3rd Annual Best Friend Trip: The Fingerlakes, NY

It feels like it's been forever, friends!!!!! I am so happy as I write this post because I truly had so much fun the weekend of this trip. I have posted about the other two best friend trips Cristina and I have taken so I couldn't leave this one out :) There were an array of different places on the table to choose from for our trip this year but let's face it, the Finger Lake region was the perfect choice!

We stayed in the Watkins Glen area of Seneca Lake and it was absolutely phenomenal with the most breathtaking views. Here is a pictorial rundown of some of what we did, enjoy!

• We stayed at a quaint little bed and breakfast called Lake Valley Legends. It was located a block from the center of town and the house owners and other guests were so pleasant. I would definitely return there again. Above is a photo of our room. It was decorated with all authentic German trinkets from a trip the owners had taken :)

• Our first night we walked down to the little village by our bed and breakfast. We obviously chose to eat at the place that smelled the best from the sidewalk haha Nickels Pit BBQ, DELICIOUS! 

• Breakfast each morning at the house was scrumptious! Yogurt, fruit and granola parfaits, fresh OJ, apricot points and even a delicious Amish casserole the last day. Nothing like a home-cooked meal to start the day!

• Watkins Glen State Park was the main reason we chose this region of the finger lakes. This state park is constructed of beautiful gorges and so many stunning waterfalls! The hike up and down are approximately 2 hours with a nice place to grab a snack or in our case, guzzle down a bottle of water at the top. Come prepared with water and the earlier you get there the better, on weekends it gets packed!

• After  along hike, we needed some sustenance :) Garcia's Mexican Restaurant had recently opened so we took advantage and enjoyed every bit! (The hot salsa is the best! For someone who likes spicy things, I was pleasantly surprised with how awesomely picante the salsa was, guacamole was super fresh as well, win!) 

• Can't visit the finger lakes and not do a wine tasting at one of the dozens of wineries there! We chose Lakewood Vineyards for our tasting although there are a ton along the same road which many people follow the wine trail for. After one tasting, we were off to our next adventure, boy was the vineyard marvelous though.

• Funny moment: Cristina catches me running down the road, tripod in hand. The things we did for the perfect photo that day! hahahaha

• Taking the afternoon to explore the country side, no GPS or itinerary was such a wonderful idea. the rolling hills, rustic barns, farm animals and little stands like above are what made me really appreciate the entire trip. There are so many places here in the US that are so absolutely beautiful, nature is a beautiful thing. Above, we stopped roadside to get some homemade goats milk soaps--there were even real goats right behind the stand, talk about authentic! ha!

If you are in the metropolitan area and looking for a great weekend trip that will offer a ton in just two short days, consider the finger lakes region. There is something to do for everyone, I promise! We came with the idea that we would do some sort of activity on the lake but unfortunately I didn't take into consideration the weather difference, when we would wake up it was barely 50 degrees! It is definitely about 15 degrees colder on average there in the finger lakes region so be prepared for sweaters, even in August! Not pictured above is the trip we took to nearby Cayuga Lake where we attended the "Found in Ithaca" flea market which is a very well attended happening every Sunday. Antiquing was a ton of fun and I even picked up some vintage freshwater pearls from an antique booth for $5! What a steal! 

As Summer comes to an end, I wish you all a happy and healthy start to the Fall season,

xox

Laser Hair Removal: My First Experience, the Good the Bad and the Ugly!

It's been a while friends! I figured I would take this opportunity to post about a recent happening in my life, the introduction of laser hair removal. I decided, after seeing the wonderful results on my best friend, to venture into this as well. Who loves shaving, waxing or those smelly depilatory creams?.......::crickets:: Yep, that's what I thought! haha I have shaved or waxed my whole life and to be completely honest, its time consuming and exhausting to keep up with, especially if you have parents whose genes you have make you somewhat of a gorilla in the hair department......sighhh lol

Let's break down my first experience as that's all I've had so far:

The Good:

• I found an awesome deal online that allowed me to even be able to afford these sessions (6).
• The location of the spa I chose was super convenient.
• The spa was very clean and the staff were very professional and courteous, especially the laser technician who worked directly with me. 
• Each session of 15-20 minutes for the area I chose, bikini. 
• No irritation on my skin afterward whatsoever and overall felt more like someone was spitting cold water on me for most of the process. This could definitely be because of the Candela Laser they used. (Do your research on the best laser type for your needs! The Candela spurts out burst of cold air after each laser shock so it creates a more comfortable experience)

The Bad: 

• There are some limitations to consider when getting laser hair removal like the fact that you cant have sun exposure 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after your scheduled appointment.  As we approach summer, I will have to plan my outdoor sun activities accordingly. 
• This process requires 6-8 sessions for 70-90% hair removal and it isn't completely guaranteed that it will work. 
• Blonde hairs are usually not treatable so unless you have a dark hair follicle, you may not qualify.

