June Empties and Declutter

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends! To everyone else- Happy Wednesday! We are halfway through the week :)

Today I'm sharing all of my June empties with you and also a declutter! I finally managed to declutter two items that were just realllllly old but I was having an extremely hard time letting go of.

While we're already chatting about it- let's just start with the declutter shall we?

So many items! I had a ton of products in my collection that were just really old or I never used so it was time to let them go! The Naked palettes are so of my favorites but I purchased them back in 2013 meaning they are 4 years old! I really shouldn't be putting powder that old on my eyes AND I have new palettes that aren't getting any attention because I'm too busy using these up. Time to say goodbye!

Some other shadows I gave up were an Urban Decay Sin single which I loved but came at the same time as the palettes, two coastal samplers that I never use, a Pop trio which I hate the consistency of and the purple is not flattering, and a a Cargo sample I think I've used once. I also had two finishing sprays that were well past their expiration dates. Two shadow sticks that were almost empty and pretty old. A couple highlighters I never use along with two NYX powders that are SO old. The Physicians Formula blush is really old and way too pink for me and the Rosehip Oil broke me out. Finally the Garnier Fructis bottle has been around for wayyyyy too long and is probably disgusting.

I also ditched three brushes that I never use!

22 items out of my Alex 9 drawer and I feel so much better! There's probably still a ton I could get rid of but for now this makes me feel good!

Now onto the empties for the month- and there are quite a few!

Three of my household empties are up first. I am still loving the Mrs. Meyers mint products and this dish soap is no exception. The smell is simply fresh and clean which makes for doing dishes fairly pleasant which is all I can ask!
The Mrs. Meyers Radish Multi-surface spray was not my favorite! I love these sprays in other scents but the Radish was just not my cup of tea- I did completely use it up before moving on but I much prefer other scents from the collection (especially Basil- AMAZING!) so I will not repurchase it in this scent.
I had never used Gain laundry detergent before and I liked it. The scent was great and I would repurchase it in the future but I think I may prefer my Tide! I have seen many different scents from Gain though so I may have to try some others in the future.

Three great scent products this month. The first is a candle I received as a gift from Anthropologie and it was amazing! The jar itself is so pretty and the scent (I think it's called Capri Blue Volcano) is great. I'm not sure I would repurchase but it did make a lovely gift.
I picked up the Mrs. Meyers candle in Basil on a whim and I'm so glad I did. I would repurchase this over and over again! If you get a chance- pick up everything in Mrs. Meyers Basil- you won't be disappointed!
Lastly is a Bath and Body Works Wallflower and unfortunately I cannot tell you the name of the scent because I can't remember. I never pick up anything that's not beachy or Leaves though so it's definitely a beachy scent :) I liked it a lot but am excited to try something else.

Two shower gels completed this month. I absolutely HATED Bath and Body Works Cozy Sunday Morning. I had to force myself to use it up because it smelt terrible to me. I know I could've just thrown it away but I wanted to finish it up and be done with it. I have learned my lesson and will never pick this up again!
Guava Pineapple Splash by Bath and Body Works was a fruity scent and just fine for shower gel. I probably wouldn't repurchase in the future just because I have other scents I prefer but it was nice!

Two sprays this month- the first is Bath and Body Works Amber Blush which I liked. I wouldn't repurchase just because I have other scents that I need to use up and want to try but I did really like it.

I also used up a sample of Flowerbomb which I have in full size and love!

I can't believe I have four makeup products to show you this month.

The first is a twist up blue eyeliner from Sephora which I really liked. The color was really pretty and I'm disappointed to be done with it. I have a lot of other eyeliners to get through before I would repurchase though and I may want to try other brands.

The BareMinerals Foundation sample was my favorite and I need to purchase a full size of it! I am so bummed I got to the end of it!

Two mascaras for you- the first is Pur Fully Charged Magnetic Mascara and I hated it. It was so clumpy and gross I could barely use it. It's technically not empty but I'm calling it that because at this point it's basically unusable it's so clumpy.

The second mascara is Covergirl Super Sizer and I did really like this. I'm not sure I would repurchase it in the future though because there are other mascaras I want to try and others I definitely like more.

With all that mascara I used my Marcelle makeup remover for sensitive eyes and I really liked this and would consider repurchasing it in the future.

The Garnier Fructis Flat Iron Express was nice and I could see myself buying a full size to use in my hair!

The Garnier Fructis Moisture Lock Shampoo is one of my favorites and I will definitely repurchase it in the future.

The Loreal Elvive shampoo and conditioner are really nice and moisturizing! I found they did great things for my hair and would definitely buy them again in the future.

