Bridal Shows

Hey everyone! I'm back with a Wedding Wednesday post. Do you guys notice the new blog design?? I am so happy with it, and was ready for a blog change! These past few weeks have been so crazy, and finals are quickly approaching...not fun. Anyway I went to a bridal show this past Sunday with my mom, and I wanted to share with all of you!

This is my first bridal show I have ever attended, but I have been around weddings a lot in my life. When we lived in Vegas my mom worked for a really nice company that coordinated weddings. I would sometimes work the front desk on weekends and get to see all of the people nicely dressed, with their fancy food and hope one day I get to have a wedding that beautiful. Now that I am in the midst of planning our wedding I can honestly say I am overwhelmed. Joe and I both work, a lot - and I have a full class schedule as well. I was so excited to get out there with my mom and start buckling down on this planning thing. 

If you've read my wedding checklist, you'd see we still have so much to do. We are about five months away and still don't have a photographer or even an officiant - which I'm pretty positive those are important. We even have our cake already booked, why the cake took priority over the person marrying us...i'm not sure. 

The bridal show was at our local town museum and it was the most perfect weather to be outdoors. We went around to each booth, but it is very hard to talk to people about their services when 100-200 other people want to do the same thing. We drank some champagne (or whatever) was in the Dixie cup and had a good time. I found several vendors that I plan on using, and even spoke with an officiant that Joe and I are going to set up a meeting with soon! I'd say the day was pretty successful and very informative. 

I fell in love with this table set up

Tips:

• Bring water if it is outdoors (They charged for water)
• Make printed labels with your name (& fiance) address, wedding date, and phone number (if you want) these came in handy, you will be filling out a lot of information for giveaways and booths that it is so much easier with the labels. 
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Take a friend, sister, or your mom for help and advice

Joe and I  attended a showcase last night as well, which I will talk about soon too!

From my married ladies - did you hire a DJ and if so was it worth the money? Any other tips?

Ipsy ~ April 2014

This months Ipsy theme was "Beauty Rocks" I will tell you before we jump in that this is one of my favorite bags I have received yet!

Also included in this months bag was a reminder of Generation Beauty that occurs the end of May to the first of June. I went last year, and I am so tempted to buy a ticket to go again this year! You meet so many beauty bloggers/vloggers and receive a ton of new products!

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm (Apple Pink) - This color is so pretty, and looks great with my skin tone! There was two possibilities of colors that you could have received in your bag, and I was hoping for this color. A very pretty pale pink color, with the brush applicator. 

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil (Black Velvet) - I love anything and everything Urban Decay. I was so happy to see this in my glam room this month. These eyeliners are so perfect, they last all day, and never smudge. 

Elizabeth Mott pop! Goes the Shadow (Champagne) - The color of this eyeshadow is so pretty. I am partial to nude or champagne eyeshadows for everyday use, so I know I will use this product often. Very good pigmentation also.

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant – I havent had a chance to use this product yet, due to my eye issue last week. I am excited and nervous to try this out because I have very sensitive skin. All of the reviews I have read so far though are amazing! This is what it says the product does:

" Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion is a revolutionary formula designed to mimic the transformative brightening, smoothing effects of the popular in-office microdermabrasion treatment at home.

- enables better absorption of skincare product.

- an at home alternative to professional, clinical treatments

- helps diminish the appearance of fine lines, acne marks, and skin discolorations " 

St. Tropez Gradual Tan (Face) - I love my self tanners, but ones I have used on my face in the past have broken out my skin. I love St. Tropez so I am still very excited to give it a try. The reviews on this product aren't that great, so hopefully it works for me. Here is what the website says it will do:

"Prolong youthful skin and create a luminous, sun-kissed glow with this revolutionary multiaction moisturizer. It works to firm, plump, and visibly diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles, while hydrating without blocking pores. The innovative Aromaguard™ fragrance technology eliminates the tell-tale self tan aroma by a minimum of 70 percent. "

I give this month's bag a rating of  9/10! I didn't really care for the actual makeup bag itself this month. 


Check out Ipsy HERE for just $10.00 a month with free shipping!

Five on Friday

Well this week has been pretty crazy, and here are some things I wanted to talk about on this Sunday (for me) Friday. 

1. If you follow me on twitter you probably saw that I mentioned that my eye looked like I got punched. Well, I've never been in a fight..ever. Don't plan to either. But I do think a lot of people in public thought I was in an abusive situation by the way I was being looked at. I'll make this short an sweet: Apparently I was bit by a bug or insect, who knows. It got really infected and turned into cellulitis, which isn't what it sounds like. I went to the doctor and now I am taking really huge antibiotics to help this stupid infection go away! I must say spring, if these insects make an appearance again I may knock you down to my least favorite month ever. 

