As May is wrapping up, I find that there are so many new products and old favorites that I have been loving. Seriously the makeup game has been a struggle to keep up with, as I am spending more time out side and getting more tan. It’s amazing to me that I wore a hat all weekend and still got sun on my face. I seriously can’t catch a break here. I have a great mix of beauty and lifestyle favorites this month. If you are interesting in some great products and tricks, just keep reading!
1|Benefit Dew the Hoola Liquid Bronzer
Mixing the perfect shade of foundation to match as you go from pasty white to tan is not a fun experience. It’s simply not feasible to have 15 shades of foundation laying around, this would be wasteful and too expensive. Mixing foundation you have on hand can only get you so far. If they are too close in shade you will not see the difference you are needing to match. However, introducing a neutral liquid bronze is my trick for saving money and matching my foundation to my ever-changing skin. It’s as simple as adding a bit of foundation to the back of my hand and then adding 1-2 pumps of the liquid bronzer. Simply mix them up and apply to the face.
2|NARS Shear Glow Foundation
Don’t let the name fool you for all of my oily skin ladies. I don’t know what really makes this so great other than how it lays natural on my skin. I find the old I get regardless of oil, I want natural looking makeup that melts into the skin. Granted not much lasts during my 13-15 hr work days, but this does wear off evenly which is a major perk. This foundation gives the skin a natural glow that looks great if you are needing medium build-able coverage. This is my second bottle of this foundation and I find I am able to wear it in fall, winter and spring. Summer will be a different story as it stays in the humid 100s here in the deep south. However, I am going to continue to love this foundation and wear it as much as possible until it won’t hold up to the heat anymore.
3|Drunk Elephant NightBright Resurfacing Duo
This skin care combination has been a new discovery that I see results within 2 weeks. The first thing I noticed was that my pores looked smaller. After telling myself to get a grip, I paid closer attention and found I was seeing things clearly. My pores looked smaller and skin more firm. I had not changed anything in my skin care regiment other than adding these two products, so it became quickly clear these were making the great changes to my skin. I absolutely saw texture improvement as well. I love the texture of the Marula oil as it glides on the skin. I highly recommend picking up this duo kit as it gives you the perfect amount of product to figure out if you like it before investing in the full size versions of these.
4|Mophie Wireless Charging
When I upgraded my iPhone I also decided to jump on the wireless charging bandwagon. You guys! This is a must! I shared on my Instagram the day I received it in the mail. No joke, within the next week I ordered a second one. I keep one at my desk and one by my bed at home. Due to working consistently off my phone, it has came in handy to keep my phone charged. If you don’t have one of these, then do yourself a favor and get at least one of these!
5|Spotify Shower Playlist
Regardless of the playlist name, I feel this playlist is one you could listen to at any time. I figure heard of this from Amelia Liana in one of her YouTube videos. Surprisingly there are a couple of playlists with similar names, but this one seems to be it!
Happy Thursday! Today I’m joining Stephanie for 3 on Thursday to give you insight into my weekly favorite. It’s been a crazy week thus far and much more is to come before the week is over.
1|The long weekend/short work week
Is it better to have a shorter work week cramming everything into it or regular work week? Leave your thoughts about this in the comments below. I’m honestly a bit torn about this, but really enjoyed having Monday off to spend time with family. However, spending the afternoon in the pool and having a low country boil with family was so much fun.
2|Wedding weekend
So this weekend I will be doing the makeup for my cousins wedding. We have all looked forward to this for some time now. I did a test run 3 weeks ago and she looked absolutely beautiful. I will be taking pics and sharing them on Instagram this weekend, so make sure you follow me. I’m working on getting my kit back together so that everything goes smoothly. Fingers crossed!
3|Southern Charm is Back
After much anticipation Southern Charm is back for another season. Living in the south this is is interesting to watch. I have my favorites on this show that keep me watching. I’m a total sucker for reality tv. Some of the things they go through reminds me of home as we have southern background. The classy events they go to I totally can relate to, minus the crazy. As southerners we tend to find any reason to get together and hang out with friends and family. This season looks super crazy and I can’t wait!
Good news is that tomorrow is Friday, which is one day closer to the weekend! Make sure you check out Stephanie’s blog! How’s your week going so far?
