August Favorites

I debated about whether or not I should do an August favorites post because several of the things listed are on repeat from previous favorites lists. I mean, do you really want to read about the same things over and over again? Probably not, but I decided to go ahead and do the post anyway because I think it says something about the product when it remains a favorite month after month. They must be good or I wouldn't still be talking about them!

Hair Products

I've talked about the Biosilk Silk Therapy and Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 in the past, but I haven't mentioned the Aquage Beyond Shine or my GHD straightener before. The straightener heats up in like 30 seconds and smooths my hair in one pass, and the Beyond Shine makes my hair nice and shiny. 

Makeup Brushes

I always used the applicators that came with the product, but three or four years ago I asked for a Sigma brush set for Christmas. Since then I've only added to my collection and my six favorite brushes are: Soft Angled Contour Brush (great for applying bronzer), E30 Pencil Brush (eyeshadow), E40 Tapered Blending Brush (eyeshadow brush - if you only buy one brush, this needs to be it), F50 Duo Fibre Brush (blush), F25 Tapered Face Brush (powder, blush, contour), and the F80 Flat Kabuki Brush (foundation, BB/CC Cream). Sigma is having a Labor Day sale and right now you can get 20% off individual brushes with the code "LABORDAY20." If you'd prefer to buy a kit, the Essential Kit - Mr. Bunny has several of the brushes I listed (or comparable) and some extras - plus it comes with brush holder that snaps closed and is great for travel (or just sitting on your counter!).

Face Products

I'm still loving my Clinique Acne Solutions BB Cream. I didn't buy it because it's part of the acne solutions line, I'd just heard good things about it and decided to give it a try. It's not drying at all like some acne products, so don't let that sway you from buying it. It works really well to even out my skintone while still showing my freckles (I know some people prefer to hide their freckles, but I don't feel like I look like myself when you can't see them). It's very liquidy and I worry I'm wasting a lot of product when too much comes out, so I've started using my Laura Mercier Silk Creme Oil Free Photo Edition Foundation more frequently. It gives me a little more coverage than the BB Cream, but my freckles still show! I am still loving the Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder (Highlight 01) and for my undereyes I've started using my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in the Brightener shade. 

Eyes

I'm still loving the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette as well as the 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer. For liner I've stuck with the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. I have both the Trooper (black) and Mad Max Brown, but lately I've been using Trooper more often. For my lashes, I'm pretty much a Maybelline girl. I still love the Colossal Volume, but lately I've been using Volum'Express the Rocket and really like that as well.

Lips

Lately I've gone for a lighter lip and have been using my Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Celeste almost daily. Warning: it's a lip plumper so it does tingle on your lips. 

Those are my favorites for the month. What products have you been loving?

XOXO,

Shine Your Sink

**Editing to add that I just recently read that you shouldn't mix Dawn and bleach. I haven't ever had anything bad happen, but you don't want to create a chemical reaction and have noxious gas floating around in your kitchen, so if you try this skip adding the dish soap.**

Several years ago I found directions on how to shine your sink on the Flylady website. I don't know about you, but something about having a clean and shiny kitchen sink just makes things better. Here is how I do it:

1. Clean your sink with your cleaner of choice. I purchased the Honest Multi-Surface Cleaner the last time I was at Target and so far I've been really happy with it. It smells great, I can feel good about using it because there are no harsh chemicals, and it WORKS!

It looks pretty good after I clean it, but once a month I like to make it shine, so I move on to step 2.

2. Plug up your sink and fill it with hot water. When it's about half full, I add a cup of Clorox Bleach and a tablespoon of Dawn (if you have a double sink, use a half cup of bleach and add the Dawn at the end).

3. When the sink is almost full, add another cup of bleach and another tablespoon of Dawn. 

4. Once the sink is full set the timer for 60 minutes and walk away.

5. When the timer goes off, you're ready to drain the sink. The water will still be incredibly hot, so you'll want to use something to pull the plug on the drain.

Okay, I'm gonna be real here and tell you that I couldn't quite maneuver the tongs the right way and ended up just reaching my arm in there and pulling the plug, but the water was still REALLY hot so I'm not going to recommend that method to you. 

6. Once the sink drains, take a towel and dry the sink. At this point your sink should look pretty good, but since mine is stainless I finish it with the Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaner.

In the end your sink will shine for days! 

I hope that you enjoy your shined sink as much as I enjoy mine!

