i have instagram!

i love a good bandwagon. i hopped right on to the instagram wagon as soon as they released the app for my shit android, and then i forgot about it...so here is a flood of instagram photos:

i think i finally found the perfect pink polish, Essie's "Off the Shoulder". That + Volcano Candle + new monogrammed tervis water bottle....happy lady right here!

this picture seriously cracks me up. she looks so peeved.

seriously, look at these two. mess #1 & mess #2

my sweet bucked tooth baby. anytime I'm on the computer, so comes and sits on the keyboard until i put it away. not spoiled at all. nope.

oh right, that would be my ceiling...coming apart.

i cant decide if i love or hate this picture. i look alittle drag queen-y in it, but oh well. it was at Miranda Lambert, which was SUCH a fun concert, but for real, when/where would a live, country concert NOT be fun?!? correct answer is never.

Heat vs Celtics

Heat vs Celtics by myfirstnameisrachel featuring fitted shirts

big week! big week! The Heat play the Celtics Mon (WIN!), Wednesday, and Friday...needless to say, theres gonna be a lot of hootin' & hollerin' coming from the house with the pink floral wreath.

and obviously, I'm pulling for the HEAT. (see: Lebron)

side note: i have NO business commenting on sports, but i really, really enjoy basketball. mainly i like a sport where beer is served, and i can trash talk. oh, and super tall, attractive black men (for that matter, white men too. I'm not picky when it comes to millionaire athletes). hell yes.

makeup + morning

makeup + morning by myfirstnameisrachel featuring laura mercier tinted moisturizer

not only do i love clothes, shoes, and jewelry, but i love makeup + skin care products. the easiest way to describe it is, i am a big ol' product whore. Sephora is my mother-ship. there is no reason for this post other than i just love polyvore, and sometimes my mom needs recommendations on products.

1. Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash: i received this in a 500 point reward gift from Sephora. It is the perfect mix of gentle and exfoliating. after two days of the sample, i immediately ordered the full size.

2. Murad Eye Cream: I've been in the market for eye cream for a while. After {yet another} Sephora reward gift, I've fallen in love with this product. its pricey, but i think you get a generous amount for the price. besides, its eye cream! how much are you really be going through?

3. Liquid Eye Liner: I actually use the Sephora brand. it costs all of $10, so worth it.

4.Essie Nail Polish: In a perfect world, I'd keep my fingers and toes in a light to bright pink 24/7. In my world, I average a perfect manicure about 3 days out of every month. Regardless, Essie is always my go to.

5. Clinique Face Lotion: this is the tried and true face lotion. not too heavy, but my face doesn't get itchy by the end of the day from being too dry. i think the price is perfect too. {close runner up is Philosophy's Hope in a Jar}

6. Laura Mercer Tinted Moisturizer: this product lives up to the hype. I could not swallow the $42 price tag until i received this in a {seriously, another} Sephora Reward Gift and fell head over heels. i switch between this and Benefit's Some Kind of Gorgeous. {I've also really been wanting to try Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Foundation...has anyone tried it?}

7. Too Faced Leopard Bronzer: this is one of my staples. I've been using it for years. Lately, I'll even use it as a blush because of the pink under-tones.

8. Bobby Brown's Shimmer Brick in Rose: Another staple. I've had three in about four years. You can use it as eyeshadow, blush, and highlighter. You cant go wrong with this product! I highly, highly recommend!

9. Nars eyeshadow: I like this combo palette; its really simple when I'm not actually wearing a full face of makeup {usually m-f at work}

10. Bobbi Brown Smudge-proof Mascara: The other non-negotiable. I have crazy long eye lashes {humble-brag alert!} and I always look like a hungover mess by the end of the work day with any other type of mascara. this is my saving grace. LOVE IT.

I didn't include links, because well...I'm lazy.

What I'm Wearing Wednesday

NOTE: around 5 hours after posting this, i realized...uh...it is in fact, tuesday. holy bananas ya'll.

to avoid putting anymore terrible quality non-Iphone pictures up; i've taken to polyvore. seriously, what was life like before polyvore? so to be fair & honest, some of the peices im wearing are older and not on polyvore. my actual dress is from Gap and my actual open cardigan is from talbots. but this is the general idea of my outfit today.

i have to confess, i was really dreading yesterday. isnt it funny how you dread and dread something that turns out to be a great? {i have no reason to call it a great day other than nothing terrible happened, and in my book, thats reason for celebration!} i came home to sweet talulah ready to play catch and cuddle, so much so, she was still ready to play catch and cuddle 5 hours later...at bed time. needless to say, today was a large tervis coffee day.

also, i've started the Couch to 5K training program. does this mean i get to buy new running shoes & work out pants? i'm thinkin' yes. {should mention: by "started", i mean I've done week 1, workout 1} only 9 more weeks left. what...a crock.

happy tuesday, ya'll!

You Gotta Regatta

 

 

 

You gotta regatta is quickly becoming one of my favorite prints of Lilly's 2012 Summer line. I really wish it came in one of the tunics or elastic waist Cissy skirt. oh well, i'll definitely survive with either of these options.

One in Every Color, Please

Lets all take a second to admire the Lucille dress at J.Crew. I want all 4 of them. like, yesterday.

