Friday, May 31, 2013

Florida

Hello Again!

Earlier this month, Aron and I took a 5 day vacation to Saint Augustine and Jacksonville to visit family and friends. Though I have grown to love Tennessee, Florida's sunshine and beaches are forever in my heart. Ahhhh Florida, I love you :)

We grossly underestimated Nashville's morning traffic and almost missed our flight! But we made it, and that's all that matters. 

Once we landed in Jacksonville, we grabbed our rental car and headed over to Saint Augustine to have lunch with Aron's parents. We hit the beach later that afternoon.
Vilano Beach is mostly made up of beautiful coquina shell. 
Later that evening, my Mom and her husband Mike met us all in St. Augustine to eat at the famous Osteen's Restaurant. They have the best friend shrimp I have ever eaten. 
Day-ummm
Me and Mom
Me and my mother-in-law, Karen 
Aron and Andrew 

We took more photos outside of Osteens
We made a beer run that night, and Aron let me indulge in a bit of photo taking. Vilano Beach is a magical place...
I'll be back next week with part two of our Florida adventures. Have a great weekend!


Adrienne 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

May Ipsy Bag

Hello Again!

I generally forget to review my Ipsy bags, but the May products were pretty fabulous and deserving of a blog post. Here we go!
 This month I received:
1) St. Tropez One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion 
2) Nume Finishing Serum
3) Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss
4) Zoya Nail Polish in Neely
5) Yaby Concealer Refills
Let's start with the St. Tropez One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion . I am skeptical of most fake tanners, especially those that wash off with soap and water. But I was feeling brave and decided to give it a whirl. This lotion gives such a lovely glow! Best of all, it didn't rub off on my clothing! We'll have to see how it stands up to the humid Nashville summers :)
Next up is Nume Finishing Serum. This stuff seemed to work OK on my color treated, dry hair. But, I'm not sure it's worth the $29 (for a full size) price. 
On to the Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss. (notice my dry, comic-book-sorting-hands, and the messy background. I'm super professional). This gloss has a nice, sweet scent and is organic and cruelty free, which is a big deal to me. I do wish the gloss had been a tad less sheer.
I truly loved the Zoya Nail Polish in Neely! I'm generally a coral/pink/red polish kind of gal, but I threw this on my fingernails one night, and it lasted for 3-4 days without chipping! That is unheard of for me, since I am super rough on my hands. I need to try more Zoya polishes, that's for sure!
Finally, we have the Yaby Concealer Refills. I was so underwhelmed by this that I didn't even bother to take a separate photograph, haaa haaa. Seriously, I haven't given this product a try as of yet and it might be wonderful. I will update this post as soon as I do.

As I mentioned before, I was quite impressed with this month's Ipsy bag. The bronzer and polish are my faves, and alone are worth the $10 subscription fee!

Also, don't forget that Google Reader is going away this Summer (I'm not sure about Google Friend Connect, but that's another story). For blog updates, follow along via Bloglovin'!
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Thanks for stopping by!
Adrienne 

*Please note, this is not a paid product review. I purchase a monthly Ipsy subscription and like to share my beauty finds with my readers :)

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Torrid Grand Opening

Hello Again!

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day! We spent our day at a cookout with some great friends :)

A few weeks ago, I attended a local Torrid grand opening with my friends Becca, Kelly, and Kelly's daughter Jai'Lynn. To say we were excited about the Torrid opening is a massive understatement! 

Torrid carries trendy, sexy clothing for curvy and plus sized ladies. It's sister company is Hot Topic, and Torrid was, at first, mainly a goth and retro brand. They company has changed over the past several years, and their styles have become less edgy and a bit more mainstream. That said, I can still find a wide variety of cute things at Torrid.
I had breakfast with Kelly and Jai'Lynn at Mimi's Cafe, then met up with Becca at Torrid around 9. We made sure we arrived about an hour before the opening, because the first 50 people received a mystery gift card, valued from $10-$100. Needless to say, all of ours were $10 cards!
Disco balls are always fun! I love the striped dresses in the corner.
Pretty red top and lace cardi. 
I wasn't too in love with their graphic tees. 
I purchased two summer dresses and a coral top. Yes, I know I don't need to purchase another dress, ever. The dresses were 25% off, I had my $10 off gift card, 5% Diva Style discount, and 30% off of $75 or more, so I escaped spending about $75, which isn't half bad. Here are the items I ended up with:
I had purchased a blue and white polka dot dress, but when I tried it on at home, the shape was much too 1993 babydoll, at least on my frame. I exchanged it for the neutral animal print dress on the right.

Also, I wasn't sold on the leopard and rose dress. It is very Snooki, and I wasn't sure I could pull if off. But, I wore it on a girls night out on our recent Florida vacation, and I decided I loved it.

Overall, I love Torrid, though their items can be very pricey. Becca also pointed out that they needed to do more to distinguish themselves from Lane Bryant, which is directly across the street. I feel they need a few more edgy/pinup selections. But overall, I will take Torrid over Lane Bryant any day. 

