Pete's Purple Rain

I've seen various versions of this online and at restaurants but no matter what, it always sounded good. So here's our take on the fruity drink known as "Purple Rain." P.S. Every time we have this drink my husband sings Prince's Purple Rain so I'm humming it as I type this...

You'll need:
Light Rum (we used a mix of pineapple and coconut, but if you want a stronger alcohol, less fruity flavor go with plain) - 1 oz each
Chambord (a raspberry flavored liquor) - 1 oz
Blue Curacao - 1/2 oz
Grenadine - 1/2 oz
Cranberry Juice - 3 oz
Pineapple Juice - 3 oz

Pour all your ingredients into a shaker over ice and shake it up. Unfortunately the camera picked up the red tones in the drink but in reality, it's a gorgeous deep purple shade (hence the name). It's another one of those perfect summer BBQ drinks (because I haven't given you enough) and if you like drinks that are aesthetically pleasing this one will make you happy. Let me know if you've ever tried a version of this! XO

2016 Mid Year Beauty Favorites

I've seen this post going around in the blog world and I love it for the simple reason that when someone talks about products they've used over a large chunk of time, you know they're tried and true and that the person honestly and really loves the product. Most beauty bloggers try endless amounts of products and always have something new to talk about so the fact that these ones have made the cut says that they're more than just a passing fancy...for me most of the products that made this post are true holy grail status and ones that I'll probably continue to use for the rest of (if not longer) the year.

My tried and true foundation has been this e.l.f. acne fighting foundation. Since it has tea tree oil it keeps my oiliness at bay longer than a lot of matte foundations and it's light but buildable so it's perfect for any time of year. Since I first bought it I've used it pretty much every day and have had to repurchase it a couple times.

I received a sample of this Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs sometime last summer and fell in love with it. It's pretty much makeup for your legs and makes them look tan as well as flawless. It's waterproof so it lasts a long time and as soon as it dries it doesn't budge. It's a little pricey but totally worth it in my opinion. I used it all last summer and will continue using it this summer.

This Lancome Color Design lipstick in Nude Beauty is my favorite nude and my go-to for most days. I've used it for years and will continue to use it. I feel like Lancome is one of those brands that discontinues colors all the time and this is such a holy grail product for me I feel like I need to go buy a whole case of them. It's not too brown, it's not too pink, it's just perfect.

This one should be a given but my Makeup Revolution Naked Chocolate Palette is my favorite amongst all my palettes. I use at least one color from this palette every single day and have hit pan on a few colors. It's mix of shimmery and mattes make it the perfect neutral palette.

This Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless powder is my favorite. I use the shade translucent and although I'm not usually picky on powders this one just seems to leave my skin flawless. I've repurchased it many, many times and use it every day.

I just started using this exfoliating toner by Lancome in the Spring but already I've noticed such a huge difference in my skin. I went through my sample size and bought a huge full size one and will continue to buy it as it works really well for my skin.

Night Goddess Palette : Illuminate by Ashley Tisdale

You guys know I love me a multipurpose palette. I chose the Night Goddess palette in this range as opposed to the Beach Goddess one purely because of the blush. I know, it's ridiculous, but that's just how my brain thinks. To be honest, though, I'll probably also end up with the Beach Goddess one because, you know, palette hoarder problems.

The pigmentation and quality of these shadows are actually far better than any other palette I've tried from BH Cosmetics and you know I already think they're good so I can see this palette quickly becoming a favorite. The bronze shade is perfect for a summer glow and the colors, with a mix of dark and light make this a perfect day to night palette. The bronzy-rose blush in the middle is probably one of my favorite colors ever and I can already see myself wearing it on days when I want a quick blush look. Overall I'm really impressed with this palette and will be using it even into the colder seasons. What do you think of the Illuminate line? XO

Night Goddess Palette

The Summer Boot(ie) from ZooShoo

If you don't know by now, I have a ridiculous obsession with black booties. I own about 50 pairs and I wear them year round. So when ZooShoo offered me this pair by Quipid for a ridiculously discounted price I agreed, although to be perfectly honest I would have paid full price. Even at full price these shoes are incredibly affordable and because of the perforated cut they are perfect for summer. I wore them with a mostly black outfit, something I'm also fond of, even in the heat of the summer.

 A little behind the scenes action...sometimes it's hard work getting a shot LOL

 

 

 These are the Western Distressed Cowboy Bootie and they all come in Brown and Grey. Quipid do some of the cutest shoes and they are super duper comfy. I'll leave a link for these shoes via ZooShoo down below so check them out if you're interested! My top is a recent purchase from Walmart and the jeggings are from a few years ago. Let me know if you love booties as much as I do! XO

ZooShoo Quipid Booties

 *I purchased these shoes with my own money and was not obligated to like them, all opinions are honest and are my own.

