Friday Faves | Memorial Weekend Edition

Happy Friday/Long Weekend!!! I can't believe this marks the beginning of summer basically and the weather has definitely been feeling very summer like lately (hi, Spring...where'd ya go?!).

I'll be headed to Houston for the weekend for a short, but sweet trip tomorrow and am totally looking forward to it, but not to the crazy long lines you've probably been hearing about at O'Hare...wish me luck that getting there 4 hours early will be sufficient!

Let's get onto my faves!

favorite song

I heard this in the car the other day and was totally jamming out to it in the car. Both Charlie Puth & Selena Gomez sound so good together!

favorite recipe

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This recipe looks totally perfect for Memorial weekend and so ridiculously easy!

favorite pins

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favorite funnies

oh, I just love when people stare for no apparent reason...next time I'll just think this is the reason.

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pretty much how I'm feeling about going to the airport...on a Saturday morning...during Memorial Weekend...

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when the drug rep brings a tray of cookies and I accidentally grab the raisin cookie thinking it's chocolate chip...

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after eating said cookie (and maybe another actual chocolate chip cookie), the jerk cardiologist that I was working with asked my coworker if those cookies were mine and doesn't she have a wedding coming up...

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and this...because let's face it, coffee makes me nice in the morning, basically don't talk to me until at least 8am when I've had my coffee!

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Alright my chocolate chip cookies, I hope each of you have a wonderful Memorial weekend relaxing and enjoying time with your loved ones! Linking up with Amanda for Friday Faves!

DIY Turmeric & Honey Mask

I'm not sure what it is that has been causing my skin to act like a damn high school kid during puberty, but my skin has been breaking out with random acne all over lately. I literally wash my face and do my routine daily, but yet I still can't get rid of these pesky pimples.

The other day at work, an older male patient told me I had something on my face...only to find out he was talking about my incessantly large pimple. I had finally had enough because nothing seemed to get rid of these things.

I saw someone had posted on Instagram about a mask that is super hydrating and brightening. When I read that it can help with dehydrated skin, sooth inflammation and redness, plus combat eczema and acne...I knew I had to try it out. I was slightly skeptical that this would work as well as it did, but boy am I glad I did it!!

Start out with 1 tsp of turmeric powder (handle with gloves is my suggestion, this stuff leaves a nice yellow mark). Add in 1 tsp of honey and 1/4 tsp of whole milk. Stir until it's a paste-like texture.

Then you want to spread onto your face (again use some gloves) and make sure to have your hair out of your face and tied back. Set that timer for 20 minutes to let it do it's thing.

Wash off with a warm towel (I highly suggest using a small hand towel that you don't mind wasting). Because of the strong color of the turmeric powder, it will stain your cloth yellow, so just clean well and designate that as your towel when doing this mask.

I've been doing it for the past week, but seriously after the first time my skin felt noticeably softer and more supple. That last picture is me with ZERO makeup and my under eye area (although still hella dark) looks a little bit brighter. Also remember pesky little pimple man? Shrunk in size by half!!! After the first day!

I highly suggest working this into your routine even if it's once a week to just clean, invigorate and battle any trouble skin.

Wedding Wednesday | Engage-iversary!!

Happy Wednesday friends!! Yesterday marked one entire year since I've been engaged and thinking back on how much has changed and happened in the last year has been so great. Shout out to Jenn who is celebrating her engage-iversary today!!

I figured I would re-share our proposal story because of course it's my favorite story and makes me incredibly happy to think back upon!

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A & I planned a getaway to San Antonio for a few days during Memorial Day Weekend. Little did I know he had been planning on proposing while we were out there and the hotel staff were awesome at helping him plan for the entire thing! We drove down there Sunday afternoon and were just praying for nice weather and no rain while we were there, well the weather god’s were looking down on us and it was perfect weather the entire stay. For more on our entire trip down there, you can read it in this recap post!

