BEAUTY AWARDS

At the end of my internship at The Knot I was working on The Beauty Awards for our winter issue. As part of the process we received thousands of samples and I got to bring home a lot of products. Since my mom, sister, and I love all things fashion and beauty I couldn’t wait to share!

We had so much fun sorting through it all and have been reporting almost daily to each other ever since.

Favorites so far:

Marc Jacobs Mascara— We have agreed that THIS is the best mascara we’ve ever tried. It extends individual lashes without ever clumping. 

Moroccan Oil Hairspray. I have really straight, fine hair so I’m constantly on the hunt for a hairspray that’s strong enough to last all day but that's not sticky. This hairspray feels light and flexible while holding body the way I want it to. It also smells amazing!

FRESH ANYTHING. This year I discovered Fresh products and introduced my mom and sister while they were visiting me in New York. Their Soy Facial Cleanser, Brown Sugar Body Scrub, and Nourishing Lip Balm are to die for.

Eos Shaving Cream. No rusty shaving cream cans in the shower! The vanilla bliss shaving lotion smells incredible, goes on easily, and nourishes legs post shower. I’ve never been a shaving cream fan but now I’m hooked.

Other favs: Bobbi Brown shimmer block blush, Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, and Chanel nail polish

LAST DAY

WEDNESDAY

My last day of work at XO for the summer! The time has flown by and I could not be anymore sad about leaving!

 (& if it weren’t for my LA internship I probably wouldn’t)

I brought Sprinkles cupcakes in to share, went to lunch with some of my favorites, finished up my work, and took my last subway ride home!

….But not home yet….

I met a friend, Katie in West Village for shopping on Bleecker Street.

 Aaaaand candy shopping at a cute Scandinavian candy shop

… on our way to dinner with our original intern groupies

(naturally we were thirty minutes late & got stuck at the end of the table… so we took pictures alone… well, with our horchatas)  

SUSHI, 9-11 MUSUEM, IRISH GARDENS

TUESDAY

I’ve been interning primarily for our fashion editor, Jennie Ma. This week being my last, she took me out for sushi. I’ve been inspired working alongside her and have been so grateful for her friendship!

After lunch I finished up some writing assignments for Real Weddings and ran to Soho for some shopping errands.  

The XO office is actually in the financial district so I ran back to the area to meet up with some friends and see the new 9-11 Museum.

Inside the exhibits visitors are led through the history of the day, personal testimonials, photographs and more.

The museum does a great job of limiting the number of visitors inside so it feels intimate and quiet. I learned a lot about the day and was appreciative for some time to reflect on what really matters.

We walked over to the Irish Garden Museum rich with greenery, flowers, and stone architecture in the middle of Manhattan’s skyscrapers.

An Irish-native took some time to share with us the history of the gardens, the settlement of New York, as well as his family’s story of arriving here in the states. When I think back to different places I’ve traveled, these are the moments that I appreciate and learn the most from. It’s amazing how much we can learn from each other if we will take a moment to listen.

We watched the sunset on the water over New Jersey and stayed in the financial district for dinner at the Hudson Eats. 

USA, MADISON EATS, MOVIE IN THE PARK

MONDAY

Since USA was playing in the World Cup on Monday a group of us met up after work to watch the game. We met at a bar in Midtown and celebrated the victory surrounded by passionate and drunk fans!

The crowd was wild and formed a straight-up riot outside on the street. It’s never truly a sporting event if someone doesn’t get arrested, right?

Around the corner we grabbed dinner at Madison Square Eats and ate outside under twinkling lights.

Thai pan cooked specially by our smiling new friend!

A few nights out of every month Bryant Park hosts a free outdoor movie night—tonight’s feature: Saturday Night Fever. We threw our blanket down and all huddled together to watch for a while.

We ended our night on the Upper West Side with dessert and talking together in the back patio of one of our friend’s homes.

 WEEKEND #7

FRIDAY

New York weather has proven to be highly unpredictable. Friday after work there was a terential downpour. Regardless of the poor weather, we met up at The Grey Dog in Soho for dinner.

Almost every restaurant and shop in Soho is rustic, chic, and charming. The Grey Dog is no exception. The menu is great, the portions are generous, and the prices- not bad.

Turkey, brie, apple, and raspberry-mustard sandwich

After we went to my new favorite bakery—The Cupcake Bakeshop. 
It’s Magnolia Bakery on crack.

The peanut butter and jelly cupcake --AMAZE

The night was made complete with a yacht-club-Beyonce-dance party and a firework show at the Chelsea piers.

SATURDAY

A big group of us met up at the Time Warner Building for brunch. And then took a train up to Connecticut for the day!

Our friend, Audrey, has a home in Greenwich so we spent the day swimming, barbeque-ing, and playing games. We had the best time and I found a new canine BFF, Bruno.

Also, Connecticut has been added to my list of favorite places. The huge green trees, colonial mansions, and charming main streets swept me away this weekend! 

SUNDAY

Church was great as per usual. 

This week’s Sunday lunch: Communal on the Upper West Side 

(actually very similar atmosphere as Provo’s communal).

We explored Central Park 

Rowed boats by the lake house 

Ran into cute markets and book stands wandering along

A Levain-cookie run may have been a big part of the day 

And enjoyed this pretty view from a rooftop gathering

New York … I’m in love with you.