Embracing Twentysomething

Products

Finding new, cool, perfectly packaged products is a love of mine. When I find an item that wows me it's usually followed by "I must have that!", or "I have to gift that!" response. Regardless of the intent to use the product, my reaction means I'm sold, and I'm here to share two products I recently came across that I knew were worth sharing on the good ol' blog.

Product #1: The LARK

I think the best inventions are born out of the need of the creator. This holds true for the LARK. It's a silent alarm clock that also tracks your sleep. This is revolutionary because it doesn't disturb your partner if you wake at different times, but also because it doesn't make you want to throw the loud beeping machine across the room. I know that I'd rather wake up to soothing vibrations on my wrist than a loud beep. It also comes with an iPhone app that tracks your sleep cycles. Your own personal sleep coach. Watch this video and see your yourself the magic of the LARK.

 

 Product #2: Wine for a Wedding

Need a wedding gift for a good friend that you'd rather not turn to the registry for? I know I prefer to give unique gifts, not something they expect. Wine for a Wedding is the way to go! It's delicious, beautifully packaged wine that is meant to be enjoyed on three different marriage milestones. You choose the preferred dates {example: 1st anniversary, 5th anniversary, 10th anniversary}, and you also customize the box with a quote, love note, and so on, so when they open the box they have a message to read. A few of my favorites from the site - To make them laugh: When can we expect grandchildren?, To make them smile: May your love be like good wine, grow stonger as it grows older. It makes for a thoughtful gift that any wine loving couple would be pleased to receive. For the real wino--you can just purchase the boxes and choose on your own the bottles to place inside.

Any products you've recently come across that I should know about? Do share.

The Drybar Bouquet

Calling all men! If you're near one of these 13 locations and in need of a gift for your Valentine, you can't go wrong with this idea below. If you aren't up to speed on what the Drybar is, let me explain. It's a blow dry bar! Their motto, "No cuts. No color. Just blowouts." says it all. I was extrememly impressed with the service and chic atmosphere {talk about amazing branding!}--and the low price makes it afforable. They have several different options, my favorite being The Mai Tai. For this Valentine's day, this is a creative way to show your love to your gal. And support her love of a great blowout - something only us females can truly understand. ;)

  

Golden Globe Beauties

Watching the Golden Globes is like watching Miss America {which I definitely did the night before}, it's for the fashion, the beauty, the glamour. Though I thoroughly enjoy movies and televison, I tune in mostly to glue my eyes to the gowns, the jewels, and the stars strutting their stuff. I died a little every time the camera panned these beauties below. Gorgeous.

Jessica Alba in Gucci

Kate Beckinsale in Roberto Cavalli

Elle Macpherson in Zac Posen

Charlize Theron in Dior

My favorite goes to Stacy Keibler in Valentino.

She may have only been there to support George, but her gown stole the show. Simple but stunning.

"I think that playing dress-up begins at age five and never truly ends." kate spade

DIY Shellac

I discovered the magic of shellac {also known as 'gel nails'} two years ago, and I haven't had a professional manicure since that wasn't this magical formula. I paint my nails regulary, but after three days they start peeling--I get annoyed--and start over. Well, I no longer will get annoyed, now that when painting my own nails, the polish will last for the same glorious two weeks that they last when a professional paints them with shellac.

How, you may ask? My very own Shellac machine. And my very own Shellac polish.

All for the low, one time price of $60. Some time ago, I'd spend that alone on one shellac manicure.

{Don't look too closey - I was in a rush and it was my first time!}

In case you fancy this, the machine and the polish came from Amazon. Both I'd give five star recommendations.

Guest Post: Shopping Secrets from StyleSays

I'm thrilled to have my first guest post today from Jess, co-founder of StyleSays, a site filled with fashion eye candy. Jess is here to share her shopping secrets--you don't want to miss this post!

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5 Savvy Shopping Secrets from StyleSays

Holiday parties every weekend, peppermint mochas every morning and Love Actually is stuck on repeat. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Though it’s not always a wonderland. Holiday shopping can be stressful, tiring and turn some people in a real Scrooge. But fear not I’m here with a few of my favorite holiday shopping tips.

