Thoughts on Thursday: Confession

I have a confession to make and it make get me kicked out of blogland. I do not like Lululemon clothing. Yes, the founder is a dingbat who makes stupid comments but that is not even one of the issues I have with this company. Every single girl in my barre class is shrouded in Lululemon and I truly cannot understand it. Although, I do find it kind of funny that barre class is a row of chicks all in black leggings. Group think, I guess. As someone who wears workout clothing on a daily basis, I can tell you with certainty that Lululemon's quality and price are not worth it. To find out what else irks me, read on:

The reusable bag that Lululemon gives you when you make a purchase says "friends are more important than money" on it. Really? Because I am pretty sure I have to work 2 jobs in order to afford your $64 tank top. Ergo de facto, in order to afford Lululemon I would have to spend more time making money and less time with my friends. Lower your prices or take that shit off of your bags. Either one would make me like you more.

I own a pair of Wunder Under pants. I thought long and hard, asked around, and did research before I bought these pants two years ago. I have taken meticulous care of them. I legitimately wash them all alone on delicate cycle. ALL ALONE. Every single time. For two years. And yet, they pilled almost immediately.  They are pilled along the waistline and the leg seams. For $82, these leggings should still be in impeccable shape. So disappointing,

I do not even wear these leggings to work out because they are not tight like workout leggings should be. I mainly wear them around the house and running errands. To me they are useless as workout leggings. And what is up with the length? I get it that they offer complimentary hemming but why make them so damn long in the first place? My legs are pretty long and these leggings go almost to my toes! Make two lengths if you are worried about them being too short on long-legged ladies. I think a lot of people would appreciate that, rather than paying a boatload for a pair of leggings and then having to hand them over to be hemmed. 

I am all for buying quality clothing but it truly does not need to cost an arm and a leg and if it is expensive, it needs to hold up to years of use. Yes, Under Armour can also be expensive but I have UA gear from years and years ago that look brand new. My favorite running leggings are from UA and cost me 39.99. The Zella Live-in Leggings are also a great pair of leggings for the price and have held up incredibly well through wear and washes. Same goes for Nike apparel. My favorite running tanks are from Nike and cost around $30 or less (on sale currently!). I also have several pieces from the Danskin line at Walmart that have held up really well and cost me less than $15 dollars. 

What do you think of Lululemon? Worth it or not?

Tuesday Trend: Nighttime Beauty Products

L to R: Shea Moisture African Black Soap/Bare Minerals Deep Cleansing Foam/Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins (oil free) Night Cream/Beauticontrol Defend and Restore Night Creme


With my skin being more combination now than it used to be, I switch up my nighttime routine depending on whether my skin is feeling dry or oily that particular day.

Routine:

If oily/breaking out: I wash  my face with the African Black Soap which helps to dry up the oil and blemishes. I have definitely seen a decrease in blemishes since I started using this soap I use the Beauticontrol Defend & Restore Night Creme pretty much every single night regardless, it is a truly amazing night creme. It hydrates without clogging my pores and I feel like my face looks refreshed in the morning. If my skin is feeling extra oily, I'll use the Origins Night-A-Mins instead to help moisturize but also clear up some of the excess oil-- that is where this night cream really stands out to me. 

If dry: I wash my face with the Bare Minerals Deep Cleansing Foam which I have used on and off for years. It does a great job of cleaning my face without that super tight feeling afterwards. I follow up with the Beauticontrol Defend and Restore Night Creme every night that my face is feeling dry. 

I recently added Burt's Bee Garden Tomato Toner to the rotation and while I haven't been using it long, I am happy with the results. It definitely appears to be balancing out my skin tone which is a welcome relief. It doesn't feel overly drying but I do follow it up with one of the night creams. 




What do you use at night? I love hearing about people's daytime routines but I am fascinated by what people do for their skin at night. Please share!



*At times posts on this blog contain affiliate links. You will never pay more for an item found by shopping through an affiliate link. The small commission received allows me to bring you original and creative content. I only link to products I love and use or would use myself. All opinions and statements are my own. *

J. Crew Factory Favorites

Happy Monday! I have another snow  ice day today so I am pretty pumped. Four day week? I'll take it! We had a great weekend spent babysitting our niece on Friday night and hanging out with friends on Saturday but I took nary a picture! So today I'm bringing you some of my favorites for spring/summer that I found while browsing J.Crew Factory during the ice/rain storm we had yesterday. 

