeptical, but after a quick stroll through CVS the other day i thought why not?

omg. they are so easy and they look amazing.  no chips or bumps and it takes about 10 minutes (being extremely careful)

TRY THEM!

obsession

is anyone else obsessed with Megan from Mad Men?  love her swinging 60's style.

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