My Seed Experience

I’m back from San Antonio!  While I had a great time getting to meet up with all my colleagues, customers and vendors I always feel better once I get back to NYC.  I’m such a big city girl it’s not even funny.

So I got back on Friday, just in time for me to prepare to speak at the Seed on Saturday.  The event was beyond my expectations.  I had a great time not only visiting all the vendor tables and trying lots of food, but also getting to meet and listen to many of the other speakers.  I also finally got to try that Cinnamon Snail truck everyone raves about and OMG was it amazing.

If you missed it, I talked about how to transition to a cruelty-free wardrobe, which I had previously posted about here.  To my surprise, during my talk the room completely filled up and was standing room only (aside from the few chairs in the front row, which you see in the photos below).  Cruelty-free fashion is apparently a hot topic!

For those of you who attended the Seed and came to see me speak, it was so great to finally get to meet you in person!  I loved getting to meet everyone and hope to get to participate in similar events in the future.

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Come See Me At the Seed This Weekend

If you are in the New York City area this weekend, be sure to check out the Seed Expo.  I’ll be speaking!

The Seed is a huge vegan event being held from May 18th and 19th here in NYC at 82 Mercer. There will be lots of delicious vegan food, products, services, world-renowned speakers, films, and more. Best part about the Seed is it’s designed around a more “veg-curious” crowd, meaning if you are not currently vegan but are interested in the lifestyle, it’s a great place to come on out and see what it’s all about.

To my surprise, the organizers of the event have invited me to be a featured speaker! I’m on at 4:15 on Saturday, and will be talking about how to successfully transition to a cruelty-free wardrobe.

Will you be attending the Seed? If so I’d love to meet you so let me know!

Guest Post and VeganCuts Giveaway / Traveling Pink Lips- CLOSED

To start of, I would like to thank Corrie for having me here on Brooklyn Bliss. Here’s to a check off my bucket list 😉 She has helped me make a very rational decision last week, hair cutting involved. Corrie is the girlfriend you want to have around you! She knows fashion, stands for animals and knows how to cook a meal!

When Corrie asked me to be a guest blogger, I knew exactly what I wanted to share with you all, a review of my 3-month Vegan Cuts Snack Box subscription! For those of you who don’t know, VeganCuts started a movement a little while ago where they ship a monthly box filled with great snacks and coupons.

Let’s start, shall we?

February:

I started my subscription in February. After hearing a few reviews from the January snack box I knew it was time for me to give in. Now, this review is my personal opinion and taste. Let’s keep this in mind 🙂 Alright, back to business, we are. This box was my least favorite of them all.

My First VeganCuts’s Snack Box!

VeganCuts’s Snack Box Of February!

A few of my favorite items in this box were Simply 7 Pomegranate Chips, Dang Coconut Chips, and Surf Sweets Fruity Hearts! This box was sweet and love filled. The Dang Coconut Chips were amazing. I decided to take this box to work and have at it then. I loved them the most. I took the Pure Fit Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip bar with me to a wedding as my “survival snack” just in case this herbivore didn’t find anything to bite on. It was enjoyable and a good call! Along with these came one of The Merry Hempsters’s Organic Lip Balm, Righteously Raw Divine Mint Chocolate Square and more sweets. The coconut chips and pomegranate chips kept me in good spirit from this box.

I give this box a 5.

March:

The month of March was an exciting one! Between my 25th birthday, trip to California and endless work hours, a box in the mail was the perfect wind down! My snack box for the month of March came in right after I came back from LA and I couldn’t wait to see what was in store.

VeganCuts’s March Snack Box!!!

Barre Snack Bar, Nyl Body Lotion and Caramel Pops!

The Vegg, Earth Balance, VBar, Falafel Chips, Nyl Body lotion!

WOW! What A Haul!

Okay, this box was the complete “redeemer”, if you know what I mean! I was SO happy when I opened it. The first thing that caught my eyes and stomach was the Earth Balance Vegan White Aged Cheddar Puffs. I have been hearing about them for a while and I was super excited to finally have a bite at it. Delicious! They taste exactly like the regular puffs but of course MUCH better! Next up, CocomoCorn Caramel Pops, my mum fell in love with them and may have taken the bag from me. That’s a good review, right? I had no idea there was such thing as falafel chips so this was a total surprise for me. I wasn’t too crazy about them. Perhaps it was because I am not too crazy for falafel? Now, the best part of this box was the Sunflower/Cranberry Vbar!

