Olay Regenerist Thermal Mini-Peel and a Little Bit of Wedding Talk

Hey ya'll! How is your week going? I've been super busy the past few days so I apologize for my sporadic blogging. I'm getting really deep in to my wedding planning right now and that seems to be taking up all of my free time. I feel guilty for not really blogging about any of my wedding stuff, so I feel like I need to catch ya'll up on some things.

• Our wedding date is set for July 7th 2011- 167 days!!! OMG
• We're getting married at Gulf Shores, Alabama- I have always wanted a beach wedding and I'm so excited! How fun will it be to have our families and friends hang out on the beach for a week?
• I'm going wedding dress shopping this Saturday! I have put this off because I wanted to make sure I was actually having a beach wedding before I bought a dress.
• My to do list is a mile long right now. I'm having a hard time staying organized so I'm looking for any tips you married girls have.
• Also, I want ya'lls opinions on a big issue Gabe and I are facing right now. Joint bank accounts or separate? I have always assumed we would keep separate checking and have a joint savings. But I have had so many people tell me there's no way that will work! So whats a girl to do? I like my independence and I know Gabe does too. But is there something wrong with separate accounts?

Ok enough with the wedding talk. I have been looking for a new face scrub lately because the one I was using was not cutting it anymore. Not wanting to spend a ton of money, I went to Target to look for something. I seriously spent an hour looking. Finally I decided on Olay Regenerist Thermal Mini-Peel

 What Olay says- 
"Regenerist Thermal Mini-Peel exfoliates surface skin cells for the results of a mini-professional treatment . . . rejuvenated, newer skin.

• Rejuvenate. . .water activated, self-heating formula deeply warms skin to relax pores

• Reveal. . .nourishing hydration for skin that is beautifully moisturized

• Regenerate. . .exfoliating glycolic acid + micro-crystal complex gently polishes skin's surface for the look of newer skin"- Olay website

My Opinion-

 I'm in love. I know I say this all the time about products, but seriously this stuff is amazing! I love the self-heating thing. It feels wonderful. Plus, it exfoliates really well but doesn't irritate my skin. The little exfoliating beads are softer than most scrubs so I wasn't left all red afterwards. I followed it up with my night cream and woke up to super smooth and soft skin. I have seriously been touching my face all day! This is perfect for my winter skin blues. The only downfall, it cost like $18. That's a little steep for a drugstore brand, but you actually get quite a bit of product so I think it's worth it. 5 out of 5 stars! I would definitely buy it again. 

Have a good day ya'll!

Weekend re-cap: Off to the races!

Happy Monday! How was everyone's weekend? Ours was good! We spent Friday night at home catching up on some TV shows and going to bed early. Saturday we went to the horse races with some friends. It was opening weekend at Oaklawn  so of course it was absolutely packed. We spent the day eating, having a few drinks, and trying to win some money. So much fun!

Me and Gabe waiting for a race to start

Waiting to check out the horses in between races

My winning horse :)

After the last race of the day. And thankfully the only time we went outside that day. It was cold!!

After the races we had dinner in Little Rock at Bravo with friends.
Sunday we were lazy all day. I did manage to get a workout in and then we went to the movies to see Black Swan

Um, crazy! I'm still on the fence if I liked this movie or not.
Today, Gabe and I both had the day off work for MLK so we had breakfast at Panera and then did some grocery shopping. The rest of my day has been filled with cleaning the apartment, doing laundry, and working out. Anyway, no news on the career front for me :( I'm still substitute teaching in the mean time so I'm not totally bored out of my mind.
Hope everyone has a good week!

Yantra Mat Review

So I told ya'll that I got the Yantra Mat for Christmas. If you didn't read my first post on what a Yantra Mat is, you can read it here. Ok so I've been using this for a few weeks now and I am obsessed. I seriously can't go a day without using it now. The first week I started off laying on my back for 10 minutes a day as recommended by the makers of Yantra Mat. The second week I worked my way up to 15 minutes a day on my back + 5 minutes with it rolled up under my neck. Now I'm on week three, and I'm doing 20 minutes on my back a day + 10 minutes with it under my neck.

Now I know what ya'll are really wanting to know, How does it feel? The plastic spikes were a little sharper than I thought they would be. So at first I was kind of nervous. The company recommends wearing a t shirt the first few times while you're getting used to it. When I had the t shirt on, I couldn't feel anything at all, so I just wore my sports bra. The first couple minutes of laying on it can be a little intense the first few times. I had to remember to keep taking deep breaths and relax. After the initial discomfort subsided, I had this intense feeling of warmth spread across my back. Almost like I was laying on a heating pad. Then, I could feel my muscles and my entire body start to relax. Now that I've been using it for a couple of weeks, I don't really have any pain or discomfort when I'm laying on the mat. I'm just totally relaxed.

