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...

Make Believe

Sometimes, when I have an event to attend and I need a new outfit I pretend that the word budget to me is foreign. I go onto online shops such as net-a-porter.com and pretend I can buy whatever I want. Muffin is going to be a groomsman in a wedding held in Rehoboth Beach Delaware in October, so this gave me the perfect chance to play dress up on net-a-porter. I have never been to Rehoboth Beach and an quite unfamiliar with Northern beaches in general, especially in October, so I am not sure that these would work....but I still love them! Anybody who has been to Rehoboth and can imagine what it would be like in October, please chime in!This Issa dress is so gorgeous. I think the shape is perfect for a wedding guest to wear, however I am not sure the color would work anywhere in October. I would put a beautiful wrap over it to wear during the ceremony if it was in a church. I would wear it with these silver Jimmy Choo's below. I love baby blue and silver together.

I am obsessed with this dress. I think that the color would work for an October wedding. It's not a flashy dress but still looks like it fits like a dream. I am WAY shorter than that model so it would be a bit longer on me which would probably be a good thing.
I would wear that brown dress with these Jimmy Choo's... I love the coral stones with the color of the dress.
I LOVE pink and I LOVE frills. This is one of those dresses that probably appeals more to women than men. Muffin probably hates this dress. I think it is fun and flirty, and the pink would go beautiful with these babies...
I have wanted these shoes ever since I laid eyes on them. I first saw them in nude on Jennifer Aniston. Pink and gold look great together!

So, I am guessing the only outfit out of the three above that would work would be the brown dress with either one of the gold Jimmy Choo's. Even though the chances of me getting one of these outfits is pretty low, I think it's a good place to start. I can probably easily find a similar dress in color for a better deal, and if I really REALLY budget myself (remember this wedding is in October) I just might, maybe, hopefully, be able to get one of the shoes.

Can't get enough

I have to admit that a few weeks ago I wasn't too into the Royal Wedding but that definitely changed today. I cannot get over how gorgeous Kate looks! (ps loving the facial expressions of the little tot on Kate's right). The best pictures of the wedding that I have come across are the high resolution ones on cnn.com, click here to see. My parents are off to London soon and I have asked them to get me a William and Kate commemorative mug, that way when I drink my morning coffee I will have a friendly reminder of this beautiful royal couple while hopefully enjoying breakfast with my very own prince charming, muffin.

Royal Wedding Gorgeousness

Several people owe me money. I bet that Kate's dress would have long lace sleeves. I could not imagine her walking down the aisle in a cap sleeved dress or strapless number nonetheless. Anyways, I think she looks absolutely beautiful, especially her makeup. The cut of the dress is to die for. In my opinion, a bride should look like a cupcake bride.

Nowadays you are likely to see bride's wearing the dress of the lovely Pippa holding up Kate's gown. I saw some close ups of that dress and its so pretty.
Pretty pretty princess. Understated flowers no? I like it though.
And skinny minnie!
Oh yea you-Looking good! It reminds me of the army blues men wear here. So special!!!

My Eyes!!!

Ladies, get your credit cards ready to purchase this sexy denim number. It is on sale from $298.00 to $169.00!!!

I kid. I didn't think I had words for that atrocity but I changed my mind. J.Crew thinks its awesome because it combines 1) denim and a romper and 2) because it was washed a whole bunch to give it that lovely acid wash look. I strongly disagree. Can you even imagine what it would look like with the sleeves and pant legs rolled down? I wouldn't wish that thing on my worst enemy.

Thankfully, J.Crew is constantly making up for that little number. Like with this adorable little dress which I totally plan on making mine very soon:

I will wear you to work little blue dress :) see you soon.

Bethenny Fan

I love me some Bethenny and miss her on the RHNY, I watch her new show and as much as I love it, nothing beats her on Real Housewives (esp when she's putting Crazy Kelly in her place). I was watching a rerun of the reunion show this past weekend on Bravo and was obsessing over the green lace dress she is wearing below (not a flattering picture of her but best one I could find of dress). It was a MUCH prettier green on my TV. I love everything about it from the sleeves to the cut. Then I went to Calypso's website to remind myself how much I love that store in preparation for their upcoming GO line with Target (um..so far I only like the Elephant Tea Pot from promo shots) and I found this.... Click on it in blue or black and it is similar to her dress.