Something old, something new

Lovely cupcake cards from one of my favorite stores, Paper Source. A nice handwritten note has become too underrated these days, and I'm grateful that my mom brought me up to always write a thank you card. I can't wait to use these!

Sweet treats from a bakery in the northwest. I walked by on a random stroll and couldn't pass them up.

Pad See Ew - my all-time favorite Thai dish. I think I could eat it every day for the rest of my life and never tire of it.

(Photo credit: www.revolveclothing.com)

A cute bikini that will be in my possession tomorrow or Tuesday! Since we're honeymooning in a tropical place, I thought it might be time to stock up on some new swimwear. (Tigerlilly Jaelle bikini in Viper, $140)

Places and Spaces: Part 1

I thought for a new segment on my blog, I could show and talk about a few cool places around the city since I'm still exploring it myself. Plus I'm hoping the incentive of using information for my blog will help me throw my antisocial problems to the side and get out and do stuff.

I'll just let you know right now that probably all of my posts are going to be about food, and this one is no exception.

So, here's my week in food:

This big, beautiful mound of bread and cheese and goodness is from Old Town Pizza in downtown PDX. It has an old saloon-type feel to it (pretty much like Old Spaghetti Factory without that weird smell) and serves some of the best pizza around. You can choose your own toppings, or order one of their creations already on the menu. Tonight, my fiance and I went for a basic cheese with tomato sauce, topped with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and garlic cloves. AH-MAZING. I don't think either of us spoke to each other, much less at all, the entire dinner because we were so busy stuffing our faces. I reeked of garlic the next day, but who cares. It was delicious.

I should also forewarn you that a lot of my posts in this segment may be about alcohol. Am I an alcoholic? The jury's still out on that one. But do I like a cool cocktail? Yes. The drink pictured above is probably the only margarita I will ever drink. It's called the Fire 'Rita, from a place called Salvador Molly's. This delicious drink contains tequila infused with jalapenos and is one of the spiciest drinks I've ever had. Definitely don't get it to cool your mouth down after some spicy food.

And here we have a delicious cocktail called The Shakespeare at another downtown joint called Huber's. It is a fine dining restaurant with a bar section around the corner. This place is known for their Spanish Coffees and do a special show involving fire and lots of alcohol tableside. It's pretty incredible to watch, so if you ever get a chance and are in town, check them out. I avoided the blackout that a Spanish Coffee would have given me, and went with my drink, The Shakespeare. It had Grand Marnier, coffee, Bailey's and some other delicious-ness. Huber's is a great place to go on a date night, or a night out with friends - just secure a designated driver because those drinks are strong.

And last but not least, fried okra from Screen Door in NE Portland. This tiny restaurant has some seriously delicious southern food. They don't take reservations and their wait time can get up in the hours, so get there early! Not a ton on the menu for vegetarians, but you can definitely get by with their delicious mac and cheese, salads and other various sides. My fiance got the beef brisket, which he said was the best he'd had in a long time. We got the fried okra as an appetizer at the behest of a friend of ours who joined us for dinner and said it was incredible. And boy was it. Served with a creamy remoulade, it was the perfect appetizer and felt inherently southern.

Product Rave: NARS Larger Than Life Long Wear Eyeliner

NARS is a fantastic make up line - probably one of the best and more expensive lines out there. For their Holiday 2011 collection, they released several new shades to their Larger Than Life liner, which promises a 12-hour staying power. As a brown-eyed girl, I love wearing a purple eyeliner to make my eye color pop a bit. Their new shade, St. Mark's Place, is a bright and vivid violet.

What I loved about this product: great color, doesn't smudge, and it looks like a subtle eyeliner until you're all up close and personal and then you can see the bright purple.

What I hated about this product: difficult to apply (requires a lot of tugging on the delicate eye skin)

Bottom line: I don't know if I'll re-purchase this. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On eye pencils are much better, more affordable, and smooth on like butter.

I'm a Poser

Lame title, huh? Even lamer when you find out exactly what I'm talking about. If you're at all into clothes and beauty, check out the app Pose! for iPhones. It's this cute app somewhat like Instagram where it allows you to take and edit photos to put in their photo stream. You can snap a picture of whatever outfit, purse, makeup, or hair accessory you're wearing, loving or seeing out and about and post it there for other fashion lovers to see/rate/comment on.

I love this app because if I see someone's adorable outfit, I can just tap on the picture and it tells me what brand it is so I can look it up for myself. Which is both a blessing and a curse for people who have shopping problems aka me.

If you already have a Pose account, come follow me at: jilldarling.

Hellooooo 2012!

The last few months have been really hectic for me, what with traveling for Christmas and doing some crazed wedding planning while I was home. This same excuse will probably be used in the future in reference to my obvious lack of blogging. A girl's gotta have a life, ya know? Even if that life consists of watching crime TV shows on Netflix and drinking wine from Target the second I get home from work until I fall asleep.

Here's a quick update on some of my new material (because there's no better kind) possessions I have obtained in the last few weeks.

Any girl who isn't nail polish obsessed isn't a girl to me. Butter London makes this fabulous shade on the left called No More Waitey Katey ($15), which they released after William & Kate got engaged. It was really hard to get ahold of for a while, but since that whole royal wedding thing where a girl gets to become a real life princess (not fair), the shade has finally become available to most people. Deborah Lippmann polishes ($14) are also a favorite. The shade on the right, Bad Romance, is a rich purple with chunky red glitter. Many glitter polishes end up being sheer, but these two are both really opaque, which makes them very easy to both apply and remove.

My babies!! I got a gift card this year for Nordstrom and knew exactly what I was going to use it on. I've wanted a pair of Tory Burch flats for years now, but never wanted to splurge the $200 minimum for a pair. The patent leather offers a classic black ballet flat that can be worn with every day clothes for a little glamour, or dressed up to perfectly complement a chic evening outfit.

