Love from LA

My last birthday in my 20's is upon us! Birthday week started with a thoughtful treat from my sister and cousin. They took me to the Winspear Opera House to watch Disney's Beauty and the Beast! Loved it! That show brings me to tears every single time. Yesterday I was greeted by a surprise package from my sweet bestie in LA. We've been friends before we even needed to wear training bras! A few years ago we were roommates in Houston then we both went our separate ways, she moved to California and I moved back home to the big D. When we were roommates in Houston we used to lounge around all day and watch bad reality TV. All day, errrday. One of my absolute favorites was The Rachel Zoe Project! I go ba-na-nas over Rachel Zoe. Being a good best friend she knew this very well and sent me this sweet package!

A signed copy of Rachel Zoe's latest book! I knew she had gone to a meet and greet to meet her, but had had no idea she had grabbed me one! 

Feelin' pretty blessed to have such amazing women in my life that I'm able to call my friends and family! Even miles away and not many words spoken I'm so glad we are always able to pick up right where we left off. Knowing that soon we will be on complete opposite sides of the country I have no doubt our friendship and sisterhood will continue to grow. Cheers to awesome girlfriends!

Stella & Dot Giveaway

Hello Monday. Despite the exhaustion from the weekend and gloomy weather I'm super excited to do my first giveaway today! Bella from Dateless in Dallas put together an awesome chance to win a $200 Stella & Dot gift card! With wedding season in full swing and Summer just around the corner a $200 gift card to score some awesome accessories would be the perfect way to revamp that closet. Enter the giveaway down below and get a chance to win some gorgeous goodies! Contest ends next Monday on April 28th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Currently Lovin'

Afternoon tea for my friend's bridal shower. I love anything and everything girly. The Chocolate Angel Cafe & Tearoom was the cutest place for a little girl time.

I'm obsessed with my Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon. Hands down the best eyeliner I've ever tried. This baby is long lasting and doesn't smudge. Love it.

Adorable centerpiece from the bridal shower that I scooped up. It's the perfect addition to my little work space at home.

I've been a little nostalgic lately. Missing home before I've even left. I've been dedicating #TBT as my own personal travel diary and good times with the people I love. Yesterday's post was from a hike to Manoa Falls in Oahu. Follow me on Instagram here. 

You know you're getting old when one box of birthday candles isn't enough for your age. I wish we were celebrating our 24th birthday. 

It's Friday! My weekend started last night with a late night celebration of all our friend's April birthdays. When I say late night I mean being home by 11:00 pm. The rest of my weekend is filled with another birthday celebration and a wedding. Preparing myself to be completely exhausted on Monday! Have a wonderful weekend!

Currently Lovin'

Wishing for sunshine and iced coffee this weekend!

I'm what you call an infant when it comes to this vast world of blogging. During my spare time when I'm not blogging myself I love to sit back and peruse my favorite blogs. From lifestyle blogs to fashion blogs, I love to read and gain inspiration for my everyday life. These are a few of my favorite blogs that I've been following on Bloglovin! 

Dateless In Dallas

Cupcakes & Cashmere

Sincerely Jules

Love Fashion Live Life

Lauren Conrad

We Took The Road Less Traveled

A Cup of Jo

Two Thirds Hazel

Wendy's LookBook

I'm so excited the weekend is finally here! I've got plans to catch up with a few people here and there and a bridal shower for one of my sweetest friends. Let's hope Dallas doesn't go cray on us with the weather this weekend. Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Style Icon: Jennifer Aniston

"Once you figure out who you are and what you love about yourself, I think it all kind of falls into place." - Jennifer Aniston 

Jennifer Aniston has been my WCW (woman crush Wednesday) before hashtags even existed. She has dealt with fame, divorce, love, and falling back out of love with more class and poise than I could ever imagine myself having. She's one of those chicks that make getting older seem exciting, fulfilling, and ridiculously sexy. Her style has evolved as the years have gone by, but she hasn't strayed away from mixing up the classic looks with wearable trends. Jen is the epitome of getting older like fine wine.

Jennifer Aniston is one of my ultimate style icons. I'm in love with her casual, but sexy LA style. Jen knows how to rock those boyfriend jeans like nobody else. I love how effortlessly she pulls off jeans and a T-shirt, but still makes it look chic and updated. I love quality tees in neutral tones that I can incorporate into any outfit whether it be alone with some jeans or under my black blazer and leather leggings. Jen loves to play around with infinity scarves and hats to add onto her outfits. I invested in a quality brown leather belt years ago and it's been on rotation in my outfits since day 1. Jen is infamous for throwing on a classic belt to pull her outfits together. Her shoe game matches mine perfectly. Simple, comfy, and versatile! And no Jennifer Aniston outfit would be complete without the classic Ray Ban aviators. Perfection. I would rock that outfit with soft beachy waves on a full day of running errands and shopping with the girls.

