Holiday Taste Test: Buche de Noel

Over my winter break, I was determined to make a traditional holiday treat, the buche de noel, also known as a yule log. As the name implies, this cream-filled cake roll is supposed to resemble a log in the snow. I used this recipe and coated the cake with a simple chocolate ganache and sprinkle of powdered sugar. I definitely recommend this recipe, but only if you have some serious time on your hands! It took close to 3 hours to complete the dish, but it was totally worth it.

 

 

 I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Readers, what food traditions did you take part in over the holiday?

Tender Tennessee Christmas

Happy Holidays Readers!

'Twas three nights before Christmas 

and all through the house 

Not a creature was stirring. 

Not even a mouse. 

 I'm absolutely obsessed with these mouse flats from Marc Jacobs. 

PS Remember to enter my Coast Giveaway before New Years!!

William Rast for Target

William Rast for Target hits stores today. Will you all be shopping the collection? Weigh-in in the comment section about what you think of the line!

Sponsored Post: Coast Apparel Review and GIVEAWAY!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Coast Apparel to write a review of their product here on Style of a 20 Something. After exploring Coast's website, I decided the South Carolina company's clothes are definitely something my readers would be interested in, and graciously accepted the package of clothes they sent me to review. The crab-covered box came right in the middle of finals week and was such a pleasant surprise!

Coast's pullover fleece in Buoy Red only comes in men's sizes, so even the small was a bit large on me, but I'm not complaining--I love over-sized jackets. They're perfect for lounging around the house or layering over bulky sweaters. I'd definitely recommend this pullover to any college student--boy or girl.The bold red color is fun,  the fleece is super soft, and the crab logo found on the back of the collar is so cute!

Tucked away under the bright red fleece was this lime green Winyah polo, again with the cute crab logo. Again, I reviewed a small, but this time the top was much more form-fitting--specifically designed to hug the female figure. I loved the extra-long length of the polo, and the vibrant green will be so fun for spring. As the shirt already fits very nicely, I worry that it might shrink a bit in the wash. I'll definitely let it hang dry.

Sorry for the lack of IRL photos--I had some issues with my camera! I'll try to update once I get my technological issues worked out!
___________________________________________________________________

 Now onto the giveaway portion of this post! I have one small "Barely Pink" Winyah Polo to give away!

Here's how to enter:
--Be a follower of Style of a 20 Something and let me know in the comments, along with your email address so I can contact you if you win.

--Enter before 12:01 AM on January 1!

Leave an additional comments for extra entries:
--one extra entry if you tweet about this giveaway (mention @challemann so I get the tweet too!)
--one extra entry if you blog about this giveaway and leave a link to the post in your comment

If small isn't your size or pink isn't your color, don't worry. I'll have another giveaway after the holidays!

Also-- I have several Coast Apparel crab stickers to give away as well, so shoot an email with your name and address to styleofa20something@gmail.com if you'd like a sticker!

Roisin Haines

Jacket: Vintage shop in Limerick

Skirt: Online at ETSY

Shoes: Mercury rose retro grade

Necklace: Antique shop

Abby Comyn

Mallow

Jacket: Gerard Parel

Jeans: Paul & Joe

Boots: Tatoosh

Bags: Manje & Longchamp

Jewellery: Boodles

Coast Apparel: Where Taking it Easy is Serious Business

A few weeks ago I was contacted by T.J. DelDuca, southeastern sales representative and lead designer for Coast Apparel, a preppy clothing company founded in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Coast's chic styles are perfect for college students with their relaxed attitude and cute crab logo. DelDuca graciously offered to do a quick interview with me about the company. Check it out below!

What drew you to working at Coast? They always want to think outside the box but not make it a circle. Our competitors might make a buttondown, we find a way to do it a bit more unique or find another product line to differentiate us, like our fishing shirts or fleece.

What was the origin of the crab logo? Crab is versatile on land and see. We try to make our clothes as versatile as possible. You should be able to wear Coast on the boardwalk or in the board room.

What about the motto: "Where taking it easy is serious business!"? In one of our descriptions of Coast, it really stuck out. We all try to have fun in the office and like to play around with each other. Our lifestyle is meant to be fun, not all about business.

Does Coast plan on expanding their women's wear line? At the moment we are going to stick to our roots with the men’s line. We have had success with our newer products like the buttondowns and pants. However, our t-shirts and fleeces have been selling well to men and women. 