My Xmas manicure: OPI's Mod About You, a creamy pink and an unknown OPI glitter polish that my manicurist happened to have on hand. Turned out quite festive!

I love the look of colored tights. These wine colored tights from Gap are the perfect opaque-ness and add a fashionable and girly flair to any outfit. And check out my awesome shoes! I snagged these at Target just before Christmas for $24. I love finding cool shoes and bags at Target, because of how affordable but well-made their products end up being.

While I'm on I thought I'd post a quick outfit of the day. Again we have my sparkly Target flats, some Goldsign jeans I got when I interned for them in 2009, an embellished striped tank from Nordstrom and a chartreuse Halogen cardigan.

Gift Guide for Guys

Ah! I keep falling so behind on my blogging! I've got finals coming up, so as soon as those are over I think I'll have a lot more time.

Since I seriously contemplated being a personal shopper for a while after college, I pride myself on my ability to choose a good gift. As part of my holiday series here on my blog, I'm going to start off with what to get the guy (dad, brother, cousin, boyfriend/husband, friend, etc) in your life.

1. The Art of Shaving Proglide Power Shave Set ($150). If you're not familiar with The Art of Shaving products, make yourself familiar with them. These top of the line shaving and skin care products for men are truly a fabulous gift for any business professional in your life.  (photo cred: www.theartofshaving.com)

2. Echo Smartpen Livescribe ($99 for 2GB). Brother in med school? Husband works as a lawyer? Get them this! This gift doesn't have to be gender specific, either, any girl I know would be happy to receive one of these. This pen is a very unique device! It functions as an audio recorder, and also automatically records your written notes. Later, when you choose to go back to your notes, simply tap on a word (for example: "piriformis" if you were studying anatomy) and your pen will immediately skip to the part of the lecture you recorded where that word was mentioned. Aside from that amazing attribute, it also has a language translator, a piano option, and numerous other characteristics. This pen is ideal for a student, but would also be great for any working professionals who want to record meetings, affidavits, transcribe interviews, anything! (photo cred: www.staples.com)

3. Lululemon Menswear. Anyone who knows me knows how obsessed I am with Lululemon. Their workout attire is nothing short of perfection - it hugs every curve and sucks in the areas you may not want on display.  While their women's collection is extensive, their men's stuff is finally starting to catch up. Great workout shirts, boxer briefs, jackets and accessories. If any of the men in your life are fitness junkies, this is an excellent gift for them. Another awesome thing about Lulu? Their shipping is ALWAYS free. (photo cred: www.lululemon.com) I honestly cannot say enough good things about this company - quality items, friendly and helpful staff, free shipping for online purchases? Doesn't get any better than that!

4. Beer Brewing Classes. Prices will vary on this type of gift, based on the seriousness of the beer brewing. If the guy in your life loves a great microbrew or local beer, this is an awesome gift for him! Many breweries offer brewing classes that allow your guy to learn the basics of what goes into a proper brew. Plus it helps that they offer beer tastings along the way. Purchase a class for him and one of his friends, or for the two of you if you're someone who enjoys the drink as well. (photo cred: www.groupon.com)

Outfit of the Day: Thanksgiving!

I've never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving until this year. Something about working full time makes you crave any vacation you get. And since I'm in scrubs five days a week, getting dressed up on days off is a lot more fun. Without further ado, here's my outfit today!

Here's my outfit in full and I'll break each piece down for you. I know it's blurry. This is what I get for asking my fiancé to take a picture of me - guys just do NOT get it. We soon got into an argument over his lack of knowledge on how to take pictures of shoes...seen next.

Some people aren't fans of tights with open toe shoes, I don't mind it all that much, especially if the tights are really opaque. I also think it looks fun with colored tights, but that's just me. These are some seriously uncomfortable Steve Madden booties I bought a few years ago. I never wear them because of how uncomfortable they are. I seriously can't stand in them for more than a minute or two, and eventually lose all circulation in my toes. But, and you have to agree, they looked cute with my outfit. I also love the bows on the sides - they make ankles look tiny and add a very feminine flare.

This photo isn't quite as good because I took it myself. This was, of course, after the argument on how the fiancé couldn't take good pictures of shoes. This wasn't the skirt I had planned to wear, but I was forced into it because the one I had originally purchased yesterday didn't fit me at all. Literally, I zipped it up and it fell right off of me - I think it was a factory issue or was mislabeled. I do love this skirt, though, the slightly worn tribal-esque pattern is very fun and I'm a huge fan of that sort of dusty lavender/mauve color. The elastic waist band makes it easy to wear up high or with a top tucked in or out. I got this skirt in the Brass Plum section of Nordstrom's earlier this year.

This is one of my favorite tops ever. Ella Moss makes some incredible clothes - soft materials, girly and casual designs, everything she makes is lovely. I wear this top anytime I want to be comfy but chic. The lace panels on the shoulders is really delicate and pretty and the shirt itself is made from the softest material ever. I wore it for some of the engagement photos we took this summer.

Ahhh the jewels. My favorite part of any outfit. These are my Lisa Taubes chain link necklaces, sold here. I have them in varying lengths in both rose gold and silver, which I generally wear together because I quite like mixed metals. These necklaces are so delicate and sweet and dress up any outfit. 

And my second favorite part - the nail color! It's been so dreary out lately that I thought a fun, bright color would really cheer me up. This is Essie's Turquoise and Caicos, a milky turquoise shade. Since I have to have a glitter nail, I threw on OPI's Silver Shatter on the ring finger for a little sparkle. This isn't an every day color, at least not for me, but it sure is fun every once in a while!

What were your outfits this Thanksgiving?