most worn summer things...


Today I am doing a "most worn summer things" video, which has been a fun tag going around on YouTube! I would love it if you would like to join along, consider yourself officially tagged! You can respond in the comments section, do your own post, or better yet - do your own video!

   ♥ ♥ ♥

The Tag:
1) Most worn nail polish
2) Most worn scent
3) Most worn hair product
4) Most worn bag
5) Most worn shoes
6) Most worn accessory
7) Most worn clothing item
8) Most worn foundation
9) Most worn blush/bronzer
10) Most worn lip product
11) Most worn mascara
12) Most worn eyeshadow




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little notes...


Dress: Target Sandals: Target Necklace: online - you can find a bunch at Cheerfully Charmed. Watch: ASOS Bracelet: Taylor Morgan - Gold Chain

So this necklace and these sandals have been two items I have worn A LOT this summer, I preface this just incase you were saying to yourself... "that again!?" haha But I don't care, they are some of my staples in my wardrobe right now. I love having those staple items in your closet that you can add to any outfit to help finish it off. I mean, I could wear this necklace and these sandals with a plain white t and some jeans and feel ready to go anywhere.

Speaking of staples, I am loving the gold chain bracelet from Taylor Morgan's shop. It goes with ANYTHING! &I don't think I will be taking it off and just wear it this entire fall season. I love fall fashion, it is by far my favorite :) Sweater and boot season, here I COME :)

*Documenting my personal style to make sure I keep the promise to myself, to always be fully dressed with a smile.
 ♥ ♥ ♥


Dear Utah,
Your heat is killing me! I can't even make it from work to home without sweating through my shirt and having a bright red face... someone save me and take me back to San Diego! haha

Dear Self,
How could you be so foolish to not think to put sunscreen on before your run. A 16 mile run no less... which means... LONG hours in the sun.... BAH. Still in pain people... I have blisters....

Dear Mac n' Cheese,
Why must you taste so good to me?! I have been trying to eat healthy and you are all I think about....

Dear Life,
Why don't we start four day weekends? It was nice having one last week... and I think I could get used to that.

Dear Best Friend, Thanks for the hang out. It was much needed. Lets not go that long ever again! Grown up life can not distract us! haha :)

Dear Pretty Little Liars, Revenge and Vampire Diaries,
I am embarrassed to admit that you make me a feel like a pre-teen all over again. I get so excited to watch you! haha

Dear San Diego,
You were too good to me, and our time together was too short, can we please do this again soon?!

Dear Sarah & Sam,
Congratulations on getting married! You two are perfect together, and it was such a beautiful day and evening! Seriously... everything was perfect. I love my family :) Can't wait to share the wedding with everyone, the pictures will be stunning!

*Get your  tid + bits post ready for next Thursday! Every last Thursday of the month you can link up your  tid + bits to my post!



instaLOVE♥


awkward yet lovely hugs. a beautiful bride. accomplishing goals. cupcakes. anniversary dates. weddings. summer snow cones with ice cream. adorable nieces who play with your husband :)

  ♥ ♥ ♥

Get your tid + bits posts together for the link up this thursday!

 Find me.

i love...



Top: Jcrew Jeans: Delias Heels: Target Watch: ASOS Bracelet: Taylor Morgan - Gold Chain

I know the floral jean trend was supposed to be a "spring" thing, but I don't see why we can't take it all the way to fall? haha Some people hate these pants... I for one love them. It is a great pattern to spice up basic tops, like this chambray top. I have also decided I hate big purses. This old thing I have had for forever is probably my favorite!

*Documenting my personal style to make sure I keep the promise to myself, to always be fully dressed with a smile.

 ♥ ♥ ♥

... melted butter on some cinnamon toast.

... taking warm baths and just soaking in my thoughts.

... that two of my five siblings will be living in the same state as me :) thankfully utah is such a small state that means i will actually get to see them!

... meeting bloggers in real life. i love seeing their personalities in live action :)

... taking my shoes off at the end of a long work day.

