Product {Reviews} - It's All About The {Face}

Makeup - what girl doesn't love it? You may say that you hate how long it takes you to put it on or you may be someone that is completely against it! I on the other hand love makeup. I love putting it on, I love going and buying a new product, and I even love having someone else do it for me! (laugh there, I have only had that done a couple of times)


I could be having a really bad day and if I put on makeup and do my hair, my day gets so much better! I decided that I would do a couple of blogs here and there over new makeup, hair products, nail goodies, and other randoms I am trying at that moment.


I enjoy opening up my google reader (if you don't know what that is, google it) and reading about new products to try or places to shop from fellow bloggers! I love being a girly girl!


"I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny."
— Coco Chanel


First up - Makeup Primer


I was first introduced to primer by the lovely ladies at Ulta. I needed something that would help me keep my makeup on from morning to night. Primer helps that happen.  I have used only one other primer before trying Hard Candy Primer. I was roaming the makeup aisles at Walmart one afternoon and stumbled upon the whole section of Hard Candy products. I decided to purchase it since it was only $8.


The reason it is only $8 is because it is soooo greasy and it puts a layer on your face like vasaline would and your foundation has a hard time blending in to your skin. Overall I would give this primer a 2 on a 10 point scale. I will go a head and use it since I bought it.

***And you can see it reads "Ultra Light formula", its not ultra light"

Second - Makeup Bag


This makeup bag I saw on another blogger's blog, Confessions of a 20 Something, and from seeing the pictures and the price I knew I had to go buy it. You can purchase this super cute summer makeup bag from Target for $19.99. I was just there today and saw some other super cute makeup bags that would be very useful for my summer expeditions and my upcoming honeymoon!!

Have you tried any new products or found any new good deals shopping? I want to know!!! Hope everyone had a great weekend and have a great short week! 


Xoxo,


"E"

Take Me Out To The Ball {Game}, Here Comes the {Bride}, Wasting Away Again in {Margaritaville}

I feel like the title of this blog was our play list for this weekend! Friday night we went to the Texas Rangers game with all of my friends! It was so good to see everyone and especially Krystal and Chance since they live in PA now. (Rangers lost by the way - 12 - 7, 14 innings)

****Krystal and Chance!! So happy I got to see them!****



****This was my fault I made Krystal take the picture like this!****




****Me and sweet Hiedi Ann! I just love my friend Hiedi!****




****Z did not want to take a picture with me so I decided I would force him to smile!****

Saturday was my cousin Mallory's wedding! Everything turned out amazing!! And I hope they have such a wonderful marriage and a great time on their honeymoon in St. Lucia!!



Today we are dong absolutely nothing except laying by the pool being bums at my parents house!!! I am so happy that we have this three day weekend to relax and breath!!



****Not my parent's pool...thought I had a picture somewhere??****







***Again this was taken in Cabo...we do not serve drinks like this by the Mayo pool***




I hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and spending it with family, friends and the ones you love!! Thank you to all the military men and women that fight for our freedom!

Xoxo,

"E"

It's A {Sad} Day in Dallas...

Yes ladies, today Tony Romo will no longer be an eligible bachelor. Today he marries Candice Crawford, a little jealous of her but hopefully they have a wonderful marriage!

Honestly I just really want to see the pictures of their wedding, hopefully US Weekly or People post pictures soon!!!

Just a tribute of our favorite Dallas Cowboy!

Also, I would like to wish a very happy wedding day to two other weddings that are going on today!!

 



***My Cousin Mallory and her fiance Rusty***



***Our Friends Ashley and Jarrod***

Xoxo,

"E"

It's {Five O'Clock} Somewhere

I am on my way to a much needed Happy Hour with two of my girlys and I wanted to show you some of my favorite "adult beverages" - get out for a Happy Hour too today!!!! 

