The Best Products for Flawless Skin

Flawless skin is hard to come by these days. Trying to steer clear of wrinkles, sun rays, pollution, and genetics can get exhausting. The pursuit of smooth skin is no easy feat. Finding products that work for my sensitive skin has been tough but over the last two years I've gotten really concerned with what I put on my face. I used to be awful at taking care of my skin. I'd constantly stay up late and wash my skin before bed maybe half the time. Which I've now come to realize is awful. I was also into tanning all throughout college, which is pretty much the worst thing you can do for your skin. What was I thinking? I knew it was bad for me but I think it's one of those things you just mature out of... you finally realize your mother was right when she said 'stay out of the sun'. I' m happy being my light-skinned now and I've learned to embrace it, and even kind of love it lately. 

After I spent one too many nights not washing my skin at night and getting upset that my skin was so 'blah', I finally decided to clean up my routine and my skin has really thanked me for it. I'm very meticulous with my skin routine now and always wash my face before bed. I rarely miss a step and my makeup and  skin just looks so much better.

So, to help you all out, I've come up with my 9 favorite products to get your skin glowing, smooth, and ultimately, flawless. From serum to silky finishing powder, these are my can't-live-without beauty favorites that I hope might help you all out. What are your favorite flawless skin essentials? (I'm always on the look-out for new and reader-approved products?)

Nuxe Serum, Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Sorbet, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer,

Marc Jacobs Foundation, Marc Jacobs Concealer, YSL Touche Eclat, Too Faced Bronzer

Nars 'Final Cut' Blush, Laura Mercier Translucent Powder

Weekend Deals & Steals: March 28-30

Aritzia - 20-30% off select style during their "Here Comes The Sun" sale

Asos - Up to 50% off sale

C. Wonder - 40% off entire order! Discount applied at checkout

Express - Up to 70% off during their Semi-Annual Clearance sale

J.Crew -  25% off full-price items and an extra 30% off sale with code 'HEYSPRING'

LuLu's - 15% off floral dresses with code 'HH15FLORAL'

Madewell - Extra 30% off sale with code 'BYEMARCH'

Topshop - Save up to 50%

Victoria's Secret - $15 off $100. $30 off $150, and $75 off $250 with code 'SPRING14'

Emerson Fry Spring '14

Last week Emerson Fry debuted a sneak peek at their Warm Spring '14 line. The pieces just hit stores this past Tuesday and I couldn't be more in love with this line. If you haven't 'sneaked your peek' yet, you're missing out. The jersey Ts look comfy and sophisticated, and I've got my eyes on these tie sandals! The pairings of minimal pieces is stylish simplicity at it's finest. The "complex colors" layer well and can be matched interchangeably. Love, love, love. I've compiled a few of my favorite looks from their line below, but you can check out the full line at emersonfry.com

 

Emerson Fry Warm Spring '14

 

 

DIY Beach Wedding Centerpieces

I was in major DIY wedding mode these past few days working on my rustic beach wedding centerpieces. With just months left until the big day, I've been trying not to stress and working hard on all my beach decor. I'm determined to do most of it myself to save money and then be eco-friendly and re-use the decor long after my actual wedding. My rustic beach theme allows me to play with sand and shells all afternoon, which is fun and it definitely has me dreaming of the beach and summertime. Is it June yet?

These tiny little starfish are the cutest.

Close-up of the shells.

Lining up all the beachy decor.

The raffia adds a rustic touch to the DIY centerpiece jars.

They're slowly coming together.

More to do... the DIY beach wedding to-dos seem to never end. Final product to come soon!

NYC Engagement Photos

With the wedding in May, I've had a good amount of time to plan and build excitement. As I am obsessed with photography, picking our wedding photographer was the most important detail, for me. I wanted someone with a timeless style that has more of an editorial eye, than the typical wedding poses.

After much research I settled on John Paul Teuntonico, based here in NYC. JP can envision far beyond what I think a typical wedding photographer usually does. He's so aware of the small details and important moments, and he captures them beautifully.

Here are a few gems from our engagement shoot in June. I can't wait for round 2 at the wedding.

I highly recommend JP to anyone in the area. His work can be found here:  http://www.jpteutonico.com

(P.S. as if things can't get any better, check out his philanthropy work here)

DIY Kitchen Nook

A DIY Kitchen Nook: This past week the fiance and I finally did something with the awful space in our kitchen. We just hit the one year anniversary of us moving into our new house and we're still trying to get everything to feel like "home". I came across several DIY ideas online for making a kitchen nook or kitchen banquette. But none of them were extremely helpful and unfortunately the fiance's lack of handyman skills doesn't help much either. So what to do? Get creative.

DIY Kitchen Nook (aka Banquette)

I started with my base. I came across these cabinets from Ikea. They're actually used to go over the refrigerator in kitchens but we re-purposed them. We bought three of them each measuring 36" long by 24" deep by 15" high. Optimum seating height is between 18" and 20" so after we add a cushion, we should be right on target. We picked out our favorite type of door - I think there might have been about 5 styles to choose from - and set off home. It took us about 1.5 hours to set everything up. I like to think of myself as an Ikea builder master - the fiance... not so much. Like I said, not the most handy of handymen. In total we spent $393.00 (before tax) for the cabinets, doors, and hinges.

(Pictures from Ikea)

We headed off to HomeGoods for pillows. I covet all things Pottery Barn, but sometimes my budget doesn't quite allow for splurges of that kind. I can always find something fab at HomeGoods and this time I got a real score. We picked up these high quality Pottery Barn look-a-like pillows at $30/pair. Great steal considering that's $15 a pillow. Just to compare, here's a Pottery Barn pillow at $35.50 each: Tonal Linen Flange Pillow.

We also grabbed a vase to put in the awkward corner space for our "sticks". Our "sticks" came courtesy of a 40% off coupon from Michael's Craft store. Never go to Michael's without a coupon... they have a new set of coupons every week and you'd be crazy not to take advantage. These "sticks" (I like to call them sticks in case you can't tell) cost us roughly $20 and look great in the corner between the wall and the windows.

The small wooden item is actually a crate from Michael's that I stained myself with two coats of wood stain. Sun bleach and then . Gives a great, rustic, beachy feel to the space. (Side note: I should really buy stock in Michael's)

My nearly finished product... it compliments our kitchen and we can finally have guests over for brunch or coffee. It's definitely my new favorite space.

Stay tuned though... next up: custom cushions and a new kitchen table. (Pictures taken at night, final picture taken in early morning light)

Tulips & Springtime Blooms

My new house must-have spring blooms are tulips. Tulips and peonies are my favorite flowers and with spring just around the corner you can find tulips pretty much anywhere and most likely, on sale. This time I got a mix of colors and set them up as my centerpiece on our kitchen table. The colors are so vibrant and eye-catching. They definitely put me in a good mood.