Beauty Bits : Lip & Fragrance

Happy Wednesday, all! I figured I would share some (just a few, now) of my favorite products of the moment. Two categories: Lip and Fragrance. These little 'finishing touches' make a world of difference. Though I have always looked at lipstick as a luxury for special occasions, I have always been the kind of gal who never leaves the house without wearing perfume. Yes, even at the gym. 

Lips: 

These Party Proof Lipsticks by Model Co are quickly changing the way I do lipstick! I find myself wearing one of these shades almost every day, and they are so versatile! For a night out I like the bright, pink, 'poppy' shade. But for daytime, I dab on a little bit of the mauve-like 'kitty' color on top of some balm for a softer look. 

I always go back to my C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve, especially in the winter when my lips get especially dry. Extra tip: I also use this salve on my elbows and it softens and moisturizes them better than any lotion I have found! 

As far as glosses, I am simple. I like whatever smells nice and isn't sticky. My Benefit gloss and Plumping Lip Infatuation are two of the best! 

Clockwise from bottom left: C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve // Model Co Party Proof lipstick set in 'classic' // Party Proof lipstick in 'kitty' // Benefit lip gloss in 'Sugarbomb' // LipFusion Infatuation in 'La Lip Jolie'

Fragrance:  

Maybe when I'm older, I will decide on a signature scent to adapt to, but until then, there are just too many lovely scents to choose from! As long as it is in my signature to smell amazing, that's good enough for me! I like these sweet scents on their own, but I also love that they mix well with others. I have always worn at least two scents at a time, just to be unique, and difficult... :) 

Right now Prada Candy is my absolute favorite fragrance, but I am also recently addicted to Bath & Body Works' new Amber Blush. Glad I don't have to pick just one! 

Clockwise from bottom left: Prada Candy roll-on // Viva La Juicy // Forever Red // Amber Blush

What are your favorite lip products and perfumes?! 

xoxo,

Alisha

The List : Wardrobe Cravings

Happy Friday, Ya'll!

I am so excited for this three day weekend and while I'll be trying to resist, there is a chance I will be doing a little shopping to add to my fall wardrobe... :)

Here are some items that are absolutely on my want NEED list for fall!

 

 

(Sources : Clockwise from top left)

 

1. Bare Minerals "Ready" in Top Shelf - This is my absolute favorite eye shadow, and I wear it year round, but in the fall and winter I love to play up the darker shade. As a plus, it totally makes blue and green eyes pop!

 

2. I have been craving a big, drapey, geometrical/tribal print sweater like this one in the middle photo, (I also love how it's paired with a graphic tee and funky jewelry!) I am still on the lookout for the perfect one so let me know if you find it first!

 

3. Essie's "Carry On" -  I love wearing dark colors on my nails, and this is one of my go-to shades for fall. The deep berry/burgundy acts as a neutral in my fall wardrobe and really ties everything together.

 

4. Stella & Dot "Madison Tech Bag" - I placed my order for this gorgeous tote earlier this week and I am anxiously waiting for it to appear on my front porch! Something tells me I will carry this little lovely all season long.

 

5. Steve Madden "Creation" Boots - Probably the next purchase I make will be these tall black boots, or something like them. I used to be more of a brown leather type of gal but recently I've gone over to the dark side a little bit and I need these boots to match all of my black! ;)

 

6. H&M Sweater - Big, slouchy, cozy sweaters are pretty much what I live in for the colder months. The best ones are those long enough to wear with leggings. I'll most likely be stocking up on these soon!

 

7. Stella & Dot "Kahlo" Necklace - This necklace is killing me with it's gorgeousness. At some point I know I will break down and make the purchase. The mixed-metall-y-ness of it all is calling my name. I love wearing pretty statements with my slouchy sweaters in the fall. The juxtaposition of textures... so wonderful!

 

What is on your fall 'must have' list?!

 

xoxo,

Alisha

 

 

Color Inspiration : Cool Mint & Blush

 

Back when I was blogging over at The Bride's Cafe, I did a lot of inspiration boards with different color palettes. This one, Cool Mint & Blush, is one of my favorites! Thought I'd share it with you on this rainy Thursday! Enjoy!

xoxo,

Alisha

 

 

 

*Head over to the original post on The Bride's Cafe for photo sources and other info*

Happy Thursday!

Recipe Roundup

I was working on a much more chic and pretty blog post... but literally all I can think about today is FOOD! Maybe it's the idea of cooler weather on the horizon but I have been in such a cooking/baking mood recently! I decided to share with you some of the recipes I am itching to try in the next few weeks. I will post on here how it goes once I try them! :) Happy Humpday!

