I hate to sound like a ritzy, uptight wasp, but I just love the Hamptons. It does help that my mom has a beautiful place out in East Hampton, that’s perfectly placed between the beach and town. I’m sitting here, writing on her antique dining room table just listening to the birds chirp, and it’s just so serene and relaxing. Just ignore the horrid traffic and crazy crowded beaches, and just listen to the birds.

They bought the house in 1983 and it was just a small cottage that needed a complete gut job. Then in 2006 they decided to remodel and add an addition to the place. The most important part about the design of the addition was to make it blend in with the original cottage, and you can’t tell where the addition starts or begins.

The living room, dining room, two bedrooms and one bathroom are part of the old house and where somewhat untouched during the renovation. The living room has the original old beams across the ceiling, and it makes the house really charming. The dining room has these huge French doors that can open to the backyard.

The kitchen is a spectacular work of art. All the cabinetry made of a whitewashed tan wood, and the wood is even used to cover the appliances so they blend in. The countertop is a beautiful grey stone for the island, and butcher block for the wall side counters. There is a deep farm sink with a tall chrome faucet.

Even though I do love the beach, I hate it when it’s crowded. So if I want to get some sun out here, all I have to do is set up the lounge chairs in the backyard, slap on a bathing suit (and some sunscreen of course!) and lay out in the sun. The best part of being in this backyard is looking at my mom’s garden and admiring nature.

I love being away from it all, but stilling feeling completely at home. Every design aspect of this house makes it feel cozy and homey.

I celebrated my one year anniversary of being a Birchbox member this week, and they were grateful enough to send me a 25% off coupon. With that I purchased a COOLA sunscreen spray with SPF 30 in citrus mimosa, and a COOLA radical recovery after-sun lotion.

I burned myself a couple of weekends ago, and have been a shade of pinkish-red ever since. The radical recovery after-sun lotion not only feels wonderful on burned skin, but also has helped prevent peeling. The featured ingredients include agave, aloe vera, lavender oil, rosemary extract, and sunflower oil.

I got my June Birchbox this week and was very happy with the samples that I got. I am now part of their beta program that gives you one or two full size samples in your box (for an extra $20). My favorite sample is this the Tocca Bianca perfume. I have already purchased a travel size of this perfume. It’s a great summer scent that is light and fresh with a hint of citrus. But it’s also feminine with undertones of musk and floral hints. The next sample I love is the Supergoop every day sunscreen with SPF 50. I’m extremely fair-skinned and I always forget to put on sunscreen before I leave the house. This sample is the perfect purse size and I going to carry it with me throughout the summer. However, it will probably last name one or two applications.

The Two full-size products that I got in my June Birchbox are a Mirenesse mattifty lip rouge in Sydney, and a Mally Beauty liquid face defender blush. The Mirenesse lip rouge is a lip stain that has a modern matte finish. It’s a great bright bold pinkish-red stain that lasts a very long time. The Mally Beauty liquid blush is a light and natural looking product that is great for an every day look. I only use a little bit because it covers a large area. The lifestyle accessory extra that I got in my Birchbox this month is a Pura Vida lace headband. It’s an adorable headband, but personally I prefer wider style headbands because I think they stay on better. The next sample I got is a Marcelle waterproof eyeliner in Blue Lagoon. It’s a verry bold and energetic blue that would even be great for a pool party because it’s waterproof. I don’t normally go for eyeshadows or eyeliner that are so bright, but colored eyeliner has been a trend lately so I’m happy to try something new. That’s one of the best things about Birhbox, you can get samples of products that you wouldn’t normally buy but they push you out of your comfort zone and you end up liking something you wouldn’t have even tried. I also got Temple Spa shampoo and conditioner samples that honestly I have yet to try. The ingredients in the conditioner are intriguing: they include avocado oil, rosemary, lavender, and peppermint.

My June Birchbox I think was supposed to have an adventure theme because the top of the box says, “say yes to adventure.” However, the only “adventure” was the fact that they’re offering a prize this month. So I went to Birchbox.com and put in my code, and sadly only got a 10% off my next order coupon code. I guess it was a little disappointing just because when they said “prize” I expected a mini sample of eye shadow or a mini perfume. But maybe picking out something for everyone is a little too difficult so I’ll accept it.

