helen loves: edition #4

Turn magazines into a chair with the Hockenheim; no wonder Bensimons are the French girl's sneaker - so chic; DIY ice pops!; cute pyramid stud earrings via Uncovet (brand unknown); it's taking a lot of willpower not to buy this J.Crew chambray top; an orangey red manicure makes me happy; and a wise reminder to live with passion.

Some more things that Helen Loves...

shoes, shoes, and maybe some more shoes

Yes, yes, and more yes!!! I discovered Sole Society a few weeks ago and I honestly think I'm addicted. Other people have fantasy football leagues, I have fantasy shoe closets. But seriously: free shipping both ways and a set price of $49.99 for every shoe in stock! So far, I own Sabina and the Tamara (in natural gold). Here are my favorites on their site...

Versatile Pumps: Blake and Raffie

Casual wedges: Tara and Angel

Dressy wedges: Rosalie and Talia 

Cut-out heels: Talitha and my own pair, Sabina

What are your favorites? I liked mine so much I let them hang out on my work desk for a few hours...

PS: This is not a sponsored post, I just really love Sole Society :)

I'm back from vacay + shopbop giveaway winner!

Hello lovelies! I literally just got back to NY from PR an hour ago, unpacked, took a shower, and jumped at my computer to write a quick hello and announce the Shopbop gift card giveaway winner.... Congratulations Erica! I'll send you an email with more details. Thanks everyone for playing.

Alsooooo, I'm excited to tell you all about Puerto Rico!!! I can't believe how quickly 6 days flew by, if only time could have stood still... I'll fill you in on all the deets very, very soon, but in the meantime, here are some photos! (You can find the rest of my instagrams here-- I posted a few vacation photos during the trip, of course!)

Off to bed-- back to work tomorrow morning! Talk soon :) xoxo

hester street fair + jen kim made!

Two things: I'm going on vacation to Puerto Rico!! Leaving in two hours for JFK airport, so I'm going to squeeze in a post about last weekend! Anna came to visit from D.C., and we went to the Hester Street Fair, among other fun things. I was so excited because a) I love the HSF and b) My friend Jen was a notable vendor! Jen is the craftiest person I know -- we met last June at a blogger meetup and our friendship has grown so much since. Be sure to check her out on Saturdays at the fair! Her flowers, prints, and beautiful cards are stunning. Check out her website Jen Kim Made and her etsy shop.

Here's Jen and I at her lovely booth.

See how Jen got a special spot right in the front? VIP treatment!

I also took some instragrams -- mostly food, of course ;) Anna and I had Mexican popsicles from La Newyorkina, these cool vegan fruit roll-ups for adults from Heat Sweets, and a sandwich from Bombay Sandwich Co (which only launched 3 weeks ago!). We ate and ate, then we went straight to the gym ha!

PS: Last year's photos from the Hester Street Fair :)

(Top photos via Jen, bottom instagrams by me)

love you, momma!

Hope you all had a wonderful day giving much love to your mommas! (That's my mother when she was in her early twenties in China... isn't she pretty?) Although I didn't make it back to Philly this weekend, I'm excited to give my mother a big hug and kiss when I visit on Memorial Day weekend.

Mom, I'm so blessed to have an encouraging, sympathetic mom who is full of love and laughter. I'm grateful for your & Dad's sacrifices, giving up a much easier life in China, learning new skills and thriving in a new country, 20+ years later. That little girl in the photos above admires you more than you know. Love you. 

new favorite iphone app... kaleidoscope!

Have you ever fallen in love with a stylish outfit on Pinterest or a street style blog, but could never in a billion years find out where to buy it or something similar to it? (I kind of do every day.) Enter Kaleidoscope: Fashion Inspired, a free iphone app that allows you to browse, share, and best of all, shop street style photos! Here's how it works...

After downloading the app (which is created by Imporia, Inc.), scroll through the many style photos on Kaleidoscope's home page, just as you would a blog or tumblr...

Click on a look that you particularly love, in this case, a mixture of camel and hot pink -- right up my alley! Kaleidoscope has partnered with ShopStyle to get the most accurate product recommendations straight from the photo, making it easy for us to "shop" the look.

