First Four of Fall

Yes, my first official Fall post! Last Sunday was officially the first day of Fall but let's be real, we don't need a start date. It was Fall about three weeks ago. Football started, Fall decor was put on display, good TV is back and finally, the weather started to cool down.

So to honor the start of the season I'm going to share my first four favorites of Fall.

1. A week and a half ago I saw that Bath & Body Works had an online sale. $6 Fall favorites, 25% off your total and only $1 shipping. Say what?! I had been looking for the Fall body products in store but they kept telling me they didn't have them yet and only had the candles and soaps so far. I kept checking but no luck. So when I saw this deal online, I took advantage. Best part, I only paid $29 for all of this, which we clearly know is way more than that.

2. I'm sure by now you have seen the new M&M Pumpkin Spice. I actually found these about three weeks ago at Target when they were first putting them out. I knew that they were new but I didn't think too much of it. I got a bag and texted a bunch of my friends asking if they have seen them yet. As soon as I finished the first bag, I went back to Target and they were GONE and I know why. They are really, really good. The pumpkin spice flavor is subtle so it's not too overpowering. These M&Ms are exclusive to Target so I just had to keep checking back. I (obviously) found some and also got this adorable chevron cat tin to put them in. This find was in the wonderful $1-$3 section at Target.

3. Dark polish! Yay dark polish! Now I can throw on some darkness and not seem so emo. This color is Midnight Cami which is a dark, deep blue. I kept debating about which new colors to get because they also have some nice purples. So I decided to start with this and then next week I'll just switch to another. ;) I am still looking for some tips on how to keep your nail polish from chipping so quickly. A friend mentioned dipping your fingers in vinegar. Have you heard this before? Do you have any tips?

4. Fun socks, oh do I love fun socks! I have a huge collection of socks for any occasion. My boyfriend thinks I'm absolutely insane but that's ok. Unfortunately, I haven't found any new socks yet but I'm sure I will soon.

I could go on for a long time about my love of anything Fall but I won't, just yet. What kind of Fall favorites do you have? 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Talk to you all soon!

I Couldn't Contain Myself at The Container Store!

Earlier this year my heart broke when Barnes & Noble closed less than a mile from my house. I was SO upset! That was my go-to spot when I was having a bad day. But I did feel better when I heard The Container Store would be replacing it. FINALLY, after months and months of waiting, The Container Store opened this past Saturday. Well, I was at Beer, Bourbon & BBQ so I held off until yesterday.

Oooo, so pretty!

The best part is that I still made it to the store while everything was pretty much still displayed perfectly.

And one of my FAVORITE aisles.. 

WRAPPING PAPER! 

You just wait until the holidays and I get to get my hands all over wrapping supplies.

Gosh, the store was just so.. clean and perfect! Unfortunately, I had a bad day, so I obviously took it out on the store. Luckily, I didn't do that much damage to my wallet.

I got:

Two Small Multi-Purpose Bins to file 1) all my bills and 2) all my organization printables. 

One 5 Compartment Clear Box to store some of my hair accessories. One section for hair ties, one for bobby pins, and three for my small claw clips. Obviously one section for each clip color.

One 6 Section Stacking Organizer to put lotions for travel and any pills I need. (If you ever need Aleve, Tylenol or allergy medication, I'm your girl). 

One tiny Clear Amac Box for the hair ties and bobby pins I put in my purse.

One Luna Scarf Organizer and I already have hung about 12 scarves on it and I definitely have room for more.

One more thing that I got that isn't pictured is the 12 Section Acrylic Nail Polish Riser. They didn't have it in store (BUMMER!) so I had to order it and I will pick it up tomorrow. I don't know why I only got one because, well, what girl only has 12 polishes?! I'll definitely get at least one more when I go to pick it up.

Tomorrow definitely seems like it will be a good day. I'll go back to The Container Store and I'm expecting my Bath & Body Works package! You know what that means, my first official Fall post is coming up!

