To me, there is nothing more romantic that a few strings of cafe lights.
They are so lovely – reminding me of cobblestone streets in Europe, strolling with a special someone, loving every moment.
I think they are the perfect (cost-effective) lighting for any not-too-fancy wedding, indoor or out.
{source: StyleMePretty.com}
{via: pinteret}
{source ProjectWedding.com}
Let me start this by apologizing for the quality of the photos. Don’t feel like getting the real camera out and dealing with all that… so busted out the iPhone instead. Lazy is an excellent term for me tonight.
The best think I ever learned to do with my mascara was to layer it. I have two mascaras that I use:
First, one coat of my Dior Mascara (the BEST for volume and drama, two coats is too much for a “day look” for me)
Dior DiorShow Black Out Mascara
Next, one coat of my CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara. This combs out clumps really well and I wiggle the wand as I pull it through my lashes to comb even more!
And here is a quick before (with no other makeup on my face):
Without mascara (or anything else 
)
And with one quick coat of each:
With one quick coat of each mascara
Which mascaras to you layer?
A little bedtime reading… my favorite posts from today:
Fashionably Bombed - Blackberry & Vanilla Champagne Cocktail/Mocktail
vmac +cheese - Mini-Alt Week: Growing Your Blog Community
Big Girls Small Kitchen - Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup
Chevrons & Eclairs - design : grace & grandeur
Little Girl, Big World - Sh*t Fashion Girls Say
Polka Dot Bride – Pink Peonies Wedding Inspiration
A Diary of Lovely - Let’s Talk Beauty
Have a fabulous night… see you tomorrow!
I feel like I just had my “Come to Jesus” moment about health + food + dieting.
Let me clarify this by letting you know that I am a generally healthy eater. I love veggies, I love chicken and I HATE mayo. I do however live with my fiancée, who eats like he is still in college: chicken nuggets, take-out Chinese food, ice cream sandwiches, potato chips. And, since he thinks I am always beautiful, he doesn’t discourage me from joining in when he has that stuff (if he did dissuade me, he would be a jerk and we wouldn’t be together, so he really can’t win in this situation).
As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been getting serious about fitness recently. No longer looking fantastic in my favorite brands + upcoming nuptials made me finally commit (plus the hundreds I shelled out for a training package at my gym…).
While I usually eat healthfully, I will have the rare (or not so rare) treat with my fiancée. I mean, when he is eating a delicious ice cream sandwich rolled in chocolate chips, how can I possibly say no!?!?!
Back to my point – today my trainer was particularly brutal. I thought I was going to lose my delicious strawberry/blueberry smoothie about 20 minutes in to my 60 minute session. I was dripping sweat and too exhausted to talk (lovely, right?). But I pushed through and I will say, she loves that I don’t complain (more due to not being able speak rather than physical/mental toughness). So after I dragged myself home, I gleefully added all the activity into my WeightWatchers Points Tracker, confident the work out was going to be worth a bajillion activity points, plus or minus 3 or 4. Wrong. It was worth 13. The exact amount of the ice cream sandwich I treated myself to last night.
All of a sudden, that ice cream sandwich does not look so tasty. It is certainly not worth an hour of near-death in the gym!
Just makes you think…
Click it to buy it!
This lovely lipgloss came with my Naked 2 Palette and it has quickly become the lip gloss I reach for the most frequently!
The consistency is perfect and the color is that “my lips but better” natural pink that I just love. Plus it has a great minty flavor and a tiny bit of tingle!
I will absolutely be buying the full size version next time I venture to Sephora!
I am planning my wedding (T-Minus eight months!) and I work in the wedding industry so you would think this means I know exactly what I am doing.
I don’t.
The one thing I have going for me is that I make decisions really quickly and once made, I never allow myself to second guess. Ever. For example – I bought my dress after trying on a grand total of about five and made the decision so quickly the salesperson said “Are you sure you want to put down the deposit, do you need to think about it? We’re in no rush!” Today I finally told myself I need to choose my invitations, so I did. And now I won’t think about them again.
It isn’t as though I have always had such a “vision” of my wedding that choices are obvious, I just think that being wishy-washy leads to heartache.
