Five Things

Posted on June 22, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Brace yourselves, there are some strange things coming at you on this week’s Five Things. Initially, I wanted to make this a Neverland-themed post, but I couldn’t help but deviate a bit. (Hint: this involves pictures of food. Who here is surprised?)

I’ll admit that I haven’t eaten too many lobster rolls in my lifetime, but this one from Scolaris at the Point is possibly the best thing I’ve eaten in a long while. I could almost capture how delicious it was in this picture. Almost.

No, it’s not one of those seeing-eye posters from the 90s. This, ladies and gentleman, is a shot from the inside of my car in the car wash. I can’t be alone when I say I find them fun and oddly soothing. Especially when the foam turns pretty colors.

Working with children, you occasionally see some very creative hairstyles. Sometimes they like to cut their own hair, or wear all of their hair accessories on their heads all at once. But this…pigtail extravaganza has to be my favorite. This is possibly my favorite statement hairstyle yet.

To make a long story short, yes, I am wearing a children’s size crocodile hat from our afternoon performance of Neverland. Not only did I take a selfie, but I proceeded to dance around like a t-rex for my own amusement. This hat ended up on one of our five-year-old boys, who couldn’t stop giggling about it onstage. It’s the little things.

On a positive note, for those of you who are occasional basket-cases like yours truly, above is a very helpful gif I recently discovered. It’s oddly soothing, and very self-explanatory: breathe in, breathe out.

Problem solved!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on April 14, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Five Things! Five Things! It’s time for Five Things. Not four, not six, FIVE. Can you tell that I’ve had some strong coffee today!? Surely the cookies haven’t helped much either. (Fun fact: I once accidentally published a “Five Things” with only four images. I always count before I publish now.) Even though my collection of Five Things is something I regularly post about, I sometimes struggle with finding a solid variety in my images. I’m the kind of foodie who enjoys snapping photos before an amazing meal, just so I can look back at it and reminisce. I know I’m not the only one. This, of course, leaves me with copious amounts of food pictures on my phone, and not too many pictures of my actual life. So, please enjoy pictures of some things that I ate and enjoyed recently, interspersed with some other life “things.”

I’ve become oddly fascinated with the Trouble Coffee Co. in West Oakland. It’s such a unique spot, and I’ve determined that their cinnamon toast must have some sort of crack in it. It’s that good. I recently took a friend of mine there and he was fascinated by the how pristine and white the whole cafe was. A little disarming, but lovely nonetheless.

*cue sassy, hand on hip dressing room pose*

The above outfit is brought to you by Athleta. Think you can only wear your yoga clothes to the gym? Think again! I popped this outfit on for work and fancy dinner, and was oh-so-comfortable. I’m loving their Destination Wide Leg Pants so much I might buy another pair.

The boss lady and I have the occasional ritual of visiting our favorite pizza joint, Hot Italian, in Emeryville after a long day of work. We always order their blood orange mimosas- they’re amazing!

As some of you might already know, I have a bit of a dry shampoo dependence. I’ve tried all kinds of brands, but my favorite has to be Batiste. They come in a great variety of fragrances (my favorite are the cherry and “wild” leopard print ones!), and really do give your second-day-hair that necessary boost.

My final food snap of the week is of this amazing spinach and shrimp risotto from one of my favorite local restaurants. I’m pretending that the puddle on the far left is broth, as opposed to a puddle of butter.

Yes, it was all delicious.

EVA♥

The Things Women Do to Themselves

Posted on August 3, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

I’ve written about beauty-type things on Watch Me Juggle here and there. As a few of you know, I’ve been semi-blonde for a few years now, and just about once a year, I have a major hair “overhaul.” It’s five hours of pulling, parting, teasing, bleaching, and then detangling the whole mess. I try not to fall asleep, and often end up helping my hairstylist, who is meticulous to a fault.

This is the face of good, blonde hair. I try to tell myself that breathing is secondary- it’s the perfect place for a nap, really.

In my delirium, I thought that this selfie would be a good idea. All those bleach fumes and having at least 4 pounds of foil weighing down my scalp must have impeded my judgement.

The final product. I kept touching my hair and tossing it around like an idiot. Apparently sitting still for 5 hours while someone literally paints individual strands of your hair is worth feeling like a Disney princess.

