I received my May Birchbox in the mail last week. This month’s Birchbox was a Gossip Girl themed box. I am a huge Gossip Girl fan so I was excited to see what was in my box. Each box was centered around characters and events from the show. Check out what I got in my box:

• Arquiste Flor y Canto Perfume- $165.00- This scent is nice for the summer because it has a rich floral aroma.

• Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream- $19.00- This hand creme is great! It makes your hands so soft.

• FusionBeauty LipFusion Balm Lip Conditioning Stick SPF 15- $22.00- I’m still kind of on the fence about this product so you will have to ask me about it in a few weeks.

• Ojon damage reverse™ Restorative Conditioner – $25.00- I can’t wait to try this conditioner because its Sulfate Free and supposed to add shine to your hair.

( I have to admit I was kind of disappointed with my box this month, I guess I expected it to be a little bit more glamourous but I can’t complain for $10)

If you are interested in signing up for box, use my referral link here. It’s definitely worth the $10 dollars, that’s how much you probably spend on lunch or dinner one day a week. Stay at home and cook one night and order a Birchbox.

{photos taken via Instagram}

This weekend, I spent my time volunteering at the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival. You may remember I attended the festival in 2011 as a guest. This year I wanted to volunteer to experience the behind the scenes of the festival. So Saturday morning I got up an headed to the Lowe’s Hotel in Midtown Atlanta where the festivities took place.

As a volunteer, I was assigned to pretty much being the festival intern for the first hour. I ran around to all of the morning sessions to hand out the registration lists to the different room captain’s. After I was done doing that I helped prepare for an afternoon session by setting up the room settings. I worked with a great team a people to get everything done smoothly.

On Sunday, I completely forget about my Weight Watchers diet and attended the festival tasting tents with my cousins and two friends. Despite the rainy weather we had a great time and enjoyed awesome food and drinks. I was so distracted by the atmosphere and spending time with my friends that I didn’t have time to take photos of everything. So I’ll tell you about all of the great food and drinks I noshed on.

First we started drinking at the Delta tent and enjoy a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Then we headed over to the seafood tents and enjoyed a great plate of shrimp and grits and a cup of ceviche. We also had some chicken tamales from Escorpian a restaurant in Atlanta. Next we headed over to the alcohol tents, were I enjoyed a couple more glasses of wine. I also enjoyed small bites of red velvet and caramel cake from a local bakery called Cake Cafe. We finished the afternoon off by tasting salted caramel fried chicken from a new restaurant in Atlanta called White Oak Kitchen. The sweetness of the caramel made for the perfect glaze on the chicken.

I must say I am already looking forward to attending next year’s event!

Last night the fabulous Met Gala was held in New York. All of the top celebrities in Hollywood were in attendance at this event. I have to say I saw a lot of stunning dresses but I also spotted several questionable pieces. Here are a few of my favorite dresses from last nights party.

Image Source: Huffington Post

1. Solange Knowles wearing Rachel Roy

2. Camilla Belle wearing Ralph Lauren

3. Jessica Alba wearing Michael Kors

4. Emma Stone wearing Lanvin

5. Kristen Wiig in Stell McCartney

6. Diana Agron in Carolina Herrera

]]> http://eatdrinkshoplove.com/2012/05/08/met-gala-2012/feed/ 1 http://eatdrinkshoplove.com/2012/05/04/beach-bag-giveaway-winners/ http://eatdrinkshoplove.com/2012/05/04/beach-bag-giveaway-winners/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 11:09:59 +0000 Jewel http://eatdrinkshoplove.com/?p=4945
Image Source via We Heart It Congratulations Carrie and Traci! You are the winners of the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray and Beach Bag filled with items. I will be contacting the winners via e-mail later today. ** The winners were randomly selected using random.org. ]]>

Image Source via We Heart It

Congratulations Carrie and Traci!

You are the winners of the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray and Beach Bag filled with items. I will be contacting the winners via e-mail later today.

** The winners were randomly selected using random.org.

Yesterday I stumbled upon this new Instagram photo challenge called #StyleMeMay for bloggers started by Bowties & Betties. Each day you have post something fashion related. This will be my first month doing an Instagram photo challenge so I am excited about it! So follow me on Instagram to see my photos each day.

Also don’t forget you have until tomorrow evening to enter my beach bag giveaway!

Temperatures have been at record highs this spring across the country. As the days become hotter the more you start thinking about summer and going to the beach.

I was sent a box of Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray’s to try in the mail last week as a part of my role as an ambassador for Glamour magazine.  This spray is supposed create sun-kissed sexy waves in your hair at any time of the day. How does your hair look after a day at the beach? This spray will give you that look with out ever touching water.

Did I use this spray? No! After speaking with the representatives from Bumble and Bumble, I decided this spray wouldn’t work well on my hair.

But I wanted to give a couple of my readers a chance to try the spray out for themselves.

So today, I am giving two readers an opportunity to win a bottle of Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray along with a beach bag filled with sun-kissed goodies.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment below telling me how you are planning to spend your summer.

Are you planning to spend your weekends at the pool drinking with girlfriends? Are you taking a beach vacation? If so, tell me where you are going.

