gals in gowns

Who watched the Oscars last night? I did! I did! Though it was more of catching a few glimpses here and there as I was taking care of residents at work, so not glamorous. But no worries, I still was able to catch my favorites for the night.

Drumroll please....

Reese Witherspoon had to be my number one favorite. She's gorgeous, the dress is gorgeous but I think what did it for me was the hair! Retro-chic, love it!

Dress: Giorgio Armani Prive

Image: people.com

Mila Kunis in a beautiful Elie Saab Haute Couture. 

Image: justjared.com

Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana. Again, love her hair! 

Image: huffingtonpost.com

Matthew McConaughey's girlfriend, Camila Alves = Beautiful! 

Dress: Kaufmanfranco

Image: Huffingtonpost.com

And last but not least, one of my all-time favorite singers, the one and only Celine Dion. Dazzled in Giorgio Armani Prive. 

Image: Justjared.com

All beauties, don't ya think? Who were your best dressed picks? Happy Monday everyone!

xxoo,

m

spring fever

As I sit here in bed, working on advertisement project, drinking hot tea and looking out the window at the gloomy snowy weather I can't help but yearn for spring. I've had enough of the snow, the puffer jackets, thick scarves, and dark colors.

I've been struck with spring fever. Here are some pieces and trends that I'm pining for:

Definitely will be rockin the denim on denim some more this spring season. I absolutely love this combo. 

H&M is showing a lot of earth tone colors for this spring. I'm loving the pants here, need to find me a pair!

Seriously blazers are a must for me and this tan one is definitely on my shopping list. Great outfit too. Perhaps I'll have to find a cream colored lace skirt too. Lace is also a trend for this spring. 

More lace, right off the runway from Anne Sui (image from Style.com). Love this outfit; no perhaps it not something you take as a head-to-toe outfit, but you take pieces away from the outfit that inspire you, that's how runway looks work. 

With sheer and lace being hot trends for the season, this cropped sheer lace top is something I must find. 

I would love to get this Ardisia Maxi Dress from Anthropologie. I imagine myself wearing this while strolling down the beach in Santa Cruz, at sunset, with my hair down and flowing in the wind. Ahhhhh...a girl can dream right?

Must. Get. These. Trousers... Tradewinds Trousers, another goodie from Anthro. Ugh, I'm in love

I seriously could go on and on about all the cute things that are coming out for the season. I can't wait to hit up Anthro, H&M, Forever 21, Primp, and much more. he he. 

What are you hot for this spring? Have you caught spring fever?

xoxo

m

Jessie Tomme Salon

I just got back from some long overdue hair pampering. Seriously, I wait way too long between cuts and colors! But today I went to Jessie Tomme Salon. This was my second time and I'm pretty much hooked.

Jessie Tomme is located in Mahtomedi/Willernie, just a few doors down from Stacia Wilson Skincare actually! Its an Aveda salon so right as you walk into the doors you get a whiff of that wonderful Aveda product smell. The salon is situated in a house or cottage type buliding, I am not sure if that's what it was before or was just made to look that way, but you are welcomed in to feel right at home.

The salon boasts calm colors of green, blue and brown with an eclectic mix of leather couches and wooden chairs, dressers, and mirrors. Greeted upon entry, you are welcomed to sit with the comfort of a warm cup of Aveda tea poured just for you.

Then comes the service... I asked for the same girl this time (shout out to Rhianon Anderson) because she did such a wonderful job with the color and cut. I got exactly what I wanted! I also was treated to a decadent hand massage, paraffin wax hand dip, and styling at the end. Better then exceptional from beginning to end!

(All pictures shown are from their Facebook page and can also be found on their website)

The grand total? $94, broken down to $65 for the color and $29 for the cut. So hey, it wasn't exactly inexpensive but its quite a steal compared to lots of of other salons! In my opinion, it was worth every penny because of the wonderful service, friendly staff, beautiful space, and cozy atmosphere. And for you guys reading this, you are definitely welcome too! They have plenty of male clients!

To follow up with the price...

Its not cheap to get your hair done, especially at a salon, but I do it anyway. So that got me thinking... Though I am an avid "bargain shopper" I still love to splurge when I can. But I realized that there are some things that are definitely worth the money!

Top 3 "Splurgers":

1. Pampering
    - This would include your hair services, skincare such as facials and products, and massages. Putting your money into the upkeep up of your hair, skin, and body makes it feel and look good not only now but for years to come.

