Inspiration

KB and I had a little date night on Friday to see this bad boy:

I love all James Bond films and try to look like a Bond girl on a daily basis (except for maybe Grace Jones in A View to Kill - yikes!) but the whole "looking like a normal human being at work" thing always gets in the way.

Needless to say I got quite a bit of outfit/makeup inspiration from this one.

I've already purchased the following:

Oxblood lipstick

How awesome is that lip color???  I saw it and was immediately in love.  I cheaped out and bought this one:

I haven't worn it yet, but I'm planning on debuting it tomorrow.  I wore it around the house on Saturday when I first got it and it lasted for a really long time.

Trench Coat

I was just talking earlier in the day on Friday about how I needed a trench coat and then I saw all of the amazing outwear in the movie and knew it was meant to be.  Once again, I cheaped out and got this one:

I'm also planning on debuting it tomorrow (whew it's going to be a big day).  I'm planning on pairing it with black everything (black pencil skirt, turtleneck, tights and heels).

I'm also still really interested in trying to recreate this outfit in a more feminine way (and without the janked up blonde hair and gun).

I can see some cheap Wellington boots in my future!

Currently Loving...

Here are some things that I'm loving right now....

This stuff is the bomb.com.  It doesn't burn at all so you can actually swish the entire minute that is recommended. It also tastes really good.

I'm rediscovering this. I hadn't had it in a while and the store was out of my regular green/white tea blend that I drink in the mornings. It's so orangey and delicious. I've been mixing it with honey and drinking it in the morning and at night. Last night I added some lime to it and it was even better.

Speaking of limes...I've been putting them in everything recently. I put them in my water, my tea, soups, anything I can think of. You can get a big bag of them at Aldi for 99 cents and it has seriously changed my life. Citrus is supposed to be really good to flush out the toxins, so by now my body should be thoroughly flushed.

Apples and cheese are my jam right now too. They are so good. I've also been eating lots of pears and cheese. It has to be a really sharp cheddar and a really crisp apple or pear for it be good though.

Lana Del Rey is my biggest girl crush right now. So pretty. So weird. It's an amazing combo. I wish I could look like her everyday (but with black hair) without people looking at me weird. So what if she can't really sing....she's still cool.


What are you loving these days?

Thoughts on a Thursday

It's been another hellacious week this week, so there's lots of thoughts in my mind, they're probably just really  boring to you!

Here are some non-boring thoughts:

- I'm so ready to be here:

Work has been crazy busy and stressful for the past few weeks and I can't wait to be on a lovely little island with just my favorite people.  We pushed our trip out about a month this year and it is draggginnnggg.  Only a couple more weeks!

-I'm thinking about doing a really crazy fun manicure/pedicure for the beach.  I want a crazy neon color.  What are some good options?  I've been looking at OPI's neon collection, but I don't know if I want to go that crazy.

- I've been zoning out to lots of mindless TV recently.  This is a recent fave...

-I've been drinking lots of this.  It's probably terrible for you, but it tastes amazing and only costs 60 cents for a whole bottle.

-I really want to see this movie when it comes out.  I always think movies about drugs are so interesting.  Drugs, Inc is one of the most interesting shows on TV.  It's just crazy to see how huge drug cartels work.  I'm also really liking Salma Hayek's character in this movie - she looks pretty badass.

What are your thoughts this Thursday???

Thoughts on a Thursday

I've got lots of random things banging around my head today.  Enjoy!

I got a fun little target beauty goodie bag in the mail this week.  Mine looks like this:

So far I haven't used anything but I want to try out the Simple face wipes first.  I got a sample of Simple face wash a while ago and it works really well.  At this point I have enough beauty samples to probably last me for a year or two.

All of our flowers in our yard are blooming!  My irises, peonies and roses are starting to bloom.  The yard is still a mess so it's kind of weird to see all the flowers peeping out from the weeds and brush.  If I was really crafty I'd turn my peonies into a beautiful bouquet like this.  Too bad I'm not crafty.

Source: google.com via May on Pinterest

Keeping up with the other wholesome TV shows that I watch, I've been checking out My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.  These people are in the foothills of WV and VA.  That is not that far from where we live.  We could have American gypsies right here!  The next time I see a trashy looking teenager getting her nails done in Wal-Mart I will mos def be on the lookout for a TLC crew.

I'm thinking of recreating mine and KB's wedding photos.  Get ready.

What are your thoughts on a Thursday?

Thoughts on a Thursday

There's not that many thoughts in my head this Thursday, but here are the few.....

Since we've been working in the yard so much this week, both KB and I have poison oak like crazy.  I have it all over my arms, the back of my neck and on my ankles.  It itches like crazy.  I've tried a few different home remedies but nothing is really working.  So far baking soda and vinegar has worked the best.  Know anything better?