Prickly Pear Margarita



Pinot Grigio Santa Margherita

Cabernet Sauvignon

Blue Moon

***Enjoy a night out with your friends and/or significant other!!!***



Xoxo,

"E"

{Recipe} of the Week

Since I am a huge Paula Deen fan and self proclaimed Paula Deen Jr. I wanted to share with you this amazing banana pudding recipe that I made this past weekend for mine and Z's engagement party! I was getting a little flack for making it since my grandmother makes a "to-die-for" banana pudding and has for years.

Even the people that were giving me a hard time for making it instead of my grandma's LOVED IT!! I wanted to share this recipe with you all since Memorial Day weekend would be a perfect time to make it and take to a BBQ!!! Enjoy! 

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients

• 2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
• 6 to 8 bananas, sliced
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Directions

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serves 12.

Xoxo,

"E"

Goodbye Oprah {HARPO}



It's really sad to me that one day when I am a stay at home wife and mommy I will not get to look forward to Oprah at 4pm. (Sorry Z but you know me being a stay at home wife will happen lol) She has done such amazing things in her life and helped so many people.

I can remember staying with my great grandmother after school and watching Oprah with her.  Even then as a young girl I knew that she did a lot of great things for our world. I just wanted to highlight a couple of my favorite interviews she has done during her long stretch on tv.

I was so excited when I heard Oprah was going to be interviewing Sarah Palin. Two powerful women at once it had to be good. Even though I felt that Oprah was snubbing Sarah Palin through most of the interview, it was great seeing these two ladies together and I loved watching it!

Who could not love her "Favorite Things" shows. If you could be the lucky person in the audience that day you had literally hit the jackpot. It was so much fun watching these shows in particular because the audience would just go bonkers over every prize they received that day!

And last but not least who could forget her interview with Tom Cruise and his mid life crisis breakdown? I think it was weird and sweet all together since he was so excited about dating Katie Holms!

What were your favorite things from Oprah's shows? Will you miss her consistently being there every Monday - Friday at 4pm? Hopefully she doesn't pull a Jay Leno!!

Xoxo,

"E"

Wedding Wednesday {Dress Mess}

Picking out your wedding dress for your wedding is the most AMAZING experience that will happen to you while planning your wedding. Mine started off just a bit bumpy....

Z proposed to me the day after Thanksgiving while vacationing at the beach. That next Monday I was on the ball getting everything lined up to start planning!! I mean technically when you get engaged you are behind in the wedding planning stage! ha ha

My mom called the bridal boutiques in Fort Worth and all had openings for New Years Eve day except one, so my mom scheduled for us to go to that one a week before the others. That one inparticular was the nastiest and most unprofessional bridal boutique I have ever been in. My mom had scheduled our appointment two weeks out and when we got there they had their interior decorator helping me find dresses.

All of the dresses were so dirty and after putting one on the "interior decorator" would pull out an over sized phone book for me to stand on so I could see the dresses length.....Lori Mayo was not happy!! (little side note my friends and I, when speaking about my mother, call her by her first and last name...Lori Mayo)

The second bridal boutique we went to was such an awesome experience, Lisa the sales lady was extremely nice and helped me find 20 dresses that I wanted to try on.  The first dress I tried on I started crying like a baby along with my mom, Z's mom, my grandmother, and Hannah (sister/maid of honor). I knew it was THE dress and had to have it.

Since we are on this horrible word called a budget, my mom decided that we needed to think about it a little more since THE dress was a tid bit over our dress budget.  A couple of weeks passed and still nothing was decided, so one of my mom's friends told her about this website that you can order factory direct from China. They make everything, supposedly, and she had found the exact replica of THE dress I had fallen in love with. 

Since the dress from China was less than 10% of the cost of the real thing I decided to go a head and order it. My first clue should have been that the manufacturer in China said the dress would be here in the US in two weeks! The dress arrived as promised in two short weeks, in a 6in X 6in bag...2nd clue.