The Caviar Hair Gel was okay- nothing special and I'm glad I got this sample out of my collection.

Four chapsticks this month- three in cake batter and one in candy cane. Cake batter is still my ultimate favorite and I just repurchased a 20 pack from Amazon!

Two hand soaps are completed, both from Softsoap. The lavender and chamomile is okay but definitely not my favorite. The Soothing Aloe Vera smells really nice and is very creamy but I definitely would repurchase it in the future.

The last category is lotion and I finished up three this month. 

The first is Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel. I am so sick of this scent and I will never purchase it again from Bath and Body Works unless it's in hand soap form. I can't deal with the fake vanilla scent with lotion and shower gel anymore. I'm so glad this is out of my collection but I think there may be one or two more hiding in there that I need to get through...

The Nivea Skin Firming Hydration was a lotion I kept in my drawer at work and it was amazing. It was so soft and soothing and made my hands feel great I would definitely consider repurchasing this in the future.

Lastly is Bath and Body Works Guava Pineapple Splash which I also used up the shower gel as you read above. I liked it, it was fruity and nice but definitely not my favorite compared to other scents so I would repurchase others before this one!

That's everything! I hope you enjoyed and let me know in the comments what you finished up this month!

Our Wedding: Wedding Haul!

This past Saturday while Tim played golf I headed off to complete some wedding shopping! I have a huge list of items I need to purchase for our wedding- some are gift items, some are decor, and others are items we need to complete wedding crafts. I thought I'd share the items I purchased on Saturday with you guys and share what I'm going to do with it all.

I went to four different stores- Michaels, AC Moore, Staples and Dollar Tree. I'll be sharing prices of everything as well so you can get an idea of how I'm *trying* to do our wedding on a budget. A lot of our wedding with be DIY and honestly quite a bit of it I'm ordering off Etsy :)

Let's get started!

I went into Michaels for craft sand which I will be using in our centerpieces. I will have sand inside a tall hurricane vase with a white pillar candle lit on top of the sand. Super simple and classic beach themed centerpieces and fairly inexpensive.

Each container I purchased was $3.99 and I picked up eight of them. I will probably be going back for more- I'm not sure how far each of them will get me...

The reason I chose to use craft sand instead of just heading to the beach and gathering real sand is the fact that it looks cleaner and because it won't smell. This way I have control over the coloring and I think it will look nicer.

I also picked up the chalkboard pictured above for $50. This was an impulse buy but I had been picturing having a chalkboard as decor for our ceremony so I grabbed it! Michaels has a lot of cute chalkboard signs which I may go back for depending on how ambitious I'm feeling.

At Michaels I spent $87.64 which was the far most expensive of any store I entered on this day.

Next up at Dollar Tree I picked up three gift bags for flower girls gifts I have received and wanted to package. I also grabbed three sets of tissue paper which will be helpful for all the gifts I have to get coming up! Unpictured is a huge poster board that I grabbed to make our seating chart on. I can't wait to show you how I organize that!

At dollar tree I spent $7.49 for everything and walked out happy that I could cross some items off my list.

At AC Moore in the wedding aisle I found a few items I'd been searching for.

It is so difficult to find a cake knife and serving set that doesn't cost $50+ and I think that's a little ridiculous. I know we are only using it for pictures and I obviously want it to look nice but afterwards  I probably will never use it again. I found the set pictured above for only $16.99 and the sweet cashier used a 40% off coupon so I ended up getting it for $10.19!

The set of 50 gift cards is simple and beautiful and was $12.99. I know I'll be sending out a ton of thank you cards over the coming months and wanted a large quantity package that would last me a little while.

I walked out of AC Moore paying $24.80 and feeling so accomplished!

Finally, my last stop: Staples!

I went in only to buy card stock so I could complete a couple of wedding related crafts. The cardstock was $22.99 and I have already used a ton of it to get some wedding things printed!

While I was walking up the paper aisle I saw the sweetest stickers and decided I had to buy them to put on the back of our invitations. Each package of 48 cost $3.99 and although it was a little bit of an unplanned splurge I think they'll look great.


Overall I was very happy with everything that I purchased during my wedding shopping trip and I'm so thrilled to get a few items off my list!

I still have quite a bit to do so stay tuned I'll be sharing it all with you!

Life Lately: Soccer, Sandals, Puppies and Dance Recitals

I am terribly behind with my life lately posts...and pretty much all my posts if I'm being honest. There's so much to tell you guys and not enough time to share it in. 