Things like this make me think about the things that women voluntarily do to themselves, usually on a regular basis. When think about these things in a different context, they really do sound insane. Things like:

Gluing individual hairs to each of our eyelashes to make them look longer
Having our faces covered in tattoos just so we can #iwokeuplikethis
Wearing shoes so incredibly painful that the soles of your feet blister
Voluntarily pouring hot wax on our faces/legs/everywhere in order to rip out all our hair
Clipping other people’s hair onto our head in strips and pretending that it’s ours
Routinely applying acid to our faces so we can look younger and “dewy”
Using an overpriced pencil to draw on the inside of your eyelids

Gentlemen, have you ever touched the inside of your eyelid? Overall, it’s really not an enjoyable feeling.

But, you know what? Five hours later we’re going to emerge from the salon and mentally justify all the time and money we spent in there. Oddly enough, it’s not a tricky justification to make. We all have things that we enjoy investing in, whether it be a special pair of shoes or a spa treatment, what might not be deemed “necessary” to someone might make all the difference in the world to another. It might make you feel more confident, happier, whatever! There’s something special about allowing yourselves to indulge in some of these completely ridiculous rituals. Believe it or not, I so look forward to the whole process of having my hair done. I walk in feeling slightly dilapidated, usually in sweats or an old shirt, and can leave with Victoria Secret angel hair. Not everyone will notice the newness of your hair, or your eyelashes or smooth skin, but they will notice the confidence boost it gives you. A lot of us can’t stop talking about Kylie Kardashian’s enhanced lips, or Hilary Duff’s veneered teeth, or some other celebrity’s butt. Seriously? Not everyone is going to understand you or your style, heck, I had someone scoff at my hair the day after I had it done. Long story short, if it makes you happy, no matter how crazy it might seem, go for it. You do you, ladies.

I’m blonde now!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on July 15, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hey all!

Welcome to Five Things, the vacation version! Even though it’s been a while since I’ve gone on a legitimate vacation outside of California, but my pictures lately certainly make me feel like I’ve gone on my share of adventures lately. You could also think of this week’s Five Things as a visual vacation- I like to think of chocolates,wine, and the beach when I need a zen moment.

Commence relaxation in 3, 2, 1…

I can’t get over the color of the water by Santa Barbara’s East Beach. It was also so clear, you could see the kelp forests coming up through the water.

I visited Mumm Napa for the first time recently. It’s set up just like a restaurant, with groups of tables and assigned servers, except the only thing on the menu is sparkling wine. So, it’s pretty much my favorite new place. I’m contemplating being a real adult and joining their wine club.

Photo c/o instagram.com/zoella

I’m excited to give my hair a much-needed cut, and a little extra blonde to get me through the summer. Adorable Brit blogger, Zoella, has been my go-to for ombré hair inspiration.

This beautiful piece of art hangs in the entryway of Hall winery, and is made entirely of vintage beaded costumes and sweaters. It’s quite large (floor to ceiling) and stunning in person.

I fell in love with the chocolate case at Dean and Deluca this last weekend. While I have no problem eating entire boxes of chocolates in one sitting, I couldn’t imagine eating one of these beautifully detailed little marzipan animals!

Happy almost-Thursday!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on February 24, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

This week I have a slightly thematic Five Things lined up. That’s right, it’s Five Things: The San Diego addition.

We were all sitting in a circle chatting, as you do, and my girlfriend Brooke very effortlessly busted out this incredible braided hairstyle. I watched her do it, and still have no idea how it’s done. A bit of braid-inspiration for your day!

My friend Devyn and I spent our last day in San Diego enjoying gelato from Pappalecco’s in lieu of a proper lunch. I had strawberry and the signature pappalecco gelato, which is a combination of chocolate and crushed amaretti cookies. My only regret was that I didn’t get a bigger cup…

A view of the USS Midway just next to Seaport Village. Californians are so spoiled; I still can’t believe this was a beautiful February day.

Look at all this beautiful pasta I found at the Mona Lisa Deli in Little Italy! Never seen striped Farfalle quite like that before. Seems a shame to cover it up with sauce…

and, lastly, if you need a good laugh.

My friend Rachel was having a particularly stressful day at work the other day, which she and a few coworkers remedied by watching ridiculous Youtube videos. I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so hard. Sometimes a good laugh is all you need.

EVA♥

Blonde Again!