2. Jeans
   - Shopping for jeans is the WORST for me! Short legs, big butt, little waist...just doesn't work out. But I find when put more money into my denim purchases, which means higher end brands, I find cuts, sizes, lengths, and materials that are much more flattering. But don't get me wrong, I have a few Target skinny's and I love them!

3. Food and Wine
   - Trying new restaurants and wines. Experimenting with organic/healthy/better ingredients. Putting the time and effort to eat well...there's just nothing like it.

Until next time... give Jessie Tomme a peek at http://www.jtsalon.net/  and then book your first appointment and then let me know what your top slurgers are!

xoxo

m

l 'initiative heureuse

It's about that time of the week again... dun dun duh duhhhhh... The Happy Initiative! So here it is; the top ten things that made me happy this week.

un- sugarland's new song- "little miss". love love love it.

deux- 50 degree weather in the middle of february.

trois- my off weekend from work. thank the Lord!!!

quatre- preston kelly. i had an informational interview there this week. Kate, the young woman I spoke with was very down to earth and the space was awesome. It was just what I needed to give me a boost of motivation to keep trucking along with these countless interviews, yet no offers.

cinq- my weiner dog, Lucy, aka Lulubelle, luci-nator, fatty. So fat and so cute. 

six- chinese food. mmmmmm.

sept- got my new red TOMS. can't wait to wear them! Not only do I love how cute they are or how every pair of shoes sold gives a child in need a pair of shoes but I love how Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, had a dream to start a company that had this idea of one-for-one and so many people thought he was crazy and it was a crazy business plan. Low and behold... a phenomenon was born.

huit- getting some ideas of what to do with the happy initiative. I want to start a business, I want to give money to some charities that I love, and I want to make people happy. Some how, some way, I will make this happen.

neuf- french. the language just puts a smile on my face. thus the "french-inspired" post today.

dix- potato chips with kethcup. baaaaaaadd habit but ohhhh so good. tastes just like fries.

C'est fini. Now it's your turn.

Avoir mes amis! Je t'aime.

xoxo

m

blog break.

Man oh man. It's already pushing 10:30 and I have yet to finish up my second paper of the night. Yes, I said second paper! Note to self- do not procrastinate to the point of leaving TWO papers to write in full the NIGHT BEFORE they are due. And since I've adopted the habit of going to be bed around 10 or 11 this semester during the school week, I can tell tonight's going to be a rough one, as will tomorrow morning..and day...and night. Oh boy!

BUT I wanted to share an awesome quote with you that I heard, pretty sure from a woman entrepreneur. I want to say Jen Groover but don't quote me! In my quest of internship/job/passion searching I heard this little tidbit that I think we all should keep in mind in order to always strive to be the best we can be....

"If you are the smartest person in a room full of people, you are in the wrong place."

Awesome! Great! Wonderfully spoken! This is saying we should always surround ourselves with people who are the best at what they do in order to challenge ourselves to be the best at what we do! Remember that the next time you are in a room full of knuckle heads...

Well that's all I got for tonight folks! Unfortunately I need to analyze nonverbal communicators of physical attractiveness. Its actually pretty interesting, but I just don't fancy writing a school paper. Ish. 

Stay tuned for this weeks "Happy Initiative"!

xoxo

m

oh...and as always, some pretty photography...

Compliments of Lushlee blog... photo from Karin A. Photography.

extending the love

Valentine's day has come and went. One of the "most" romantic days of the year is gone. One of the days of the year that I love has flown by and I did absolutely nothing to share my love with loves in my life. Instead this is how I felt- jshgoilsknvajodhvn ak.dfbglzhjds ,hsvkjdfnvskdbalkjbg vkjxcb kjdmbjnkdfhbnaldmbndkjlfbakjbfjlnfosjlnvklsennegke.

Yes, that was a lot of curse words in a row..And this is how I looked.Ha...

Image- Edwin Tse photography thanks to Lushlee blog. Beautiful.

I had a crabby, horrible day dealing with rude customer service people, classes with an empty belly and a forgotten wallet, a pounding headache, a sliver of patience, a long evening at work and no valentine. And to top it off I didn't get to publish a post here because I had no time. What. a. drag! Talk about a happy camper...not.

So I come to you today extending the love for at least one more day. Because why limit it? It only leads to overindulgence later, right?... I want to thank you bloggers and followers and Facebook friends that take the time to read my blog and for the wonderful feedback I get on it. I love you all. I'm sending you a plethora of virtual hugs and kisses...MUAH!

Fun picture from Etsy. It's an actual wall at a theatre where the actors kissed I guess. Pretty fun!

