Holiday Weekend Haul!

It's official, laides- Summer is over! My school district always goes back the day after Labor Day, so the long weekend has always marked the true end of summer for me. Mom and I did a little shopping over the past few days, and I must say I got some pretty good deals- just thought I'd share some of them with you all! Enjoy!

Damask Print Tunic- $15 at Target

Wearing this for my first day of school tomorrow!

Basic black leggings- $8 at Target

I LIVE in these in the fall and winter!

Slatkin & Co. Cinnamon Sugared Donut 3-Wick Candle- 

$10 (on sale 2 for $20) at Bath and Body Works

This smells exactly like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts! 

Too bad they're not around here anymore.

Ralph by Ralph Lauren Holiday Box Set- $65 at Macy's

I decided it was finally time for "big girl perfume" and as soon as I smelled this, I fell in love- so fresh and clean smelling! And how cute is that packaging!?

Nike Dri-Fit Golf Cap- $9 at Marshall's

I love that the material of this cap wicks away sweat but still looks like cotton!

Hope your holiday weekend was a great one!

Wordless Wednesday: New Hair!

Since My Paleness May Have Blinded You...

I picked up a bottle of this today:

I've heard good

things, and a lot of bloggers swear by it, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I tried it once a few years ago, and let me just say, I was not impressed. But I think that might be because I:

A. Picked medium skintone instead of light. Wishful thinking.

B. It was a mini bottle in the travel section. Not sure if this really made a differece.

I noticed it built up a lot in the lines on my kness and ankles, and it looked like I had little orange stripes. No bueno.

Hopefully this time it will be better, because my ghostly legs are just screaming for help!

Weekend Recap/ First Followers!

Here's a little look into what I did this weekend:

Saturday morning began with a trip to the nail salon for manicures with one of my best friends- we'll call her F. Our busy schedules prevent us from being able to hang out as much as we would like (and confession: I hadn't had my nails done since December), so some girl time was definitely in order. I know it's spring, but I couldn't resist having my nails done in OPI's "No Spain, No Gain".

I liked the color so much, I bought a bottle to take home!

I had the manicurist not trim my nails- my fingers are so short I need all the length I can get!

On the way home from the nail salon, I got to witness what I consider kind of a big moment in F's life. We made a stop at the post office so that she could drop off her college deposit! She's a super talented artist and will be attending the school of her dreams this fall! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't extremely proud of her, and I know she'll do great!

My brother, M, had to work on Easter, so my family had our Easter dinner on Saturday instead. It was a small dinner, just my family, my uncle, and my brother P's girlfriend. For pretty much every holiday celebrated at my house we have "Thanksgiving Dinner" (Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc.), but switch up the deserts- pie on thanksgiving, cookies on Christmas, etc. Since it was Easter we added ham to the dinner menu and had homemade cheese cake and fresh fruit for desert. It was a great dinner full of laughter and lively conversation- never a dull moment in my house! I ended the night with a little a little bit of relaxing TV- Sex and the City, Glamour's 25 Wedding Dos and Don'ts, and an adorable special about NASCAR driver Kyle Busch and his fiancee planning their wedding.

Sunday morning (aka today) was a late one. I slept in until 1 PM, and, I must say, it was quite nice. The day continued with a visit from my aunt and uncle, and just some relaxing and reading on my part. M had to work and P was out with friends, so Mom, Dad, and I ordered in Chinese for dinner. Later that night, mom and I wound down the weekend with the new Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie "Beyond the Blackboard"

The movie is based on the story of Stacey Bess, a new teacher who is assigned to run a school for homeless children, located within their shelter and literally referred to as "The School with No Name". Stacey, a wife and mother compelled to become a teacher due to her lifelong love of learning, takes on the challenge of educating these impovershed children, instilling a lifelong love of learning and a whole new sense of trust to children who would have otherwise gone without.

One reason my mom and I wanted to watch the movie is that both Emily VanCamp AND Treat Williams starred in it. Both actors used to be on The WB's Everwood, a show my mom and I were OBSESSED with, and it was sweet to see them working together again!

Also, an exciting piece of news- today I got not only my first one, but my first three followers! So, I'm giving a BIG thank you to:

Lauren

(my very first follower!)

http://www.prettylightsinthesky.blogspot.com/

Ciara

Ashley

Thanks so much girls!

P.S. Ciara's World puts a little note at the bottom of her posts whenever she gets new followers, which I think is a super cute idea, so I'm going to try and do that too!

My Summer Essentials

I'm still in school for another couple months, and my spring break has just begun, so summer is still a long way off for me. But, I know a lot of people finish in May, so I thought it'd be fun to talk about just a few of my must-haves for summer. Also, with the back and forth, warm and cold weather, I think we all need a little something to remind us that summer WILL eventually come!

Flip Flops

From the first day of spring until the last possible day in autumn, I wear flip flops practically everyday. I love Old Navy's because they're super comfy and come in literally dozens of colors and styles. Plus, they're so inexpensive (think 2/$5.00, or $1 per pair during their annual sale) you can get them to match any outfit. I also keep a few pairs of J. Crew flip flops on hand and of course some dressier sandals as well, but I love these for just running around during the day.

Long Wearing Foundation

The toughest thing about wearing makeup in the summer is heat. Get too hot or sweaty, and foundation will melt right off of your face. I recently bought Rimmel's Lasting Finish foundation to carry me into the warmer monthes, and I really like it so far. I haven't tested its claims to last for 25 hours, but it stays pretty well from morning until night. Also, I've gotten a dab on my arm a few times and its been hard to get off- I don't know if that's a good thing, but at least it lives up to its advertising, right?! Oh, and at about $7, the price can't be beat! (Can you tell I love a deal? :) )

Low Maitnence Hair

For the past few years, I've specifically made sure that I didn't have bangs during the summer. Between heat, swimming, and just more running around in general, a low maitnence cut definitely comes in handy. Something like the one above would be cute to style to go out with, but could just as easily be worn up or natural when it's too hot and humid to use heat on your hair.

Nail Polish

Put your plums and navys away, because summer is all about light, bright nail polish. Neons and sparkles are fun and carfree, and pastels like OPI's "Italian Love Affair" look fabulous against a tan!

Good Books

Nothing says summer more than laying on the beach or beside the pool with a great book. During the summer, I love reading chick lit, juicy memoirs, books about fashion and style, etc. One of my favorites that I read last summer was Tori Spelling's sTORI Telling. My initial desire to read it may have come from my fondness for a little show called Beverly Hills, 90210 (seriously, that obsession hobby could get its own entire post... and probably will.), but I ended up loving the book! Since then, I've read her two follow-ups, MommyWood and Uncharted TerriTORI, each one filled with just as many mishaps, hilarities, and hearfelt moments as the first.

Great Music

Every summer has its iconic song, and last year it was definitely "California Gurls", by Katy Perry. Summer is such a great time to just relax and have fun with friends, and great music just adds to the mood- definitely a must-have for summer!