Sephora Splurge

Hi Everyone!  If you read my blog frequently and saw my little "wish list" that I had made for our Costa Rica trip then you are going to recognize a few little things in this blog post that I have recently purchased.  Last week I went a little Sephora crazy.  I ordered just a few things online and then went to the store by me for 1 THING! I swear I only went in there for one specific thing and came out with a ton more.  This happens to me a lot but I'm not sorry about it, I find my most loved products on these little spontaneous shopping trips!  Is that how it happens for everyone else?  When you are specifically going shopping with the intent of spending money then you can find nothing that you want to buy, but when you are trying to be good you find everything you absolutely have to have!

I knew that I needed to get a couple little things before we go to Costa Rica but I was trying to get them a little bit at a time and not drop a ton of money at once.  I ordered a few things online but then ended up going to the store as well.  Everything came on the same day so when I got home with my Sephora bag and my online order was delivered also it appeared to Morgan that I had went way over the top Sephora crazy.

Honestly I went into the store to get one of the Gwen Stefani lipsticks by Urban Decay. I really wanted the color Ex Girlfriend but of course they were sold out of it.  Instead of walking out of the store like I probably should have done I decided since I was there I was going to just browse and look at a couple other brands.
Here is a quick peek at everything I stocked up on for vacation.

LAVANILA Sunscreen-  You all know I am obsessed with LAVANILA.  I haven't tried anything from this brand that I didn't love.  I got the sunscreen because my skin has been in great shape lately and I don't want to ruin that on vacation by using sunscreen that will cause me to break out.  This sunscreen is moisturizing and mineral based.  It is made with antioxidants to help your skin stay looking healthy and bright!  LAVANILA Sunscreen . They also make a body sunscreen that I believe is at a spf of 30. 

Senorita Margarita shower gel-  Philosophy has the best scented products hands down when it comes to bath/shower products.  I love the packaging of these products because they always have cute little names and phrases on the bottles.  This shower gel has a Margarita recipe on the front.  It is the perfect lime sweet smell that you would expect from any good quality margarita your drinking.  The smell is just so fresh and yummy it makes you ready to lay on the beach and sip margaritas all day long.  Which is exactly what I plan on doing in less than a month while we are in Costa Rica!  Perfect Vacation/ Summer shower gel! philosophy shower gel

Urban Decay de-slick setting spray- So Costa Rica gets HOT!  We are also staying very close to the rainforest so the humidity is going to be extremely high as well.  The last thing I want is to spend the time putting on my make-up and then having it literally melt-off my face from sweat.  Why go through the trouble at all to buy new products, pack them and then take the time to put them on.  I have really high hopes for this product.  This product is supposed to have patented temperature control to actually lower the temperature of your make-up to keep it from getting too hot. Perfect for tropical vacations and the summer! Also this fine mist helps to control shine and oil.  I'll let you know the full review after we return! Urban Decay setting spray

Burberry Kisses Lipgloss- Love Love Love the color I got - Melon-.  It is a perfect coral/orange color with great shine.  What I love from the Burberry lipgloss line is that your lips never feel sticky but yet they keep that wet freshly glossed look.  The shine lasts for hours but your lips will never feel overally wet or sticky, just perfectly moisturized and soft.  I was so excited that this lipgloss went so well with the new liquid lipstick I got!  This is a must try for everyone its definitely worth the price. Burberry Kisses

Kat Von D  liquid lipstick-  I am the biggest fan of this liquid lipstick line! I think I am up to 4 different shades now.  I love the look of these when they are on your lips.  They look like a lip stain but unlike most lip stains they DO NOT make your lips look dry and cracked.  The color doesn't fade and will barely rub off on glass or with kisses haha.  Of course you are going to have a small amount of color come off on glasses but it is nothing compared to any other normal lipstick brand I have ever tried.  The color range of this line is crazy! They seriously make a color that absolutely everyone will love.  The color I got was Beloved which is a soft coral color and goes perfectly with a little burberry kisses on top! Kat Von D Everlasting liquid lipstick

NARS blush-  It appears that this spring I am on kind of a peachy coral kick with my colors.  I picked up this amazing NARS blush which I have been looking at all winter and finally purchased.  The color I believe is one of their most popular its called Orgasm.  Absolutely wonderful! You can wear it light or go a little heavier for more of a bright look.  The shimmer really helps to draw attention to your cheek bones.  I can't wait until I get a bit of a tan because I think they will look perfect to wear with nothing else on your skin.  NARS blush

 

 * I also picked up a deluxe sample of the NARS Audacious Mascara but I will wait and share that in my upcoming blog devoted to just Mascaras*

 Maybe if we all start stocking up on our spring must haves then it will encourage the weather to get warmer faster!  

