great advice

I recently got some really great advice from someplace quite unexpected.

Yep, 50 Cent. Via Oprah. {My washer stopped working mid-wash, so I loaded up my car and drove over to my parent's house to finish my laundry. My mom was watching Oprah's Next Chapter.}

I've always been a worrywart. I fully believe it's hereditary, but 50's words really resonated with me and have inspired me to change my worrying ways. 

Have you received good advice from an unexpected source?

aching arches

~via~

Right before my wedding, I went to get my brows done. I left with with perfectly shaped brows for my big day, and soon after began to feel a burning sensation that I've become all-too familiar with - I was beginning to lift.

Lifting is when the delicate skin beneath your eyebrow is damaged. Many times it occurs when the wax is too hot, but for me, it's because my skin is so sensitive.

I've asked my friend Diana, an amazing esthetician from Dolce Salon and Spa, to share some great info on what lifting is and how to {hopefully} avoid having it happen to you.

beth: 

What does it truly mean when you're lifted?

diana: 

"Lifting" is the term used when wax has exfoliated layers of skin in addition to removing hair. Skin is left raw and appears red and shiny at the surface.

b: 

How long does it last?

d: 

It is as though you've scraped a few layers of skin off of your hand, or some similar circumstance, so the wound/burn heals as any other wound would; time varies per individual.

b: 

What can you do if it happens to you?

d: 

Be gentle with the area. Avoid exfoliation, excess heat, sun exposure. Apply Vitamin A&D ointment 3+ times daily until the wound has healed. Vitamin A&D is a petroleum- and lanolin-based ointment that has vitamins A and D in it. They help protect the skin and promote healing in minor burns.

b: 

What at-home remedies work well?

d: 

A&D ointment can be found at Walgreens and other drug stores.

b:

What can I tell my esthetician so that I can avoid being lifted?

d:

Discuss home care with your esthetician, be sure to inform them of:

any use of exfoliants (scrubs, alpha hydroxy acids)

leave-on resurfacing treatments such as Retin-A you've used

Accutane use - you must not have used it within six months of waxing

 sun exposure, which compromises the skin's integrity and increases the possibility of lifting

excessively dry skin

over-stimulated skin (impaired barrier function), which appears as rosacea-like symptoms and is caused by incorrect home care (overly aggressive/drying products)

any recent professional treatments such as microdermabrasion, dermaplanning and peels 

Thanks, Diana! If you live in or plan on visiting Phoenix, make an appointment to see Diana. Not only will she perfectly arch your brows, but she can relax you with a back facial, clear your pores with a customized facial and so much more.



a deal on date {or any} night

Have I ever mentioned that I'm obsessed with getting a great deal? If I haven't disclosed this bit of information outright, I'll say it now. I love finding something I want/need/never knew I needed until this very moment for a steal.

Suffice it to say, I'm also obsessed with websites like Groupon, Haute Look and Gilt Groupe. You can buy great stuff, experiences, getaways {I recently picked up rooms at a boutique hotel for a song} at insansely discounted prices.

Today, another website that is growing in popularity - Living Social - is offering a $10 worth of food and beverages at one of Mark's and my favorites : Fuego Taco {remember our recent date night?}.

a little something extra : both Groupon and Living Social have apps for your smart phone. They make it dangerously easy to purchase mindlessly. Just a little word of caution.

before and after | bathroom drawer

I don't know about you, but there is a drawer in my bathroom that is a catch-all. Bobby pins, hair ties, brushes, lipgloss, mini lotions, bandaids - they're all tossed in the drawer haphazardly.

A couple of days ago, I was searching for a lipgloss and was so frustrated when I couldn't find the color I wanted {turns out, it wasn't even in the drawer - woops}. So on a recent trip to Target, I picked up a flatware organizer and decided it would be the perfect way to organize my messy drawer {and, of course, by organizing, help me purge unecessary items}.


What do you think?

before



after

how does your garden grow?

By all accounts, I have a black thumb. I'm a chronic over-waterer and no matter how hard I try, I just can't keep any plant alive. I give them to my mom for rehabilitation - she's so much better than I am. But recently, I was over at my friend's house celebrating her birthday and I spotted several ranunculus sitting pretty in a pot on her front porch. The blooms were so beautiful that I was inspired to try my hand at potted gardening again.

I went to Home Depot and Lowe's to find the perfect plants {by the way, Lowe's had the best and healthiest-looking selection} and pick up a couple of extra pots, then spent the weekend planting and praying that my flowers make it more than a week.

To help me from over-watering, Mark bought some Aqua Globes. If you look closely, you can see the green and blue glass bulbs peeking out from behind the foliage.

Mark also helped me clean off the back patio - which for some reason always collects an astonishingly large amount of bouganvilla flowers, leaves and dirt - by using one of his favorite yard toys...the electric blower. I have to say that I'm not a fan of the gas blowers {they're pollutants - both in the sense of noise and air}, but the electric blower is much quieter and doesn't spew gross gas into the atmosphere.

