Many of us aren’t able to spend the holidays with loved ones in person this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still make memories together!
I’m very excited to share that I’ve offish launched my Society6 shop!!
I’ve found that now more than ever, little moments of self-care throughout the day have a big positive affect on my overall mood.
Needless to say, I think we’re all dealing with high stress levels during this pandemic. With so many of us staying home during this time, I thought I’d share 10 ways I like to de-stress at home when anxiety is running high. Whether it’s a little form of self-care, aromatherapy, or just plain treating yourself, I hope this lists help spark ideas for your own relaxing moments!
What are your 3 makeup must-haves? The products you’d reach for first if you had 1 minute to do your makeup and had to pick faves. For me, it’s mascara, blush, and lippy. They’re my go-to’s whenever I want a quick pick-me-up! I find they make the biggest difference in making my features pop, with just a few swipes. I work from my home office full time, so many days I’m actually completely makeup-free - but on those days when I have an event, photoshoot, or just whenever I feel like having some fun, I’ll apply a full face look. Wanted to share with you the specific products I use and love, and the order I apply them!
I’m not really a believer in the whole green thumb/black thumb theory, where some people are born with natural plant talent and others aren’t.
As you know, I’m a big fan of slow mornings. My routine consists of brewing coffee or tea, enjoying breakfast, and listening to music while I catch up on the news. Then I take a shower and get ready for my day! There are certain mornings however, where taking it slow is just not possible. I’m lucky if I have enough time to throw on an actual outfit before running out the door! One of these mornings took place recently - my friends had taken me out for birthday drinks the night before, so I woke up later than usual. I had a workshop in Venice on the calendar and absolutely no time for coffee or breakfast beforehand, let alone a shower! Problem was, I was on 4-day hair - we’ve all been there, right? I still wanted to look presentable at the workshop but only had a few minutes to spare.
This post was sponsored by Serena & Lily, all opinions expressed are my own - as always!
Do you like to take it slow in the morning, or are you a get up and go type of person? For me, slow mornings are where it’s at. I start my days in the kitchen, where the sun shines beautifully through the windows and covers the whole room in a golden glow. I play my morning music, something happy and optimistic to start the day off right. I light a candle or two, then put the kettle on to make coffee or tea - it’s my favorite lil routine! Heating the water, brewing my bevy, checking out the new growth of my kitchen planties, singing and dancing to my favorite songs.
I absolutely love gift giving, and I’ve found myself being much more intentional with my gift purchases nowadays. I try to think long and hard about what my loved ones will really use and enjoy. What’s something that will enrich their life and won’t end up discarded the week after Christmas? Beautiful products that are made to last and created both sustainably and ethically - that’s what it’s all about! Supporting businesses who care about the environment is important to me, so this year I compiled the ultimate eco-friendly gift guide. I own a good amount of the products on this list myself, and they bring me joy everyday! I encourage you to research these brands yourself, or any brand you plan on buying from this holiday season. Make sure they stand for what’s important to you - whether it’s natural, non-toxic ingredients, fair wages for workers, donations to a good cause made with every purchase, or zero-waste packaging.
Exactly two days ago, Black & Blooms turned 3 years old - and today is my very first day as a full-time creative. Yesterday was my last day working my “9-5” (it was really a 6-3) and I. am. PINCHING MYSELF! Being self-employed has been a dream for so long, it’s absolutely wild to think this day is actually here. I wanted to share my experience over the past few years building my small biz while working a full time job, and give you a sense of how I got here and where I’m hoping to go/grow in the future.
It’s hereeee! The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is the perf time to treat yo’ self. The Early Access portion of the sale is avail right now for Nordstrom card members, and then it opens up to everyone on July 19th! If you’re not a card member no worries - just add faves to your basket now and then head back first thing on the 19th because pieces sell out quick! I rounded up my fave picks to help you find the boho bests - I always enjoy putting together my dream shopping cart of goodies :) Cozy home decor, fab clothing, the cutest shoes and accessories, as well as beauty brands and products I personally love!