Long weekends are never long enough. I think time passes by too quickly on the weekend and I never have enough time to complete the projects I am working on. Let’s face it life is busy. I work way too much and was thankful for a long weekend. I spent an ample amount of time in the pool, watching Hallmark’s Memorial Day Weekend Movie event and the Harry Potter marathon.
I’ve been seeing many announcements of new releases coming out in the past few months. There are products all over the spectrum that I am excited for in Beauty, Planning and Jewelry. It seems summer is the perfect time for new releases.
1|New Erin Condren Life Planner
Granted it has been a few years since I purchased one of these. However, after using a B6 planner for over a year I decided it was time to give an EC planner a chance again. If you haven’t seen my Instagram lately, then you won’t know that I bought one. I received it within a few days and honestly, I am very excited to try this planner once again. The new design is a big difference than the last one I purchases, but regardless I am very excited for July to start planning in it. I am planning to post soon a list of my favorite sticker shops. Seriously I have discovered some amazing ones over the past year.
2|Jaclyn Cosmetics…Finally.
So, for years Jaclyn has teased us all that she would be releasing a makeup collection. However, after years upon years I think we all thought this day would never happen. I know I watched one of her videos at least a year ago where she teased a nude lipstick, yeah I don’t forget anything! Well during Beauty Drama in the past few weeks she announced her nude lipstick collection. Side note, I really am thinking of ordering the entire collection. I knew from the start she would be realizing nude lipsticks as that always what she talks about in videos. The collection looks beautiful! Oh, my goodness the packaging is totally legendry as well. You must check out her business Instagram account, you can see sneak peaks of the release here that comes out May 30th.
3|Amelia Liana x Skinny Dip London Collaboration Amelia Liana is a YouTube Lifestyle vlogger that is really entertaining to watch. She has the best style I’ve seen on YouTube and it very classy. I have purchased several of her jewelry recommendations in the past. I am super excited that she was coming out with a jewelry collaboration that is being released May 30th. The theme of the collection is based on sunflowers, and so far the collection is simply beautiful. I can’t wait to get my hands on a few pieces from this collection.
Well that’s all for today. I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend and had time to spend with family.
TGIT friends! What a crazy short week this has been. I can’t tell you how slammed I have been which I totally blame why my posts are not as frequent, but please hang on. There are some posts on the way soon! So today I am super excited to be joining Stephanie at Not Entirely Perfect for Three on Thursday. Today I am going to share my list of three things that I am loving this week!
1| Planner Stickers
I am very into planning these days. I find planning helps me stay focused on reminds me of what is still on my “to-do” list. I work in a high pressure industry where you have to be super organized and on your “A” game. Planning is not only soothing, but it does help me stay focused on the task at hand. My wheels spin too fast and so having the ability to focus on a target list of plans to achieve is just what I need. I adore these work stickers from Planning World and if you follow me on Instagram you will see them used most every week. I adore foiled stickers and since my life seems to lately evolve around work these are simply perfection.
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2|Instagram Music for stories.
Okay I know this is crazy and a bit sad, but adding music to my stories just makes me happy. I mean hearing Havana by Camila Cabello play from seriously puts me in a great mood when I hear it playing on stories. I’ve seen so many people post their stories with songs that I had to try it. Here’s the thing Instagram didn’t have it available for my brand new phone. No I am not kidding. I tried everything you can imagine to fix it. Finally I broke down and sent Instagram a message to report an issue. I kid you not, 3 mins later I had access.
3|Keurig K-cafe Brewer
Oh my goodness! Talk about coffee heaven. I seriously am obsessed with foamed milk that is layered in my coffee. Santa brought me this new Keurig and I must say I was thrilled. It’s super easy to use and absolutely worth it. I literally make myself a salted caramel latte every morning since Christmas. I seriously can’t tell you how delicious Torani salted caramel syrup, Starbucks Holiday blend 2018, and foam topped with Torani caramel sauce is together. I kid you not if you haven’t tried you must do so!
Make sure you check out Stephanie‘s post to see her Three on Thursday as well! Hang in there! We only have one more day!
