East of Central Park

Wedding planning took a TOLL on my beauty standards. Gearing up for the biggest day of my beauty life + I took a few shortcuts in the process. As many of you know, Tyler tackled my hair, while a family friend did my makeup for our wedding day. Other than these two shortcuts, I wanted to be sure I was preparing myself in the best way possible. I scheduled a lash extension with tint, facial, bought several complete hair masks, + the list continues.

One of my top beauty priorities has been teeth whitening. I had braces in middle school + had my teeth whitened when I got them off, but after years of a sweet tea addiction (hehehe) they are not so white anymore. I contacted several dentist’s offices in my area + the price point to whiten was definitely do-able, but I knew I wouldn’t be comfortable.

Then I found Smile Brilliant! Their system is essentially the same treatment you would receive in a dentist’s office, however the price point is an absolute steal. You receive a box full of all of the essentials + the tools to mold your mold whitening trays.

Smile Brilliant has done an excellent job of breaking down how the process works. For one, your teeth absorb impurities like sponges. This causes the yellow color we all loathe. In order to properly fight that, you have to come with an approach that soak the teeth, rather beam them like whitening lights do. Yes, light whitening is effective, but it does not last as long as the formula Smile Brilliant has marketed.

Keeping it simple, the mold is created from two different putty like substances + then fitted into the tray. I would say the experience was similar to being fitted for retainers after braces. It only took about a week for my custom trays to be sent back to me after I mailed them off. I was so shocked at how fast the service was.

The actual whitening part was so easy! You line your tray with the professional whiting gel, that is designed to minimize sensitivity, and wear the trays for 45 minutes to 3 hours. Each time I whiten, I increased the amount of time I wore my trays, just to ensure I did not experience discomfort.

I did experience a small bit of discomfort immediately after whitening, but this quickly went away after using the desensitizing gel. It is recommended to whiten directly before bed, since consuming food/drink isn’t allowed for 30 minutes after. This system worked perfectly for me + I often placed my trays in before watching my nightly tv series.

My before + after!

Overall, the whitening experience with Smile Brilliant has been different than any service previously looked into. I would highly recommend using any of their teeth whitening products.

Here is your chance to try SmileBrilliant!

– SMILE BRILLIANT GIVEAWAY –

I know you’ll love your smile after this teeth whitening experience, so thanks to Smile Brilliant one lucky winner will receive a $139 store credit for your own T3 Teeth Whitening Kit! The last day to enter this giveaway is November 14, 2018. You can enter here!

Must submit name and email address on the giveaway page in order to enter! The winner will be selected and contacted via email 2 weeks after the post is live. Giveaway is for $149 credit and is open internationally.

THE SMILE BRILLIANT AT-HOME PROFESSIONAL TEETH WHITENING SYSTEM CAN BE PURCHASED ON THEIR WEBSITE. PRICES START AT $129 AND GO UP TO $179 DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF WHITENING SYRINGES YOU’D LIKE. THIS IS SUCH A GREAT VALUE WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE PRICE OF AN IN-OFFICE TEETH WHITENING (ABOUT $600+) OR THE NUMBER OF STRIPS YOU’D HAVE TO BUY TO GET THESE RESULTS.

Halloween is in 10 days, say whaaat?! I feel like it should still be March. T + I were chatting with a friend yesterday + we both can’t even believe our wedding happened this year. Time, please slow down!

Y’all know my love for DIYs + I’m bringing you another one this week! **if you missed my German Smear Brick Fireplace post, head on over to check it out! I made sure to include tons of pics!** I absolutely love decorating my space for the holidays. Sometimes the cutest decorations are SO expensive + I know good+well I could make them myself at home, for half the price. This is what inspired this week’s DIY, Candy Corn Halloween Decorations!! This project has a total of TWO steps + is so easy–check it out below!

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Supplies:

You’ll need–styrofoam cones, orange, yellow, and white yarn, and fabric glue, and a paint brush.

You can click on each link above to see which supplies I used, all from the one+only, Hobby Lobby!

