Happy New Year, you guys!! I still can’t believe that it’s 2019 already! Am I the only one that feels like 2018 went by in a flash? It was seriously the best year of my life and it made me so excited to see what this new year has in store! My husband and I flew to Maine to spend ten (yes, TEN!!) days with his sister and her boyfriend for Christmas at their house near Portland. It wasn’t the snowy Winter Wonderland that we were expecting, but we had the absolute best time! It was just the recharge we needed to start our new year off right. I hope you all had an amazing holiday season!!!
– New Girl Scout Cookie: Thin Mints and Samoas have always reigned supreme in our house. We love supporting the Girl Scouts! This year brings a new cookie to the delectable lineup: the Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie. <insert all the heart eyes emojis> You may or may not be surprised to hear that they’re gluten-free! I’m not usually a big fan of gluten-free items because I often find them to be dry, dense and crumbly, but I’m willing to buy a box to see how these new cookies taste. We typically love everything caramel and these do sound pretty delish. Are you going to try them?
– Cook Like A Pro: My all-time favorite chef (sorry not sorry, Julia Child!) is The Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten. I will absolutely watch her cooking shows every. time. that I stumble across them when channel-surfing. I love her easy-but-flavorful take on food and simple-yet-elegant style. She is honest to goodness #goals for me. She just recently released a new cookbook, “Cook Like A Pro“, and of course I had to buy my own copy! Her cookbooks are pretty much my kitchen’s holy texts. As soon as I flipped through the Table of Contents I knew this book was going to be a hit! Always the perfect hostess, Ina includes recipes for everything from appetizers, cocktails, entrees, desserts, and even a few tricks of the trade! (So, basically everything you need to trick your friends and family into thinking you took a course at The French Culinary Institute. 😉) Every time I turned a page there was a recipe that sounded even tastier than the last, which admittedly led to a lot of drooling! 🤣 One of my personal goals for 2019 is to dedicate spending more time in our kitchen, even if it’s just a Sunday night thing. I have always been intimidated by cooking, but every time I successfully execute one of Ina’s recipes I feel that much more confident. Ina had a stop in Seattle on her book tour last month and I convinced my husband to go with me to see her at Benaroya Hall. We didn’t really know what to expect, but it turned out to be almost a live interview. OMG she is just the cutest! I adored every minute. (Bucket List ✅) I can’t encourage you enough to pick up one of Ina’s [ELEVEN!!] cookbooks — I know you’ll love them as much as I love mine!
– TRUFFLE Travel Bags: These guys are my travel secret. I have everything organized in its own TRUFFLE pouch or case, which makes everything so much easier to find when I end up [ironically] testing the limits of my “Neverfull” tote. My absolute favorite is the Clarity Jetset Case — it’s TSA compliant, comes in great colors and the zipper + clear “windows” make accessing and finding your favorite travel-sized products a sinch! I have a variety of their pouches to contain feminine products or makeup brushes as well as this clutch which I use to organize all of my charging cables, headphones, battery pack, etc. They have been such a lifesaver and are actually pretty stylish too! Who says you have to sacrifice form for function??
– Ouai Wave Spray: In addition to Bobbi Brown’s Eye-Opening mascara and Burt’s Bees lip balm, this product is one of my Must Haves. I have tried my fair share of wave/texture sprays over the years and they each had a major flaw… they would inevitably dry my hair out, make my hair too stiff and crunchy, and one even had a weird smell. Enter: Ouai Wave Spray. I decided to order a small 50 mL bottle from Sephora on a whim because it happened to be on sale while I was restocking my beauty bag (not that it’s all that expensive normally, but the even lower price was too good an opportunity to turn down). I will NEVER go back. The spray head distributes product evenly, the solution isn’t too concentrated so you can avoid having your hair become stiff and crunchy, and it smells heavenly! I encouraged my sister-in-law to use some of mine over the Christmas holiday and I think I’ve converted her! It definitely gave her typically straight hair some body and it gives my wavy hair definition. LOVELOVELOVE
– StyleBook App: This app is probably the closest I will ever get to being Cher Horowitz. The Stylebook App does everything from helping you to organize your closet, reimagine your existing wardrobe, plan a packing list (including a calendar for outfit planning!), add style inspiration photos to your styled looks and add details about each and every article of clothing if you so choose (i.e. fabric material, color, brand, etc.). It’s a dream!
I’ve been slowly adding images of my clothes over the course of a year or two so that I have items to style into looks (it can be tedious at first when you’re adding all of the pictures, but I assure you that the payoff is def worth it). I can’t believe that it took me this long, but I only just started taking advantage of being able to add inspiration images. It’s as though the best parts of Pinterest and Cher’s Closet Stylist were combined! I use the app for everything fashion-related — from packing planning to daily style inspiration! It’s a free app and so helpful! Organize and simplify your style life by downloading this app — you’ll thank me!
Who’s watching the Golden Globe Awards this Sunday? I love award shows for the fashion moments!
Wishing you all a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year! Here’s to 2019!
xx, Natalie
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