Mid-Summer Travels & A Tropical Storm! - Dominican Republic

All this Hurricane Sandy business has taken quite the effect on the public. Subway and busses were shut down Saturday evening, as well as bridges, tunnels, schools, and universities (horay!). My boyfriend kindly invited me to his place to whether the storm, so I cleaned up my apartment, locked the windows, and packed a bag for the next day or two. I was surprised (though maybe I shouldn't be?) to see that the gas station was out of gas! It must be serious then.

Amidst all of the fuss, the panic reminded me of my trip to Dominican Republic last summer, while I was caught in a tropical storm by the beach...on a horse. I had gone down there with a friend on vacation and we thought it would be fun to go horseback riding by the beach.

And it was a ton of fun! Until the clouds started stirring, and the sky got darker and darker, and the wind picked up quite a bit.

We stopped for a little bit so the horses could take a rest and we took a few photos. The horses didn't seem to be phased by the quickly changing weather.

We really noticed the problem when we were a mile or so away from the stables, and the tide rose higher and higher. We hid in a little hut to get out of the rain for a while.

As the storm picked up, we decided that it was time to try to make it back to the stables and back to the resort. So we galloped through the rain on the beach, in the pouring rain and super strong winds. I lost a contact on the way back- absolutely terrifying. Thank goodness I know how to ride, or that would've been awful. There were a few people who have never ridden before- she had quite the first experience!

 Stay safe everybody! What are your storm stories?

Outfit of a Friday

Happy Friday everyone, it was a beautiful, crisp october day:

• Sweater: Express (last year)
• Leggings: J Crew Signature Legging
• Bag: Longchamp (Nordstrom)
• Belt: BCBG Pyramid Stud Toggle Waist Belt 
• Flats: Guiseppe Zanotti
• Watch: Michael Kors Slim Runway (Nordstrom)

Leggings, Lipstick, & Laduree

It's been quite an exciting week, starting off with the second round of presidential debates taking place on campus! Unfortunately I was not selected in the lottery to attend the event, but that didn't take away from the excitement on campus. News stations were set up everywhere, streets were blocked off, and security was highest I've ever seen. It's not every day that the President is in town. Due to class cancellations for the debates, I've been doing a bit of running around, and I thought I'd share a few tidbits of my days:

Nordstrom Blazer

Nordstrom Frenchi "Girlfriend" Tee

J Crew Signature Leggings

H&M scarf

Michael Kors "Slim Runway" Watch

Giuseppe Zanotti flats

Abercrombie & Fitch Sweater

Urban Outfitters BDG cigarette jeans

Target Boots

Longchamp Le Pliage Large

Then I went to Lord&Taylor. I don't frequent this store, but I always find great deals when I do. The Friends & Family sale was going on, 25% off almost everything in the store, and 10% off cosmetics! I was super excited, as cosmetics almost never go on sale anywhere. I picked up a matte velvet lip pencil; Cruella//NARS, and the Dolce Vita//NARS lipstick.

And I went to MAC, and bought two more lipsticks...

From left to right, Dolce Vita//NARS, Dark Side//MAC, Ruby Woo//MAC

This is Cruella//NARS, the matte velvet lipstick pencil. In comparison with the Ruby Woo, it's not as bright. Ruby Woo is more of a blue-based red. In other words, Ruby Woo makes one's teeth look whiter and brighter than the Cruella. Both are gorgeous though.

When I had lunch with a friend of mine, she brought me these macaroons from Laduree. They are, hands down, the BEST macaroons/desserts ever. Light but flavorful, they are perfection.

And there's no better way to end a hard week full of exams than a great candle and some fresh flowers (hydrangeas). The candle is Gardenia//Henri Bendel.

Happy October- Outfit

Welcome to October! My favorite month of the year. The changing season is so beautiful, and it's the proper season for PUMPKIN flavored dishes- my favorites being lattes and pumpkin pie! ( something I'll be baking in the next few days). 

Here's an outfit-of-the-day:

Top: Ruched longsleeve//Kenneth Cole (from two winters ago)

Pants: Express cropped dress pant (from 3 winters ago)

Scarf: H&M (last fall)

Watch: Michael Kors "Slim Runway"

Bag: Longchamp Le Pliage mini in black

Earrings: oversize pearls from Forever 21 (last year)