*Same Day Update: Not only did my Bath & Body Works package come early, so did my Nail Polish holder! I did end up buying a second one but when I brought it home and started filling them I realized more than half my polish collection is at my boyfriend's house. It does hold most polishes, which is good. I will just line up the others in front.

I should probably try to refrain myself in the future though. When it comes to this store, Target or Costco, it's not a good sign. I'm sure you all have store addictions. You know, those stores you can't walk in without walking out with a bag or two, or three.. What are your picks?

Beer, Bourbon & BBQ

Last weekend my boyfriend and I were driving by Reston Town Center and he pointed to one of their banners that said "Beer, Bourbon & BBQ" and said, "Do you want to go?" Of course! We bought our tickets from their website that said "60 Beers, 40 Bourbons + lots of BBQ" and prepared for a fun filled Saturday.

The website said the event would be rain or shine and the weather called for 40% rain. Of course we assumed and prepared for the other 60 percent and headed out to Reston Town Center. Tickets included a souvenir glass for drink trials. They closed off their big parking lot for the entrance, beer tents and some vendor tents. They also used a connecting hill for bourbon tents, more vendor tents, and game space.

Both glasses came like the one on the left. However the VIP area had a Marker's Mark tent who waxed the bottom of the glasses for you. I wasn't VIP but I met this super nice woman who said this was her second BB&B this year so she gave me her Marker's Mark glass.

We didn't play any Cornhole but I liked their customized boards. Plus, they didn't really have any major signs so I took this as an advantage to take a picture.

One of their sponsors was Big Idaho Potato had this awesome truck hanging out. But there were WAY too many drunk people running up to the Potato people asking if it their truck was a real potato. Really?

I'm really not sure why they had a mini train, but it was cute!

Yuengling had this mini trailer that people could enter to win. I'm not sure what someone would use it for because a child could barely sit in it comfortably.. but it was über cute and perfect for my nonexistent puppy.

They also had a stage where they had some bag pipe performers, bands and other entertainers. To the right is the beer tent.

The event was from 2-6 and by 3:30 there was a torrential downpour. EVERYONE tried squeezing under the tents but it really didn't change much. This was a panorama that I did of everyone cramming themselves under the beer tent. Lucky for us we were right next to Blue Moon so we kept getting refills until it was safe to leave. I thoroughly enjoyed their Pumpkin! 

I almost liked every drink I tried. I would say that's because I avoided all the ones I knew I wouldn't like, haha. They did have a pretty stocked drink menu and I made sure to get my $35 ticket's worth. 

Bourbon

Fireball Cinnamon Whisky - I'd try this before and I really like it. I like cinnamon in general!
Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon - I've had the vodka many, many times before but this was my first time trying the bourbon
Firefly Cherry Moonshine - GROSS. This I did not like!
Skinnygirl White Cherry - They made it a mixed drink with crystal light lemonade and the whole thing just tasted like water.
Cruzan Passion Fruit Rum - This was really good.

Why some of these were listed under the Bourbon list when they are clearly not bourbon, I'm not sure. I wasn't complaining though. I also really wanted to try Firefly Apple Pie Moonshine but that went real quick and they didn't have more.

Beer

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin - We were right next to Blue Moon when we were hiding from the rain so we got at least 10 refills. I know 10 sounds like a lot but please remember how small our glasses were. They also never filled them up all the way either.
Leinenkugel Octoberfest
Singha - We said "What? How do you say this?" The girl said "Sing-ha" - It's a pale lager from Thailand and it was pretty good.

Shiner Octoberfest
Harpoon Octoberfest
Brooklyn Octoberfest
Post Road Pumpkin

There were actually some other beers we tried that weren't on the list. I didn't bother to write them down because they had complicated names and I assumed they were on the website, but they're not. Oh well.

As far as the BBQ part goes, we didn't have any. The main food trial was in the VIP area but those tickets were $40 more. We knew there was no way we would try $40 worth of food, so we opted out. In the general area they did have a dead pig hanging out on a table where they had some guys cutting it open and giving out some meat. Trust me, I did not choose to try any of it. There were other food vendors there like a Greek food vendor, fried candy stand, and a popcorn stand. I most definitely bought a bag of kettle corn and brought it home with me.

