How YOU Can Give Back by Drinking Coffee

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone. #OneTreeOneBag #CollectiveBias

I've always been a huge fan of Starbucks because they believe that they can - and should - have a positive impact on the communities they serve.  One person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.  Coffee is a total must for me, and I honestly couldn't do without it.  It brings me joy throughout the day.  

It even helps me get out of bed in the AM - my coffee maker has a timer so I get to wake up to the irresistible smell of it.  I'm not a morning person, but I force myself to rise early regardless.  I'm a firm believer in the motto, "there's no reward without sacrifice."  Intense, but what can I say? That's how I do!  I start my day off with coffee mixed with 2% milk and sip it slowly while catching up on the news.  Everyone should stay in the know - it's important to be aware of everything going on in the world, especially since things are crazy right now. Knowledge is power so arm yourself.

Then, I refill my mug and start blogging! I answer comments, respond to sponsors and readers, draft new posts, and so on and so forth.  I spend a good 4-5 hours working before moving to the piano to practice.  I have a bunch of concerts coming up in the summer so I've been putting in a good 6 hours or so each day.

Unfortunately, there's a huge threat looming over our precious cups o' joe: coffee rust.  It's affecting the lives of thousands of farmers across the world, and families who once had successful crops are experiencing difficulty providing for their children.  However, thanks to the current One Tree One Bag collaboration, over 15 million coffee trees have been donated to those impacted.

For every bag of Starbucks® 10-12z & 20z Ground or Whole Bean coffee purchased at participating Albertsons Company stores in the U.S. from May 1st through May 28, Starbucks® provides one disease-resistant coffee tree to a farmer in Mexico, Guatemala or El Salvador.  Starbucks will donate 70¢ to Conservation International for every bag of coffee sold at participating Albertsons Company stores in the U.S. from May 1st through May 28 to foster thriving coffee communities.  To learn more, visit conservation.org/onetree.

For every bag of Starbucks® 10-12z & 20z Ground or Whole Bean coffee purchased at participating Albertsons Company stores in the U.S. from May 1st through May 28, Starbucks® provides one disease-resistant coffee tree to a farmer in Mexico, Guatemala or El Salvador.  Starbucks® will donate 70¢ to Conservation International for every bag of coffee sold at participating Albertsons Company stores in the U.S. from May 1st through May 28 to foster thriving coffee communities.  To learn more, visit conservation.org/onetree.

I go through my Starbucks® Pike Place® Roast pretty quickly so I make Safeway runs often.  If you haven't tried this flavor yet, you need to STAT!  Go to your local Safeway and pick up a bag - you can find it in the middle of their coffee aisle!  It'll be easy to find because their setup is super organized - some stores even have special displays to celebrate the Starbucks campaign with Conservation International.  

Check out the special Starbucks "One Tree One Bag" commitment display in the coffee aisle!

Pike Place is a registered trademark of The Pike Place Market PDA, used under license. © 2017 Starbucks Coffee Company. All rights reserved.

Obsessed with Floral Everything + The "Best" Thai Food in the DMV

It's no secret that I have an unnatural obsession with pretty dresses and skirts SO naturally, I'm beyond pumped to tell you guys all about the latest addition to my wardrobe: a deconstructed lace skirt from ASOS - available for $39 here).  This adorable number is perfect for summer with its silky satin-style fabric.  The high-rise waistband is both comfortable AND flattering, and the asymmetric floral panel is ridonkulously cute.  I styled it with a simple white tank and sneakers for a casual everyday ensemble, but you can easily dress it up for date night, a fun night out with frands or even the office if you'd like.  

For today's look, I accessorized with one of my fave chokers from J Wholesale and carried my new Violet Ray mini-backpack around for funsies.  I seriously can't get enough of it!  The floral detailing is to-die-for cute, AND I can fit half my life in there for real!  Yep, that's what I call winning.

