I’ve teamed up with some bloggers for a Halloween Giveaway! Use the money to create the best Halloween costume ever or get a head start on your Christmas shopping!
The giveaway is open WW, void where prohibited. The prize is sent in USD. There will be 2 winners of $500 each. The winners will be chosen using random.org (on Rafflecopter) and have 48 hours to respond to the email to claim prize. If prize isn’t claimed within that time it will be forfeited and a new winner will be chosen. Contest runs until 10/31/16 at 11:59 pm EST. Must be 18 years or older to enter.
One of the fun things about a long business trip is the opportunity to catch up on your reading. I picked “All Is Not Forgotten” by Wendy Walker as my “airplane” book and I was not disappointed. As a matter of fact, I stayed up that night to finish it.
It’s a psychological mystery based on the brutal attack of a teen at a party. It’s told based on the voice of a third person who isn’t revealed into several chapters into the book. Not only is the teen’s psyche explored, but her subsequent controversial medical treatment.
The fissures in her parents’ marriage start to crack wide open as the story continues and we get insight into what turned them into the people they are now.
Several additional players also enter into the story and serve pivotal roles in the resolution of the mystery of who did this terrible act.
I was completely consumed with this story and can’t recommend it enough. There were a few passages I was annoyed by, but overall, it was a great read. Reese Witherspoon’s production company bought the rights to the book and it will make for a great movie.
I don’t want to give too much away, because the peeling away of layers of the story are what make the book. Have you read it? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
I am always on the look out for great new lipstick shades that are your lips, but better. My natural lip color is death warmed over, so it is more a normal person’s lip shade, but better!
In my searches, I’ve found three that are my faves!
From left to right: MAC’s Half n Half, Bobbi Brown’s Blondie Pink and MAC’s Modesty.
MAC’s Half n Half is a old fave, that I newly rediscovered. It looks great alone or over MAC’s Spice lip liner. It has my favorite consistency of the three, very smooth and smells vanilla-ey!
Bobbi Brown’s Blondie Pink is the one I get the most compliments on. It is sheer and I love to wear it on the weekends!
MAC’s Modesty is slightly darker than Half n Half and I usually wear it without a lip liner, but that is due to laziness!
From top to bottom: Blondie Pink, Modesty, Half n Half
I am always on the look out for new nude shades, I’d love it if you would share your faves with me in the comments!
I wanted to let you know about an amazing sale and sweepstakes going on with Gilt.com and Dole Dippers. The Little Black Dress sale on Gilt.com runs through Monday, September 5th. Plus, there’s a sweepstakes to win a consultation with a Gilt stylist and a Gilt credit worth $500, plus every entrant receives a coupon to try Dole Dippers.
If you haven’t yet tried Dole Dippers, the coupon will give you a great opportunity to try them! They are a great way to satisfy a chocolate craving. Each pack contains 100 calories or less of a chocolate covered fruit. So handy to have on hand to snack on.
While you are snacking, check out Gilt.com’s amazing sale on Little Black Dresses! Some amazing dresses at reasonable prices! I’d love to hear which are your favorites!
I’ve been driving by Modern Mercantile for over a year on my way to work and have always loved their window displays, but had never stopped in. I finally had time last month to check out the store and wasn’t disappointed.
For those who don’t follow my route to work (HA!), it’s located on Main Street in Carnegie, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
The first thing that caught my eye was a display of amazing bags made of repurposed tents. They are so well made and would make fantastic gifts. (I kind of want to lose my laptop bag to make an excuse to buy one) Choices ranged from handbags, totes, smaller electronic bags, laptop bags and keychains. The owner told me they will be restocking through the holidays.
Modern Mercantile had jewelry, dog and cat toys and treats, and décor items spread throughout the space. I especially loved the initial key chains made from recycled license plates and the collar attachable bow ties for dogs. They also have their own private label laundry, bath soaps and candles. All smelled amazing and are locally made!
