I've Got That Beach Fever!

Beach Fever by elbonner featuring a bikini swim wear

Since my street is covered in two inches of ice and it hasn't made it past 23 degrees Fahrenheit today, I've been dreaming about a tropical getaway! It would be nice to start planning now, but where to go? Last year was a whirlwind of travel shenanigans and I'm ready for a new adventure. My travel partner, on the other hand, had his fair share of running around airports/foreign places, Dramamine tablets, and generally having too many places to go,  so he has been, understandably so, exhausted from all the friggin traveling we did last year. I'm hoping maybe we could take a short relaxation vacation somewhere not too far away where we can just hang out on the beach, drink rum punches, and be lazy. You need that sometimes and I don't think a long, stressful series of flights and layovers to some faraway exotic place is what we need after last year. I've been looking a lot at the Bahamas; more specifically Great Exuma Island. It is relatively close by compared to some other tropical locales, has white sand beach, crystal clear water, and little swimming beach pigs. I KID YOU NOT. Now, everyone knows that if you're going to plan a vacation you also have to have a dream vacation outfit to go with it, which is what I have done above. Nothing is set in stone, or really even more than a glitter in ones eye, but hopefully my partner-in-crime and I will be able to get away somewhere beachy and quiet and do absolutely nothing!

PS- I have got to get a jelly bag at some point in my life

Dress- Surf Bazaar
Bikini- Mara Hoffman
Bag- Factorie
Shoes- Ancient Greek Sandals
Nail Polish- NARS
Lip Balm- Sun Bum
Bracelet- Pearl. Love. Jewelry
Perfume- Comptoir Sud Pacifique

Pretty Livin!: New Beauty Goodies

Pretty Livin! by elbonner featuring a straight iron

It's been super cold and unseasonably warm, all within the same week. It's wreaking havoc on my poor hair and skin! Luckily, I've come across some products that will do well spanning the seasons and are helping with my weather-related skin and hair problems. 

My mom was lovely enough to purchase me some hair products from Living Proof for Christmas. This line did themselves a huge favor by making Jennifer Aniston their spokes-model because really, who doesn't want her hair?! First of all, it smells A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I often find myself just grabbing the bottle and smelling it whenever I'm in the bathroom like I have some kind of huffing problem. It's a fresh, almost peppery smell that just smell luxurious and fancy! My mom got me the anti-frizz line which is good for my wild hair. I have three different hair textures on my head: wirey and thick on the bottom, normal midway up my head, and then super fine on the top. That and it's super dry! This formula moisturizes while keeping the frizzies away without making my hair greasy. I can easily go a day or two between washings which is only helped by the style extender spray I also got. Top that off with the Nourishing Styling Cream and you've got yourself a fabulous head of hair. I feel like this will work well in the summertime too to keep the humidity from making my hair frizzy and flat.

My skin has been super dry too and I've been trying to solve the problem by slathering my face with various oils. They have been doing the job, but I always wake up with oily bangs and have to douse my hair with dry shampoo. I recently came across this moisturizer by Nuxe that is super moisturizing, but very light and not greasy at all. The Creme Fraiche 24 Moisturizer does have a pretty strong floral scent. It's very jasminey which is actually pretty nice at night time, but if you're sensitive to fragrance, be aware!

The BB cream I was using was also too drying for my face, so I bit the bullet and purchased the Tarte Amazonian Clay Tinted Moisturizer that I've been putting off for years. It's very light, but keeps my skin moisturized. I got the wrong color, but it blends so nicely that I can usually fix it with some blending and bronzer. It's got an spf of 20 which is also a big selling point. This is a great wintertime tinted moisturizer that provides light to medium coverage.

I actually had a great first week back to work after the holidays. It went by pretty quickly, and I received a beautiful gift from a great company. They took an interest in my previous post and showed me just how great of a company they are. The girls over at Pearl. Love. Jewelry sent me this beautiful bracelet as a thank you for my write-up and I haven't taken it off since I got it!

A little piece of Tahiti I can have with me every day! I don't want to be braggy, but I was so blown away by their generosity that I wanted to tell everyone how wonderful they are!  Thank you, ladies; you've made 2014 start off in the greatest way possible! Hope you all have a good mid-January and stay warm y'all!

Pearlicious Tahiti!

Pearlicious by elbonner on Polyvore

No, this isn't a post about how great pears are (pears are the worst), it's a post about how great Tahitian pearls are! I am obsessed with these little guys and can't get enough of their dusky, iridescent loveliness. Grown in special pearl farms in the lagoons of French Polynesia, Tahitian pearls are very sought after and make the most beautiful jewelry. Black pearls are really my only expensive jewelry interest (screw your blood diamonds!) and they're the only thing I would maybe super splurge on if I had the chance. My favorite creator of Tahitian pearl jewelry would have to be Pearl. Love. Jewelry. Every featured above is from this little dynamo of a company and I find myself coveting everything on their site at least three times a week. I would die to own one of their multi-strand bracelets! If you are fortunate enough to get your hands on one of these pieces, watch out, I may burgle you. Just kidding (don't test me)! What's great about Pearl. Love. is the way in which the pearls are displayed. There aren't any gaudy jewels or weird settings/metalwork you'd find if he went to Jared to get your pearls. It's as if someone just pulled the oyster from the ocean, popped it open, strung the black pearl on a leather string, and gave it to you. I love the rawness and simplicity of it all! It's like someone made it especially for you on a rainy Sunday afternoon after a fabulous pearl hunting trip to Tahiti. Anywho, before I get too whimsical, check out Pearl.Love. Jewelry for a nice gift for a friend, family member or loves one. It would make the most schmooze-worthy Valentine's Day present ever, and it's not that far away, ladies and gentlemen! Hope you all had a good New Years and hello 2014!!

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