California has had a pretty crazy year what with the fires, flooding, and extra rainy winter. But the result of all that is something truly spectacular - a beautiful wildflower super bloom. Right now throughout Southern California there’s a floral explosion happening! Hills, deserts, and canyons are covered in beautiful poppies. It really is magical!
This post was sponsored by Simply Chocolate, all opinions expressed are my own - as always!
It’s no secret I’m a big believer in treatin yo’ self. Taking time for self care is so important, and indulging in things that help you relax and de-stress can have positive impacts on all areas of your life. One of my fave self care rituals is taking a luxurious bath! Add some Godiva chocolates and rosé from Simply Chocolate to the mix, and you’ve got an absolutely heavenly pairing. Keep scrolling for my tips on how to create a dreamy self care bath in your own home.
You bb’s know I love a gift guide! Valentine’s Day is coming up quick and while I def don’t think you need to go cray with the gifts, it’s always nice to get your loved ones a lil somethin’ sweet. Eddie and I seem to do something different every year on v-day! Sometimes we’ve stayed in, other times we’ve gone out to nice dinners - but truth is I think there’s a lot of pressure and expectations that are put onto this one day. So we prefer to just have fun and take it easy, no matter what we do! I rounded up a bunch of cutie patootie lil prezzies that are sure to put a smile on the faces of those you love. Whether you’re going all out for Galentine’s day with your girls, hanging with fam, or planning a date night with your partner - I gotchu covered.
I’m one of those people who will pick a restaurant based on its decor over its food - woops! I just love a beautifully decorated space, what can I say! Lucky for me, some of my fave restaurants in LA happen to not only be gorgeous, but also serve super yummy food. Hallelujah! For this list I kept it to my fave spots near where I live in West Los Angeles, mainly located in Culver City and Venice - my two fave parts of the city. Keep scrolling for all my picks!
I just love gift-giving. In a way it’s a bit selfish of me, because it enables me to do some major shopping minus the guilt that usually comes with buying goodies for myself. No guilt here when it comes to givin prezzies! I had so much fun putting together each of these lil gift guides for the special people on your list. I was really picky with it and only chose things that I would want for myself (kekeke), or already am/would purchase for my family and friends. Hope you enjoy and maybe find some treasures you hadn’t thought to gift before! Happy shopping, bb’s.
A lot of people think that because they live in a small apartment or house, they can’t entertain more than a couple guests at a time. For many small space inhabitants, dinner parties are seemingly out of the question - not enough room at the dining table, if you have a dining table at all. For those of you who’ve been following along here on B&B for a while, you know being dining-roomless was the case for me up until this year. But I’m here to tell you, don’t let small space livin’ discourage you from hosting fab get-togethers! I’m sharing an easy way to host a Friendsgiving or any type of dinner party, whether you have a dining room or not. The answer? Floor seating.
My friends and I are happy hour aficionados, but sometimes it’s nice to skip the bar and have wine time in the comfort of your own home. Do ya feel me? And while I love hosting get togethers at my house, something I don’t enjoy is running around the kitchen preparing food while my guests are in the other room having fun! That’s where Harry & David come in - I’ve partnered with them to show you how to host a fab girls night in, made complete with the yummiest food and drinks from Harry & David Gourmet. It’s a new collection of gourmet fare, created for everyday entertaining with elegance and ease - so you can spend more time with your guests and less time in your kitch! Keep scrolling for all my tips on creating the perf spread.
I am SO excited to announce that the Black & Blooms Print Shop is offish OPEN! This has been my lil passion project for a while now and I cannot wait to share these planty, bloomy, nature-lovin photos of mine with you. My hope is to decorate your casa’s walls with botanical goodness that will put a smile on your face!