1// Varsity Stripe Tee: I need another gray t-shirt like I need a venereal disease but this one has pink varsity stripes which makes it different from the other 35 gray tees I own, right? I have a t-shirt hoarding problem but I also have a serious love for being comfortable. Pair this with jean shorts and I've got my spring/summer uniform. 

2//Scalloped-hem Top: I love the look of this top from the drapey sleeves to the detailing and scalloped-hem. It is the perfect top to be worn with white jeans and a pair of wedges or with shorts and sandals. The color is so pretty, as well!

3//Printed Flutter-sleeve Top: How gorgeous is the print on this top? I love the dark navy with the pop of the green clovers, it is stunning! My job doesn't require fancy clothes but if it did I would be wearing this with cropped pants during the week and shorts on the weekend. 

4//Pom-Pom Tunic: This cover-up was super popular last summer but I missed the boat so I am glad it's back! My sister, mom, and I are heading to FL at the end of April and this would be perfect to throw on and head to lunch after lounging at the beach.

5//Boardwalk Pull-on Shorts: I ordered these shorts last spring and J.Crew did that thing where they cancel your order when it takes too long. So annoying! I am determined to get them this time. I need them to go with all of my t-shirts, ha! I love the red, it's so fun.

6//Scalloped Bodice Dress: Love the scallop trim and the black and white. Perfect for summer weddings!

What are you loving for spring/summer? I absolutely love snow days but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready for warmer days! 

*At times posts on this blog contain affiliate links. You will never pay more for an item found by shopping through an affiliate link. The small commission received allows me to bring you original and creative content. I only link to products I love and use or would use myself. All opinions and statements are my own. *

Florence, Italy {2}

Our second day in Italy was spent very similarly to our first day-- lots of sightseeing! First up was Uffizi Gallery. I was most excited to see the Birth of Venus by Botticelli and it was stunning in person! Uffizi Gallery also offers some pretty cool views of the campanile, the duomo, and the Ponte Vecchio. Who know?

We made the trek over the Ponte Vecchio to check it out and grab lunch of burrata pizza and bacon, olive oil, garlic, and pecorino romano. Delicious. Followed up with gelato - mint chocolate for me and caramel for G.

We ended our sightseeing that day with a trip to Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. The views were spectacular and the gardens were beautiful as well. 

Dinner that night was at La Giostra. I loved this place. The atmosphere, the service, and the food were all on point. The restaurant was fairly small and low-lit which are two of my most favorite qualities in a restaurant atmosphere. The food was definitely the best we had in Florence and up there for the one of the best meals we had in Italy. Confession: the menu was in Italian (the first menu we encountered that was entirely in Italian) and I ordered steak when I thought I was ordering a pasta dish but the steak was amazing so no harm, no foul. G had steak in balsamic and I had steak in olive oil and rosemary. So, so good. I would highly recommend this place if you are headed to Florence! The place was empty when we got there and packed when we left!

We ended with a nightcap at the hotel bar and then headed to bed for our last full day in Florence. 

Linking up with the ladies for Thoughts on Thursday!

Tuesday Trend: Daytime Beauty Products

L to R: Vasanti Detox Nutrient Rich Purifying Facial Cleanser/Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator/Egyptian Magic/Dr. Hauschka Clarifying Day Oil 

I've mentioned before that I don't wear makeup Monday-Friday because it will just melt right off my face after first period but I still want my face too look clean and bright during the day. Over the past two years, my skin has gone through some changes. My skin used to be primarily oily and now it's more combination of oily and dry. The past few months it has been incredibly dry so I had to make some changes and these products have really worked for me.

Routine:
Monday - Thursday: I use the Vasanti Detox Nutrient Rich Purifying Facial Cleanser and follow up with Egyptian Magic-- this stuff is actually magic. It really saved my skin from the red and flaky look. It starts as more of a salve but turns into an oil when rubbed between your hands. If I am wearing makeup that day or going to the gym, I will use the Dr. Hauschka Clarifying Day Oil as it is lighter than the Egyptian Magic.
Friday-Sunday: I use the Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator to exfoliate my skin after the long week. I follow up with either Egyptian Magic or Dr. Hauschka depending on what I am doing that day. 