Since I'm especially keen on the hot pink mini skirt, I'll click on that option and ta da! Here are all the hot pink skirts I could possibly want! (And, I can price compare!) Click on any of the recommendations, and you'll immediately be transferred to the retailer's mobile site.  It takes two seconds to add to cart and pay.... Looks like we just got a new skirt! New favorite app for sure. My wallet better watch out.

(Photos are iPhone screenshots via Kaleidoscope)

life lately... may

It's weird that we are rolling right along through May! While life has been rather rainy here in New York (making up for April, perhaps)-- it hasn't been a bit dull. (Besides, I get to wear my beloved Hunter wedge rain boots-- doesn't take much to make me happy.) Here are a few happenings on my end from the past 2 weeks...

A mental break/quick stroll through Nolita and Soho does wonders for me. Was surprised when I looked up to find this mural on an apartment building sidewall. (I named it Frustration Up Above... with Polka-dots.) Also popped into McNally Jackson (my favorite bookstore) a few times for a quick read. David Levithan's Lover's Dictionary is devastatingly well-written, btw.

Stealthily taking pictures of passerby (like this woman & her amazing bag) and not-so stealthily taking pictures of myself in a jacket at Uniqlo. (The jacket didn't work out -- sleeves were too long that I had to tuck them in, and what's the point of that?) 

Rainbow fruit at a national sales meeting. (There was so much food -- popcorn, chocolate covered pretzels-- and I had almost all of it, but fruit will always be my favorite!)

 

The Shins at Terminal 5! I got lucky because my friend Dena took me as a birthday gift. It was a mellow concert, and even better, I got to reconnect with Brian, a friend from high school who was also coincidentally at the concert too!

 My coworker Cassandra brought Cinco de Mayo straight to the office, and I love her for it. We all played dress-up and took lots of photos. I kind of wanted to keep those glasses. Would not have minded wearing them into a meeting :)

 

This Sunday was a very foodie day for me. Brunch with Neetu at Sun in Bloom, a gluten-free & vegan food kitchen in Park Slope. Our group of six ended up shared a kale salad, hummus plate, veggie spring rolls (above), vegan cupcakes (above), and more. I don't know how I ended up eating a whole pizza for dinner at Eataly later in the day, but I just will never surprise myself when it comes to food :)

Hope you've had a good few days too.

GIVEAWAY: $100 shopbop gift card! diane von furstenberg dresses, anyone?

Friends, are you in a shopping mood? I'm currently looking for fun summer clothes for my upcoming Puerto Rico vacation in two weeks, so shopping is definitely on my mind. I'm particularly thrilled to partner with Shopbop again to offer a $100 gift card to one lucky Helen Hearts aqwinner!!

How would you spend a hundred bucks? I have my eyes on these pretty tropical colored Diane von Furstenberg dresses or something short and sassy by Bec & Bridge. But since I haven't had the time to work hard on getting bikini-ready (sad), I would probably benefit more from shapewear! (ResultWear lingerie has some nice ones.)

To enter the giveaway for a chance to win, leave a comment below on how you'd spend $100! Make sure to leave your email address and follow Helen Hearts on Google Friend Connect (just click on the box to the left) in order to qualify to win. One lucky winner will be randomly chosen (via random.org) on Monday, May 21st. Good luck and happy shopping. (Take a look at Shopbop's blog if you need inspiration :)

Update: Our lovely winner is Erica. Thanks for playing. 

helen loves: edition #3

Would love to cook with this heart spatula; make-your-heart-melt kind of sandals by Loeffler Randall; salted caramel chocolate fudge cake, I love the sweet-savory combination; a beautiful ring by Twist; is there anything more precious than a well-worn journal?; washing my face just doesn't feel the same without my Clarisonic Mia.

Some more things that Helen Loves...

23rd birthday!

This past Saturday, I celebrated my 23rd with some very special friends from all walks of life -- NYU friends, L'Oreal coworkers turned pals, and even a high school best friend were present! Every year, I feel more and more blessed by the loving relationships and sources of inspiration & light in my life. I am so grateful for every single person who has taught me something about myself (and that's many, many of you)!!!

 

And also much thanks to Via Della Pace for the delicious, top-notch Italian dinner (most delicious gnocchi!), for the free birthday shots (wahoo!) and for being so accommodating in hosting a table for 20. And to Blind Barber for being such a fun speak easy bar. Didn't disappoint!

So thankful! Hooray for 23!