Highs and Lows

Today was one of those days where a 5:30 pm headache is expected. Lots of fun things come with a move, but there are also sad things and things I wish I didn't have to do, like resign from my wonderful job. I wasn't expecting to do it when I did, and I was actually caught completely off guard, but in the end the time couldn't have been better. I was dreading the "I need to talk to you about something" conversation opener, and thankfully b/c God is great, it didn't end up that way. The things I said to my boss came from the heart and I will never forget the kind words he said to me. Saying goodbye is going to be hard, and I pray that my next job is just as good to me.

On a happy note, Sheridan French had a wittle tunic incident recently and me and a few others reaped the benefits of it. The beautiful little number Sheridan is wearing below is mine!
I will totally rock it with my white J.Brand Lovestory jeans (if you don't own a pair of Lovestory jeans you need to get a pair ASAP ladies) like Sheridan did in the photo.

So in conclusion, today was the day I resigned from my amazing job, and the day I got my first Sheridan French item :)

Hair Help, to Side Bang or not?

I need your help. I feel like I have styled my hair the same for way too long. I have always wanted side bangs, but have been way to nervous to take the plunge... Here is my reasoning:

1. I usually part my hair down the middle (just like in the photo below)
2. I have wavy hair that sometimes can disguise itself into that pretty beachy look, or like a crazy woman
3. Lately, I rarely use my hair iron/blow dryer. Trying to grow it long, and keep it as healthy as possible (I hear you have to style bangs no matter what, or you just add to the crazy lady look)
4. I don't like hair in my face
5. Scared of change!

I separated my hair inspiration in a "good" and "bad" category, below is the bad-not ugly, just not for me.
I wouldn't like that much hair in my face. Plus, I have been told I have a really small face, so if that much hair was in it, I might look like cousin it.
A little to severe-also not good inspiration because my hair is not 1) one color 2) long and straight 2) wouldn't want to put the energy into ironing it that straight
I am usually not a fan when the bangs don't look like they are a part of the rest of the hair. I LOVE me some Elle Macpherson (her lingerie is amazing---not too mention she is preeeeetty) but the above photo is a perfect example of the dual hair syndrome to me. Now for the good..
Maybe I am just obsessed with Something Borrowed, but I was ooing and aaing about Ginnifer Goodwin's hair the whole time. Her length is similar to mine, the color is doable for me, and her bangs seem to easily push to the side and are not too blunt.

Loved Brit Brit since I was a 6th grader-this photo has been one of my favorite 'bang' pictures for a long time. I love her buttery blonde hair here (totally not doable for me), but there is something about the bangs, they look like they could go to the side and look as great as they do in that photo..also, her hair is parted down the middle.
Love these. They blend perfectly with her hair-the antithesis (yes I confirmed the definition w/ dictionary.com) of Ms. Machperson's hair above.
She's just so darn cute! I like how we still see the 'bangy' (not confirmed with dictionary.com) look while still showing some forehead.

So I need your help. Are bangs a pain in the butt? Will I regret them as soon as I get them? The best advice I have gotten is from my gorgeous friend ADM who has AWESOME side bangs-she said to tell the stylist to make the ends feathery so they blend well. As of now, it looks like I will be getting bangs on Saturday... Looking forward to your input :)

I want.

Do you know who Sheridan French is? If not, head on over to her blog or her website which showcases her gorgeous designs. She has the cutest babies I have ever seen (seriously) and awesome style. I have been lemming over the Georgina dress below...I'll take one in every color please! I am hoping she starts to sell online soon. As soon as she does, you can bet I will be placing an order...

Mr. Men

Omg y'all.. my heart MELTED when I came across google today and saw one of my FAVORITE Mr. Men, Mr. Messy staring at me! If you keep clicking the picture, it will give you a different one each time. I loved these books when I was little, everything from the size to the pictures! Mr. Noisy with his mouth wide open was my favorite one. I tots plan on reading these books to my future babies and look forward to laughing again each time. Happy Birthday Mr. Roger Hargreaves!

That was quick..

Nordstrom's is now featuring JS Collections "Duchess" wedding gown..

Not quite. More importantly, I am a little bit put off by the model's facial expression-major stank eye no?

Romantic Getaway: Outfit Inspiration

If I was going on a romantic getaway I would make this one of my outfits. In my imagination my hair would be perfectly highlighted and long and flowey.

