Friday, November 28, 2014

Post Thanksgiving Hangover

Hopefully y'all are feeling good after a day full of family and food!

I know that a lot of y'all are out shopping today, hope you are getting everything that you want/need!  I'm sticking to online shopping for today, I can't handle those crowds!

Today I thought I'd just post a video instead of a long drawn out post.  Enjoy Black Friday y'all!



Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Give Thanks

Happy day before Thanksgiving Y'all!!! 

Today's post will be short.  It's almost the holiday and I still need to get packed up for all the running around we will be doing!

But I realized after my post on Monday, that I made it seem like my favorite thing about Thanksgiving is the food.  And don't get me wrong, the food is great!  The problem is that that's often the focus on holidays.  Not just Thanksgiving, but Christmas as well.  And that's not where we should be focused on such a wonderful day as Thanksgiving!

Thursday is supposed to be a day that is focused on giving thanks to what we've been given, and those around us!  It's about all the blessings we've been given in our lives.  So why have we strayed from that?  I know that I often forget to thank the ones around me for all that they've done for me.  So I decided that today's post, I'd just remind everyone to spend Thanksgiving focused on your families, on your friends, and remember to thank God for everything He's given you! :)

"Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name." 1 Chronicles 29:13

Also, when did stores start opening on Thanksgiving Day?  I know Black Friday has been around for as long as I can remember, but in the last couple years, a lot of stores are opening their doors on Thanksgiving!  I don't like that at all.  I know that it's a tactic so that you get all the great sales earlier than Black Friday, but Thanksgiving is supposed to be about surrounding yourself with family and friends, being together, being thankful, etc.  I don't know, maybe I'm the only one that takes issue with that, but I just think that it's taking away from a day that's supposed to be special for us!

However, I know that many of you will be out shopping for Black Friday (I'm not one of you, you will NOT see me out...I enjoy sleeping in) so be safe!

See you soon!

XOXO.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Thanksgiving Day Outfits

Thanksgiving is fast approaching! I am so excited!! I waited a little too long for me to do this post the way I wanted, so I apologize for how crappy the quality is!

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is the food.  I'm lucky enough to get TWO Thanksgiving dinners on Thursday, so I like to dress comfortably.  I know that I experience a pretty serious "food baby" after all the delicious food, and there's nothing worse than the button from your jeans cutting into your bloated belly.....SO here are some comfy, but stylish, outfits you can wear, that will give a little if you overeat like crazy on this holiday!


One of my favorite items that I like to wear when I know that I'll be sporting a full, bloated belly is a nice pair of jeggings. They give the appearance of skinny jeans, but give like leggings. Best of both worlds! My favorite place to buy these is American Eagle.  I've always preferred their jeans to other brands.  Here is a link to their jeans/jeggings! The following are a couple ideas of cute outfits that would work with skinny jeans OR jeggings! I love the idea of pairing them with a chunky/big sweater, because it wouldn't be too tight on you after a big meal.

Source: pinterest.com
Source: pinterest.com

The next couple are dresses. Because dresses are SO comfy and with tights or leggings are plenty warm if you are going to be experiencing a cold Thanksgiving (which we are this year!). The bottom picture has a fuzzy vest with it, I'm not a huge fan, but I know that there are a lot of people who can pull that look off!  Target has some that are pretty cute if you are in the market for one! You can find them here!

Source: pinterest.com
Source: pinterest.com

I'm still pretty undecided about what I'll be wearing this year! But I hope these outfits gave you a few options!  I'll post on Friday with a picture of whatever I chose! :)

See y'all soon!

XOXO.

Friday, November 21, 2014

November Birchbox!

It's my third month receiving Birchbox, and I haven't been disappointed yet! I feel like month after month, I see people complain about their boxes and the build up always concerns me but I haven't been let down yet....let's keep that going Birchbox! :)




This month was about giving back, Birchbox teamed with Red, to raise money and awareness for AIDS.  It's a great cause, I loved seeing Birchbox working with such a great organization!  One of my favorites things about Birchbox is that it's so interactive. Last month, we were able to fill in our favorite tv show, song, etc, take a picture, add it to any social media outlet and become eligible for a prize.  This month, they donated $1 every time a photo was shared of the box itself with facts about AIDs, HIV, and an AIDS-Free Generation with the hashtag #shaRED.  I'm such a fan of the interaction they allow between the company itself and their consumers.

Onto the samples!



