Solving Personal Hair Care Struggles + Giveaway

I was contacted by Formulate, a new personal care brand, to test their customized shampoo and conditioner formulas that are created by their chemists specifically for your hair type and needs. The company's concept is very unique and a new-to-me experience. I was all onboard since my hair is not as easy to maintain as it may look.

Friday Faves

Happy Friday everyone!

My work life has been crazy for the last two months coordinating a huge conference happening next week. Considering our corporate is in Australia, the time difference has sometimes consumed my nights to coordinate with the team over there, instead of blogging which I only find time to do at night or weekends.

Recent Amazon Purchases: Baby Girl Gifts

It just so happens most of the babies born in my circle of friends/family this year have been girls so there's lots of pink in this post from baby showers to first birthday parties.

Twin Pumpkins Turn 1

The weekend was relaxing and productive which is always much needed between all of our travel adventures and busy work schedules but the highlight was celebrating my favorite twinsies 1st birthday yesterday.

September Happenings

A new week and a new month start today. I welcome October but it feels like September flew by in a blink of the eye. Looking back at everything that happened the last few weeks, it's evident time truly flies when you're having fun.

This weekend was a quiet one so I'm sharing all the things that happened in September including some tidbits from the weekend.

Nashville Work Trip

With all the busy weekends the past few weeks, I made sure I was feeling rested before making my way over to Nashville last week Monday for a work training conference. The days were packed starting with breakfast at 8 am, back-to-back courses throughout the day until about 5 pm, then ending with happy hours, dinner and networking.

Wedding Weekend Fun

The past few weekends have all been filled with different celebrations - bridal showers, birthday parties, travel adventures, baby showers - and this weekend was no exception.

Fall Fashion Accesories

Tomorrow is the official start of Fall and, while it stills feels like summer weather in Florida, I'm already planning all the cute fashion accessories in preparation for the crisp air finally making it's way south.

CoverGirl's TruBlend Matte Foundation & Skim Primer

I love receiving beauty products that actually work for my skin so I can do a rave review after testing for a few weeks and then have the products to use until they run out and I repurchase.

A Cowgirl Themed Baby Shower

It was a fairly low key weekend except for a co-ed baby shower on Saturday which was beautifully decorated and had a huge turn out. The mom-to-be is from a small town in Texas so the cowgirl theme was perfect plus her favorite food, Tex-Mex was on the menu!

Austin Double Decker Bus Tour

 image via

We had a blast exploring Austin, TX over Labor Day weekend to celebrate K's birthday and, while most of the trip was unplanned, I did book a hop on/hop off sightseeing and historic tour on the Double Decker Austin.

Adventures in Austin, Texas

Austin has been on my travel wish list for several years now and we finally made it over there for Labor Day weekend to celebrate K's birthday.

Fun and Funnies in Austin, TX

Happy Birthday to my 2 loves - K and Lola who share the same birthday today!

We got back from Austin on Monday night after a fun-filled long weekend celebrating K's birthday so I'm in the struggle mode trying to get back on track with a busy work schedule. With that said, I'm keeping it light today with some fun and funny sightings from our trip.

Labor Day Weekend + TBB Asks

Happy Labor Day everyone! We've been in Austin, TX since Friday exploring the food and music scene along with a historical tour on Saturday. Hope you all enjoy the holiday today.

My Cousin's Whimsical Winery Wedding

image via

Do bloggers still do Wedding Wednesdays linkups? If so, I'm joining you today sharing the gorgeous details of my cousin's whimsical wedding at Holland Marsh Wineries in New Market, Canada.

She's Such a Unicorn

It was a fairly quiet and much needed relaxing weekend. The extent of my fun was at unicorn-themed 1st birthday party on Saturday, where I played musical chairs for the first time in about 25 years. Oh to be a kid again!

The birthday girl looked adorable in your unicorn getup and was a good sport with all the attention directed her way. She happens to be my favorite neighborhood baby because she's so easygoing and cute all around.

Favorite Bridal Shower Gift Ideas

When it comes to Bridal showers, I usually buy something from their wedding registry and then put together a nice basket of fun goodies for the bride. This time around I chose gifts that are sentimental and/or useful on her wedding day and on their honeymoon.

A Beautfiul Suprise Bridal Shower

On Saturday we celebrated my beautiful neighbor, Ashley, the bride-to-be. The "bride tribe" asked if I would drive her blindfolded to the venue for her bridal shower, which I agreed but felt bad to have her blindfolded for the 20 minute drive. Ashley was a good sport and stayed blindfolded for the entire drive and then walking into the venue. It was actually quite funny.

Blogger Etiquette: How to Grow Your Blog Organically

I've been thinking about this for a while and, since starting Martinis & Bikinis in 2012, it's given me a lot of time to interact with a variety of different Bloggers with similar or not-so similar interests.