Before I started traveling for a living, I simply sought out a hotel for a clean bed, a fridge, and a nice shower. Now, while I still acquire all three of these things, I've found it a little necessary to bring along a handful of items in order to make the space my own. Because after all, this hotel has quite literally become my home away from home.
a candle | It sounds simple, but as someone who would prefer to burn candles on a daily basis, this is a must. Plus, it makes my room cozy and I'm especially a fan of the holiday scents they have out now.
a ring holder | I had a not so minor freak out in my hotel when I misplaced a very old and very special heirloom my Gran gave me on my wedding day. (see also: her 75+ year old diamond wedding ring) Even thought it later turned up in a lone pocket of my bag, that whole night I could not sleep. It didn't take me long to purchase a ring holder to keep all my baubles together at the end of the day, and that way, I know exactly where I left them.
a photo of Cory | Duh. (still looking for the perfect frame to put this in..)
a slew of face masks | If I'm going to be cooped up in a hotel room for a week, I'm going to use every possible chance to make it into a pamper night. I'm heard some rave and rant reviews on the Glam Glow mask, so I picked up a sample from Sephora, and I'm eager to try it out.
a bottle of Caudalie's Beauty Elixir | This thing is ridiculously priced, but somehow, I can stop purchasing the small travel bottle of it. The smell of eucalyptus is refreshing before I hop into bed, and I try to use this stuff sparingly.
Oh, fall. It is right around the corner. I can feel it. And soon we all will be wearing it, smelling it, seeing it, and drinking it in (all from an instagrammed Starbucks red cup or two, I assume). Are you looking forward to this as much as I am?
And along with my favorite season will come a few fun adventures with my husband and friends that have been burning a hole in my planner since the beginning of summer. October alone has my first wedding anniversary, the Lumineers in concert, and a night with Ira Glass at the Memphis Orpheum.
In essence, I've always shown a soft spot for everything fall, if anything, because I was born on the autumn solstice. I guess you could say it was just meant to be, although when I think about it, I could name several other reasons..
boots stuffed with knee high socks | hot coffees | dark manicures | pumpkin carving competitions | lets be honest..pretty much pumpkin anything | conversations on the back porch without breaking a sweat | bonfires | the return of my beloved tv shows taking up way too much of my time | cuddling with two warm, furry pups | bright leaves | layering cozy clothes | enjoying the handful of dresses you own that are too short to wear without tights | my husband's beloved football season (although it will really be a countdown for my beloved basketball season) | sweater weather | gorging on comfort foods | homemade peppermint hot chocolates | holiday scented candles | crunching acorns beneath your feet | my husband showcasing his "winter beard" | cracking open a fresh planner to begin the new season
And soon, before we know it, we will start shivering too much for comfort, and start romanticizing over wishing for some warmer months. ;) What are you looking forward to this fall?
This past Sunday my youngest niece, Autumn, turned four years old. It's hard to believe that the tiny bundle my sister brought home has now become this little lady who loves to play dress up and dances around with anything resembling a tutu.
And in these four years something crazy happened. With each passing day, she looked more and more like..well..me. Now this may not sound like something off the wall and crazy, but you have to realize my sister and I don't look alike. She has black/brown hair, brown eyes, and an olive complexion. She favors my mom. I, on the other hand, favor my freckled, fair faced, blue eyed dad.
Michelle, who is ten years older, says she is reminded daily of what it was like growing up with me, looks and personality wise, while with Autumn. Lets just say Autumn and I have a way with convincing others that our way is the best way...and we don't like taking no for an answer. My poor, poor sis. ;)
I don't think I will ever have a child of my own that looks and acts like me more than Autumn, but in a way, I'm ok with that. I think two of us in one family is quite enough! I love you, little bean. You and your sister make my world go round.
I know I've reviewed a handful of foundations in the past, claiming that "this" is the best.. no, now "this" is the best...no, for real y'all, "this" is the best. But I would love for you to all start on a clean slate with me, and let you know I have found the (ahem) best foundation for my oily skin. It's almost a little sad to find such an amazing product during the close of summer (ha, who am I kidding? It's still 95 degrees here in the south, but none the less, I would have rather found it now than to have never found it at all (poetically dramatic, I know).
