Food in Review: July 20th - 27th

There's nothing I love more than food. And I'm so lucky to live in New York, where I have access to some of the best dishes out there. For the past week, my best friend Elsa has been visiting. I hadn't seen in her in over 6 months because she had been studying abroad in Spain so we had a blast catching up. 

We also ate a whole lot of food so I thought I'd share what I had. Luckily, Restaurant Week in New York coincided with her visit so we got to go to a lot of yummy places for cheaper. 

1. JoJo

Appetizers: Watermelon Gazpacho and Arugula Salad

Entree: Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Hake with Vegetables

Dessert: Lemon Crepe Cake with Poppyseed Lemon Curd and Valrhona Molten Chocolate Cake (pictured below)

Thoughts: JoJo was delicious but I've decided that I should never eat Gazpacho again. The best part was the dessert!

2. Shake Shack

Three Shack Burgers, Two Orders of Fries, one Chocolate Milkshake

Thoughts: There's not really any other thought I have about Shake Shack other than YUM. This is by far my favorite "fast food" place out there.

 3. Eggshop

The Pepperboy (Soft Scramble, Gruyere, Bell Pepper, Bacon, Onion Aioli) + Emily's Custom Egg Sandwich (Soft Scramble, White Cheddar, Maple Syrup, Bacon)

Thoughts: Another one of my absolute favorites. With affordable prices and hefty portions, this is my go-to breakfast place in New York. Delicious!

4. Momofuku Milk Bar

Cereal Milk Soft Serve - Made with milk, cornflakes, and brown sugar.

Thoughts: As much as the cereal milk soft serve from Momofuku Milk Bar is talked about, it's not my favorite. I don't think the soft serve should cost as much as it does. Elsa bought a cookie while we were there and loved it so I think I need to try one of those! (Not gonna lie, the instagram was pretty successful)

5. Loosie Rouge

Thoughts: We stopped for cocktails at Loosie Rouge, a sort of Cali/NOLA vibe of a bar in Williamsburg. The atmosphere is cool and the open doors and windows gave the little space light and warmth. We both got signature cocktails and loved them!

6. Union Square Cafe

Entrees: Roasted Chicken with Corn Polenta Cake, Summer Squash, and Pesto + Prime New York Strip Steak with Grilled Scallions and Marrow Mashed Potatoes

Dessert: Key Lime Mousse with Graham Cracker Crumble, Raspberries and Rhubarb Sorbet

Thoughts: This is another one of my New York favorites and it again, did not disappoint. My favorite part of the meal had to have been the Key Lime Mousse - I could've eaten about 100 more pounds of it.

7. Jean-Georges

Appetizers: Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Carmelized Artichokes, Lemon and Olive Oil + Sauteed Gulf Shrimp and Smoken Bacon with Passion Mustard and Avocado

Entrees: Arctic Char with Crackling Sourdough and Creamed Favas + Crispy Confit of Suckling Pig with Baby Beets and Ginger Vinaigrette

Dessert: Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

Thoughts: No words. Perfection.

8. Alice's Tea Cup

Breakfast: Scones Benedict, Poached Eggs over a Savory Scone topped with Rosemary Hollandaise Sauce and Potato-Chicken Hash + Cheddar Cheese Omelet with Potato-Chicken Hash.

Tea: Red Fruits + Indian Chai

Thoughts: I love Alice's - mostly because I love tea. It's such a lovely, special place. 

9. Eataly

Drinks: Limone Sul Garda Cocktail (Limoncello and Grapefruit Pellegrino with Rosemary) + Rosato di Refosco Rose

Appetizer: Arancini - Fried Rice Balls with Saffron and Grana Padano, topped with Lemon Aioli

Thoughts: Once again, a favorite. Once again, no words.

I hope you enjoyed a little look into what I ate this past week - it's definitely making me hungry again. Sadly, I spent all my money on these wonderful dishes so I'm off to make mac and cheese!

xo Emily

Frostbyte

It's incredibly hot outside. Which, because it's summer, is completely normal. Despite this, I'm somehow shocked every year when the temperatures start to rise and I start to sweat profusely from every orifice. 

What a normal person might do on a day like today, one in which I can feel my hair go limp as soon as I step out of my building, would be to mosey on over to a pool, or the beach, or see a movie in the nice air-conditioning! But what I do, a completely non-normal human being, is stay inside and watch movies whilst I experiment with makeup. 