While at an industry event this past weekend I had the pleasure of listening to several talks by industry leaders. Sasha Souza (an amazing planner from the Bay Area) spoke about how she helps pinpoint the vision a bride wants but may not always be able to vocalize. To me, the best questions she asks brides is “what designers do you wear?” How have I not thought about this in relation to my wedding before??? When she said it, I had a total “duh” moment!
The designers I am drawn to (and wear most frequently) are Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Tory Burch and Ralph Lauren. And those designers totally fit the style/design I have in mind for my wedding – which makes me 100% more comfortable when making my choices.
So, for all you brides out there, think about non-wedding related things when streamlining your style and vision. What designers, magazines, pieces of art, etc are you drawn to? Make a wedding inspiration board with all non-wedding elements! Find a photo you are drawn to and use it as a jumping off point!
Here is a photo that has inspired my wedding:
perfection
this isn't MY smoothie - I always drink mine too fast! But it looks the same! via pinterest!
Back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon. Because I know it works. Because it keeps me honest. Because it is great for lose tricky, stubborn 10 pounds. Because it lets me have a glass of wine (or 3).
When I am dieting I am always looking for snacks that are 3 points or fewer. And filling. And those aren’t easy to come by!
My most recent go-to is delicious, filling and gives me ton of energy. It is a delicious Tart Blueberry/Strawberry smoothie! I love them!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup 100% Blueberry Juice from Trader Joe’s (make sure it is the kind with NO added sugar)
1 cup-ish frozen strawberries
1-2 Splenda packets (or sweetener of your choice and to taste).
Combine all in the blender, blend (obviously) and enjoy!
So good!
I am totally obsessed with my new pajamas. They are the BEST pajamas I have ever owned (with the exception of my Samantha American Girl Doll pajamas that totally matched the ones my doll had – I was such a fashionable 6-year-old!).
Every year I get pajamas (and slippers) on Christmas Eve from my mom. It is my favorite tradition and I throw an absolute tantrum if it doesn’t happen (yes, I am almost 30 and yes I fully expect to receive pajamas from my mom for at least 30 more years, I don’t care if it makes me bratty). This is a tradition the fiancée is fully supportive of because he seems not to like me wearing yoga pants and a Fruit-of-the-Loom t-shirt to bed… can’t imagine why! Here is the thing though, every female in the world knows that the “sleepwear” men seem to prefer is not something that can be slept in easily. I won’t go into details, I know my (3) readers are too delicate for that. So, all the better that he approves of these.
The pajamas I received this year are amazing. They are soft and stretchy, but hold their shape and still look “crisp” when I wake up. Plus, they remind me a little bit of something one of Don Draper’s paramours would borrow from him during a tryst.
Get these while you still can!
Best. Pajamas. Ever.
I always have a ton of resolutions. And they range from fitness to organization to time management to beauty to whatever.
This year I have one big one! My BIG resolution (and I am giving myself a full year to accomplish this) is to… “be a girl who says “I am gonna go for a run’”
via pinterest
Sounds ridiculous, right? It isn’t. First of all, I just am not in fantastic shape. Too much sitting around, too many “extra” glasses of wine, too many fabulous dinners with my fiancee. Also, I live in San Francisco. And on one of the steepest hills in San Francisco. There aren’t many options for a nice, easy, flat jog. My default runs are up and down hills. Whatever – doesn’t matter – gonna do it anyway!
Okay, off to the gym!
What is YOUR biggest resolution?
I recently received a gorgeous rose gold watch as a gift (yes… that I asked for and included on a *ahem* wish list).
Michael Kors Large Runway Watch
It is so lovely! And the best thing about it how the rose gold compliments my skin tone! This should be my go-to metal! I look okay in silver, pretty good in yellow gold, but rose gold just makes my skin glow! I think I am pretty safe in assuming that many peaches-and-cream (fine, pale!) girls.
After discovering this new love of mine, I went on a search for other rose gold jewelry. I thought that a necklace would be particularly nice! This necklace was my favorite – tucked underneath a crisp white or navy button-up, I think it would look amazing!
Nordstrom Mod Squad necklace in Rose Gold
What do you think? Have you worn rose gold yet?
