The Wedding: Picking THE Dress

I ended up picking the very first wedding gown I ever tried on as THE dress. There were many other dresses that I loved and one that I still sometimes wonder why I didn't choose it. I wanted something that was a little bit different, had some detail and maybe a little bit vintage-y. Picking the dress was my most favorite part of wedding planning. It was so fun to try on tons of gorgeous dresses! Here are some that were close runner-ups!

Maggie Sottero Milana

I loved this one and so did my mom. It had a bit too much detail on the back and train and I felt it might be too "fancy" for my outdoor, summer wedding. (It also wasn't in the price range I was trying to stay in!

Maggie Sottero Rosalyn

I fell in love with this one after seeing it online. The problem was, the sample didn't flatter me at all and I felt that the satin-y type dress would show every tiny pucker.

Maggie Sottero Rachael

This one was gorgeous and simple. I went in requesting lace and tried this one on by chance. It has POCKETS! It was light and fun and I loved it. This was the 2nd runner up. I felt I couldn't get this one though, because I always pictured myself in a lace dress.

Allure C157

This is the wedding that never was. My whole wedding party along with myself fell in love with this dress. It was gorgeous, fit me like a glove and flattered my body type. It was so different than what I had gone in wanting (mermaid style) and I felt like this was THE ONE. The only problem? It was HEAVY and hot (I was sweating in the air conditioned store) Oh, and my fiancé saw it on a bridal website and absolutely hated it. (I showed him this picture after the wedding and he said I should have chosen this one if I loved it so much - Thanks a lot!)

In the end, I chose none of these, and I am so glad I went with the one I DID choose!

Tuesday Tunes

Well, I think it's apparent I was born in the wrong era. Here is some music I have been loving lately.

The Wedding: Sneak Peek

I have decided I want to blog the wedding. I am doing this a little too late to remember all the details, but better late than never right?

Here are a few pictures to start with. I will go into more details in the next few posts!

I can't wait to post more!

Tuesday Tunes - Coachella 2012 Lineup Wish-List

I seem to like wish lists here on the blog.

For those reading who do not know what Coachella is, it is an annual music/art festival down in the Coachella valley of California (think Palm Springs) every April. Thousands and thousands of people go every year, camp out (some stay in a hotel) and enjoy 3 days of beautiful (and scorching) California sun and music. The bands range from rock, house/DJ, indie, folk, and everything in between. The years I have been, I can remember Daft Punk, Madonna, Depeche Mode, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Paul McCartney!! Of course there are many, many other bands that play (and I actually watch more of the "lesser knowns" more than the headliners when I go.

If I were to get to choose my own line up for this year, here are some artists I would pick.

Mates Of State

Florence and The Machine

She & Him

Foster The People

Ellie Goulding

Adele

Duffy

Feist

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Have you heard or been to Coachella? What are some bands that you would like to see live?

Choco Face Mask

This is one of my favorite face masks to make at home. It is inexpensive and easy to do. I made a video explaining how to do it, but will add in some more information here!

Many people believe that chocolate is a cause of acne. It's a myth. It's actually great for your skin. And here's why:

• It protects the skin by breaking down free radicals!
• It is anti-aging and full of anti-oxidants. They help to deep clean and also relax you naturally.
• Packed with magnesium.

I love honey in at-home face masks because of it's anti-bacterial properties. It helps to inhibit the growth of bacteria and also penetrates your pores, giving you a deeeeep clean!

Kaolin clay is something that not many people know about. It is used in a lot of cosmetics. The best benefits for your skin is that it helps to balance the sebum activity in the skin, and it is also supposed to help draw out dirt and oil. It is suitable for sensitive skins.

You will want to mix together

3 TBSP Kaolin Clay

1 TSP Honey

2 TSP cocoa powder

4-5 TSP water.

You want to mask to be a paste texture. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Cleanse the skin of any dirt or make up. Apply to the face being careful around the eyes and mouth. Let sit on the skin for 10-15 minutes or until it is dried (you will know when this has happened!) Rinse with warm water and apply moisturizer if you are normally dry!

My Opinion on the mask?

I love it. It is a very fun mask to make and try. Okay, it looks really weird but it smells amazing! The texture of it reminds me of when we used to play with cornstarch and water in school - anyone remember that? It also feels very cooling on the skin. After I rinse my face, my skin does not feel dry or tight. It feels soft and CLEAN! I would recommend doing this mask 1-2 times a week. If you are super dry, you will want to put on a moisturizer after rinsing, but for normal to oily skins, you probably won't feel like you need one!

So, have you tried it? What did you think?

New year, same me.

I never understand why people wait until January 1st to make a resolution. Why not do it year round? Does it really have to begin on the 1st of the year?

I should stop blogging and go back to bed.

Tuesday Tunes

Here is some music that I have been loving this past week.

Mates of State- Unless I'm Led

This is my favorite, favorite band (since ~2004, before then I was into hardcore, haha!) This song is off of their new album, Mountaintops. I saw them live in November (a wedding gift from my husband!) and once I heard this song live, I was hooked. Compared to other Mates' songs, it is pretty simple and just all around a beautiful song!

Feist - How Come You Never Go There

Feist. One of those voices you can pick up from anywhere. I heard this song driving in the middle of nowhere in Idaho or Oregon and the only radio station that came in was playing this. I told Chris "This is Feist! I just know it!" Of course, Shazam didn't work because we had no reception for about 3 hours of that drive.

Sleeping At Last- Turning Page

Okay, so this song is on the Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack. I guess I can leave it there but really, this song is beautiful. I love the simple piano and the strings!