Manicure Monday: Pink Flamenco

May long weekend! Hope you're all having an awesome Monday so far - it's a holiday where I am, so I get to have today off to... catch up on all the homework I probably should've done a couple days ago. Whoops! Can't blame me though - the weather here has been absolutely gorgeous and I've been spending lots of time sitting out on patios just enjoying the act of doing nothing.

This week on my nails, I've got another classic OPI shade that reminds me of summer. Pink Flamenco is actually from the 2009 Fall collection, but its another one of those polishes I love the use over and over again. This polish is a hot pink with a strong blue tone in it, making it more of a bright purple-pink shade. The formula is smooth and full opaque in two thin coats - it dries to a gorgeous shine and levels itself out beautifully. I was able to wear it for 3 full days before signs of tip wear started to show - something to keep in mind if you don't like to change your polishes frequently!

A Big Thankyou: Lace Dress & Emerald Accents

I have a lot of things to be thankful for. The past couple months my life have been a whirlwind adventure - with school, family, jobs, etc. But one thing has kept me mostly sane - and that is this blog here! I need to say a big thank you to all of you that support me in this blogging journey, because so many great things have come my way. I've been able to connect with countless individuals throughout the world, and locally the support has been amazing. For those of you that are unaware, a couple months ago, I was shortlisted with a nomination for Yeggie - an award recognizing social media in Edmonton. I was nominated for Best in Food - and although I didn't win the award, it was a honor just being nominated with all the other deserving individuals.

So with this post, I thought it would be suitable to share with you what I wore on the night of the awards banquet.


H&M Eyelet dress (similar) (love this) | Shoedazzle Heels (similar)
Aldo Clutch (similar) | Oia Jules Necklace
Who knows where this adventure is going to take me next? All I can say is that I will continue to work hard and be thankful for everything I'm given. So thankyou, thankyou, thankyou - I cannot thank you all enough for being here on this journey with me.

xo Andrea

SWICH things up!

This past Mother's Day, I had the chance to preview the food that will be available from a new food truck here in the city this summer. SWICH food truck is going to be hitting the streets soon, and they're pretty impressive - they make everything from scratch! Literally everything. Bread, meat and spreads.

The lunch time pop-up event at Lan's Asian Grill was a great way to introduce some of their artisan sandwiches that will be available. With three planned sandwiches and dessert planned, the SWICH team started off the meal with mimosas and Bourbon Thai Tea.

First up was the Thai Ham Sandwich. Ham cured with lemongrass, kefir lime leaves, and fish sauce, shaved and topped on a fresh baked hoagie with tamarind mustard and a tomato. The enjoyed that the hoagie had a slight chew to it, but the star here was the ham. It was so tender and easy to bite into - not to mention the mix of flavours used in the brine marinated the ham perfectly and it wasn't overly salty. I would eat this ham all day.

Next up was the Thai Green Curry Chicken Sandwich, which was hands down my favourite of everything I tried that day. Between two slices of pillow soft pretzel bread was a smooth green curry deli chicken, pickled bamboo and green curry aioli. Seriously a huge flavour explosion with every bite - I'm not a green curry fan, but I loved this sandwich. Every part of it!

The last savory sandwich for the meal was a Montreal Smoked Wagyu Beef sandwich. There's now a producer in Southern Alberta that produces Wagyu, a smooth marbled beef, and SWICH is proud to be the only truck in Edmonton to serve it! After being cured, brined and smoked, the beef is shaved thin and served with a sauerkraut aioli and dry roasted red cabbage inside a ciabatta bun. The sauerkraut flavour was light, and each bite into the slightly chewy bun yielded a certain creaminess to it from the beef. The smokiness was apparent, but not overwhelming.

Dessert for the meal continued on with the sandwich theme with an ice cream sandwich. Lemongrass ice cream slathered between two ginger cookies - I was a little hesitant upon hearing we had lemongrass ice cream, but this match was actually perfect! The ginger cookies had a bold ginger flavour as they are made with fresh ginger juice, and had crispy edges and a soft middle. The combination was sweet and spicy, and a really great palate cleanser for the end of the meal. I can't wait to see what other dessert sandwiches they have in store!

After the SWICH popup experience, I cannot wait for their truck to hit the streets. They should be out by the end of May, with a lot of potential locations that they'll be disclosing in the near future. It's pretty impressive that they make everything from scratch.. That's a lot of dedication and hard work. Once the truck is out and about, make sure to give them a try. They'll impress you and your taste buds will thank me!

Manicure Monday: Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Happy Monday! The sun is shining, I had a great weekend, I can't ask for more! Hope everyone (especially the moms out there!) had an enjoyable weekend!

This week I have one of my favourite nail polish shades of all time to share with you! OPI's Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! It's a high gloss pink shade that's bright enough to grab attention, but still subdued enough to be work appropriate. It's always been one of those go-to shades I love to wear in the summer, whether on my fingers or toes, cause it just screams warm weather and delicious (boozy) drinks in the sun! The formula is wonderful - easy to apply and levels out in just two coats. Best of all, it's part of the permanent collection so it can't be hard to find!

Ever find yourself going back to one certain shade all the time? Let me know what yours is!