My Holiday confession is a shocking one I tell you. I love to bake all kinds of goodies, but can you believe that I have never made my own gingerbread cookies? I know it’s a disgrace as I bake all varieties throughout the year. Don’t get me wrong I have built the gingerbread houses that come in kits, but that never seems quite the same as baking homemade versions. It just doesn’t seem right. With Christmas like 2 weeks away I am running out of time to make this happen. I really have made a big problem for myself. I’ve looked online at the daunting recipes with tons of ingredients I don’t keep in my small spice rack.
I can remember cooking a ton of recipes with my grandmother when I was little but I don’t think Gingerbread ever crossed the countertop as we baked many great recipes. Remembering is what I try to do as I lost my grandmother years ago, but I can still remember so many yummy recipes. I thought the best way to keep memories alive was to continue to do what we did best which is being in the kitchen cooking tons of recipes. I achieved greatness 2 years ago when I replicated my grandmother’s divinity recipe. That is as tricky as it gets, but well worth the trial and error.
As my mom asked me what did I want to make on our Annual Christmas baking day, gingerbread cookies were the only thing on my mind. There is something magical yet traditionalistic about gingerbread cookies. Gingerbread cookies are surprisingly iconic and fit in with the best Christmas traditions.
So what’s the plan? Well I am planning to find the best Gingerbread recipe, successfully find all required ingredients and bake the cutest and most tasty gingerbread cookies ever. I say, “plan to” as I am still looking for the perfect recipe. However, now that I have a plan the search it on! If you have any great recipes for Gingerbread, please leave them below. Until again, Merry Christmas!
Apple is among one of the leading phone suppliers that we all love. Yes, all of us may not admit it. However, it’s true. There is support for Apple’s iPhone everywhere you look. Paying attention to phone in shopper’s hands as you browse through the store can be quite enlightening. Though I am not into the mad race to the Apple stores every year for the new iPhone being released, I do occasionally upgrade. To give you a brief history of my Apple iPhone history here’s a look in the recent history.
I admit I use to be a Blackberry girl in college. The iPhone was still not really popular, but I remember being intrigued even then. My first iPhone was the iPhone 5s. The year that the iPhone 7plus was released I took that time to upgrade to that one. I was actually using this phone until upgrading this year to the new version of the iPhone.
Why did I upgrade? Which option did I pick? Thoughts on price? Do I recommend upgrading? Well it’s actually rather simple for me since I was using an older model phone, but still it was a big jump.
For the reason of why I chose to upgrade, let me preface with the model that I chose. After much contemplation I chose the Xs Max out of the 3 new models. Recently Apple released ios 12 which did make my 7 plus quicker, but as someone that uses my phone for work I was looking for something more. I also use my phones to show my clients different things and having a larger vivid screen was a big appeal. Face Id also increased security that I was looking forward to. However, the screen was the most important characteristic that led me to the Xs Max model.
The price is absolutely crazy. If I didn’t use this for my business I definitely would have a harder time making concessions for purchasing it. What can I say; the gold color and the larger screen pushed me over the edge in making my decision. However, as Apple hit the market with the iPhone X I completely expected this price point. Even still the phone is beautiful and works amazingly, but the price is staggering.
As far as my recommendation for who should upgrading, well that’s quite simply for me to explain. Excluding those Apple enthusiasts that upgrade every year, I find those with models older than the X will be the ones to upgrade. Really there isn’t enough difference between the X and Xs unless you want the Max. There really isn’t a justification for upgrading unless you need more storage or have an older phone.
There was frankly nothing wrong with my 7 plus. In fact, I passed this down to my Dad. I thought this would be a great phone for his 1st iPhone experience. I am not one that upgrades every year, but I saw this new model having enough changes and significant improvements to: design, signal improvement, etc. that I was able to justify upgrading.
Crazy as the price is I can say I love my new phone. It’s epically fast and comes with all the bells and whistles. Did you upgrade? If so, which model did you choose?
Take a break. Take a Saturday morning off. Do something for yourself. For once, take a moment to enjoy life. I know easier said than done, but seriously think about it. Sounds crazy, maybe so but it’s a necessity. We all live very busy lives that often leave us a bit lack luster. As a workaholic I understand how life can spin out of control. Every once in a while we all need to let off some steam. Well my Saturday morning is how I do it.
However, even I will admit that we need to recharge the batteries every once in a while. As something that’s not married, has no children, but chooses to work as many hours as my body can take I find that by the weekend I am pretty much spent and still trudging on.
