Sunday-Funday at the Rittenhouse Park

 A stroll at the Rittenhouse Park in Philly and brunch right after sounds like a great idea, right? Well, not if it's only 22 degrees outside! We love taking our westie pup Dillon on walks so when the sun came out on this lovely Sunday morning - it's just inevitable. Good thing the city had the same idea as us so it didn't seem like you're walking through ghost town - more pups came out for Dillon to play with as well. After a stroll along the Rittenhouse Park, we decided to have brunch at Parc and boy, it was a great choice!

I've been trying to get over this month-long cold so I was a little bummed that I couldn't have any alcoholic beverage since I'm still taking these damn antibiotics and such. The bf ordered the Parc Brasserie's Bloody Mary and had a sip of it (don't judge me) and I can definitely say it fell on my Top 5 Best Bloody Mary I've Had list. It had natural tomato juice and the spiciness is not too overwhelming - the garnish just topped it off too. I'm into pretty looking foods...

We weren't that hungry because we had a late breakfast so we only ordered two hors d'oeuvres: tuna tartare for me and king crab legs for my love. The tuna tartare was perfect - it was drizzled with their leek vinaigrette and sea salt. It was so light and just melts in your mouth, I didn't have to use the fresh baguette that came with it. The king crab legs was served like a shrimp cocktail. It was fresh and just oh so so good! You don't even have to dip it in the cocktail sauce because it was already flavorful as is. You should have an idea how flavorful it is if you don't have to use the sauces that comes with your food.

We sat outside even though it was cold but it was not as bad because the sun decided to come out and stay for a bit... and because we love people watching. If you're ever in Philly and happened to be at the Rittenhouse area, I highly recommend this place - they are open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. 

Au revoir!

xo, T

Milkmaid Braids

on how to... put a crown on it

Believe it or not, I hate doing my hair so if there's a simple but chic hairstyle that I can master, then I'm all in. The milkmaid braids (not sure of the correct terminology) is one of my go-to hairstyle when I don't feel like putting my hair down. There are only 4 steps to this easy hairstyle - yes, I counted it myself.. so hope this helps those 20something (insert age here)-thathatesdoingtheirhair-onthego-bohochic-women! here it goes...

Items you will need:

goody bobby pins, goody ouchless hair ties, goody spin pins (optional), big sexy hair mousse & garnier fructis hairspray, oh and curling iron (optional)

STEP 1: pigtail braids

Part your hair in the middle and add mousse to hold your annoying little baby hairs.  Then do two braids - two pigtails like in the pic above. Make sure when doing your braids, that they are behind your ears - trust me on this one or you'll add a circumference or two to your head. If you have bangs, leave some out for a step later. Secure your two braids with the hair ties. I used the ouchless ones because I have long and thick hair so the little elastic rubber bands always break on me but it's up to you what you want to use to tie your hair...its not that serious ^^

STEP 2: over and under

Take one of your braids, wrap it flat on top of your head and secure them with bobby pins. I have long hair so I also used the spin pins to secure the ends of the braids so they are surely tight. Do the same for the other braid - some people put it on top of the other braid but I like to slightly overlap it on top of the other braid (this step is optional). Insert the end of the 2nd braid under the 1st braid for a more secure braid then bobby pin those babies! 

STEP 3: make it tight

Insert more bobby pins underneath of your braids from one end to the other. It's inconspicuous and it's more secure, obviously. Tuck away the little hairs that are sticking out then apply hairspray as much as you want (just think about the environment when you do this too) ^^

STEP 4: curled up

Remember those bangs we put aside in the beginning? Well, we are now going to curl them for a more messy, at the same time, romantic look. Use your judgement on how you want your curls - I opt for just the wavy and loose curls so it's more natural looking. Then, hairspray it up some more and voila! 

Au Wiedersehen!