My name is Jess and I’m a recent college grad living in California by way of a ranch in Oklahoma. Christmas is kind of a big deal at my house and I’ve always been quite competitive when it comes to gift giving. This has turned me on to a few tricks to skip the crowded malls, save a little time and money. I’m here to share what I’ve learned with you.

Side note: this strange behavior eventually turned into a fashion site that I runwith a couple friends called StyleSays. More to come on that in a sec.

5. Hidden Gems
With so many options you should be bold, be unique and really make your friends + fam feel special. It can be hard to know where to start so StyleSays makes it easy to discover new stores and find hidden gems. And if you really want to be unique look for a handmade item from one of the many online marketplaces like Etsy.

4. Use Wish Lists
Almost every site has one to make organizing gift ideas a lot easier. But you need to have all of your wish lists in one place to really compare gifts. StyleSays makes it easy to save your favorite items from all of your favorite sites so you can compare gifts and prices side-by-side. Shopping should be fun and easy, right?

3. Free Returns
When you’re doing all your holiday shopping at the mall this isn’t a problem but if you’re buying online it’s mega important to find stores with friendly return policies.

Here are a few stores that have friendly return policies: ModCloth, Free People, Zappos and ShopBop. ASOS has great return policies for international shipping too.

2. Shop Locally (online)
Shopping locally doesn’t mean you have to run all over town braving traffic and long lines, though that’s part of the adventure. You can check your favorite boutique’s online store to make sure they have just what you’re looking for. I went ahead and added some of my favorites to the Atlanta boutique SWANK on StyleSays.

1. Treat yourself
Don’t end up with another pair of socks or a candle. Let people know you want those new Marc Jacobs bag or a painting by Jen of Made by Girl. I think I know one fashionista with that on her list. Make it easy on them and create a collection of all the things you want to see under the tree and then send that
link around to all the Santas in your life.

BONUS!

And guess what, you could win items from that Christmas List in case you don’t get everything you want.

StyleSays is playing Santa this year! Enter our Christmas List giveaway and you could win an item from your list. It’s super easy to enter. 1) Make a Christmas List and 2) Share it with a few friends.

Thank you to Beth and her lovely readers!

Happy Holidays!
Jess

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Thanks, Jess! Now, friends, go make that Christmas List & check out StyleSays.

Christmas is only a few days away!

xo, Beth

Bravo Obsession

Yep, I have an obsession. A Bravo TV obsession. I can't get enough! My DVR is set with Bravo shows and I come home nightly to catch up on my big time enfatuation with the reality show lives. I know, I know, it's not reality, but it's all fun to me. Besides the back stabbing gossip filled conundrums, it excites me to see their style in clothing, beauty, and home design. It gives this 9-5er inspiration when it comes to fashion and trends. They are my personal stylists. Reality shows, Pinterest, and of course, blogs. :) Here are some images that I'm obsessing over lately.

Courtney's hair and style from Most Eligable Dallas. I envy her ability to encomposs trendy and chic.

Rachel Zoe's home. Hellllllllo gorgeous.

Brandi may not be the most sophisticated {or favored} gal on the the street, but she sure is glam. Whether it's a coffee date or a party with board games, she always looks fabulous.

Million Dollar Decorators - because I tend to have expensive taste and this fuels my passion.

Who said eye candy was a bad thing?

It's just too bad Bethenny Ever After and Pregnant in Heels isn't currently on. That would make my weeks complete.

Is Bravo a favorite of yours too?

It's Been Awhile

Two months? Sheesh. I've been a busy girl and unfortunately I can't do it all, so neglecting the computer was the easiest priority to push to the bottom. The way bottom.

In my absence life has been rich with travels and moments that I would have liked to freeze in time. Magical seconds that turned into enchanting hours and days where I questioned "is this real life?" I'll let the pictures do the talking--my week in Europe where I witnessed the most beautiful wedding, and remembered why I love to travel and explore new horizons.

