fresh face summer makeup essentials

Winter is outta here, so it's time to indulge in some fresh face cosmetics. Nothing is more summer, warm weather to me than pinks. Here's a look into my make up bag:

1 and 4: I love L'Oreal Paris'  Colour Rich lipstick in "Blushing Sequin". You can pick it up at Wal-Greens and then I like to gloss it over with Stila's lip glaze in "Grapefruit". It's more Barbie pink in the tube than the picture shows, but it looks really bright and makes the lip standout over the L'Oreal lipstick.

2 and 3: I love, love Urban Decay eye shadow. I have their NAKED palate and I have never found a better and more versatile palate. For summer, I love the shade"Sin". It's a soft pink shimmer that's low key but still stands out. Like my mother, I have very sensitive skin and am prone to breakouts or allergic reactions to some makeup, so I've been on the hunt for a mascara for a while that didn't irritate or cause bumps around my eye. After many unsuccessful attempts and a long chat with a makeup girl at Sephora, I think I've finally found the perfect one. benefit's-They're REAL mascara.  I sampled it for a month and went back for a large tube a few weeks ago. FINALLY.

5 and 6: I'm a foundation girl. My skin is prone to break outs and imperfections so I have to have something cover it up, but I don't like my face to feel heavy-especially in the summer. I discovered this Make Up Forever High Definition foundation at Sephora about two years ago. It's PERFECT. It covers like no other, but still feels light and makes your skin so soft. Also it comes in this great pump so it's easy to put on. I've recently fallen into the world of BB creams. They seem to have exploded everywhere in the last year. I'm partial to this one from Smashbox. I dab it on in key sections of my face just to smooth things out and then proceed with foundation over. I think further into the summer once I get some sun I might just use to the BB Cream and give the foundation some rest.

7: As everyone knows, NARS blush in "Orgasm" is the quintessential go-to blush. Yes, it's pricey, but it's so completely worth it. I have the blush/bronzer duo with the "Laguna" bronzer included. I'm running low at the moment, thank goodness for Sephora gift cards.

8: This is my new Essie summer toe polish "Peach Daiquiri . It's way more hot pink than this photo shows. It's very close to OPI's famous "Strawberry Margarita". I like to switch up my fingernails weekly, but my toes don't change as often so I usually keep them a shade of red or pink.

What's in your makeup bag this summer?

summer BOOKS

Like many of you I'm sure, I always have a "summer book stack" piled up by my bed for the summer months. Summer seems to be the time when everything slows down, and I get the urge to escape to another world. Not that I don't read throughout the year, but summer is a time a save to get caught up on all those books I may have bought and even started but never gotten around to really delving into them.

The first thing I picked up off my "stack" was the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay. I started it in March {I know...took me a while to pick back up} but I couldn't seem to get into it. I vowed not read anything until I finished that book. There were so many books I wanted to get to, so I made this top priority. So now I am officially done with District 12, Katniss, & President Snowe. I loved the first and second book, but I never could get super pumped about Mockingjay. I tried but I just couldn't.

One down, the next book I picked up was Someday My Prince Will Come: The Adventures of a Wannabe Princess. I randomly came across this book at Barnes & Nobel last year sometime and bought it with a stack of other books, but I never got around to reading it. I started it Sunday night and finished it this morning. It's a memoir by Jerramy Fine a 32 year old American girl from Colorado who was raised by hippy, eccentric parents, but longed to be of British nobility with boarding school breeding. Jerramy, longed from the time she was 4 years old to live in London and marry Phillip Phillips, son of Queen Elizabeth II's daughter Princess Anne. That goal didn't end as she grew older, it went with her throughout college, to studying abroad in London  and seeking permanent  employment there after grad school at the London School of Economics. I didn't identify with her on the basic level of wanting to marry a prince {but lets get real, who doesn't wish for that at some point} but more so on how adamant she was in pursuing her dream in life, no matter how far fetched. Also the way she felt about London from a small age was the way I always felt about Washington DC. I was happy to read about someone who could love a city and a way of life in such a deep way that I very much related too and aspired to. I strongly recommend this book, if not just for the funny situations and string of Englishmen that come into Ms. Fine's world along the journey.

