thehautehydrangea

fashion / home / beauty / life

See It, Love It, Want It

See It:  This weekend we’re traveling to Jackson, Mississippi for the wedding of a dear friend.  I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends and celebrating the happy couple, but I am not looking forward to packing.  Luckily, I found Byrdie’s tips for packing toiletries.  Packing toiletries has always been difficult for me.  I’m so worried that my various lotions and liquids will leak all over my clothes.  Putting a cotton ball on top of powdered products before you close the lid to prevent breaking is such a great tip!

Love It:  Snapdragons have always been one of my favorite spring flowers.  Last fall we planted tons of them in both the front and backyard flower beds.  They are now in full bloom and I am loving all of the bright, cheerful colors!

Want It:  There is nothing worse than getting a fabulous pair of shoes, only to realize they pinch so badly you can barely wear them.  Since I plan on dancing the night away this weekend in some fabulous shoes, Sole Serum is on my list of things to buy.  It’s a liquid serum that uses Lidocaine, Tea Tree Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lavender Oil to prevent and relieve foot pain.  You just rub it on wherever your shoes will rub to relieve the pain.  I’ll let you know what I think!

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Stuffed Portobello.4.8.15

We love to cook on the grill during the spring.  It keeps the house cooler because we aren’t heating the oven and it’s nice to sit on the patio for a pre-dinner cocktail.  In my search for new and different recipes for the grill, I stumbled upon Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe for grilled portobello mushrooms.  It’s super easy and delicious!  Here’s the recipe, cut in half for two servings:

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed & finned
salt & pepper
1 clove minced garlic
2 small tomatoes, chopped into small cubes
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, in small cubes
1/8 chopped fresh basil

Directions:
(1)  Heat grill to medium-high heat.  Brush olive oil on grill to prevent sticking.

(2)  Brush 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

(3)  Whisk 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and garlic in a medium bowl to blend.  Add chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.  Toss to coat and season to taste with salt & pepper.

(4)  Grill mushrooms, bottom (open) side down, for approximately 5 minutes.

(5)  Flip mushrooms and spoon tomato mixture into the open mushroom caps.  Grill for approximately 5 minutes, until mozzarella is melted and mushrooms are tender.

Enjoy!

Wedding Season

Spring is upon us, which means the beginning of wedding season.  I already have several events on my calendar, and I’m sure that more will be arriving.  I love a wedding, so I rarely skip if I am invited.  I think it’s so beautiful to witness a couple pledging to spend their lives together.

Church

For a church wedding, try a classic cocktail dress in a bright color.  The peplum hemline adds interest & is echoed in the wavy lines of the shoes.  A belted waist is on trend for spring.  Simple accessories don’t overpower the dress.

church

Garden

A garden wedding is the perfect time to go ladylike.  Pair a pastel floral dress with pearl jewelry.  Bright shoes pick up the hues of the dress & a gold clutch finishes the look.

garden

Beach

A beach wedding allows for a more casual look.  A maxi dress with colorful earrings is the perfect combination.  Wear flat sandals so you don’t get stuck in the sand, and don’t forget the sunglasses!

beach

See It, Love It, Want It

Another week gone by!  It’s hard to believe that it’s almost April!

 

See It: Fashion’s elite can sometimes seem incredibly inaccessible.  But that doesn’t mean those stylish ladies don’t have a sense of humor.  Elle collected 14 of the most hilarious style quotes from some of the industry’s biggest names.

Love It: There is little that I love more than a good list.  I am constantly jotting things down to get them out of my head.  I think that getting ideas and to-dos out of your head and onto paper is a key way to reduce stress.  Evernote is a note-taking and list-making app that is available for your desktop, on the web, iOS, and Android.  It automatically syncs your notes and notebooks across all platforms, so you always have your ideas at your fingertips.  I love that I can pick up my phone, jot something down, and know that it’s accessible whenever I need it.

Want It: I cannot begin to tell you how much I am lusting over this dress from Parker Devany!  It’s the perfect blush color for spring, with a little sparkle.  The grommet details give the drop-waisted style a little edge.

Five Minute Face for Work

I am not a morning person.  I actually hate getting up in the morning.  I will hit the snooze button as many times as possible, which means I’m usually in a rush to get out of the door.  Here’s my go-to make up routine for mornings when I have about five minutes to spend:

Foundation:

I begin by buffing Bare Minerals loose foundation over my face.  Then I cover under-eye dark circles with Bare Minerals Well-Rested Eye Brightener.