European fresh air.

Although my photo op isn't quite as impressive {ha ha}, I still made it. The famous Gellert Baths.

After exploring Budapest the beautiful, next stop was the wedding in Vienna. And I mean the wedding.

{Wedding Photos courtesty of Claire Morgan Photography}

Want more? You're in luck - here is an adorable video that captures this fairytale.

After toasting the couple and waving goodbye so they could enjoy their romantic honeymoon, I too, set off for new horzions.

Next stop: Paris!

I couldn't resist. Love was blooming on that lawn.

I don't know who they are or what their story is, but I do know, that's love.

Now that I'm back at work, I need to remind myself daily why I work. Not to make a living to eat, buy new clothing, or purchase a new home {although those things are nice..}, but to travel. To see the world from another's perspective and give definition to the meaning discover. You're never too old or too wise to discover. As Steve Job's lived by, "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish". I think it did him well - don't you?

Need vs. Want

After modifying my place, I've been looking for the perfect piece on the wall above my computer - a very blank wall. Albeit I love white {and truly can't get enough of it}, I still adore a pop of color every now and then, and my place is neutral enough that it could use a pop of color. As shown below, it's needed.

I haven't been active in the blog world for the past few months {need more hours in each day}, so I've missed some pretty amazing launches. One of those {thanks to Pinterest for informing me}, is Cocoa and Hearts, by the very talented and inspiring Jen of Made by Girl. Talk about a blogger that makes me want to quit my day job to follow my passions. She's quite the inspiration. And she makes the kind of art that this heart of mine longs for. Have you ever had a vision of something, and then saw it in real life and it made you giddy that it was possible? Well, that's what her art did for me. Just my style.

Here is the "Lipstick Dots" that is on my wish list.

It would fit perfectly with my computer and desk. I even have that retro clock screen saver. Meant to be? I'd say so.

The other art she creates is also on my wish list. Just lovely.

 

{Images from Cocoa and Hearts}

I have a hard time knowing whether something is a need or a want, but this, this is need. Right? ;)

A Profound Forward

 

 A sweet friend of mine sent this forward to me, and it immediately made me question my routine-oriented-life. I'm pretty bad about not going to dinner with a friend on a weekday because I need to do laundry, or not going to a last minute Brave's game on a Thursday because on Thursday's I paint my nails and prep for the weekend {hello, face masks and the like. I love being a girl.}. Well, it's not always that bad, but I do find myself in the same old rut and although it can be healthy to keep myself accountable and organized, I often realize I miss out on some of lifes grand opportunities for fun- adventure- and joy, because I turn down a moment of spontaneity. After reading this, I will say yes to a last minute invitation, and maybe even take a hot air balloon ride on a random day. It's on the top of my bucket list, so it surely couldn't be more fun than doing it at the spur of the moment. And I will definitely, call my far away friends frequently -- I love and miss them so, and don't always do the best job of displaying it by failing to call and write often. It certainly isn't a reflection of my care for them, just a bad habit of my every day routine.

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"Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

 How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you? How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television? I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't.. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. 

Because People cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect! We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Tommy toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college. Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.' 

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord. 

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see her sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'? Life is not a race. Take it slower. . . Hear the music before the song is over."

Seven Days

{all images thanks to Pinterest}

In just over 6 weeks I'll be traveling to Europe to see my very best friend marry the man of her dreams - her Austrian. I'll be gone for seven days. Instead of flying straight to Vienna for the formal affair, I've decided to take advantage of this time and travel to new places. I would love any tips, advice, or guidance from you European travelers! Where to stay? What to see? I'm flying into Budapest and will be there three days - then I will take the train to Vienna. After the wedding I'll fly to Paris for a day before flying home. I've been to Paris, but never to Budapest or Vienna. I graciously welcome any recommendations! I also don't have the beloved iPad {I know, so sad}, so any books you would recommend? I need to keep myself entertained during the 13 hour flight each way. I'm so excited to see my best friend marry the one she loves, and travel and explore at the same time. It's not every day you go to a wedding overseas.