Empties

Y'all, I am so sorry for taking such an extended blogging break, I feel like this semester of school starting really shocked my system-it's the senioritis I think.

Today I wanted to share something with you that I haven't done before on the blog, an Empties post!

These are all the products that I finished up and I just want to share my thoughts on each of them as well as tell you whether or not I repurchased or will be repurchasing them!

First up is the Softsoap Juicy Pomegranate & Mango Infusions body wash.

This stuff smells great & it's moisturizing. I would probably repurchase it, but I've got an entire closet of body washes that people have given me or that I've stockpiled from the semi-annual sales at Bath & Body Works. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to try it though!

After that is the Silk Effects Razor from Schick. This is one that I haven't used in a while, I liked it just fine but I decided to opt for disposable razors (they're easier for traveling because I can toss them before I come back home!) But this is a great razor if you're looking for a non-disposable one :)

The Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste is the absolute best toothpaste ever. It's so minty & I've been using it for as long as I can remember. Of course I repurchased this one & when I run out of my new one I'll be buying it again.

The Neutrogena Cleansing Makeup Removing Wipes are my all-time favorite wipes.

I used up two packages & then I decided to try the Pond's wipes (they were a dollar or two cheaper) but I'll review those later...needless to say, I'll be swapping back to the Neutrogena ones next time!

The Secret Outlast deodorant is my all time favorite.

I don't usually sweat, it really just doesn't happen to me-even when I'm a complete beast in the gym.

But it could just be because I use this deodorant religiously.

It smells great & it lasts a long time even if I use it twice a day.

Rimmel's Stay Matte Primer was a Target impulse buy, mostly because I need something to help my makeup last and to prevent me from getting so so shiny throughout the day (any tips, y'all?!)

This didn't really do anything, in my opinion, so I wouldn't repurchase.

Lastly is my all-time favorite foundation, Covergirl Clean Oil Control Foundation.

Just to be honest, that statement isn't really true-it's not my all time favorite.

I haven't really tried another foundation, so if you have any better ones please let me know!

But this foundation does the job. It's light coverage (I probably need something a little heavier) but it doesn't weigh me down. It's a toss up as to whether I would recommend it, but I will keep buying it until someone recommends something better.

Thanks for reading this y'all, I hope y'all are glad that I came back around!

Let me know if y'all like this type of post?

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

December Favorites

Can y'all believe that 2014 is over & that this is my first "Favorites" post of 2015?!
I honestly can't believe how quickly time is passing.
This is the year that I will say "I Do" to my best friend.
This is the year that I will turn 22 years old.
This is the year that I will make positive changes in my life.
Can you tell that I'm feeling confident & excited about 2015?

But for now...let's jump into what I was loving in December of 2014!

Who doesn't love Buzzfeed?

This is the most hilarious article, if you need a laugh to console yourself about Spring Semester starting in just a few days, read this one.

It's basically guys responding to "girl probs".

You will laugh & laugh & laugh some more.

This video is by some YouTuber who is famous for pranks (forgive me for forgetting his name!)
When this video started I was sure I knew what was going to happen...but you'll just have to watch and see for yourself!
It's worth taking a few minutes & watching for sure.



My favorite show right now is Southern at Heart on Food Network...I mean, how much more "old lady" could I be?


All the food that she makes is so special to my heart-I just fall in love with her sweet personality every time I watch as well!

As far as Christmas presents go, I got so many great goodies.

I got the Costa Wingman Aviators & while I'm still trying to get used to new sunnies, it's been so nice to have some that are scratch free!



Although this wasn't a Christmas gift, I recently bought myself the Navy & Cream J.Crew Factory vests & have fallen in love with them, just like I thought I would.



They're so easy to toss on over a Piko dress, a long-sleeved tee, or even a nice sweater.
They instantly add a layer of warmth & a layer of style.


This recipe has been my absolute favorite for the month of December. . .
Chocolate Saltine Toffee Candy (aka Christmas Crack)
I made it for a get-together at my grandmother's house & it was a hit.




I also have a random favorite that y'all might find a little weird-but I literally love this so listen up.

The PaperMate Flair pens are amazing.


I have used them before (in fact, I used them all last semester!)
My mom got me a new pack of them for Christmas & I can't wait to use them.
The colors are so vibrant & they write so smoothly.
[These pens can be purchased at Target, Wal-Mart, or any office supply store]

Lastly, y'all know I always share my favorite songs with you each month.
This month is a little more difficult because I did mostly listen to Christmas music, specifically the Christmas with Nashville album & Duck the Halls.

But I did listen to a little bit of other music & my favorites were. . .



Mean to Me: Brett Eldredge
This is the sweetest song, it's on the list to be played at my reception for sure!
My favorite lyrics are, "The answer to your prayer, and the faith that sets you free, then I'd be what you mean to me."



Annie Bosko: Crooked Halo

This is a new song that I discovered on Sirius XM The Highway, it's so much fun to jam out to while you're getting ready for the day. It gets me pumped up for sure.
My favorite part is, "Her kindness don't mean weakness, there's vinegar in her sweetness, says I got a friend in Jesus & He knows who I am."
 I love songs that empower girls & this is definitely one of those that tells girls to be exactly who they are.
Plus, isn't Annie just gorgeous?! Definitely a woman-crush!