Husband Makeup Knowledge {Tag}

Photo

I saw this tag over on Marie's blog here and I knew I had to have my husband take this quiz on his makeup knowledge. Definitely go check out Marie's post because her boyfriend did really well! I want to preface this by saying that when I sent my husband this "test" he texted me and said, "WTF...There are that many makeup products?" As though he hasn't seen my massive makeup collection. He actually did quite well, or better than I expected anyways. He is an artist and he said a lot of the things he knew from his art background haha. Oh, I also told him not to cheat, I knew he wouldn't know what certain things (strobing, for example) were so I would know if he was cheating! Here's what my husband had to say...

What are each of these makeup products for?
Bronzer: To make your face look tanned and to hide pimples etc  Blusher: To make your cheeks looks rosey? Mascara: To give volume and length to your eyelashes  Eye liner: To give definition to your eyes  Strobing: Umm? have no clue.. all that comes to mind is a strobe light? Maybe to make your face look like a rave? hahaha  Eye shadow: To give your eyelids some different shades  Powder: To make yourself look more pale?
Foundation: Arent these all the same thing? I would say to give your face a clean canvas to build up all the other junk? haha (That is the artist in me) Concealer: To hide blemishes  Highlighter: Not sure what the difference would be with this? Setting Spray: Have no idea... this is crazy... do you use all of these things in the same day? 
Contouring: Never heard of it... Primer: hahaha again, never heard of it. I know what I use it for to paint things..  Lip liner: to give definition to your lips 
Brow pencil: Is this what those girls use to draw on their clown brows? (He's referring to the sharpie look hahaha) Serum: Umm.. Sounds like some alien cream! ;) Cleanser: I would think this is what is use to clean off all the junk from above!  Micellar Water: WTF is that? Toner: To make your face look shiny?
Was this test hard?  Yes!!! extremely.. I have never heard of half of this stuff.. If you girls use all of this everyday.. I now know why it takes an hour for you to get ready AFTER the shower..  Why?  Answered above I seriously laughed so hard reading some of his answers...and the fact that I actually use everything above makes it all the more funny. Apparently my husband only pays attention to the products that remind him of his art work. If you have your guy take this quiz leave me a link in the comments. Hope you all enjoyed! XO

Currently Loving: Pink and Nude Lips

I am so into my pinks and nudes right now and that's translating big time into my makeup. They are so easy to wear and with the color variety you can find with both shades, they're the perfect neutrals to match with anything. I've been reaching for these 4 lippies consistently, sometimes layering them together and all of them are great for everyday wear.

Okay, if you know me you KNOW why I bought this...that packaging! This was one of those tricks where they put something cute and shiny right up by the register so while you're waiting in line you grab 4 more things. I fall for it every. single. time. It's fine because in this case I snapped up this gorgeous pink lipstick with a golden sheen through it and it only cost me a dollar or two. So worth it. It's by the brand Bitzy in the shade In the Nude. I couldn't find this exact shade but you can purchase this brand here or check your local Sally's to see what they carry.

You guys know I love me some Kate Moss lipstick. This was one of the first in my collection and I go back to it time and again. It's a very subtle nude-y pink and looks gorgeous layered with the Bitzy lipstick. This one's in the shade 17 and you can find it here.

My friend Liz over on the blog Lipstick & Confetti talked about these Le Matte lip crayons a little while back and I went right out and bought one. Then I forgot about it and then I remembered it again and now I can't stop wearing this bold fuschia. I love that this is a matte, it makes this color a little more interesting than your average pink and it wears well. This one is in the color Matte-R of Fact and you can find it here.

This grey/nude/purple liquid lipstick is one of my very favorites of all time and I am also a huge fan of the formula. I'm shocked I haven't featured it in a favorites post because I've worn it so much since getting it a few months ago. It's by BH Cosmetics and it's in the shade Muse. The formula on this is one of my all-time favorites for a liquid lipstick. It is slightly drying (as most liquid lipsticks are), but it doesn't crack and wears for a really long time. You can purchase it here.

Those are the lipsticks that I'm currently loving. What's been your favorite lately? Do you like to change it up or do you stick to the basics? Hope you guys are having a fabulous day! XO

*This post contains some affiliate links but all opinions on the products are my own. I'm not obligated to like or use any of these products.

Rimmel Kate Coral Glow Contour Kit

Now honestly I had high expectations for this product. I read rave reviews and countless blog posts about how great it was and it is, in fact, pretty good. However, I purchased the product online (rookie mistake, I know) and fully intended to use it for contouring. Personally, I like cooler toned matte shades for contouring and while the golden, shimmery bronze in this palette is pretty, no contouring would be happening from this kit.

