Weekend

We started off our weekend with a date night on Friday. Most Fridays and even Saturdays end up being date nights. We also have a date night each Wednesday. I guess that's what happens when you're a young, married couple without kids. I wouldn't have it any other way. I want Avril Lavigne's "Here's to Never Growing Up" to be my theme song...

Us as we were heading out to Johnny Brusco's on Friday. Speaking of which, Johnny Brusco's has amazing pizza. We had heard good things about it, but it was so delicious. We had a Chicken Ranch pizza that I'm still thinking about. I'm looking forward to our next trip there...

I've been wearing my hair like it is in the above picture about 99% of the time (probably more like 100% of the time). It's so, so easy. It keeps me much cooler than if it were down and I don't have to use any heat products on it!

This is my dog on Saturday morning. He's in our bed with his head propped on Ty's pillow. Have you ever seen anything so spoiled rotten? He thinks he is a person and he also thinks he is the leader of the pack. I like to think that Ty, myself and Mo are a pack (in Mo's eyes we really are).

Saturday I spent the day with one of my best friends, Haeli. I drove to Harrison to see her Saturday morning and we had the best time. I don't think we ever stopped talking for the 7ish hours we were together. There's nothing like a best friend!

Sunday morning we visited a church that we really liked and then had lunch at our favorite Mexican spot. I know us eating Mexican food is a real shock to anyone who knows us well. We basically eat, breath and sleep Mexican food. It's getting a little ridiculous.

After lunch I did a little shopping at Bath and Body Works and picked up some new K-cups for our Keurig.  We got a Keurig as a wedding present but it ran its course and gave out. I used a regular coffee pot for about a year and just recently purchased a new Keurig. How did I live without one? Seriously?

I love this stuff. I picked up body wash and body creme in this scent too. It smells like summer and I love it. The Beach Bronze Leg Shine gives you a tiny bit of color plus a gorgeous shimmer. 

Blueberry coffee? Yes, please!!

Tonight we saw Monster's University and it was so, so cute! We both love movies like that and really enjoyed it. After the movie we relaxed on the screened in porch in this beautiful weather until the sun went down. Ty and I hung our new guest bathroom mirror after coming inside... I'm in love. Our old mirror broke this past week and we found the perfect mirror for our guest bath. It's rustic and it's not what you'd expect to find in there... that's why I love it.

That sums up our weekend. It was fun, productive and relaxing. Now just two work days for Ty and then we are off to spend the 4th with my family!

love, the Blair Abode

My Summer Face

Am I the only one who gets sick of my daily make-up routine in the summer? It’s hot and feels like soup outside..the last thing I want to do is put on drab make-up. In the summer I always want a luminous, bright, colorful face. I also want easy because let’s be real… make-up just doesn't hold up as good when it’s hotter than blazes outside!

I typically change my make-up routine several times a month. I don’t necessarily buy new products, I just switch out and change up products I have (I’m a total product junkie… am I the only one who buys new products before my current ones ever run out? No? Yes?).

I’m currently loving some of the products I’m using at the moment. I always start with my Mary-Kay freshen spray… love this stuff!

It’s essentially a toner. I've heard mixed thoughts on toners, but I like mine so I use it.

I wash my face at night with this stuff and I LOVE it! It may be my favorite cleanser ever. It takes all of your make up off and leaves my face feeling squeaky clean. I’ve heard one of the best things we can do for our face is to simply wash it at night with a good, quality cleanser. Get all of your make-up off before going to bed and apply a good moisturizer. 

After I use my toner, I rub an ice-cube all over my face to tighten everything. Call me crazy, but I read that in this month’s Cosmo and I’m on board with anything that could prevent wrinkles. Plus, during the summer…it’s a nice pick me up in the morning.

Now I’m ready to apply my SPF/Moisturizer. I stick to Aveeno for this. I am currently using this and love it. People, you need to be wearing SPF on your face every.single.day. No excuses..ever! Even in winter. The one I’m using now is SPF 70. I apply to my face, neck and back of my hands (for driving!).

Once my face is nice and fresh and complete with moisturizer, I am ready for my make-up. I always do my eye make-up first. It's just what works for me. I apply this first...It is my favorite eye primer.

Next I apply my gold Mary-Kay creme shadow. This is kind of like a primer too but it provides a nice gold base that looks pretty by itself or with other colors layered on top.

Now I'm ready for my shadow. I bought this palette from Sephora this spring. It is one of my favorite palettes that I own. I really like it for traveling too. It has great neutrals for everyday plus a few fun pops of blue that are really popular right now.

I really use every color in this compact and I do a mixture of different looks...everything from a barely there look to something much more noticeable. I highly recommend this!

After I get my eye shadow on, I apply concealer. I've been using this concealer for over a year and I really like it. It's easy to apply and I feel like for this stage in my life...it does the job. If you're looking for a really heavy coverage concealer...this may not be the one for you.

