Weekend Update

Hey everyone! So I'm linking up with the lovely ladies, Leeann @ Join the Gossip, Dana @ five30three, and Sami @ Sami's Shenanigans for my weekend update!

Well this update will cover some of my weekday all in this post, because surprisingly I had some exciting stuff to blog about and figured I'd do it all at once. So on Tuesday, I started my very first of 4 classes @ JoAnn Fabrics for a Wilton cake decorating basics course. I love baking and really wanted to learn some more, on the first day we practiced icing on sugar cookies, it was fun playing around with the different tips and making pretty shapes out of them.

On Wednesday evening, I went to a Cutting Edge event downtown with some girlfriends for a Chocolate & Fantasy night. It was at an autoplex and it was tons of fun. There were tons of vendors with plenty of yummy desserts and complimentary facials, makeup applications, hair styles, manicures and even bra fittings. I also got to do a little art project from the vendor Bottle and Bottega, which is a BYOB wine/art studio in Lincoln Park.

My outfit:

{} Lacy white top from Gilly Hicks

{} Dark denim skinny jeans from Charlotte Russe

{} Black suede wedges from Payless

{} Red handbag free from Allure mag :)

{} Gold watch from NY&CO 

{} Gold bangles from f21

The girls!

My painting, and I really suck at drawing so you know the instructor was good!

complimentary manicures!!

Now for the actual weekend, Friday after work I planned on staying in and catching up with my Netflix queue. On Saturday during the day, I grabbed lunch with a few girlfriends and at night I went out to a local bar/club with a coworker and some friends of hers. Her 'boyfriend' tried setting me up with one of his friends and it ended up being such an awkward night. His friend was very nice and all (buying all of us girls' drinks), but he just was not my type at all. Lets just say I am glad he didn't ask for my number at the end of the night. I left and was tuckered out and excited for the next day. 

Sunday was the day of the exciting Blogger Blitz Chicago at Market Bar Chicago. I have to admit I was super nervous going into the event, but as soon as I got there the girls were ALL great and friendly! We were on the amazing rooftop (and even though we walked up a trek of stairs, it was well worth it) which had great views of the Chicago skyline and it was so great meeting bloggers I already followed and meeting so many new, amazing bloggers. I didn't take too many pictures on my camera because other had some fancier cameras (which beat my point and shoot camera) so I will post a mixture of my pictures and some of the other bloggers pictures. I cannot wait to do another meet-up soon with these lovely ladies!

My outfit:

{} Blue printed dress from Target

All of the lovely Chicago bloggers!!

Panoramic view

Chris, Dana, Paige, Kat, Erin, & Mariel 

The awesome blogger- Mariel

The wonderful backdrop for our blogger blitz!!

Swag bag- thanks to Market Bar, The Scribble Pad, and  Alison! 

yummy pizza :)

So I also entered a giveaway for a blog friend of mine, Kate @ Green Fashionista. She reached 100 followers (yay, congrats!!) and is giving away some pretty awesome beauty/face products. Go follow her blog, if you don't already, and enter her awesome giveaway!!!

I also have some pretty exciting stuff going on this week with le blog. On Tuesday, a blog buddy of mine Kelly @ Messy.Dirty.Hair is featuring me on her awesome blog. She is a fave blogger of mine and if you don't already follow her, what are you waiting for?? Also on Thursday, I have my very first guest giveaway going on hosted by Jenna @ Yours Truly. You can go to her blog and enter for a chance to win a $25 Target giftcard, so go enter on that day and please spread the word about it!!!

How was everyone's weekend?

Link up!!

Sunday Social Week {6}: Travel

Happy Sunday everyone! While you guys are reading this I am enjoying some lovely blog ladies at my very first Blogger Blitz Chicago meetup downtown. There are already some of the bloggers that I follow, but I am excited to meet and follow some new ones as well! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend and onto the post. This weeks Sunday social topic is all about travel. It is one of my favorite things to do and although I don't get to do it a lot, I try to travel as much as I possibly can. I am already apologizing for the crazy amounts of pictures you will find. I hope you guys are visual learners like me, I always love great pictures on blogs, helps me get to know someone better! I'm linking up with these lovely ladies, {Neely} and {Ashley}:




Best trip you've ever been on?A year and a half ago, I went to India after about 10 years of not going. It was just for a fun trip with my parents for travel, my cousins wedding and some family time. We were mainly in the Western part of India in Gujarat. That is where all my family is and it was such a blast catching up with everyone, meeting new people and just hanging out. We also went down to Southern India to Kerala and did a week there, it is SUCH a beautiful place and I am thrilled we got the opportunity to experience it. Here are some of my fave pics, I wish I could post all of them!! **Pic overload**

View of Kerala from the plane

My mom & I 

On an elephant

My mom & I again

My mom, aunt & I surrounded by tea leaves!

The beach, my love!!

Camel ride on the beach

The boathouse we stayed on for a night!

View of the beach from our resort!!

Gujarat city at night time, <3

Best idea for a girls weekend trip?

I think anywhere where all the girls can have a blast! I may be biased because I am doing this girls trip at the end of August, but Vegas is always a good idea! 

