life catchup: memorial day weekend + last week

just a quick little life update considering the past few weeks have been insane for me - and it's only going to get crazier. june & july are nuts in my calendar (but they're going to be SO much fun). so here's what i've been up to:

• last week, i finally got my kate spade business card holder in the mail, + my new cards! i'm in looooove. also, molly designed our birmingham bloggers cards, and those came in too! 
• molly, beth & i attended an exclusive see jane write workshop on thursday night feautring wade kwon, & learned a lot about taking your blogging career further. we put our business cards to use for the first time! thank you so much for the invite, javacia!
• i had a relaxing memorial day weekend as well. on saturday, i went hiking at ruffner mountain trails with my friend priscilla. saturday night, i got dinner & drinks at paramount, a newer place in town featuring awesome burgers & arcade games (b'ham people, go NOW if you haven't been. their burgers beat out chez fon fon's for me). afterward we did a bit of hopping around from avondale brewery to parkside to post office pies. avondale rocks. spread the love.
• sunday was spent lounging at my friend's aunt's house in greystone. is this place not ridiculous? the view is facing 280 + birmingham and most of hoover. i floated in the pool for what felt like hours. afterwards, we had a mini bbq & enjoyed the evening on the porch.
• on monday i stopped by ulta & picked up a few essentials, nothing fancy, and then my usual day of yoga, meal prepping for the week & watching the bachelorette, duh.

hope everyone had a safe & happy memorial day weekend! did you go to the beach or hang out in town like i did?

spring awakening

blood orange cocktail at hot & hot fish club, going to the fair, hiking to the falls at chewacla state park, tiger blood sno cone (in auburn, boo) & recent ulta buys. finals, studying & enjoy the last few days of my spring semester have taken over my life. see you in may!

hello april

♥ last weekend i drove to auburn to spend some time with the boyfriend & we saw the hunger games. i meant to read the books for the longest time but i never got around to it - i did know the basic premise though. i enjoyed it, but i guess it was a little more brutal than i expected? a game where children kill each other... yeah, i am not entirely sure what i was expecting it to be like, but i was surprised. it was very well done & i'm still interested in giving the books a shot.

♥ on tuesday, i went shopping for patio furniture for the balcony at my apartment. my roommates & i have lived here for almost a year, & our balcony was totally empty! i picked up 3 chairs & a cute little table. i'm looking to get some decorative pillows too.

♥ i'm definitely no gardener, but i purchased a chocolate mint, strawberry plant & begonias for the balcony. the chocolate mint will make a great garnish for desserts, & the strawberries are more of an experiment, so we'll see if i'm totally lacking in the green thumb department. any tips?!

♥ everybody loves funfetti, right? right. making cupcakes mid week was awesome... & my roommates ate them all. goodbye temptation.

♥ i finally got the naked palette!! this has been on my wishlist forever, & i went back & forth between whether or not it was a worthy purchase. i have a lot of neutral shadows, but i'm really not crazy about any of them, & i've hit pan on most. i went to ulta intending to buy a single shadow, but i got sucked in... & i definitely don't regret it. i cannot wait to experiment with this palette! even shades i wouldn't normally purchase, like gunmetal, look like they'd be a lot of fun to play around with. i also got a cute cupcake bath fizz, just because.

♥ i've got a lot of studying to do this week because i have a huge exam coming up, but other than that, you'll find me poolside or binging on mad men.

mini ulta haul + review

i stopped by ulta last week & picked up a few little things i've been wanting to try for a while now. trips to ulta get me so excited, & i love picking up goodies just because!

♥ opi's 'ski teal you drop' : 10/10 - no issues here, as i have a pretty consistent love affair with opi & their polishes never fail. i don't have many blues in my polish collection & i can't wait to wear this color all the time, its great for winter (although our "winter" has been 60 degrees so far).

♥ nyx's eyeshadow base : 5/10 - i was searching for a cheaper alternative to urban decay's primer potion, which i've used for years. after a few days of trial i can safely say it doesn't match udpp, but it will work in a pinch.

♥ philosophy's purity : 8/10 - this cleaner is incredible. i wanted to resist purchasing it because i knew i'd love it, & i was right. it smells divine, makes my face feel truly clean & makes my skin look great. going back to drugstore cleanser probably won't happen now. i'm turning into a philosophy junkie! the only reason i rated 8/10 is because i will have to see how it goes with my skin for long term use, but so far, i'm quite impressed.