New Years Eve

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Leather jacket-Andrew Marcs

Shirt-Splendid

Jeans-Gap

Shoes-10022 Saks

Bag-Balenciaga

Scarf-United Colors of Benetton

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Necklace-Banana Republic

Hi everyone! I just wanted to do one more quick post before the new year is upon us. I have lots of errands to run today before meeting up with friends tonight to celebrate NYE and wanted to share the casual look I'm wearing while I run my errands. I bought this scarf a couple months ago and was immediately attracted to the bright, cheery color it exuded (not to mention the soft texture of it). I love using scarves to brighten up an outfit because it can immediately spruce up a plain white shirt. The color is fitting to the mood I'm currently feeling because I'm pretty happy and excited to see what 2012 has in store for me. This year was definitely a great year for me for various reasons and I feel blessed for the things that has happened so far, whether good or bad. I'm a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason.

I sincerely wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year and as always, thank you so much for reading.

Winter Shorts

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Shirt-J.Crew

Shorts-Citizen of Humanity

Scarf-H&M

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

Bracelets-Hermes, David Yurman

Bag-YSL

This years winter weather has been very fickle. Right before the Christmas holiday we had unusually warm temperatures here in the east coast area which prompted me to wear lighter clothing. I love and miss the summer time and denim cutoffs are the epitome of summer staples but it's obviously too cold to wear just shorts. In order to transition it to winter, I added tights. The reason I love fashion is because it gives me the freedom to mix and match clothes and accessories depending on what situation I find myself in. It allows you be creative.

I hope you had a fantastic holiday and were able to spend time with your loved ones. Is everyone ready to ring in the new year? I'm definitely looking forward to it. Out with the old and in with the new:)

Weekend (Holiday) Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Celebrated Christmas with the family and finally used my DIY glitter candle I tweeted about last week. I used double sided tape on the candle for the glitter to stick haha! Easiest DIY ever.
2. Watched my faaaaaavorite holiday movies, Elf and The Holiday. It doesn't feel right if I don't watch those movies around this time of year.
3. Was gifted a beautiful pots and pans set from my generous parents. This cookware is supposed to be the top of the line in non-stick stainless steel so I can't wait to use this in the kitchen.
4. Went to eat at my favorite DC steakhouse, The Capital Grille. I've been to Mortons, Ruth Chris, Smith & Wollensky, Lost Society, and Rays the Classic, but nothing really compares to The Capital Grille. Service is always stellar and their porterhouse just melts in your mouth.
5. Tried a peanut butter and bacon pop tart from Ted's Bulletin located in Washington, DC. My dear friend  brought me some knowing I would love that combination and he was right. It's nom nom worthy and I'm tempted to try and recreate it. My only gripe about the pop tart is that I wish there were more bacon bits on it but that's the fattie in me talking.
6. Bought and painted my nails a new polish color (what else is knew?) The color is Essie's "Sexy divide."

How was your weekend?

Urban Chic

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blouse-DVF

Vest-Old Navy

Jeans-JBrand

Shoes-Sam Edelman

Purse-YSL
Necklace-Alexis Bittar

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney
 

I know this is an outfit post but I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you. It's been kind of an exciting week for me because I was featured in both  Refinery 29 for my peppermint bar cookie post and The Washingtonian magazine for fashion purposes so I'm feeling very thankful.  A couple of days ago, The Washingtonian magazine did a feature on "10 Washington Fashion and Beauty Bloggers to Watch for in 2012" and I was one out of the ten chosen. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked when the style editor reached out to me a week ago because I've only started this blog a little over 3 months ago and didn't think many people would be reading it. So, thank you to those who left such sweet comments on the last post, thank you to my new (hello!) and old subscribers who stayed with this blog from the beginning, and thank you to those on twitter who messaged me with congrats and sweet words.

