little loves

Seriously am I the worst blogger lately or what? I am so very sorry for the severe lack of postings lately but time got the better of me these past 2 months! I can promise you I am back in full swing though! I filmed 2 new vlogs the other day, and have a few more planned this week! Getting some great giveaway's lined up for you lovelies as well!

In the mean time let's catch up quickly on what's been going on in my lovely little life.

On May 5th I had the great opportunity to attend the Noto fashion show at the Northside Lofts, with some other beautiful blogger friends of mine. The owner of Noto, Lauren sure knows how to throw a soiree! For some more pictures (and better ones at that) check out my new blogger friend Stacia's post on the show HERE!

I wanted to wear something from Noto of course, and had yet to wear this amazing red, white, and blue pin-up-esque style dress. I went with the style and pin-curled my hair, and went 50's with my make-up and accessories too. Loved the look!

A random date night last week, and pedi's with my momma before. I got a beautiful red on my toes called "Oh, Marilyn". Love this color block tank from Figleaf, the vintage diamond shaped cuff from my grandfather, and these vintage earrings from my great-grandmother. Vintage accessories are ALWAYS the best!

One of the main reason I have been SO CRAZY is the 80+ person clothing swap I was planning with my lovely blogger ladies. It was a HUGE and overwhelming undertaking. It turned out AWESOME though! Check out some more on the swap HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE!

This past Saturday, I met up with some of my favorite lovelies at a local park for snacks. We ate, drank, fed the ducks, talked, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was one of those perfect summer days.

Both my boyfriend and I had off on Memorial Day, which never happens so we went all out. On Sunday we went to our favorite double date couples house and took a boat out on Portage lakes, and then cooked out and drank. Monday we slept in, raced go-karts, grabbed some dinner, and caught a movie. It was a perfect two days with my baby. 

Mark has totally over-hauled their hair styling line and I am obsessed! While flipping through my Allure this month I saw the new Mark Double-Do Hair Kit. It is seriously one of my new favorite products ever! Shop HERE, and use code WELCOME for FREE SHIPPING!

Phew! That was a lot of catching-up! I hope you lovelies have enjoyed the past few weeks of Spring too! I would love to hear any ideas or suggestions for new posts this summer! Thanks for being lovely, as always!

summer beauty trends

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.discoverbeautywithin.com/.

It's no secret that when summer rolls around your beauty routine should change dramatically (especially for those of us who get colder seasons). The sun, heat, and humidity do very different things to our skin than the cold, wind, and snow and therefore we must do very different things to our skin too. Not to mention "the look" you wear all winter shouldn't be the same as the one you have for the summer. To some people this might sound like I am speaking a foreign language but it's really quite simple, and comes down to a few basic points to achieve that beautiful summer glow you see all over the magazines. 

What's even better than a step-by-step guide to perfect summer skin? How about all affordable brands you can find at your local Walgreens to complete the look!

Prep

Hands down the most important thing you can do all summer is use a daily moisturizer with SPF. I have said it before, and I will say it again; if your moisturizer doesn't contain SPF, forget about it! I love the new to US line Simple, which is super sensitive and won't clog pores during all those hot days!

I don't go a day without primer, and especially in the summer it becomes a god-send! This is my new favorite (I swear by anything Almay), that tones down redness, brighten skin, and evens tone, all while helping make-up stay put all day. Perfect for this hot days you feel like your face might fall off.

Foundation
For summer you want to pick something a little more lightweight than your usual winter foundation. If you aren't much for foundation try this trick and mix a little foundation with your moisturizer, for a perfect glow. The sun has this wonderful way of highlighting any blemish or trouble area and a little coverage can do wonders. 


If you do like full foundation like me, try for something like this Covergirl Natureluxe that contains SPF and gives skin a silky, barely there finish. Another good stand-by for summer is Maybelline's Dream Matte Mouse, which gives that light airy look, but also helps keep extra oil at bay. Both of these foundations will give you that dewy finish that's so popular in the summer months.

Color
Color is huge in the summer, so you most definitely do not want to skimp here. I am a huge fan of cream blushes and bronzers because I think they look more natural, which is definitely the look you want to go for in the summer. 


For blush stick to a soft pink that won't look fake. Remember that sun loves to bring things to light and will make even your favorite staple blush look like a clowns blush if you aren't careful. I love this new Maybelline Dream Bouncy blush (Rose Petal is my favorite) and its build-able color. It's soft, delicate, and the perfect summer pink.


