Martenitsa

David’s coworker kindly gifted these bracelets to us, Martenitsa, on Baba Marta Day, March 1st. They are made from red and white yarn woven together and placed on your wrist in Bulgarian culture. 

According to tradition once you see a stork or blossoming tree you take off your bracelet and tie it to a tree. All around Bulgaria the trees will be covered with Martenitsa. 

Anyone gifting you these bracelets are wishing you wisdom (the white) and health (the red) throughout the year, and the bracelets also symbolize the anticipation of warmer weather ahead. 

David and I have been on the lookout for birds and blossoming trees all month long and finally found a tree with buds this past Sunday. We tied our bracelets on it and are hoping for good luck and health this year as well as a wonderfully warm springtime. 

I find it so fun and fascinating to learn about different cultures and traditions, don't you? 

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

Loving Lately ~ March 2019

Hi there and Happy Monday! 

Here’s a few things I’ve been loving this month:

Unicorn roses-

David found these in a flower shop in Chicago by his office and I was so surprised when he whipped them out of his bag! They’re hand dipped and so fun and cheery.

OPI nail color in What Time Isn’t It-

This is one of the most unique nail polish colors I’ve ever tried. It’s from the Alice Through the Looking Glass collection and is a dark grey color with silver strip glitter and is a jelly consistency. It is so different from any other shade I own and I've really been enjoying this dark yet sparkly color!

Wacky Cake-

This classic WWII era cake is vegan being that it’s completely dairy free, and is made using basic pantry ingredients. It’s mixed and baked in the same pan making for easy cleanup. A win win! This is the recipe I tried but there are tons of versions out there. Also, I cut the baking time to 25 minutes, and it came out perfect. 

That’s all for now! What have you been loving lately? Comment down below, I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

Big City Chefs-

Instead of going out for a fancy dinner to celebrate our 10th anniversary, my husband David and I thought it’d be so much fun to hire a private chef to come to our home and cook a lovey meal for us as well as my parents. 

We used Big City Chefs and I couldn’t be more pleased with our experience. After filling out some information online we were matched with a chef. After a few emails and a phone call we chose a Tuscan Wine Dinner theme, finalized the menu, paid a deposit and that’s it, so easy!

We were matched with the lovey Chef Aranai, and she was an absolute pleasure to work with. She showed up with all the supplies she needed, food prepped, and served us 4 amazing courses. She even cleaned up afterward and left my kitchen spotless! The food was incredible and I so enjoyed asking questions and chatting with her while she prepared everything. I’m hoping (fingers crossed) she’ll come back and cook for us again soon!

Here’s some pictures and a description of each course:

First Course-
Fresh Market Vegetable Salad-
A salad of micro greens, Persian and English cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, as well as a hybrid parsnip-carrot that Chef Aranai found at the market. It was topped with an orange blossom white balsamic vinaigrette. So fresh and crunchy and delicate. 

Pasta Course-
Wild Spinach and Parmesan Risotto-
A risotto full of spinach, Parmesan, as well as asparagus and peas. This was so creamy and rich but had a freshness from the vegetables. I am so happy she made leftovers of this for my fridge!

Main Course-
Pork Tenderloin Florentine-
Pork tenderloin stuffed with spinach and mozzarella cheese, served with roasted potatoes and garnisheed with a cream sauce, roasted tomato and a Parmesan tuile. 

Dessert-
Chianti-Poached Pears with chocolate ganache and vanilla gelato-
After such a meal this was the pièce de résistance. The pears were tender and sweet with a hint of cinnamon. The sauce and gelato were the perfect compliments to such a delicate fruit. 

We had such a lovely evening getting dressed up, putting on some jazz, sipping champagne and relaxing-and to think we didn’t even have to leave the house! I can’t wait to have Chef Aranai cook for us again soon, it was truly an evening I’ll never forget. 

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

Palette Review ~ Too Faced Pretty Puppy

As a total dog lover, I knew I had to have this palette as soon as I saw it. It’s a limited edition that's inspired by Clover, the doggy mascot of the brand Too Faced. 

