Author Archives: BAC

drybar minis: don’t leave home without ’em

So, it’s no secret. I love a good blowout and when Drybar came to DC last year, my life (or hair) was forever changed. I first chronicled this obsession in an article for Sweet Lemon Magazine earlier this year (check out the photos and how-to on curls HERE).

Everyone always asks me what I order off the “menu” and well, I sort of cocktail my own blowout. My favorite look is a Southern Cosmo (combine a Southern Belle + a Cosmo).  The stylists at Drybar Georgetown have pretty much perfected this look for me and I’ve become quite talented too, if I do say so myself. This and a glass of bubbles, good chick flick and pop music provide the vital ingredients for a “pick-me-up” any day of the week.

If you don’t have a Drybar near you, fear not,  you can still take advantage of all their amazing products!

Full Disclosure: You know you have a problem when you check a bag just to take a bottle of Money Maker along for the journey so thank goodness this bad habit of mine can be brought to a stop with the launch of Drybar minis (travel sized products).

The best part? The VIP PACK has my 3 favorite products. This is the best excuse to test out all these lovelies for just $25 (a $40 value).

{Image via Sephora}

 VIP PACK = 1. DETOX // 2. MONEY MAKER // 3. SOUTHERN BELLE

1. DETOX – Drybar’s dry shampoo, works like a charm to not only keep you hair clean but add extra volume. Brunettes? They recently came out with a spray just for you!

2. MONEY MAKER – I’ve mentioned before on a previous post but it smells amazing, is lightweight and the only hairspray I’ve liked (ever). No, LOVED.

3. SOUTHERN BELLE – Volumizing moose, same great smell and aids pre-blowout in obtaining that big hair.

Check out all the Drybar products and tools HERE. (I also love Happy Hour Shampoo + Conditioner).

Try them out and let me know what you think!

Perfect all the purses, totes and clutches of the world.

 

 

 

tablescape tuesday: halloween ready?

Alright, maybe the very eager stores have had Halloween candy stocked on the shelves for weeks but it’s October 1st and NOW it’s officially appropriate to decorate the house, carve those pumpkins and fill your candy dishes to the brim.

Last year I hosted a Halloween dinner party and was a hostess for my book club’s October “reception” (which alas was also Halloween themed). Needless to say, my house had seen its fair share of pumpkins, candy and ghosts by the end of last October.

So I find it quite fitting that the first Tablescape Tuesday of this October provides you with orange and black inspiration with plenty of time to prepare for the 31st!

Many more Halloween posts to come!

big apple weekend

As promised, a little NYC recap today!

This past weekend was absolutely wonderful in the city. The weather was perfect and so was the company. Don’t you love those friends where you don’t miss a beat? No matter how much time goes by you always just pick right back up!  Well, that’s my BFF, Kasey and I, (since kindergarten).

On Saturday, Carly (or to whom most know as the College Prepster) and I enjoyed a catchup brunch at Maison Kayser  followed by a stroll in the Upper East Side where we captured her adorable new elbow patch sweater in a mini photoshoot (check out her adorable photos!).

The rest of the weekend, my BFF and I wined, dined, shopped and pampered ourselves (read: mani + Shobha + yoga + run in Central Park). We also enjoyed a lovely evening event at The Whitney Museum of American Art and more than enough brunches to spare. Finally, we broke out her Barefoot Contessa cookbook for an amazing homecooked Sunday meal (a la her, not me) over the season premiere of Homeland.

I could of not asked for a better long weekend to end September!

(PS – HOW is September already OVER!?)

Below is a recap of the Big Apple as told by Instagram.

Enjoy!

[Snapdragons in Union Square Greenmarket]

[Hazelnut + Vanilla Gelato at Eataly]

[Pumpkins & more Pumpkins at Eataly]

[Red Wine & Cheese at Murray’s Cheese Bar]

[Elbow Patch Photoshoot with Carly]

[Night at The Whitney Museum of American Art with my BFF.]

[Homemade Barefoot Contessa Sunday Dinner – gluten free, too!]

travel: new york minute

 I am off to the Big Apple for a few days of wining, dining and retail therapy all in the company of good friends and perfect weather!

My love for New York began at 8 years old with the time I spent alongside my aunt, who brought me on business trips and for-fun excursions several times a year. We shopped, dined at fabulous restaurants, saw shows, went ice skating, took in all the sights and discovered the New York Palace long before the days of Serena van der Woodsen and the cast of Gossip Girl.

By the time I was a freshman in high school, there was no place in the world I wanted to be aside from New York City (other than Los Angeles but that probably had something to do with my aspiring acting career at the time, ha!). I competed in theater and film competitions in the summertime and loved every single thing about the city lights. Somewhere in those four years of all-girls school, college football, sororities and collegetowns became more appealing and I traded monologues for politics and events. However, with NYC just a short train ride away from DC, it’s one of my favorite weekend trips (especially come fall weather).

This weekend, I am staying with my lifelong BFF in her adorable apartment and have fun dates planned with some of my favorite NYC bloggers —  Carly (The College Prepster) and Evann (Evann Clingan).

Expect a full report from the weekend come Monday!

{Image + Sketch via Inslee}

Happy Weekend!

 

tablescape tuesday: fall’s first

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”  ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Regardless of what you may of thought of the latest Gatsby film (I personally preferred earlier works), F. Scott Fitzgerald was certainly right about fall. Summer days are now behind us (sigh),  yet there’s something about quilted coats, changing leaves and everything pumpkin that helps make the transition to cooler months quite welcoming.

The first step to hosting your beloved guests begins with the perfect table. By this, of course, I mean tablescapes – from Halloween to Thanksgiving, you’ll get a glimpse of a variety of fall themes on H&T. However, below is a simple fall tablescape that is quite fitting for the first week of the season.

Brunch

Fall Tablescape

Pumpkins: Pottery Barn (Similar) // Pumpkin Candles //

Harvest Garland: Pottery Barn (Similar Here) // Candles

IMG_1932

Bags for your Treats

Tags: Happy Fall Y’all (FREE printables) // Pumpkin Bags:
(found at Michaels but LOVE these!)

This was thoroughly enjoyed over a rainy Sunday morning brunch and mimosas…

(hold the OJ!)