Hat that I would probably take off and on a million times. It's hard to kiss someone with a hat.
Valentino sandals I have wanted every season since they have been out. One time I was super close, they were on sale last summer for 1/2 price.

J.Crew trellis dress. Saw this at J.Crew on Friday night and it is SO pretty in person. The green on the flowers is gorgeous...like the color of a lucky clover.

Also, in my perfect romantic getaway I wouldn't need foundation or concealer. Skin would be perfect and only need Stila's convertible color in petunia, one of my staples. So pretty :)

Again, thing with elephants. Muffin would probably think this is absolutely ridiculous but everytime I look at it it makes me smile.

What's In Her Bag?

A big thanks to Megan for allowing me to be a part of her “What’s In Her Bag” series! My name’s Ashley and Megan and I have been friends since we were 5 years old! She was my very first, best friend and still one of my best friends! Our passion for all things girly started very young, so no coincidence here that we blog about the same things!

Ok, so what’s in my bag? Well….it’s a bit of a bottomless hole…I tend to collect things and it’s not always the cleanest. So no judging! I also tend to just carry around the same bag for like 6 months at a time...how boring right? I’m working on it.

The Bag—I got this back last year from Aldo (sorry picture isn’t great). The main reason I got it was because it resembles a Chanel style bag and that is my ultimate lust designer! I will one day have a classic Chanel bag. Hubby’s been told.

What I found in my bag:

1. Wallet—This wallet I have had FOREVER! This is definitely one of those things that I keep saying I’ll buy myself a new one soon, and then never get around to it. I think I bought this at Macy’s like 6 years ago? It’s a Guess wallet….pink patent leather with crystal heart detail (except most of the crystals are missing now..) The thing weighs like 4 pounds too…guess I need to clean it out huh?

2. Checkbook—My checkbook cover is matching to my wallet. As mentioned before, new one needs to happen soon!

3. Sunglasses—The sunglasses I currently have in my purse are Prada. I love these! They are black with just a little bit of pink detail around the edges. I bought them a few years ago but I’ve kept them in great condition (however, the case not so much…it’s falling apart!)

4. Daily planner—I carry around a planner because I got into the habit of using one in High School and I’ve never looked back! I’m a very organized person, and I like to keep all my ducks in a row, so having a planner where I write everything down keeps me at ease.

5. Pen—boring.

6. Ed Hardy case—Ok, so I’m not an Ed Hardy fan, I swear! I have a few different Ed Hardy items because back when it was popular, my family’s department store carried the line and I thought it was cool, so I got a few different things. Well, now it’s more in fashion for the….how shall I put this…Jersey Shore type? Anyway, I keep female “stuff” in there but I seriously need to just get rid of this case because the things that keep the crystals held to the case, scratch my fingers really bad! Every time I dig through my bag, I end up with cuts all over my hands from this stupid case!

7. iPod—I carry my iPod with me so I can listen to music in the car to and from work.

8. Pass Key—This is my key card to get into my office building. I’ve definitely misplaced this a few times…

9. Gum—Orbit is my favorite type of gum!

10. Chocolate mints—Ok, so whenever I leave a restaurant and they have these mints….I take a big handful of them and my husband is always sooooo embarrassed! But, whatever…..I like them.

11. Toothpicks—I’m not really sure how I ended up with all of these…? I THINK I took them for baking (you know when you make brownies and they ask you to stick a toothpick in them to see if they’re done?) I don’t have any in my house so I think I was just being cheap and stealing them from a restaurant! They clearly never made it out of my purse though. LOL

12. Flash Drives—These are for work. I go to Kinkos now and then to print stuff. Nothing too exciting here.

13. Lip Glosses—Ok, got Philosophy Peppermint Bark (this was hand me down from my Mom), CO Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in Pink Mint (LOVE this one! Just the right amount of color and shine and oh so minty!), and MAC’s Pro Longwear Lipcolour (Like it because the color stays on, BUT I find once the gloss part wears off, the color gets all dry on my lips. Also the Color part of the tube broke and leaks a little).

14. Lipstick—This is a mini Chanel lipstick in Desirable. I think I got this as a sample somewhere along the way.

15. Lip Balm—I love Blistex’s Lip Medex. I get really chapped lips living up here in the cold, so this is the best stuff to sooth and cool lips.

16. Hand Lotion—I got this for free from CVS. Again, since it’s so cold up here, my skin gets pretty dry so I always keep lotion in my purse.

