How I lost weight to get ready for my wedding

Hello Everyone,

I don't know how many times I have said, "I am back" and I end up not keeping up with my blogs. How embarrassing.

I am trying to make time to blog because this has always been a passion of mine. The wedding is about three months away and I just need to find a balance between work, wedding planning, gym, and my blog. Hopefully, I can blog at least once a week but no promises.  :)

In the past two months, I have been getting back into my workout routines. I forgot how much I love it!
Along with working out, eating healthy and counting your calories are important. My fiancé and I have been eating a lot of fish and vegetables for dinner. In the morning, we will have a decent breakfast and for lunch I will either just snack on a power bar or have something simple like soup or a salad.

As for my workout, I go to the gym 3-4 times a week. It is good to change up your workout routine so your muscles can recuperate. During the week, I would take boxing, bootcamp, TRX, and will start spin class soon. The bootcamp at my gym does a lot of circuit training which is great for developing strength and  muscle endurance. If I don't have time to go to the gym, I will go for a 3 mile run to burn some calories.

I hope this helps.

Until next time,
stay healthy, beautiful, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3

Bridesmaids for the wedding

Hello Everyone,

I am happy to say, I have a fantastic group of girls as my bridesmaids! Each of them has been through different stages of my life and I am so grateful to have them be a part of my special day. I have already put them to work by having them take a selfie with the flowers I sent them as an appreciation. I think they are already regretting it. =o)

Some ideas for your Valentine's Day gift

Hello Everyone,

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! What are you getting for your loved ones? Here is a great set to get from Pandora. It is the heart to heart collection. I have always love to mix silver and gold no matter what people say. The gold heart is made from 14K gold and the silver is sterling silver. All of their jewelry are individually handcrafted which makes the quality that much better.
Ring: $65
Earrings: $65
Check out their Valentine's Day Collection:
http://www.pandora.net/en-us/explore/collections/valentines2015

Another gift idea is the cheese and crackers serving board- this is a great way to serve to your guests and will also satisfy his/her appetite. ;)
Price: $48
http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/cheese-crackers-serving-board

 

Girls, we just cannot get enough pillows. Here are some decorative pillows with cute messages that will spice up your bed.

Price: $13

http://www.gifts.com/valentines-day/decor/nC0mSzqbC?featuredId=872169 

Other fun and cool gift ideas:

If he/she really loves sushi, maybe get him/her a vivid iphone case:

  

or a hairdryer that looks like a vintage pistol:

or a cute mini canon camera if he/she is a youtuber/vlogger

Alright, good luck on finding the perfect gift for that special someone.

Until next time,

stay beautiful, healthy, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3

New blogpost- Ideas for vintage/rustic/shabby chic wedding

Hello everyone,

I have a a new post on my new blogspot. Go check it out for wedding ideas:
http://iheartshabbychic711.blogspot.com/2015/01/ideas-for-vintagerusticshabby-chic.html

Until next time,
Stay beautiful, healthy, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3

Wedding Dress: Said Yes to The Dress

Hello Everyone,

I am so happy to say I found my wedding dress(es)! Remember, a wedding dress normally takes 5-6 months to order and 2 months for alteration. If I were to order my dress later than December, I would need to pay extra for express shipping which will be another $100-300. I have learned so much from my experience and would like to share with all of you.

Here are my recommendations:
- Do some research on the different types of dresses that you would like to try on: Mermaid, Trumpet, Sheath, A-Line, Modified A-line, ballgown, etc Knowing you body shape, there are some that fits better than others.
- Look for ideas from Pinterest and create a folder for all your favorite wedding dresses so you can show the person at the store. They may ask you if you have any designer in mind so it will be good to know which designer fits your style.
- Ask your friends who are married for suggestions on which wedding store to go first that may be nearby your area.
- Once you have a list of places, let the party begin! Ask 1-2 people to go with you... sometimes I feel if there are too many people, you will get a lot of opinions and it will slow the process down, but it all depends on how much time you have.

- Wedding boutiques with appointments are great because they make sure they meet your needs and offer great opinions. However, the dresses that I found were not necessary in a boutique.

During my wedding dress shopping, I think I tried on about 15 dresses. I was drained by the end of the day, but always remember to have fun and enjoy those moments

I have picked out two dresses that I am going to wear which will not be shown here until after my wedding. The dresses I have on here are just for me to take you guys along with me during my dress shopping escapade.

I went with my Maid of Honor and she was extremely helpful and honest.

Here are some snapshots:

I hope this helps and good luck on finding THE dress!

Until next time,
stay healthy, beautiful, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3

Nature Box Free Trial

Hello Everyone,

Yay, my first NatureBox just came in and I am excited to try all the different samples they sent me. I have seen this before and heard a lot of good things about them so I thought it is time to give this a try. They claim they do not use high fructose corn syrup, 0g trans fats, no artificial colors, no artificial sweeteners, and no artificial flavors. I do want to start eating healthier so instead of reaching for a bag of potato chips, I will have a bag of these healthy snacks to satisfy my cravings. Since these are nutritionist approved snacks, I do feel a little bit better about what I put in my body. After looking at the list of snacks, they have something for everyone from vegan to gluten-free to non-GMO to made without milk or nuts, etc. All of them sound so good I just want to try all.