I hope y'all enjoyed last month's round-up of all of my favorites & I hope you found a new favorite of your own.

Until next time. . .

xoxo,

Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Photography

I know it's the last day of the year, most bloggers are doing the cliche "Best Of" posts or their "Favorites of the Year".

I want to be that way...but guess what?

I'm just too excited about the fact that C and I just picked a date for our engagement photos, in just 24 days!

He & I are both excited (well, mostly me) to commemorate this point in our lives & all I want to do is pin ideas & put my most favorite ones here.

So can we just do one last Wedding Wednesday post for the year?

Okay? Good :)

 

Our horses being included is a must...they were such a huge part of our engagement & our lives in general, so it's only fitting.

Sweet embraces, they kind of make me melt.

I love these photos, they each remind me so much of C & I.

I can't wait until we get our photos done, I'll be sure to share them with y'all of course!

See y'all next year ;)

(Corny, I know)

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

A Goal Without a Plan is Just a Wish

One of my most favorite things about the upcoming New Year (just 2 days left in 2014!) is getting a new planner.

There is just something about the blank pages that make me realize that anything is possible.

I'm so excited to be sharing with you my favorite planners for 2015, so here they are below!

silicone valley /Lilly Lover's /May Designs/Target planner/Kate Spade/Erin Condren

I chose a little something that everyone will hopefully like.

There is something for every price point, the small silicone valley planner is only $10!

I personally went with the Erin Condren (although my exact planner isn't shown).

The Life Planner will be perfect for my hectic schedule with school & wedding planning, I'm sure.

I've seen so many people use their EC planners as memory books as well, so I hope to be able to do that!

The May Designs (Top Middle) has the most options for customizing [so many patterns!] & you can see all of the options for yourself before you buy.

The price isn't that bad, although your add-on's can add up if you aren't careful!

Kate Spade is classic, of course & the Target planner is a less expensive option that has a similar feel.

Y'all know I had to add some Lilly in here (which is what I would be getting if there was more room to write in them!)

Once my planner arrives I'll be doing a "How I Organize My Planner" post because I feel like they can be great tools if you actually utilize them. 

I hope y'all enjoyed this post :)

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

Winter Survival Guide

I don't know about y'all but Winter has been tough on this Southern girl.

From the harsh wind to the freezing temps, I have been riding the struggle bus on a daily basis, well only when I actually have to leave my house, but I digress.

I thought I was going to be forced to stay inside & remain in my leggings and oversized sweatshirts until April simply for the sake of my skin...that is, until I discovered Insta Natural!

I've heard of Argan oil before, it's in my shampoo that I use.

But who knew that it actually had a million other uses?

First up in my list of life-saving products that you NEED to try this winter is the Argan Oil Hair Mask-Intensive Hair Conditioner.

This hair mask can be used as a deep-conditioner or as a regular every day conditioner...I confess, I tried it both ways & I loved it!

My hair is famously damaged, I've been flat-ironing it and putting it in ponytails for as long as I can remember.

I have basically done everything that I can do to put my hair through hell.

This product has made it so soft & shiny. The product is rich, creamy, and smells like heaven.

But the best part? It's not greasy or heavy in my hair!

I feel confident that with weekly use it will make a huge difference in my hair.

Second is that cute little blue bottle pictured above, the Vitamin C Serum.

I was excited about trying this because the bottle says that it fights aging (hey, I'll be 22 next year...I need all the help I can get!), smooths skin & reduces appearance of pores, moisturizes dry skin, & fights skin discoloration.

When I tried this, I had several dry patches of skin & my forehead was super dry too.

I was a little nervous about applying oil directly to my face, but it absorbed so quickly & didn't leave me greasy or too shiny.

I put it on just before bed & when I woke up in the morning I was re-hydrated & the dry spots of skin were gone which is something that I hadn't been able to achieve with drugstore lotion (or even my sworn by Hempz lotion!)

Last up is maybe my favorite product...the Organic Argan Oil for Hair, Face, Skin, and Nails.

I love it because it is so versatile!

 I first used it on the evening of our first family Christmas gathering to smooth down frizzy hairs, it worked without weighing down my hair or making it crunchy like some hair sprays do.

On top of that, I now regularly use it on my damp hair to smooth my dry, broken ends of my hair.

And guess what else it works on?

Nails!

Winter has this bad habit of drying out my cuticles & although I love my Sally Hansen cuticle cream, 

I wanted to see if I could achieve the same miraculous results with this oil.

I applied it before bed & the next morning, my cuticles were hydrated, smooth, and not painful at all!

And my favorite way to use this oil may seem crazy, but I love using it when I have an acne flair up.

I just smooth it on the flair up after I've cleansed my skin & by the next morning the size of the spot is reduced.

Basically these products are miracles and I don't know how to explain how thankful I am that I have found something that works as well as they do. With the wedding quickly approaching, I'm more thoughtful of my personal care routines, so these are perfect for me!

