Cali Cranberry

Alcohol may not be good for you, but having fun is! We all need to let loose every once in awhile and having drinks with friends is fun! However, alcohol should be considered a “treat” and is to be consumed in moderate amounts. When possible, try to choose cocktails that contain the least amount of sugar, calories and chemicals. I am always trying to come up with alternative mixers because I hate compromising taste (or fun!) for health! 

Here is one of my 4th of July recipes; 'Cali Cranberry.'

Pelloegrino-sparkling 

Pure cranberry juice-unsweetend

Stevia drops-dilutes the bitter taste of pure cranberry juice alone 

Vodka-SKYY contains the least amount of toxic chemicals for its price range

Blueberries-use as garnish

Ice

It is difficult to say how much you should add of each, it is entirely based on personal preference. I add a shot of vodka (light weight), mostly Pelloegrino, a dash of cranberry juice and 4-5 drops of Stevia, mix then top it off with a few blueberries. You can put the ingredients into a shaker or just stir together with a spoon. It's great virgin too-I drink it without alcohol or blueberries all the time! 
This recipe is my staple (just like California-hence the name!). Cranberry juice and sparkling water are classic mixers so just switch up the garnish to match the occasion. I paired it with sliced oranges last week for a BBQ!

Alone, pure cranberry juice can act as a detoxifier! It can help improve skin, boost the immune system and decrease cellulite and weight. Cranberry is an antioxidant and contains large amounts of vitamin C which can help protect the bodies overall health. It can also eliminate the feeling of depression and act as a stress relief. Cranberry juice that contains added sugar or chemicals could lower your overall health rather than improve it (plus you'd need to drink way more-more calories, sugar, carbs, etc. to gain its true benefits), so I would always try to reach for the purest form!

Cheers! xo

Sweet Look Of Liberty

Sweet Land Of Liberty by mollymy featuring guess jewelry

4th of July is right around the corner and I am back in California to spend the holiday in Newport with my family! Dresses are an easy way to look festive-plus stay cool in the heat. I love this dress in particular because of its open back and side cutouts; you can wear it casual or a bit more dressed up with heels or wedges. I chose to make it casual and "beachy" considering my 4th of July plans.

In effort to keep this look casual, a "no-fuss" approach is best when it comes to skin and hair. Mix foundation with oil-free sunscreen and a little shimmer powder for a natural (and protected!) looking glow, then apply with a make up sponge. Dust bronzer or blush on the parts of your face that naturally get hit by the sun; forehead, apples of your cheeks, top of your nose and chin. Use a shimmery eye shadow or shimmer powder under the eyes then continue up towards the temples (C-shape) for definition, add a couple coats of black (darker the better if you're not wearing any other eye make up and want to look more dolled up) mascara, SPF chapstick (apply blush to lips for a hint of color) and your set to celebrate! Half-up hair styles are all the rage this summer-own it!;)

I love NARS products but sometimes I just cannot find it in me to spend the extra cash; here are a few affordable favorites in my make up bag:

Maybelline Mineral Bronzer-Sunrise Bronze, $7.94

Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara-Very Black, $5.94

Covergirl Instant Cheekbones Contouring Blush, $5.99

Revlon Luxurious Perle Eye Shadow-Brushed Copper, $3.99 (love this for under eyes and definition!)

Happy 4th! xo

P.Y.Tumble?

After countless hours of drying I put my dress to the test and hit the streets of downtown New York City with my best friend in tow (we for sure drank a 'Lemon Drop Detoxifier' the next morning)!

Considering the awful appearance and texture of my not so cost effective 'dry clean only' Herve Leger dress (hand washed via tub) and lack of time, I did the one thing I thought I would never ever do-TUMBLE DRY. I was more nervous than the time my dad insisted on walking me into my first day of 2nd grade in his neon blue tracksuit. I think I'll stick with following the directions on the tag from now on. Though just like my dad regained the respect of my classmates (he dressed up as Bart Simpson for our school carnival later that year), Herve slowly but surely regained my respect once again too. My dress salvaged its original appearance and shape after tumble drying on low. Thankfully it also left room (no butter or a crane needed) for some serious dance moves as we painted the town red in honor of the king. xo

♥ YOU MJ!

Herve Dress In Distress

This afternoon some friends and I got a last minute invite to a magazine event tonight. As we scrambled around to find something to wear I fell upon this Herve Leger dress that has yet to see a summer night in the city. Perfect! One problem: it has yet to see a dry cleaner in the city either. Considering the time frame I could have A) picked something else out or B) taken matters into my own hands. Needless to say I went with solution B. I looked online and read about how to care for the particular fabric (mixture of rayon, nylon and spandex-if you have a bandage skirt/dress from BCBG it's the same!) when you don't have time to dry clean. It said hand wash in cold water and tumble dry on low/cold (unless I'd like to use "butter and a crane" to get the dress on-I would NEVER machine dry it), so it took a dip in the bathtub with gentle hand soap, then laid out on a bed of towels to dry (sounds relaxing). The photo below is how it stands as of right now (a little bumpy and taking forever to dry!). Apparently the fabric mixture can tolerate less when wet so...well...

