Life | July Favorites

Here are the things I was in love with in July 2014, I think all of them are actually "beauty" related, which is kind of weird. But alas, here we are!

1. Zoya Remove Plus Nail Polish Remover

I love this nail polish remover! It is a polish remover, nail cleaner and nail prep all in one bottle. It also has a pump style dispenser, which is super handy. It does have mild acetone, but it is still nourishing for the nails. It smells pretty good too, none of that crazy harsh nail polish remover smell that gives you a headache and stinks up your house for days.  I usually purchase this on Birchbox, since it's expensive for a polish remover, I use points on it and it feels free!

2. Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Protector Straightening Mist

Now my usual hairstyle is a ponytail or topknot, especially in the summer. But, if I do my hair, I straighten it. My hair is pretty straight to begin with, but since I usually sleep on it wet (I loathe blow drying it with all the fire of a thousand suns), it will get kinks and waves in it. I found this mist, and it a heat protector AND aides in holding in the straightness. It has argan oil to help protect the hair from the heat of the flat iron, while sealing in the smoothness so your hair lays nice and straight. I have only used it a few times since purchasing, but I love it! Maybe it means I'll do my hair more often...

3. Bath & Body Works Lavender Chamomile Body Mist

I love this stuff. I am pretty sure I have owned everything in the lavender scent from BBW, it is my favorite. Now, I enjoy spraying my hair and body with this mist right before I get into bed. I breathe deeply and can literally feel myself relaxing and calming down for sleep. C dislikes the smell of this, so I don't use it as often as I would if he liked it. But after a stressful day, I will spritz it and feel better.

4. Malin + Goetz Lip Moisturizer

This is another Birchbox purchase. I was in need (or want, whatever) of a heavy duty lip moisturizer to slather on at night before I went to sleep. I absolutely love this stuff for doing just that. I keep it in my nightstand, and once I crawl into bed I apply a thick layer on my lips and when I wake up my lips are soft and ready for the day. It is very soothing for my cracked, dry lips in the wintertime as well. Since I have been spending so much time in the sun lately, this has been perfect my dried out lips this summer.

5. Essie Turquoise & Caicos

I am LOVING this color recently. It's a bright and fun "tropical aqua" according to the website. It goes with everything and is so fun for the summertime. I wore this one a lot a few years ago and just rediscovered it again!

So those are my top 5 items that I was loving in the month of July! Hope your July was fantastic and let me know if you've tried any of these products and what you thought!

Book Review | Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I have read three other novels by Rainbow Rowell (I always want to say her last name is Roosevelt? Any ideas as to why?), and I absolutely ADORED them. So  needless to say, I was excited to give this one a try.

The premise is Georgie McCool (lame name game) is a tv writer, with a marriage that she knows is faltering. The love is still there, but she is constantly putting work ahead of her family relationships. Two days before the family is due to leave to go visit her husband's family in Nebraska, Georgie says she can't go -- a tv show she has been shopping around is maybe, finally getting picked up and she needs to work. Needless to say, she is still shocked when her husband and two kids go on to Nebraska for Chrismas anyway. Georgie wonders if she's finally ruined everything. But wait! Insert a magical landline telephone in her childhood bedroom! Georgie, in the midst of a potential breakdown, discovers a way to communicate with the past. What should she do?

Now, I feel like the magic phone deal was handled in an odd fashion. I just couldn't get on board with it, and it feel weird to me. I also had a hard time rooting for Georgie, I just felt like it took her a really long time  to get her crap together and that was irritating to me. 

This is definitely NOT my favorite Rainbow Rowell book, (read Eleanor & Park or Fangirl!) and I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads. Will I continue to read everything she puts out, OF COURSE, but I hope she steers away from clunky magical realism.

Weekly Wrap-Up | Photo A Day

First and foremost, I am moving this week. So if I am slightly absent on social media, this is why. We are moving back to the land of high speed internet, so in the long run it will be good for this blog and my social media presence, so bear with me in the short term please! Housekeeping out the way, lets move on.

Once again, all prompts are from Fat Mum Slim and all photos were edited using the Little Moments App. Not gonna lie, I struggled this week with taking pictures. Here are my pictures from 7/21-7/27!

7/21 Basic: Just some regular old basic watermelon on a summers night. I was having a hard time with this prompt, for whatever reason, and the watermelon was delicious and pretty so...I used it. Gotta work with what ya got, right?

