Hair Favorites

I am in DESPERATE need of a haircut. Thank goodness I have an appointment today after work. I figured what better day to talk about my hair favorites than today. I have a few things I like to use on days when I do style my hair. I work from home so let's be real...half the time it's up on top of my head.

{ONE}
 Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray is hands down the BEST.  My hair would not hold curl without it. I originally started with a small can just to see how it works because it is pricey. It didn't take long for me to realize I needed the full size can. It's AMAZING.

{TWO}
Where are all my Southern girls?? Who can say HUMIDITY? We all know that can absolutely wreck your hair as soon as you walk out the door. This stuff Oribe Impermeable Anti Humidity Spray definitely helps lock my style in so it doesn't immediately fall when I walk out to the car.

{THREE}
Davine's OI Oil is awesome as well and smells SO good. You can put this on wet or dry hair. I usually add one pump to my hands after I have styled and run it over my curls and the top of my hair to smooth & shine. I was introduced to this at my salon and it has definitely been a mainstay.

{FOUR}
 If I am going for a straight style, then I always put in the Living Proof Fresh Cut Split End Mender. And let's be real...I have been using this a lot lately. It smooths our your ends so they don't look so frayed. This goes on prior to your blow dry. Fake it till you make it, right?

{FIVE}
This hairspray is cheap and I love it. I think I got this from Target. It is a regular hold hairspray and it's nice and light. Nothing fancy here just good stuff.

{SIX}
If you don't have a Wet Brush...get one! I use mine every night to brush through my hair & then I also have the one that helps with shine. It has little short bristles below the longer ones if that makes sense.

You can see all the products below so you know just what to look for or you can shop the widget direct. What products are you using?? Let me know.

Half Marathon Recap!

And by conquer, I use that term loosely. 15 weeks of training. Lots of miles. Lots of sweat. And maybe the loss of a toenail after the race. Yes friends, that really happened. When you run as much as I did, and then put in 13 miles, your feet get TORN UP. But that's okay. Nothing some nail vitamins can't fix.

Let's start with the morning of. I got up at 5AM because I wanted to make sure that I could get in a good breakfast and still have enough time for it to settle before race time. I had some scrambled eggs, whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter, and some coffee. I did not want to stray away from my normal routine that I had been using while training. [Note to any new runners: Never try to do anything new on race day. This includes your shoes/what you wear. You have a routine/habit...keep it that way.]

I got dressed and was just anxious. I paced around, and I laid back down in bed and scrolled through Snapchat to just take my mind off it. It was finally time to leave and my dad drove us to the start line which was at Kidd Brewer Stadium at App State. The whole time he was talking about food on the way, and I had to ask him to stop because I legit felt SICK. I don't know what it is about me but any big event I get nervous/sick. Call me a wimp. I wasn't nervous about the running part at all. Just the event itself. If that makes sense?

So we get out of the car, and I am legit choking back tears. Y'all, I can't even lie about this. When I say I am a wimp, I am. HAHA! We walk into the stadium and Brian is calm cool and collected...at least from what I can see. He starts to put on his arm band & get situated & what happens to me? Tears are rolling down my face. I am laughing writing this because I don't know what came over me.

We walk up to use the bathroom one more time & he made me eat a couple bites of banana even though I wanted to vomit all due from my nerves. We warmed up around the track for a lap and then saw Alison's dad. Once we started talking to him, I was ok. The nerves went away & I was ready to go.

We started the race and it was great. It was hilly mountainous but it was FUN! Mile 6-7 was all downhill and I got some serious pace on that mile. The weather was perfect. It was not hot at all. THANK YOU LORD! Slightly muggy in some parts but it was FABULOUS. I had a great time.

We hit the last mile and guess what started to happen? If you guessed more crying, you are CORRECT. I ugly cried my way across the finish line and ran straight to my Daddy. Are you noticing a trend here from past posts? HAHA! It was really emotional for me because a half marathon was something I did not think I could ever do and I did it. I put in a lot of miles to get there and it all coming to an end was just awesome. I did that race SOLELY for me.

