My Favorite: Lipgloss

Lip treatment / Burt s Bees lip treatment,/ Bare escentuals lip gloss / Shimmer makeup / Aveda 'Give Smiles' Gift Set

There are few things you should have at all times, a type of lip balm, lipgloss, or lipstick should be one of them. I can honestly say at one point I probably carried a minimum of five different balms, sticks and glosses. I have since minimized and on a normal day carry from 1-3.

As you can see by my picks above, I'm a HUGE C.O Bigelow fan. I worked at Bath & Body Works for six years, so that could have a lot do with it.  The Mentha Lip Shine should be a staple for any woman, and it doesn't hurt that it's got a kick of mint to freshen your breathe. Word of advice though, if you get chapped lips easily, this isn't for you. It will sting.

I tend to use a gloss if i'm going to work, or trying to bring a little additional shine to a Lipstick. If I'm just running around town, I'll use a balm, and If I'm really going out, or want to make a statement I use a Lipstick.

What are your favorite lip balms, glosses or sticks? Do you prefer one over the other?

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas: For Her

Cotton bedding / Kate Spade candles candleholder / Kate spade bracelet / Kate Spade earrings / Paloma Picasso sterling silver jewelry / Tory Burch tech accessory / Yves Saint Laurent lips makeup / Coach poppy blossom perfume

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. I know, I know it's a "Hallmark Holiday" but I  just love it. I've always enjoyed creating my own Valentine's cards for friends and my special Valentine's. This year will be extremely special as it is our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. We have so much to celebrate and I'm looking forward to a night out on the town just the two of us (even though we do it all the time!)

Welcome Home!

The last two weeks in one word would be: CRAZY.

As if purchasing a home wasn't a big enough hurdle, we also encountered a major flood in our apartment just days after signing the dotted line on our new home. It's as if fate knew we had to get the "hell" out.

We had until the end of January to get things set up at our new abode and then make a stress free transition. It didn't happen like that, in fact as I stood in 3 inches of water in my bedroom in my PJs I couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

It's been a insane two weeks jam packed with renovation, packing, cleaning, painting, more cleaning, and lots of stress. But, it will all be worth it in the end.

We had prior to the flood already been set to take out our old counter tops and put in new granite ones. They said it would take 2 1/2 weeks to get the slab cut, it only took them three days. So we had three days to remove the backsplash, demo the counter tops, and paint our kitchen to only paint our kitchen a color we ended up not liking.

Since, we've updated the backsplash, installed the granite, and repainted the kitchen a new color. We've since decided to paint the cabinets & upgrade the hardware too. The only thing left will be to get new appliances which I think will come after we file our taxes.

We have also painted our master, office, living room, and formal dining room. It's all coming together nicely, especially for only having keys for two weeks.

Hope to post the pictures soon, as we finally have internet!

Snowmageddon 2014

For anyone living in the Mid-West chances are you got clobbered with anywhere from 8-11 inches of snow today.  Compared to folks in other parts of the U.S.  it's really nothing, but for whatever reason it shuts down everything. School is already closed tomorrow for at least 400 school districts across Metro Detroit. This has me crossing my fingers that work is closed for us too. That probably won't happen though. Oh how the real world sucks sometimes.

Above is our dog Lincoln running at full speed in the snow today. Andy and I thought it would be fun to get out and run him around in the snow. He loved every second of it. Lincoln that is, but Andy too.

Hope you all have a great Snow Day!

Splurge or Save

Maples area rug / nuLOOM Moderna Dark Grey Trellis Rug

While on the hunt for new rugs for our new home, I've been finding so many gorgeous rugs that cost  nearly an arm and a leg. While the difference is typically in the material, if your just looking for something trendy to use now and switch out within the next few years finding a similar but less expensive version is at your finger tips.

I highly suggest checking Wayfair, Joss & Main or One Kings Lane  to compare prices of similar products.

What are some of your favorite home decor sites you use to compare products?

New Years Resolutions

Looking back at 2013 - it was been an absolute fabulous year. Andy and I got married. I started a new job. We bought a house.  We spent countless nights with friends. I traveled for fun, and for work. I made a few new friends. I finally got a big family, specifically two new brothers.

But this year hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine. I realized that some friends weren't really friends at all which was sometimes hard to deal with. My Dad had his second heart attack (luckily not fatal) but still a scary reality that life is fragile.

With that I'd like to start 2014 working on these few things to make me into a better, smarter and stronger person.

1. Get Healthier
2. Save More $
3. Say Yes More Often
4. Be Nicer
5. Ask More Questions
6. Wake Up Earlier
7. Run More 5k/10k Races
8. Get More Involved in the Community
9. Read More Books
10. Discover & Bake/Cook Recipes
11.  Keep in Touch w/  More Friends
12.  Use Social Media More Often
13.  Be More Fiscally Responsible
14.  Take More Pictures

What are your 2014 Resolutions?


Print above is from Note to Self ($18)  - Check out Sarah's blog here to see more.

Drought

Every New Year I always want to try a cleanse to detox my body of all the nastiness I force my body to eat and drink. Each year I fail at that cleanse. Last year, I got the worst Migraine after going an entire day and ended up taking pain meds and gorging on pizza. This year I'm still trying to find the "cleanse" of choice, but had been recommended by a friend to try Drought which serves up a variety of raw cold-pressed organic juices. 

Drought is found and distributed locally in Metro Detroit and has a storefront in Plymouth. After checking out their website and getting Andy on board we decided to try a few flavors before committing to their version of a cleanse which they call The Wash.  I've never tried a raw juice before and the menu is a little intimating based on the ingredients but why not?

Andy grabbed Apple, Pear and Ginger while I choose Green #1 which is Chard, Cabbage, Celery, Apple, Kale and Lemon.

We've tried them both and for people who don't typically try "juices" they were not that bad. I don't think I'd order Green #1 again but that's because it's got an extremely strong "grass" like taste. I guess you could say it's probably a little too advanced for my current "juicing" taste buds.

The Apple, Pear and Ginger wasn't bad, it leaves a tart after taste but given the right mind set something I'd encourage everyone to try.

Have you tried juicing before? If so what were your thoughts?