Mother's Day Gift Guide

Happy Friday even though weekends are pretty strange these days. If you can believe it or not Mother's Day is only a few weeks away. With shipping times all over the place I wanted to get some ideas up for you guys in case you are struggling with what to get. I tired to include a few items from small businesses and all different prices points. I recently purchased this citrus notepad and love it! I also have this throw blanket on my bed. The quality is amazing and it looks so much more expensive than it actually is!

Emily Ley Notepad // Weezie Robe // Mother's Day Card // David Yurman Bracelet // Nora Fleming Soap Holder // MZ Wallace Tote Bag // Throw Blanket // Mi Golondrina Headband // Rifle Paper Co Notebook // Tuckernuck Floral Earrings // J Crew Twilly

How I Cleared Up My Hormonal Acne & My Dermatologist Experience

Happy Wednesday y'all I just finished watching Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu and man is that show good! Yesterday I posted my daily skincare routine which I do on a daily basis. With that said I think it is important I share my experience with clearing up my skin and my dermatologist experience. I can confidently say that my skin would not be what it is today if it wasn't for a prescription. I hesitated for a while about going to a dermatologist but looking back on it no skincare product from the drugstore or a beauty store was going to completely get rid of it without getting a perception. 

So back in high school, I had some pretty stubborn acne mainly on my forehead which I did go to a dermatologist for a while. They had me take an antibiotic (not sure which one) and use Aczone gel as  a spot treatment which you need a perception for. These things helped but I felt like it never worked completely. Then once I went on birth control things started to improve quite a bit so I stopped going to a dermatologist. 

High school acne on my forehead

My Skincare Routine (Sensitive & Acne Prone // Natural & Luxury)

The Sephora Beauty Insider sale is happening this week which is one of two times a year that Sephora has a coupon that can be used on products. I don't have anything I am planning on really getting but now is a great time to stock up on products. Today I am sharing my daily skincare routine and the products I use daily. Within the last four months, I have been using a perception Tretinoin cream for bad hormonal acne I had on my chin. Since I went to the dermatologist and started using this cream along with an oral medication my skin has been the best it has ever been. Tomorrow I am going to share more on that but today I wanted to share with you the products I use daily. I also filmed a video below which I talk about my full routine and each product! 

Products I Use:  Origins GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser // SuperGoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 // Trader Joes Face Wipes // La Roche-Posay Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser // Clarisonic Mia 2 // Kiehl's Ultra Face Toner // Sephora  Collection Nourishing Moisturizer // Treatinoin 0.05% Cream (prescription needed) // La Roche-Posay Dual Action Acne Treatment // Sephora Collection Brightening Eye Cream // Mario Badescu Cucumber Facial Spray // Tarte Maracuja Oil // Caudalie Vinoperfect Anti Dark Spot Serum // Peter Thomas Roth Irish Moor Mud Mask // Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask // Peter Thomas Roth   24K Gold Mask // Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mask // Jade Roller // Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask 
Other Products Mentioned:  First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser // First Aid Beauty Moisturizer // Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer // Ice Roller 

Bar Cart Inspiration

Now that I have been living at home for over a month now I have gotten inspired to do some additional decorating and organizing to my apartment. I have most of my apartment decorated but last week I had this idea to add a bar cart in the corner where my kitchen table is. I have the perfect wall and space for it. Plus I can move some of my wine and champagne glasses out of my kitchen cabinets. So I have been doing lots of searching for a bar cart and decor inspiration on Pinterest. So I thought it would be fun to share the items I have an eye on. I haven't bought anything yet but am slowly getting ideas! I would love any bar cart idea you have. I will be sure to share images of the final product once I get everything decorated.

Two Shelf Gold Bar Cart // White & Gold Bar Cart // Three Shelf Bar Cart // Two Shelf Gold Bar Cart // Cocktails Print // Whicker Bar Cart // Spritz Cocktail Book // Paper Straws // Rose All Day Print // Drink More Vodka Print // Gold Cocktail Shaker // Monogram Rocks Glasses // Copper Mug // Felted Garland 

Day Trip to Magnolia Market & Waco, TX

When my sister came to visit after the holidays we took a day trip to Waco, Texas which is less than two hours from Dallas. The weather that day could not have been more perfect and we had such a fun time. I thought it would be fun today to share some pictures and what we did for the day. We had never been so we didn't know what to expect but we had a great time and would recommend it if you are in Texas!

