Home Improvement (Walls)

Happy Hump Day. 

I meant to do this post Monday as my "Weekend Rewind" post and again my motivation lately has been zapped. I literally think I could sleep for about a week and not think twice about it. I feel like 

a bear wanting to hibernate lately. The weather here in Bama has been cloudy and rainy so not 

sure if it's the weather or just me, but whew I've been soooo tired! 

Anyway, this post is a non-make up or product review. I moved into a new apartment a couple 

weeks ago and have been doing some things to spruce my place up and wanted to share some 

decor ideas. 

I literally ditched everything that was in my old living room and started over since most of my 

furniture was college/post college stuff that I had merged with roommates. Bleh! So ugly. 

Patience is not a virtue I possess very gracefully. So, trying to be patient in buying new pieces

and decorating has been a struggle. I want my place looking like a page out of a Pottery Barn

catalog now! 

Craigslist has been my new best friend. I have never been someone to get on craigslist and shop. EVER! Thought it was kind of creepy. But, buying furniture and home stuff is SO much fun and 

such an affordable way to piece together your home. I'm not one to really buy used clothes, but 

furniture has never bothered me. So far I have bought my couch, kitchen table and chairs, and 

a lamp. But, I suspect there will be many more purchases. : ) 

Anywhoo, here are some before and after pics of what I decided to do with the wall behind my 

couch. Hope you enjoy! 

I got the idea to hang a collage of empty frames behind the couch 

while shopping at a furniture consignment shop in Pelham, AL called Encore Resales. 

Most of the frames that I bought were a distressed matte white. After buying my 

pillows at TJ Maxx I decided I wanted to pick three colors... white, blue, and mustard. 

I had to try a couple times to get the right shade of blue. My first try was a can 

of spray paint that was too bright. So, round two seemed to work well for what I was 

going for. 

Wall and couch before. 

Yay for my Craigslist couch! It was originally purchased at Metropolitan Deluxe

at The Summit for nearly 2,000 and I paid a whopping $350!!! I love it. 

Wall and couch after. 

I still want some more pillows to go on the end... not sure what, but I am thinking something

oversized and white. 

Collage of frames. I love the white and blue... I am still eyeballing the 

mustard. Good thing about this project is frames are pretty inexpensive so if I decide

this look is not what I want to end up with I haven't lost a ton! 

Side view with my sweet burlap lamp from what other than craigslist! : ) 

What do you think?! Would you do a frame collage on one of your walls? 

Give me your thoughts and stay tuned for more Home improvement posts! 

Have a great day! 

Friday Face of the Day

Happy Friday and start to your weekend!! 

It's been quiet a while since I've done a FOTD post and was a little inspired to do a 

healthy summer glow look for this week. 

There is nothing prettier to me this time of the year to see a glowy (not shiny) face that just 

looks sun kissed and healthy. 

Enjoy...

Foundation: Clinique Stay Matte 

Highlighter: MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl and set with MAC Soft & Gentle

Bronzer: Nars Laguna

Blush: Urban Decay Bang (Bright red cream) very unique. 

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked Palette 

Lid: Sin ( a shimmery light pink) 

Crease: Buck ( a light matte brown) 

Outer Corner: Darkhorse (Dark Grey/Brown with shimmer) 

Eyeliner: Urban Decay Zero (black) 

Mascara: Mally Volume

Lips: Revlon Lip Butter 

Hope you enjoyed this look. My favorite part is for sure the highlight on the cheeks and 

shimmery eyes! It just makes such a difference in giving you that healthy summer glow. I feel

like those products take your skin from dull and boring to lively, healthy, and youthful! 

Have a WONDERFUL non boring and full of life weekend! 

Make-Up Organizer

I am so very excited to share this post b/c this is something I have been wanting to purchase 

for a long time! My friend Alison got one of these acrylic make up organizers for her birthday

back in March. When I saw it I absolutely fell in love and knew I would have to get one when 

I had some extra cash! 

I have a good amount of make-up. Nothing crazy or over the top, but definitely enough to need 

a good organizer. Up until this point I have had several make-up bags on my bathroom counter

with an additional three drawer plastic organizer from target underneath my bathroom sink. 

My birthday was last month and there was no question that this is what I decided to treat myself to. 

If you watch or keep up with the Kardashians (no pun intended) then you will know that 

the girls have these same type organizers in their bathrooms and have made these 

acrylic cubes very popular! 