We did some exploring around the riverwalk and later got ready for dinner. Before heading down to the hotel restaurant for dinner, he suggested we go up to check out the terrace since a “friend” told him it was really nice. I said sure not knowing what was going to happen. When we got to the terrace entrance there was a Private Party sign on the door and I immediately said we shouldn't go in I'm sure there’s a party or something going on. He still insisted and I hesitated following him in. As the door to the outdoor terrace opened, I saw rose petals on the floor and as we turned the corner, I saw the most romantic setup with rose petals and candles all around. 

At that point it occurred to me what was about to happen, but I think I was just in shock with what was going on around us. We are both fans of The Bachelor/Bachelorette so when he led me to the middle of the veranda he had roses waiting there to have me “accept” like they do during the rose ceremonies before getting down on one knee and saying a bunch of cute & romantic things (that quite frankly I don't entirely remember), and then asked me if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I gladly and eagerly responded YES! At that point, the secret photographers (yes, he hired a photographer all on his own to capture this moment between us!!) became less of a secret when we spotted them. He captured some amazing candid pictures of the whole thing and I couldn't have asked for anything better than what he did!

We followed the romantic proposal with an awesome dinner at a special table in the hotel restaurant and then took a riverboat tour around the river. I think we were both floating on cloud 9 the entire time! 

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Now it’s your turn to link-up and share your wedding tales. 

Macy and I love reading all about your big day, someone else’s wedding adventures, or anything else wedding related. We just can’t wait to read all about it!

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ColourPop Lip Goodies

Hey guys! I showed y'all earlier that I got my ColourPop lip order in and I was so excited. I had heard so many great things about the products and curiosity got the better of me and I had to have it. I ordered 6 different shades and for the price you seriously cannot beat it! They have Ultra Satin, Ultra Matte, Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils which is great for everyone because we all have our favorites. 

During my order, I got 1 lippie stix, 4 ultra matte & 1 ultra satin product. I like the consistency of all of them because they aren't super drying and go on really smooth. The staying power of these bad boys are no joke either. After I tried one of them and wiped it off with a makeup wipe, it took some elbow grease to really get it off.

I realized after I got the lippies, that most of the colors are similar, but the awesome thing is that no one color looks like the other when it's on. I'm loving all of them except for 2 of the shades that just didn't go well with my skintone, but will be perfect for my sister!

The JujuRouge Lippie Stix is the prettiest red. I love that it's matte and it has the look more of a lipstick. 

Lyin' King Ultra Satin is the only satin product I got, but guys I'm obsessed with this color!! It's the prettiest raspberry color that will totally compliment any skin tone.

Bad Habit Ultra Matte is listed more as a mauve pink, but it has hints of purple/berry in it. The actual gloss I got definitely looks darker than the site shows, but it's still a very pretty and versatile color.

Solow Ultra Matte is a nude pink color that just doesn't go well with my skintone. I was kind of bummed because I was hoping it was a good dupe for Stila Liquid Lipstick in Patina, but it just didn't flatter me at all. I think a darker skintone will totally wear this better.

More Better Ultra Matte is the prettiest wine colored lippy. It's bordering a red, but with deep violet undertones, would work very well on various skintones.

Are N Be Ultra Matte is another one that just didn't work so well for me. I don't think I am brave enough to wear such a dark plum like this, but maybe if I'm feeling adventurous, otherwise this would be perfect on a different skintone.

Overall I think I got a big bang for my buck, considering all of these shades were $30 total! They did take just about a week to ship to me, but it was so well worth the wait! If you've been thinking about picking some shades up I definitely recommend it and if you're a new customer and sign up with your email you could get $5 off your order! The key selling point for me is the low price-point and free shipping on orders of $30 or more.

I cannot wait to wear these colors and pick up some more along the way! Do you have any ColourPop goodies? What are your favorite shades that you've gotten?

Weekending | Painting & Chocolate Festival Fun

Happy Monday guys! This weekend seriously flew by (do I say that every Monday?!) I was definitely not expecting it to be as busy as it was, but I am so glad that it was. Thankfully, the flu-like symptoms I was feeling on Friday subsided enough for me to enjoy paint night with my ladies and was completely gone come Saturday morning!