Let me introduce you to Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder. The title of "immaculate" is very fitting, but on the off chance you don't believe me, I plan to go in a little more in depth with y'all. The foundation is light to medium coverage, has the ability to blend seamlessly onto the skin with a careful hand, and dries into a beautifully light, powder coverage. And the best part of all? I don't have to touch up with powder after a few hours. Heck, I don't even set the stuff with a powder. I've never had a foundation do that for me, so imagine my shocked expression after looking in the mirror six hours later and seeing normal, balanced skin. Cue the heavenly angel voices as I craft my shrine to Hourglass.
a few hours after application
Outside of the liquid to powder formulation, the bottle is sleek in design, constructed of sturdy metal, and I adore the fact that it comes with both a pump and cap closure. This makes it perfectly ideal for traveling or just for those gals who hate their makeup being exposed to any and all potential surfaces in their makeup drawer.
Given this was my first Hourglass purchase, the way I came across two other new products in my foundation routine were entire flukes and quite honestly, a genius PR move on their part. It wasn't rocket science. They just put a sample of the mineral veil in my foundation's box. Oh my, oh my. Like velvet. Set out to purchase a larger sample to try, I saw that Sephora had a small duo deluxe sampling of both the veil and the No. 28 serum, so I thought why not.
It's through my experience that I would recommend using all three products together. The serum in of itself is very nice, and using it before the veil helps my face become a little more prepped for the foundation. The key is to apply this product on moisturized skin, otherwise it can appear to cake up easily and break up on you. I know I said this stuff blends seamlessly, but lets be real, you can't just slap this stuff on in the am. And I would certainly not recommend this to someone with dry skin. I layer the mineral veil on top of the serum for a satin matte finish.
I'm not sure if I will ever be able to quit my search for the perfect foundation for oily skin, however, this combination seems to be doing the trick for me. And I don't know how, but my skin seems to look and feel even better outside of wearing the foundation in the month or so I've been using it.
Has anyone else tried the Hourglass Immaculate? I'd love to hear about any of your experiences or any other must have products. In the meantime, I'm going to be working on a little top ten of my favorite matte products that I've come to love in the recent years and especially those that have helped me this summer.
*It should go without saying, but these products were purchased with my own money, and I was in no way compensated for the review. :)
one // a new DIY?
As cheesy as it sounds, I'm obsessed with getting wedding invites now that I'm married woman. Along with the happiness for the engaged couple, I simply love seeing my new last name. I began growing a collection of the inner envelopes addressed to Mr & Mrs, and I'm entertaining the idea of using a few of my vintage stamps on them and framing the envelopes. We'll see how it goes. :)
^and that lovely calligraphy is by my dear sorority sister, Amy, who is getting married this month! I already know she is going to make one gorgeous bride.
two // hitting Sephora's Rouge status
Have you heard of Rouge? Ever since I saw the email blast that Sephora came out with a higher tier than VIB, I knew I had to have it. Outside of free shipping and free one-on-one appointments in store, I'm really curious to see if these future "surprise gifts" live up to all the hype. The card itself came with a mini Bite lipstick sample in a vampy red.
three // currently reading A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein
I heard a buzz among twitter that this was a good, weird/freaky read, and I'm all about those types of books.
four // Urban Decay's Revolution Lipstick in Anarchy
Never in my life did I think I would own a lipstick in such a bright fuchsia shade. But after seeing this lady wearing it on her instagram, I took the plunge. The color is highly pigmented & creamy and I apply it with a lip brush just to prevent feathering. My favorite part is the product's formulation that allows it to lightly fade away during the day, and doesn't just flake off my lips.
five // a new owl to add to my collection
In all honesty, I don't own that many owls. I've been fascinated with them since I was a little girl, and it's a trait that I share with my dad. But I love that my mother-in-law saw this matryoshka owl while vacationing in Europe last week and thought of me.
^nails are OPI's Russian Navy
In a last attempt to squeeze every last ounce of summer up before it's gone, I've been relying heavily on my brighter shades while doing my makeup.
It's not a shock that my makeup's focus is normally for my eyes, but I've noticed for August I switched it up and focused more on the lips than the lids.
traveling through Florida in 95+ degree heat = braided hair
For the eyes I stayed with soft shades of taupe and gold, and Lord knows, I can't go a day without my winged eyeliner. For the lips I used a shade of pink that is normally out of my comfort zone, but it's easily becoming one of my new favorites. I tied it all together with a soft, natural blush, which gave my cheeks just enough color.
August favorites:
NARS eyeshadow duo in Kalahari | Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold blush in Obsessed | Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick in No. 13 Pink in Paris
Hope y'all are having a wonderful Labor Day!