Her tried and true Degaine jeans. You can never go wrong with a good pair of denim and a classic leather belt.

A simple pair of wedges that can be rotated with all my summer outfits. Not too high, not too low. Comfort and style all rolled into one.

Jen can wear a LBD just as effortless as she wears jeans and a T-shirt. If only my yogi body looked as good as that. Maybe when I'm 40. Namaste.

I have been on Team Aniston from the very beginning. I love you Jennifer Aniston. Your envious style and rockin' body will keep me going to every romantic comedy you produce until the day I die. 

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Bloglovin'

How many of you are addicted to reading blogs like me? I love reading fashion, travel, and lifestyle blogs to inspire me in my everyday life. I recently joined Bloglovin' to help simplify my daily reads and I'm lovin' it so far! Bloglovin' brings all your favorite blog posts to one site and notifies you whenever your favorite blogger writes a new post! Bloglovin' also offers a way to discover new blogs that are similar to the blogs you already love. It's a one stop shop for all your blogging needs! Sign up and don't forget to follow yours truly!

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Post Oscars Withdrawl

Ever since awards season started I have been infatuated with Luptia Nyong'o and Jared Leto. First off, their performances in 12 Years A Slave and Dallas Buyers Club were flawless. It was exciting for me to watch their unique style all season. On top of that, they're just two ridiculously gorgeous people. And after their moving Oscar speeches, I've seen that their beauty shines inside and out. With all these rumors flying around that these two are an item, I honestly couldn't be more elated!

"When I look down at this statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you're from your dreams are valid."

What touched me most about her Oscar speech was the fact that her success stemmed from someone else's pain and that thought was at the forefront of her mind. She thanks the spirit of Patsey, her character in 12 Years A Slave. "It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else's and so I want to salute the spirit of Patsey and thank her for her guidance." 12 Years A Slave was a difficult, but important film to watch. The academy got it right naming this film Best Picture of the Year.

“To all the dreamers out there around the world watching this tonight in places like the Ukraine and Venezuela, I want to say we are here and as you struggle to… to make your dreams happen, to live the impossible… We’re thinking of you tonight."

If you haven't seen Dallas Buyers Club, be sure to check it out! Jared Leto's performance was incredible and his Best Supporting Actor award was well deserved. His Oscar speech was so thoughtful and genuine. I've never been a big fan of his music or movies, but that's quickly changing! I'm sprung on you Jared Leto.

There's only 2 Oscar nominated films I have yet to watch, but I plan on catching up pretty soon. Who were your choices for best dressed at the Oscars this year? Favorite nominated films? I'm excited to see all the new movies 2014 will bring. This year's Oscar nominations were top notch, some of the best films I've seen in years. Bring it 2014. 

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Splurge Or Steal

I've always had expensive taste and a budget that never quite matched. Praise Korean baby Jesus that there are good dupes for higher end products! I've been obsessing over the beauty that is the Celine luggage tote for quite some time now. I couldn't type my credit card number fast enough when I found this jewel on DailyLook! I purchased the 'Large Structured Handbag' in black and I couldn't be more satisfied with this bag. The quality of the interior and exterior is honestly much better than I expected. It's called 'Large' for a reason, this bag fits everything I need and more. I'm in love with it. So in love with it that I'm waiting for the cream version to come back in stock! A girlfriend of mine traveled back home to the motherland and even a knock off from the islands is gonna cost you about $250.00! And to be honest I doubt the quality would even compare to DailyLook's bag. Until the day comes that I can purchase my very own Celine, this bag ain't a shabby substitute.

Splurge: Celine

Steal: Shop DailyLook

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currently lovin'

My greatest struggle today is deciding whether I want to order a #1 or #9 at McDonald's tonight. But for the rest of you running around to prepare for tonight, Happy Valentine's Day! These are a few of my favorite things, Valentine's Day inspired! From nightwear to jewelry, all these items have been on current rotation in my life. Hope this sparks a little Valentines inspiration for you to spoil your loved ones or even better yourself! Whether I've been in a relationship or spent the day with a few bottles and my fellow singles, it's always been a fun day to celebrate with those I truly care about! Let's all cheers to our past loves for the lessons, our present loves for making life so sweet, and to our future for the love that is promised to come. To my fellow sexy singles make it a day to honor, love, and treat yourself. Have a happy Valentine's day and a weekend full of love!

