Lana Del Rey x A$ap Rocky

New Lana video, with her as Jackie O. and featuring A$ap Rocky as JFK. Much love for Rocky xoxo.

{Beauty Giveaway}

You all know I love my beauty products. I've shown you my favorite polishes and skin care that I use daily but there's nothing like finding new products to me! I love trying new things even though I've so-called found the "one."

I've recently been sponsored by Apothica & home of the best body acne products and they have so kindly offered to spread the cheer of our new sponsorship by giving away a $20 gift card to my readers! I just thought it would be something that one of you guys would enjoy, because honestly, trying new products is one of my favorite things ever! Plus, why not try some awesome products from awesome sites like these that host some of my favorite beauty brands such as Deborah Lippmann nail polishes, Stila, Essie, Yves Saint Laurent and more!

{HOW TO WIN}

Find your favorite product from Apothica or SkinCareRX and post it in a comment below. I'll randomly choose a winner in 2 weeks and then the product love can commence!

Personally, my favorite products are the nail polishes - especially the new glittery Deborah Lippmann ones. I can just imagine the nail art that i'm gonna come up with next. Swooooooon!


**This giveaway is now closed**

{glitter ombre}

{neon}

{double funky french}

{color ombre}

Tailored Tuesday & Travel

Wow,

I haven't done one of these in ages, it seems! I guess summer is the time when wanderlust takes over my mind, which is fitting since I'll be taking some trips this summer myself. Nothing too exciting, but then, it's always exciting to get away for a little bit! Anyways, here are the latest spots in the world that simply inspire me...

1. Etoile Isabel Marant 'Fox twill peplum jacket'

is this not the most gorgeous, classic jacket ever?

2. Michael Michael Kors 'Silk tank'

a basic turned luxe!

3. Diane von Furstenberg 'Georgine cuff cropped basketweave pants'

it's all about the colored pants right now, but this version gives a little more class to the fun

4. Michael Kors 'Crystal embellished chronograph watch'

anything tortoise is fine by me!

5. Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Natasha leather crossbody bag'

cross bodies are my favorite kind of purses ever. just so versatile.

6. Skull Candy 'ROC nation aviator black headphones'

super cooool.

7. Stella McCartney 'Faux leather platform sandals'

comfy, classic and cute.

8. Phtaipei 'Orion suitcase', designed by Hermes designer

simple but looks like it's designed to withstand an apocolypse.

9. Maps.com 'World map'

to mark down where you've been and where your going, of course!

10. La Perla 'Feuillage tuile conical bra'

is this not the sexiest, prettiest thing ever?

11. Gucci 'Round frame acetate sunglasses'

super glam sunnies

12. Apple 'Macbook'

can't live without mine.

13. Nars 'The multiple'

makeup made easy!

14. Zoya 'Nail polish in suvi'

a gorgeous vampy green

15. Cyberguys 'Behind the couch outlet'

i looove this. now your room design doesn't have to surround where your outlets lie.

{norway}

i could really use this right now.

{watkins' glen, new york}

looks like a hike i NEED to go on!

{schwarzsee, switzerland}

sitting on this lake with a very large wheel of swiss cheese would make me really happy.

{cortes, madrid, spain}

nothing like those bright city lights, and every city has it's own special version.

{victoria falls, between zambia and zimbabwe}

this is just unreal.

{misool, irian jaya, indonesia}

can you imagine sleeping here? i think i'd turn into sleeping beauty and sleep for years and years...

{st. basil cathedral, kremlin, russia}

like something out of a fairytale...

{amsterdam, netherlands}

nothing like clear blue skies and clear blue water. 

{torres del paine, chile}

chile is such a long country that it's filled with all kinds of landscapes, and i'm sad i missed something like this while i was studying abroad there :(

My Favorite Meal (As of recently...)

Once I get hooked onto something... I really get hooked. See this meal. I swear I was eating that meal for months! Since I usually cook for myself, I usually have to end up eating leftovers until it's all gone, but for this combo, I find myself cooking it over and over again and never getting bored of it.