Step 1: Brush on the Glue

Brush on the glue by dipping your brush into a bowl full of the fabric glue. A little goes a looong way!

Step 2: Wrap the Yarn

This is the tedious part. Start at the bottom with yellow yarn. Wrap+wrap+wrap until 1/3 of the cone is covered. Move on to the orange yarn, and end with the white. I recommend covering twice. When you’ve finished each section, tuck the end of the yarn into the bottom layer.

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That’s all, folks! Place your diy candy corn pieces on a centerpiece, or even set then on a hay bale on your porch! These guys will never go out of style + will last for years!

Have a DIY project you want to see?? Send suggestions my way!

WOW, I can’t believe I’m finally getting to share this project with y’all! This was our first #homeimprovement project + let me tell ya–want to test your marriage? Do a DIY project together hahaha!

Really though, T helped out SO much with this. I’m just the type of gal who is up for ANY DIY at ANY time. Throw me an idea + I am all go!

Let’s get to the griddy + learn how to do this yourself!!

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First things first–supplies. You will need the following:

 

Links to supplies we used: White Mortar, Spreader, Drop Cloth, Plastic Baggies

Step 1: Lay The Drop Cloth + Tape the Floor Surrounding

This is very important, as the mortar will get in places you never expected! The consistency is very sandy + little pieces WILL fly!

Step 2: Clean Your Brick

In order for the mortar to stick to the brick, you’ll want to be sure you clean it off. T just took a broom and swept off from top to bottom. You’ll be surprised at how dirty the brick really is!

Step 3: Bag the Mortar + GET GOING 🙂

We used an old spoon to transfer the mortar to the plastic baggie. After all the air was pressed out, we cut a hole in one of the bottom corners, in the same way you’d cut a bag to frost a cake. We then applied mortar to all the “cracks” in between the bricks to cover all the old/gray mortar. I then used my finger to spread the mortar out, wiping the excess on the brick faces.

Step 4: Spread It Out!

You’ll want to press the spreader into the crack with the mortar, then immediately pull the spreader down over the brick. If there isn’t enough  Repeat for each break section.

You want to make sure you’re not covering the faces too much, since you want a lot of the brick to shine through. When a section is covered, spread the tool in an “X” formation to even out the mortar.

Step 5: Investigate + Remove

This is where the bowl of water will come in handy! If you see a spot that has a little too much mortar, wet the cloth + wipe it off! Simple as that–the mortar will not begin to set for 2+ hours, so you have plenty of time to make changes before it’s there forever!

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That’s pretty much it! Like I said before, this project was so easy + probably took us about 5 hours. Remember, the product is not meant to be perfect, so give yourself a little grace if you cover too much/too little in some spots! Check out the finished product below! (the top of some of these pictures appear to be a yellow tint–this is due to the overhead light in the room)

Before + After

 

 

We still have to touch up the top + are planning to paint that top trim white to blend better!

Sweater weather is in fullll swing, y’all! I left for work around 5:30 this morning (help me haha) + I just about froze on the walk from the parking garage to the hospital. Again, so crazy that we have skipped Fall all-together, but the same thing happened last season, so I guess I should learn to expect it!

The super fun thing about cold temps, however, is that I’m able to pull my Winter styles out + it always gives me major heart eyes to see what all has been packed away for a year. I especially love simple sweaters, since my life is pretty packed. Grabbing one like this week’s Sweater of the Week gives me a comfy but still very put-together look on busy days.

This week’s featured sweater is from Aerie + MAN is it comfy! I was lucky enough to snag it before it sold out (boo), but Aerie is currently having a 30% off ALL tops sale–including all of their sweaters! All of my favorite sweaters have been from Aerie + I recommend the quality 100%! Shop the sale, here!

Happy Fall, y’all! I cannot believe it has come this fast! + I’ve been married for three whole months..whaaat?! I am slowly pulling my Fall styles out + one trend is 100% my fav: layering. I love to style turtlenecks under cardigans, riding boots over skinny jeans, you name it! But, my absolute favorite from this season has to be layering t-shirts under my dresses!