KB will be gone this weekend turkey hunting so I'll have some time on my hands.  I'm planning on hitting up the local thrift store to see what I can find for under $20.  I just went into a thrift store for the first time a few weeks ago and I really liked it. I'm hoping I can find a treasure!  Maybe something like this.....

Source: apinterestaddict.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I got a pedicure on Monday and got the best color!  It's OPI's Ate Berries in the Canaries - very summery!

I'm trying to step up my dinner game and cook more real meals.  I mostly cook one main thing and that's all we eat.  Growing up we always had at least one side dish and I don't feel like I ever cook them.  This week I've experimented with adding in some side dishes and so far so good.  I can't wait to try this one....

Source: eat-drink-smile.com via Rachel on Pinterest

What are your thoughts this Thursday????

Thoughts on a Thursday

It's time for my random Thoughts on a Thursday....

• Most of my thoughts are centering around our slackass loan officer.  Seriously - don't even try to do business with BB&T.  Everyone tells me that she'll pull it out in the end, but if we don't close by the end of March our sellers have almost told us that the deal is off.  We're scheduled to close by the 26th, but everyone seems to think it will come down to the wire and will probably get pushed to even later than the end of March.  She never returns a phone call or an email.  our insurance company has been waiting on her to fax 1 sheet of paper for almost 5 days.  She better get her ass in gear.  Has anybody else had these issues?  HELP!  This is seriously all that I'm thinking about these days.

• I picked up some goodies at Ulta yesterday.  I finally used my birthday gift card from my sister and got these...

Ever used any of these?  The shampoo was on clearance for $3 so I don't have high hopes for it.

• I keep seeing all these cute bathing suits on Pinterest and I want to go somewhere tropical.  We're going to the beach with my family this year, but don't have any tropical vacations planned.  I'm not going anywhere that you might even need a bathing suit until the middle of July.  Gross.

Source: anthropologie.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Seriously - get on my body and take me somewhere warm and sunny.

What are your thoughts on a Thursday???

Updates

I feel like all I've really posted on the last few weeks are link ups, so here's a little update about what's going on.

-The joys of home ownership just got worse.  Our landlord called us last week and told us that he is putting our house on the market.  We've got to get moving.....now.  That being said, we're expanding our home search to a few areas we haven't looked before in hopes of finding something good.  We're going to look at a few more houses this week so hopefully we can decide on something soon.  In some ways it's comforting to have a time line since I'm afraid KB would just keep looking until forever and not find anything, but in other ways it scares the bejesus out of me to know that we might not have a place to stay.  Scary.

-Since we're going to be moving out of our current home sooner than planned we're doing a lot of clean up so it's not a master clean when we finally move out.  Our bathroom is designed really terribly.  There are no vents and no windows, so the steam from the shower has nowhere to go.  We have a terrible mildew problem in there because our landlord is really dumb and not the best house flipper.  I've tried to use all the natural products I can find and nothing was making the mildew go away.  Finally I broke down and tried this stuff....

It's definitely not natural, but it definitely works.  I didn't even have to scrub and everything came right off.  I would suggest wearing gloves and a mask.  I found out the hard way when I breathed in a bunch of it and thought I was going to die.

- I finally used up all of my old face wash and got around to using my new Kiehl's ones and I love them.  I have the rare earth cleanser and the cucumber toner and they are both great.  The cleanser has a slight exfoliator but not too much and it leaves my skin super clean and soft.  The toner is also really good for making my skin soft and moisturized.  So far I'm only using really tiny amounts because they were expensive.  At the rate I'm going I can probably make them last a year or more.

Buy this now.

-I've been trying to keep up my reading recently and have read a couple of okay books.

This book was kinda boring and predictable.  The "oh poor pitiful me, I'm fat and the world just doesn't understand" schtick got a bit old towards the end.

This book was pretty good.  It's all about food allergies and how this lady copes with them.  I don't have any food allergies and I don't know anybody with really serious ones so it was kind of interesting to learn about them.  It makes me really glad I don't have to look at everything I eat and wonder if it will kill me or not.

-I had a dentist appointment yesterday so I took the whole day off and just laid around.  Work has been super stressful recently and it seems like nothing goes right.  I've definitely had a few days where I got so angry that my face was purple.  A good day off with nothing to do and clean teeth should hopefully help things.  I spent yesterday working out, cooking, cleaning and getting my teeth done.  I love going to the dentist.  Fresh clean teeth is one of the best feelings in the world.

Thoughts on a Thursday

It's time for Thoughts on a Thursday!  Link up with Carolyn to play along.

