Tying the Knot: Wedding Dress Shopping Details

Now that the wedding is over (gah, I still can't believe I'm saying that) I figured I would go back and fill in the holes and overall vague-ness that were my wedding dress shopping posts with some actual details and pictures! 

If you want a refresher, head on over to the original posts. 

Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

To make three posts short, there had been a total of four dresses in the running during my whirlwind two-day search for the perfect dress. 

Dress A

Exactly what I had thought I wanted coming into the store. 

Somewhat fitted. All lace. Sweetheart neckline. A little bit of sparkle. 

My logic, A-type personality almost made me get this dress because of the fact that it had been in my head the entire time. The question of How could I possibly stray from the dress that I had envisioned? kept popping into my head.

Dress C

Not quite perfect but at David's Bridal you can't beat the price. Unless, like me, there is so much you would want to change about the dress that the alterations price drives up the overall cost. I really liked the train and the overall lace. I would have had to add a sweetheart neckline and remove that tule edging around the bottom. 

 Dress D

Very, very similar to the first dress. Similar cut with sweetheart neckline. The lace faded down the dress, the buttons went down the entire back and I wasn't sold on the color of the waistband. 

And finally Dress B, the winner! 

You've already seen a sneak peak at my dress in our wedding photos I've posted but these are the pictures from the actual day of shopping. 

If it hadn't been for my amazing consultant, I would have never tried this dress on, fallen in love with it and walked down the aisle to my husband with it on. I got so many compliments on it at our wedding and felt absolutely amazing wearing it the whole night. 

I am still so thankful for the quick shopping I did at home with some of my favorite ladies and I couldn't have dreamt of a more perfect dress for me. 

Tying the Knot: Wedding Dress Shopping pt3

Dress Shopping Day #2: Saturday

After our first two appointments from the day before I had three dresses floating around in my head. DressA: exactly what I had envisioned myself wearing. DressB: something I would have never picked but absolutely loved. And finally DressC: I liked it but it would need a bunch of extra alterations done to make it perfect.

At this point I had an opinion in my head about what I wanted to do about these dresses and apparently my family had taken a "secret vote" the day before as to what dress was #1 but weren't going to tell me until everything was said and done. So my mom, J's mom and my MOH headed to our last appointment for the weekend. This store was a smaller boutique style place similar to our first stop but unfortuantely didn't take appointments. Thankfully we lucked out and only waited about 15 minutes for an available consulatant while we went through all the racks and started pulling dresses.

One of the first things I noticed at this store was that they carried the same designer as the one from DressA. I was quick to ask if they carried the specific style (to see how price compared) but they didn't. However it was a very good starting point for our appointment as about 80% of the dresses I tried on here were from the same designer. I tried on a handful of dresses, most of which were great dresses. They fit me nicely, they had all the details that I said I wanted but none were thrilling me. I just couldn't get DressA or DressB out of my head. My mom was busy snapping pictures of all different angles and all different details about each dress so that if I left without a dress I could look back an know everything about each dress.

I finally found one more dress that was really fabulous, we'll call it DressD. It was very, very similar to the first two dresses and had exactly what I wanted in terms of style. And I can bet that had we come to this store first, this dress would have been my first choice. But standing there in that dress I was back to my internal battle of "do I love this dress so much more than either of the first two?" "is this my dream dress?". Because I'm practical I couldn't let my emotions tell me what to do. We started pulling up pictures of the first two dresses on phones and cameras. We compared dress prices and alterations prices. I imagined what type of veil and shoes and jewlery I would want for each dress. At this point, I was seriously confused.

I'm not sure who mentioned it but somehow the idea got tossed in that we should go back to the first place and see if they would let me try DressA and DressB back on. There had been so many dresses between when I wore them and when I was wearing DressD that I thought it might help clarify my decision. The kink in the chain however was that J and I were headed back to San Diego the next day so my options were to either make a decision today or place an order without actually being in town. Our consultant at this final store ended up taking my measurements and creating a file for me just as if I had placed an order for DressD but without actually placing it. That way, if I eventually decided that DressD was the one I could call and finalize the process. So we left and headed back to The Bridal Collection with all intents of doing the same process there with those two dresses.