I saw so many things that would be perfect for gifts, I can’t wait to come back and shop some more! After petting shop dog Rufus, we went next door for some ice cream at the Flying Squirrel.
Have you been to Modern Mercantile? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Have you been hearing the term microblading? It’s the latest beauty craze and all over Instagram (#browsonfleek) and beauty blogs. I thought you might want to get the 411 on what it is, how it works and does it hurt?
Microblading is a semi permanent form similar to tattooing. It is mainly used on eyebrows and the technique is able to recreate the look of feathery hair strokes. It is manually done using a very fine blade to deposit pigment into the upper levels of the epidermis.
Because the color is deposited closer to the surface of your skin, it appears crisper and finer than a traditional tattoo. Your initial appointment takes about two hours and requires a touch up appointment about 4-6 weeks later.
It won’t last as long as a traditional tattoo and I think that’s a good thing! Faces change and so do eyebrow trends. You don’t want to be stuck with the same brows forever! For most people, it lasts from 1-2 years, with yearly touchups. It fades out naturally over time.
It truly is an art and involves your practitioner measuring and drawing your brows on prior to beginning the procedure. You want to make sure your brows look good from every angle, not just straight on and that takes time. I would recommend taking selfies from different angles after they are drawn on to make sure you love them.
Picking a practitioner is the most important part! You want to look at their work and check how it has healed. I would advise reaching out to some of their clients to ask them about their experience. It is your face after all! Check out their procedure room and hygienic practices. Ask them questions! Do your research first! You have to find the most experienced person who delivers the results you want.
My first question was, how bad does it hurt? I’ve heard differing opinions. Numbing cream is used and I am sure it just depends on your pain threshold. Comments ranged from it’s like waxing to I thought I was dying, so I would say it’s probably tolerable to most people. There is some scabbing, similar to tattooing.
I have to give a caveat here and say I have not personally had this procedure done. I have been checking out people’s results and they are spectacular, but I don’t think it’s for me just based on my personal healing/scarring record. My skin tends not to heal well and I wouldn’t want to risk my face. (that’s just me, don’t let me scare you, make your own conclusions please! I am not a medical professional.)
It is a lifesaver for people who struggle without brows. They really do change your entire face. I think it’s an amazing alternative to permanent tattooing since you can change and tweak it as your face and styles change. It’s also a great option for those with scars or missing parts of their brows. Many people have bald spots from old brow rings or overplucking in their youth (or the 80’s). Everyone I’ve talked to who has had it done, said “Why didn’t I do this sooner!”
So how about you? Have your tried it or will you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
I don’t have a ton of apps on my phone, but the ones I do have, I use a lot. I’ve talked before about one of my faves, the Stand Up app and I’m back today with another one. I am late to the party on this one, but it’s pretty awesome and a lot of people I spoke to hadn’t heard of it either, so I figured, why not let everyone in on the secret.
I love Home Goods and it is one of my go to stores when looking for something for the house. If you are a Home Goods regular, you may have seen the tags on items saying, I’m on the Goods or see me on the Goods, something like that. I never really paid much attention to them myself and that was a mistake!
I happened to be stuck waiting at an appointment last week and was looking for something to entertain me when I came across The Goods app. I downloaded it and wowza! I love it!
You can set up an account to get some additional features, but if you aren’t much of a joiner, you can download and start looking at things without one.
Once you are in the app, you add a zip code or you can let them use your location. From that info, the app chooses the stores in your area and you can choose specific stores to follow. You can change the location setting if you go to another area. You can also access the address and hours of the stores near you.
Each day, Home Goods associates hand select new items to feature on The Goods. While it doesn’t show you everything in store of course, it does show you some interesting items in your local stores. I am totally obsessed.
If you choose to set up an account, you can like, comment and save items and share them with friends. Helpful if you have a shopping pal!
And then lastly, you need to get to the store before the item is gone! The toughest part for sure!
The app is available for apple and android. Have you downloaded yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