Other adorbs mini-backpacks for your browsing pleasure:

A closer look at my choker!  If you're looking to stock up on new summer baubles, definitely check out J Wholesale.  They have the cutest pieces ever, and everything's super affordable so you'll be able to get 10 cute things for the normal price of one.  Take my word for it, y'all! #ImMakingZeroCommisionOffThis and I'm #DoingYouGuysAFavorJustBecause.  Andddd yes, I just used hashtags in my writing.  Don't judge me, ha!

Skirt:  ASOS ($39 - originally $53) || Tank:  Polo Factory (similar) || Shoes:  GREATS || Bag:  Violet Ray ($54) || Necklace:  J Wholesale

A HUGE thanks to Sung Shin for shooting these fabulous pics!  Now, moving onto my latest nom recap.  I visited my cousin recently in Vienna, VA to catch up - we kind of lost touch over the last few months so we decided to meet up and reconnect.  I drove to her house after work because she got a new pup named Linguine and I just HAD to meet her.  Isn't she cute?  She warmed up to me super quickly, and I had SO much fun playing with her.  I can't wait to introduce her to Daisy! I have a feeling they'll become fast friends.

After catching up over Rosé, Kristy and I decided to grab dinner at Thai Basil.  I LOVE thai cuisine, and there aren't many good places in Baltimore so we went there to get our nom on.  We ordered 3 different dishes and shared everything:  Goong Hom Pha (shrimp stuffed with veggies, wrapped in spring roll paper, served with a sweet-spicy dipping sauce), Pad Thai Chicken (rice noodles seasoned with palm sugar, egg, and tamarind sauce), and Pad Kra Praw Chicken (stir-fried with onions, string beans, and mushrooms with thai basil + chilis).  

Thai Basil's famous for their pad thai because the owner of the restaurant, Nongkran Daks, was featured on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay a while back.  She competed against him AND WON (!!!!) With that said, I obviously had hella high expectations.  The noodles were very good, but they didn't blow my mind like I thought they would.  I guess it was doomed from the start though because I love pretty much everything B. Flay does.  My obsession started at Mesa Grill a few years ago when I was vacationing in the Bahamas.  His food BLEW my mind, and it was easily one of the most amazing meals I've ever had.

Anywho, the entrees here ranged from ok to quite good.  My fave dish was actually the pad ka praw chicken - it had just the right amount of spice, and I enjoyed the flavors very much.  The worst of the bunch was definitely the shrimp app.  I'm not sure how fresh the seafood was? It smelled...extra shrimpy? And not in a good way.  I don't know!  Maybe I got them on an off day? I'd be willing to give them another shot, but they get a 2.5/5 rating from me this time around.

My cousin bought me dinner so I insisted on getting her dessert.  We drove to Reston Town Center and hit up Jackson's Mighty Fine for sweets, and oh man, it was SUCH a good call.  We got the warm flourless chocolate waffle with vanilla ice cream ($8) and the warm white chocolate bread pudding with bourbon custard sauce, vanilla ice cream & caramel ($8).  Holy freaking crap, both of these were straight up obscene, and I mean that in the best way possible.  

The waffle was amazing, but the bread pudding was money.  Firstly, any warm dessert with cold ice cream slays. Secondly, bread pudding can pretty much fix anything and everything wrong with the world.  Combine the two, top it with caramel and you get one extremely happy Kim!  If you live ANYWHERE near Jackson's, go.  If you're having a bad day, go.  If you're having a good day, go. Just go and eat...you can thank me later!

Comment below with your dessert of choice!  Sending hugs and kisses from the DMV.

Recap: Kusama, Clyde's & the Colada Shop

Covering the Kusama exhibit at Hirshhorn for SS was a serious perk for real.  You guys have no idea how excited I was to finally experience "Infinity Mirrors" in person.  After seeing pic after pic of its epicness on instagram, my expectations were set ridiculously high.  Well, I'm happy to tell you all that it lived up to its hype.  Lines were ri-DIC-ulously long when Sung and I got there, but luckily we had press passes so we didn't have to wait.