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On our way back to see DressA and DressB I gave them a call because technically you had to have an appointment to try on dresses. I told them I was there the day before and loved two dresses and was wondering if I could come try only those two back on today. She was hesitant at first but when I told her my circumstances about being from out of town and leaving the next day she said it was alright to come in. Unfortunately Miranda had left for the day but at this point I didn't need her expertise in picking dresses, I just needed to get back into the two I loved and comapre them to this new option.

DressA was the first one I put back on. It was exactly the dress of my dreams. Every part of it was exactly what I had seen myself walking down the aisle in. I put on a veil and some jewlery and stood there. I looked from the front, from the back, from both sides. I walked around wearing it, I sat in a chair, basically I did everything possible in this dress to see if it was "the one". Then it was DressB's turn and the process started all over. Veils, front, back, walking, sitting, etc etc etc. I still couldn't believe I loved this dress given the fact that I would have never picked it for myself.

By this point my family was pretty quiet. They had already said their opinions about both, the pros and cons, the comparison to DressD, everything except which was their favorite and they just silently let me think which I am so grateful for. I can't even tell you how many times I changed into the two dresses. I'd be standing there in one thinking "okay I know my decision about this all" and then I'd want to put the other back on and I'd be back to square one. Back and forth, back and forth.

Until I really let myself go, let myself take in everything that I had experienced, everything that was said about the three dresses and even let my logic take a back seat. Finally, I put my wedding dress back on for the last time and walked out to see my family. I stood on that pedistal one last time and said "This is it! This is the one!" And in that moment, DressB became mine! The dress that shocked me. The dress I doubted on the hanger. The dress that was fit for someone with exactly my body type. The dress my mom and I cried to. The dress that literally made my heart flutter each and every time I put it on. It wasn't everything I had imagined for myself.... it was better!

I had done it, I had found my perfect wedding dress.

I headed back to the dressing room and my measurements were taken. We talked about how fittings and alterations would work being an out of town bride.  The paperwork was signed and all the formality was completed. And we celebrated!

I am so thankful for every part of this whirlwind dress shopping experience. Thankful for my family for being there with me through it all. Thankful for my amazing mom for giving this dress to me. Thankful for a consultant who knew what and when to do exactly the right thing. Thankful for my my perfect dress and thankful to be on this journey towards marrying J.



Who would have thought my dress would be the fourth one I tried on? Who would have thought the whole process could take only two days? I definitely didn't!

Tying the Knot: Wedding Dress Shopping pt2

Dress Shopping Day #1: Friday continued

If you've forgotten from PART 1, I was convinced by my consultant, Miranda, to try on a dress she picked out for me and thought would be a perfect fit for my body type. She knew it wasn't something I would have picked out for myself but I was down for anything at that point. And remember, there was already a dress that I loved, we'll call it DressA.

I slipped into it, she zipped it up and I turned to look in the mirror that was in the dressing room. Immediately I felt "it"; a bit hot, like my heart started beating louder, and as cliche as it sounds, almost like I couldn't take in a full breathe. All I could manage to say at that point was "huh....?" because I was almost in shock that this dress was nothing like the idea I had in my head but took me by such surprise.

I went to show my family and I can't remember exactly what was said but that it was all positive things. It fit me almost perfectly, was so unique and so different than the other dresses I had tried on. But I could sense my family sensing my hesitation. I was fighting a battle between "what I thought I wanted" and "what I was completely loving". This dress was suddenly and shockingly in the running, as DressB.

We started addressing pros and cons of both dresses. I put on a veil and a hair piece with this dress for comparisons to DressA. I looked in the mirror from the front, the back, both sides. I looked at pictures of myself wearing both. My MOH tried on a bridesmaid dress they had there in navy to stand next to me wearing both dresses. We even tried to trick my mind by having me look in the mirror in DressB, close my eyes while DressA was held up and then open my eyes.

Finally Miranda suggested I walk to a different part of the store to a different set of mirrors to see myself walk in DressB. As she'd been doing the whole time, Miranda perfectly timed my walk across the store with my mom following me so that we could have a moment to ourselves. I loved having everyone there with me that day but there's something about having your mom there that tops everything else. I turned to look at her with tears in my eyes to realize that she was crying too. She gave me a huge, huge hug, told me how beautiful I looked and I thought to myself, "is this the 'moment' I was missing earlier?"

