Week in Review - Vol. 7

I don’t know about you, but I’m already in weekend-land. Tomorrow, we’re heading down to Richmond to visit the Quirk Hotel and celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday. I couldn’t be more excited!

Last weekend, we planted our garden (FINALLY NOW THAT SPRING IS BASICALLY OVER) and I may have done a little shopping on Sunday. I picked up a few really adorable pieces from Take 5 Boutique that I can’t wait to show you!

I posted all about my interview with Katherine Schwarzenegger earlier in the week and learned all about her favorite trends, why she's partnering with TJMAXX to tell the stories of Real Girls across the US on the #RoadToReal tour, and of course, where she loves to get coffee in DC.

Tuesday, we celebrated my mom’s birthday with a surprise happy hour at one of her favorite restaurants, Cooper’s Hawk. We invited a few of her closest friends and took MAJOR advantage of the tasty happy hour specials. 

I got this adorable boho dress in the mail from Banana Republic on Wednesday, so naturally, I wore it Thursday. I was ambivalent about the snakeskin print, but they made it work. SO WELL. 

I recapped the new Bluemercury store opening on the blog and included both Marla and Barry Beck’s skincare secrets! 

Photo by Jen Eun

Wednesday I got my Greenheart Juice fix! I visited their Georgetown shop located within Downdog yoga and drank ALL the strawberry milk (their beauty almond milk) and ate ALL the chia seed pudding. Have you visited their shop before?

Did you catch this insanely gorgeous Suno dress on the blog? I’m in love.

Thursday was eventful - I left my wallet at home (classic) but luckily, the people of the bus had grace on me and let me borrow some money. I had actually started to go back to my car once I realized I had left it in my yoga bag, but someone actually ran after me to let me know that they could help me out. YOU GUYS. Humanity.

Later in the day, I met up with one of my very best gal pals, Erin, and we romped around Georgetown eating Sweetgreen (where I thankfully had a gift card!) and taking photos. Best. Afternoon. Ever.

I’m gearing up for a super super, super fun weekend and I’m basically counting the hours until we leave (FYI - it’s 27 hours)

SO MANY GOOD THINGS are happening next week! I’m getting my hair done with the one, the only, Nadine Matar (!!!) then I’m hosting the Cuyana Le Sud Summer Party next Thursday! Hope to see you there!

Bluemercury Opens at Cathedral Commons

Sweaty and tired, I swung my bare feet out of my car and fastened on my strappy heels. I checked my face quickly before I paid my parking meter - just as I’d expected. Shiny. I was eternally grateful that soon my problem would be solved - I was on my way to the Bluemercury opening at Cathedral Commons.

Upon entering the store (their 95th location!) I actually squealed. As one does as they enter Bluemercury. There was Oribe (pronounced OR-BAE as I learned that night) to the left, makeover stations on my right…oh - and cupcakes. Definitely ate one or two (or ten) of those before enjoying a little post-work makeup touch-up! 

The founders (Marla and Barry Beck) arrived shortly after and I was beside myself with excitement. Marla was SO beautiful - not that I was surprised. She is co-founder of my favorite makeup and skincare store of all time. AND with her semi-recent launch of her new skincare line, M-61, she’s more on-fire than ever.

Before I got a chance to steal Marla away from the throngs of people fawning over her (which I did later), I asked her husband and co-founder of Bluemercury, Barry Beck, about their mens grooming products.

“As guys start to move into their career, they start to take better care of themselves - they get a better haircut, buy nicer shirts, invest in nicer shoes, and we fundamentally believe that taking care of yourself in terms of better shampoo, hair grooming products, better shaving creams - and the truth is, better grooming products are actually better! The ingredients are better. And there’s a reason why certain people out in California in the movie business look so good!”

He’s so right, friends. My husband has really taken off in his career and with his entrepreneurial mind, is always meeting new people. Looking your best is important. And while I’ve become quite the skincare prowess, if I do say so myself, I had no idea what a guy should be using. I knew he’d have no patience for my 7-step routine, so I asked Barry for specifics.

He suggested this routine for bae:

1. M-61 Brilliant Cleanse Face Wash
2. Kiehls Blue Astringent Toner
3. M-61 JetGlow Cream

Now that I had a set routine for the hubs, I needed to get Marla’s take on her favorite products. And I got my chance shortly afterwards when she joined my group of friends as we were chatting about our favorite M-61 products. 

Pictured here with Marla Beck, Briana and Ally

Her favorites?