There are several different types you can get based on how many drawers you want, 

if you want separators, or a top lid. 

I opted to get the four drawer with no separators or top lid on Ebay and it was on sale 

for $136 including shipping. 

I don't know the dimensions, but I will admit it is MUCH bigger than what 

I was expecting! I received this in the mail yesterday and when I opened my first thought 

was holy cow this thing is too big, but once I got everything stored away it works well. 

My makeup has a new home and it could not be more happy. 

Now instead of being hid away in a dark bag it gets to shine and be visible

to all!! yay! 

Drawer #1 is dedicated to face products. 

Foundations, concealers, highlighters, bronzers, and powders. 

Drawer #2 is dedicated to blushes. 

I think this is my favorite drawer! All the blushes just look so uniform and 

organized and colorful! 

Drawer #3 is dedicated to eyes. 

This drawer stresses me out a bit. It looks so messy and not uniform at all. 

I have mixed palettes and single shadows and I may end up changing some things 

around to have one drawer of palettes and another of singles and liners etc. 

 Drawer #4 is dedicated to skincare. 

I have put washes, masks, moisturizer, scrubs, etc is this drawer. 

Like I said earlier I am not convinced that I will keep this drawer like this. 

In the event that I get more makeup and palettes (which it will happen) I can see 

turning the bottom drawer (which is the largest) into a palette drawer and storing my skincare

products in my cabinets underneath. 

I am thrilled to have this nifty piece of organization in my life! It seems a little pricy, but 

it's great thick quality and will last a long time if taken care of! If interested in purchasing 

check out Ebay or Amazon and search for acrylic makeup organizers with drawers. 

Happy Organization. 

Nail of the Day

I'm on a roll... two days in a row!!! Woot, woot! 

I recently bought Zoya polish in Sienna. It's a gorgeous summer bright orange. Be warned though

I could not find this in any of the Ulta stores so I ordered on Amazon. So, if you are interested in 

purchasing your best bet is probably online. To my knowledge the only store you can purchase 

Zoya polishes are Ulta. 

I painted my feetsies last weekend in a mad dash before I went to a pool party 

so yes, I know they don't look great. But, if you could have seen what they looked like before

they got this quick paint job you probably would have pee'd your pants!! ha. They

were uber gross! 

Zoya polishes on Amazon retail for $8.00. 

If interested in purchasing click here. 

I really love this bright orange color. It looks great with a good tan. It has some subtle glitter

to it. The consistency of their polish goes on really well and makes applying easy. 

Have a great day! 

June Faves

Haaaay Haaaay. 

I am so pushing myself to do this post b/c blogging has been the furthest thing on my mind 

lately. I moved into a new apartment a week ago and I have been so busy trying to get 

settled and make my new place feel like home. I also got rid of all my old yucky college and post college furniture and decided to start over and it seems like all my time has been devoted to 

craigslist and consignment shops and figuring out how I want to decorate. 

I am planning to do a Home Decor post once I get everything in it's place and show you guys

some things I have bought and how I am decorating... or trying to. ha! 

Onto beauty goodness and the things that I used a lot in the month of June. Honestly, I don't 

have a ton to feature as make-up was really not on my mind at all last month. 

But, a few things I have been enjoying are... 

Clinque came out with a new "stay matte" foundation this summer that is oil free

and designed to control shine, oil, sweat and all the things we experience in the summer 

heat. 

If you have combination to oily skin then this is a perfect formula for you! I have really 

loved wearing this foundation. I feel like it has a great formula that is not too thick or too matte 

where your skin looks kind of cakey. The other thing I like is that a little dab goes a long way. 

I typically use a buffing brush to work my foundation in, but with this I have just been applying

with my fingers and rubbing it in quickly so it doesn't dry too fast b/c it is a matte formula. 

I love it. Would definitely repurchase. 

 I have had this Wet n Wild "Comfort Zone" palette for quiet a while now, but

just recently started using it on a daily basis. I absolutely love the left side.  As you can tell

I have hit pan on that third color down (darker bronze). I have loved using that dark bronze color

all over my lid for a smoky brown look with a black liner. Very pretty! 

For a more natural soft look I like using the second color on left side that is labeled eyelid 

on the lid of my eye and using the darker bronze in my crease. 

Wet n Wild is super duber cheap and sold at most drugstores and I used to think their products

couldn't be any good b/c of the price, but I have been SO very impressed with their shadows. 

