Weekly Top 5

Linking up with these lovely ladies:
Karli
Leslie

{1} 

This is what happens when your dryer stops working...

No fun. Oh and that mountain of clothes in the closet? I need my dryer back ASAP!

{2} 

These chocolates! Oh my goodness. Not only are they beautiful but they taste so good.

It is gourmet chocolate sitting at your local Fresh Market!

If you are a chocolate lover then go get some :)

{3} 

I am in love with this grey nail color that I recently had done! It is so pretty with that pink/purple sparkle. This is my new go to color!

{4} 

Since we are close to Valentines day I do not feel so bad about talking about chocolate and now this delicious chocolate peanut butter popcorn! I literally had to stop myself from devouring the whole bag when I first opened it. The chocolate peanut butter is limited edition so I have to stock up!

{5}
Do you see that?! Gas is $1.99! I can live with this :)

Happy Friday!

Liebster Awards {2015 Edition}

Amfashionandbeautyblog nominated me for the Liebster Award! 

Thank you so much.

You all should head over there and check out her blog!

Lets get started with the question answering!

1: What Is Your Least Favorite C

olor?

I am not a huge fan of very vibrant colors. 

When I say vibrant I mean vibrant! 

Colors such as traffic cone orange or lime green just aren't my thing.

2: If You Had $1500 What Would You Spend It On?

A) Horse Stuff

B) Makeup/beauty products

C) Tell myself I should put it in savings

D) All of the above

3: Most Embarrassing Moment...Ever!

Dumb blonde moment coming at ya!

I was in the driveway with my dad one day and we both noticed a slit in one of my moms tires.

The way her tire was positioned was just at that perfect spot so the slit was at the top.

Before I even processed what was coming out of my mouth I said, "wow that must have been a high curb."

Before my dad could even say anything I was very aware of how wrong that statement was and corrected myself immediately but the damage was done.

Good times, good times.

4: Favorite Quote

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

5: Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

Ben and Jerry's Everything But The 

...Or anything involving chocolate.

6: Where is your favorite place in the entire world.

Crazy horse lady alert: Either at the barn or at a horse show. Anything involving my horses.

Otherwise it would probably, at this point in time, be Charleston.

7: Why Did You Start Blogging?

It partially started out of boredom the summer I had to live by myself and it also partially started because I was an avid blog reader and really wanted to connect with the blogging community. 

8: What Was/Is Your Favorite Subject At School?

I never thought I would say it but I loved Anatomy and Physiology!

9: If You Could Go To Dinner With Anyone (Present or Deceased) Who Would It Be? 

This is so hard to answer. So I will cheat and answer both ways!
Deceased: My Grandma
Present: Probably the cast of the Big Bang Theory. I think that would be an entertaining dinner.

10: Guilty Pleasure?

Singing out loud when no one is home.

Singing/Performing in the car.

Dancing with the dogs like a crazy person.

11: What Is Your Favorite Song?

Of all time? Can't answer that - I like way too many.

Currently? Still loving Stolen Dance by Milky Chance. Or Froot by Marina and the Diamonds!

So I had to run out of the house today before being able to nominate other bloggers and make up questions, but I will! I wanted to get this up and thought I would have a little more time. Forgive me.

"Is There Anymore Alka Seltzer??"

That statement is pretty much what my weekend consisted of.

Friday night I started getting that feeling that a cold was coming on. No surprise considering the kiddos I watch have both been sick and I'm surprised it took me this long to get sick.

Just because I was sick did not mean it stopped me from enjoying my weekend!

Friday afternoon Daniel was home super early (win!) so we decided to head out and get some hibachi.

That night we binged on Netflix and crashed.

Saturday morning I was not feeling so hot but being the stubborn one that I am, I dragged myself to the gym for a great hour long cardio workout. Daniel went to work and I proceeded to clean and bum around the house until our plans that night. That night we got together with one of Daniel's high school buddy and his fiancé and had some beer and Mexican food. We had such a good time so I only managed to snap this wonderful/attractive picture of us sitting on the couch.

I ended up in bed way too late Saturday night and it took its toll on me. So on Sunday I woke up and felt like poop. I literally trudged around all day while living off of Alka Seltzer Cold.

Because I had no appetite I enjoyed a smoothie and bummed on the couch most of the day.

Like my jammies?!

Today  I am feeling a bit better (hooray!) so I headed out to deal with my transcript dilemma and spent my morning on two different campuses. The good news is, I now am certain that everything has been submitted and taken care of!

I also did lots of walking while trying to find the admissions building. 

So, how was your weekend? I hope you feel better than I do!