*Disclaimer... Reading of this post may cause you to gain a few pounds... also, I'm a HUGE fan of unhealthy ways to eat fruits and vegetables, you'll notice.

1. These Cheesy "Garlic Bread" Tomatoes! Recipe via Savoring the Thyme - These look so amazing for a chilly evening. I lovvve tomatoes, and really, this is a healthier alternative to garlic bread. Although, pretty sure I could eat 10 slices.

 

 

 

2. Baked "Fried" Pickles with Cilantro Garlic Ranch! Recipes via The Vanilla Tulip - Ya'll, I am in such a fried pickle obsession phase... Favorite food of all time. Can't wait to make my own!

 

My Love for fried pickles cannot be quenched... I can't wait to try these!

 

3. Chicken Gyros! Recipe via Tide & Thyme - These look amazing and I love the idea of making them at home with chicken instead of traditional lamb... seems much more attainable for someone like me who is very 'not greek'. :)

 

Always a sucker for any Greek food, I need these in my life.

 

4. Orange Poppy Seed Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting! Recipe via Megann's Kitchen

 

...Stop it... so yummy.

 

 

5. Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars! Recipe via Cupcakes OMG! - Yeah, I have a problem.

 

Yeeeeahhh... might have to go ahead and make these.
 



 

 xoxo,

Alisha

 

 

 

 



 

 



5 Really Good Reasons to Embrace Fall!

It is not quite September yet, but I am settling in to my favorite season early this year! Here are a few reasons why I have Fall fever, and you should too! :)

1. Beauty. I live in Richmond, Virginia and we pride ourselves on being centrally located between the beach and the mountains. This is the time of year you need to drive up to Charlottesville and see the best of the best of Virginia fall. Carter Mountain is a must for apple picking... hot apple cider... apple cider donuts... breathtaking scenery... I can hardly wait!

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2. Leather... AND Scarves and Sweaters and Boots, OH MY! I LOVE fall fashion. Especially early fall when you can wear a few layers and look ultra-chic but don't quite need to bundle up just yet... but I am especially excited to break out my leather jackets again! Woop! Lots of black. Lots of studs. A little bit Fonz. (PS. It's totally ok to mix brown & black now, so don't miss out on that!)

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3. Hot cocoa. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Salted Caramel Mochas. Even though the August heat is still upon us, I've gone ahead and traded in my iced hazelnut coffee for comfy, cozy, curl-up-in-front-of-the-fire-with-a-good-book type drinks. Ahhh. *Attention Starbucks junkies, Pumpkin Spice comes back next week! Yippee! 

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4. NEW GIRL comes back! AND all the other good shows! But this one is my mostest... bestest favoritist...ist. :) I'm a major advocate of Nick & Jess. But I have also been missing my weekly dose of Schmidt & Winston, I mean, who's with me?!

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5. FINALLY. Closing Day is October 24th! (57 days away, ya'll! Hello home stretch!) It's been such an exciting experience watching our new home be built! We are so excited, we all keep driving by it every day to see the progress. The pic below is from Sunday, Mom and Dad eye-ing their new home, they weren't even posing, they're just cute. :)

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I wanna know, what's your favorite season? And what do you look forward to most about it?!

xoxo,

Alisha

Just Another Manic Monday!

Unfortunately, my Monday is a little TOO manic to take time out and blog today! I will catch you all tomorrow, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise! :)

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Our best laid plans...

Friday. PTL. This week was a crazy one, and I have nothing but happiness that it is coming to a close. To wrap up my first week back to blogging, I just want to write a little bit about something on my mind...yeah that's right, it's about to get real. :)

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I have a tendency to overthink things. It's true. Even as I am writing this post I know that I will re-read it probably 34  no, 53 times before hitting 'publish'.

This is also true in every area of my life.

I am always asking myself questions like;
Is this what I am supposed to be doing right now?
Is this God's plan for my life?
Am I missing something?
Am I good enough?
What if I make a wrong choice and completely throw my life off course?

I ask myself these things a lot. Whether it's work, relationships... etc, there is always that little voice in my mind, doubting myself and my decisions.

And I've come to the realization that my destiny, my future, is not in my hands.
I realize that is a pretty basic statement, yes, we are not in-control of everything. But it's a little deeper than that. I know that I can't screw it up, as long as I am relying on Christ.

