tip pouch :: striped snood :: warby parker :: duck frock :: leather driving gloves :: pineapple stopper :: bow tie :: plaid iphone case :: sequin pumps :: céline tote {similar} :: link bracelet
happy shopping! xo, M
I said yes!
A few months ago Henry told me to take off work the Friday after Thanksgiving because we were going on a trip, BUT he wouldn’t for the life of him tell me anything about it. I figured he just wanted to do something special for our 2 year anniversary, so I went ahead and asked off and didn’t think too much more about it. Well, the Friday after Thanksgiving rolled around, our alarms went off at 5 a.m., we packed the car and Henry handed me a few sheets of paper.
^ like this ^
He gave me about 5 at a time and told me they were my clues as to where we were going. I was pretty pumped because who doesn’t like a good scavenger hunt?! A few hours in to our trip we arrived in Bryson City, NC. I thought this was the end of our adventure… nope. Henry surprised me with train tickets for the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad! The tickets included lunch and a 1 ½ hour layover in Dillsboro for passengers to shop and enjoy the little town. It was so much fun, and the sites we saw along the way were SO beautiful!
When we got back from the train ride, Henry handed me my last set of directions that lead us to a few wrong turns and this teeny winding road on the side of a mountain….
Fortunately, we made the right turn and found our precious cabin in Black Mountain, NC.
The weather started getting bad, so we enjoyed a nice dinner in together. Henry told me to give him a minute to do a few things, so I stepped into the bedroom to unpack… honestly, I had no idea what was about to happen. When he gave me the okay, I walked into a candle-filled living room with a bottle of champagne…
He handed me a glass of champagne, we sat down on the couch and he told me things I only ever dreamed about. Slowly, he dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him!
It was the most amazing, unforgettable night of my life, and I still can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend! The rest of the weekend was just as amazing. Saturday, we spent the entire day at the Biltmore! It is sooo unbelievably gorgeous!! If you’ve never been and are ever in the area, GO VISIT!
Ok.. thank you for letting me ramble about my super sappy engagement weekend!! I hope everyone had an absolutely wonderful holiday! XO – M
Thankful…
Today, I’m thankful for not only family and good health, but I’m also SO very thankful for each and every one of you. Honestly, my whole day is made when I start reading your comments and emails! For the longest time I didn’t think anyone cared about what I had to say. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I decided to check out my site stats, and wow. I had no idea so many people were visiting or cared so much, and I am truly sorry for letting this fall to the wayside. Thank you all again, and I hope everyone had a wonderful day with family and friends!!
Happy Turkey Week
Foundation 101
I don’t know why, but foundation seems to be the cosmetic women have the most trouble finding. And when I say finding, I mean the “perfect” one. First and foremost, I think in order to find the perfect foundation for YOU is to start with your skin type. Do you have dry, oily or combination skin? Are you acne prone? Does your makeup seem to disappear 3 hours after you apply it? You need to take all aspects of your skin type into consideration. I’m sure by now you all know I have oily skin. My makeup tends to slide off my face throughout the day – it drives me insane. Not only do I have oily skin, I am prone to getting blackheads – EW! No one wants to admit that, but whatever. Ish happens. And I promise if you have something about your skin that you are insecure about, you aren’t the only one. There’s someone out there dealing with the same problem you are. That’s why research is so important before heading out and buying any ol product just because your best friends cousins sister who’s drop dead gorgeous swears by it. You really need to narrow down the products that are fit for your skin type, then start sampling. If it’s a drugstore product, get it and try it out. Most aren’t very expensive, so if it’s a dud you can either take it back, trash it or give it to a friend. You may loose $7-$14, but it’ll be worth it. If it’s a high-end foundation, look no further than your closest Sephora. I feel like I’ve said this 100 times, but it’s cosmetic heaven, and the makeup artists who work there are wonderful. All you have to do is ask, and they will gather samples of products you can take home and try before you dish out the big bucks. If you don’t have one remotely close to you, go online, fill in your information and let the website choose products fit for you. You can pick samples to try out with any online purchase for free. Sure you can go to Ulta, I love that place, but when I want to buy higher-end cosmetics, Sephora is my favorite one-stop-shop.
Proper skincare plays a huge roll in finding a foundation you’ll love. I don’t mean to preach OR sound like T. Swift, but never ever ever sleep in your makeup. Like never. Think about it. If you sleep in your makeup you’re not only letting all the pollution you came in contact with throughout the day just soak into your skin, you’re also letting it soak into your pillow – yuck. Nothing screams clogged pores more… and you know what that means: breakouts and blackheads. In order to keep pores squeaky clean, you should really develop a decent skin care routine. It doesn’t have to be extreme. My best friend Katie uses Noxema and she has beautiful skin! As for me, I swear by the Clarisonic Skin Cleansing system…
and I wasn’t paid to say that. I use it every morning when I wake up and every night after I’ve taken my makeup off with my makeup remover wipes. When you have a clean, moisturized and primed slate, your foundation will glide on like buttah. Depending on the foundation (cream, mousse, liquid, etc.), using brushes can help it go on smoothly, too. In my opinion, they help set the foundation better than using your fingers, but if you like using the tools God gave ya, that’s perfectly fine – just make sure they’re clean before applying!
It may sound weird, but if you find more than one that you feel looks great on you, use them all! I have 3 that I switch between depending on the day or night I have planned. For events with my moms business, RPM Productions, I wear my Picture Perfect Foundation by The Perfect Face, which excludes the ingredient that causes your face to wash out when you’re photographed. For my long workdays, I use Revlon Colorstay for Oily/Combo skin with Softflex.
This has replaced my Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation (I know a few of you wanted tutorials on how I applied this – if you still want me to let me know!) – I do still love it, but the Revlon Colorstay legitimately stays ALL DAY LONG. The 3rd foundation I use is the Vitalumiere Aqua Skin Perfecting Makeup by Chanel.
This is water based, so it works wonderfully with my skin. I typically use this on days where I don’t have to work a full day or if I’m running around town.
Ok – now that this is the longest post evaaaa – I hope I was able to provide some of you with a little bit of info! Do any of you have holy grail foundations you just can’t live without?? Let me know! I’m always wanting to try new products :) Until next time… xo, M
