I was interviewed for this piece on a new site about dating and relating called Datezie. Here is the article.
ELENA:)
Yup. Its a thing. And yes, even though I can’t quite indulge in a great PSL right now (I’m on day 11 of Keto) I wanted to share with you this data from Influenster. Influenster, the worlds largest product discovery and review platform, with over 28 million reviews from over 4.6 million members dug out the top ranked Pumpkin Spice Products from it’s massive database of authentic opinions. I like that not all the things on the list are food related and its interesting to see that my Starbucks PSL only hits at number 10.
- Cheerios Pumpkin Spice Cereal — 1,257 revs / 4.2 rating
- Nabisco Oreo Pumpkin Spice Creme Sandwich Cookies 1,007 revs / 4.0 rating
- eos Pumpkin Spice & Vanilla Bean Lip Balm Set 407 revs / 4.5 rating
- Burt’s Bees Pumpkin Spice Moisturizing Lip Balm 390 revs / 4.3 rating
- Kashi® Crunchy Granola Bars Pumpkin Spice Flax 388 revs / 4.45 rating
- Coffee-mate® Liquid Pumpkin Spice 379 revs / 4.6 rating
- Kahlua Pumpkin Spice 320 revs / 4.2 rating
- Nestlé® Toll House® Pumpkin Spice Morsels 302 revs / 4.4 rating
- Chobani® Blended® Pumpkin Spice Low-Fat Greek Yogurt 282 revs / 4.3 rating
- STARBUCKS® Pumpkin Spice Latte VIA® Instant 280 revs / 4.2 rating
- Quaker® Cereal Pumpkin Spice 238 revs / 4.11 rating
- Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Chilled Espresso 226 revs / 4.2 rating
- Baileys Irish Cream Pumpkin Spice Liqueur 225 revs / 4.5 rating
- Native Deodorant Pumpkin Spice Latte 213 revs / 4.4 rating
- Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee, Pumpkin Spice, Ground 206 revs 4.5 rating
- Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Caffe Latte K-Cups 174 revs / 4.3 rating
- Sugarpill Pumpkin Spice Eyeshadow 168 revs / 4.7 rating
- Blue Diamond® Pumpkin Spice Almonds 166 revs / 4.5 rating
- Hershey’s Kisses Pumpkin Spice Flavored Candies 147 revs / 4.0 rating
- Starbucks® Frappuccino® Pumpkin Spice Chilled Coffee Drink 142 revs / 4.1 rating
- Yoplait® Whips!® Pumpkin Spice Low-fat Yogurt 129 revs / 4.2 rating
- Kellogg’s® Nutri Grain® Pumpkin Spice Soft Baked Fruit Bar 127 revs / 4.45 rating
- Bailey’s Coffee Creamer Pumpkin Spice 119 revs / 4.61 rating
- Special K® Kellogg’s Pumpkin Spice Pastry Crisps 113 revs / 4.3 rating
- Pepperidge Farm® Milano® Pumpkin Spice Cookies 95 revs / 4.2 rating
*The Influenster rank is a proprietary algorithm which accounts for both a 5-star rating and total number of reviews – happy to share more on this!
ELENA:)
I can’t believe its October. Really? Where did the time go? I feel like I just wrote a quarterly travel post (yes late!) not too long ago. But here I am – writing away.
Just so you know I didn’t go anywhere the month of July and for most of September. My abstract for a national conference was accepted as well as poster presentation but I differed. My wonderful colleague took the reins, and in a quasi warm July in Orlando she presented for the both of us (and did a fab job too!).
That leaves August – a month where one week I was in Chicago, the next I was in the Dominican Republic and the last week, I went to Hawaii (Honolulu). Phew. Even typing that out makes me sort of tired, either that or my head cold is getting to me.
Chicago (Aug 4-7)
If you haven’t been, it’s like the cousin of New York. Great food, fun people and interesting things to see. I had the opportunity to interview Joel Gamoran, the national Sur la Table chef and host of Scraps. You’ll have to stay posted for my article that will come out soon (long over due – but I’m using this long weekend to finally get it in order). We had breakfast and talked about lots of food related things like, what does whale sperm taste like and why scraps and not bees. I had a lot of fun and my only regret is that we didn’t take a photo or a cute boomerang video to capture our time together. Next time! Note: He also has a new cooking book called, Cooking Scrappy
I managed to re check out the Art Institute while in town and eat the best burger of my life at Au Cheval. It was a great idea to start the day with it and slowly work it off with my friend Kayte Malik (founder of Dresscode – see the article I wrote about the company here). Nothing really beats the egg, thick cut bacon with a double hamburger patty. So great.
I stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association, which was an old school gentleman’s club turned into hotel a few years back. Beautiful restoration job with a roof top bar called Cindy’s and cool speakeasy called the Cherry Circle room (very Madmen). I loved that Shake Shack was connected to the hotel too (although I didn’t have a burger from there or crinkle fries which are my go-to’s).
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (Aug 15-18)
I went for an interesting press trip, which turned sideways. All I can really say is that the resort was descent and the spa was beautiful (Chic Punta Cana by Royalton) . I’m glad my group was small and we all got along well.
Honolulu, Hawaii (Aug 31-Sept 5)
I was pleasantly surprised with Honolulu. I think its because it’s a touch on the more expensive side, it keeps the those looking for ultra cheap vacations away. It was the perfect mix of city and beach.
And the food is great – I totally forgot the huge Japanese influence there is in the city. Some great recommendations included the Koko Head café and the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian (with my favorite Royal Hawaiian Hupia cake).
I will say that going to Honolulu in the summer time was really hot. 35 degrees and doing the Diamond Head hike was less than ideal but having the pineapple smoothie at the bottom was a wonderful refreshing end.
Dole Plantation was ok – again the heat took its toll and while the maze would have been fun, I think we lasted maybe 15 minutes before we decided it was best to head back. And I didn’t really love Dole Whip. It kind of tasted artificial to me – it needed to have more cream and less powdered confections.
Ko’Hana Rum Distillery was a quick drive outside the city and a great break from the heat. It was interesting to learn about the Agricole technique of using sugar cane juice versus molasses to make the rum. It’s a boutique distillery, they are slowly exporting off the island. I grabbed a bottle that had honey and cocoa mixed with the rum.
On my last day I ended up finding this really great café called Heavenly across from the hotel that we stayed at (the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach) with locally sourced food. So yummy.
If you are interested in a City Guide on Honolulu, you will be in luck as I am curating one soon. Until next quarter.
ELENA:)
So I’m a little bummed that I put together this cool fashion OOTD, OOTN, beauty look for a magazine that was going to be in print but got cut instead. I only found out the first week of Sept so it definitely did not help with pitching to another outlet. In the spirit of NYFW, I wanted to post it here as I really liked the curated outfits. I sourced up-in-coming/small businesses with great price points. My friend Nicky Styles illustrated the pieces in true Project Runway form as well.
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As the temperature dips and Starbucks reintroduces its traditional pumpkin spice latte, try and resist the temptation to put away the colourful clothing and go into a mild hibernation. Fall is a time for change and the shades of the season are decadent: gold, auburns, burgundy, and navy. Textures like faux fur, cashmere and jacquard bring depth to any outfit. By day, glow with gold and at night, shine with sequins and rhinestones.
OOTD:
For the Outfit of the Day, a decadent oxblood Rallier dress in a timeless silhouette is paired with an APPARIS faux fur coat in a classic cut. The AWAY weekend bag has a built-in laptop sleeve and hidden umbrella that is perfect for the commute to work. The matching dr. Liza heels have a 0.75-inch shock-absorbing EVA platform for walking those lengthy city blocks with ease. A matching CINER set of clip-ons and a ring takes the guesswork out of accessorizing.
APPARIS Chestnut Sophie Coat (@apparis_)
Dr. Liza pump in Navy Blue(@drlizashoes)
CINER Golden Rose Earring and Golden Rose Ring (@cinerny)
Rallier Oxblood Patricia Dress (@ralliernyc)
AWAY The Everywhere Bag in Navy Blue Nylon (@away)
OOTN:
For the Outfit of the Night, think understated glamour. While the Michelle Waugh long cashmere coat paired with the French Sole NY jacquard smoking slippers may give you bedtime vibes, the eye-catching MESTIZA NY cream sequin jumpsuit will make you shimmer in the moonlight. Play off the cream with the majestic pewter chandelier earrings and the conversation starter miniaudiere from CINER.
