ipsy glam bag...

 when i find a good thing, i like to spread the word.

glam bags by ipsy... are a good thing.

i found out about ipsy while flipping through a magazine months ago.

basically, you pay $10 a month and they send you 4-5 beauty products made by some of the best brands.

what makes it even better is that each month is a new theme.

and it's kind of like christmas, opening up the bag and having no idea what to expect! 

i only subscribed for two months.

and that was only because i had to basically cut out all of my spending to get back on my feet financially.

but i will be subscribing again asap! 

i didn't take pictures of my first ipsy glam bag, but i actually liked it quite a bit better than the second bag, which is featured in this post.

this was the january bag.

its theme was "super stars".

each month you get a new small makeup carrier that matches the theme. 

 this nail polish is amazing! 

i think this polish was probably worth the $10 alone.

if you are looking for a pretty red color for your fingers or toes- look no further.

this polish went on smooth and stayed for weeks. 

 before i got this bag, i had never even heard of argan oil.

apparently it's an organic moisturizer.

i was a bit hesitant to saturate my face in oil before going to bed.

but surprisingly it made my skin feel so smooth and soft.

i'm not sure that it beats my estee lauder moisturizer, but it's pretty darn good.

this lotion smells soooo good! 

and i actually saw that they sell this brand and flavor at target.

i love it.

i love big sexy hair.

always have, always will.

i wasn't as excited about this product because i've used it plenty of times.

but it was still nice to be given a small size to keep in my purse.

 i'm not going to lie, i haven't tried out this eyeliner brush yet.

and to be completely honest- i have no idea how to use a brush for my eyeliner! 