Really, it's the simplest components that could be enjoyed separately, but I just love them together. First, it starts off with a simple but incredibly tasty rice pilaf. I make it all of the time and the fact that I can just put all of the ingredients into a rice cooker and walk away is magic; pure magic. Next, comes the fattoush salad dressed in a simple greek dressing. It's all of my favorite veggies in a dressing that keeps everything fresh and light. If I want, I sauté some spinach with some olive oil and garlic, set it all on a plate and sprinkle with some French feta. And yes, French feta is completely different than Greek feta, and much more tasty - in my opinion!

The picture above is how I normally enjoy all of this stuff but honestly, these are simple recipes for you to use with your own discretion. The rice pilaf is excellent under kabobs and the fattoush is awesome on top some lettuce! Let me know how you like to use these recipes :)

Simple Fattoush Salad

Yields: 4  servings

For the salad:

3 roma tomatoes, seeded and cubed

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cubed

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

3 tbsn. chopped fresh mint

For the dressing*:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. seasoned salt (such as Lawry's)

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. lemon pepper

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. dried mint

To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a small jar. Seal the jar, then shake vigorously until combined and slightly emulsified, set aside. Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. *The dressing makes much more than needed for the fatuous, but is excellent on almost everything, so save for future use. Use just enough dressing to coat the veggies. Set aside to marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 

Sometimes I like to enjoy the fattoush as a mid-day snack - I love it so!

Classic Rice Pilaf

Yields: 6 - 8 servings

1/2 cup fideo noodles

3 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

1 cup jasmine rice

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 cups water*

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the fideo noodles out on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Make sure to check after 3 minutes just in case your oven is super hot; set aside. In a rice cooker, combine the rice, toasted fideo noodles, butter, spices and water. Cook under the 'white rice' setting. After done, fluff with a fork and enjoy!

*You could use low-sodium chicken stock as an alternative!

Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls

When the recipe said quick and easy, I was sold. I made it the day I saw the recipe - now that is some advertising! Sometimes you just need something sweet, and after a long hiatus of not baking, I needed something to ease me into the process. Even though yeast can be scary, these are anything but!

I'm not going to tell you that these are the most amazing cinnamon rolls I've ever had, because they weren't, but anything that is this easy and requires little effort can't nearly taste as good as something that you've poured your heart and soul into! But besides that, I still managed to polish them off ;)

Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls

Yields: 12 cinnamon rolls

Original recipe here.

1/4 cup warm water (not hot)

2 tsp. dry active yeast

1 tsp. + 2 tbsn. sugar, divided

1 large egg

1/3 cup + 2 tbsn. sour cream, divided

2 1/2 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted, divided

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together the water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in a large mixing bowl; allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining sugar, egg, 1/3 cup sour cream, 1 tbsn. melted butter, baking powder and salt until well combined. Stir in the flour until well combined and a ball of dough forms. Lightly cover the bowl with a moist towel or saran wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for 45 minutes. Roll the dough out into a thin rectangle on a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. Brush the dough with 1 tbsn. melted butter, then sprinkle the entire surface with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough up and slice into 12 equal pieces. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and lightly cover with a moist towel or saran wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Once risen, heat the oven to 350 F. Brush the cinnamon rolls with the remaining 1/2 tbsn. melted butter and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. To make the glaze, mix together the remaining sour cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cinnamon rolls.

Mixtape

a fine frenzy . now is the start

i haven't always been the biggest fan of a fine frenzy, but i just love this song. it's so fun! the song isn't even out yet, but you can preview it from the link above.

dabruck & klein . all about you ft. anna mcdonald (disfunktion remix)

the naked & famous . no way (disfunktion remix)

i'm loving disfunktion remixes at the moment. the naked & famous remix is the perfect summer song. the melody on both are just amazing.

foxes . youth

foxes . youth (adventure club dubstep remix)

i can't even tell you have many times i've listened to this song in one continuous loop. i'm completely obsessed with everything about it: the lyrics, the songstress and the melody. it's beautiful. and if you're in the mood with something with more bass, the adventure club remix is awesome as well.

