Everything

"And in this crazy life

And through these crazy times

It's you, it's you

You make me sing

You're every line

You're every word

You're everything."

My friend Emily and her husband were nice enough to volunteer and let me take some snapshots of them over the weekend. What was supposed to be a nice sunny day turned out to by cloudy and gloomy. But we managed to sneak out and take some in the 30 minute rain break.

Don't Judge Me..

...because I have been on a spending spree. I haven't gone shopping in forever, and when that happens I feel like I want to buy everything when I get a chance. Last night I went to Sephora to use my 20% off coupon on some products. I've been wanting to try out the Clarisonic for some time now because my skin isn't in the best shape. It promises to make your pores smaller (and what girl wouldn't want that) with a 30 day money back guarantee.

I got the Clarisonic Mia in Pink and was able to use it for the first time last night. Even though the instructions said I should charge it for 24 hours before the first use, I couldn't wait. I used the cleanser that came with the Mia and my skin felt super smooth afterwards and still feels pretty nice today.

I was really skeptical about buying this and thought about just using a manual brush because well, it would be so much cheaper. But after doing a little research and seeing the Clarisonic in person I had to get it. The Mia brushes 300 times per second and I am sure I could not do that manually. The key to getting rid of blackheads is to get deep in the pores and clean out the dirt and there is no way you can do that with traditional cleansing methods (your hands and a cleanser).

It is made by the same people as the famous Sonicare toothbrush (which I got one for hubs and I not too long ago). I bought a cheapo electric toothbrush once thinking that it would do the job, but the first time I used a Sonicare toothbrush my teeth never felt so clean. So, knowing what the Sonicare toothbrush has done for my teeth, I needed to see what the Clarisonic could do for my skin. I hope to give you guys a better review in a week or so rather than just my reasoning to buy it (not like I really needed one anyway :P).

I also purchased this palette from Sephora's Pure line.

The colors came out so rich unlike some other palettes that look great in the packaging but doesn't have much pigmentation. I don't know how many palettes I have I just keep buying more (sad, I know). Sephora's Pure line is made up of 95% natural ingredients and does not contain all those ingredients I can't pronounce.

I swatched the colors in store and I think my favorite is going to be the middle on the bottom, a shimmering mauve color. The blush looks crazy bright in the picture, but when I put it on its just a touch of bright pink. I can't wait to try this palette out.

Anyone else purchased anything at the VIB Sephora Event last night? I was hoping they would give away some freebies, but it wasn't even that kind of "event", all they had were some balloons on the doors.

Green with Envy

I mentioned a few posts ago about the new nail color Twilight that I love. Well, the day I bought Twilight I also bought Green with Envy (part of Ulta's Professional line new fall colors). The color is like an emerald green that I couldn't seem to capture very well with my old (circa 2004) point and shoot, which captured Twilight easily. I took so many pictures and just couldn't get a good one, and I was too lazy to pull out my big Canon. I hope you can see the pretty green in this craptastic photo :P

You like?

Speaking of being envious, I am super jealous of my friend who has lost probably about 10 lbs. in 2.5 weeks. We both have been watching what we eat, counting calories, and some physical activity here and there and well...I only lost about 1/3 of what she lost. I haven't been super strict on what I eat and allow myself a little bit of my cravings (all these left over Halloween candy in the office can't be good).

At this rate I have a long way to go to reach my goal. I don't know how I can reach it when I randomly had a craving for a powdered donut. A POWDERED DONUT....I NEVER eat those and one day driving home from work, I wanted one. I was so tempted to pull over at the gas station and have one, but I came to my senses. The oatmeal I am eating as I type this just doesn't compare to a Panera dutch apple bagel with cream cheese alllll over it!!!

I know losing weight is all about a lifestyle change, I get it, but sometimes its just difficult to get out of the routine you have been used to. As much as I hate to run, I think I need to give it another try, maybe invest in some real running shoes instead of the ones I just buy from the mall. Hubs just bought himself a pair of running shoes that were custom fitted to his feet. Apparently he runs a little weird, so they cushioned his shoes to help him out and not put pressure on his back.

Anyone else hate running? Or am I the only one? I hated running in school too and always dreaded when we had to do those fitness tests in elementary school when the mile run came up.

Lean on my shoulder

We have seen lots of strong shoulder blazers from designers for their fall collections. I don't have any of those, but I desperately want a strong shoulder dress. French Connection has several right now that I am loving. I love how structured these pieces are and how clean the lines are.

Then ASOS has these fun dresses with embellishments on the shoulder to add some drama.

How do you feel about the emphasis on shoulders these days? Do you own any strong shoulder pieces? If so, which ones?

Just a Few More

OK I promise not to overload you guys with my pictures, but I couldn't help but post a few more pictures from the shoot I did over the weekend. I am dying to get out and shoot again this week with the gorgeous weather, but it has been getting dark so early that it is hard for me to make some time. I really want to take a few shots of a couple this Friday around sunset, now my problem is FINDING that couple.

...and because I always save the best for last, my fave.

Black&White

Something about the simplicity of a black and white photo just draws me to it. Here is one I took over the weekend.

I love the nice weather we have been having in Texas because that means I can go outdoors and shoot! Hopefully I can find sometime after work this week to do some more. And find some time to learn how to use Photoshop :)

The Compromise

Everyone says the hardest thing about being in a relationship is the compromise, having to stray from exactly what you want to give your partner a little bit of what they want. We have had our fair share of compromises in the almost 7 years we have been together, but there is one thing I have not given in on. I have my reasons and he has his and we both feel that each of our reasons are good ones for wanting or not wanting to give in, so for now its been pushed to the side.

It is just this one thing that I have a hard time compromising because its not like "what's for dinner?" or "who is taking out the trash?", its personal. We have talked about different options and well we just haven't come up with one that works for both of us. Anyone ever had something they couldn't come to a compromise about? Would you just give in because you don't want to create an argument?

On a lighter note, I never posted this outfit I wore to a friend's wedding ceremony. Too bad I forgot to take a picture of what I wore to the reception because we were running late and it was a complete thunderstorm that evening.

Dress: Unknown, Belt: Target, Shoes, Jessica Simpson

This is one of my favorite dresses because it is so comfortable and is a great alternative to my little black dress.