Fab Finds Under Fifty//(and most are under $30)

7.30.2013


Sometimes I have people ask me if I will just go shopping for them, I used to think they were just joking around, but have since realized/met a lot of people that like to get dressed up and look nice, but HATE to actually have to search the racks--i was not blessed that problem, although my bank account wishes that I were. I suppose I have the opposite problem--I LOVE the search! So today I've decided to share some of my favorite recent finds, all are just sitting in my virtual cart and I'm trying to decide which ones to walk away from....You can click on the picture and it will take you to the site. Enjoy!

Which are your favorite?

Cowboy in my blood.

7.29.2013

I feel like Ansel Adams would approve of this photo. What can i say, i'm a little proud of it.

Spending a couple of days in Heber Valley was the perfect mini-vacation. The weather was mind-blowingly beautiful and made me super jealous of a large majority of you all that actually get to spend time OUTSIDE in the summer!

We ate and visited. I filled my Poppy void by spending a majority of my time either playing catch with my sister's very eager dog, Copper, or forcing their new kitten to snuggle with me. Is there anything in the world cuter than a kitten? I thought my heart would pop as i watched Murphy discover her tail (see photos).

I also got to meet up with my best friend Jenny and meet her new baby boy! She lives in Texas but was visiting family in Utah. He was such a charmer and my heart still hurts that we aren't next door neighbors. Someday we'll make it happen, won't we Jenny?!

The whole thing made me yearn to live a country life. I loved the wide open space, the music in the park nights. It made my soul happy as we walked through the grocery store isles and my sister waved and said hi to everyone she passed.

I find this to be a reoccurring desire in my life. I wonder if it has anything to do with my heritage. My dad was a real Wyoming cowboy who grew up in a little town called Star Valley. Maybe it's in my blood.

I hope someday I get to test it out.

i propose a new tradition.

7.25.2013

Yesterday, when no one was home, I dug through our guest bedroom closet and pulled out my wedding dress. After seeing/pinning so many beautiful wedding dresses online I had begun to second guess my very impulsive dress decision (see full story here). So I decided to put it back on and see if the flaws I had built up in my head had any relevancy.

They didn't.
It felt amazing to put it back on and think about the day i married my best friend.
And honestly, I could never be one to regret a polka dot.
I love that I got my dress for $3.
I love that I bought it because I thought the fabric was pretty--never because I had any intentions of using it for my real wedding one day!
I love that my mom took it apart and rebuilt it just for me.
I love that she put buttons up the back.
And mostly I love that i felt beautiful on july 24, 2010--my wedding day, and that's really what matters, right?

year three ❤

7.24.2013

photo by sarah rhodes (iphone)

it's been three years.
we've lived in 4 different houses.
in two different states.
together we've traveled two continents, four countries, and seven states (denmark, germany, austria, italy, arizona, california, hawaii, idaho, new mexico, utah, and wyoming).
we've gotten in a few arguments, but only one big enough that i can remember any of the details (and even that is fading)--
we've dreamed big, loved hard, and cried enough.
i guess mostly I've cried enough.
you mostly just hug--which i like.
and through it all i've learned that:
no matter where we live, what we're arguing about, crying about, dreaming about, or hugging about, i'm happy as long as i'm with you.

here's to year four, love!

mothers are amazing creatures.

7.23.2013

last week i drove up to utah with my sister-in-law, reachel, to help her with the three kids (all three and under).

by the time we got to tuba city (about 4 hours in) i smelled of soggy goldfish, spilled breast milk, apple juice, and diaper.

a few more hours earned me a badge of spit-up and a narrowly escaped toddler blow-out. i retrieved thrown toys, lost sippies, and fallen crayons at least three dozen times and a drive that usually takes 10 hours took an astounding 15! Let me tell you, that Burger King Play Place at the half way mark never looked so good!

if you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how much i adore those bagley kids.
i love them as much as i know how to love.
but by the end of that drive i was exhausted.
and then i looked over at the mother of those three little cherubs,
and she looked as cool and refined as julie andrews or ms. hepburn herself--today seemed to be just another day to her, like any other.
and i loved her a little more.

how do mother's become so self-less, to give-up their time, comfort and convenience for such a huge block of their lives? this is something i am trying to learn. anyone have the answer?

Poppy Turns One! (we think)

7.17.2013

Today is the day we have decided is Poppy's birthday.
When we got her, we forgot to ask what day she was actually born. All we know is that she was about 7 weeks when we took her home.
Then, through the magic of instagram #hashtags we met Julie who had a minpin named Penny that she got at about 7 weeks--on the same day as us (but in California)--we've basically become besties and we can't wait to meet up in real life sometime soon!
Julie knew Penny's birthday was July 17th, so we decided that would be Poppy's as well.
So happy birthday my little Poppy Reh Little Deer! We love you so much--you make us happy everyday even when you eat a perfectly good pair of shoes and i want to kill you for that moment.
I'm glad Marcus talked me into getting you.

