Brunch – Will Bake for Shoes

Outfit
...
- Weekend

Spring Brunch

Posted on March 23, 2015by Brandy Saldana

Watercolor Floral Scarf Express (here) | Dark Denim Chambray Button Down Banana Republic Factory Store (here) | High Waist Pink Mini Skirt Express (similar here) | Eat Cake for Breakfast and Idiom Bangles Kate Spade | Gold Leather Wrap Tassel Bracelet E. Kammeyer Accessories (here) | Chrissy Pink Handbag Kate Spade | Sunglasses Diane von Furstenberg | Rose Gold Bow Wedges Kate Spade via The Real Real | Le Rouge Fuschia Irrestible 205 Lipstick Givenchy (here) | Photos by Chelsea of Chelsea PearlLast Sunday I was invited to brunch with the fabulous founders of Les Mechantes at the Beauty Company on Polk Street in SF. Les Mechantes had taken over the vault, and I along with a few other bloggers had a chance to shop the goodies and get some complimentary beauty services.
The Beauty Company is my favorite place to get a mani/pedi in the Bay Area, but they also offer full on salon services and an array of beauty products to shop from. I wanted to get a bright mani pedi for the first day of Spring last week, and went with a shade of mint called Wet with an accent of a silver glitter called Dimepiece, both by Floss Gloss.
I really wanted a pedicure so I could finally show off my toes in my rose gold Kate Spade wedges I scored from The Real Real at the end of summer last year. These have been sitting in my closet waiting for warmer weather, and this outfit called for some cute sandals. I also took the colors on the scarf into consideration before settling on the turquoise nail polish by Floss Gloss. (I love how well it compliments the rose gold!) As I mentioned in my last post, I have been obsessed with my floral scarf lately and wanted to share another way to style it. It might be featured more often this Spring/Summer along with my Kate Spade cross body bag.
The brunch was fun and I was really glad I had a chance to spend some time with some old and new blogger friends. A special thanks to Chelsea for helping take these outfit shots. Check out her outfit post from our brunch here.
And stay tuned for some fun event recap posts coming to the blog this week.
Until next time!

Cocktails

Brunch for Dinner with ZICO Part 2 – Zico Cocktail Recipes

Posted on October 21, 2014by Brandy Saldana

As part of the Brunch for Dinner with Zico, our Brunch featured some delicious cocktails featuring the new Zico Chilled Juices. The Orange Chilled Juice is perfect paired with champagne for a spin on the classic mimosa, but try out these other delicious, and simple, recipes perfect for any upcoming party!

print recipe

ZICO Sunset in Paradiseby Naked Kitchen October-21-2014Ingredients1 Oz. Gin1 Oz. Sake Nigori2 Oz. ZICO Chilled Pineapple Mango Juice Blend1 Dash of Angostura bitters1 1/2 Oz. Lime Cordial (Recipe Follows)4 Limes, zested and juiced (keep zest and juice seperate)1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar1/2 Cup Boiling WaterInstructionsCombine all ingredients in a shaker, shake with ice, strain and serve in a chilled cocktail glass.
Combine zest and sugar in a mortar and pestle, and grind until sugar resembles wet sand. Add water to dissolve sugar. Strain, chill, and add reserved juice. DetailsPrep time: 8 mins Cook time: Total time: 8 mins Yield: 1 Serving

print recipe

ZICO Spicy Orangeby Naked Kitchen October-21-2014Ingredients1 Oz. Vodka1 Oz. Champagne2 Oz. ZICO Chilled Orange Juice Blend1 Dash of Free Bros Old Fashioned Bitters1/4 Oz. Ginger Syrup (recipe follows)3 T. Grated Ginger1/2 Cup Sugar1/2 Cup WaterInstructionsCombine vodka, syrup, coconut water, and bitters in a shaker. Shake with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass. Top with champagne.Ginger Syrup:
Bring mixture to a boil to dissolve sugar, strain, chill. Makes about 1 cup.DetailsPrep time: 8 mins Cook time: Total time: 8 mins Yield: 1 Serving
Let me know if you try either of these out. My favorite of the two was the Spicy Orange, but I am impressed with how versatile these juices are to work in both a cocktail drink and in a jam! I am thinking of incorporating one in a cupcake recipe, but we’ll see how far I get with that idea. Thanks to +ZICO for hosting this sweet event at the Naked Kitchen in SF!
Hope you are having a great week. Until next time,

Brunch for Dinner with ZICO Part 1 – Coconut Pineapple Jam Recipe

Posted on October 19, 2014by Brandy Saldana

A couple of weeks ago, a couple of my blogger friends and I were invited by Zico to taste their new chilled juice blends and to enjoy Brunch for Dinner. The dinner party was held at the Naked Kitchen in the Mission and featured a delicious menu by head chef Anthony Yang.

For starters, we enjoyed mini beet buttermilk pancakes topped with goat cheese and edible flowers. The presentation of the mini pancakes was really cute and they were in fact tasty.

