Weekend

I am so excited Friday is finally here for multiple reasons but mostly because I am heading home today and can't wait to see my friends and family! We are doing a mock Thanksgiving on Saturday since I am unable to be home for actual Thanksgiving and to say I am excited is an understatement. I was lucky enough to be given a half day at work and can't wait to hit the road with a coffee and T Swift's 1989. Here's a few things I stumbled upon this week...

/ A favorite Southern dish, this recipe looks amazing.

/ I'm not sure I could pull it off but I absolutely love this vest, perfect for the cooler temps and staying cozy but perfectly chic.

/ I would have no problem calling this living room mine.

/ It's never too early to start taking care of your skin, this guide was helpful and determining what's best for your age.

/ Couldn't have said it better myself.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Yours truly,
Emily Ann

Favorite Makeup Buys- October

I don't know about y'all but this season my skin made a quick change once the weather got a bit chillier. Winter is so harsh on skin and I find that I end up changing my routine completely from late summer/fall into the colder months. Last month I had a great visit to Sephora and left with some amazing new makeup that I have been loving ever since.

1. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer- Radiance.  Primers and my skin have never exactly gotten along and most of the time they have broken my face out left me feeling greasy and with too much product on my face. A makeup consultant at Sephora recommended this after I described how my face had been looking dull and needed a little pick me up. This has just the right amount of shimmer without looking like your face is covered in sparkles. I absolutely love it and highly suggest trying it!

2. Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Coverage Foundation. I used this when it first came out maybe a year or two ago and for the life of me don't know why I stopped. They have so many colors that can be matched the exact pigment of your skin and it blends beautifully. I love that it can be a full coverage but also buildable for days you just need a tiny bit of coverage. 

3. MAC "Pro Longwear" Concealer. A friend of mine has been using this concealer forever and I finally decided to try it out for myself. I have dark circles pretty regularly and need something that covers and stays all day and this definitely does the trick. I went a shade lighter then I matched just to give a little extra pop around my eyes. It's also a steal for just $20, especially since you need just a tiny bit each use. 

4. Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder. This is another product that I have used in the past and recently bought again after I found a pressed powder version. Previously I had the loose powder pot and it just seemed to get everywhere. You can find the one I bought and am using when in line at Sephora in the sample section. I think this powder does a great job of setting my makeup and also covering shine throughout the day. 

What new products have you tried out lately?

Yours truly, 

Emily Ann

This and That

Lord help us, we've almost made it to Friday! Wednedsay tend to be a little rough for me being that I work until 8 on Tuesdays and don't end up getting home until about 8:30/8:45. It doesn't seem late but I  always have the hardest time winding down from such a long day. This week has been so far so good and will end even better because come Friday afternoon, this girl is heading home! This year I will not be heading home for Thanksgiving and most likely not until Christmas so when a free weekend popped up for this coming one, I just couldn't say no! Here's a few items and confessions occupying my mind until Friday...

+ I did not vote yesterday. It's awful and I hate that I'm admitting it but I said it. I am not yet registered to vote in NC and also didn't go through the process for voting back at home. 

+ My scalp has become so dry this season that I have contemplated doing a hot oil treatment. I know that sounds extreme but as someone that has to wash their hair every day, I am not sure what else to do!

+ Since I am not going home for Thanksgiving I thought it would be a fun idea to pose a "friendsgiving" to a few girlfriends. Anyone ever hosted or participated in a friendsgiving and have any advice on number of people or dishes?

+ I am hoping to get a bit of my Christmas shopping done this weekend while I am at home. I'm usually pretty last minute so this year I am trying to step it up a bit so I don't have to worry about anything last minute. 

+ Speaking of Christmas, last weekend my sweet momma asked for a few ideas of things I want and I had not one in my head! Clearly I need to sit down and think of some good gift ideas!

+ I did not go out this past weekend and couldn't have been happier. There is something to be said for waking up on a Saturday or Sunday without a headache and feeling exhausted.

+ I love doing laundry but despise hanging up clothes that need to go in my closet. I tend to let them lay for a day or two before they actually make it back in my closet.

+ I am finally dropping my car off to be serviced for an oil change, it's about 2,000 miles overdue. Everything related to cars I'm not a fan of. 