17. Bobby Pins—I collect these in random places (i.e. Next to my computer at work, my purse, cup holders in my car, the shower…you get the picture).

18. Button—I found a button. I think this came off of one of my winter coats…I should probably go sew that back on…

19. Receipts and miscellaneous papers—Like I said, my purse is a bottomless hole soo I end up with tons of receipts, old coupons, and just trash. That is probably the messiest part of it all. Whoops!

Hope you enjoyed hearing about what’s inside my bag! Stay tuned to hear about what’s inside Megan’s bag on my blog at http://placestogothingstobuy.blogspot.com/. Thanks for reading!

Something Wonderful

Last night I went to go see Something Borrowed. I read the book a few years ago and thought it was the best thing ever-read it in one week and the sequel, Something Blue the next.

I honestly went into the movie thinking it would be crap, because I thought the book was so good-but to my surprise, the movie was amazing!!! They left a few things out and changed it a bit here and there, but overall I say A+

I thought it was cast really well, and everyone in the theater was foaming over the actor who played Dex, below. He reminds me of Tom Cruise during the Top Gun days-except taller.

Jim from The Office!!! He played Ethen, and played it really well. I didn't like what his character divulged in the end-minor change of plot from the book.
Ughhhhhhhhhhh mushy scenes :) LOVE LOVE LOVE
Kate Hudson looked awesome in the movie (so did Ginnifer Goodwin who plays Rachel) She has those beautiful blonde curls that look so effortless. There was a girl that went to college with me who had the same exact hair. Word on the street is that it was a perm she got on Myrtle Beach.

Has anyone ever had a perm? Now I want one and want to be blonde.

Before the movie I stopped into Anthropologie and bought a Mother's Day Card (Much to RPN's dismay---it was $8.00-Mom is worth it! Plus, I already waited so long that I bet the only cards left in CVS were awful) I also bought that lovely pink coaster above with the elephant. I have a thing for elephants and pink, thought it would be great for my apartment :)

My Favorite Celeb Couple...

There are MANY celeb couples I dislike, however Joshua Jackson (JOEY!!!) and Diane Kruger are my favorite. They have been together for forever in celebrity time, and she is so stylish!

Makeup Downsizing

If you have the new Instyle with Kate Hudson on the cover, I strongly encourage you to turn to page 276-277 and take a look at "A Perfect Match". I used to be/am a makeup junkie, and over the years, I have accumulated way too much. The makeup case below is just one of the few that I have.
I def need to downsize before the big move. I dream about having all the makeup that I use in one small bag like the cute Vineyard Vines one below. I think if you have a small bag with great products that you know work for you, you are less likely to make a makeup mistake and more likely to paint a flawless face :) With the amount of products I have, it's too easy to be overwhelmed.

My attempt at downsizing.

Anyways, the feature in Instyle has top makeup artist's picks for different skin tones. I think I lie somewhere between fair and light, so I plan on mixing and matching the products they recommend, and hopefully downsizing for the better.

Here are the products

1. Georgio Armani foundation-love this stuff, but its super heavy and more appropriate for a night out, for day I'll stick to tinted moisturizer.
2. Cle de Peay Beaute concealer-love my Laura Mercier secret camoflauge to replace, but maybe when I run out I'll try this one.
3. Dior eyeshadow palette in Ingonito or Ambre Design- have Incognito, great neutrals, but not fun enough
4. Nars Orgasm- ehh... never was crazy about this one, I have Benefit Coralista which is similar
5. Nars Bronzer in Laguna- will buy you soon.
6. Mac lipliner in subculture or spice- have spice, bought it because Penelope Cruz apparently wears it all the time...
7. Nars Pure Matte lipstick in Bangkok- will buy you soon.
8. Nars Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight or Chelsea Girls- LOVE LOVE LOVE both of these. Turkish delight is the prettiest milky pink lip gloss over.

What do you think? To downsize or not to downsize?

Music I am Loving

It's been a long time since I heard a song that I have kept on repeat for days, so I strongly encourage you all go take a listen to Kenny Chesney's song, Somewhere With You.

