#herestohome: kicking off summer at the Tasting Table Hamptons House.

If you follow me on social media you probably saw that for the past two Saturdays I was out east at the Tasting Table Hamptons House. They have a handful of events going on out there, and I was so excited to be a part of them! I was invited by my friends at Coca Cola Life, who was one of the sponsors of the events.

Gracie Gordon and Sydney Vincent | Tasting Table Hamptons House

 Tasting Table Hamptons House

Tasting Table Hamptons House

Rewind to two Saturdays ago, where Sydney and I headed to the summer barbecue event. It was everything you could hope for in a BBQ - burgers, hot dogs, great sides and passed au d’oeuvres, specialty cocktails, and of course Coca Cola Life.

Tasting Table Hamptons House

Coca Cola Life

Gracie Gordon | Coca Cola Life | Tasting Table Hamptons House

And then this past Saturday, we headed back out for their Rosé tasting event. Once again, everything was exactly what you’d hope for in a summer party.

Gracie Gordon | Coca Cola Life | Tasting Table Hamptons House

This time the food spread included oysters, shellfish, ceviche, and more.

Tasting Table Hamptons House

Tasting Table Hamptons House

They also had fun games set up outside like Jenga, ping pong, and corn hole.

Tasting Table Hamptons House

Full disclosure - I didn’t actually drink the Rosé because we had to drive back to the city afterward, but I did have one too many bottles of Coca Cola Life 😛

Coca Cola Life | Tasting Table Hamptons House

These events definitely made it feel like SUMMER up in here, which I needed because sometimes the craziness of NYC makes you forget that. I loved being able to escape the city for a bit and just enjoy the warm weather, incredible food and drinks, and great company.

I can’t wait to be back out in the Hamptons soon! We’re heading to Montauk on Wednesday for a nice long 4th of July weekend.

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What are your plans for the 4th of July weekend? Got any good summer BBQs coming up?

Almay Simply American Experience.

If you follow me on social media, you probably saw that I recently I went to a fun event here in NYC - the Almay Simply American Experience.

It all went down in one of my favorite parts of the city - the Flatiron District.

Across the country, Almay is celebrating the true spirit of American beauty. In partnership with the USO, the Almay Simply American Experience is honoring the women of the U.S. military and their loved ones. For every Simply American photo share, Almay is donating $1 for every share on social media up to $10,000. How amazing is that?
I loved getting my mini-makeover in the tour bus. I got my eyes done, and the artist used my favorite Almay Intense i-Color Bold Nudes for blue eyes. I’ve actually used this shadow palette for over a year now. It’s a great daytime look and really makes my blue eyes pop.

 

The event also had great snacks, a photo booth, and even a fun kissing both. No kisses were to be had for this girl, though 😉

It was also great getting to catch up with my fellow She Knows experts!

The Almay Simply American Experience may be coming near your hometown too! Find out what the other tour stops are here.

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Disclosure: This post is part of a collaboration between Almay and SheKnows.
All opinions herein are my own. Please note that I was compensated for this post. You can refer to my product review policy here. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

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What’s your favorite makeup trend/look right now? How do you switch up your makeup routine for spring and summer?

girls night out with Hot Pursuit.

My girl friends and I have always made it a point to have girls nights out (and sometimes in), but over the past few months we started to make them even more official. Almost every Wednesday night since September, a group of 5-10 of us have gotten together for some good old fashioned girl time. I’m so thankful to have so many amazing chicks in my life here in NYC!

A few weeks ago I was approached by SheKnows (as I’m one of their Experts) about getting my girl friends together for an extra special girls’ night out…a screening of the new movie Hot Pursuit. I already knew my girl friends would love the idea, and the fact that it happened to be on our normal Wednesday night was pretty much destiny 😉

So the other night, we met up at The Varick Room at Tribeca Cinemas for what was pretty much the ideal girls’ night out. There was delicious food and drinks, a popcorn bar, a candy bar, a ton of other awesome NYC girls (including my fellow SK Experts!), and last but not least - a hilarious and fun movie.

Some snaps from the night:

I definitely recommend seeing Hot Pursuit when it comes out on May 8th. I already knew I would like it because I love Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara, and the two of them were so great and funny together.

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What’s the last movie you saw? What’s your favorite way to enjoy a girls night out?

 

style: my new shopping obsession boohoo.com.

You might have seen on Instagram that last week I attended the pop up store opening event for Boohoo.com in New York City.

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC

I wasn’t previously familiar with Boohoo.com, but I’ve got to say that it is now my latest shopping obsession.

From their website:

Our philosophy is pretty simple: we don’t take fashion or life too seriously. Whether you like to keep one step ahead of the trends, or if subtle style is more your thing, we’re sure we’ve got something you’ll love. Combining cutting-edge design with an affordable price tag, we’ve been pushing boundaries for the past eight years to bring you all the latest looks for less.

