Laura Mercier Lip Glace

The more and more I try Laura Mercier products one by one, the more I love them. My new favorite is "lip glace" in blush. A great neutral for all skin tones, lasting, and not sticky. I highly recommend and plan to try more colors after this one runs out! Have a great Friday!

My First Bridal Appointment: Alabama Chanin

Wedding bells are ringing in my ear all day today. Tomorrow is my first official bridal appointment at Alabama Chanin. For those of you that don't know, Alabama Chanin is Natalie Chanin's company, based out of Florence, Alabama. She uses local artisans to sew 100% organic cotton garments. Hello? I am in heaven just hearing those words. She also does custom wedding gowns, which is the reason for our (Dr.K and I) visit tomorrow. We are embarking on what I feel might be my greatest fashion adventure to date. Fabric, thread, stencils, design, I do not have the words to express my excitement. I cannot wait to see what she has to offer, as my jaw is on the floor even with the thought of it. None of this feels real but I am living it up in bridal land!

Would you like to watch a video about Alabama Chanin? CLICK THIS

Soda for the Sparkler

I perused around on the internet and found that baking soda with a dab of warm water to make a paste proves the perfect concoction to clean your engagement ring. I tried it, and oh la la, that thing is just like new. I mean, it kind of still is new, but this helps it maintain the newness in my eyes. You just rub the paste all over the ring with your fingers, no towel needed. Then you just rinse the ring off and dry it on a towel. Economical and easy, give it a try!
P.S. Works well on other jewelry, too. I've already tried it to be sure!

"Real" Coffee Creamer

I can dump more than my fair share of coffee creamer into a hot cup. I love vanilla flavored, especially Coffee Mate. I just now tried the natural bliss vanilla one, and love it so much more than the standard. It has better vanilla flavor. The sweet cream option is also just as tasty. I've converted from chemical version to all natural, making this a sweet switch I can get behind. Have a great week!

A Lovely Leisure Book

I've recently discovered a great book, The Five Love Languages. I thought it was a great find, but apparently not as new to others as it is to me. It is an easy, fun, lighthearted read. It offers advice on loving people as they were programmed to receive love. I highly recommend it  so far. I'm at that bridal phase in life, reading lots of relationship material just because I can! Visit the website here, 5lovelanguages.com

Noosa Yoghurt

I'll try any new yogurt on the market. I'm in love with the honey flavor. It is low in calories and grams of sugar, always something to watch out for in yogurt these days. It supposedly became popular in Australia, but is gaining popularity here. I use half a container for a large fruit purée smoothie. I can't say enough great things about it!

My Favorite Chocolate Bar

THE best chocolate bar anywhere is Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts. I've eaten plenty of chocolate, all good, but this is my very favorite. It's PERFECT for Valentine's or any day for that matter. I don't need an occasion for chocolate. Target and Kroger stocks these gems. There are many flavors to try. I haven't been able to stray from this one, but all of them sound so great! Treat yourself and have an excellent week.

Fresh Face Wash

Neutrogena puts out great products. They have a new Ultra Gentle Cleanser. It smells great, doesn't burn, and removes makeup easily. At Target, white and mint green bottle, a great product, now one of my beauty faves!

Buffalo and Blue Cheese

Every year, I attempt a Super Bowl spread for my favorite man. This year, I tried making wings for the first time, baked wings at that. Also, I made a Greek yogurt blue cheese dip, yum. I did not stick to one recipe for either item. I just mixed the best of all my internet findings. You guys know this is how I cook, by now! I don't love wings, but Billy does. I ate two and was up all night with heartburn, and these weren't even spicy! Still, worthwhile recipes to share.

For this platter you'll need:
Washed celery sticks
Fage 0% Greek Yogurt Plain, medium size
1 pack Ranch Original
2 lbs. wings
Blue cheese crumbles
A couple tablespoons low-fat sour cream
Small pat of butter
Frank's Buffalo Sauce
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1. Chop off wing section of the wing. Weird, I know.
2. Rinse wings.
3. Place on baking sheet and toss in veg oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Cook in oven on 400 for 40-50 minutes. No raw chicken here!
5. While wings are baking, make the dip.
          Combine Greek yogurt, Ranch, blue cheese crumbles, and sour cream. Mix, place in fridge.
6. Remove wings from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes.
7. Melt butter and add in buffalo sauce, I used about half the bottle.
8. Toss wings in sauce.
9. Place back in oven to warm up and adhere sauce to meat.
10. Baked, just as good as fried. Plus, you can eat an extra piece of fruit pizza! Enjoy!

Powder Perspective

Spending money on nice makeup seems a double-edged sword. We use it so often, sometimes it feels dreadful to put it on once more. Still, a never ending cycle. I feel conflicted to buy nice powder, but I can tell an obvious difference when I do. Do I drop some serious change on something nice if it makes all the difference? If it makes us feel great about the way we look, why don't we? You get my drift. We need to switch things up a bit, and often. Our aesthetic is SO important.

I love illuminating powder, and recently ran out of mine. Also, it was discontinued, two reasons to buy a new one. I chose Laura Mercier Mineral Illuminating Powder in Candlelight, for $32. I wore it out for the first time, with no foundation, and received multiple compliments. This was skipping half of the normal steps in my routine. Worth the money? Hello? Yes! Guess what? A third reason to buy it! It usually takes me a year to use up one of these loose powder jars. That averages $.08 per day, money well spent in my opinion. Sometimes great makeup is worth it, sometimes it's not. It all depends on where YOU want to put your money. Most of all, make sure you're putting some money into your look. Life is about enjoying beauty in the simple things.