For extra entries leave a comment telling me have done one or more of the following.

+1 Become a Fan of My Facebook Page

+ 1 Follow me on Twitter and Retweet this post.

+ 1 Follow me on Pinterest

A winner will be announced on Friday. All entries will be expected until 5 p.m. on Thursday.

** Giveaway items can only be shipped to readers in the United States.

{image source: picship}

Got any special plans this weekend? My weekend calendar is filled to the max with different events. I am looking forward to enjoying a glass of wine and taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

Enjoy your weekend with these links:

< Lately I’ve been working out on my lunch hour and I love doing workouts from Amanda Russell’s Youtube Channel.

< If you are in Atlanta, Texas, Florida, Virginia or Illinois you must stop by your local Uncle Julios this weekend to sit on their patio and enjoy their new flavored lemonades. Each drink is made fresh and is infused with fruit.

< Yesterday I made this amazing recipe from Pinch of Yum for Coconut Curry Lentils. I had lentils for the first time last month and I surprisingly loved them. Self Magazine recently featured lentils in an article on the Top 10 Superfoods for 2012. According to the article, Lentils are a slimming superfood that promote fat burning. If you are getting ready for swimsuit season I recommend trying this recipe.

< Are you on Instagram? Follow me.

Have a great weekend!

Last month I kicked off my new series called splurge vs. steal, where I find discover the best fashion trends that are worth the splurge or savings. I got a special request from my friend Tara to find the perfect pair of wedges that she can where this summer. Well I discovered these cute criss-cross espadrille wedges from two top designer at very different price points.

1. Diane von Furstenberg Florida Sand Burlap Wedges -$295

2. Steve Madden Starla Wedge Sandal - $50

What would like to see in next month’s edition of splurge vs steal? Tell me in a comment below.

Last week I was invited to try a restaurant in Atlanta called Sun in My Belly.

Sun in My Belly is a well known in the city for having the best brunch and catering services. Last fall they started serving dinner at their restaurant in the Historic Kirkwood area. Their new dinner menu has been getting a lot of buzz in the press, so I excited to try this cute eatery.

When I walked in I felt right at home, I was immediately greeted by someone from the restaurant and taken to my table. The restaurant is so cute inside and reminds me of how I would decorate my home. It’s filled with dimly light pastel painted mason jar candle holders on each table and on bookshelves throughout the restaurant. The also have tinsel hanging from the ceiling.

Now onto the food…

In addition to Sun in My Belly’s regular dinner menu they also offer a Supperclub menu available nightly for a fixed cost of $35.00 per person that changes weekly. If you see something on the Supperclub menu that you want to order, these items are also available ala cart at seperate cost. I decided to order from the regular menu.

I started off with an order of sweet tea. This sweet tea was probably the best I have had in this city in a long time. Each sip promises a taste of fresh herbs and citrus. The sweet tea is served in a mason jar.

If you are looking for something a little stronger, the restaurant has a BYOB policy, where you can bring your own beer or wine. While dining I noticed everyone around me had a bottle of wine or a couple of beers at their tables.

After salivating over my glass of sweet tea, I ordered Alison’s Daily Jar which is dip served with a side of pita bread. That night they were serving a delicious Avocado Spread Blended with Blue Cheese (pictured above). I love avocados and blue cheese, so this was the perfect way to start my evening.

I asked my waiter what were the most popular items on the menu and she recommended I try the Wild Mushroom Ravioli, The Fried Chicken or The Miso Glazed Salmon. Everyone around me seemed to be ordering the Fried Chicken but I had a craving for Salmon. So the Miso Glazed Salmon with Sauteed Kale and Shallot Couscous it was!

The salmon was cooked to perfection and the sweet miso glaze was perfect balance with the kale and couscous.

By the time I finished my salmon I was stuffed but I couldn’t leave without trying dessert. So I took their Chocolate Bomb Cake with Drunken Mocha Glaze home to have for later. The chocolate bomb melts in your mouth and is very indulgent.

So if you live in Atlanta or are planning a trip here soon, I recommend that you add a visit to Sun in My Belly to your list of things to do.

Thank you Sun in My Belly for your service and great southern hospitality!

**Sun in My Belly treated me to dinner for the evening. However these opinions are my own.

I received my April Birchbox in the mail earlier this week. This month’s box features all natural products that are nourishing to the skin. I was excited to see another full size product and two green tea bags in my box this month. I feel like I need a dresser drawer just for cosmetics now because I have gotten so many product samples from my previous Birchboxes.

This months box featured the following products:

Atelier Cologne |Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue

Befine | Skincare Sampler

Olíe Biologique | 004 Huile Moderne

Revolution Organics | Freedom Glow Full Size Beauty Balm- This is the only product I’ve tried so far. Its a beauty balm that you can use as a lip tint, cheek tint and eyeshadow. I must say its a little dark as a blush but I like it as a lip gloss.

Lifestyle Extra:

Le Palais des Thès | Two Green Tea Bags

Next month’s Birchbox is a Gossip Girl themed Box, so may sure to sign up now so that receive it in the mail. You can use my referral link.