I am not a morning person by any means, but I have found a routine and compromise to help keep my sanity even in the most stressful times. It’s actually pretty simple. I take Saturday morning for myself. Before the madness of my workaholic kicks in, where I head into the office to work on a backload of work, I spend the morning doing whatever I want. Most of the time, this ends up with sipping hot coffee while watching whatever is playing on food network. I do work a bit on my planner for the next week and jump into a tad bit of work by going through emails as they come in.
Between my personal email accounts and work account I am not sure which email gets overloaded first, but I would say I receive about 200 emails a day so taking a moment to cull through them is crucial. I typically listen to a playlist of music when culling through emails, as this also seems to help get my brain working properly.
By the time I get through this it’s time that my inner thoughts are ready to kick me out the door. So I quickly get a shower and head into work. I normally spend anywhere from 6-20 hours of my weekend in the office.
I like to work but I also think that taking some time for you is very important. Regardless if it’s spending time in the pool or laying around watching TV. You need to take time for yourself as much as you can so that you can take moment to enjoy life and be yourself.Happy Monday, I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Manic Monday…yeah run it’s really Monday. Insert exhausted sign. Seriously when you spend most of your life at the office working, when you come back in Monday morning it still feels like you just left. Can I get an Amen? So how was the weekend? Did you do anything fun? Mine weekend was kind of blah, but yet even in dull times shenanigans can happen.
1| Drama & Retail Therapy
So I am going to be vague to protect my friend but let’s just say she’s going through a very difficult time. Honestly what she is facing I have always feared. So just unspoken prayer for her. After a good cry session, I decided to partake in some retail therapy. Most weeks consist of placing an Etsy order so Saturday was no different. It would have been great if I stopped there, but Marc Jacobs Beauty was having their Friends and Family sale. What can I say I am a complete sucker for makeup and stickers.
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2| Saturday Nights
I admit I am a bit addicted to Hallmark Movies. I love all of the new movies they are releasing. This past Saturday Royal Hearts premiered and it was rather good. So ever curious where I normally am at 9pm on Saturdays? Well know you know. Seriously spoiler alerts, but isn’t it ever girl’s dream to wake up as a Princess?
3| Frigid Pool & Summer Temps
Opening the pool up is a lot less fun than floating in it during the summer. However it’s a process we can’t really escape. The worst part of this part of the year is Mother Nature decided to skip spring in the South. The temperature is in the high 80s and the pool water is still frigidly cold. Seriously I can’t wait for the pool water to heat up so that I can enjoy summer time.
4|Sunday Funday: Laundry, Planning & More!
Sundays are always crazy. Is it like that for anyone else? I mean seriously it’s nonstop from the Sunrise to late in the night. I am always busy cooking Sunday dinner, which in the South you know is a big deal. While cooking I worked on Laundry, because lord knows I need clean clothes for the week. Since when did Tide Pods become adult proof…I mean really?
In addition, I spent time filling out my B6 planner for the week and catching up on Sunday night shows that I am quite obsessed with. If you haven’t seen the planning crazy I have been enveloped in then make sure you check out my Instagram. I post weekly spreads and planner hauls.
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So back to TV, it’s crazy how many great shows come on Sunday night. My recent discovery is Breaking Homicide, which I am glued to the TV watching every Sunday night. I seriously can’t sleep until I find out what new evidence they have discovered. I think part of my intrigue is that we have a murder cold case in my hometown that is on the minds of everyone weekly. It would be a blessing to have some team come in and solve it for the family’s peace.
Anyways, What shenanigans did you guys get into over the weekend? Any new shows I need to watch? Lord knows I don’t have enough. Happy Monday! Hope you have a great week!
It’s TGIT and I am super excited to be joining Stephanie at Not Entirely Perfect for Three on Thursday. I have followed her blog for years and super excited to join her today for 3 on Thursday. Today I am going to share my list of three things that I am loving this week! One| ACM Awards
Carrie killed it. She literally killed it. Immediately after watching her performance of Cry Pretty I jumped on iTunes and bought this new single. She not only sounded amazing but she looked amazing. If you have been living under a rock you wouldn’t know that she was in an accident at her house a few months back and had a ton of stitches. Her new single Cry Pretty has played on my phone, ipad, and macbook at least 10 times a day since the beginning of the week. I seriously can’t get enough. Proof of how good this song is can be found on the iTunes charts. Seriously what a great song! Take a listen for yourself. It’s a total Female Anthem!
