Quote of the Day

For all that are being affected by Hurricane Sandy; Stay Safe!

{all photos via}

Get Radiant Skin on a Budget

Body care money saving tips

With the current financial downturn showing little sign of abating, we’re all looking for ways to save money - in all walks of life. If we’re not careful, our beauty and skin care routines can end up costing us a fortune, so they seem like a great place to apply a few money saving initiatives.
If you want your monthly pay check to go that little bit further, a little education and body care information can save you money on skin care routine and still allow you to look the epitome of health and radiance.

Drink water
Forget your fancy moisturisers that cost the earth and promise you the fountain of youth. One of the most inexpensive and effective ways to achieve beautiful and flawless skin is ensuring that you drink plenty of water.
Water flushes the toxins out of your body, which are leading contributors to premature aging and blotchy uneven skin tones. Water literally helps our skin to ‘breath’ and in doing so keeps it elastic, supple, soft and clear. So what are you waiting for? Turn on that tap and start drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day.

Buy quality yet affordable skin care products
The celebrities may be able to afford facial moisturisers that cost a full week’s pay and body lotions that could be the deposit on a new car, but for us mere mortals, skin care products need to be affordable. Being realistically priced does not necessarily jeopardise the quality of body care products. Johnson’s Beauty skin care range caters for all skin types, and is proficient in keeping your skin youthful and flawless at affordable and realistic prices.

Wash your skin well
It may sound simple, but washing your skin well and regularly can help keep it looking beautiful and will not cost a penny, apart from the soap. Skin that is not washed properly will be full of clogged pores that are laden with dirt and grease. Leaving the pores clogged can cause a whole host of problems for the overall condition of the skin, including spots and blemishes. Potentially, blocked pores can also contribute to the arrival of fine lines and wrinkles.
Washing your skin well does not cost anything and only requires a few minutes of your time to help leave you with beautiful, clear and radiant skin.

*this is a sponsored post

Tuesday Table-scape

I saw this table-scape on Tec Petaja's blog, and fell in love with the tie dye details. In my opinion, this is table-scape perfection! 

{photos via Tec Petaja}

Room of the Week: Pink + Black

I am loving every detail of this space. How could you go wrong with a pink couch, hot pink hutch, and a black and white zig zag rug? Let me guess, a woman lives here??

I know I probably say this all the time, by the weekend really does go by too fast!! I had a fabulous time celebrating my 30th birthday! We went to the Revel hotel Friday night, had a very good dinner with our friends and hung out in the casino. Saturday, I spent the entire day in the spa. I had a pre-natal massage, facial, and basked in the salt room, and mineral pool. It was just what the Dr. ordered! Yesterday, we had a relaxing day at home; I made baked pasta dish with eggplant that was delish!! Now that I know that it is so good, the next time I make it, I will be sure to take photos and post the recipe for my Weekend Recipe series.

Have you ever made up a recipe that was surprisingly delish!?!

Quote of the Day

"Each job I had wasn't necessarily the perfect job, but I always talk to young women about how you really have to take certain things from each job and learn from that and then move on to something you really want to do."

Tory Burch 






{photo via Kimberly Pesch}

Have Sweet Weekend

As the birthday celebration continues into this weekend, I am looking forward to fabulous dinners, and a day at the spa (boy could this 8 months pregnant birthday girl use a massage and facial!)! I am also looking forward to taking my last few weekends to kick back and relax with my husband (just the two of us) the calm before the storm ;)

Wishing all my lovely readers a sweet and happy weekend!

{photo 1 via Elizabeth Ann Designs; Photo 2 via; Style Me Pretty; photo 3 via; The Decorista; photo 4 via Style Me Pretty}

Today is...

My 30th Birthday! Ekk! I am so excited to be in this new age bracket! I learned a lot in my 20s- went through MANY ups and downs. Some milestones included, graduating from college- working in the fashion industry-met the man of my dreams- married him-bought our first house-built a real estate business-built a networking marketing business- and created this blog! From everything I have done and learned in my 20s, I pretty much know what I want, and now have the skills to go out there and get it!

As I enter my 30's, I am also on the brink of entering motherhood. This could not be a more exciting time in my life, and I am looking forward to what lies ahead!

Cheers!

{photo via The Sweetest Occasion}

Gearing Up for Baby!

