all that glitters is gold

via stephanie a nguyen

via oh, hello friend

via we heart it

via The Glitter Guide

via Christina Diaz

 

 

via the paris apartment

via pretty worthy

Maybe it's the Ke$ha in me, but I'm loving seeing glitter and gold everywhere I look... especially on nails. I got mine done in OPI's Glitzerland on Christmas Eve... we'll see if they last through my move tomorrow and are salvageable for NYE. Oh-- and see that last glittery crossbody pursebagthing? Well lucky me.... it was a Christmas gift from my brother, and I can't wait to wear it on new year's eve night!

festive little cocktails

In the words of Sandra Lee from Food Network.. it's cocktail time! These festive drinks from Real Simple Magazine definitely put me in a holiday mood. Plus, they are all pretty simple to make, and sound absolutely delicious!

Spiked Sparkling Cider: 

• 4 bottles cold Prosecco (or some other dry sparkling wine)
• 6 cups cold apple juice
• 3/4 cup cinnamon schnapps (such as Goldschlager)

Mix together in a large bowl and enjoy!

 

Pomegranate-Lime Fizz

• 1 liter club soda
• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 1/2 cups vodka (12 ounces)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, plus wedges for garnish
• 1/4 cup triple sec (2 ounces)

Mix together the club soda, pomegranate juice, vodka, lime juice, and triple sec in a large pitcher. Serve over ice, garnished with the lime wedges. 

 

 

Simple Cocktail

• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) vodka, chilled
• 2 cups (16 ounces) cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
• 2 cups (16 ounces) pomegranate juice, chilled
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  

In a large punch bowl or pitcher, combine all the ingredients. (You can cover and refrigerate for up to several hours.) Add ice and ladle into martini glasses or plastic party cups.

 

 

 Winter Sangria

• 3 bottles fruity red wine (such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 2 liters black cherry soda
• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
• 3/4 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec
• 4 pears, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 oranges, thinly sliced
• ice, for serving

In a large bowl, combine the wine, black cherry soda, pomegranate juice, brandy, Triple Sec, pears, and oranges. Serve over ice. 

 

 ENJOY!

so this is the new year...

Although the end of the year doesn't mean much in a biological sense, it's a great time to reflect on how your life has grown and changed in the past year. I, for one, know my life has flipped every which direction. I've learned so many lessons and made tons of mistakes. And I've changed.... for the better. I've grown more confident and less afraid to take risks... sometimes you just have to trust yourself and do the thing that's right for you. And then NOT WORRY. Everything will be okay.

So my goals for 2012 are to continue loving myself... and keep challenging myself to step outside my comfort zone. Lots of times, it can be easier said that done. But it always ends up being worth it.

via smartgirlconsulting.com

So cheers to you, my dear reader! Cheers to new experiences, new friendships, new memories, and new adventures. May your 2012 be full of laughter and fun. Letzzzz do this!

oh, christmas tree

One of my most favorite favorite things in the world is putting up the Christmas tree, and getting to look at it for weeks on end. When I was at my parent's house for Thanksgiving, I left just as the Christmas decorations begun. Here's a sneak peek of the house, though I didn't get a good shot of our big Christmas tree!

That little bugger on the floor is my parents puppy Lacie... she's a 6mo golden retriever/poodle mix, and she's the cutest little out of control thing in the world. But I digress. Here are some pictures of some of the prettiest trees I could find.... hope they get you in the holiday spirit!

via marthastewart.com

via maisondecor8.blogspot.com

via mysteryofmaps on flickr

via indypad.com

via pinterest

via Pinterest

 Merry Christmas Everyone!!

last minute shopping - gift cards!

I swore I would keep this blog separate from what I do at work, but when I come across something super helpful, I can't help but share! (For the record, I'm a consumer researcher/associate producer at a local news station.)

For those of us that still have a few more things to check off our holiday list, gift cards seem to fill the holes pretty well. However, all gift cards are NOT created equal!

Enter scripsmart.com. This site is legit- was recommend by Consumer Reports, and has the low-down on all of your gift card questions. I promise the company is giving me ZERO props for recommending them, and the site is totally free to use. Just go to scripsmart.com, and type in brand/company of the gift card you are considering buying. Let's try j.crew...

Scrip Smart gives J Crew an 80/100... which isn't half bad. Pros: Never expires, no hidden fees, free shipping... Cons: Not replaceable if lost or stolen.

The BEST gift cards according to the website include Whole Foods, Banana Republic, and the Container Store (all got 99/100). Some of the worst include Barneys New York, Loehmann's, and American Apparel, all of which are financially unstable.

The site also shows where you can get certain cards discounted, and the laws that all retailers have to abide by. Good info!!

daily inspiration

"but for now 
we are young
let us lay 
in the sun
and count 
every 
beautiful thing 
we can see"

wonderful winter white

If you can't have a "White Christmas", why not just bring your own? White in the winter makes me feel elegant and cozy at the same time. These photos below, via A Life of Beauty and Grace, show it best.

daily inspiration

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living.  We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.  -Dale Carnegie

youuu sneaky mom!