The mirror rooms were seriously amazing, but the wait for each one? Not so much. On top of that, each group (set or 2-3 peeps) only got 25 seconds or so inside to enjoy the art [insert sad face here] so it was kind of a bummer. Oh how I envy the art critic who was given private access to it all!  You're supposed to "contemplate your existence" while you immerse yourself in Kusama's genius, but I found it hard to do so in less than a minute, ha. Plus, Sung and I were scrambling to shoot pics inside so it was kind of a sh*tshow - I don't mean it in a bad way though.  If only I had extra time on my parking meter (laughs weakly) - I would've totally stood in line a second time! 

My fave exhibits were The Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity (pictured directly above) and The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.  The former juxtaposed the endless void of black space with the "golden" lanterns of toro nagashi - a ceremony in which paper lanterns guide spirits back to their final resting places after obon festivals - and the latter had hundreds of hanging LED lights flickering in different rhythmic patterns to "suspend both space and time."  Both were hellllla trippy in the best way possible!

This was the final "room" of the exhibit, and it was a white living area plastered with colorful circle stickers. To my delight, the space even had an upright piano!  This was the most interactive section of Kusama's "Infinity Mirrors" because everyone got the chance to "participate" by sticking 7-8 dots wherever.  

By the time we got out, Sung and I were starving so we drove over to Clyde's (the location at Gallery Place) to get our lunch on.  We started with a hummus app and split it between the two of us.  It was ok, but nothing to write home about!  I honestly liked the complimentary bread better because it came out piping hot, and let's be real, what's better than fresh carbs straight out of the oven?  Nothing, that's what!

Moving onto entrees!  Sung was going to get trout pasta but changed his mind last minute and went with a French Dip sandwich instead.  I didn't get to try it, but he told me it was pretty good.  I got the pork schnitzel, and it came with potatoes and shredded greens.  The meat was beautifully cooked, but it needed more seasoning IMO.  I found it to be somewhat bland, even with the accompanying sauce. The potatoes were yummy though!

After lunch, we wanted to grab coffee, but we couldn't find parking in Georgetown so we ended up going...all the way to the Colada Shop in Sterling, VA.  I think it was like a 35-40 minute drive? We decided to go there because we thought it was fairly close to Tyson's Corner, but we totally miscalculated.  No worries though because hanging with Sung's always a good time - he's like one of the 4-5 people I enjoy spending time with (BAHAHA) so it was fun!  Plus, I got to try Cuban coffee for the first time, and you all know how I feel about trying new things [enter big smile].

I ordered the iced café con leche (made with a shot of café Cubano poured over ice and milk), and it was to-die-for yum - quite possibly, the best coffee drank I've ever had!  If you live nearby, definitely give this place a shot.  They have several locations in the DMV so there's probably one near you. Sung's a serious coffee aficionado, and even HE enjoyed their offerings. 

FYI: You can choose the level of sweetness you want: Miami Sweet, Half Sweet, or sin azúcar.  We were still stuffed from lunch so we passed on noms, but I definitely want to come back and try their food.  Everything sounds freakin' yum!  They sell pastelitos (Caribbean style pastries filled with tropical flavors), empanadas (cuban style savory turnovers), croquetas, sandwiches, and more! Anywho, that's it for today guys!  I hope you enjoyed reading all about my adventures.  Until next time, frands.

Burgundy Silk + Shabu Shabu for the First Time

Sharing shoot 2 from my collab with Rey aka RMCapture with you guys today on SS; also blogging about my first time eating Shabu Shabu in Frisco, BUT first, let's talk fashion.  I'm beyond pumped to tell you all about my new silk dress from Chaser!  This adorable hi-lo mini features a cross over front with a drawstring waist tie to ensure optimal fit.  

Made of 100% silk, this piece is perfect for summer because it oozes steeze.  It was chilly in SF when I shot this, so I styled it with my current fave jacket from BCBG.  If I was wearing this alone, I would've definitely accessorized with a statement necklace, but I kept things simple today because I was sporting embellished outerwear.  To finish things off, I threw on velvet sandals and carried my Chanel boy.

