It’s The Little Things: A Lipstick Set

I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday yesterday. Ours was wonderful and exhausting. At four in the morning we were awoken by the sounds of sickness coming from the bathroom. One of our children had vomited in their bed… And on the floor. And in the hall… It did not bode well for the day ahead. However, after some cleanup and a little sleep (and I mean a little sleep), we awoke again at eight and spent the rest of the day healthy and sound. My husband and I even had a chicken enchilada cook-off with each other. His enchiladas won. I’m going to pretend it didn’t happen.

I was so touched by the comments left on the blog in the last few days, I am so behind in my life and the blog, but I wanted to express my gratitude for the well wishes. I love you guys! You truly made my day.

I was so very fortunate with the gifts I received yesterday. My husband gave me this dress (that I knew about, but forgot and now it is on sale! It is very itchy, just an FYI) and I kept the red boots (briefly shown here). I also received the Aniza booties and a few more clothing items. I was so grateful to receive some thoughtful unique presents and a few much appreciated Anthropologie gift cards from my dad, stepmom, my sister and brother-in-law. My sister and her husband also ended up purchasing my husband and I the letters I fell in love with in this post. I was so happy and surprised! Any ideas on where they should go?

It was a great couple of days.

I did not have a completed post ready to publish today, but it seemed odd to not have a post up for two days in a row. I racked my brain about something I wanted to share that was not the typical outfit post. And this was what I kept stumbling back upon:

We are an odd sort of family and one of our conversations during the last few days revolved around how much money it would take for my husband or myself to lick sweet Ollie’s bottom lip. Wait! That’s such a weird thing to say. But we all concur that Ollie’s lip, while sweet as he is, is a bit gross with it always hanging there, catching food… And his burps… I know, I warned you. Although, nobody can quite be prepared for a statement such as that. Which brings me to lipsticks… Of course, how else does one segue from licking a dog to pretty beauty products?

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You can’t.

But while it is on my mind, I wanted to write about some lipsticks I have fallen in love with lately. Are they even called lipsticks any more?

They are a seasonal set called Nars Digital World Pencil Coffret and they are limited edition. They even come in a pretty case. I keep forgetting to write about them, so I figured now was as good a time as any, even if it is not timely for my usual Saturday “It’s The Little Things” post.

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I was brave a few days ago and actually wore the color I thought I never would. It is a super bright orange called Iberico. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. The outfit post for this outfit will run in a few days.

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And I wore the hot pink color (Yu) a few days later (outfit post to come).

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I initially purchased the kit for the nudes, but I have only worn the pink nude once and I felt naked without color. My favorite color in the set is Cruella, which given that this whole post started about a funny, but odd question, about my dog, fits perfectly.

My daughter has taken to wearing them, too. They are more of a colored lipstick pencil type product. Whatever it is called, I have had so much fun with this product. I bought mine a month ago. Deciding on which color to wear each day has brought a lot of joy to my life in this busy season. I still adore my Chubby Sticks, but it was exciting to change it up a bit.

What is your favorite lipstick or lip color lately? And, yes, I am aware I never fessed up to my dog answer. $100… I’m a cheap date… But not as cheap as my husband whose answer had us rolling on the floor.

It’s the little things: changing your lip color… And weird questions. Isn’t that how the holidays typically tend to go?

*No animals were hurt, or kissed, in the making of this post… Unless someone has $100. Just kidding… I am sure Ollie’s price is much higher than mine. The dog does not share my affinity for lipstick… Silly boy.

Oh Christmas Tree

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Picking out our Christmas tree was a bit of a scavenger hunt this year. We went to our tried and true place. The one we have been going to for the last ten years. And they did not have a single Noble Fir. They said they had been selling out of them by 4:00 each day. Well, with my husband’s work schedule, kids’ schooling and life, 4:00 was out of our reach for the week.

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We decided to search for a Christmas tree elsewhere.

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I am a true have-to-have-a-real-tree girl. I just am. I like the picking out of the tree each year. I like the smell. I like the tradition. I just like it.

We drove to a place that used to sell Christmas trees the year before, but they were not selling trees this year.

I remembered seeing a Christmas tree lot on the other side of town earlier in the week. We drove there and it was amazing. They were hoarding all of the Noble Firs!

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The tree we picked out for our main tree (we also get a smaller one, because I am a greedy tree decorator) ended up being about nine feet tall, but was marked 7-8 and the guy gave it to us for that price. It was a steal! And since my husband refuses to look at any tree taller than eight feet, my stealthy sneaky big-tree-heart exploded with joy.

