Peplum Obsession

I've become obsessed with peplum lately. As you may have noticed from my earlier post, I wore a Jessica Simpson peplum dress to Chris's high school reunion. I purchased the dress at T.J. Maxx for $59 but when I was looking online to see if I could find a picture to send a friend I found it at Nordstrom for $128. Boy do I love it when I score a good deal! I know a lot of people say they don't have the time or patience to comb through the racks at stores like Marshalls and T.J. Maxx but I promise you it's worth it. I've purchased a Tina Turk bathing suit, a Lilly Pulitzer dress, Seven jeans, and a Michael Kors purse from Marshalls. When I found the peplum dress at T.J. Maxx I also spotted several Kate Spade pencil skirts and some really cute Kate Spade pumps. You're timing has to be right at these stores, but it's definitely worth an occasional visit. 

Jessica Simpson Studded Detail Peplum Sheath Dress

Yesterday morning when I was going through my emails I stumbled across an invite to a J.Crew Factory early access sale. I love a good sale and I even managed to purchase a few Christmas gifts. However, this morning when I got to work and started through my emails I noticed another email from J.Crew Factory announcing that everything is 50%.Well isn't that interesting, especially considering they made me feel like I was getting the best deal yesterday with early access. I quickly searched for the items I purchased and they were marked down considerably more. Fortunately J.Crew has a great return policy and they credited me the price difference. Always keeps that in mind when you're shopping. If you purchase an item and it is discounted within 30 days most stores will credit you the difference.

But back to my peplum obsession. I found this great peplum dress for work and the holidays. I feel like I always lean towards black and grey this time of year since it's so versatile; however, I decided to go with a gorgeous red color. I can easily wear this to work with a sweater and I can dress it up for a holiday party with a festive necklace, bracelet and heels.

Factory Stretch Wool Peplum Dress

J.Crew Cardigan. Perfect for work and even better that it's $24.50

                                                     

                                         

                     Stella & Dot Zora Crystal Necklace. The perfect accessory for your holiday party.

                                           
J.Crew also has a great selection of peplum tops for great prices.Wear them to work or out to dinner.

Factory Collared Peplum Top

Factory Peplum Ponte Top

Here is a really cute peplum top from Target's Phillip Lim line.

Phillip Lim Peplum Top

This is another great peplum dress from Loft. I love the military green color.

Striped Merino Wool Blend Peplum Sweater Dress

High School Reunion & the Dixie Classic Fair

Over the weekend we traveled to Winston for Chris's 20 year high school reunion.Chris had gone back and forth about whether or not he wanted to attend, especially considering the fact that we learned the reunion was Friday night, not Saturday night, only two days beforehand. But in the end, two of Chris's childhood best friends were going to be there so he decided it was worth the trip.

The reunion was held at Allison Oaks Tasting Room in downtown Yadkinville. Chris's graduating class was 75! Can you believe that? It's hard for me to believe because my graduating class consisted of several hundred students. There were close to 50 people at the reunion, including spouses, so they had a pretty good turn out. Before the reunion we met up with Chris's two childhood best friends, Van and Mark, and their wives. It was fun to see Chris catch up with friends and tell stories from their childhood. As we walked out the door to go to the reunion Chris's mom informed me that Chris and Mark were double trouble growing up. I could tell within five minutes of meeting Mark how that was certainly the case. It took them no time at all before they were scheming all over again. I heard a lot of funny stories and we enjoyed looking through their yearbook at some classic pictures. Chris won the superlative for best legs (picture below). He informed me that he actually one the superlative for coolest and for best legs, but they could only picture him in one so they went with the legs. Notice how all three of them are wearing jean shorts!

Great name tags!

Mark (aka Pugs), Chris (aka Legs) and Van (not sure why he doesn't have a nickname!)

Priceless!

It was fun to hear where everyone ended up after 20 years. Most of his classmates have two or three kids, some even in high school, and are still living fairly close to Winston. We were one of the few couples with a little one at home. Needless to say Chris got a late start compared to his classmates, but that's what happens when you marry someone eight years younger, ha! 

On Saturday we took Carter to the Dixie Classic Fair. I love going to the fair. When I was in college we'd always go to the N.C. State Fair on the food drive night. If you brought 5 can goods you were given one free admission ticket. Score! This year the Food Lion Hunger Relief Day is Thursday, October 24th at the N.C. State Fair. Once I moved to DC and Chris and I started dating, he introduced me to the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston. It's hard to beat all the yummy, terrible for you food and people watching. Unfortunately it was almost 90 degrees on Saturday so it was almost too hot to enjoy.