I'll let you know how it goes! xo 

"Life is a risk."-Diane Von Furstenberg

Beauty Of Our Roots

Beauty Of Our Roots by mollymy featuring norma kamali swimwear

1) Victorias Secret Push-Up Bikini $54 - victoriassecret.com 2) Zimmermann Sapphire Copy Cat Rouched Corset One Piece  €168 - my-wardrobe.com 3) Norma Kamali Jonny Ruched Bandeau Bikini  $175 - net-a-porter.com 4) Zimmermann Whisper Crochet-Trimmed Underwired Swimsuit $345 - net-a-porter.com 5) Victorias Secret Low Rise Bikini $82 - victoriassecret.com 6) Blue Dolly Print Halter $68 - topshop.com 7) Chloé High-Wasted Bandeau Bikini £141 - net-a-porter.com (update-should all be matching up to the correct links now!)

I was messing around with an online collage tool today and ended up with this! Did I just take Damsel In A dDress up a notch?! ha! 

After a humid day in NYC can you guess what was on my mind??? Summer, but especially the beach, is all about effortless/natural beauty. I cannot help but think of my grandma in her 20s when I think of ultimate femininity-she would never ditch beauty just because she might get her hair wet! I bet the majority of you can think of at least one female from your family tree that has inspired you with her keen fashion sense. You know exactly what I am talking about. The 40s/50s era was all about shapes that flattered a woman's body; when something is tasteful and fits well you ultimately look timeless and put together and that is what grandma had on the money! Ditch the hair worry: Pull your hair back into a low ponytail and add a thick matching or neutral tone headband. Lets honor our elders and show off the beauty of our roots. Don't forget to grab your espadrilles! xo

Balance

When I buy groceries I try my best to stay away from heavily processed foods because they hold a lot of chemicals (chemicals don't make us look very pretty). I love eating, especially the "event" of eating! You'll never see me going to bed hungry or saying no to round one...two...three HUNDRED of margaritas-in fact, for dinner the other night (at 11pm) I had two margaritas and two huge appetizers worth of chips, guac and salsa with a friend-no leafy greens and lots of tequila. SO good! Nights like those are exactly why I choose to eat the way I do on a day to day basis; a balance is really important in your 20s. Here is a look at what I bought for the next week and a half/two weeks during a recent trip to the grocery store. I've already made tons of great (and easy!) things with these ingredients which I will continue to share with you! 

The same day I bought all of this, I made vegan Thai wraps for the roomies! Recipe and video to come.

Here are a few attempts-great night!=) 

Thanks to two of the best friends ever (they'll try anything) for inspiring many of my posts and always entertaining me along the way! xo

P.S. Not to worry-we will be making homemade ginger tea to cure Lauren's hoarse voice ASAP.

Clutch Me If You Can

The Leather Carry-All Pouch from America Apparel is a great way to incorporate color. Any of you who haven't seen these before, they come in three different sizes and tons of colors (most summer colors are not online) so check them out in store! Priced from $40.00-$68.00. They are great for day or night!

When not being used as a clutch, the small or medium pouch could come in handy to store all of those hard to find items you throw in your everyday purse. It's incredible the amount of things a tampon can resemble! Carry on. xo

Summer Lovin' Quinoa

This is an inexpensive, simple and light dish for a relaxing night alone or for one of those lazy weekends with the boyfriend. Grab a light beer or a glass of wine, take a seat outside and enjoy the summer weather.

Quinoa-1 cup (2 cups liquid)

Frozen petite peas- 1 bag

Cherry tomatoes-1 container (10 oz.)

Garlic-2 cloves

Chicken broth-low sodium (one box-at least 16 oz.)

Parmesan Reggiano cheese

Olive oil

Sea salt

Crushed red pepper

Serves 2 plus (or one girl size serving and one boy size serving-ha!)

First, rinse quinoa well. In a saucepan on medium-low heat, sauté quinoa in a little bit of olive oil for 2-3 minutes, this will help it to turn out well (works for rice too-friends always say they are awful at successfully cooking rice)! Continue to cook quinoa as directed (water/liquid ratio) however, instead of water use chicken broth for added flavor. In a separate pan on medium-low heat, sauté garlic (one clove of garlic per person-my Italian grandpa taught me that trick!) until golden brown. Add peas and tomatoes (cut in half-long way) then continue to stir. Add 1-2 tbs. chicken broth to pea/tomato mixture (if desired for added flavor); cook until hot. Add a few shakes of salt and lots (I like it spicy) of crushed red pepper. Mix well.

