Travel/Purse Sized Saviors

These are not your basic, average little bottle of Purell or mini advil bottle. These are much more fun, and great to keep on hand.

Kingsley Soap Slips

I'm not sure where you can buy these, because I buy them at a local pharmacy. These little soap slips are exactly what they say they are-little slips of soap. They are little sheets that come in handy when the  public restroom is out of soap (or frat house or someone's house) and they are a life saver while traveling. Especially in Europe, where soap is sometimes scarce. I know I've written a lot about something potentially "stupid" but I promise you'll love them. They are inexpensive-$3.00. My whole family has these at all times.

John Frieda Full Repair Touch Up Tamer

This little gem is awesome after the gym (in my post from yesterday) or in between events or errands. It's a savior!

Ms. Manicure Strike To Smooth Mini Emery Boards

These little emery boards are awesome to keep on hand. I got these from my aunt a few years back, and let me say they have come in handy for myself and my friends.

Is there any little purse savior that is unique you must have? We'd love to know!

xoxo,

A+C

Road Trip Necessities

In continuation with yesterday's post, here are some things we love to have (maybe we don't need them all....) 

1. Car Charger: Almost always forgotten, but so helpful.

2. Healthy Snacks

3. Not So Healthy Snack

4. Water Bottle (don't drink too much!)

5. Headphones

6. iPod or iPhone with some new music!

7. Magazines

8. iPad/nook/Kindle:If you have an iPad lucky duck!

9. Book (if you're unlike me and get nauseous from reading.

10. Pillow

11. Blanket

12. Fuzzy socks

13. Rollerball of your perfume

14. Chapstick

15. Evian Spray (not remotely a necessity but I really want to try it! I would love any thoughts haha.)

16. Lotion

What are your road trip necessities?? Let us know!

A+C

Road Trip Outfits

Road trips. If you're like us, your family is spread out everywhere. You might be like me and have to take a 4.5 hour road trip to your aunt and uncle's house. Confession: I despise road trips. with every ounce of my body. I have to learn to cope with them, because much of my family lives about 4.5 hours away, and by the time we fly, it would take longer than driving. So, here are things I wear when I'm stuck in the car.

I also admit that I do not dress up for car rides, at all. Even if I know I'm going to get there and have to be ready right away, I don't care. I'll change. I have to be comfortable. Here are my comfy but put together looks.

Look #1: Yoga pants + fleece + moccasins. This is most likely what I'll be wearing, with a plain tee underneath. It's easy to change into and it's not a bad outfit!

Look #2: Leggings + big sweater + flats. Good look that is a step above the first look. Can translate easily into a quick Panera run with the cousins when you arrive.

Look #3: Jeans + thermal tee + loafers. The nicest look of the three, still comfy but a step above jeans or leggings.

TIPS:

-Do not wear boots in the car. Yes, I love my riding boots, but honestly they are uncomfortable to sit for hours and are not conducive to either driving either!

-Wear layers. I'm chronically cold, but my sister is the exact opposite. If you run into this problem, wear a tee under your fleece or sweater.

-Do your hair decently the morning of or night before. It's a lot easier to fix when you arrive at your destination.

Do you have to go on road trips a lot? Do you struggle? Let us know!

A+C

Bastille Day

Happy Bastille Day! As I was in France on Bastille Day last year, I had to relive some of my photos of France for the occasion! All photos are mine, as I live vicariously through last July 14th!

This year, I'll be here eating crepes and watching Midnight in Paris at home!
Love,
A+C

Bonjour, Hello!

Last week, I (A) went to Montreal, Canada for Spring Break with friends. The city was a ton of fun! Although NYC will always have my heart, I was so impressed by Montreal! The city was clean, the subway system was very easy to follow, the nightlife was a ton of fun, and the restaurants were awesome! 

• My friends and I stayed at Le Centre Sheraton in the center of the city! We were within walking distance of shopping, plenty of metro stops, and lots of great restaurants. 

There it is on the left!

• I cannot stress enough how easy the metro was to use! Coming from NYC, Montreal's subway system was a piece of cake! Everything was no more than five or six stops away from each other (at most). 

