3 First Impressions

The other day I decided to take a trip to my local CVS to check out what new drugstore makeup they had. Plus I kept getting emails that I had some great coupons on my CVS card. The trip did not disappoint! I picked up three items Rimmel's Stay Matte Foundation, Physician's Formula's CC cream, and the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Matte Brown. Oddly, I ended up with two face products that are totally different.

This might be my new favorite drugstore foundation. I have been trying it out over the last week and it holds up well. It has lasted in fairly good shape for an 8 hour shift at work. The finish is definitely medium to full coverage matte. It blends in well with my Real Techniques buffing brush. However, this is not an "invisible foundation" you definitely feel like your wearing a foundation.

This is my first CC cream. I love that this one from Physicians Formula is 100% organic and has sun screen in it. The coverage is pretty amazing. It is a great everyday product when you do not want full coverage. Also unlike the Rimmel foundation the CC cream does not feel heavy on my skin. I went into CVS not thinking I would pick this up at all. However, my CVS was doing 40% off all the Physicians Formula products and this CC cream had a $3 off coupon attached to it. So I basically got the CC cream for $3.99. Pretty awesome! I kind of feel like I should go back and get another. 

Lastly, I picked up another Color Tattoo. I love them. Hopefully one day Maybelline will come out with a bunch of permanent matte colors. This is the Matte Brown shade that was released for limited edition quite a while ago. My CVS still had a bunch of them. This is great to use for my crease and is incredibly long wearing. 

What have you picked up lately? I was looking for the new Rimmel bb cream originally.When I found all of this. I would love some recommendations.

Also check out my Week 4 post in my Project 52 on Focusing Daily.


Emily

Project 52: Week 4

I believe an introduction is needed. This lovely lady is my dog Molly. She is mutt with some definite basset hound in her but we have no idea what else makes up her genetic makeup. Molly has one of the best temperaments of any dog I have been around. Well if you think a good temperament is wanting to cuddle with you all the time. I do. 

She has had a rough last year. We found a weird bump and it turned out to be a breast tumor. When she had surgery it turned out they had spread and she had to have a complete mastectomy. I am so thankful to still have her. Molly's favorite chair sits right in front of a window. And there is generally great light for photos. I like this one because of her eyes. When I took this she was sleeping and just happened to open her eyes. I feel like she is looking at me like, "Really, that thing again." 

I hope everyone has had a great week! 

As always if you are participating in a photo project please leave a link in the comments so I can check it out! 

Emily

Home Wishlist

While we are still trying to figure out our living situation. Steve and I have decided that it is time to look at some rental houses in the Kennesaw/ Marietta area. We have went and looked at quite a few. There is one that is a possibility if we cannot find anything else that fits our needs and our roommates. Of course while looking at houses I cannot, not envision the furniture that I want to get. My style is a little strange. Generally, I have a love for the old, vintage, southern, mid-century and antique. Plus anything and everything en-between. A few living rooms I love here, here, and here.

1. LILL Sheer curtains, 1 pair, white $4.99: These wonderfully inexpensive sheers are going to be perfect for my bedroom project. I love the look with lights and sheers behind a bed. It is incredibly romantic. I am taking my inspiration from these two images (here and here). And for as inexpensive as they are I might buy a bunch the next time I am at Ikea for other random projects. 

2. Natural Burlap Drum Table Lamp Shade, $24.99: I really like the look of having different textures in a room. The burlap would warm up a room nicely. This is also one of those shades that when we find a house if there are horrible light fixtures I can pick up a light kit and hang easily. 

3.  I Belong With You Flour Sack Tea Towel, $10.00: Kitchen accessories get me. Whether it is a cup or bowl and now tea towels they are my weakness. I found this wonderful tea towel in person actually at a little shop on the Marietta Square. The name has slipped my mind but the idea of the store is that it is like a permanent continuation of the farmers market throughout the week. It is fantastic. I looked forever for this towel and finally decided to just search tea towel on Pinterest and behold it was the 10th image on the page. Check out the different products at FrenchSilver! There are adorable onesies (favorite) if you know someone with a little one! 

4. Aqua Quinn Bistro Clock, $23.99: I love the worn look and the color of this clock. Would look adorable in a little kitchen. 

5.  Jackson Right Sectional Sofa, $2,199.00: This sofa is amazing. Mid-century sofas are my favorite. I love the clean lines, color, and narrow legs. I never see myself spending this much money for a sofa. But this is a wishlist right? Everything else I have picked has been not that far from reach. This particular sofa might be but, the style is exactly what I want. 

6. Corner Store Record Rack, $59.00: Urban Outfitters has some awesome record storage. I like the simplicity of this one. Between Steve and I we might need like 4 or 5 of these though. But I like the idea of being able to see the records. 

7.VITTSJÖ Shelving unit, $70.00: The size of this unit for the price is fantastic. It would be a lot of fun to style the shelves. Perfect for some of my vintage goodies like my cameras, books, and special Fireking dishes. While the black/brown with glass option is great the way it is there are some awesome hacks online like these here and here. I love the idea of replacing the glass with wood. 

What are some items you have been checking out recently for your home? Leave me a link below I would love to have some more ideas! 

Emily

Project 52: Week 3

Week 3! I am glad I started this project. It already has me carrying my camera around more often. This stately looking young man with the burns is my boyfriend Steve. I have noticed lately that we do not have as many photographs together anymore. I hope to rectify this and doing my project will help. And our 5 year anniversary is next month so I am starting to layout another photo book for us. Steve and I went to lunch with my best friend Alyssa at Tsunami Taqueria on the Marietta Square. We decided to have a quick mini photoshoot.


