Although we are still fighting blizzards in NY, my mind is already on Spring. Every Spring I look for something new, fun and fresh whether it’s a piece to add to my closet, or a fun new hair style/color. This year I am not cutting or coloring my long locks but I though it would be fun to play with a faux bob hair style. This hairstyle takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Hope you enjoy!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this fun little hair style. If you recreate this look I would love to see it, tag me into your photo (@allthingsvictoria) so that I can comment on your picture! 

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo
Victoria 

Try something new today! Make a raw Strawberry Cheesecake..


This cheesecake, or as I like to call it “ice-cream” cake is something I have started craving lately. Originally I have made this in the summer, and kept it in the freezer for a few weeks until I literally finished the entire thing. It’s very easy to make, and you can have a guilt-free slice as big as you want. The topping made with strawberries is refreshing with a sweet hint of summer. 

 Crust  

•    1 cup walnuts

•    1/2 cup raw almonds

•    10 dates

•    1/2 tsp. vanilla

•    pinch Himalayan salt

Cheesecake Layer  

•    1-1.5 cup cashews (soaked overnight in lukewarm water)

•    zest of1 lemon

•    juice of 2 lemons (1/2 cup)

•    1/2 cup coconut cream – place a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight, and so not shake

•    1/4 cup honey (can add more or less depending on sweetness desired)

•    1 tsp. vanilla

•    1/4 tsp. salt

Strawberry Glaze

•    2 cups fresh strawberries

•    3-4 dates

•    More strawberries for garnishing

Assembling:

Crust

 Using a food processor/vitamix place nuts, dates, vanilla & salt and pulse until a fine crumb forms. Mixture should be well blended but should form a ball if squeezed together. You may need to add a few drops of water if your crust is a little too dry. Then press into a lined 8×8 spring form pan and place in the freezer while you work on the cheesecake part J

 Lemon Cheesecake Layer

Rinse the cashews after they have been soaking all night. Then place them in the blender with the zest, honey, vanilla and salt. Then take out the can of coconut milk, without tilting the can, carefully remove the lid, and spoon out the thick layer on top (the coconut cream) and add it to the blender. Blend until the mixture is creamy and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed.

Pour the cheesecake cream into the pan over the crust. Smooth it out with a spatula, and place it in the freezer for a few hours.

For the Glaze: Blend the strawberries with the dates until creamy and sweet. Pour on top of the cheesecake and place in the freezer overnight.

 The following morning, remove the cheesecake from the freezer, and thaw for approx. 30 minutes. This will allow you to cut it more easily. After cutting a slice or two store the remaining in the freezer.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and thanks for stopping by!

 

xo,

Victoria

 


 

 

 

On Fridays we wear black. Ok… not really, but when I wear black from head to toe I like to add many textures to create depth. 
I’ve paired a sleek black cape (which I know might not be everyone’s cup of tea) with a velvet pant, and a furry-sweatery-turtleneck. Although the look is dark, the textures give it a sleek and polished look. This effect can be done with any color.

Hope you have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

xo,
Victoria 

hat: Free People | coat: Topshop | top: Banana Republic | pants: Zara (similar here)| booties: Anthropologie |   
bag: Gucci | sunnies: Free People

February in NY is not the beginning of Spring, whatsoever. In February, we experience weekly blizzards and temperatures below zero. Staying warm and still doing daily things is key.

As tempting as it might be, running out of the house with a huge blanket and a pair of UGGS is just not acceptable (even if it is -6F and you have to leave the house by 6:60am to make it to your 8am class). Every time I leave the house I want to come off as put together, while still managing to stay warm. 
I find that what works for me is to wear monotones (one color throughout the outfit), and then have one small yet bold pop of color. This automatically gives my outfit the ultimate effortless and chic vibe. 
My go-to items for cold weather are always some sort of boots or booties, a great pair of skinny jeans, and some sort of big or long warm coat. Im a huge hat person, always was and always will be, so if your feeling brave – find a good fedora (cute one here) and go for it!

Thanks for stopping by!

xo,
Victoria

 

 

hat: American Eagle; similar here | croc embossed top: Forever 21  |  fur vest: Yves Solomon; similar here  |  
suede skinny pants: 7 for all mankind (on-sale)  |  boots: Zara; similar here | bag: Louis Vuitton  |  Sunnies: Ray-ban  | Gloves: Prada (on-sale last winter); similar here

   Recently I have been loving fuzzy and furry vests. I feel like if you want to look effortless and put together under 10 minutes, then just put on on a beanie, a skinny jean, a chic vest and you’re all set to go. 
   For this look I paired suede pants with a furry vest to give this outfit texture. Normally I don’t mix brown tones with black tones, but once I put this outfit on, it all just went together. 
   Other than my bag, the entire outfit is pieced together from sale items I found either last year or this year after Christmas, on-sale. I hope many of you take advantage of the post-holiday sales. I find some of the best sales are at: Zara, ASOS, French Connection, Saks 5th Ave, Bluefly, Anthropologie, Bloomingdales, and Jcrew.
   For those who know I love to add a pop of color, this time it was on my lip. I have been loving the YSL lip stains for the past few months. They last for a few hours, and glide on so smoothly – giving me the perfect pout each time (wearing YSL #13 here).
Thanks for stopping by!

xo,
Victoria 

skirt | top | shoes

I love – Love Day! Ideally, everyday should feel like Valentine’s day in a relationship but I love that one full day is dedicated to love, quality time, and pure affectionate bliss. Lets be honest, it’s difficult to give your significant other all of your time and attention 24/7 – 365 days a year when you are juggling work, college (+ 4657364 hours of homework), motherhood, or all three! 

