Classic Macaron

Vanille

2012-09-15T08:38:00.001-07:00

Hello darlings! Since there has been a teacher strike in Chicago I've just had too much time on my hands so I was able to stumble upon this wonderful place called Vanille. I fell in love and became obsessed! It all happened on a Thursday. I was on my way to the movies when I happened to notice a tiny window which said, " Vanille Patisserie". I knew I had to try it, so I took a detour and entered the door. I'm not even exaggerating, I found paradise in that little pastry shop. They specialized in making macarons! Macarons of every flavor you could wish at a very reasonable price. I tried one of each, including pb&j, lavender and rose. It felt like angels waltzing in my mouth! In my crazy excitement with the macarons I didn't pay close attention to the other cakes but I'm sure they were just as delicious. Needless to say I didn't go to the movies anymore , as my friend and I took forever to taste all the macarons.

Summer Favorites

2012-09-12T14:01:00.002-07:00

Hey lovelies! So I`ve been in denial for a while thinking that summer will last forever and fall just won`t happen, but as the weather has been getting colder and colder I have come to accept the departure of summer. However, in honor of the glory of summer I decided to do a top of the things I loved most this summer. I got this idea from my friend Raluca at http://fashionandcupcakeslove.blogger.com

Most Worn Perfume: Burberry Brit

Favorite Lipstick: YSL Rouge Volupte (Red Muse)

Most Worn Nail Polish: Dior Garden Party

Most Worn Accessory: Skull Bracelet

Most Worn Handbag: Dooney and Bourke The Sack

Most Worn Sandals: MICHAEL Michael Kors

Most Worn Clothing Item: The Crystal Bra

Most Worn Foundation: MAC Matchmaster

Most Worn Blush : Clarins Prodige Illuminating

Favorite Book: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Favorite TV Show: Flight Of The Conchords

Favorite Movie : Arizona Dream

Favorite Internet Picture:

Favorite Song: The Lost Song by Cat Empire

It's Done!

2012-08-27T11:30:00.001-07:00

This has been the most amazing, eye-opening summer! I can say I've been back it the loving arms of my
motherland , Romania. I realized and learned so much about life and also about my own self. The past weeks I've been saying goodbye to way too many people and it's been much more. difficult than i thought it would be. I do feel at home here and I am not ready to leave it all behind for an entire year again.

Pastel Means Love

2012-08-19T00:14:00.001-07:00

Chanel

Chloe

There is something about pastels that never become outdated. All the soft shades of pink, blue, lilac bring class and elegance to any outfit. Honestly, to me pastels remind me of my childhood when my mother would dress me in pale pink dresses making me feel like a princess. These colors just create a fairytale like ambiance. Although many would consider the trend of pastel mostly suitable for summer, it can vey easily be a winter sensation. Combined with the very popular trend of vivd designs and prints it becomes a very versatile and fun style.

Karlie Kloss for Dior

Miranda Kerr

1. Dropped Back Sleeveless Shirt
Stradivarius

2. ASOS VERA Pointed Flatform Shoes
Flatform shoes featuring a suede effect with a low cut vamp, pointed toe and chunky flatform sole.ASOS

