Beauty & the Bean's, Kristen T., officially graduated Suffolk Law School today! 

To all the graduates out there—on behalf of Beauty & the Bean—we wish you love, happiness & great success!

xo Kristin K.

What's better than a beautiful Saturday? And, a beautiful weekend to celebrate the most wonderful people in your life? 

Nick & I are packing up the car to head back to Connecticut in the spirit of celebration: A graduation party, a Mother's Day Brunch & a ceremony for my uncle & his partner—where they will officially become legal spouses.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend worth celebrating the beautiful things around you.

xo Kristin K.

Beauty & the Bean is excited to unveil its new categories later next week! And, we are also excited to announce that with all this internal-revamping, our blog will be expanding its reach from Boston to Connecticut by this Summer. 

With all this planning & change, sometimes it's good to stop & just take a look around to get grounded. Here are a few things that are inspiring me at this moment...

xo Kristin K.

A week ago I said yes to my best friend as he got down on one knee & asked me to marry him. Just having got off from work, he beelined it into our palatial 800 square foot Boston apartment, sat me down on our living room couch & proceeded to say this is the last thing he wanted to do in his 20's (with his 30th birthday imminently looming that Sunday). In workout gear, sans makeup...without  Josh Groban angelically singing...without the envisioned turtle doves perfectly perched at our apartment window...I was being proposed to. It was the most authentic & perhaps one of the most memorable experiences of my entire life because it was us--crazy, messy & irrefutably quirky us. It is never to be replicated...never to happen again. And, my heart wants to explode as I replay how nervous, & heartfelt, his proposal was to me in my head.

A week later, my brother—a Marine & incredible friend—is saying "yes" to his fiancé as they embark on their matrimonial life journey before moving to Hawaii come Fall. And, I couldn't be more excited & emotional about it. Perhaps it's because even just a cheesy "Every Kiss Begins with K" commercial makes me want to cry right now...or, perhaps it's because it's my baby brother (who enthusiastically wore tap shoes & came with me to Rhythm N' Sync for "Bring a Best Friend to Dance Class" day); my baby brother who sang "Fooling around in Middletown" with me & "Down by the Bay" into flash-lights on the back of our parent's boat that one cool, Summer night in Newport; my baby brother who hit the latest growth spurt in history, going to college & coming back at a whopping 6'4"; my baby brother who made sure he came home safe after a tour in Afghanistan; my baby brother who will always be my "best friend" even if we don't talk half as often as we should. Buddy, YOU are my Friday Favorite. And, I'm so proud of you.

Best of luck, & lots of love, to you & Brittany today...& everyday!

xo Kristin K.

Beauty & the Bean is excited to be back after a momentary hiatus.

In the time we've last submitted an entry, we've come up with new 'blog categories'—which will be unveiled by next week; we've enjoyed the Spring like weather here in Boston—with inspirational photos to follow suit; & one of our team-members got engaged!

There is so much love & excitement in the air. We look forward to celebrating in Spring 2013 with all of you—our loyal Beauty & the Bean readers!

Stay tuned! 

xo Kristen T. & Kristin K.



*photo courtesy of: abeachcottage.com 

Dear Boston,

You are my home.

 I fell in love with you about three years ago. So, we're definitely out of the honeymoon stages. But, you still fascinate me. Now, more than ever before. 

Your strength...your courage...your people. I can't thank you enough for letting me in with open arms. And, while things have certainly changed here...it's sometimes a travesty that makes you see how special something is to you.

Still shaken up & weary, I look out of my living room window only to see the Prudential Center standing strong in the sky...a subtle reminder to me (& all of us) to do the same. I'm proud to say I crossed that finish line on Sunday among those heroic runners. I'm proud to say we—strangers & neighbors—have become unified all in your honor. I'm proud to say I'm a part of Boston. 

It's because of you that I...that we...have been changed for the better.

Thank you,

Kristin K.

Yesterday, I ran my second BAA 5K in Boston. It was enthralling to see all 6,500 runners show up to race through Newbury Street & the Back Bay together while ending at the Boston Marathon line. While I would consider it more of a fun run, & enjoyed cruising the familiar streets of my neighborhood, my ultimate goal is to get out of my comfort zone & eventually train for a half marathon. Perhaps it's wishful thinking or because the city around me is all pumped up for today's Boston Marathon. But, whatever the case, the Boston Marathon & all of its glory is forever awe-inspiring. 

Living on the corner of Hereford & Beacon, I have been fortunate enough to see the final push of the Boston Marathon for the last three years right on my very own street. Bystanders wearing T-shirts which say "Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston"—celebrate the last two turns before the Marathon line—& choppers overhead with thousands of people cheering underneath make for a memorable, never dull setting.

On behalf of Beauty & the Bean, I wish all the Marathon runners the best of luck today!

xo Kristin K.

“The Lilly girl is always full of surprises. She lives everyday like it’s a celebration. Never has a dull moment and makes every hour a happy hour.”

Lilly Pulitzer, the iconic fashion designer, recently passed away, but her story & bold patterned dresses will forever live on. It is hard to not be motivated by her story. Lilly got her start in Palm Beach, FL where she opened a juice stand.
She started making bright patterned shift dresses to hide the juice stains. When customers started asking her where she bought the dresses from, she capitalized on the opportunity & started selling her dresses, along with the juice. The dresses
started selling more than the juice and from there the Lilly Pulitzer brand was born. The famous shift dress got major publicity when Jackie Kennedy sported the “Lilly” on vacation.

Lilly Pulitzer will always be remembered as a woman who broke the mold & created her own path! The Lilly brand continually introduces bright, colorful patterns. All of the pieces really do stand on their own as signature pieces and Beauty & the Bean cannot wait to see what the brand creates in the future.

Xo,
Kristen T.

Kristin & I both grew up in Connecticut & relocated to Boston a couple of years ago. While our aesthetics are both quite different, we have always been New England girls at heart. And, a lot of our interests, likes & style inspirations are reflective of that. There is a certain culture in New England that is unlike anywhere else. Having both grown up vacationing at a small beach in Old Lyme, CT--Point O’ Woods—I remember how sweet the days were consisting of trips out on the boat, crabbing, outdoor showers & searching for seashells. The style I saw my Mom sporting was always a little bit on the preppy side—collared shirts, Sperry Topsiders, white shorts & a collection of David Yurman bangles stacked ever so delicately on her wrist.

As Spring starts to show its face with its warmer temperatures, I'm excited to start wearing lighter pieces & embrace all the wonderful things that are New England. This entry is dedicated to all things that remind me why I love this area so much & why, no matter where I go, I will always carry a piece of New England with me.

xo Kristen T.

If you looked outside my Boston-apartment window today, you would see cars cloaked in snow...pedestrians bundled in puff-jackets...& the Charles River laced with sheets of ice. For many, this frigid scene would scream Winter, but for us in the Bean—it's the first day of Spring. While New England seems to be encapsulated in its own tormenting snowfall, I still see & feel Spring's beauty all around me. Her presence is imminent. Her beauty is here. And, even though I can't say that I am loving the warmer temperatures she brings—just yet—I am looking forward to it with all of me. Here are some photos from around my Back Bay neighborhood on this year's first (frigid) day of Spring. 

xo Kristin K.