Travel Destination: The Jungfraujoch

I never thought a location could insight a spiritual experience in me. Yes, a place of worship is a place for people to experience the divine and feel a connection with something bigger than themselves, but, I never felt that before inside a church.

Have you ever visited a place that you felt a spiritual connection to?

As soon as I stepped off the Jungfraubahn, set my feet down on the Sphinx observation deck, and looked out onto the Alps; I can genuinely say that something inside of me felt, in a sense, closer to God. As I looked out onto the massive white peaks, felt the cold wind whip against my face and looked down, onto the clouds I felt a connection to something more.

The Jungfraujoch is a saddle in the Bernese Alps and is affectionately called the "Top of Europe" by locals and tourists alike. The only way to access the saddle is on a cog railway serviced by the Jungfraubahn, the highest in a series of collaborating rail stations. When Mr. M and I were planning our honeymoon to Paris, we knew we wanted to visit Switzerland. When we were planning our trip we made sure to include a stop in Grindelwald so we could journey up to the Top of Europe.

To reach the top you need to take two trains. The first, Grindelwald to Klein Scheidegg. The second, from Klein Scheidegg to the Jungfrau. The journey on the trains alone is something that will strike awe in some of the most seasoned travelers. The train tracks themselves are exceptional marvels of engineering.

We sat there, in awe, as the train chugged up, and through the steep mountain, climbing above the thick clouds. During the ride the conductor allowed skiers off at any point to journey down the mountain. The higher you climb, the less and less people, chalets and skiers you see. The face of the Eiger looms above you, showing her jagged edges like badges of honor.

The first stop at Kleinn Scheidegg is a place to switch trains, grab a drink (or two) and enjoy the bustling ski hub. Several lifts meet at Kleinn so you will encounter dozens and dozens of winter sports enthusiasts. The next train, Jungfraubahn will stop at observation spots carved out of the rocks of the Alps. With each and every chug you feel the effects of the altitude but it is all worth it when you reach the top. You can spend several hours there just exploring. They even have an ice palace built deep inside the mountain.

Summer Makeup Musts

Summer makeup brings me so much joy. 

OH THE PACKAGING! 

Have you seen the new Tom Ford summer collection? Gorgeous. 

In the summer I like to change my routine to include more sun protection focused, lighter products. Full coverage in the summer goes way out the window because of a wonderful genetic gift that I have...

Face Sweat.

Chunks of foundation streaming down the sweat beads on my face just isn't a good look. Not good at all.

The products I've listed below help me get a bronzy, beachy glow. They are lightweight, breezy and easy. I'm always interested in seeing what other products people love to use in the summer. Send your product recommendations my way!

A. Clinique Chubby Highlighting Stick: I actually use this before any foundation products and right after my moisturizer. I drag it along all of the high points of my face and then blend my foundation over it. I think it adds a nice "inner glow" look.

B. Hourglass Hyleronic Skin Tint: This is my new obsession. I use this as my summer foundation. It is a nice texture AND has SPF in it. It is so easy to blend I can do it with my fingers. Plus, there is hyleronic acid in this product. If you don't know much about hyleronic acid - it increases skins firmness. It's lovely.

C. Nars Laguna Bronzer: Perfect, not-too-orange bronzer to give my face a summer glow. I brush this all over the places the sun hits my face. Liberally. Very liberally. #pastyfacesunite

D. Laura Mercier Pressed Setting Powder: I use this to set everything. I like the compact over loose powder in the summer because it is portable. Pesky face sweat needs touch ups during the day.

E. Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick - Color is Beloved. Gives my lips a wonderful coral punch!

F. Sephora Rouge Gel Lip Liner: In Cashmere Pink. This is a wonderful creamy base for the liquid lipstick. It prevents dryness and makes the application super smooth.

G. Sephora Colorful Cheek Ink Gel: In the summer I LOVE a gel blush. It adds so much more luminosity to the face.

H. Benefit High Beam: Another liquid cheek and face product that give a MEGA highlight. This one will make your cheeks look wet. Again, love this for summer.

I. Marc Jacobs Gel Eye Crayon: This one has is long lasting. I try and do minimal eye makeup in summer to stay fresh looking. Sometime I just smudge this on the lower lash line, add mascara and go!

J. Tarte Mascara: This is a great mascara all year round. Plus, it's supposed to grow your lashes!

A Storybook Themed Baby Shower

Who doesn't love a baby shower?

I mean... all of those clothes, an excuse to drink mimosas, an afternoon with friends and usually some fabulous food. My best friend, who I wrote about here, is about to have her first child. It's a little boy and we chose a storybook theme for the shower. I was so, so sweet. Here is a peek into that wonderful day.

Roasting Sunchokes!

What the heck is a sunchoke you ask?

Definition: It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1.5–3 metres (4 ft 10 in–9 ft 10 in) tall with opposite leaves on the lower part of the stem becoming alternate higher up. The leaves have a rough, hairy texture and the larger leaves on the lower stem are broad ovoid-acute and can be up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long and the higher leaves smaller and narrower.

In other words, it's delicious. 

For those of you who haven't eaten one before, when cooked, they taste very similar to a potato impregnated by an artichoke. Quite fabulous. I had been completely neglecting my sunchoke consumption until I read that post. So, as I entered Whole Foods later that day, I was on high alert for sunchokes.

DIY: Hand Painted Wooden Spoons!

Want to give your house a little spring refresh? How about some hand painted wooden spoons that you can pop in a pitcher with some fresh flowers.

Simple and Pretty!

I had purchases a bunch of wooden spoons a while back and had some Martha Stuart paint on hand. I figured...why not try out some hand painted wooden spoons. 

This project was super easy and would make a cute hostess gift if you are attending any dinners in the near future. Here is how I did it:

Supplies:

Wooden Spoons

Acrylic Paint

Sponge Brushes

Tape (optional)

Directions:

Grab your wooden spoons and supplies. Line your work surface with newspaper or paper bags to account for any dripping. You only need a small amount of paint for this so I recommend just squirting a small amount on your workspace and dipping your sponges as needed.

If you want your lines to be precise, I would tape each spoon to section off the area's you want to paint. I didn't mind if it looked a bit uneven so I just did it by hand. All you need to do is dip your sponge in paint and lightly drag it along each spoon.

Once you have painted all of your spoons, let them dry for a couple hours. Once they are fully dry, feel free to display, gift, or stir!

The Look For Less: Classic Trench

Another Madewell dupe for you! I think I might actually run out and grab this H&M trench. Classic staple for Spring and Fall. Also, great thing about H&M. If you order online, free returns in store on anything!!

xx

Jeans, Top and Trench