so i can't give you any thoughts on this one. 

~~~~~~~

if you want to learn more, just go to www.ipsy.com

i just visited the site and saw that april's glam bag was "pretty in pink".

that kills me! 

i love pink.

so definitely check it out- you won't be sorry :)

my birthday weekend...

kaleo came to visit me in california for my birthday weekend.

i always have the greatest time when people come to visit because that is when i get to try new touristy things. 

little by little i get to check off items on my bucket list.

while he was here we "hiked" up close to the hollywood sign, we drove up mulholland drive, and we went to a lakers game. 

we didn't make the official hike to the sign because we couldn't find the trail, so i'm not sure if that one counts or not. 

but still, it was amazing to see the hollywood hills. 

as some of you know, i'm kind of still obsessed with "the hills" even long after it has stopped airing.

so i always get so dang excited to see where lauren, heidi, and audrina have been! 

we also did some other things that aren't on my bucket list, but still worth sharing.

we explored laguna and drank smoothies on the beach, watched a surf competition in huntington, ate corn dogs on the santa monica pier, ate dinner twice at downtown disney, and went to malibu for the very first time to eat at Duke's. 

when he is here, it helps to make california feel a little more like my home. 

and if you ask me, it was the perfect southern california weekend. 

i made a short video with some of the pictures that we took over the weekend.

enjoy! 

my birthday week...

when you hear people talk about how their family is the "best", do you secretly think in your head that they're crazy? 

i hope so.

i hope for everyone that they are fortunate enough to believe that they belong to a family that is unlike any other. 

i'm one of the lucky ones. 

i have the BEST family.

i'm gonna let you in on a family tradition of mine that makes my heart swell.

it's a tradition that started only a few years ago.

(which is proof that it is never too late to start new traditions!)

my mom started giving my brother and i a week of presents leading up to our birthday.

these presents are small of course, leading up to the main gift.

and i love that because sometimes the smallest gifts are the most meaningful.

and it also helps to make our birthday week special, giving us something to look forward to every morning. 

so if you are looking for new traditions to start with your loved ones- i'm telling you, this one is pretty amazing! 

i actually wasn't expecting a week of presents this year since my mom and i live so far apart.

but like i said, my family is the best, and they found a way to get me those seven presents.

so i just wanted to share with you the goodies that i got, in hopes that you will want to start this same tradition! 

1.

 this car charm was special because of the words "be happy".

my mom thought i needed that reminder every time that i get into my car because some days are rough being out here all alone.

2.

i love getting jewelry! 

this bracelet is perfect for me because it fits my tiny wrist.

i have the hardest time finding bracelets that aren't huge on me.

you can change out the center of this bracelet as well with different magnetic pieces- so awesome! 

3.

i did pink ombre nails for valentines day this year and had complained to my mom that i didn't have white polish.

of course, she remembered and got me some!  

4.

i'm a sucker for quotes.

i need them.

i've spent hours and hours out of my life finding quotes that inspire and speak to me.

now i have a quote to read every day for a full year :)

5.

 i absolutely adore this pink felted bag.

i'm one of those that saves every meaningful receipt, movie stub, even clothing tags.

i'm always looking for cute storage.

this is perfect.

and it has a heart on it.

did i say it's perfect?  

6.

these are lavender sachets.

my mom bought them for me because she thought they were cute.

however, they have way more meaning to me than that. 

when i was growing up, my grandparents lived on a farm.

every weekend they would sell produce at the farmer's market.

 my grandma would sell lavender sachets and bouquets made from lavender grown in their gardens. 

sometimes i would help her prepare the lavender to sell. 

when i got these sachets for my birthday, i put them inside my pillow so that i could fall asleep to a special memory from my childhood.

7.

my main present.

okay there's a story behind this.

when i lived at home, i had hopes of starting a shop on etsy.

my mom and i would scour thrift stores for things i could fix up and sell.

we came across an old glasses case.

i got the idea that i could cover glasses cases with cute fabrics and ribbons.

well, i never got around to it.

but my mom took the case that i had bought and covered it with magazine pages and ribbon.

and is it not the cutest thing ever?! 

she is so talented.

inside was some money.

my dad gave me strict instructions that the money was only for shopping, not bills. 

i have a pretty sweet dad.

so for all of you crafty girls- remember this when you see an old glasses case at the thrift store! 

it was a great birthday week.

xoxo

welcoming the spring season with a splash of floral...

my parents are visiting me this week in california for their spring break.

my mom and i were excited to do an outfit post together since this was one of our favorite things to do when i lived back in idaho.

we have so many memories of driving around searching for interesting picture spots, trying to catch "magic hour" and taking silly pictures.

she's a true blogger mom and i'm so glad to have her back for the week! 

...

i got these adorable leggings for five dollars on clearance at t.j.maxx! 

i was going to buy them even if they didn't fit- just to say i had a pair of floral bottoms! 

i think they are the perfect touch for the beginning of spring.

and i love them paired with this casual tee from forever21.

and as for the purse- it's my new favorite addition to my closet!

my parents gave me money for my birthday and i headed straight to nordstrom rack for a new purse for the spring/summer seasons.

there aren't many feelings that are greater than buying a pretty purse.

don't ya think?

...

what are you indulging in for the upcoming seasons?

top: forever21

bottoms: t.j.maxx

shoes: steve madden via nordstrom rack

purse: vince camuto via nordstrom rack 

bracelet: 36th street garden center (boise)

earrings: gifted

-xoxo

kick start your spring style with these pretty sale items!

so if you are like me, you walk straight to the sale racks after walking into a store.

and then you feel like since it's on sale, they're practically giving it to you, so how can you pass it up?

sometimes it can be dangerous.

do you look at your receipt and focus on the money that you saved instead of the money that you spent?

when i was younger and my mom would take me shopping, we would always tell my dad first how much we saved. 

however, it never mattered, he was always mad about how much we spent.

but inside i felt sorta victorious because of all the money i saved.

i really don't think there are many things that are better than a good sale.

and if you are on a tight budget like me, but want to spruce up your wardrobe for spring, then check out these items below! 

1. multi-colored fedora from forever21: $10.80 (okay, okay, this hat actually isn't on sale. but it's soo cheap and cute that i thought it should count!) here

2. floral shorts from madewell: now $58.50 here

3. sevin nyne tanning lotion from sephora: now $17.00 here

4. timeless flats from asos: now $30.52 here

5. colorblock cuff from asos: now $20.35 here

6. crystal tulip earrings from asos: now $20.35 here

7. bcbg envelope clutch from victoria's secret: now $44.99 here

8. tory burch floral iphone4 case from shopbop: now $35.00 here

9. blanknyc skinny color jeans from madewell: now $64.50 here

10. skinny patent belt from jcrew: now $29.50 here

sometimes i like to be a nerd.

how in the world did it become so popular for girls to wear large, nerdy glasses??

idk about you... but it has grown on me.

like a lot.

i love to get my hair all dressed up and my makeup done, and throw on a pair.

something about the nerdy/fancy contrast makes me quite happy.

however, i am a contact lens lover and didn't want to spend a lot of money on prescription glasses that i knew i wouldn't wear very often.

then i heard about {firmoo}.

firmoo is an eyewear company that sells prescription and non-prescription glasses.

they are of great quality while at a very low price.

this was perfect for me because i was able to snag a non-prescription pair that i could just throw on while wearing contacts!

so i wanted to spread the word that firmoo gives every new customer a free pair of glasses.

yes, you heard me right- FREE.

and for those of you that are already members- right now until february 14th they are having a buy one get one 1/2 off sale! 

so, visit {firmoo} and lets all embrace our inner nerd together!!

get your free glasses here.

get mine here. 

...

february is finally here...
a month for hearts, glitter, and pink.
the most perfect month of all...
as i am busy trying to think of the most romantic gift to give to my sweetheart, i couldn't resist making a list of my own.
here are some pretty goodies i wouldn't mind receiving in just 13 more days!

1. floral printed sweater here
2. lip plumper {so perfect for the occasion!} here
3. juicy couture bracelet here
4. essie nail polish here
5. leopard flats here
6. dvf iphone case here
7. faux peonies here 
8. glitter clutch here