Tim and I went to his nephew's (and my soon to be nephew) final soccer game of the season. Is there anything cuter then seeing little ones play soccer? I love when they all chase after the ball.

He was so unbelievably thrilled getting a medal.

And his older brother was so proud of him! So sweet!

I've been getting a ton of use out of my Kiki Sandals from CocoBelle. You can buy them here  and if you have no idea who Kiki is you HAVE to check out TheBlondeAbroad- check her out on Facebook, Instagram or on her blog. She is an amazing human being and I am obsessed with her!

Tim and I also had a lovely date night at a restaurant in East Greenwich called The SafeHouse. I had a chicken lasagna sandwich and I thought it was great but the fries were even more delicious!

Tim had a short rib sandwich which he said was delicious as well.

The real star of the show was the macaroni and cheese we shared. Absolutely amazing!

If you are ever in East Greenwich definitely head there and check it out! We sat outside on the patio and I definitely want to go back and hang out there with friends for drinks sometime. There are couches and a fireplace so it would make the perfect place for a weekend night!

I was able to spend some time with my dad on fathers day but he always evades my camera. My nephew Kai however loves to sit for pictures (Briefly... he's pretty fast!)

He's such a good and happy boy!

I also attended the recital of my cousins a couple weekends back. Annabel is in numerous numbers and Cailean (unpictured) performed a hip hop routine and they both did great!

I hope you are all having a fabulous day!

Engagement Gifts To Buy Your Besties

Have you ever been completely stumped with what to buy for your besties as an engagement gift? Well I'm here to do a little round up of gifts that I've been given for our engagement as well as gifts that I have seen that would be super sweet. 

Getting engaged is an exciting time and it's so nice to show the ones you love that you are excited for them! This guide will focus on gifts for the ladies but I'm sure there are plenty of places to find gifts for your engaged guy friends as well. 

One of the first gifts I received was a tote bag that says Bride on it. This one that my MOH Rachel gifted me is absolutely perfect since it's super simple and fits my taste. With a quick google search I noticed there are hundreds of different bags you can pick up for your girls! There are sequined ones, colorful ones, simple ones like mine- anything your heart desires! I do recommend a tote bag since there is plenty of information to carry around this time- I have my wedding planning binder inside mine along with miscellaneous papers I need to hold onto.

Another thoughtful gift Rachel gave me was the two tiny vials pictured above where sand will be held from my wedding day and from my honeymoon. Mine came from Painted By The Shore and I think they would make a fabulous gift for any brides who are getting married on the beach or honeymooning on the beach!

At the time of this post this mug is only $11 and how cute is it?! You can purchase it on Amazon and I think it would make such a sweet gift for any engaged girl in your life.

My friend Danielle sent me The Bride Box and it was such a sweet gift! There are many variations of it on their site so you can really customize it to your bestie. The one I received, The Bridal Beauty Box is a fun one for any girl who loves testing new beauty products. I have been testing out lip products and nail polish from this box and if you've been reading for any length of time you know that's one of my favorite activities!

Another really cute idea is a passport holder with your friends new name on it! Or simply "Mrs"

Many people plan to leave the country on their honeymoon and having a new passport holder is a simple way for them to have their new name or title on display! This one is from Zazzle and I love the fake marble look!

This adorable sun hat is from Kohl's  and every time I go into the store I want to buy it for myself....I might buy it soon... how nice would this be for a beach honeymoon?! We are going on a beach honeymoon next year and I will definitely be displaying my new title for all to see!

Have you seen these feyonce shirts?! I think they are so funny. If you do a quick google search you will find an abundance of shirts like this and ones spelled the traditional way as well. Either are adorable and nice way to encourage your bestie to show off her new ring!

Speaking of shirts I also think this one is great for any girl who is trying to get in her best shape before her wedding! You can find it at Bridal Party Tees along with hundreds of other shirts if working out isn't the brides thing!

I hope these ideas helped and remember that a gift is a sweet idea for a bride-to-be but not entirely necessary. Most brides just need besties around them who will listen to everything they are stressing about and going through during the wedding planning process and are thrilled to have you by their side!

Our Wedding: The Hunt For Bridal Shoes

Happy Monday friends!

I'm stopping by today with a wedding update! I know it's been a hot minute since I've shared anything wedding related with you guys! It's so hard to decide what to share before the wedding versus what to save sharing until afterwards....and I have a whole room full of wedding stuff to share with you guys! I need to take some pictures so I can share that stuff with you guys as well. So much to do! :)

Anyways, today we are talking about shoes-- specifically my wedding ceremony shoes. My plan is to wear a pair of heels for my ceremony and then change into sandals for the reception (because I plan on dancing ALL NIGHT LONG!). One of my ideas was to make my shoes my something blue and I wanted bright blue shoes. Well when you search bright blue heels there was one company that kept popping up over and over again- Badgley Mischka.

