Summer Nail Shades

                         

Summer is a nice change away from the dark, gothic nail colors we all gravitate towards in the fall and winter. I'm an avid nail painter, often painting my nails at least once a week, so I've accumulated quite the collection of nail polishes over the years. During the summer I love the muted pastel nail polishes and the vibrant fun colors that I use on my toes. The pastels are classy enough to be worn to work yet chic enough for a night out. There's just something so wonderfully feminine about having your nails painted a nice light pink! This summer I've been loving "spaghetti strap" by Essie, "lilacism" by essie, and for a fun pop of color for my toes I just discovered "turquoise and caicos".

   

Turquoise and Caicos



Bikini So Tiny

  

Lilacism



Spaghetti Strap



 

 













Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I am a huge foodie and I absolutely love Italian food! But since discovering I was gluten intolerant this past year, the way I've done Italian has slightly changed. Pizza is one of my all time favorite foods and I think it's just the quintessential comfort food. I've noticed a lot of hype about these new healthier versions of pizza that are gluten free. The secret? Cauliflower! I was skeptical at first because how can a pizza made out of vegetables be as satisfying as the real thing? But I was pleasantly surprised after making it for a dinner party with friends. The crust is nice and cripsy and the center is just deliciously gooey. Since making it with my friends this pizza has become a staple for me and since its made mostly from cauliflower there is a lot less fat and calories, making this dinner a non-guilty treat!

You'll need:
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
1 egg
1 cup of finely blended cauliflower
toppings of your choice
(serves 2)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Blend the cauliflower until you get it nice and fine. Then microwave the cauliflower for 8 minutes to dry it out. After it lightly cools, add the egg, cheese, and mix. Press the mixture onto an oiled pan or baking sheet making the shape of the pizza. The "dough" will not rise so make sure the pizza is not too thin. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Take out the dough and add your desired toppings and bake for another 3 minutes or until your cheese on top is nicely melted and browned.

Calories for margarita pizza: 298 calories for half

DIY beaded necklace

Tonight while watching the olympics my friend Sarah and I decided to multitask while getting crafty by making some necklaces. This summer has been all about ombre whether its a design on clothes or even in hairstyles (circa Khloe Kardashian)! So we decided to duplicate the trend by making ombre necklaces.




You'll need:

Gold chain with clasp (we used a 16 inch)
Gold wire
Pliers
Beads

First we cut the gold chain in half with the pliers and looped the wire through one end of the broken chain. We then put our beads on the open wire. After loading on all of our beads we loped the other end of the wire to the other end of the chain and secured the wire through the chains loops. The finished product was a beautiful purple ombre beaded gold necklace!

Clubmasters

Sunglasses are such a major accessory in the summer time that I think helps put the finishing touches on any outfit. My sister just came back from Italy the other day with a new pair of clubmaster sunglasses from Un Official that I've seen growing in popularity in the US. These sunglasses add a cool, laidback style to any outfit.

Ray Ban Clubmaster

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Apple Pie Oatmeal

My mom and I are big oatmeal fans often going out of our way to pick up our favorite steel cut oatmeal from Brasserie, a cute local restaurant. The oatmeal was so delicious, I found myself often craving it. I decided to try to make my own variations of gourmet oatmeals. Oatmeal has a bad rep for being bland "health food". Oatmeal does have lots of health benefits such as being high in fiber which is good for your digestive system and helps keep you full longer. I decided that just because foods are healthy does not mean they can't taste delicious! In my family apple pie is one of our favorite desserts so I thought to combine the two to make apple pie oatmeal. This dish is now a staple in my house and my mom and I will often have it for a quick meal on the go.

You'll need:
1/2 cup of oatmeal (I prefer Stteel Cut Irish Oats by John McCann's)
1 apple (I like gala because they're usually sweet)
cinnamon (as much as you'd like, I generally use a heavy hand)
sugar (I use 3 packets of truvia all natural sweetner-1 for the sauted apples and 2 for the oatmeal)
1 tsp of butter (I use smart balance)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
*chopped nuts and whipped cream are optional

How to:

Boil 1 cup of water and once the water boils add the 1/2 cup of oatmeal (some people prefer to use milk since it adds an extra creaminess). While the oatmeal is cooking slice up some apples and chop them into very small bite sized cubes. Saute them in a pan with a little bit of butter. Once the apples start softening up (you'll notice this due to a more yellow color change) add in some sugar and cinnamon, stirring often to make sure the apples are all evenly sauted and coated in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Once the oatmeal starts to gain more substance add the vanilla extract and the apples. I alwasy like to add some redi whip to my finished oatmeal, which really gives it that apple pie feel!