I’ve always been so bummed when I had to pack my Spring/Summer dresses away for Fall. I’ve tried to wear tights and a cardigan over a few before, but my arms were still left freezing. By layering a long sleeve shirt before adding a cardi, I found that I was much warmer! This featured dress is from Frontrow Boutique in my small town of Marion, Arkansas. Check out their insta, here, for THE cutest styles.

An important piece to layering is finding quality shirts to place underneath. One of my favorite layering sweaters is one from H&M for less than $10! I’m linking  it + a ton more, here!

I read an article the other day that talked about how the trend was Korean inspired. Check it out, here, for tons of other style options! + for EVEN MORE inspiration, visit my Pinterest Board for the trend, here!

Memphis Tiger Football is in my top five favorite things. I love the lights, the noise, Tom the Tiger…but most importantly, I especially love the game of football. From a little tot, my dad instilled in me to appreciate the game. Maybe it was an American past time that he knew I would be better by knowing, or maybe it was because he was an all-american quarterback? I never got the chance to ask him, but that’s a conversation I can’t wait to have when I get to Heaven.

Of course, there is always a tailgate, so style is important for home games. I love searching for blue + white pieces each year, but it can be so hard to find individuality. I usually end up at Francesca’s the night before a game, stressing out to find the perfect piece. This year, however, I made sure to grab pieces as I found them over the summer. Such a great idea!

In honor of Memphis’s home opener tomorrow night, I am sharing a ton of blue + white style items that every Tiger gal needs! In addition, I stopped by Blue Iris Boutique this afternoon + found a ton of super cute pieces! I wish I could link them, but for all of my local gals, check out their Instagram here!

 

Can you believe it’s really almost time to wave goodbye to summer? Maybe it’s because this summer has been the BEST summer of my life (time flies when you’re having fun), but I feel like we are just now coming into June.

T + I have accomplished so much this summer and I’m so looking forward to what this Fall has in store. As every summer nears an end, my favorite sale searches are always swimmie sales. To be honest, I love hitting several stores in sole search of swimsuit sales. Something about snagging a swimmie I’ve been eyeing all summer for a hot deal.

We’ve been so busying buying our new home that I have had absolutely no time to shop. Shocker, but I’ve been so excited this hasn’t even been a problem. However, it was wonderful to sit down this morning and piece together a ton of swimmies that are on sale. I am adding at least five of these linked to my cart.

I’m sharing over 30 sale swimmies at the bottom of this post, most of which are UNDER $25. I’m also sharing some of my favorite swimmie pics from this summer below–click on each picture to redirect to product links!

Shop another 30+ on sale swimmies by clicking the picture below!

 

Self tanner is something I haven’t often used in my lifetime. I am overly blessed with skin that tans easily + keeps its tan throughout the year. There have been times, however, when I needed an extra boost + have absolutely loved using Sally Hansen products.

Sally Hansen has a wide range of products + shades, each catering to a unique skin tone. I was gifted the featured product Airbrush Legs, which is in the shade Beige Glow. When I received it, I knew I wouldn’t benefit from the shade, since my skin has already been touched by the summer sun.

In order to test the product out, I enlisted the help of my fiance, T Giles. Poor thing burns with just 30 minutes in the sun + it takes a major burn for him to retain any color. What a difference Sally Hansen made for his legs! Check out his results below.

The tan is water resistant + lasts all day long. The removal is incredibly simple, with only soap + water in the shower, making it a perfect product in a pinch before an event.

In partnership with Sally Hansen, I am giving away a can of Airbrush Legs in shade Beige Glow over on my Instagram! Head on over to learn all the details + enter before the giveaway closes on July 4!

Have a favorite self tanner? Share below!

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Summer + swimsuits are two of my absolute favorite things. I love to replace my swimmie collection each year. Check out my current favorite suits, with my 15 Favorite Swimmies post!