+ A little midweek humor...

Yours truly, 

Emily Ann

Taste of Tuesday: Spicy Jalepeno Margaritas + Grilled Shrimp Nachos

Get ready for some yummy recipes- perfect for your next date night or girls night in. Lately I have been all about some margaritas, spicy jalepeno margaritas to be exact. I'm a little picky when it comes to my margaritas and despise the taste of those with a mix. I highly recommend this recipe, so tasty but definitely has a kick from the jalepenos...

Ingredients:

2 Jalepenos

2 ounces of White Tequila

1 once Triple Sec

1/2 ounce Simple Syrup

2 limes

Salt

Begin by chopping your jalepenos and removing the seeds. We used about 1 and a half jalepenos but you could use as little or as much as you would like depending on how spicy you prefer. Next we added the jalepenos to the tequila along with the simple syrup and allowed it to infuse for a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients. I like a bit of salt with my margaritas and added a bit of salt to the rim of the glasses but wetting them and then dipping them in the salt. Next combine the infused tequila with the tripel sec and juice of 2 limes. Enjoy!

I also have made these and added pureed blackberries...holy yum. 

On to the next recipe... Grilled Shrimp Nachos. I couldn't find the recipe that we originally followed so am going to try and go from memory.

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh shrimp

3 Roma tomatoes

3 Spring onions

1 onion 

2 Jalepenos

1 avocado 

1 can of black beans

1 cup of shredded pepperjack

1 cup of cheddar

1 block of cream cheese

1 bag of tortilla chips

Begin by chopping tomatoes, onion, jalepenos, spring onions. Sautee the onions for a few minutes until they become tender. While the onions are sauteeing, toss shrimp with olive oil and salt and pepper. Add shrimp to skewers and grill on each side for about 3-4 minutes. Once shrimp is grilled place to the side and check on onions. Add cream cheese block to onions, along with the other cheese. If it seems to need a little liquid, add a bit of olive oil. Stir onions and cheese together until a thick sauce has been made. Cover cookie sheet with foil, spray with non-stick spray and add a layer of tortilla chips. Begin layering the tomatoes, jalepenos, and black beans. To finish the nachos, add the grilled shrimp and top with cheese sauce. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350. Top with cubed avocado and enjoy!

I promise both of these recipes will not disappoint and are perfect to throw together when having friends over. 

Lastly, thank you so much to everyone who reached out after yesterday's post. So many of you knew exactly how I'm feeling and offered amazing advice. I will be sure to keep everyone updated on my progress and how things are going!

Yours truly,
Emily Ann

Monday's Mantra + Doing What's Best For Me

Happy Monday friends! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was pretty low key and absolutely perfect. 

Friday was a bit crazy at the hospital and pretty much consisted of running around getting things in order to make Halloween special for my sweet kiddos. We had a Halloween parade around the pediatric floor and it turned out so cute. Once I was off work I immediately hit up the grocery store for some necessities for my girls night with my friend Aubree. She just moved into the sweetest home and we were both looking forward to staying in, cooking dinner, and passing out candy. While I can't say we had many tricker treaters, we did whip up some yummy nachos and a batch of spicy Jalepeno margaritas. I have been on a major kick for these lately and promise to post recipe soon! After a few scary movies, we both crashed pretty early and woke up to a cold and rainy day on Saturday. After a quick bagel trip and relaxing on the couch we headed to meet some friends out to cheer on the Pirates. If you didn't catch the game, you didn't miss a thing- we played horrible and lost. Saturday night was spent grabbing tappas and a glass of wine with my roommate before calling it a night. The first part of Sunday was spent at my new part time job, yep that's right... this girl got a part time job. I'll share more on this later this week. The rest of Sunday was spent grabbing pizza and a drink with my roommates and lots of couch time relaxing as I have some developed ANOTHER cold. All in all it was a great weekend and I am feeling rested and ready for the week!

Today's mantra comes with a bit of a goal for November...