Freaky Friday {Link-ups}

Today I am linking up with these lovely ladies:
Karli
Leslie
Caroline

{1} 

Currently crunching on these lovely chocolate yogurt covered banana chips from Fresh Market. I have a major sweet tooth and in order to not completely indulge myself in food I do not need I munch on a few of these instead to kill my cravings.

{2} 

Currently crushing on these sweat pants from Lou and Grey. Can we say comfortable?! Seriously do yourself a favor and buy a pair or two!

Please note the ones in the link aren't exactly the ones I have but the only difference is that my pockets don't zip. Also, I bum around in mine, haha.

{3}
We experienced two beautiful days with temperatures in the 60's so I decided to bathe Remi. This is the aftermath...

Remi 1 - Bath 0

{4}
Tuesday night I had a scare when someone range the doorbell at 7PM. I am a bit of a coward when alone at night - especially when the porch light doesn't work. This was me...

{5}
I am so excited for:
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt!
Link Here!

Get Your Shine On - Makeup Highlighters That Is!

When it comes to makeup I am a huge highlight freak. I have a range of different highlighters that I normally reach for but that doesn't mean I am not continuously on the hunt for another gorgeous highlight shade!

When I heard that there was a gorgeous drugstore brand shade highlighter I just had to get my hands on it. Introducing Milani Bella Chiffon!

I am in love. It is a part of the Milani Bella eyeshadow range but I use it as a highlight on my cheekbones and it is my go to inner corner shade every time I have done my eyes recently.

It is cream/white color with a gorgeous gold tint. The formula itself is very pigmented and finely milled. If you are looking for a good priced highlighter then definitely check this out! 

What is your favorite highlighter? Tell me below!

The Greene Women Take Raleigh {Weekend Fun}

I hope plenty of you have been enjoying your long weekend!

For those of you who do not have a long weekend - I am sorry and Daniel is working and feels your pain.

This weekend was exciting and eventful! 

Saturday night Daniel and I headed out for date night and went to the Boiler Room to enjoy Burgers and oysters. Well Daniel enjoyed oysters. I had my usual butter bean burger and it never disappoints! 

We ventured away from our usual appetizer of pimento cheese and ordered the chili cheese fries instead. Oh my gosh, you guys they were incredibly sloppy and good! It wouldn't be a good date night without having some beer to wash all the food down :) 

Sunday morning I drove to Raleigh to meet my mom and my sister to get our hair done and spend some time together. 

This was a rare occurrence because my sister just doesn't get up that early but my mom managed to drag her out of bed just so we can have moments like this one.

After our hair appointment we headed to brunch at Mia Francesca and it was incredibly good.

I had the Benedict and yes those are crispy risotto cakes under the poached eggs! 

I also had a Grand Mimosa and did not get a picture because I was to busy drinking it. 

After rolling out of the restaurant we did a little shopping and I discovered my new favorite store - Lou and Grey. We all know I am a neutral type of lady - neutral nails, neutral eye makeup, etc. These clothes are comfy and go with anything. Win/win yea?!

After a long and fun Sunday I went home and promptly crashed on the couch with many plans for Monday.

Today ended up being a beautiful day so I had to take a trip to the barn and visit Remi.

So while I worked on my grey washing skills, Remi slowly learned how to be a patient little show horse in training. I scrubbed his socks and did his tail. Works in progress people - especially the tail.

This is Remi's "Mom are we done yet?" face.

Patience little grasshopper, patience. 

How has your weekend been?

Friday Funday!

Today I am linking up with these lovely ladies:
 Leslie
Karli

{1} 

My saddle pads are ready to go for show season!

It took me so long to find someone who does outside monograming, but finally I did!

I am so happy with how they turned out and now I am ready to premiere them on schooling day at the horse shows.

{2} 

Booty Barre! 

The gym I am a member at is finally getting a room set up for booty barre and I am so excited.

I have heard people rave about Booty Barre and Pure Barre and have been dying to try it out.

{3} 

Sugar

I apologize if you have already been bombed with info about Maroon 5's music video for Sugar - but honestly it is adorable! I would die of happiness if Maroon 5 showed up at my wedding unannounced!

Link to Video

{4} 

Dessert

I have been on a cupcake (Gigi's Cupcakes) binge recently. I happened to make a few (unexpected) quick trips to Raleigh so of course I picked up cupcakes! This past weekend my mom came to visit and she stopped and picked me up some more cupcakes. After polishing off the last one I told myself I need to cut back. Well yesterday Daniel brought home a Nutella Croissant for me! Ah, so good but so bad!