Mommy Moments

I am still new to this being someone's mommy thing but so far I couldn't imagine any other way to be.  Being a mom has taught me so much.  Every part of this life is like a roller coaster where you never really know what is ahead.  You can read every parenting book out there but I can guarantee you that you will never feel like you are doing things right.  These little humans are like nothing you could ever prepare for, and just when you think you have them all figured out they catch on to your tricks and outsmart you once again.  Raising tiny humans is HARD.

    My little tiny human has taught me so many things about how life should be, having patience and a lot about myself.  You learn your breaking points are completely different then you had imagined.

   Learn to take time for yourself.

    When you run around all day playing, chasing and just taking care of your little human it is easy to forget about yourself and your needs.  For the first time in your life taking a shower is something that needs to be planned for.  There have been so many days when I had to try and think about what I ate that day or how much water I have been drinking.  With my son my life is in constant GO mode.  He is crazy hyper from the moment he wakes up until nap time and when he goes to bed.  I play with him for what feels like 2 hours only to turn around and realize 20 minutes has gone by.  You begin to lose your sanity after awhile and it's hard to learn at first that this is ok! Naptime is your time! Don't clean or do laundry unless it's a MUST! Shower, nap and do what makes you happy.  Because honestly if you are happy and content they will be also.  These toddlers seriously feed off your emotions its kind of like "Hey mom seems stressed out,,, why don't I throw at tantrum and see if I can make her cry".   Coffee is your best friend... oh and wine can be your nightly little dirty secret.  Seriously those people who say they don't drink because they have kids are either saints or lying to you.  Coffee gets me through the day and then wine helps me de-stress at night.  The best advice anyone ever gave me is always accept the opportunity to do your own thing and have some alone time.  If your aunt, sister, grandma or husband wants to watch small child take them up on it.  Yoga is my most favorite hobby and I would lose my mind of Morgan wasn't so supportive and understands the importance of my yoga nights with friends.

    Toddlers are like tiny dictators that turn into cuddle monsters at the drop of a hat.  They can make you want to pull your hair out and then shower them with kisses the next second.  But you can't teach them how to be calm and act like a respectable human if you aren't on top of your game as well.  Make sure you are still your own person as well as someone else's mommy.

Our little tiny human on his 1st birthday! Literally destroying his cake and loving every second of it.  

Stella Dot Jewels

Ready for my new favorite obsession that I'm just getting started on.... Stella Dot! A friend I work with sells for this company and introduced me to their amazing jewelry.  This brand I feel is really my style based on everything I have seen.  Everything they have is very fun, classy and in style.  There is nothing over the top, all their pieces are just so wearable.  They have a lot of really great accent necklaces that definitely stand out but in a way that you could really see yourself being able to pair them with many different outfits.

My Favorite Accent necklace!

I recently had a cute little chocolate fondue and wine theme jewelry party that was so fun I am already thinking of doing another in the spring.  Everyone seemed to really have a good time and were really into the jewelry.  I think it really says a lot about this company when you have a large group of girls and everyone is able to find multiple things that fit their style.  

I just wanted to highlight on a few things that I really loved from Stella Dot and also show you some things from the party and things that I have purchased.. so far.. there are still a lot of things on my list that I need to buy.  I will link to everything at the end of this post and also a link to my party that is currently going on for a little bit longer if you would like to order now or anytime through my friend!

One thing that I really like to do right now is layer my necklaces.  Its not that I want to wear everything all at once but I think this is a really good way to dress up a plain outfit.  I like the look of jeans a plain t-shirt paired with a fun necklace or necklace combination.  One great thing about Stella Dot is that they sell necklace's that can be worn many different ways.  Its like buying 7 different necklaces for the price of one.  They have the same concept for some of their earrings as well which I think is the absolute best idea I haven't seen a lot of other companies doing this yet!  Its great for packing because they you can pack only a few pieces but have plenty of different options.

Here is a 4 ways necklace that I really really like!

Just for your viewing pleasure :) Here are some pieces that were at my jewelry trunk show that I hosted!

