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/

McNamaraMade

So, I moved to Boston about a year ago and am finally putting together the final touches to my apartment. When I moved in March of last year, I clearly purchased the essentials for any apartment-- bed, couches, TV, coffee table, dresser, etc. It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do with the little spaces throughout the apartment that were a bit awkward, so it took me some brainstorming. Throughout the next month or so I'll share with you parts of my apartment.

First off... my little dog wall. I have a small nook in my room that I am absolutely obsessed with. I just finished decorating it, but the first on my to-do list was the wall decor. I decided to create some things myself rather than spend a pretty penny.

Here is what I did:

1. Purchased a small canvas along with thumbnails, paint and a cute thank you card.
2. Placed the thumbnails around the canvas to create a studded effect (see above).
3. Cut out the shape of the dog on the thank you card and placed on the canvas to outline with a pencil.
4. Carefully paint in the outline of the dog on the canvas.
5. Repeat the above steps on 2 additional canvases in different colors.
6. Hang on wall and admire the work :)

Fur Parka Giveaway

Refinery29 is giving away this beautiful fur parka coat by Mikkat Market on their Facebook page. Hurry! If you share the post, you may be able to win the fur parka yourself. Good luck!

Go here to enter: http://www.facebook.com/refinery29

Sh*t People in DC Say

We all know those viral videos are looming around the web about this and that person saying sh*t. Well, there's now one for what people in DC say. It is quite hilarious and I thought I should share.

Beauty Secrets: Eyes

I’ve never been a big make-up person at all… In the summer, I usually just put on mascara and hit the road. In the winter (when I’m pale), I tend to put on my powder AND mascara—I know, I’m crazy! But lately, I’ve been wanting to do a bit more with my make-up. I think it’s due to my age… While I know I’m not old, I have definitely seen a difference with my skin, i.e. wrinkles, puffy eyes and more. I wash my face once a day with Dove soap and moisturize with either Oil Olay or Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer. However, I have been endlessly searching for that magic eye cream to make my eyes look fresh and awake! I’m curious—what tricks do you have to make your eyes look young and beautiful?

I currently use Clinique’s “All About the Eyes Rich” for my eye puffiness/tired look. As you see from my picture above, it reduces the puffiness but not necessarily the bags under my eyes or wrinkles. So, the search continues...

Piperlime Must Haves

Wander Wednesdays: London

My boyfriend's mother is moving to London and just rented a townhouse for a year (I believe... I haven't gotten all the details just yet, so stay tuned!). Anyways, with the news that we could be visiting London in the near future I automatically started thinking about actually being in this amazing city. How exciting!

I can see myself wearing some warm, comfy clothing (as I'm assuming it's a bit frigid), drinking beers at the local pub (with the fire in the background... it's cold, remember?) with friends and family, and exploring this fabulous place!

Have you ever been? I would love to be on this street right now...

Winter in Boston

This is my first winter in Boston as a resident and I am ecstatic! While I've become a bit antsy to travel to warmer weather destinations, I do have to say there is something so peaceful and surreal about the winter in New England. Here are just a few images I took this morning from our first seasoning of snow! Enjoy!