If you'd like to check them out head over to their page on Amazon.

They're having a great special, where you can get up to 15% off of your total purchase.

The company is so friendly and great to work with so you'll enjoy your experience :)

Make sure you follow them on Facebook & Twitter for more information and updates regarding all of their products!

http://twitter.com/InstaNatural

https://www.facebook.com/instanaturalcompany

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

This post is sponsored by InstaNatural in conjunction with the Brandbacker Blog Network. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve, y'all!

I know, it's cutting it close-but I haven't gotten a chance to share any of my holiday decor yet, so I wanted to squeeze this post in between baking a buttermilk pie, wrapping presents, and getting dolled up for C's family's Christmas!

I didn't really go all out this year because I didn't want to go buy a bunch of Christmas decorations just to have them-so we kept it simple & we kept it rustic.

Let's just jump right into it, shall we?

This is a wall in our living room, we recently picked up that cedar chest at an estate sale, so it's been in here since we got it. those candles are always there. I just added the big jars with ornaments & the chalk sign was supposed to have something written on it...but I've kinda procrastinated that. Whoops.

I'm obsessed with our married monogram in the corner sitting on that basket.

Here's a close up of the monogram... 

This is probably my favorite nook in the entire living room.

We picked up this antique fainting sofa a few months ago & C's hand-carved chicken table fits perfectly beside it.

I just added a Christmas sign from target, some ornaments, and a Christmas candle from B&BW to the table.

The large pillows are from TJ Maxx and the smaller one is from Country Outfitter.

The blanket was a Christmas gift from C's step-mom & it's SO comfy & soft.

This is a terrible quality picture, but this is our entertainment center.

I have been shamelessly watching the "Fireplace" on Hulu & this is the Christmas scenes version playing on the tv.

We just have a couple of Christmas cards from our friends, some Christmas candles from B&BW, and our stockings.

The stocking holders are from Target & the stockings are from Country Outfitter.

The adorable sign is something my parents picked up from their trip to Gatlinburg for C.

This is the best shot I could get of our tree, but I am absolutely in love with it this year.

Most of the ornaments are from Sears (just balls & different shapes), but we also have our personalized ornaments that we've began a tradition of doing.

This year we also started a tradition of picking out an ornament or two for each other-he got chickens from me & he gave me a cross and a horse!

Our tree skirt is ruffled burlap (even though you can't see it here, it's adorable) & it's from Country Outfitter.

This is the closest we're getting to a full-room shot, but this one included our coffee table so I wanted to add it.

To dress our coffee table I just added two B&BW Christmas candles (Winter & Twisted Peppermint!) and a bowl from Tractor Supply with some ornaments piled in it.

It's nothing elaborate & crazy.

We don't have a running theme.

I didn't DIY a ton of stuff.

But it's us and I am so proud of it.

I love snuggling up on the couch and taking in the entire room & I'm going to be so sad when I have to undecorate it :(

Just because these boys are so cute, I wanted to include Whiskey & Bullet (they were helping me decorate the front porch)

This is how I decorated our front porch; our normal U's with burlap as our door-hangers, two trees (I'm not sure why you can't see the lights on the one on the right, I swear they're there!), and two poinsettias that I scored from Home Depot.

Bullet is just extra-cute decor.

Bullet says that all of this decorating stuff & modeling stuff is hard work.

I wish all of my followers the merriest of Christmases tomorrow, may you have a peaceful, happy day with your family & friends.

Love you all dearly!

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

Treat Yo-Self

With all the stress of the holiday season, I have to say-taking a few minutes for yourself gets harder and harder, the older you get!

I feel like every minute of my day during Winter Break has been spent shopping for presents, wrapping presents, cleaning the house & catching up on chores, and baking/cooking.

But it's important to make a few minutes for yourself each day to keep your sanity...and girl, it's Treat-Yo-Self Tuesday, so today is the day!

I recently won day three of Miss Southern Prep's Third Annual "I'm Thankful For My Reader's Giveaway" which featured the shop Bella il Fiore.

I won the shower cap & manicure set and y'all, I have been so pleased with both of them!

The paisley print that the shower cap comes in is so adorable & that little rosette is so fun!

It is perfect for nights when I don't need to wash my hair but I need to shower.

I can also imagine it would be great for soaking in a bubble bath.

I wish I had thought to take a picture of the inside of this case, but the soft pink glittery outside is so cute! I don't feel embarrassed tucking this into my purse for minor nail emergencies on the road.

The tools on the inside are grey and white chevron print, so fun!

I think this would make a great stocking stuffer for the girl in your life.

How pretty are these little details?

From the shimmer of the nail case to the bright, gorgeous colors of the printed shower cap-I love it all!

It was a great giveaway to win & I'm so thankful for the opportunity to try out an amazing brand and fall in love with it!

Now if you'll excuse me, I think a warm bubble bath, a Hot Apple Toddy candle, and a glass of moscato are calling my name.

Now go treat-yo-self, girl!

Until next time. . .

xoxo,