Since our ceremony will take place on a cement walkway I can definitely get away with wearing heels for that portion and I *think* I've found the perfect pair...

I will actually get these in the mail today so I'm hoping that they fit great, feel great and look amazing! I will keep you guys updated on whether or not I actually do love them once I try them out. I'm praying they work!

Now I'm on the hunt for wedding sandals...and a million other things! There are so many things to buy when you are having a wedding!

Have a great day!

Recent Household and Beauty Hauls

I have been on a strict less stuff kick for awhile now and have been busy working my way through my household and beauty products all year long. If you've been hanging out for awhile you've seen my empties posts and know I have been trying to finish up a ton of products. 

Well recently I finished every single one of my candles. Then I used up almost all of my hand soaps- seriously only 4 left in my stockpile...and those won't last long! I knew that I didn't want to pay full price for anything and I would be so mad at myself if I let myself completely run out of anything and had to pay full price for it. So when the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale started I knew it was time to buy some items! 

In store I picked up quite a few items:

I picked up three hand soaps, five hand sanitizers and three candles. I let Tim help me pick out my items since he is using and smelling them too. He picked out the banana split milkshake candle and two of the hand sanitizers to bring to work with him. I'm excited to have all these new items and know that it will keep us from having to buy items at full price.

Well I didn't stop there....

I placed an online order for a TON of items so we would be well stocked for all seasons. (Yes, this means I purchased FOUR leaves candles....)

I picked up soaps, candles and refills for my air freshener. I also found some cute gifts for my bridesmaids.

While it may seem excessive I really hate paying full price for anything- so keeping my home well-stocked is important to me. I just need to work my way through old stuff before starting new stuff. Notice I didn't buy and lotions and shower gels? That's because I still have SO much to get through! I don't think I will need any of that for a few years honestly.

I also placed an order recently at Sephora.

I wanted to try the Clinque Moisture Surge since I have heard so many amazing things about it. In order to get to the $50 free shipping I also picked up the Clinque mascara that has been on my wishlist for awhile. Everything else pictured was free with my order- gotta love that!

Lastly, I placed my monthly order from Grove Collaborative.

I've discovered Basil is my absolute favorite Mrs Meyers scent so I picked up a dish soap, multi-surface cleaner and a candle in that scent. I also picked up the Caldrea room spray in sea salt neroli which smells amazing!

Stay tuned for reviews on all these items- you know they'll be in upcoming empties posts eventually! :)

Have a great day everybody!

Our Wedding: Suit Shopping

I just realized I never shared the photos from our suit shopping excursion! I am still getting a lot done with wedding planning it's just not as rapid fire as it was during the beginning of the process. Since we have all of our vendors selected and most of our stuff is picked out we are just slowly paying off our balances and purchasing smaller items.

It's also getting hard because there are certain things I don't want to share until after our wedding is over! I'm sure all brides understand that struggle!

One day a few months ago we headed to Newport to Jos A Bank and spoke to an amazing associate named Jack who helped us get everything situated for Tim's suit and the suits of all the groomsmen.

Tim had decided he wanted to wear gray and he was thinking a darker gray but we still had a lot to decide. He was thinking he wanted to buy his suit but wasn't sure what to do about his groomsmen. We went back and forth whether renting or buying would be a better solution. We really didn't want to burden the groomsmen with a huge cost but we also wanted to make sure they were spending their money wisely.

There were so many different ties! Since the bridesmaids are wearing blue we started looking at different ties and decided that one of the gifts we will give to the groomsmen will be ties they can keep.

There were a ton of options, plus we were trying to decide if Tim's tie should be different or the same as the other guys!

We ended up deciding that Tim will have a custom suit made for him. He can wear it in the future for other weddings and events so why not?! His suit will be a dark gray.

Similar to the color in the swatch above.

The groomsmen will be renting their suits. They will wear light gray suits with a white shirt and a tie we will provide (but similar to the coloring above). I am VERY against vests- I think they are so ugly and I hate when guys take off their jackets and just have the vest on I just don't think it's attractive at all so they will not be wearing vests for our wedding! (Perks of being the bride!)

Tim picked out a brown shoe which Jack said went nicely and we were all set!

Now Tim just needs to go fitted for his custom suit. He will be heading to get that done in the next month or so. Almost all of the groomsmen have gone to get fitted as well so we are pretty much all set!

Did your groom buy or rent his suit?