The Best Long-wearing Drugstore Lipstick: Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayon

I have always loved lipstick, but I never EVER wear it because I am always drinking water or eating, and it NEVER stays on… and that’s honestly ANNOYING! So, when Madison Clevenstine recommended these Maybelline Super Stay Ink Crayons (contains affiliate link) and said they last ALL day, I was sold. And let me tell you, these do not disappoint! They last literally ALL DAY! They are drink, food and even kiss proof!

Honestly, I always forget I have them on and then go look in the mirror and am surprised that I have lipstick on.

They are SO good and for under $10, they are a steal!

The crayon goes on like a regular lipstick and gives a matt/satin finish. Normally, I like a shine on my lips, but the colors are so rich and pigmented, I can’t complain.

Be right back, I need to go buy every single color. I am wearing shade 30- Seek Adventure.

Apps I use for my Blog and Instagram

I do everything on my own for my blog (except my mom is my photographer). You are looking at a one woman show! Here are the Apps I use to make my life a little easier in the blogging world. 

1.     Photos on my Mac/iPhone- This is where I edit all my photos. I also use the Instagram app to make final edits before posting.

2.     Canva App- Have you ever seen one of my shopping collages? This is the app I use to make my themed collages, whether it be holiday gift guides or Nordstrom Anniversary Sale or T&P Top 10 of the week.

3.     ProKnockout App- This is the app I use to get rid of backgrounds of clothing items for my collages. This is a great App if a certain piece of clothing has a dark background, and it won’t match your collage background. Or if you need to have items overlap in your collage and you want to get rid of the background completely.

4.     Notes App- I write all my blog posts in the Notes app on my phone. I usually spark ideas when I am on the move or when I am traveling. So, I am always writing down ideas and jotting notes down here.

5.     Microsoft Word- This isn’t technically an App, but I copy my drafted blog post from the Notes App into Microsoft Word via iCloud and start editing and revising my blog posts on my computer. I then copy the word document into the blog post on my blog platform.

6.     PicMonkey App- I create all my icons for my story highlights on Instagram with this app. I have a set background color and then I just add on the stickers, that hopefully give some visual cue to what the highlight is about, change the colors to white and upload them to Instagram.

7.     Blogger- This is the platform I use to run and create posts on tallandpreppy.com. This is not the most user friendly and outdated, but, six years ago when I started blogging, the other platforms weren’t as popular. So, I have stuck with Blogger for all of these years even though I should switch. 

If you are a creator, what apps do you use?

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A Birthday Weekend Upstate New York: Finger Lakes Wine Tour

I usually write a very long detailed, and usually sappy post about my trips. But this trip was different. My friends and I had so many laughs and inside jokes, and amazing memories from this weekend that are too sacred to write down.

I wanted to write out our weekend into an itinerary for anyone else that wants to spend a weekend upstate New York for a girl’s trip and tour the wineries on the Finger Lakes.

 

Thursday

5:30 pm: My friends from law school and I met at Hofstra and packed the car and drove 5 hours to Elmira, New York to celebrate Emma’s 23^rd birthday. Happy Birthday Emma!

Friday

12:00 am: We arrived in Elmira and were greeted at Emma’s parent’s house with margaritas.

3:00 am: Bedtime (after many laughs and silly stories).

8:30 am: Breakfast at Emma’s.

10:00 am: We drove to Corning, New York (like from Corningware and Pyrex!) and walked around the town before getting our nails done at Fashion Nails & Beauty Spa.

12:00 pm: We popped into some antique stores (I wanted to buy all the old dishes and cups, but I resisted) and grabbed lunch at Market Street Brewing Co.

1:30 pm: We crossed the river and explored the Corning Museum of Glass’ giftshop. I purchased some Christmas ornaments (because I love Christmas, and these ornaments were handmade in Corning!) 

3:00 pm: The girls and I took a sand blowing class. We took premade glasses (I chose a water glass) and put stickers on it and then took this powerful machine (with the help of the instructors) that had pressurized sand concentrated in a nozzle and shot the sand over our glasses to make them frosted.

4:00 pm: We got ready at Emma’s house for dinner. Trish did my eyeshadow, and I am still mesmerized by how good it looked.

5:00 pm: My friends and I were dropped off at ILL EAGLE, Elmira’s old bank and post office that is now a bar, for a few drinks. 

6:30 pm: Emma’s mom picked us up and drove us to the country club for dinner. I had crispy shrimp and pasta. We sang happy birthday and laughed while our very loud group was tucked away in our private room. 

