Kick up your heels because I’ve found the perfect day heel and I’m not afraid to share it.
The crew over at Everlane has done it again! They’ve created a heel that you can actually walk in and I’m not talking about walking from you Uber to the restaurant. I’m talking walking ALL around the city, ALL damn day! This is a 100% HONEST review of the ballet-inspired shoe of your dreams. The day heel by Everlane has the perfect silhouette and is designed with a rounded toe, a walkable 2-inch block heel, and an elasticized back for extra comfort. Buy them now – before they sell out again!
I am going, to be honest here and say that I have never really been a fan of wearables. I always thought that they were unattractive and not for me. It took a friend introducing me to the ‘Health’ app on my iPhone to really understand how important (and fun) it was to track my activity. So when the team over at MisFit offered to send over one of their fitness tracking devices I decided to give it a go and see what all the hype was about.
The crew over at MisFit has created a line of fitness tracking devices that are not only extremely functional but also fashionable – I can’t tell you how many people have positively commented on it since I started wearing it. To be honest, the lack of style with wearables in the past was one of my biggest issues with not wanting to wear them.
Now, since I’ve started wearing my MisFit I started creating fitness goals and meeting them…sometimes. But either way, I am holding myself accountable and getting up and moving -something I do NOT specialize in. I have also become obsessed with analyzing my sleep habits. They are NOT good and now I am obsessed with getting a solid 8 hours of sleep. Anyone have any best practices for sleep? Send them my way!
I have such a love/hate relationship with travel these days. I love to explore and see new places, but I could not possibly hate San Francisco International Airport more! While YES I am always the last person to board the plane – timing is not my thing AND SFO does not make it any better.
SO, with all the CHAOS at SFO I have made a commitment to myself that if I am going to be the idiot running around the airport like a chicken with its head cut off, I am going to be COMFY AF in my travel outfit. Now, I’m not talking about my ‘Sunday Scaries’ pajamas…because those bad boys are AWFUL and can only be seen by Benji and the UBER eats delivery person. I am talking about the ultimate travel outfit (above). Sweats that are COMFY AF, but looking fancy + expensive…because they have perfectly placed holes in them (duh!) – throw in a metallic sneaker + bag, oversized sunglasses and a glass of champagne and I am ready to travel…just don’t put me in the exit row after a trip to Las Vegas (NOT a good story).
Travel is not cheap, especially when it comes to luggage! Why does that bad boy have to set you back $600? Well…lucky for YOU today is the first day of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (early access). So fire up your Nordstrom Card (or borrow your Mom’s like me) and get to shopping!
First things first can we take a minute and talk about how amazing this view is?
There is quite the backstory to these photos. If you follow along on my Instagram and my Instagram Stories then you know that I took quite the fall a couple of weeks ago walking home with Benji and my meatball sub sandwich from Tony’s.
(Don’t worry I saved the dog + the meatball sub)
So much of a fall that I ended up in the emergency room with two pretty nasty cuts on my face, one on my shoulder and one on my knee. Not only did these injuries hurt like hell, they also put the blog on hold…for a couple of days – until my friend Teresa invited me to the Loews Regency San Francisco for their Spirits in the Sky event. If you can’t tell from the photos we are on the highest sky deck in San Francisco and Karl The Fog decided to take the afternoon off and let us snaps some amazing photos.
BUT taking photos with cuts on your face is NOT easy. I mean how many shots can I take with my head down or the hat over my face?
The answer is 3!
But thanks to Teresa, ALL The Spirits in the Sky (c/o Loews) and my killer photographer, Brad I was able to still shoot this summer style look without exposing too much of my face from the Great Fall of ’17.
Now searching for the perfect summer look can be HARD. Summer in San Francisco is unpredictable (DUH!) and we are in that weird inbetween phase between Sping + Summer when all I want to do is lay out, wear a summer dress and sip on Rosé.
So where do we all go when we are looking for inspiration?
And thanks to the new Pinterest Lens you can point your phone at anything from a straw hat to a summertime spirit and see what ideas it finds. Lens is all about helping you find ideas inspired by things you see in the real world. I mean how often do you see something you love, snap a photo and let it die in your photo library? I am the queen of taking inspiration photos, never doing anything with them and then deleting them when my phone notifies me that it is ALWAYS out of storage.
