Sultry and Chic

I absolutely love the photographs from Olivia Luca's collection! Her dresses are gorgeous, chic and sustainable, but I have to say that what I really covet is the model's flawless and stunning makeup (and I'm sure the net veil and pearls don't hurt either).


Now if only somebody could teach me how to look like that...

Holy Alligator Hands!!!

Today I was drooling over rings on Ring Envy and was actually distracted from all the fantastic bling by the women's dry, scaly hands. Now, by no means do I always have perfectly manicured fingers, but if I were taking pictures of a three -something carat ring on my finger I would at least put some lotion on first!

At work I'm around a lot of sanitizing chemicals and I wash my hands a ton, so I've tried most of the hand creams out there. My favorite so far is Nutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream.

It's about five dollars, lasts for a month, and best of all it gets rid of the dry, scaly patches on the backs of my hands.

Someday soon I'll get around to posting non-scaly pictures of my own engagement ring...

Tangible Comfort

If I could redecorate my bedroom, I would want it to look like this.

{Room by Barclay Butera}

It looks like the perfect place to curl up with a book and a cup of milky tea!

I Might Just Be a Two Dress Bride...

I found this dress on The $10,000 Wedding. and can't get it out of my thoughts.

How perfect would it be for a chic courthouse wedding and restaurant reception? Maybe with a birdcage veil and vintage chandelier earrings. It would even make the perfect sexy after party dress! And for $242.90 at Nordsrom, I might have to buy it, "Just in case..." Don't be surprised if it pops up in my next Inspiration Board.

My New Obsession...butter LONDON

I am completely obsessed with finding the perfect pink nail polish. So far I have about six shades of pale pink, ranging from barely-there-beige to opaque whitish pink, but none of them are exactly what I am looking for. Lucky for me, this afternoon I stumbled across butter LONDON, a nail salon and company whose products are considered "3 Free," which means they are free from Formaldehyde, Toluene, and DBP. They also have perfectly British names that make me smile just reading them-- Pillar Box Red, Old Blighty, Hen Party, Aston, Cream Tea--and a great selection of colors (or colours) as well! Needless to say, I think I am in love. So far most of their locations are in Seattle, but I'm already filling my online shopping cart! These are my first choices, along with their descriptions from the website.

Royal Ballet--The ultimate basic pink. It’s sheer but not TOO sheer, and carries a hint of grey that makes it a more sophisticated, less "girly" pink. Move over Frenchy, we don’t do white lines.

Yummy Mummy--Our ‘magic’ lacquer. This medium beige colour is simply stunning on EVERY skin colour. If you can’t decide on a lacquer, then we will for you. It’s this.

Old Blighty--A good, solid brick colour that lies between red and brown. Sexy but sensible, just like you.

Ok, maybe I'm a huge nerd, but I can't help loving these!

My Get Back In Shape Plan

Most couples start to gain weight after they're married, unfortunately the Mr. and I started pretty soon after we got together. Food is a big part of our entertainment; we love to go out to brunch on Sunday mornings and go out for dinner and a movie on nights that I don't work. Needless to say, we're not in the best of shape right now. The Mr. came from a tater tots and chili for dinner kind of family, and I was a classically trained dancer for 15 years. I watched what I ate and danced for about six hours a day, but now I work forty hours a week, take care of the house, and wish that I was healthier.

Lucky for me, the Mr. decided that he was ready for a change, and there's nothing like trying to support him to get me motivated too. We decided to go on the South Beach Diet because I've had good results with it in the past when I was dancing. It's a healthier version of the low carb diet fads... Once you get past the first few weeks you basically eat whole grains, lean protein and lots of fruits and vegetables. So far the Mr. has lost ten pounds and has been working out five days a week. My plan is to start doing a Pilates mat workout at home (I also used to be a Pilates instructor) and make it to the gym four days a week to use the elliptical machine.

Don't worry, this isn't going to turn into a diet blog or a fad wedding diet. I'm just very excited that we're finally getting healthier, and fitting into my old clothes won't be bad either. It takes a lot more time to plan every meal and snack, not to mention cooking all of it, but to be healthier and happier I think it's totally worth it. Maybe I'll even go back to teaching Pilates some...

I Love Autumn!

This reminds me of You've Got Mail. "Bouquets of sharpened pencils..." Such a perfect autumn image. (Image Source) Autumn also makes me want a Pumpkin Spice Latte.



Too bad this isn't on my new healthy eating, no sugar plan to get back in shape (more on that later). For now I'm off to the store for some more healthy (unfortunately non-pumpkin spice) snacks