At this point it was getting close to the end of our appointment so I went and put my regular clothes back on and said I needed some time to think about it all. I was so torn between these two dresses! My dream dress and an amazing surprise dress. Miranda even asked if I had other appointments set up and was surprisingly happy when I said yes. So we gathered our things and headed to the next appointment.

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Because of budget and my overall thrifty-ness I knew I would have to look at David's Bridal while searching for my perfect dress so this was the second place on our list for the weekend. I knew ahead of time that they can have great prices, lots to choose from in a variety of styles, and discounts for bridesmaids if I purchase my dress through them. I was a little unimpressed by the beginning of our appointment and the seeming chaos that was inside the store. We were just set to look through the dresses ourselves (but not pull any) without any sort of guidance even before we met with our consultant. We wandered around finding a handful of options and finally met with our consultant.

Just like before, I was able to tell her things I did and didn't like and got assigned a room to start trying things on. She was very friendly and started bringing in dresses for me to try on. Some were automatic no's and there were a few styles that I hadn't tried on before. After about five dresses there was one that was definitely a consideration. But it wasn't perfect. I hated the very bottom edge of the dress, it was almost as if someone had sewed a thin strip of tulle around the edge of the dress and it simply just didn't work for my taste.

We met with someone from alterations who was able to pin the edge under and assured us that it was not a problem and could definitely be changed. I was a little leary about needing to change something like that but otherwise the dress was everything I had said I wanted. There weren't really any other good options to consider at this point from here so we started to pack up and I changed clothes. Since there was still DressA and DressB from before I said I needed to think about things before I made a decision. Then my consultant dropped the bombshell. This dress, DressC, had been discontinued and the dress that was hanging in my fitting room was literally the last one in my size of this style! They could hold it for the day but that was it. I was going to have to make a decision about DressC fast! By this time I was confused and everyone was done for the day.

The day had been hijacked by the start March Madness for these two ladies!

We left and my mom and I drove home. We talked and talked about all three dresses and eventually ruled out DressC. DressA and DressB were regularly more expensive (which I was nervous about) but once all the additional alterations costs were added to DressC to make it perfect it wasn't worth it in the end.

There was one more appointment at a different bridal boutique set up for the next day so we called it quits for the night, I went to dinner with J's family, and we would see what the next day would bring.

PART 3 is coming soon!

Tying the Knot: Wedding Dress Shopping pt1

I've been having a bit of a delima when it comes to posting about my wedding dress shopping which is why it's taken me so long to finally write this post. I knew I wanted to document the process but J and I are taking the tradition about my dress very seriously. In no way will J see my dress (or really anything close to it so he has no room for imagination) until our wedding day. There have been very few things that he has had strong opinions about through this whole process but this was definitely one of them. So I appologize off the bat that there will be no picture of my actual dress (until after the big day) or even the ones in the running.

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Back in March J and I took a trip back to CO to get a handful of wedding related items checked off our list. I mentioned before that one of my favorite parts about our trip was our engagment pictures but the number one reason we planned the trip was to start the process of finding my perfect dress. I decided it would be easier for me to purchase the dress in Colorado, given the number of times that we'll have to be back for other reasons, rather than purchase the dress here in California and have to figure out how to transport it later.

Dress Shopping Day #1: Friday
My mom, J's mom, J's sister/bridesmaid, my MOH and I all met at The Bridal Collection to start our first appointment of the whole process. I had known before we started that they carried some designers I loved already and couldn't wait to see what my consultant as well as my family would choose as well. I had no idea what my mom envisioned me wearing, I knew J's mom loved full skirts (thanks to her Pinterest), and I was sure my two "sisters" would have their own thoughts too.

We met Miranda, my amazing consultant, and gave her a quick intro/breakdown of what I thought I wanted. She took us for a tour around the store showing us the different designers and telling us to pull anything that we wanted to try. She gave us a few minutes to browse and popped in every once in a while to say "what about this?" or "would you consider this one?". Then it was finally time to start trying things on.