XOXO,

Kate Spade Surprise Sale {Today Only}

Kate Spade is having another surprise sale! Kate Spade sales are not to be missed! The prices are awesome (up to 75% off!), and hello, it's Kate Spade! It seems like I just posted about a surprise sale a few weeks ago (okay, I did), but I just had to share because most of what's featured in this sale is totally different than the last one! With fall fast approaching (who else is excited for cooler temps?) now is the perfect time to update your handbag collection and pick up a new bag!

**everything pictured was purchased during a previous surprise sale**

Mad for Plaid

ellison avenue sidney 

ellison avenue stacy

grant street grainy vinyl keri

cobblestone park large colin

Basic Black

charles street small haven

charles street kensington

My favorite is the southport avenue oden! The pebbled black leather, the winged sides, the cute little tassel on the zipper, and that black and white striped lining - LOVE! If I didn't already own a Kate Spade bag that was almost identical I'd definitely be picking this one up (I still might!).

Animal Print

chateau hills sloan

Baby Bags

Let's face it girls, when you have a baby or a toddler, oftentimes your purse gets replaced by a diaper bag. There is no rule saying your diaper bag can't be cute, so take advantage of this awesome sale and pick one up!

ellison avenue harmony baby bag

grant street grainy vinyl adaira baby bag

Money Holders

kirk park saffiano lacey

mikas pond lacey

creme de la creme strawberry coin purse

yaletown jemima

Jewelry

hole punch spade hinge bangle

hole punch spade studs

gumdrop studs

skinny mini bow bangle

skinny mini bow studs

There are so many more amazing products featured in the sale, you NEED to check it out! But hurry, the sale ends tonight! Happy shopping!

XOXO,

ZGallerie Sale

It's been awhile since I've done a home decor post. To be honest, I went a little crazy decorating my house after we moved in and decided I needed to slow down the spending (you may remember my spending freeze during LENT). Anyhow, I did really well with that, and then summer came, and between entertaining the kids and vacations, I just didn't have time to think about decorating. Now I've gone a little crazy with the fall wardrobe spending and should probably hold off on any house purchases, but my in-laws are redoing a lot of their decor, so I can still shop for them, right?

They just opened a new ZGallerie in Southlake Town Square, and I've been dying to check it out! When we moved into our first house in Frisco there was a ZGallerie at the mall, and I fell in love with everything in the store! Of course, at the time we were two years out of college, so the only thing we ended up buying was a couple pieces of art, but my love for their store has not changed! It's definitely not one of those stores you can browse around with two kids in tow (unless you can talk your husband into joining you), so I'm planning on on going to check it out on Monday. Right now they're offering 15% off art, lighting, mirrors, and wall decor. The sale ends Monday, so it's the perfect day for me to stop in!

I always like to do some previewing online, so I decided to share some of my favorites from each category.

Art

What style of art is your favorite? I was always more drawn to black and white photography, and typography art, though the two pieces of art we purchased from ZGallerie for our first house were paintings, and now I'm starting to expand my art horizons a little. Of course, if I change one piece it will probably create a domino effect and I'll feel the need to change everything, so I might hold off awhile. I'm shopping for my in-laws, though, so there's no danger of me spending my own money, right? ZGallerie definitely has a wide variety to choose from, and many pieces are under $100.  

Contemplation

Paris Kiss

Espresso

Le Mur

Champagne Fire

Canal Grande 1

Wings Over Manhattan

  Flower Power
Prada Marfa

 Lighting

We still need to replace the builder grade lighting in our house. It's definitely not at the top of our list of things to do, but eventually I'd like to replace the kitchen lights (pendants and chandelier), the chandelier in the dining room, and the foyer light. ZGallerie has some unique options. I'm not sure that I can talk Michael into getting any of them, but a girl can dream!

Helios Chandelier

          Alton Chandelier  

Ventura Chandelier

Whisper Pendant

Mirrors

This post is starting to get dangerous because I was supposed to be browsing, but it seems that much of what I'm picking out would fit perfectly in my house...I'll just call this a wish list!

Montclair Mirror

Montclair Leaner Mirror

Quinn Mirror

Quatrefoil Mirror

Simplicity Leaner Mirror (I love how it looks over the couch!)

Wall Decor

Dahlia Plaque

Palais Plaque

Cicero Wall Clock

Sanctuary Panel

Angel's Wings Panel

World Map Panel

If you followed any of the links, you know that ZGallerie's prices can sometimes be a little steep. A lot of the time I'll just look to them for inspiration and then try to find something similar for cheaper ("Pottery Barn/ZGallerie Style on a Target Budget" - blog post coming soon!), but occasionally there will be something so unique it's worth the splurge. 

Even if you don't end up buying anything it's still fun to window shop! That's what I'll be doing on Monday. Happy shopping!

XOXO,