... mac n cheese. you never get old... best food on the planet!

... the perfect time just between summer and fall. you know, where the weather is cooling off, but not too much, just enough so you can do anything out side any time of day and the weather is just perfect. it is the best time of the year in my opinion, and it is upon us folks :)


three easy bun tutorials...

as mentioned in the video, please excuse my red leathery face... 
I fried myself during marathon training :( no bueno.

We know bloggers are known for their "top knots" haha and while it isn't a hair style I wear on a daily basis, it is good to know how to whip up a cute one for a day your hair is nasty and you didn't have time for a shower... which happens a little too often over here :)

I thought it would be fun to share three of my favorite and easiest buns that you can do when you are in need to get that hair up and out of your face! You may have seen these before, maybe not, just thought I would share! It is always nice to see how someone else does something.


1. Loop Bun. I call this bun the Loop Bun because you simply pull your hair up, and make the "loop" that we all used to make and leave just like that in middle school. Remember doing that? What were we thinking?! So start putting your hair in a pony tail and just before you would finish the pony tail, stop half way through while pulling your hair, which creates a big loop.

Now depending on how much hair you have, depends on how easy or hard this next step it, haha. I have hardly any hair so this is my easiest step. You already have this nice curved bump, and from there you can start to manipulate it with bobby pins to create the look and type of bun you want. Voila, done and done.

2.  The "Carrie" Bun. This bun is the well known bun that miss Carrie Bradshaw sported all the time in Sex and the City. This is one bun that can give you TONS of volume, and you can make it as big or as little as you want. This bun has always been hit or miss with me. Sometimes it comes out perfect, other times it is a disaster. But it is pretty simple to do, and I think I just need more practice with it. I think these buns always look extra special when you add a little clip, bow, or something fun to it.

This bun goes right on top of your head, so make your pony tail pretty high. Then proceed to back comb your hair. This is where the volume comes in, you can make it as big as you want by teasing it more or less. If you find you made it too big, you can always comb it out a bit.

Then you softly wrap it around, pinning it with bobby pins where you want it to stay or not. This is where you just play with it until you get something you like, and your done!


3. Sock Bun. We have all been seeing these fun sock buns lately, so I thought I would add this one to the mix. For the longest time I couldn't figure out how to actually make the darn sock thing. Everyone always just started with the bun part. So I thought I would include the steps to making your sock form first. 

You will need a clean sock you don't care to destroy. When I say destroy I simple mean, you wont be using this as a sock anymore Put the sock on your foot and roll it down from the top (like when you remove some nylons) until it reaches the arch of your foot. take it off and make sure you keep it in the rolled position.

Take some scissors and cut off the toe of the sock, or remaining sock that isn't curled up, leaving you with a rolled up doughnut shaped looking sock.

Put your hair up in a pony tail, remembering where your pony is, is how high your bun will be.
(For a more elegant look, position it on the back of your head, near the nape of the neck, and for a more casual look, position it higher.
Slide your ponytail through the rolled sock. Make sure that it retains its shape, and push it against your head. Take your pony tail and split it into two sections. Take the first section and cover the top part of the bun/sock with your hair. You will have to hold this top section in place with your hand, or bobby pin temporarily because you will need to do this again to the second portion of the pony tail. Take the second section of hair and cover the bottom part of the sock. Make sure you have covered the entire sock with your hair.

Now take a second hair tie, and cover the whole bun, trying to keep all the hair in place while pulling the hair tie over the whole bun. You will have a bunch of loose ends of hair, so pick a direction and twist it under, tucking the hair under the bun, and securing it with bobby pins if you need to.
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All of these buns can be finished off with some hair spray to help them stay secure :) I hope some of this information was new for you - and that you sport some cute buns this fall!



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a family that runs together, stays together...


I mentioned a few months back that I was going to be running a Marathon with some of my family. So far I have been doing most of this training on my own, since my family lives in California. 