Cranberry/Sunflower Vbar from Benefit Foods.

Vbar Sunflower/Cranberry From Benefits Foods!

It was the best bar I have ever had in my life. The savory Sunflower Nut Butter is what held this snack bar together. I love cranberries so this was another win. The brown rice cereal gave this Vbar a crispy touch and pleasant joy. I loved this Vbar and I can’t wait until I can find it in stores. If you find the chance to try this bar, go at it! You won’t be disappointed! The Equal Exchange Dark Mini Chocolate has been by far my favorite chocolate bar to taste. It was smooth and rich and not too dense. I was expecting a robust taste like other dark chocolate bars but not this one! Overall this box was exciting, I got to taste some awesome new products on the market and fell in love with chocolate.

I give this box a 7.

April:

And this was the month is the end of so ends my snack box subscription. I have had a lot of fun with this subscription. And I hate to see it go. I am thinking about renewing for another 3-month but I guess I will see what the May box holds.. I may have gone for another, hehe.

April’s Vegan Snack Box From Vegan Cuts!

Favourite Box This Month!

Cheeze Me, Please!

The ultimate win of the month! I was very happy, excited and ready to dig into this box. Some of the products sent I already had a taste at. One of my favorite products from this box was the Hazelnut Caffeine-Free Herbal Coffee from Teecciano. Wow! I never thought I’d see the day.

Hazelnut Flavoured Herbal Coffee From Teecciano!

Everyone knows I love coffee! I can’t help it; it is one of the things signed under my name. This herbal coffee was delicious. I was impressed. I didn’t think I would have enjoyed it. The hazelnut flavor was sweet and just right. I must admit, I was little skeptical after reading the ingredient list to find “dates” which I am not too much of a fan of but I couldn’t taste it one bit. Fantastic!

New Products, Yes Please!

I am currently using Meow Meow Tweet Cocoa Lip Balm and I like it a lot, minimal ingredients [candelilla wax, *cocoa butter, *hempseed oil, and *virgin coconut oil (*certified organic)] and the ultimate moisture. I have yet to try Milas’s Roasted Peppers & Artichoke Bruschetta but I can already tell I will enjoy it. Overall, this box was great and I loved it. It was a nice one to end this snack box relationship. Included was one of Teese’s Mozzarella Vegan Cheese was the cherry on the top. Of course I made pizza right away!

I give this box a 9.

Final Verdict:

Vegan Cuts’s Snack Box is a must try! You are guaranteed to find new products and tons of coupons. If you’re not ready to plunge into a 3-month subscription no problem, you can try it for a month for $19.95 shipping included. You can’t say no to that. Each box is filled with great sized-snacks and products to love, forever. Can’t find the products in your local store? Don’t fret, Vegan Cuts also provides a section with a product list of the month www.vegancuts.com/big!

Note: Caring is sharing! This is my personal review and honest opinion, eh! Unless otherwise stated, everything I review has been purchased by me and at my own risk! –TPL

NOW on to the fun stuff, a giveaway! Yes, a giveaway 🙂 One lucky winner will get the chance to experience their very own VeganCuts’s Monthly Snack Box! This box will be given by me, Holly of Traveling Pink Lips and will be for the month of June. And also open to both Canada & US!

TPL & Brooklyn Bliss Giveaway!!!

1. Like Brooklyn Bliss on Facebook/ Facebook.com/BKBliss
2. Follow @Veganadian on Twitter and Tweet about the giveaway!
3. Leave a comment below and share with us which one of these boxes would have made it on your favorite list and why.

This giveaway is open until May 24th, 11:59pm EST. Open to both Canada & US!

I’d like to thank, Corrie for having me on Brooklyn Bliss and I look forward to read all of your entries 🙂

You can find more of me on www.travelingpinklips.com where I share restaurant reviews, product reviews and personal rant. It is lovely do stop by!

–TravelingPinkLips

Inside Out in Times Square

WHAT I’M WEARING // YASO Faux Leather Jacket // H&M Blouse // MAVI Jeans (Old) // CHINESE LAUNDRY Leopard Loafers (old, via Delia’s) // HURLEY Backpack // JUSTFAB Sunglasses

Last Friday, Jim and I took our friends Gina and Mark to MOMA and then headed slightly cross-town to Times Square.  The street artist JR currently has the Inside Out Project set up there and we wanted to check it out and hopefully get to participate.

