Travelling Lore

Today I thought I'd share with you what beauty products I use for my everyday, 9-to-5, get ready as fast as you can in the morning make up routine.  Like most everyone else on this planet, I love to sleep and I hate waking up earlier than I want to in the morning.  Some days I might get a little adventurous and apply a smidge of bronzer or have fun with some eye shadow.  But most of the time I stick with my tried and true early morning army of concealer, foundation, blush, eyeliner, mascara, and tinted lip balm. Below you'll find my reviews for each product.  For convenience I've linked to each product on Ulta Beauty's website.  You can just as easily purchase these products using Amazon, Target, or your local drug store for some of these beauty brands; or you can go straight to Tarte's and Bare Escentuals' websites to purchase their products.  I chose to link to these products on Ulta's website because not only is everything in one place, but they als

China Glaze "Nice Caboose!" China Glaze "Thistle Do Nicely" Sinful Colors "Ruby Mine" L'Oreal "Tea and Crumpets" & L'Oreal "Till the Sun Comes Up" (dots)

As a frequent reader of blogs, I always wondered what Bloglovin was all about as it's linked on nearly everyone's blog's sidebar.  My immediate reaction was, "Oh, just something else for which I need to set up an account.  No thanks."  But I finally took the time to check it out and it's actually a great tool for finding blogs that suit your interests.  You can even organize the blogs you follow into your own categories.  It also seems like a great way to get your own blog into more of the public eye. So without further ado, I'd love it if you'd  follow my blog with Bloglovin ! Stay tuned for a March nail polish roundup!

Spring here in Northern Virginia came in with some snow, but that still didn't dampen my craving to break out some warmer weather clothes.  Thankfully today was a little warmer and I was able to stay comfortable in a lightweight cardigan instead of a wool sweater.  Lately I've been browsing around online for some Spring fashion inspiration and tucked away a few items that I've been eyeing.  Two staples that I'm hoping to add to my wardrobe this year are a denim jacket and leopard flats.  So far this jacket from Loft and these flats from BP are front runners.   Skirt: H&M | Bracelet: Kiel James Patrick | Flats: BP | Belt: Kiel James Patrick  | Necklace: BP  | Blouse: J. Crew Factory | Denim Jacket: Loft | Sandals: Sole Society | Polo: H&M What are some staples you're hoping to add to your closet this Spring?

After the last snow fall of the winter (hopefully), we finally got out of dodge to sunny Captiva, Florida, land of manatees, dolphins, ospreys, boating, fishing--you name it, you got it!  Here's a snapshot of our adventures in the Sunshine State. Mound of seashells on the seashore. Catching some fish! Boat trip to Pine Island. Soaking up some sun on the boat and enjoying the last sunset before heading home. Until next year, Captiva!

Before I head down to Florida (no thanks to winter storm Thor for delaying my travel for two days!), I assembled a collage of affordable bikini, cover up, and sandal options from which to choose, all under $50.  I personally purchased the grey H&M bikini, but in the pink and black combo.  See below for some poolside essentials! J Crew factory black floral cover up | H&M floral bikini ( top , bottom ) | H&M grey bikini ( top , bottom ) | Target sunglasses | Target flip flops | Victoria's Secret floral cover up | J Crew Factory green bikini ( top , bottom ) | Target fringe sandals | Victoria's Secret pink cover up | J Crew Factory floral bikini ( top , bottom ) | Target mesh beach tote By the way, Target is currently having a buy one get one 50% off sale for spring break clothing and accessories.  The flip flops and sandals linked above are included in this sale.  I bought the flip flops in gold last summer and they're incredibly comfortable!   J

Warning: this blog post contains a lot of text.  But if you read through all of it, I hope you walk away understanding that you should always research an unknown company first before purchasing from them.  This is my story about my horrible interaction with Sheinside, an online clothing company. --- Reading through fashion blogs is a leisurely interest of mine.  I love seeing how such stylish and ambitious young ladies put together outfits.  It's great for fashion inspiration and emboldens me to try new color combinations or mix and match patterns that wouldn't have otherwise crossed my mind.  Often times these bloggers will link to exact (or similar) items in their blog posts via a company affiliate link that pays them some small sum should anyone purchase an item through that URL. It was through blog posts such as these that I became aware of Chicwish and Sheinside .  I discovered Chicwish first and loved a lot of their skirts, but decided they were a little too price

face wash | SPF moisturizer | eye cream | mask | night cream Relatively speaking, I thought winter here in Virginia felt fairly mild this year (though apparently it's the coldest winter we've had in a while) in comparison to last year's polar vortexes and snow every weekend.  My skin was doing great, I had no dry patches, and I didn't feel the need to shell out $32 on L'Occitane's Shea Butter Ultra Rich Comforting Cream . It wasn't until the end of January when it really started to get cold that I noticed some rather pronounced smile lines, a result of dehydration, around my mouth that aren't normally very distinct.  A trip to dry San Diego and back didn't really help my skin, either. Rather than spend a larger sum of money at L'Occitane near the end of winter, I opted to see what Target had for a lower price point.  I ended up with Neutrogena Naturals Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Night Cream  for about $12.50 on sale (normally $14).  S

Hello, my lovelies!  I was supposed to be conducting wine tastings by now at the wonderful Greenhill Winery , but I woke up feeling exhausted and under the weather.  So instead I'm having a quiet day drinking some delicious Genmaicha (my favorite type of green tea) from David's Tea  (my favorite tea shop) and finally updating my blog. I have a few blog ideas stored away and meant to post at least a couple of them by now, but life got a little busy.  We adopted a cat from Homeward Trails in the middle of a snow storm last weekend.  Our plan was to be safe at home by the time the snow hit, but the storm rolled in three hours early and caught everyone off guard.  Thankfully our short hair diluted calico named Sally adjusted wonderfully after just a few short hours in our home (wicked fast for a cat!) and has already taken to sleeping in our laps.  Photos to come soon! For now, here's my manicure round up from the end of January and all of February. L: Essie &qu