RC, Author at loveRavayna

1 In travel

trinidad boat day

While we were in Trinidad, we chartered a small boat for the day to spend some time on the water and go DDI, or down de islands. Motoring off in the direction of Venezuela, we headed towards the Bocas Islands in Dragon’s Mouth, with no real agenda but some good times in the sunshine.

Not gonna lie, things got fantastic real fast. Our boat wasn’t fancy, but it was more than plenty fun- that’s typical Trini style. The weather was absolutely stunning, 85 degrees, and the water sparkled in the sunshine.

The soca music was blasting- David and Craig make a hell of a dj team- and the drinks were cold. The islands rising from the sea made for a beautiful sight, and it was so lovely and breezy out on the water.

Erin and I attempted our very own Titanic moment- rather unsuccessfully, but we were surely entertained. My precious aunt Judy joined us for our boat day- she’s so sassy and so sweet, we all loved getting to spend more time with her.

We spent some time up in the captain’s chair, admiring the views. Wilderness and stunning beauty in equal turn, and as far as eyes could see.

We were very much into the private party aspect of the boat charter. With lots of fetes (big open-bar parties) upcoming, we were all reveling in the open air, considering it our warm-up for the crowds and madness that makes up carnival.

It was pretty much a great big party on that gorgeous water… and in it, too.

In between drinking and diving, I did a little sunning. Reality check: I worked on my tan for six seconds before I decided it was too hot, I was missing the fun on the back of the boat and that my swimsuit sleeves would leave awful lines.

So I tucked my sleeves into my bikini top and returned to the dance party. And on we raged…

It was noisy and rowdy and fun and fantastic, and we all had such a good time! We came across few other vessels, but the ones we did were all happy to join the party.

We were surprised at how quickly the time had flown when our captain advised last dips and drinks, since it was time to head back to land. We had soaked in the sun, and were toasty and tired as we disembarked, met our driver, and headed home for supper.

asos bikini, similar, 2, 3, under $50! | cynthia steffe shift, similar, 2, 3 | vintage earrings, similar, 2, 3 | erin’s bikini: vs, similar, 2, 3 | nail polish

loveRavayna

May 4, 2016

2 In style/ travel

WiW: a tobago morning

I tend to rise early in the morning when traveling. I’m a light sleeper and if you only heard my family’s typical volume, you’d understand why sleeping in is impossible. This morning in Tobago, though, roosters started crowing while it was still dark. I woke David to walk down to the beach with me- he’s no morning person but a great sport, and a sucker for good light.

There’s something about first morning light. The morning was misty, and the sun rises on the opposite side of the island, anyway. But even without a spectacular sunrise, that light just glows, and brightens the world so magically.

I’m sure it didn’t hurt that we seemed to be the only people in Crown Point that morning. We didn’t see a single car crossing the street to the beach, which was totally deserted. The tide was still pretty high, and I went from walking along the sand to wading in just a moment.

I’m used to chilly Pacific waters, so I’m always pleasantly surprised to find the water warm enough to tolerate. That said, this flowy maxi was not the easiest to manage after it had absorbed gallons of saltwater… shocker, I know.

It was so relaxing to stroll along the quiet beach, and just enjoy the peaceful morning. And when we did make it back to the condo, it was for mimosas with breakfast before heading back to the beach for the day with the whole group. Vacation in Tobago was really low key… and that’s the beauty of it.

vineyard vines maxi (similar, 2, 3, 4, 5) // sandals // ear jackets // bracelet, 2, 3 / Santa Fe necklace, similar, 2, 3, 4 // white polish

loveRavayna

April 26, 2016

0 In los angeles

modern art in dtla

I could spend hours in a good museum. The Broad is a very very good one, and it’s free to boot! It seems like I made our reservation to visit the Broad Museum a lifetime ago, but it just finally rolled around. In the typical mayhem that is my life, I had an early flight, landing at LAX just in time for David to pick me up and for us to head downtown for a morning of art appreciation.

I don’t fancy myself some great art critic, but I’m educated, open minded and appreciative of the artistic spirit. It may not speak to me, but I’m interested in it regardless. My view can be too literal for some modern art, but that wasn’t the case at the Broad- the collection is incredibly well curated, one of the best of contemporary art I’ve come across. Even the most absurd of exhibits had accuracy.

