Beach Comber's Style

Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche evokes light scents of water hyacinth,
and reminds me of the subtle freshness of the sea. 

      

      

      Most mornings just before the sun rises, I like to find myself beach side. You would think that I would be tired at 5:30 am, but as my eyes search the glistening sands for sea glass my mind is woken up and alert in a short time. Even though I am alone with the ocean (and she does not judge), I typically mist perfume on neck before leaving the house, just for me. I might have even fallen asleep in the previous night's accessories and then worn them to the beach, but that's okay too, a little unintentional glamour in the early morning never hurt anyone (just make sure those earrings are secured tightly, lest one fall into the ocean to be lost forever).  Sometimes you met a fellow morning riser or two along the coast in the early AM. People exercising scoff at my rain boots wondering why I have selected such strange shoes, but beach combers glance over at my boots with a slight smile, knowing that I will be darting thru the water for jem like bits of tumbled glass.  No matter how early I arrive at the beach, I always find myself slightly disappointed when the sun fully appears and sunglasses are needed. This means that my time with the coast has come to a close for the morning and the "real day" begins.

Bonny Doon beach located up highway 1 just North of Santa Cruz.

Someone had tagged these natural beach rocks with synthetic spray paint, I ended up taking them home as free art work and to keep the beach clean. Now these bits of rock lay comfortably in my living room next to an easy chair.

Missoni rain boots that I received as an xmas gift that get
a lot of wear at the beach. (Same pair here on sale!)

The smooth tender color of Eau Fraiche inspires me to search for rare bits of bottle green glass on the shores of my city.

Sunglasses are a necessity for me as the sun's rays can create harsh line and wrinkles around the eyes very easily over time. This pair is by Chloe and I purchased them several seasons ago at Neiman Marcus Last Call.

Chanel's "Azure" nail varnish paired with malachite and copper statement earrings that I took home as a souvenir from a Native American Pow Wow gathering at Mount Madonna.

The view leaving the Bonny Doon beach, you must travel over that small
 beach river, up the hill, and over some train tracks to get to the parking lot. 

Yours,
Nico

The Country Inn: Fort Bragg, CA

      

      While staying in Fort Bragg for an evening, my boyfriend and I opted to spend a night in a local bed and breakfast called "The Country Inn." The charming property is filled to the brim with fresh flowers and located just two blocks away from a sincerely breathtaking beach (more on that soon). With such a beautifully painted and tended to exterior you would assume that this venue would be expensive, however I found their rates very affordable especially since you receive an elegant home cooked breakfast in the morning as well! Some of my favorite elements of this bed and breakfast were the amazing wallpapers that cover most of the walls, thoughtful decor elements (be sure to check out the adorable makeup towel that I found waiting for me in the bathroom), and the friendly owners of the business! Given the chance to make my way up to Fort Bragg again, I would definitely stay at The Country Inn another time! 

I was tempted to ask if they had any extra scraps of wall
 paper laying around, I loved this bird print!

I'm jealous of their fresh lavender, mine is still getting
established and hasn't produced many flowers yet. 

More fabulous wall paper and a black makeup towel, how thoughtful!

A mauve velvet chair that I thought should belong in my own living room!

One of my favorite wall prints in the entire place!

A cozy place to enjoy the sunset.

      I've been loving the thought of exploring destinations that are within a reasonable driving distance from my home. Fort Bragg, which is close to 6 hours outside Santa Cruz, was a truly memorable voyage that has encouraged me to explore even more destinations! Are you planning any Summer time trips or excursions? I'd love to hear all about it!

Yours,
Nico

Adventure: Fort Bragg, CA

Rainbow of a sunset during the long drive. 

      In the summer months when Santa Cruz fills up with tourists, sometimes it's nice to play tourist also and leave this charming city for a moment! A quick get away was in order and my boyfriend whisked me away to the northern most part of California that I have ever visited. Fort Bragg really is a city worth talking and bragging about! Here are a few snapshots of my trip! 

Floral socks from Gap worn beachside.

A haunting chandelier at the Country Inn Bed & Breakfast,
where we stayed (more on this lovely venue soon!).

A rickety old house that I wanted to love on and live in, located two blocks from my favorite beach in town.

These hanging decorations have inspired me to make my own!

Rare pink sea glass from Fort Bragg's local sea glass museum, I wish I could find a handful of this stuff to put on display!

Art in a local gallery, I took an extremely small print home with me.

Ate too much delicious food while away.

Flowers growing out of beach rocks.

Just another unknown California coast beach.

      I don't know about you, but I do a lot of exploring while out of town. I took tons of photos and I am excited to share them with you so that you make take a little virtual vacation with me! Feel free to follow along as things are happening at Instagram.com/SatinAndSalt!

Yours,
Nico

Summer's Simple Beauty:

      College is coming to a close for my good friend Fallon and she has decided to create an "About Me" profile to put herself out there and show potential employers what she is all about! I felt honored when she asked me to take some photographs for her as well as do her makeup. I listened carefully to her direction and did my best to help her achieve her visual goal. We went for soft very natural looking makeup and I loved the easy application and outcome so much that I wanted to share it with you! 

      Fallon has lovely skin, so I only used a bit of pressed powder swept across her face, neck, and ears. I then applied benefit's high beam under her eyes and along her brow bone (I cannot say enough good things about this product, a favorite of mine for years!). Using Anastasia brow powder and an angled brush I filled in Fallon's eyebrows to anchor her face and used the same color for a light dusting of eye shadow. For the final touches, I applied bronzer to her cheekbones and a sheer pink gloss to Fallon's lips. You will find a photo of the products I utilized at the end of this post with a link beneath the image to more information. I only used six products to achieve this overall look and I thought that it would be a the perfect simple look to stay beautiful even during the hot Summer! 

Summer's Simple Beauty: by nsaich featuring a lip gloss

Yours,

Nico

Seaside Wedding Centerpieces:

      While attending my friend Sabrina's wedding, I couldn't help but adore all of the centerpieces that dotted the banquet room! Sea foam green and amber glass bottles were filled with colorful arrays of flowers and stacked on top of famous literature. Profound and tender quotes from the couple's favorite writings were a subtle yet poignant theme of Mike and Sabrina's special day and I loved how they tied that into the decor. I thought that the bits of glass and vintage bottles had a very distinct ocean vibe which was perfect since the wedding was held in Monterey at the picturesque Stone Chapel by the sea. I think the most impressive part of the centerpieces was that Sabrina's beautiful sister and maid of honor, created each arrangement on a whim that morning after the florist wasn't able to construct the arrangements (a death in the family, my condolences!). Natalie also made the bouquets for the bridal party herself as well which you can see here. If you happen to be looking for some simple and beautiful ideas for centerpieces, I hope this leaves you with some inspiration!

Yours,
Nico

PS: I'll be taking a quick get away for the next couple of days with Shahin! I will be posting but you can see the play by play of my adventures on instagram at www.instagram.com/SatinAndSalt!