Once again I love the creams when it comes to color! This Maybelline Dream Mousse cream bronzer is so much better than any powder bronzer you could buy. Take a flat top brush add swirl just a bit all over for a glow, or use your fingers to gently pat the bronzer into your cheekbones.

Illuminate
Simply put, you can not achieve the summer dewy glow without some illumination help. 


I adore this L'Oreal MagicLumi Light Infusing primer, but use it as a highlighter instead. Just dab a little of this on your cheekbones, brow bones, cupid bow, and anywhere else that needs a little brightening. If you really want some all over glow mix a drop of this in with your foundation.


Another way to add a little more illumination is this awesome L'Oreal all-over mineral glow. Typically used as a bronzer or blush, if you get one of the light sheer shades (I like Honey Glow) and just brush lightly over the face it adds the prettiest soft glow.

Finishing Touches

If you typically get oily you might want to swipe a very light layer of powder over oil-prone areas. This Almay Smart Shade pressed powder will do the trick, just remember to use very little, and only where and if you need to.

I typically keep eye shadow to a minimum in the summer months. There is something really pretty about beautiful dewy skin, and a bare eye (plus it's guy-approved!). If I do use shadow I would go for earth tones, and keep it simple. I love Almay mascara and this Get Up and Grow Waterproof formula is humidity proof, which means your perfectly curled lashes won't start to droop 20 minutes after you set them.

As with the eyes I like to keep it simple when it comes to the lips. I love Nivea Lip care and this Kiss of Shimmer has just the right amount of shine without being sticky. It looks great over color too if you want to layer it, but I love it alone especially for daytime.

And here is one of my favorite beauty secrets for summer, take a little pressed bronzer like this Rimmel one and add it to the classic Johnsons Baby Oil for the most beautiful summer skin ever. Perfect for adding some glow to arms, legs, chest, and back! Just remember a little goes a long way!

little loves

No little loves last week so we have two weeks to catch up on. Last weekend my brother was here to visit from Florida so that was really fun! 

 Friday we went to Luigi's for dinner and I wore one of my new maxi's from Dillard's and switched my part to the middle (big deal). It only took about 3 days for me to get used to and now I love it!

EEP! Either my phone auto-corrected denim to a non existent word or my finger hit the wrong letter. Either way embarrassing! ;)

Saturday we stopped by my moms favorite guilty pleasure restaurant Save a Fish Burger Bar and I wore out my favorite jean jacket again, leopard print jeans, and my new Winks by Georgie falsies (that I love!).

While the brother was home we went through some old boxes and I stumbled upon this hilarious picture of me at 2 and half years old. Look at that hair, look at that horse!

Since my beautiful Kate Spade phone case broke not once but twice without even dropping it I finally found a case that was good enough for my cute standards via Ban.do. Should be here any day!

This weekend I met up with two of my good friends Sadie and Aaron at one of my favorite spots The Lockview. We had a great time, and great drinks! I recommend the Fall Firefly with Basil, and Mr. Right.

Saturday I woke up for my dear friends housewarming brunch a realized I completely forgot a gift and something to contribute for brunch (though they insisted we didn't need to bring anything, my mother taught me better). I obviously didn't have time to bake something, and I knew they would already have muffins and mimosas so I figured why not bring doughnuts?! Everyone loves doughnuts! I swung by Target first and got this cake stand (that doubles as a punch bowl too) for only $13 and then filled it with a dozen doughnuts for $7! A $20 housewarming gift and treat too? Sold! They loved that they got to keep the stand!

Hope you lovelies had a wonderful two weeks too!

p.s. I will be taking a little blogger break until next little loves.

phsga room 9 boutique night

Back in October I posted about a really awesome event hosted by the Humane Society of Greater Akron called Boutique Night. Basically what they do is host special nights at selected boutiques in the area where guests pay a small $10 fee to shop for a cause (with exclusive one night only specials), mingle, snack on hors d' oeuvres, bid on some great raffles, get mini makeovers (courtesy of Emily Pollotta, owner of Studio1Eleven), and much more. 

You can't get this kind of entertainment for $10 anywhere. Even if you just snatch up a new pair of earrings, you can feel good every time you wear them because a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Pawsibilities, Humane Society of Greater Akron.