I know Coast was involved in a fundraiser for Gulf Coast Relief this summer. Could you tell me a bit more about that? Our Save the GULF campaign donated thousands of dollars to two relief funds to help the people and wildlife affected by the disaster. We had huge support from people all over the country stretching to as far west as Washington state.

How would you describe the Coast Spring 2011 collection? Full of comfort and color! We always try to stress those in our pieces. Adding a few pastels in our core items and releasing our newest item, the Marina Shirt! 

What are your must-have pieces for this winter? Fleece vest or pullover. We already sold out of the vests going into the holiday season and now it’s cold enough to use a full pullover. 3 colors!

What's on your Christmas list this year? Personally? A good holiday sales season haha just kidding. New fishing rods or other fishing/boating gear.

Coast products are available in boutiques across the eastern United States and in the company's online shop.

Check back tomorrow for reviews of a few Coast Products and an exciting giveaway!

a maGREAT gift idea for an art nerd

Pardon the pun, but how cute is this laptop decal? It's such a clever play on Magritte's famous "Son of Man" painting, and at $4.50 plus $3 shipping, it's not breaking anyone's budget. Click over to DecalMax's Etsy shop and order one today for your favorite art history nerd!

Gift Guide #2: Gifts that Give Back

The holiday season is about giving, and here are some presents that do double duty. Each product in today's gift guide benefits charity in some way, so you don't have to feel guilty if you have a few To: me, From: me gifts under the tree.

1.) Rachel Roy UNICEF Charity Tote (Shopbop, $20): After designer Rachel Roy heard about the recent floods in Pakistan that affected over 10 million children, she teamed up with UNICEF to design a tote for the cause. For each bag sold Roy will donate $20 to the US Fund for UNICEF in support of flood relief efforts in Pakistan.

2.) Tory Burch Foundation Studded Cuff (Tory Burch, $95): These colorful bangles with metallic studs are so popular, the Tory Burch website already sold out! If you're dying for one of these bracelets that benefits the Tory Burch Foundation, give customer service a call at 1-866-480-8679--they assured me that all colors can still be found in stores and would be more than happy to ship them through the mail.

3.) Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream (The Body Shop, $7): The Body Shop's moisturizing cream does more than leave hands soft, 100% of the proceeds from the product go to ECPAT International, a nonprofit that focuses on combating and raising awareness of sex trafficking of children and young people.

4.) Silver Morocco Women's Classics (Tom's Shoes, $54): In 2006 Blake Mycoskie created Toms Shoes, a for-profit company with a mentality of giving. After spending time with children in Argentina, Mycoskie was struck by how many could not afford shoes, and pledged to help the situation. Toms shoes operates under the motto "one for one," for every pair of shoes, like these chic silver morocco classics, the company donates a pair to a child in need.

5.) Brass Wrapped Circle Earrings (Ten Thousand Villages, $24): I've written about Ten Thousand Villages on this blog before, but it is such a great non-profit, I can't help but include it in this post. Ten Thousand Villages is one of the world's largest fair trade organizations and focuses on improving the lives of artisans in over 35 countries. These particular earrings were handcrafted by jewelry artisans in Mombasa, Kenya.

Taste Test Tuesday: Vosges Haute Chocolat

Salty paired with sweet is a classic food combination, but Vosges Haute Chocolat took the bold flavor profile to the next level with their "Mo's Bacon Bar." A mix of Applewood smoked bacon, Alderwood smoked salt and 45% cacao deep milk chocolate, the bar is an exotic experience for your taste buds. I picked one up on a whim last week when I was shopping in Whole Foods, but forgot about it until I found it in my purse this afternoon.

The chocolate bar was much better than I expected. The intense chocolate flavor of the rich cacao was quickly followed by a hint of salt and a bold, smokey aftertaste. The flavors heightened each other creating a savory eating experience that can best be described as intense.

Unfortunately, as the creamy chocolate melted in my mouth, the bits of bacon and salt became chewy and stuck in my teeth.

While the Vosges product was an interesting taste test experiment, it's more of a novelty food item than an realistic snack.

Vosges specialty chocolate truffles are available in most Whole Foods grocery stores and on the brand's website: http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/

Readers, would you try a bacon chocolate bar? What's the craziest food you've tried recently?

Send a stylish Christmas message...