I also want to share with you a certain someone that I have found that I am an avid follower of. Her name: Gabriel Bernstein. How did I find her? Well probably one of the countless nights I was spending endless hours looking up "stuff" and procrastinating tackling piles of homework.

She is a writer, business owner, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker to name a few. Her book "Add more -ing to your life, A hip guide to happiness" is on my list of books to purchase ( also in my amazon store). She also posts regular vlogs that are interesting to watch. She preaches about the importance of mediation, being one with your self, and finding self-acceptance. I find her very inspirational and can't wait to get her book to read about happiness. A happy initiative book perhaps? :)

Click HERE to watch a clip from her iLove Me lecture she just had last week. And since this is my belated Valentine's Day blog, I love what she said here about relationships- "A holy relationship is when two whole people come together to share in their abundance; when two complete people come together to enjoy their awesomeness".  I think that statement is so profound and so awesome. I want to be a complete and whole person on my own and then hope to share that with someone else who feels that way too...Get more of her nuggets of wisdom on her site, gabbyb.tv and buy her book!

Here's the book. Check it out!

Wishing you a wonderful LOVE filled week bloggies :) Lots of hugs, kisses and chocolate. And perhaps wine too!

xoxo

m

double deuces

Sunday Funday!

My birthday week has come to an end but I must say it was a blast thanks to my lovely family and friends. I got to celebrate more than once for the big double deuces! It was filled with cupcakes, food, wine, drinks, presents, laughter, pictures, and just down right bliss. And since I've taken a hiatus from t.i.p.  this week, I need to follow up on "the happy initiative, week dos...a birthday edition".

10 things that made me HAPPY this week:

1.A cupcake cake, topped with a tiara of course! Made by my mother, this cake was delish, and uber cute!

2. A whole week full of birthday celebrations.

3. Birthday drinks: Vodka lemon freezes. mmmmmm...

4. My nephew. He came for my family birthday dinner and just is the cutest thing alive. Since I'm 22 now, instead of saying "twenty-two", he says two-two. Just too dang cute!

5.A cupcake piggy bank. My mom went a little overboard with the cupcake theme this year...

6.Dinner with friends at Mozza Mia. I must say, the atmosphere was awesome and the pizza was tasty but Punch Pizza still holds a special place in my heart for favorite pizza pick!

7. Black and white photos.

8. Wine... in this case, Montepulciano. Us girls shared a bottle of this with our pizza. Not only is it tasty but its fun to say too!

9. Getting a bajillion notifications on Facebook on my birthday with birthday wishes from people I talk to on a regular basis and those I never see. Its a good feeling that people will remember and be willing to wish you a good day....even if Facebook makes it easy.

10. The realization that I'm one year closer to the rest of my life.

Share with me what made you happy, contact my via email, leave a comment, or Facebook me. I would LOVE to hear!

xoxo,

m

little bits of happy.

~the happy initiative. week one. ~

Talk about happy... Image- Davina Zagury. Check out her work at here.

10 things that made me happy this week ...


The weather warming up ever so slightly. 
New followers on my blog.
Polish birthday cards that came in the mail.
Fresh grapefruit. 
Positive comments on my blog from individuals I do not even know. 
Skinny cinnamon dolce latte. 
The beginning of February.
A random lady on the bus commenting on a lemon wedge in my water.."Is that a goldfish in your water?"...."No ma'am, its a lemon."..She just giggled and looked out the window.
Lemon water. 
The bus driver waiting for me as a run to catch the bus in the morning. 


What made you happy this week? Let me know. 


xoxo
m

all things pink

February is upon us! This means nothing in terms of a weather change, unfortunately, but at least I will be turning 22, eek!, (gifts are GRACIOUSLY accepted) and the many colors of pink are everywhere. This month was made for me.  No wonder I was born in February. Truly, all things happen for a reason. So enjoy my collage of pink...ahhhhh. 

Essie nail polish is my favorite line of nail colors. My pick- Sugar Daddy. 

Nothing like some pink flowers...my fave = roses and peonies. (Birthday gifts perhaps?)

 Image - Copyright of Aran Goyoaga.  Best photography! Check out her blog please, Cannelle et Vanille!

I have a renewed love of books. I adore the look of vintage ones. 

Image -  Honey Kennedy. Originally from Candice Lesage


I collect buttons. So if you have any laying around, send them over!

Image - Inspire Co. 


mmmm I love cupcakes!

Image- Lola and Ruby

And of course, Audrey Hepburn..

Image- Candice Lesage 


Hope these inspire you to always think in pink!


xoxo


m