Birthday Trip Part 1: The Wizarding World

For my milestone birthday week, I wanted to go someplace that is guaranteed a fun time. Since I was 3, trips to Disney have been very nostalgic for me and were nothing but wonderful, memorable times with  my family, best friend and now my boyfriend. Being the Disney fan that I am, there's no limit for me. I'll keep going and going! However, no trip to Disney is complete without an extra visit to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure - the first stop on our trip!

Side fact: I completed the entire Harry Potter series just last year. I never felt like my preteen years needed it but it was still something that had to be done I suppose. The movies made a lot more sense anyway. Even though I'm not a die-hard fan, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is SO worth the hype and worth any repeat visits. I remember Island of Adventure being fun but now I can't imagine it without Harry Potter. 

Hogsmeade and Hogwarts were ridiculously accurate and I was actually very impressed with the food and drink (Butterbeer, duh) at Three Broomsticks. I spent way too much money at Honeydukes on Fizzing Whizbees, Exploding Bon Bons, Peppermint Toads, Pumpkin Juice and a Chocolate Frog. I loved everything except for the Chocolate Frog which was the least exciting of the bunch. 

Sadly a thunderstorm knocked out a couple hours of productivity. By that point we had already done everything that we wanted to do, including the Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster! That was scary fun.

Pastel Ombre Nails!

Zoya Jacqueline (base), RGB Punch, American Apparel L'Esprit, Sally Hansen Barracuda, China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint

Last night I was up until 1 a.m. doing my nails because I have a bad habit of doing my nails too late. For some reason, you'll never find me doing them on a Sunday afternoon like a normal person. OPI recently had some cute nail ideas on their Facebook page, which inspired me to do a multi-colored pastel ombre manicure. Just in time for Easter! - or anytime ever, if you love pastels like me. I just used my own go-to technique for ombre using the above polishes and sponges to blot the polish on.:

1. You really only need one sponge for a manicure. It's super easy! Paint the sponge and dab onto the nail. 
2. Make sure your base color is relatively dry or you will mess it all up. 
3. The most important part is making sure you use pigmented, opaque shades that you know will show up through blotting. 
4. If you think it looks like crap after blotting the color on, you are most likely right. Don't be scared! Top coat is the one last magical step that will pull everything together to look super pretty. 

What are your favorite ombre color combos? My favorite are white/pastel type combos because they are easy and remind me of unicorns.

Luna

Pamela Love Luna Ring

Ever since I moved (3 months ago!), I'll admit that I haven't fully unpacked my massive jewelry collection. I am really bad about that stuff. I've only pulled out a few favorite bracelets here and there to wear when I need a bit of accessorizing. Yes, it's sad but true, I've come to a point when I go days without wearing jewelry and that's totally uncalled for. With a much needed unloading session and my newest awesome purchase, I'll be back in full force soon enough.

After receiving an email that Pamela Love was having an hour long Daylight Savings sale (a REALLY good sale at that), I knew I had to swoop in on it. Not being too sure of what I wanted, I found myself more intrigued by her "low key" designs. They are subtle but so under the radar cool. The Luna ring was new to my eyes, but I knew right away that I wanted it in my collection. The sterling silver and lapis surrounded by crescent moons...so simple yet so lovely! Perfect for stacking. It also comes in brass but I vote sterling silver all the way. I've been investing more on jewelry I can wear everyday and I seriously have not taken it off since I got it.

Secret Word of the Day: CLOCKY

Say hello to my first piece of "custom" art. Almost two years ago, while aimlessly perusing the Internet, I stumbled upon Ben Zurawski's Clocky, inspired by Pee-wee's Playhouse. Looking at the rest of his work, it didn't take me long to find that he was just as big of a fan of Pee-wee and had made some of the coolest art related to the show. On a whim I emailed Ben asking how in the world a girl like me can get a Clocky for her apartment. It turned out that he did make custom Clockys (in fact, Paul Reubens himself had ordered some from Ben as gifts in the past, so you know this is Pee-wee approved). At that time, I had just moved into a new apartment and was not really equipped with the extra cash but I figured I would open that connection and see where it goes.