This week will officially mark 1 month since moving to North Carolina for my new job. It's been a complete whirl wind and I think I am finally starting to feel settled at my new job and living in a new city. With that being said, over the past month I have completely let my priorities fall to the way side. That may sound a bit extreme but I am majorly needing to get back to feeling like myself rather then rushing around each day and wondering where the day went. Being that November is all about Thanksgiving, I would like to focus on what I am thankful for and getting back to feeling like myself. For example, feeling thankful for the 1 body I have been giving and making the time to do what it needs- eating the right food, exercising, and resting. It's so easy to get pulled in so many different directions and want to stay late at work or go out multiple times with friends but the end result always leaves me feeling exhausted, unprepared, and with lots of anxiety. This month I want to focus more on what is important and leave the rest behind. End rant. 

If you're still reading you are a saint and thank you for letting me get this off my chest. Anyone have any advice on making time for what's best for them? I know it will be an adjustment but I think it will make the world of difference in how I feel each day and my attitude. 

Here's to getting through this week!

Yours truly, 

Emily Ann

Let's Talk Handbags

Handbags  are one of those accessories that you just can't live without. They can make your outfit, add a little something extra, and bonus allow you to carry everything you need for the day or night. When shopping handbags are always the one thing you can count on, they won't be too tight or too long or need a zipper adjustment. They are perfect just the way they are, waiting for you to pick them out and style them accordingly. 

When it comes to myself and handbags, I am definitely a tote girl and tend to keep way too much in my everyday bag. People at work joke that it resembles Mary Poppin's bag in the sense that if you need something, I generally will have it. When it comes to going out at night however, I am just the opposite and prefer just to carry a clutch with the basics. 

Let's Talk Handbags by ead0724 featuring Lilly Pulitzer

Ever since I saw a Goyard bag on Pinterest a few years ago I have been completely smitten. I love the material they are made out of and their chic pattern. While I don't currently own one, I thought it would be fun to pretend I did and fill it with what I do own in my real bag. One of my favorite accessories is my Hobo wallet, a gift from my best friend a years ago for my birthday. I absolutely love it and sometimes will just go out with that and nothing else due to the fact that its large enough to fit my phone and keys in the side pockets. I'm also someone that has to have their planners on them all times. It's filled with important dates, reminders, addresses, to do lists, and I'm pretty sure I would feel lost without it. Other basics include my phone (iphone 5c), charger, Kind bar (or almonds), sunnies, and Burts Bees (my favorite chapstick.) On any given day you could also find a number of things include Advil, water bottle, tide pen, or random receipts.

Nights out are much simpler and call for a clutch, card/money holder, lipstick, and external phone charger. When I'm out with friends the last thing I want to do is carry around a big purse or worry about my phone dying. The GiGi Uber clutch is perfect in that its small enough to fit under your arm but large enough to fit what you need for the night. Bonus that they have sales all the time and you can include your monogram.

Ruelala currently has a great handbag guide that you can check out here. This would be great to check out before you head out on your next shopping trip to see exactly what kind of handbag you are looking for for various occasions. I definitely tend to be a "tote" kind of girl but loved all the different looks featured on the guide.

Of course I couldn't be on Ruelala without checkout out the current deals and to my luck found a few great Kate Spade and Coach bags ! Head on over to Ruelala to check out the currently deals and steals!

What type of handbag do you prefer?

Yours truly,
Emily Ann

If someone handed me $100...

$100 can go pretty fast these days. It could be a nice night out on the town with friends, a few new pairs of shoes, or a couple weeks of grocery money. The point being... wouldn't it be nice if you happened to have an extra $100 to do with what you wanted? Recently The Dollar Shave Company popped up on my newsfeed and I decided to check it out. Not knowing what it was previously, I was blown away by their selection of razors for such an affordable price, delivered to you no less! When I started to think of the things I could do and buy I thought of a few of these...

- a day spent by myself treating myself to a mani/pedi, lunch, movie, and fun new lipstick

- taking my sweet mom and grandmother out to lunch

- getting a few weeks worth of blow outs

- buying luxurious soft sheets, sorry Target yours are great too

- hosting a fun wine and cheese night with friends, goodie bags included

The possibilities are endless and the best part is Dollar Shave Club can save you $100 when you join their monthly razor club. I highly suggest you check out their website to learn more about the opportunity! The best part is they are delivered straight to your house, saving you one more expense on your next Target trip.

What would you do with your $100?

Yours truly, 

Emily Ann