Mint obsession

I'm having a moment with Mint. I don't know what it is about this color lately but I'm obsessed!! I'm a "blue" girl so honestly I don't own much pastel green... but that may need to change soon!! I'm seriously loving pairing this color with navy. I love the contrast of a really saturated color next to a pastel. That's also why I'm loving mint paired with pink and red...  that's my favorite combo right now, especially with Valentine's Day coming up! 

Click the thumbnails to shop these items! How are you wearing mint?

GAL-entine's Day Guide

I happen to be someone that loves Valentine's Day... always have.  Even when I was single, I didn't quite understand the hate for this day.  I mean really, isn't everyone always saying to love one another?  And then turning around and hating on a day dedicated to love..?   Ok yeah, I get it... it's a "hallmark holiday"... unnecessary upcharge, lavish displays of love that seem to only serve the purpose of out-doing each other... that stuff I don't get.  To me, it's just everyone taking a very simple idea and making it ridiculously complicated (what else is new nowadays)  But when you take away all the stupid crap, it's just about showing each other, significant others, family, friends, whoever it may be, that we love them.

Showing our girlfriends love during this time can be very rewarding and pretty simple to do!  How about planning a GAL-entine's Night for you and your friends?  What's that, you ask?  Oh well here's my friend Leslie Knope to explain...
LOL Love that woman!  So if you'd love to host a GALentine's Day this year, I've linked some super cute items for you below!!! They'll help you entertain, get comfy and look cute!  And don't feel like you have to plan a whole night... it can be as simple as a few girlfriends in their PJs, painting nails, baking cookies (*cough* or eating the cookie dough *cough cough*) and watching chick flicks!

{product links below}

And remember, it doesn't have to be about bashing what you DON'T HAVE... rather, just celebrate what you DO HAVE... great girlfriends to share a fab cocktail with!  Speaking of, here's a couple of simple cocktail recipes!

{Rasmopolitan}

picture and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) citrus-flavored vodka
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) raspberry-flavored vodka
• 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) Chambord
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Simple Syrup Simple Syrup
• 2 tablespoons cranberry juice
• Raspberries for garnish
• Directions: Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add vodkas, Chambord, lime juice, simple syrup,  & cranberry juice. Shake or stir until well chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with raspberries; serve. (Originally from MarthaStewart.com)
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• {Raspberry Chocolate Kiss Martini}

picture from MarthaStewart.com

• 1/4 cup Mint-Infused Simple Syrup, plus more for rim
• 3 chocolate cookies, finely crushed, such as Nabisco Famous Wafers
• 10 raspberries
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 2 tablespoons cranberry juice
• Ice cubes
• Directions: Fill a shallow dish with enough simple syrup to just cover the bottom. Place crushed cookies into another shallow dish. Invert a martini glass into simple syrup and then immediately into crushed cookies to coat the rim of the glass.  Place raspberries in a cocktail shaker; crush with a muddler. Add simple syrup and muddle again. Add vodka and cranberry juice; fill shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled. Strain into prepared martini glass. Serve immediately. (Originally from MarthaStewart.com)

Do you have a favorite girly cocktail or item to share?  I'd love to hear about it!  Are you planning a girls' night this year?  How do you spoil your girlfriends and show them love?  Comment below!  Let's spread the LOVE!

I'm blue...

I love blue.  It's my favorite color.  And mixing different shades of blue?  Love it!  The last few days I've been all about comfort and versatility.  I've been fighting off a bad cold and frankly I've been miserable.  So I decided to put together a simple, comfortable outfit with my favorite color as the star!

The weather in Fort Worth the last few days has been unbelievable!  After weeks of cold temperatures, we're finally getting some sunshine and warmer weather.  I can't tell you how happy it has made me to feel like I can come out of "hibernation" and spend some time outside.  The warmer temps have me dreaming of spring and that means lighter layers and pastel colors!

I love these skinny jeans so much... mostly the color!  There's something about an icy blue that can easily work for winter OR spring so I really love that I can transition these jeans and continue to wear them.  True to trend, I've been rolling all my skinnies lately and continuing the ankle booty obsession!

I've been living in this cashmere sweater lately... what an amazing layering piece!  This is another gift from my Mother-in-law that I received for Christmas (man she did well!) and I've been wearing it nonstop.  It is cashmere, so lightweight and open-front.  I have many cashmere sweaters that you pull over your head but not too many that are open and I love that.  I also love the subtle cut-out pattern.  It really is one of the most versatile and comfortable pieces in my wardrobe right now.