7/22 I wore this!: I had a hard time adjusting to life on this particular Tuesday. I stayed in gym shorts and a nasty t-shirt this day, and didn't wear anything that I wanted photographic proof of. So, my glasses seemed like a good choice. I took this before I went to bed, nothing like waiting until the last minute.

7/23 Macro: I had high hopes for myself with this one, but again, I just phoned it in. This is the letter E that is on my bookmark. It's quite small, and I thought I would be able to get a good picture of it. I didn't. It turned out blurry, but I kept it anyway mainly because of sheer laziness. 

7/24 Water: The sun was hitting the pond just right, so I made sure to capture it. I love this pond at my parents house and the animals it brings to the yard.

7/25 Home: I actually ended up taking this photo a day late. It's the house numbers at my parents house.

7/26 Fun: It was 9:30 pm and I did not do anything fun, except laze around and read. So instead C suggested I search for the band Fun, take a screenshot of it and use that. So I did.

7/27 Ten: These are my little brother's hands, he has 10 fingers. Once again, phoning it in.

That's it for the weekly wrap-up! We are moving on Thursday, wish us luck!

High Five for Friday | Link-up

It is very nearly August 2014, I can't even believe it. I feel like I say that every week, but I'm going to be going back to work in the month of August, and I will have to figure out my blogging schedule for when that happens. Don't worry, I will keep you posted. Here is my High Five for Friday for this past week!

1. C and I had three parties on Saturday. So needless to say we had a very busy and fulfilling day, getting to see family and friends all day long. We started out at a graduation party for his 2nd cousin, and it was great to see his extended family again (we just saw a lot of them at the wedding shower) and visit with them, even if only for a brief period of time. Then we hustled over to a friend's combined 5th anniversary/30th birthday party and also their son's first birthday! We missed the cake smash {oh man!} but got to visit with all of our college friends, including some out of state. It was great to catch up and [hopefully] make some plans for a UP vacation next summer! Lastly, it was C's best friend and his fiancee's combined birthday/engagement party. C is the best man in there wedding, which is in August of 2015. It was great to see them, eat some delicious fruit loop cake and meet back up with some of my friends from out of town at a local bar in EL. We ended the night with some Panchero's, as you do in EL. Perfection.

2. Unfortunately, I was unable to get my crap together on Sunday to do anything productive. But sometimes, that's a high five anyway.

3. My brother is going through a reading phase right now and he ran out of books to read. Well, twist my arm and make me take him to the library. We spent a good hour at the library, where he found two books to read and I found 4 to add to my pile of 11. It's a problem and I'm okay with it.

4. A group of 4 of us bought tickets to an Andrew McMahon concert in Chicago on Halloween. I'm SO excited to go and see him with C {for like the 5th time} and also with S & R who are big fans as well. So a long weekend in the city, yes please!

5. The weather on Wednesday was nearly fall-like. It was 70 degrees out around 7 pm, C and I decided to go for a walk. It was absolutely perfect, now I can't wait for fall -- tailgates, spiced pumpkin lattes, football games and hoodies. 

I was super bad about taking photos of the things I did this week, and for that I apologize. Have a great weekend, and see you Monday!

Pure Michigan Travel | Short's Brewing Company

When you're in northern (western) Michigan and it's a dreary day on the lake, cold...drizzling...not much to do, I suggest you take a jaunt to Bellaire, Michigan and visit Short's Brewing Company.

I had never been before, but I am a huge lover of Short's Soft Parade [Yum]. Short's is owned by Joe and Leah Short, who are still very much involved in the continually growing beer brand. If you're interested in the story of Short's, and how they came to fruition, read it here!

Now we visited the Pub, not the production facility. The place was jam packed, but we managed to snag some bus bench seats at the front of the place near the big windows over looking the quaint streets of Bellaire. 

We each ordered a flight, you pick 5 beers, you get little sample tastes of each of the 5 beers you selected for $10. It's a deal. My choices were:

- It's About Thyme

I liked the idea of this beer, but...it was definitely a very herby taste and much darker than my usual preference. It had a very strong aftertaste, and I couldn't even finish my sample. *hangs head in shame*

- Yosemite Scooter

This beer has a very distinct scent, which is not pleasant. But it tastes delicious. It was fruity, with zesty orange and mango aromas. 

- Soft Parade

This is one of my all time favorite beers. It has puree of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and it is very fruity but not super sweet. This beer was created to appeal to wine drinkers!