They took the words out of my mouth! That’s basically my philosophy behind #TrendyNotSpendy, so I couldn’t have found Boohoo.com at a better time.

In short, Boohoo.com has similar prices to stores like H&M, Forever21 & Zara, but the look and quality of the clothes are on another level. I’m so glad I got to see (and try on) them for myself at the event last week.

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC || gracie gordon

Oh, and did I mention how fun the event was? They had amazing performances by Femme and Tanlines, a candy bar, great food and drinks, and other fun activations.

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC

Boohoo.com pop up store in Soho NYC || girl meets life || gracie gordon

Please note I haven’t been compensated for this post - I just love Boohoo.com! 🙂

FYI - they also have 20% off everything happening now if you use code SAVE20.

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Have you heard of Boohoo.com? What are your favorite online shopping resources?

here’s what | 10.2.14.

Anyone familiar with here’s what, a la Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live? Well I thought that might be a fun way to compile this (slightly sporadic) post.

So here’s what…

1. First of all THANK YOU for all of your love for the new layout! Also for your support here and on social media for the new Speakable collection 🙂

2. I’m trying to start using Twitter again, mostly because it seems like a perfectly safe and appropriate place to whine/snark about whatever I want. You can follow me @alagracie, if you’d like.

3. One day I will own a gif-making photo booth. ONE DAY.

4. Until then I’ll just have to hope more fun events like #AbsolutWarhol happen. I attended the press preview + event for the launch of the new bottle last night, and it was so fun! Atrak performed and there were just a ton of cool activations + great food and drinks.

Absolut Warhol

Absolut Warhol

Absolut Warhol

5. I think I’m going to do a little cleanse of sorts for the next 2 weeks (maybe longer…?). I’ve been feeling kind of crappy/lethargic lately, and I remember how amazing I felt when I did the Daniel Fast back in January. That was for spiritual reasons and this would be more health-related, but I’d like to do something similar.

6. In case you were wondering, the iPhone6 is freaking amazing. And no, it hasn’t bent.

iphone6

7. For my fellow entrepreneurs – here’s a slew of articles you might like.

8. I must confess that I spell entrepreneur wrong 99% of the time. Yep, just did it again.

9. My TV-loving self is going bananas for some of the new shows this season. I’m especially loving Gotham and Manhattan Love Story.

10. What do you all think about having more outfits/style-related posts on GML? I’ve always enjoyed those but shied away because I don’t wear OMGDESIGNER clothes, but I think that’s actually better/more realistic, no? It’s all about the #TrendyNotSpendy!

Gracie Gordon

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What new TV shows are you loving?
Are you on Twitter? Tell me your handle – I want to follow you!

this week’s events recap: Canon + Perrier.

If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw that I went to a couple of cool events this week! I’ve got to say that that’s one of the things I love about living in NYC – there are fun opportunities to take advantange of just about every day.

Rewind to Tuesday where I attended the Farewell To Summer event hosted by Canon at Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar.

Gracie Gordon and Jessi Green

At the event all of the guests were invited to #bringit it by using the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 or the Canon EOS Rebel T5i to capture the beautiful fall sunset over the Hudson River. Jessi and I got some beautiful shots.

sun setting over the Hudson River NYC

Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar NYC

Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar NYC

sun setting over the Hudson River NYC

We also learned some cool tips about using Canon cameras, which is really helpful since I personally own an SL1. A few of them are:

1)  Auto White Balance (AWB) – By changing to the Cloudy or Shade setting before shooting an image, you adjust the camera to take advantage of the different warm tones it can render

2) Exposure Compensation - By utilizing Exposure Compensation before shooting an image, it allows more or less light in, resulting in brighter or darker images that can change the mood of the same scene

3) Rule of Thirds – The Rule of Thirds advocates that the subject or major part of the image should not be placed in the center of the photograph, so that the eye has more room to explore

sun setting over the Hudson River NYC

It was such a fun evening! And a perfect way to spend the first day of fall - soaking in that last bit of warm weather 🙂

 

Then on Thursday (yesterday) I went to the #StreetArtByPerrier event at the Colossal Media warehouse in Williamsburg. I’ve been to a lot of events in my day, and I’ve got to say that this was one of the best I’ve been to.

There were tons of fun activations, endless food, drinks, and good music. What more could you ask for?

Oh, and of course there was the incredible art covering the entire venue.

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

The event was to unveil Perrier’s new limited-edition street art inspired bottles and cans. For the new collection, Perrier collaborated with three of the most dynamic and influential artists from the international street art community – JonOne, Kobra, and Sasu. All of their work was absolutely amazing, and the event did a great job of showcasing it.

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

Street Art By Perrier || Brooklyn NY

 

Thanks to Canon and Perrier for the fun events! 🙂