Olivia Frescura

los angeles beauty & lifestyle blog

Diptyque Holiday 2016 “Une Nuit Chez Diptyque” – 5 Mini Candle Set Review

Last week I visited the gorgeous Diptyque Boutique in Beverly Hills with my friend Krissy. There, we learned all about Diptyque’s new holiday collection, “Une Nuit Chez Diptyque,” which is a super cute story with an even cuter video, below.

The collection includes 3 candles:

Un Encens Étoilé (Sparkling Incense): Fairies caroling, sparkling incense and crystalline elegance. A burst of dazzling elemi and spicy cloves mingle with mysterious swirls of incense and sweet vanilla.

Épices et Délices (Delicious Spices): An exclusive treat, a unique recipe of delicious spices. Warm gingerbread notes mingle with tasty honey laced in hints of star anise.

Le Roi Sepin (The Festive Fir Tree): Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches… The incredible smell of a lush, pine-laden forest steeped in the woody tones of resin, cedar and patchouli.

You can get these individually or as a set, which makes for great holiday gifting. My personal favorite was Le Roi Sepin- who can resist a good ol Christmas Tree scent this time of year?

As a parting gift we received their 5 mini candle set ($78) which features 5 35g candles: Feu de Bois, Opopanax, Amber, Pomander, and Benjoin. All of these scents, to me, are very cologne-y and strong. So, if you’re looking for sweet, vanilla-y home fragrance, you won’t find it here. But, I think they are all really high end home scents that I’m surprisingly digging.

I’m adding a full-size candle of theirs to my wishlist- they’re classic and super luxurious.

**This post contains products that I have received for free-for more information, please read my Disclosure Policy**

DermaE Microdermabrasion Scrub Review

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A face scrub I’ve been loving is the derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub. It’s great because it’s loaded with super-fine microdermabrasion crystals which are super gentle, with a zingy lemon scent.

Typically I like chemical exfoliants, as I find physical exfoliants with granules can be too harsh. But, the microdermabrasion crystals are very fine and exfoliate well. I love the lemony scent that this product has- it smells amazing and makes your skin feel baby soft!

Additionally, a lot of the ingredients are great, natural, and beneficial for the skin. I like to use it in the shower, after removing makeup and washing my face. It makes for the easiest cleanup!

Have you tried anything from derma e? Recommend your favorites in the comments!

**This post contains products that I have received for free-for more information, please read my Disclosure Policy**

Postcard from…New York City | Video

Every time I get the chance to leave LA, I try to do something new & exciting that I can share on here. Last month I visited New York City, one of my favorite places, for work (and a little leisure too ). The first time I visited the city, when I was 18 (and alone), I fell in love with it and knew I would live there some day. Despite visiting 3 times, I’ve never really posted much on my blog, so this go around, I thought I’d play around with a video.

Bye New York

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I’ve always wanted to do travel videos & content, but never thought that I was “good” at it. But, I was inspired by the thought of a postcard- which I try to buy whenever I go to a new place, as it’s a simple memory in souvenir form. So, I wanted to make a postcard in video format- which I hope you enjoy!

The best way to start any day ☕️✨

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If you’re looking for a great breakfast, try Sarahbeth’s– I mainly went there because I had been there before and it was in my proximity. I forgot how expensive it can be, but the food is good! And, their homemade jelly is to die for.

Me laughing at all the tourists before realizing I was one too #oops | : @deniseegxo

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Take me back

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Pretending I’m still in New York until I run out of cute pics to post

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I don’t like to do too many touristy things (especially because I’ve already done most of them before), but I had never gone to the Top of The Rock & think it’s definitely worth the $32 admission. The photos I took there are some of my favorites! I bet it would be great at golden hour & at night too…I’d recommend going here instead of to the Empire State Building because here you get a view of it…along with Central park, etc.

Rise and shine ✨

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While I was staying in Brooklyn, I tried The Juice Shop and thought it was really good. Their açai bowls are great and I thought my juice & ginger shot were great too. I was sick at the time, so I thought that the ginger would help me out. I think I need a juicer attachment for my KitchenAid, because those juices really add up.