However I have been lucky the last couple months to have seen my family. Last month some of my family (&some of our marathon team) happened to be in town. It couldn't have worked out better, because they were going to be here on the day where we needed to run our longest distance yet. 10 miles.

You guys, I hate running. You might be asking yourself why on earth I am doing a marathon then? You see, I hate running, but I absolutely love the feeling I have after I run. Have I mentioned that on the blog before?

Sprinting comes much easier to me then Long distance running. Long distance running for me is a challenge. It doesn't come naturally to me. It is funny because I grew up playing sports. I always joked, the only way I could enjoy running is when I am focused on something else while doing it. For example Lacrosse. My love in high school was Lacrosse, and for me I could sprint the whole field and back over and over again without even thinking because I had a stick, a ball, and a goal. My mind was so focused on the game, not the fact that I was running.

When all I am going is running, I can't stop listening to my body telling me, "What are you doing? This isn't fun? Stop it." But I get a strong sense of accomplishment when I push through that voice and do something I know my body didn't want to do and was fighting against. Mind over body.

And that feeling?! Best ever. The endorphins and stress relieving doesn't hurt either :)

With my family in tow we woke up at 5:30 and ran a 10 mile run down along the Provo Canyon. It was breathtaking, and when I felt my body want to give up, when the blisters forming on the bottom of my feet began to scream, my knees started burning, I had my family rooting for me. Literally. At the end I was in so much pain and just wanting to walk the last mile and they kept telling me that I could do it, we were almost there. Encouraging me for the last mile, we actually even counted it down haha. 

Might sound silly, but I am so grateful for the type of family I have. We make an effort to be involved in each other's lives. We like to do things together, and encourage each other. During that run they were my support. It is great to know you can lean on your family, even for the little dumb things like a long run, haha. But truly... I just love that I have them no matter what.

If I hadn't had them to help me push through that run, I just know I wouldn't have been ready to handle the long runs that were to come every Saturday from now until the race. I was able to do the 11 and 12 miles without them, with much more ease, and felt great! I know that success is because they helped me get past my "wall."


I was lucky to have my family there for the 10 miler, and this past weekend I was lucky to be home for the longest run yet. This weekend I ran the longest I have ever run in my life. I was so scared to do it, and almost decided not to do it. But I knew I had my family there for support, so I went for it. 16 miles. I did it with my Dad :) I don't know if I could have done it without him, I probably could have, but having him by my side sure made it that much easier. It is fun to accomplish something together with someone you love.


Here is to 26.2 miles together with them in October, we can do it! :)


peanut butter cup s’mores bars.


Posting about our camping trip earlier this week reminded me that I never shared the recipe of the yummy treats I made for Trevor back in his welcome home post. I thought I would share it now!

Let me start of by saying that Trevor is a huge fan of peanut butter (I mean, who isn't really?!), and because of this, I have made it my mission to keep introducing new yummy peanut butter inspired treats to him :) Thankfully for pinterest, I found this sweet treat, it had Trevor's name written all over it.

Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Bars
(via Mel’s sweet life)

yield: 16 large/20 small squares

Ingredients

    1/2 cup butter, softened
    1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    1/4 cup sugar
    1 egg
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 1/4 cups flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1 cup graham cracker crumbs
    16 peanut butter cups, regular size
    1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff*

*Fluff is pretty impossible to measure, so this doesn’t have to be an exact amount, just kind of eyeball it. As long as you have enough to cover the PB cups, you’re good to go.

Directions:
+ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 baking dishing with parchment paper; coat lightly with cooking spray.
+ In a large bowl of the bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.  Scrape down the sides.  With the mixer on low, stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and graham cracker crumbs until mixed.
+Spread 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Lightly press the peanut butter cups into the dough, then spread marshmallow fluff on top.  Press the remaining dough on a non-stick surface into the shape of an 8×8 square.  Place the square on top of the fluff and press down lightly.
+Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.  Allow to cool for at least two hours* to give the bars a chance to set, then remove from the pan and cut into squares with a large, sharp knife.
+Let cool - 2+ hours.