 Other fab silk dresses for your browsing pleasure (splurges included):

Jacket:  BCBG (similar splurge) || Dress:  c/o Chaser || Shoes:  Nine West (splurge vs save) || Bag:  Chanel (look for less)

After shooting with Rey, my bf and I hit up Shabu House in SF for dinner.  I'd never had it before so I insisted on going even though we weren't that hungry.  Robby lives in the Richmond so it was only 5 minutes away.  The interior wasn't particularly impressive, but it was busy nonetheless so I had high hopes for the food.  We ended up ordering all-you-can-eat shabu shabu, and it included a giant platter of veggies, udon, rice, and ice cream.  For those of you interested, there's an all you can eat + drink option as well for an additional $12 per person, and it includes soft drinks, beer, sake, and more.

There were 3 soup bases total (traditional water, spicy miso, and ginger chicken), and the pot was split into two sections so we got to try two.  Traditional water sounded bland to me so we went with the spicy miso and ginger chicken.  Both were really yummy, but I definitely liked the ginger chicken better!  Robby enjoyed the miso more though so it worked out well for us, ha.

Our waitress then brought us a nice assortment of veggies (carrots, napa cabbage, spinach, enoki mushrooms, and udon noodles) and we placed orders for meat, while waiting for our broths to boil. There were three meats available (American Style Kobe Beef, Lamb, and Kurobuta Pork), and since we got AYCE, we decided to try a plate of each.  They were all super delish, but I definitely enjoyed the lamb the most.  

The meat was sliced hella thin so it cooked quickly and was ridiculously tender.  Note: the AYCE special comes with unlimited rice, but I recommend passing on that and saving room for more Shabu. Oh, and out of the aforementioned veggies, the enoki mushrooms and napa cabbage were the best!  I definitely could've done without the spinach and carrots, but that's just me. 

Ice cream was the perfect end to our nomtastic meal!  We got a scoop of green tea and red bean and shared between the two of us.  Both were solid choices - if you want something sweet, go for red bean.  If you prefer something creamier, go for green tea! BTW, gratuity is included so you don't have to worry about tipping unless you want to leave extra $$ for service.  Definitely check this place out if you live in or are visiting the Bay area! You get a lot of bang for your buck, and the quality's really quite good.  Are you guys a fan of hotpot?  Let me know by leaving a comment below.

Sensible Stylista x Elegantees: The Donna Tunic

I don't know if you guys remember, but a while back, I met up with Katie and Israel, aka the owners of Elegantees, in Georgetown to model for them.  I shared a few behind-the-scenes snaps on IG stories so if this outfit looks familiar, that's why!  

I've been a fan of their brand for YEARS now so I was beyond stoked to finally meet up and collaborate with them.  I've talked about their mission on here several times already, but just in case you need a reminder, they combat sex trafficking by hiring rescued girls to sew for them in Nepal. They provide meaningful employment to help reduce poverty by reducing vulnerability through opportunity - read more about their mission here.

I'm wearing the Donna Tunic here, and it's available in two colors: white and soft turq.  It's made of a cotton/spandex blend, and the hem has 2 tiers that flare out at the hips for a flirty silhouette that flatters.  Priced at $48, this top will become a serious wardrobe staple!  Wear it with jeans during the summer and pair it with leggings or over-the-knee boots in the winter.  Yay for versatile pieces that work all year round!

If you guys are interested in shopping their collection, make sure you enter code "sensiblestylista" at checkout to get an extra 10% off your order.  Shipping's free and fast so you'll get your order within 5 business days, and if by some chance you don't like the stuffs you got, you can return or exchange it all within 15 days for free.  Happy shopping, guys!

Remixing my Current Fave Crop Top

Alright guys, you got a sneak peek at this look on instagram a while back, but I'm sharing the FULL shoot today on SS.  I was in SF a few weeks ago, and while I was there, I linked up with my favorite, Rey aka rmcapture on IG.  I worked with him the last time I was in town for an influencer event (read about it here if you missed it) and loved his work SO much that I hit him up again.