Fun and Unique rings!

Thank you Jessi for being my gorgeous hand model!

So far I have gotten 2 clutches and 2 bracelets,,, I'm waiting until the party is over to order many many more adorable items!  I originally thought I was buying these as gifts.. but then when they came I decided that I was going to keep them.

I'm obsessed with these clutches, the monkey will be perfect for when we are in Costa Rica for traveling to throw all of our passports and itinerary in also for a quick grab bag when we are headed out to hold a camera, phone and lipstick ;)  I love how there are slots for cards also because I hate when I have a clutch and all my cards get lost to the bottom of the bag.

I really am loving this bracelet combination also! I have really tiny wrists so I feel like when I wear one bracelet alone it doesn't really look right on me but pairing it with another seems to be my perfect match.  Also don't they come in the cutest little boxes!
Can't wait to share what else I buy whenever I decide...too many choices!

If anyone sees anything they like or is interested in ordering here is the link below!
Stella Dot!

Valentines day!

So my post is a day late..oh well.  This weekend was a total whirlwind! Work was absolutely insane and then our little man was sick, but we still managed to have a Great Valentine's day.  

This year we planned a pretty low key Valentine's day which ended up being the best option with Brooks running fevers all weekend (he is finally starting to feel better today).  It was just really nice to be able to spend the day together as a family.  Costa Rica was supposed to be our Valentine's day present to each other but of course Morgan had to surprise me with presents and offering to make dinner.  I really think I am just going to stop making dinner all together and let Morgan cook every night, he is Fantastic!  He made scallops and pasta with a homemade creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. We also got fresh Oysters to start which were so so good!  Seriously Wegmans actually has great fresh Oysters I was surprised.

We shared a bottle of wine and curled up on the couch to watch a movie after dinner.  I wanted to watch a cute romantic movie since it was Valentine's day but Morgan Vetoed my choice of a Nicolas Sparks movie..and no it wasn't the notebook.. I have never seen that movie nor do I have any intention to.  I really think I am the only girl on the planet who has never seen the notebook.  Anyway, we choose the Longest Week with Jason Bateman and Olivia Wilde.  This movie was..interesting.  It wasn't a bad movie, the actors were great in it.  I just found it to be a little bizarre, definitely not something we would have picked to watch on Valentine's day date night if we knew anything about it before hand.  But once we started watching it we really couldn't turn it off, it was kind of intriguing. 

I really do love Valentine's day, for me it isn't about the presents but more about taking the time to just spend together.  However, Morgan probably is the best present giver on the planet.  I don't know how he secretly knows me so well and always gets me the most perfect gifts!  I'm really not that hard to buy for and I go on kicks were I really like certain designers or brands.  Lately I have been completely in love with everything Kate Spade.  I just find all of her things to be really fun and classy.  

Morgan surprised me with 2 very amazing Kate Spade gifts!  I love glass water bottles! I have one from Nordstroms that he got me for christmas but this new one is my favorite. "Just Add Water" how cute is that!  

And the bracelet... totally took me by surprise and I started crying.  It's stunning.  He knows how much I love rose gold.  This was the most sweetest gift and I love knowing that he really put thought into the gifts that makes it extra special.

I hope everyone had an equally wonderful Valentine's day!

LUSH Valentinesday

Valentines day is just right around the corner so this is the perfect time to share two of the amazing LUSH products that are exclusive to the Valentines day season.  Valentines day is probably one of my most favorite Holidays.  I love the whole idea behind it, celebrating being happy with the people around you.  Whether you are going to celebrate with your husband, boyfriend, family or even your best friend; I feel like valentines day is just a good day to be happy and thankful for the great people we have in our lives.

I recently purchased a few little valentines day treats for myself from LUSH, Roses all the way soap and the Unicorn Horn bubble bar.  I probably will be using the soap the whole way up until Easter it seems to be lasting me forever.

Roses All the Way

Normally I am not a fan of bar soap, I am more of a shower gel kind of girl but I really couldn't resist buying this soap when I saw it.  It has the cutest shape like a little rose heart.  I love the amount you get for the price because it is seriously will last me a lot longer then I imagined.  I have barely made a dent in my bar and have been using it for about 2 weeks now. 

