Top 5 Tuesday: Nail Polish

Today I'm linking up with miss Rachel from Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday!

I'm so excited that it is about nail polish, because let me tell you girls...I'm crazy about nail polish! I paint my nails ALL the time, about 2 times a week, or depending on if I get chips or not. My wonderful SIL taught me how to do a perfect manicure on myself, so I haven't had to go the the nail salon in over 4 years! Thanks Katy!  Here are my top 5 nail polishes!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri- Sonic Bloom

This is what I'm wearing right now. I love it! It drys super fast and lasts about a week on me with no chips!

Sally Hansen Salon- Flamingo

I wore this ALOT this past summer! It's a little more red than the picture shows. It's a great polish for when you want to add a pop of color without going overboard!

E.L.F. French Manicure Set

I love a good french manicure. It's classy, simple and elegant. I have finally perfected it enough so that my right hand looks almost as good as my left when I'm done. Y'all know what I'm talkin' about!

Sinful Colors- 24/7

This is a bubble gum neon pink and I LOVE it! It always makes your skin look tanner than it really is. I found it at my local Walgreen's for about $2 and it is my spring/summer go to color! I love having sassy nails and I always get complements on them when I wear this polish!

Orly- Hot Shot

This is a great red-ish orange color! It wears for a long time and I always get complements when I wear this one too. Complements to SIL for suggesting this one to me!



So can you tell I mostly wear pinks and reds?! I have tried greens, tans and blues, and while they look great on all of you, sadly, they don't work for me. Why? I have NO idea!

Do any of y'all wear any of these? How do you like them?

xo Julia

P.S. Here are a few giveaway alerts for you to check out!

1. Jenn over at Bliss to Bean is having a giveaway for a very cute bracelet! Head on over to her blog to enter! Thanks Jenn!

2. Lindsey over at Keep It Classy, Alabama is giving away a Swell Caroline monogram necklace! Check out her blog and enter for your chance to win!

Mary and Dyer Giveaway!

Hey y'all! Kat, over at Mary and Dyer is having a giveaway for a Tiffany necklace + a gift from her shop! Check out her blog for your chance to enter!! 

I found Kat's blog...well, actually, she found me first!...almost as soon as I started blogging.  She has just recently finished her store and it is now up and running! Mary and Dyer was the creation of Kat and her sister-in-law, and is named after her children! And even better...10% of their proceeds go to support the IJM - International Justice Mission.  Not only can you buy beautiful jewelry, accessories and handbags, but you will also be helping a very worthy cause!

Here are some of my favorites:

My Heart Will Go On Earrings

These are so classy, I absolutely love them! These are on my Christmas list now!

The Faithful Cord Bracelet

I use any chance I can to wear faith inspired jewelry, and this is a great way to do it!

Is This Antique? Take 2 Necklace

Turquoise? Yes please! I adore turquoise jewelry!

Fashion Is For Elephants Ring

This ring is so pretty! I love the jewel tones with the copper color!

I hope y'all take a few minutes to check out Mary and Dyer. They have gorgeous products, affordable prices and free shipping!  You could definitely knock-out a few people on your Christmas list I'm sure!

xo Julia



Blog Awards!

This week, I have gotten 2 Blog Awards! Yay!  Thanks so much to my girls Lindesy and KBR for the awards!

 

Versatile: ver-sa-tile [vur-suh-tl] or, especially British, [vur-suh-tahyl]: capable of, or adapted for, turning easily from one to another various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.: a versatile writer.

Here is how the award works:
1. You thank the person who presented you with the award.
2. You tell 7 things about yourself.
3. You award some other newly discovered bloggers

Thanks to my wonderful blog friend KBR for giving me this award! She is so sweet and I love reading her blog and what's going on in her life!

7 Things about Myself

1. I paint my nails several times a week.  A long time ago my SIL, Katy, showed me how to do the perfect manicure and I have put it to good use. We also share nail polish!
2. I love vintage jewelry. My rings are vintage inspired.
Engagement ring: white gold, raised diamond in the middle with a circle of diamonds around it and diamonds down the side.
Wedding band: white gold, small diamonds on the top half.
and I also have a necklace to match. I love looking at antique jewelry at antique malls!
3. My hubby was the first guy I ever kissed (cute, I know!)
4. I love accessories. I think I have about 10 pairs of earrings on my Christmas list!
5. I *usually* only buy things on sale. I hate having to pay full price for something.  But on quality pieces, I don't mind.
6. I love buying things for other people. A lot of times, I feel better when I buy something for someone else other than myself!
7. When I was younger I died my hair black. Not in a gothic way, but because I thought it was super stylish! It has since grown out and I absolutely love, and appreciate my natural hair color!

I am awarding this to everyone who reads my blog! I truly love reading all of your blogs and getting to know you!  I honestly can't choose!

 

This award is for bloggers with less than 200 followers!

Here are the rules:

1. Show your thanks by linking the blogger who awarded you!

2. Leave links to your top 5 blogs and leave them comments letting them know!

3. Post the award on your blog.

4. Enjoy the love!!

Lindsey @ Turtles and Pearls gave me this award. I absolutely love reading her blog everyday and not to mention she is so sweet! Thank you Lindsey!