Brown Thomas has worked closely with its top designer brands to produce a range of world exclusive designer Christmas cards featuring drawings from Victoria Beckham, Roberto Cavalli, Manolo Blahnik and Lulu Guinness, alongside images from Lanvin and Tiffany & Co. Purchase a set of three cards for €10 and all proceeds will go to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

Ways to Procrastinate During Exams

After finishing my last final yesterday, I'm finally headed home to Nashville to celebrate the holidays with my family. Exams were rough, and I can't imagine going through them again, but for those of you still stuck in University libraries nation-wide, here my favorite procrastination websites:

College Humor--Okay, so some of the jokes are a bit questionable, but the site's definitely good for a laugh when you're stressed out. Parodying college life, this multimedia website was started by a Wake Forest alum, Ricky Van Veen, so you know it's got to be good.

Orisinal's Winterbells-- Winterbells is not your typical computer game. Soothing music plays are you navigate a bunny through the sky, collecting bells as you go. Lose a round? No problem, the bunny falls peacefully to the snow-filled ground. There's no animated violence, no aggression, no simulated bunny death, just good clean fun. Be careful though, it's addictive.

Pandora--For those of you who can't study in complete silence, I recommend Pandora. Just plug in an artist or song you like into this online radio and you'll be instantly serenaded by only the music you like. It's my favorite place to discover bands I might not find otherwise.

Sporcle--Whether you're cramming for a History final or just a Harry Potter fanatic, Sporcle has a quiz for you.  My favorite trivia games? Historical Tweets, Harry Potter Top 200, and Famous Faces Badly Drawn.

Online Shopping--Even as my bank account inches closer to $0.00, I find myself scouring the internet for this season's latest trends. My favorite one-stop shops with lots of inventory include: department stores like Bloomingdale's, Etsy, Shopbop, Bluefly, and online sample sale sites RueLaLa and Gilt.

Readers what are your favorite websites to procrastinate on? Besides blogs of course!

Gift Guide #1: Stocking Stuffers

With my exams almost finished, I'm finally starting to get into the holiday spirit. This post marks the first in a series of gift guides I'll be writing to help last minute shoppers find the perfect presents for their loved ones. I figured I'd start small, so today's guide is all about stocking stuffers!

Row 1 (L to R):
Taylor Swift's Speak Now (Amazon, $8.99)

Bliss Grape Seed Hand Cream (Sephora, $8)  
Behind the Hedge Cuff (Lilly Pulitzer, $68)

Row 2 (L to R):
Jeweled Headband (J. Crew, $26.50)
Tory Burch Leather Wristlet (Nordstrom, $125)
Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Man (Godiva, $6)

Row 3 (L to R):
Minnie Muse Notepad (Forever 21, $4.80)
Set of 6 Polka-Dot Coasters (Kate Spade, $20)
Set of 5 Fifi Lapin Notecards (Fifi Lapin, $15)

Movie Review: Morning Glory

Sometime between stuffing ourselves silly with turkey and donning formal ware for a deb ball, my family managed to squeeze in a trip to the movies where the Hallemann women saw Morning Glory, Rachel McAdams latest romantic comedy. Though less than an intellectually stimulating classic, the film was cute. I must say, I liked it even more than I thought I would.
 
Morning Glory follows McAdams' character Becky Fuller as she works to revive a struggling network morning show. Amidst heavy hitters Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford who play the show's quibbling co-hosts, McAdams held her own and carried the movie. Fuller is anal retentive, persistent, ambitious and a touch naive without being annoying. Hard to believe, I know. The dialogue is sharp and witty, but I do wish the love story had been a bit more developed.

But overall, I definitely recommend it.

Next on my list: Natalie Portman's psychological thriller Black Swan.

Readers, what movie's have you seen recently?

Girls in White Dresses: The Bal d'Hiver

 

Well readers, this is my first blog post as an official member of society. Is my writing any different?

Over Thanksgiving break, I had the privilege's of taking part in Nashville's Bal d'Hiver. As the Bal is a traditional debutant ball with all the trappings,  the 60+ participants wore floor-length white dresses with long gloves. It was quite the fashion show.

Surrounded by girls covered in lace, sequins and rhinestones, my gown appeared simple in comparison because I chose a strapless, classic design--I've never been a huge fan of dresses with lots of bling.

Before presentation all the girls were abuzz with nerves behind the scenes praying we wouldn't trip and fall down the stairs, but fortunately, everyone survived without mishap. After dinner and a father/daughter dance, the band played all night and everyone, parents included, tore up the dance floor. 

While the debutante tradition began in America as a way for wealthy families to advertise their daughter's eligibility to marry, a modern deb ball is really more of an excuse to get dressed up and throw a party.

There are more pictures after the jump!

 Getting ready with my sister!