I adore art that really impacts- that makes you think. Some of the seemingly simplest works of art pull me to introspection. The installation of FEMA propane barrels was so intricate up close, and the Katrina kid in me will carry that with her always. The graphic art was almost pointed. I love when I want to inspect a piece of art up close, when it engages me that way, and the Murakami portion of the exhibit did just that.

I’ve been super-inspired by negative space lately, in design and art, so admired this divided embrace piece for a little while. It’s far larger than the picture depicts, with the green aspects the size of doors.

We’d seen Jeff Koons’ Tulips when it was on display in Las Vegas, but I’d only seen his other works in print. They are just giant, much bigger that I anticipated, pretty much embodying all things glossy shiny prettiness. Total picture bait too- we had to be patient to get these shots while there were high school field trips in house. Teenage girls are very vocal in their admiration of my hair, for what it’s worth.

I love how fun modern art is, and how truly creative it can be. Don’t get me wrong, I can spend hours among the Impressionists, but sometimes it’s just really enjoyable. After flying, and LA rush hour traffic, I was tired and cranky when we reached the museum, and it managed to turn my mood around quickly. And David loves museums a lot less than I, but we both really had a good time at the Broad.

The Broad is beautiful inside and out, but in a really approachable way. I enjoy the art in the random, like cleanly designed administrative offices (yes, I peeked). I swore every other person on the escalator was taking a selfie, then realized why when I stepped into the tunnel. And I loved the little voyeur window into the vault, an art exhibit in itself.

It’s probably the New Orleanian in me, but I always find myself enraptured when beauty and breakdown combine in art. Both Julian Schnabel’s The Walk Home and Urs’ Fischer’s untitled melting lamppost really drew me in.

Our tickets were for just after opening, so we were early enough to secure a spot to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room. There is a separate ticketing kiosk inside, for 45 second slots within the exhibit, but it normally reaches capacity for the day about 1 pm. We were paged to the exhibit about two and a half hours after we ticketed. An undulating LED light show in a dark mirrored chamber, inspired by the artist’s hallucinations, it was stunningly beautiful, stimulating and exhilarating, and over way too soon.

“Art is a humanitarian act. Art should be able to effect mankind, to make the world a better place.” -Jeff Koons

loveRavayna

April 23, 2016

0 In travel

salt and sand: a tobago beach day

I wouldn’t call myself a beach bunny, and I can be picky about where I swim, but I do love the sunshine on my (well-protected!) skin, salt in the air, and sand in my hair. And the beach at Pigeon Point, in Tobago, is one of the the closest to paradise I’ve found on this earth- warm, crystalline waters just stretch as far as the eye can see. It’s serious beach bum inspiration.

In past years, we’ve taken glass-bottom boats out to the Nylon Pool, a pretty little tide pool on the Buccoo Reef. But we’ve noted the deterioration of the reef and the destruction of the coral from the crowds over the years, and felt guilty about our contribution to the damage. Destroying the environment can take some fun out of the experience, so we decided to skip the group tour and just enjoy the beach instead. Absolutely perfect weather, a cooler of Carib and some rum runners perfected that plan.

One of the best part of our carnival trips is best friend time. It’s a royal pain having your friends a plane flight away, but par for my course. So I’m practically beside myself to have Erin with me for long enough that we actually get over the excitement of being reunited. We have the best time together AND wear the same size… it’s vacation partner perfection!

It feels like serious gravy that we love each other’s husbands, too, and that they are good friends as well. It makes for a very fun group.. on the beach and pretty much everywhere else!

We rented umbrellas and chairs, and reveled in the fact that there were only a few other families out on the beach that day. Most people go to Tobago to recover after carnival madness, but schedule conflicts dictated a beach pre-party for us instead. I adored escaping ahead of the crowds, and having places practically to ourselves.

I also had too much fun disturbing that peace…. like Craig skipping rocks. I hatched an ill-fated water tackle plan, with humorous results. I imagine it looked like birds flying at a window, but it felt like hitting a warm laughing wall.

similar bikini, 2, 3, 4 // vintage kimono- similar, in pink, darks, under $30 // sunglasses, lust! // ear jackets // white nail polish

And y’all know I don’t believe in missing meals. So when a roti shop stop was suggested on the walk back to the house, I was all about the curry goat (plenty pepper, please). And let’s be real- only seaside in the rural Caribbean is a sandy bikini appropriate restaurant attire. Viva vacation!