I wanted to share a brief history of Valentine’s Day (or at least what I will believe to be true):
A popular biography of “Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell”.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine’s_Day)
I wanted to share some gift inspirations for anyone struggling to find the perfect gift or the best box of chocolates! Since I have the biggest sweet tooth out of anyone I know (ok I lied – my hubby is worse than me!) I wanted to share my favorite confectioners. I promise they are worth every calorie and penny!
I hope this will be helpful to those looking for inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!

xo,
Victoria

 

Who doesn’t love donuts!!? Want to have a skinny-fluffy-delicous donut?

Then you must try this super-duper easy recipe! I stumbled upon this recipe a little while ago, and altered it a bit to make these little treats lighter and more nutritious. 
When I made these donuts for the first time I couldn’t believe how moist and fluffy they were! Now I want to make them in chocolate and fruit versions too!


These are so easy and fun to make, great if you are pressed for time or if you want something fun to do with the kids at home.




Total time: 30-35 minutes


 Ingredients:

Batter:

1-cup whole-wheat white flour

1/4-cup honey

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 large egg

1/4-cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. fat free milk

1 1/2 tbsp. grapeseed/ or any nut oil such as walnut (I used walnut oil)

1 tsp. vanilla bean extract

 

Glaze:

3/4 C. powdered sugar

1-1.5 tbsp. fat free milk

1/2 tap. Vanilla bean extract (I also added some seeds from ¼ of a vanilla bean)

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Spray a donut pan with oil.

In a medium size bowl combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon).

In a smaller bowl whisk together all of the wet ingredients (egg, yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla, honey) until well combined.

Add the wet mixture into the flour mixture and combine until the dough is soft and not too sticky.

To ensemble the dough you have two options:

Option 1: place dough in a plastic pastry bag and squeeze unto donut pan to make a donut shape.

Option 2: Spray your hands with an oil spray and take small portions of the dough and roll between your hands. Make a long log and then combine both ends to make donut shape.

Either way you choose to make the shape, the flavor will be delicious. After the donuts are on the pan, place in the oven for 10-14 minutes.

Remove from the oven when light and golden and allow them to cool completely.

Glaze:

To make the glaze add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk using a fork. If you want the glaze to be thicker like mine, add more powdered sugar to your mixture until you get the consistency you want.

Dip each donut into the glaze and top with sprinkles immediately (before the glaze sets in). Enjoy right away! 🙂

I hope you enjoy these and thanks for stopping by!

xo,
Victoria

coat: Zara  dress: Zara  blouse: Forever 21 (similar here)  belt: Hermes  gloves: Old (Similar here)  boots: Stuart Weitzman  bag: Celine  
sunnies: Miu Miu (much cheaper duplicate here) earmuffs: Saks 5th Ave 

Here in New York we are in full-blown blizzard mode. Although the pictures don’t show it yet, hours after these were taken we got the biggest snow fall we have had this year. Although it is freezing out and dangerous, I personally kind of love this weather (probably as much as I love a good warm sunny day).
A day out to celebrate a friend, I decided to pair this Zara dress with a simple clean forever 21 blouse. The belt, and earmuffs were kind of last minute touches but they completed the outfit.
Now about the cutest earmuffs you will ever see: I have always loved earmuffs since I was a child, but was never brave enough to pull them off in my adult years. But honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t wear them sooner because they keep your ears warm and don’t mess up your hairstyle! These earmuffs I bought a few weeks back at a Saks 5th sale, but Im positive you can still find them in-store for 60% off.
On another note, I love to mix high and low items in everything I wear. You certainly don’t need a million bucks to dress like it :0) !

Thanks for stopping by, and stay warm east coasters!

xo,
Victoria 

chunky scarf: Saks 5th Ave; similar here   chunky knit: Zara; similar here  high-waisted coated pant: Zara; similar here  sunnies: Ray-Ban  boots: Carlos Santos via Macy’s; similar here  
Coco’s jacket: Marshall’s; similar here

Hi friends, meet Coco our little furry snowball for the past 2.5 years. This little guy is all sorts of fun and energy, especially when it comes to playing with snow.
I love this cozy-chunky-knit look on a day like today when the scenery is breathtaking. I might look crazy walking around without a coat, but I love layering underneathe and this knit does a great job keeping me warm. 
I love pairing neutral colors with a bold pop. This amazing infinity scarf has been my latest obsession. I love the color and how big it is. 

Thanks for stopping by!

xo
Victoria

skirt: Bloomingdales top: Zara; similar here  shoes: Tom Ford (old)  clutch: Anthropologie (old)

This outfit was all about the skirt, so I kept everything else pretty basic. I love, love this skirt because it looks way more expensive than it really is, and I can see myself pairing it in many ways in the spring and summer.
Hope you enjoy this quick and simple post & enjoy the look below as well!

romper: BCBG; similar here hat: Saks 5th Ave shoes: Sam Edelman  bag: Louis Vuitton  sunnies: Ray-Ban

This was the perfect combination of comfy and chic to  explore the town in (and by town I mean the main shopping center… hahaha!). It was our first time leaving a resort to explore a bit because we felt it was safe to do so, so why not take advantage?! 
I purchased these sunnies for the trip from Macys, and they are currently doing a pretty great promotion for Ray-Ban, so check it out.

Hope you enjoy both of these posts and thanks for stopping by!

xo,
Victoria