1. Chuao Chocolatier ChocoPod: Firecracker, Full size Assorted box, $9.95

I actually got on the Birchbox site the morning before my box arrived, and saw what I was getting (I know, I was so upset with myself!).  I was pretty upset that there was chocolate in there, I'm not one to try new foods, I'm picky enough as it is.  I opened my box and didn't want to try the chocolate.  I figured I'd let Chris have it when he got home from work because he's not nearly as picky as me.  BUT I couldn't wait....I needed to know right away how it tasted.  So, I tried it. And it was definitely interesting!  The "Firecracker" had popping candies in it, and it was a pleasant surprise!  I'm not a huge chocolate eater, but the sample was nice, and while I wouldn't purchase a full size box, I know a lot of people that would've really enjoyed trying all the different kinds of chocolate in the box.  However, there are some other flavors in the box that I would like to try....so maybe I would purchase the box....oh, who knows! But the moral of this hot mess of a review is that the chocolate I had was very good! 

2. COOLA, Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face - Full size item, $36

I am not a huge fan of tinted moisturizers with sunscreens.  I really don't love the smell that comes along with it, but this particular product didn't have a terrible smell.  And based on the previous BB cream that I received last month, I was a little concerned about this product.  However, I must say that this product was so much better!  It went on smooth, blended well, and didn't feel heavy on my face. In the cooler months, my face becomes dry, so I needed a moisturizer to even out my skin before I apply all my makeup. I initially thought this would be my least favorite item from my box, but it wasn't.  I ended up really enjoying it! I did read that some people had an issue with breaking out, so I'd read the ingredients before buying the product!

3. Gilchrist & Soames, Spa Therapy Body Lotion - Full size item, $15

My absolute favorite product from my box!  My legs are incredibly dry right now. Not only do my legs dry out in the winter, but I've been taking some medicine that has a side effect of dry skin....so they are EXTRA dry.  Which is making for some miserable days.  But this body lotion has been amazing on my dry legs.  I must say, I'm not a huge fan of the scent, but I did love the lotion.  The lotion is pretty thin, and I read a few reviews and people didn't enjoy the product, so it seems like to each their own.  Some people complained that it wasn't moisturizing enough for their dry skin.  I felt like it was plenty moisturizing, my only complaints being the smell and that because it is thin I felt like I needed to add more than usual, making it harder to keep my small sample to use many times.

4. Juice Beauty, Green Apple Peel Sensitive - Full size item, $39

I was very excited to try this item.  Seeing the "green apple" made me a little worried about the smell, sometimes the green apple smell can be a little overwhelming, but the smell was light and I really enjoyed it! When I went to put it on my face, I almost spilled it all over the counter.  I didn't realize just how runny it was going to be!  I don't do well with peels, they are usually too much on my skin, but this was great for my skin!  It felt so clean and so smooth! My face did get a little red while the peel was on, but it wasn't something that stuck!  What I think I loved the most about this product was that, while it was removing all the crappy stuff from my skin, it didn't dry it out.  Honestly, that's one of my big worries with using peels, masks, and such is that my already dry face will dry out even more.  But this worked great! 

5. Klorane, Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk in Natural Tint - Full size item, $19.50

This was my least favorite item in my box.  Not because of the quality of the product, from everything I can tell, it works great.  I am just learning that I'm not a huge fan of dry shampoo.  I will say, this looked better than the previous dry shampoos I've used before.  The previous ones I've had left a white residue, and this worked the best with my brunette hair!  From what I can tell, it did absorb the oils in my hair, I just feel like I don't use dry shampoo properly. I will say that I did use it one day before I went out and my hair did not look bad!  I think what I'd use it for the most, as I used my previous dry shampoos, is to add body, and to help when I'm trying to fix my hair. The smell was also great! Honestly, my real complaint with this item had nothing to do with the product and using it, but that the nozzle had come off the bottle in the processing of being shipped and moved around.  No fault to Birchbox or anything, and it was easily fixed, but that was definitely my biggest complaint.  The product itself seems to work great, it's just not for me.

6. ModelCo, Party Proof Lipstick in Get Naked - Full size item, $24

Last month, my mother-in-law got a ModelCo lipstick in her Birchbox and I was so jealous!  I am obsessed with lipsticks, constantly buying new lip products, so when I saw lipstick in my box I was PUMPED!  Get Naked is a nice, nude lip color, and I am really loving it!  I was most surprised about the smell.  I opened the tube and definitely didn't expect a nice smell, I actually expected the smell that comes along with cheaper drugstore lip products...but I was wrong!  I was excited to get a nude lip color, it's one of the few colors I don't have in my collection.  I didn't love it the first time I put it on, it almost looked like I'd put on concealer on my lips and forgot to add lipstick.  I was disappointed, BUT when I added lip gloss over the product, I liked it A LOT more! 

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I was a fan this month.  As usual, there are products that I loved and products I didn't.  There were several products that I'll probably be purchasing full sized items of in the near future.  I've been lucky to have gotten so many great products over the last three months! 