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• I loved how diverse the city was. There were parts that felt just like New York, and other parts that felt like Europe! Old Montreal was by far my favorite part of the city to go to during the day. The cobblestone streets and the old world architecture was absolutely beautiful. It was absolutely wonderful to just walk around and enjoy the European feel of the city. 

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• My favorite site to see in Old Montreal was most definitely the Notre Dame Cathedral. The lights, the gold, the elaborate statues...everything was breath taking! We even got a chance to enjoy a "light show" in the Cathedral where they put on a show of lights and told the story of the church's history. It was one of my favorite moments of the trip!

Photos courtesy of my beloved blackberry!

• After a few lunches at little French cafes and comfy creperies, we took a trip to a market in the "Little Italy" section of Montreal! There were fresh fruits, veggies, breads, and flowers sold everywhere. We ended up buying fresh baguettes, cheeses, tomatoes, and olives and making our own sandwiches. SO yummy! 

Definitely blurred out my friend's face and her college sweatshirt, lol! 

Fresh gerber daisies! So pretty. 

• The food. I cannot say enough good things about the meals I had in Montreal. Let's just say that by the end of the week, our hotel concierge knew us all by name. He helped us out sooo much to find the best restaurants in the city. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the food...we didn't want to seem too touristy! But take my word for it :) 
• The nightlife. Another amazing thing about the city. Being that all my friends are of age in Canada (18 years old), we took full advantage of that and went out dancing basically every night! So fun. One recommendation I have: don't go to the touristy clubs/bars (i.e. Crescent Street). The native favorites are the places to go- plus, there are way more cute french speaking guys at the native hang outs! 
• All in all, I was amazed at how quickly I picked up French and how incredibly bilingual the people in the city were. Every time we would enter a restaurant or a store, the workers would say "Bonjour, Hello!" (hence the name of this post...) and it was amazing to me how easily they could turn one language or the other off in the blink of a second. So awesome. It was a great learning experience for me...next stop- France! 

Hope you all enjoyed my Montreal recap! If anyone has any questions about the city or any interest in visiting in the future, don't hesitate to ask! I'd love to help :) 

xoxo, 

A

Where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts...and everything is pastel colored!

 I can't say enough amazing things about Bermuda. Its a tropical island where the weather is perfect, the beaches have "pink" sand and crystal clear water, and the houses/buildings are pastel colored! Every summer, my family and I (A) take a family trip to Bermy (what me and my sis call it) and it never gets boring. The beauty of the island is breathtaking.

Anyways, I just thought I'd share the beauty of Bermy with you all and encourage you to visit this amazingly beautiful place!

Private beach at the resort where we stayed. Do you see the pinkish tint?!

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We usually stay at the Elbow Beach Resort in Paget (the region of Bermuda) which is shown on the left and stay in the appropriately named Bird of Paradise Cottage shown on the right. 

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The people ride around on mopeds like crazies. They go SO fast on the winding roads of Bermuda. A bit dangerous...but so fun. If you get a chance, try the mopeds. 

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Ever wonder where the term 'Bermuda shorts' came from? Yep, thats right. From this lovely island! Seriously, the business men all wear pastel colored Bermuda shorts. #swoon

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Ahh yes, the pastel colored shops! The capital, Hamilton, is home to some wonderful stores and restaurants. The Pickled Onion was always my favorite Hamilton restaurant. Fun story: I bought my first Longchamp bag at a store in Hamilton when I was 13! #memories

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And of course, more pastels! The houses here are beautifully painted with pretty pastels and white colored roofs. So happy and colorful!

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Ahhh how wonderful would it be to be there right now?

xoxo, 

A+C

Carry On Bags

Sticking with the theme of the week, Carry on bags! This can be a challenging task too, you never know what you need or where you'll get stuck.