Have a great day!

Adrienne 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Lips and Keys

Hello Again!

Last week, I took a brief blog break last to fully enjoy our mini Florida vacation! I had a wonderful time, and will be sharing our beach adventures next week. 

Earlier this month, we attended the Black Keys/Flaming Lips concert with Ben and his friend Jay. The concert was a surprise birthday present to Ben from his wife Tracy :)

The show was held at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. Both bands rocked the house, hard.
A beer or two before heading over to the arena

Aron and I saw the Flaming Lips back in 2011 at The Ryman. It was a life changing show, full of love and hope, confetti and bear costumes. This time around The Lips played some  new tracks from The Terror, which honestly, is a very depressing album. While they were amazing as always, both Ben and I wished we had heard a few more tunes from Yoshimi and The Soft Bulletin. 
This was my first time seeing The Black Keys live. I was quite impressed, their set was very tight and full of soul.
One of the many things I love about Nashville is the music scene, and all of the rad artists the city attracts. We have seen several fab shows since we moved here in 2010!


 Random, goofy pic of us before we left for the concert.
Thanks for stopping by!
Adrienne 

Friday, May 10, 2013

Brunch Time

Hello Again,

A few Sundays ago, The Ellers had friends over for brunch and a viewing of DJango Unchained. Bloody Marys and bloody movies are a winning combination! Though I am more of a Mimosa kind of gal...

I wore this bright, cheap dress I picked up at Ross. It reminds me of a 1950s peasant, vacation dress. 

Dress: Ross
Bow Flats: Target (old)
 There were waffles & fruit topping, potatoes, deviled eggs, fruit, and cupcakes. I am salivating just remembering this meal. Tracy did an amazing job hosting this brunch!
Tracy also made these little coconut strawberry confections. They were so yummy!

DJango Unchained is an amazing film. We first saw it with the Ellers on Christmas Day, so this was our second viewing. It was even better the second time around.

I hope you are all having a fab Friday. I am off to set up for a comic convention this weekend. I will be skipping the convention this Saturday morning, and attending the grand opening of our local Torrid with some friends. Woo hoo!

Don't forget to enter our Anjolee Anniversary Ring Giveaway!

Adrienne 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Anjolee Anniversary Ring Giveaway-CLOSED

Hello Again!


Here is a little sparkle to brighten up your Wednesday...



I am excited to partner with Anjolee to offer one lucky reader a chance to win this 7 stone anniversary ring! 

Anjolee is an online retailer than offers a wide selection of fine jewelry, such as eternity bands and tennis braceletsWith Anjolee, the customer is able to customize their piece by choosing the type of metal, stone, carat weight, and more.

I was thrilled to review one of their gorgeous necklaces back in 2011, and am happy to again share this brand with my readers. 

 The winner will receive one sterling silver and CZ anniversary band in their size. (I will contact the winner via email for their ring size). 

Please follow the instructions to enter via the widget below. You must follow What Lola Wants via Google Friend Connect AND Bloglovin' in order to enter this giveaway. This giveaway is open to international readers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway ends 5/22. Good luck!
Adrienne 

The Winner is...Eartha Kitsch, one of my favorite bloggers :)

Friday, May 3, 2013

With A Little Help From My Friends

Hello Again!

In mid April, my love Aron took a week long business trip to Germany. While I was happy that he gained more international travel experience, I missed him very much. Luckily, I had my fab friends to keep me company that week.
Saturday night the Ellers had friends over for yummy red beans and rice, and a viewing of Killer Joe. Have you seen Killer Joe? Though it is not for the faint of heart, I highly recommend it. You will never see Kentucky Fried Chicken (K-Fri-C) the same way. It was a fun night :)
Later that week, I went for a much needed pedi with Becca. Afterwards, we stopped by The Painted Clay to check out their wares. Cupcake AND Wolverine pottery? Radness. 

John and Becca also invited me over for a yummy dinner of pork chops and mashed potatoes, finished with some Publix Espresso Chips frozen yogurt. It was great company, and a great meal.

Speaking of Publix frozen yogurt...ummm, I think I may have a problem. I devoured this fabulous coconut stuff in just a few days. Wow. 
Later that week, Kelly and I had a girls shopping day. We went to the Rivergate Mall and Opry Mills in Nashville, then ended up back at The Avenue in Murfreesboro. It was a fun filled marathon!
 I do most of my shopping online, so it was nice to try on some different styles and see how they work. Well, except for these jumpsuits. 

I loved these styles I spotted at the mall, but they did not meet the Kelly stamp of approval!
I also had these furry faces to keep me company. Though their love for Aron far outweighs their tolerance of me, I cherish them just the same. 

I am so thankful to have these wonderful friends in my life. They made my week without Aron much more enjoyable.

I am also thankful to have Aron back home :) 
Have a fabulous Friday!
Adrienne