Like I mentioned on Friday night the girls and I met up at Color Me Mine for a night of painting. It was fun and different because we could pick a variety of items to paint. I went with a simple large plate that can be used in a few different ways. It was a little harder than I was expecting and I wasn't able to do a cute stencil like I had originally wanted to, but I'm happy with the end result and we had a blast!

We ended the night with dinner at CPK and called it a night! The only thing I was super bummed with was that we didn't get to go home with our creations. Apparently they don't throw it in the kiln right away and told us it would be a few days before we could pick it up.

The following morning, my bestie texted me and asked me if I wanted to go to the chocolate festival nearby. I of course said heck yeh, because chocolate duh! It was seriously such a beautiful day and perfect fun with the girls! Although I felt a lack of chocolate, they made up for it with all the wine and food stalls. There was also live music and fun stuff all around to do!

 (Just want to point out I wore a different black maxi than the night before, just kept the top chambray top the same lol #caughtwearingbasicallythesamething)

That funnel cake has me drooling for more already! My sister bought me a bottle of Mango Moscato that I was loving that day so I can't wait to dive into that bottle!

After a long day of walking around and eating, I came home and the last thing I wanted to do was be productive, but I had no choice. I'm leaving for Houston on Saturday and am packing a big chunk of my life here (clothes, makeup, accessories) and taking it with me during this trip so it lessens the load for when I go in July. I already sent A home with quite a few clothes that I won't be wearing in the coming months back when he was here.

 Thank goodness for mothers because mine is a saint and was SUPER patient and helpful with me during the packing. I'm taking 2 fairly large bags full of stuff and she helped me weigh everything and meticulously pack it all in there so it all fit between both bags without going over the weight limit!!

It's really crazy how bare my room is slowly becoming and how real everything is feeling!!! 54 days and counting...eek!!!

Sunday was spent hanging out with my parents, helping them with stuff around the house (seriously why is there so much stuff to do?!) and knocking off more stuff from the growing wedding to-do list!

Well hope all of you lovelies had a beautiful weekend as well! Linking up with Biana for weekending!!

Friday Faves | The One Where I'm Sick

It's finally Friday friends! I wish I wasn't under the weather, but alas the show must go on. I wish I had a day of rest, but I'm hoping to feel better this weekend. I do have a paint class with my girls tonight and I hope to troop through it.

I also have a friend's bbq plus a million wedding things to get through AND to pack half my life away for my trip to Houston next week!!

I'm not a huge Drake fan, but this song is so good guys! I literally cannot find his version on Youtube, but Conor Maynard does an incredible cover. So you guys can just slow jam to this while reading the rest of my post ;)!

incase you missed it:

Monday// My friends and I made homemade sushi rolls and celebrate a friends birthday over the weekend!

Tuesday// I linked up with Macy for an update on my 101 in 1001 goal list.

Wednesday// Is Wedding Wednesday around these parts and I talked about the 5 times not to wear your engagement ring. 

Thursday// I finally gave you a peek into what's in my bag.

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I hope all you lovies have a wonderful weekend!! Linking up with Amanda!

What's In My Bag?

Hey guys! This post has been a long time coming! I've seen it on other bloggity blogs like Biana's and am finally coming around to posting a "what's in my bag" post. I don't tend to change out my bag too much because there are some essentials that I just need to have in there, but I will change out from a big bag to a smaller/crossbody bag if I need to.

My most recent bag purchase was from the one and only Nordstrom. I linked the exact bag I got, which is now 30% off now! I love that it's big and only wish it had a zipper or pouch on the inside.

This is what I consider my "essentials" I would be lost without this stuff because most of it is necessary for me to function. I obviously need my wallet that holds all the cards and cash. Then I have my Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses because you literally cannot predict when the sun will come out even if it was raining and dark 30 minutes ago. Burt's Bees lip balm is the best at hydrating and I have these scattered around in my purse, at home and even one at work. I try to always keep a pen and pad with me just incase I need to write something down on the go like blog post ideas and such. Finally I have my work badge, whenever I switch between bags, this is the one thing that always seems to get left behind and I cannot do anything at work without it so this is vital to my job!