Emily

Mason Jar Love

This Christmas was the first time I have been given presents that are for a home. Hopefully a home that I will move into soon. My parents gave me a really nice Wusthof Knife set. Then my Aunt Jen gave me an adorable spoon rest made out of a melted mason jar. I have seen these on Pinterest and love them. Mine came from the Midwest Finds from Etsy. Their shop is really cute and has different mason jar products including lanterns, engraved spoon rests, and a few vintage items. I cannot wait to put my spoon rest to use and cook up some great food!

Project 52: Week 2

On Wednesday I had a day off from work and I decided after doing some errands that I would go visit a park I had not been too. I had my new 50mm lens and wanted to practice with it. The park was fantastic and looks like it will be one of my new favorite places to take photographs. I did not even get a chance to walk around it entirely. And I know when Spring comes around it will be beautiful. 

The park is made of up old farm land so there are old barb wire fences. I chose this picture because I was able to play around with my new 50mm's shallow depth of field. Also I love the way the barbed wire softens in to a stream flowing behind the wires in focus. The coppery color that the wire gives of gives a wonderful glow.

Please let me know if you are doing a photo project I'd love to check your photos out! Feel free to link to them so I can see them.

Emily

Favorite Perfume

My favorite perfume is now Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline. I originally got a sample of this in one of my first Birchboxes and have loved it ever since. It was on my Christmas list in 2012 and my Grandmother bought it for me Christmas this past year. I am obsessed. The Sephora website says the notes are Bamboo, Nashi, Lotus Flower, Balsa Wood. While when I think of those notes separately I have no idea how they merge to make this fragrance. However they mixed them it is magical. I love how the style is described airy, radiant, and feminine. Who does not want to be described that way?

I love the way light looks coming through the bottle. The photos of the bottle were taken on my new 50 mm f/1.4 lens. Check out my post on Focusing Daily about the lens. Also follow over at Focusing Daily to see my Project 52 and photography related posts. 

What is your favorite perfume? I would love to find some new ones to try! 

Emily

Camera Bag Addition!

I am happy to introduce the new addition to my camera bag the Canon 50mm f/1.4. Buying this lens has been at the back of my mind for a long time. I choose the 85 mm f/1.8 that I bought a little over a year ago over this lens. So I am very excited to get this lens. It will be a lot of fun playing with the lens for my Project 52 this year. For me this is my smallest focal length lens and the largest aperture in my camera bag.

I decided to go with the f/1.4 over the f/1.8 because I think that having the f/1.4 will give me more range. Also I like that the mount on the f/1.4 is metal instead of plastic. The quality feels better. However, I have heard great reviews of the f/1.8 and I think that it would be a great lens to have. I just felt like I would invest more money into the lens instead of buying the f/1.8 and then in a couple of years buying the f1.4.

The little black dot on the lens cap is a cap catcher. I also have one of these on my 85 mm and it is a life saver. I am always putting my lens cap in a jacket or jean pocket and forgetting where it is so these are great. Another accessory I already placed on the lens is the circular polarizer filter. I like to have filters on my lens to protect them. I bought my lens through Amazon and then bought a accessory kit separately on Amazon here. There were options to get the lens and a kit all together and I found that if I bought the lens and the kit separate I saved money (this is with Prime membership). The kit has three different filters, the cap catcher, lens hood, cleaning cloth, and extra lens cap. 

I can not wait to see if this becomes my favorite lens over my 85mm. What is your favorite lens in your camera bag? 

Emily

New Year! New Resolutions!

This year has been full of wonderful experiences. I graduated from college, went to the Bahamas with my best friend, spent another wonderful year with Steve, went on a few road trips and much more. I am looking forward to this next year and all the changes it will have for me. A new job, new living arrangements, and everything else a new year can bring. 

I do have a couple of New Year Resolutions. Looking back I have not ever really made a true New Years Resolution. Always been apart of the oh I will eat healthier and exercise more with the new year crowd. While I do want to still work on those two. Especially with now have graduated I am going to have to try more to not be as sedentary.

The resolutions that I have committed myself to in 2014 are to work on my Project 52 that I am going to do on my photography blog Focusing Daily. I will be taking and posting a photograph on Focusing Daily every week for this year. Also I will be now posting more content on Focusing Daily. 

My other resolution is to spend more time with my family. I am very blessed to have the majority of my family near to me. As part of this resolution a goal of mine for this year is to take portraits of my entire family.

I hope you have had a great Christmas and New Year!! 

What are your resolutions? 

Emily

2014 Photography Challenge: Week 1

Hello! I hope everyone has had a great Christmas and New Years. I had a great year in 2013. I graduated from college, went on a cruise with my best friend, and I had another great year with my boyfriend Steve. Now that I have graduated college I am going to dedicate more time to my personal projects. This means more photography! To get me rolling I am going to start a photo project. In the past I have tried a 365 project and failed horribly. But I have seen a few people do a Project 52. You post a photograph a week for the entire year. This is the project that I am going to participate in for 2014. I personally am going to push myself to try and make these photographs portraits as much as possible. I am really excited to do this project and to be able to share much more content on Focusing Daily.

Week 1: 

Yesterday while Steve and I were driving around downtown Dallas. I looked out the window and saw that one of the fountains was completely iced over. It is beautiful. I love the randomness of the icicles. I thought it would be fun to play around with a filter and the look it gives with the ice. 

If you are attempting a photo project let me know! I will love to follow and check out your photographs. 

(Side note: I just ordered my Canon 50 mm f/1.4 and it will be here on Tuesday, weather pending. Super excited about the lens and the fun experimenting that will ensue when I get it.) 

Emily