Allie


Tuesday, April 30

things i dig: winning at target

Holy moly. I recently had way too much fun at Target (surprise, surprise). I could easily furnish my entire fictitious apartment with some of this loot. Specifically, though, these were my favorite finds...


Tuesday, April 23

oh, the places you'll nap

We're all guilty of it. Going pages and pages and years and years back through our tagged Facebook photos. Personally, I love a good trip down memory lane. Something I noticed, however, is that there are quite a few photos of me napping at inopportune times on the interwebs.

Apparently my friends love to capture these moments.

So as a tribute to one of my favorite pastimes, the nap, here we go:

In the dorms freshmen year of college...


...in the backseat of a car... on the way to in n out...


...on the bus to a sorority event (apparently I wasn't the only one struggling)...


...on the roof of my apartment...


...on a bed with several pals day two of a vegas trip...



...on my "Madrid bed"...


...and my personal favorite... at a table, mid-stein, at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.


Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Friday, April 19

foxie moxie

Wednesday, my friend Vicky and I went to the Bare Minerals' Moxie event to celebrate their new line of lip colors. Held at Chambers, an awesome bar I'd never been to, I couldn't have had a better time.



i'm wearing call the shots and vicky's wearing risk it all

I was also a big fan of Show Off, a Moxie lipgloss. 

Anyways, Vicky and I spent some quality time with the Moxietini (a basil-infused martini) and the photo booth, in addition to trying all of the amazing new colors. Plus I bumped into Alex from SF Shop Girl and that was pretty damn exciting. 

I'm usually pretty convinced that I can't pull off lip color, but the Bare Minerals girls showed me how it's done. Plus, the consistency of the Moxie lipsticks is so moisturizing and fabulous how could you not love it?

Check out the line when it comes out April 30 and report back... I promise you'll dig it!

Wednesday, April 17

domo sushi

I'm a sucker for good sushi. It's something I could eat every single day and never get sick of (though my bank account would definitely not be pleased). After asking around for some suggestions, a few friends mentioned Domo Sushi in Hayes Valley and after a small bit of research (I just had to), I decided it'd be worth my while.



Located amidst some of the cutest shops and specialty stores in the city, Domo Sushi serves some of the freshest and tastiest rolls and sashimi I've ever had. While there for lunch, I sampled the Spyder Roll and Spicy Tuna Crudo... and then may or may not have ordered an additional Spicy Tuna Roll.

Spyder Roll

Spicy Tuna + Scallop Crudos

My feasting partner-in-crime tried the Rainbow Roll and it definitely tasted as good as it looked.

Needless to say, I will be back. With only a few tables in the restaurant, going around 1:30 p.m. for lunch was a good call. I imagine the wait would be quite lengthy for dinner.

{Domo Sushi: 511 Laguna Street}

Tuesday, April 16

new kid on the block

excessive photos of san francisco... it's just too pretty.

(and you have my permission to start singing "Summer Girls" by LFO)

Phew, sorry for the silence around these parts of town. I forgot what it's like to work 40 hours a week and man, I'm beat, but in the best possible way.

As most of you know by now, I'm employed. After a longer-than-I-hoped-for stint of unemployment, I finally have a job- a good one- at a company I believe in doing work I feel good about. That's what's most important to me.

For anyone looking for a job, I feel your pain. It's not fun, it feels never ending and it's almost impossible to enjoy the absurd amounts of free time you have (mostly because you're insanely stressed and/or don't have the funds).

But just keep your head up and know there's an end.

And in the meantime... check out this Buzzfeed article. Truest thing I ever did read.

Monday, April 15

why it was so hard to let go

marin county, california

After reading this hauntingly relatable post from Meg, I realized something that took me almost a year to consciously understand.

But let me back up a bit.

You may have noticed from previous posts that I'm a highly anxious person. I'm also highly emotional, getting overly excited about things most people might not think twice about (a quality many compliment) but on the other hand getting devastatingly depressed over situations that don't deserve much energy at all.

Though my ex-whatever-sort-of-boyfriend had a lot of not-so-great qualities and we absolutely didn't mesh in more ways than one, he always helped me rationalize. So when he left (don't worry, this wasn't an easy exit; it went on for a good year until it was over, for real), I didn't have that support I had gotten used to; and the irrational meltdowns began once again.

It's funny how none of this made sense to me until this very second. I had no idea why it was so darn hard to let him go... until I read this post. And now it all makes sense.

