Beauty Secrets: Hair

I've discovered that sometimes in life it's good to go back to the basics. Throughout my life I've always changed my hair-- cut it, color it, chop it, grow it, etc. The past couple of months I've had my hair highlighted to quite a lighter color. I love it for summer and/or vacation, but with it being so cold in Boston right now I wanted to go to a much warmer color. I decided I would go back to my original color (or close to). As you can see on the image to the right what I difference the color makes! I also need to comment that I got some bangs! My inspiration comes from Cat Power and various images I've been eyeing on Pinterest. I'm kind of totally obsessed with the new look. What to do you think??

PS- Please excuse the mugshot look. I swear I didn't do it :)

Wander Wednesdays: Key West

First, I would like to apologize on me being a little MIA for the past 2 weeks. I took a vacation with my family down to beautiful Key West. We went down to surprise my mother for her 60th birthday. She was shocked! There were about 45 people there to celebrate how great, loving and wonderful she is. We were there for 5 days and I loved every minute of it. I made a little collage (above) to sum up our trip.

The first image is of the Blue Heaven sign. Blue Heaven is this AMAZING restaurant in Key West that my family and I love to go to every time we're down there. They have roosters roaming around the restaurant, it's outside and they have delicious southern food. The second image is of the sunset during our cocktail cruise with the company, Fury. We went out on the water around 5:30pm, had some cold beverages and listened to great music with close friends and family. The last image is a picture of my delicious Corona at our resort, Casa Marina.

With it being freezing cold in Boston right now, I really wouldn't mind going back. Key West is one of those places that never gets old. I highly suggest everyone go there at LEAST once in their lives.

Wander Wednesdays: Newport, RI

I'm sure everyone gets the itch to take a big trip or just get out of town for a day. I sure as hell do! My lovely boyfriend and I have been daydreaming about going to St. John's or Key West-- somewhere warm, relaxing and a place where we can have a nice big frozen margarita with no worries. While this would be ideal, it costs a pretty penny to get there. (Flights out of Logan these days are SO expensive!)

With that said, I started to research great little trips we can take around Boston. Hello, Newport! Newport is a lovely, quaint little town that has a lot to offer its tourists (this is what I've heard... I've never been!). So I started poking around at Newport hotels, restaurants and area attractions...

Look at the amazing place I found (image above!)... It's called The Chanler at Cliff Walk. It's located right on the water and extremely close to downtown that has various shops, historic landmarks and more. The Chanler also has about 5 different restaurants and breathtaking views. I would LOVE to be there on a cold weekend, fire place going, nice big glass of Merlot and amazing views of the water.

They are currently providing winter deals for tourists, which makes for a great little getaway for Chris and I. I'm hoping we can make it down there in the beginning of March so it's not freezing but still quiet with few other tourists.

Have you ever been to Newport, RI? If so, any store/restaurant suggestions? Can't wait to check it out!

DahliaLynn Giveaway

Do you ever go onto Etsy to check out all the magnificent pieces you can purchase there? The options are endless and I'm obsessed.

So, my good friend Christine White over at court + hudson is doing a giveaway of a fabulous DahliaLynn necklace.

To enter to win:

Step 1: Follow Dahlia Lynn Lane on Bloglovin

Step 2: Follow court + hudson on Bloglovin

Step 3: Leave a comment on court + hudson when you've completed the above - and don't forget to include your email!

Good luck!

Shopbop Must Haves

What are your thoughts on bright colors? I’ve gone through phases throughout my life where I love colors and then I’ll go through a “black out” period… literally! I’ll only wear black. These days (I think because I’m in Boston and people love colors here) I’ve been wearing a ton of colors. With that said, here are some items I am lusting after these days.

I would love to wear this Adia Kibur Silver & Neon Chain Link Necklace with a big grey t-shirt, black very skinny jeans, black patent leather pumps and add a little bit of umph with these Karen Walker Super Duper Strength Sunglasses and the gorgeous Diane von Furstenberg Lytton Small Minaudiere purse. YUM!!

Beauty Secrets: Nails

Have any of you tried the Sally Hansen Salon Effects before? Also known as the nail stickers (in my mind!)? I was hesitant about using them thinking that they would look a little cheap, but I caved the other day... I bought the leopard print and black/glitter combo ones. As you can see from the image to the left, it looks pretty good!

In order for them to last (I've had mine for a week and a half so far and they still look great!), make sure that your nails are completely clean-- use nail polish remover then wash your hands immediately after. Then line up the sticker to match each of your nails. Take the stickers apart and place on your nails-- you'll have to file those down too as the stickers are super long. While that is a quick summary of how to use them, just wanted to let you know how easy it easy!

I highly recommend trying these for a fun event you have coming up like a bachelorette party or holiday event! Enjoy!

Friday Finds: Home

I want to begin a weekly post for Fridays. I spend my whole week on the internet for work and for pleasure, and the things I find are just amazing! Thank goodness for Pinterest as I'm able to organize all those things I discover and store them away for future use.

With that said, I'm going to post some "Finds" every Friday on images that have really stuck with me and I hopefully will repurpose for future use.

Above, you'll see I've pulled some images for a home. I absolutely love these rooms-- the colors, the furniture, the set-up... EVERYTHING. I'd die to have this bedroom, this guest bedroom in my vacation home and this kitchen in my future home.

To find out more of the images I love, follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/cdmcnamara/