If you're like me then you can't resist a good sale sitch, and the big annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is a reaaaaal good one. So many amaze pieces majorly discounted right now, I couldn't resist putting together my dream shopping cart. Whether it's cozy, fringey home decor, natural wooden kitchenware, flowy boho clothing, or swoon-worthy shoes, I've rounded up the best pieces on mega sale that I'm currently coveting. Take a peak and treat yo' self to something cute so I can live vicariously through you! I'll be ordering a few of these pieces myself, hopefully before they sell out - eek! Get 'em while they're hot!
Happy shopping, bb's xoxox
I've wanted a bar cart for a couple years now, but unfortunately we just didn't have the room in our old apartment! When we moved into our new place however, I told myself I would 100% be incorporating a bar cart into the space. So I got to designing, and the above shot is the finished nook :) I wanted to take you through my process of designing this lil space, as well as give you some tips for creating a fun drink zone of your own!
A few weeks ago the super talented Elizabeth Wells came over for a viz to our new casa. It was a lazy Sunday morn and she was nice enough to snap some pics of Eddie and I doofin it up! Even though we still have a ways to go in the decorating/design process, I love how Elizabeth captured the spirit of our lil hobbit home.
Can't believe I'm celebrating my 7th Valentine's Day with Eddie, that curly head bb! We don't go cray on v-day, some years we've even just stayed at home and enjoyed a low-key dinner at our place. But we've been so busy with work and the move to our new house recently, we decided to enjoy a night out this year. I'm not sure where we're going, but Eddie made rezzies somewhere he says is "perfect", so I'm excited kakaka
I have some v exciting news to share with you guys - Eddie and I are moving! We just signed our new lease and the big move in date is in just a few days. Wowza! I absolutely can't WAIT to share our new home with all of you, I have so many ideas for each and every nook already. If you follow me on Pinterest you've probably noticed a flurry of new boards and a million inspo pins in the past couple weeks. But I wanted to take the time to give the place we've called home for the past 5 and a half years a lil love before we set out on our new home adventure. I also dug up some seriously cray pics of our place when we first moved in! So take a walk with me down memory lane, and keep scrolling for a little back story on Eddie and I.
You know I love good picnic sitch! My dear friend Anita Yokota has such a lovely backyard, I couldn't pass up the chance to brekky it up picnic style with her on a recent visit. We wanted it to be festive but not the usual holiday color palette - so we ditched the normal red vibes and instead incorporated lots of rich blues, ivory, plum, pale pinks & peach, and of course, fresh greenery. Also, one word - DONUTS. Keep scrolling to see all the yummy deets!
Don't get me wrong, I loveee shopping for myself - who the heck doesn't? But holiday shopping for other people is my absolute fave. When you find that one special prezzie that you know your loved one is gonna go gaga over - isn't that just the best feeling?! I look forward to doing my gift hunting every year, and always from the comfort of my own home - no crazy malls and Black Friday lines for me plz. So I've rounded up the biggest baddest boho gift guide for all those free spirited, plant loving, decor obsessed babes in your life. This also doubles as my own personal Christmas list, because tbh I want every single thing on here - some things I even already own! Keep scrolling for alllll the treasures, and happy shopping!
Eddie and I hosted our 2nd annual Friendsgiving celebration over the weekend, this time packing 10 people into our lil living room! We had so much fun, and it never felt too crowded - just super cozy, lots of floor pillow loungin'. This year I was super low key with the planning of the table setting. Whereas last year I went out and bought lots of new things (glasses, plates, table runner, punch bowl, candlesticks, etc), this year I didn't buy a single thing other than flowers. I've been trying to declutter our space, and am starting to be really picky about what I bring into our apartment - with a 700 square foot space, there's really no room for random or surplus items that aren't going to be used regularly. I also just recently donated an entire car's worth of things we weren't using anymore to our local Goodwill, and I still have more closets to clear out - eek! So this year I reused a lot of things from last Friendsgiving, but changed a few key elements so that the table still felt new and fresh.
When I first learned of Clean Beauty Collective a couple years ago, I became an immediate fan.