Wednesday I started making my way back north and flew up to Charlotte to visit Max. He took off work Friday and we went to Asheville, which I’ll tell you all about Wednesday! This weekend we tried a ton of new restaurants which I can’t wait to share with you, I found an amazing place to shop in town, and I had to share a few other things I’m loving right now. Some weeks finding even five things I’m loving is a challenge so I’m so excited to have seven new things to share with you this week!
One // NoDa – NoDa can be best described as a hipster area of Charlotte with good food and cool art. Max’s mom’s favorite fish taco place, Cabo Fish Taco, is there and this weekend we headed that direction Sunday morning for brunch. We tried Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen and had the BEST beignets I’ve had. They’re $3 for 3 and hot, soft and amazing. I’ve never been to New Orleans so I can’t tell you how they compare to Cafe Du Monde but they’re really, really good. The food was okay, it didn’t quite live up to our expectations after the beignets, but Bloody Mary’s are 1/2 off Sundays and the beignets alone are worth the visit.
Two // The Best Margs in Town – Thursday night I was feeling Mexican food so Max suggested RuRu’s Tacos and Tequila, having been there before. The great thing about Charlotte is we never had to wait too long, even without reservations. We did have about a ten-minute wait though so we sat at the bar and ordered margaritas. They were by far some of the best I’ve had. We got their classic house margarita which was mixed with some orange juice and it was so good. Granted, I already like tequila, but I hate really strong drinks and this was easy to drink and well mixed. The menu items are named after movies or quotes from movies, so you could order a “Bend and Snap” or a “Long Duck Dong” which I really liked. We each got two tacos; we both got the steak which I really enjoyed, and Max got a fish taco while I got a chicken one as my second. They also have a great outdoor patio if you go when it’s not quite so cold.
Three // Date Night Restaurant – We had originally planned to stay in Asheville but decided last minute to drive back to Charlotte. One of Max’s bosses had recommended Toscana and normally we wouldn’t spend so much money on dinner, but since we weren’t paying for a hotel we decided to go for it. It was so worth it. It was some of the best pasta I’ve had. I got the carbonara because it was properly made with egg instead of a cream sauce and Max got pasta with sausage sauce. Our dishes were so different but equally delicious. If you’re ever looking for a night out and want to treat yourself, Toscana is a great bet. I’d recommend making a reservation; we didn’t and were fine but when we left the entire bar was full and there were people waiting for tables.
Four // Where to Shop – As we were leaving Toscana Saturday night, I noticed a boutique next door that looked pretty cute so the next day I asked Max to take me back. I’m so glad I did. When I was in Florida I went shopping with my grandma and felt like I couldn’t find anything worthwhile. I was so disappointed but everything looked the same and I was unimpressed. The boutique was called Ivy and Leo and they do have an online site, but with fewer options than they do in stores. They had so many cute suede skirts, the Sherpa pullovers in a bunch of colors, and some really cute sweaters at affordable prices. I ended up getting a very fun and trendy black jacket that I can’t wait to do a full shoot of. I probably would’ve gotten even more but (luckily) they didn’t have my size in a couple of things I was eyeing.
Five // Wubby Pullovers – Back in you October, I shared this fuzzy fleece vest, and the pullover version of it has become the it-item of the season. The wubby quarter-zips are everywhere and for good reason, they’re ridiculously warm and cozy. Ivy and Leo had the pink one (discounted!!) this weekend, and I was so close to buying it, but they only had a medium and it was just too big on me. They’re also not incredibly practical for me because I’m switching between NY and DC and Charlotte so often and they’re pretty big to pack, but they’re perfect for lounging around, or when you want to look cute without really trying. They’re slightly discounted at Ivy and Leo and you can get 10% off when you sign up, or you can get it at Nordstrom if you’re looking for those reward points!
Six // My New Favorite Instagram – I was looking for some new places to check out in New York by perusing Instagram and I found an account called thewilliamanderson and his pictures are incredible. He put the picture above on his story so you could screenshot it to use as a phone wallpaper so of course, I did. His pictures remind me why I think New York is so incredible and if you’re looking for some inspiration or cool photography I definitely recommend checking out his page!
Seven // Holy Grail Winter Skin Care Products – For some reason, my skin has felt under attack this week. It was breaking out, brutally dry and so sensitive. I couldn’t do much about the pimples besides using my regular acne medication, but I found a Kiehl’s at the Atlanta airport during my layover Wednesday and they were nice enough to give me a few samples to try out. I’ve used the Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Mask before and it remains one of my favorites. My skin soaked up basically the entire mask every time I used it, which was about every other day over the past week and it helped so much. I’ve been using an Aveeno moisturizer which is a little heavier than my normal moisturizer, which was crucial this week, and every night I’ve been applying an avocado eye cream from Kiehl’s that I love. The area around my eyes always gets super dry and sensitive when I wear a lot of makeup and especially in the winter and the eye cream worked wonders; I can’t recommend it enough.
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