(and happy birthday Penny!)
photo credit
Do you have a pet? What is it? What's their name? Do you celebrate their birthday (or I am just crazy)?
I'm serious, I'd love to hear about them!

hit the road.

7.16.2013

it happens every year.
i anxiously await the arizona springtime.
it comes--and it's glorious...and then i blink.
summer hits--suddenly and full-force and i hate the place i live.
i hate it.
i find myself in an all-together bad mood, makeup-less and sprawled out on the couch feeling sorry for myself, wondering why i don't live in california by the beach.
every year.
and then before i snap--i hop in the car (and invite marcus to join me) and i drive.
i drive to somewhere that is green and beautiful.
sometimes it's california.
sometimes it's utah.
this time it was just two hours up the road--prescott.
and it was perfect.

we took a day trip to cooler weather, we walked through a summer rainstorm and i nearly wept for the beautiful coolness in the air, the memorial for the firefighters who gave their lives to protect the people made my heart break and swell with pride at the same time.

i was happy. marcus was happy. poppy was happy.
and we were all rejuvenated as we made our way back to this place we live--hating it a little less--and for now, that's good enough for me.

sometimes you just gotta get out of the city to find the beauty in the state you live.
thank you prescott.
Poppy's face! haha



What's in my make-up bag//summer edition

7.10.2013


I would like to preface this by telling you I in no way consider myself a make-up expert. These are just my favorite things I've tried, they don't make my semi-sensitive face irritated, i can afford them, and they make me feel pretty. So, since some have requested this, here you go: 
(click on each title to take you to the store you can buy them)
I always consider myself to be pretty fair-skinned, but I tried this color at a friend's house and it just gave me a touch of color that the fair/medium didn't without making me look like I didn't know how to match my make-up, so unless you're super fair-skinned, I'd give this shade a try
I use this around my eyes for dark circles. When I first got it, it was a little stiff and I didn't like it, but I gave it another try after a few months of sitting on my shelf and now I love it--maybe it just needed to warm up a bit?
I get a really shiny forehead here in the sweltering heat of Arizona  so i use this in the morning and as a touch up powder and it get's rid of that nasty shine without feeling cakey.
I'm a brow fanatic. I have been for years. I remember pulling out pictures of girls with big bold brows all the way back in junior high and my sister thought i was crazy, so i was super excited when the bold brow came back into fashion this last year or so. This kit is like $3 or less and I love it! just thickens your brows up a bit and makes them pop without looking unnatural.
PIC
Softest brush in the world! I love it because in the summer I like my make-up to look really light and natural and this just sweeps on the bronzer without making harsh lines.
I wanted a bronzer that was matte that didn't look dirty (which is harder than you'd think to come by--they all have that shimmer in them that makes me feel like I look greasy) and someone recommended this one. I love it! It gives color to my face without and allows me a little bit of contouring.
I've tried so many blushes (because I've also been a blush fanatic) trying to find the perfect color, and I've finally found it in this. Also a plus, it's beautiful on the lips as well :)
When I want to look a little fancy I dab a tiny bit of this on the highlights of my cheekbones (or lack there of). It just brightens up my face without looking like an iridescent plastic face.

This is like that, "if you could only have one make-up item, what would it be" things--I have really straight lashes, so a little curl makes me feel 100% more feminine. I love this one.
I have dark under-eye circles, so I generally stay away from any dark colors around my eye because I feel like it accentuates the bags, so I like this clean, fresh, matte color.
My all-time favorite liquid eyeliner. Gives you the perfect cat-eye every time. So cheap and so easy to use! I also have it in black that I use less often, but for a fancy occasion I pull it out.
This has been my favorite mascara since I started wearing mascara. I always try others and always come back to this. I like the brush, it doesn't feel crispy or clumpy, it doesn't give my spider eyes, it doesn't dry out fast. It's just the best.
I like this as a second coat mascara to build a little extra volume--I always like to use two kinds of mascara--voluminous to set the curl, and a thicker one to make the lashes pop.
I line the inside of my bottom eyelid. Makes the eye bright and young.

I put this on every night before I go to bed and in the morning before I get ready to keep my lips healthy so I can wear lipstick later on.
This is the best. It smells and tastes so nice and gives the cutest light pink tint to your lips and also leave them super soft and hydrated. I have no idea how it works, but it's a miracle. I little pricey, but it might be my favorite thing on this list (and it's for sure Marcus' favorite thing, he always asks me to wear it).
This is my go-to red and people always ask me what color it is. So here you go.
New find favorite! Just grabbed this because of the pretty color and clean packaging and I'm in love--it actually reminds me (texture wise) of the Jane Iredale lipstain, but it's wayyyy less expensive. I need to go back to wal-mart and get all the colors and see if they're all as great as this purpley pink one I got.
So there you have it. I'd love to hear your favorites as well! Please share them in the comments!

Also, does anyone want a video tutorial? Let me know.
© i believe in unicorns. Maira Gall.