LoveRavayna

April 20, 2016

0 In style

WiW: white and brights

There’s nothing I love more than the little white dress for spring. It’s a total classic for a reason. I’m planning on dressing LWDs up and down as long as the weather’s warm… and I can keep them clean. (I’m the messiest girl alive, but this is handy.) I first went on a white dress kick the spring David and I were engaged, when I bought several white options for showers and such. I guess bridal white was my gateway drug? I just adore the comfort of dresses, the versatility, and the blank slate of the white against brightly colored accessories.

Though some people are fussy that we’re already having heat waves, I’m a big fan of the summer sunshine. It seems like all of Los Angeles is in bloom, and I’m loving it. This wall of bougainvillea is blooming just down the street from our house, and is so gorgeously flower-full that I insisted on grabbing a few shots there. I know bougainvillea is technically a weed and all, but the girly girl in me can’t help but love the profusion of pink. And while I didn’t plan to match my lipstick, I wasn’t mad about it!

I chose this handbag as one of my Paris souvenirs, and I’m still pleased with my choice of bright cobalt color and polished gold accents. Its color scheme inspired my accessory choices, vintage golden layers and polished yet colorful baubles. I consider a neutral sandal a summer essential, especially to wear with white, and these wooden ones are so comfortable and surprisingly lightweight. But in all honesty, my hair is fading towards a silvery opal shade, and it’s hands down my favorite accessory lately.

SHOP THIS LOOK Jessica Simpson dress (similar, 2, 3), Volatile sandal-clog (similar, 2, 3), Galeries Lafayette purse (similar, 2, 3, 4), Kendra Scott earrings and cuff, vintage necklace (similar, 2, 3), lipstick, nail polish and my fave glitter polish.

loveRavayna

April 16, 2016

0 In travel

a trini girl, an island intro

If you’ve met my mom and heard her voice or eaten her cooking, you can tell she’s a Trini. Though I’m Trini-born as well, being raised in the US means most people don’t realize that. But if you’ve wondered about my year-round-tan or curves, heard my pepper mouth or the soca music playing, that’s the Trini in me coming out.

We moved to the States when I was three, and I didn’t return to Trinidad until I was grown. But now, we make the journey home every few years. Coordinating with our best friends and family members, we plan our Carnival vacation for months in advance, and count down to our two weeks away. Trinidad allows us to relax and rage unlike no other, share our time between poolside and parties, and all of the sunshine and soca music anyone could ever want. I’m looking forward to sharing our vacation with y’all, and introducing you to my Trinidad.

We flew United from LAX to Houston, where our best couple friends met us for happy hour, and the next 6 hours to Port of Spain. With a late-night landing, Customs took forever, but you might as well get on Trini time from the start. We headed to our house to greet family, eat and sleep, and then headed right back to Piarco Airport for the first flight in the morning, the island-hopper over to Tobago for a few days by the sea.

With our Trini trip in mind, I had gifted Erin this weekender and scored one for myself, too! A ton of my girlfriends have (and love) this bag- with good reason. It’s carry-on compliant, but expandable, and can hold everything you’d ever need comfortably. Beloved Thread did an amazing job customizing them for us. (That said, I’d be buying us these if I was shopping now.)

The flight to Tobago is only 35 minutes on a wee little plane. I’ll honestly say that we spent longer drinking piña coladas in the open-air Tobago airport bar waiting for our rental van than we did in actual transit. After a short drive to our condo, we beelined for the backyard pool- I’d worn my bikini under my romper, so I couldn’t strip and sunscreen fast enough. Erin and I turned on the soca, and it was promptly poolside playtime, complete with a dance party and braid bar, while the men made a store run. It was vacation time and we were beyond ready to relax and soak in the Trini sunshine.

weekender (also loving 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), F21 romper (similar), Target bikini (similar, 2, 3)

Our condo was family owned, and the location was perfection. When you can hear the waves from where you stand, it’s no hassle to walk down to the beach for the afternoon. So when the men returned with supplies, we packed the cooler and did exactly that. We had the local beach mostly to our little family… David and I, our besties Erin and Craig, my mom, my auntie (her sister) Sandy and her husband, my uncle Winnie. We made quite the crew visiting Tobago, and would only grow upon the return to Trini mainland.