In my free trial, I got one full sized bag and four single-served pouches. It was only $1.97 for shipping and handling. Just FYI- once you sign up you will automatically be subscribed to a monthly box for $19.99. You can cancel at anytime if you don't want to subscribe. To get this free trial here is the link: http://naturebox.com/offer/free/sampler/?afid=bing_pfree&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=search&utm_term=GDN&utm_content=gz

The one full sized bag is a surprise. I received the dark cocoa nom noms. I am not a dark chocolate fan, but I am willing to give this a try.

The four smaller bags are: coconut cashews, sea salt sun-crunch (this one sounds good), cranberry medley (yummy!), and garden tomato crunches (interesting....). 

Overall, my goal is to eat healthier and have something to munch on when I am craving for a snack or on a go.

Until next time,
stay healthy, beautiful, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3

Charming Charlie- Christmas accessories

GlamGlow Review

Hello Everyone,

What is GlamGlow? Why would people pay $69 for a small jar of mud mask? I thought since Sephora is having the 20% discount for VIBs, this is a good opportunity for me to try this product. GlamGlow comes in four different types of treatment for your face and the one I purchased is for exfoliant. It claims to leave your skin soft, smooth, and radiant. I did feel a bit skeptical about the product but after reading some of the reviews, I felt better about the purchase even though it is pricey.

Why HELLO THERE, SEXY!

In this kit, it came with an extra bonus tube with a regular size jar (1.7 fl oz).

There is a patent pending for this product and is the WORLD's Best Mask Winner.  

The mud is gray with a strong tea scent. The scent reminds me of being at a spa getting facials or a massage. I love the scent, but I can see why some people may think it is too potent. The ingredients are active Green Tea Leaf, Volcanic Minerals, Ivy, Cucumber, Comfrey Herb, Lavender, and Chamomile Flower and Marigold Flower. Anything with tea leaf, cucumber, and lavender makes me feel relaxed.

With a cleanse face, I would apply a thin layer of this mud to my face. Be aware of small chunks of tea leaves mixed in the mud because it makes it harder to apply. In just a few seconds, there is this tingling feeling and within 10 minutes, the mud dries on your skin. 

Rinse the mud off in a circular motion to exfoliate your skin. My fiancé and I both can tell that our skin feels smoother and the pores look smaller right after we washed the mud off. Now, I understand why they use this in Hollywood to provide a camera-ready glowing skin. I would prefer to use this over any other face masks. Due to the high price point, I will use this sparingly only when my face needs a little TLC. I am not sure how it will be for people who have sensitive skin. I would recommend trying out some samples before making any big purchases.

Make sure to take advantage of the 20% discount at Sephora from 11/6-10.

I look so tired so I am heading to bed.

Until next time,

stay beautiful, healthy, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3

Urban Decay Vice 3 and Marc Jacob Perfection Powder

Hello Everyone!!!!

Wow, wow, wow.. I missed blogging so much. I hope everyone had a great and safe Halloween. Well Fall is here and I am super excited about all the candles that have at Bath and Body Works. Girls, you know what I am talking about =)
I am trying to burn up Frosted Cupcake, so I can light my favorite scent for Fall- Leaves and Warm Caramel Cider. The scent of these candles makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and I just never want to leave the house.

Alright let's talk about makeup. Urban Decay came out with the Vice3 palette which consist of both matte and shimmer finishes for $60. It contains twenty new, limited edition shades. I am huge fan of Urban Decay because most of their eyeshadows feel buttery and soft. This palette is a hit or miss for some of the colors. The matte finishes were great (some are a bit powdery, but for most part they are on point), but for the shimmer shades, there were some that have fall outs due to too much glitter. Even though a lot of people think that Vice 3 is the worst of the three, I still like some of the colors in this palette.

The packaging is not my favorite because it attracts a lot of finger prints as you can see from the picture below....

It comes with a bag to fit your palette.

Here are the colors inside the palette:

My favorite shades are:

All in all, I don't regret buying it because I love these dark colors for Fall. It is definitely a fun palette to own if you don't have anything like this already.

Another product I want to talk about is the Marc Jacob Perfection Powder.

I normally use BB creams or liquid foundations and on top I like to apply the powder to give it a more matte finish. The powder is so fine when you apply it to your face that it doesn't look cakey nor does it make your face look white. Remember, this is mostly to set your makeup not to absorb the oil on your face. It is an expensive splurge, but for me, I like then sheer coverage.

The packaging is very pretty and sleek. I also like the sponge and the big mirror in the compact.

If you like the matte finish look, I would say give this a try, you may like it. 

Until next time, 

stay beautiful, healthy, and inspired.

<3 <3 <3