☔️☔️☔️

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Flatiron was fun to walk around on a rainy day. Do a little shopping (I recommend Flying Tiger), check out Madison Square Park (where you can grab a burger at Shake Shack if you’ve never tried), etc. 

Back at it in LA wishing I brought back all of @hm’s home section because there’s no store here that has it

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Speaking of shopping, H&M in Herald Square is a must because of the home section. I coincidentally did the same thing in Toronto, and you’re probably as surprised as I am that there is no H&M Home in Los Angeles. I picked up a few gold things, but if I would have had the time to ship things home, I would have wound up with new pillows, a new shower curtain and bath mats, etc. Looking for volunteers to get me all that…

Deconstructed latte at @coffeeprojectny ☕️

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I had a bevy of coffee shops I wanted to try, but I only wound up visiting one (that wasn’t even on my list but should have been). So, I guess I’ll just have to go back. But, Coffee Project New York was definitely worth the visit. Home of the deconstructed latte & nitro flight- they put a new twist to classic drinks. My roommate Lucy and I tried the Deconstructed Latte- it was a very interesting process- I liked it. It’s $7 for it, but it is basically like getting 2 lattes. It’s all about the *experience*, you know?

First taste of fall rain ☔️

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While we were in Soho, we made a trip to the Bite Beauty Lip Lab, which I’ll probably do a separate post on, because I’m realizing I haven’t posted anything on instagram about it yet. But, you can see the entire process in my video. We had a great time- we wish it was more hands on, but it makes sense that you aren’t really allowed to do anything yourself because that can lead to contamination issues. It’s a tiny place, and I would recommend reservations, but you can totally just walk in if it isn’t a crazy time of day.

⭐️

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If you have the time, go to the MOMA to see Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. I had the change to see a few Van Goghs in Paris 2 years ago, but Starry Night was my favorite as a kid so I had to go. The entire museum is great, and it doesn’t take too long to get through at all, so you can easily do it in a short trip. If you’re a student, bring your ID for free admission!

Last day in the city got me like

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We stayed in an Airbnb the latter half of our trip, in West Village, walking distance to Washington Square Park. It was nice to walk around that area. If you’re in the area, check out Pink Olive for cute stationery and gifts.

This cheese will basically make you lactose intolerant @lucygraham @raclettenyc @thisisinsider

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After seeing INSIDER post a video of this insane cheese on Facebook, Lucy and I were kinda hell-bent on visiting Raclette. I think it’s worth trying, but it’s a strange experience. Raclette isn’t a great smelling cheese, so the restaurant kinda reeked. The meal itself was great, but during eating we were pointed to this article that basically says you shouldn’t drink water with it (which we were doing the whole time) because you will essentially give birth to a cheese ball. So, if you’re even slightly sensitive to cheese I would not recommend it. I liked it and didn’t have any terrible after-effects aside from a small stomach ache thankfully.

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Day drinking on a day off in the city

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Before heading to the High Line & Chelsea Market, we did some day drinking at Dos Caminos. I think I’ve been to another location on one of my last trips, but I honestly don’t remember. The prickly pear frozen margaritas were hella strong (especially as someone who isn’t big on tequila), but the guacamole & salsas were great. We didn’t have a full meal though, because we weren’t that hungry yet.

steppin’ out #ootd #NYC | : @lucygraham

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A quick walk around the High Line turned into a photoshoot, and basically I’m hiring Lucy now. The outfit was all Forever 21 Plus, which was cool, because they wound up reposting it on their instagram. We went at a good time, golden hour, so the photos turned out great.

✨✨✨

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I like Chelsea Market because it reminds me of a classier Grand Central Market here in LA. It actually makes me want to make the trek downtown to go…I love an indoor market/food court because you can get a little bit of everything.

Got milk? @milkbarstore does ✔️

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If you haven’t tried Momofuku Milk Bar Cereal Milk Ice Cream yet, you should. I didn’t like it this time as much as I did a few years back, but I’m chalking it up to the fact that I was extremely nauseous and sick that day, so nothing really tasted good (which really killed my foodie vibes).

