Kitchen Makeover: The After!

Finally I am back with my kitchen makeover after photos!! The project really didn't take much time at all but I didn't want to post photos until all the little finishing touches were complete.  

We are so so happy with this transformation.  A little bit of paint and some work put in totally changed the look and feel of this space.  The new paint gave it an update but the back splash and chalkboard wall helped give the space some character to match the rest of our home!  The painted counter top has held up amazing so far with only one little chip which was my own fault for not sanding properly in between coats (what can I say I got lazy and was excited to just be finished and start decorating - hehe!).  I will post a more in depth tutorial this week on how I painted the counters and what I used.  For now ... check out the photos! 

I'll post a couple before ones first just to refresh your memory: 

So as I said in my last post about the kitchen, it wasn't that bad ... but we were so excited for a change! 

Check it out!

*The knobs are all the same but we switched up the drawer pulls and love the look!! Such a simple tip!

*I love how the darker cabinets have totally refreshed the look of our white appliances.  Rather than just blending in and looking kind of drab they now look bright and white again!

*We decided to go with a darker grout to help showcase the tiles and break up all the white! This should help with kitchen stains as well - white grout may be much harder to keep clean.

*We kept the section of butcher block to avoid too much wear and tear on the painted counters!

*As you can see here we left these cabinet doors off to give the space a different look and store recipe books! It is now so much easier to just grab a book when needed.

*We moved the microwave here to make more room on the other counter for my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer! I was tempted to paint the stool and the table for the microwave but I kind of like how it warms up the space and matches with the butcher block section on the other side.

* I took these photos in bright daylight so the wall color is hard to see - but it is a really great basic "greige" colour. 

*One of my favorite parts is this chalkboard wall!  This gives the space some character and I can't wait to change up the quotes based on the season or holiday!

 

 

Paint Colors Used:

 

Walls: Behr - Mineral

Cabinets: Behr - Perfect Taupe

Counter Tops: Behr - Swiss Coffee

Chalkboard Wall: Rust-oleum Black Chalkboard Paint

Hope this provided some inspiration to you on how a little bit of paint can completely transform the look and feel of a space!! Happy Sunday! 

March 2014 Favorites

I can't believe it is already April 1st!  Today's post is all about some new discoveries and old favorites!  Here is what I have been loving this past month:

1. It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product

This is a really amazing leave in conditioner.  My hair is typically very dry and damaged (it is naturally very curly and course) so I always love using a leave in conditioner when I get out of the shower.  This one literally does it all!  It would be easiest if I just list the 10 things this stuff claims to do:

repairs dry, damaged hair

adds shine

detangles

control frizz

seals and protects hair color

prevents split ends

stops hair breakage 

creates silkiness 

enhances natural body

flat iron spray & thermal protector

So who knows if it really does all of that - all I know is when I use this product my hair just feels so much healthier.  I ran out of it in the middle of the month and waited until a few days ago to finally repurchase and realized even more how much I love it!! Definitely worth a try if you are looking to give your hair some TLC!  Check it out here. 

2. Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment

The day after the 'spring forward' time change, Tarte (one of my new favorite makeup brands) posted a one day flash sale on their Instagram page!  I had been wanting to try this eye cream for a while due to the great reviews I had read so thought what a perfect time.  I had been using a new one from the "Boots No. 7" brand and was not noticing any difference (and was even noticing a burning feeling now and then - not good!) so it was a great excuse to take advantage of the sale.  I already love this stuff.  I know that usually you should wait at least a month to give a good review on a skincare product but I have been using it for two weeks and can really notice my eyes being a bit brighter!  I like using this morning and night to hydrate the skin around my eyes and like I said brighten dark circles.  I'm really interested to try the Tarte Maracuja Oil on my face as well (same idea as the Josie Maran Argan Oil which I discussed in this post).  So far I am really impressed with everything from Tarte!  You can find this product by clicking here!