My parents and grandparents were there along with 2 of my girlfriends! SHOUT OUT to Rach & Alison. And my other SNEAKY girlfriends had all sent cards to my parents' house along with a care package that I got before the race. You ladies rock.

B had finished before me and he was right there! It was great and I was happy that I did it. Lauren already asked me if I would do another...and the answer is yes...most definitely yes. The training I put in totally prepared me for it. My goal is to finish under 2:32 next time. And yes, I have already started looking at races for the end of the year...just not half way across the country.

So there is my recap of the race...I finished and I cried. I can't stop laughing about it. Maybe next time I won't be so emotional??

Happy Monday everyone!

xoxo,
Haley

Thursday Beauty Favorites

Happy Thursday everyone! Sorry for the silence on here this week. Work has been busy and a work party on Monday night really did me in for Tuesday...oops! I thought I would share with y'all some of my favorite beauty favorites today.

O N E
Becca Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector is awesome. It is SUPER matte. For a girl who is a. very oily & b. lives in the South. This is a must. It's a bit pricey but I have had mine for a while (maybe almost a year?) and I just ran out. You need very little.

T W O
I think everyone and their mother has probably heard of or tried the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask. Yes it is pricey but it makes your skin feel oh so good! I actually have the mask on now as I write this! For some reason right now my skin is acting crazy and breaking out and also has a couple of rough patches. Like WHAT? I will be 29 on Sunday and you would think I am a hormonal teenager. UGH!

T H R E E
This palette is the ONLY palette I brought on my trip. I swear Tarte does everything fabulous. I grabbed this while standing in line at Sephora one day and it has a great set of colors to carry you through any trip. Really...you can keep it subtle or totally glam it up with just this small palette. Love love love it. I literally use it every day.

F O U R
Lastly is this mascara by Mac, False Lashes Extreme in Black. I think I originally got a sample in a Nordstrom grab bag and was hooked. It makes your lashes look SO long and SO beautiful. It's a must buy. I have piddly lashes so this really amps them up.

What are your favorite beauty buys right now? I am such a sucker for make up these days and love to try out different stuff. I'd love to hear what you are wearing or have tried and liked. Be sure to leave a comment & let me know. Hope y'all have a great Thursday.

xoxo,
Haley

Travel + Half Marathon

I am in the office this week for work and am so excited. I was delayed in Atlanta yesterday for a couple hours which wasn't fun but what can you do? People watch & drink coffee. I have training this week along with a sales meeting & party. So excuse the radio silence that might happen this week.

This is also my last week of training for the half on Saturday. I can't believe it's here. I have 3 days of running this week and will taper my mileage. My husband and I were talking about it this weekend and how we probably won't run for a solid week after the race. I know our legs & feet will be so tired.  But I can't wait. It is definitely a challenge for me and I'm ready to take it on. Next weekend is also my birthday. I haven't really told anyone what I wanted. My husband has asked but I'm not really sure. Oh well. My last year in my twenties... WOAH! Let's get it.

Here are some items I got this weekend when I went to exchange a dress at Old Navy.

Hope y'all have a great Monday!!

Xoxo,
Haley

Five on Friday -- Fall Staples

Happy Friday y'all! We finally made it. I say 'finally' like it took a long time to get here but in all actuality, this week moved pretty swift for me. I thought I would share some my 5 Fall staples for y'all today. This is not limited to clothes/shoes, mind you.. well maybe just a little bit.

[O N E]

These Old Navy jeans are AMAZING. I just got them in and they come up mid rise which is just enough to suck you in without being total "mom jeans." The color is awesome & they really "sculpt" you like they advertise. I can not wait to wear these with boots!!

[T W O]

I am a big fan of simple tops to throw on and go. Anything that looks good with skinnies + booties gets an A+ in my book. I bought this shirt during the #NSale and I LOVE IT. I really gravitate towards neutral colors because then you can mix and match with anything. The possibilities are endless folks. 

[T H R E E]

Boots & booties. Can you ever get enough? I got these booties recently from none other than Target and they are WAY cute. I wore them with jeans shorts and girllll do they make your legs look long. Love it! Also, I purchased during the #NSale these OTK boots and can't WAIT to wear them when it does get cooler here in Texas.