Besides the horrible, horrible rain, we had a lot of fun. I would definitely attend next year, if they decide to return. I say that because this was their first year in Reston but I think they'll be back. I'm now looking forward to the Reston Town Center Oktoberfest the weekend of October 11th. I'm loving that each day that comes is becoming a prettier Fall day.  

Happy Sunday Funday! I hope you're all having a fun and relaxing day. Talk to you all soon!

 

BabyQ - Bun in the Oven & Burgers on the Grill

This past weekend I was lucky enough to make it down to Charlotte for my cousin's baby shower. I was in her wedding in 2011 and now I'm so happy that her and her awesome husband are expecting a little girl!

The baby shower took place at my other cousins house and was co-ed. This was the totally adorable invite.

Usually my cousin makes her own invites (she even made her sister's wedding invitations) but she was just too busy. She purchased this invite off of Etsy from Silver Line Design Team after seeing it on Pinterest.

My flight to Charlotte was at 5:30 am and immediately got to running errands with my cousin and setting up for the shower on Saturday. It was also my first time seeing my cousin's new house and I fell in love with it. Everything matched so perfectly and the theme of the baby shower fit in so well. I made sure to take pictures before all the guests came in and destroyed everything. 

My cousin made the bench, which you can't even see, and the mantel herself. We actually put up the mantel on Friday night.

We really wanted to keep things super simple and not have everything scream "BABY!"

My cousin also made her dining room table herself. Awesome, right?

Besides the cake, ALL the food was baby sized. My aunt did all the cooking and I have no idea how she had the patience to make everything so miniature. But it was all soo good!

We made homemade Sparkling Pink Lemonade as our choice drink. We obviously also had sodas, beer and wine. We took mason jars and tied pink ribbon around them with a blank tag for guests to put their names on.

The homemade Pink Lemonade was so good. The Pink Lemonade was so easy to make. Water, sugar, lemon, strawberries and seltzer. It was all made to taste so there were no real measurements.

And aren't those straws just so cute?

We had a little candy bar as part of the favors for coming to the baby shower. We even had custom M&Ms! 

Our main favor was homemade "Strawberry Honey Jam" My cousin was up LATE on Friday making the jam. Unfortunately, we had a mishap where some of it overflowed while cooking and got all over. But that's okay, the rest of it ended up great.

"Thank you 'berry' much for celebrating with us! Please take a Strawberry Honey Jam to go."

The whole weekend was a blast getting to see my family. I don't get to see my family that often, so I was very happy!

Nothing is better than seeing family. I am totally okay with being overly exhausted because every minute of the weekend was worth it!

My Daily Skincare Routine

Hello and Happy Friday! I meant to write this post a few days ago but I've been busy. I really need to get some discipline with this! I write this as I sit on a 6 am flight, sipping on my Bloody Mary mix. And thankfully/luckily, it's quiet.

Today I'm talking abut skincare! As I posted in my Labor Day Shopping post, I finally joined the Clarisonic club, woohoo. And I'll also share what else I use, because I'm definitely not lucky enough to just use the Clarisonic.

After doing my research, I decided on the Mia 2. I chose this one for a couple different reasons. It has two speeds, a timer and a battery light. You use the Clarisonic for one minute and 40 seconds of that is for your t-zone and the other 20 seconds is for your cheeks. While using it, you really can't tell how long it's been so this is where the time REALLY comes in handy. You start 20 seconds on your forehead *buzzbuzz*, 20 for your nose and chin *buzzbuzz*, 10 for one cheek *buzzbuzz*, and 10 for the other *turns off*. The light also notifies you on when it's time to charge and when it's done charging. I wash/rinse the head after every use (Yes, it's obvious that you should, but some don't) and should be changed every 3 months. Even though the Mia 2 is not advertised for the body, you can buy an extra head (regular not sensitive brush) and still use it.