This is Ben's own Clocky 

After keeping in touch via the occasional email, I finally bit the bullet and got myself one of the coolest things to ever grace the walls of my home.  The worst part was waiting a little while for Clocky to be made, but he arrived safely just the other day. We popped a battery into the clock and put him on the wall immediately! I didn't notice until I was sitting on my couch one evening, but if you look closely, Ben had snuck my name onto the spinning blocks that make Clocky's teeth, truly making it my own. I just had to play around with the blocks first to figure that one out. I love my new Clocky. Thanks so much Ben!

Nail Candy

(Essie Absolutely Shore, Zoya Blu, Essie Bikini So Teeny)

I'll start by saying I do NOT need new nail polish. Ever. My collection is out of control. When this little drugstore by my job put a discount on all Essie, Zoya and OPI nail polishes, I couldn't help but do a bit of damage. It's for the good of spring preparation!

These three have been on my little mental list of polishes I'd like to own. Right now, I'm really excited about embracing white-pastels this spring/summer. I like the idea of a color that's light and "bright" without being a neon. It's also a cute look for short nails, which I sport on the daily. Essie's Absolutely Shore has been out for a while but Zoya's Blu just came out this year and it's the exact kind of white-blue that I've been looking for. And last year I got a manicure with Essie's Bikini So Teeny, loved it and evidently felt that it needed a home in my own home sometime. 

What's on your nail polish hit list? 

Queens County Market

Last Sunday the Queens County Market was popped up over at Sac's Place in Astoria. I've been to quite a few by now! - It's always a great way to try out food vendors that aren't sold at your generic supermarket down the street. And they are always at different venues which is part of the fun.

Lots of goodies were being sold! Coffee, boozy cake pops, the Food Lovers' Guide to Queens book (that my friend Iris bought), olive oil, spices, pizza, and my returning favorite...

Malu! - An ice cream shop located in Long Island City. They have some of the most delicious and special ice cream flavors I've ever tasted! At the last Queens County Market, I got Lemon Ricotta flavor and it was delicious. This time I had Lavender Mascarpone. Also amazing. It looks blue in my photo, but it was surely a lavender hue. When it gets a bit warmer, I will definitely be going to their storefront to try out some other flavors! 

The one thing I took home with me was this vegan spicy sesame sauce from Peartree Pantry. I must say, I was very impressed by this sauce and it was made the night before the market - super fresh! It's spicy but that doesn't override the sesame taste. I love dipping everything in it, including a grilled cheese sandwich...because I don't know what I'm doing with food most of the time.  Since they are Brooklyn based, they only currently sell within Brooklyn for now. I knew I had to scoop it up before I regret it later! 

Have you discovered any new favorite spots in Queens lately? I want to know! 

Momofuku Milk Bar Perfect 10 Kookies!

I work in this Midtown bubble that is Herald Square and live/hide out in Queens when I'm not working. Combined with winter, my mobility these days is very limited. Sweets are great, but I'm way too lazy to go to a Momofuku Milk Bar location just to try their much talked about cookie collab with Karlie Kloss: the Perfect 10 Kookie.

While I'm already a huge fan of the Corn and Confetti Cookies, I've been dying to try this so-called "wholesome" option. It's dairy-free, gluten-free and sweetened with agave sugar. Perfect for your inner wannabe vegan. For me, any excuse to go a healthier route in the sweets department is always welcome!

There are a few variations of the recipe floating around, depending on how many cookies you wanted to make, so I settled on this one. It makes about 30 cookies. Unlike some of the Momofuku Milk Bar recipes I've seen, this one looked surprisingly simple. Hours later (my apartment is cursed with a baby-sized oven and can only bake like 6 cookies at one time), I finally have these delicious cookies at my reach! They are incredibly tasty and I don't feel as guilty eating a whole bunch at once. Then again, I never feel guilty eating a bunch of anything so I'm not sure where I was going with that...

The turnout is like a really yummy protein bar in cookie form that has good density and chew. My boyfriend and I can't stop snacking on them. Mine might be a bit darker than the original, but do I care? No way! Addiction in the making!