On Trend: Floral

I am loving the floral trend right now!  I've always been a fan of floral, but this season I'm seeing a lot of dark, edgy patterns and silhouettes that transition seamlessly from day to night.  Yesterday (on my daily lunch break trip to T.J. Maxx across the street), I gave in to the trend and picked up these beauties for a whopping $20 USD!  Talk about a #fabfind!

Bathroom selfie! 

How awesome are these pants?  They pull on, which means they are super comfortable - so much so that I could wear them to bed.  I don't know about you, but I can't get anything done at work if I'm uncomfortable, especially when I'm confined to my cube all day.  Oh, and they have pockets, which I can never get enough of - even my wedding dress had pockets!

The fabric has a black background juxtaposed against a beautiful, sort of romantic white rose pattern, which cranks the alpha of this risk-reward calculation up a notch in my opinion.  Most of the florals I've seen this season combine dark, rich, typical fall colors; while beautiful, I'm always looking for something unique. To everyone that says I can't wear white after Labor Day, I say, "Watch me!"  

Adventures in Portland, Oregon

We spent a couple of days this week in beautiful Portland, Oregon and the Hood River Valley. Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and one of the best weekends of my life.

Whenever we travel to a new place, I spend so much time scouring the internet and sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp to try to plan out our days.  Unfortunately for me, I can do all the planning in the world and still completely strike out.  Luckily, we spent our days with two of our best friends who doubled as tour guides, Jim and Allie.  

Here is Portland in 500 words:

NW 23rd Street

We took the Trimet into Providence Park.  Walked a couple of blocks and ended up on NW 21st, which is basically the equivalent of Newbury St. in Boston.  There is a good proportion of shopping to bars, which was great for me and Jeremy because, when he got sick of shopping, we would pop into a bar and try one of the microbrews on tap (Oregon is all about the microbrew).   

Some highlights:

• Platform. Cute, unique and affordable little place (equipped with sofas for Jeremy).  I got a necklace that has been dubbed my "Portland necklace" for $20.00.
• McMenamins Rams Head. Jeremy and I shared a flight.  Jeremy described the decor as "country meets Alice in Wonderland" and I couldn't agree more.  
• Goorin Bros. Hat Shop. Such a cool store with an even cooler staff.  Jeremy and I both bought a hat and got a free shot of delicious rum! How's that for a marketing mix?
• Salt & Straw. Ice cream shop with unusual, but fresh and delicious flavors.  
• Huckleberry Pub. We shared a flight of their beers on tap and ordered a burger and their mac and cheese.  Amazing.

Forest Park

From NW 23rd you can walk through Forest Park (wear your walking shoes) to the Royal Rosarian Garden.  If you love roses like me, you'll have a field day here.  

Portland Japanese Garden

Keep walking and soon you'll be at the Portland Japanese Garden.  There is a $10 admission fee here, but it is well worth it.  When we saw "garden," we thought blossoms and color.  How naive of us. This garden is all about experiencing a sense of peace and tranquility on another level.  

Hood River Valley

If you're in the area and the weather permits, do not skip this.  We spent an entire day vineyard-hopping and each view was better than the last.  We hit Marchesi Vineyards, Wy'East Vineyards, and The Gorge White House (we saved the best for last).  Gorge White House knows exactly what they're doing: they have wine and hard cider tastings, a food cart, flower and berry picking, and sacred views of Mt. Hood and St. Helen's all in one place.  We were there in the late afternoon and had the privilege of watching the sun set.  Good food, good drink, good company - I'm not sure it gets much better.  Oh, wait a minute - it's dog friendly! Here's Grover (a.k.a. Grovie, a.k.a. G baby):

We topped off the day in Downtown Hood River, with a visit to Double Mountain.  We were informed beforehand that we would be having the best pizza we'll ever have in our lives, and they weren't lying.  We enjoyed their seasonal specialty pizza - the Heirloom tomato pizza - and the salami pie.  They also brew their own beer - try the Kolsch!

Night Life

• Stormbreaker. Yet another microbrewery with good food and a cool ambiance.  You eat at picnic tables here; sometimes with complete strangers and it's all good! 
• Prost! Cool pub. That's all you need to know!

I can't end this post without mentioning how stupidly happy we all were this weekend.  I don't think I ever stopped smiling, even when I was nursing a hangover (thanks to a great night at Prost! and drinking beer out of a boot).   Special thanks to Jim, Allie, and Grovie for their hospitality - can't wait to visit again soon!

Brows. Brows. Brows!

Your eyebrows.

If you were to only read one post in this blog, this would be the post.  That is how important your eyebrows are to your beauty regimen.  The brows are the only facial feature that equates to symmetry. Facial symmetry (or lack thereof) is what the human eye perceives as attractive (or not).  Once again, it's science.  Don't fight it - embrace it!

No one has two eyebrows that are shaped exactly the same.  One thing I was told that really drives the point home is that "your brows are sisters, not twins."   That is why God created eyebrow pencils and powders!

I must say that out of all of the products I have used, I keep coming back to Wet 'n Wild's Color Icon liner and brow pencil in taupe.

What's fabulous:

• Taupe is a universal shade.  Wahoo!  One less decision for you to make.
• The pencil gives you the control that a powder or mousse might not.
• The texture is divine.
• It's yours for a whopping $0.69.
• The pencil should last you three to six months (if it doesn't, you're doing it wrong). Which means you can get a year supply for the same price as a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee.

What's not:

• Sadly, this pencil doesn't come with a brush to tame your brows.  For this price, you can buy 10 brushes and still be spending less than you would be for some other fancy brow pencils.
• Wet 'n Wild is a pain to find these days!  I can typically find it at Walgreen's.  If you're not as fortunate, you can always buy it online.

Technique:

The general rule when it comes to filling in your eyebrows is to use short, light-handed strokes to mimic the look of natural hairs.  This is where I come in as there are no rules when it comes to makeup.  I agree with the short stroke technique for beginners because it gives you a chance to get comfortable using a pencil and to get to know the shape of your brows.  Once you feel confident, I think it's perfectly fine to ditch those wimpy strokes!  Start at the inner edges above your nose and define the shape.  Trace the lower arch first - I like to drag this line out a little further than my natural brow while following the same curve.  Then trace the the upper arch and fill in between the lines as needed!

Symmetry equates to beauty.  Make it your mantra.  Now go get gorge!