~please note the fashionable footwear~

And in case my flowers do fail, I picked up a lovely little succulent for the front yard.

balancing act

For Christmas this past year, I got a Food Network calendar {I'm obsessed with food, so it's no surprise that some of my favorite cable channels are the Food Network and the Cooking Channel}. Every day there is an interesting food tip and on Fridays there is a recipe for you to try over the weekend.

I thought yesterday's tip was informative. Did you know...

Bitter greens, such as escarole, chicory, dandelion and radicchio, require less acidity from salad dressing - they essentially supply their own. Up the oil and / or lower the vinegar content of your dressing accordingly. These same greens also benefit from dressing with a touch of sweetness; try adding roasted garlic {yum!} or raw shallot to your dressing.

{image via here - with a tasty-sounding recipe to boot!}



the three-week mani

I love to have my nails done professionally, but I'm so rough on my hands that I usually smudge them within the first 15 minutes of leaving the salon. But I have to tell you that I found something wonderful : Shellac by CDN. It's a hybrid gel-type polish that lasts for 14 days {or more} and dries before you even leave the salon.

It's been out for a while and three weeks ago I finally tried it. I think I may be a convert!

~freshly painted~

~end of week one~

~end of week two~

~a little chip that i made worse by peeling. oops!~

~end of week three~

Other than the chip, the only tell-tale sign that my manicure isn't freshly done is the grow out. 

A manicure with Shellac polish is a little more - typically $15 more than plain polish - but for my money, it's totally worth it.

the road less traveled

It's no surprise that I love to travel, as evidenced here, here and here. So when I discovered Backroads Travel, I got so excited. I'm not really a fan of organized travel or anything where I'm on someone elses' schedule (I prefer to make my own), but this company receives good reviews, even if they are a little pricey.

Backroads specializes in off-the-beaten-path tours of some amazing countries that offer the opportunity to be active and explore destinations in new ways.

Ever wanted to hike the Amalfi Coast?

~image courtesy of trip atlas~

How about bike your way through Bhutan?

~image courtesy of adventure collection~

You may, like me, have a Cambodian adventure on your list of things to do before you die. Check it out and check it off.

~image courtesy of siem reap driver~

Backroads also has exploration packages that take you out and about in the U.S. and Canada.

This company is definitely on my list of things to try out.

Where does your active adventure take you?

smitten kitten | pestañas perfectas

I've been obsessed with making my lashes fuller and longer since I can remember.

When I was in college (go, Devils!),  I spent a summer studying in Spain. At the end of an amazing experience full of food, friends and fantastic places, my instructor passed out handmade cards with a label that identified us. Mine was pestañas perfectas - perfect eyelashes. It was fitting since I wouldn't leave my room to go on a run without first applying mascara.

In an effort to be sure my eyelashes always look bold and beautiful, I've tested a lot of eyelash curlers and even more mascaras and came up with the perfect combination.

Eyelash curler
Shu Uemura has the quintessential curler. It gives the best curl with the least amount of effort. Be sure to always curl first before you apply mascara. If you apply your mascara first then curl, you run the risk of pulling out or otherwise damaging your eyelashes.

Mascara
My favorite mascara isn't one of those pricey department store brands. I thought about it, and I've spent a pretty penny on some (those suckers can cost upwards of 35 bucks!), but I always came back to the less expensive drug store brand. My choice : Maybelline's Volume Express line.

My absolute fave is their newest incarnation called The Falsies (waterproof, please).

A few coats of this and my eyes have that wide-open look framed by thick, glossy, long, luscious lashes. Sure, they're not the look of actual false lashes, but they're pretty dang close.  And while it is a waterproof formula, it's easily removed with my favorite eye-makeup remover.

I'm also considering taking a deeper look at some of those growth serums on the market. Specifically, the ones that are available at a department store or the mecca of makeup, Sephora, and don't come with warnings about permanent iris discoloration or blindness.

I may be obsessed, but I'm not crazy.

Stay tuned for reviews!

Update : Well, lookie here! Sephora just sent me an email with this link. Someone's been reading my mind...

a taste of the islands

I'm always on the hunt for ways to spice up dinner - who likes to eat the same thing day after day without some sort of variation? Well, sit down and take note, lovelies, because this recipe is amazing. Seriously.

The original recipe calls for swordfish, but I substituted chicken since that's what I had in my kitchen.

Garlic, ginger, lemon, soy sauce, dijon mustard and a little oil make a bright and tasty marinade sure to transport you to your favorite Asian Pacific island.

I've learned a great trick about pouring marinade or other liquids into a plastic bag : put the bag in a cup, wrap the edges around the top of the glass and pour. No muss, no fuss!

I marinaded the chicken in the refrigerator for nearly 24 hours to make sure it would be tender and juicy.

Pair the chicken with grilled veggies or a lightly dressed Asian-inspired salad for a delicious dinner.

a little something extra : if you do try the fish, make sure not to marinate it too long. While the recipe calls for you to marinate it for four hours or even overnight, the acid in the lemon will essentially cook the fish, making your final entree mushy. Try two hours.