Sunday in Austin

I spent this past week in Columbus, Texas on a film shoot at a 900 acre ranch. I'm not really an outdoor girl, so the camping-like experience was quite an adventure. However, it felt great to be taken out of my comfort zone a bit. Between the shoot and spending 2 weeks in Arkansas the week before that (I was back for 3 days in between), I've barely seen my apartment OR my fiance all month! So, after getting back home around midnight on Friday, I was excited to have a normal, relaxing weekend ahead of me. An important part of it was simply being domestic. On Sunday morning, Steve and I cooked up a pancake brunch. I was quite proud of how well my pancakes came out. :)

 All natural "Blackberry Patch" brand Wild Blueberry and Apple Butter syrups from Cabela's.

I thrive on the crazy schedule, but for right now it's nice knowing I don't need to think about packing another suitcase in a couple days and leaving again... for a little while at least!

Silver lining

As unorganized as my life has felt over the past 6 weeks or so (crazy illnesses that wont go away, travel, being apart from my fiance for way too long, auditions, wedding planning, "real" work, and acting work...), I've had a real craving to stay as organized as possible in smaller ways. My current purse had recently become so worn out that the now fraying straps are in danger of snapping at any moment. Rather than waiting until that happens while I'm out shopping somewhere, I decided to take the plunge and purchase a new handbag today. Always fun!

I love the color silver for a purse. Infact, when I bought my last purse, I couldn't find anything I liked in silver so I settled on a white one. It was a cute bag, but the color gets dingy so quickly, even when you try to keep it as clean as possible. I was happy to find something in a more realistic color this time around! (Purse by Croft & Barrow from Khol's, 40% off 49.99).

It's so fun "moving in." I'd actually done a decent job of keeping my old handbag pretty clutter-free, but getting a new one is always a good time to check and make sure you're not constantly carrying around anything you don't actually need.

 What's in the bag:
"Bottom row" left to right:
- My wallet, which I am still loving and showed off HERE
- I also bought the little polka-dotted bag today (Walmart, $2.97) to keep essentials like floss and band-aids (for when those heels start hurting! Or, obviously, for an actual emergency...um...yeah...) plus, some personal items and a couple medications in the main (i.e. opaque) section.
- Gum! I'd been out for a while...it's always nice to have around to freshen up while you're out.
- Hand lotion. I apply this about 60 times a day, so having some on-the-go is a must for me.

"Top row" left to right:
- Make up bag with touch-up items like pressed powder, mineral concealer and brush, eyeliner, and lip gloss.
- Check book and pen (always carry a pen with you! You'll be glad you did).
- Chapstick. If I could only have one item in my bag, this would be it.
- Aviator sunglasses.
- Hair bands in case my hair decides it needs to be put away for a while.
- My beautiful compact mirror, a gift from a friend in China!

Pink eye (the good kind!)

I have an on-and-off love affair with pink eye shadow. Right now, it's back on. It can look punk or really pretty and fresh depending on how you use it. I actually use a rosey cream blush that I've had since my days of using stage make up, so don't even ask me to try and figure out what exactly it is and where you can buy it. ;) Just use whatever works for you. For this, I think a product with creamy texture looks fresher than powder eye shadow and blends really nicely. Just make sure you powder it after applying to set it.

A recent look:

I liked the pop of pink with the black and white dress. Don't be afraid to be a little messy with the pink. It shouldn't look too calculated. You can even put it all around the eye, but I didn't do that this time.
I traced the outside of the pink with a shimmer golden powder shadow and extended it outwards (up to my eyebrows and around the bottom outer corner of my eye). I wish my crappy little camera did it more justice. It's not that easy to pick up in these photos. But, along with the pink, it created a shimmery pastel look all around the eyes. Almost "fairy"-like, but understated.
I finished with black mascara. It's not often that I don't wear some sort of eye liner, but I didn't feel like I needed anything taking away the focus of the pink and gold or making it too harsh of a look. I kept the lips light and neutral as well.