• I've recently gotten into herbal teas.  I've always been a tea drinker, but normally it was fun things like lemon zinger or apple cinnamon.  This year I'm bringing out the big guns.  I've been drinking 3 cups of green tea every day so far along with another herbal tea at night.  So far I've tried these two and while they don't taste exactly the best, I feel pretty good.

• It's almost Valentine's day and I really want to make some type of fun goodie, but we still have so many sweets left over from Christmas, New Years and birthdays.  KB's birthday is the week after Valentine's so I'm sure we'll get goodies from that too.  Maybe I'll look into something heart shaped that isn't chocolate or candy.  These heart shaped hot dogs seem more our speed.

• I've gotten a few Ulta gift cards from my birthday and Christmas and I'm looking into getting some really good shampoo.  In the past couple of months I haven't really been loving my hair, but I don't want to get it cut.  I'm hoping with some good shampoo it will just be smooth and silky and not nasty and frizzy.  Any suggestions?

• I got this movie in my Netflix today.  I've heard that people either love it or hate it.  I'm actually not a huge Ryan Gosling fan.  He's okay, but I don't have Pinterest boards devoted to him.

What are your Thoughts on a Thursday???

Happy Birthday to Me....Again

These lovelies will be waiting for me when I get home....

My skin has been doing some wonky stuff recently so hopefully this will help to work out its issues.

Pure Bliss

My skin is doing some weird things, so I think it's time to step up my skin care routine from normal drug store brands to bigger and better things.  I've heard really good things about bliss skin care, but I've never tried any of them.

Suggestions?  I'm thinking these...

Are these good?  Have you tried them?

Fall Time Giveaway

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Kasey of Element Tree Essentials and to try out some of her products.  Element Tree candles are definitely something that I've never seen or tried before.  They're candles (that smell great) that you can also use as lotion.  I was a little weirded out by dipping my hand in wax at first, but once I tried it I was hooked.  My hands were so soft, smelled so good and weren't waxy or greasy at all.

It sounds weird, but it's really so neat and smells great.  I tried out "A Day at the Spa" and my hands and arms smelled like I had just gotten out of a really great facial all day.  Normally when I put on lotion the scent and the moisture is gone within a few hours - not with this stuff!  They are also made with all natural shea butter and almond oil.

Kasey (the amazing wonderful person she is) was kind enough to give one of my lucky readers a candle of their very own!  I have a "Brown Sugar and Fig" candle - a perfect fall scent - just waiting for one of you lucky people to try it out.

All you have to do is the following:

Mandatory: Visit Element Tree Essentials and tell me what scent you'd like the most

Optional: Be a follower of How Now Brown Cow?  +2 entries

Optional:  Post about it on your blog/twitter/Facebook  +5 entries

I'll pick a winner on Friday November 18th at 5:00 PM Eastern.  If you post anonymously be sure to leave me some contact info so I can mail you if you win.

Good luck everyone!

Thoughts on a Thursday

It's time for all of my thoughts on a Thursday (aren't you excited!)

Link up with Carolyn to play along

• The President landed and spoke in the town I work in and then went and ate lunch at a restaurant in my home town.  Holla rural NC!

• It's not even really cold here yet, but my skin is already super dry.  I've been obsessed with these this week:

• I've been watching this show a lot for some reason recently.  It's not really that good and a lot of the city guys are annoying because they are obnoxious and a lot of the country boys are too done up.  I married a pretty country boy and I could never imagine him doing a lot of the stuff that they do.  Needless to say I will be tuning in to the season premiere tonight.

• There are some "Occupy" protesters camped out in front of our office.  I'm not really sure what they are protesting, but from the looks of it they have a real problem with showers and hairbrushes.

What are your thoughts on a Thursday???

Thoughts on a Thursday

Head on over to Carolyn to link up!

• Yesterday my company hosted a Spa Day for us where everyone got money to spend at a local spa and didn't have to go to work.  I got a facial and a pedicure.  My facialist (if that's even a word) told me that I had a slight keratin build up in my skin and should only use organic products.  Since I work in the mecca of all things weird, vegan, green, non commercialized, I just nodded.
• I got my toes painted this lovely shade of green.  It's an organic polish and I'll be interested to see if it lasts as long as non-organic ones.  I'm a little skeptical.

•  Because of all my fun yesterday, today is super busy and is going by really slowly.  It doesn't help that I go to the beach in 10 days.
• The library was actually open when I wasn't at work yesterday and I got a new book.  It's been on my GoodReads for a while and I was surprised that the library in Podunkville NC actually had it.  The only bad part is that it's a good bit longer than I thought it was and I only have a few days to finish it before I leave on vacation.

What are your thoughts on a Thursday???