2. Self tanner...If you read my Beauty Box 5 review post, you probably saw that I mentioned how excited I was to try out Jergens "3 days to glow". Well, sadly after using day one of this stuff my entire body looked a streaky mess. Now, I have so many Jergens gradual tanning products and love them, and never had a problem with streaking. This product is so intense that from just using day one my skin looked so dark but so messy and orange. I'm not sure if a tanning mit would have helped me or if I am too fair skinned for this particular product, but it just didn't work for me. Oh, and it has been a few days since applying and I have scrubbed and it still wont budge. 

Now, onto some happier things!

3. Easter is something that I am so looking forward to. Since I never have weekends off this will be nice to be with my family and to of course celebrate the reason for Easter. 

4. Flowers from Trader Joe's are a favorite right now. I purchased some pink tulips for only $3.99 last week and they are still going strong! 

5. Nail polish overload. Sometime last week I started following an instagram account that sells Essie nail polish for an amazing price and ships them to you. I had to buy more and now I have absolutely no more storage for anymore nail polish. Someone please tell me where to buy decent nail polish storage or how you have found to store yours. 

That's all for this week, I hope you all have a great Easter and I'll be back Monday!

I linked up for Five on Friday at North Carolina Charm

Pepper turns 2!

In honor of pepper turning two this month, I felt it was long overdue that he have his very own blog post. Pepper or (puppy) as we sometimes still call him, has been the best edition to our life and I couldn't imagine a day without him.

We got Pepper when he was very young, too young to be away from his mother. He was originally supposed to be Joe's uncles puppy. Somehow he ended up as our dog, thankfully. Pep was the runt of his litter and was very tiny. I remember the day Joe sent me a picture of him while I was at work and I was so excited to go meet him!

This is the very first picture we took of the little guy:

I have always had a weird fear of dogs. We never had one while I was growing up and I just always thought they would bite me or scratch me really hard. Now after learning the love of animals from Pepper, I am one of the biggest dog lovers ever.

Pep is a pretty particular boy, he only likes his certain foods and put only a certain way. I'm pretty sure he has some sort of doggy OCD if that's even possible.  He does give the best and most intense kisses I've ever had, and he will protect his family as if he were a big lion. Pep knows how to shake, roll over, sit, and stand up; although he will only do them in a certain routine order.

His favorite thing to do is snuggle under the blankets, or people watch on the back of the couch. He has to protect his mom and dad after all. He loves walks and going to visit his "gramma" aka my mom. He has even learned to love Beanie.
He will lick your tears away if you're upset and kiss you all over, enough to make you laugh so hard you forget why you were even crying.

He likes to do photo shoots but sometimes he gets real sassy and sticks his tongue out or walks away; like the true model he is.

He's a true best friend. Happy birthday Pepper!

Beauty Box 5 ~ April

Hey everyone! I am back with this months Beauty Box 5 subscription and I can't wait to show y'all what was inside! Beauty Box 5 of course is a subscription service where you receive five products monthly for $12.00. I am now a review team member which is really exciting, I love trying out new products! If you are interested in the subscription service they also have other promotions that they have going on all the time and different prices for annual subscriptions as well so make sure to follow their twitter! They also just extended their Makeup Madness Box until the end of April which is now $29.00 for with over a $100.00 value of makeup products!

Now let's jump on in. 

This months theme was "Shades of Beauty"

BH Cosmetics - California Trio Eyeshadow Palette ~ I love BH cosmectics and actually already own the actual palette of these shadows that I purchased last year. I will definitely be passing this onto one of my sisters. Great quality eyeshadows as well.

Nicka K New York - Hydro Lipstick ~ This lipstick is a very bold red color that has some major sparkle, and although it isn't something I will probably wear I will pass this along as well.

Blum Naturals - All Purpose Cleansing Wipes ~ These wipes can be used to clean up any cosmetic messes you may make, and they also hypo allergenic and paraben free! The wipes come in a resealable container and are travel friendly.

Jergens Natural Glow - 3 Days to Glow Moisturizer ~ I am currently obsessed with any and all Jergens body products. I am a self tanner and love the other Jergens gradual glow products. I plan on doing a review on this product after I do the 3 days to glow routine, so keep an eye out for that!

Bonne Bell - Lip Definer ~ I was so shocked when I saw the brand "Bonne Bell" I remember this brand from when I was younger and how much I loved lip smackers! Totally brought back memories. Anyway this color pencil is perfect for my fair skin, and it actually doesn't dry out my lips like other lip pencils do.