Who am I to think that little me can ruin God's HUGE, detailed, perfect plan for my life because I miss a few details? If that were so I find it hard to believe that anyone would ever achieve their calling. Yes, of course we need to try to make the right choices, but some things are not laid out for you. Things like what career path to choose... who should I marry... what church to go to... you're not going to find the black and white answer right there in your bible. You can definitely pray about it, and seek direction from those you trust, but don't get so bogged down and stressed in the details that you don't see the big, wonderful picture! We are to wait patiently on the Lord, not freak out until we hear an answer from him! Trust in Him, and you will hear that still, small, calm voice that gives you peace.

Happy Weekend, y'all!
xoxo,
Alisha

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Engagement Shoot : Anna & Nathan

What do you get when you take a beautiful day, a lake, a tractor, a red barn, two ridiculously adorable lovebirds and a great photographer...? Add it all together and you get this sweet engagement shoot from Justin Ferry Photography!

I asked Anna, the beautiful bride-to-be if I could go ahead and share her recent engagement photos on the blog and I was thrilled that she said yes! I have known Anna & Nathan for years before they were even dating and I am so excited for them and their upcoming wedding! These two are so full of life and it really shows in these photos. Each picture is so sweet and you can tell how in love they are just by scrolling through these pictures. In my mind, if you've captured this kind of love in your photos, that's a successful engagement shoot. Enjoy!

Ok ya'll this next one is my fave... hello, the Notebook! So hot. 

Hope you enjoyed the first of many wedding-related posts that will appear on this blog! Be sure to check out the photographer's website, and while your at it hop over to Anna's blog as well!

Happy Thursday, all!

xoxo,

Alisha 

Getting to know you...

As I start this blogging adventure, here are a few things my readers may need to know about me... just five for now, keeping this short and sweet. :)

1. I am a 22 year old creative dreamer walking in grace. I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with everything that I am. It is important to know that while I love a lot of pretty things, and I have a passion for style, beauty and design... my love for Jesus comes first, and my goal is for that to shine through every single blog post that I write. There is nothing more inspiring and lovely than the grace of God!
2. I am the happiest when I am: Singing, Writing, or having a Sunday afternoon coffee date with my incredible boyfriend, Bryon. I've been in love with him for almost eight years!Yeah, you'll hear a lot about this guy, he's pretty great.
3. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up... and that's okay. I know I want to be a wife, (subtle, right?) and I want to express my creativity in any way that I can. I don't need to know all the answers right now. I'm trusting God and we'll see what happens... :)
4. If you've read any of my previous blogs, you know that I LOVE weddings. You will see some a lot of wedding inspiration related content, I am sure. You just can't keep me out of that scene! All of the pretty everything of wedding blogs is what attracted me to blogging in the first place. 
5. Other things I love, (in a nutshell): Coffee, Music, Coffee shops with live music... Interior Design, Art, Illustration, Shopping... FOOD... Cooking, Trying new recipes, (i.e., pinning new recipes on Pinterest and saying I will try them in the future...), trying new hair and makeup tricks... constantly being a diva about my hair... the list could go on, and on, but just keep reading my blog, we'll get to know eachother. :)

 

xoxo,

Alisha

 

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Third time's the charm, right?

So...I've decided to give blogging another go! In the past couple years I have been around the blog scene a little bit, first on my humble little tumblr, Wedding Whimsy, then as a guest blogger for my dear friend, Janie at The Bride's Cafe. I have been wanting to get back to it but I have been so busy this past year that blogging kept getting put on the back burner! Well not anymore! I'm taking the leap.

What's changed? I have absolutely no expectations this time around, I just want a place to share pretty things, thoughts and inspirations with some type of audience, whether I have 2 or 2,000 readers! If you are following B&L, expect to see a lot of pretty, happy, sappy and heart-healthy... pretty much anything that is Beloved & Lovely. 

xoxo,

Alisha 

Three ways to Cozy Chic!

Fall makes me happy. I always consider myself a summer girl but when September rolls around I continuously surprise myself with how excited I get at the thought of cooler weather, endless layering options and of course, the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (duh). 

This week, these three outfits are inspiring me with all kinds of happy warm and fuzzies. I love these three different types of "cozy chic" styles! My personal favorite is the top right, I rarely ditch my colorful statement jewels even when I'm in just jeans and a t-shirt. Although I really do love a good all-black outfit now and then too. 

What do you think? How do you do cozy?

Clockwise from left, 1. Sincerely Jules 2. Pinterest, Source Unknown 3. Barefoot Blonde 

xoxo,

Alisha