Inspiration: Navy and Black

 

I'm super obsessed with this color combination these days, it's so effortlessly sheek. 
Everyone has these colors in their wardrobe and it's a great way to create something fresh! 
xoxo Chelsea

Pastels for Spring!

PL Weekend Style Collage Guides

Our PL stylists, Katie and Victoria, give us some fun looks today for style guiding on how to wear the trends of neon colors, printed pastels and layered jewelry. 

Katie rocks this neon pink blazer, textured gray pencil skirt, and simple pale pink tank. This is a great way to tone down the boldness of neon to the perfect level ;)

Up close and personal on how to layer necklaces.

Victoria pairs our 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent pastel printed maxi, Splendid plain white tee, and Freepeople denim jacket. Casual, boho, and oh so chic :)

Find out details about these looks by calling our Solana Beach store at (858) 792-0882 ext. 1

Nudes and Blacks

Nudes and blacks are the perfect combo for a posh look for the new year. Pairing soft grays, blacks and pale blushes will give you that feminine glow we all love ;) Along with this color palete, stick with mostly stirling silver jewelry to compliment the blacks and heather grays. 

Pastels and Stripes

Nudes and stripes are the perfect fresh combo for January! We love these neutral colors with our pastel purple Paige skinnies. A touch of Spring, and casual comfort. Complete the look with a scarf or necklace, and warm brown tall or over the kneee boots. 

Beauty Breakdown from Ash Mathews

Ash Mathews is one of our fav make up artists. She is the master mind behind our last PL Fall/Winter look book  makeup, and is an expert at creating that natural glow we all crave. Here, she creates a beautiful natural summer glow on model, Donna Feldman, with photographer, Mira,of Creative Lifestyle Photos. Ash gives a great list of what products she used. Follow this Beauty Breakdown, and you'll be sure to create your beautiful natural look ;) See more from Ash Mathews at her blog here!

Foundation

RCMA Shinto 3 and Olive equal parts

Concealer

Laura Geller the Real Deal Concealer in Medium

Powder

I am not a huge fan of powder so we used very sparingly a bit of Ben Nye Banana Powder to warm things back up and set the look.

Blush

MAC Cremeblend Blush in LadyBlush

Eyeshadow

Urban Decay in Naked all over the lid and slightly extended into the crease
Urban Decay in Polyester Bride along the brow bone

Eye Liner

MAC Brun Eyeshadow applied tightly along the upper and lower lash line

Brows

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Brunette/Dark Brown

Mascara

Loreal Voluminous original in Blackest Black

Lips

Nars Satin Lipstick in Blonde Venus
Face Atelier Lip Glaze in Arctic Gold applied sparingly to the center of the lips

Style Inspiration

Best of Pre-Fall Women's Ready to Wear

Rachel Roy

Chloe

Jason Wu

Stella McCartney

Diane Von Furstonberg

Sonia Rykiel

Take these Pre-Fall looks as inspiration on ways you can jazz up your wardrobe!  Play with textures, new color combinations and prints!
xoxo Chelsea

Salmon Cakes

I make these all the time, it's kind of a lengthy process, but well worth it!  Try these yummy Salmon Cakes for dinner tonight!  xoxo Chelsea

Ingredients

1/2 pound fresh salmon

Good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)

1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)

1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)

1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)

3 slices stale bread, crusts removed

1/2 cup good mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the salmon on a sheet pan, skin side down. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and refrigerate until cold.
Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the bread crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally.
Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into 10 (2 1/2 to 3-ounce) cakes.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. In batches, add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a preheated 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

(courtesy foodnetwork.com)

PL Selfies!

Keep it casual and simple with pastels and nuetrals, paired with a layering necklace. 

Scarves are a must all year around! Play with some fun Spring colors (regardless of the weather), and complete a simple look with a printed scarf and nude heels. 

We LOVE this dress. Chic and edgey, this printed piece can be dressed up or dressed down for any occasion :)

We're whipping out our style selfies with our La Jolla stylist, Chelsea Anderson. Get inspired by her styled looks, and start the year off with some fresh new ideas for your January outfits ;)

Item of the Week

Our Item of the Week this week is our 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent embroidered blouse! Hurry in to get yours :)

New Years Dress!

New Years is creeping up much faster than Christmas did! This means that it's time for you to stop by one of our stores to pick out your perfect celebration ensemble with our stylists ;) From Dianne Von Furstenberg to one of a kind PL exclusuive Paris designs, we are certain that you'll find just the right thing to wear for this special new start of 2013. 

Daily Om: Beyond Counting Your Blessings

Our gratitude deepens when we begin to be thankful for being alive during this time and living the life we are living.

Often when we practice being thankful, we go through the process of counting our blessings, acknowledging the wonderful people, things and places that make up our reality. While it is fine to be grateful for the good fortune we have accumulated, true thankfulness stems from a powerful comprehension of the gift of simply being alive, and when we feel it, we feel it regardless of our circumstances. In this deep state of gratitude, we recognize the purity of the experience of being, in and of itself, and our thankfulness is part and parcel of our awareness that we are one with this great mystery that is life. 

It is difficult for most of us to access this level of consciousness as we are very caught up in the ups and downs of our individual experiences in the world. The thing to remember about the world, though, is that it ebbs and flows, expands and contracts, gives and takes, and is by its very nature somewhat unreliable. If we only feel gratitude when it serves our desires, this is not true thankfulness. No one is exempt from the twists and turns of fate, which may, at any time, take the possessions, situations, and people we love away from us. Ironically, it is sometimes this kind of loss that awakens us to a thankfulness that goes deeper than just being grateful when things go our way. Illness and near-miss accidents can also serve as wake-up calls to the deeper realization that we are truly lucky to be alive. 

We do not have to wait to be shaken to experience this state of being truly thankful for our lives. Tuning in to our breath and making an effort to be fully present for a set period of time each day can do wonders for our ability to connect with true gratitude. We can also awaken ourselves with the intention to be more aware of the unconditional generosity of the life force that flows through us regardless of our circumstances.

Gluten Free Monkey Bread

3 egg whites

1 tablespoon oil

¼ cup milk

½ cup rice flour (75 grams)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar (stevia or splenda are also good)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¾ teaspoons xanthan gum

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter or margarine

Preparation

. Preheat oven to 350^o F and grease a medium-size loaf pan.

. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining dough ingredients and stir until quite thick. (This may take a minute). Set aside.

. Combine the filling ingredients with a fork.

. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough in the loaf pan. Sprinkle the filling on top and keep layering until the dough and filling are gone.

. Bake for 30-35 minutes until bread is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then invert onto a serving plate.

Enjoy!!

Photos from Bleubird Blog

PL Holiday Dinner

Some quick shots from last night's PL Holiday dinner! The team came together for some Holiday cheer, and enjoyed some great food and wine. Can't wait for Christmas to come!! :)

That's A Wrap!

Christmas is just around the corner! This means it's just about time to put that credit card to rest, and wrap those special gifts with love. Take the more simple/organic route and wrap your presents with brown paper, then tie it with colorful yarn. If you're wanting to avoid the endless pieces of ripped up paper left behind, wrap your presents with a printed cloth tied at the top. There are many fun ways to make your gift wrapping a little more unique. Take inspiration from these gift wrapping ideas, and wrap up those presents...and your gift-buying stress ;)