FAIL BAKING POST // VANILLA MACARONS

baking

So flash-back to when I was sixteen and had hopes and dreams of going to culinary school. Of course once I realized I was NOT a great baker that dream slowly fizzled into a hobby.


I do LOVE to bake but I am not good at it, something about natural instincts in the kitchen I assume. I could follow a recipe to a tee and still find a way to muck it up. 


BLOGGING TIPS // 200TH POST LOOK BACK

advice

So the other day after posting my last blog post I noticed that it was, in fact, my 200th post. Which I think is a pretty great accomplishment and made me reflect on everything that's happened since my first post.


Going all the way back to 2012, my actual first post was a 25 before 25 checklist - which you can read here if you would like. At the time I was 18 and a very different person than I am now and I only have 12 of the items left on my list to check off.

CINEMA TIME // MOVIE REVIEWS 2

bbloggers

I think I could literally talk about movies all day long and never run out of things to say.


Actors & actresses, cinematography, hidden meanings; all of the interesting components that make up a film. Throw in an incredible director and a killer script and that's how you make the perfect Oscar-worthy film sandwich.


However, I can't say I always agree with the choices that are put in the best film category. As much as I try to give each one a chance, often times they just aren't my cup of tea. But to each their own!

HAIR CARE // BLEACHED HAIR

batiste



Oh the wonderful world of hair. 
As I said in my last post I decided to really shake things up after not having dyed my hair for almost two years. What's odd is that prior to those two years I would change my hair color every five to six months. 


And I mean REALLY change my hair. Like from blonde to black to red type of change. I always felt like it freshened things up a bit and there is nothing more empowering than looking in the mirror and seeing a new you.

PERSONAL POST // CHANGE

advice

I often write these posts and never publish them but I have a lot to say about what's been going on in life lately. Whether you've followed along with my blog or are a new reader, maybe you can find some similarities in this post as well. 

I graduated from university last May and have gone through huge transitions in life. I moved from New York to California, transitioned to a different store for my job, & adjusted to life post-schooling. It's been really, really difficult to adjust to, I can't lie. And I never could have expected life after school to be this way. 

BAKING // CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

baking

Woohoo, another post from my favorite new baking recipe book! I seriously look forward to writing these posts so much because I know that baking goes alongside them. I always enjoy baking the most when I'm feeling a little stressed. Which is perfect right now because I'm stressed beyond belief.

But moving on to the shortbread this is another recipe from the United Kingdom section of the book. According to the history behind shortbread they originated in Scotland and are perfect for afternoon tea. I may have to add a fun little Valentines day twist in there too!

BATH & BODYWORKS // SPRING SCENTS

bath and body works

I, like many others, am eagerly awaiting the arrival of springtime. I live in Southern California where the sun shines bright most days *cue Another Day of Sun from La La Land* and I still wait for the changing seasons.

All the pastel colours and bright new flowers popping up hits a part of you that creates instant happiness. I always yearned for Spring in New York & February was always the gloomiest, yuckiest, most blegh month that seemed to go on forever. There were times I would try to trick myself into thinking it was actually not as freezing cold out but that clearly never worked.

Flash-forward to now and even with the beautiful days of sunshine I'm still thinking of those new Spring days. Which is probably what got me to walk in to Bath & Bodyworks to look at all their new candles!

BREAKING BAD HABITS // A JOURNEY

advice

I'll just come right out and say it, I am in no way, shape, or form perfect. Actually, I am very far from it. No matter how hard I try to control situations I am not ever going to behave exactly the right way. I won't always say the proper thing or react with the normal emotion. It's just not in my  DNA and that's just fine with me.

That being said I am not someone who doesn't think about the repercussions of my bad habits. Just because I do the things I stated above doesn't mean I don't understand that they can/should be altered. But I do often wonder who made the rules for what makes a bad habit?

TRAVEL GUIDE // LOS ANGELES PART 2

ace hotel

*cue La La Land Soundtrack* I swear seeing that movie - multiple times now - made me even more driven to move up to LA. Luckily I only live an hour or so away but I'm always so much happier when I'm actually there. My closest friend loves to go equally as much which makes it so much more enjoyable. 

We really made a day out of this even though we didn't end up leaving until almost 2 - dinner reservations were set for 9:30 so we had time to kill. Here was our lovely day in Los Angeles. 

BAKING // ICED MADEIRA CAKE

baking

Oh, how I love doing baking posts because then I get something delicious at the end too! I received an incredible baking book for Christmas and this is the first recipe I am trying out. The book is categorized according to countries around the world. So I decided to start in the United Kingdom with the Madeira cake. 

There were so many to choose from I would love to make at least two recipes a month if I have the time. This Madeira cake stood out to me for some reason as I was going through all the recipes. There's nothing like a good, lemon cake and the description of the Madeira cake was all too appealing.

CINEMA TIME // MOVIE REVIEWS

arrival

Oh awards season, blessed are you. I live for award ceremonies. Mostly because I want to one day work in the film industry and hope to bump elbows with Hollywood royalty. But, for now, I'll settle with sitting at home in my jam's and daydreaming that I'm actually there.

There is always this mad dash for me to go see the films that are nominated in the best picture category. Unfortunately this year I have severely slacked on my film-watching abilities. I don't know how it all got behind me but I'm bummed. 

I have, however, seen a few films this past month and this month as well that I would love to review for you! So grab some popcorn, check your local theatre's showtimes, and get ready for some seriously amazing cinema.

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