9:00 pm: We changed into comfy clothes after dinner, and we celebrated Emma’s never-ending birthday with a backyard party with flip cup (I won!) and stack cup (I also won!)!

 

Saturday

8:00 am: We had an early wake up call for our wine tour.

9:00 am: Breakfast was served.

10:00 am: My friends and I got ready together. Trish did my eyeshadow again and it was AMAZING!

10:45 am: We boarded the party bus with our drinks, snacks and bucket hats (that was the theme for the day: colorful bucket hats) and made our way to Lake Seneca. Unfortunately, the ride is a bit windy, and I got a little nauseous.

12:00 pm: We arrived at our first winery: Idol Ridge. Some of the girls did a mimosa flight tasting, I chose my own four wines, which were delicious. The drinks were served with a bag of chips and Cheeky Monkey sauce (which Nicole and I had to buy because it was so delicious) and a piece of fudge. We took pictures with our bucket hats before we boarded the bus again.

1:00 pm: It was a short ride to Wagner Vineyards where we had a private wine tasting around this big bar. The sommelier was very knowledgeable and passionate about the Wagner Vineyard. It was a very interesting tasting. This winery was right on the lake, and it was stunning. The views were the prettiest of the three vineyards we went to. We took pictures on the lake before it started pouring.  

2:00 pm: We had lunch on the bus (we had sandwiches in our coolers) before heading to Hazlitt 1852. This was the most fun winery that we went to. We had a private room with a charcuterie board and our wine. The Red Cat was my favorite wine that we had. After we left the tasting room, we ran across the parking lot in the rain to Oasis, where we were able to order more drinks and take them to a big white tent with picnic tables and corn hole. That is where I had Red Cat in slushie form. I had two of them, and they were delicious.

4:00 pm: We got back on the bus, stopped at a waterfall on the drive home and were home before 5:00 pm.

6:00 pm: I changed and threw on comfy clothes and we sat outside under the covered patio and had a cookout while watching Bridesmaids.

8:00 pm: My friends and I decided to relive our day and watch all the videos we took.

10:00 pm: Bedtime after an action-packed day.

 

Sunday

10:00 am: The cars were packed; we said our goodbyes and thank yous and headed to a diner for breakfast.

12:00 pm: We stopped in Binghamton, New York to go to Wegman’s (which is an amazing food store!) I picked up pimento cheese dip, cheese curds, cannoli dip and chips (MY FAVORITE) and a salad for the car ride.

5:00 pm: We were back at Hofstra where our moms were waiting for us to take us home.

 

This was the best trip ever. It was SO much fun. We laughed and made jokes the entire weekend.

I was a bit skeptical about traveling with this group because we only just met last August. Although we spend so much time together, traveling really brings out people’s true colors. But I am glad to say there was no drama, and clearly my friends are the best humans.

I could cry with how much I love these girls and how lucky I feel to have them in my life.

They are the loudest, smartest and craziest group of women I know, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Can’t wait for our trip next year!

What to Wear to Bars in NYC: The Best Outfit Formula for When you Never Know What to Wear

I am constantly stressed out about what to wear to go to bars in NYC. I have searched high and low trying to figure out what to wear that I feel comfortable and confident in, but also fits in with the other young, ~trendy~ 22-year-olds in Manhattan.

Below is the formula I always gravitate towards for bar nights when I have absolutely no idea what to wear in New York. (Contains affiliate links and links to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale).

 

1.     Pick your bottoms: White flare jeans (white is dangerous for a crowded bar), black skinny jeans, dark flare jeans, black flare jeans, light wash mom jeans or a black skirt. I occasionally wear a cheetah printed skirt or snakeskin skirt.

2.     Pick your top: Black is always a safe bet (like the one I'm wearing above), but I love a good silky cami with lace or a one shoulder top. You also can't go wrong with a bodysuit! Black is sometimes too safe for me, because I love color and detail.

3.     Pick your jacket: If it is cold, or gets chilly at night: a leather jacket is your friend. I love my navy one. But I also have a velour black one and a faux leather black jacket (Nordstrom Sale!). Denim jackets are great too for a more casual scene. I also love to wear my black double breasted blazer.

4.     Pick your shoes: Black booties (Nordstrom Sale!), black ankle strap heels with a chunky heel (Nordstrom Sale!), or a colorful pair of heels with a lace up detail is the move. Or if you’re going to a gross bar- white leather sneakers (Nordstrom Sale!). 