[F O U R]

Coffee, coffee, and more coffee! I have really gotten into coffee lately & have learned to drink mine black. A. It's way better & B. Creamer is LOADED with calories/sugar. Win Win right? I am not super knowledgeable about coffee, but I feel like I know a good brew when I taste one. My husband wants to get a French press. Do any of y'all use one? How you like it? Any suggestions on which one to get? I have read that glass presses are best.

[F I V E]

SOUP! Who doesn't love a good soup? I know I do. My husband on the other hand is chili or nothing. He loves loves loves chili and would have me make it in the dead of summer but who can honestly eat that in 100 degree heat?! Not me. And I don't believe that all soups have to be heavy like a chili. But the man wants what the man wants. What are some of your favorite soups? I love a good hearty chicken and rice soup with some veggies. Send me your recipes!!

I hope y'all have a great weekend! We are supposed to get more rain so we'll see how it goes.

xoxo,
Haley

Thirsty Thursday

I have recently gotten in to drinking Rose. I usually prefer my wines to not be sweet, but crisp and refreshing. Pinot Grigio is my go to in the summer. However, I tried some Rose at a bar here in Austin at the recommendation of the bartender, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I like it. It was crisp, refreshing, and not overly sweet...just a hint. It was the Wind Gap 2013 Rose.

I have also tried the Charles & Charles Rose from Target, and it was really good. I can't remember what year it was but it was good, none the less.

What do y'all like to drink? I do like red wine, but I just can't drink it in the summer. I save it for Fall & Winter....it tends to make me hot. Anyone else?! Maybe it's just me.

My favorite wine glasses are the Luigi Bormioli glasses. We registered for these for our wedding and I have the white and the red. I have a thing for big snobby wine glasses a la Olivia Pope.

So share with me, y'alls favorites. I am always on the lookout for new wines. I am bad about buying a bottle because of the label...no judging...we all have done it. So any wine suggestions are welcomed!!

Have a great Thursday!! The weekend is so close!!

xoxo,
Haley

Green Goddess Sauce

If you like spicy, then you need this sauce in your life. And if you don't, well then you can tweak it to your spice level. We love spice in our house so bring on the jalapenos!! I actually doubled this recipe this second time I made it.

It's actually called Cilantro Jalapeno Sauce...but I like to call it Green Goddess Sauce. 

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Yields: Approx 2 cups

4 Jalapenos (stems removed & cut in half)

2 cups cilantro (stems removed)

1/2 cup sour cream 

(I used Greek Yogurt this go around to be healthier and it tasted just as good!)

Juice of 1 lime

2 cloves garlic

Pinch of salt or to your taste

1/2 cup EVOO

1 TB Apple Cider Vinegar

You put all but the last 2 ingredients in the food processor. 

Blend & slowly add in your EVOO & Apple Cider Vinegar until completely mixed. Once mixed, put in a sealable container and refrigerate!

We love to put it on tamales, chicken, eggs, dip fries in it....it's good on EVERYTHING!

I have the Kitchen Aid 11 cup food processor that my Mom gave me as a wedding gift. It gets A LOT of use. My only complaint is that it has a lot of piece parts to clean once you are finished. 

Let me know if y'all try it out. Or what other sauces do y'all love? I would love to hear. It's always nice to add a little something to a dish...especially when it happens to be on the healthier side. 

Hope y'all have a great Wednesday!! It's Hump day. 

xoxo,

Haley

GOMO>FOMO

What is FOMO? I am sure many of you have heard it..."Fear of missing out." I know I experience this all too many times being that I live about 1200 miles away from all of my best girlfriends. I'll be on some platform of social media and I'll see pictures posted and ALMOST ALWAYS say "UGH! I wish I was there. I miss them."

The only way to fix that is GOMO...Eventbrite's way to crush FOMO. GOMO stands simply for Going Out More Often. Genius! If you are out having fun with other friends, spouses, boyfriend/girlfriend or family, you shouldn't be experiencing any form of FOMO.

