Halloween Flashback: Breakfast at Tiffany's

In getting into the spirit of Halloween this year, I thought I'd share last year's Breakfast at Tiffany's Holly Golightly costume. It was super last minute, just like my costume this year, which I will share!

What are you dressing up as for Halloween this year?

Recent Eats

If you haven't tried making zucchini pasta, you should! It's delicious and guilt free! I've been experimenting with all different kinds of zucchini pasta (I use marinara and turkey meatballs most of the time). This scallop "pasta" has become a dinner staple, and it's so easy to make. Cut the zucchini with a mandoline slicer, and then slice it length wise with a knife to make "pasta" strips. Saute with a little coconut oil, pepper, and garlic for 5-7 minutes. In a separate pan, prepare scallops the same way and add whichever seasonings you like. Mix it together and you have an easy, clean dinner. 

OK, I know this looks way less than appetizing. My apologies for the poor presentation. This bacon wrapped salmon tastes SO much better than it looks. 

How to prepare: set oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle tarragon leaves over salmon, then wrap bacon (I used turkey bacon) around each filet and secure with toothpicks (I didn't do this this time around, hence the presentation). Drizzle sugar free maple syrup over each filet and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

I made sushi for the first time recently, and it was very easy and just as good as a sushi restaurant. I purchased fresh "sashimi grade" salmon and tuna from Ranch 99, and already had some nori in my pantry. I made alaska rolls and spicy tuna rolls using fish, rice, nori, and avocado. 

To prepare: spread cooked rice over the nori, then apply the pieces of raw fish and avocado over the rice. Roll the nori and cut into pieces. Next time I'll use brown rice to be more health conscious. =)

Fall Wedding Style: Neon

I decided to go for a fun neon dress for the wedding we attended this past weekend in San Francisco. Neon is no longer only acceptable during the Summer. Pairing neons with dark colors such as black and burgundy is hot for Fall, so I took the opportunity to play around with mixing neon with black accessories.

Dress: A New York ( I bought this dress more than a year ago at Bloomingdales, but couldn't find more from the designer online. Perhaps there's more to the name than "A New York" which is on the label. // Shoes: BCBG // Necklace: Target // Bracelets: Forever 21 and Aqua.

I found this burgundy dress shirt for my husband at Target, and thought it'd go perfectly with the hot pink dress since I love mixing the two colors myself!

The inspiration

Kim Hyuna Style

I know I'm a little late to the Gangnam style party, but I have to share how obsessed I am with Kim Hyuna's outfit(s) in the Gangnam Style and Oppa Style videos. I was am a little iffy on the wildly popular Isabel Marant sneaker sensation, but seeing Ms. Hyuna wear them in the video(s) has warmed me up to the idea a bit. 

If you haven't seen the Oppa Style video, check it out:

I love her fun & opulent style! 

How do you ladies feel about the Isabel Marant sneaker trend?

And just for kicks, my husband (middle) and his friends reenacting the Gangnam Style dance at a recent wedding we attended:

                                               

Fall Wedding Style: Black and Nude

It seems as though this year Fall has become the new "it" season to get married. We have three weddings to attend this month! Starting out with the first this past weekend, I decided to wear a black and nude ensemble with touches of gold. I'm paranoid about wearing all black to weddings, but the nude lining on this dress makes it more fun.

After talking smack to my friends (and other bloggers) about the famous equally loved/hated bubble necklace, I caved and bought one this past week. I wasn't planning on it, but when I saw them at Charlotte Russe for $12.99, I couldn't resist. They also had them in coral and turquoise. I couldn't find a link on their website, but my guess is that they're brand new in stores, so go check it out if you're still wanting one! 

I broke up all the black with a crazy huge gold bow cuff bracelet from H&M and nude heels from BCBG.

{Please excuse the kitty tail in this photo, haha}

Dress: H&M (old)// Necklace: Charlotte Russe// Shoes: BCBG, similar// Clutch: Given to me from my grandmother (vintage)// Bracelet: H&M// Nails: Essie Recessionista

The Inspiration

Elie Saab Fall 2012

Lanvin Fall 2012 RTW

Olivia Palermo

Collette Dinnigan Fall 2012

Zuhair Murad Fall/Winter 2012

Stay tuned for more Fall wedding styling posts!

Color of the Season: Burgundy

My favorite Fall color is Burgundy. I know that many call it oxblood, but that name bothers me. I found these burgundy jeans at Forever 21 a couple weeks ago, and unfortunately I can't find them on the website to share with you. 

For this look I put together for a guest post, I paired the jeans with a simple peplum top from H&M and some black and gold jewels to tie everything together. 

Head over to Devon Rachel's blog to see more photos and details from my guest post!

Shaving Face

 

I know this title is totally cheesy, but I had to do it. 

Apparently I'm a late bloomer to shaving the face. Models have been doing it for years, and Marylin Monroe was known to shave her face.

I was an avid waxer, as I am the hairiest person I know. I have a beard and a mustache (and hairier legs and arms than my husband) when I don't have the hair removed, and I know I owe this to my Jewish heritage.

Anyway, almost every time I had my face waxed (or threaded), I broke out. Herpes lip is not a pretty look, especially right before important events! I think it took a few too many experiences to finally learn that I should stop having my upper lip and sides of my face waxed. {Thankfully my eyebrows don't react negatively to being waxed or threaded.} I thought that if I started waxing my face on my own and immediately applied my own concoctions to limit break outs, it would solve the problem. I've tried using aloe, crushed advil mixed with water, neosporin, and Tend Skin. None have worked for me.

This brings me to shaving my face. I bought a pack of 3 facial one blade razors from amazon, and they are amazing! I'd be a hairy beast without them. I shave all of the hair on my face (except for my eyebrows) and neck with the razor, removing it from the direction it grows to minimize any chances of breakouts.
My face feels so soft afterwards, and I haven't had any breakouts.

Benefits of shaving your face include:

-Exfoliating dead skin cells without overstimulating the skin
-Reduces fine lines and wrinkles
-Minimized pore size
-Lightens acne scars
-Balances skin tone
-Removes blackheads

And the old wives tale about hair growing in thicker and darker when you shave it? Not true.

So, tell me..have you tried shaving your face?

Recent {Clean-ish} Eats

Last night I made this popular on Pinterest "cauliflower crust pizza". The crust only contains cauliflower, an egg, and some oregano. I used light mozzarella cheese from Trader Joes, black olives, and splurged a little on pepperoni. Next time I will definitely be using a cooking spray instead of wax paper to line the baking sheet because the pizza stuck like a leech to the paper! It was messy, but delicious! You can view the recipe here.

This New Orleans Spicy Shrimp dish has become one of my favorite dinners! It's not exactly "clean" but I've cleaned it up the best I can. I modified the recipe and don't use any butter. The Heinz Chili Sauce isn't terrible, but it does have 2g of sugar per serving. Luckily canned/jarred products containing 2g of sugar + is my personal limit. Instead of dipping bread in the delicious sauce as the recipe suggests, I make mashed cauliflower and pour the shrimp over it. SO good! See the recipe here.

This foil baked fish was SO good, and super easy to make. I used cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers, red onion, fresh basil, chili flakes and squeezed some lemon over the fish and veggies to bake at 450 for 15 minutes. 

These grilled avocados have become my every day snack. I'm not big on dairy, but this is an exception  (plus I don't use very much cheese for these). See the recipe here. 

What are your favorite healthy recipes right now?