Eyes:

Moving on to my eyes, I start with a matte nude color from Urban Decay’s Naked2 palette, like Foxy, over the entire eyelid to the brow bone.  Using a fluffy brush, I add a golden beige, like Suspect, to the entire eyelid & a dark bronze, like Snakebite, in the crease and at the outer corners.  I actually keep a small compact containing those three colors, plus YDK, in my purse for touch-ups if I’m going somewhere after work.  I apply a thin line of Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero to my upper lids only.  I finish off with a coat of L’Oreal’s Voluminous Mascara to the top lashes.

Cheeks:

nars

Using a fluffy & angled brush, I sweep NARS blush in Orgasm from the apples of my cheeks to my temples.  It is the ultimate blush color, perfect for just about any complexion.

Lips:

I wear L’Oreal’s Colour Riche in Nature’s Blush daily.  I’m fair skinned, so a nice pinky-nude looks natural for the day.  I’m also constantly touching up with a bit of Stila’s Lip Glaze in Sugar Plum.

See It, Love It, Want It

Happy Friday all!  This week has seemed to drag on forever!  But the sun is shining and I’m looking forward to a great spring weekend.

See It:  We live in social media culture where everyone around us is constantly sharing their fabulousness via facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest.  Many of the tips, or life hacks, are enough to make me scream.  Who really has time to learn how to fold a fitted sheet?  Enter Elle’s 20 Real Girl Life Hacks.  These are simple, quick ways to make your life just a little easier.

Love It: I am an organizational freak.  And while I love technology and the ease that it brings to simple things, I’m still a paper planner person.  There’s just something so beautiful about a perfectly color-coded agenda.  I struggled for years to find the perfect planner, going through several different versions every year.  Enter the Day Designer.  I love the daily format, the fact that it has a yearly goal setting worksheets at the front, and the online community of support.  The May edition will be available next month.

Want It: Spring weather is finally here and I’m so excited to break out the sandals!  I got a pedicure last weekend, so my toes are ready to bask in the sun.  I love these flat sandals from Sole Society.  There’s just enough sparkle to be fun, without being overwhelming.

Candy Colored Date Night

IMG_5177IMG_5181IMG_5174IMG_5171IMG_5170Dress, similar, similar / Blazer, similar, similar / Shoes, similar

One of my goals for this year is to focus on my relationships.  In keeping with that goal, we’ve decided to schedule weekly date nights.  We don’t have to go anywhere special, but we put the phones away and have dinner together.  I got this candy striped dress last spring and it quickly became one of my favorites.  I usually add a blazer or sweater over it if we’re going out because I am always cold.

Sick Day Essentials

Spring is finally here.  And with it comes allergy season.  If you’re like me, you’ll have at least one miserable sick day this spring.  I’m also a wimp when I don’t feel well.  Here’s my must haves for feeling better when I’m stuck at home.

Sick Day.3.23.15

1. Comfy PJ’s.  Nothing will make you feel better than curling up in some warm, fuzzy PJ’s.  I love the cute sheep pattern on this set.

2. Sleep mask.  This mask will help keep the light out so you can get some much needed rest.  It has a lavender scent to help soothe.

3. Lip balm.  I am obsessed with this Malin & Goetz mojito lip balm.

4. Chamomile tea.  There’s something comforting about warm, chamomile tea.

5. Netflix.  Use your time in bed to catch up on binge watching the latest thrillers.

See It, Love It, Want It

One of the main reasons I started this blog is to share the things that I love.  In keeping with that, I plan to share three things that have caught my attention during the week – my thing to see, thing to love, thing to want.

See It: Our living room is a large room, with doors at both ends, a wall of windows, and an angled fireplace.  Needless to say, it can be hard to find the right furniture arrangement in that type of space.  I found these tricks for arranging furniture by The Budget Decorator.  Hopefully we’ll find some time to try them out soon.

Love It: I have been a fan of Aveeda’s hand relief for as long as I can remember.  I love it because it absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave a greasy feeling.  I can immediately go back to whatever I was doing without leaving fingerprints.  I keep it on my nightstand at home for moisturizing before bed & on my desk at work to keep my hands soft during the day.

Want It: I am loving this embellished skirt.  It has just the right amount of sparkle to be perfect for spring/summer date nights!