Take a guess what my total play count is ;)

Meet My Babies

My obsession with shoes started at a very young age, and I lie all the blame in Ms. Carrie Bradshaw, or Sex and the City in general. To be more specific, the episode (which happens to be my favorite one) where she buys/wears the shoes below. Do you remember that one? The one wear Miranda has her baby and the fall leaf falls at the very end? And Big moves?? I heart. I remember when I saw it I had no idea who made them, but I did recognize that red sole... and so my obsession started.
These ones, which I have spoken about before, happen to be my favorite.
I was able to get some MAJOR bargains with these shoes. I actually found the spikey flats at the Neiman's outlet... I've convinced myself that they were there by mistake. The old men where I work love to talk about them.
The espadrilles with the bow on the left are not Louboutin's, but I love them so much. The patent animal print ones were bought in a little southern store when I lived in South Carolina. I ate cafeteria food for a while because of them.
The blue ones are OLD. My 2nd pair, shortly after that Sex and the City episode.
These babies are also really special, but I've only worn them 2-3 times. They are SO uncomfortable b.c there is no platform, but the leopard fuzz and ribbon bow make me swoon.

So, as you have probably learned from this post, I love me some pretty shoes. Funny thing is, your most likely to find me in my old gold Jack Rogers.

Paying it Forward with Shasta Anne!

I am so grateful to be a part of Shasta Anne's Pay it Forward initiative! Shasta's blog is one of the many blogs that inspired me to create Meg's Big Move. She is part of a great bloggie land of cute, fashionable, smart, and lovely ladies out there. I love her posts about makeup and skincare, and Tallulah Belle could honestly have her own blog.

So in keeping with the blogging love, I am paying it forward to the the following blogs, some new, some old, some friends, all wonderful :)

Lynett at http://lynnsonelove.blogspot.com/

Ashley at http://placestogothingstobuy.blogspot.com/

Allie at http://sundressesandsmiles.blogspot.com/

Megan at http://www.prettyinpinkmegan.com/

The lovely http://portugueseprepster.blogspot.com/

Veronika at http://veronabrit.blogspot.com/

The gorgeous http://www.andeelayne.blogspot.com/

and, last but certainly not least, my very dear and old friend who is just figuring out the bloggie land, RPN at http://thoughtsfromrpn.blogspot.com/

I wanted to share a quick story with you about my new adventure in the blogging land. Pretty in Pink Megan was one of the first blogs I started reading. I thought she was the cutest thing and loved following her wedding planning. She, along with Shasta and Veronabrit are like celebrities to me. Anyways, the way I have been uploading pictures onto my blog is by emailing the pictures to myself from my iphone photos to my gmail account. My name, as you already know, is also Megan, so normally I just start typing M..E..G and boom, send. So... I was working on my posts and sending a ton of photos when I realized one did not go through for my ombre hair post. I figured it just never finished sending from my iphone, and forgot about it. Then, as I was lying in bed watching Everybody Loves Raymond (love me some friendly sitcoms before night night time) I check my emails on iPhone and I have one from "Megan". It says, "Hi-how are you?". I was like huhhhhhh? Checked the email address, saw it was from Pretty in Pink Megan, and then saw that she sent me that because I by accidently sent her the subject picture. SO embarrassed. I looked like a total creeper in the photo! I was totally convinced she thought I was an internet freak show. I quickly explained myself and thought "I have ruined my blog!! And it's so early!!!"...However, I should have known better. Pretty in Pink Megan is the sweetest thing ever and told me not to worry and that she liked my hair.

I am so grateful I am now a blogger, and stories like the one above, and being tagged by Shasta Anne are perfect examples of what makes it so special.

Shopping Note to Self:

Note to self, when possible, please purchase the Frye Paige Tall Riding Boot in either black, or brown.
You can wear them with the Gloverall coat below :)

I did a bad thing.

I have been in SERIOUS save mode for over a month because of my big move. However, for the past 6 months, I have been going on the J.Crew website every day and typing "gloverall" in the search box in hopes that they would have the below coat in my size.Well it turns out the yellow gloverall coat is like a unicorn. It was on the website for about a week and then POOF gone forever. It is the yummiest looking thing I have ever seen. The kind of coat you could wear in the bleak winter and still feel somewhat sunny and happy. Perfect for strolling around Philadelphia, and perfect because Gloverall is a British brand and right now, thanks to Will and Kate, I am loving all things British.
On to the plaid! This baby was available every day, but not in my size. I have chatted with J.Crew 'stylists' and begged and pleaded that they find it for me to no avail. However, this morning.....there it was. And in about 10 seconds, it was mine.
Of course, the day they have it in my size there is no coupon code. No free shipping. NADA. So it was expensive...and I am feeling so guilty that I actually hope that when it arrives it looks like crap on me so that I can return it.

Ugh it's just sooo cute...