Anyways, this is only really the tip of the iceberg, but I made a map of everywhere mentioned on video & in this blog because these make trip planning so much easier. Let me know if you wind up checking one of these places out because of me!

(Check out my Toronto Travel Blog if you’re experiencing a bit of wanderlust…)

 

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies Recipe

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I recently had a hankering to bake something recently, settling on Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies as cookies are easy enough to throw together while still being homemade!

I found this recipe on Munchies by Vice, and I liked it because it includes melted butter instead of softened, so you don’t have to wait forever for butter to soften to make them!

These cookies were a huge hit from everyone that tried them- the combination of the chocolate + walnuts is great, and every bite has something. I already want to make them again, so I think this is my new signature cookie recipe!

The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, but I eyeballed it & recommend either putting the cookie sheet in the freezer 5 minutes before baking, or refrigerating the dough overnight in order to prevent them from spreading too much. They also took longer to bake than the recipe said, about 15-17 minutes, but that could be due to my old oven (with a pilot light and everything).

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies (from Munchies by Vice)

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

1 cup roughly chopped walnuts

1. Preheat your oven to 350° degrees F. Add your brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl of your mixer. Melt your butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then add it to your sugar. Beat for 3 minutes or so, until well combined – the mixture should look like wet sand. Add in your egg, beat fully, then add in your egg yolk, and beat until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of your bowl. Beat in your your corn syrup (if using) and vanilla.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to your dough, beat to combine, then add in the rest, and beat to combine, being careful not to over-mix your dough. Fold in your chocolate and walnuts.

3. Roll your dough into 2-tablespoon sized balls and place them about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes or so, until golden and mostly set but not browned. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on your baking sheets for 5 minutes or so, before moving them to another surface to cool completely. These will keep well, covered in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 5 days. These cookies will also freeze well for up to 3 months.

Summer Blueberry Slab Pie Recipe

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Fall may have begun, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the classic tastes of summer. Plus, in LA almost any baking is a fall recipe because it’s too damn hot to bake all the time- but I do it anyway. 😉

I had stumbled upon this Tasty video on Facebook, which I tagged my mom in instantly because it looked AMAZING.

So, essentially, it led to the inspiration for this dish, although it wasn’t the recipe we followed. For some reason, Buzzfeed’s Blueberry Slab Pie Recipe says it includes peaches but has 0 peaches in the recipe. So, I figured it’d be better to use a trusted food source…

The recipe my mom (aka mostly my mom) adapted was from Food52 for Martha Stewart’s Slab Pie. We did a half recipe on a quarter baking sheet, because no one needs an entire sheet of pie unless you’re feeding an army, or, just really want a lot of pie (no judgment). Follow the above link for her exact recipe, but here is our adaptation:

Patee Brisee (Pie Crusts)

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
  1. Process flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream just until dough comes together. (Do not process more than 30 seconds.)
  2. Turn dough out in two portions onto two pieces of plastic wrap, with one slightly larger than the other (this will be your bottom crust). Flatten dough, and shape into rectangles. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight).

Blueberry Slab Pie

  • All purpose flour, for dusting
  • Pate Brisee (recipe below)
  • 3 cups fresh blueberries
  • 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/8 cup cornstarch
  • Juice of 1/4 a lemon (about 1/2 tablespoon)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 cup sanding sugar (or granulated sugar)
  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface or between two large, floured pieces of plastic wrap, roll out larger piece of dough to fit baking sheet, trimming excess dough. Fit into a quarter baking sheet, pressing into corners (pastry will hang over sides). Chill while assembling filling.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together fruit, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Spread mixture over chilled pie shell. Chill again while you roll out the top crust.
  3. On a lightly floured surface or between two large, floured pieces of plastic wrap, roll out remaining piece of dough to fit on top; drape over filling. Fold edge of bottom dough over top dough. Crimp if desired. Prick top dough all over with a fork. Brush entire surface of pie with cream (thinned with a little water if necessary), and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
  4. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let pie cool until it is just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into 6-8 pieces. Slab pie is best eaten the same day it is baked, but it can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

I can’t take much credit for this recipe, but I can tell you that it tastes great. I think I’ll be making a lot more slab pies with different fillings this fall. Which should I do next?