Apartment Life | Blue Apron

Cooking in a NYC apartment usually comes in at a strong second to Seamless. There are moments when I decide to give cooking a go but ultimately those moments are few and far in between.

Then I saw these Blue Apron ads all over the subways and had to give it a try.

No harm, no foul right?

And you guys, there wasn't any foul done at all! Instead it made my life a million times easier (and affordable) when it came to dinner time. Plus, no grocery store visits were needed (hell YES).

From the start, it's pretty much fool-proof. After setting up an account you get to choose your week's recipe and customize it to your needs! I thought that was pretty convenient, especially the delivery options.

I had the box delivered to my office (packages tend to disappear from my apartment) and didn't have to worry about the food spoiling. Each box is refrigerated to make sure the ingredients are fresh #winwin.

Here's a peak at the amazing recipes included in my box. My mouth is basically salivating just thinking about it.

I started the week with the Three-Cheese Cannelloni. It came with fresh pasta sheets and lots of cheese. I LIVE for cheese.

One of the things that deters me from any homestyle cooking is the prep. All that chopping, cutting, and dirty-dish making - no thanks. With Blue Apron, almost none of that happened or were kept to a bare minimum. The majority of their fresh ingredients were already prepped and made me a much happier person. 

Also, how cute is the packaging?

Mmm, butternut squash and kale filling. Prior to this I have never cooked with butternut squash - kind of embarrassing right?

The end result was scrumptious cannelloni that were happily devoured by me and the boyfriend. For once we were so excited pasta, mainly because it wasn't the standard spaghetti and mystery sauce when we're at our wits end.

My overall thoughts, Blue Apron is certainly an option for those who want to save time and has the flexibility for almost any #GirlBoss. If we want to get specific, each meal takes around thirty-five minutes - a lot faster than selecting a meal (off Seamless) + waiting for its delivery.

Blue Apron isn't a New York thing either, it's available Nationwide. To get you started, Blue Apron is offering my readers two free meals on the house! Redeem the promotion by clicking here.

Learn more: www.blueapron.com

Blue Apron provided my first box for free for an honest review. Each box after was paid for. All opinions expressed are my solely my own.

The Stylist Kit for Everyday + Beyond

Remember this post and how I vowed to be more conscious on what I was bringing home? So far, so good. I haven't fallen astray to tempting sales (and they are tempting). Instead I've been purging my closet of the old and forgotten pieces. Lots of things have been donated and a few have been sold on Poshmark. For the special pieces that survived the purge, I intend on making them last with my tailor and look their best with my stylist kit. 

"What exactly is a stylist kit," glad you asked.

Image via J. Crew

A stylist kit can be thought of as your fashion emergency kit. Got white fuzzies all over your black sweater, reach for that kit. Unintentional deodorant skid marks on a tee, reach for that kit. Popped a button, reach for that kit. See where I'm going with this. Why waste the outfit when your kit is there to save the day. 

For those of you in the market for a pre-made kit, I suggest going with Fashion First Aid kit curated by Lauren Messiah (co-founder of School of Style). This kit has basically everything for your next gig or fashion mishap. For those of you knee-deep in wedding season, consider this your best friend for rehearsal dinners and the big day. This kit prevented hot mess syndrome during sweaty Miami fashion, so its pretty solid to say the least.

The kit comes complete with: folding scissors, lint roller, sewing kit, tagging gun, tape measure, safety pins, double sided tape, skid out deodorant packets, drool remover sponges, bra strap holder, heel fixers, shoe grips, nipple covers, garment guards, purse shine, sole glow. See complete details here.

Image via Brit + Co

For those of you wanting to DIY your own kit, consider these essential basics to be stored in an all-clear bag (easier to find what you need): 

- mini deodorant + deodorant remover or a small sponge: smell good and avoid the white stains.

- Band-Aids: great for blisters and unexpected cuts. I carry a few in my beauty bag too!

- safety pins, binder clips/clothespin, double-sided tape: these are great for hemming or holding any piece on the go.

- nipple covers: turn off the low-beams when they're not invited.

- nude underwear: sometimes our clothing may be a little more sheer than expected. Avoid any embarrassing moments with nude or black undies. 

- tide to-go: because life happens and stains come along with it.

- lint roller: helps keep the fuzzies at bay.

- foot petals, heel liners + shoe pads: to prevent feet fatigue on those long days.

- static guard, small sewing kit, and scissors: necessities for any kit.

I know it sounds like a lot but you'll be happy to have them when the bad ju-ju strikes, especially that tide to-go pen. Is there anything I missed that should be added?

P.s. You don't need to be a stylist to have a stylist kit, in fact think of it as your fashion emergency kit!

Gather & Gown | For the Stylish Wedding Party

This post is for all my ladies currently experiencing the "all my friends are getting married" syndrome - yep, I feel you. Not that weddings or the joining of two loves is bad, in fact it's wonderful (!!) and I love a great wedding - even better if it's a destination wedding (hello Punta Cana). The only bad thing is getting stuck with a dress (bonus points for funky colors) you wont wear ever again. Well, let me blow you mind for just a bit. 

Last month I was invited to go on set and preview the Gather & Gown collection. In case you're wondering, they're a new e-commerce bridal boutique with a full range of quality dresses for under $200. The first thing I noticed about the collection was the assortment of modern styles, and how easy it would be to style the dress and wear out even after the wedding. If only Gather & Gown was around a few years ago, I'd be able to wear out my bridesmaid dress from a previous wedding - but nope, that one is still hanging in the closet, unworn. Having said that, most pieces in the Gather & Gown collection start at around $99 (with free shipping and returns) and can easily be restyled to be worn again and again!

Founders Michael Shettel and Vincent Piccione also understood that bridesmaid may not live in the same town, or the same state for that matter, so it was important that their site enable besties to shop collaboratively online no matter the distance. This is perfect, since my besties are scattered all throughout the USA. They've also been in the bridal industry for years and know one of the best ways to pass the savings onto us is by eliminating some of the tailoring costs. Instead of sending you one dress, they'll send you 3 different sizes of the dress so you can pick which one fits best instead of being stuck with an ill-fitting dress and a hefty tailoring bill.

Here are a few behind the scene snaps as well! The team was generous enough to capture these on my ratty iPhone so I can share these with you all. 

Gather & Gown is scheduled to launch this January, but you can follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for a preview of their spring collection.

Thank you Gather & Gown for sponsoring this post and for making bridesmaid dress shopping more fun and convenient! 

P.s. Sign up on their site by December 26th to 20% your future order!!