Wow another great year for the Jazz Age Lawn Party in the books! Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra present the Jazz Age Lawn Party every year on two summer weekends. (Yes, there is still time to go there is an August weekend also!) The Jazz Age Lawn Party is exactly what it sounds like, it’s a 1920s twenties themed party that is on Governors Island in an open lawn. Everyone is dressed up to the T and looks fabulous. It’s basically a huge picnic where you can bring your own blankets, food, and beverages if you would like. However there is no alcohol allowed, but it’s a 1920s party, just bootleg it man! You don’t have to bring your own alcohol though because St. Germain helps produce the event and provides specialty cocktails that are delicious. However, they’re standard NYC prices: $10-$14 a drink.

The lawn party is pretty large and it includes a huge dance floor with a stage for the orchestra, a second smaller dance floor, several vendors that sell 1920s theme clothing and accessories, and even space for a Ford model T and some other vintage cars. The lawn party is on Governors Island, which is a beautiful green space with old mansions that really makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time. However there’s only one way to get to Governors Island: the ferry. The event opens at 11 AM, but I would recommend getting the 10 AM ferry because the line gets long quick! But that is pretty hard on a Saturday I have to admit. One of my friends missed the 10 AM ferry two years in a row. I have to say you have to be very dedicated to do this event right.

Because its a picnic / lawn party, there are no chairs there are no benches there is no place to sit provided by the event. You have to bring your own blankets, chairs, and whatever else you would like to basically camp out with. I brought two blankets, a low folding chair so I could be at the same I level with everyone who is sitting on a blanket, small mini folding table, and I even got a mini crocheted tablecloth to make it more 20s. I used a grocery cart to carry everything with me, because it is a little bit of a walk from the ferry to the actual event location. I was also lucky enough to have my boyfriend drive me down to the ferry pickup location and then drove me back home when I wanted to leave (It took a while for him to agree do it, but I was very happy that he did, and I love him!). Because you’re not allowed to bring alcohol the line for drinks is always really really long. So don’t pick your picnic spot near the bar.

I would also recommend bringing some snacks and lots of water. There are food trucks and food vendors at the event, however in my experience food trucks can easily underestimate how many people will come and can sometimes run out of food (Just to clarify this is never happened at Jazz Age, but it has happened in other events that I’ve gone to). They were also charging four dollars ($4!) for bottled water. My friends and I collectively brought couscous, a tart, two types of brie (a kind of soft cheese), three types of crackers, chips and salsa, cupcakes, and 12 bottles of water. There was probably more food and drinks but I can’t remember anymore, there was just so much stuff!

For all you OCD / germaphobic people, I do have to warn you: the bathrooms are all porta-potties. But it comes with any outdoor event, so you shouldn’t be surprised.

Also, very important, don’t forget your sunscreen! I got really burned because the forecast was for rain, but it turned out to be a beautiful and extremely sunny day. I was thankfully wearing Supergoop’s CC cream on my face, so I didn’t get there.

After signing the “Ban the Bead” petition to ban the use of plastic beads in scrubs, I decided to go buy a natural scrub from Lush. A very nice salesperson got a bunch of different scrubs for me to try. A lot of them were pretty abrasive so I suggest you go into the store and try them out before you buy. I personally liked Rub Rub Rub the best because it was the most gentle.

After exfoliating I tried some creams, and fell in love with the Dream Cream. It’s a lotion that moisturizes like a body butter. Its great for irritated skin because it has Oat Milk in it. The salesperson said I should also try the Dream Shower Wash so I decided to get a sample. She says these two products together create extremely soft skin.

I also bought the Enchanted Eye Cream because it was highly recommended to me by a friend. The salesperson at Lush said that a lot of people go to Sephora and buy an eye cream with acid in it and you shouldn’t do that because that area has the thinnest skin and is really sensitive. She also said that I could add extra liquorish root to this eye cream and it will have more lightening power.

A spring photoshoot with my boyfriend.