I went into the dressing room while my family got seated around one of their rooms of mirrors. I loved that I had full control over everything and got to decide what dress I wanted to try on first. It was a bit surreal to be trying on wedding dresses, I have to admit. The first dress definitely looked different on than it had on the hanger and it made me start to question exactly what it was that I wanted. Like I mentioned with the bridesmaids dresses, I was certain I didn't want satin but Miranda suggested I at least try one on to be sure that it was a no.

This is the only picture of a dress you'll actually get simply because it's so, so, so unlike what I would actually wear that there's no room for imagining what my actual dress is like from this one. And yes, that's my expression of gosh-I-hate-satin-and-geeze-is-it-heavy!

I tried on a few more and by the time I was in the third dress we really started to get on the right track. I loved this dress. It was pretty close to what I had described being my style, it wasn't overdone but definitely felt bridal and I really, really liked it. At this point they pulled out the veils, sashes, faux fur wraps and as they say on "Say Yes to the Dress", jacked me up! I was really loving that dress and so was my family. Granted I didn't get that oh-my-gosh-this-is-it feeling like you hear of but I thought that was fine, I just wasn't that type of bride. I stood there and stood there and stood there, just looking in the mirror and at my family thinking to myself "this might be it".

Because she's amazing like that, Miranda suggested we take it off and try on a few more, just to be sure. We got into the dressing room and there was a dress in there that she had pulled for me. She said to me, "I realize this isn't something you probably would have pulled for yourself but are you willing to give it a shot?" She told me this dress had a very specific body type that it looked good on and she thought I was perfect for it. So I figured, sure! While we're here I might as well.

So this doesn't get too long.... 

stay tuned for PART 2!

[Target Tuesday] v3

It's that time of the week again!

Yes, it's Target Tuesday at Fabulous But Evil and I'm linking up for the third time.

Today I'm posting on comfy, yet fashionable, spring outfits. If you're a real life friend of mine (or even a bloggy friend) you probably know that I'm not one to dress up, do my hair, and wear heals every day of the week. I'm more comfortable and much happier in t-shirts and shorts with occasional dressing up for special reasons. So here are my favorite pieces that can be easily thrown on while still looking put together.

Mossimo Gaucho Pants in Quartz Grey

(These pants are on sale for $8 right now by the way!)

Mossimo Pocket Tee in Keepsake Aqua

Hailey Jeans Striped Sleeveless Top in Navy

Merona Crop Pant in Dark Indigo

Converse Monique Gathered Cardigan in Cocoa Motion

Mossimo Shirttail Pocket Tank in Blue Ocean

Christmas Wish List

Now that it is officially Christmas season I thought it would be appropriate to start my Christmas Wish List. This is not all encompassing since many people always have other good ideas and there are probably a handful of things I want but have forgotten about. (I need to remember to write them down more often.) I would be very grateful to get any of the items on this list but frankly I don't expect any of them. Quality time with the special people in my life is way more important than any gift could be but for those of you in the giving spirit...

[1] A Camelback water bottle 25 oz (in purple, blue, forest, or lime) OR a Nalgene Wide-Mouth bottle 32 oz (in slate blue, purple, spring green, or clear) with a Sippy Lid in coordinating color

[2] Vera Bradley All-in-One Wristlet (in most patterns but my favorites are Poppy Fields, Baroque, Loves Me, Paprika, or Carnaby)

[3] Sephora by OPI Winter Mini Collection

[4] Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and/or Jo Ann Fabrics Gift Cards

[5] Philosophy Candy Cane bubble bath and shower gel

[6] Vintage Tees like these from Forever 21 or any other similar ones

[7] Carmex Moisture Plus (in Sheer Peach)

Thankfully everything on this list would be great as a repeat/multiple gift (since I'm horrible about remember who I told what.) A girl can never have too many tops or gift cards or beauty supplies right? I also hope this helps inspire some of your own lists or ideas for special people in your life too.

Happy Gifting!

OOTD & Changes in Appearance

This post is looooong overdue, I apologize. A few weeks ago J "up-ed" his boyfriend status and took me on a shopping spree. He read this post and decided to take me shopping for a few new things for fall. I could not have been happier.

Flash forward to last weekend and we were going out to the casino for a fun Saturday night. I decided it would be a perfect opportunity for me to wear some of my new clothes. I thought I'd share what I wore that night.

