What is "Casual"?

Obviously people change over the years, but one change of mine began during the years I dated Peter. He is so good for me and brought out my feminine side a lot. To be honest, before I met him, I wore less pink and more jeans. :) He didn't not like how I dressed, he just really likes pink. ;)

I learned the hard way to be dressed up rather than down when hanging with him because I never knew what would happen and I ended up in some awkward situations.  Peter likes to dress nicely and there were a few times where he surprised me with a nice dinner (and he was dressed fine) but I was in casual attire. It horrified me when he surprised me with his official proposal (and ring!) at an amazing dinner and I was in a cotton shirt and jeans (of course Peter was in a suit). I realized then that it's better to be over-dressed than under-dressed in most situations.

Engagement - note the suit versus the jeans look 

So my rule of thumb now is that I'd rather be over dressed than under dressed. You never know what might come up and what you need to be prepared for. Obviously I don't mean this in an extreme way - I'm not walking around in cocktail dresses all day! ;) I still wear jeans and I definitely don't wear pink all the time but my version of casual has changed.  So, what's your version of casual?  Have you ended up in awkward situations because of being either under or over dressed?  I want to hear your horror stories!

XOXO

Joy

Playing in Jen's Closet

Hey girls,
 When I was in Colorado I got to spend an evening helping my sister in law pack for her anniversary trip. They were celebrating 20 years and going on an uber special trip so this required extra special attention. I love being her personal stylist and this night was so fun that I had to commemorate it. :)

 Jen is a beautiful mother of 7 wonderful kids and she looks amazing! She and Jim went to a very private island for their trip so we planned lots of fun dresses with special evening looks for their fancy dinners. Here are a few for you all to enjoy!

Laying out our options

Maxi dress:  Charming Charlie

Coral shorts with a striped kimono

This beauty doubles as a swim suit cover up and a 20's style sundress!

The happy couple on their trip!

I hope you guys enjoy peeking into this styling session!  It was a lot of fun and some beautiful looks.  Remember, you really can't go wrong with a dress in the summer time -  a sundress or maxi dress etc.  Find which style works for you and go for it!

XOXO

Joy

2 Minute Summer Makeup

Ok as promised, here is the 2 Minute Summer Makeup look tutorial! I am truly loving this look right now as I think it is perfect for summer and so fresh looking. I hope you all enjoy it too! I am going to put the link below just in case the video doesn't imbed from my Ipad. :)

Xoxo

Joy

http://youtu.be/IoW2-3b2_98

Summer Blog Update

Hi girls,
 I know my blogging has not been happening lately and I am so sorry about that! First we were traveling and now I don't have a computer which makes blogging really hard. I can do a lot from my Ipad but editing pictures is hard without a computer (if anyone knows of a solution I am all ears!).

 I usually use Peter's laptop to blog on but guess what? When I was in Colorado, someone broke into my car and stole his briefcase containing his laptop, Ipad, wireless hot spot and basically all his work stuff. It's crazy to go through something like that and it is extremely maddening to have all of that stolen from you. Needless to say, it was devastating for him and has made blogging hard!

 I have some posts I am working on and I can still do tutorials from my Ipad so I am going to get a 2 minute summer makeup one done soon!

For now, I am still working on things and we are really enjoying our summer. We have a couple camping trips coming up, my first Spartan race, plus a couple weddings in my family so it should be busy! Hope you all are enjoying your summers too!

XOXO

Joy

My Colorado Fave's

Hey girls,
  We are still traveling and Simon and I have been in Colorado for a couple weeks now.  For me, it's always a little nostalgic coming here since this is what I consider to be my home state.  My entire family is here (minus one sister) and staying at my parent's house (my old home) always brings back so many memories.  It is so special to bring Simon here and watch him enjoy my parents/siblings and old stomping grounds.  Every time I return to Colorado, I am reminded of things that I miss about this place - things that I forget I am missing until I am here and am reminded of them.  I decided that today's post will be a list of those plus a few pictures of our trip.  =)  Obviously the thing we miss the most is being close to family - that is #1 for us.  Today's list will be things outside of that.