The packaging for this product is ridiculously gorgeous and the shades are super pigmented, if not slightly powdery, but if you've been a reader of my blog for a while you'll know that I already have this exact shade range from a number of different brands. This palette is slightly more matte than some of my others, but it's not different enough for me to swoon over. Basically, if I hadn't been fooled by online pictures showing a much cooler contour shade, I probably wouldn't have given a second thought to this palette. It's good, but if you're anything like me and own about a million palettes like this, it isn't anything special. However, if you don't have palette hoarding problems and this is something different for you, it is a nice quality affordable blush palette.

Have you guys tried any of the palettes from this range? Hope you're all having a great start to your week! XO

Makeup Revolution Blush Goddess Palette

I didn't need this palette, we all know this, but I'm here to give you my thoughts on it anyway. I love this blush palette! As far as Makeup Revolution goes they really know how to do a blush and their highlights are hands down my favorite. Like ever. Of any brand. EVER. That's really saying something. This palette includes 4 matte blushes and 4 highlights so it's a lot more versatile than their Blush Queen palette. The blushes are a good shade range with a mix of pinks and corals and while their highlights are the same shades you can find in their other palettes, I say why ruin a good thing? I'm never disappointed that the highlights are the same because I love them so much I've hit pan on a lot of them so I just consider this like backups times 4. They use that same see through top packaging they've been doing lately and I'm a huge fan, because when you have about a million palettes from the same brand you don't have time to look through each one to see which one you're grabbing. This makes it super easy.

These blushes are super pigmented and really buildable so you can start with a natural flush and go as bold as you want. These shades just scream summer to me.

I wish a photo could do these highlights justice, they are so beautiful. The yellow and pink are the two brightest and the two light bronzier colors are a more subtle shimmer but all are equally stunning.

What is your favorite blush palette for the season? Happy Monday friends! XO

Blush Goddess Palette:
Makeup Revolution
Ulta

June Goals (2016)

I did pretty good on my May goals but it was because I was forced to quite frankly. With us moving this month I definitely did quite a bit of (late) spring cleaning and organizing. Since our house was staged for a lot of the month I was fairly good at keeping everything in its place. It helped that the hubs was helping out a lot since he was doing all the showings. I, however, failed at my 3rd goal as I did next to no meal prep and still ate pretty unhealthily all month.

This month is going to be fairly rocky with moving, but I'm definitely going to try to get back into some sort of routine to help keep my sanity, if nothing else.

1. My first goal is to get back into riding to work. I've considered doing a whole post on this but I've worked up quite a bit of riding anxiety these past few months that I'm really wanting to fight through, so I need to get back on that bike.

2. My second goal is to have one date night with the hubs. It's sad that I'm already having to put this into a goals post, but honestly we get so caught up in work we skip this one, and it needs to be forced upon us, even if it's through my blog.

3. My final goal for the month is to spend at least one of the days of our upcoming vacation poolside doing nothing. I don't know how reasonable that really is, as we are traveling with friends, but since it's a dreamy notion, I'm shooting for it anyway.

That's what I have planned for the upcoming month. What are you guys looking to accomplish? XO

The Islander

To be fair, most of my drinks as of late are quite holiday-ish. As in I'm on an island sitting on a beach with a delightful, fruity drink in my hand. And honestly, I'm not going to stop anytime soon. Also, quite obviously, I'm never on a beach. So really drink this in your back patio on a Thursday night like me and have your own version of a beach holiday. This drink is one of my favorites. It's not a version of anything, it's just what I had on hand and I seriously wish I had one right now. It's the perfect combination of refreshing and fruity without being too sickly sweet.

You'll need:
1 oz Key Lime Rum (or any light rum will do)
1 oz 1 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Grenadine (just a sweet and tart syrup which is non-alcoholic)
Tangerine Lemonade (use any flavor/brand/homemade)
Lime for garnish
Ice
Shaker

Start with ice in your shaker (per usual) and add in your 1 oz of rum and triple sec. You can really use any flavored rum or just light rum and if you want a stronger alcohol flavor add Grand Marnier in place of Triple Sec. We do this sometimes when we want more of a kick (and also when it's not a work night). Also, now's a good time to say that if you bought pineapple/coconut rum from any previous recipes you can add those in place of or in addition to your rum and they would make nice flavor compliments! I stuck to tart flavors in my own version. In the shaker then add in the grenadine and fill to the top with lemonade (again, experiment with flavors here or use whatever you have to hand). Shake until mixed and pour over ice with a lime for garnish. This was the perfect amount of sweet and tart and is one of my favorite drinks to date!

Let me know if you guys try this or what your favorite summer drink is (non-alcoholic equally welcome)! Cheers! XO