JR is best known for his portraits, so as part of this project he’s taking portraits of New Yorkers throughout the 5 boroughs and installing them in areas around the city.  To make the process crazy efficient, they have a fully outfitted photography studio truck, so they’ve been moving the truck from neighborhood to neighborhood.  If you visit their Facebook Page, the portraits done around the Rockaways and other Sandy stricken areas are so powerful it makes me well up.  I highly recommend checking it out.

We had heard the photo truck was in Times Square so we took a quick walk over to see if we could participate.  Sadly, they weren’t there due to a 10k race being set up for the weekend.  But we still had a great time enjoying the incredible weather and checking out all the portraits pasted to the sidewalks.

Gina and I also wanted to take the opportunity to take our own portraits amongst the portraits.  How meta, right?

The Inside Out Project is supposed to be in Times Square through May 10th. Jim and I are still hoping to make it there one day after work to get ours done. If you participate you have the option to either have it pasted at the site, or to take it home with you. We’d love to have the portraits for our apartment, so fingers crossed we’ll be able to make it happen!

My Weekend According to Instagram

This past weekend Jim and I enjoyed an extended one, getting to show my college bestie Gina and her boyfriend Mark around town. We covered a lot of ground in three days, and I’m still getting through the few hundred photos I took over the course of the weekend.  Next time I need to learn to stick to one camera and not three!

Here’s some of my favorites I managed to snap on my iPhone and post to Instagram as we were out in about.

We enjoyed coffee from Caffe Capri EVERY morning.  They seriously have the BEST coffee in Brooklyn // Stopped for brunch at Champs Diner

We did some serious art gawking, especially at MOMA // Spotted this book at Poseman’s Books in the Chelsea Market and am convinced I need a vegan version of this Mondrian inspired cake for my upcoming birthday this July

Enjoyed beyond fantastic weather this entire weekend, especially during our visit to the High Line, where I spotted this fantastic mural // There were some new installations along the park that weren’t there during my last visit.  This one in particular was stunning, the mirrored glass made the side of the building blend into the sky

Are you on Instagram?  Hit me up!  My Instagram handle is @BrooklynBliss.

The Big Chop

At this point in time it’s no secret, I chopped off all my hair!  It happened last Wednesday at Adelaide Salon here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  It’s not that often I make a drastic hair length change like this, so to commemorate the event, photographer Joel Stigliano tagged along to document it.

My long time stylist Casey (who also did my dip-dye) did the honors.  I wanted to donate the hair to Locks of Love, and I had so much hair it resulted in two ponytails we chopped off.  All in all I think it was about 10 inches we took off.

The style I wanted was an inverted bob, which is longer in the front than it is in the back.  Casey took her time really perfecting the shape and when it was done, it was perfect!  Very flattering to my jaw line.

Also, for anyone wondering, the best way to cut curly hair is when it’s dry so you can see the natural curl pattern.  That’s why Casey’s cutting my hair prior to us washing it.

During my entire appointment, we had this adorable guy watching us.  Can you believe he’s just a puppy?!  Probably the most well-behaved puppy I’ve ever encountered.

Once my bob was pretty well-shaped, it was then time for color.  I decided I wanted to dye my hair back to my natural brunette.  While I loved the red, it was too high maintenance for me.  Adelaide Salon carries Organic Color Systems which is a vegan line, so I was all set!

After the dye set it was then time to wash, set and dry the curls.

I often get a lot of questions from readers on how I style my hair, so stay tuned next week as Casey walks us through a curly hair styling tutorial!

PHOTOGRAPHY  BY // Joel Stigliano

I’m Speaking at the Seed!

I am so excited to finally get to announce this!

The Seed is a huge vegan event being held from May 18th and 19th here in NYC at 82 Mercer.  There will be lots of delicious vegan food, products, services, world-renowned speakers, films, and more.  Best part about the Seed is it’s designed around a more “veg-curious” crowd, meaning if you are not currently vegan but are interested in the lifestyle, it’s a great place to come on out and see what it’s all about.

To my surprise, the organizers of the event  have invited me to be a featured speaker!  I’m not exactly sure which date I’ll be speaking just yet, but will be sure to let everyone know once it’s been announced.  I’ll be talking about how to best represent the vegan cause through what you wear and how to transition your wardrobe to a cruelty-free one.

I’m honored to be included with a huge variety of renowned speakers in the vegan community, all of which you can see here.  I had a near freak out seeing my name directly next to Brendan Brazier.  His Thrive Sports Nutrition Diet and Vega Sport Performance Protein is keeping me on track with my Crossfit goals so he’s been a huge inspiration for me!