I chose to do this blog for the sole purpose of using it as a creative outlet towards the things I'm passionate about, so to be recognized as a "blogger to be watched for 2012" is just crazy. Crazy good, of course=) I hope that you continue to love what you see and I will strive to develop my blog into something you will enjoy reading. So again, thank you SO much for your support!<3

Holiday Office Sparkle

 

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin 

Blouse-Ann Taylor Loft

Cardigan-Ann Taylor

Skirt-Express

Belt-Banana Republic

Shoes-Pour La Victoire

Purse-Chanel

Ring-David Yurman

When it comes to office holiday parties, there are things you can do to change your outfit to make it look more festive.  Some ladies like to either change their shoes or add an accessory to their outfit and still look work appropriate. I mentioned in my previous outfit post that I wanted to show you a couple of different ways to style a sequin skirt and today's post is a follow up from that and how you can incorporate it into work, after hours obviously. Changing from a conservative pencil skirt/trouser into a sequin skirt can help give an outfit a fun, flirty, but still work appropriate look. 

I love wearing cardigans because they are thin enough that I could stuff in my purse for that extra layer I need at times and it's just a staple item that won't go out of style. Some may say that cardigans make you look dull or should only be limited to older women, but a stylish way to wear it is to tuck them into your skirt/pants. For me, it looks more polished and pulls the overall look together without appearing sloppy.

Ladies, do you have any fun ways to dress up your outfit for your office holiday party?

Weekend Snapshots

 

This weekend I...

1. Caught up on some of my favorite magazines.
2. Finally took the plunge and bought a tempur-pedic mattress. For the amount of money I paid for this mattress, I better be getting the BEST SLEEP OF MY LIFE. Like for reals.
3. Tried Taiwanese shaved ice (similar to Italian ice but with toppings) for the first time. I'm very particular with my shaved ice because Korean shaved ice is so freakin' good and the Taiwanese version wasn't too shabby.  I had it at Bob's Noodle 66 in Rockville, MD and chose taro, red beans, and black jelly for my toppings. It's also drizzled with condensed milk. Yum.
4. Bought a gold bracelet by Kenneth Jay Lane from Saks. It's my first piece from this designer and I just love how bold yet simple this bracelet is. I've been searching for more gold bracelets to add to my collection and I'm very satisfied with this purchase, especially because it actually fits my wrist. I also love the pouch it came in because it's perfect for packing when traveling.
5. Painted my nails in all glitter. I used Essie's "adore-a-ball" as a base and Opi's "Rainbow's in the S-Kylie" on top of that. Just trying to prep for the upcoming holiday ya know?
6. Bought a new planner for the new year. As much as I love technology I'm still old fashioned in that I still love writing things down. Writing things down helps me remember stuff and the dorky part of me just loves seeing things checked off my "to do" lists. I can't believe 2012 is just around the corner. I'm ready to embrace 2012 with open arms...I have a good feeling about next year.

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Peppermint Bar Cookies

Every year around this time, I look forward to seasonal treats such as ordering a skim white chocolate peppermint mocha from Starbucks, baking gingerbread cookies, and treating myself to peppermint bark from Williams-Sonoma. Oh Lordy, don't get me started on those...

I had a Christmas party to attend to last weekend and the guests were asked to bring an appetizer or a dessert. I always have a hard time with those requests because the first thing I want to make is always some appetizer dish, but than the ones I want to make are best when eaten hot out of the oven and the lazy part in me doesn't feel like bringing ingredients to assemble at the party house. So I chose a dessert. Again. I have to confess that this was my first time baking these cookies and was crossing my fingers and toes that they would turn out tasty because a) I'd be screwed for the party and b) wouldn't have a holiday post to share with you. But crossing my toes must've worked because they turned out to be fabulous. These are a twist on the usual peppermint bark because it involves marshmallows and sugar cookie dough but that's okay because sometimes you need to mix things up a little. Change is good.

These sugar cookie bars are topped with marshmallows, white chocolate and crushed peppermint candies. It's like Christmas in your mouth, no joke.

For some reason this picture makes me smile. The marshmallows and white chocolate morsels look so cute together.

What is it about the flavors of peppermint and white chocolate together that makes it taste so good? It's like a burst of fresh holiday air every time you bite into these. Sigh. So major.

Oh and one more thing. This recipe is easy. Like baking for dummies easy. It calls for the ready-to bake sugar cookie dough so basically you don't have to really make anything...more like assemble. I was in a time crunch so this recipe was kinda perfect and hopefully it'll work out for you too if you don't have time to slave in the kitchen. Just pretend like you did when you bust out these peppermint bars. Have a great weekend.

