B Revealed: Weekend recap

The weekend for me was a relaxing one filled with activities. Though it wasn't technically the weekend I went to Vancouver BC for a spontaneous work trip. It's been years since I've taken my last road trip up North and was pleasantly reminded of the gorgeous city. Behind the clouds in my picture and huge mountains just moments away from the city. Vancouver BC has been said to be known for their Chinese food and I got a plate full with colleagues at Lin's.

Then after returning home I had a perfectly fill weekend with getting back to the cycling studio. And while getting in some exercise on the weekend only means you can fit in some time for wine tasting in Woodinville. The weekend was perfectly finished with a sunny day that makes all the rainy day ones worth it. I love my city and so happy to be home.

BONUS: In the process of making chocolate chip cookies I discovered I had no eggs. I improvised with milk and behold, I had moist cookies I'm always looking for! Not too mention cookie dough safe to eat. It was a happy accident.

B Quoted

And who's counting? No one. Enjoy your weekend! I'm just returning to Seattle after a quick work trip in Vancouver BC (forgot how pretty this city is). Till then, find something that makes you happy this weekend! I'll be settling into my new place and wine tasting with my favorites. What are your plans?

B Supplied

Remember preparing for the first day of school? I'd wait in anticipation to receive my class letter withholding my school shopping list! I think that's the one thing I miss about school. I have a geek fascination with finding great pens and love freshly stacked pieces of paper.  But I'm soon learning that as you get older the treats bet better in the real world and while I've simply just added a desktop calendar and new notepad to my desk, I wouldn't mind a brand new set of Pentel markers!

1. 2013 Paper Source Foil Embossed Desktop Calendar 2. Sharpie metallic three pack 3. Lexon bamboo calculator 4. Acrylic clipboard 5. Peel & Stick Weekly Calendar Pad 6. Kate Spade New York 'out of office' ipad case 7. Frends headphones Taylor Gold 8. Kate Spade New York bow terrace darla

B Tiny: Mini essentials

In many of the last seasons over sized jewelry, over sized bags and really anything over sized was what we wanted. And I liked it all including my over sized menswear Michael Kors watch but after a few days wearing a new mini Marc by Marc Jacobs my wrist feels like a whole new person! Got me to thinking that maybe I can start balancing my over sized favorites with a few minis too.

one: Sulta 'The Midnight' Travel Dryer
two: Marc by Marc Jacobs henry Dinky Watch
three: Tory Burch Robinson tiny jewelry case
four: Volupsa Japonica Mini Candle
five: Apple iPad mini
six: Coach leather crossbody bag

B Cleansed: How to detox your beauty routine

Today I start a juice cleanse. I know, I know "I'm crazy". But before you make any quick judgements let me tell you its only for three days. That should be cake, right? Meanwhile I'm detoxing my whole body I thought about what it takes to detox my beauty routine. It's these simple steps that make your regular routine work deeper and better throughout the month!

Bobble water jug // sharpie // Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo // Revlon facial steamer

Drink water: We hear this over and over but this really is the easiest solution! I've started to aim to drink a gallon a day. It's a lofty goal but my body still feels great if I miss by a glass or two. Starting with this will help with so much more than just your skin but a glowing hydrated face is a major plus!

Check expiration dates: Do you know our beauty products expire? I forget all the time. Try to go through your products quarterly and throw any that have been around too long. Below is a break down is what should be tossed after a certain time frame. Don't know when you purchased something? Better safe than sorry, toss it.

Two years:

• Foundation
• Concealer
• Powder
• Eyeshadow
• Blush
• Moisturizer

One year:

• Lipstick
• Pencils

6 Months:

• Mascara
• Eye cream

Next time you purchase a new product, write the expiration date large and clear with a sharpie so that you don't forget!

Remove build-up: Products are great but sometimes you need a good deep cleaning for them to work again. For my hair, I use Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo. This will strip your hair gently of shampoo and product build up. To ensure I don't dehydrate my hair with over cleaning, I'll use a deep conditioning formula on my ends right after.

See a professional: Face it (no pun intended). No one can get you as cleansed and detoxed as a professional esthetician. There are plenty of at-home extraction DIY videos but there are also a lot of risks to scarring your face further if done wrong. Extraction removes built up oil and dirt from hard to reach places! On a budget? Many salons now offer just extraction for under $20 and after all that's the hard part! To keep up with my clean pores post-facial, I use a at-home facial steamer to open my pores so product gets to work deep.

B Snacked: Rosemary pretzel bites and cheese dip

I love when I have no intention on blogging a subject but then my Instagram blows up with requests. Being the people pleaser I am (you're welcome) I will share the crowd pleasing recipe I have loved to dish out. Rosemary pretzel bites with cheese dip! Yep, how can that go wrong.

I first made this recipe a couple months back around Christmas. The pretzel bites turned out perfect but the cheese dip was awful. Here are a few things I learned and adapted from this recipe:

• Instead of making traditional pretzels, roll doll dough out and cut into 1-1 1/2 inch bites
• Let the cheese dip take adequate time to thicken up after adding milk (I rushed this in my first try).
• Salt and pepper are crucial. Season your cheese dip well but don't forget you have sea salt on the pretzels!

Overall, I have loved making this recipe. There are many little steps but simple in process and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. I'm hoping to expand on my dips for the next Sunday gathering... how good does Jalapeno cheese dip sound? Yep, I'll blog it after.

B Favors

We could go into the long catch up of where I've been listing my excuses of why I haven't been blogging. But instead I prefer to just jump back into things that I love or in this case favor. Here is just a bit of what I've been wearing, loving, listening to, etc. And in return I hope you share what you've been favoring lately.

ONE | Neutral sweaters: It feels as if Winter should be over but I know it's not. In order to make good purchases but also keep myself warm, I'm investing in neutral sweaters that will still be classic for next season regardless of the trends. The T. Babaton Gene Sweater from Artizia has been a huge favorite that I can't stop wearing.

TWO | Deep cleaning: Beauty junkies love cleaning their face and I don't know what I was doing before Dermalogica's precleanse. You'd think putting an oil on your face would only clog the pores but ta da! That's the trick to bring dirt up before you go in with your cleanser. Addicted.

THREE | Hunter rainboots: Not much to say about these babies. Classic, so many colors and a Seattle essential.

FOUR | New tunes: Best part of music award season for me is watching Bruno Mars perform and I hope to see more of him. His new CD Unorthodox Jukebox has been on repeat as of lately.

FIVE | Gifts to yourself: I've always loved receiving great gifts from loved ones that I can remember for years to come. Though there comes a time unfortunately when some items have bad feelings attached. Giving myself a gift after heartbreak felt empowering and marked a time where I'm happy to be who I am. How better to do this than with a David Yurman Crossover Double X Ring?