Summer Essentials

What I love about summer is that everyone has a much more carefree mentality to their hair, clothes, and makeup. Everything seems to always look a lot better in the sunshine too! I have some personal summer essentials that I would not be able to survive without. What are yours?

Ray Band Aviators  (click on link to purchase)

Sperry Topsiders (click on link to purchase)

Twist Hair Band Ties (less hair dents!)

Garnier anti-humidity smoothing milk

Jean Shorts

A pair of nice white jeans

Raspberry Mint Iced Tea

Last weekend when I was in the Hamptons I found my new favorite summer drink, a raspberry mint iced tea! I saw this drink advertised in my favorite West Hampton bakery and it was so delicious and refreshing I knew I had to try to duplicate it at home!

You need:
Any raspberry tea (I used Celestial raspberry tea bags)
A few mint leaves
Fresh raspberries
Ice

Make the tea was you would normally do and let it sit in the fridge until it gets nice and chilled. Cut the mint leaves into small peices (so they wont clog up your straw) and add them to your tea. Next chop up some raspberries and add it to your mixture (you want them chopped so you can get some of that fresh raspberry juice). Add ice, a straw, and enjoy!

Latest Obsession

Lately I've been dying for one of the Cartier love bracelets. I find them to be so timeless and truly a great gift for someone you love! Better start saving up...Buy one here at: Cartier Love Bracelet

Project Runway Anniversary Party

Me in front of the press wall

Me with Season 8 runner up Joshua McKinley after our interview



Me with season 8 project runway designers Olivier Green and Anythony Ryan Auld





Last week through my internship with the television channel Lifetime I was fortunate enough to help work the Project Runway 10th anniversary party at the Chelsea Highline in NYC. I got to meet and chat with all the designers there are they were all such nice people! Heidi Klum looked gorgeous as per usual and it was such an amazing turnout!!!








DIY studded jean shorts

The end product

I've been loving the studded jean shorts trend this summer and I decided to try and replicate them myself. The process was pretty easy and I ended up with a pair of cute studded shorts for less than $20!

You'll need:
Jean shorts
Metal studs
Glue Gun
Glue

Chose any pattern that you'll like and glue away!

Summer Smoothies

This heat wave has been the perfect opportunity for me to try out some new smoothie recipes! Summer is the perfect time for something light and refreshing and what better than a nice cold smoothie?? I've a strawberry and bannana girl at heart but I've found a few ways to tweak my old time favorite...

Soy Banana Strawberry Sipper:

1 ripened banana (the riper the banana the sweeter the smoothie)

1 cup of strawberries (frozen or fresh, whatever you have on hand!)

1 cup of soy milk

1 cup of ice

and blend away!

The soy milk is my secret ingredient for all smoothies because it instantly give your smoothie a nice creaminess that I find skim milk lacks. Try yours with almond milk or greek yogurt for some variation!

Peanut Butter Banana Slammer

This smoothie is a great meal replacer of an excellent pick me up after a hard core workout. I instantly love anything with peanut butter so this tastes like a delicious dessert for me but its high in protein and the protein/carbohydrate combination is great for rebuilding muscle after some strength training.

You'll need:

1 ripened banana (the riper the banana the sweeter the smoothie)

1.5 tablespoons of peanut butter (I like skippy's creamy reduced fat)
1 cup soy milk

1/2 cup of oats

1 cup of ice

The oats make the smoothier denser, helping you stay full longer!

Summertime Treats

During the summer I always find myself craving a refreshing dessert. A few weekends ago my friends and I stumbled accross this place in New York City called Forbidden Fruit. They had a huge assortment of different fruits that could be dipped in different types of chocolate with various toppings. Since they were so good, I attempted to recreate my own version at home the next night! I used bananas, dark chocolate (its good for your heart!), and some rainbow sprinkles for a fun pop of color!

Cowboy Booties

Recently I've been on the hunt for a cute pair of ankle cowboy booties. They've been popping up all over the magazines and I think they'd make a great addition to any fall outfit! I plan on wearing my new taupe suede pair from Steve Madden with a cute little black dress and denim jacket or with any skinny jeans and a classic white button down. I scored mine on sale, they can be found here: Steve Madden Cowboy Booties