The M-61 Vitablast C serum (which I'm already obsessed with) and the PowerGlow Peel. I also picked up their makeup remover because it is actually THE BEST I've found.  As evidenced from all the products in my hand in the photo above. I'm CLEARLY a fan.

The new Bluemercury store is located in Cathedral Commons at 3320 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016. Be sure to check out this gorgeous (and my new favorite) location! Not located near one? Shop my favorite Bluemercury products below! 

Week in Review - Vol. 6

Phew - thank goodness for 4-day work weeks. I say we make this a habit, shall we? IF ONLY!

We spent last weekend in Orlando (see my weekend snaps here!) so getting back into the swing of things was hard. Luckily, there were lots of fun things I had planned for the week ahead!

Photo by Via Leah

Wednesday I met up my friend, Leah, for a little shopping trip in Georgetown. We grabbed a quick bite at Chaia then popped over to a few of my favorite local shops, Lynn Louisa! I picked up some sassy shorts that I can’t wait to show you soon!

Shopping at Lynn Louisa

Later that evening, I attended the opening of the new Blue Mercury shop in Cathedral Commons and got to meet the company’s founders, Marla and Barry Beck! I got some great skincare secrets that I’ll be sharing on the blog next week! In the meantime, be sure to check out their new location at Cathedral Commons at 3320 Wisconsin Ave., NW.

While at the Blue Mercury event, I snagged a few of my favorite products - their M-61 makeup remover (the best one I’ve tried so far!) and the Oribe Supershine Cream. Friends, it’s an investment, I know. But after using up my sample size version of this, I knew I had to go ALL IN. It’s the only way I survive the summer humidity and the winter static-hair syndrome.

Inspiring read of the week - this post by the Be. Bangles founder will make you realize you’re worth more than you give yourself credit for. 

This weekend will be ALL ABOUT the gardening. In case you didn’t know, I’m a little old lady at heart. We’ll be planting zucchini, summer squash, spinach, heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, thyme, basil, and more. As long as it doesn’t rain. 

Are you addicted to the farmer’s market? Then you won’t want to miss this post where I share my tips on how to make the most of your trip!

M-61 by Blue Mercury Favorites

• SHOP THE POST •

This bad weather feels like it’s never-ending. Game of Thrones knows it and so does my face. When the weather starts changing, my skin does this little number where it decides it’s going to break out, get super dry and provide me with the chappiest lips ever. It first started happening a couple years ago (getting old is the best) and I grew frustrated with trying to find a remedy.

You see - I grew up using Dial soap as my face wash (are you cringing yet because I am) and only recently discovered my need for really incredible (and often times more expensive) skin care products were 100% worth it. I recently tested out a few of Bluemercury's M-61 line and wanted to share my thoughts with you!

PowerBlast:
I have been looking for a face mask for a while now and so glad I gave this one a try! I’d been apprehensive about the time commitment for a face mask, but this one only requires one minute. THAT’S RIGHT FRIENDS, 60 seconds is all it takes. Usually I use this in the shower, but right before I get out. I dry my face off with a towel after I’ve washed it, then slather this stuff on. It tingles a bit and I was nervous I’d come out with splotches all over my face, but instead, it resulted in a warm, rosy glow! Obsessed.

Hydraboost Eye:
I live for a good luxe eye cream and this is the best one I’ve tried so far. Don’t let its size fool you - a little bit goes a LONG way. I got two (in fear the first would run out quickly) and I've been very happy with how long it's lasted me. It truly brightens my eyes keeps them moisturized all day. ALL. DAY. I loved that this is a smaller - it makes an excellent travel companion! 

Share with me! What are your favorite facial products?!

Featured: Northern Virginia Magazine

I am so so thrilled to share - I was featured in the April issue of Northern Virginia Magazine! When they asked me if I wanted to participate, I couldn’t type YES I LOVE YOU fast enough. 

For the article, I had my dear friend Claire Ashley do my makeup (lord knows I can’t do false lashes on myself!) I wore the cutest Tara Jarmon dresses from Take 5 Boutique…I never wanted to take it off. I wore my favorite silver oxfords, also from Take 5, much to my father’s dismay (his first words when he saw the article was ’so did you forget to change your shoes????’) LOL DAD.

Be sure to pick up a copy to find out my favorite spots in Northern Virginia for a romantic date night, where to find the best jewelry (spoiler: it’s Sophie Blake), and so so so much more. Here’s a little peek into the piece!