Once looking over the dress very carefully and realizing that it looked like a very cheap version, I noticed a small spot that was covered in blood. Yes someones or somethings blood. I emailed the manufacturer right away and their response was that their China god had blessed my wedding dress and my marriage by bleeding on my dress. (I was as baffled as you are right now reading this)

After a week of going back in forth with this goon, they concluded that it was animal blood that had gotten on the dress (that was very well vacuumed sealed) from the shipping company. Also they let me know that their factory workers would never bleed on anything, "they could not bleed on anything" just to quote the manufacturer.

Needless to say I am not wearing that dress or the dress that it was modeled after. I found a fabulous "statement" dress at a bridal boutique in Burleson, TX that I am more in love with than any other dress I have ever tried on!

If  you are in the process or will be in the process of buying your wedding dress, learn from my experience and never go for economical, just go for fabulous and what makes you feel like everyone at your wedding (and your groom) will have their breath taken away!

Xoxo,

"E"

***I am keeping the designer and dress name private because this dress is kind of like a slap in the face***

{Not} Impressed.......

So in case you were not aware last night was the season premiere of The Bachelorette. I was greatly disappointed that ABC chose Ashley H. I was not really that entertained by her while watching Brad's season.

Even though I did turn the channel prior to the rose ceremony....I did get a glimpse of the boys ABC chose for Ashley.



***** First we have the guy that just went in for the kiss and it had to be the most awkward first meeting for her as it was for the viewers watching...not a great first impression****

****Then we have this creep that wanted his picture with everyone so that he could have a cool facebook album!****



Bentley - the guy who already had drama before the show began



Tim - The Drunk and the nightly entertainment (kinda like him lol)



West - Supposedly had something to do with his wife's death, via kid kraddick in the morning, but he is so good looking and I am in LOVE with his name!




Ben F - Always a winemaker thanks to ABC, however any man who can give me an endless supply of Cabernet has my vote!!

****Then we have this weirdo...do you think it was his idea for the mask or ABC's??? Can he stay if he wears the mask the whole time???




****Even though Ashley H is boring, she looked absolutely beautiful last night! I may need that dress as a second dress at my wedding!****

Sorry if you were looking for someone that was going to be on the Bachelorette wagon, but I don't see myself watching this unless completely bored in my life this summer.....Can the Bachelor Pad start already???

Xoxo,

"E"

When Does Fashion Take A {Backseat}?

Over the weekend we had a reminder of what Texas weather is really like. It was storming on Friday, hot and humid Saturday morning, extremely windy Saturday evening, hot and humid Sunday morning/afternoon, and storming again Sunday night. Texas weather is about as unpredictable as Texas women!

Since I had seen the weather report and it was suppose to be smok'n hot on Saturday, I decided to wear one of Alyssa's cute little summer dresses. The dress was a bit short and I have really long legs so pretty much everything is short on me! With the wind blowing like it was and the shortness of the dress, it made for a bad combination.

My mother being the sweet little thing that she is suggested I just put on some white tights!! I completely despise white tights and think they are the worst thing ever invented!! (sorry for the soap box)  Probably the smart thing for me to do was to bite the bullet and put the white tights on, however I was not about to spare my adorable outfit to white tights! I mean I was meeting my future husband's family, so seeing more than they bargain for was probably appropriate, right?

On Sunday Z and I went to the Colonial for "the" golf tournament of the year in Fort Worth. We have been in previous years and you would think I would have learned by now that its going to be humid and horribly hot! I wore my super cute black shorts, a cute white shirt, my leopard summer scarf, and a pair of my casual black sandals.

I reminded Z as we were leaving that next year its hair in a ponytail, minimal make up, strapless light weight dress and sandals! (Hopefully I will remember)

For you who have never watched a golf tournament in person, tv, and/or have never played golf, a lot of walking is involved! I have always worn flat sandals to watch golf tournaments due to the excessive walking, however there are always a ton of girls in high heels or wedges.