We did make it there just in time for lunch. We dined on corn dogs, jerk chicken, Chick-fil-a, lemon quench, sweet tea, and cotton candy! Carter almost ate an entire corn dog (which actually consisted of two hot dogs), drank some of my lemon quench and had a bite or two of cotton candy. After we ate we watched the pig races and walked around the fair. We wanted to take him on a few rides but due to the height requirement we were only able to ride the carousel. Oh well, there is always next year!

Watching the pig races with Bo.

One of my favorite things to do at the fair is check out the crazy food. It seems like every year they introduce something new and it's typically fried. They offer fried pickles, fried Twinkies, fried Oreos, fried candy bars and this year I even noticed fried Kool-Aid. I don't even know how that's possible, but they had it. If you'd like to go the healthier route they have chicken and waffles, funnel cakes, turkey legs, and BBQ. If you're feeling adventurous I suggest trying the Politician Burger which consists of a hamburger patty, lettuce tomato, shoestring fries and a big slice of bologna sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Or maybe the pickle dog would be more your thing. It's a pickle spear wrapped in cheese and pastrami, lightly battered and fried. Basically it's like version of a Rueben. Have I made you feel sick to your stomach yet?

Politician Burger

It's fun to take some time to walk through Yesterday Village. The village consists of 19 log houses that were built in the 1800s. They feature R&R's Old Fashioned ice cream, a Sanford, N.C. company, that makes homemade ice cream using vintage John Deere tractor motors. While you're enjoying your ice cream you can take a seat and watch chainsaw artist, Jerry Ward, turn logs into pieces of artwork. They also have a great collection of vintage tractors on display.

This one was for uncle Justin!

Look at those red cheeks. It was hot, hot, hot!

Saturday evening we hung around Nana and Bo's house. Carter enjoyed sitting on Bo's tractor but you could forget about him wanting to actually ride it around the yard. Carter is sensitive to sounds these days. My hair dryer doesn't phase him but the vacuum cleaner scares him to death.

This is what Carter got into while we enjoyed Saturday night steak night.

It's amazing what one little person can get into in a matter of minutes.

On Sunday we packed up and hit the road nice and early to beat the traffic. Even though it was a quick trip we had a great time being home. Until next time!

Worn out after a big weekend with Nana & Bo.

Nordstrom Beauty Trend Show Fall 2013

Last Saturday my friend, Jana, and I went to Nordstrom's Beauty Fall Trend Show which showcased the fall's hottest looks in make-up and fashion. Tickets were $20 which gave us early access to the store and upfront seats to catch a glimpse at the top beauty products, trends and fashion accessories straight from the runways of fashion week in NYC. The best part was the fact that you were allowed to use your $20 ticket value towards the purchase of any beauty product. Jana and got there about twenty minutes before the show started and were treated to fresh coffee, breakfast, and free tote bag full of beauty samples. Following the show we had appointments with Philosophy and YSL.

The show was broken into three scenes and was emceed by Nordstrom's East Coast Beauty Director, Laksmi Sam. The show focused on the hottest trends this fall which are redefined smoky eyes, graphic eyes and Bordeaux lips.

The redefined smoky eye was the prominent eye seen on the fall runways and is a little edgy with a touch of feminine aesthetics. This look can be created using black, plum, grey and blue while using a mixture of matte and metallic shadows to create a graphic halo effect around the eyes. Satin matte skin, neutral blush and flesh-tone lips complete this look. If you're looking for an easy way to complete this look, look no further than Clinique. They suggested using Clinique's 'Lid Smoothie' to create a base for your eye shadow. Choose from colors such as Portobello and Stroke of Midnight to create the rest of your smoky eye.

Clinique Lid Smoothie

Clinique Portobello Eye-shadow

Clinique Stroke of Midnight Eye-shadow

Graphic eyes are more a 60's inspired cat eye. They key to this look is a squared-off finish to the top liner. You can line your eyes on just the lid, or finish off the bottom by lining your lashes and smudging them for more of a smoky look. Glowing skin paired with either a nude lip or a deep velvet berry tone makes this look extremely versatile. A great way to complete this look is with YSL's Bold Felt-Tip Eyeliner Pencil.

YSL Bold Felt Tip Eyeliner Pen

The Bordeaux lip is everywhere this fall. It's the go-to color on your lips and clothing. From juicy berry stains to red-velvet finishes, the variation of deep plums, berries, rubies and garnets are endless. One of the lipsticks they featured was Laura Mercier's 'Rouge Nouveau' Weightless Lip Colour. However, you can find this lipstick at any make-up counter or drug store you prefer.