Two| Bobbi Brown Capri Nudes Eye Shadow Palette
Recently I went on a little bit of a Bobbi Brown shopping spree. Since I literally use all the products daily. One that quickly landed in my daily makeup section was the Capri Nudes Eye Shadow Palette. This palette is seriously gorgeous. You can achieve the most natural daytime look and then amp it up to a smoky nighttime look. I seriously am obsessed with it!
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Three| All Things Planning
Over the past month I have really wanted to get into planning. I think with my current job diving into planning could really help. I did go into this a little in yesterday’s post so you can check that out for more. However, I have spent a ton of money buying B6 size planners, planner stickers and accessories. I am waiting for everything to come in, but I am so excited to get started planning. I have found some amazing items like this planner I shared on my instagram as well as some stickers from shops like My Newest Addiction, Simply Watercolor Co & Scribble Prints Co. Make sure you follow me on instagram as I will be posting pictures of my hauls as they come in.
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Make sure you head over and check out Stephanie’s blog! Good news is that we have one more day till the weekend! Happy Thursday, hope you all enjoy TGIT(For all the Greys lovers out there).
Welcome back to Pinteresting Picks Wednesday! How’s the week going thus far? I seriously attempted to write this post while watching the voice. However, I did get work done on commercial breaks. Well a week like mine has been challenging to say the least, but life is what we make of it right? I admit I am addicted to Pinterest and have been for years, which is what instigated this post series. Want to join me? Leave your post below. I would love to see the Pinteresting Picks you’ve discovered this week. Here are my favorites for the week. I will preface this by saying I have truly discovered a new favorite blogger (Erica from Coming Up Roses the Blog). I recommend checking all of these out!
I admit I was looking for ways to optimize my time to get more done. There’s such a big thrill associate with marking something off the “to-do” list. I’m the kind of person that is consistently overloaded and I always am looking for a way to knock off things on my to-do list quicker. This post is how I discovered the “eat the frog” vs. backwards technique. Erica totally blew my mind with, “My Totally Backwards Way to Get More Done.” I admit I wondered if she was totally crazy or a total genius when I started reading this post. I can’t believe I randomly came across this post from Pinterest. It’s truly eye opening.
As someone that is currently drowning in sticky notes, I am looking forward to doing the “Backwards Way” technique. Honestly just reading this post had my wheels slowing down and stress level decreasing. I really like her ideas on prioritizing and booking hours. In my line of business, I really think this will work for me. The overworked, frustrating life that I have been living is totally no bueno! Seriously most days I run around like a chicken with my head cutoff. I literally know the Backwards way is totally going to work for me.
I’ve ordered a planner, planner stickers, accessories and once they come in I am hella determined to conquer my life using the tips and tricks in this post. Are you more of a “eat the frog” or “Backwards Way” kind of girl?
The next post that intrigued me was, “How I Tripled my Blog Traffic in Two Weeks.” Seriously mind blown. Plus pinning images 50 times in one day. Considered double mind blown. Nope, seriously just nope. In comes Tailwind. Granted I’ve heard of tailwind before, but never explained to this magnitude. In this post, she listed out clearly what you need to do before you sign up for tailwind, as well as a guide to tailwind, and how it works. I think it’s important to research a program before signing up.
What makes this post stand out is that even if you don’t want to use tailwind, the motivating tips you can take from this post would make a difference in your Pinterest game.
Well that’s what I have this week for you! I seriously found the best pins this week. You know they are great when you immediately book mark a post. What have you been loving on Pinterest this week? Leave your picks in the comments below!
Southern Beauty Guide is a Lifestyle & Beauty Blog written by Chelsee, a freelance makeup artist & life enthusiast. Chelsee is a self-proclaimed lover of all things Beauty and Life, who loves that makeup gives women confidence. She loves indulging in all the latest and greatest in Beauty, fashion, lifestyle trends, technology, and gadgets/services. At Southern Beauty Guide, there are tons of product reviews, DYI posts, and tips and tricks to make things easier for readers.