palm springs was hot this weekend, and I just ate too much chocolate

I took a sabbatical from blogging to work on a few personal projects. And during my break, I caught an annoying cold which has now morphed into allergies. I also just returned from Coachella weekend unscathed (not much of a feat considering I saw like 1 1/2 acts the whole weekend). But more on that later- here's a little update on my top 10 favorite things right now (mostly tangible but hey this is better than actually spending money!)

Counting down:
10.
Mateo Ilasco limited edition "Plant" journal ($32 but out of stock- SORRY)

9.
BAGGU nylon reusable bags

8.
Mastihashop, a one stop shop for eco-friendly Meditteranean-centric products, via Cool Hunting

7.
Made Her Think "Pyramid Totem" cuffs (pricey, but beautiful)

6.
I know Band of Outsiders released a Top Sider collaboration (for men) this year, but what about the ladies? Pssh. Regardless of the hype and the hipster-redundancy, I still love these classic Sperry Top Sider boating shoes. So perfect for summer- (caveat- I would be all about the Wallabees if it were winter/fall)

5.
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. This Japan export takes off your layers of impurities and make-up. So if you're a sloppy drunk and wind up crashing after a boozy night, you might want this for the wake-up-clean-up. OR, if you're like me and are a skincare freak, this is nice.

4.
Limited Edition G-Shocks ($12), Yes I know they're all the rage right now. But look at it! Perfect!

3.
PARK restaurant (Echo Park, menu via Yelp.Com)
A little back-story about this: Friends Stacey and Carol invited me to dinner at this new East Side establishment and having heard about this restaurant through a colleague, I was more than happy to try it! The prices are more than reasonable, the venue is cozy (though they could use better ventilation) and brace yourselves: It's BYOB. Which means your 2-buck-chuck from Trader Joes or Fresh & Easy will be totally appropriate for the setting. I think I had the best veggie burger ever. I washed it down with some butterscotch pudding tart of course.

2.
Not a fan of sunglasses but I'd definitely pay the $60 for these Alexandra Cassaniti "Face it Sunglasses" courtesy of Ooga Booga. The frame changes color in the sun!

1. NEON NEON "Stainless Steel". Granted Boom Bip is a terribly nice person, but his amiable nature has no bearing on how good this cd is. It's just so upbeat and digital. Trust me- I'm no Super Furry Animals fan but Gruff Rhys did a good thing.