Jeans: American Eagle Slim Boot

Floral Tank: Charlotte Russe

Beige Sweater: American Eagle

Brown Heals: Target

(sorry no picture)

I can't tell you where I got my necklace because honestly, it's not a necklace. It's an extra strap for a clutch purse I bought years ago and have never used (I thought it was a little odd.) But with a little knot it makes a great accessory. :-)

I even took the time to curl my hair that night. Something I haven't done in forever. I'm so happy my hair is starting to be considered long again. (For those of you that don't know, I chopped it all off 2 summers ago to donate to Locks of Love.)

If you're in search of a new pair of jeans I highly recommend the ones I bought from American Eagle. It literally doesn't feel like I'm wearing jeans because the denim is soft and stretchy with no tough edges around the waste. I tried on a pair of their new "Jeggings" and I am definitely not a fan, at least on me I guess.

PS- I've made some changes to my blog appearance if you haven't noticed and I think I'm happy with the changes. It took some tweeking to get it the way I wanted. Hope you like the new design.

Summer Color

This is the newest polish purchase for the summer so I thought I'd do a review. We always get a new color in the summer time because we have more time to do our nails and more time to show them off. (We is my mom, sister and I by the way, not the bf.) Ulta was having a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale while I was at home so we jumped on it. The sale was for OPI, Essie, and Piggy Polish but unfortunately you couldn't get different brands. I personally love Essie polishes lately but they're colors were slightly "too adult" according to my younger sister. We decided on Piggy Polish from there because, well, OPI is more expensive than Piggy. Plus it comes with a cute embellishment which is always a good thing. Mom was treating so we were fine with the decision.

I've never owned Piggy Polish before so this was a new trial for me and I have to say I'm happy with it overall. I decided on Daylilly's and Music because it's a fresh, somewhat neutral, but still fun color. I own few polishes that aren't red/pink/golden so I figured why not change it up.

The polish is a little thin (or maybe I'm just not good at painting my nails) because I had to put on three coats for it to be the right shade. It gets that see-through look where you can see all the imperfections if you don't do three. I painted both my toes and my fingers because it's a great color for both. I love the mint-green shade and I'm very happy I stepped out of my "pink polish box." Piggy Polish gets two green thumbs up :-)

First Coat

Second Coat

Third Coat

on my wish list

If I were to go on a shopping spree.... these are the things I would buy (in no particular order)

KitchenAid Artisan 5-qt Stand Mixer- Boysenberry

From Target

This would go perfectly with the mood of homemaker I've been in lately

Plus I adore, luuuv, swoon for the color

Xhilaration Juniors Hibiscus Bikini Swimsuit

From Target

With my upcoming beach vacation I've been dying to get

a new suit even thought I know I don't need one. There's nothing

like splurging right before a trip to have a new one and

this one is perfect. Just enough color for me.

18 x 18" Loft Plaid Pillows

From Target

I've been wanting throw pillows for our couch/chairs for a while now.

I'm sick of having to use regular bed pillows when we nap, it doesn't

look as presentable. These are the perfect amount of patter/color

without being obnoxious or difficult to match.

Alvine Trad Pattern Shade

From Ikea

All our lamp shades are old, non-matching and definitely outdated.

These would make a subtle but wonderful addition to our black lamps.

Print BoHo Shirt

From American Eagle

I recently received shorts almost exactly like those but from the Gap

and think this top would be perfect to pair with them. I've really

been enjoying flowing, comfy yet still cute tops lately.

Split Neck Tank

From American Eagle

I'd like to start off saying I would definitely smile, not

scour like Ms. Model here if I was wearing this top. I love the

color navy and my wardrobe definitely shows too much

of it so I'd get this in Summer Sun (yellow) or Strawberry

Gloss (pink/peach)

on a long overdue update

I'm sorry that I have been so MIA lately. I promise that I'll try to be better about it but for the past while there have been other things taking up my time. Between studying and more studying, wanting to enjoy summer at least a little bit, planning for my vacation, and the recent apartment searching I think it's fair to say that I've been busy.

By the way, has anyone figured out how to make more than 24 hours in a day? Because I definitely could have used that recently....