- Agave Peach Wheat

In case you haven't noticed, I like fruity beers. So with the word peach in it, I was intrigued. This beer definitely has an earthy tone to it, and I didn't love it. It was a bit too earthy and heavy for my liking, not enough peach goodness.

- Cerveza de Julie

This is a summery type beach beer to me, kind of like a bud light lime or corona's...but fancier and crisper. It is brewed with real lime, and has a great tartness to it. I really enjoyed this beer. 

I love Short's even more now, and will continue to support their growth within Michigan! Pure Michigan baby!

Beauty | What's in my purse?

So, I know the readers of this blog are DYING to know what crap I carry in my purse, am I right? So the purse is one from Target, with a crossbody strap cause I like to be hands free! You can find a similar one here.

The most important thing in my purse, is obviously my wallet.

This is another Target purchase, you can find a similar one here. It has a magnetic clasp, and plenty of room inside of it for all my money (haha yeah right) and all my cards and other necessities. 

1. This is a reusable shopping bag I keep in my purse for those random purchases. It rolls up into a tiny little pouch that fits right inside the zippered spot inside my bag. 

2. A groupon for new glasses. No, I don't have the groupon app on my phone yet. So old school still.

3. A prescription for an antibiotic for a crazy bug bite I recently got, probably will not be filling it.

4. This mini zipper pouch is from Thirty one, and houses all of the misc. things in my purse, like the lotions, lip glosses, pens, etc. It keeps the mess contained and in theory allows me to find things easier.

5. This a Michigan State coin purse, that I can't find it on the internet. It was a gift, so I don't even know where it was from. It obviously houses my coins. 

This is the first round of things I keep in the zipper pouch:

6. Soap & Glory Hand Food Mini for the dry hands that always suddenly bother me when I'm in public. I like having this in my purse because its small, and it doesn't have a super strong scent so using it in public shouldn't bother others.

7. Mini hand sanitizer is a must, you can find a similar here. I always use hand sanitizer after pumping gas into my car or any other situation where my hands touch grossness. 

8. Another travel size body lotion, similar here. This is one that has a stronger scent, so I more use it when I'm alone. I don't like to overwhelm strangers with strong scents.

9. I mainly use this Supergoop SPF on my face. It's not too heavy and it has worked well for me so far this summer. 

10. I got this suncreen stick at Walgreens, I enjoy using this when I am going to be in the sun and I wasn't planning on it so I didn't bring any of my legit spray on sunscreen. This is kind of weird because it's in a stick and it doesn't rub in super easily, but it's small and easy to store in my purse.

11. This is yet another travel sized sunscreen, you can find a similar one here. I get sunburned super easy, so I guess that's a reason why I have 3 types of sunscreen in my purse? This is just another one I keep on hand in case I end up in the sun unplanned. It does happen, you know you're driving along and decide to stop at a park or eat some ice cream outside. It's summer man, live a little.

12. This is Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue in Soothing Sorbet, and it has like almost a medicinal, minty tingle to it that I enjoy. When my lips are dry but I would like a little bit of color added to them, this is the balm I throw on.

13. Now Blistex Silk & Shine has an SPF of 15, so I usually put this on when I am going to be in the sun. Plus it glides on super easy and is very hydrating.

13. This Alima Pure Lip Balm in Rhubarb is actually leftover from when I went out somewhere and I threw it in my purse to touch up. It's a nice darker pink color (almost a cinnamon) that is very hydrating and nourishing, and not normally one I keep in my bag at all times.

 14. This Vaseline Lip Therapy Advanced is a must in the winter around here. This stuff I layer on real nice and it soaks right into my chapped lips. I usually apply this when I notice that I am picking (ew) at my chapped lips and they need some serious soothing action, stat.

16. The little green thing is a mirror, that I have literally never used except to hand over to my nieces so they could sing to themselves in it on a long car ride. I suppose it's just nice to have the option of a mirror, but with smart phones now, you can just use the camera to check your face or hair or whatever. It was free. And obviously pens. To write things.

17. I keep these sunglasses, similar here, in my purse because they have a nice case. I got these for free at my eye doctor for spending 400 million dollars on contact lenses. I love these sunglasses, I love the color, the shape, the fit and the case.


So these are things that are currently living in my purse. It's a lot and I'm not even sure I need 3 types of sunscreen and 4 types of chapstick, but oh well. What are some essentials you keep in your bag?