the m machine . faces

the m machine is something to be reckoned with. their music is completely epic, and bridges the gap between man and machine, combining emotional acoustics and electronic elements. 

purity ring . odedear

this song is seriously hypnotic. somehow sensuous and futuristic at the same time.

ko ko . float

whistling, tapping beats, and a fun harmony make this an amazing song. something you just wanna skip to.

the group called hr . my city

great hip hop. as simple as simple gets. 

major lazer . get free ft. amber of the dirty projectors (what so not remix)

amber of the dirty projector's voice is so unmistakable! i love collaborations, because you get the best of multiple worlds. double dose of funky from major lazer and amber, plus even funkier from the remix.

marina & the diamonds . lies (produced by diplo)

i love this song. marina's voice is undeniably gorgeous and you can just feel every emotion she's ever felt in her voice, it's amazing. the acoustic version, here, is just as amazing, if not better. 

kelly rowland . motivation ft. lil wayne (diplo remix)

question is, what can diplo not do? i really admire the guy. travels all around the world to study music of all cultures, then uses what he learns to influence his music. seriously, sometimes he makes the weirdest tracks of all time, but i love it. he takes kelly's song to a whole other level. so much soul and funk.

beach house . equal mind

new beach house album has been amazing so far and i just love her earthy, almost hypnotic vocals.

the naked & famous . young blood (tiesto & hardwell remix)

such a iconic song that's been remixed up and down, left and right. i really like tiesto's & hardwell's remix though. i can't say it's better than the original, but if i feel like something dancier, this does the trick.

deadmau5 . the veldt ft. chris james

quite arguably, the most beautiful song he's produced, second to 'strobe.' can you believe he found the vocalist to this song via twitter?! the song is based on this short story by ray bradbury, which is a great read, so if you have the time, read it!

scissor sisters . only the horses (calvin harris extended mix)

straight out of the 'we found love' fame, calvin harris drops this remix of the scissor sisters and i'm in love. such a talented individual - he produces, sings and remixes!

logic . tic tac toe

my favorite white boy rapper of the moment! his latest release is just another song i enduringly love.

avec sans . perth (bon iver cover)

i love bon iver, but sometimes their music can be too slow-paced for me, so i love it when people remix them. in this case, it's a cover that i almost love better than the original. avec sans' vocals are gorgeous; laid on top of a more up-beat tempo, it's love.

tiesto & swanky tunes . make some noise ft. ben mcinerney 

this vocals on this song are amazing, thanks ben mcinerney! the melody still hits pretty hard though, so it's a good mix of both worlds.

crystal castles . empathy (spf50 remix)

this reminds me of something that would be on the skins uk soundtrack. it's a filthy underground kind of song, but then again what crystal castles song isn't?t

the asteroids galaxy tour . major (vacationer remix)

i'm a big vacationer fan right now, but usually their music is more mellow. this song is pure funkadelic, which surprises me, but i'm not complaining. i totally dig it.

cassie . king of hearts (kanye west remix)

kanye killed this remix. simple as that.

midi matilda . day dreams (mykill remix)

i think this will become a summer staple! windows down, sun on my skin, driving to the beach kind of song.

the cataracts . all you ft. waka flocka and kaskade

the cataracts always make some fun music but in combination with waka and kaskade, it's a total winner! they sample kaskade's "all you" so it's a great mix of the signature cataracts' beat, gorgeous vocals and some fly rap. 

t.i. . love this life

he's backkkk! i love my man t.i.! if you're a fan of him, this song is just an instant like.

bondax . all inside

gorgeous song for this rainy weather we've been getting intermittently.

lana del rey . blue jeans (gesaffelstein remix)

as i said, gesaffelstein is someone i'm really into at the moment. something about that french urban techno vibe i'm digging. if french techno isn't your thing, i still think you'd love this remix. just makes the song a bit funkier and not just fluffy.

birdy . skinny love (bon iver cover) (secret weapon remix)

i've always loved birdy, such a talented girl with an amazing voice! she takes skinny love to a whole other level, but this secret weapon remix gives me chills.

all links are to where songs can be downloaded and/or streamed.