 At the event

 Floral Arrangements

 With my escort Patrick at dinner

 Girls before presentation

Hallemann kids

Marie Clair

Jacket: Coast

T-Shirt: Topshop

Scarf: From my Nana

Jeans: Topshop

Shoes: Schuh

Bag: TK Maxx

Accessories Inspired by: Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day Readers! I hope you're all watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and stuffing yourselves silly with turkey, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie. If you want to make your holiday a touch more authentic, style tonight's outfit with accessories inspired by the Pilgrims and Native Americans. Now get off the internet and spend some time with your family!

1.) Feather Earrings (Forever 21, $3.80)
2.) Pumpkin Spice Muffin Shower Gel (Philosophy, $16)
3.) Alkemie Native Bird Double Ring (Shopbop, $155)
4.) BE & D Carlisle Belt (Shopbop, $388)
5.) Alexander McQueen Buckle Peep-Toe Boot (Zappos, $1,055)
6.) Minnetonka Fringe Boot (Zappos, $98)

P.S. Check out these two websites to plan your Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping.

An Alternative to the Monogram?

I grew up in a culture of labels. No, not stereotypical teenage name calling, my upbringing was filled with monograms. The southern all-girls school I attended was dotted with students who loved initial-smothered picture frames, backpacks, tote bags, jewelry, pillows and towels. If you could embroider or engrave it, someone found a way to slap her monogram on it.

Don't get me wrong, I like monogramming as much as the next preppy southerner, but in excess, it can seem a bit pretentious. That's why I'm loving these initial rings from Etsy--they're edgier, more unique versions of the traditional signet ring. Not to mention they're much more affordable!

Readers what do you think of monogramming? Are you a die-hard fan? Or do you prefer something off the beaten path?

1.) Pebble Initial Ring $24
2.) Antique Typewriter Key Ring, $40
3.) Square Block Ring, $24 
4.) Rustic Tab Ring, $36 
5.) Just an Initial Ring, $15 
6.) Custom Initial Ring, $26

Flannel, Formal, and Fall Leaves: A Life Update

It's nearing the end of fall semester, and I've been so busy with school and the Wake social scene that I've neglected my blogging. I hate to make empty promises, but as I enter the home stretch of this semester, I'll make an effort to post more frequently. In case you've been itching for an update, here's what I've been doing in my absence from the blogosphere.

(Me and my friend Aveen in our flannel waiting to go out on the boats)

Mountain Weekend
Visualize a serene mountain setting with cozy cabins, picturesque rocking chairs, and a lack of cell phone reception. Now impose over that peaceful scene a crowd of rowdy college students sporting flannel, blaring music and generally disrupting the crisp, cool Rocky Mountain air.

Two weekends ago I attended a fraternity formal in Fontana Dam, North Carolina, where activities included everything from floating pontoon boats to swing dancing at the formal. Needless to say, my weekend attire ranged from sweatshirts to stilettos. It was a nice break from campus life, but far too brief. Missing a weekend of studying threw me into an academic whirlwind once we made it back to Winston-Salem.

Public Art Final Projects
This semester I enrolled in a public art course to finish up my Studio Art minor. Basically this class is run as a guided independent study with an exhibited piece of public art as the final project. Naturally, I decided to go about my project the difficult way, and am in the process of creating a series of temporary public art pieces  inspired by the poetry of Wake Forest Alum, A. R. Ammons.

Last week, the library held a symposium honoring the poet, and I was fortunate enough to read a poem aloud during the final lunch. On the tails of the conference, I displayed my first work of art, a piece inspired by Ammons' poem "Rapids," pictured above.

Wake readers, keep your eyes peeled for the remaining works in my series. They'll be popping up on campus soon alongside the other final pieces from my class.

Semi-Formal

Right before Thanksgiving break my sorority had our last event of 2010, semi-formal. After internally debating my outfit for what seemed like days, I settled on a Plenty by Tracy Reese dress that I've had for a few years. Filled with dancing and food, formal was great. I couldn't have asked for a better night, but I am so happy to have a brief hiatus from Wake Forest for the next couple days.

(This print is part of Anderson Design Group's "Spirit of Nashville" Series)

Thanksgiving Break
After a day of traveling, I'm so excited to be back home in Nashville. I can't wait for all my family and high-school friends to get into town!

Readers, has your fall been flying by? Can y'all believe it's Thanksgiving tomorrow?

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things

Is there anything better than Oprah's favorite things? In her final season, the queen of daytime television lavished audience members with the new VW Bug, an iPad, Le Creuset cookware, diamond earrings, a Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera and a subscription to Netflix among other gifts. It's still hard for me to believe she's going off the air after 25 seasons.