Perfect T-Shirt Dress From Target

I am back today with another outfit and some OG mirror pics to share the look because of #quarantine! I tried this dress on in Target in the color lilac. I didn't like the color of the dress against my skin tone but I fell in love with the cut of the dress. It is the perfect fit and can easily be dressed up or down. I ended up picking up this dress in the charcoal grey color and I am obsessed with it. I can already tell this is going to be a go-to when the weather starts getting hot. My sister also picked it up after she saw it! I love pairing it with my Golden Goose dupe sneakers or a pair of sandals. For the dress only being $15 it is the perfect closet staple. 

Dress: Target // Sneakers: Amazon // Sandals: Kate Spade (similar) // Bracelets: Lily & Laura / Jean Jacket: J Crew Factory

Things Currently Making Me Happy

I hope everyone had a nice weekend & Easter Sunday. To be honest, this weekend was so weird for me. Easter didn't feel like Easter and my family would have been in town. So I tried to keep busy but I also felt a large lack of motivation. So I let myself be pretty lazy and not do anything too crazy this weekend. I thought it would be nice to share some things that have been bringing me small bits of happiness recently. I have to say this post idea is 100% due to Kate from Lonestar Southerns happiness list blog post she recently did. I loved this idea and thought I would share some of my own things. 
Trader Joes Margarita Mix // I picked this up last weekend when I went to the grocery store. I have had this in the past but forgot how good it is. I am glad I picked this up for a weekend drink at Melanie's quarantine bar! All you need to make this is the mix, triple sec, tequila, and a lime.  

My Top Products That Help Manage Chronic Muscle Pain

I have had this on my list of things to share for a while now but wanted to make sure I shared products that I usually frequent and that do help. If you suffer from any type of chronic pain or even muscle soreness after working out then this post is for you! If you want to catch-up on my health background you can check out this group of blog posts. Long story short though a little over two years ago I found out I have some audio-immune condition but not exactly sure what. One of the main symptoms that I continue to have is muscle pain. So today I am sharing the top products that I think help provide some relief. I also filmed a video in which I talk in detail about the products and how to use them so be sure to watch that as well below. I would love to know if you do or use anything I have not mentioned! 

March Favorites

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and tried to do some fun things around the house. I had both a productive and lazy weekend. I went on a few walks, watched a movie, went grocery shopping, and ended the weekend with a trip to TCBY for ice cream. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites from the last month. This is a very random mix of items but I hope you enjoy it. I always love these posts and looking back on what I was liking at different times. March felt like the longest month so I am happy to start a new month adjusting to this new routine of social distancing. 

1. Downy Fabric Softener // This was completely random because I couldn't be picky ordering online. It smells ok in the bottle but AMAZING after washing your clothes.

My Go To Dinner Recipes (Gluten & Dairy Free)

Now that I fully live on my own I pretty much cookie one or two meals for dinner a week. I don't love cooking but I have found that it is a lot easier to have a list of go-to recipes. These are all recipes that I have made and really enjoy. For me, the main thing is that I don't need a ton of ingredients and the time to prep the meal is not super long. I thought it would be helpful to share my go-to recipes with you in case you need so suggestions or inspiration. As I find more recipes I like I may add to this list or do another post. I will also mention that I am gluten-free and dairy-free so all these recipes are gluten/dairy-free or can be modified to be gluten/dairy-free. Let me know if you end up making any of these recipes!

1. Orange Chicken With Rice & Snap Peas // This recipe is quite easy and so tasty. I pretty much follow the recipe other than I use gluten-free flour instead of arrowroot starch. This is just because I normally have gluten-free flour on hand so it is just fewer ingredients I have to buy. I normally pair the chicken with brown rice and snap peas. 

2. Stuffed Peppers // I use to think stuffed peppers were super hard to make but this recipe is quite easy to follow and they taste so good. I like that the whole meal is done all in one with the veggie and meat. To make dairy-free I just use dairy-free cheese for the top.