A Question

Ok, so I have some clothes and jewelry that I would like to get rid of. I looked into selling it on craigslist, but that just seemed a little sketchy to me. Which would be better....a blog sale, or ebay? I have no experience with either and I could use some advice! Much appreciated :)

P.s...........I have some really cute stuff!

Sunday Breakfast

One of my favorite things to do is go out for breakfast on Sundays. It just makes me feel so happy and I get really excited about it! The best place to go around here is Wheatfields, no question about it. They have the BEST cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted....this is not an exaggeration. When we went there recently, I ordered the swiss quiche with hash browns. Amazing. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

THE COOLEST BEAUTY TIP EVER!

Ok, so I got really excited the other day when I tried this and it actually worked. Most of you have probably heard of and done this, but I just did and got super excited. I have really straight, hard to curl eyelashes and no matter how well I seem to curl them, it never holds for longer than 10 minutes....until now! Someone told me to try heating up my eyelash curler and then curling my lashes because that will act just like a hot curling iron does to your hair and make the curls hold. Oh my goodness, did it ever! I was doing my hair around the same time so I just used my hair dryer to heat up the curler (not burning hot though) and then curled my lashes. Then I applied waterproof mascara because it dries faster than regular mascara. The result was UNBELIEVABLE! Never before have I seen my lashes have such a dramatic curl. The best part about it was that I got ready at about 8:30am and it lasted until I took my makeup off at 10:00pm! Not even joking. Coolest trick ever! I'm really excited about this, haha.

I LOVE Weddings!

So during the past few years, I have had to attend more weddings than I have had to in my whole life.....and I don't mind it! Weddings are so much fun. A great excuse to get dressed up, do my hair, and experiment with fun makeup. The reception is always my favorite part and for one main reason....DANCING! I will dance all night long.

From the top:

- My boyfriend's older sister's wedding in December of 2010. I was a bridesmaid, so the dress was the same for everyone in the wedding party.
- My boyfriend's other older sister's wedding in October of 2011. This dress is one of my favorites, unfortunately I do not own it; I borrowed it from my good friend and she bought it from Modcloth.com
- My coworker's wedding in February of 2012. Love this dress! My biggest splurge ever on a single item of clothing, it's from Anthropologie. I just went to another wedding last month and I'm waiting to get pictures back from it so stay tuned!

105 Degrees!

So it's been pretty hot here lately and today the high was 105! Ughhh. Still didn't stop me from going outside and enjoying the day.

                                                                     

In order from the top:

     -This is the view from my apartment, so beautiful. Don't let it fool you though...it was scorching outside and not fun!
    - My favorite earrings and yellow dress.
    - Ulta brand Peach Parfait nail polish, perfect for summer.
    - geoGirl cream blush in Eco Peach, Chanel Vitalumiere Moisture-Rich Radiance Fluid Makeup SPF 15 in 10 Limpide, fresh Sugar Rose lip treatment SPF 15, Revlon Grow Luscious mascara in Blackest Black, geoGirl Mineral Powder in Colorless.
    - Yellow dress from Forever21
    - Gold/yellow/crystal flower earrings from Francescas

For an added treat, this is my kitty Stella! She is a one year old ragdoll cat. Cutest thing ever (well maybe not in this picture, she was sleeping all day)!

All Natural Skincare Kick

The past few weeks I have been doing a lot of research about using food as my skincare. It was a weird concept to get used to at first, but when I thought about it more it just seemed so right! So today, I went to Whole Foods and bought a bunch of stuff: Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Moroccan Red Clay, and Frownies brand cleanser. So far, I have used the jojoba oil as an eye makeup remover and I am not quite sure about it yet. It did the job and all, but it is going to take some getting used to. The clay mask was interesting because after I washed it off, my face was red as if I had a bad reaction to it. It went away after about 30 minutes though, hopefully my skin enjoyed to clay. I am really excited to use the rest of the stuff! I need some suggestions about how to use the coconut oil though. Thanks!



PS......this is completely unrelated, but check out this delicious pizza I ate. It was pear/arugula with a fig and something else sauce, so good!

Essie Tart Deco Dupe!