After concealer, I apply my eye-liner. I'm loving Bobbi Brown's gel eye-liner right now. It stays on ALL DAY and in this heat..that says a lot. It doesn't fall down under my eyes and it comes in the most gorgeous colors. I have the Espresso Ink color...it's a dark, dark brown. 

Now I curl my lashes (a must) and apply mascara. I've tried a bunch of different mascaras. I've tried everything from drugstore mascaras to YSL (I love YSL..always a favorite). Currently, I'm using Mary-Kay's new mascara and I have to say..It may be my favorite. It goes on super fast and I really, really like it.

When my eyes are all done, I apply my face stuff now. I use Mary-Kay's Luminous Foundation and mix it with a little bit of illuminating face make-up from Ulta. I prefer a "glowy" look (I'm tired of matte) and I have found these two products mixed together give me that glow. I just apply with my hands (don't underestimate how well your hands/fingers can apply make-up...even eye shadows).

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Next I apply my blush and bronzer and a brightening stick. Right now I'm using a Too Faced blush that reminds me of the famous Nars blush and Mary-Kay bronzer. This is the brightening stick I use... I use it on my cheek bones and I LOVE it.

The last thing I apply is my lip color. I always start with a good chapstick (I like the Yes To Carrots lip butter- get at Target or Ulta). Right now my three favorite lip colors are these...

Sephora's Glossy Lip Pencil in Pink... I can't find this online but I purchased it in store.

I love this gloss for summer. It's a special edition so grab it while you can!

My all-time favorite lip stick. I have this one in the #1 Nude Beige. It's the best nude ever!

So, there you have it. The longest post I've ever written in my life dedicated to my make-up routine! I use a lot of different products and an assortment of brands. I love, love trying new make up and I'd love to hear what you're favorites are! Have a happy weekend.

Our Favorite Guacamole

I can hardly call this recipe mine because I know you could find this same recipe somewhere out there as it is plain and simple.  I didn't refer to any recipe for this, I just started chopping things up and throwing them in the bowl. So, here's my version of the traditional guac that we all know and love. One of our favorite Mexican restaurant makes guac at the table and I used their ingredients as my inspiration.

(not the prettiest of pictures, I know)

(ingredients)

Our Favorite Guacamole

2 avocados, ripe

1/2 c. red onion, chopped

1/2 c. tomato, chopped

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1 lime (or more if you prefer)

1 jalapeno, chopped (if you want it spicy- we typically don't add jalapenos)

salt

1. Cut avocados in half and remove pits.  Scoop into bowl.

2. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the avocados.

3. Add red onion, tomato, cilantro and jalapeno (if desired) to avocados (we love to use a lot of tomato, onion and cilantro. we may use even more than 1/2 c. each but we do not measure. So, if you want more, add in more).

4. Sprinkle salt over mixture.

5. Using a spoon, mash ingredients together until desired consistency. We like ours more chunky so we just do a few good mashes/mixing and voila - amazing guacamole is served!

Serve with baked tostitos and you've got yourself a fairly healthy snack! We make guac at least once a week during the summer. It's perfect with this or this!

Have a happy Sunday!

Mexican Feast

Happy Saturday! It is stormy and gloomy outside this morning in NWA. I'm up pretty early enjoying coffee and watching the rain while Ty and Mozart sleep in. This past week was my first week of summer and it was glorious.  I really didn't do anything other than grocery shop, workout, run errands and enjoy our screened in porch. After the last crazy weeks of school... it felt so nice to just do nothing for a change. I'm thankful for this time of rest to decompose and begin getting ready for next year.

One of my favorite things to do is eat at restaurants. I think Ty and I could eat at a restaurant practically every night. I just love the atmosphere, delicious food and simplicity of it. However, we cannot eat at a restaurant every night of the week... So, our next favorite thing to do is master good Mexican food at home. I love searching the web for Mexican recipes that are lite and healthy.

Last night, we decided to stay-in and make tacos. This is the perfect meal when you're looking for something easy to serve with guests. We started the evening with a Skinny Margarita (my favorite drink) and you can find the recipe HERE... I swapped the sparkling lime out with sparkling grapefruit and I think I will try lime next time.

We made some of the best guacamole... After many attempts, I finally perfected guacamole. I could eat guacamole every.single.day. I'll be sharing the recipe soon...

You can find the Healthy Lite Chicken Taco recipe HERE. These were delicious and will definitely be made at our house all summer. They are yummy and fresh... We always use the Carb Smart Tortillas and they are only a fraction over 100 calories.

It was only Ty and I last night, but if you had guests over you could put all of the ingredients in cute bowls and make a taco bar. Stick the guac in a pretty bowl beside a basket of chips and even make a margarita station with different sparkling flavors to mix in. The skinny margaritas were okay, but I'm on the search for an even better recipe... I'll update when I find it!

I hope you all have a relaxing and happy weekend!