A lifestyle blog for young women dining, shopping, playing & living in the city of Philadelphia.
I talk a lot about things you can do with groups in Philly. But for the years I’ve lived in Philly, there was one event that had been ~on my list~ for ages but I never had the chance to go to… until this summer! My friend Kelly chose the Di Bruno Bros After Hours event for her birthday this year, and my girlfriends and were v excited to be a part of it.
Let’s face it: we’re all busy. Sometimes, getting in those quick get-togethers with friends can be hard, because meeting up at most places in the city can turn into quite an event. While coffee is usually a perfect half hour, 45 minute catch up idea, for those who work a day-time job outside the city (me), there are simply not enough acceptable hours to drink java in the day. In order to help all of us get in a few more casual meet ups with our pals, I’m sharing my five go-to Center City catch up spots (plus a few extra, if you read til the end!).
Looking for a fun girl approved activity for the weekend? Philly’s local Sephora (1714 Chestnut Street) is the perfect place to hang with a girlfriend and get a fresh new look at the same time!
My friend Kenya & I recently stopped by Sephora for some Sunday afternoon makeovers. Sephora offers a few different options for makeup applications at their Beauty Studio (the stand in the middle of the store), each with a different minimum purchase. If you’re going on the weekend as we did, I recommend making an appointment a day or two before, either over the phone or at the store. You might also be interested in this Sephora Gift Card if you ever want to stop by and treat yourself.
We chose the Customized Makeup Application. We were each seated in chairs at the Beauty Studio and began to chat with our own Beauty Expert (the Sephora makeup artists) about what we were looking for.
After our chat, our Beauty Experts were off – hustling around the store to find products they wanted to try on us. Once they were finished selecting, it was time to get started! We went through skincare (a quick cleanse & tone), primer, foundation, concealer, powder, bronzer, blush, eyebrows, lips & of course, the eyes! As they worked their makeup magic, our Beauty Experts answered each & every question Kenya & I had. They talked over our specific problem areas & enhanced our best features – while showing us how to recreate the techniques at home.
I had asked to stay neutral on my eyes, but my Beauty Advisor tried to break me out of my shell with a deep green/blue eyeliner from Urban Decay. After telling her I had never tried orange blush before, she found me a gorgeous shade that worked super well with my skin. It was great to be taken outside the box with my makeup options.
After about an hour of being pampered & learning about makeup, we were finished!
Kenya & I were both very happy with our makeovers. I walked out with an the Urban Decay liner, Anastasia Brow Wiz (hello – I’ve never done anything to my eyebrows before!), Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, and a new foundation brush. Some of Kenya’s items were out of stock at the store, so Sephora gave her a Free Shipping coupon for the website. I love that!
I think I will definitely be back for my foundation and concealer (and mascara, and blush, and lipgloss . . .), but I needed to spread out my purchases a little bit. Thanks to my Beauty Expert Haneefah – you were great!
Here is a little more of my finished face in the light of Anthropologie soon after.
The makeovers were a great experience. I highly recommend the service if you need a new look for an important night out (like your birthday!) or just want to learn more about the whole wide world of makeup! You can get more information about the Sephora Beauty Studio on their website.
What are some of your favorite beauty products or techniques? I’d love to hear them! xx
I was really trying to hold myself to a blog every other day, but it seems the holidays let that get away from me. Here are some of my favorite moments during the time I spent in South Jersey during the my favorite season!
Christmas Eve is becoming one of the best days of the year for me. My sister & I get to exchange our gifts, we go to a great party with good friends, and finish it off with the 10pm candlelight church service. This year, Lindsay got me a massage at AVA Wellness, and I can’t wait to use it! Nonetheless, I planned on giving her a gift that would be meaningful to her. I started with many ideas like giving her a dress, or maybe a hairstyling accessory, or an antique silver Victorian mug that would make her morning coffee more enjoyable. However, by the time I had to finalize the gift, I was still struggling with what I should get her.
Anyway, my dress that you can see in the picture (which looks gorgeous) is the Harlow Faux Wrap Dress by Kiyonna from a fabulous new rental service I am trying out, Gwynnie Bee. If anyone would like a review of their service, let me know!
Let us move forward with the topic of Christmas. On Christmas morning, my family & I opened gifts, made a yummy breakfast, laughed, and spent some wonderful quality time with each other. Don’t let this photo of the sleeping Ellie fool you, she was a maniac with all of the wrapping paper and boxes on the floor. One of my favorite gifts was presented like this (a stunning photo of the Trunchbull courtesy of my mom) … tickets to see Matilda on Broadway!
Christmas dinner was delicious and fun as usual. My Aunt Edie is a Pinterest pro and she makes the most amazing apps & drinks from recipes she finds there. This is her second time whipping up some sangria, and it was awesome. We finished dinner with a celebratory Christmas shot of Three Olives Chocolate, and let’s just say, I’ve found a new Three Olives vodka to add to my existing stash of Cherry.
During the rest of my time at home, we had more lovely get-togethers with friends. One night, our family friend Stephanie brought over her 3 boys. We got them K’nex Lego toys for Christmas, and it took me approx 1.5 hours to finish the above beauty. #icanthaveaboy
We also enjoyed our time with our neighbors during our annual get together. Our “Chinese Auction” is always the most fun, and to my surprise, the hottest gift this year was Chuey, a stuffed Chihuahua that sings La Bamba (which Jordan got me as a gift once… and I might have put him in the donation pile last month… and my mom might have taken him out for this game… and Jordan was the one to open him. Oops.).
Here is Chuey, if you were wondering:
How were your holidays? To everyone in the city of Philly, hope you’re enjoying this rainy snow-ish day! 🙂