Honestly I can run with the best of them in heels (I even joke that they are my running shoes). However walking all day from green to green watching golf would not be an ideal location to sport my favorite black wedges. (Even though they would have made my outfit that much more amazing!)

So again I ask, When does fashion take a backseat? Should I have just taken my mom's advice and put on the white tights that I absolutely hate? Should we ever sacrifice our cute outfit for comfort?

I read an article that said Kim Kardashian was the most well manicured woman...well if I had Kim K's "Glam Squad" I would look like the most "well manicured woman" as well!!

Weekend {Engagement} Party!

Z and I are so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family that we could share the beginning of our lives with on Saturday (at least the kick off of our lives together!)

We celebrated Z's birthday on Friday night with his parents and then woke up early Saturday morning to donuts and manual labor!!!



****Had to be painting ready in his borrowed jorts!****



****First time to ever shovel and lay mulch....still sore!!****

After getting everything together for our engagement party, we were able to kick back and just enjoy our company!! Our parents made the day so special and I am so glad we could get all the family together to meet for the first time!!




**** Such a cute sign that my sister Hannah made for our party*****



***Some of my bridesmaids and their dates!***



****Two of Z's groomsmen and his childhood best friend****







****These are the fabulous gifts we received from our friends and family****

We are just so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives! Cant wait to start the next chapter with everyone!

Xoxo,

"E"



My Favorite {Shopping} Outlets!

So I am pretty sure I have signed up for almost every sale email known to man! I am always looking for the best deal on all of the latest fashion and I have found a lot of amazing deals on the following:



And for the home....



Do you have any I have not heard of or signed up for?? Hope everyone is having an AMAZING saturday with their family and loved ones!

Xoxo,

"E"

Happy Birthday {Z}

Happy Birthday to my best friend and future husband!! I hope you have a wonderful day and I cant wait to celebrate tonight!!

Xoxo,

Erin!

Wedding Wednesday {Engagement Chicken}

Once a year Glamour Magazine prints their recipe for Engagement Chicken.  Legend has it that when a woman makes the Engagement Chicken recipe for her boyfriend he soon after pops the "big" question.

Me being the crazy girl that I am, set up a science experiment using 4 of my very best friends. I emailed all of them two weeks ago the recipe and game plan. The 4 of them would cook the Engagement Chicken recipe for their boyfriends and we would sit and wait to see what happens. (Sounds a lot crazier as I am typing this!)

The reason I chose these 4 friends in particular is because all of them have been with their boyfriend for more than a year and all of them co-habitate. Top two reasons on why it should be completely acceptable to make the Engagement Chicken.

With making the Engagement Chicken comes a lot of responsibility. You have to plan out when you are going to make it, plan your trip to the grocery store, buy all the right ingredients, plan the perfect night for just you and your man, put the effort into carefully reading the recipe to make sure you make it just so, and last but not least make the chicken.

As you can see the Engagement Chicken recipe is not for couples who just started dating or are still in that "not sure" about each other stage. You have to have dedication to make this recipe.

Once I emailed my 4 friends all of them emailed me back immediately that they were in. One said "I am making it this weekend" another said "I am not sure when I will make it. I don't have time this weekend!".

None of the 4 girls have made it as of today but will doing so soon!! I will make sure to keep everyone posted on their progress and if any of them get engaged prior to making the chicken then we know it was just because they were thinking about making it! (insert laugh here)

If anyone reading has made the chicken and it worked, I want to know. I am a bit skeptical how an easy chicken recipe can make your man propose......

And posted below is the recipe for Glamour's Engagement Chicken recipe, just in case anyone is itching to try it out!!

Happy Cooking!!

Engagement Chicken

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 3 whole lemons—including 1 sliced for garnish
• 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Fresh herbs for garnish (4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs, and 1 bunch fl at-leaf parsley)

1. Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken inside and out with cold water, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander for 2 minutes.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fi tted with a rack and pour the lemon juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.
3. Prick 2 whole lemons three times each in three different places with a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size may vary, so if one lemon is partly sticking out, that’s fine. (Tip: If the lemons are stiff, roll them on the counter top with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)
4. Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F, and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast- side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, and return the chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180°F and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary; roasting a chicken at 350°F takes approximately 18-20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
6. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here’s the secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken— this is the “marry me juice.” Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.