1. Aden + Anais Swaddling Cloths
2. UPPAbaby Vista Stroller
3. Sophie the Giraffe Teether
4. Motorola Baby Monitor
5. Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack
6. BabyBjorn Baby Carrier
7. Dr. Brown's Baby Bottles

Hi Friends! I am popping in today to share some of the items from our baby registry. We are gearing up for the arrival of our little one, and with this being our first, it was pretty hard to register for baby stuff (much, much harder then our wedding registry!). We relied on the advice of the sales people at the store, and some of my favorite bloggers who offered their advice for the best baby essentials. Little by little, baby things have started to trickle into our once "baby free zone" house, and this is all starting to feel very real!

I would LOVE to hear more suggestions!! What did you think was essential for baby? What worked? What didn't work?

This or That: Biker Boots

DKNY $400                                                            TOPSHOP $84

It's official! The biker boot trend is here to stay (at least for another season that is!)! I have a pair of Frye black biker boots that I love- but these two are pretty fab as well!

Which ones do you like?

Tuesday Tablescape

Planning a fall dinner party? I fell in love with this Fall Harvest themed party when I saw it on the Hostess with the Mostess blog. I was just telling my husband the other day that I am not a fan of orange pumpkins-so I love that they use white ones in this tablescape! My favorite detail is the cider and wine bar!

Shop this tablescape:

{all photos via Hostess with the Mostess}

Monday Style: Dsquared Fall 2012

Have you seen the Fall 2012 Dsquared collection? I am loving the retro lady-like vibe! Not-so lady-like? Those cigs... yuck! 

How was your weekend?

{photos via Style.com}

Quote of the Day

"Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!"

Bob Marley 




{image via Adoreann}

Finally Friday!

It looks like the weather is going to be pretty soggy here in New Jersey this weekend. A perfect weekend to cozy up at home with a glass of wine (or hot chocolate in my case) or head out to experience some Oktoberfest festivites! Have a good one! Cheers!

What is on your weekend agenda?

PS. Here are some links to upcoming Oktoberfest Events around the state:

Historic Smithville OKTOBERFEST 6-7th

Dumont OKTOBERFEST Street Fair 6th

Zepplin Hall, Jersey City OKTOBERFEST 5-6th

Pilsener Haus, Hoboken OKTOBERFEST 12-13th

{photos via}

Nesting + New Blog Design

Lately I have been cleaning out all the "junk" we have accumulated in our house for the past 2 years. Some things I find very difficult to throw away (like my old Rutgers parking pass? Why the hell would I want to save that?!) But with the baby due just around the corner (8 more weeks!), I want to bring her home to a clean and organized living environment.

I have managed to move all the clothes that I never wear that were clogging the baby's closet-  and moved them into the guest room ( I will go through them again at some point and figure out what is staying and what is going). Now baby girl's closet is all fresh and clean, and ready to be stocked with newborn clothes!

My sister and I, two weeks ago at my brother's rehearsal dinner (30 weeks pregnant)

Apparently, my "extreme cleaning" and "organizing" has a term according to my mother and law, and it's called: NESTING. Because I am new to this whole baby thing, I of course ran right to my bible, aka "What to Expect When You Are Expecting." Yup, there it was... printed in black and white on page 346...

Nesting Instinct

Many expectant mothers experience the uncontrollable urge to ready their nests just prior to childbirth. All of a sudden, it becomes vitally important to clean out and restock the refrigerator and make sure there's a six month's supply of toilet paper in the house. 

While I am on this whole new cleaning/nesting kick, I decided my blog design needed a little refresher as well! You like?!? Thanks Kelly!!

Did you experience the "nesting instinct" while you were pregnant? 

{photos via Lilac and Grey}

Baby Things

1. Towel Wrap | 2. Robeez Bootie | 3. Bow-Tie Bib | 4. Personalized Stroller Blanket | 5. Sherpa Car Seat Cover | 6. Elephant Book End | 7. Gap One-Piece

How cute are these babies things? I am particularly obsessed with the Sherpa Car Seat Cover- it looks so warm and cozy!

Tuesday Tablescape

Here are some of the table scape details from Paul and Staci's wedding. The flowers were so incredibly beautiful, they took your breath away! 

The wedding venue, Cipriani 42nd Street, is a very dramatic event space. I love that they used silver and white as their color scheme; it lightened up the space and created a chic and romantic atmosphere. Each guest went home with a yummy cupcake with Staci and Paul's photo on it :)

{all photos via Lilac and Grey}