the post-holiday edit
1. Peppermint bark brownies
Peppermint bark is one of my favorite holiday eats. The combination of peppermint and chocolate is a match made in sweet-tooth heaven. This year I decided to bring my peppermint bark game to the next level and made peppermint bark brownies! They're very easy to make and were a huge hit with my family (although they do look like one of those pinterest gone wrong recipes.)
You start out by making your favorite brownie recipe; whether it be from a box, the internet, or your family's extra top secret cookbook is your choice. I personally love this recipe from saveur: Nick's supernatural brownies. Chocolatey, chewy, and with shiny tops-- what more could you want from your brownies?
To add the magical holiday peppermint bark touch, I melted 1/2 a cup of melted milk chocolate chips, slathered it on top of the brownies, and let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes. For the final layer, I melted 1/2 a cup of melted white chocolate chips, mixed in 7 crushed candy canes, and spread it out over the top of the brownie + chocolate concoction.
Personally I think they're best served warm, so that the top layers of chocolate easily melt in your mouth.
2. COS sale
I have been so good this fall/ winter season and have resisted buying any and all the sweaters. It was hard, I was tempted, but I found a tiny shred of self control and held out. If it wasn't a natural fiber, it wasn't going to be welcomed into my closet... and most of the sweaters I liked in my price range were made out of polyester, acrylic, and the likes.
Now that the after Christmas sales have begun, I'm ready to enter the sweater buying business. Finally the luxurious COS sweaters that I have been eyeing over the past few months have gone on sale! Their sweaters are comparable to those by theory or vince, but at a much more affordable price (specially with the sale.)
long tie-waist cardigan, long high-neck jumper, chunky waffle-knit jumper
3. Star Wars
Because I don't want to spill any spoilers, I'll just say that I surprisingly really, really, really liked the film! And this is coming from someone who had no great expectations from the movie whatsoever and quite frankly was sick of being deluged with the non-stop advertising.
So if you haven't gotten around to watching it yet, go go go!
4. Foreo Luna Mini
If you saw my sephora VIB haul post earlier this month, you might have noticed that the majority of the products I picked up were skincare items. I've been on sort of a skincare kick this season and the newest addition to my routine is the foreo luna mini.
I don't want to sing too many praises for it as I've been only using it for a week, but so far I am a big fan. It's much gentler than my clarisonic and is effective in reducing the appearance of the stubborn sebaceous filaments on my nose. After I've been using it for a bit longer I will definitely be posting a full blown review here on la blog!
It's currently on sale for $99 at ulta and barney's while it's $139 at sephora and nordstrom.
5. Kamikaze by MØ
This is the current black sheep in my playlist which primarily consists of Christmas music. If the name MØ doesn't ring any bells, you might recognize her as the singer in Major Lazer's "Lean On." The video for "Kamikaze" is filled with all sorts of hipster nonsense, but the song is ridiculously catchy.
Peppermint bark is one of my favorite holiday eats. The combination of peppermint and chocolate is a match made in sweet-tooth heaven. This year I decided to bring my peppermint bark game to the next level and made peppermint bark brownies! They're very easy to make and were a huge hit with my family (although they do look like one of those pinterest gone wrong recipes.)
You start out by making your favorite brownie recipe; whether it be from a box, the internet, or your family's extra top secret cookbook is your choice. I personally love this recipe from saveur: Nick's supernatural brownies. Chocolatey, chewy, and with shiny tops-- what more could you want from your brownies?
To add the magical holiday peppermint bark touch, I melted 1/2 a cup of melted milk chocolate chips, slathered it on top of the brownies, and let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes. For the final layer, I melted 1/2 a cup of melted white chocolate chips, mixed in 7 crushed candy canes, and spread it out over the top of the brownie + chocolate concoction.
Personally I think they're best served warm, so that the top layers of chocolate easily melt in your mouth.
2. COS sale
I have been so good this fall/ winter season and have resisted buying any and all the sweaters. It was hard, I was tempted, but I found a tiny shred of self control and held out. If it wasn't a natural fiber, it wasn't going to be welcomed into my closet... and most of the sweaters I liked in my price range were made out of polyester, acrylic, and the likes.
Now that the after Christmas sales have begun, I'm ready to enter the sweater buying business. Finally the luxurious COS sweaters that I have been eyeing over the past few months have gone on sale! Their sweaters are comparable to those by theory or vince, but at a much more affordable price (specially with the sale.)
long tie-waist cardigan, long high-neck jumper, chunky waffle-knit jumper
3. Star Wars
Because I don't want to spill any spoilers, I'll just say that I surprisingly really, really, really liked the film! And this is coming from someone who had no great expectations from the movie whatsoever and quite frankly was sick of being deluged with the non-stop advertising.
So if you haven't gotten around to watching it yet, go go go!
4. Foreo Luna Mini
If you saw my sephora VIB haul post earlier this month, you might have noticed that the majority of the products I picked up were skincare items. I've been on sort of a skincare kick this season and the newest addition to my routine is the foreo luna mini.
I don't want to sing too many praises for it as I've been only using it for a week, but so far I am a big fan. It's much gentler than my clarisonic and is effective in reducing the appearance of the stubborn sebaceous filaments on my nose. After I've been using it for a bit longer I will definitely be posting a full blown review here on la blog!
It's currently on sale for $99 at ulta and barney's while it's $139 at sephora and nordstrom.
5. Kamikaze by MØ
This is the current black sheep in my playlist which primarily consists of Christmas music. If the name MØ doesn't ring any bells, you might recognize her as the singer in Major Lazer's "Lean On." The video for "Kamikaze" is filled with all sorts of hipster nonsense, but the song is ridiculously catchy.