The last boutique night was held at b.lux in Hudson but this time it will be held at a place I've never been but have been hearing some great things about, Room 9 Boutique in Cuyahoga Falls. One of the lovely ladies behind PHSGA's Boutique Nights, Tori sent me over some pictures of Room 9 and I am getting very excited! I'm pretty sure my shopping addiction could save every animal in the county (seriously how cute are those cross body bags, and all the items on the awesome ladder rack?!). 

On a serious note I am a big animal lover (vegetarian here!), and would love nothing more than to do what I can to help out some sweet animals in need. The greatest thing about this event is anyone is welcome! So hopefully I will see you there!

The Details:

Thursday May 3rd 6PM-9PM

Sunseekers + Room 9 Boutique

1602 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls Ohio 44221

Tickets $10

Includes entrance, hors d' oeuvres, mini make-overs, and more!

Raffle Items Include:

Sunseekers 6 month Tanning Package

Don Basch Jewelers  $50 Gift Card

Winking Lizard $25 Gift Card

Learned Owl $25 Gift Card

Jewelry by Jessica Gillespie, The Dark at Heart

Pet Basket worth $50

Knit Scarf/Shawl by Tori, Little Birdie Design Studio

Go HERE for more info, or HERE to RSVP on Facebook!

  

noto presents:: the northside fashion show

It's that time of year again, time to snatch up one of the exclusive tickets for the one and only annual Noto Fashion Show. (For those of you who don't know about Noto, check out my post on my favorite boutique HERE.) Last year was my first ever Noto Fashion Show, and it was a total blast (check that post out HERE)!

For only $30 I got to dress up (as if that isn't good enough right there), mingle with Akron's in-crowd, sip on the signature Notini Martini, take away some awesome swag from tons of local businesses including the acclaimed MC Hair Consultants, a year long discount at Noto (and a tote I adore), and so so much more! I went with my bestie and had a great ladies night. 

The blogger girls at last years show

This year Noto is moving the show to the super posh Northside Lofts, which will be stunning! But that's not the only new thing this year! Noto has announced the show will start with a Featured Designer Challenge. What is that you ask? 

"Our Featured Designer Challenge will give local and regional fashionista the chance to deliver their goods on the runway. The winner will be invited to expo their collection in Noto all summer long. Judging relies on crowd participation and will be preformed by those in attendance who have a text-message enabled device."- Lauren Ward, Owner of Noto

How incredibly awesome is that going to be? Think Project Runway LIVE, and you are the judge! 

Once the Featured Designer Challenge is over attendees will get to watch all the latest Noto styles strut the runway, followed by mingling, and shopping of course! 

With the show just a hop-skip-jump away from two of my favorite local spots why not make a night of it and do Luigi's before for dinner, head to the show, and then end your night at The Northside Bar for drinks and live music! Make a ladies night of it, you won't regret it! Not to mention practically all of the 330 Bloggers will be in attendance!

The Details:

 Noto Northside Fashion Show

Saturday May 5th, 2012 @ 8PM

Northside Lofts

21 Furnace Street

Akron, OH 44308

Included with Ticket:

Fashion show access, drink tokens (ever had a Notini?!), exclusive Noto gift, live music, and so much more!

If you are interested you will want to get your ticket now because space is limited and this event is major in Akron. Get your tickets HERE and RSVP on Facebook!

See you there lovelies!


UPDATE** My friend and fellow blogger Sarah from Style Sarah is giving one lucky reader a pair of tickets to this awesome show! That's $60!! 
ENTER TO WIN HERE

lovely little obsession

I first heard about One Love Organics when a fellow blogger friend of mine sent me a little sample size of their cleanser she received at an event. I was really intrigued, but used it only a few times before it disappeared into thin air. I've looked everywhere for it and still haven't found it! 

Fast forward to a few months down the road and I see that my favorite subscription service Birchbox would be sending out some OLO samples in their March boxes. I was convinced I would be getting some OLO, especially since in my beauty profile I indicate my interest in organic products. Then I remembered I opted for the Teen Vouge March BB in place of my usual box. While the Teen Vouge box didn't disappoint, I was so extremely disappointed I wouldn't be getting some OLO. 

I was so tempted to just log on and order some OLO but the price tag stopped me. Of course I'm not one to shy away from a price tag if I know the product is worth it, but I didn't know (yet). So what's a beauty blogger to do? Reach out to the company of course!

One Love Organics was so kind and sent me a little package of OLO products to try and I worked them into my routine immediately. 