I love to hear what products other people are using, so tell me what you use during the day! I have a different routine for the nighttime which I'll share later. I have found that mixing it up between day and night works best for my skin. Do you have a different routine for night and day? Do tell! 

Weekend Scenes

We had a pretty low key weekend and considering the snow we were graced with on Saturday, we didn't have much of a choice!

Friday night I played in my faculty basketball game and went out for some drinks afterwards with my coworkers. The game was fun but we lost by 20 points, ha! 

Saturday, G had to work and I headed out to finally get my hair done after way too long! Love freshly highlighted hair!

Before I left the salon, the snow had already started so it looked like this on the way home:

Which meant Macy and I spent a lot of time here drinking hot chocolate and catching up on Girls. Is anyone still watching Girls? I love it and I am enjoying this season a lot so far.

   

I did venture out Saturday night to meet up with G and some of his coworkers. Had to do quite the bundling before heading out but it was nice to get out! 

Sunday, as is typical in Maryland, the temperatures were in the 40s! After the past couple of weeks, 40s felt downright tropical! G had to work again so I set out to Whole Foods and did some chores around the house. I took full advantage of the nicer weather to wear something other than a sweater and boots!

Jeans (Madewell (old) but I love these), belt (Abercrombie & Fitch from high school!!), shirt (J.Crew (old) similar option here), driving moccasins (Cole Haan (old) similar option here)  

We hit up our favorite sushi spot, Shoyou Sushi, around 5:15 and had dinner. This place has increased significantly in popularity as of late, so if you don't get there early there's a chance you'll miss out. They stopped taking carry out orders about 20 minutes after we got there because they were so swamped! The byproduct of eating so early is that sometimes you're watching a TV show and the characters are eating pizza and all of a sudden you absolutely have to have pizza right now. Immediately. So in a not so finest moment, I ordered us a pizza (which we ate while sitting in bed- pretty sure that is heaven) from Piezon's at 9:15pm on a Sunday.  

I had a two-hour delay this morning so my week is already off to a good start! I hope everyone had a great Monday as well! 

Five on Friday

1. Favorite Dress: Camilyn Beth Go Go Dress. I have been wanting this dress for soooo long! I told myself I was going to buy it for my 30th birthday but I haven't gotten around to it yet. My husband's work gala is coming up in a few weeks and this dress would be perfect. 

2. Favorite Bedding: We have all white bedding and while I love the serene and calming look of an all white bed lately I've had the desire to add some punchy sheets to brighten up the room (perhaps this a byproduct of the absolutely ungodly cold temperatures outside). Biscuit Home recently launched their new season of bedding and I think this Bloomsbury print is gorgeous! I really like the pink to kind of keep with the serene and calming vibe while still adding some color. However, I also love the green. I have been really drawn to hunter green and pink together and I think the green set with some bright pink throw pillows like these would also add the brightness factor I'm looking for without overwhelming the white bedding. Thoughts?

VIA

VIA

3. Favorite Print: For Like Ever. I, like so many others out there, have been obsessed with the For Like Ever poster for many years.  The Domino Magazine cover featuring the print has been floating around Instagram lately and it reminded of my love for it! I have bought a few prints that I thought might work over our bed but nothing has really been right. The For Like Ever poster might be the ticket, though! Now to decide which color. I really like the the pink and red but I also like the gold. If I go with the green sheets above and pink pillows would the pink and red be too much? I think it might kill my calm and serene vibe a bit? On the flip side, I think the metallic gold might be a bit too muted for the words "For Like Ever". Does that even make sense? Good news is, I won't have the budget to add these items for a couple of more months so I have time to think about which way to go.

VIA

VIA

4. Favorite Beauty Product: Soapwalla Recover Bath Salts. I've blogged about my love of Soapwalla before-- I've been using the natural deodorant for years. My feet are so tired and achy after standing and walking all day at school so soaking them for a little while in these salts makes them feel so much better. I use the salts the regular way too, in the actual bath, and it makes my skin feel so soft! The smell -- lavender and eucalyptus -- is super relaxing! 

5. Favorite Quote: That Laura, always on point!

Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you are staying warm and toasty! I have a 2 hour delay this morning so the pup and I are staying in bed until we absolutely must get out!