Here are my top 5 blogs that I read EVERYDAY, besides Turtles and Pearls

Ashley @ Everyday With AME

Alli @ Just A Carolina Girl

Mia @ Palmetto Sparkle

Jenn @ Bliss to Bean

KBR @ Headed Down South To The Land of Pines

Sorry if any of y'all have already got this award, but you deserve it!

I also wanted to let y'all know about Jenn, from Bliss to Bean's giveaway! She is giving away a pretty purple Nine West purse along with some other goodies! Make sure to check it out and enter for your chance to win! I know I am!

xo Julia

Family Fun and a Late Wedding Gift

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a Marvelous Monday!  We spent the day visiting with Neils aunt, who's in town for a few days. We haven't seen her since this time last year, so it was nice to catch up with her.  During the time in between her last visit and now, we finished building our new store front for the business, so we all went over there so she could check it out. Here are a few pics so y'all can see too!



The front of the store



The Courtyard

 These pictures don't even do it justice, but she was really impressed by all of it, and we all felt really proud! We packed a huge picnic spread and had dinner in the courtyard. It was a lot of fun!

Anyways, onto the wedding gift part!  Even though we got married over a year ago, some of our family members are still giving us gifts! Hey...I can't complain!  She surprised us with this:

It's a large bamboo salad bowl and salad claws! I've been wanting one of these for a while, so I was pretty excited when I opened the box and saw what was inside.  I love serving dishes...if I could I would by new cookware ALL the time!

Before I go, I wanted to let you know about 2 fantastic giveaways! 

1. Turtles and Pearls!  has 2 different monogrammed decal packs from 2PreppyGirls up for grabs...that means 2 winners! Yay!  Head on over to her blog and enter for your chance to win! Thanks girl for the great giveaway!

2. ...Just Another Preppy Shopaholic is holding a giveaway for a Marley Lilly monogrammed scarf of your choice! OH MY GOSH, I want one of these so bad!  Head on over to her blog to enter! Good luck! Thanks for the giveaway!

Do any of you ladies have a cookware/baking dish obsession like I do?  What is your favorite brand to use in the kitchen?

xo Julia

What I've Been Up To!

Happy Weekend everyone! Over the past few days I have been trying to decide on the scents of my Fall candle line for my new business venture. (I'll post all about this soon!) I finally decided on Maple Pecan Strudel, Pumpkin Pie, Spiced Cranberry, Apple Cider and Cinnabun. What do you think?

Anyways, I got several of those made up and put them in our gift shop. So far they seem to be a big hit. People also still seem to be buying up my left overs from spring...which is great! I'm also working on getting our web store back up so I can sell online again. So needless to say I've been a busy girl!

On another note, I am, and have been for a very long time, a cosmetic-a-holic! But what girl is not!? Here are 2 great products I have picked up lately that I wanted to share with you guys!

1. Sally Hanson Natural Lip Butter Shimmer

I am in love with this stuff! I actually picked it up at my local Dollar Tree...who knew!! It is a moisturising lip balm with a hint of sheer color and a slight bit of shimmer. The first time I put it on I could tell a difference in the way my lips looked and felt. It is made from 94% natural ingredients and the packaging is also environmentally friendly. This is, in my opinion, a must have for the cold weather coming up! And at $1, you can't beat it! I just went back and got 3 more!

2. Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion Mascara

I always had a hard time finding a mascara that adds length and volume while being waterproof all at the same time, until now! I picked this up today and was so excited, I tried it out as soon as I got home. As far as mascaras go, this is the best one I have ever tried. It lengthened and added lots of volume to my lashes without me having to use my eyelash curler. But when I did use my eyelash curler, they looked even better! I would really recommend this to any of you ladies who need a dual action mascara like me!

Do any of you ladies use any of these products? What do you think about them? Are there any other products you use that you just can't live without?



P.S. Before I go, I wanted to let y'all know about 2 great giveaways going on out there in the blogasphere!

1. College Prep is doing a giveaway for an Angela Moore bracelet of your choice!

2. Coffee at Nordstrom has a giveaway going on for a monogrammed tumbler!

Make sure to check both of their pages out and enter for your chance to win!!

Speaking about giveaways, I'm thinking about doing a fabulous giveaway once I hit around 25 or 30 readers, so please make sure to follow!

xo Julia

An Amazing Giveaway

The lovely Erica over at Fashion Meets Food is teaming up with Root Candles for a great giveaway!  The prize for this giveaway is a Gift Basket filled with $200 worth of Root products!  Head on over to Fashion Meets Food and check out all the details!

Thanks Erica for such a nice giveaway!

My favorite scent would have to be the Pumpkin Spice Latte.  What's your favorite fall scent? 

xoxo Julia

A very Nautical Giveaway!!

A Nautical Giveaway? Yay! 

Katie over at Let's Be Preppy and Gybe-ho Boatwear have partnered to bring us an amazing giveaway that lets you design a custom T-shirt!  Cruise on over to her blog to enter and don't forget to check out Gybe-ho's online store! 



xoxo Julia