September

I am in denial that September is more than halfway gone. Maybe it's this lingering summer heat that keeps me from acceptance. Alas, most things summer have come to an end and school is very much in full swing. As a little kid my very favorite thing about fall was back to school shopping. Yeah, yeah major nerd alert, but 'tis true. There was just something about roaming the aisles of school supplies, choosing all the prettiest Lisa Frank notebooks/folders, crossing things of your supply list.. just me? well, ok then......

Nowadays school shopping = ordering highlighters and pens off of amazon. haha.

In the spirit of back to school, Ingrid and I are each sharing our three must-have school items.

Naomi:
1. Fjallraven Kanken backpack
(Yeah, good luck pronouncing that one)

Ok, so for the past four years I had a Swiss backpack. You guys, that backpack could go to war and back and still be in perfect condition, but it was just weighing me down big time. It was great in undergrad when I was practically carrying my house back and forth, but now that my load has lightened up quite a bit, the Fjallaraven backpack is the perfect option for me. It is super light weight and the padded straps/back are really comfortable. I got the 15in laptop version which fits my Macbook Pro perfectly. There is one big compartment in which I usually fit a binder, my charger, and lunch, and a small compartment for all my highlighters, pens, etc... It's has a nice minimalistic feel to it so it looks really nice as an everyday bag and doesn't scream school backpack.

2. Pens

                

This one may seem a bit obvious. Of course you need something to write with but hear me out: I really really really appreciate a good pen. I write a lot and I find that a good pen makes my handwriting neater and writing overall more enjoyable. My favorites so far are the PILOT G-2, Pilot Razor Point, Paper Mate Flair, and Sharpie Pen. Those last three are actually marker pens. I like that they write really smooth and the ink is really bold.

Side-note confession time: Totally swiped a few G-2s from my old job. Everyone does that.. right!?

Ingrid:
1. Planner

2. Binder

Naomi + Ingrid
3. Highlighters

On Fridays We Coffee

Hi, my name is Naomi Roman, and I am a coffee-aholic. It's not coffee, it's liquid gold. Haha ok seriously though I really appreciate a good cup of coffee. This week Ingrid and I got to spend some quality 'catching up on our week' time at one of my favorites: Portage Grounds. All the workers here know me and start making my coffee even before I walk inside, preeeetty embarrassing. It's a cute shop that is really big on supporting local businesses by buying all their coffee, tea, syrups, and donuts locally. My absolute favorite thing that they have is their Jo Sno Fig Vanilla Black Pepper syrup. It's got a little kick to it that makes my iced lattes oh so good. If you're ever in the area, check it out! It won't disappoint. 

N+I

Who's With Me!?

 

1. Sales rack
2. Smell all the candles
3. A white tee for $138... what the what!?
4. Sit on fancy couch
5. Close eyes and wish your darndest that you owned one of everything
6. Open eyes... still too poor
7. Take pictures with the wall art

Thanks for the adventure, ANTHRO

                        N + I

Chocolate Things/Bombe/Salam de Biscuiti

You guys!!!! I want to introduce you to this "oh so good, I dream about you at night" Romanian dessert. I don't think you can ever go wrong with combining Biscoff cookies, cocoa, walnuts (a Romanian dessert staple), and a bit of instant coffee. This recipe is super simple so give it a try! I promise you will be glad that you did. If not, I will gladly take the whole batch off your hands ;)

 

Ingredients:

3 packs of Biscoff cookies (I bought them at Costco)
walnuts (optional)
8 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 Tb. cocoa powder
1.5 Tb. instant coffee
4 sticks of butter
fine unsweetened shredded coconut


In a large bowl crush the Biscoff cookies by hand or by using the back of a spoon. The cookies should not be completely crushed to powder. Larger cookie bits are a-ok. I personally prefer this dessert with walnuts so I finely chop about 2 cups of walnuts and add them to the crushed cookies.

In a sauce pan, combine eggs, sugar, cocoa, and instant coffee. Whisk constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens (about 10 min). Turn off heat and while the mixture is still hot add butter.

                                                 

 













After the butter melts, pour chocolate mixture over the crushed cookies/walnuts. Mix well. At this time the mixture will be really sticky.

Place in refrigerator to harden for about 2 hours or until the mixture can be rolled into .5 in balls. Roll the balls in coconut.

Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

N+I

A Not So Essential Island Essential

Let’s say that you are stranded on an island and you can only bring one item with you.  You all know where I’m going with this….what would your one item be? But wait! There’s a catch: it has to be a makeup product. Now I know what you’re all thinking: vanity of all vanities, but just roll with it, mkay? My pick would be mascara. I’m pretty sure that’s the first ever makeup product that I owned. For me, a good mascara is one that is waterproof, gives me volume and length, does not clump or flake, and lasts all day.  I have tried so many throughout the years but my favorites are They’re Real by Benefit and Smoky ExtravagantMascara by Make Up For Ever. 

Here’s a slightly off-topic funny one for you. I once asked a guy the island question because ,you know, that's a pretty great get-to-know-you question. He said that if we were on that island together he would bring a camera to take pictures of me. Then, when he would be out hunting and missing me he would be able to look at the pictures. I guess he was trying to be cutesy, but all that was going through my mind was oh you foolish boy….

For real though whenever I am asked the island question I always say a knife and will never in a million years choose mascara.

                                                                          N + I

Eyes, Eyes, Eyes

Ingrid and I are pretty similar in that we like to keep our makeup routine fairly simple. I'm an 'it took me all of five minutes to achieve this look' kind of girl. Mascara + eyeliner + brows and I am goooood to go! I'll highlight a few of my favorites, starting with my favorite eyeliner of all time: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner.

                              

Honestly, the eyeliner pot/brush combo was a little daunting at first -cue bad memories of middle school art class- but once I got the hang of it, I actually preferred this combo over a pencil. Application is super easy as it glides right on, and true to its name, this eyeliner lasts all day with minimal smudging. There are a lot of colors to choose from but my favorite is Caviar Ink, a deep black-brown. I use the Sigma Beauty Small Angle E65 brush.
I can confidently say that this is the BEST eyeliner I have ever owned, and would recommend it x100. (Just ask Ingrid, I got her hooked on it as well ;)

                                                                             N + I