I am currently working on revamping some things on my blog, and one of the things I want to update is my about page. The plan is to add mini bios for each of my personal assistants furbabes. In the meantime, these photos should provide you with enough cuteness to hold you over until then!
+ The featherbabe
So, while I may not be a mother, I do have my hands (+ my heart) full. Hope those of you that are moms had a spectacularly wonderful Mother’s Day!
Being in Vermont, this winter has been…long. After yesterday’s weather and looking at the forecast for the week, I think it is safe to say the spring is finally here to stay. Transitioning away from our winter wardrobe is something that those of us with heliophilia, await from the very moment that the leaves start to fall.
I noticed that I don’t really find myself thinking about as much is updating my makeup bag. When I say updating my makeup bag, I don’t mean adding to it…that is a never-ending thing for me that just kind of happens whenever I have money. What I’m referring to is the swapping out of darker, more wintery and sultry makeup for brighter, lighter and fun makeup used in the spring.
Everyone has their rules for just about everything now-a-days. While I understand that rules can be broken…there are products that I generally find myself going to in particular seasons that I don’t care for as much during others.
Left: Guerlain + Sephora Define Yourself Black Eyeliner Set (Out of Stock + now I regret recommending it so much…)
Right: CoverGirl + Sephora Define Yourself Color Eyeliner Set (Out of Stock)
Left: Bath & Body Works (I want my hands clean, not dry + No longer available, so glad I stocked up!)
Right: Purell
10. Tools
Left: Free gift with purchase from Sephora + sponge I found at a some drug store (here’s a better alternative + it’s a two pack!)
Right: Birchbox (No longer available, but here’s their new Birchbox exclusive Pouch) + Julep
Are these products that you find your self swapping out too? What else do you swap of for the spring? Do you have Instagram? Share a “What’s in my makeup bag” photo and share what’s stashed in your current makeup bag with the hashtag #myspringswapout!
There was nothing that I disliked about this kit, but I want to stress that these are minis. Samples. Not full-sized products. A lot of the reviews were from those that were disappointed with the size, so I was prepared to be a little disappointed. I wasn’t. In fact, I was very pleased with it.
A few notes:
The “purple” nail polish is really thick. I only painted one coat and was afraid that two coats wouldn’t dry without me managing to smudge them, and the color was bold enough to look as though I’d painted two coats.
The “coral” nail polish was a bit thin and even after two coats, I could still see through it, but I didn’t mind as it wasn’t too noticeable…
Kit Includes Deluxe Minis of the following products:
Believe it or not, the “manfriend” has a name. It’s Andrew. Andrew Michael when I’m upset with him.
We’ve been together for six years this month. Like any other couple, we are far from perfect, but he truly is my best friend and has been since college.
Currently, we are working on strengthening our bond by addressing some flaws that we previously neglected to.
The really abridged version of our love story:
He saw me, liked me, chased me. I turned him down. He got a girlfriend, I got jealous. They broke up. I graduated (I’m older), we started dating. We moved in together, and a year after that we were engaged. In 2012, we were supposed to get married. That didn’t work out. We stayed together and moved to Vermont. I got really depressed and started seeing a therapist for seasonal depression and anxiety. I discovered why they say that you can’t love someone else until you first love yourself. My emotional health was hindering my ability to be the best me and a good partner. Then more stuff happened, and here we are, working on us.
Photos courtesty of Once Like a Spark Photography
The three biggest things that have been helping us (I asked Andrew what his thoughts on this were and he said the exact same three things!):
Talking (communication is key)
Showing appreciation and affection
Spending time together
Of those, I really enjoy spending time with Andrew. Our job can be very time-consuming. Yes, we also work together. We used to pass work off as spending time together, but it is not the same. When we do things one (or both) of us enjoys, we get to know more about each other, we learn what we have in common, and we talk more than we normally would.
What do we do together?
Andrew is a gamer, so this past weekend we played Diablo III.
We both enjoy watching movies, so we went for a walk to our local Redbox and rented four movies to watch while we snuggled on the couch.
Spending time together is great, but it is also important to remember that some alone time is much needed and can be just as great.
Do you have a partner/spouse? How do you keep your relationship going? Post a picture of the two of you doing something together on Instagram and tag #spendingtime. This can be a super fun way for us to share some “date” ideas!
Stasia spoke about the importance and power of dressing the “true you”. She opened by sharing about her humble past, the joys of thrift shopping (one of her favorite brands is J. Crew, but why pay retail when you can score great deals instead?), and stories from her current experience as a personal stylist. During her presentation, Stasia had us think back to our most favorite outfit as a child, and asked us to remember all of its special details…the texture, color, pattern, fabric, and most importantly, she asked us to remember how it made us FEEL. She then talked about ways to translate those features and feelings into our own personal style today. We learned that if we wear clothing that is true reflection of our soul, then we will feel better, act better and do better.
Now, at this point I’m sold! (Stasia, if you ever decided to write a book, save me a signed copy!) Then she played us this clip and it really brought her point home.
This video was supposed to be for a B-School scholarship, but because it was too long, it didn’t qualify. However, you’ll be happy to know that Stasia was able to raise enough money for the 8 week on-line marketing program through GoFundMe, and is rockin’ her way through B-School now! And as for Raisa, I heard she just landed a gig as an Instagram photogher…You can check out her work on Instagram!
Stasia’s favorite thrift shop in Vermont? Shalom Schuk in Burlington. “…It’s fantastic. Prices are great, and they’ve got some real quality goods…”
She also recommends the Goodwill in South Burlington.
While this was not a sponsored post, I do want to mention that I was so busy being inspired and taking notes, that I wasn’t able to get any photos during Stasia’s presentation. The feature image is from the VWHE Facebook page.
Social media has opened up whole new worlds for me! From twitter parties, to networking opportunites, to finding out about Keiko Kaveri’s #NoBareLips30.
This lipstick challenge starts today, with It’s World Kiss Your Mate Day, so take a photo kissing someone you love and join in on the fun! After the 30 days, I will share all my photos from the challenge along with what products I used.
Can’t wait until then? During the challenge, I will be sharing my photos on Instagram and Twitter, so if you aren’t already…FOLLOW ME! And don’t forget to tag me, if you want to make sure I see your lippies!
I promised that all my posts wouldn’t be about Birchbox, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to share about my monthly Birchbox!
This month’s Birchbox theme is Rainy Days. And even though Vermont has been seeing more snow showers than rain, in my book (and Birchbox’s…I asked on Twitter and they said yes) it still counts!
While I really liked everything in my Birchbox this month, I was particularly excited about the Color Club Art Duo Pen. I got it in black and plan to use my points to purchase in white.
Do you have a Birchbox subscription? What was your favorite product in your Birchbox this month?
I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Easter Sunday!
I’m not always that big on tradition, but something about Easter reminds me of just how blessed I am, so I try to go to church if I can and dye Easter eggs with the manfriend’s mom the night before to use as place markers for Easter dinner.
Me being in line to check out in a drugstore (or any store really) is just bad. While waiting to checkout at CVS, I spotted these cute tiny plants for $2 each.
I picked out three and figured I could finally do something with the small leftover candle jars I had.
This was super easy and didn’t really take much time at all. I had also scored a new bench that I’m using as a coffee table, I can’t want to style it using these mini planters. More photos to come!
I’ve done other succulent and cacti projects in the past but my green thumb isn’t so green. What plants do you like to decorate with, any recommendations?