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It almost made me as happy as this dress. I purchased Free People’s Bombora Dress during Free People’s annual 25% off sale. It showed sold out, but in my cart it went to backorder. I honestly did not think it would ship, so I never mentioned it. I thought it was a fluke. I was very surprised to see it show up at my door three weeks later.

It was a happy surprise.

It reminded me of my favorite Christmas movie, “White Christmas.” When I was a little girl my mother would tell me that when it was time for my prom she would make me a prom dress exactly like the ending Christmas dresses in that movie. By the time I finally went to my prom, I no longer wanted a fur-lined red velvet number for an event in May. Instead I opted for a custom designed (by myself) little number modeled after Marissa Tomei’s dress in the movie, “Only You.” In my head it was perfection. In real life, the seamstress did not understand what I was going for and I ended up going to prom in a periwinkle dress with triangle cutouts. Oh. It was bad. So very, very bad. As reality versus dreams usually are.

If only they had had this dress back then. Then both my mother and myself could have been happy.

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It only took twenty years for that scavenger hunt to come to a conclusion. What look from a movie do you love? Do you love the hunt for an item? If you have a Christmas tree, do you go real or fake? Theme or sentimental? Our big tree is sentimental. Our little tree is a gnome forrest theme… Of course.

*Also, I am sorry I have been behind on emails, comments and blogs. I plan on catching up this weekend. : )

A Dress Falled With Embroidery

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My husband and I went on a lunch date on this day. It was not cool enough for the sweater, so I wish I had set it down.

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I also wish I had more pictures of the dress itself, but my photographer that day was all about the closeups.

I hate closeups.

I love my photographer.

You will just have to bear with me.

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Or bare with me. Look at the cute Free People bandeau bra (bralette post can be found here) I simply put over a regular bra for a pretty lace peek-a-boo moment.

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I found this dress at my local Nordstrom Rack for a screaming deal. I could not believe nobody had scooped it up (it is sold out. I could only find one size medium of a similar dress. It is on sale for $30 from $148 on Free People here).

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The embroidered detail is amazing.

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I wanted to pair the dress with some wood accessories. I slipped on this Scrabble Ring for a fun solution. If I was a pumpkin latte kind of gal, I would happily drink it in this dress. This dress screams, “fall!”, with its orange and mustard accents.

Alas, I am allergic to pumpkin. So, I will have to get by just wearing the color.

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I will somehow manage to get through the autumn with regular ol’ coffee.

And closeups of my thirty seven year old face.

Somehow.

The secret is in the sauce a little thing I am grateful to not be allergic to, wine.

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Did you notice something amiss in the previous closeup picture? Something that did not look right?

Was it a bit creepy?

Was it my elbow?

I am double jointed in my elbows, so sometimes in pictures like those it looks as though my head should be flipped the other way.

Just give it time.

Halloween is coming up.

With pumpkins. And closeups. And weird elbows.

And wine.

It’s enough to make a girl’s head spin. What is making your head spin lately? I am definitely craning my head towards this dress. Are you double jointed? I only have it in my elbows and my thumbs…

And my mind.

Lavender Farm

If my husband’s favorite part of our Maui trip was The Crater, then mine would have to be Maui’s Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm. At only $3 a person and free parking, it is a bargain to get in and wander the beautiful property. They give you a map and a treasure hunt piece of paper that you stamp as you walk through the grounds (I recommend adults do this as the prize is age universal). My son LOVED this.

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This picture was taken on the drive up. The drive is just beautiful.

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There are many different paths. I like the name of this one.

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And, of course, lavender farms means pictures of lavender.

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We wandered through trees.

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And up high. The views on the farm are incredible.

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I even had a Buddha friend to keep me company.

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Beautiful flowers.

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And creepy girl flowers.

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My husband and I split a lavender scone. I wanted a picture, but he ate half of it before I could get the full thing.

It was really good.

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Now. My favorite part. I love chameleons. And we were lucky enough to spot three Jackson Chameleons while we were there.

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My husband said he’s never seen me so happy.

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But, how cute is this little guy?! Those horns! He is a baby. And I was madly in love. I could have spent the whole vacation up there playing with those lizards.

What are your thoughts on chameleons? Have you been to a lavender farm or eaten anything with lavender in it?

Outfit details: this dress is an older Anthropologie dress called Espejoa Mini-Dress. I am wearing the dress backwards. I would rather a keyhole be in the back. The closest dress I can find to it now is this dress. The shoes are Gentle Soul’s tall gladiator sandals and the necklace is Simply Livly’s Turquoise Necklace.

*These photos were edited using the app Afterlife’s Sailor or Bay filters (depending upon the darkness of the picture).