+ I've been spending most of my days, about 9am-6ish doing more studying for my upcoming MCAT. It is officially 20 days away and I'm surprisingly not freaking out this time. I think it's part to do that I've been able to do so much more studying this time around without having to worry about school related things on top of it. It's also because I've taken it once before so I know what it'll be like and I just recently, Tuesday actually, got my scores back for the first test. They were much better than I thought they would be so even though they aren't quite what I want, it's much more realistic to make up the extra points I need this time. It's been nice (not really NICE, but nice since I have to study) that the weather here has been nothing note worthy. Being stuck inside listening to lessons, taking quizzes, and studying flash cards would be much more difficult if it was 75 degrees outside and the pool was calling my name. With all that said, I thought I'd share with you a picture of my lesson book with my childish habit of drawing a heart ♥ instead of writing the letters h-e-a-r-t. I don't know when I started doing this but now it's almost like I can't help it. I was contently listening to my Kaplan Cardiovascular Lesson this afternoon and looked down to see all these little drawings and it made me smile, a nerdy smile but a smile none the less.

+ In the midst of everything else going on in my life right now I desperately could use a job. Like I have time for that, right? Yeah I know, when would that fit in. Maybe there's a job out there that pays $200 an hour so I can work two hours a week and be set... a girl can dream right? It's definitely not something I can really look for seriously though at this point since I'm all consumed with studying until I leave on vacation and will be gone for two weeks. And then right after that my best friend is coming to SD to visit for a week so I couldn't (more like wouldn't) start a job while she was here. It's all fine and dandy because I realize there's nothing I can do about it right now and I'll have plenty of time once all the vacations are done to job search. Plus, it's to the point that I'm really not going to be too picky with where I work as long as I can get paid. With all that said however, I've been trying to cut back on the money I spend since it's starting to get low. I've been making coffee every day at home instead of going to Starbucks even when I am craaaavving a Cinnamon Dolce Latte or a venti Iced Chai. I try to tell myself, "that's $4 you don't need to spend when you have a wonderful espresso maker at home." Maybe I need a new coffee creamer to spice up my home-brew, hmmm? I've also been packing lunches to take to school when I go to study. That way I can be productive all day and not be tempted to go grab Chipotle for lunch. My most recent "spend less money" kick has been to give myself manicures/pedicures. And I have to say, they are totally worth it. I have a tendency to get sick of the color I have on so doing it myself makes my less guilty when I decide to take if off. Pick up some handy Revlon or even splurge for some OPI polish and you'll have tons of good looks for like $8. Yeah it's much easier and much more relaxing to sit in a comfy chair while someone does it for you but this way you don't have to spend the extra twenty. My recent look, I did today actually, was a simple french manicure. My nails are finally to a good length and it looks great. Revlon "White on White" is definitely my favorite french polish and I used OPI "Who Needs A Prince" on top.

+ Many of you may or may not know this but I am a puppy fanatic. It's serious; I think I have puppy-addiction if that's even possible. I literally have to keep myself from being like the kids who ask, "may we pet your dog?" when someone's out on a stroll with their pooch. It's to the point that Jeff and I are moving specifically so we can get a pup of our own. Given that I'll be gone for two weeks, then Jeff leaves for a week, then the bestie comes to visit, we started looking for pet friendly places this week. It's shocking how many places say their pet friendly but then have weight restrictions of 25lbs or smaller so finding a place to get the bread we want limits our selections. By the way, we're getting a golden. However, we've been pretty successful in our first day of going to look at places. We found a place we definitely like already and are going to look at more complexes tomorrow. I can't even try to explain how ecstatic I am that this is finally happening. We've been talking about getting a puppy when we move for about a year and it's sooo close now! So as soon as we can lock down a place that we're going to rent, the search for a breeder can commence. I was already searching for breeders in Souther California last night, Jeff gets really annoyed when I do because I freak out at every picture. But seriously, how could you not want to give this lil' guy a huge hug!?! *squeal*

*Photo from puppiesforsale.com*

on a FOTD

Today I was off to Hospice to volunteer so I knew I didn't want to do anything too flashy or too overdone with my make-up. Ulta is having some great deals until May 29th so you should definitely check them out and take advantage of them, just like I did. :-) I purchased a total of four items, two of which I incorporated into my look for today.