Weekly Wrap-Up | Photo A Day

Here is the weekly wrap-up from 7/14-7/20!

7/14 Old School: The neighbors up north had an old 90s style jet-ski with the splatter pattern in bright neon colors. What is more old school than that?!

7/15 Torn: It was too cold and rainy to swim, so we went to Short's Brewing Company in Bellaire, Michigan. I was torn between these 2 shirts for C, but ended up getting a completely different one anyway. Go figure.

7/16 Listening To...: I was sitting at the end of the dock, listening to the water move and the birds chirping. It was idyllic and precious.

7/17 Sunshine: This is a precious picture of my oldest niece, E. The sun flare is great, and I love that she took it herself

7/18 Admire: I got new glasses. I was admiring them in this awkward selfie I took. Can't wait for them to come in!

7/19 Curly: it was late at night and I never took my picture...we were at a bar with someone who had curly hair, so I sneakily (not really) took this picture, taking care to just attempt to capture the curls. Not my best, but I got it done. #weaksauce

7/20 Moment: I was about to have a great moment where I read a book and munched on some caramel corn. Perfection.

High Five for Friday | link-up

Welcome again to another Friday! I actually did some things this week...\what?!  If you are interested in what they are...continue reading!

1. C and I stopped to get a Vernor's Slurpee, because he had been raving about them and I had not had one yet. He ran into get one, and came back with a mustache straw (yes, it did cost extra). It made the drink just that much more fun. 

2. I ate a delicious Margherita pizza on Sunday night. It was absolutely delicious and while I could only eat a quarter of it, I don't regret it (it was good as leftovers for Monday's lunch as well, win!).

3. Went up to boyne city and the first two days there were absolutely beautiful. We went swimming and hung out on the dock, it was great.

4. We went on a kayaking adventure! It was a tiny bit treacherous, but after a bit I got the hang of it. Although, I do seem to have gotten two rather large bug bits, that may possibly be tick bites according to the PA I saw...it's too soon to tell apparently if it's Lyme Disease, but he gave me an antibiotic anyway since they are HUGE and continuing to grow...this is a low five, for sure.

5. On a dreary up north day, what else to do but get a flight of beer at Short's Brewing Company (blog post next week!) and buy a 3 lb bag of taffy! Sooooo perfect.

Honorable mention -- TACO TRUCK. need I say more?!  

Have a great week and see you back here on Monday for the Weekly Wrap-Up!!

Pure Michigan Travel | Boyne City

So, my best friend (who shall now be known as A), her family has a lake house on Lake Charlevoix up in Boyne City, Michigan. She, knowing that I am kind of lame, invited me to spend a few days up there with her. Now, I have been up there before...but it was early summers. Up North in Michigan doesn't really hit it's stride until around the 4th of July -- so I was excited to get up there in the peak of summertime.

Now, growing up I was a strictly Lake Huron girl. We had a lake house in Oscoda, and even now my grandma stays up in Tawas every summer and I go up there frequently with her (a blog post for a different day). So, once I started to traveling to the west side of the state I was quite surprised by the amount of tourists. But, it is beautiful and I enjoy going over there but Lake Huron and the east side of the state will always have my heart.

Disclaimer over. Boyne City. Some background. It's a town of about 3751 residents (according to the 2012 census). Boyne City sits on Lake Charlevoix, where the Boyne River enters the lake. Boyne City is a great destination for both winter and summer, because they also have Boyne Mountain Resort for skiing and other winter activities. 

We got up there in the late afternoon and immediately changed into our suits and dived in (and by dived in, I mean wade in super slowly for 20 minutes and then dive in). We swam, then we hung out on the deck and then we got dressed for dinner. We ate at Barrel Back Restaurant on nearby Walloon Lake, the sun was just going down and there was a great breeze coming off the lake -- it was great.

The next day we decided to kayak the Boyne River up and into Lake Charlevoix and then back to the house. I have no clue how many miles it was but it only took about 90 minutes. 

It was a kayak adventure that had some obstacles. I got tangled up in one tree, but I got out of that mess scratch free. Once I got a handle on the whole steering around the downed trees/shallow spots and logs -- it was a great trip! 

The current was pretty swift in the river, so you didn't have to paddle too much except for steering. But once we entered the lake, through a rather scary tunnel, it was rough.