Read More http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2006/07/engagement-chicken#ixzz1MkzasgyP

A Little Thank You {Note}

I received my Paula Deen Newsletter today and it had a very interesting article over thank you notes.  I have always been big on thank you notes, my friend's used to give me a hard time for giving them thank you notes.

Even if writing someone a quick thank you  note seems silly, it is not something to be overlooked. When someone gives you a gift or does something nice for you, they put a lot of thought into it. Writing them a 3 sentenced paragraph on a cute card and mailing it to them is the least you could do!

My future mother-in-law shares this strong opinion of sending thank you notes. She has even given thank you notes as presents to some of Zach's friends who have not sent her one in the past. I have also come to expect a thank you note.

Here is a suggestion from Cindy Edwards', Is The Thank-You Note Still Relevant Today?  on how to write a thank you note.

Five easy steps to the perfect note:

Step 1: Greeting
Dear Mary
Step 2: State what you are grateful for
Thank you for the lovely flowers that you sent for my birthday.

Step 3: Write two or three sentences of why it was special
You know how I adore roses.  They were so beautiful and made my house smell divine.

Step 4: Repeat your thanks
Thanks again for remembering me in such a lovely way.

Step 5: Closing
Fondly,
Cindy

and when to send them...

Following the receipt of a gift
To express sympathy
Following a dinner party or overnight stay
To express congratulations
Any time someone does something nice for you.

A couple of my favorite places online to purchase super cute stationary are:

Pixie Chicago
Ashley Brook Designs
Tiny Prints

So just remember when you are receiving a gift or a nice gesture send thank you cards to show that person how much you care and that your mom brought you up right!

Weekend Recap {Highly Eventful}



With this being the year of weddings, wedding showers, wedding everything, babies, baby showers, and baby everything, this next month or so we are completely slammed on the weekends! It was nice to be able to do whatever we wanted and not have anywhere to be!

{Friday}

I went to see the movie Bridesmaids with one of my Bridesmaids, Meagan. It was definitely a funny movie and we laughed a lot, however this is not one to go see if you don't find crud and/or sexual humor funny (just saying). Also this would not be a good movie to go see with your parents, children, grandparents, Sunday school group, etc. I luckily saved my mother from taking my 19 year old sister to see it, I am not sure who would have been more embarrassed Hannah or my mother!

{Saturday}

We finally had our appointment with the florist. I took it upon myself to go speak with the florist without my mother and/or grandmother, first mistake. The florist is a family friend and is one tough cookie. I made our appointment for 10 am and I was walking out of the flower shop at 1015 am wishing I would have had my mother and/or grandmother present...should have listened to them!

Saturday evening my friend/bridesmaid Alyssa and her boyfriend Chase finally came to Fort Worth to see us, We normally have to go to Dallas!! I cooked Easy Tortellini Toss from one of my Pampered Chef recipe books, everyone loved it yay!! For desert I made chocolate covered marshmallows that I had seen from Hostess With The Mostess blog!

Saturday night we all went out to 7th Street in Fort Worth for a pub crawl, so much fun!! 





{Sunday}

Before Alyssa and Chase left us to go back to Dallas, I made the most amazing breakfast for everyone!! Not just blowing my own horn, everyone loved it!! It was super easy and is a must try!! (click picture for recipe)



Last but not least, Zach and I have decided to really kick up our workout routines since we have less than 6 months until the wedding and honeymoon! I am normally the one that slacks off first, but not this time! I have committed to logging all of my meals to watch my calorie intake and workout 4 days a week!! (I think I can do it!!)

****I don't want to look like this in my honeymoon bikini pics!!****