Weekenders

I hope everyone had an amazing Memorial Day Weekend! We sure did! Memorial Day Weekend is always our first "big" weekend at the Cape. We have a camping trailer that we keep near the Cape Cod Canal. We try to get down there whenever we can and Memorial day is the kick-off to our season of little "weekend getaways".

We so treasure our time at the Cape and simply the fact that we're not at work or at home without those everyday stresses and duties.  As soon as we cross the bridge its nice to just slow down, relax and live carefree for a little while. The main things on my to-do list become a trip to the Christmas Tree shop or a day at the beach, perfection.

Here's a peek into our laid back long weekend:

On Saturday we got some Marylou's and took a walk on Town Neck Beach in Sandwich.  I grew up on the South Shore so Marylou's coffee is my favorite.  They have the best flavored and specialty coffees. There is a shop in Sandwich so we like to stop there before the beach.

It was really windy and cold, so it was a quick walk but the scenery was absolutely gorgeous.  The Jetty is actually where we got engaged so it is a really special spot for us.

The next day we spent some time in Falmouth.  We walked around downtown and stopped at Liam Maguire's for some lunch, complete with a patriotic pom-pom in Mike's sandwich, nice touch!

On the way back we visited the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.  In honor of Memorial Day, volunteers plant a flag at every gravestone to honor our military veterans.  There are approximately 57,000 flags flying, it is really an amazing sight.

Piper and I spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up some sun in my new Zero Gravity Chair.  Pretty much the best chair ever, an early birthday gift from my in-laws.

Pretty soon it was Monday and time to go home. We stopped in to Marshland on 6A in Sandwich for breakfast before we headed out. Its tiny, popular and packed on the weekends so its best to get there early if you want a booth instead of the counter. 

Hope the long weekend treated you well!

Shop My Stash: Spring Lip Products

With Spring in full swing, I've been in the mood to clean out and refresh things.  I've been meaning to change out the purse I've been carrying all winter to a lighter, more spring appropriate bag. While I haven't committed to the purse change quite yet, I did decide to at least clean out my current bag because it was getting pretty heavy.  The culprit? An abundance of lip products!

I'm guilty of throwing more and more lip products into my bag on my way out the door and never cleaning them out until the little inside zip pocket of my purse is bursting at the seams and/or my purse seems to weigh 100 lbs. This was certainly the case here!

The next step was to fill it back up with Spring Essentials.  I was inspired by Emily at Beauty Broadcast's "Shop My Stash" series where she goes through what she already has and pulls out forgotten items and shows them some love.  While I have my eye on many of the new spring lip products that have come out recently, I was inspired to first go through what I have before I buy any more. Here's what I chose:

Mac Lipstick in Japanese Maple -  This is a soft nude with a Cremesheen finish.  It has a nice shimmer so it doesn't give you that "dead" look when you wear it on its own as some light nudes tend to do to me.  I also like to top it with a light pink or coral gloss.

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in #7 Lingerie Pink - This is a creamy baby pink. If you're familiar with the Rouge Volupte formula, this is no exception - thick and fully opaque.  The color is in the pastel family which I thought would be pretty for spring. Not a long lasting lipstick but the color and feel on your lips make it worth it to me.

Maybelline Vivid Lipstick in Pink Pop - This is from the Vivids line, color is a bright blue-based pink. Its a little too intense for me if I apply it fully opaque. I like to lightly blot it on and add a gloss on top to make it more wearable.

Nars Lipstick in Goodbye Emmanuelle - Another blue-based pink thats a bit darker than Pink Pop, more of a coraly pink that has a nice shine.  This was from the Holiday Guy Bourdin collection. Color is more natural on me than Pink Pop, but can be built up.

Lime Crime Lipstick in Centrifuchsia - This is a deep fuchsia lipstick that is nicely pigmented and long-lasting, leaving a stain on the lips. This where shopping my stash came in really handy.  I saw someone on Instagram recently wearing YSL Rouge Volupte in #11 - Rose Culte.  It was so beautiful that I just had to have it!  But, upon browsing my current lipstick collection, I stumbled upon Centrifuchsia which is a great dupe, so I just can't justify spending the money on the YSL.

Maybelline Color Elixir in Radiant Bloom - This is part of the Spring 2014 Dare to Go Nude Collection. This is my current go-to topping gloss.  It is a subtle pale pink gloss that softens and transforms whatever lipstick is underneath it.  I love this for softening some of the more vivid shades to make them more daytime appropriate.  I love the Color Elixirs, they have such a creamy finish It also makes dryer formula lipsticks more comfortable to wear.