Recipe (adapted from Sandra Lee Christmas 2010 magazine)
1 (16.5-ounce) package refrigerated ready-to-bake sugar cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup white chocolate morsels (I used Nestle)
1/3 cup crushed hard peppermint candies

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing foil to extend over sides of pan. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Using your hands, press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared pan.
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately sprinkle with marshmallows and morsels. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes longer, or until marshmallows are puffed. Sprinkle with crushed candy. Cool completely in pan (about 1 hour).
4. To serve, lift foil to remove uncut bars from pan. Place on a cutting board. Fill a pitcher with hot water. Place a long, sharp knife in pitcher. Using warm knife, cut into 9 large squares. (Mine yielded 14 squares).

Casual Luxe

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Shirt-Old Navy

Skirt-Express

Belt-Banana Republic

Purse-Chanel

Necklace-Lee Angel

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Shoes-Marc Jacobs

I wore this outfit to Bloggers Night Out last night that took place at the DC Bloomingdales and it was fabulous time meeting with old and new local bloggers. I bought this skirt over the weekend and am so in love with it because I have several different looks I want to share with you on how to style a sequin skirt. I wanted to wear something casual on top so the skirt could be the star of the outfit but couldn't resist adding a bold statement necklace as a finishing touch;) I bought this necklace last year at Neiman Marcus and I always get stopped by strangers whenever I wear it out, asking me where I purchased it. It reminds me of holiday ornaments and it is one of my favorite statement necklaces I own because it's so fun and dramatic.

Ladies, do you have any favorite statement pieces you love to wear?

Work Glam

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blouse-H&M

Pants, belt-Banana Republic

Coat-J.Crew

Fur stole-Neiman Marcus

Bracelets, ring-David Yurman

Sunglasses-Chanel

Bag-YSL 

Watch-Michele

One of my favorite colors is purple. Growing up I would pick out only purple skittles (actually I still do this), grape flavored gum/candy, or reach for purple crayons first. I remember learning in elementary school during Art class that purple and yellow were complimentary colors and ever since then I have fallen in love with that combination. However, I've recently been drawn to burnt orange and purple together and Pantone just announced that the color for 2012 is Tangerine Tango which coincidentally works well with me because I fell in love with that color when I bought this blouse at H&M a couple months ago. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute says, "Tangerine Tango, a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward." 

My mom just gifted me her fur stole which is just so luxurious but I was a bit hesitant to wear a colored fur at first. I was trying to think of color combinations that would match well and I immediately thought of this blouse. The blouse and trousers are work appropriate but when you add the fur stole to the mix, it adds another element of style. I really love wide legged trousers because it adds a bit of masculinity to an outfit but adding an accessory such as this fur stole will also add a feminine touch. I talked about bringing work appropriate outfits to life by incorporating color in this post and today's outfit is no different.
 

Ladies, what are some of your favorite color pairings you include into your work outfits?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Shopped and prepped for tomorrow's blog post in Georgetown area so stay tuned;)
2. Dined at Maggiano's with friends and ordered off their "family style" menu which means you can choose to order 2 dishes off their appetizers, salad, entree, and dessert menu and it's unlimited. Major food coma.
3. Baked peppermint bark cookies for a Christmas party a friend hosted. I left with an empty container and received lots of compliments from the guests which made me happy. It really makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside when people enjoy what I make. I'll post the recipe later this week.
4. Finally found and bought a sequin skirt. I've been searching high and low for one and have walked out in dissapointment from many stores either because it didn't fit right, the store didn't have my size in stock, or I wasn't satisfied with the colors. I bought this skirt at Express and they only had one left in my size AND it was in the color I was looking for. It was meant to be.
5. Tried Seventh Hill for the first time. The original dinner plans were to go to Kushi but my stomach started craving pizza and well, I gotta listen to what my stomach wants. After reading great reviews on Yelp I had high expectations on this place but I ended up a bit disappointed. The pizzas were a bit too soggy and there wasn't much of a flavor burst in the pizzas. I didn't think the toppings complimented each other and felt like I was eating compartmentalized toppings.
6. Caught Mandu sleeping and using his toy Christmas tree as a pillow. Seriously, could he be any cuter?? Probably.

How was your weekend?