Face

Cover girl-Liquid Powder in buff beige

Clinique- Blush Wear Cream Stick in rosy blush

Eyes

Origins- Underwear for Lids

Almay- Intense I-color in black pearl

Maybelline- Great Lash in soft black

Origins e/s- in Root Beer Float (outer lid and crease)

Ulta e/s- in Silk (inner lid and to eyebrow)

Lips

Ulta- lip stick in Nude Shimmer

SoftLips- Lip Balm in cherry

I have been wanting to get a nude lipstick that I can wear on a daily basis instead of just wearing the good ol' chapstick and I'm very happy with the ones I got. Along with the Nude Shimmer color I also purchased Solar Shimmer. I'm not much of a matte lip stick kind of girl so these two have the perfect amount of sparkle that I wanted. I used the Revlon Color-stay in soft nude, suggested to me by Tiffany at Will Work For Makeup, as a reference to the Ulta brand lip sticks. Included in my haul was an Ulta Professionals Nail Polish in Soho Pretty. It's sort of a purple grey color that was part of their Naughty Neutrals line. I have painted my toes with it as of now and plan to use it on my fingers tomorrow.

And the best part of the whole trip..... my purchase was HALF off, yes 50%, as in "I-should-have-paid-double" half off! Thanks to the buy 2 get 2 free deal and the 20% off one item coupon I had it was quite the steal! I'm not one to spend a lot of money on these types of things so when I can find a deal I definitely jump on it. So between my new stuff and the glass of wine I just downed, I can safely say I'm a very happy girl.

PS- Do we like the amount of curl in my hair today? I was sort of lazy/sort of wanted to be put together and this is what resulted...

on healthier nails

I've never been one to really promote products I buy. Most things I get are just normal every day things that everyone uses so I figure "why give my review when most people feel the same way anyways?" However, I have to tell you about this because its awesome!

I recently purchased Nail Tek Maintenance Plus as a suggestion from my mom. She's been using it and suggested that I try it for myself and I'm so glad I did. According to the bottle it's "more than just maintenance- it is continuing therapy to condition, protect, and improve long, beautiful nails" and that couldn't be more true.

My nails definitely need some help when it comes to, well growing in general. In high school I always thought it was because I was in the pool and chlorine too much so my nails weren't as healthy as they should be and much weaker than normal. But now that I'm out of high school and more specifically out of the pool I haven't really seen a difference in them. For whatever reason, I've been given nails that don't grow very quickly and are prone to dryness and pealing. For those of you with nice nails you probably have no idea what pealing nails is like but its literally like layers of my nails peal off like paint would. And when your nails aren't very strong in the first place, this process makes them paper thin and prone to tearing/breaking. But Nail Tek has significantly improved my sad nails! I still keep my nails relatively short since they are so prone to damage but they are definitely longer and healthier than before.

It can act as a base coat for under a coat of color or by itself depending on your style/preference. I've done both and the product has the same effect either way. You apply it every day without removing either the color you put over it or the original coat of Nail Tek. After a week, you remove all layers of Nail Tek plus color and start again fresh. The key thing that I've noticed in using it is to make sure you don't apply it too thick. Since you put it on every day, too much will cause clumps and over-kill and the product doesn't work as well. Overall, I'm very happy I bought this product and I will definitely be buying it again.

PS- Here are my updates on my 365 Project. Check out my pictures from the weekend and let me know what you think. :-)

007/365

008/365

009/365

on crafts to cleaning

I have had an interesting few days lately. I've gone from one extreme to the other in terms of my mood in just a matter of the weekend. Isn't it funny how things can change so quickly, just like the weather in good old Littleton. (You might not understand that metaphor if you're not from the 303, but believe me, the weather is bipolar sometimes.) Most importantly though it's made me realize a few things about my life, things that I take for granted and should really cherish more.