The rest of my stack:

The Buccaneers: I started this book briefly a few months ago, but then got sucked into The Hunger Games and never made my way back. I bought this on recommendation from Amazon and an interview I saw with creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellows,  who was reading this book at the time that he came up with the idea for the show. This book inspired the character of Cora, who is one of my favorite characters as well as the only American on the show. The book tells the story of 5 American heiress who fled to the UK in the late 1870s to participate in the London season in hopes of marrying members of the British nobility. In exchange for the title, the girls have hefty inheritances that would then belong to the fledgling estates. It was the last book Edith Wharton ever wrote. I'm excited to get back to the 19th century intrigue and way of life.

American Wife: This was also an Amazon.com recommendation. It tells the story of Alice, a shy girl born in 1940s Wisconsin in a small town, who grows up to marry the future President of the United States. From the description on the book Alice seems to be a Laura Bush type character who marries her own rowdy George W. named Charlie. The author of this book is Curtis Sittenfield who wrote the very popular Prep.

I also think I'm going to reread the last three books in the Harry Potter series. I started a trek of reading them all again last year and got through number 5. There is nothing better than the world of Harry Potter.

I'm always open for suggestions to add to my stack. Please feel free to offer any. I'm usually open to anything, but I read a lot of Biographies, Historical fiction, or what I like to call "mindless beach fun" Hit me up!

grape drank

This beautiful warm, spring weather has me longing for that feeling of freedom and summer that college used to bring. Now, in the real world, where warm weather just means...warm weather and in DC tourists galore I'm missing those days of heading off to work at camp or the excitement of a new internship and a new city, or the fun of working part time and spending my freedom dining on Rosie's patio and late nights at OTR  in my favorite city on the river.

Another thing I miss hanging out with my friend Melanie Harris! She is an awesome middle school math teacher who, although only two years older than me, became a true confident while she was my adviser during my term as SGA 2nd Vice President in college. I've been thinking of Melanie a lot lately because she is just a girl that loves to have fun and be around LOTS of people. The best thing about Melanie's house is that there is ALWAYS "purple drank" in the fridge which most people know as grape Kool-Aid. While at the grocery store a few days ago, I kept thinking about how much I was loving the warm weather and I wanted fruits and salads to fill my cart. I also wanted some "grape drank." I purchased a fun turquoise plastic pitcher and FINALLY found the Kool-Aid and loaded up on packets of grape. 

Every time I go to get that pitcher out of the fridge I think of Mel's house and summer time movie dates, late night chat sessions, and SUPER random group hangouts. You can always count on Mel to bring an interesting crowd together. So pour up some Kool-Aid and enjoy the sunshine. It's that time of year!

summer lovein'

I love these things. They scream summer time! They now will always remind me of my two summers spent on Lake Logan Martin at Camp Cosby. It was a special treat brought around by the Activity Director to the counselors on an especially hot day during activity periods. I loved seeing that four wheeler pull up with program staff aboard bringing this delicious treat-especially when I was working the Alpine Tower or BB Gun hut. Summer at camp....such great memories.

image via kate spade ny

adult wishes

wishes for my adult life: Summers full of outdoor dinner parties









pictures found: styled with grace

cleaning house. literally.