My Colorado Fave's:
1.  The driving.  Everyone drives a LOT faster here than in Oregon!  It's nice to feel like you can actually drive freely on the highways as there are a lot more lanes.  The speed seriously is crazy - truckers will pass you on the highway if you are going 80 in the left lane!  It's liberating and a little scary at the same time.  =)

2.  The fact that you can open the windows on a hot, summer day and get a cool breeze that will keep your house at a nice temperature and make your house downright cold at night.

3.  The bombshell hair that the dry air gives me.  Peter regularly tells me that he misses my "Colorado hair" and I usually sigh and say the same thing.  Something about the dry air here means that the frizz is gone and my hair has lots more body and volume.  I seriously miss this.

4.  The thunder storms.  I am always taken by surprise at just how loud the thunder is here and how crazy the storms are.  They usually roll in around 3 pm and roll out almost as quickly as they arrive so your sunshine day will almost always end with a beautiful sunset.  

Storm rolling in

5.  The sunsets!  There is almost nothing like a Colorado sunset.  This is largely due to the fact that you have so much open space (and open sky) so you can almost always see the sunset from where you are. The majestic mountains serve as an amazing backdrop to these incredible paintings.  I could walk every evening and just watch the sunset for the rest of my life.

6.  Workouts.  Working out here means that not only do you work harder due to the altitude but that you sweat less (because of the dry air).  I hate washing my hair every time I workout and I miss that I didn't have to when I lived here.

Playing at Grandad and Mum-Mum's

Breakfast at the bar

Catching Crawdads at Castlewood Canyon

Castlewood Canyon - fun with cousins and friends

Cousin Alaina and her crawdad

Well, that's all I have for today!  We are headed out on our last leg of the trip.  It sure has been a wonderful few weeks being back here and seeing family.  

XOXO
Joy

Beauty Tip: Drugstore Finds

Hey girls! I know, I haven't been very good about blogging lately. With the traveling that we have been doing, it has just been more of a challenge to sit down and get some posts out there. However, I did want to share some great beauty drugstore finds that I have been enjoying lately!

This foundation has been the best surprise for me. It is lightweight with good coverage and the tone has matched perfectly. I recommend it for summer weather or for anyone looking for a lighter weight, cheaper option.

My sister introduced me to this stuff and it is amazing! It will give you long, luscious eyelashes that look more full.

If you wear foundation you must use a powder to set it! This translucent powder will not change the color of your foundation while giving you a perfectly matte look for hours. It is my foundation's new, trusty BFF. :)

These Ardell lashes (called Wispies) are the best drugstore falsies I have ever used! The thick, soft lashes look way more real than some others I have tried. They are very feminine, flirty and almost 60's mod looking. 

Sifting through drugstore makeup can be overwhelming and a waste of money if you don't know what you're looking for so I hope this helps some!  Let me know what your favorite drugstore finds are!

XOXO

Joy

DIY Sunless Tan

Grab your preferred sunless tanner (lately, I am loving L'Oreal Sublime in Medium) and get ready, girls.  Here it is, the DIY Sunless Tan post.

First, take a shower and scrub/shave every inch of skin that you will be covering with your lotion.  We're talking like a CSI episode where you have to get rid of any possible evidence.  You need to prepare your skin for absorbing the tanner and the more dry skin you can slough off, the better.

After your shower, dry off but don't apply anything to your skin.

Grab whatever regular lotion you have sitting on your nightstand and rub some into your knees, elbows, wrists and ankles, basically your "joints" or wherever it could potentially look too dark or streaky.   Let that dry.  Lotion will "water down" your tanner while a salve like aquaphor will work as a barrier so you can definitely put some of that on your cuticles too.

Now, put some tanner in your hands and using circular motions, start in the middle of your calves and slowly work down/up til you cover the lower half of your leg (I do a little swipe over the top of my foot too).  Do the same thing with every section that you want to tan:  start in the middle and use circular motions to cover the body part).

Once you have finished, wash off your palms with soap and water.  Let your color sit until dry and then wear loose clothing.  It will take around 6-8 hours for it to show and by that point, you are safe to shower off.

Enjoy that beautiful tan!  =)  You can repeat if you want darker color.  I find that mine lasts a few days so I maybe do it 2 times a week.

TIP:  Ask a friend/spouse to help you with your upper back.  OR stretch a towel across and rub back and forth so that your back isn't pasty white while the rest of you is tan.  

XOXO

Joy