{5}
Smoothies
I have been cheating on my oven oats recently. As much as I have enjoyed them during this cold and dreary/wet winter in the south - I needed a change. So I started making a breakfast smoothie with strawberries, bananas, oats, chocolate peanut butter, etc - SO good! It is now my new favorite smoothie. Do you have smoothies recipes that you love??

Not my picture

My Gym Bag Essentials

Today I am inviting you guys into the sweaty confines of my gym bag! Exciting, no?

It really isn't that sweaty but it is always packed with a few essentials.

1:: My BKR water bottle. I never go far without my water bottle because caffeine water is my lifeline. I have other water bottles that I am fond of but the bkr ones are just so cute!

2:: Lulu Lemon Small Towel. I love this towel. It is light weight, it is small, and most importantly it does not hold any workout stank! It has been washed plenty of times and is still fluffy. No complaints here!

3:: Yurbuds Inspire 200. I received these as a Christmas gift (thanks mom and dad!) and it has been love at first listen. The greatest thing about these earbuds is that they stay in my ears! First pair to ever stay put during my entire workout - even when I'm a sweaty mess. They are also magnetic which makes them easy keepers!

4:: Harbinger FlexFit Women's Gloves. I bought these when I started doing my HIIT workouts because my hands would get all sweaty and I had a hard time doing push ups or anything of the sorts.They are comfortable, washable, and they also have not held in any sort of stench from my sweaty hands :) Big win in my book.

5:: Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant. I bought this stuff on a whim while in target and I love it! I usually head straight from the gym to the barn and before leaving the gym I douse my armpits with this stuff. It really is drying and it smells good. I appreciate any easy beauty product that allows me to feel cleaner than I am!  It's seriously dry shampoo for your arm pits.

6:: Buddy Fruits. I buy these in bulk and suck them down. I always have a few in my gym back because they are so easy and so convenient. They are a great snack when you are on the run.

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection

I wasn't going to do a review on these brushes this early but I cannot contain my excitement!

I (unfortunately) only have two of the brushes at this moment because they are always gone when I can make it to Ulta. 

First things first:

-This is the second line of brushes for Real Techniques

-The Bold Metals collection is made from the highest grade synthetic bristles

-There are 3 different metals (silver, gold, and rose gold) 

-There are 7 brushes total

-The ferrule is weighted so that the brush sits naturally in your hands

I managed to get my hands on the Oval Shadow brush and Tapered Blush brush.

Oval Shadow

Tapered Blush

I just cannot believe the quality of these brushes. The bristles are incredibly soft and luxurious.

They apply powder and cream products equally well.

I will admit that I have only had these for about two weeks so I haven't applied all of my cream and powder products with these brushes, but so far it has been surprisingly good.

If I had to complain about anything (and this is slight) it is that the Oval Shadow brush is a large eyeshadow brush. So it is either best for a one color all over the lid application OR I used it as a blending brush (like a MAC 217) and it worked quite well for blending! 

I do hope they come out with a smaller shadow brush sometime down the road. 

Overall I am super impressed with these brushes and I hope to get my hands on a few more of them!

Do you think you may pick one of these up? 

Confession Friday!

Today I am linking up with Leslie to bring you my Friday confessions!

{1} I confess that I still have my Christmas mantle decorations up! I know, I know. I just can't completely let go of the fact that Christmas flew by. Plus it's 25 degrees today so it gives me an excuse to leave it up just a bit longer!

{2} I confess that I have had this weird mental block with jumping the horses around at home. Why? I honestly don't know but tomorrow I am going to move past that. I'm over it and ready to move on. New year means time to get over it, yea?

{3} I confess that I was able to snag a few items from the huge Lilly Pulitzer sale and now it makes me want spring so I can wear everything! 

{4} I confess that I accidentally locked Boone in one of the spare bedrooms the other week and I walked around the house like a made woman trying to find him - naturally I came to the conclusion that he somehow managed to escape from the house and near about lost it. Then I remembered I had entered the spare bedroom and he may have followed me in there. He did! 

{5} I confess that I have so many makeup/beauty goodies to share with you guys and I am very excited about some new things I have gotten my hands on!

{6} I confess that I have really been crushing on these House of Harlow's Sunburst Necklaces. Does any one have one? Should I pull the trigger and get one??

2014 Favorites!

Picture Credit

Favorite Foundation:

I really loved the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation in 2014. I will definitely continue to use it in 2015 but I also want to branch off and find a foundation with a dewier finish this year. What I love about the Tarte foundation is its coverage (medium), how easily it blends, and how natural the finish looks. It is a little matte but I highlight so much anyway that it hasn't been a big problem for me.

