Birthday Haulin'

Helllooooo everyone!! I'm home from ALASAAAAKA. :) I gave myself a few days before I came back to blogging because I was seriously so exhausted. I wanted to blog so badly while I was on vacation, but I did not have any wi fi like at all. Awful. But I'm home and there will be more posts about the trip to follow in the coming days, I can promise you that. I wanted to get back into blogging by sharing what I got for my birthday after receiving a question in my ask box on tumblr about it.

I'm absolutely in love with my delicate Tiffany Elsa Peretti Color By the Yard Necklace with the small pink sapphire stone from my mom. It's so very me. I also adore the Tiffany Twist Bow Ring that is a perfect match to my Twist Bow Pendant that is my staple. Well done, Fancy Pants. 

If you've read my blog, you know I've been lusting after an iPad. I received mine with the MARC by Marc Jacobs "Dreamy" case from my Godmother. My grandpa bought me a new camera after a lot of debate as to which one, I decided on the Nikon Coolpix S6200 16 Megapixel in Red. It's an amazing camera and you'll see how crisp these pictures are in my future posts especially the ones from the trip. (10x zoom makes capturing bald eagles so easy!) With birthday money from Fancy Pants' family, I finally gave in to buying Nike running shoes: Nike Free Run+3 in Magenta/Silver. I'm obsessed. They're so light and comfy. 

Makeup. Beauty Products. Skin care. Easiest gifts for me ever. haha. My mom and brother both got me OPI polishes. My mom got me the New York City Ballet OPI Minis and let me tell you these colors are so soft and beautiful. I wore Care to Danse? every day of my vacation and received so many compliments. Grimsby, my brother, (no his name isn't Grimsby for real haha) got me OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls from the Spiderman collection because he knew I was dying for opaque white nail polish! I also received MAC Hey Sailor! Highlight Powder in Crew which is seriously perfect. It's a great pinky summer highlighter which unfortunately is sold out on MAC's website, but if you're looking for it check your local counter or store! The last three beauty products were Sephora must haves in my eyes: NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder, Urban Decay De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray, and a Clarisonic Acne Replacement Brush Head.

I'm very grateful for all of the wonderfully thoughtful gifts I received for my 21st birthday. It's been a wonderful past few weeks and I can't say enough good things about the events and time spent with great people. You'll see tomorrow about all the great time spent for my birthday and in Seattle. 

xx - Dan

Baby Haul from Target and Sephora

Yesterday I took a quick jaunt to Target and to Sephora to pick up some travel-y type products. I had a gift card to Target and surprisingly I had enough money to buy the three things I had on my list (and only those items!):

• E.L.F. Essentials Custom Compact w/Mirror- I love love love this $1 fillable eyeshadow quad from ELF. It's the perfect alternative to the MAC empty quad because MAC eyeshadows fit perfectly. I don't want to take my whole MAC palette on vacation, so I'm using this to take my 4 shadows. 
• up & up Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes- I found this 10 pack in the travel sized aisle of Target to use to take off my makeup before I repurchase my MAC Cleanse Off Oil. 
• Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner- I've seen some commercials for this line lately and was curious since my scalp tends to get damaged during the hotter months and they're travel sized for the trip!

I've had my eye on one skin care line for the past few months, so I finally gave in and purchased a 7 piece starter travel set. 

• Ole Henriksen Seven Skincare Sensations- I've heard rave reviews about Ole Henriksen and was excited to pick up this set of half sizes of some of his most popular products. This line addresses hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, acne, dull skin, and large pores. It's a great value too at only $55 for $115 worth of products. You'll be seeing a review soon. 

I hope you enjoyed this mini haul of mine.

xx - Dan

Lush Haul

If you follow me on twitter or tumblr, you're well aware of my obsession with LUSH. I'm a definite Lushie. I discovered LUSH through the Youtube beauty community. If you've never heard of LUSH, it's a fresh and handmade bath/beauty product store. They're all natural, non animal testing cosmetic products that are to die for. They vary from skin care, bath products, shower products, hair care, perfumes, and various other body goodies. If you've never been, you will be overwhelmed by the amount and variety that they carry, so I definitely recommend doing some research on their website or watching youtube video reviews.