Another important piece to add to your summer swim collection is a coverup. In the past I’ve found coverups that double as night out looks. The coverup featured above is an example. I snagged it from the Dillard’s semi-annual sale a few months ago + even wore it for engagement pictures! Since it’s so bright, I knew I probably couldn’t get away with wearing it another time, so I decided to repurpose it into a coverup.

I’ll admit–these are harder to find than suits. I feel like I look up + down for coverups, only to find a few favorites. Yes, they are significantly less important, but you definitely need a few, so you’re not caught running across the street in your suit at the beach.

I’ve linked several options that are on my radar with the link below!

Favorite Summer Swim Coverups

Have a favorite coverup? Share below! 🙂

If you know me, adding exercise to my crazy life has been so hard for me. I have struggled with eating healthy + putting effort into my workouts since I’ve started college. Hi gals, Freshman 15 is real. Can I get an amen?

When I went wedding dress shopping I was determined to find a dress that flattered my body in every way. When I found the one, I loved everything about it, other than the fact that it had to be majorly altered. The boobage was made for someone far more blessed than I + the entire dress was a size too big. Of course, my stylist helped to pin it just perfectly + I knew it was for me.

I got the idea in my head–what if I could lose a bit of weight + have it altered two sizes down instead of only one. I immediately went into internet search mode + found several plans to follow + then life happened. *really sad face* I became super stressed over the most difficult class I’d ever taken, President life, GETTING MARRIED, family tissles, ect. ect. ect. 

Next thing I knew, we were three months from our big day. Talk about a shock. I took one look at myself in the mirror + knew it was time to get serious. I’m sharing what I’ve been doing + eating to lose those lbs + tone up below!

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I decided my best bet for results would be to exercise + follow a clean diet. I ran often in highschool + played softball for my entire raising, so when all of that stopped when I went to college I was doomed. I began to hate exercising. Then I got sick. After that, I had no energy at all to exercise. I hated it so much.

I tried BBG at the beginning of last year + got so busy that I couldn’t make time for it. I tried again this year, but was only left feeling sick after each workout. This might be the result of just starting again, but I only ended up falling off of that wagon. I cannot express the disappointment I felt.

Fast forward + Planet Fitness is actually heaven. Here’s a reallllly embarrassing fact: I had been using my PF Membership for tanning only for over 6 months. I’m hearing the judging now. Send me a dm + I’ll tell you how packed my life is. *hehehe*

I scheduled a one-on-one with a trainer at Planet Fitness + found the most amazing trainer waiting for me. Kevin, at the Memphis Midtown location, here’s your shoutout! He sat with me for over a half hour discussing my medical history + where I felt I was most weak. He put together a workout program that KICKS MY BUTT, but has already made me feel so much better.

A week entails five weight-lifting workouts, with 20 minutes of moderate cardio to close it out. I have been so shocked at how much I enjoy walking into PF every weekday. The friendly smiles + high five from my trainer have made alllll the difference.

Now to the food: no exaggeration, this has been so easy. It just took me stepping up + starting, as well as committing. For lunch each day, I make myself a Turkey Pita which is literally amazing. For dinner, we choose between several healthy options. Interested in these recipes? Send me an email + I’d be so happy to share.

Snacks are always my weakness. Lately I’ve been choosing yummy kettle chips + veggie straws when I need something salty. My all-time weakness is a sweet tooth after dinner. Every. Single. Night. To combat this, I bought fat free cool whip in the tub. It is 20 calories for two tablespoons + less than 1g of sugar. When left in the freezer, it tastes just like vanilla ice cream.

One tip would be to only weigh yourself once a week. You won’t change much day to day, but Mondays (for me) have been so exciting to see results. Also, remember to take progress pictures. A big result for me hasn’t really been the scale moving, but the way my body is changing.

Overall, it has 100% been a mind change. Choosing healthy options is so much easier than you think. Walking into a gym where there are humans three times your muscle size can be so intimidating. Find a workout partner or join Planet Fitness + grab that trainer to combat this.

All of your hard work will pay off when you’re standing at the alter looking + feeling confident in your own skin.

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Have a question about my fitness routine? Send me an email + I would be so happy to answer!