1. Feeling in a crafty mood the other day, I decided to make a trip to Michael's. I miss making things from scratch, adding your own touch to something fun and the feeling you get when you see something you've made as compared to something you bought. While I have no real "handy-man" skills I'd like to think that I'm capable of putting in the effort to make something or even creative enough to make something pretty. So I wandered around trying to limit the things that I bought because really, I could buy everything in that store. I saw the new floral-stems out for spring and knew instantly I wanted to make something with them. Even though it's been warm here for a while now, seeing those flowers made it really seem like spring. The lack of seasons is part of why I love Southern California but it makes the transition from winter to spring much less noticeable. So I decided to make a center piece for our table that would bring the feeling of spring into our apartment. I didn't realize how good it would make me feel to have this new creation. I think its pretty cute if I do say so myself and it was cheap which is a plus.

Flower pot= $1.29

Spring floral-stems= 2/$3

Ribbon= $1

Floral tape= $2.29

Easter Grass= $1

Bic pens= Free

Total= less than $10

It's sorta hard to tell but the stems of the flowers have pens on them. Yes I know, they're just like the ones that you see at doctor's offices but I like them. Plus it makes our new center piece functional as well as visually-appealing. I used pens we had around our apartment already so this addition didn't make the project any more expensive. And another plus is that I have more of everything to either make more or to buy different flowers for the summer/fall/whenever I want to change the decor. I also found a set of two 16x20in. canvases on sale while at Michael's. I've been saying that I wanted to paint a canvas for a long time now I just never wanted to spend the money to do it. So when I saw the sale I had to buy them. I have not bought any paint as of right now because I'm still trying to decide what I want them to look like but I will have more details about this project to come.

2. This weekend has made me realize a lot about my relationship with Jeff, all of it good. In the past I've found myself comparing our relationship to others around us. And I've been guilty in the past of stirring up a fight based on some sort of jealousy I had towards the others. I've been known to say "why can't you be more like insert name here and do the things he does?" or "I wish our relationship was more like so and so's." But something about this weekend made me realize that I was acting so childish when I would start those fights and get upset about those things. Because the truth is, no two relationships will ever be the same and it's honestly stupid for me to want my relationship to be another's. I'm with Jeff for a reason and it's him and his traits that make me happy, not someone else's. We fit each other like a glove and I should never want him to act differently than himself, just as he never wants me to be anyone but myself. No matter what he might do or what he might say, we're in this for the long haul and I take comfort in the security of our relationship. I can act stupid and throw a fit about something I shouldn't but I know he will always be by my side. I cherish the fact that we can fight but that in the end we will be together.

"When you get home, she'll start to cry.

When she says 'I'm sorry' say 'So am I'

And look into those eyes so deep in love,

And drink it up.

'Cause that's the good stuff."

~Kenny Chesney- The Good Stuff

♥ ♥ ♥

3. After a pair of my sandals accidently got broken last week I've been meaning to get a new pair to replace them. I have a weird obsession with sandals and really, shoes in general because I believe certain outfits/occasions need specific shoes. As soon as my old pair broke the thought "what shoes will I wear in this situation now" popped into my head so it was just a matter of time before I bought new ones. And I did, just yesterday. Now I should add a disclaimer at this point because what I've been saying makes it seem like I spend way too much money on a pair of shoes I'll wear only a couple of times... my new shoes are from Target, as were the pair that got broken. I am in no way a girl that rushes to the Steve Madden store to spend $80 on a pair of summer shoes when I have other sandals at home. I buy new things but always try to spend as little money as possible. With this said, I love my new purchase.

I must say, the pedicure I gave myself the other day looks wonderful with my new shoes ;-)

These sandals are different from anything else that I own which is part of the reason I knew I needed them. I wasn't simply buying another pair of black flip-flops that were identical to ones I already owned. I think they make a wonderful addition to my wardrobe.

4. I spent today doing laundry, cleaning our apartment, and studying. Sounds like a horrible day right? But I've actually enjoyed every moment of today. Sometimes I get in the mood to play house-wife for the day and there's something about cleaning a messy apartment that is extremely rewarding. When the bedroom is cluttered with dirty laundry and a few hours later everything is folded and hung up the room seems brighter. I even treated myself to washing the sheets on our bed which is something we don't do every week. But I must say that I love crawling into bed on fresh sheets. I think I like cleaning because it has an obvious ending. You can see the stains on the counter from pasta sauce and coffee disappear, you can see the faucets become shiny again. Basically, today has been a great day and I plan to finish it off by making a delicious dinner of tortallini for Jeff when he comes home from golf.