Clarks Fiddle Scroll for Summer

All my winter coats and boots are officially in storage and the summer tees and sandals are out. I have been looking forward to the warm weather since January, and all the snow earlier this year meant summer couldn't come sooner.

In anticipation of the nicer weather, I actually started sandal shopping even when the ground was covered with snow. Wedges are all the rave this season, and as a 5-footer I definitely love the extra boost. It was very tempting to buy those towering 4 to 5 inch wedges. All the celebrities and fashion models are wearing them! But, I have to be practical. Living in NYC means taking the subway and walking a LOT, so I needed a stylish, yet comfortable sandal. I knew I wanted something in cognac/tan brown leather.

My choices were the Jessica Simpson Jungle in Desert Sand Vachetta or the Clarks Fiddle Scroll in Ginger Leather.

The Jessica Simpson Jungle ($58.65 on Zappos.com) is a sassy sling-back peep toe wedge with a lightly cushioned footbed.

Heel Height: 4 3⁄4 in
Platform Height: 1 1⁄2 in

I opted for the Clarks Fiddle Scroll ($63.99 on Zappos.com), which has a leather upper with an adjustable buckle closure, though I can just slip my foot in/out without unbuckling. The lining is made of soft synthetic material and the footbed is cushioned to reduce step shock.

Heel Height: 3 inches
Platform Height: 1⁄2 in

Wore the sandals over the weekend, and commuted to work yesterday and overall the Clarks Fiddle Scroll is a very cute shoe with just enough wedge/platform without being over the top. The soles are a bit cushiony making it comfortable to wear. However, there is no arch support so if I walk too long (approximately 30 minutes) then my feet start to hurt. I plan to keep the shoes since I've already worn them. But if I know I am going somewhere that requires a lot of walking and standing, then I won't wear these.

I'm glad I didn't buy the Jessica Simpson sandals. If I can't even survive 3 inch wedges, I can certainly forget the 4+ inch ones.

NYC PrettyCity.com Green and Gorgeous Event

PrettyCity.com is partnering with SHAPE magazine to celebrate their third annual Green and Gorgeous beauty bash! I had a fabulous time last year and I’m already totally psyched about this year’s event.


Where: Environment Furniture, 876 Broadway, New York, NY

When: June 14, 2011 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Tickets: $15 USD
(click here to purchase)


Highlights of the evening include complimentary beauty and wellness services, and a fabulous goodie bag (worth over $235) featuring full sized eco-friendly products from Weleda, Chi, Suki, Beauty Without Cruelty, Nature's Path, One Love, Wei East, Belegenza, and Whishbody.

Discover some of the best green beauty brands including Cheeky Monkey, G2 Organics, Natural Being, Prema Naturals, American Laser Skincare, Body Blessings and more!

Here’s a sneak peak of this year’s goodie bag.

Five Points Restaurant

Address:
31 Great Jones Street
New York, NY 10012

Website: www.fivepointsrestaurant.com

I would have posted pictures, except it was kind of dark in the restaurant so the macro pics on my phonecam came out blurry. I would say the dishes tasted better than they look.

Pros: Food, Service, Decor, Ambiance
Cons: Limited menu, 20% auto-added tip
Make Reservations?: Yes

Ordered:
Drinks: Blood orange fresca, passion fruit fresca
Starter - Pork and Fennel Sausage
Entree - Swordfish, Flap Steak
Dessert - Chocolate Pecan Brownie Sundae (espresso ice cream)

Food was good, but I wouldn't say great. Definitely worth a try, especially with the 30% off from Blackboard Eats. I don't think I would have ever stepped foot into this place if it weren't for Blackboard.

The bill came out to roughly $73 for 2 people. Make reservations because the restaurant was filled up by 6pm. We had reservations for 6pm on a Saturday night, but showed up at 5:30pm exactly when they start dinner. Service is really good. The waitress actually asked us if we were members of Blackboard before we could even tell her. Our cups were always filled, and dirty plates always taken away promptly.

