Girl vs. Food: Thao’s Greek Island Grille

A couple of weeks ago after watching Midnight in Paris, my husband and I ventured to Thao’s Greek Island Grille - a little hole in the wall place located across from the South Coast Plaza mall. I had recently discovered this little jem after a co-worker and I were looking for something new to try, and I’m so glad we stumbled upon it because it’s become my new favorite spot!

The flavors and portions are pretty incredible. I opted for the Bundle which included a choice of meat and two sides. I opted for the lamb, which was tender and juicy with a Mediterranean salad and fries. My husband chose the same except instead of fries he got the Greek slaw, which was very fresh and flavorful. 

As a big hummus lover, we had to order a side of hummus with pita bread which completed our perfect meal. When the food arrived we were amazed with the portions and the flavors. 

While we were starving, the portions were too much for us to finish and...food won this time!

Bringing our total to: 2 to 4*

Us: 2

Food: 4

*See previous Girl vs. Food posts here.

July 2011 Beauty Favorites

I figure there is no better comeback from being M.I.A. then to discuss one of my favorite topics - beauty essentials! I love hearing about new products that girls are currently loving and hating. 

Below is a list of my most reached for beauty items for July. What were some of your beauty favorites for this past month?

Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Foundation - I've never been a fan of pressed powder foundation, until I was introduced to my Pur Minerals. I see such a difference when I use liquid foundation and my Pur Minerals powder. While I don't really feel like it provides a huge amount of coverage, it gives my skin a fresh glow that's just right for summer.

UD Naked Pallet – I had been on the waiting list for a while for this product until a few months ago when I got my hands on it. Now I use it every single day! Urban Decay never disappoints and these eye shadows are the best of the best.

ELF Blushes – These little blushes are amazing! For $3 – you really can’t beat the price tag or the colors. I’ve been using Candid Coral and Tickled Pink. I’ll either use one or mix them both! They give a great natural look that I like to go for during summer.  

Revlon Lusterous Lipsticks (Temptress and Gentlemen Prefer Pink) – I picked these up when I saw a 40% sale at my nearby Rite Aid, and I’m so glad I did. I love pink lips and while these two look exactly alike the Gentlemen Prefer Pink is a little more pinker then Temptress and gives a great hint of color for summer.
 
Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray Eye Primer – While I’m a very loyal UD fan, this month I’ve been using a sample size of Benefit’s eye primer and I have to say I love it. It has a much creamier consistency, so I feel like I use less of the product, which can even out the cost since it’s a little pricy. It does a great job at keeping my eye shadow on throughout my whole work day.
 
EOS Lip Balm – This month I’ve been reaching for my EOS lip balm more than any product. I love the unique shape of these little balms because they’re so easy to find in my bag.

Boscia Face Primer – I’m a big fan of Boscia’s all-natural products. It does a great job at moisturizing my face with such a small amount of product. If you haven’t tried any of their products, I highly recommend them.

Dove Shampoo – Summer always seems to dry out my already damaged hair, so reaching for a shampoo that hydrates and treats damaged hair is what I’m always looking for during summer months. This Dove shampoo does a great job at doing just that and my husband loves the smell, so that’s a big plus too.

ECO Tools – I recently purchased some Eco brushes to add to my collection, and I am amazed with the quality. I can’t believe it took me this long to make the purchase. Probably my favorite item from July!

Photos by me

Foodie Diary: Vegas-Style!

In celebration of my husband's birthday, his spring break and my much, much, much needed break from reality - we headed to Vegas! Oh yes, it was just what we needed. We engorged ourselves with food, drinks, shopping and probably a lot of debt and yup, it was all worth it!

We stayed at Planet Hollywood and we really enjoyed our stay! It's in the most perfect location and right across from The Cosmopolitan hotel that opened a few months a ago. It's just as fabulous as the reviews kept gushing about! The decor is gorgeous and the food is phenomenal!

We also tried the newly opened Sugar Factory restaurant and that was just as amazing. Ridiculously delicious drinks and food - it's the perfect date place. We had a really sweet dinner there Sunday night.

We also ventured around the Cosmopolitan hotel and found the much talked about "secret pizza place". Yes, it's a hidden gem. It's nowhere found on the directory, there is no sign, there is no evidence of the place. But it's  on the second floor, between two restaurants (Blue Ribbon Sushi), down a narrow hall. The cheese pizza is delicious, NY style and the price unlike anything in Vegas - super, super affordable - guess maybe that's why it's kept a secret?

What's your favorite place in Vegas?!

photos by me

What's In Your Purse? (1st Edition)

While I really did want to blog consistently for 40 days, I knew I couldn't just put up randomness. (Although did you not just love this video? And this is for sure a cool stand for my iphone/ipod). At the end of the day I want my blog posts to be fun, inspirational and articles that I would like to read.

I'm going to be starting up a couple of new series on my blog, and the first one up is "What's In Your Bag?". If you are interested in participating send me an email at Vanessasrunway@gmail.com!

First up is one of my bestfriend's! She's fun, she's stylish, she comes from central California and she has a killer blog Everything Is Alright. Yes, it's Jo! And this is what's in her bag...

Nine West bag from outlet store. Holla atcha bargain girl. I carry this with me on the daily because I usually go from work, to school, to some evening shopping for groceries, toiletries, and other randoms... the beige color and structured-yet-casual shape goes with everything from business attire to casual brunch clothes (I know 'cuz I've done it). It's not annoyingly large, but it DOES hold quite a bit of "essentials" such as:

• Checkbook and FINE point (fine is important) Zebra pen (cuz I pay rent and utilities now, honey) 
• Un-deposited checks that I seriously need to deposit
•  (orange) My "pretty girl" bag (thank you, Bare Escentuals freebie) containing: Aquaphor, Smith's Rosebud Salve, C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in Magenta Mint, Colgate Wisps, Sephora matte blotting films, a black Sephora hair elastic, CVS cough drop in Honey Lemon, Halls cough drop in Black Cherry, Matrix Curl.Life contouring milk, BreathSavers Peppermint, Tokidoki lip balm in Donutella, Clinique Superbalm lip treatment. Yes, all of that.
• Coupons (LOVE clippin!) 
• (beige) Chloe (freebie with my Choe fragrance purchase) zippered bag I use as a walletDivine Mint
• Dark Chocolate bar
• Movie ticket stubs

• 3D movie glasses 

• Knock-off Ray-Bans I got for approximately $2 (my fave souvenir from the Philippines!)
  Full-sized toothbrush and travel toothpaste (you just never know...) 

• iPod Touch with USB cord and earphones

  
  
  
  
  
  

Thanks Jo! :)

Funny Video of the Day...

Love. :)

Would you dare?...

Spring is just around the corner! And since I love sandals, what better excuse than to shop for shoes for spring?! :) Naturally I was looking around for some ideas and inspiration, and I came across "12 Spring Wedges To Snap Up", while I do love some funky things - I'm not quite sure I'd really go for these. Am I too boring or would you dare?

Take a look at the rest of the list here!

photos: Refinery 29

Apple?

I have to admit that I'm not the most tech-savvy person. Frankly, I'm not that big of a fan of gadgets, but my iphone - I love my iphone! So easily, I've come to realize I would also love an ipad! Is the ipad excitement killing you with anticipation or annoying you immensely? The only thing I find annoying is the $500 price tag. So until I'm able to take the plunge and spend $500, I'll probably get an ipluge and countdown till xmas!

via Woo!