5.     Pick your bag: A small black crossbody (Nordstrom Sale!) is a safe yet classic option for packed bars, but what’s better is a fun feather bag or colorful clutch for a sit-down bar.

48-Hours in East Hampton Travel Guide

Our seventh (?) annual East Hampton girls’ trip was this past weekend.

If you’ve been following me for the past six years, then you know that Michelle, Giorgia, and I are creatures of habit, and we rarely do anything different each summer.

This is always my favorite trip and I look forward to it all year long! There is just something about a girl’s trip to the beach with some of your oldest friends.

Every year we laugh, cry and stay up too late watching crappy tv and talking.

This weekend trip is always one of my most cherished weekends and I hope to do it for the rest of forever.

So here it goes:

Friday night we drove out east. We picked up dinner and alcohol on the way. This time we decided a charcuterie board with wine and fruit was a quick, easy and pretty meal for the hungry folk after a three hour drive.

Saturday, we slept in, and we were disappointed to see the 70-degree temperature on the thermometer and the overcast sky.

So, we sat around, had a long breakfast, played cards and Apples to Apples before deciding to venture to Sag Harbor and get donuts. The donuts from Grindstone were subpar in my opinion. Honestly 4/10, but the views while eating the donuts were 8/10.

We returned to Michelle’s house and sat around the pool, and made really delicious margaritas (1 cup tequila, 1 cup lime juice, 6 cups of ice in the blender=perfect summer drink!)

We then popped open our double bottle of Prosecco and Aperol and made my favorite summer drink: Aperol spritz, before getting ready to go to dinner at Harbor Bistro. (And of course, take our annual family photo!)

For the past couple of years we’ve gone to Harbor Bistro because it is very reasonably priced, the food is delicious, and it is within walking distance to Michelle’s house.

For dinner we had my favorite appetizer: fried calamari. I then had my favorite dish: scallops topped with a French 75 in my hand.

And then we drunk walked home to Michelle’s house before getting in the hot tub.

The stars are so pretty out east. There is no ground light, so the sky really lights up! Make sure you look up at the stars when you’re out in the Hamptons.

 

On Sunday, we got up and were shocked again by the cloudy weather. But we got bagels from Goldberg’s before Michelle convinced us to go to the beach. She had a feeling the weather would be nice. 

Well, we drove to the beach, the weather was not great. I was in a quarter zip sweatshirt, but the clouds cleared eventually, and the very hot sun came out for a couple of hours. I eventually stripped off all my layers to reveal my bikini and lathered on my sunscreen.

I got a little bit of color from the sun until the sun tucked behind the clouds once more, and a long sleeve shirt was required to keep me warm.

It was our sign to head back to Michelle’s. 

We were welcomed back to dinner on the deck with pulled pork and barbeque sides.

We left the Hamptons after dinner, eager to return back next year.

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10 Fun Things to do in Chicago, Illinois

Alex and I spent the week in Illinois visiting his family for the 4th of July. This was my third trip there so I thought I would share some of our favorite things to do when we visit!

1.          Bar crawl in Wrigleyville (This past trip we went to Trader Todd’s- which is a karaoke bar and Old Crow Smokehouse- which has live music in this huge warehouse-like looking space).

2.          Cheer on the Cubbies at a Cubs game (I’ve been to three Cubs game now, and every time they lose).

3.          Spend a day on Lake Michigan (This is what we did on the 4th. Alex’s parents have a boat, so we put the boat in the water at Waukegan Harbor and took the boat to the beach on Lake Michigan and swam around. We then took the boat to a restaurant on the water: Tropics).

4.          Sit, eat, drink and be merry on Chicago Riverwalk (Such a fun way to people-watch both on the walkway and in the river).

5.          Go to a museum: the Chicago Art Institute, the aquarium, the planetarium, or the botanical gardens.

6.          Take an architecture tour in the river (We did this two years ago and it was such a cool way to see the city!)

7.          Find the murals around the city (Alex wanted to kill me last year when I had us drive around on the hunt for all these cool murals).

8.          Shop in Pleasant Prairie outlet mall (so this one is not actually in Illinois, but it is right over the border in Wisconsin. And in Wisconsin there is no sales tax!)

9.          Go to the South Side for Mexican food (Best tacos I’ve ever had!)

10.          Get lost! Wander around and get your steps in!

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