For a complete slide show of Oprah's ultimate favorite things, click here.

P.S. I know I've been neglecting the blog lately, but I promise a lengthy life update is coming soon.

Michael Gurhy

St. Lukes

Jacket, Shirt, Tie, Jumper & Gloves: Topman

Pants: Topshop

Boots: Henry Holland

Inspired by: Burlesque

In honor of Cher and Christina Aguilera's feature film premiering November 24, I picked out a handful of sparkly, Burlesque-inspired pieces. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, sequins are an easy way to spice up your wardrobe, but steer away from a head-to-toe outfit. Leave the show-girl look to the professionals.

Clockwise from top right:
Bring on the Bling--OPI--$8.50

Glitterati Party Clutch--J. Crew $59.50

Jenna Metallic Pump--Tory Burch $325

Scandall--Steve Madden-$109.95

Felicity Chandeliers--Anthropologie--$28

Jeweled Headband--Forever 21 $6.80

Curve Sequin Shift Dress--Topshop $250

Gemma Donohoe

Whites Cross

Jacket: H&M

Scarf: Penneys

Shirt: Penneys

Shorts: Miss Selfridges

Tights: M&S

Boots: River Island

Bag: Found in the attic

Earrings: Topshop

The blog world is abuzz with discussion of Kate Spade's newest book, a collection of "inspirations, intriguing bits, and other curiosities" inspired by the much-loved section of the brand's retail website, "The Things We Love". While The Things We Love is not yet available for sale to the public, I decided to create my own edition, The Things I Love, for today's post. Enjoy!

Here's a consolidated list with links:
1.) Ballet Slippers
2.) Keith Haring
3.) Capri Blue Candles
4.) Hidden Messages
5.) Bows
6.) Aphrodite's Pink Nightie Nail Polish
7.) S'mores
8.) Starbucks Holiday Drinks
9.) Fifi Lapin

PS Click here to watch a special on Kate's house on Plum TV!

November Releases

I feel like good movies come in waves, and this November, it's a tsunami. There are tons of films I want to see premiering this month--so many they can barely fit in one blog post! Thank goodness for "Stimulus Tuesdays" at my local theater. They offer $4.25 student tickets and $1 popcorn and soda!

Here are my favorite movies premiering this month:

I'm a sucker for anything starring Rachel McAdams, so Morning Glory has been on my radar since I saw the trailer a few weeks ago. This romantic comedy about a morning talk show features Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton and seems like the perfect combination of mindless laughs and witty dialogue. It's at the top of my go-see list and premieres in theaters today, November 10.

Love and Other Drugs: Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal star in this sassy film rendition of Edward Zwick's non-fiction title, Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman. I can't tell too much from the trailer, except that Hathaway and Gyllenhaal are absolutely adorable. The movie hits theaters November 24.

I am definitely part of the Harry Potter generation, and I can't wait for part one of the final installment of the series. Deathly Hallows is going to be so epic, I'm already preparing for the midnight showing on November 19. There's really nothing else I can say... except how cute is Emma Watson's new pixie cute?

Burlesque: This movie has everything: Cher, Christina, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci and rhinestones galore. I cannot wait until November 24. Look out for a post on Burlesque-inspired fashion in the next few weeks.

As a veteran Nutcracker participant, I'm curious to see how this movie version pans out. I've never been a huge fan of 3D movies because they can give me a headache, but I might have to make an exception for this one. Starring Nathan Lane and Elle Fanning, The Nutcracker in 3D premieres November 24.

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel, so I'm interested to see how Disney revamps the traditional hair-raising fairytale. Not to mention, I have a soft spot for animated movies. Tangled, starring the voices of  Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, hits theaters on November 24.

Readers, did I miss any of your top picks? What movies are y'all looking forward to this November?

Zara online

Cork shoppers can now order from the Zara website (Zara.com) and collect their purchases at the Mahon Point outlet - woot! Behold our first order...

Buck skin clutch, €99.95, Zara

Trumpet Flare Trousers, €69.95, Zara

Feather necklace, €39.95, Zara

Tea Time!

When it's bitter cold outside, there's nothing better than a piping-hot cup of tea. I think it was my semester across the pond got me hooked on the British pastime of afternoon tea, but to be perfectly honest, I'd drink practically anything out of these gorgeous sets from Anthropologie!

Readers how do you like your tea? Do you take one lump or two?

(Image Credit: all from Anthropologie Home)