May Wishlist

Ella Moss print dress / Dorothy Perkins peplum shirt / Lerock studded denim vest / Garage Jeggings / Zara shorts / Chloé mid heels / Zara sandals

All the things I’m currently coveting! This whole regular paycheck is burning holes in my H&M Denim pockets! I want so much! I’m totally into the quintessential Zara skort and their strappy sandals are a spring and summer MUST! On days off I’d just kill to relax in some comfortable jeggings. Red studded ankle boots also seem to be a blogger staple and while the Chloe ones are totally lustable, I’ve found cheaper versions for every price point (ahem; Jeffrey Campbell and Romwe). The studded vest seems like a perfectly punk addition for my summer layers, while the lacey peplum could add some wondrous versatility to some looks! I’m definitely fiending for all things white; preferably gauzey and/or lacey.
Now, the Ella Moss dress… we sold it at my work, I tried it on and fell in love, and then…my size was purchased. It was heartbreaking. So I’m stuck in my state of wishing.

Also, not pictured, desperately craving quintessential mirrored sunnies. Those will be an easy addition to my sunglass collection though!

Hopefully this month I’ll buy some new shoes. Definitely. You guys must be so sick of my burgundy booties and black wedges (I know I am)!

What are YOU currently coveting!?

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InstApril

April is OVER!? 2013 is flying by! It’s been such a busy month in the life of me! I officially moved to Baltimore, Maryland, started my new job, spent many days off in DC, worked on gaining a social life, trying new restaurants and recipes… I even experimented with cooking MEAT! Which if you’ve noticed is not really something I’d normally do; but I did it. I touched chicken breasts (tee hee hee) and made dinner for my amazing roommates.
Here’s a quick look into my month of April via InstaGram: be sure to follow!

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March In An Instant

Is March REALLY over? The past few months have been a blur; I’ve been rather busy packing and haven’t had much time for outfit posts.

After my trip to Baltimore in February, I decided to apply for jobs on a whim…and heard back from many! I start a new job in exactly one week, in a new city, in a new home; My new adventure awaits. That being said, any followers/fellow Baltimore/DC bloggers out there? I’d love to make new friends who are as creative and fashion oriented with me! Also, I’ve lined up work with a few photographers and have some great roommates so I’m hoping you’ll be seeing more than iPhone/instagrammed outfits out of me soon!

In the meantime, enjoy my March InstaGram ReCap (and be sure to follow me @EffortlessCoolSahra)!

XO Sahra

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Recipe Monday: Pretzel-Honey Mustard Crusted Tofu

So my roommate found and made a recipe for pretzel and honey mustard chicken on Pinterest one night; it smelled and looked so good I was compelled to try it with my tofu! The results; perfection. Only 4 ingredients, about 30 minutes of time, and it’s stress relieving. This dish had the sweet, salty, and healthy factor and literally just melted in my mouth. The only drawback was that I did NOT make enough for all the people who ended up wanting the vegan dish!

Ingredients you will need:
3/4 cup of Honey mustard
2-3 cups of pretzels
1-2 blocks of extra firm tofu
1 cup of Almond Milk
Begin by mixing your honey mustard and almond milk in a bowl until even and smooth. While doing that, or after, put your pretzels into a bag and crush as best you can! Using, whatever you can, as I did. Being vegetarian I didn’t have a meat cleaver, though I suspect that would work best.

After you drain your tofu with paper towels, make sure they are sliced about 1/4″ thick, then lather in the mustard-milk mixture, press into the pretzel mixture (make sure there’s a nice, thick, and even coat on there) then sear in a dash of oil in a frying pan! Sear until golden brown on each side.

I served mine with a side of broccoli and some extra honey mustard mix glazed on top. Like, I said, this is an amazing melt in your mouth dish that vegans and meat eaters alike enjoyed. Let me know if you try this recipe, or any variation of it with meat, or seitan, or what you think would work well!

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Darling Want No Wedding Ring

She is stuck with a heart for everything
Dancing between the trees
She’ll sing

Dress via TJ Maxx
Military jacket from Army/Navy Surplus
BDG sneaker wedges from Urban Outfitters
Ring from Francesca’s Collection
Bracelet from TopShop
Beanie from Aeropostale

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Recipe Monday: El Desparado ((Vegan Brunch!))

One of my favorite Providence restaurants, Julian’s, has this amazing Mexican take on the Eggs Benedict called El Desperado; it’s so good I figured I’d try it out at home and spice it up a bit by making it vegan friendly! It was DELCIOUS! And so now, I share it with you!