Will you be attending the Seed?  If so I’d love to meet you so let me know!

I’m Going to Wanderlust

IMAGE CREDIT // AbbeyLey

My friends Glenna, Sharon and I have been talking about going to the Wanderlust Festival since early this year.  We all met years ago doing marathons with Team in Training, so to say we’re all pretty active and athletic is an understatement.  While we all enjoy yoga, I wouldn’t describe us as die-hard yogis.  I haven’t been able to go as often as I used to now that I’m Crossfitting.  Glenna and Sharon however both practice yoga as supplements to their current race training.

This past week we finally booked the trip and made it official.  I’m so excited!  We all went out for dinner on Monday and decided on activities to book together, which include Ashtanga (my personal favorite style of yoga), paddle boarding, sunset hikes, lectures, and even hip-hop yoga!  There also should be some yummy vegan eats according to the event’s website.

We’re making it a long weekend and leaving Thursday evening after work, doing the festival on Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday exploring the town and later leaving that afternoon.  The weather in June should make for a perfect road trip, and from what I hear the scenery in Vermont is not to be missed.  I’ve never been to Vermont so I’m really looking forward to it.

Are you going to Wanderlust?  If so, let me know.  Maybe I’ll see you there!

Los Cabos / Sunset Cruise

While in Los Cabos, in addition to deciding to get a professional photo shoot done, we also purchased a sunset booze cruise excursion. It was a great excuse to get out of San Jose de Cabo (where our hotel was) and go into the main tourist area of Los Cabos.

Our cruise was on the Cabo Escape. While we waited to board the ship, the crew did a great dance number for us!

Once on the ship, Ariel and I picked a prime table and staked our claim. We weren’t alone for long, we soon made friends with a group of guys who were all friends and from both NYC and LA, as well as a nice couple from California who all joined us at our table.

From there the ship’s crew served what seemed to be a never-ending stream of margaritas. And later the nice couple from California started buying our table tequila shots. Lots and lots of shots. I actually lost count. I think I had around 5 shots and at least 3-4 margaritas on the ship alone. I swear I’m really not a lush, I just handle tequila really well.

See the guy in the photo below on the bottom left? He was one of the guys from LA at our table. We later after our Cabo trip learned that this is the same guy. Seriously. We had no clue at the time, he was actually very nice and didn’t mention a thing about his famous girlfriend. Neither did his friends.

Once the drinks started pouring and we were served our taco buffet, the cruise set off and we got to see some gorgeous Los Cabos sights! Lucky for us, even though it was overcast when we boarded the ship by the time we got out to sea it had burned off, and we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

We also got to see some seals. This little sad guy cracked me up.

Towards the end of the cruise, we even saw a whale! Below is the best shot I managed to get of him. He was magnificent. Swam right alongside the boat dancing along the water.

After the cruise came back into port, Ariel and I said our goodbyes to our new friends and decided to check out some of the other nightlife in Cabo. We wound up at Cabo Wabo where we spent the last few cocktails of the evening. Yes, there were more, we were on vacation after all! Cabo Wabo had a great band that evening.

After we had finally had our fill of sunsets, good music and margaritas, we headed back to our hotel with the intention of watching the Oscars.

We didn’t make it past the red carpet before we both fell asleep. But at least we had a memorable time!

Los Cabos / On the Beach

While in Los Cabos a few weeks ago on my quick girls weekend trip, my friend Ariel and I decided it would be fun to hire a professional photographer and get some “glamour” shots on the beach. When we made the decision and booked the deal with Sam the photographer, I think at that point in the evening we had already had way too much tequila.

We scheduled our photo shoot for the very last day of our vacation to ensure we were bronzed enough. No point in getting glamour shots in Mexico unless your tan to boot.

The shoot itself was a LOT of fun.  It was kind of weird and awkward at times in a “this reminds me a little too much of my wedding photo shoot” but we ran with it and got a lot of fantastic images.  My favorite part was when Ariel got photo-bombed by a Cabo local walking his adorable dog on the beach.

Best part is before this shoot, we didn’t have any photos of the two of us on the trip together.  They were all of us separately.  So now we have some really great quality shots of us and the beach we enjoyed on this memorable girls weekend.

I think I may make a habit of getting a professional photography shoot every vacation I go on now.

Have you ever gotten a vacation photo shoot?  By the way, if you are ever in Los Cabos I highly recommend contacting Sam the Picture Guy.

PHOTOS // by Samir Benyettou, the Picture Guy.