The drinks were very nice and refreshing. They use fresh juice supposedly and the drinks were $5 each. I really wish the cups were bigger.

The appetizer was good. It was cooked with lima beans, very tender and flavorful. Never had beans like that before. Swordfish was surprisingly not dry, but that's probably because of all the butter they used. The fish sat on a bed of collard greens, red onions, tomatoes and potatoes (with skin), some kind of garlic sauce. I ordered the steak medium, and it actually arrived medium. It wasn't a chunk of steak, rather they filleted it so I didn't have to do much cutting. Some may not like that, but I was fine. On top of the steak was a green sauce, which I wasn't a big fan of. It had a fragrance to it. On the side was watercress salad and beer-battered onion rings. I don't know how people can eat watercress raw. It's so bitter. The dressing was nice, but not enough to mask the nasty watercress. I finished all the onion rings. It was delicious! I didn't even need ketchup for it.

Dessert was 3 nice scoops of espresso ice cream, and chunks of chocolate pecan brownie with chocolate fudge and a dollop of whip cream. I could have used more brownie chunks. They were mmm-mmm good.

The evening was wonderful until we got the bill and saw that they automatically calculated a 20% tip. That was kind of a turn-off. I know I'm supposed to add the tip to the pre-discount amount. A suggested tip would have been better than automatically tacking it on. Anyhow, it's not the end of the world, and the 30% discount covers the tip. So I won't dwell on this.

I Heart Burberry Brit Sheer

It was love at first whiff!

I was walking around Sephora the other day, and a really cute pink bottle caught my eyes. Yes, I'm a sucker for packaging. It was Burberry Brit Sheer. Now, I'm not a big fan of Burberry fragrances in general so I was a bit skeptical this one would smell any better. To my pleasant surprise, not only is the packaging adorable but the scent is even more beautiful.

Burberry Brit Sheer is a fresh, fruity, light-hearted floral fragrance that embodies the youthful spirit of Burberry Brit.

Notes:
Yuzu, Pineapple Leaves, Litchi, Mandarin, Grapes, Pink Peony, Peach Blossom, Nashi, White Musk, Blond Woods.
Style:
Seductive. Hypnotic. Sparkling.

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE Brit Sheer! It is a very light fragrance perfect for summer. I usually just use one spritz and it's enough to last me an 8-hour work day. Even though the primary scent fades after a few hours, it leaves behind a sweet scent. I find Brit Sheer more floral than fruity, so I was a little surprised to see the notes comprised of all those fruits.

I bought the Burberry Brit Sheer Gift Set ($107 value, retail price $80).

The set contains:
- 3.3 oz Eau de Toilette Spray
- 1.7 oz Perfumed Body Lotion
- 0.25 oz Eau de Toilette Spray

This set is such a great value. Just the 3.3 oz bottle of EDT retails for $80, so essentially the perfumed body lotion and travel size EDT spray are free.

My signature fragrances include Versace Bright Crystal, Dior Ja'Dore and Giorgio Armani Aqua Di Gio.

I also really like Dior's Addict 2, but haven't bought a full size bottle yet.

The Little Prince

I was browsing my home library the other night and came upon one of my favorite books: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I received the book as a gift 10 years ago for my 19th birthday. I had forgotten what a beautiful, whimsical and enchanting tale The Little Prince is, great for both adults and children.

The Little Prince lived alone on a tiny planet no larger than a house. He owned three volcanoes, two active and one extinct. He also owned a flower, unlike any flower in all the galaxy, of great beauty and inordinate pride. It was this pride that ruined the serenity of the Little Prince's world and started him on the interplanetary travels that brought him to Earth, where he learned, finally, from a fox, the secret of what is really important in life.

The fox tells the Prince:
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

You are left imagining the different planets the Prince visits and the different characters he encounters on each one. The translation by Katherine Woods is in such a lovely, and poetic prose. I really recommend it to everyone. It's a small book of 111 pages, so it shouldn't take long to read.