3. Nars Eyeshadow Duo in 'Key Largo'

This was a random find at the store Winners (same idea as TJ Maxx if you are in the US). These duos usually sell for $40 (a little crazy for two eyeshadows considering my Lorac Pro Palette of eyeshadows was only $42 and is literally my favorite collections of shadows ever)! Although I have tried many other Nars producs (and love them all), I still hadn't tried any eye shadows.  The Winners price for this was $29.99.  Still expensive but much better than regular price!  They only had this one shade to choose from (Key Largo) so that is why I chose it but I am loving it.  I think this will be really pretty for spring and summer as it is a warm bronze/brown shade and a lighter peachy nude color.  I can understand the price once using these as they are sooooo easily blend-able and have amazing pigmentation quality.  I have used them in a couple ways - sometimes with the light shade all over my lid and the darker one just lightly in the crease, or more dramatic with the darker shade all over the lid.  With only two shades I really am able to create a lot of different looks with them which is awesome.  I am looking forward to traveling with this little guy as it is versatile and again will be perfect for summer! Check out my swatches below!  If you feel like splurging on some shadows definitely check out Nars (and I'm such a sucker for their packaging - so classic).  

 
4. L'Oreal Infallible 24 hr. Eyeshadow

I was browsing the cosmetic section at Target as I usually do (anytime I go there haha!) I noticed these little eye shadows that I remembered hearing about somewhere in the beauty blogging world.  I opened up a color and was immediately reminded of the texture and feeling of my Stila eyeshadow in 'kitten'.   I know my Mom has been wanting to try that shadow ever since I wrote about it here so I thought, hey, maybe I can find a dupe here!  I did find one fairly similar but not quite close enough in color to be a dupe ... but I also found the one I have pictured here in 'Amber Rush' and immediately fell in love.   This is a gorgeous reddish copper color that would look gorgeous on so many skin tones.  It can be applied really light for a subtle look or more concentrated for an intense look.  As with the Nars shades, I am really excited to wear this in the spring and summer!  The 24 hour infallible line is long wearing, crease resistant and fade resistant.  This really lives up to those things! I can't wait to get more shades because these are really amazing quality for drugstore eye shadow!     

"Amber Rush" in regular daylight

'Amber Rush' shown in direct sunlight - how pretty is that!

5. Lush Ocean Salt

This is an old favorite that I rediscovered this month when I decided I needed a new exfoliator for my face.  I have been using the Clarisonic face cleansing system (a little gadget with a brush head that you use with your cleanser to wash your face) for a while now but found all of a sudden it was causing a lot of breakouts.  Maybe with the seasons beginning to change my skin just got a little extra sensitive.  I gave that a break but wanted something to give my face a good deep clean at least once a week and remembered how much I used to love the Lush Ocean Salt! This stuff has big chunks of sea salt with minerals to soften the skin and give you a good deep clean feeling.  The avocado and coconut in it hydrate the skin while the lime and vodka cleanse and help out with blackheads or clogged pores.  I also love using this scrub on my legs or underarms before shaving just to get rid of any dead skin and get the closest shave ever! If you are looking for a new exfoliator give this one a try. It also doesn't hurt that it's a gorgeous sea blue color!     

6. Roses de Chloe Perfume

I really wanted a new perfume this month and have been checking out this one for a while (i.e.: sprayed it on myself anytime I passed a perfume counter).  I finally decided to pick up a bottle and am so happy I did.  Scent is very personal but if you're looking for something new and you like feminine floral scents give this one a try.  I won't even attempt to describe the scent and instead will give you Sephora's description: 

Roses de Chloé is an invitation to grace. Luminous and subtle, it inspires and evokes a unique facet of the signature Chloé rose, capturing the spirit of the Chloé woman. The fragrance exudes an immediate and incredible freshness, derived from the top note bergamot. This sensation is gradually joined by a heart of Damascena rose essence, modernized with a magnolia accord. The trail on the skin is of white musk and amber, the signature base of the Chloé house.    

I am not a huge fan of plain rose scented things but mixed in perfumes like this along with the other notes I love it.  Again scent is such a personal choice but check this one out if the description interests you!  

That's it for my March favorites!  Hope you enjoyed reading these and I will be back this week with a kitchen update (I promise!!)  :)

  

March Julep Box

Hello my friends! 

First of all I'm so sorry for being so MIA on my blog for the past week. There has been a lot of home reno type projects on the go meaning I unfortunately neglected my blog!  Not to worry I will have lots of updates and "after" photos coming soon! 

Today I thought I would share a quick post on what I got in my March Julep box! If you don't know what Julep is - check out my first Julep post here!  

There are more nail polishes in there than usual because I cashed in some of my Julep Jules rewards to get two extras!  Each month that you buy a box you accumulate Jules which can be saved up for future boxes or for little extras like I did this time!  This month also included a lip gloss! Exciting!! 

