birthday trip to tennessee

I turned 26 at the end of April. No, I don't want to talk about it. I've had about six mid-mid life crises. But I did have a great trip out to Tennessee to see my mom!



We packed up and went out Tuesday evening and had a great time. We jammed to Amazon Prime Music all the way out. It was a gorgeous day to travel.

We didn't get out til later that evening, but Mumma had made some delicious spaghetti (as always) and then, after six hours of travel, we went to bed. She even had the birthday flag out for me!



Wednesday we woke up, got ready, and headed to Knoxville! All of my photos from Knoxville and Market Square were on Snapchat and apparently I didn't save any of them. That's how much fun I was having! We had lunch at Yassin's Falafel House, which I loved, but they aren't huge falafel fans. There was a dog store in Market Square so of course I had to go in. And come out with mixable dog ice cream and a new hardcore chewer toy.

Thursday we took it easy and took naps on the couch or out on the hammock. The weather was gorgeous!

Friday we went out to The Island in Pigeon Forge. I'd never been, and it was a nice little shopping experience - definitely check it out. And there's a Margaritaville! I'm not a Buffett fan in the slightest, but we had great margaritas (definitely try the Last Mango in Paris) and they had veggie burgers!






We strolled around the shops and I checked out two candy stores since I like to see what other places do compared to the shop I work in, picked up some taffy, and stopped at the Ole Smoky Moonshine distillery and did a small wine tasting at Bootleggers. We picked up a bottle of blueberry and peach to bring home.



It was a pretty fantastic trip and I had a very happy birthday. ♥

empties #2

The second round of empties! There weren't quite as many this month, but I manage to finish up a few things I've been trying to get out of my way.



Maybelline  Great Lash Mascara in Blackest Black // I think almost everyone has had a tube of this at some point. It does the job, but isn't cruelty free so I won't be repurchasing.

up & up Wet Cleansing Towelettes // This is the last of the clearance stash of these guys. Like I said before, I won't be repurchasing these because they're not cruelty free.

Mary Kay Time Wise Matte-Wear Liquid Foundation in Beige 3 // When I was in a wedding two years ago, we had a Mary Kay lady do our makeup. She did a phenomenal job, so a few months later I picked up the foundation at a MK party I was invited to. This is that foundation. Now, though, it's too dark for me and it's time has come. Mary Kay sells in China so they're not cruelty free, so unfortunately I won't be repurchasing.

Herbal Essences Body Wash in Body Burst // This was a sample I got in the mail ages ago and I've just finished it. While it was a decent body wash, Herbal Essences isn't cruelty free, so I won't be getting a full size!

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in Ivory // I LOVE the way this foundation blends when you first put it on. However, I've had it a while and it's started to cake as the day goes by so I think it's past it's prime. Another brand that isn't cruelty free, so I'll have to stick with my e.l.f. foundation.

Funky Fingers polish in Confetti // It's gotten gloopy. I wasn't a fan of how hard it was to apply. I won't be repurchasing.

Edge Extra Moisturizing Shave Gel // It's shave gel. It did it's job. I didn't see how it was "extra moisturizing", but it was okay. I'm eager to switch to a natural shaving cream once I go through my coupon stockpile, so I won't be getting this again.

Andalou Naturals Leave-In Conditioner // cruelty free & vegan // I absolutely love this conditioner. It smoothes frizz and leaves your hair feeling better overall. It has argan oil and the first ingredient isn't water like most conditioners. This is the second bottle I've been through and I am definitely going to purchase this again.

Send me your recs and links to what you've finished this month! ♥

thrifted books & my reading list

When I took a trip up to see Jess, we stopped by McKay Used Books and I grabbed some titles. Here they are!



I've been really slacking on my reading lately, and with so many books on my reading list, I've only managed to skim Destiny Turns the Wheel. I hadn't seen Blaze in stores before, so I snagged that and The Talisman. I've read Black House and was a little lost, so I'm excited to read this one and be filled in.

Currently I'm reading The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (which you can get free on iBooks!) and I hope to read The Wide Window #3 by Lemony Snicket soon. I think my "to read" list changes every time I make write one of these posts, so who knows what book I'll really be reading next,

Add me as a friend on Goodreads! I love seeing what everyone is reading.

ulta birthday haul!

For my birthday I received all kinds of glorious things (including a pair of Ray-Bans!) and an Ulta giftcard. Well, while out in Tennessee my mom wanted to go by Ulta, so I picked up some things I'd been wanting for a while.

Pacifica Cactus Water Micellar Cleansing Tonic // I've been wanting to try a micellar cleanser for forever and though the Garnier version is super popular on the beauty blogs, it's not cruelty free. However, Pacifica's is both cruelty free AND vegan! I kept looking at this every time I'd go in Ulta but never made the leap - until now!

The Body Shop Blemish Fade Night Lotion // This was, admittedly, an impluse buy. I have trouble with dark spots from blemishes on my face, I've heard good things about The Body Shop's Tea Tree line, so I'm hoping this works as promised.

Nip + Fab Viper Venom Micro Blur Fix // I've already opened this and used it and I love it so far. I can see a difference already in oil control and it's tacky enough to use as a primer to keep foundation in place.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Whiskey // My current eyeliner is on it's last leg so I decided to splurge a bit and grab this pencil from Urban Decay. I was swatching all over the place trying to find a dark brown color that I liked and I settled on Whiskey.

Real Techniques Brushes - Lash/Brow Groomer and Expert Face Brush // The lash brush purchase stemmed from my horrid application of mascara that morning and resulting in appearing to only have five extra large eyelashes on my right eye. It was great. Since the Real Technique brushes were buy one, get one 50% off, I picked up the Expert Face Brush since I've been looking to try out different kinds to apply foundation. I've tried it and so far it is fabulous.

What's the last thing you got at Ulta? ♥