Friday Five

1. Breakfast in bed

yep, I got up, made breakfast, and then got back in bed :)

//gluten-free berry waffles//

2. Treats from the week

these powerberries from Trader Joes are delicious and so addictive!

found these precious notecards at Marshalls for $2.99!

nyx blush ("mauve"), benefit mascara, 

and cover girl nail polish (reminds me of essie tart deco!)

3. I finally bit the bullet and ordered an Erin Condren life planner, after years of swooning over them. 

I can't WAIT to get it and start planning my life in a much cuter way :)

4. It is a winter wonderland outside.  It's supposed to snow 8 inches and it's 16 degrees outside!  Being a Florida girl, this is VERY exciting to me!!

....well, at least it is when I'm inside, snuggled up with 4 blankets and there is a fire going in the fireplace......I'm not as excited about having to go outside or drive in it.

5. Hubs and I are having a "date night in", so we got to pick out our own snacks and movies :)

I picked Gummy Bears and Pitch Perfect.

He picked Cherry Garcia ice cream and Bourne Legacy.

Hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend!!

What are your plans?

A Gluten-Free Me

Due to a lot of horrible, nasty sinus infections recently, I have decided to try to omit gluten from my diet....just to see if I can tell a difference in my allergy problems and sinus issues.

I have done quite a lot of research lately, and it seems that there definitely could be a correlation between the two.  So I decided last week, I would give it a try.

I just knew I was going to quickly fall into a mild form of depression, because of the limited selection of food I could eat.  I knew I was going to crave all the breads and cakes and pies I could imagine on day 1.  

BUT,

after a successful grocery shopping trip...

 

.....and some thorough and intensive meal planning, I'm officially on my 5th day of being totally gluten free!  

And it's going great! The blogs, websites, grocery store aisles, and Pinterest boards have AMAZED me with the amount of gluten-free options there are!  Can you spot the pasta (brown rice noodles), pizza  (organic rice crust), and ice cream (gluten AND dairy-free) in my pile above?!

These are a few recipes I can't wait to try: 

Cinnamon Toast Pancakes

Zucchini Chips

No-Bake Granola Bars

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Espresso Shake

Pizza Crust

Has anyone else gone gluten-free?  I would love any advice, suggestions, recipes, or grocery store favorites!

Best of Beauty - 2012

Over the past year, I've painted, brushed, applied, and moisturized MANY a beauty product.  There were definite hits (the products listed below) and unfortunately, major misses too.  The products below range from eye shadows and blushes, to moisturizers and hair products - and they are my favorites of 2012!

Enjoy!!

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer - Illuminating
the perfect moisturizer for hint of color and glow

Revlon Whipped Foundation
great coverage, while still feeling weightless

Sonia Kushak Hidden Agenda Concealer
love the range of colors, great for a multi-use concealer

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer
really does erase dark circles - and lasts all day

Mac Blush - Pink Swoon
the perfect pop of pink to your cheeks

NYC Sunny Bronzer
a wonderful matte brown bronzer; it might be the least expensive item I used all year

Mac Highlighter Soft and Gentle
such a beautiful highlighter (I sometimes use it as an eye shadow, too) and it lasts forever

Naked 2 palette
an amazing collection of shimmery and matte shadows - love this palette

Maybelline Eye Tattoo -Bad to the Bronze
I tried several of these colors, this was my fave; perfect for an all over color and does NOT crease

Benefit They're Real Mascara
hands down, my favorite mascara ever, my lashes have never looked so good ;)

Revlon Lip Butters
tried many of these colors, so moisturizing and great color selection
(my faves: lollipop, peach parfait, and cupcake)

Revlon Primrose Lipstick
a very pretty mix between cool pink and lavender (and makes your teeth look whiter!)

Korres Lip Butter - Jasmine
smells divine, very moisturizer and a adds hint of light pink

Brush - Sigma f80 Flat Top Kabuki
my favorite brush to apply foundation and tinted moisturizer - gives a flawless finish

Ponds Moisturizer
feels so soft and smooth on the skin - I love this for nighttime

Revlon Vixen Nail Polish
a dark berry color, lovely for fall and winter

Essie Fiji Nail Polish
perfect for spring and summer; the perfect creamy pink (Emily Maynard's favorite!)

Redken Blow-dry Lotion
helps to achieve soft, silky and luxurious hair

Redken All Soft Shampoo
nothing has made my hair softer

Flowerbomb Perfume
romantic and feminine, with notes of jasmine, rose, orchid and freesia

 Leaves candle
absolutely delicious, with notes of apple, berries and golden nectar



what were your beauty standouts from the year?
do share! :)


(p.s. my favorite books from 2012!)

Friday's Fancies - A Crush on Poppy

This Friday's Fancies is all about an outfit crush - one that you've seen around (be it Pinterest or Instagram, People StyleWatch, wherever!)

This week, I was inspired by the lovely POPPY DELEVIGNE....

I LOVE the contrast of this outfit:

A flirty dress mixed with a rough moto style jacket &

pretty hair and makeup mixed with edgy booties.

This look is perfect for a night out with girlfriends or a date at a fun and hip restaurant. It's great for fall and winter especially, with the layers and the closed toe shoes.  

And here's my recreation -

jacket (similar)//dress//bag//booties//nars duo//lipstick//wrap bracelet//buckle braclet

 I love the jacket with this printed dress, and even though I would die for Poppy's Chanel handbag, I chose a less expensive alternative for my look (although it's still a pretty penny!) :)

The bronzer, blush, and pink lipstick gives the perfect glow, and I also added some fun bracelets to complete the outfit!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend - John and I have a date night out tonight to dinner and movie (maybe I'll recreate this look from my closet!  Or maybe I'll wear yoga pants and UGGS, who knows...).   And then tomorrow we are going to explore a new park and hiking trail here!  The sun is finally shining again - yay!!

What are your weekend plans??  

(And isn't Poppy the cutest - do yourself a favor and google "Poppy Delevigne Style....you will fall in love and spend the next 2 hours scrolling and swooning.)

p.s. I got a blog makeover!!  Thank you tricia nae designs!

2013 Book List

This past year was a big "reading" year for me.  I had two surgeries that I had to recover from, spent about 100 hours in planes, trains, & airports, and well, I wasn't working for about 1/2 the year!  So I had a lot of down time :)

I wanted to read at least one book a month, and I definitely met my goal!

Some of the books I read and would recommend:

*The Hunger Games Trilogy*

*The Divergent Series*

*Firefly Lane*

*Pioneer Woman - Black Heels to Tractor Wheels*

*Heaven is For Real*

*On the Island*

And now for the books on my 2013 list!

Have you read any books above?

What other books would you recommend??

XOXO

And Happy Reading! :)