Ingredients you will need:
Extra Firm tofu (use a poached egg if you’re not vegan!)
Salsa
1 avocado
Sliced bread (the thicker the better, I learned!)
Spinach leaves
Ingredients you will need for Vegan Hollandaise sauce:
Silken tofu
Siriacha sauce
Corn or vegetable oil
Salt
Lemon or lemon juice
Tumeric
Nutritional yeast

Begin by heating your frying pan, and placing on two thick pieces of extra firm tofu; while those fry and cook slowly, put about 1/4 packet of silken tofu on a plate and microwave for 45 seconds. Then, transer to a blender and blend until smooth. Once it’s smooth, add in 1/2tbsp of salt, 1/2 tbsp tumeric, 2tbsp lemon juice, 1tbsp nutritional yeast, 2tbsp of oil, and a few drops of siriacha sauce (remember, that ‘ish is spice-ayyyyy!) and blend until smooth. Congrats, you have made vegan hollandaise!

In between the mixing of your hollandaise, be sure to keep an eye on your firm tofu that’s frying, and to flip it when you can see the bottom getting golden brown.
Start toasting your toast, lightly, then adding the layers of spinach and avocado. Once your firm tofu is cooked through, place it on the greens, then lather in a layer of your hollandaise. Lastly, top with an exorbitant amount of salsa, because yum.

Et Voila! A happy, healthy, green and clean brunch of spicy deliciousness and vegan-ness! Let me know if you try this recipe out and/or put your own spin on it! I know I’ll be toying with some variations of this in the coming weekends for a cheap brunch fix

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Insta-Feb

February is over already!? Well, it is the shortest month of the year. For me it’s been snowy and busy; changing things, focusing harder, making plans, traveling and testing out new situations. I’m ready for March and the impending spring, along with more travels and ventures.
How was your February!?

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LFW ReCap and Faves

Seriously, Style.com is the best thing ever; I was able to readily keep up with all of the London Fashion Week shows all from the comfort of my office or home. Better than actually being there? I think yes, better than the cold and crowds and confusion and stress. Here are my favorite collections from the Autumn/Winter 13/14 season!

Mary Katrantzou blew me away with this collection; such gorgeous silk screen prints. The silhouettes were modern, yet exuded an air of comfort; definitely a must for cozy fall months. The colors and prints, many showcasing the moon, were just so gorgeous to me.

My inner grunge-y teen fell for all the crop tops and casual chic looks at Topshop Unique. The glittery sequins an shimmer added a “downtown” fun flare while the furry tops made it truly a fall collection.

Keeping with wearable collections, Twenty8Twelve. there’s a piece for every style; edgy, sporty, feminine. All the styles and silhouettes were safe, so I definitely would have liked to see more of a “wow” factor, but you really can’t go wrong with wearability.

It was all a-regal punk at Moschino. The plaid is keeping with the 90s revival trend (which I wrote about on FemInspire here), and the pieces add just the right touch of elegance, perfect for my versatile style.

Moschino Cheap and Chic kept with their youthful aesthetic, following suit with current trends and strutting some chic creepers down the runway. The rocker looks with feminine frills again, spoke to my versatile style, as I’m sure it does to most girls in the demographic the line is designed for!

Now for the not so favorite.

Ashish, as I tweeted, was indescribable. In a bad way. Collections are supposed to have continuity, fluidity…Ashish was all other the place ranging from Village People chic, country gone glam, and soft casual. The only consistency was the bedhead. And maybe it’s my OCD, but the lack of coherency really threw me off the collection.

While Tom Ford used to be a minimalist favorite, with sleek lines and an air of elegance, this new collection was quite different from his usual style. The worst part? It was far too reminiscent of older Miu Miu and Emilio Pucci collections. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any of this collection on the red carpets.

I’ve been catching up and keeping up with all the Milan shows, but be sure to follow me for my opinions and everything!

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New In: Presidents Day Shopping

I don’t know what it is, but it seems like every Presidents’ Day I go shopping and score some amazing deals from all the sales! This year was no exception; scored me some Prabal Gurung for Target (possibly my favorite Target collab ever), some indulgent magazines (I can’t wait to see where Joanna Coles brings Cosmopolitan!) and this killer high waisted leather skirt and Hogwarts tee from Savers! The sale at my fave thrift store was too good to be true; the tee was $1.50 and the skirt… TWO DOLLARS. Far too good a deal!

Did you do any sale shopping over the weekend!?

I’m leaving for Baltimore and Washington DC tomorrow, and it will be a pretty low-key and relaxing trip, but be sure to follow me on my social networks to keep up with all the fun I’m having!

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New Looks on EffortlessCool!

No, not new outfit posts, well, YES, I have on queued to post later, but firstly; There’s a new layout and header! The image is from my GlamourGirlsandWhiskey shoot with Greg Easton. My old header had been about a year and a half old, and the layout I’d had since the beginning! Keeping up with my maturing style, mentality, and life, the blog got a make over! I find this new layout more minimalist, more cohesive, cleaner, and more….fresh? Editorial?

Let me know what you think! Be sure to follow me and stay tuned for more outfit posts, Fashion Week coverages, recipes, DIY’s, and more!

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