Posted on January 15, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

When you spend an unseemly long amount of time in a hairstylist’s chair, it seems only logical that you take incredible awkward pictures of your self, and the monster that your hair has become. It’s not a pretty sight, I must say, which is naturally why I enjoy sharing it with my friends and family! And you, dear readers, of course…Get ready for Adventures in Hair, Part II!

When you go into a salon asking for an ombré dye job, this is the last thing you think you’ll look like three hours later:

OMG! Am all kinds of glamorous. If you want to see more embarrassing pictures of me, just click here for my original ombré post.

Pardon my wibbly, bright selfie. That front-facing camera is quite awful at times.

When I was younger I did nothing with my hair. I mean nothing. I took care of it, of course, brushed it, washed it, and put it up the same way everyday, but, that was it. When I was 17, I finally cut it to a more manageable length and even ventured out and got some subtle highlights. I later grew tired of them and had my hair dyed back to its uniform dark brown, where it stayed for a good eight years. I got restless, and thought of doing something different one day. Blonde seemed the last direction I would ever go in, but I wanted something relatively low-maintenance and decided to take a chance on this whole ombré thing. It certainly helps that, despite being semi-blonde for almost two years, I still get compliments. But, all that processing does make your hair awfully angry. If you, like me, have what I like to refer to as “special needs hair” just slap some of this little miracle cure on:

Photo c/o Sleekhair.com

I like to leave in this treatment overnight and rinse it out in the morning. Rub in some argan oil before you blow-dry and it’s like you have new hair! Bye-bye straw! I’ve also been experimenting with washing my hair less often to prevent excessive damage. Admittedly, this has led to quite a bit of dry shampoo abuse, but it’s going well so far! It could just be all in my head, but I swear my hair stays nicer longer. Do any of you have special tricks for your “special needs hair,” dear readers? Do tell!

EVA♥

My Little Pony Hair.

Posted on September 8, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone, and happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, I did, but not in the ways I usually do. There were no epic travels or adventures, but just some tea, takeout sushi, and a good book. It was rejuvenating, and very much needed. On the other hand, I did manage to do things like eat cake for breakfast and color my hair a ridiculous shade of hot pink.

…because I can.

The hair chalk craze is nothing new, but I finally caved and picked up a little Color Pop from Dippity Do (Ha! remember that?) which seems a close dupe for the slightly more expensive Kevin Murphy Color Bug.

The whole process was quite easy, really. I knew I wanted to concentrate the color on the ends of my hair for a dip-dyed effect. Throw a towel over your shoulders to protect your clothing, and rub rub rub with the chalk. My hands quickly turned a shocking shade of magenta, but it washed right off with a bit of soap and water.

Before… …After

After shaking all the excess powder from my hair, I was quite pleased with the results. Being totally temporary in nature, I had quite a bit of fun with it. It was almost as much fun washing it out in the shower, as it made all the suds from my shampoo a quite vivid pink. It’s good to change up your look every-once-in-a-while. Just a little bit of fun to brighten up any Saturday! It’s also a really fun excuse to take a barrage of selfies to show off the new “do.”

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on June 11, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday. Where has the week gone? Oddly enough, I keep plodding along under the assumption that today is somehow Thursday, and therefore the weekend is much closer than it actually is. In the meantime, our Wonderland show is progressing beautifully with only 10 more days of rehearsal left to go! Yours truly is performing in a very slick-looking green unitard, which has proven to be the ultimate motivation. Speaking of costumes, this show is going to be visually stunning, with a signature Dance Arts Project style, of course. Here’s a sneak peek:

All the best ballerinas have a little edge. Hence the Dr. Marten’s on Alice. With Sparkle laces, of course.

A glimpse of some beautiful street art in Portland. I love how inadvertently monochromatic this particular photo turned out.

I’ve been incredibly in to braided hairstyles lately, and while my job sometimes doesn’t allow for me to have my hair hanging in braids (too much of a hair explosion liability), I love checking out the creative styles some of my students or my favorite beauty bloggers come up with. Hint: check out Instabraid on Instagram.

Forgive the ambient blur, but I apparently couldn’t hold still long enough to capture these delicious kumamoto oysters. I’m a relatively new fan of oysters, and the many types of oysters available often intimidate me. Kumamoto oysters are some of the few I know I enjoy.

I have too many shoes. Said no woman ever.

I must admit that I have a few pairs that I haven’t gotten a chance to wear quite yet. Like the above beauties I purchased on super-sale at J.Crew. They’re bright and fun- perfect for summer.

EVA ♥