The closest LUSH store to me was about 40 minutes away and with gas prices, I really can't afford the drive all the time. I was so super excited to have one open about 10 minutes from my house at the mall where I work! Great for me, bad for my wallet. I decided to splurge a little bit on a few more goodies than I usually get to celebrate the opening of the new store (or just because). haha

Butterball Bath Bomb- This is a super hydrating bath bomb for dry skin. It has pieces of cocoa butter and smells like heaven. It's a must try!

Honey I Washed the Kids Soap- This is one of Lush's best selling soaps and scents in general. It's a lovely honey and toffee scented deliciousness. The scent lingers and the moisturized feeling lasts all day. My skin feel so super soft after. 

R&B Hair Treatment- This is one of my favorite hair products, literally of all time. It's magical. I use it on my ends multiple times a day and it's so moisturizing and tames my frizz/flyaways. It smells like a bunch of bay leaves which constantly makes people ask why my hair smells so good.

Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb- This makes me loooove baths all over again. (Okay, I never stopped loving them.) It's a citrus, lemony, fruity magical scent. It's also a super fizzy, crackly fun bath bomb that changes colors within layers leaving your water orange and glittery! So much fun. 

No Drought Dry Shampoo- I'm notorious for going 2 or 3 days at least without washing my hair and always use baby powder as a quick fix to absorb oil from my scalp. Blair (Juicystar07) recommended this new powder dry shampoo because it works wonders without the white residue! Beware it's not only a little pricey, but it's definitely a stronger lemony type scent. A positive - it will last a long time because a little goes a long way! 

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask- I talked about this in my Friday Favorites and I picked up another pot because the shelf life is only 3 weeks. I'm happy to say I'm still in love. (No link to the product because it can only be purchased in stores because it needs to be refrigerated!)

It's Raining Men Shower Gel- This is the shower gel version of Honey I Washed the Kids, so it smells just as fabulous!! A little bit of this shower gel goes a long long way, so for me the travel size is enough for awhile!

I'm glad I was able to share my LUSH goodies from my latest trip! Look out for a full post on my favorite LUSH must haves!! Leave me recommendations on your favorites in the comments too!

xx - Dan

Doll House Room Decor: Furniture Haulin'

We got the keys today!! We officially have a new house. We're moving in on Saturday and slowly, but surely all of the pieces of furniture for my room are coming together. I'm very excited. Here is a very small picture of my new doll house sized room.

I'm excited to share how I put everything together on a budget in a super small space! (10x10 anyone!?) The first post in this series of Doll House Room Decor will be this one and it's a furniture haul of sorts. I'm going to share the pieces that make up the foundation of my room. I was very limited space wise, but I found these to be my essentials to create a great place for me. I'm also including my bedding which I feel to also be a basic piece of my room.

(Glass Accent Table, Target)

(Blanc de Blanc Headboard, Target)

(Puckering Comforter Set, Target)

(Versailles 3 Drawer Mirrored Chest, JC Penney)

(Brushed Chrome Garment Rack, The Container Store)

(Billy Bookcase in White, Ikea)

(Solsta Olarp Chair, Ikea)

As you can see, the mirrored and white theme is very prominent. I definitely was going for a very clean and romantic feel for the room. Also, there is no bed included in the above list because I'm keeping the same frame I currently have and just trading out the headboard for the new one from Target. The chest is definitely considerably smaller than what I'd like, but it will be used mainly for extra storage since I do have a walk in closet now.

I'm excited to put everything in there and see how my vision comes together. I definitely will be posting more on my blog about other aspects of my life, when there are other aspects haha. I've been seriously consumed by the new house, so once we're settled expect some other types of posts.

xo - danielle

Old Navy Haul

There's something about shopping for Spring that is so exciting. Don't get me wrong I love the layers and coziness of winter, but by January I definitely miss florals and bright colors. I was really excited to see how much Old Navy had that was brand new and right on trend for Spring 2012. I definitely tried to limit myself to pieces that I knew would get a lot of use in the coming season. I also abide by the CPW rule. What's CPW, you ask? Cost Per Wear. You take the price and divide it by the number of times you think you'll wear it before the season changes. It helps me decide whether that $50 dress is worth it or if the clearance $7 oversized blouse is unnecessary because it won't get enough wear.

Women's Chambray Shirt in Dark Chambray

Striped French Terry Shift Dress in Caspian Sea Blue

Charmeuse 3/4 Tab Sleeve Top in Bali

Women's Boyfriend Jeans in Bright White

Jersey Stretch Tanks in Dumpling and Black Jack

xx - Dan