Inside is 6 warm toned shades that are extremely versatile. I am able to pack only this little palette for travel and have everything I need for day to night looks. At $28 I actually think it’s a good value for the range of shades and the quality of the product. 

My favorite shades to use are Bad to the Bone (a nude matte bone color) under my brow bone and in the inner corners, Snuggle Time (a matte mauve) all over my lid, and Heavy Petting (a deep shimmer plum) in the crease. 

Here's the finished look, perfect for daytime. Please be patient with the amateur photos, I'm quite new at this. ;-)

Do you have any favorite palettes you’ve been using lately? Let me know down below, I’d love to hear from you. 

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day!

FaceTory

If you’ve been reading here for a bit you’ll know I am an absolute face mask fanatic, so when I discovered a sheet mask subscription service, I had to sign up immediately. 

FaceTory is bringing Korean Skincare to the masses with an offering of a variety of hard to find sheet masks hand picked and delivered to your doorstep every month. 

I like that you can choose a 4 pack (Four Ever Fresh)-$8.90/month-the option I chose- or a 7 pack (Seven Lux)-$19.90/month and you can cancel anytime. 

They are also always offering promotions it seems for $ off or free masks with your first order. I received 3 masks free with mine! 

The packaging is adorable and the resealable mailer is very handy to keep the masks organized underneath my bathroom sink. 

I also love the little cards that are included that explain everything about each mask, since some of packaging is in Korean. 

They also list the retail price of each mask, with most of them being about $4. To receive 4 every month for less than $9 delivered is such a deal!

I have been having so much fun with the variety they send, my first month included a cream, a jelly, a green tea, and a collagen mask. I like using 1-2 a week and I love that I can choose which my skin needs the most since they’re all so different. 

If you love a good face mask and getting snail mail then I definitely recommend giving FaceTory a try. 

🍀 Hope you have a fabulous weekend and may the luck of the Irish be with you for St. Pat's on Sunday! Are you doing anything fun to celebrate? Let me know down below, I'd love to hear from you. 

Thanks for reading.

⚜️ King Cake

Good morning! I hope your coffee is strong today after losing an hour of sleep this weekend. Today I want to share with you our Fat Tuesday experience of trying a king cake:

After living down south in Tennessee for several years, I always heard of the king cake tradition on Fat Tuesday and throughout the Lenten season, but never tried one. We always had donuts in our family to celebrate, and Krispy Kreme was conveniently located very close to my apartment in Franklin. :)

This year after doing a little research we found Silver Moon Bakery in Manhattan sells traditional southern king cakes. (If you would like to read more about the origins of the tradition, check this out). 

My husband David was able to stop in and pick it up Tuesday night after work and we had so much fun trying to guess who was going to get the piece with the Baby Jesus inside it, or fève. My dad found it inside his piece-meaning he gets to be king for the day and have good luck! 

Aside from the fun, the cake itself was pretty tasty. It’s basically a very plain cinnamon flavored coffee cake with a white icing drizzle and topped with the 3 colors of Mardi Gras in sugar, yellow for power, green for faith, and purple for justice. 

I love trying new things and found this to be a fun experience that may just turn into a yearly tradition! (We still like Krispy Kreme better though, hehe)

Do you have any fun springtime traditions? Let me know down below, I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day.

Walmart Beauty Box ~ Hydration Heroes

With so many beauty subscriptions out there to choose from, I must suggest Walmart Beauty Box as an excellent option. 

The box is quarterly, not monthly, which I love because they’re seasonally themed and I don’t end up with more products than I can enjoy. Each box is tailored to you since there's a quiz when you sign up asking basic questions such as your skin tone, any skin problems, hair texture, etc. I also like that the box is free, the only charge is $5 for shipping. At $20 a year the contents are a bargain. 

This current box is my 4th, so I have been enjoying it for one year now. It is an excellent value in my opinion, and I thought I could share what comes in each box and do a quick review. 

The theme for Winter 2019 is Hydration Heroes. The samples came packed in an adorable pewter metallic cosmetic case! This was such a nice surprise and I plan on using the case for all my sunscreen.

