summer make-up staples

These items have become my go-to make-up this summer:
1. Tarte Aqualillies Palette
2. Jouer Matte Moisture Tint - in porcelain
3. Dior Addict Lip Glow
4. Maybelline 'The Rocket' Mascara
5. NYX HD Concealer
6. Benefit Fakeup Undereye Concealer
7. Benefit Chacha Tint
8. Origins GinZing Cream Shadow - in gingerzing
9. Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer - in stellar

How about you... what make-up items have you been reaching for this summer?

wishlist 2012

bussola riding boots / jurlique rosewater mist / odette jewelry / warby parker 'sinclair' frames / julep polish / caudalie divine oil / lush 'sandy santa' / baggu duck bag / madewell chambray shirt / butter london nail foundation / cozy boot socks / mac cleanse off oil / starry string lights / tangle teezer

In keeping with the tradition of the past two years, I put together a collection of some items that made it on to my Christmas wishlist this year. Here are my wishlists from 2011 & 2010.

{collage courtesy of polyvore}

little things

A few little things I've picked up recently:
Laura Mercier 500 point perk from Sephora (top two photos) -
This is a great set, I'm glad I saved my points for it.
Mini Emergency Kit for her, which we now sell at the spa I work at. -
This cute little zippered pouch surprisingly holds 16 useful items.

What is it about sample sizes that are just so darn cute?!

product review: love springs eternal

I received a sample of One Love Organics' Love Springs Eternal a few months ago and I quickly fell in love with this product. The company calls it a 'youth preservation serum', but I use it as a hydrating moisturizing oil that I pat over my entire face and neck right before I go to bed each night. Not only does this oil smell AMAZING from the mix of watermelon seed oil, rose oil and neroli, but it feels so good!
I was at first hesitant because of it being an oil (even though my skin tends to be a bit dehydrated at times), however this oil absorbs into the skin quickly and leaves behind soft, smooth and lightly fragrant skin. The scent of the oil is perfect for nighttime application because of it's calming and soothing properties. In the morning I wake up with hydrated skin that is brighter and clearer. I have noticeably clearer skin (less acne scars and redness) and it is definitely softening my fine lines (darn you 30-something skin!). I also have noticed that I have had fewer break-outs since using this oil. It truly is a multi-purpose oil that has replaced the need for a separate serum and evening moisturizer.

And I am so happy to know that this product is truly good for my skin:

"One Love Organics is a natural, ethical and environmentally driven cosmetics company created by skilled cosmetic artisans. Our products are hand-made and hand-filled, using only the highest grade of ethically sourced raw materials to ensure the most effective, luxurious and guilt-free application."

{image & quote via One Love Organics}

sea salt + campfires

While in Charleston I picked up a couple items to bring home with me: Sea Salt soap from Old Road Mercantile (which smells so refreshing and has exfoliating salt granules) and St. John's Wood tisane candle by Tatine (a campfire in a glass jar) from Worthwhile.

trip to middleton place

In an effort to finally get a blog post out about my trip to Charleston, I practically did zero photo editing...good thing the scenery is naturally beautiful. A couple weekends ago I headed down to Charleston, SC with a couple of girl friends and we had such a fun time. One of the days we were there we drove about twenty minutes outside of the city to tour Middleton Plantation. Middleton is the oldest maintained plantation in the United States...and the grounds are gorgeous. As you can see we had perfect weather while we were there. If you are ever in the Charleston area I highly recommend taking a few hours to visit Middleton. More photos to come...

photo date

A couple weekends ago I met up with my good friend, Ashley, for an afternoon photo date. We headed into the town of Leesburg, grabbed some lunch at Shoes Cup and Cork Club and then walked around the town with our cameras. It was an overcast day, but thankfully the rain held so that we could capture some of the beautiful flowers and historic buildings in the area. It was fun to just walk wherever we felt so inclined...there was a lot of "right or left?" followed by a shrug of the shoulders, which was nice since we both weren't on any time crunch. I definitely need to take advantage of the surrounding dc area more often...and make "photo dates" a regular activity on my calendar.

Check out Ashley's awesome photos from our afternoon here.

best lip product...ever!

Bold statement I know - but seriously, this stuff is (I want to say "da bomb" but won't) what lipstick/gloss/stain dreams are made of! I don't know how YSL did it, but the formulation on their Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain (phew!) is the best I have ever tried. And believe me, I have tried numerous glosses, lipsticks, stains, balms...you name it!...and nothing feels as-good-as or lasts as-long-as this glossy stain. Of course, it is a bit of a splurge, but the price is definitely worth the quality. After seeing it mentioned here and here, I decided to gift myself with one for my b-day. I hadn't exactly planned on getting it when I walked into Sephora, but once I swiped it on my lips I knew I was sold. The consistency is like a moisturizing gloss, and it stays glossy the entire time you have it on. My usual complaint with stains is that they are too drying and that they don't wear evenly...I do not have that trouble with this stain. This stain feels great and looks great! These glossy-stains are heavily pigmented, so that the colors pop. Other stains I have tried tend to dye your lips, similar to eating a red popsicle, but these wear like an all-day gloss or creamy lipstick. I find that I only have to touch-up after eating a meal, and even then there is still a hint of color left on my lips. I decided to go with #15 Rose Vinyl (pictured above), which isn't so much rosy, but maybe more of a tulip pink (in my opinion). The only negative, and I'm not sure it's even a negative, is the slight tackiness...but it doesn't bother me because it is very slight and it is what keeps your lips moisturized. I am looking forward to wearing this all spring and summer...and I have a feeling I will be adding more shades to my collection in the future!

Feel-free to leave any questions or comments below...I'd love to know if anyone else has tried it!

· national arboretum: part ii ·

More photos from my visit to the national arboretum, most of the above photos were taken in the culinary garden. Next up the bonsai garden... (see part i here)

· national arboretum: part i ·

Last Friday I spent the afternoon with a couple friends touring the national arboretum. I'm a little embarrassed to say I've lived in the dc area my whole life and this is my first time visiting the arboretum. It was the perfect spring day to be there, the weather was sunny and in the high 60s...and the azalea garden was in full bloom! The grounds are gorgeous and obviously well maintained. I have a camera full of photos from our afternoon there...I'll be working my way through them this week and hope to post more photos soon!

· demeter ·

I've been getting a lot of compliments on my demeter ring recently.

· pops of color ·

There are pops of color showing up everywhere - flowers are blooming outside and they have inspired me to add some bright colors to my wardrobe, like these electric blue jeggings, which I kinda love.

Enjoy the weekend!

· no7 poppy king ·

So I may have gone a little overboard in purchasing three shades of the No7 Poppy King lipgloss from Target...however, I couldn't resist the cute polka dot details on the packaging and the fact that they're currently on clearance for $4.95! I'm sure they'll go quick, so get them while you can.

(top to bottom: allure, power & history)

· i spy ·

Who wasn't mesmerized by the wedding photos of Lauren Bush and David Lauren in Vogue magazine?! I know I definitely had wedding envy while flipping through their gorgeous photos. And then my eyes landed on the bracelet Lauren is wearing in the above photo...
because it's my bracelet! Ok, so it's not "my" bracelet, but I do own a very similar bracelet. I'm kinda wondering where she got her bracelet, because unfortunately I have no idea who made the bracelet I have. I received my bracelet from my mom who brought it back from a trip she went on a few years ago...either from the Caymans or Florida...I can't remember. Does anyone have any idea who designed these pretty bracelets?

(top and middle photo by Bruce Weber)