hola! bonjour! nin hao!

Have you seen these videos for ef.com? It makes me want to travel around the world, immerse myself in the culture, make friends, learn a language...just generally expand my horizons.

While I love the one from Paris, my favorite has this one from Barcelona {I may be biased since I studied in Spain}. You can also check out the videos promoting London and Beijing.

EF - Live The Language - Barcelona from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

sweet dreams

Remember when I briefly shared my ill-fated trip to Copenhagen with you? Well, one of the places that was on my list to visit was Malmo, Sweden - just a quick 42 km away. Malmo is home to one of my fave bands, The Radio Dept. {you may recognize their music from Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette}.

And now, Malmo is home to one of my favorite bloggers - Linda from Call Me Cupcake! Linda creates and shares the most delicious-looking treats - cakes, cupcakes, macarons - and presents them in ways that are absolutely to-die for.

Wouldn't it be lovely to fly out to explore Denmark and Sweden and bake with Linda? Oh. My. Gosh. Talk about a sweet dream.

Check out this gorgeous birthday eye candy from Linda. Absolute perfection. Friends, family, fiance - take note for next year's birthday fete.

frohe weihnachten

When I was in high school, I went on a whirlwind trip through Europe one summer and was lucky enough to visit seven countries in three weeks. One of my top spots was in Germany - Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Rothenburg is this picture-perfect Medieval town full of history {and, consequently, tourists}. It's home to a beautiful church, a gorgeous city square, the Medieval Crime Museum {complete with torture devices and an impressive collection of chastity belts} and my personal favorite : the Kathe Wohlfahrt store. The store has the most amazing collection of Christmas treasures I've ever seen and it had me wishing of a Bavarian Christmas, especially since it was the middle of a hot and sticky summer.

The other day, my 1,000 Places to See Before you Die calendar surprised me with this:

Although it's not Rothenburg and the Kathie Wohlfahrt store, Nuremberg's Christkindlmarkt has me adding a trip to Germany to my Christmas list for next year. Anyone have an in with Santa? I've been a very good girl this year...

the road less traveled

It's no surprise that I love to travel, as evidenced here, here and here. So when I discovered Backroads Travel, I got so excited. I'm not really a fan of organized travel or anything where I'm on someone elses' schedule (I prefer to make my own), but this company receives good reviews, even if they are a little pricey.

Backroads specializes in off-the-beaten-path tours of some amazing countries that offer the opportunity to be active and explore destinations in new ways.

Ever wanted to hike the Amalfi Coast?

~image courtesy of trip atlas~

How about bike your way through Bhutan?

~image courtesy of adventure collection~

You may, like me, have a Cambodian adventure on your list of things to do before you die. Check it out and check it off.

~image courtesy of siem reap driver~

Backroads also has exploration packages that take you out and about in the U.S. and Canada.

This company is definitely on my list of things to try out.

Where does your active adventure take you?

smitten kitten | pestañas perfectas

I've been obsessed with making my lashes fuller and longer since I can remember.

When I was in college (go, Devils!),  I spent a summer studying in Spain. At the end of an amazing experience full of food, friends and fantastic places, my instructor passed out handmade cards with a label that identified us. Mine was pestañas perfectas - perfect eyelashes. It was fitting since I wouldn't leave my room to go on a run without first applying mascara.

In an effort to be sure my eyelashes always look bold and beautiful, I've tested a lot of eyelash curlers and even more mascaras and came up with the perfect combination.

Eyelash curler
Shu Uemura has the quintessential curler. It gives the best curl with the least amount of effort. Be sure to always curl first before you apply mascara. If you apply your mascara first then curl, you run the risk of pulling out or otherwise damaging your eyelashes.

Mascara
My favorite mascara isn't one of those pricey department store brands. I thought about it, and I've spent a pretty penny on some (those suckers can cost upwards of 35 bucks!), but I always came back to the less expensive drug store brand. My choice : Maybelline's Volume Express line.

My absolute fave is their newest incarnation called The Falsies (waterproof, please).

A few coats of this and my eyes have that wide-open look framed by thick, glossy, long, luscious lashes. Sure, they're not the look of actual false lashes, but they're pretty dang close.  And while it is a waterproof formula, it's easily removed with my favorite eye-makeup remover.

I'm also considering taking a deeper look at some of those growth serums on the market. Specifically, the ones that are available at a department store or the mecca of makeup, Sephora, and don't come with warnings about permanent iris discoloration or blindness.

I may be obsessed, but I'm not crazy.

Stay tuned for reviews!

Update : Well, lookie here! Sephora just sent me an email with this link. Someone's been reading my mind...

ruffled feathers

Do you ever get those little sparks just before you doze off at night? You know, those intrusive thoughts that take you from just nearly asleep to fully awake in a blink?

That happens to me pretty frequently, mostly about work-related things. But the other night, I was jolted awake by the thought of this

I've seen this clutch making its way around the web and I have to admit I really liked it...until I woke up thinking : I love it! I must have that clutch!

And so, in a few short days it will be mine, straight from the UK.

It also comes in grey and black

a little something extra : free shipping to the U.S. and Canada! It's a promotional offer and I didn't notice an expiration date, so if there's something you want from asos (and they've got some awesome stuff), get it now!

UPDATED : looks like they are also covering the cost of import duties on shipping to the U.S. Hooray!

copenhagen haven

As I mentioned here, I traveled to Copenhagen a few years ago. I was so excited visit a totally new country and region. I did so much research to create my list of must-sees and must-dos. That list still exists and when I get a chance to go back, I'll make sure to check off each one (with photos!).

Until then, I can travel there on the Internet.

A few things I was most excited about checking out were the Scandinavian fashion and design. Clean, modern, personal and functional.

First up, a look at the fashion.

~the shoes, the scarf, the coat... utter perfection~

~do you think men in the U.S. will be rocking this look in winter?~

~i need to recreate this look. stat.~

~camel is the color for fall~

all images courtesy copenhagenstreetstyle.dk

Clean, modern lines serve as inspiration for the quintessential Scandinavian home. Let's take a tour, shall we?

~bright white kitchen~

~look at those chairs!~

~pad along the hallway to a lovely bedroom~

~bright and beautiful~

all images courtesy of emmas.blogg.se

wanderlust

Every year or so, I get a major case of wanderlust. Don't get me wrong, I want to travel all the time, but when wanderlust hits, it's almost uncontrollable and must be satisfied right away. The only thing that cures it is an international trip. Not just one to Mexico or Canada, but a real, honest-to-goodness getaway, complete with a researched list of must-sees, must-dos and must-eats, a lengthy airplane ride, a camera and foreign funds.

My last trip took me on a solo tour of Copenhagen (or at least, that was the plan). I got really ill and only managed to drag myself out of the hotel and hospital for one day. But it was enough to make me want to come back and explore more.

~my hotel, the avenue~

~the courtyard view from my room~

~city hall square~

~tivoli gardens~

Some of my friends are currently in Europe, and can I tell you? I'm so jealous. With work and wedding planning taking priority, my next international excursion will have to wait. So, while I'm trapped inside the oven that is an Arizona summer, my friends are galavanting around, eating, drinking, discovering. On the plus side, I get to live vicariously through their photos. And there are plenty of great shots to share, so if you try really hard, you can imagine yourself there with them.

Thanks to my dear friend Ziggy for taking us to Switzerland, Italy and Greece!

~chateau de chillon at lake geneva in switzerland~

~picture perfect swiss street~

~true french macarons~

~the italian coast~

~pizza umbertos in italy~

~santorini. looks like a postcard, non?~

~authentic gyro. yum!~

~just like heaven~

What country is currently calling your name?