I sat next to Chanda and Zico Rep. Kelly Curran, and enjoyed the rest of my brunch for dinner talking restaurants with these foodies. The menu for the evening consisted of:
Homemade Coffee Granola with Organic Straus Yogurt, and Coconut Pineapple Vanilla Jam Featuring Zico Chilled Pineapple Mango Juice Blend
Smoked Salmon, Cauliflower Puree, Chopped Capers, Toasted Mini Everything Bagels
Koshihikari Rice Porridge, Poached Egg, Braised Togarashi Pork, Homemade Pickles
Black Truffle Waffles
The food was fantastic! If you are in the Bay Area, you can always check out Naked Kitchen for upcoming events, but for a taste of Anthony Yang’s delectable brunch, you can get more info here. I loved everything, but the two must-haves from the menu are the porridge and waffle dishes. If you don’t live in the Bay Area, but want to get a taste for the menu, I was lucky receive a copy of the recipe used to make the jam in the yogurt in case you would like to try if for your next brunch (or brunch for dinner!)

print recipe

Zico Coconut Pineapple Jam Recipeby Naked Kitchen October-19-2014Ingredients2 Cups plus 2 Tbsp. Zico Pineapple Mango Juice Blend1 Vanilla Bean, Split and Scraped1 Tsp. Agar Agar (or gelatin)1 Tsp. SaltInstructionsBring juice and vanilla bean to a boil. Add agar and whisk in vigorously. Season with salt and immediately cool down mixture in refrigerator. Transfer to blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Serve with yogurt, granola and bits of pineapple and enjoy!DetailsPrep time: 5 mins Cook time: 6 mins Total time: 11 mins Yield: 2 ServingsAs part of the event, we also enjoyed yummy cocktails made with the Zico’s new chilled juices. I’ll be sharing those recipes in my next post, so tuned for Part 2.
Until next time,
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Photos by Ashley Batz

Outfit

April Florals

Posted on April 28, 2014by Brandy Saldana

Denim Chambray Shirt Banana Republic Factory Store, Floral Print Skirt KTR Collection, Pearl and Diamond Statement Necklace Forever 21, Magenta Suede d’Orsay Flats Dolce Vita, Sunglasses Jackie Ohh Ray BansIt feels like forever since I last did an outfit post! While I have had Armando take photos of what I am wearing every other day, I’ve become the biggest procrastinator when it comes to uploading photos and going through them to upload a few. The problem lately is not that Armando takes too many, since I prefer that, but lately he take too many good ones and it becomes hard for me to pick only a few of them. There were at least 4 more photos I could have posted of this outfit but I have really tried to go with a less is more approach with the photos in my posts.
I adored this outfit – just look at how happy I am in it! The floral print skirt is one I’ve had for awhile now and is custom-made by my fashion blogger friend KT from the KTR Collection. This skirt is no longer available on her site, but she does have a lot of other fun clothes in her store and recently reopened her custom-fit shop. I am always looking forward to seeing what else she makes so make sure to check her out! I paired my skirt with a denim chambray button-down I purchased last month from the Banana Republic Factory Store. It is very soft and I don’t know why it took me this long to invest in one. The possibilities seem endless – pairing it with the skirt and pearls make it perfect to go meet some friends for brunch, go shopping or even to go to work (which I did!) My office environment is pretty casual, so something like this is okay for work but I plan to remix the skirt and have it look a little bit more professional.
I love that lately I have been having a little bit more fun with my clothes and being away from the blog for a bit has helped me rediscover that excitement of getting dressed in the morning. I blog to share my creations – whether it is what I styled or decorated – and when it starts to feel like work I start to treat like I would some assignments my day job and (surprise) procrastinate. This weekend I made a huge effort to go through photos from my latest shoots and have a few draft posts waiting for me to just write something. I also have a fun project in the works that I am excited to be sharing with you all soon. It is going to be a series of posts related to one of my favorite designers. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, so that is all you are getting from me for now.
Hope you have had a great weekend and that your week continues to be great!
Until next time,Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Outfit
...
- Weekend

St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on March 17, 2014by Brandy Saldana

Green Blazer Alice + Olivia, Polka Dot Skirt KTR Collection, Ruffle Nude Satchel Steve Madden, Gold Spiked Beatrix Flats Sam Edelman, Cocktail Ring and Bracelets Forever 21, Statement Necklace via Poshmark Photos by Laurelai I was late to a blogger brunch two weeks ago, and I am just now sharing them. Even though the photos are a little late, it feels like it is perfect timing for St. Patrick’s Day thanks to my green blazer. I remixed my polka dot skater skirt from the KTR Collection and pulled the green blazer and polka dot skirt together with the colors of a statement necklace I found thanks to Poshmark. I found it in the closet of Posh user tmoreira and love her classic style.
There has been a lot on my mind as of late, and sometimes I wonder what is important to share on my blog. I’ve been spending a lot of time on Poshmark, by being on the app and by prepping my cover shots of items I want to sell. Nothing in this outfit post is being listed anytime soon, but I am taking a critical look at all of the items in my closet and making the tough choices of letting go of what no longer feels like me anymore. I like that I’ve had success on the app by selling items and making room in my apartment, and I love the community within the app. I know I’ve enjoyed the comments I get on my listings and it feels even better when someone buys something because of how I styled it.
There is a Live Posh Party in the city tomorrow and the last day to RSVP is today! You can RSVP on Eventbrite here. Hope to see you there, or on the app, soon!