Bold eyeliner look

Today's beauty products are linked below!! I'm having a super exciting day of fighting off allergies, running errands and taking care of a sick hubby... be jealous!! ;-)  What are y'all up to?

 Foundation Primer // Foundation // Bronzer // Blush // 

Eye Primer //  Cream Eye Shadow // Pink Eye Shadow // 

Purple Eye Shadow //  Black Eyeliner // Mascara // Brow Pencil // 

Brow Gel // Mineral Powder // Lipstick 

Interested in a new makeup look?  Check out my Virtual Makeover Tool!!

*warning: it's REALLY fun and may suck you in! ;-) ENJOY!!

Fri-YAY for new clothes!

I'm out running errands in the cold!! Brrr!!! Loving this new shirt so I had to let you know it's 50% off right now! It's really lightweight and comfortable and I love that it has the wrinkled look... because you know, then you don't have to worry about packing it, etc and it makes a great last minute option! This is great for layering and is longer to work well with leggings. There's also an interesting asymmetrical bottom! Link below! There's 3 pattern options!  

Crinkle Top // Lipstick

Happy Friday!! Any big plans? All I want to do is bundle up and stay warm but I have a busy weekend!! Follow my adventures everyday on instagram!!  

arctic blast hibernation

I am NOT a cold weather person!!!  So these arctic blasts that keep hitting DFW... yeahhh not a fan!  This morning I was dreading taking Mr. Wilbur outside.  And true to his St. Bernard form, he just romped around in the freezing cold, enjoying the crap out of himself while my nose ran down my face and I tried desperately to cover my ears from the cold.  Not cool, Wilbur... not cool.  (I'm sure he's thinking the same of me during the summer months when I want to stay outside and he's sweating his fur off!)  But seriously, this cold! OMG!!

So today is all about hibernating and cuddling with my kitties!  Here's a few of my favorite items for the day...

Yoga Pants (on sale for $10!) // Mrs. Fancy Pants Mug // 

Kindle // Glasses (old) similar HERE

I am loving these yoga pants.  I am, sadly, one of those girls that will live in yoga pants WAY MORE than actually using them for yoga... gah, guilty as crap!  {Sorry not sorry}  So seriously, many of my lounging pants are just getting really worn out.  I spotted these pants in the juniors section at Target while I was grocery shopping... yeah grocery shopping in the clothing section LOL OOPS!!  I chose these for the light mint green stripes and the glitter.  I don't see that exact pattern online so check your local Target stores!!  What I'm loving in that these pants are LONG! Like super long and I need that.  I purchased an XS for myself and they fit perfectly!  I have long legs so usually pants, especially work out pants, are too short for me.  I'm considering going back and getting another pair!  They are also slightly flared/bootcut so they easily fit over shoes.

The coffee mug and Kindle were both Christmas gifts and I'm loving them!! I can never get enough mugs... I have an entire cabinet plus some sitting on shelves (If you know a great mug holder/ DIY/ craft idea, send it my way!! Tag me on Pinterest- @Texas_Sass)

I've hesitated in the past with tablets because I just didn't know how much I'd use it... but I decided to ask for one this year and I'm really loving it!  It's so nice to have a big screen and I'm hoping that it will encourage me to read more (obviously right now I'm still stuck on magazines lol)

What's the weather like where you are?  These arctic blasts are killing me!  This Texas girl is frozen!  How are you staying warm?!

Monogram Mug 20% off

 Limited Edition Golden Monogram Mug // Monogram Mug

Makeup Monday: super easy bronze eye look

Today I'd love to share a super simple eye makeup look with you!  This has been one of my favorite looks lately.  If you saw my instagram yesterday, you'll know that I've been branching out with my browns.  I'm used to doing eye makeup looks with purples (I have green eyes) and blacks (everyone loves a good smoky eye, right?).  What I'm not so used to is using shades of brown.

This might sound kind of strange.  Honestly, most women I know need a nudge AWAY from the browns.  As a Beauty Consultant, I see a lot of neutrals and browns because women simply are afraid of color.  Well, I'm the opposite; I LOVE color on my eyes and I feel weird using neutral shades.  But this is slowly changing.

I'm loving metallics this season and most of all golds and bronze tones.  This is taking that love and simplifying it into a very easy eye makeup look for day that easily transitions for night.  So here's a step-by-step tutorial on my fave eye look lately!

I've started with prepping my face and applying foundation.  