That is really the only thing I have tried, but I love this palette along with the "Silent Treatment"

trio. It's a gorgeous lilac/taupe with a dark brown. 

Not going to say much about this blush. I have mentioned it several times on here. It's Lorac

baked blush in shade Velvet Rope. It's just a gorgeous dusty rose color and it gives off a lot

of pigmentation b/c of being baked. I used this color a lot last month and found it looked 

really nice with a bit of a tan. 

Last year I bought a set from Mally on QVC. Mally is a celebrity make up artist and has her own 

line that she sells on QVC and her website. I had quit using this mascara for a while, but came back 

to it and really do love the formula and volume and length this baby gives. It's a more dry 

formula which I prefer b/c I find the wetter mascaras clump, smear, and are just in general more messy. 

If you are wanting to try out a new mascara along with some of her other products then I would check 

out her website. She has some awesome sets where you can try out several things and it's very 

affordable. 

I cannot believe it is already July!!!! Where is this year going?! Sheesh Louise. 

Hope to be back soon.... 

I am so tired of furniture shopping!!!!! 

Birthday Goodness

Hello internets and blog world... alas, I am still alive and kicking. Things have been a little 

cray cray lately with trying to move, buy new furniture, and apparently according to my mother

my social life has been way too full. Her way of letting me know I need to be packing and cleaning. 

So, after being harassed by enough people and hearing how I am letting my readers down I am 

back for what better than a Birthday post! I turned 28 last Friday, June 15. I happen to be a huge

birthday person!!! Love the month of June b/c not only is it the month to start summer, but most 

importantly it holds my birth month, birth week, and birthDAY!!! Yes, I am that person. I can

tell you every party I have planned for myself in my twenties. But, I must say I don't think anything

will ever hold a candle to this celebration. For those of you that were there... you know what I am talking about. For those of you that weren't there.... well, this will forever remain a mystery! ha.

Friday night was spent with Mdub at a surprise birthday dinner to Ocean. Yum! Followed

by a martini at Blue Monkey with Al and Spider. :)

Could not have asked for a more perfect night! 

 Outside Ocean in five points. 

Being silly. What are you looking at, M? 

So, I decided to make Saturday a fun day of pampering for girlfriends that 

wanted to get their huuuur did at BlowOut Boutique at The Summit. Jana, Al, Amy, and myself

all opted for the "Bombshell" look which consists of volume and lots of curls! 

So stinkin HOT!!! This place is swanky. They give you wine, water, or champagne while

they wash, blow, and style your hair. $39. They have a huge big screen tv where they 

feature a girly movie. So much fun! 

Al bought my "Blow." Thanks guuuurl! 

After getting all dolled up we had a Girls only dinner at Avo in Mt. Brook Village. 

I have heard people rave about what a fun place this is and I was up for something new.

Btw Birmingham has such awesome restaurants and food selections. I'm proud of our 

little city! 

Most of us got the grilled cheese and ham sandwich with tomato bisque soup on the side. 

It was really tasty! 

Love these girls! 

Al, Me, and Val. 

The theme of 28 was Little Black Dress and Moustache. 

Val designed a fabulous invitation that I sent out and everything! 

At Avo. Love all the black!! So chic and classy. Thanks Al and Buss for messing

that up with yo white!!! sheesh! 

After dinner we headed to Above, the rooftop bar in downtown above Redmont Hotel. 

This is becoming my favorite nightlife place. I love being outside and in the heart 

of the city. We met up with some guy friends and got the V.I.P. treatment thanks 

to Spidey. 

Ahhhh Si Si

Girl pose! 

Bestie pose! 

Me and Mdub

Check out those curls!!! BAM!!! 

Evan, Me, Big Daddy

The man, Scott Ross, and myself. I stole his look. What a cool guy! 

So, here I am 28. I got to say you feel pretty darn good if I do say so myself. 

What a great night of fun we had. I am so thankful to have fabulous friends that came out and made things so memorable. 

Until next time. 

Stay classy. 

May Beauty Favorites

It's been a LONG time since I have done a end of the month beauty faves, but 

I want to try to get in the habit of doing that especially in the summer months so 

since it is the end of the May here are my favorite products I have been using... 

Sonia Kashuk has some great products. Her line is sold exclusively at Target and I recently

heard someone talk about her blushes. So, I decided to pick up a couple this month

and have been SO pleased with the finish and color. 