And because it's so hot, I thought I'd do my makeup wishing I was in the snow. 

Note: From this point on, it might be wise to listen to Bad Blood (the Kendrick Lamar version, duh!) while you read. 

Now I thought I would recreate the makeup that Frostbyte (AKA mega-babe Lily Aldridge) wore in the Bad Blood video. 

It's gorgeous so I thought I'd try my hand at creating something similar. I love the silver eye with the beautiful dark plum lips. It looks absolutely gorgeous on her.

Here's how it turned out on me. It's not the best recreation but I really like how it looks. I used 'Silver' from the Lorac Pro Palette 2 with a big of 'Plum' in the crease. It created a really subtle definition and helped tie in the lipstick color with the eye look. 

For my lips, I used MAC's 'Cyber' which is an incredibly dark purple lipstick, using a lip brush to create a more subdued purple lip.

Which Bad Blood hottie would you recreate?

xo Emily

The Fourth of July

I know this is a week after the fact but, I thought I'd share with you how my Fourth of July was. 

I took the bus down on Thursday to visit my sister, Amanda, in Washington D.C. We spent our time on Thursday catching up and eating at Barcelona, a Tapas restaurant and one of my favorite places to eat in D.C.

Location: Barcelona Dishes: Chicken and Jamon Croquettas + Spiced Beef Empanadas + Jamon Serrano

Location: Barcelona Dish: Hanger Steak (Not Pictured: Rockfish a la Plancha + Asparagus a la Plancha)

We spent Friday shopping for the Fourth of July and then went out to eat at one of the highest rated restaurants in D.C., The Red Hen, which is coincidentally near to my sisters and a place we love to frequent. 

Location: The Red Hen Dish: Grilled Octopus with Spring Pea Hummus (Not Pictured: Salt Cod Brandade + Whipped Ricotta Crostini)

 Location: The Red Hen Dish: Caramelized Scallops with English Peas, Bacon, Charred Scallion, Spring Greens & Soft Polenta (Not Pictured: Spinach Zucca with Grilled Summer Squash, English Pea Crema, Lemon, Basil & Pistachios + Whole Wheat Cavatelli with Sweet Corn, Wild Mushrooms, Smoked Bacon & Pecorino Tartufo)

 Location: The Red Hen Dish: Summer Berry Trifle with Citrus Sponge Cake, Mascarpone & Lemon Crumble

On Saturday, which was the actual Fourth of July, we spent the morning preparing dishes for my sister's barbecue. She made so many delicious things and one of my favorites were the super festive chocolate covered strawberries pictured below! We also had some fun and cute jello shots! (Plus lots of actual food)

Location: Washington D.C. Dress: Urban Outfitters (On sale now!)

It was such a wonderful weekend and I'm so thankful to my sister for hosting me and hosting such a wonderful party!

xo Emily

Simple Summer

Hello all! I'm back with a simple makeup look - perfect for summer. It's quick, easy, and works well with the heat of these humid months!

I only use 7 products to create this look. 

1. Urban Decay's Naked Basics palette is all I use to create my eye look. With a big fluffy brush, I blend 'Naked 2' (a matte taupe shade) into my crease until I have subtle definition. I also bring that color down to my lower lash line to lightly define it. Then, with a flat eyeshadow brush, I take 'Venus' (a shimmery white) and place it all over my lid for a bit of shimmer. 

2. To conceal my bags and dark circles under my eyes, I use my all time favorite concealer, NARS Creamy Concealer in 'Vanilla'. I also used this to cover up any blemishes.

3. To finish off my eyes, I use a waterproof mascara so that the summer sweatiness does not affect my eyes. I used L'Oreal's Miss Manga Voluminous Waterproof mascara on my upper and lower lashes. 

4. I can't forget my brows so I filled and shaped them with Anastasia's Brow Wiz Pencil in 'Chocolate'. 

5. To brighten up everything, I highlighted my lower waterline and inner tear duct area with NYX's Wonder Pencil in 'Light'. 

6. For a perfect summer lip, I lined and filled in my lips with Rimmel's Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Eastend Snob' (my absolute favorite). 

7. Finally, I want to give my cheeks a big pop of color. To do this, I use E.L.F.'s blush in 'Fuschia Fusion' which is a super pink and glittery product. I love that it acts as both a highlighter and a blush.

Those 7 products are all I need to create a great summer face! 

What are your favorites for summer? 

xo Emily