Attire

Beauty Essentials

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Okay, since it doesn't fall into the category of food, water, housing or clothing, it's probably not essential, but I would absolutely love to have these in my makeup arsenal.

Having green eyes myself (which sometimes decide they'd rather be blue) I love anything that makes them pop even more. Apparently this can make even the palest of blue eyes shine mermaid green. If you're not searching for green eyes, they have a ton of other kits such as Day to Play, Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes, and another favorite of mine- Smokey Eye cases.

Last: Lip Tar by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (really love the company name.)

This is my favorite (recent) find. Goes on easily as a gloss, but dries as an ultra saturated satin color. Perfect for this girl who loves the look of lipstick (but hates the cakey, heavy feel) but can't stand the stickiness and super high shine of gloss (but loves the light feeling and easy application.) Oh! And it's 100% Vegan and Cruelty-Free, and doesn't have parabens or other preservatives) so no worries of animal testing or strange chemical reactions.

If my chance the Easter Bunny is reading this, I'd be happy to find one in Grandma (perfect name for the perfect coral) or NSFW (the perfect, Parisian red) tucked away into my basket :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Update

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I love this robe! It's so comfortable and unique. Not to mention it's been my main wardrobe these past few days...

So I went to the doctor and she had absolutely no clue what was wrong with my throat. She did seem to be really worried about my left ear though.

"Does your ear hurt at all?" "No ma'am" "Are you sure?" "yep." "It hasn't hurt at all?" "In my life? or since my sore throat?"

Apparently my ear was really red and she assumed it was infected, and therefore hurting. Despite saying over and over that it didn't hurt at all, she was concerned (or thought I was lying) and decided to put me on antibiotics "just in case." She added that it should also help my sore throat, since even though the strep test was negative, she assumed it was still caused by a bacterial infection.

About 2 hours after I got home my ear did start hurting. Only problem was it was my RIGHT ear. The one she thought was fine :)

The good news is though, my throat feels so much better. Just in time for our trip!

New take on a classic

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I'm not really a traditional jewelry type of girl. I have tons of earrings ranging in size, colors, and materials- and the same goes with my necklaces and rings. Everything has a story- whether it is where the piece was bought, who bought the piece for me, or why it was bought- and very few of them are what I would consider "simple" or "traditional." This is why I always had a hard time with simple diamond studs. Sure I think they are pretty, and I know they would go with almost everything, but to me they were always too simple and understated. And since they are almost all the exact same (besides the cut of the diamond) I could never find a pair I really liked. Until now.

These little beauties are made from rough diamonds and I love them. They still fit the bill when you just want a "little something," but in no way are they too simple. Oh, and because they are rough diamonds, each one is a little different from the next. I think that alone is awesome.

Hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend! And thanks for the birthday wishes! It was a wonderful one. Remember the Ben & Jerry's cone we were going to grab since we couldn't get a cake in time? Well my family went above and beyond on that one. My sister greeted me with one of their amazing cakes right before dinner out (the four of us polished that little piece of heaven off before the night was over) and then the next night after eating dinner with my parents, they bring out another ice cream cake! Only this one was homemade. There isn't a Ben & Jerry's where my parents are from (and since I really don't like any other places ice cream cakes) so my mom baked a cake and then searched for a pint of my favorite ice cream to spread as the middle layer. It was delicious! Thanks to everyone for such an amazing birthday and for such wonderful gifts!

Fall is in the Air

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I took our puppy (and by puppy I mean almost 3 yr old black lab) out this morning and was immediately hit with a rush of crisp cool air. finally.

In just a few short weeks it will be time to pull out the scarves, the riding boots and the cute sweaters/blazers :) I can't wait to go pick out our pumpkin, drive through North Georgia to look at the leaves changing colors, to drink hot chocolate by a bon fire and stuff ourselves full of s'mores... oh I just love fall!

And you know what could make anyone's fall that much better? To walk around carrying this.

Wishpot is holding a contest to win this beautiful kate spade purse! So head over there, leave a comment, post about it, tweet about it (if you do that... I still can't get into it)... become a FB fan and cross your fingers. Good luck everyone!

Speaking of the boys...

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Even if they aren't to wear for the wedding, these are awesome ties!

via meandmatilda
I really love this pattern

via toybreaker
The reverse silhouette is super cool

via toybreaker
I just love peacock feathers... and the black and blue brings edge to such a delicate subject

via Rokgear
esp. awesome if the wedding was in New York

via toybreaker
had to jump on the bicycle trend :)

Tales of the dress

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the front of the dress (besides the fabric that crossed in the front, it wasn't ruched at all, I was just holding it up in semi fear of catching on fire...)

I was reading a post on Elizabeth Ann (this one) and couldn't help but laugh out loud at how ridiculous some people are when it comes to what a bride wears. I remember shopping for a wedding dress with my mom and wondering how long I would be able to keep a straight face when time and time again the moment we said I was looking for my wedding dress, the sales woman's eyes would immediately gloss over and she would steer me straight to the most crystal covered, pouffy, Cinderella-esque dress. The thing is- that is the last thing I wanted. I know for some women, this is exactly what they are looking for, and if you are one of these women more power to you.

I was not one of those women.

the back of the dress (I gave into having a big bow just for added drama. That and I found an awesome brooch and that's the only place it would go!)

The looks and comments I received when I told people this were hilarious. It was as though no one could envision a bride unless the were covered from head to toe in tulle.* Speaking of which, J was very opposed to any sort of veil being over my face. He said we didn't live in an area were malaria was an issue, and when I walked down the aisle he wanted to be able to see me. There was no argument here- I felt the same. I did have a veil, one that did not cover my face and I loved it. It was long and flowy and meant something to me because I made it. Anyhow, now I'm rambling and there is a funny story I want to tell.
Of all the entertaining stories I have about people's reactions to my dress, my favorite happened on the night of the rehearsal. The wedding coordinators at my church have a tradition that every wedding they do, they have the bride sign her name on a "practice train." Overall, I thought this was a beautiful tradition. The train was covered in signatures of brides throughout the years and it was fun knowing I was part of it now as well. The fun part came when she asked me to wear it so I could get used to walking in a train and not falling. I laughed, tied it on and said "that shouldn't be a problem, I don't have a train."

Then there was silence.

After a few seconds she took a quick breath and said, "of course you do, dear. All brides have to have a train- that's what makes them a bride"
I figured it wasn't worth correcting her- especially since in less than 24 hours she would see me, the bride, in a trainless dress so I just laughed it off and left to go tell the story to my bridesmaids.

Me in the "practice train"- which was about 3 ft of fabric longer than my actually dress :)

So here's to everyone trying to find their "perfect" dress. My words of advice- find something you can dance in, something you can breath in, and most of all- whether it's long or short, covered with crystals or not, pouffy or stream lined- find something that makes you feel absolutely beautiful.

*I did finally find my dress, but it wasn't until after I had it altered and reworked that I had the "this is the one" moment. (My dress started as a strapless, A line dress with a straight across neckline with a tie that knotted in the back. You can see from the pictures, that's not what it ended as!)