Next is what I like to refer to as my snacking/health section. Since I am on the go a lot, I like to make sure I have stuff in my purse to keep me fueled up so I avoid fast food places out of hunger. A water bottle is key especially one that keeps your water cold for a long period of time, this was a gift from the hospital I work at, but the S'well bottle does an excellent job at keeping your drink insulated! Along with my mints and a granola bar, I also make sure to have hand sanitizer with me at all times because you never know when you'll need it. Being accustomed to using it all day long at work has my hands aching for this daily and these little pocket sizes are perfect!

This is lovingly referred to as my beauty section. I think it's so essential to carry around a few key items in your bag because you never know when you'll need a touch up. In the summer or after the gym I tend to run errands more and my face gets sweaty more with the heat, so having something to even out your face is perfect. The e.l.f. kabuki face brush is the perfect travel size to throw in a bag and touch up on the go, I also like carrying blotting paper when the weather is really unbearable. The Real Techniques multitask brush is perfect when a smaller area like under the eyes need touching up. This Roller Lash mascara and Nars lip pencils are the perfect things to make sure to have in your bag because I can touch up as the day goes on, throw in a small compact mirror to rely on too. Finally the Venus Snap razor is the best when you are out and notice you missed a spot, which literally always happens to me. I love that it comes in a little case and is perfect to throw in your bag.

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I hope you guys enjoyed going in my bag and seeing what I carry with me on the daily. What's your top items that you must carry in your bag?

Wedding Wednesday | 5 Times Not To Wear Your Engagement Ring

Happy Wedding Wednesday friends!

It's crazy to think how I've already almost been engaged for a whole year (!!) As much fun this year has been, the moment A put that ring on my finger, I got super paranoid about losing it or ruining it. Although I have a warranty on the ring (thank God), I have yet to get my ring insured. I know, I know...this is something I definitely NEED to do, it's on my ever growing list.

One of the very first questions I had in my head after I got engaged was, when should I take my ring off??

I heard so many different answers from friends, the interwebs, etc...I decided I needed to go based on my life and what worked for me. So take this list with a grain of salt, because what works for me may not work for you. This is just a general list of times you should consider taking that bling bling off.

//1// At the gym

I work out 2-3 times during the week and although it's mostly cardio, I still take my ring off and leave it behind at home (on a ring holder). I don't wait to risk scratching or having a prong come loose if I accidentally bang it against a machine.

//2// Doing chores/cleaning

I don't take it off if I'm say sweeping or something, but doing the dishes or deep cleaning something I definitely do. I don't want harsh chemicals and dirt getting in my ring which makes it sparkle less.

//3// Showering

This is one that my friend told me I don't need to follow, but for my peace of mind I do. I have always taken all my jewelry off (real or fake) before I get in the shower because I don't want the body wash, shampoo, etc to mess with my jewelry. Plus it could just slip off while you wash your hair and you may not know until it's too late.

//4// In the pool/ocean/lake

This is a big one I've heard about. I've read don't take your ring on your honeymoon or any vacations, to get a dummy ring to wear that's a CZ, etc. Last summer I was at my friend's lake house and we took the boat out on the water. We were just hanging in the water, my hands were above water, but one of them had heard that fish are attracted to shiny things. So in the off chance my hand went under water I didn't want a fish biting my bling off. I immediately took my ring off and didn't think twice. Plus if the water is cold, that shrinks your fingers which could make that pretty ring slide right off. This one is a biggie, you don't need it in the water, so just remove it to play it safe.

//5// Getting ready

When I get ready in the morning I do a lot with my hands like putting moisturizer on, concealer, etc. I bought a bunch of plastic ring holders to place around the house where I would need to take my ring off. The kitchen, bathrooms, and my vanity all have one, so that when I need to take my ring off...I can put it in a safe place. Just like with the chemicals and dirt, I don't want to get my makeup particles in my ring either, so I just keep it off until I'm finished getting ready.

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Now it’s your turn to link-up and share your wedding tales. 

Macy and I love reading all about your big day, someone else’s wedding adventures, or anything else wedding related. We just can’t wait to read all about it!

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