Best Weekend with The Bestie

Where do I begin? It was an awesome weekend with the Bestie. I picked her up from the airport on Friday afternoon and we got right down to shopping at the Florida Mall for maternity and baby things.
 

I was ecstatic to be asked to be Baby S's Godmother with this cute card and got to feel her wiggle around and kick all weekend long!

We celebrated C's birthday that night with some Thai food for dinner and cake for dessert!

On Saturday morning we got some more baby shopping out of the way and had a delicious lunch at Pom Pom's Cafe.

In the afternoon we headed over to Universal Studios to have some fun. Unfortunately most of the rides weren't fit for expecting moms but we did go on some baby rides, catch some shows, and enjoyed exploring Harry Potter's Diagon Alley. The weather was beautiful for a day at the park.

 
 

In the night we watched the Mardi Gras parade and caught tons of beads which was lots of fun.

 

After the parade we were starving so we went over to Antonijtos to have some delicious Mexican for dinner and enjoyed some table-side made guacamole and fajitas.

After dinner we were exhausted with a capital E so it was time to call it a night.



I slept in and relaxed a bit on Sunday morning before heading out to do some final shopping with C. We grabbed a yummy lunch at Marlow's Tavern and got a few errands done.

Today she heads back home and I'm off to work but my heart is happy after such a fun-filled weekend with lots of quality time together.

I'm now SO looking forward to meeting Baby S and traveling home for her Christening in December.

Joining the lovely Biana.

Bestie Weekend Loading...

I'm skipping St Patrick's Day celebrations this weekend because the bestie arrives today so I'm off to pick her up from the airport in a few hours.

Today is her birthday so that's what we'll be celebrating along with the fact that she has a healthy baby cooking in the oven so lots of baby shopping and girl time is on the agenda.

 
This Auntie couldn't be more ecstatic and already got to shopping once we found out the gender a couple weeks ago.

I'll be back next week to share our girls weekend adventures.

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Finding Balance for Your Skin Type

Has anyone tried Ole Henriksen products before? This skincare line was completely new to me so I was excited when I received 3 full-size products in the mail to test out. 

Although I have my tried and true favorites when it comes to skincare and hair products, I'm always keen on trying out new and possibly better products especially as ingredients become more organic or refined.

The Ole Henriksen Balance product line is specifically formulated for oily or combination skin so you can get that glow without the icky shine from oil-prone skin. The face moisturizer is particularly unique because it hydrates and mattifies at the same time.

I incorporated these three products into my AM/PM skincare routine over the past couple weeks with no breakouts, no redness, just healthier looking skin. The smell isn't my favorite but I think the natural ingredients keep it from being too fragrant plus these products contain no parabens, sulfates, or phthalates.

Key Ingredients

 Green tea, eucalyptus, algae (kelp) and Irish moss: extracts contain natural antiseptic properties which help to absorb excess oil and refine pores.

Salicylic acid + glycolic & lactic acids: help lift and loosen dead skin cells that clog pores.

Neem seed oil: a legendary ingredient in Ayurveda.

Rosehip fruit extract: helps reduce oil production and fights shine while minimizing the appearance of pores (only found in the face hydrator/moisturizer).

Oil Control Toner
A gentle astringent that removes oil and refines pores—without stripping your skin.

Find Your Balance Oil Control Cleanser
Deeply cleanses and purifies pores reducing excess oil.

Counter Balance Oil Control Hydrator
Hydrates, controls oil, mattifies and reduces the appearance of pores.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions expressed in this post are true and honest based on testing out the products over a period of time.

Weekend Happenings

  
The weekend was a good mix of relaxing and fun with friends. That small time change for daylight savings gets me every time especially when you lose an hour of sleep so here's hoping this Monday goes by smoothly!

On Friday night we started planning some upcoming trips this year. Unfortunately we came to the realization that the big Europe trip we had hoped to pull together this summer is just not in the books and will have to wait until next year. We did decide on something more feasible and affordable.


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Playa del Carmen here we come! I've never been to Mexico so this is just as exciting with a lot less time off of work and little planning involved since we'll be staying at an all-inclusive resort.

Most of Saturday was spent lounging around watching TV and catching up on some blogging. In the evening we headed out to Universal Studios to catch the Mardi Gras parade with friends and enjoy some Cajun food for dinner.

We met up with the birthday girl and and our awesome neighbors also happened to be at the park so so we all went over to see the UB40 concert after the parade.

Such a fun night out with the birthday girl and friends!

The time change had me all kinds of confused on Sunday morning because we had brunch reservations but that time came earlier than expected.

Brunching at a beautiful lakeside restaurant was the extent of our fun on Sunday. The bottomless mimosas and Eggs Benedict were wonderful but the service was horrendous and had me all kinds of hangry after waiting 20 minutes for a "bottomless" drink and almost an hour for our food since the waiter "lost our ticket". Anyways, after fueling up on some brunch and having a couple pineapple mimosas the frustration subsided and I was good again.

Joining the lovely birthday girl Biana.

International Women's Day & Fashion Faves

In honor of International Women's Day this week I celebrate my beautiful fashionista grandmother who raised 6 strong women including my mother.

Here's to strong women.
May we know them.
May we be them.
May we raise them

She is no longer here on earth but her love will never leave me and her sincere support and guidance has given me strength to be a strong, independent woman.

Many of us, like my grandmother, have a love for fashion, shopping, and finding gorgeous accessories to compliment our outfits so I'm ending this week sharing some of my fashion lusts perfect for the beautiful and strong women out there.

Michael Kors Smart Watch * Crossbody Purse * Michael Kors Sunglasses 

Feather Hinge Bracelet * Slingback Block-Heels * iPhone Case

Cheers to the weekend!