I know that my husband and I are definitely going to be getting out a lot more. We have several concerts on the books, friends visiting, places we want to try out to eat & visit. This will be sure to keep us from sitting at home and being for lack of a better word, lame.

Eventbrite is a great way to search for festivals, events, concerts, races, etc in and around where you live or in other locations. They also make it easy for organizations to set up a place for people to buy tickets or RSVP online to events. With that being said, what are your plans for GOMO? What fun events are you rounding out your summer with? I'd love to hear what's happening in your neck of the woods.

xoxo,
Haley

Weekend Recap

Oh Monday! You always come too soon. I am late getting this up because today has just been busy! I had some other blog posts that needed to go up/get written so I am just running a bit behind. I thought I'd recap our weekend. It was low key and just what we needed. It also rained which we were super thankful for. It was so hot last week, so the rain has cooled us down about 20-30 degrees!! Thank you Jesus! This post will be picture heavy, just a forewarning.

We started our weekend off on Friday with a trip to our favorite brewery, Jester King. It is out in the Hill Country. It's gorgeous. They have a pizza place on site and it's awesome too.

[similar purse]

Those garlic knots didn't stand a chance. Also, we inhaled the pizza before I could snap a picture. Oops!

Sunglasses: Target (old/similar)

These liveoaks were beautiful at dusk. 

Saturday morning I was up early feeding the pup and just never went back to sleep. I ended up laying in bed, drinking coffee, and catching up on some blog reading. 

I also had this guy keeping watch.

Brunch at Snooze on Saturday morning. They just opened 2 locations in Austin. We first had Snooze in Denver last year so we were super excited to hear they were coming to TX. 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

 Yes, we ate ALL of that. I don't even want to know the calorie count. 

I also tried a new Philosophy 2 step mask. My face has been out of control lately with breakouts. I don't wear make up during the week since I work from home so unfortunately I think it is just hormonal. [Insert eye roll]

You start by putting the charcoal mask on all over your face. Then you put the cream on top of it and it turns kind of bubbly/foamy on your face. You leave it on for 3 minutes or so & then scrape it off with the little spatula you see right below those 2 bottles. I like it and think it does resurface a bit. I've done it 3 times in a row as it says you can do that to really detoxify your face. You can use it every other day during the week thereafter. We'll see how it improves over time. 

I ended the weekend with a 9 mile run on Sunday. It was overcast, thank goodness. It did sprinkle on us a little bit which was actually quite nice. Much better than the hellish heat we have been experiencing.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I would love to hear what you did.

xoxo,

Haley

Five on Friday

Hi friends! It's finally Friday! So glad the weekend is here. These past few weeks the weekends have come quickly. So thankful for that. It's been quiet around here and I apologize. Thought it would be easy to jump back in and do a Friday Five.

1. It has been SO hot in Texas these last few weeks. While I was in NC over July 4th, I picked up a S'Well bottle and I love it. I got the gold one that holds 25oz. It is literally the best thing ever & helps keep my hydrated better. It keeps my water so cold and has held ice over night. And it's stylish. Can't beat that right?! I think I like it so much because it has the screw top. I keep water at my desk & a screw top just gives me peace of mind that if I did clumsily knock it over, it wouldn't spill all over my computer desk.

2. Did I mention I am running a half marathon? Well I am. I am running the High Country Half in Boone, NC on August 27th...the day before my 29th birthday. I have been training for 14 weeks....one more week to go. I am excited and really not all too nervous. I have been running in the Brook's Ghost 8's for my shorter runs & then my New Balance 1080's which are super comfy for longer runs! I will run in those for sure come race day. My exact colors are below.

3. My girlfriends and I started a group blog called The Dainty Details. Be sure to check it out & leave us some love. Posts range from beauty, mom stories, food, exercise and all things in between.

 

4. I just ordered this cute Boho dress from Old Navy. I think it's going to look so cute paired with booties or some pumps. It will be hot here through til November so this dress will get lots of wear.

5. I am loving the "new" (maybe just to me) Adele song, "Send My Love." It is so good and the beat is not slow which is unlike her. I love it.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

xoxo, Haley