Here is a quick rundown of the rest of the contents:

Curél Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer-
I’m new to the concept moisturizing wet skin, but it makes so much sense. Doing so locks in the moisture even better, it absorbs quicker, and doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy. 

Olay Daily Facials with Grape seed extract-
I’ve only ever used pre moistened cleansing cloths but now I’m hooked. These wipes serve 5 purposes, they cleanse, tone, hydrate, exfoliate, and remove makeup all in one. They don’t leave any residue behind and they leave my skin feeling deeply clean, which I can’t say for the wet kind of facial cloths. 

Garnier Fructis Damage Repairing Papaya Hair Mask-
Coming in at under $3 for a small tub, this stuff is such bang for your buck. It smells heavenly, and is derived from 98% natural ingredients. I love that it has 3 different uses, as a mask, a conditioner, or a leave in treatment depending on how long you leave it it. It’s very light and leaves my hair silky and shiny. 

Garnier Skin Acitve 3-in-1 Face Moisturizer with Rose Water-
Next to the sheet mask, this was my favorite thing from this box. Similar to the hair mask it serves 3 purposes-as a moisturizer, a leave on mask, and a rinse-off mask. I would apply a thin layer after washing my face in the morning and it made such a smooth base for my makeup. It left my skin slightly dewy but not sticky and it’s not heavy at all. It also smells really nicely of roses, very lightly and not overpowering. This is just under $10 for a full size and I can honestly say I thought it was much more effective than many more expensive moisturizers I’ve tried. 

Cetaphil Eye Gel-Cream-
This is a pretty cool product and I had no idea Cetaphil even made eye creams. It’s a hybrid between a gel and a cream so it’s very light while deeply moisturizing. It’s full of hyaluronic acid and a vitamin complex, while also being non-irritating and hypoallergenic. I felt it made my under eye area look smoother and brighter. This was another product I applied in the morning and I felt it helped my makeup apply better. 

🦄 Soo’Ae Unicorn Glow Hologram Mask-
This is a brightening mask that is 2-sided. The outside is the most fabulous metallic holographic foil and the inside is a black charcoal which helps to detox and purify the skin. Aside from being fun and smelling nice, this mask was extremely effective at brightening my skin. This was definitely the best and most exciting product in my opinion. Who doesn’t love unicorns? ;-)

All in all I think was was a marvelous box full of hydration helpers for winter. The samples were all big enough for a few uses and I got to try out some new to me products and formulas. I can’t wait to fill you in on the spring box!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

Biggs & Featherbelle

A few weeks ago I had just run out of body scrub and as my mom and I were shopping at Wegmans (our local grocery store) we decided to give Biggs & Featherbelle a try. 

Biggs & Featherbelle was started by two sisters who turned DIY Christmas gifts into quite the business. The best part is their mission to create “health conscious body care” so all of their products are free of synthetic dyes, fragrances, additives and preservatives. 

I am here to report that the products are fabulous, one of the best body scrubs I’ve tried, and I’m looking forward to trying more scents and other products. The scents are lovely and the scrub leaves your skin so silky smooth. 

The most fun part is scooping your desired amount into the container at the store, and it’s weighed by the pound. So if you only want enough for one or two showers, that’s okay!

We tried the lime & sea salt as well as the fresh mint & sugar which also had lavender, peppermint, and rosemary in it. Both were divine and for $9.99/pound they are such amazing quality. 

I’m dying to try the bath soaks next. If you have Biggs & Featherbelle at a store near you I definitely recommend giving them a try!

Thank you for reading, have a fabulous day. :)

Food, Flowers, & Dogs

Happy Friday, Happy March, and Rabbit Rabbit! I'm sharing a few photos today of the 3 things I photograph most often~ food, flowers, and my dogs:

Ready for spring with daffodils and Reese's Eggs. :)

Raisin Bran Muffins (recipe to come-still perfecting it)

Starbucks date with Mom and Gram

My girls in their stroller. They love cruising in it!

An amazing antipasto platter made by my dad. 

Lavender roses from Costco

That's all for today. Thanks for reading and have a fabulous weekend. :)