I was at Ulta shopping yesterday trying to find some nail polish perfect for summer. I had my heart set on Essie's Haute As Hello, but when I was looking through all the polishes I found Tart Deco. The two are pretty similar, except Haute As Hello is more pinky and Tart Deco is more peachy. At $8 a bottle, they aren't the cheapest ones so I wanted to pick one I really liked, so I decided on Tart Deco. I started looking through the Ulta Collection nail polishes and came across Peach Parfait. I held it up next to Tart Deco and they are EXACTLY the same! Ulta is currently doing a sale where you get two polishes for $4. When they are usually $6 each, this is an amazing deal. So, I put Tart Deco back and bought Peach Parfait along with another one. I am soooo pleased with it AND I got a great deal! Definitely worth checking out.

Lazy Day

So, today has just been one of those days where you don't really have any plans and end up hangin around the house. I cleaned, cooked, and organized! I was feeling nostalgic and decided to look through some old pictures. I came across a this one from my 23rd birthday. Two of the most delicious cupcakes ever; Turtle and Red Velvet from Cupcake Island. My boyfriend is the best, I got these instead of a cake.

I was bored one night and wanted to attempt to recreate a makeup look from Tanya Burr. This one is the Bella Swan wedding look. I think I did an ok job considering I don't have all the same products as Tanya....or any of her skill!

I took this picture after I got the Fresh Sugar Lip Balm for my free birthday gift from Sephora. As you can see, I was very happy! Also....can you tell I have a white cat by all the fuzz and fur on my coat? Have a wonderful day!

Chanel and Kale...but mostly Chanel

Ok, so today has consisted of a lot of shopping. My first stop was the Chanel counter at Von Maur. I told the saleswoman that I was looking to for the tinted moisturizer and wanted to see if my color was still the same one (I was finally going to purchase it). We got to talking about my endless search for the perfect face makeup and she suggested we try a few on. So, I sat down in the chair and she matched me for the amazing tinted moisturizer in the color Sunlit...which is my faaaaaaavorite. Then she wanted to try out the Vitalumiere Aqua and I said why not. It looked horrible on me! It is supposed to be great and lightweight, but on me it looked heavy and very matte. Definitely not for me because it it oil-free and I have pretty dry skin. She took it off and then applied the regular Vitalumiere in the color 10 Limpide. It was like the sky opened up and angels began to sing. I finally found my perfect foundation! This product looks so amazing and natural on my skin, I couldn't believe it. It gives me just the right amount of a dewy glow that I always want, without looking oily. I do need to start wearing blush though when I'm using this because it gives good coverage and without blush, my face would look unnatural. I'm so happy! It came to around $58 after taxes, but I won't be using it everyday and I have a feeling it will last me for a long time, so the price didn't really concern me. Hooray!

My next significant purchase of the day was kale! I know it's not luxurious like Chanel, but it's super healthy and very tasty. I've heard all the rave about this veggie for a while now and have only tried it once when I was in California at The Veggie Grill. I had never seen it sold in any other grocery store here other than Whole Foods, so when I saw it at Hyvee I got really excited. You can eat it raw like in a salad, steam it, or even bake it into chips. I'm going to make a yummy salad with it for dinner and I can't wait! It is packed full of vitamins and I think it's the healthiest of the leafy greens. Cheers!

Current Favorite Things

Burt's Bees Radiance Body Lotion $8.99




I have been loving this lotion for quite a while now, I think I have repurchased it at least three times already. The thing is...it's not even that great of a moisturizer. What I love about it is the smell and the beautiful shimmer it gives my skin. You can just barely see it in normal lighting, but once it hits the sunlight it just shines so amazingly and looks great. I get lots of compliments when I use it. I only discovered it because I was looking for a lotion with better ingredients than all the other mainstream brands. This delivers!

Origins Mega-Mushroom Cleanser $27.50

I started using this cleanser after I ran out of my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. It's not as good as that one, but I still really like it. I use it with the muslin cloth that came with the Liz Earle cleanser, I find that it really helps keep my skin smooth and soft. Even though I enjoy this cleanser, I don't think I will be buying it again...so if anyone has any suggestions for dry, sensitive skin then let me know! I really try to use products with natural ingredients, no sulfate, alcohol, or parabens. 