In my lovely little One Love Care Package:

Morning Glory, Brightening Complexion Booster

Skin Savior, Waterless Beauty Balm

My New Best Friend, Skin Shammy

I was a bit hesitant since the Complexion Booster seemed very oily, as did the Beauty Balm but boy was I wrong! Every single morning I put a few drops of Morning Glory onto clean hands and buff it into my skin, then (using my hands still) I work Skin Savior all over my face and neck until it feels moisturized. I also use Skin Savior right after my shower at night as my moisturizer. After every application I take My New Best Friend Skin Shammy and just pat away any extra residue on my skin. 

I am going to go out on a limb and say something kinda crazy now... One Love Organics and my Clarisonic MIA dual-handedly changed my skin, in the best possible way. This is one of those moments where I am kicking myself for not taking some "before" pictures to show you how beautiful and fresh my skin looks since using OLO. 

One Love Organics says "Less really is more. One Love Organics proves that your skin craves a simpler approach just as much as the rest of you.". I could not agree more! Having sensitive skin I have really struggled with finding a skin care routine that worked, felt good, and made me look good. I realize now all my skin needed and wanted was something simple. Just read the ingredients on any OLO product and you'll probably fall out of your computer chair right now, they are that impressive and not a single word that makes your brain hurt trying to pronounce.

My next test for One Love Organics is the travel test. If you know me, my skin and traveling do not go well together. Even a vacation becomes dreadful and annoying because my skin hates traveling! Word in the blog world is that these products are practically super heroes when it comes to traveling and skin care. And I don't doubt it one bit seeing how much they have already improved my skin.

If you want to test out these amazing products but are hesitant like me One Love Organics has introduced their "A Little Love, The Essentials Sample Pack" for only $4 and FREE SHIPPING! I'm ordering a few of those and keeping the sample sizes in my purse for emergency moments. You also might want to follow their blog, Facebook, or Twitter for some pretty awesome promotions they have going on right now. If you're ready to take a little more of a splurge I'd recommend going for the Little Luxuries or Essentials To go Kit.

ps. you can also use Skin Savior mixed with mineral powder for a great foundation, on cuticles, to tame flyways, eyebrows, and so much more!

So what do you think? Have you tried One Love Organics? Are you interested? Are you going to snatch up that awesome sample package like me?

april bloom beauty ambassador

For those of you who missed my first post on this you can check it out HERE. I have gotten the amazing opportunity to be a Beauty Ambassador for an amazing site called Bloom. Bloom is basically an online mega-store with every brand from Stila to Almay and everything in between. Not online do the carry awesome brands, and constantly run promotions, they also have an amazing beauty community, recommendations, and cash back rewards! 

Anyway back to my April Ambassador kit, this month was all about eye lashes! Which is wonderful because I love eyelashes! We got an amazing product I have wanted to try for a while now, Lash Food. While I can't quite show you the progress on this yet because I just got it last week and there isn't noticeable progress yet, you can bet I will be showing you in another week or so, the before and after shots. I have heard so many amazing things about Lash Food, I am sure it won't disappoint.

Onto the next product in my kit, Winks by Georgie. I was so intrigued by these! I had never seen lashes like them! The compact was so nice and the lashes were just beautiful, you could tell they were of very good quality too. I am typically used to individual lashes so applying a whole line of them made me a bit nervous.

I was a bit surprised when the glue came out white, because I am typically used to clear or black but it dried perfectly clear (or at least seemed too). I learned a trick a while ago to apply a drop of lash glue to the back of one hand and let it get "tacky" for a moment. After I did that I used my opposite pointer finger to apply the glue to the lashes (I used very little). Using a pair of tweezers to help apply more precisely I just simply stuck them on. I used the tweezers to nudge them down a little lower closer to my natural lash line, and they looked really great! 

I might cut off just the teeniest bit of the inner-most part of the lash line... not 100% sure I want them to go in so far. Other than that I was very impressed with these and want to buy the 2 other styles on Bloom, I am wearing Style No. 2.

What do you think, would you buy some of these high-end lashes? 

Head on over to Bloom's Facebook page on Tuesday April 24th for a Winks by Georgie event (one at 11AM EST, and one at 7PM EST). The Winks by Georgie owners will be there to answer questions (along with Bloom Ambassadors) on falsies, how to best apply, and more! There will also be 25 pairs of Winks to win (ps. I'll be at the 7PM event)!