As the sun started to dip, we walked home from the beach. We had a nice little cocktail hour, cooling off and cleaning up for dinner. We loaded up the party van for a local seafood restaurant- there’s not much on Tobago. We toasted with sangria, and laughed over grilled lobsters, shrimp, fish, and veggies. We all turned in early that bed that night… we had lots of vacationing up ahead of us!

loveRavayna

April 12, 2016

0 In lifestyle/ los angeles

a disneyland date

Walt Disney said it best, “Disneyland is a work of love.”

And when spring flowers are in bloom and the sun is shining bright, it’s hard not to feel the magic in the air! A few weeks ago (when I was still a brunette), we drove to Anaheim for a weekday Disneyland date, and it was a super fun time.

We’re fortunate enough to go to Disneyland several times a year, since we live only about an hour away. We’re no fans of theme park lines (like anyone is?) so we also wander, people watch, and eat. And when it comes to Disneyland food, Dole whip floats (pineapple soft serve and pineapple juice) are my absolute favorite.

I’m generally pretty flexible about which rides we hit- I’m up for whatever lines aren’t too obnoxious. But I’m a total five-year-old at heart, and I have a total weak spot for the teacups. It’s a must-ride, every time. David spins it so fast, and I love it!

And no day is complete without some shenanigans. No luck at hitchhiking in Cars Land, but some skipping and dipping made me giggle.

We had our cute friend Nicole join us, and we had such a good time with her- we always do! When she wasn’t cracking me up, she was behind the camera for the majority of this post’s images. But we were Minnie twinning, so I made sure to have David grab some shots of us, too.

We made sure to instagram a shot of our ears, to help raise funds for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Every hashtag of #shareyourears garnered a $5 donation, in honor of Disneyland’s 60th birthday. A total of 2 million dollars was raised to grant wishes for terminal kids, and it’s nice to have played even the tiniest part.

SHOP THIS LOOK: asos leather leggings, similar Minnie shirt, converse, kate spade bag (similar)

loveRavayna

April 8, 2016

1 In beauty/ lifestyle/ style

unicorn hair

If you follow me on snapchat (loveRavayna) or instagram, you may have peeped my new ‘do… and realized that I’ve upgraded my lifelong brunette hair to a multicolor pastel mane. Letting my inner unicorn out to play, I’m giving My Little Pony a run for her money.

A color melt of silver and smoke, lilac, lavender, and rose, slate and sapphire- my hair is practically a work of art! I’m obsessed with it, to be honest. Butterfly Loft Salon was kind enough to have me in as a model for an incredible new vivid haircolor line, Pulp Riot. I’d been feeling blah about my hair for a while, so was ready for something fresh.

I’m so, SO fortunate to have worked with such an amazing team. Linh Phan is one of the artists behind the Pulp Riot brand, and is incredible- he manipulates hair color like watercolor. He envisioned my hair as a smoky lavender, with peeks of slate and rose gold. I was wound tight about bleaching it half to death, but he assured me that careful application and B3 reconstructor would help preserve my mop. I trusted him, along with his precious assistant Niki, so I turned over creative control to the talented pair, accepted a cocktail and settled in for a beast of a bleaching. All told, I was at the salon for almost eight hours, and it was worth it.

Four hours in, they’d lifted my lengths from a level 3 to a level 9 and darkened my roots with a granite color, and I’d recognized that life as a blonde is not a good choice for me. The Butterfly Circus environment is so supportive, and I loved the creative collaboration from all the talented stylists. After a little powwow, it was hair painting time.

Linh popped in his headphones and got down to the nitty gritty, rocking out as he melted metallic pastel colors into a deep blue root, yet preserved the clarity of icy silver ends. I was processed, rinsed and styled- and was blown away when I finally saw the reveal. So grateful for these talented darlings!

I’ve never before taken such a leap with my look, but it is exhilarating! I will note that I’m surprised by just how much attention it garners- strangers regularly comment and compliment, which is incredibly flattering but totally unexpected in a city like LA.

