Five on Friday

So last Friday I didn't do one of these posts because I was still feeling icky from the flu. I didn't post anything last night either but not due to sickness.

I, very reluctantly, signed up for "Lean in Lebanon" at my dad's gym which is on the way home and like 2 minutes from work. It's a Biggest Loser type program where we're split into teams and we work out three times a week for one month. And at the end of the month, we're supposed to lose 10 pounds and we'll get our money back. Free training? I'm all for that. Oh. And there's a race we're automatically signed up for in May.

I normally leave these Friday recaps to write on Thursdays but I don't get home due to these classes until 8 pm now. Then I have to eat dinner, shower, and still tend to the cats and such. So again, I'll be pulling some stuff out of my butt this morning.

January Ipsy Glam Bag

Ipsy continues to be my front runner for beauty subscriptions. I will say that my Birchbox gave it a good run for its' money this month so it's a very very close tie. I just love that Ipsy gives me samples of products that I'll actually buy in real life. There is no way I'd buy some crazy-priced specialty item just because of the name or something. It just won't happen.

I'm not too thrilled about this month's glam bag. It's very boring. With that aside, let's jump to the products and see what's inside!

January Birchbox

This month's Birchbox is all about the new year and resolutions--not so much about things you're giving up, but things you're going to try and conquer! I've got plenty of those up my sleeve and I'm a little curious to see if stick with them. So far so good!

I'm actually excited about the things in my birchbox this month. You're probably used to me complaining about how I always get products that I'll never use, but it's different this time. Four of the five products are something I'd actually use. So let's jump into this and I'll show you what I got.

Corporate Regions

The second outfit that J photographed of me while we were in Columbus involved my new sequin clutch. My sister got it for me for Christmas from Francesca's and I've been obsessed ever since!

So that all of my outfits don't include skinny jeans and heels, I wanted to mix it up with a bodycon skirt and some funky wedges. Are you ready? Tell me what you like!!

Warby Parker

Remember these super cute glasses that J bought recently?

Of course you do. His last glasses bit the dust and we were in the market for a new pair. Being that we live in Hipster Nashville, we wanted to find something that wasn't over the top geek-chic but we didn't want the frameless lenses like he had before either. That's when we came across the Wilkies from Warby Parker.

The glasses were affordable compared to many other companies and the thing we loved most about Warby Parker? For every pair of glasses you purchase, they donate a pair to someone in need through one of their non-profit partners. My second favorite thing about them is that they are one of the only carbon-neutral fashion brands in the world.

I was contacted by the company and asked if I would help spread the word about something and I was excited to say YES!

Oh, Winter Skin

I probably should have written about this topic before the stupid Polar Vortex blew through the Eastern side of the country, but I didn't. And now that the flu bug has bitten my arse, I have some down time while my brain is awake but the rest of my body is motionless. GO WIN GO! These body aches really BLOW!

What's the one thing that really bothers me during these winter months? DRY SKIN. It gets rough and flaky and just gross. Nobody wants to see that. There have been a few things that have helped me so far that are a little different that my summer routine.

one. The first thing that I think we all have been told time and time again would be to moisturize your skin. If you asked me 10 years ago if I used this on a daily basis, I would have just said...

Columbus Riverwalk

If you remember from Friday's post, I mentioned that J and I traveled to Columbus, GA for his job. So the trade-off for my companionship? He had to be my photographer. 

Outfit #1. I got these camo pants a few weeks ago and have been wearing them very often. I feel like they are something that can be paired with everything! I also love pairing something like a blazer with beanies. Love it!!

H54F

I felt like I had all this time last weekend to put together blog posts--and do have several scheduled in the future--but forgot all about a recap for today. Go figure. So I'm going to throw something together really quickly.

First off, I was thinking the week was going to DRAG since the last two weeks have been short with the holidays, but, sure enough, here we are...in the blink of an eye.

Second off, I won't have many pictures today either. So if that's something that really helps depict my week, then oh well. You can suck it. Sunshine and giggles.

No Mirror Makeup Challenge

Song provided by SundLY, called Through Emotion, and can be found on this site.


Products used on my face:

Foundation: Clinique Even Better Foundation in Ivory
Concealer: ELF Studio Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter in Medium
Setting Powder: Covergirl Professional Loose Powder
Bronzer: Sephora bronzer in Los Cabos

Pink Lip Ladies

Beauty trends change. Remember feather extensions? Yuck. What about brightly dipped hair, overly bronzed skin or too nude lips? Yeah, I think I can admit to doing all but one of those things. A couple have been out of style for a while now but the others are just now slipping out, leaving room for beautiful change.

Up until about six months ago, I was still using too nude lipstick. I'm not saying it was exactly my skin color, or lighter, but I wasn't following that suggestion where your lipstick should be no lighter than your gums. I needed to reevaluate my stash of lipsticks.

So I went to the store and picked up three brands of light pink lipsticks. I have a fourth I will talk about that came from my December Ipsy bag as well.

Utilitarian Comfort

So I know this necklace is kind of Spring-y BUT I DON'T CARE :-) Actually, this chunky sweater is kind of Spring-y too. Crap. Bright colors are on-point in December, right?!

DIY Envelope Pillow Cover

I'm not much of a seamstress. You got me. I don't even know how to sew by hand so you can imagine the success I'd have with an actual sewing machine. But in my binge browsing of Pinterest, I found this super simple tutorial on YouTube that showed you how to make an envelope pillow cover.

I know I'm not the only one but I change out the bed's comforter as the seasons change. It's really only twice a year. As you can imagine, we've got lighter colors for Spring and darker colors for Winter. So rather than buying more pillows, this tutorial helped me to make new covers.

I picked out plain brown, dark tan with small gold polka dots, and cream with tan hatchmark lines for the pillows in the bedroom. Then I had two other pillows in the living room I needed to recover and I chose cream & gold threads woven throughout to go with the multi-colored quilt draped over the back of the couch.

Friday Favorites

What's up, my homies?! It's Friiiiiiday and I couldn't be happier. J and I drove through the night to Columbus, GA for his work, so aside from having some thrown-off sleep, I'm sitting dandy in the hotel bed...with no pants. And no bra. #winning

I'm hoping to be uber productive this weekend and pull out some really amazing blog posts, but my evil twin sister (aka, Ms. Lazy) might want to say hi.

On to my favorites this week. 123go!

My one word for 2014 is...

In case you missed my Resolution Project yesterday, I wanted to do something a little more simple for New Year's Day. This focuses more on a handful of words. 1) SHARE, 2) WANT, 3) NEED, and 4) SUCCEED. I also shared my one word for 2014; something I've been trying to get a handle on.

Filling this out made me think about my life and what I actually want. I think it's something we should all do. Reflection can do the heart some good.