The scent in this soap is amazing, it really smells like fresh cut roses and the scent will stay on your skin even after getting out of the shower.  The soap is infused with a rose infusion and also rose oil which really helps to strengthen the scent.  First it starts off as a nice bright red but after being in the shower it fades to a really pretty pink over time.

One reason why I am not particularly the biggest fan of soaps is that I feel like shower gel can be more moisturizing.  Now this product definitely didn't dry out my skin in the least and left my skin feeling very clean but I missed that silky feeling that I am used to after using my Philosophy shower gels.

Unicorn Horn

Ok seriously looking at this it really does look exactly like a Unicorn Horn!  This is by far the most fun LUSH product I have tried yet.  It has the same great qualities as any of the other bubble bars from LUSH, great scent and super moisturizing.  The scent I found was very unique, not the typical sweet candy smell like the other bubble bars seem to have in common.  It has a great citrus smell with subtle scents of lavender.  I was really surprised and happy with the scent, expecting it to be sweet the  citrus scent made it very relaxing.  

One thing I learned about from this product is that it is made with Ylang Ylang Oil ( I had no idea what this was).  So small interesting fact... Ylang Ylang is actually a 60ft tropical tree!  This tree can be found in Java, Sumatra and the Philippines.  The Ylang Ylang trees three different colors of flowers; yellow, pink and mauve.  The yellow flowers are what produce the essential oils, they have the heaviest and most sweet scent.  The benefit to using this oil is for its uplifting properties to help relieve stress and treat depression. 

Don't mind my little horticulture lesson, I found this to be seriously interesting.

The bubbles from this bar were AMAZING! I only used half of the horn during my bath and was thankful for that or I would have been swimming in bubbles.  The one "off" thing I have to say about this product and maybe it just happened to me, my skin was stained a little pink when I got out of the bath.  Did this happen to anyone else after using the Unicorn Horn?  Not that I minded, the color of the water was the prettiest pink and so was my body.  The color washed off after taking a shower so it wasn't a bad thing, just surprising.

I will link to both of these Items below.  Make sure to stock up now if you are interested they go fast and are only available for a small amount of time!

Happy Valentines day Everyone!
Unicorn Horn
Roses All the Way

Life Update

I hate how fast our weekends off together seem to fly right by.  This weekend we both had off together, no call, no plans, just a whole weekend off to spend as a family.  Between my every other weekend work schedule and Morgans weekend of call schedule, it can be tricky to really have some free time off together.

In my post of the Ava Wilde tops you saw how my weekend started...really who could ever want a better start to the weekend.  Brooks had woken up at 4am crying (he is teething again).  All he wanted to be was to go downstairs and snuggle on the couch with us while watching a movie.  At 5am he was starting to rub his eyes and get sleepy but was refusing to go upstairs and go back to bed. Morgan is so wonderful and let me go back to sleep while the two of them snuggled on the couch and continued watching the movie.  Honestly I think he was just trying to hog all of the sweet baby snuggles.  It was so so great to sleep in until 8:30 when I finally woke up on my own for once!  It was completely silent downstairs so I snuck down and found the two of them snuggling on the couch completely asleep.  I'm not going to lie I did stand there for about 10 minutes just watching them and tearing up a bit.  Morgan is always making fun of me because I will cry a bit whenever I see them having adorable moments together.  There is just something so wonderful about seeing just how much your son loves his daddy.

So on Saturday we got a wonderful wonderful surprise! My sister called me and asked if she could watch Brooks for a few hours in the afternoon at her house.  YES YES YES!  After dropping him off for some Aunt time I was able to get some Target shopping done and head to Sephora (I'll share this spontaneous shopping splurge soon).  Morgan is taking his huge Plastic Surgery Inservice exam at the beginning of March so it was great to be able to give him some complete alone time to study. 

After I got home from shopping and he was done studying we left to head over toward my sisters house to our favorite sushi restaurant.  With 2 hard months of rotations for Morgan and the craziness of the ER lately we really haven't had a lot of free time for a date night so this was much needed!  It was so nice just to sit next to each other sharing wine and sushi, just talking about how our life has been lately and all the fun times coming up.  

We did get into a discussion on how much we really hate watching Elmo and Daniel Tiger.  Now I personally don't find Daniel Tiger to be horrible awful but for some reason that cat on this show drives Morgan insane.  He started quoting her at dinner, "Meow Meow Yes" haha.  This cat cannot say one word without saying Meow Meow first and I think Morgan is reaching his breaking point if he has to hear to one more time.  The worst show for me is Elmo.  There is just something about his voice that makes me want to throw the remote at the TV.  

