OSCAR THOUGHTS {1 of 2}

Part 1 of my 2-Part Oscars wrap up.  {The other part with be a fashion focus}

Cirque du Soleil Performance

This was totally amped up as the most cirque performers ever but I was a bit let down.  I've seen two Cirque shows {Elvis and La Nouba} and the Fire Within TV series in its entirety and we're seeing O for my bach bash {VEGAS!}.  Basically, I am a Cirque connoisseur.  Duh.  

I thought the show was very impressive but not presented in the best way.  At the end, there was just so much going on that each performer sort of ran together and you missed a lot of the action!  Sad.

Bret McKenzie

Bret won the Oscar for Best Original Song for The Muppets (which I still haven't seen!  argh!).  

I was so excited to see Bret - I know him from Flight of the Conchords.  If you aren't familiar zip over to Netflix and add it to your queue!  This show is hilariously offbeat and super kooky. If you (foolishly) don't want to invest the time, at least download Business Time (an original song) and you own't regret it.

Viola Davis

I'm gonna go ahead and get on the bandwagon - I LOVED HER HAIR!  

Before (with wig):               After (without wig):

I just think it was so great of her to celebrate her true self and not what she thought America wanted to see.  She still looked amaze and she produced a natural glow that I haven't seen in her before.  Go girl!

Bridesmaids

I just love that this movie has gotten so much positive attention this year.

I think all of these women looked gorgeous proving that women with a sense of humor can be a knockout as well.  (p.s. anyone else a total Gilmore Girls fan and love seeing Suki again?  p.p.s. Rose Byrn in Marie Antoinette - check it out)

There were so many more wonderful moments this year at the Oscars but I will stop here.  See you in Part 2! -Sarah

WEDDING REVEAL: ENGAGEMENT PARTY OUTFIT

For our first wedding event I was so excited and really wanted an epic outfit!  My mom and I spent a day of my Winter Break shopping in Nashville and I was left feeling underwhelmed.  We had both expected to have tons of options and really didn't find much at all.  I ended up going with a gorgeous, classic Kate Spade dress that was on sale, on sale!  

The Kate Spade Mademoiselle Dress in African Violet:

I wanted to keep it very simple for our dinner party in Chattanooga.  I paired it with a clear beaded statement necklace from Francesca's {shown here} and some simple BCBGeneration nude pumps.  The final look:

I got a ton of compliments on my outfit {and my $8 necklace}!  The party was amazing and it was such a wonderful way to kick off the celebrations for our wedding!  I got a bit depressed when I realized that we don't have any more parties until April.  Boo.

-Sarah

MAKEUP ESSENTIALS

I wanted to share some of my makeup staples.  I love to try new products whenever possible but I usually stick to tried and true goods for my daily routine.  I buy my makeup at Sephora because of their great selection and I love using the Beauty Insider program.  I have found some of my favorites when they were a free reward.  

I store my make up in a great bag from Target that my bff gave me for my birthday.  It's super convenient when I travel because I don't have to sift through everything to find what I want to pack.  I keep that bag inside a Martha Stewart basket I bought at KMart about 6 years ago!  My brushes are stored in the makeup bag or a cup inside the box.  Any makeup I don't use regularly but want to keep is stored also in the basket.

 Here's the inside of my makeup bag.  I keep the brushes mostly stored in the dividers and everything else in the main compartment.  Most of my brushes are from Body Shop - so amazingly soft.  There are a couple from Walgreens' EcoTools.

Here's a look at what I use for my daily makeup routine {counter clockwise from top}:

Too Faced eye shadow palette {not available for purchase, received as a 500 pt gift}
Benefit's Hello Flawless powder in champagne 
Fresh Magic Wands Mini Mascara Duo {I like to layer these on my lashes}
Stila's One Step Correct primer
Sephora Kohl Pencil eye liner
MAC bronzer
Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc blush and bronzer - {I love to use this as a highlighter also}
Sephora Collection matte blush in sunbaked 

When I'm dressing up a bit more or want longer-lasting coverage, I go a little heavier on the makeup:

Clinique Superbalanced Makeup foundation

Benefit Boi-ing concealer in light

Clinique Acne Solutions Clearing Concealer {amazing for a zit, it covers and helps get rid of it}

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray 

I stand by all of these products but by no means think they are the end all..I am always looking for something better.  Besides it's the inner beauty that counts, right?! -Sarah

WEDDING REVEAL: S.T.D.s

STD = Wedding lingo for Save the Dates....took me a minute to get that.  :)

So this is my first wedding reveal post - my Save the Dates.  For my wedding, it's been tough to balance my reasonable budget with my love of paper goods.  For my STDs, I found an idea on Pinterest that I immediately fell for and just new that I was going to DIY it.  