I find myself wanting to wear more black than ever, and have had to stop myself from color-coordinating my clothes and hair… I love me some mitchy-matchy. I’m still a huge fan of these ear jackets, via my beloved Stella & Dot stylist (don’t hesitate to shop with her) and am always into the perfect Schiaparelli pink lipstick.

A mane like this is so fun to style- straight or curly, the color adds so much dimension. And though I’ve noticed some bleach dryness, the damage has actually given my lank hair a welcome volume boost. I swear I must be prepping for a shampoo commercial with all the hair tossing I’ve been doing lately.

It may just look pretty pink and blue, but color like this takes serious work to maintain. Fantasy colors are not permanent, so they fade with every wash- though freezing water and color care products like this shampoo, conditioner, and reconstructor from B3 help. Violet shampoo keeps the color icy, and pastel purple overtone helps up the lilac level. You can probably spot the fade (specifically of the navy and rose shades) in the above pictures- the black sequin shots were taken two washes after the images in the black teeshirt. I’m loving the evolution!

With hair color like this, a ponytail pops and a simple braid becomes a statement. It’s without a doubt my favorite accessory for the spring!

loveRavayna

April 5, 2016

0 In food/ recipes

an insomniac oven

I’ve struggled with sleeplessness since high school, and am a total night owl. I sometimes work or read until the wee hours of the morning, but more often than not, midnight finds me in the kitchen. We do mostly homemade sweets around here, so sometimes I’m getting ahead on the next day’s to-do list- gotta keep dessert stocked! But most of the time I’m just relaxing and recipe testing, so I wanted to share a few of our recent favorites.

This s’mores pie was rich and creamy and delicious. David doesn’t love dark chocolate the way I do, so I used half dark and half milk. I thought it was perfectly sweet that way, but it’s not supersweet like actual s’mores- some more or or even all milk chocolate will get you there. And seriously, if you haven’t made homemade marshmallow yet, you need too- it’s much easier than it looks!

Deb over at smitten kitchen mentioned that Chef Suzanne Goin served this brown butter and hazelnut confection as her own wedding cake, and I totally see why now. I adore the flavor of brown butter, and it balanced perfectly with the moreish texture of the nuts and the ganache draping. The cake came together quickly and disappeared from the cake plate in the same fashion. I’ve more hazelnuts in the fridge, so I’m certain it will have a return engagement one night soon.

I’m totally on a cream puff kick. In all honestly, we’ve had them two nights in a row, and I’m not even embarrassed by that- they’re damn delicious. I’ve been using Dorie Greenspan’s pâté à choux recipe (currently reading her Baking Chez Moi), filling them with a mix of vanilla custard and freshly whipped cream, dipping or drizzling them with ganache, and devouring by the plateful.

Elaborate birthday cakes are the norm around here, as is replacing candles with fireworks. David mentioned wanting a pb&j inspired cake this year, so I ran with that one night. I stacked peanut butter cake with strained strawberry jam, then slathered it with fluffy brown sugar-peanut butter frosting, another slick of jam, and chopped salted peanuts. It was enormous (too big for the cake bell) and phenomenal.

And the better the cake, the better the cake shake! Leftover cake into shakes is one of my very favorite revamps, and I love mixing up different flavors. This version included pb&j cake, strawberries, peanut butter, vanilla ice cream, malted milk powder, and a healthy splash of amaretto. Sometimes I even get fancy… like whipped cream and a slice of cake on top.

I guess you could say night times are good times in the Coe kitchen.

loveRavayna

April 1, 2016

2 In style

WiW: bare-shouldered for spring

I am absolutely obsessing over off-the shoulder dresses and tops for spring! I think showing a little collarbone and shoulder adds some understated flirtiness to a look, but I like that it’s not too too much.

I already know this comfy red jersey dress is going to be on repeat through the warm weather. I dressed it up last weekend for a dear friend’s bridal shower, but it’s also adorable with gladiator wedges, or more casually with metallic tennies. It can go from brunch to beach with ease, and I love having that versatility in my wardrobe.

I kept some accessories totally classic, like my leopard d’orsay pumps, vintage sunnies, and black leather Chanel mini. I added in a rhinestone bracelet and raided my most recent Rocksbox for the rest. I’ve mentioned it before, but I love choosing designer jewelry and having it arrive at my door for me to wear. You can enjoy it too, for free (!!) when you use code RavaynaXOXO to sign up.