Sunday was our relaxing day.  I let Morgan sleep in that morning, Brooks and I woke up and shared some oatmeal with blueberries (his favorite) while watching.. of course.. Daniel Tiger.  Later that afternoon Morgan went upstairs to get a bit of studying done while Brooks and I made cookies for his preschool valentines day party!

He was the very very best helper! He loved rolling out the cookie dough, stealing bites of it and helping to use the cookie cutter.  After the cookies were done we placed them on the dinning room table to cool and Brooks went into the living room for his snack and to put a puzzle together.  I had told him prior to this that he wasn't allowed to have a cookie until after lunch.  We have an open floor plan so when I am doing dishes in the kitchen I can see him in the living room playing.  I literally looked away for 1 minute to wash a pan and I heard him just munching away on something.  I walked over to notice he was laying on the ground eating one of the cookies! He must have snuck so quietly into the dinning room, reached a cookie from the table and silently returned to the living room.  

I really couldn't even be mad look at this face he was so darn cute!!

here is our conversation

Me: "Didn't mommy say you had to wait until after lunch for a cookie"

Brooks: "Yeah"

Me: "Well don't you care what mommy says?"

Brooks: "No, Good Cookie"

HAHAHA at least he is honest!

The weather was so nice on Sunday, we actually got a little time to go out and play.  We took his new car stroller thing out for a little ride and he just had the best time ever.  

Later that evening we went over to our friends house with a bunch of the other plastics residents to watch the super bowl.  Seriously if I have to see that stupid puppy, monkey baby commercial again I am going to lose it.  I also was severely disappointed in the Budweiser commercial this year! Every year I really just look forward to this commercial.  Morgan thinks its hilarious that I always end up tearing up a bit at the end.  Its just so stinking sweet with the puppy and the horses!  This year was absolutely awful, so bad that I stopped watching the Super Bowl after this moment

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone! We are getting hit with another snow storm today and of course I'm stuck at work! 

Ava Wilde Tops!

Happy Saturday Everyone!  This is really exciting...only to me but I am writing this post while sitting in bed.  I know that probably sounds very common and your probably wondering why that is exciting.  Until yesterday I would always have to use my lap top sitting downstairs on a chair close to the wall because it wouldn't work unless it was plugged in to constant power.  I have had this thing since college and my old old battery was slowing down and not holding charge..so Morgan tried to fix it for me.  Well after that it would only work when it was plugged in.  Now we has really fixed it and I couldn't be more happy!

Well actually I could be more happy... This makes me more happy.  

These two are taking an early nap time on a Saturday morning!

Recently one of my friends sent me a link to the Ava Wilde website.  I love cute little things with funny sayings on them so she thought that this designer would be perfect for me.  I was in love with so many things as soon as I started looking at her site.  I resisted the urge to buy everything I wanted and settled on 2 tank tops.  Since we just paid the final deposit on Costa Rica I was trying to be good with money but after we get back I am stocking up on more lovely things!

I ended up buying these two tank tops.  They were $25 each which I thought was reasonable compared to the other ones I was looking at from Nordstroms.

How seriously fun are these! I thought they would be perfect to wear to yoga/running and around the house!  They even would look really adorable paired with a pair of jeans and heels in the summer if you are just out casually running around.

I am the biggest fan of mimosas!  My all time favorite mimosa comes from Mon Ami Gabi in las vegas (right outside of the Paris Hotel).  My grandma tells me that there is a place in Key West we are going to that she thinks has the best mimosas.  I definitely excited to compare them.

The tank tops I found run true to size.  I purchased these in an xs and they fit perfectly.  I have considered maybe ordering some in a small also just to have some a little larger for working out or something.  I really love the quality of the tank tops though, they are very nicely made.  I swear I ordered the Mimosa tank top in white but when I checked the order I guess I had selected black...ooops. Its still really adorable but I might reorder it in white.

Make sure you check out the Adorable leggings!  I was so disappointed that I didn't order a pair in my first order but now I like I have 3 pair in my cart currently.  I am sure all of her stuff is really really great!  The sweatshirts and sweaters look super cozy also!

Anyway go and check some stuff out  I don't know how anyone could not find something they love.

Here is the direct link  Ava Wilde

Happy Shopping Saturday!