Favorite Concealer: 

Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Concealer. I have been using this stuff for a few years and it still hasn't failed me! It is super creamy and very blendable.

Favorite Face Powder: 

Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder. I don't typically need to use much powder as I am not oily (so I cannot for sure say this will work on oily skin types!) but it is a nice, finely milled, pressed powder that applies nicely and it does not look powdery on your skin.

Favorite Blush:

I didn't have it for all of 2014 but I fell in love with the cult classic - NARS Orgasm.

Favorite Highlighter: 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. LOVE! Definitely worth the splurge.

Favorite Eyeshadow Primer: 

I always use either Urban Decays Primer Potion or a cream eyeshadow. My favorite neutral cream shadow is Maybelline's Barely Beige.

Favorite Eyeshadow: 

Hmm...during the summer I reached for MAC Tan Pigment a lot. For the fall I tended to reach for Urban Decay Roach or Urban Decay Half Baked.

Favorite Eyeliner:

Okay toss up - for my water line I absolutely love Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eyeliner and for doing a cat eye I love Benefits They're Real Push Up Liner. I have found that it works a little better during the warmer months because the product has gotten a little hard (and harder to apply) during the winter months. 

Favorite Lipstick:

Hands down the Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lip Color. I have 5 of the shades and they are absolutely wonderful.

Favorite Brushes: 
For the price and quality - hands down the Real Techniques brushes. I have almost the entire original line and have not been disappointed with a single one. They are also very versatile so you do not have to use them for their intended use. Example, I use their blush brush as a powder brush also. They now have a higher end (Bold Metal Collection) line out that I will be sure to review very soon!

Please note: I did not include lipliner or bronzer. I dabbled with both of them but I am really looking to find a bronzer and some lip liner to incorporate into my usual routine!

Bring On 2015

Welcome to 2015 everyone. I hope the first few days of 2015 are treating you well!

I don't make New Years resolutions, per say, but I do take the time to reflect back on the past year and  decide how to better myself during the coming year.

Feel free to tell me how you better yourself and what goals you have for this year!

Without further ado...lets go!

One// Realize that even when things don't work out when I want them to does not mean they won't work out for the best. Phew that was long - but seriously. For example, since I now have my new baby horse, Remi, we have been trying to lease Velvet for months now. Around October (I believe) I thought we found the perfect person to lease her and keep her in the barn. Well it didn't work out. After multiple tries, she has seemingly found a home and the whole situation is actually better for me and my mom! Patience is a virtue, people!

Two// Keep pushing myself to be healthy. I really have gotten back into a great workout routine that has been working great for me. I also have been eating cleaner. I do need to keep pushing myself physically at the gym (safely, of course) and my gym is going to start a booty bar class that I think is right out my alley! I also need to expand my repertoire of healthy recipes. I get stuck in a rut eating the same old thing at times and I need to branch out.

Three// Out with the old and in with the new! Alisha wrote a great post about simplifying your life. We all know this is easier said than done but I really need to work on this. I get wrapped up in all the little things and don't see the big picture at times. I started simplifying this morning by trying on my spring/summer clothes and purging what is no longer needed.

Four// Take more time to do what I like to do. Thankfully with a new horse I can get back into the horse showing world which is a huge plus for me. I love horse showing. I also need to take time to read, which is something I have always loved, but during the semesters I have no motivation to read what interests me because I read so much for school. Thankfully I am already off to a good start in the reading department. Lastly, and this may be a long shot, but I want to go on a  few trips! Charleston, Savannah, the beach, the mountains, etc. We will see if this is unrealistic.

Stay tuned for the best of 2014 makeup and my Clarisonic vs. Foreo mini luna posts! 

Five on Friday

Today I am linking up with Caroline to bring you my five on Friday!

{1} 

First and foremost - happy 2015 everyone! I hope you all did something fun. I was in bed by 11:30.

{2}

If you know me then you know that I am not a weenie about many things, but spiders turn me into a shrieking school girl. So I was pleasantly un-surprised when I returned home this week and went to the barn and had a little visitor in my tack trunk.

This is not okay, people! Not only is it a spider but a venomous one! Um, no. 

{3} 

My new baby horse is slowly learning what it takes to be a hunter horse. While we work on this I get to ride other horses/ponies at the barn. Please meet me noble steed for the day - Rose. A medium pony that I am way to big for - but she's cute!

{4} 

My darling baby Velvet is, hopefully, finding her new home for a year or so. And thankfully her new child and family are so kind and send pictures!

{5} 

I know I briefly spoke of The Chocolate Fetish in my last post but, seriously, I am having chocolate withdrawals. Please enjoy this picture of a chocolate pump!

Enjoy your Friday!