Five months after the final goodbye, I can help myself rationalize and the meltdowns are few and far between. I guess it's true what they say that dating is a learning experience.

That same guy told me time and time again, "it'll be okay." And it was okay. It was always okay. It was always right. It was just him who wasn't.

Monday, April 8

quintessentially san francisco

I can't say enough great things about this past weekend. Friday was a night where I really realized just how great my San Francisco girlfriends are. It was a night where being single wasn't so bad after all; it was actually preferred. And it ended at 2 a.m., eating pizza with our Lyft driver. So I really couldn't have asked for more.

Saturday was quintessentially San Francisco: from the misty rainfall and foggy sky to the incredible noms I was able to devour (evidence below), all while catching up with two friends from college. 

Sunday was for relaxing and watching old episodes of Friends and then wrapped up with beers, In n Out and great conversation.

fried balls of mushroom risotto at pizzeria delfina

prosciutto and arugula pizza from delfina

chocolate peanut butter + snickerdoodle ice crem from bi rite creamery

Needless to say, a juice cleanse is in order this week.

Today I'm feeling extra grateful and extra excited. Today, I started my new job. I couldn't feel more confident and ready for this challenge and I'm beyond ecstatic to work for company I truly believe in in, hands down, the best city in the world.  

Wednesday, April 3

guest post: avery from some blissful thinking

Today, I have a special treat (literally) from one of my March sponsors, Avery! With our similar outlooks on life and our shared love for food, Avery has quickly become one of my favorite blog friends (plus she's currently a senior at my alma mater...and we all know how much I wish I was still in college).

Anyways, she's an incredible blogger who really writes from the heart. From amazing baking escapades (example below) to heartfelt posts on self-improvement and life in general, I look up to her a lot. I hope you'll head over to her blog for some inspiration... but until then... coffee cake cookies?

Hi. Yes. Please.



I am an emotional baker. For me, a cupcake generously topped with cream cheese frosting is often enough to cure the worst of my bad days. A bite into a snickerdoodle makes me feel like I'm wrapped in a warm blanket, and the smell of banana bread baking is all it takes to send me into a nostalgic stupor.

I grew up sitting on the kitchen counter and watching my mom cook. She made dinner for our family every night, from thick pans of lasagna to plates of chicken and big bowls of build-your-own Cobb salad. For special occasions or simply when it was cold and snowy outside and we had nowhere to go, she would bake. I loved these days. I had my own little apron I tied around my waist and a stool to stand on. When I was deemed old enough, my mom would hand me measuring cups and ingredients to add to the bowls, teaching me how to crack an egg and use the hand mixer. My favorite part of the process is sneaking pinches of dough and licking the spoon.

The other night I found myself in a baking mood after perusing Pinterest (when am I not in a baking mood?). I came across these coffee cake cookies and just knew I had to give them a try. These sweet confections pair my favorite Starbucks treat with a traditional sugar cookie which happens to be a combination made in baking heaven. While I am usually one to forego mixes and instead whip my sweets together from scratch, I decided to give the packaged Pilsbury sugar cookie dough a try for times sake.




The result? Well, the plate of warm, cinamon-scented cookies hardly lasted through the night as my roommates (myself included) snuck into the kitchen multiple times for "just one more." I'd love to try them again with from-scratch sugar cookie dough next time. Click here for the recipe.



Tuesday, April 2

stag's lunchette

As a transplant from Texas/San Diego, the Bay Area hasn't always been home, though it's funny how quickly it's started to feel like that. Recently, I took a little trip to the East Bay to explore Oakland. With coffee shops, beer bars and delicious restaurants on the rise, I knew I'd find something feastly, which is why I wasn't surprised when I decided immediately that I could easily live there (well, if I wasn't so obsessed with San Francisco). 

My friend and I had lunch at Stag's Lunchette, a small eatery in downtown Oakland. With a weekly rotating menu, amazing and unique sandwiches and soup and even some side dishes (brussels sprouts!) I was pretty thrilled. 

Please forgive my crappy iPhone pics. 


mexican grilled chicken sandwich YUM

cheese and broccolini crostini for the vegetarian

an excellent collection of knick knackery

{Stag's Lunchette is located at 362 17th Street in Oakland. }

Monday, April 1

insta-lately

one: 40s in brown bags with my favorite people
two: lori came to town!
three: a day in oakland; a delicious sandwich
four: pretty sky the day i became employed

Are you on Instagram? 
@AllieSafran