*pardon my dust as I try to learn how to post polyvore creations on here. I am computer illiterate in all areas other than excel & email.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

what makes y'all happy? I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what will make me happy. As I've mentioned before, I don't feel it comes naturally to me, and I do tend to feel that I'm always reaching for it {and often falling short}

will the perfect job make me happy? will getting down to my goal weight make me happy? will buckling down and making more progress on my house make me happy? will having a larger salary make me happy?
i. don't. know.

i do know that these things make me happy:

Talulah Grace has nooo sense of personal space. She literally tries to lay on my head. Here she is trying to sit on my shoulders. and it melts my heart. every time.

this crazy lady is my numero uno. she makes me so, so happy. we recently learned to facetime. um, hello, we live in the same city. not attached at all. nope.

lately, I've been a couponing machine. it truly makes me so happy to save money. i got everything above for around $100.00. in addition to around 3 weeks of groceries, i got 2 scarves, several makeup items, and several cleaning supply items.

I've been feeling a bit down, but I have to sit down and realize that I have so much to be thankful for. I have a beautiful little  child dog, a great family, great friends, beautiful clothes in my closet, and enough extra money to enjoy an occasional happy hour.

take some time and figure out what makes you happy, or at the very least, what you're thankful for.

xo

raa

baby sisters & kate spade

last night talulah grace and i babysat my favorite puppy lil bit.. lets put it this way, we will not be bringing home any new babies any time soon. talulah grace spent the ENTIRE night either barking or staring at lil bit. anytime lil bit moved closer to me, talulah moved closer to me. at one point in the evening, i had one dog in my lap and another on top of my head. of course, my little chunk-chunk was the one on top of my head.

before i let this go on any further and dedicate an entire blog post to two babies dogs, im just going to end it with this picture:

next up? kate spade new arrivals. now, let me preface this with, i dont fully trust kate spade. i love their styling and the general look of their products. however, ive heard so many horror stories of terrible customer service, that i'm alittle put off by them. in addition, i take issue with purchasing a $250 leather planner and $180 leather wallet, and within months, have $430 worth of merchandise scratched and told "thats how the leather is supposed to look..." with that being said, i really, really like some of their new arrivals, but do i foresee them in my closet? no. {well, in all honesty, maybe that leopard wallet once it goes on sale...it looks shiny and non-scratchable, right? anyone?}

leopard? peplum? check. check.

xo
raa

new things, old things, blue things

ok, ok, ok, i know I'm always singing these songs of getting back to blogging. one day, my friends. one day.

in the mean time, i need to have a good ol' brain dump. i appreciate that Erin over at Blue Eyed Bride does this often, and i truly believe its good for the soul.

new things

i finally tried the clarisonic mia. not sold. yet. I've read too many good reviews, and i follow the cliche, if everyone is jumping off the cliff, so am i. i feel like I'm breaking out a bit more than i was before, but my mom swears my skin looks softer. I'm going to wait a few more months to make a solid judgment and either a) be glad i spent that much money or b) be real, real pissed that i spent that much money.

i bit the bullet and purchased {with the help of Sak's 20% off + Ebates} my Tory Burch Reva's. ladies, if you're debating...stop. buy them, and never look back. they are fab, fab, fab-ulous. i wore them around on carpet for an hour trying to convince myself they weren't comfortable, and therefor, not worth the money. couldn't. they are perfect. and i have wide, chubby girl feet, and i love them. i did order a half size up.

both new & old things

Lauren at La Petite Fashionista is truly one of my soul sisters. she continues to amaze and inspire me. i am truly, so beyond blessed to have her in my life, for one reason which is still super top secret :) As if having a successful career, blog, and personal life isnt enough, Lauren is launching a digital magazine. i know it will be fabulous, and at the very least it will have very fabulous coozies for my mic ultras.

old things

i reverted back to my college days for Cinco De Mayo, and it was great. i know i should feel remorseful for sitting at the bar with one of my besties downing free shots from the super cute bartender, but i do not. no guilt here, ladies.

tonsils. not only do i have a over sized personality, mid-section, and top area, i have over sized tonsils. i think i get tonsillitis at least twice a year. my doctor always forgets, and when i open my mouth for an examination, she exclaims, "WOAH! how do you manage?!"....just what you want to hear from your doctor. I'm currently hating life because it hurts to swallow, cough, and y'know..breathe.

blue things

I'm obsessed. in the past three weeks i have purchased blue pants, blue dresses, blue scarves. blue, blue, blue i love you. y'all, Gap is ON right now. they are heading in the right direction, and I pray they do not ever look back. i encourage you to walk, no run, to your nearest store and scoop up all the yummy designs. you wont regret it {your wallet will, but who cares what it thinks?!}

i may have these in a few alot of colors. neon pink, green, white, and blue...to be honest.



This scarf is actually much more vibrant in person; it has hints of neon pink, yellow, and orange



 

yes, the above dress isnt blue, but i had to buy it in both colors. its way too perfect of a dress. but consider yourself warned: the pink dress is not bubblegum as pictured, it is neon pink. HIGHLIGHTER pink and i love it. I paired it with the above scarf to tone it down, or at least to try to tone down a highlighter pink dress.


 

whew, im exhausted.

xo

raa