You enter into the harbor and it was super choppy. We were bouncing all over the place and having to really work those arm muscles. A has kayaked this route many times and said this was the first time it had ever been that choppy or difficult. Once we got into the open lake, it was smooth and clear kayaking back to the house. 

Naturally, lots of swimming took place after and we got ice cream from Kilwins that night. Key lime pie ice cream is my jam, so good!

The next day was a dreary one, but there is still tons to do. We went shopping, had some beer/wine tastings and went fishing.

It was great to get up north and relax. I love the peace and quiet, along with the slow and relaxed pace of life up there. You can also eat lots of taffy.

July 2014 Birchbox Review

Welcome back to another Birchbox review! If you are interested in joining Birchbox, visit this link. These posts are my favorite to write, and I hope you enjoy reading them. There are some good products that I am excited to try this month, so let's get to it.

1. Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Booster Serum full size $75

This product is apparently supposed to use fruit stem cells to improve elasticity and enhance skin tone. You're supposed to apply this product before moisturizer, twice a day. But let's be real for a minute, I doubt that the sample will be enough to tell if my face elasticity improves and I'm sure as heck not going to spend $75 to spread fruit stem cells all over my face. I like the idea of Juice Beauty, because it's all organic and very natural, but the prices can be a bit more than I want to spend and some of the products smell funky. But I will use the sample, and it smells like fruit pebbles...so that's good. Now if only I wanted to spend $75 on a full size...

2. Harvey Prince Hello Body Creme full size $22

This lotion (oh excuse me, body creme) is infused with sicilian lemon, spanish mandarin botanicals and shea butter. So it smells very citrusy and is super hydrating. The smell is not overpowering, but I like fruit scents. The lotion comes out orange, which was scary to me at first, but it blends right in and soaks right into the skin. It doesn't leave any of the sticky or shiny aftermath that I dislike in a lotion, er body creme. The sample size is perfect to throw into my travel bag for Up North or keep in my purse.

3. 100% Pure Gingerade Shower Gel full size $15

Once again, the silly little packets of doom! This product is apparently 100% natural and is a foaming cleanser with aloe to hydrate and green tea to nourish the skin. I'm not sure what it smells likes, but the words honey cream are on the packet, along with gingerade...so it sounds promising.

Update: OMGreat smelling products. This smells SO good. Good enough, I am considering purchasing it.

4. RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer - Ambrosia full size $10

This nail polish is a gorgeous metallic lavender, that is apparently exclusive to Birchbox. I enjoy the RUFFIAN brand but I only own the samples I have received in my Birchboxes, but I love them all; the colors, the wear, the application, etc. I can't wait to use it!

5. RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer Remover Towelette set of 10, $12

I always like idea of these towelettes, but I usually need more than one to take the polish off all my fingers and all my toes. I will definitely use the one in my travel bag, but beyond that I don't really see the use in them for myself.

6. Ofra Universal Eyebrow Pencil full size $13

I don't use eyebrow pencils, so this will be an interesting one. I think I may give it a shot, but this color is actually a bit too dark for me. It's a pretty dark brown color, and my eyebrows are more of a light brown. Either way, I will give it whirl. When I swatched it on my hand it seemed to glide on very smoothly and is even a little bit buttery, I would say. Maybe this will convert me, who knows?!

**I have tried it since I wrote this, and it is a little bit too dark for my brows. But, I enjoyed filling it some of the lighter areas and blending it together -- I will have to keep practicing!

Monumentour 2014

C and I enjoy going to concerts -- in our several years together we have attended many many concerts. We went to Vans Warped Tour many years ago in San Antonio, Texas and we were on our way to go see Paramore (one of my very favorite bands) -- This is way back before they had any songs on the radio, but it started to POUR rain, and my sunburn started to blister, so C made the smart decision that we should depart. Paramore was the only band left that we wanted to see (I think), and we figured we would get our chance later.

Cue, 6 years later and it finally happened. Not going to lie, I thought we had lost our chance there for awhile when things were shaky with the band. But, with the Monumentour, our wait was over. I was ecstatic to find out that they were even touring with my all time favorite band Fall out Boy, whom I have seen at least 6 times. It seemed like destiny. -- even after we got our tickets for a great deal on Groupon, it just all was aligning so perfectly.

The morning of the show it was POURING rain, and I was nervous but determined. I told C that no matter what I was going to the show, and he assured me that he had a poncho so we were prepared. By the time we got to the venue, which was DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan (read my review of the venue here), the weather was gorgeous. It was kind of windy, but super sunny and big fluffy clouds.

