April Favorites

What I have been wearing, eating, doing, using, seeing, listening to, and loving! Sonny angels, ballet sneakers, my favorite sandwich, cherry blossoms, to name a few

Due to seasonal depression and lack of motivation, we are skipping March and going directly to April. Did anyone else experience a resurgence of life when the weather started to get warmer towards the beginning of April? For me, April was all about appreciating the small things and feeling hopeful and energetic for the spring/summer season! (Count how many times I mention the weather and spring in this post)

1. Wearing

• Ballet sneakers: I haven’t always been the biggest fan of ballet flats since they're so flat and I need at least a tiny bit of height, and they're usually uncomfortable since you can basically feel the concrete when you walk in them. But slap on a sneaker sole at the bottom of them and a velcro strap and I'm obsessed. I love the juxtaposition of the girly and sporty. I bought a pair of Sketcher mesh ballet sneakers from eBay and I love wearing them with colorful socks. I think they look particularly nice with a long jean/pant or long skirt, which brings me to my next fashion favorite.

• Long skirts: I've always been a long skirt girly but found myself rotating between three types of long skirts this month. I call it my long skirt trio: denim, cotton, and khaki. What's even better is that I got all of them secondhand! My favorite is probably the cotton one which, to be fair, I've had since last summer but it just works so well in all seasons. My go-to style combo has been a long skirt with my ballet sneakers, it never fails!

2. Eats

• A new café opened in my neighborhood, Lately Café, and their signature drink, iced coconut latte, is perfection. They use both coconut milk and another milk of your choice (I chose oat obviously). It's perfectly creamy but not heavy, a little sweet, and satisfies my recent coconut obsession.

• This one isn't a new discovery but I revisited Forma Pasta Factory in Greenpoint, BK after a long time of not going. Forma serves affordable pasta dishes (all $13!) in a casual setting. They make all their pastas by hand, have a variety of flavors to choose from, and give very generous portions. I sat outside for lunch and it was such a vibe to people watch as I enjoyed my shrimp scampi. I can see this place being my new go-to for outdoor casual dining in the warmer months. Add a glass of chilled rose wine on the side and I'll be living my best life.

• A random one but I rediscovered how good raspberries taste this month? My friend brought some raspberries from Trader Joe's to a picnic and they were so good for no reason. I also love the deep and vibrant pink color of them.

• My hyperfixation food this month has been this delicious and fresh sandwich I've been making every week for lunch. I based it off of a recipe I found on tiktok and added a few other components I liked. The crunch of the cucumbers is so satisfying and the herbed goat cheese yogurt spread is the perfect thick but not heavy texture. Recipe below:

  

  • Ingredients:

    • Sourdough bread

    • Herbed goat cheese spread (from whole foods)

    • Avocado

    • Spinach

    • Cucumber

    • Tomato (heirloom tomatoes are superior but any tomato will do)

    • Choice of cheese (I used provolone)

    • Deli turkey

    • Salt/pepper

    • Lemon juice

    • Olive oil

    • Balsamic glaze

  • Recipe:

    • Toast sourdough bread (toast in a pan with butter if you have the time; makes it even more delicious!)

    • Spread herbed goat cheese on first piece of bread

    • Mash avocado on second piece of bread and squeeze a little lemon juice on top

    • Thinly slice cucumbers and place on first piece of  bread; also add spinach and a thick slice of tomato

    • Salt and pepper the top of tomato and add a drizzle of olive oil

    • Add slice of cheese and turkey (optional)

    • Assemble sandwich and cut in half

    • I like to drizzle a little balsamic glaze on each bite :)

3. Beauty/Skincare

• Supergoop Glow Screen (gifted): I've already been a fan of Supergoop's Unseen Screen for a long time (I like to use it as a primer). However, this month I found myself really liking the Glow Screen. Maybe something about (again) the warm weather that makes me want to look super sunkissed and glowy. I like to mix a little of the Glow Screen with my foundation on the back of my hand before applying to my face. It feels more lightweight and makes my skin look bouncy and glowy.

• Armani Beauty Lip Power Lipstick (gifted): Everything I've tried from Armani Beauty has been a hit and this one is no exception. If you know me, you know I love a bold red lip. This lipstick is the perfect classic red and applies so easily. It is not drying at all and can work for both an everyday and night time look in my opinion.

• IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer: My mom put me onto this undereye concealer and it's honestly a game changer! You only need a little because it is very full coverage. When you first apply it, it might seem too thick but it blends super easily and makes your undereye area look bright and hydrated. It wears throughout the day nicely too and does not feel or look cakey in the slightest bit.

4. Hobbies

• After taking a hiatus from reading in March, I finished reading the popular book, Normal People by Sally Rooney this month. I had to see what the hype was and I have to say it was very beautifully written. Most of it centers on the main characters' inner dialogues and at times, it felt almost dream-like. Definitely a bittersweet/sad romance and I found some moments relatable. I'm not sure I'll be watching the tv show on Hulu anytime soon as I'm not really in the mood to watch something sad as summer is approaching haha.

• I was 100% influenced by TikTok to start my Sonny Angel collection. They're just so adorable and I love all the different designs and just want to collect them all! I also love seeing people bring them into the real world and coordinating their sonny angels with whatever activity they are doing. For example, I brought my sunflower lion sonny angel to a picnic and it fit in perfectly.

  

5. NYC Spots

• Trying to catch the cherry blossoms in NYC before they die is like a sport. Their lifespans are pretty short, sometimes only a week, so if you miss them you'll have to wait a whole other year. I caught early glimpses of cherry blossoms in Central Park at the end of March, when it was still winter cold. Then did a picnic with my friends in April at Gantry Park in LIC with the white cherry blossoms. My favorite version of cherry blossoms has to be the ones on Roosevelt Island though. They were such a pretty shade of pink and full.

• Safe to say after visiting this bar three weekends in a row, Ding-a-Ling in Alphabet City has become one of my favorite bars. Their espresso martini is a must-order; perfect balance of sweet, bitter, and smoothness. Not to mention, the next block over is Joyface so after a few espresso martinis at Ding-a-Ling, you can saunter over to Joyface for some disco dancing!

6. Music

• Jammed out to Taylor Swift's hits in honor of her Eras tour (Cruel Summer was/is on repeat), saw Aly & AJ in concert (they were so good live!), and danced to all the songs from girly pop icons Rina, Caroline, Charlie.