Outfit of the Day!

top: Forever 21 // skit: h&m // shoes: Shoe Department // Necklaces: Forever 21 

This Weekend I:

Watched: the Office for the first in a while and it was even funnier than I remember! 

Listened: to my mom and best friend talk about Pokemon Go

Learned: how to play Pokemon Go

Ate: homemade cake with chocolate mint icing

Read: this month's book club book, Fates and Furies

Drank: a Tokyo Drift from Hidden Harbor 

Thought: how great it was that my best friend visited me from DC 

Wished: that the weekend was one day longer

Realized: August is flying by! 

Bought: tacos from Qdoba :p 

Caffeine Kick: Commonplace Coffee

Good morning! I hope everyone's morning has been great and your mug is full of coffee!

I recently had the chance to try out Commonplace Coffee in Squirrel Hill. The cute shop is located right on Forbes with plenty of street parking around it. In my experience, seating at local coffee shops is scarce, so my friend and I were a bit nervous about finding seats the weekend that we checked the place out. Thankfully, there were quite a few outdoor tables so we got one right away! 

After putting our stuff down on our table, we headed up to the bar to order our drinks. The menu was much larger than I expected with flavors and different coffee beans to choose from. My friend got an iced chai (pictured below) and I got a hand poured coffee called Kenya, Gucienda. My coffee was described as having a juicy, full bodied flavor with hints of lemon and stewed tomatoes. I found that description to be oddly delicious sounding so I couldn't pass it up. In addition to my coffee, I also got a cinnamon coffee cake. The flavor of my two item went perfectly together! It was just enough sugar and just enough caffeine to keep me shopping at the Avalon Exchange all afternoon. 

Outfit of the Day!

Shirt: Charlotte Russe // Pants: h&m (similar) // Shoes: Macy's (similar) // Necklace: Forever 21 

Hope's Pick: Kylie Jenner Lipkit

I am unashamed to say that I am big fan of Kylie Jenner. Even so, whether you like Kylie Jenner or not, if you like lipstick, you should give Kylie Cosmetics a try! The prices are a little steep but pretty much on par with Kat Von D and other luxury brands. 

When they first came out, I knew I had to give it a try! I decided to go with 22 and Dolce so that I could see how she did her nudes and how she did her bright colors. Despite reading online that the shipping would take longer than a month, I received my lipkits (lip liner + liquid matte lipstick) within a week of ordering them. They were packaged in a cute box and made me feel like it was money well spent before I even tried them on.

Thankfully, after trying them on, I felt even more confident in my purchase! They are the only lipsticks that last the whole work day without having to be touched up. The colors are a bit different than I had thought because of my skin tone but they still are amazing. 22 is actually more red on me than what I saw on the Kylie Cosmetics Instagram so I like it even more than I expected! I wear it at least 2 times a week...I feel like they put my other lipsticks to shame. 

Good Eating: The Vandal

As everyone knows, Lawrenceville is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. One of the main reasons I love it is because there is always something new to try out: a new flavored latte, a new pastry, a new vintage shop, or even a new restaurant! 

While I was living in Chicago, The Vandal opened up right on Butler. When I first saw it, I thought it should be in LA and knew I had to stop by asap! 

As soon as you spot it, it just has that California cool feel to it. The feeling starts when you see there are palms are on each side of the door. No only that but, it has huge windows that allow tons of sun to come into the small seating area. 

My friends and I decided to go for Saturday for brunch so we knew it would be busy. Thankfully, we only waited 15 minutes for a table. While we waited we got cold brews from the bar and checked out the pop up shop they had out back. It was great! 

After some confusion from the waiter explaining the dishes, we had to decide what we wanted to try out. It was quite difficult to pick just one thing to try for brunch but I ended up getting the Soft Scramble with a latte. Everything tasted amazing and so fresh! 

I was a bit turned off because of the odd/awkward way the waiter answered our questions about the menu but think it deserves another try! 

Outfit of the Day!

Dress: Primark (similar) // Shoes: Asos (similar) // Penny Necklace: craft sale // Lipstick: 22 lipkit