The show was excellent, read The Oakland Press' review of the show for more specifics, if you desire. After the openers, New Politics, from Denmark -- Paramore came out!

This is the only picture I grabbed, lead singer Hayley Williams had bright blue hair and she was so energetic! At first, I wasn't really impressed by her live singing but once she stopped jumping around kicking the air, her voice could really shine through. She gave lots of love to "Detroit" (even though we were Clarkston) and of course, the crowd loved it. They played their major radio hits, and at least one song from their first album. I could listen to the first album all day, so I wished they had sang some more, but I realize I was in the minority there.

After Paramore, out came Fall out Boy! I got zero good pictures, and it looks the stage is on fire.

They played some old songs that I never heard them play before, in the 6 times previously. But of course they played all their radio hits, which the crowd loved. At one point, bassist Pete Wentz asked for them to turn down the house lights and asked the crowd to light up the theatre with their cell phones. This is my obligatory crappy photo of it.

It was actually really cool, and I had to reminisce about how people used to have to actually use the screens on their cell phones because they didn't have flashlights on their cell phones. If I'm going to go real old school, remember when they had to actually use lighters? Oh the days.

I am so glad we were finally able to see Paramore and I am glad I got to spend a beautiful summer night at a concert. What group have you been wanting to see and it never seems to work out? Or does this only happen to me?

Weekly Wrap-Up | Photo A Day

Another week of the Photo A Day by Fat Mum Slim has come and gone, how crazy. I am doing pretty good keeping up with it, but once again, it's difficult due to my often random internet connection. At the end of July we are moving back to Lansing, so our internet will more consistent and I am really looking forward to that.

So onto the weekly wrap-up from 7/7-7/13!

7/7 First: I had my CPR/First Aid re-certification test the next day, and this was the first time I had looked at the study guide provided for me back in April. (I passed both with 100% by the way)

7/8 I've never...: I snapped this picture of a menu at a restaurant I had never been to before, Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen. It was good, but the best part about it is that it's located in an old church!

7/9 Alive: This is a pretty obvious one. This is my parents cat, Porkchop. Porkchop is the best, because she is rather mouthy and sassy as displayed in her snotty laying on the stairs. She is alive, and adorable, so I took a picture of her.

7/10 Sharp: I wanted to get creative with this one, and not take a picture of a knife or something sharp object. In a moment of inspiration, I snapped this shot of the keys on the baby grand piano. The black keys are sharps, in case you didn't know. I am actually pretty proud of myself for thinking outside the box!

7/11 Gold: I have no gold medals and no interesting gold jewelry...but I do have gold nail polish. And here it is.

7/12 Interior: This is a photo of the inside of my makeup bag, it's chaotic and half full but it is lovely. (Bag is from Thirty One)

7/13 Look up: this is looking up from the center of the table in the breakfast nook, up to the light fixture. It does look a little awkward and futuristic, but I love that about it!

High Five for Friday | link-up

Happy Friday friends! In case you haven't noticed, I added some follow buttons on the main page so now you can follow me on instagram, pinterest and bloglovin'! I am on twitter as well, just having a few issues with the button. Anyway, here is my H54F!


1. My 4th of July was very relaxed. Hung out by a bonfire, ate some s'mores, lit some sparklers and watched my dad and brother throw firecrackers and whip-its. It was delightful.

2. One morning when I was getting ready to leave, I went to load my dogs into their kennels--'lo and behold they were ready to go without any encouragement on my part. They are both pretty old now, but the expectant looks on their faces cracked me up. I think they just wanted me to leave so they could sleep all day undisturbed. What a life.

3.  Tuesday, we had a concert in Clarkston, Mi and beforehand we needed to eat, obviously. We stopped at Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen, which is housed in an old church. It was  a neat atmosphere and the food was decent as well!

4. After gorging ourselves, we ventured down the road to DTE Energy Music Theatre for an outdoor concert (blog post is linked). It was a great night to lay back and listen to music.

5. It has been a pretty chill week since the concert. I have been just lounging around, reading and doing some transcription work for C. It has been very cool, but sunny so it has been perfection weather-wise.

How has your week been? Linking up to The Lauren Elizabeth, and let me know if you popped over from there! Welcome!

See you Monday for the Photo A Day weekly wrap-up!