Best idea for a couples trip?

Well as of now I'm not married or seeing anyone, but I think anywhere that involves beaches, tiny umbrella drinks, massages & relaxation is an idea couples trip.

*Thanks Google for the Images :)

Best vacation on the cheap?

I think any vacation can be done on a budget, if you are willing to put the time and energy into doing the research. The best "cheap" trip I've been on is to Houston/San Antonio, TX last summer. We drove the 18+ hours which saved LOTS of $$ on flights, but we stayed with my aunt and that also saved money on hotels too. That way the money was spent on food & entertainment!

Everything's bigger in Texas

The Alamo

San Antonio Riverwalk (we ate the rest w/ the colorful umbrellas!)

Me, my sister & my awesome cousin

Me, my sister, and 2 cousins

Place you most want to visit?

I want to go everywhere, I am a travel junkie! The one place that has been on my list for a LONGG time is/has been Sydney, Australia. It looks beautiful, the beaches, the hot Australian men, tourist spots, etc!!

Bondi Beach, Australia

Sydney!!

*Again thanks, Google images!

Vacation/Travel Necessities?

Makeup/toiletries, enough clothes (an weather appropriate) for the amount of the time (plus extra, I'm an over-packer anytime I travel), camera, phone, iPad, chargers for all electronics, travel pillow & blanket (perfect for airplanes or road trips!), new music loaded on my iPod, comfortable shoes. There are probably a LOT of other things, but these are definitely the first few things that come to mind.

Again sorry for the picture overload, I did warn you, if you read all the way down to here, I love you!!! Can you tell from my answers I belong in a warm weather state, not Chicago, although I do love my city, I would love to be walking distance to a beach!! Well hope all you guys liked my answers...

How would you answer these? 

Go link up & join the fun!!!

July Birchbox

I know it's Saturday and not many people blog, but I just wanted to do a little review of my Birchbox of the month. Yesterday was an exciting day of mail. I got absolutely NO bills and many gifts!! I won a giveaway from Amber a few weeks ago and it was for a subway sign that had anything that I wanted from the adorable etsy shop Whale of a Sign. Well I finally got my sign in my mail yesterday and I was so thrilled with it, it matches my room perfectly and I absolutely love this quote from Coco Chanel! 

Cute, isn't it? If you are looking for a custom sign, or even her super adorable ready made ones, she is awesome to work with, answered back all my questions and emails very promptly!!

So along with that lovely package, I got my Birchbox of the month!! Now if you read my last post here, you could read what I got in last month's box, which I wasn't all too thrilled about. Some of the things I have used a lot, but a few things have gotten tossed to the trash. This box has totally made me stick with it for longer!! I am so glad I stuck around and I know I will enjoy everything in this month's box. Well here is a breakdown of what I got in my lovely box.

{} Color club nail lacquer in Blue-Ming 

Use this green-turquoise polish on fingers and toes all summer long. Full-size, $8

{} Gloss Moderne high-gloss masque 

Sun, heat, and pollution all strip our hair--happily, this vitamin-rich conditioning complex restores bounce and shine. Full-size, $39

{} Harvey Prince Eau Flirt 

The fragrance equivalent to a wink, this fanciful scent layers fresh citrus and jasmine notes over a base of lavender and pumpkin. Full-size, $55-$98

{} Manna Kadar sheer glo shimmer lotion

This cult luminizing liquid adds a supermodel-like sheen to skin. Mix it with your foundation, or apply as a highlighter to cheeks and browbones. Full-size, $29

{} Suki balancing kit

This all-in-one set calms and purifies troubled skin, leaving it smooth and hydrated. Full-size, $40

{} Larabar uber

The latest addition to our snack drawer, these healthy and satisfying bars are packed with dried nuts and fruits. Variety pack of 16, $27.95

{} Birchbox exclusive-earbuds

We designed these neon headphones just for you. Pair them with your best playlist.

So what did you all think of all my goodies in my Birchbox this month?? I really can't wait to try all of these treats. The polish color is perfect for the summer and I have also wanted to try a hair mask for a long time and this one smells amaze-balls!!! The perfume is new and different, I have never heard of it so I am excited to hear about a brand new product. The shimmer lotion I dabbed a little bit on my arms and with this stuff a little bit goes a long way! It gives you a summer glow and I can't wait to throw it in my Vegas travel bag to help with my tan. The balancing kit is perfect for whenever you wanna give yourself a facial and once I try it out I can't wait to tell you guys what I think of the product. Not sure how I feel about the bar because I am not a huge nut bar eater, but I am willing to try it and it's gluten free & kosher, which is great. The earbuds are also great because I am always losing or breaking mine so these will definitely come in handy. All in all, I am very very pleased with everything that was selected. 

Do you get Birchbox? If not, why not?!? It's only $10 and you get hundreds of bucks worth of beauty stuff, sign up here. 

If you did get your box, what's in it? Are you happy? Leave your link in my comments and I'll be sure to check it out & comment.

Happy Saturday!!!

Nail Files {7/13/12}

Yay, it's Friday!! So it's one of my favorite regular weekly link up parties with the wonderful hosts {Tara} and {Vicki}, the Nail Files! I love this link up because it really makes me want to paint my nails and make them look semi-decent.