How do I feel after using the Yantra Mat? My back and neck pain has definitely subsided. The first few days of using this, I would get up and my back would pop, almost like it was re-aligning itself. I'm not having near as much muscle pain or headaches as I used to. I usually Yantra after I work out. It's when my muscles need it the most. I have also noticed that I feel more relaxed as a whole. Especially in the hours after using the mat. The company said that it's common to fall asleep on the mat. I've never actually fallen asleep, but I sometimes go into a half awake/ half asleep state. This goes away as soon as I get off the mat. I use the mat in the evenings though because it does make me a little tired.

Would I recommend this product? Yes. But only if you are willing to seriously dedicate your time to it. You have to learn to be still and just relax while laying on it. You also have to be willing to give up the time to lay on it. Like I said, I spend around 30 minutes on it. It's a great time to relax and let go of your day.

If you have anymore question about the Yantra Mat, feel free to email me. Also check out the website here. Have a good day!!

Graduation Gifts to Myself

So I decided a couple of months ago that I would use some of my graduation money to treat myself to 2 items that I've been obsessing over for awhile now. So last week I finally gave in and bought:

Tory Burch Revas

I bought the black/silver pair and I LOVE them! They are so comfortable and I've been wearing them non-stop. (except for in this snow mess) I'm definitely thinking I need a few other pairs in different colors!

 

I also treated myself to the DVF Julian wrap dress

This one was a little harder for me to spend my money on, but I look at anything Diane von Furstenberg as an investment piece that I will wear for years. And I love this dress. I can't wait to have a job to wear it to :) (yeah, job search has me a little frustrated right now) I think this one was really worth the money. It's a classic!

I always think it's good to treat yourself to a little something after a big accomplishment. And I think that these made perfect graduation gifts. :)

Snow!

Hey ya'll! Hope everyone is having a good week. We've had some snow this week, so I haven't done much of anything! It started snowing Sunday afternoon and didn't completely quit until Monday afternoon. I think we got around 5 inches where I live. So obviously everything shut down. Gabe was even off work yesterday! I actually took a few pictures of the snow.

Today the sun actually came out so I'm hoping everything will start to melt. I like snow for about one day and then I start to get bored and ready to leave the house.

Have a good afternoon!

Recent Sephora Purchases

Happy Friday!!! Everybody do their happy dance! So I haven't talked about any skincare or beauty products in like a month. What's wrong with me?! So today I bring you my recent Sephora purchases. And just so you know they all have my stamp of approval.

First up,
Korres Yogurt Mask

 

As you have all probably gathered by now my skin is painfully dry in the winter. I love moisturizing masks with all of my heart because they're the easiest way to soothe dry, yucky skin while making it smoother and look healthier. I was in Sephora back in November and I received some samples of this mask. I was cautious at first because it said it was for oily and dehydrated skin. ??? My skin is dehydrated but definitely not oily! But the girl at Sephora told me she swears by it and that I would love it. So I tried it out that night and OMG I was in love. It smell divine and felt so good on my face. It had almost a cooling effect on my skin and when I wiped it off, I had no irritation and my skin was glowing and smooth. I was hooked immediately. Over the next week I used the rest of my samples and then went back to Sephora to buy a jar. It was sold out! So I'm thinking no problem, I can order it online. Sold out there too! My local Sephora finally got it back in stock and I've been smooth and hydrated ever since.

While also perusing the Korres section I picked up some Pomegranate lip butter.

If you haven't tried this stuff before, go buy it now! I have loved this for a while now. It soothes your lips with Shea butter and delivers a sheer wash of color. I love it for a daytime lip color. You can also try using it as a blush when your in a pinch. That's why I love carrying it in my bag.

And lastly, I bought Anastasia Brow Powder Duo

I have next to no eyebrows.They are so thin! And I've learned over the past few years I need to fill them in so they look somewhat normal. I have used every type of brow filler under the sun. Pencils, sticky liquid stuff that comes in what looks like a mascara tube, and powders. I'm definitely a powder girl. I think it looks the most natural. Problem is I have had such a hard time finding a good color for me. It's always either too light or too dark.  Thankfully Anastasia is like the eyebrow queen and her line has so many different options. I bought the medium ash and it's perfect! I need to do a before and after for ya'll just to show the difference this has made for me. I'm in love. Even when I'm not wearing makeup now, I at least have to do my brows. Gabe thinks this is kind of creepy but whatever!