• Like we said earlier, we love our Longchamp Le Pliages for carry on! We also love our Vineyard Vines totes for when we need and want to organize things a little better.
• Magazines are a great way to pass time, as well as books! Pick up a novel or two and enjoy some reading time!
• Gum/Mints for ear popping and for freshening breath when you're deboarding.
• iPod/headphones to listen to music.
• Pashmina/scarf to keep warm, pashminas also double as a blanket! (I slept the whole way home from Europe with my pink pashmina!)
• Ziplock with hairspray, lip gloss, chap stick, lotion and hand sanitizer! This is probably sufficient unless you're not checking a bag. I find that my skin gets really dry, so the lotion and chap stick help a lot. And of course, hand sanitizer! Not pictured but also helpful, Colgate Wisps!
• Empty Water Bottle. There is a sort of stigma about the water on the airplanes, so I like to bring an empty water bottle and fill it up before I board. Just make sure it's not full when you're going through security!
• Some healthy snacks. Fruit and pretzels are always good! Sometimes the plane food can seem questionable, or you get delayed and hungry.

What do you always carry on for flights?

Xoxo,

A+C

Packing 101

With the previous few posts being about airports, here our are best packing tips!

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1. Make a list. We cannot stress the importance of making a list. It helps to be sure you already have what you need, and that you have everything washed/dry cleaned. Try to do this about a week before you're leaving.

2. Lay it all out. Lay your clothes out! It's so important. Also, we like to lay our things out and then go back to look at them the next day.

3. Stick to a color scheme. Try to pick a few neutrals i.e navy and white, and then fill them in with an accent color scheme. I find it makes it much easier to mix and match if need be.

4. Throw in some basics, even if you don't think you need them. A neutral tank, a white cardigan, a pair of jeans, and a pair of tights come in handy. I can't tell you how many times I've needed to throw on a white cardigan!

5. Check the weather. It's so important to be sure you're prepared for any kind of weather! Who knows what mother nature will bring!

6. Roll anything possible when assembling the suitcase. It's a lot easier to see what you have and allows you to find something in an instant. 

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How do you pack? Do you have any other tips for us?

Love,

A+C

"I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps..."

"Being in New York is like falling in love, over and over again, every minute." -Rachel Berry


New York is perfect. There is seriously no other place like it. I (A) have been lucky enough to live just about 45 minutes or so outside of the city, so I spend as much time there as possible. 

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Here is our daytime guide to New York City:

• The High Line- The relatively short buildings of the Meatpacking District provide for a beautiful view of the Hudson. 

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• I love museums and New York just happens to have some of the best museums in the world. Whether its The Frick, The Met, MOMA, The Museum of Natural History, The Guggenheim...the list could go on and on. Madame Tussauds isn't exactly a museum, but it more like a gallery of wax figures. Who doesn't love posing next to a wax figure of Jackie O? 

The Met!

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• 'Tis the season...to go ice skating (for free) in Bryant Park! Although it is lovely to visit Rockefeller Center during the winter, the rink is just way too crowded. If you to Bryant Park earlier enough, you can avoid the crowds and skate for as long as you wish!

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• Enjoy afternoon tea at The Plaza. A truly unforgettable experience. Enough said. 

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• The Central Park Boathouse is an incredibly serene area of the park in the middle of a crazy, bustling city that really doesn't ever sleep. I recommend taking a break from the hustle and bustle to sit by the water. 

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• You should feel obligated to see a Broadway Show in New York! You will not regret it. 

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• Shopping. You can find anything from cute little boutiques to the typical chain stores. And you can find them pretty much anywhere. Department stores like Barney's, Bergdorf's, Bloomingdales, Bendel's, Saks, ect. are full of so much selection. Go downtown and you can find some major treasures. I also suggest going to sample sales (quite an experience to say the least), which is something you can't do in many other places. 

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• I probably shouldn't be suggesting to ride bikes in the city, considering the fact that the cabbies are crazy and no one stops for anyone else, but I seriously love riding my bike in the city. Also, you can ride your bike along the West Side Highway and get an incredible view of the Hudson. 

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Places to Eat: 

Ruby Foo's 

Serafina

Rosa Mexicana 

Shake Shack

JG Melon

Eataly

Uva

Spice Market 

MXCO

Heads up for our nighttime guide sometime next week!

xoxo, 

A+C