3. Knitted Tweedy Pastel Cardi
Top Shop

4. Moto Floral Leigh Jean
Leigh jean with 5 pocket detail and authentic trims. 98% Cotton,2% Elastane.

Top Shop

Vanity

2012-08-18T03:57:00.003-07:00

We have become so vain and egocentric. We strive for perfection and assume that everything is possible, and when we realize everything can`t be ideal we become upset. I have recently had a revelation about why it`s so hard to be genuinely happy. I've realized that we are too caught up in our own personas, not necessarily in a narcissistic, snobbish way, but in some way or another, we are always focused on ourselves more than on anything else. We can try to deny it, but we all care too much about our image, constantly being in a darwinian competition. We always want to be preeminent among our peers in every aspect. We all feel that if we have the most extravagant clothes, lifestyles or the highest intellect, we will be superior to the rest and therefore envied. This envy gives us a feeling of supremacy, making us feel worshiped. We invest so much in our image because we want to be adored!
I guess this is a mix between our primary instincts of "survival of the fittest" and what society tells us we should be. I`m not trying to be cliche talking about how it`s society`s fault that we are obsessed with perfection, but I do believe that we are instigated by society to be in this competition.
We try so hard to be outstanding that we become unhappy. Perfection can never be attained, nature was not meant to be perfect, there will always be someone better than us. Nobody ever realizes, but living a seemingly average life is the way to be truly happy. Being pleased with what you have and not trying to live an utopian lifestyle means having` a fulfilled existence.

Sprinkles On My Nails

2012-08-06T13:20:00.001-07:00

Hi my lovelies! So I have recently purchased the Ciate Caviar Manicure set from Sephora and it finally arrived! I've heard so much about this and I've always thought the idea of having your nails look like tiny cupcakes is pretty amazing.
I chose the pastel pink set. It came with a pink, sticky nail polish and a bottle of "sprinkles". It was pretty easy to apply. However, I had to wait an hour for it to dry which was the hardest, most impossible thing because this part is usually when I remember I haven't scratched in a while and so on. Nevertheless, once my nails dries I was thrilled with the outcome and I couldn't believe how appetizing my nails looked!

Rainbow cupcakes!

2012-08-05T16:14:00.001-07:00

A few days ago my friends and I had a small get-together which turned out to be a cooking party, and as you can deduce from the title, we made rainbow cupcakes. Yes, i tasted the rainbow and it was heavenly( not trying to brag or anything). I don`t know if they were really that great or we just liked to believe they were scrumptious because we made them, but I really liked them. The whole process was not even that hard. We prepared the dough using a recipe found on:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/the-perfect-yellow-cupcakerecipe/index.html

Then we spread it into 4 bowls and added food colorants to each of them. We put about a TBSP of random colors in each individual cupcake shape on the tray. Finally the baking began!
So much lusciousness!

Decisions

2012-08-05T15:54:00.004-07:00

I decided to re-open this blog. I gave up on it for a while because I have no followers and I found it pathetic just writing for my own entertainment, but....what the hell? I just feel the need to write and share my opinions on trends and give fashion information to the few people that do read my blog. Hahaha!

Queen of Nile

2012-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

I know the title sounds really vain, but I couldn`t help but think of this when I bought this headpiece. It`s just s unique and exotic. Isn`t it so beautiful?

Urban Outfitters Headpiece

It`s Christmas!

2011-12-25T06:02:00.000-08:00

I just simply want to wish everyone a fantastic Christmas!

Christmas Nails

2011-12-24T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! This is my second Christmas post as I just wanted to show you guys my Christmas nail, or more so, my attempt at it! I was bored after writing the other post so I just tried this.

I used : OPI Red Polish Texture
Essie Luxurious Effects Top Coat
Rimmel French White Tip
What I did: 1. Apply first coat of red nail polish and let dry
2. Apply second coat of red nail polish
3. I used the white tip to try make some snowflakes on two nails. This design of course up to you and your imagination
4. I applied the sparkly top coat.
Just have fun with it! :)

The finished product

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

It`s finally Christmas! I`m one of those cheesy people wh0 are just crazy about this holiday! May the innocence and warmth of this holiday bring joy and love to everyone`s life! I really hope that this Christmas will bring blessings to everyone! This is the Classic Macaron`s first Christmas of, I hope, many to come! Thanks everyone and let`s all just enjoy the harmony of Christmas!

Today I prepared, along with my family various delicious foods with my family, such as gingerbread houses, fudge and cookies, and I decided to share our recipe for AMAZING Black Forest cookies!

2 cups flour

3/4 cup good quality cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract*

1 cup maraschino cherries, chopped and well drained

1-2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, set aside.

Cream together sugars and softened butter. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredient mixture. Add chopped cherries, stir just until evenly distributed.