The theme of the month was the "Riviera Collection". All of the colors are making me so excited for warmer weather! As I said in my previous post Julep gives you a few days to review your next box and choose a different style if you aren't happy with what was chosen for you. I loved my "Classic With a Twist" colors ("Soraphine" and "Myriam" pictured below) but was more excited about the "Boho Glam" box ("Harriet" and "Elisa" below).  I also liked the lip gloss color from the Boho Glam box (called "Enchanted") so chose that box for the month!  Since my nail polish obsession took over I decided I just had to have the "Classic With a Twist" colors so those are the ones I used my Jules on!

Here are some close up shots of the polishes. 

left to right: elisa,  soraphine, myriam & harriet

Once again I am so happy and impressed with the quality of these polishes. The only one that took more than two coats was "soraphine" (the white one) but that is to be expected with any sheer color like that. You could do less coats for a more simple look but I like how it turned out in the picture above with three coats!  

Here are some close up shots of the lip gloss!  Again the shade is "Enchanted".  The packaging feels very high quality which is great.  

The gloss applies really nice and has good lasting power. I do wish it was a little more sticky to make it last longer but that's just a personal preference. Again I am loving this color for spring and summer! 

Check out the little card they sent too - I love little added touches like this. 

great advice :)

So once again I was extremely pleased with my Julep box! $20 per month and no shipping cost for me is worth it. I love painting my nails and found myself spending more than that each month on new polish so this has been really great so far. Plus, if I ever want to cancel there are no fees and no questions asked. 

I already saw my April reveal and it looks like more spring colors and some blush!  I kept my "Classic With a Twist" box for this one but was able to customize my blush shade to what I wanted.  I will be sure to share pics when I receive it! 

If anyone is interested in Julep you can sign up by clicking this link or just head to julep.com! 

Happy Friday! 

(p.s. I promise some kitchen updates are coming soon! Just a couple finishing touches and we are done!) 

Ipsy: March 2014

Well ladies it's that time of the month again ... no not that time (hahah) ... Ipsy time!  

If you want a breakdown of what Ipsy is all about, check out my post all about it here.

I am just as much in love with my second Ipsy bag as my first so I'm really excited to share with you what I got!  If you signed up for the service but didn't get your bag yet beware of some spoilers - although my friend Lauren (who you heard all about in my first Ipsy post!) got hers today and they are almost totally different so I think you'll be fine to keep reading. :)

March 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag

The bag is super cute and was designed with the streets and colors of San Francisco as the inspiration (*shout-out to my cousin/bestie Paula who just moved there! xo). This bag feels like great quality too - even better than February's bag!  It just feels more durable.  So enough with the boring stuff ... what was inside?! 

1. Be a Bombshell Bora Bora Eyeshadow Quad

I love 3/4 of this eyeshadow quad! The 4th colour (the turquoise) I'm not in so love with since I already have one similar from MAC (and really, how many turquoise shadows does one really need) but it's always a fun shade to add to a collection! I was really impressed with the pigmentation of these shadows.  I swatched them on my hand as you can see below and there was amazing color payoff.  The formula feels great ... very smooth and a good quality shadow.  I haven't tried them on my eyes yet so I'm not sure of the blend-ability or wear time but so far am impressed!  The bronze shades will be really pretty for summer!  This quad retails for  $16.00 US.  Since the Ipsy bag is only $10 this alone makes for a great deal! 

2. bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready

This is a super creamy and highly pigmented lipstick.  I love everything I've ever tried from bareMinerals and use their mineral foundation daily.  First off I love the colour.  I would say this is my signature favorite, holy grail lip colour.  It's almost like a 'your lips but better' shade - a pinky/nude.  It has a slight satin sheen to it as well so it feels really moisturizing and doesn't dry out your lips as some lipsticks can do.  This came in a sample size so it is smaller than a regular lipstick but it will be great for travel or to throw into a clutch for a night out!  The full size lipstick retails for $23.00 so it is nice to try a sample size before buying the larger size to really test it out.  Check it out below! 

*selfie!! 