The color above is called 03 Sunset. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, 

but it is a bright tangerine kind of orange with shimmer. I have already gotten a good bit

of sun this spring/summer and with a tan this color is GORGeous! It gives that perfect 

warmth to your face. I feel like people tell me how tan I look when I wear this blush. 

This is my new favorite blush for the season! 

Another one of her blushes I picked up and have worn a lot this month is in 

the shade 97 Flamingo. It is just your perfect matte girly bumble gum pink that

everyone should have in your collection. 

Soft, feminine, and looks good on any skin tone. 

These blushes retail for $8.99 at Target. 

If you read my blog very regularly then you know how obsessed I have been with 

Revlon Lip Butters. They are affordable, give off great color, and are super 

moisturizing. 

I decided to get a bright pop of color for summer to compliment my tan skin and I am loving 

this shade Lollipop. It is a bright hot pink/ fuchsia. But, beware it is very bright... 

you may want to tone it down with a gloss on top. If you want something with some color, but

think this is to bold I would suggest Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie. It's my next fave.

You may have noticed the commercials about Garnier new BB cream. I have heard a lot

of buzz lately about this product. I don't know about you, but in the summer I become super 

lazy and don't want a lot of make-up on my skin. I want something light, natural looking, and somewhat sheer once I build up a bit of a tan. 

So, what this product does is renews, brightens, even skin tone, and hydrates. It's basically

 a tinted moisturizer with vitamin c and mineral pigments. It has a spf of 15 and claims that after one 

use 90% had a more even complexion, 93% saw a more healthy glow, and 96% saw

smoother skin. If your problem areas are discolorations, dullness, blotchiness or dryness then 

this may be a product you want to look into. 

Now, with that said don't expect an amazing coverage. It does give you an even skin tone, but

if you have acne, acne scaring, or freckles etc that you want hidden then you will need a concealer to

go with this. But, I have been using this a little over a week and have really enjoyed. They only

have two shades you can pick from light/medium or medium/deep. I got the darker one b/c 

of the season and I have been tanning. It seems to match up with my color great. 

This is a lot cheaper than a tinted moisturizer you would buy at a dept store too. It's $12.99 for 2.5 

ounces. My only concern at this point is that it's not oil free. I tend to break out in my T zone if

I am not careful with oily products. So, that is the only thing I will be watching for, but other than

that I am really enjoying using for summertime. It also has a great clean kind of natural tea scent. 

Hope you have had a wonderful May and looking forward to a new month and lots of summer 

fun! Next month is my birthday month..... : ) 

Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Friday! This weekend is truly one of my favorite weekends of the whole year! 

It's the weekend that kicks off summer... the best time of the year and it means my birthday is less

than a couple weeks away (the best DAY of the year) : )

I've said many times how much I love this season and time of the year. I feel the happiest

in the spring/summer and just love all the things that come with this season. I tend to be a past

reflective person (is that a word???) meaning that I like to think back on certain times of the 

year and ask myself... what was I doing last year on Memorial Day weekend? What was I doing

two years ago?? Insert holiday or event and I like to wonder where I was a year ago and then 

think where will I be next year? What new people will be in my life a year from now? How will

my life change in a year? It's always just been something I do and it fascinates me. 

So, in the process of thinking about the past few Memorial Day weekend's I realized that

I have either been out of the country or out of state the last 3 years on this weekend. Three years

ago was spent in Rome, Italy, (most amazing trip ever) two years ago I was in Guatemala City,

Guatemala with my small group on a mission trip serving and sharing the love of Christ, and

last year I was in New Orleans, LA at a benefit concert for the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak

we had in AL. 

This year I don't have big plans to escape to another country or state. It's going to be a low

key weekend spent with my mom and dad and brother that is flying home TODAY from 

Florida! I haven't seen him since Christmas and looking forward to spending some QT with him. 

Just poolside, maybe lakeside, family dinners, and possibly puppy shopping for mom and dad. :) 

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend! 

A few blast from the past Memorial Day weekend pics...

 Spanish steps in Rome 

 Roman Coliseum (coolest thing I've ever seen) 

And again at night

 Roman Pantheon 

Piazza Navona (art district) 

Bridge in Florence, Italy

Trevi Fountain 

The Pope drove right past us at St. Peter's Square 

 Sweet girl in Guatemala

Look at that face : )

My little Katy stole my heart. 

 

Guatemalan woman walking home

Pretty flawa... 

I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend filled with LOTS of memories

of those you love most!