If you are interested in signing up for Birchbox and getting all these goodies, you can click here!

See you soon!

XOXO.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Marley Lilly Part 2

I know I posted a few weeks ago about Marley Lilly, and how much I love their products, but it's happening again!! :)

I talked about the products I liked, but not anything that I owned!  Recently, I received a monogrammed tassel bracelet!

I must say that as much as I love the site, I was worried that I wouldn't love this.  I don't wear a lot of bracelets.  Nor am I really sure that I'm a huge fan of tassels, BUT I put it on and I must say that I am really enjoying it!


Let's talk about all the great things about this bracelet!  First of all, I've been loving gold jewelry, but I just don't own a lot of it, so when I opened the package, I immediately was excited about the fact that I got a new piece of gold jewelry! I'm also a big fan of the interlocking style of monogram.  Initially, I wasn't a fan of the burnt orange color, but I have to tell you, the color is growing on me!  I owned nothing that was burnt orange until this, and I think it's pretty great for fall! 


You can get a monogram tassel bracelet from Marley Lilly, here.  They cost $24.99, though the burnt orange color is on sale for $19.99.

I know that I've posted some of my favorite items from the site, but since I received the email saying that I was getting this bracelet, I've been scoping out more items to discuss on my blog!

I feel like I wouldn't be a good southern woman if I didn't want to monogram everything in sight.  So here are a few other products from the site that I'm loving, and links to them!

iPhone 5c Phone Case
I've had a monogrammed phone case once before, and I love the idea of using the monograms that I use as backgrounds as a case for my phone! You can get this here, for $39.99.

Printed Herringbone Vest
I'm loving vests and this pattern is one of my absolute favorites! And why wouldn't you want your monogram on your favorite vest! :)  This can be found here for $79.99!

Monogrammed Ballet Flats
I love flats...so much!  And who doesn't think it's a good idea to put your monogram on a cute pair of ballet flats?!  These are available in different colors, if blue isn't your thing! You can find them here, for $34.99.

I've said it before, I'll say it again, Marley Lilly is a great place to shop and you should definitely check it out! :)

See you soon!

XOXO.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Spicing Up That LBD

Karl Lagerfeld said it best when he said, "One is never over-dressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress."

A little black dress is such a staple piece for any woman to have in her closet!  What I love most about them is that you can dress it up or down! Here are a few tips to spicing up that little black dress of yours! :)

1. Pair with a blazer

My black dress (on left) was from Target, and the red blazer came from Gordman's
You can find a similar dress at Target, here
You can find a similar blazer at Charlotte Russe, here

2. Statement necklace



You can find statement jewelry at so many different places, but BaubleBar is currently one of the most popular places for fashion jewelry!

3.  Pair with a pretty belt!



Here's a pretty gold belt available at the LookBookStore. And here is a pretty silver one from Nordstrom!



And last but not least!

4. Add some bright shoes



Charlotte Russe has several pairs of shoes that are bright and fun and pretty inexpensive!  They are also currently running a special, "Buy 1, Get 1 for $10".  You can find them here!

What are your favorite ways to dress up your LBD? 

I hope you enjoyed my tips for adding a little flair to your favorite black dress!  Have fun spicing it up! :)  

See you soon!

XOXO.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Spotlight: Miranda by Miranda Lambert

Y'all, I've held off doing this because I know everyone that knows me expected me to do it.....but here it is. Ha!  If you know me....even a little bit, or are my friend on Facebook, you'll know how much I adore Miranda Lambert.  I followed her on Nashville Star, I own her albums, I've seen her in concert twice (and a third this January!), met her twice, you could say I'm a big fan....so when I got an e-mail last year about her launching a line of shoes, I was very excited!! I am a complete sucker for shoes (though if I could get away with it, I'd never wear them, just ask my family), I buy new shoes way more often than I need to, but they are just so cute! :)

I figure I'll just show a few of the styles available from various sites.  I know that in store, her shoes are available at DSW and Famous Footwear, and online at Country Outfitter, I'll have links to all of these at the bottom of the post!

$59.95 on Country Outfitter


$44.99 (There's also a "Whiskey"/Brown pair for $54.99) on Famous Footwear
$59.95 on DSW

My FAVORITE pair! $79.95 on DSW & Country Outfitter, $79.99 on Famous Footwear

Here are the links to her line at each of the sites I used, Country Outfitter has the widest variety available.

Famous Footwear
Country Outfitter
DSW

Her shoes are awesome!  I also love the guitar design on all of her shoes.  Basically you can't go wrong with these! :)

Hopefully next week I'll have a November BirchBox review, I haven't had a chance to try out all of the products yet but I will make an effort to finish up this weekend so I can write up a review for y'all!

See you soon!

XOXO.