I’m so excited to share I’ve moved back to NYC! It feels insane to type out those words! When I moved from NYC to LA 2 years ago, I never thought I’d move back to the city. I truly thought that LA would be the place where I planted my roots. Life is funny that way – it’s full of twists and turns, ups and downs, curveballs, and surprises. You never really know what’s going to happen or how you’ll feel days, weeks or months from now about something. Things change, people change, places change. We grow up, evolve, and mature. When I moved to LA 2 years ago, it was because I was completely and utterly burnt out and needed a break from the hustle/bustle of NYC. I fell in love with the relaxed beach town Venice one summer. I didn’t want to leave after a week of bliss riding my bike in the sunshine and strolling down Abbot Kinney. It was truly paradise! I loved the laid back vibe, small neighborhood feel, gorgeous weather, health conscious mindset, walkability, and proximity to the ocean that Venice offered. My body instantly felt at ease in LA. And after years of struggling with digestion issues, Vitamin D deficiency, and sky high cortisol levels, I knew that’s where I needed to be. A few months after visiting, I packed up my life in NYC and moved into my dream house 3 blocks from the beach! Moving to LA, was one of the best life decisions I’ve ever made. Being in LA, and taking a step back from my work and life in NYC, allowed me to get in touch with myself and ultimately became the woman I wanted to be. So many incredible things happened during my time there. I healed my digestion, I rescued my dog Charlie, I fell in love with my next door neighbor Derek, I learned to stop and smell the roses, I developed self care rituals, I made incredible friends, I wrote a cookbook, and I discovered a whole other side of myself! LA taught me how to slow down and appreciate nature, peace + quiet, and the art of doing nothing. About 6 months ago, I started to feel like something was missing from my life in LA. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at first, but when I visited NYC in October I knew. I missed living in the city. I missed walking outside my door and having tons of amazing restaurants, shops, museums, parks, and more all around me. I missed the energy, the excitement, the culture, the people, the pace, the work ethic, the ambition, and the REALNESS. Sure, Venice – and all of the towns within LA have great restaurants, shops, museums, parks, etc. But one of my readers who has lived in both NYC and LA couldn’t have said it better; LA doesn’t have SOUL! NYC has SOUL! It has DEPTH. It has grit and quirks, it’s romantic, and it’s the place that makes me feel the most alive. Every city has its pros and cons. There’s no such thing as a “perfect” place. A city could be the right fit for you for at a certain time period in your life and then you could outgrow it or crave something else. Listen to your gut. You know what’s best for you and that feeling will ultimately lead you to the place you’re supposed to be. Don’t get stuck. You’re not trapped or tied down to one place. If you’re unhappy move. If you’re itching for something different, go explore. If you feel stifled, get out. Embrace change – don’t fear it. Look at obstacles and jump over them! Put your mental health and wellbeing first before anything else. That is my advice if you’re contemplating a move! I’m now living in an apartment in Soho with my sweet puppy Charlie.I love my new home and I’m pinching myself that I get to be back here surrounded by such hardworking, talented, driven people! This city really does push me to be the best version of myself. I’m grateful that I have the energy to enjoy it again, and the mindset to not get overwhelmed by it. Derek, who I was dating for a little over a year, and who is still the love of my life, is not living with me, and instead pursuing his dream in San Francisco. He got a once-in-a-lifetime job offer that he couldn’t refuse from a company in Silicon Valley and moved there 3 weeks ago. This business deal was a loooong time coming and something I knew may go through despite our original plan and desire to move to NYC together. I could not be happier for him – it’s such a huge opportunity and something he’s worked so hard for. He and I had discussed being bicoastal and doing long distance, but ultimately I did not want to (and could not see us both realistically) flying back and forth on a 6 hour flight every other week (especially with Charlie) to maintain our relationship. He’s one of my best friends and someone I will always adore and admire. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I feel a sense of comfort knowing that everything really does happen for a reason – and that we are both living out our dreams. Thank you for all of the sweet messages and comments about my move. I am always so humbled to be connected to you and receive such a thoughtful outpouring of support. Trust me – I wanted to answer all of your DMs and share this exciting news sooner, but so many things have been up in the air these past few weeks! I honestly didn’t even know where I was going to live in NYC until about a week ago. Also, I was trying to quickly move out of my LA house since someone wanted to rent it sooner than my lease was even up! Crazy! Anyways, I’ll be unpacking and getting settled over the next few weeks. I can’t wait to share more apartment updates along the way. I’m having a lot of fun decorating this place. It’s a totally different vibe from my beach house! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! xx

I always get asked about my favorite candles so today I wanted to round up my go-tos because they would make AMAZING gifts for the holidays.  I’m a bit of a candle fanatic – my entire house is literally full of them!  I love wandering into boutiques and seeing pretty candles on display just waiting to go home with me!  I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy a beautiful candle, so if you’re stumped on what to give your mom, sister, girlfriend, or coworker – any of the below candles will surely wow them! If I had to choose my all time favorite candle it would be Diptyque Vanille.  This is THE chicest scent out there.  It has just the right amount of vanilla with a slightly masculine tobacco undertone.  HEAVENLY!  I want to bathe in this scent. Right up there, with Diptyque Vanille is Diptyque Baies – which is a great scent for the summer or anyone who lives in a warmer climate.  It’s very refreshing and sort of zingy/citrusy!  Other Diptyque candles I have on repeat are 34 and La Madeleine.  34 is a really strong scent that I would burn at a party and La Madeleine is a sweeter scent – similar to Vanille, but more subtle and great for someone who has a million Diptyque candles but wants something a little different since it comes in this cool jar.  You also can’t go wrong with any of their holiday candles and mini candle sets! Moving on from Diptyque, I love Byredo everything.  Their Bohemia and Bibliotheque scents are to die for.  Both scents are sexy – and make you want to curl up on your couch with a fire burning, your honey and a good book.  Another sexy scent that has a nice amount of earthiness to it is the Goop 02 Shiso candle which has palo santo in it. Le Labo also makes incredible candles – and I especially love that you can personalize them with a small note at the bottom.  If you pop into their store they type it right there for you!  I have Santal 26 in my kitchen, and I gave Derek Palo Santo 14 for our anniversary.  It’s perfect for the man in your life! Jo Malone candles are heavenly – and their packaging and boxes are stunning so you don’t even need to wrap them.  I’ve had their Blackberry and Bay scent forever!  If you want to up your candle giving game even more… order the Cire Trudon x Giambattista Valli Positano candle.  I bought it for one of my girlfriends who is impossible to shop for and she LOVED it. Other scents that I love and make great gifts are this Voluspa candle and Commodity candle in Oolong.  You can’t go wrong with either and they’re both pretty reasonable! When it comes to holiday candles, my favorites are the; Ralph Lauren signature holiday candle, Nest holiday classic candle, and Molton Brown Russian Leather.  Don’t forget to be checking my Instastories for daily Christmas giveaways – I gave 25 Goop candles away the first day!