The last time I featured this top, I wore it with track pants - I'm a big fan of the athleisure movement so I had to share my take on it - for a casual, almost tomboyish look. I thought I'd mix it up and do something different for so for my latest, I paired the crop with a flowy floral skirt for a feminine vibe. I wanted to add a bit of edge to it all though so I threw on bamf sandals to take everything up a notch.

 Other fab crop tops (all under $50):

Here's a close-up shot of my shoes!  I scooped these babies up at Last Call Neiman while they were on sale last year, and I'm so beyond stoked to finally wear them out.  I'm completely and utterly obsessed with the ankle detailing.  Isn't the hardware to die for cute?

Other skirts that slay (all under $50):

Skirt:  BCBG Factory Outlet (similar-ish) || Top:  Amiclubwear || Shoes:  Neiman Last Call

Photos by the amazing RMCapture.

Find of the Day: The Floral Romper ($20)

I know I published a "find-of-the-day" just yesterday, but I couldn't resist featuring this adorable romper on here. I recently got this in the mail from AMICLUBWEAR, and I'm absolutely loving this summery floral number.  If you're looking for a cute but comfy romper that transitions beautifully from day to night, purchase this baby stat.  

It's super flattering, and the fabric feels like butter.  The neck piece is separate so you can remove it if you wish. The bow belt's also detachable, but I recommend keeping that on to highlight the small of your waist.  Heads up, this piece is semi-sheer so you're going to have to wear a nude thong with this. Currently available online for $20 (originally $39.99) so take advantage while you still can!  As always, let me know if you have questions, frands.

Find of the Day: Silver-Toned Mid Heel Sandals ($22.99)

I can't even begin to tell you guys how cute these sandals are.  I bought them for $22.99 online at Zara a week ago and freaked the eff out when I got them in the mail.  I've been looking for cute mid heel shoes, and these are PERFECTION for realz!  They're SO comfortable, and the laminated finish is to-die-for cute.  Also, if it makes a difference, metallics are "in" this summer so you'd be right on trend.  OH, and for the record, this is NOT sponsored, and I'm making zero commission - simply blogging about these babies out of the goodness of my heart because I'm all sorts of awesomesauce.  

FYI: the heel size is 1.9", and I recommend going a half size down!  I usually wear 6.5, but 6 fits me perfectly.  Zara offers free shipping and returns, so buy two sizes if you're unsure.  You need to get $50+ worth of stuffs anyway in order to qualify for free shipping so knock yourself.  Let me know if you have any questions about these kicks.  Man, I wish they had more colors available in this style - I'd totally stock up.  Anywho, happy shopping - you can purchase these HERE.

Stepping out in PJs...Kind Of

If you follow me on pinterest, you already know that I have an unnatural obsession with bows.  So, when I stumbled upon this dress on ASOS, it was pretty much a done deal right from the getgo.  A PJ dress with bow sleeves? Um, can we say retail kryptonite?

Although this piece is made of 100% viscose, it looks and feels like silk.  You'll seriously feel like you're wearing PJs out because this dress is SO ridiculously comfy.  It has a v-neckline with piped edging, and the fit's super relaxed so you don't have to worry about sucking anything in post-meals, ha.  Currently on sale at ASOS for $42 (originally $58), I purchased this piece in size 2, and it fits me perfectly. 

TIP:  If you don't have anyone there to help you with your sleeves, tie them before you throw this baby on!  Oh, and I forgot to tell you about my new accessories.  I recently bought this YSL bag online at Neiman as an early birthday gift to myself, ha.  They were having this kickass promo so I thought I'd take advantage.  By purchasing this bag, I earned a $600 gift card (!!!!!) Plus, I already had store credit so I felt OK about splurging!  

Here's a close-up shot of my bag!  Isn't it a beauty? I still can't get over how gorg it is.  I can already tell that I'm going to get hella wear out of it since it goes with pretty much everything and works for any and every occasion.  I think YSL and Chanel are my two favorite bag brands!  What about you guys? Do you have any fave bag designers?

 Dress:  Asos ($42) || Shoes:  Light in the Box (splurge vs save) || Bag: YSL || Choker:  J Wholesale 

Shot by the wonderful Dennis Christians.