Pure Michigan Travel | DTE Energy Music Theatre

 So, many months ago my fiancé  bought tickets off of Groupon for the Monumentour, with Fall Out Boy and Paramore. I have seen Fall Out Boy at least 6 times, and have not seen Paramore so I was stoked when he told me he purchased them. 

I asked the basic questions- when, where, etc. When he told me that they were playing at DTE Energy Music Theatre in July, I was even more excited! DTE is an outdoor amphitheater in Clarkston, Mi.

 
The theater is a decent size, the pavilion seats about 7200 and the lawn seats about 8000. We had lawn tickets, and we just brought a blanket and laid back to enjoy a beautiful night of live music.

DTE launches each concert season over Memorial Day weekend with Eddie Money (who I have actually seen in concert!) and ends the season in late September/October. They have recently done a bunch of upgrades -- including new signage, new audio system and more food and drink selections.

We were there on a gorgeous and cool July night. It had rained super hard in the morning, but by concert time it was clear skies.

The lawn was packed, it was amazing. I enjoy sitting on the lawn cause you have more room to spread out, move around, etc. I am so thankful it was not a hot night, I actually had to put on a sweatshirt once the sun went down--which is the perfect summer night, in my opinion. It was an absolutely fantastic experience! Plus, I went to the bathroom twice and never had to wait more than 5 minutes - priorities, am I right?

I plan on writing a post about the concert itself - it should be live next week! How do you guys feel about outdoor concerts? 

Moisturizer Madness

I was looking through my skincare stuff the other day and I realized I have quite a few moisturizers. I am always on the search for my "perfect" moisturizer, and I have yet to find one that covers all the different ways that my skin is irritating. But I have found 5 that I love and that I use based on however my face is feeling that particular day.

 

1.  Paula's Choice RESIST Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol

I received this in my June Birchbox and have been using it nearly every single night since. The sample size has lasted me quite a long time, but a full size will run you about $27. I enjoy using the moisturizer at night because it does leave my skin looking a little oily and shiny. This moisturizer is one I use when my skin is very irritated and breaking out because it definitely helps soothe and heal that mess. It smells like nothing, which is a nice change. I am not sure if I will purchase a full size, but I do really enjoy it so some Birchbox points may be getting cashed in for this one. It also has a pump dispenser, which I LOVE. I am a fan of the pump. yup. went there.

2.  Boots Expert Anti-Redness Serum

Let's get personal for a moment. I have these two red spots that appear on my chin, right under my lips. They do not hurt, they do not itch but they are unsightly. They can be a little flaky, like dry skin, so I have tried different types of moisturizers on those spots and nothing has worked. Until this. I bought this on a whim at Target in Jacksonville, Florida for $7.99 and IT WORKS. I apply it only to those gross spots, and moisturize the rest of my face as normal. The red spots have diminished and I hope they stay away. This also has the beautiful pump dispenser. I have used it every single day for almost a month now and I still have TONS left. It's definitely great bang for your buck!

3.  up & up Dual-Treatment Moisturizer

Another pump dispenser for the win! This is the Target brand moisturizer so it costs like $4 and I had a coupon for it...so I bought it. It smells kind of like sunscreen, which is both delightful and annoying. There really is nothing super special about this moisturizer, it makes my skin soft and not oily and it is a great everyday moisturizer. I use this one in the morning after I wash my face, let it soak in before I apply my makeup, or just rub it in and go!

4. The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion

This is my holy grail of moisturizers, especially when my skin is going crazy. I will apply this after washing my face at night and in the morning -- boom! Magic! This product costs about $19, but The Body Shop has coupons or BOGOs all. the. time. Now, to be honest, the tea tree smell can be a bit much. I enjoy it in the lotion, but in the facial cleanser -- it is not a pleasant scent. That is the only kind of bad thing I have to say about this moisturizer. PLUS, pump dispenser! yes!

5. Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream 

I bought this like 3 months ago, when my skin was in great shape and I wanted to try something new and gel-like. I got this for about $8 at Wal-Mart and absolutely adored it for like a week, and then my skin broke out (unrelated to the moisturizer) and I had to bust out the big guns. I have fallen back in love with it again, and it smells SO GOOD. Kind of like grapefruits and summer and puppies (not really puppies). I feel like gel-cream formulas absorb super fast and I love that, especially in the summer. This is the ONLY moisturizer featured that is in a jar, and it is a glass jar, and it makes me feel fancy.

So those are my top moisturizers of the moment, what are you guys using right now?