Friday Favorites + Urban Decay Giveaway

What can I say about this week? It really didn't start off too fabulous on Monday and Tuesday when I thought I was getting sick but by Wednesday all my energy kicked back in and I was ready to take on the world. I met up with a girl friend for Thai lunch on Wednesday which was fun catching up on our different travel adventures and life in general. 

I also had fun going through all my photos from Vegas and recapping my trip on the blog yesterday here. K and I cooked up healthy dinners every night because you know traveling can throw everything off so I've been trying to get back on track. I also somehow managed to crush it at work and get so much done which called for a glass of wine or two last night. At the end of the day, it turned out to be a pretty great week ;-) Now it's time to join Amanda for some of my weekly faves. 

Favorite Fashion Accessories: 

These adjustable Alex and Ani necklaces are so pretty and perfect for layering. I'm a big fan of starfish and sand dollars.

Favorite Makeup Lust:

Has anyone tried out the Ultimate NARS lip pencils? I love all three colors in this set. 

Favorite Recipe:
Tracie's Edamame and Bacon Succotash recipe looks like the perfect side dish for summer days.

Favorite Nail Design:

I recently tried out Jamberry nail wraps which come in every color and design imaginable. Check out my Jamberry post from earlier this week to see how they work along with some of my favorite designs.

Favorite Giveaway:
Of course the Naked Smoky palette giveaway hosted by Kate, myself and several other of my favorite bloggers. Only 2 days left to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy weekend everyone! 

Las Vegas: Summer 2015

We had a blast exploring Las Vegas for the 4th of July long weekend. We checked in to our hotel early on Thursday morning and went for crepes and coffee at La Creperie in the Paris Las Vegas hotel and then headed out to walk around and explore the strip.



 Our first stop was to check out the famous Las Vegas sign and then we spent several hours walking around checking out different hotels, casinos, shops, and bars.

Thursday night K and I had reservations at the Top of World restaurant which is the rotating restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino. The 360 views of Las Vegas plus the sunset made for a nice ambiance.

After dinner we were exhausted because of the time difference but we sucked it up and went out to Hakkasan nightclub to see Tiesto perform. It was worth the exhaustion after being awake and traveling for almost 24 hours.

Friday was a full day of exploring the strip. We had lunch at Serendipty 3, which I had heard great things about but both K and I thought it was a huge disappointment. Long wait to be seated, lack of service, chicken caesar salad that costed $22, and then they serve me a head of romaine that I now need to chop and toss myself! I think they're better known for their desserts and will never go for lunch or dinner again.

Friday night we went for an amazing Italian dinner at B&B Ristorante in the Venetian to celebrate Emily's 30th birthday and then headed over to Bellagio to see Cirque du Soleil's "O" show.

Saturday 4th July was spent lounging by the Soleil pool in a cabana we rented which came equipped with misters which was much needed in the summer heat.

The rest of the trip was pretty much go-with-the-flow

Jambery Nail Wraps: Festive Nails

I was so excited to try out Jamberry nail wraps for 4th of July weekend this year and I picked out a festive and patriotic design called Ka Boom.  I was nervous about the application process because I tend to have shaky hands and always mess up nail polish when attempting to apply with my left hand. That wasn't the case with these nail wraps and they applied very easily even with my slightly shaky hands. 

After speaking with Amanda who is a Jamberry Nail Consultant, I found out a few additional benefits of using Jamberry wraps including the fact that they're non-toxic, very cost effective compared to going to a nail salon, and come in so many beautiful designs for any type of occasion. 

 The package came with my Ka-Boom design nails wraps in 9 different sizes (18 total wraps however I can get two uses out of one wrap since my nails are fairly short), a manicure set (nail file, buffer, clippers, etc.), two alcohol wipes, a mini heater, and a top coat nail polish along with a cute Jamberry pouch to store everything in one place.



Jamberry provides several videos that I recommend watching before getting started such as this video with application instructions along with reading the process overview below. It literally takes seconds to apply each wrap so it's not a time-consuming or frustrating process by any means.

I love how my nails turned out and it was so fun wearing this design for the 4th of July while on a trip to Vegas. I'm so happy I have enough wraps left to re-wear this design and I'll be sure to order additional designs for future weddings, vacations, parties etc. 

Some other designs that I want to try in the future now that I have the full set up with mini-heater and manicure set. 

 

Check out Amanda's Jam berry online store to browse all of their design or you can also follow along and Facebook and Twitter.

Spicy Shrimp Diablos

This dish is for the spicy food lovers out there. For those that don't like spice, I recommend only using the adobo sauce and eliminating (or using less) of the chipotle peppers. I found the original recipe here and adjusted a few ingredients to my liking.

Ingredients: 

2.5 cups chicken stock

1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tbsp butter 

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 cup dry red wine or marsala wine

1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced

1-2 cups brown rice

What To Do:
1. Heat olive oil and butter in a pan over medium heat and stir in bell peppers, onion and chipotle peppers. Cooking approx 3 minutes or until onions and peppers are softened. Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute. 

2. Pour Worcestershire sauce and Marsala wine into the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook 5 more minutes or until shrimp is fully cooked. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. 

3. Serve with white or brown rice.

Enjoy!

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Weekending + Urban Decay Naked Smoky Giveaway

This weekend was the perfect mix of relaxation and productivity which was much needed after a hectic few days traveling back home from Las Vegas and trying to catch up with work, blogging, and life in general. Having said that I don't have a lot of fun stuff to share other than an awesome giveaway hosted by the lovely Kate from Green Fashionista!

Friday night was a pizza and TV kind of night spent relaxing at home watching Orange is the New Black with my two loves ~ K and Lola. Thankfully I got to sleep in on Saturday which was exactly what the doctor ordered. I spent the rest of the day unpacking, doing laundry, cleaning/organizing, grocery shopping, and finally relaxing at the end of the day. K also washed my car which was much needed!

My Sunday morning surprise was receiving this Michael Kors Jet Set Crossbody beauty in the mail which I scored on Amazon for $40 cheaper than retail value plus 2-day shipping. Win-win!  I can't wait to wear her out and about. A crossbody purse is much needed for my constant travel adventures.

We had brunch at home on Sunday and then went to get some sunshine at the pool. The rest of the day was spent blogging, food prepping, and getting organized for the work week.

Giveaway time!

I've teamed up with some awesome ladies to give away one of Urban Decay's newest Naked Smoky palette for one lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Joining Biana for her Weekending linkup.