The inspiration pin:

{source}

Chevron + kraft paper and I was hooked.  This was such a simple concept, I knew I could make it work.

The long rewarding process:

Notes:

1.  I looked all over for a large stamp or stencil of a chevron print and could not find anything!  I was shocked.  So I bought stencil film and traced a chevron pattern on it and cut it out.  I then used your basic white craft paint and foam stencil brushes and that's where it got tedious.  My mom and I painted each and every one of the 80 STDs.  {Our paper was kraft scrapbook paper cut in half}

2.  After each of the pages were painted and dry, we ran them through the printer twice.  On the painted side, we printed addresses {ours and theirs} and a little note: "we're getting married"

3.  On the other side we printed a June calendar with our date circled, the city, our names and our wedding website.  The design was very simple, created in Microsoft Word with a downloaded font.

4.  Using a glue stick and scrapbooking photo corners, we inserted our picture {printed as a 3 1/2 x 5}.  This picture was taken about 4 years ago, at the beginning of our relationship.  We were out hiking and another couple offerred to take our picture and it turned out to be epic!  Even though we'd only known each other for 6 months, I thought that would be the perfect pic for a Save the Date.

5.  All folded up and ready to go {sans postage}.

6.  The guests would see our little note on the back before opening.  We also added clear sticker seals to keep the package closed during processing.

Although these Save the Dates took longer than anticipated to complete, I am so proud of them and received many compliments.  Sadly, my fiance and parents vetoed d.i.y. invites because of my level of stress while finishing these.  Another downside to these handmade announcements was that we have added some guests to the list since making these but don't have anymore STDs to send out.  

Stay tuned for another wedding reveal -Sarah

FRIDAY FAVORITES 7

Favorite After-School Snack

Pita and Hummus

Toast the pita first, add a bit of salt and yummm!

Favorite Classic Piece

I pulled this out this week because I left my black coat at my sister's house.

It's from Banana Republic in 2004!  I received this coat and a matching skirt for my eighteenth birthday.  The coat is so classic and reminds me of Mary Tyler Moore.  Because winter items are so expensive, I love to get classic pieces that will last for awhile.

Favorite High Fashion Updates

Ezisa Kairos Blog - This is my best friend's little sister's {my surrogate little sis} blog.  She is amazingly trendy and always in the know of the latest trends.  I will definitely be asking her for a short version of NYFW.

Favorite Nerdy Blog

Via J.Crew's blog I found this site Friends of Type.  Super fun fonts and design.  This is one of my favorites:

Favorite Event of Last Week

PICKING UP MY WEDDING DRESS!!!  It came from J.Majors in Charlotte and I love it!  I can't wait to wear it on June 30th!  

p.s. Next week I will post my first wedding reveal.  :)

TGIF!  I've got a case of the Februaries and am in the mood for some major relaxation.  See you next week.  -Sarah

JEWELRY STORAGE

Let me preface this post by saying that I rarely get rid of jewelry.  It is so small and easy to store that I hold onto pieces I never wear in case they come back in style, or I need them for a dress up party...bottom line:  don't judge me!

I recently wrote about organizing my go-to jewelry area.  I mentioned that this showed only my most worn pieces and here is more information about where I keep the rest of my baubles.

As I've commented before, the storage situation in my apartment is not exactly roomy.  In an effort to play up the "loft look" they installed small little vanities.  In my vanity, I keep some of my extra earrings stored underneath my makeup in a box that I've used since college.

This was intended to be a bead box but fits earrings perfectly.

My disclaimer was for reals, check out these sweet chandelier earrings.  All I need now is a going out top, jeans and pointy pumps and I'm ready for a 2004 fraternity rush party.

Moving on...

My closet is a very frustrating sort of rectangular shape.  The corners are totally wasted because the hangers run into each other.  

In this confusing closet, I have had to be very clever of my use of space.  Here, I've found a place to store jewelry!  Look closely...

 I've hung the Real Simple Hanging Jewelry Organizer from Bed, Bath and Beyond behind my shirts.  Here's an unobstructed view:

I love the velcro hangers for my statement necklaces, but hate how it makes it lopsided.

And on the back, are less worn earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

Not to mention, this game day gem....

This system isn't perfect or very convenient but it works for now.  

Where do you store your jewelry? -Sarah

MUSICAL FIND

Last night, M and I went to see Future Islands at a little hole in the wall bar.  There was a lot of facial hair and hipsters...love!  There was also some good music.

The first opener was awesome!  They are a local Knoxville band and have a great easy, happy, summery sound.  Check them out here and get three free downloads!

Found any good music lately?  Please share!  -Sarah