1. Kissable Red Lips

2. Setting the Mood

3. Sexy, yet Comfy

4. Blushing Beauty

5. Cupid 

6. Fresh and Clean

7. Rings for Days

8. Every Girl Deserves Fresh Flowers

9. Soft and Smooth

10. Never Leave Home Without Your Love

xo.
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first impression: elf studio matte lip color

Elf cosmetics are known for their affordable prices. I've found that most of their products are a hit or a miss. I've been wanting to try a new matte lipstick since I'm typically a glossy lip gal. But, I didn't want to splurge on something just yet. So I was very interested when i found the Elf Studio Matte Lip Color at Target. I purchased the color Rich Red since it was the only color they had that I thought would look good on me. The other shades were pretty neutral but looked too light for my skin tone.

This convenient jumbo sized lip pencil creates exact color application with twist up ease so you never have to sharpen. The pigment rich color glides on effortlessly and easily to provide long lasting matte color. The enriched Vitamin A, C & E formula moisturizes and hydrates lips for beautiful healthy looking lips.

description by e.l.f. Cosmetics 

This past weekend I was able to try out the lipstick Saturday night for a birthday party. Here are my thoughts!

Pricing: At a low 3 bucks it's definitely not breaking the bank to try this out!

Packaging: I liked the simple black packaging and it reminded me of Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. Which elf was probably trying to dupe with this product. It's a plastic container and very lightweight which makes it easy to tote around in my makeup bag or even my pocket. I liked the twist up versus a lip pencil stick that you have to sharpen. It contains 0.06 oz and seemed a lot less than what you find in your typical lipstick product. Not sure why they described it as a jumbo sized lip pencil, as it was relatively small compared to other lip pencils.

Color: The color advertised on the outside of the box is a little misleading. I thought it would have been a deeper red. That type of red usually looks better on my warm skin tone. But, after a swatch on my skin I found the red to be much brighter. There was even a little bit of an orange tone once I put it on my lip. It was still a pretty red to wear, decent pigmentation and easy to build on color. My biggest disappointment with this product was the matte aspect was nowhere to be found! There was quite a bit of gloss on my lip and I definitely wouldn't refer to this as a matte lip color.

Application & Scent: I really like the small pointy end of the lipstick. It made it much easier to apply to the edges and corners of my lips. The formula of the product made it smooth and easy to apply. There was really no scent to the product. Nothing offensive and barely recognizable if there was. 

Hydration: My greatest concern about matte lip colors is I'm scared of it drying out my lips. I have very dry lips and I'm constantly having to apply my chap stick. I applied my EOS lip balm before adding the color. It left my lips feeling very moisturized and soft. It didn't dry out my lips one bit. Now, I'm not sure if it was my lip balm or the lipstick that left my lips hydrated. But, the second time I reapplied without additional lip balm it was just as moisturized.

Longevity: I applied the color around 6:00 in the evening and headed to dinner. I checked on my lips right after dinner and of course the color was a bit faded. I reapplied and found that it was easy to reapply and looked fresh once again. 3 hours later, at the end of the night I checked on my lips once more. The color was blotchy, uneven, and left my lips extremely dry. I definitely wouldn't call this a long lasting color. 

Final Thoughts: I wouldn't refer to this lipstick as a matte color. It's still a pretty shade of red but there is definitely a slight gloss to this color. It's far from durable and long lasting as it barely lasted 6 hours before falling apart. I think this is a good color to spend a few hours in but wouldn't expect to be in it all night. I would definitely use this lipstick again as I thought it still looked good on my lips. But, I probably won't be repurchasing this lipstick as it wasn't even matte and there are just so many other great red shades out there that don't even cost that much more. 

I'm on the lookout for another matte lipstick and hopefully I'll have better luck next time! Any suggestions on a good matte lipstick out there? Have you tried this product, how did it work for you? 

Hopefully it's inspiring you to wear a sexy red lip this Friday for Valentine's day! 

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love & sarcasm

Yupp, I created a blog. Since all my friends are busy getting married and pregnant, I thought what could I possibly do with my free time?! Well, here's what I came up with! My creative outlet to pretty much write about anything and everything! I'm your typical late 20's (but pretty much around the corner from 30) gal trying to navigate my way through life. Balancing work, school, friendships, and the non existent Dallas dating scene. All while trying to learn how to contour my face, cook and workout like those chicks on Pinterest, pretend I'm a foodie on Instagram, and get myself outta sweats and into something cute. I can't wait to share all my thoughts, ideas, and latest finds! Join me as I learn how to use my laptop, figure out what hashtags belong on what day, and how to step up my blogging game.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for some fun posts!

xo.

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