Nyx Butter Gloss in Maple Blondie - This is a warm pinky coral gloss.  Buttery soft as the name implies while also providing a semi-opaque wash of color.  I usually use my Butter Glosses as a topper on a lipstick, but they also look great on their own.  They can be worn sheer or built up for a more opaque look.

Maybelline Color Elixir in Hibiscus Haven - Part of the permanent Elixir line, this is a beautiful blue-based pink.  I like to wear this one alone without a lipstick underneath. It is very shiny and has great pigmentation on its own.

I know this might still seem like a lot to be carrying around, but for me its a real time saver.  In the morning, I do my hair and makeup before I leave for work and then I choose and apply my lip color in the car (at a stoplight of course!). Keeping a good stash with me ensues that I'll have all I need for whatever makeup look and outfit I choose. I'm all about anything that can save me time in the morning!

I really enjoyed this!  Its a great way to rediscover some of your past makeup loves! I honestly forgot I had half of these. Have you shopped your stash lately?

Spring Nail Polish Picks

If you follow my instagram you may have gathered that that I'm a complete nail polish addict. Although I do indulge in the occasional mani/pedi at the salon, 99% of the time I do them myself.  I have an embarrassingly extensive nail polish collection and I truly enjoy setting aside some time for myself at least once a week to do my nails.

I love perusing the new nail polish collections each season and also shopping my own stash to find the perfect colors. Here are my picks for spring!

  

(Left Hand)

OPI Can't Find my Czechbook - This is from last spring's Euro Centrale collection. I was psyched to see that this color is still available at Ulta! I loved this collection, so many fun colors! Coverage was great, two coats for opaque coverage.

Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams - This is a beautiful powder blue. Unfortunately this nail polish line has been discontinued, but you can sometimes still find the Sephora by OPI line on Hautelook for dirt cheap! Otherwise, a good alternative Powder Blue Nail Polish is Essie Borrowed and Blue. Although I love this color, this was the streakiest of the bunch and required three coats.

OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around - This is part of OPI's new Brazil collection. It is a pink-toned nude.  It is really beautiful and ladylike. I'd describe it as blush-pink. Formula was good, opaque in two coats.

Sally Hansen Lacey Lilac - This is a pale lilac creme.  A beautiful pastel color.  It makes me think of an Easter Basket! Its part of the permanent Xtreme Wear line. The formula was a bit thick but it was opaque in two coats.

Essie Lapis of Luxury - This was part of Essie's 2010 Resort collection but this color is now part of the Essie permanent line. It is a beautiful periwinkle, cornflower blue. I'd describe it as Cape Cod Hydrangea Blue. Opaque in two coats.

(Right Hand)

Zoya Alexa - This was part of the Peter Som for Zoya trio. This is a gorgeous grassy green.  I have a few forest greens in my collection, but this one was a little lighter.  A perfect spring green. The color reminds me of when your grass comes back to life after a long winter.

Essie Fashion Playground - This is part of Essie's Hide and Go Chic collection for Spring 2014.  Essie describes this color as "pistachio shimmer". The shimmer is very subtle, hardly noticeable at all. It reads more green than blue unlike last year's Mint Candy Apple.  As expected, this polish is streaky, another three-coater! I'll forgive the formula issues because this color is just so pretty and minty.

L'oreal Creme Puffs - This was from last year's limited edition Versailles's Romance collection. The color is a soft pastel yellow a slight golden shimmer. Some similar colors are Butter Jasper and Deborah Lippmann Build me up Buttercup. This one takes three thin coats to full opacity.

Zoya Cole - This is also part of the Peter Som collection. It is a pretty soft peach color. It reminds me of orange sherbet, but a little less intense orange.  Its almost a cross between a pastel and a neon, very unique! It was pretty streaky but builded nicely.  Photo is three coats.

Essie Style Hunter - Also part of the Hide and Go Chic collection, it is a really unique red/fuchsia color.  It is pretty bold and a bit unexpected for a spring collection.  I'd call it raspberry red.  Its showing up more red-red in the pictures. Formula was great and required only two coats.

Well there you have it, my ten nail polish picks for spring!

This past weekend marked our first Cape trip of the season, which is the reason for the beachy-themed pictures. We have a seasonal camp site near the Cape Cod Canal where we keep our camping trailer. I am so excited for all things Cape Cod! I just love it there!

What colors are you loving this season?