If for some reason, you haven't seen this video.... stop whatever you're doing and watch it immediately. The video is a (candid) reaction to a mother "admitting" to eating all of her childrens' Halloween candy. The kids' reaction is priceless. The lingering question... how will I get my future children to behave like that? I'd kill to have kids like these one day (in the very distant future....).

daily inspiration

"don't worry. everything is going to be amazing." - unknown

jingle all the way

so i'm feeling pretty festive as the weekend before Christmas comes to a close. I spent my Saturday at an event called Snow Day DC, accompanied by my friends, the Christmas trees:

We had a fabulous time, but I woke up this morning slightly panicked that ONE WEEK from today is Christmas! Can you believe it? In addition to moving, packing, and traveling within the next two weeks, I've still got to wrap all my gifts, and this brings me to some great ideas via Pinterest (follow me!):

monogrammed wrapping via marthastewart.com

add a snowflake! via howaboutorange.blogspot.com

via 33shadesofgreen.blogspot.com

via bugsandfishes.blogspot.com (also includes a great tutorial!)

Can you tell I'm digging the brown background with monogrammed letters and festive colors? And let's be honest, I'll probably end up running to CVS on Christmas Eve and getting some generic Santa paper, but there's always next year (or even a birthday...)

"life begins at the end of your comfort zone" - Neale Donald Walsch

ode to sequins and glitter

via Pinterest

via the decorista

wallet, $59.90, zara.com

via megsplorations

via Pinterest

my favorite trend this winter is anything shiny, glittery, and sequin-y. I feel like it's the one time of year where you can pull off this type of sparkle... especially when it comes to new years (still need to find that perfect dress...). These images, found mostly on Pinterest, inspire me to embrace my love for all things that twinkle, because you can never have enough shine and shimmer in your wardrobe.

daily inspiration

"don't let yesterday take up too much of today" - unknown

forever young

I may still be in my early twenties, but I have an irrational fear of turning into a wrinkly prune as I age. Reasons for my paranoia are self-induced, including one too many sessions in the tanning booth (lectures from friends, family and co-workers helped me stop... though I promise I was never orange-glo status).

Many people that I've spoken to (including my aunt, who has incredible skin) credit their graceful aging to good genes and... MOISTURIZER. I've used Aveeno, Clean and Clear, and all those pump-type bottles for years, but as I approach 24, I felt like I should try something more... adult? And I think I found my match at Sephora...

My favorite product of the moment: SEPHORA COLLECTION Instant Moisturizer.

$20, source: sephora.com

Seriously, this stuff makes me eager to moisturize my skin, as weird as that sounds. It smells amazing. Plus, it's relatively inexpensive compared to pricier, name-brandier skin products. Try and I bet you will love it, too!

daily inspiration

"you can do anything, but not everything"  - david allen

hair-apy

Oh, hair. You can make me look pretty, but you can also be a ton of work.

I happen to have fine, straight hair... but a lot of it... which basically means that my hair is always getting tangly.. and I shed like none other (sorry if that's tmi).

It also means that my hair gets greasy... FAST. Over Thanksgiving, my cousin (who is so LA), told me she only washes her hair twice. a. week. WHAT? HA! If I don't wash my hair in a 24 hour period, I start to look like a slicked-back used car salesman. She said that for her it was a long process to get to that point, starting by only washing your every other day (or every 36 hours if your hair is as bad as mine). Slowly, it starts to get less greasy, and used to not being constantly washed. To avoid looking like a wet rat while your hair is getting used to the transformation, you've got to use a dry shampoo.

...which brings me to my recent experiments with dry shampoos. Here's what I've tried- and found- so far:


Oscar Blandi Pronto Invisible Volumnizing Dry Shampoo Spray

$11-23, source: sephora.com

I decided to go for the smaller, $11 bottle of this dry shampoo... which ended up being tiny. I'm a sucker for anything that says "volumnizing", and always hear that the more expensive dry shampoos tend to work better. I'm currently about 24 hours out from washing my hair, and this stuff has helped.. but I'm still wanting more. Maybe my expectations are a little high, and quite honestly I don't have too many complaints... minus the intoxicating smell of the stuff.





 Tigi Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo

Prices vary, source: tigihaircare.com

So this review may not be totally fair... because I haven't used this product since college (2+ years). However, my memories of it are pretty much all positive. This product smells great and does the job (with a little white residue, which works fine with my blonde hair). My only complaint was that my large bottle of this stuff went fast. But maybe because I used it so frequently because I loved it?! Sounds like its time for me to give this another try...






Johnson's Baby Powder

$5.29 for 22oz, source: Walgreens.com

Ahhhhh... the old stand by. There's nothing quite like baby powder when you're in a hair pinch. Honestly, this works wayyy better than many brand-name shampoos I've tried (coughSEE BELOWcough). Qualms? The smell (my boyfriend always knows when I haven't washed my hair because of that distinct baby powder smell), and it may not blend in as with dark-haired peeps. If they made Johnson's baby powder in different colors and with different scents (or non-scented!), I'd scoop that stuff up in a heartbeat. And if someone becomes rich and famous using this idea, remember where you saw it first!




Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

$5.29, source: target.com

No. I'm sorry, but in my experience, this may be worse than no dry shampoo at all. When I put this product on my hair, it instantly because grey, weighed down, and matted. It's hard to brush, is uncomfortable, and just isn't worth the five bucks. Trust me.








What dry shampoos have you tried- and loved? Or hated? I'd love to know!