3. Chella Ink Eyeliner in Indigo

Here is another product that I'm not sure how much I'll use but like to add to my collection. It's one of those colors I'm not as likely to buy since I won't wear it often but is fun to have. This is a very pigmented ink/indigo blue liquid eyeliner.  With the lightest swipe it created such a gorgeous line of color and is very precise!  I haven't worn it yet but I can say it was really hard to get off my hand!  I have a good feeling this will live up to its' 'waterproof-ing' claims.  This eyeliner pen retails for $24 on the Chella website!  Considering Ipsy is only $10 I thought this was a steal!    

4. Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan

So this is high-end brand of self tanning lotion that claims to last 2 to 3 weeks.  I am interested to try it because I have heard good things about other products from Vita Liberata.  My only problem is the tube is pretty small so I'm hoping there will be enough for at least one use!  I read online it is best to use with a self tanning mitt so I'll have to purchase one of those as well.  Overall I'm still happy with this item because I've actually been wanting to start to fake tan at home (I have gone for spray tans in the past and find it gets expensive and doesn't last too long on me).   Don't get me wrong, I love me some sunshine but after a terrible sunburn experience last year in Florida and the damage it caused to my skin (that I can still see the effects of) I finally want to start being more careful.  I am trying to embrace my natural coloring ... but who doesn't love a little bronze glow once in a while?!  I am definitely interested in trying this product and will keep you updated on my results!  

If you're interested in signing up for Ipsy ... just click here to get started!  Remember to share it on Facebook to skip the wait-list!! 

As always thanks so much for reading and all of the continued support!! Stay tuned for more kitchen updates this week!! xoxo

Our Kitchen Makeover: The Before

So my husband and I have been itching to makeover our kitchen since we first moved into our new house almost a year ago.  At first glance when we moved in it seemed fine - the counter top was ugly but livable, and the cabinets were white which is one of my favorite looks for a kitchen.  We always thought we would just put in a new counter top, put a fresh coat of white paint on the cabinets, maybe add a back splash and be done! 

After living in the house a while we knew it needed more than that but also realized that other rooms needed more than we originally planned in terms of paint and renovations.  After completing those other renovations in the house we are pretty much sick of living in a construction zone and don't feel like putting out the money for a big renovation either.  With all this in mind our brains got creative and we thought up some other ways to make a big impact on the room with a small budget and small time frame.  Check out some 'before' shots below.  It's not terrible, but we know we want to be in this house for a long time so we just wanted to make the space feel more like us.

(please note the hideous counter top color!)

The previous wall color was not terrible but the yellow-beige just wasn't working with the rest of the house.

Planning a new home for the microwave to free up some counter space!

The white cabinets just didn't work for us in this space.  I like a bright kitchen but I also like a warm kitchen with a "homey" and almost craftsman or rustic feel.  Something about this particular kitchen with the white cabinets just felt cold.  We also use our side door as our main entrance and when you come up the stairs from the porch, the kitchen is the first room you see.  Because of that, we wanted the room to make more  of a statement when walking in the house.  I came across some inspiration photos on Pinterest with cabinets painted more of a taupe or 'greige' color and, well, it was love at first sight.   I also came across an aqua colored ceramic tray in the stationary section of Target (I think meant for paper or office supplies) and thought it would be a perfect tray to sit next to the sink to hold dish and hand soap.  See - keep your eyes peeled because inspiration can hit you anywhere!  Keep an open mind and you will find things or ideas for your home in unexpected places.  

That completed my vision and inspiration for the space.  We decided to go with a darker taupe or greige on the cabinets, a light greige for the walls and white for the counter tops. Did you catch that?  Yes we are painting our counter tops!  A few people I've told think we are a bit crazy but we are so excited!  We know that one day down the road we will do a complete renovation of the kitchen with new cabinets and such, so it is fun to experiment for now and try new things!  I am not afraid of painting and am excited to see the result.  The counters are not pretty right now so really, anything will be better! There is a section of butcher block beside our stove as well that we are keeping which I think will look great with the white and really contribute to that craftsman look I was talking about. 

The photo below is our paint swatches on top of that tray I mentioned which will be an accent color.  It is basically a visual for me of the final look to keep me on track.  

 

 That's all you get for now!  Stay tuned for some after photos coming later this week of the transformation.  I'll also do a tutorial on the counter top painting process for anyone interested in that.  It's amazing how for less than $200 we have totally changed the look and feel of the space - I can't wait to show you the results! 

Hope you all enjoy your week ... Happy Monday!