Saturday, April 13, 2013

lived in.

Hi, friends. I've been blogging in this space for quite some time now. I've enjoyed it so much and have loved getting to know each of you and having you as readers. For awhile something about this space hasn't felt inspiring anymore. I don't know why and I've discussed it several times, but I can't shake it. Jeffrey and I recently got married, so we've decided to begin a brand new blog together!

I hope you'll join us over at our new space, Lived In! I love each of you! xo, R.

P.S. I don't plan on closing this space down any time soon, so I hope you'll browse the archives and make yourself at home. :)

Sunday, March 17, 2013

sharing on a sunday.

penland2

Good afternoon, friends! I hope you're having the loveliest Sunday. I just took a trip to the mall and now I'm sitting on the couch with Jeffrey. We're trying to wrap up the little details of our wedding and I can't believe it will be here in one week! Since our engagement was pretty long, it seemed like this day would never come, so it really snuck up on us. It's amazing to think that by this time next week we'll be getting ready to marry one another. I can hardly believe it and I'm really, really excited! This weekend, I thought I'd share a few things with you. I hope you enjoy them. :)

I have been loving Trader Joe's salsa. You guys. I pretty much never just want chips and salsa, but ever since Jeffrey recommended this stuff, I've been hooked. It's really just your run of the mill salsa, but it tastes so good! We really love it with their organic corn chip dippers, which are like sophisticated Fritos.

* After since my coconut oil post, I've been using the stuff as shaving cream all the time. I really, really like a close shave, so I pretty much always shave my legs twice right in a row. The first time I just use a regular shaving cream, but the second time I use coconut oil. My favorite part is that there's no need to moisturize after I finish shaving because the coconut oil takes care of that part for me.

* My dairy free experiment is almost over and I couldn't be happier about that! I do think it made a difference in my skin, but it certainly didn't transform it. If you do have troubled skin, I'd recommend trying it out. I started seeing results after about three weeks of leaving dairy behind. Because I'm a huge dairy lover, it was really difficult for me, but I'm glad I stuck with it. This and this (in blueberry) helped me get through it!

* Woody's new squeaky toy makes him and us very happy! My aunt recommended that we get Woody a squeaky toy, but we weren't keen on hearing it all the time. We found this sweet little tennis dog made by Kong and it was like the heavens were shining down on us! You can turn the squeaker OFF, which is super awesome because most of the time we don't mind hearing him squeak away, but when we do we just hit the button and silence is granted.

* I found a makeup brush that will change the way your makeup looks on your face. I'm not huge into having a million brushes for my makeup, but even I can recognize the benefits of a high quality foundation brush. Because our wedding is coming up, I didn't mind splurging a little bit on some high quality makeup to make myself feel extra special. A girl at the Sephora counter recommended this brush and it is really incredible! I will admit that the price was a bit of a slap in the face, but I actually think it's worth it. The trick is holding the brush right at the very end of the handle so that you have a lot of flexibility in moving the brush over the foundation. It creates a flawless, natural finish. (P.S. These are some of my favorite brushes and they're much more affordable if you're on a budget.)

* Speaking of makeup, I found the most amazing blush for fair-skinned folks. When I was in high school, I wanted nothing more than to be tan, but now that I'm a little bit older I really appreciate my pale skin. (Plus, the start of forehead wrinkles was a pretty big wake up call.) Taking care of the skin on my face is one of my favorite ways to treat myself and when I came across this blush by Tarte, it was like someone made it specifically for me. It has an amazingly natural, but glowing finish and it looks wonderful on pale skin. On top of that it's formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOS, or triclosan. In general, Tarte is a pretty conscience company and I trust their products (I've heard these lipsticks have wonderful pigmentation and staying power)! The price might come as a bit of a shock, but you're paying for a product that is made with integrity and your health in mind. Keep in mind that most drugstore products are filled with nasty, cancer-causing agents. Yikes!

Anyway, that's enough rambling for one day. Have a beautiful Monday, friends! xo, R.

P.S. Do you have anything to share?

Thursday, February 28, 2013

this is what our dog does when i'm trying to get work done.

Photo 492

How am I supposed to ignore that sweet little face?! xo, R.