Michelle Waugh Chloe Coat in Blue (@michellewaughny)
MESTIZA New York Chrissy Sequin Jumpsuit (@mestiza_ny)
CINER Crowned Chandelier Earring and Ivory Chandelier Miniaudiere (@cinerny)
French Sole NY Celeste in Red Jacquard (@french_sole)
Fall Face:
Stay gold with this seasons makeup. Shades ranging from antique (Sheree Cosmetics eye shadow) to gilded honey (Laura Geller DewDreamer illuminating drops for checks and face). A strong lip takes center stage with this all-day wearable velvet liquid lip Bordeaux color from STELLAR*. Lastly, tame the brows with the Christie Brinkley Authentic Beauty Take a Bow pencil allowing you to color, shape and add density and definition to your brows with a transfer-resistant formula.
Sherree Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Drama (@sherreecosmetics)
Laura Geller DewDreamer Illuminating Drops in Gilded Honey (@lauragellerbeauty)
STELLAR Opus Liquid Lip in Mythic Moon 06 in Bordeaux (@stellarbeautyofficial)
Christie Brinkley Authentic Beauty Take a Bow Defining Brow Pencil (@brinkleybeauty)
ELENA:)
I know – because I am not writing after every trip I’m starting to slack off and honestly couldn’t remember if I went anywhere in the last quarter. That’s how bad my memory is. But thanks to my IG photos I remembered – Cancun and the more recent trips to DC and NY.
Cancun (May 9 – 12)
For my second organized press trip ever, I headed off to Cancun, Mexico. A fun, easy jaunt to Cancun makes for an easy getaway for those who need a trip away but don’t want the hassle of actually planning anything. Like zero. Except for maybe the dates and what to pack on the trip.
I never do all-inclusive resorts for the simple fact that feeling stuck in one place makes me feel claustrophobic. Yet, I based that feeling on a short prior trip that was an all-inclusive. So I needed to set the record straight.
I arrived dressed all in black in the sweltering heat and was whisked away in a shuttle to the Panama Jack Resort. I was thankfully welcomed with a refreshing drink and a tote full of goodies helpful for the short week ahead. Once I freshened up it was time to meet the crew over some tequila tasting and then a scrumptious surf and turf dinner on the beach. What a great way to start the trip.
The next day, after a quick tour of the hotel and all the amenities we were off to visit a stingless bee farm. I knew there was a bee scarcity issue in the world, but what I didn’t realize was that most bees live in the Southern Hemisphere. At this bee farm they work with the Mayan farmers to spread the hives throughout the area, this helps to sustain the bees while creating work for the locals.
The next day we visited Chichen Itza, a huge Mayan temple. I had no idea that it was one of the wonders of the world (clearly I needed to Google that after visiting). It’s too bad it can no longer be climbed but it was definitely a sight to see. After walking around Chichen Itza, we went to the Ikkil Cenote/Ts’onote (a fresh water filled sink hole). Then it was back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. After a semi-scandalous last night (no details will be mentioned here – you’ll have to ask me in person) we all had a good laugh the next day over brunch. Read the coverage I did of Panama Jack for RESIDENT Magazine here.
Washington DC (June 3-6)
I managed to book Good Morning Washington in DC for my book and since I had never gone (well since I was 7), I thought this would be the perfect time to write a city guide on DC for RESIDENT as well. Watch how the show went (in my opinion – it wasn’t my best interview) but c’est la vie. DC has so many great food spots; Le Diplomate, Iron Gate, Espita Mezcaleria were three of my faves as well as this hidden cocktail bar below a donut shop called Nocturne. I really enjoyed the Portrait Gallery and walking around the National Mall as well.
NYC (Jun 6-9)
NYC was a whirlwind as per usual. Between stacking up the meetings and heading to my usual PaintBox appointment and finally checking out old hot spots like Hotel Chantelle (that isn’t actually a hotel) and Jimmy at the James Hotel. No matter how many times of been to NY, I still manage to visit new places and It seemed to be a time of great change: friends were leaving NYC, getting married, having babies, buying apartments. So much change.
ELENA:)