Disclaimer: I receive these boxes monthly in exchange for an honest review on my blog. All opinions are my own. 

Wedding Wednesday | Pinspiration

Hi Everyone!

Happy Wedding Wednesday! Today I wanted to share some of my pinterest inspiration or "pinspiration" for our wedding! Pinterest is a life saver when it comes to planning anything really. These are some of the ideas we are going with for our wedding!

                                        (Source)
Dress Colors and basic fit of my own wedding dress (Above)

                                  Flowers (Source)

Peonies are my most favorite flower and are a must for our wedding!

                                       Cake (Source)

                                       Sign (Source)

I definitely want to make one of these signs for our entrance to the reception so I can see all of the pictures everyone takes.

Ceremony exit idea

                                    (Source)

Candy bar at the reception.

                                                  (Source) 

                                                         Bridal Shower (Source)

                                                                   (Source)

Anyone that knows me knows that burlap and mason jars are going to be incorporated somehow into the decor!

This is the basic "theme" or idea we have for our wedding! Follow me on pinterest to see more ideas!

           

32 Things That Make Me Happy!

When Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel tweeted last night that she was doing a link up on 32 things that make me happy, I knew I had to participate. Sometimes life can throw hard things at us, and sometimes those things can put is in the mind set that we don't have anything to be happy about. That is so false. I know that thinking negative things is probably the easiest thing to do when things go wrong in life, but I know I need to get out of that mind set and count my blessings! Here are 32 things that make me happy!

1. My fiance; Joe. He makes me the happiest girl, and I feel so happy when we do absolutely anything together.

2. Knowing that my mom and my two sisters are my best friends.

3. My dog, because Pepper has literally the personality of a human and he loves us unconditionally.

4. Road Trips.

5. Freshly painted nails and toes.

6. Date Nights.

7. Coffee and Tea!

8. When I go shopping and find clothes that fit and look amazing on.

9. Thinking about our wedding!

10. Music and singing in the car at the top of your lungs.

11. A clean house and a clean car.

12. Working with my mom.

13. Having time to binge read an amazing book without stopping.

14. Flowers. Peonies in particular.

                          (No Source Found)

15. Pinterest. Because its helping me plan my wedding!

16. Seeing people do nice things for others without question.

17. Checking things off of my to-do list.

18. Stay at home nights where we get dinner and watch Netflix.

19. Fresh hair from the salon, and just great hair days in general!

20. Days off of work.

21. Snuggles with my boo and puppy.

22. Country Music.

23. Getting fun things in the mail.

24. Walking through target, just because.

25. Traveling - Something I hope to do a ton more of.

26. Reminiscing about good memories.

27. Baking.

28. Pay day!

29. No traffic.

30. Holidays - I love being with my family and celebrating any holiday. I LOVE Christmas.

31.  Being able to wear flip flops and sandals all the time.

32. Blogging.


What are your 32 things that make you happy? Go link up!

March Favorites

Now that March is officially over I wanted to share some products, and other things I have been loving this month.

Not Your Mother's | Clean Freak Dry Shampoo - This dry shampoo is my hands down new favorite! No white residue, and great smell.

NYX Butter Gloss | Apple Strudel - Perfect creamy pink for spring, these are never sticky and have great color pay off.

Victoria's Secret Body Mist | Luscious Crush - Such a pretty floral and fruity smell.

Essie | Mint Candy Apple - All of March I would rely on this color when I couldn't decide what to paint my nails, and it never lets me down!

Benefit | They're Real Mascara - I think this will always be my top mascara, I always go back to it!

Rimmel | Scandal Eyes Eyeliner - I really love this eyeliner because it is creamy and stays on all day. It is definitely a vibrant black!

Forever 21 bracelets - F21 always has the cutest, dainty jewelry and I love these bracelets that I picked up last month.

Bath and Body Works | Tokyo Petals Candle - Oh my gosh, this is my favorite scent from BBW now. I picked up one for myself and one for my mom and we both are in love with this candle. I highly recommend smelling it next time your in a Bath and Body Works.

Our new bathroom decor is a favorite because these colors brightened up our small bathroom, and I am obsessed with the colors! Everything is from Target, of course.

Favorite Movie: Divergent! After seeing this movie I am even more motivated to read the entire series. I was never bored or wishing the movie was over, and that is highly unusual for me especially in a 2 1/2 hour movie! I loved the concept, and all of the actors were amazing especially Theo James...if ya know what I'm sayin. The soundtrack is great as well!

Those are some of my favorites for the month of March, what were some of yours?