Before I hop into my routine, let me tell you about my skin. I am combination and I mean, super combination. My t-zone gets really oily throughout the day and no matter what, my cheeks get really dry at night. Even though this all works for me and I have heard people of all skin types using these products, everyone should test and try until they find a routine they like and works for them. 

Both morning and night I start with my Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser. It's really good for removing makeup and scrubbing out all of the dirt and oil that has been building up. I then use my Mia 2 with Philosophy's Purity cleanser. I have heard from so many people how great it goes with the Clarisonic, and they're right. The match makes your skin incredibly soft. I then use Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer. -- I know I should be using something with SPF but my super sensitive nose can't handle the smell of it all the time.

There are also a couple different products that I use for when I get bad breakouts, which I only use in the evening. I use the Clinique Acne Solutions which has a cleanser, toner, moisturizer and spot treatment. I still use my Aveeno moisturizer between the Clinique one and the spot gel because this system sometimes really dries out my skin. That's also why I do not recommend using this every day. I also use Mario Badescu Drying Lotion for my "OMG, where did this come from?" pimples. It is amazing, ah-mazing, and highly recommend it to everyone.

One last thing I would like to bring up is the dreaded "Clarisonic Purge" that a lot of people talk about. Within the first couple weeks you can breakout pretty bad because all the dirt and oil that has been trapped in your skin is coming to the surface. Did this happen to me? Yes. Was it horrible? Eh, not so much. I predicted that my purge would be on my t-zone and I was dead on. The only part that's horrible is that I currently have a reindeer nose, ah! I am totally okay with this breakout because I know it'll get better!

I am, however, looking for a really good night cream. I need something hydrating for my skin but haven't found anything I love just yet. If yoyo have some suggestions, I'd love to hear them! What kind of products do you use for your daily routine?

Happy Weekend, talk to you all soon!

Happy Birthday! -- The Boyfriend Basket

Why hello there! I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. Especially today, WELCOME BACK FOOTBALL! Anyway, I was not expecting to get so sidetracked last week. I only ended up writing one post and now I'm making up for it. I sit and write this as I sit on the couch enjoying some football.

My boyfriend's birthday is on Tuesday but we celebrated this weekend. I gave him all of his gifts when he got home from work on Friday. I set up all his gifts on a side table and put it in front of the stairs so that when he came downstairs, he would see them all.

The tall bag had his new Alfred Morris, Redskins jersey and the wide bag had a watch case that I ordered off Amazon. I am seriously paranoid about ordering things offline but I went for it and was very happy with the product.

Now to the fun gift. I LOVE putting together gift baskets, I love wrapping presents and making things look pretty with bows, paper and anything else I could find. Oh gosh, I'll love doing my gift wrapping post once Christmas rolls around. But back to the "Boyfriend Basket." I put together some of his favorite things and put them together.

I got the basket for $2.99 from Target. I got it specifically so we could use it to organize his bathroom. Starting from left to right, these are the basket contents.

Goodies:

- 2 tins of Pringles

- 3 Kit Kats (2 regular and 1 white chocolate)

- Twix

- Ferrero Rocher

- Trident Cinnamon Gum

Minis:

- Ciroc

- Black Label

- Patron

- Bombay Sapphire

Bath & Skin Care:

- Bleu de Chanel 3.4 oz

- 2 Allure Home Sport Samples

- Bath & Body Works Noir body wash

- Neutrogena Men's Skin Cleaing Acne Wash

- C.O. Bigelow Premium Shave Cream from Bath & Body Works

I obviously got the goodies and minis because they are his favorites. As far as the skin care goes, he never payed much attention to it (like most men) until we started dating. Most of the products, I have gotten him before and he luckily ran out of them just in time! The C.O Bigelow Shave Cream is a first. He has a thick beard that he likes to keep perfectly groomed so I thought he might like it because it would form into a thick lather to help with his shave. Well, he didn't like it after trying it, so luckily it was just a small one. And the cologne samples were given to me when I bought his Bleu de Chanel refill. 