Don’t let those inspiration photos die and just point Lens at an object and tap to discover related ideas. Try pointing it at an ingredient to discover recipes, or use it on a pair of shoes to see similar styles, along with ideas for what to wear them with. You can even search for ideas using images from your camera roll.
Lens lets you discover ideas inspired by anything you point your Pinterest camera at. You can even use photos you took earlier just by Lensing your Camera Roll.
Lens is available worldwide on the Pinterest mobile app. All you have to do is:
1. Update your app
2. Open the app to the search bar
3. Hit the camera icon
4. Take a photo with Lens or pull a photo from your photo library.
A couple of weeks ago I loaded up the Mini Cooper with my girl Katey of The Violet Fog and hit Highway 1 for the gorgeous thirty-five-mile drive from San Francisco to Half Moon Bay. After a quick stop at Sam’s Chowder House, we checked into our stunning room at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.
Last time I stayed at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay I had a pink cast and a bad attitude (insert sad pink cast blog post here). So needless to say this trip was very different and 100% better!
Now, this wasn’t just a girls weekend in Half Moon Bay, we were there for the “Global Cuisine Series” – an exclusive retreat featuring interactive culinary classes and special tasting menus from renowned chefs. The weekend began with a hands-on cooking class where (spoiler alert) we actually prepared a menu created by the visiting chef {Chef Telmo Faria of Uma Casa} followed by a lunch (featuring the fruits of our labor) along with wine pairings to complement the global destination featured.
The Global Cusine Series Team
(from left to right)
Telmo Faria // Executive Chef and Founder of Uma Casa, Xavier Salomon // Executive Chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon and me (wannabe Chef for the day).
When Chef Telmo Faria isn’t holding it down in the kitchen at Uma Casa he also serves as my number one homie…so needless to say this experience was extra special for me. Now, this wasn’t my first time in the kitchen with Telmo – he has let me play ‘sous chef’ from time to time on vacation…aka me drinking and watching him cook in the kitchen, however this time I actually got my hands dirty and learned to make two of my favorite dishes from the Uma Casa menu.
What was on the menu for the day?
First Course: Pasteis de Bacalhau/Salt Cod and Potato Fritters with Lemon-Cilantro Aioli
Second Course: Carne de Porco Alentejana/Pork and Clam Stew Alentejo Style
Desert Course: Bolo de Laranja/Olive Oil-Citrus Cake with Fresh Berries and Cream
Katey can cook!
Despite the fact that both Katey and I walked into the kitchen with ZERO cooking skills we managed to not blow up the kitchen at The Ritz and recreate Chef Telmo’s classic Portuguese dishes (more or less).
Check out Katey’s badass quenelle skills (I didn’t even try). She managed to create the perfect ‘football shape’ with two soup spoons before the salt cod fritters hit the fryer.
Impressed with my experience? Check out the talented lineup below:
Charles Olalia
August 26-27, 2017
Of Rice Bar in Los Angeles creating innovative Filipino recipes
Evan and Sarah Rich
September 23-24, 2017
Of celebrated Rich Table featured in Conde Nast Traveler’s 3 Hours in San Francisco
Manish Tyagi
October 28-29, 2017
San Francisco’s hottest new Modern Indian restaurant August 1 Five
Gerald Hirigoyen
November 18-19, 2017
James Beard nominee and Maître Cuisinier de France of Piperade, a West Coast Basque restaurant
William Werner
December 16-17, 2017
James Beard finalist for “Outstanding Baker” of Craftsman and Wolves, a contemporary patisserie
Launching in May 2017 with only 14 seats available, the two-day package will be available one weekend per month and will feature a different chef each time. Interested in participating in the Global Cuisine Series? Contact the Ritz Travel Team at (650) 712-7686 or email to plan your special culinary weekend.
#TrustMe it is 100% worth it!
And after all the ‘cooking’ the beds at The Ritz do not disappoint! Enjoy a little R+ R in style!