Origins Mega-Mushroom Moisturizer $61.00

I discovered this moisturizer through Tanya Burr, whom I adore! It is such an amazing product, it soothes my skin and really hydrates it. My makeup goes on so smoothly after I use it, too. I wish it wasn't so expensive! I bought it around the holidays and it was included in a bundle which came with deluxe samples of the cleanser, mask, and serum. I'm running low so I'm going to have to either find a better one or suck it up and pay the money.

Lift Lab High Potency Solution $85

I discovered this product because it came in the very first Birchbox I ever received. It is such a luxury. I put it on after I cleanse, let it sit for a little bit, and then put on my moisturizer. I find that it keeps my skin clear and looking young. This is another expensive item that I got for a deal. With Birchbox, you accumulate points after every review of a featured product you give and every 100 points equals $10. After so many reviews, I saved up $50! So when the time came that I wanted to use my point money, I decided on this product and got it for a fraction of the cost. What a deal!


(sorry about the font errors, it won't let me fix them!) 

Makeup!

For the past year or so, I've been on the hunt for my perfect everyday face makeup. Meaning tinted moisturizer, foundation, or bb cream of some sort. Ever since I was about 15, I have been using MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation. It has always been great for me and I have repurchased it countless times...up until about 10 months ago. It has always kind of given my skin a bit of a dried out and flakey look by the end of the day. I never really paid a lot of attention to skin care or realizing my exact skin type. I figured out that I have dry, sensitive skin. Because of the dry skin issue, Studio Fix is not that great for me. I started a proper skin care routine and after that, it helped a lot. Anyways! The new products I have been going back and fourth trying are: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Origins Vitazing Moisturizer, Chanel Tinted Moisturizer, Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer, and the new Origins BB Cream.

As you can see, I am a big tinted moisturizer fan. Foundation has never really been something I have gravitated towards because I really don't want my face to be a noticeably different color than my neck and chest. My favorite would have to be the Chanel one. It smells amazing and gives just the slightest amount of coverage and a really healthy glow. The only downside is that it's about $60. Ouch. I received the Laura Mercier one for Christmas and it has been really great, too. Since it's the only one i have the full size version of, I use it the most. The Origins Vitazing isn't a traditional tinted moisturizer, it basically just adds a little bit of sun kissed look to your face; I use it when I'm having a really good skin day.

I would highly recommend going and getting samples of different ones that you want to try before purchasing them. All of the sales people are really nice and helpful!

First post ever!

Hello everybody! I'm not sure how many people this will actually reach, but here we go. I wanted to start this blog to share my love of good vegetarian food and amazing beauty finds. I recently went on a trip to southern California, where I used to live, and did some really fun things. Ate great food, went shopping, and visited gorgeous beaches. Here are some of the things I indulged in!

The famous and delicious Balboa Bar. I find myself craving these every once in a while. It's a tradition to go to The Fun Zone and eat one with my dad every time I come for a visit.

My brother, my boyfriend, and I went to The Veggie Grill for dinner at The Irvine Spectrum. It was soooo good! I've eaten there once before and loved, however I wasn't aware that the entire menu was actually vegan. I ordered the Santa Fe "Chicken", kale style. It was wonderful.

I dragged my dad to The Layer Cake Bakery in Irvine so I could feast my eyes on their selection of french macarons. Oh my goodness, what a sight! Kind of expensive at $22 for the box 14, but pretty much worth it....they were all gone within 10 minutes by the way. The best flavors were vanilla and pistachio, in my opinion.

What's a trip to California without going to In-N-Out at least once? My boyfriend and I ordered animal style fries. I must admit, they tasted a lot better when I was a teenager. They're still really good, but I find myself almost feeling sick when I'm done.

We went up to LA for the day and our first stop by The Griffith Observatory. I highly recommend going there. It's breathtaking and it's free! We had lunch at the cafe which served packaged sandwiches and snacks. Most of the food is Wolfgang Puck, so I was expecting some good eats. We got the veggie sandwich and it was so flavorful and good.

Ok, so this first post was definitely focused on food. I'll probably end up posting more about my trip, including some shopping and beauty info. By the way, a lot of the food we ate wasn't exactly the healthiest, but we were on vacation and sometimes you just have to treat yourself!