Workout Playlist

I go to the gym at least four days a week and always listen to music while I work out on my own (I go to group exercise classes a few times a week as well). Naturally my workout playlists get old after about two weeks, so I'm constantly removing and adding songs. Below is my current playlist {click to enlarge}. While it is certainly not all appropriate, it does keep me motivated! I am always looking for new workout music, so I would love to hear what's on your list. Please share in the comments!

Versace for H&M!

Donatella Versace announced this morning that she'll be collaborating with H&M for not one but two separate collections, one to launch on November 17 of this year, and the next to debut as a pre-spring collection that will be available on January 19, 2012. Included in the collection(s) are menswear, womenswear, and homeware, which I'm REALLY excited about! If the homeware items are anything like the luxurious duds in Donatella's home (see photos below), they'll be sure to go fast. 

As for the clothes, Vogue UK says to "expect leather and colourful prints for the girls; sharp tailoring and plenty of bling for the boys."

Sneak peek photos of the clothing collection:

Photo credit: huffingtonpost

I'm back...and MARRIED!

I wanted to give you all a little peak of my wedding from Sunday. I am planning a huge wedding recap with all of the details + DIY projects once I get the professional photos, so look out for that in the near future!

Here we go...

Bridesmaid's bouquets

Chuppah flowers

Something blue

The cake-our vows were written on the top and bottom tiers

Alice in Wonderland Themed Baby Shower

I'm so excited to share with you all a baby shower I planned and designed last month for a wonderful friend. I had endless creative freedom, and knew that I didn't want to use any pastels or muted colors. Instead I aimed for whimsical touches, bright colors with an Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatter theme.

My inspiration:

Photo Credit: http://www.hostessblog.com/

The below photos are from Taylor Armstrong's daughter's (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) birthday party, so they may look familiar to some of you!

I fell in love with the look of the stacked teacups and set out to find some at Goodwill. Luckily my local Goodwill had a ton, and I think I bought every single teacup in the store. Stacking and gluing them together was surprisingly very easy to do with a hot glue gun. Next up was the moss covered teapot. I desperately wanted to make one similar to the one pictured above, pouring rose petals into another moss covered teacup but I figured hanging fishing line or constructing something to hold the teapot up would be too difficult for a novice party planner...

Instead I used two teapots that I bought at Goodwill, foam balls cut in half from Michaels, and moss sheets from Michaels to create a similar look:

After cutting the foam balls in half, I simply applied glue from the glue gun to the ball and stuck pieces of the moss sheets to each half dome. From there, I hot glued the flat side of the dome to the teapots.

The finished Result of the teacup stack and moss covered teapot:

{Please ignore the mess in the background!}

I made several teacup "stacks" and placed them down the center of the table along with vases I covered in wrapping paper and ribbon from the Container Store, topped with silk roses. 

The finished Result:

Next Up...my Bridal Shower! The same lovely friend whose baby shower I put together co-planned my Bridal Shower and I can't wait to show off what they did!

Wedding Bracelet

This past weekend I went out to buy the bracelet I'd been eyeing for about a year to wear on my wedding day. I was hesitant because I knew it would be hard to find earrings that match, since I want glamorous, teardrop shaped earrings. I still haven't found the perfect pair but I went ahead and bought the bracelet anyway because I'd exhausted pretty much every department store I could think of, as well as local boutiques to find a comparable style, and I just could not stop thinking about it since I first saw it at Haute Bride in San Francisco.
Without further ado...The "Petit Glam B912" Bracelet:

If any of you have suggestions as to where to look for earrings, please let me know!

Inspired by: Rebecca Taylor

First off, I hope you can forgive me for posting so sporadically here. I am planning on resuming regular blog posts asap, but with school ending and a wedding to plan, I have been SoOoOOOo busy. 

Anyway, enough with the excuses....

Today I stopped into Target for some boring household items when I stumbled upon this dress which is almost identical to Rebecca Taylor's "red poppy" dress, skirt, and top(s).

The Target dress: 

I'm excited to wear the dress once it starts warming up in CA, and I'm thrilled about the $25 price tag! Have any of you found some good finds at Target recently?

Favorite Drugstore Products

Below are my favorite drugstore products, which are pretty much the only drugstore beauty products I use but absolutely swear by. I admit that I am a little bit of a designer brand snob. I am really interested to hear what your favorite drugstore products are, so please share yours with me!

Buy on Amazon

I use Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for shaving, in place of shaving cream. After years of dealing with razor burn and ingrown hairs, I've finally gotten a system down for avoiding such problems. I've tried pretty much every shaving cream out there, from drugstore brands to fancy $50 products. Once I tried this cleanser, I never looked back! Some major factors that I believe make this product work with shaving are: it's fragrance free, non-comedogenic (most shaving creams are not), and it does not disturb the skin's natural pH balance. 

Buy at Walgreens

Again, I've used so many different types of razors and none have worked for me...until I tried the cheapest of them all: Bic's sensitive razors. The key with these are that they do not have that "moisturizing strip" that most razors have above the blade. I only use these one time, so they do tend to add up.

Buy at buy.com

While I use non-drugstore shampoos and conditioners regularly, this is the only clarifying shampoo I use. I've been using Suave's daily clarifying shampoo for about 10 years! I use it when my hair feels heavy and a regular shampoo won't get all the buildup out. I hate it when I wash my hair and then when I dry it, it looks and feels dirty! This shampoo fixes that problem and makes your hair feel squeaky clean.

Buy on Amazon

I just discovered these scunci evolution hair bands during a recent trip to Target. Love. They are "ouchless" and do an amazing job at holding your hair in place. I never have to fix a ponytail at the gym or a bun when I wear one of these, and I have very thick, long hair.

Buy at Walgreens

Without Aquaphor's Healing Ointment I don't know what I'd do! I'm pretty sure I suffer from Psoriasis on my scalp and forehead (going to the dermatologist this week to confirm) and nothing pacifies the dry skin on my forehead like this stuff. It definitely doesn't treat the problem, but it's a world of help. If I don't put it on before I go to bed, my skin is a peeling hot mess in the morning even with my daytime moisturizer. I definitely recommend this to anyone who has extremely dry skin, or just some dry patches. 

Buy on Amazon

I've been using the Demi 120 Ardell Lashes since high school and swear by them, over MAC lashes and other drugstore brands. Ardell lashes are very thin, so they're easy to apply and they look natural. 

Buy at Target

To apply the lashes, I use Duo eyelash adhesive. Trust me when I say your lashes will not go anywhere. I've really tested this stuff in crazy HIGH wind weather...it must have been a hilarious scene to watch this girl covering her eyes with one hand and weave with the other!