I got the basket filling from Hallmark. I will reuse the filling for a future basket, just like I do with tissue paper and bows that I get. I was very happy with how it turned out.

If you would like to make a basket for your man there are always many different things you could put inside. Gift cards, Bath & Body Works air fresheners (they have a few manly smells, which are awesome) and any of their manly minis, socks, boxers, headphones, etc. You can also go to any department store and ask for samples of cologne and skin care for men and they will give you a ton! Another thing you can do is make a themed basket like movies ($5 DVD's, candy, popcorn, soda), BBQ basket (bbq tools, seasoning, peanuts, beer), and so many other man themed baskets.

Have you ever made a gift basket for your man? What did you put in it? Did your man enjoy it? I know mine did!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Talk to you all soon!

Wallet Damage, Labor Day Shopping!

Hello Everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend and you're all having a good week. I've been super busy since the Labor Day weekend, but I still wanted to give an update on what I did.

The weather was beautiful here this weekend. We enjoyed driving with the windows down and the wind in our hair. It was awesome! What was also awesome (but not-so-awesome for my wallet) was all the shopping I did. It seemed that about every store had a 40% off sale, and I had coupons for most of them! I just want to share some of the things I got and the deals that went along with them. 

1. Abercrombie Cass Sweater - I found this sweater one night when I was actually doing some online browsing and came across it on the A&F website. It looked so cozy and soft but there was no way I was going to pay $68 for it. About two days later I got a text from their text club that everything was 40% off until Labor Day. I also knew they were doing this promotion where you could either win free jeans or a gift card by texting in a code they gave you. My boyfriend (side note: three weekends ago he won free jeans and gave them to me!) and I both got $10 gift cards. So when I tried on the sweater and fell in love.. I knew I was definitely getting it. In addition to the 40% off, I also got $20 off. a $68 sweater for $23? OF COURSE.

2. Sperry Bahama Crib Boat Shoe - Aren't these just SO cute?! They are obviously not for me, but for my expecting cousin. Her baby shower is in two weeks and when I saw these, I melted a little. I just pictured cute baby feet in these adorable boat shoes. These weren't on sale but I was going to get them anyway. The manager, who was the one helping me, gave me 10% off "just because". Hey, I won't complain!

3. Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + - I got this because I was talking to my (beauty expert) cousin and she told me to try this because it helps control oil throughout the day. And since my t-zone can be super oily and I was in the hunt for a new foundation, I figured I'd give it a go. The best part was, it was one of my Color IQ matches and I already knew what shade I needed. This was definitely not on sale but that's okay. Good, quality beauty products are always worth the pay.

4. Clarisonic Mia 2 - YAY. I can not even begin to say how happy I am I finally got this! I have heard so many good things about it and told myself to put money aside and get it. I did get a $50 discount. I won't say how, but I did. I will be writing a full post on the Clarisonic, so stay tuned!

5. Bath & Body Works Leaves Room Perfume - Mmm, the smell of Fall is in the air. Literally! I actually got this because I walked into a friends house and said, "What's that smell?! I love it!" And since I'm obsessed with Fall, I got it. I got it for my car but let me warn you, spray it before getting out of the car. The initial smell is SO strong! Also, spray it into the seats so it sticks. Bath & Body Works, usually, always has a buy two for $10 deal. Also, most of their receipts have one of those survey links that gives you 20% off if you do it.  

6. Aerie Comfiest Hoodie - Boy, was the name of this hoodie right, it is really comfortable. I love a good hoodie. I love being able to throw on some yoga pants, a hoodie and Uggs and be able to run some errands. American Eagle was having a 40% off sale and I had a 20% off coupon to add on top of that. 

In addition to all of the stuff I talked about, I also did buy four tops from Express. They also had a 40% off sale. Two of the tops I bought, my boyfriend got for me. Overall, I'd say that even though I did some serious damage to my wallet, I did good with the sales. Did you do any shopping this past weekend? How much damage did you do?

Have a great rest of the week. The weekend is almost here!