The Ugly: 

• Although the entire process is rather quick and semi-painless, there are sections of the area that will definitely be more painful---I think I screamed "Oh my God!!!" three or four times lol 
• Without finding an online deal, the price of laser hair removal sessions can be VERY costly, upwards of $1000+. 
• The smell of your own hair follicle burning is quite putrid....gross! haha 

Conclusion: Although this was only my first treatment and I hear the laser gets turned up next time, I am not hesitant to continue the process. In the grand scheme of things, it had minimal discomfort, definitely less than waxing and was so quick that it was over before I knew it. To think that 6 months down the road (6 sessions, 6 weeks apart), I could be virtually hair free and never have to shave or wax again is truly what eases my mind, that's enough to throw a party at the thought of it! lol I would recommend doing your research fully before committing as this is a medical procedure. Check places like Groupon, Living Social and LifeBooker for spa deals. From there, do your research on the spa on the BBB website and also places where real customers leave reviews like Yelp etc. Do research on the best lasers and once you've narrowed your options down call and see which places use that laser. All in all I recommend doing tons of research so you are confident when you're laying half naked on that table lol

I will update again in a month or so after my next session!


xox
 

If I had to donate my entire makeup collection, these are the two things I would keep!

Long time no see gals and guys! I need not get into how "the hustle and bustle of everyday life kept me away" or "I was a bit overwhelmed with school, work and planning a wedding"..but I will focus on the fact that I have missed my keyboard and the freedom of expression that comes along with being a blogger =D

I have been wanting to do a beauty post for a while now but I honestly haven't been purchasing many beauty items since I am saving for my wedding (hey, every penny counts!) and aside from a great mascara I switched to and an occasional new lip product, nothing really blog worthy has fallen into my hands. That all changed around the Holidays!

It is safe to say, if you read the title of this post, then you know to what high regard I hold these next two products I am about to show you. These are the kinds of finds that make me shout from the rooftops! (ok maybe we shouldn't take it that far lol) In the past month, I have used these each and every day and they are essentially all I would ever need if they were to never run out :)

Drumroll::::::::::

1. The Guy Bourdin for NARS Holiday Collection Cheek Palette

 

• Included are a bronzer in Laguna, highlighter in Devotee, Blushes in Orgasm, Deep Throat, Mistinguette, and Goulue. 
• The Bronzer is a little light for medium complexions like myself, BUT I make it work by layering and it is pretty awesome. 
• There is a shade of peachy pink for everyone--my favorites happen to be Goulue which is the deep pink and Deep Throat which is described as a "flirty sheer peach"
• For old time NARS "devotee's", they also included their best seller, Orgasm which I have in regular compact form as well. 
• After doing the math..you know what, let's just break it down here: 
• A Full size blush contains 0.16 oz. or 4.8 g's of product and run around $29.00. 
• Each of the blushes in this palette contain 0.14 oz or 4 grams of product and with a total palette cost of $65.00, that means that we are pretty much getting 6 near full size products for only $10.83 each !!!!!!!! After doing the math, I was able to justify the price, heck $65 is a lot to spend in one place on cosmetics. 
• The convenience of being able to grab this and go is awesome too....minus the fact that it has the typical NARS packaging and it gets dirty very easily..NARS, switch  it up please :) 

2. The Lorac Pro Palette

• 8 Matte Shades, 8 Shimmer Shades...does anything else really need to be explained? haha
• There are colors that will give you that sexy smokey eye and also colors that you can wear for a fresh face look---I love them all! 
• "Taupe" is the perfect crease blending color for me and "Cream" is what I have been using as my browbone highlight with "Nude" as a nice inner corner shimmer highlight. 
• The only drawback I see is that "White" can come off a little chalky but honestly I have yet to come across a true white shadow that isn't chalky. 
• This goes for around $42 and comes with a mini eye primer as well--excellent deal as I, dare I say it....prefer this over my NAKED 1 palette which was my HG for a while! 

My final thoughts on these babies are this: I am sorry that the cheek palette is a holiday item as I don't think you can get it online anymore--I have definitely seen some still in Sephora stores though so if you're interested, be sure to go check it out. I truly could give away my entire makeup collection (which is mighty hefty these days) and only use these two palettes and a lip product and mascara for a complete look. You can use the black shadow as an eyeliner!

Lorac Pro Palette  Guy Bourdin for NARS Cheek palette Reviews

Happy New Year Friends, wishing you health, prosperity, happiness and love :)

Grab these babies now or be sorry later,

xox