New week, new mani! I just got this in my Ipsy bag. I took a 2-month hiatus from Ipsy because I was disappointed with my May bag. I put in my profile that I do not want lipglosses, haircare items or eyeshadows and of course, all 3 of those items appeared in my bag. The May bag was a plain canvas material and had words on it–pretty ugly compare to what Ipsy usually churns out.
But yeah, the August bag is 80% cool for me. I LOVE the houndstooth bag first of all, and my fave product of all is the full size nail polish! It retails for $15 on Trust Fund’s website. This dark lilac tone is called Elegantly Wasted; very Essie-esque. It brushes on so smoothly and 2 coats is all you need for that perfect opaque goodness. On the ring fingers, I brushed on Sally Hansen’s 3D fuzzy effect. It’s a huge pain to remove but it’s a fun tactile novelty! The down side is that Trust Fund’s staying power is weak. This is the 3rd day of my manicure and I see chips already!
Just wanted to show off my H&M floral print summer dress. It’s a struggle getting in this thing because it has absolutely no stretch. Oy vey. This picture was taken at a NH park on the very top of a watchtower!
More pretty flower pictures from the pretty Elizabeth Park in CT!
What a week for me! It was splendid to be able to be with my hubs even while he was working. I have the flexibility to work remotely as needed and did so last week at Hartford, CT. I started the trip off with a new mani, of course.
I brushed on Ulta’s Tinseltown, H&M’s metallic seafoam and a top coat of VS gold glitter. Lasting power of these colors were crap compared to my other nail polishes, but I liked the contrast and slightly Barney-retro look.
The night we got into Hartford, hubs took me to J. Timothy’s Taverne for their nation’s 2nd best wings! They are done up in “dirty style” meaning = sauced, fried, then sauced again. They weren’t very crunchy or meaty but they were well seasoned and definitely packed a punch in the zest department. The sauce selection was limited but the sauces themselves were incredibly tasty. I had the Gold BBQ and hubs had the Thai Sweet Chili. Expensive place for wings but hey, vacay time!
The next night, he took me to chic West Hartford where we enjoyed a nice Thai meal at the Silk Elephant. For dessert, I got to visit Noah Webster! Check out that gorgeous blue sky!
I dragged hubby to the Elizabeth Rose Garden and we gawked, smelled and took pictures of pretty flowers. He has been working in this area for 6 months and never even heard of this place. I’m a garden hunter so I will smell out these places! It was truly a delight to be able to walk around the flowers and watch the ducks in the pond in the middle of the work week!
Fast forward to Wallis Sands beach in New Hampshire while visiting his sister and seeing her new house. I’m merely showing off my retro bikini; it stays dry the whole time because I’m not crazy enough to dip myself in the frigid Atlantic waters at twilight.
Onto the Boston Public Park! I simply loved these weeping willows that provided some sort of shade in the 92 degree scorching day. This was taken right before embarking on the Freedom Trail, which made me a hot mess afterwards ;).
Found this gem in the Commons and couldn’t resist takin’ off my shoes and cooling off in this majorly accessible water feature! I love cities that have this for all the children/tourists to enjoy!
Last day of my New England trip: Salem, MA. I was here for a hot 1.5 hrs but we made the most of it! I HAD to visit the Witch Memorial. My favorite play in the world is The Crucible and I am astonished that most of his characters were real life people. RIP Giles Corey and his infamous last words “more weight.”
Crossed off a bucket list item! Slurped raw oysters at the Sea Level oyster bar–I used a combination of lemon, horseradish, cocktail sauce and this pickled mango and pepper concoction. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience! I tried 5 different types of oysters and the salty sea water brine really helps to flavor that plump piece of oyster.
I only had time to snap a picture of the House of 7 Gables before getting on my horrible AA flight back to Pittsburgh. I was joking that the gods must have been too jelly of my wonderful week and just had to throw a wrench on my travel plans the last day. The hubs thinks it’s just the entire inadequacy of American Airlines. That at least is definitely true.
What a wonderful week! What joyous eats and flavors! What fun seeing friends and family!
This is my themed Nashville wedding mani! I used e.l.f. metallic pink with Sally Hansen chrome on the ring fingers. It’s all topped off with the lightest glitter topcoat from Wet n Wild. I love nudes, pinks, peaches and bling when I think of Nashville.
Tom was a groomsman for my hubs in our wedding so it is fitting that my hubs serve as groomsman for Tom’s wedding :). It was a very intimate, small wedding (70 guests) with the ceremony and reception taking place in the same location. I find that rare but amazingly convenient for the guests! My wedding ceremony took place right on the dance floor complete with arch and decorations. When it came time for the reception, it was cleared off for festivities!
This Nashville wedding adopted a very rustic country chic theme. The bride painstakingly planted her own wedding garden and tended to it for a whole year just to create her bouquets and centerpieces you see here. No need for the florist here! I applaud her efforts. The variety, freshness and design of the arrangements were A+! Her place settings were also DIY watercolor with gold Sharpies. The tiny little pots you see are the favors–local Nashville honey!
I absolutely loved the macaron bar. I got to try 3 different flavors between the hubs and me. Mmm…yay for the lemon cream!
The cake sported the newest Pinterest trend–incomplete icing cakes. The flowers she chose looked so pretty and makes the cake stand out in all its simplicity. It was prettier than it tasted; way too sweet for me.
I love planning wedding guest outfits and had this number picked out months ago :). It was so flouncy and easy to dance in this dress! The only downside was that I had to constantly check that my purse strap didn’t catch on the chest area…
We even got to beat the TN heat at our huge indoor heated pool! Thanks, Springhill Suites!
I picked and arranged these beauties from my front yard. Difficult? Yes. Painful? Definitely. Beautiful? Yes, girl! Fresh, fragrant roses cannot be beat!
New week, new mani! I just got this in my Ipsy bag. I took a 2-month hiatus from Ipsy because I was disappointed with my May bag. I put in my profile that I do not want lipglosses, haircare items or eyeshadows and of course, all 3 of those items appeared in my bag. The May bag was a plain canvas material and had words on it–pretty ugly compare to what Ipsy usually churns out.
Tiny Horse 