Laura Mercier Weightless Lip Color

Jana and I enjoyed our appointment with Philosophy and were introduced to their oxygen peel. Their Purity face wash not only cleans your skin but also serves as an eye make-up remover and toner. Three steps in one, I'll gladly take it! Their Hope in a Jar moisturizer is heavenly too.

Philosophy Oxygen Peel Kit

Philosophy Purity Face Wash

Philosophy Facial Moisturizer

After our skin was clean and moisturized we headed to our YSL appointment for fresh make-up. I've always been a huge fan of Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer; however, today I tried YSL's 'Youth Liberator' Serum Foundation with SPF 20. I haven't used foundation since my competitive dancing days and I hated it then. I've always felt like it's too heavy to wear, but boy was I wrong. Times have changed. I was amazed by its coverage and how dewy it left my skin. I decided that I will use my tinted moisturizer or BB cream on the weekends and use foundation for work days and special events. If anything, I highly recommend going to one of YSL's beauty counters and give it a try. I promise you won't be disappointed.

YSL Serum Foundation

We also tried their glossy stains which are amazing!! I'm a huge fan of stains; however, they always dry out my lips and I had yet to find one that didn't until Saturday. These stains give you just the right amount of color and sheen and they don't dry out your lips. They also stay put for hours! I had to remove mine Saturday night with make-up remover. They have a variety of colors to choose from and you can control the intensity of the color by how many applications you use. Love these!!

YSL Glossy Stain

Someone told Jana about YSL's gel eyeliner so we decided to give it a try too. It went on effortlessly and it stays put all day. This is great for an everyday look or you can play with it and create a cat-eye look for a night out on the town. Gel liners are relatively easy to find but you'll notice that they wear off throughout the day so if you're looking for something long lasting this is it.

YSL Longwear Cream Eyeliner

I could go on and on about other things that I've added to my wish list but it would take me hours to finish this post. There was one last trend they showed us with nail polish that was really neat. They created a foiled look with your nails by simply using Saran-Wrap. Begin by painting your nails a dark color of your choice. They used a midnight blue color on the model which was really pretty for the fall. Once the polish is dry take a metallic colored polish and place a few drops on a paper plate. Take a small piece of Saran-Wrap and ball it up to the size of a cotton ball. Dab the Saran-Wrap in the metallic finger nail polish and then dab it on your nails. Once it has had time to dry take a Q-tip dipped in finger nail polish remover to clean up any excess polish around your nail beds then place a top coat on to seal the polish. So fun! I'm a huge fan of Opi nail polish and think Russian Navy would be a great base color and Honey Ryder as the metallic foil color.

Have a great Thursday!

Labor Day Weekend

I'm a little behind with our holiday post but thought I would try to get it finished before I forgot what we actually did. We debated on whether or not we should leave town for the long weekend but in the end we decided to stay put. It's nice to take advantage of an extra day off when traveling but at the same time it's nice to stay put. It was especially nice not to have to worry with traffic!

On Saturday we took Carter to his last music class. He had a great time and received his first diploma. Labor Day weekend is the last weekend our neighborhood pool is open so we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day and take one last dip in the pool. Carter really enjoyed the water this summer as long as it wasn't too cold. He wasn't a fan of the baby pool at all. I guess it's because he isn't walking so he can't really play that well in the water. He prefers to lounge around in his shaded float, ha. Who wouldn't?

Bye-bye pool!

Saturday afternoon Neil, one of our good friends from our Team Hayes days, came over to join us for football and a cookout. It was nice to catch up with him and enjoy the beginning of the college football season.

Hooray for college football!

On Sunday we packed up and headed to Shady Side, MD. One of Chris's co-workers lives in an adorable house right on the water so we went up for the afternoon to eat crabs, soak in a little sun and enjoy the water! It was a beautiful day and we had great company. We even had an opportunity to take Carter on his first boat ride and he absolutely loved it.

Yum!!

Carter loved riding on Gordon's John Deere tractor.

How stinkin' cute is Carter in his life vest?!

On Monday we decided to take Carter to Chick-fil-A for lunch and then to an indoor soft playground. Unfortunately all of the Chick-fil-A's up here are inside shopping or strip malls. It is so frustrating! I don't know why we don't have a free standing one but if you're looking to make a killing up here I think that would be the way to do it. The closest one to us also has an indoor soft playground and we thought it would be the perfect place to let Carter go! Since he isn't walking it's hard for him to crawl around at the outdoor playgrounds because of the bark and/or sand so this was the perfect place for him. I think he was mesmerized by all the little children running around more than anything else. They also have a little train that runs around the mall so we took our first train ride too. A fun weekend of firsts.

And he's off....

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. Let the count down to fall officially begin.