I have returned home this week due to some free time in my schedule and wanting to spend some time with my parents. Since I have this time I have decided to use it to clean out my room. I have so many clothes and really just crap that have no purpose in my life any more. I started with my drawers of t-shirts. They were full of high school memories that at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to let go of yet. Then I realized that it was really pointless and that I just needed to donate them to Goodwill and not think about it anymore. They brought back so many memories. A majority of them were high school theatre production t-shirts. So many memories of laughter, late nights, and inside jokes. After I finally muddled through all the t-shirts I moved on to my purses. Now there were some definite memories there. I cleaned them all out and found so many things. Movie tickets, doodles/notes from friends, lip gloss galore, and on a few occasions some money mixed in with trident gum wrappers. One of my favorite finds was a note from my friend Mary Margaret Maxie from 9th grade. The note was recounting all the memories we had, had in Ms. Loden's Pre-AP English class. My favorite was a memory of watching the Romeo & Juliet movie from the 1970s. While we were watching Ms. Loden got distracted grading papers and didn't realize the "sex scene" was approaching. No one in the class said anything and just kept silent. Ms. Loden looks up and the "scene" is playing she dashes across the room and falls into the bookshelf trying to shield our oh, so innocent eyes from the screen. It was one of the funniest things at the time. Another fun find was a innvitation to my friend Margaret Claire Walkers Surprise Sweet 16 party at Harvey s. That seems like so long ago now. One of my favorite things though was the movie ticket to Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, & Blue. I love it because that was the first time my eventually sister-in-law Bayley and I ever hung out together. I had wanted to see the movie and Bayley mentioned that she wanted to see it as well. John being the meddler he is thought that we should go together. It was super awkward as we did not know each other nor had either of us ever had a sister. I remember us being very quite and not saying much. So awkward. The funny thing is I talk to her more than I talk to anyone in my family. We talk on the phone at least 2 or 3 times a week. It's funny how things work out.
I am now on to my closet of clothes. I still have the sweater I wore in my 8th grade school picture. There is absolutely no reason for that! I've also found some clothes that I've been missing. That's also exciting. It's like shopping all over again.
My mom also told me I had to get rid of all of my magazines. You see I have every InStyle for the past I don't know how many years as well as Vogue and Vanity Fair. I know that they need to go so I've decided I will but first go through and rip out some of my favorite things and put them all in a book. I like to keep some of my favorite photographs, dresses, home decor, and shoes. Just to be able to look back when I finally get to decorate my on home.
This process takes longer than one might think. I'm taking some things to the consignment shop tomorrow and some things to Goodwill. I am excited about cleansing my life of unneeded things. It makes me feel refreshed after a cold winter of heaviness to come into summer fully refreshed and rejuvenated.
Right now I'm staring at a room of mess but by weeks end it will all be gone. Something to work towards.

I'll leave you with a few fun Summer photographs I like.

summer love.

There's a wild, wild whisper Blowing in the wind

Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summer time
And American honey
-Lady Antebellum

Now that school is out and summer is here I've been getting excited about summer time. Then I started thinking about the reasons why I love summer so much...these are just some of those reasons.

The Beach
I love the beach. Sitting under a umbrella in a lounge chair, my iPod, and a good magazine. Amazing.

Watermelon
Being at home on our back patio, dad's music playing, mom's flowers planted everywhere and a big watermelon. yumm.

Hydrangeas
My favorite flower. So beautiful. I don't know if they are a summer thing but I just love flowers in general and wanted to include these. Our backyard is always filled with flowers in the Spring/Summer time and our yard is so green. It just seems like life is among us after a dead winter. It's so rejuvenating.

Lemonade
Big pitcher of lemonade on a hot Mississippi summer day is fantastic.

Seersucker
I love seersucker, especially seersucker suits. When I was in DC last summer I discovered what has now because one of my favorite things about congress and being from Mississippi. Every June there is a Thursday set aside called "Seersucker Thursday." This tradition was started by Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi to remember the days before air conditioning in the US Senate. Seersucker used to be a necessity when the cold winter months moved into summer and the district succumbed to hot humid temperatures. In the1950s when air conditioning came about the seersucker slowly died away from the summer wardrobe of our nations leaders. In the 1990s Lott decided to revive the tradition by picking a "nice and warm" Thursday in June he named "Seersucker Thursday" It's nice to see the Senators out of their blue, black, and gray suits and in something a little more charming. The day also coincides with the ice cream social on the Capitol lawn put on by some diary group. It's so lovey seeing seersucker, ice cream, and a beautiful Capitol lawn in June. One of my favorite memories and now one of my favorite "mini holidays" Above is a picture of the Senators who participated in Seersucker Thursday when it first began.

Skirts and flip flops
I love skirts and sundresses and flip flops. After the bulkiness of winter clothes, I love to just slip on a dress and flip flops in the summer. It's so much easier to dress. Also I just love this outfit from jcrew.


Summer Rain Storm
I love the sun and the hot weather but there is nothing I love more than a thunderstorm. I love lying in bed listening to the pidder padder of rain hitting the window. Perfect way to relax and enjoy reading books, taking naps, or watching a movie. I just have a thing for thunderstorms.

Hello Summer, glad to see you again.