Blush always goes below my cheek bones, rather than the apple of the cheek as many people suggest. It really helps accentuate the cheek bones that way. I put a little shimmery powdered bronzer on the cheek bone to help highlight them even more.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Share 'em!

Oscar ready

Alright, I'm a little late in posting these, but here are some photos I took while getting ready for an "Academy Awards watching/ Bacon Feast" party a friend of mine had. Everyone was asked to dress up for the night. Bacon + fancy attire? Love it!

 Accessories! Clutch purse and decorative headband.

 Picking out an outfit...

 A smile might have been nice...

Some favorite makeup: Hard Candy bronzer, Elf liquid black liner, Bare Minerals eye shadow in "1980s", 

and Maybelline Wet Shine lipstick in "Flushed."

 Bacon brownies, cupcakes, and cheesecake

 Bacon for dinner: Pinwheels, potato salad, banana sandwiches, chicken/jalapeno/bacon bites, and a variety of dips...to dip bacon slices in, of course.

  Me with fellow blogger, Christina Boudreaux
You can check out her blog (including her recount of this night!) at "Christina Does It All"

It was really fun night with many great people. There was no shortage of bacon dishes (Did I mention I already had plans to start a detox diet the next day? Good timing.) or fashion-critiquing the celebrities on TV. Did you have your own best and worst dressed? I think we were all in agreement that Angelina Jolie looked oddly thin. I'm not one to buy into tabloid reports of anorexia, or one of those girls who says "Oh em gee, eat a cheeseburger!" to ANYONE, because I am naturally thin myself, but wow. She really did look a bit scary. And what was with her leg-out stance while presenting? It was just weird. Thoughts?

I also wanted to see celebs like Sandra Bullock take more of a risk. I thought she dressed a little too "old" for her still-hot figure. Stars like Natalie Portman and Cameron Diaz looked lovely, as usual.

I know it might seem wrong to be concentrating on the fashion more than the awards, but honestly, I've barely seen any movies this past year! I definitely have some on my list though, now that they were showcased so nicely at the awards.

Back to bed

Lately, my Saturday mornings seem to consist of waking up, brewing coffee, and crawling right back into bed with a movie or my beloved Sex and the City DVDs.

I highly recommend investing in a silky robe like this red one from Khol's. It makes you feel quite "Marilyn Monroe".

What's your Saturday routine??

Hot and cold

One of my favorite things in fashion is pairing pieces that don't seem like they should go together.
Today, since we're enjoying a streak of weather in the lower 70s, I decided to pull out a favorite tank top, but I paired it with a hand-me-down scarf I got from a friend. I'm also one of those people who always gets cold, especially in stores which seem to always be blasting the air conditioning (why??), so this should keep me relatively comfy while out running errands today.

Thoughts? Ideas? Do share.

Little Things That Make Me Smile...

The new way we're staying organized through wedding planning, theater productions, work, being sick, and any other craziness that comes our way. PLUS, a cute little reminder of Valentine's Day on the 14th. :)

A new lamp (Walmart, $39.99) that creates a little reading corner in the living room.

Adding a romantic touch to the bedroom with a new piece of artwork (Target, $16.99).

One of my favorite combos: Champagne and Marachino cherries. I love how they look like little balloons in the glass when they flip over!

Red Dress

My Valentine's Day look.

 Smokey grey eye liner.

 First mirror shot with my new phone - Samsung Stratosphere. :)

 Kept the hair long and casual

I lit lots of candles around the living room and greeted my fiance with champagne when he got home from work. We had a late dinner of baked tilapia (coated with white wine and spicy brown mustard and dipped in bread crumbs), cheese and spinach tortelini with a creamy vodka tomato sauce, ceasar salad, and coffee ice cream with a Milano cookie garnish. I am bummed that I didn't get any photos, but the champagne had surely taken over by the time I was cooking everything up!

Steve brought me the sweetest card and the most adorable, huggably soft, giant hot pink frog stuffed animal. Haha. It's the cutest thing ever.

How was your Valentine's Day?