The products I use: Primer // Foundation // Concealer // Highlighting Pen

I am using three eye colors total; one is a cream eye shadow that I use as a base, the other two are metallic mineral eye colors that I blend on top.  The only other product I'm using is mascara (not counting brushes; if you don't have quality brushes, I highly recommend this set!  It will give you the basic brushes you need for all of your makeup!  They are also guaranteed 100%- ask me more about this).

This is a very quick eye look that can be done in a matter of minutes.  I'm starting with this Cream Eye Shadow in Iced Cocoa

This cream shadow is fabulous because it can be used on it's own, or as a base for an eye look, like I'm doing today.  You can use a brush with this cream, or simply use your finger.  Any time you are applying product to your eyes or around your eyes (shadows, eye creams, etc) USE YOUR RING FINGER!  This is the weakest finger on your hand and therefore the best!  You always want to be as gentle as possible with the skin around your eyes and eye lids.  Tugging and pulling and rubbing this delicate skin is what causes most sagging and puffiness!  You must be gentle.

I use my left ring finger to do my left eye and my right ring finger to do my right eye.  The only reason I do this is to allow my color to go on more symmetrically.  Sometimes it's awkward to reach across to the opposite side of your face and try to angle your finger just right.  I also do my left eye first because it is NOT my dominate hand.  If you are like me and struggle with making the color symmetrical and matching both eyes, this is a simple trick.  It is much easier for me to control my right hand and match the right to the left; so I always do my non-dominant side first.

Start on the outside corner of your eyelid and blend inward.  You may feel like you're just smudging color on your eye and that it looks strange but remember, this is the first step.  Eye makeup is all about layering and not every layer will look "pretty".  This is just a base and will be completely covered and blended, so ONLY put the dark cream where you want dark color.  I always concentrate my dark color to the outside 1/3 of my eye lid and blend towards the middle.

a glimpse at our life: date night + Saturday morning

Happy Saturday!  How is your day going so far?  I have to say that I love my Saturday mornings with my husband!!  It's only been a few months since his work schedule changed him to working Saturday afternoon/evenings instead of mornings.  And it was definitely a switch and something to get used to, but it seems to be working well for us.  I love that we're able to take advantage of so many downtown happenings on Saturday mornings.  Or even if there's nothing specific going on... a stroll downtown for coffee or to just enjoy Sundance Square is SO nice.

Today I'm just sharing a quick glimpse into our date night last night and our morning together today.  Our plans drastically changed last night, on a whim, and we ended up going out to dinner.  Chris wanted sushi and we both wanted to try some place new.  Enter Kona Grill.  Yes, I've heard people rave about it and there's been one in West 7th for some time now, but we still hadn't made it there!  It also helped that I had a small gift card from my goodie bag at the Flirt Turns Five party!  So, decision made... last minute... here we go!

I went for semi-festive with my outfit last night... greens and red but "normal" casual clothing, if you will.  I love this green plaid shirt because it's fitted at the top but wider at the bottom.  It's also long enough to completely cover my butt haha, which is something I like.  A lot of clothes look out of proportion on me if they're not long because I am extremely short waisted and long-legged.  It's actually hard for me to find a lot of shirts that look right on me, so a great shirt dress is one of my fave items ever!  I honestly don't know where this one is from because it was a gift (I think a catalog item) but I've linked a bunch of really great options for you!

 Plaid Flannel shirt dress: SIMILAR, SIMILAR, SIMILAR, SIMILAR, SIMILAR, SIMILAR // 

Lipstick // Eye Makeup // Eyeliner // Mascara //

Earrings are from Flirt Boutique // Handbag is Coach

It's actually pretty shocking that I've enjoyed sushi a few times now with Chris.  I am NOT, I repeat NOT EVEN CLOSE to a seafood person.  I hate shrimp, I hate pretty much every fish, I cringe at trying something new... I am an "order the exact same thing at the exact same restaurants" kind of gal.  Chris is slowly changing that.  As he keeps telling me, if it's good, it won't be fishy.  And he's totally right.  I'm actually growing to love it and dare I even say CRAVE it!  Hooray!

Fri-YAY! Random fun in fort Worth

It's Friday.  I'm completely unorganized today.  It's one of those days where if I don't write something down immediately, there it goes, out of my brain, never to return.

Today's post is going to be a bunch of randomness, because well, that's me right now.  So here's some local things I'm excited about today...
Panther Island Brewing GRAND OPENING PARTY!