So like I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I painted my nails with my new colors from my Julep Maven box. I painted Natasha (coral/orange polish) on all my nails and did Oscar (glittery gold) as an accent nail on my ring finger. 

I really like how these paint, I only needed one coat and it came out so smooth without clumping up! I also used my Sally Hansen insta-dri anti-chip polish on top to help keep it lasting longer.

What polish are you guys sporting this week?

Any thoughts on the Julep polishes?

Go link up!!

Flip Flop Swap Reveal

So I'm excite to be sharing with you all what I got from my flip flop swap partner, Lynn @ Illegally Blonde, if you don't follow her you definitely should! When I got paired up with her I got super excited because I really got to know her through her emails and through her blog. She is a Texas girl who used to do pageants and is now a lawyer, a real like Elle Woods! I had a blast shopping for her and you can check out what I got for her on her blog here! This is what I got in my package of goodies:

{1} Sabon soap--this stuff smell ah-mah-zing!!!!

{2} Butter london nail lacquer in Yummy Mummy--such a pretty neutral color.

{3} Sabon shower oil--I'm sure this stuff smells just as amazing as the soap!

{4} Simply Vera sandals--I absolutely love these! I cannot wait to wear 'em.

{5} Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion--I have been lusting over this forever now, so glad to have it!

Thanks so much Lynn for everything! She did an amazing job sending me great stuff that I cannot wait to use!! I really want to also thank Leslie, Olivia, and Sarah for hosting this awesome swap. I highly recommend doing a swap if you get a chance, it is a fun way to get to know a new (or old) blogger and send/get some awesome goodies!!

Have you done any recent swaps?

What are your thoughts?

If you did the flip flop swap, leave your link in my comments!!

Julep Maven Box

Hey everyone!! Happy hump day. So I recently joined and became a Julep Maven. It was only $0.01 for the very first box thanks to a promo code!! The great thing is you don't have to keep the month to month box going and can cancel anytime. I got my very first box this week and was so excited when I did. I knew exactly what was in there unlike Birchbox, but it was still fun opening it. Here is what I got in my box:

{..}Julep the best Pedi Creme Ever!--I haven't used it yet, but it smells amazing!!

{..}Julep nail vernis in Oscar--this glittery gold is the perfect addition to my collection.

{..}Julep nail vernis in Natasha--the coral/orange color is awesome for the summertime.

I'm excited to try out these polishes and may even do them for my Nail Files link up this week! Even though I was thrilled with what I received, I don't think I'll continue my subscription. I just can't justify spending the $19.99 every month on polishes when I have over 100 in my personal collection. Maybe in the future if money opens up in my monthly budge I will reconsider it. If you have the funds available, I do highly recommend it! 

What are your thoughts on Julep Maven?

Leave 'em in the comments!!

Bachelorette Dish Week 9

Hey everyone! I have been trying to get this post up all darn day. I have been having some huge issues with my internet all flippin' day and have not gotten any answers from Comcast. I really am ready to go to a customer service center and throw my modem at their wall calmly ask them what the heck is wrong with my internet service. I have been having to reset it over and over because it keeps going out every .5 seconds, really annoying!! I have exams to take online this week and it is crucial I get online, and stay online, during that time. Well hopefully it was just a weird glitch for the day. Anywho, onto the yesterday's episode of The Bachelorette. We are down to the final 2 and I cannot believe it's almost over! I'm linking up with the lovely ladies {Anne} and {Meg} for some dish! 



Now I have been Team Sean since the beginning {I know I haven't been posting since day 1, but still} and I was really upset to see him go, BUT at the same time, I was kind of glad. I think Emily & his babies would be "too perfect" and that just isn't fair. Anyway, I hope ABC has some common sense and brings him on as the next Bachelor, if they know what's good for them.
So for Emily, I have lately been rooting for Team Jef. He is and will make the best husband to Emily, adoring her all the time and best step-father to Ricki, playing and being a great role model for her {I mean come on he gave up an overnight fantasy date with Emily because of the morality of it all, how sweet!!!}. He is a kid at heart, but can be serious and responsible at the same time which in this case is super important.
I used to like Arie and now I don't really care for him. I don't think Emily does either. The only thing she does like, however, is making out with him, anywhere and everywhere. I don't blame her, he ain't so bad on the eyes. But in the end that is not going to be enough for her to base a relationship on. They don't really do much talking in between all the kissing and personally I think after the hometown date, she really saw a different perspective on Arie and his life/family.
I think in the end Emily will choose Jef and I honestly didn't expect this from weeks 1-6, but after really getting to see them together they just seem to fit easily together and it doesn't seem forced or like she is trying too hard. He really genuinely seems to care about her and Ricki and that shows. I think she lights up when she is around him and that is so precious. 
I cannot wait until the finale, I can't believe we have to wait until July 23rd to watch it, but I have a great girls night planned that involves a lot of wine and lots of dishing afterwards!!
What did you guys think about yesterday's episode?Who do you want Emily to end up with?Who do you think she will end up with?Go link up!!