So that's it! I could honestly buy out the entire stock at Sephora. I spend hours in there. I can't help it. I'm a beauty junkie.
Hope you all have a great weekend! For the first time in MONTHS we have nothing planned. I don't even remember what having no plans feels like. I'm so excited!

New Years Resolutions

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a good week so far! So I'm a few days late on this but here are my New Year's resolutions for 2011:

1. Find a job!!! I mean I technically have a job right now, but I'm looking for a career. A big girl job if you will.
2. Get this wedding planned. I have not been a very good planner over the past few months. So I finally did what any smart girl would do and got a wedding planner! Much better! We'll be getting married on the beach in July of this year! I just need to take the time to actually sit down and figure out all of the other things I want for this wedding.
3. Read more. While in school, most of the reading I did was required. I'm looking forward to curling up with a good book every night and enjoying it. I've already read two since graduation last month.
4. Be more patient. This is probably my biggest personality downfall. I am not patient at all. With anybody. I would like to learn to just relax and go with the flow.
5. Add more to my workouts. I'm good at working out regularly, but I'm guilty of getting stuck in a rut. I am interested in trying new things this year, maybe getting back into yoga or trying one of those boot camp classes.
6. Cook more. Confession time: I don't actually cook all that often. Gabe is actually the main chef around here. I bake of course, but cooking dinner is something I just never want to do. This year I want to learn to cook more things and actually do it on a regular basis.
7. Cut back on my Starbucks consumption. I spend way to much  money on coffee. This is money I should be saving.

And that's it! I'm not really a big resolutions person and I don't think you should set yourself up for failure by setting unattainable goals. I'm confidant that I can accomplish all of these this year.

Have a good afternoon ya'll!

P.S.- yes I'm devastated about how the Hogs game turned out last night. I may or may not have shed a few tears :(

Getting Hog Wild!

Tonight, in just a few short hours, the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ohio State Buckeyes face off in the Sugar Bowl!!

 

I'm so excited, but also filled with nerves about this game!! We decided not to make the trip to New Orleans for the game (which I'm now regretting) due to the fact that Gabe had to go back to work. So my request for my readers is to please cheer on my Hogs tonight! Unless you live in Ohio, then I can give you a free pass I guess ;)

Woo Pig Sooie!!!

Back to Blogging- Long post!

Yikes! It's been awhile! With Christmas, Gabe's birthday, and New Years, I've been extremely busy! On top of that we were without Internet for 5 days! First things first, how was your Christmas? Mine was absolutely amazing! We did 3 Christmas's in 24 hours. It was crazy busy, but so much fun. I got everything on my list and more. A few of my favorite items:

- The Michael Kors watch I have been wanting from Gabe

-Kate Spade Gold Coast Maryanne bag from my mom and step-dad. This bag is a classic and looks amazing in real life. I had been lusting after it for like 8 months. I LOVE it!

-a cruise to the Caribbean in March for Gabe and me from my dad and step-mom. I finally get a vacation!

-new Uggs- hate on them if you will. I don't care because they are so comfy and warm

-a Keurig coffee maker.

- Kate Spade Twirl perfume. This smells amazing!

-a new pair of D&G sunglasses from my fabulous aunt and uncle

- a Yantra Mat!! Full review of this baby coming soon!

- a few more place settings of my dishes and the serving platter and bowl that goes with my set

- some itunes gift cards so I could download some new books to my ipad. I've been a reading machine during my break!
and so many other goodies that I can't even start to list them on!

Gabe and me Christmas night at his parents

I have felt so blessed since Christmas. I honestly didn't ask for anything other than the Kate Spade bag this year so I wasn't expecting all of this! To be honest, this year I was more excited about the gifts that I gave. I put a lot of time and thought into the gifts I bought for my parents and siblings this year. This year was really the first year I've had the money to gift like a grown up. I loved watching their faces when they opened their presents!

Anyway, the week after Christmas my sister came to stay with me a night while Gabe was at deer camp with my dad and brother. We had sister bonding time, stayed up late watching movies, and got mani/pedi's together. So much fun! The 30th was Gabe's 24th birthday. We went to Little Rock where I treated him to lunch and we did a little shopping. Then we had dinner with his parents that night.
New Year's Eve we went over to one of G's co-workers house to ring in 2011. We had so much fun and stayed out way to late. I didn't get many pictures over the break because my camera is on it's last leg. I'm hoping to get new one in the upcoming months.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2011! I'm getting married this year!! Oh my goodness let the wedding obsession begin! But this week will be filled with job applications for me. So say a prayer that I find some sort of career path soon! Have a good Tuesday afternoon ya'll!