Roll dough into small balls, and place on un-greased cookie sheets, leaving some space
between cookies. Flatten slightly.

Bake for 13-15 minutes.

*I didn`t have a chance to take pictures of these cookies*

Our tree!

Our gingerbread house. Success!

My giraffe Gina in the Spirit of Christmas

Finally Back!

2011-12-22T18:04:00.000-08:00

It`s been a while since I posted last. I feel awful but it`s been a really busy week! However, now I`m officially on Winter Break and I can let the Spirit of Christmas take over the dark side of my soul. Hahaha

What better way to get into the lovely Christmas spirit than helping those less fortunate. Toys for Tots is a great organization which works tirelessly to provide presents for the innocent, disadvantaged children.The charity collects and buys about 20,000 toys each Christmas and distributes them to poor children across Chicago and the suburbs. It is very dear to my heart because their mission is nothing short of noble ! Every child deserves the joy of opening a present, on Christmas day and with the donations collected, Toys for Tots makes it possible! I hate to bother people with this, but this is a very serious matter. If all of you would donate, even the smallest amount, you will completely transform the Christmas of a less fortunate child!

If you are interested, here is more information about Toys for Tots.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Holly Golightly`s House For Sale

2011-12-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I just read in the news that the famous townhouse used as Holly`s residence in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany`s is out for sale! I was extremely excited to find out that the Upper East Side is selling for the grand price of $5.8M. Oh, how I wish I could just have this kind of money to get it! However, looking at the pictures of the interior I noticed Mr. Yunioshi`s top-floor atelier is nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, whoever will buy this house will probably be the happiest person alive!

Clear Clutches

2011-12-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

I`ve being introduced to clear handbags at a pretty early age. I remember carrying around a see-throgh Hello Kitty bag. It was my legendary look in those formative years. This is the perfect proof that great style never goes out of fashion. Hahaha! Now, about ten years later I see little has changed. Noticing these supreme fashion statements worn on the street brought back memories of my sublime childhood. The only problem with these bags? You will actually have to keep it organized.

Pan Am

2011-12-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love the T.V. show Pan Am. I love the drama of each episode in relation to the 60s era, the portrayal of how glamorous the job of a flight attendant was, and of course I adore the wonderful style of the 60s. For a while I`ve been wanting a Pan Am bag, like the girls in the show have and I found out that Marc Jacobs made a Special Edition of the classic Pan Am Explorer bag! I am jubilating! Just hearing the words "special edition" and "Pan Am" brought a smile on my face. Throw Marc Jacobs into the mix as well and it`s absolutely out of this world! This bag truly is a fashion statement because of the beautiful vintage look and its practical, voluminous design. I shall ostentatiously put a picture of this on my fridge, as a subtle hint.

The Joy Of Giving

2011-12-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

I finally got my chocolate advent calendar and I realized there are 18 more days till Christmas! Of course, for most of us these days will feel like the fire of hell was released onto Earth. All because of the last minute Christmas shopping, which of course implies waiting in miles long lines, swimming through the sea of people crammed into Macy`s to get whatever they can put their hands on and of course the sweat inducing pressure of finding a present your loved ones will not re-gift.
This, people, is a time where the internet finally lives up to its full potential by offering the possibility of purchasing online, from the comfort of your warm home, a myriad of presents. In the spirit of these days of torture, many online stores even offer free-shipping and next day delivery so you can make sure you will not have a panic attack because you forgot the present for your very very distant relative. I also made a list of pretty general objects that could be gifted to anyone.