Once quinoa is done, serve in a bowl. Add Parmesan to taste and more red pepper if necessary. 

Easy enough, right?!

You can also serve this dish with an arugula or mixed greens salad. Quinoa is considered a protein grain, so whenever I eat it, that is my main dish. Meaning I may add more veggies, like a salad (you can even add more veggies to the pea/tomato mixture, like zucchini or spinach-add hard or frozen veggies first, softer last to avoid over cooking), but not any animal protein; it is filling enough on its own.

Quinoa is an amino acid-rich (includes all nine essential amino acids) seed and can be used much like rice, though is a relative to leafy green veggies, such as swiss chard and spinach (much less “starchy”). Quinoa is a great source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, making it especially valuable to those with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

It is normal for our bodies to eat less animal protein and more grains, fruits and veggies during the summer. Use whichever veggies look the most radiant and appealing to you; there are tons of fresh foods in season right now, take advantage of them and feel free to stay away from the frozen section. 

Bon appétit! xo

California Republic

Alyssa Campanella, Miss California USA was crowned Miss USA tonight in Las Vegas! I am not only excited about this win because Campanella represents my home state, but because she is 21-years-old and has already made a lifelong dream of hers come true! If you respect pageants or not, I think we all can agree that this beauty queen is a clear example of motivation and dedication at a very young age. Campanella will be competing Sept. 12th in Brazil for the title of Miss Universe and I cannot wait to tune in! Congratulations and good luck Alyssa! xo

Wife Goes On

If my Twitter feed could talk, it would be the most confusing and complicated person ever. Hello, my name is Molly. Somewhere between watching a hockey game and following my random obsessions via Twitter app., an InStyle Magazine update was posted on five things Ms. Jessica Biel plans to do this summer. Thanks to similar views on health, our families have gotten to know each other. Jessica is one person who truly embodies health, from the inside out and is a huge role model of mine. Number one on her list of summer to-dos: wear white!

 "Lately, I've been interested in the white lace dress trend," Biel told InStyle. "I love long white skirts and dresses in lace and linen."

Lets take a look at a few white lace dress options, then get some inspiration from the spring/summer runway on how to wear this "wifey" essential as it dips into summer. 

Minkpink Devonshire Lace Kaftan Dress, $68.00

Reformed by The Reformation Blanche Dress, $78.00

Free People Mint Royal Dress, $110.40

The Reversible Mini Dress by Leyendecker, $253.00

Laundry by Shelli Segal Lace Sheath Dress, $295.00

Lilly Pulitzer Lela Shift Lace, $328.00

The Bardot Dress by Foley + Corinna, $365.00

Lilly Pulizer Shayna Dress Lace, $368.00

Western inspired looks have been all over the runways and I couldn't be happier! I am obsessed with neutrals and texture. As always, Ralph Lauren displayed a classic and effortless way to embrace femininity. 

Lucky Brand is an affordable way to achieve a version of the Ralph Lauren looks above. Here are a few RL inspired accessories from my own closet:

Most of these things I've had forever! The platforms in the middle are by RL, the ones on the right are from Gap. Thanks to some fun trips, the bags and belts are all "souvenirs!" The coat is by Lucky and was a hand-me-down from my mom. Going through my closet every season helps so I don't over buy and keeps things organized (sorta)! 

Bright colors have been showcased in many ways recently and is one of the biggest trends of the season, anything from bags to eyeshadow, bright is in! Combining neutral tones with pops of color is one of my favorite looks. Bright on bright is another look to love; deep purple and neon pink has been seen a lot and orange is getting tons of attention from spring into summer! 

Christian Dior

Calvin Klein

Prabal Gurung

Versace

Versace

Gucci

Elie Saab

Adding a western vibe or energetic color to your white lace dress will have you ready for any summer occasion! 

Lacking extra cash? Black is always chic. Grab some nude flats or pumps, add a bright statement color (lipstick, eyeshadow, scarf, necklace, bracelets, etc.) and you're set! Embracing those floral and stripe pieces you've collected over the summers is another way to save; you can even count on polka dots to keep you looking like a flawless fashionista! Just painting your nails a neon shade is a great start! When in doubt, think 70s. 

Prada

Marc Jacobs

Rose Cha

Bright Idea: Build your own Havaianas! I built three summer looks, all for $25.00 each. Comfort and style!

The best thing about white is you really can't mess up (unless you spill as much as I do), plus it's summer, less is more. A pair of Rainbow flip flops, air dried hair, sun kissed skin and Carmex (I always get compliments on my "lip gloss"-I buy it at the gas station!) would make a white lace dress perfectly chic. xo