1. Sephora Studio Blockbuster- estimated at a $ 400 value, contains everything from 99 eyeshadows to 84 lip glosses - $49.99 at
http://www.sephora.com

2. Marc by Marc Jacobs Heart Shaped Necklace- a beautiful shade of warm pink with golden tones. It reminds me of Elle Woods` Tiffany`s necklace.- $150 at http://www.net-a-porter.com

3. Philosophy Sweet On You Set. Because smelling like candy is phenomenal.- $25.00 at http://www.urbanoutfitters.com

4. Hammack. I would forever be in love with whoever got me this. $99.99 at http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

Pink Burberry

2011-12-04T11:24:00.001-08:00

Hi guys! I can`t believe it` s only December 4, which means there`s almost four more weeks until Christmas( I really need to buy one of those chocolate advent calendars). Chicago is like a fairytale when it comes to bringing the spirit of the Holidays to life. The city is completely covered in beams of golden and red lights! So, in the Spirit of the Holidays my sister and I decided to spend our day choosing from beautifully decorated Christmas cookies at our library`s bake sale. I would just like to say that I bought about twenty pink macarons! Hahaha
For the first official Winter outfit I was finally able to find something to wear my pink Burberry scarf. The wool, cashmere blend is so soft and fluffy, like wearing a marshmallow around your neck.

SEVEN FOR ALL MANKIND JEANS

BURBERRY SCARF

GAP MILITARY PARKA

No Cake!

2011-12-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

My mom forgot to make me cake!

Beam Of Light-Nuit Celeste

2011-12-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

I`ve been wanting to try the 2011 Givenchy Holiday make-up collection,Nuit Celeste ("Celestial Night") for the longest time but I just haven`t gotten to it. However, as I was doing some online Christmas shopping for my friends at Sephora.com, something divine appeared on my screen and I took it as a sign! It was the L`or Celeste loose powder by Givenchy. I had to have it!
I love everything about it, from the lovely boudoir bottle to the ultra fine texture.
It is essentially a shimmer. It spreads a soft golden aura when you apply it. It makes me absolutely diaphanous, although I haven`t really wore it outside the walls of my house...which makes me sound very weird.
Nevertheless, it`s fantastic! I will definitely add the rest of the collection to my wishlist!

Sequins of Love

2011-11-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

I truly believe sequins are the most beautiful and effective embellishments brought to an outfit. There is just something about wearing sequins that makes me feel so incredibly pretty, you know, like a princess. And who doesn`t want to feel like princess? They add an innocence to an outfit and of course, if properly used, they have a stunning, glamorous effect.

But of course, you have to keep it classy because if overused, sequins can look tacky and cheap. Just remember, with sequins less is definitely more!

Chiara Ferragni at Luisaviorama

Asos

The Lovely Parka

2011-11-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been absolutely in love with parkas! They are just so versatile and flattering. They come in a variety of materials such as cotton for a military look, luxurious down, and polyester. The cinchable waist helps accentuate your waist and the lenght elongates the overall figure and gives it a classy look. Also, worn with a pair of tiny-heeled boots it gives a really feminine look. Urban Outfitters and Gap have some innovative patterned ones.
I have recently purchased the military parka from Gap and whenever I look at it, my heart giggles a little! Hahaha! I love it so much! I just wanna stay outside and wear it forever!

Parkas at Cynthia Steffe, Vena Cava, Cynthia Rowley

Burberry Parka

Rachel Bilson in Burberry parka

Wild Start

2011-11-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

This is my first blog ever and I can feel the excitement running through my body. I have never published any writing before so I`m a little nervous.

I have always wanted to be able to write and share and give fashion advice to a more diverse audience. I truly believe fashion and style go beyond the label and the price. Of course it is easy to look good in high-end designer outfits but as we all know many of us don`t have the means to do that. I feel that because some people are so caught up with this really close minded view of fashion they would go out of their way to pay for the label in a Hermes dress despite it not having the visual effect wanted. By juxtaposing designer pieces with unique, vintage pieces one can create a beautiful, one of a kind, flattering style.

I have been very fortunate to be able to travel and live in different parts of the world and to be able to observe the versatility of fashion. Most of my inspiration comes from the streets of Chicago which are embellished with the fantastic, exclusive styles of the Chicagoans, and also from the ethnic designs of traditional Romanian clothes which are very rare and very creative.

A unique style to compliment your personality will always be in vogue and to find that style you need to think of what influences you in terms of fashion: people, culture, hobbies.