*I found the dough to be a little hard to manipulate. I suggest that you put flour on your hands or on a spoon, it makes a huge difference in being able to spread it without it sticking to everything!

Enjoy :)

P.S. Don't think I have forgotten about tid + bits on thursdays! I have decided to make it a monthly link up as opposed to every thursday. So be getting your tid+bits from the month together because the last thursday of every month I will be doing a tid + bits post that you can link up to!

P.S.S. I now have $10 large ads for 30 days! Check out my new advertising system.



forever 21 haul.


 I obviously need to get better at this whole "thumbnail" not having a nasty screen shot thing hahaha.

You guys, I have been shopping at forever 21 since I can possibly remember. It is probably the only store from my child hood that I still shop at, haha. They are the go to place for cute, cheap clothing! I also love to go there for their jewelry - such fun, and again cheap affordable pieces!

I personally like shopping online when it comes to forever 21. I feel their slection is so much better online. I have pretty much memorized how their different sizes will fit me and what not, haha, so I got this thing DOWN! haha

Today I am doing a forever 21 haul on some great things I have gotten the last little bit! Below is a list of what I could find online that I got in case you were interested :)




nature. camping. friends.


I really love camping, and am sad to say we don't take advantage of where we live nearly enough. Utah has some of the most beautiful mountains, and I wish we went and explored in them more often! Thankfully since Trevor bought his Bronco, we have had more of an adventurous itch - wanting to take it out and go off-roading etc! I have been wanting to go camping for a long time now, and thankfully a couple weeks ago we got together with some friends and just decided to make it happen.

We threw it together last minute, but that is what is so fun about living so close to the mountains, you can get away with just throwing a bunch of stuff in your car and drive out somewhere all under an hour. It was nice to get away from all electronics, and just enjoy a night of good conversation, food and of course, smores :)

Our friends Stanton and Billie just got a puppy, and it was such a treat to have him around. He was the cutest thing ever and made the time even more enjoyable. 

I have shot plenty of guns in my time, but had never really done any target shooting. So when on my second attempt I nailed the target dead center with a hand gun... I wont lie, I was pretty impressed with myself. I ended up discovering a hidden talent when it comes to target shooting! I am pretty dang good!

I decided I like shooting a shot gun much more then a hand gun. I guess I am my father's daughter after all :) Being raised in San Diego I guess couldn't get all of the Alberta country out of my blood! Either that or it was totally beginners luck, something I am known for haha.


The weekend was too short, but it was fun to have spent some time in the outdoors with friends. We went home smelling like camp fire, and with an even stronger desire to get a puppy, haha. I hope to squeeze in a few more camping trips before winter arrives here in Utah... oh winter... let's not even talk about that. Fall is by far my favorite season here in Utah, ready for some yellow mountains!


our third anniversary...

My mouth looks a bit funny here, but I thought it was cool this picture turned out, because this was me marching towards Trevor telling him, no more pictures haha.
Top: F21 Jeans: Delias Shoes: Target Necklace: C/O Cheerfully Charmed Bag: Epiphanie camera bag

So Trevor, who normally hates taking pictures or getting pictures taken haha, was ever so willing to take some pictures of me at City Creek for a "personal style post." Funny thing is, I was super embarrassed with all the people around. So wait a minute, me not wanting to take pictures, and Trevor wanting to take pictures!? - talk about a role reversal! hahaha

P.S. I just noticed how this outfit, and my last personal style outfit, match my blog colors hahahaha.

*Documenting my personal style to make sure I keep the promise to myself, to always be fully dressed with a smile.
 ♥ ♥ ♥

As you may have seen in my last post, Saturday was Trevor's and mine 3 year wedding anniversary! Crazy how the time is flying by. Trevor was gone all week for internship interviews for next summer, and I started another job (on top of my other one) - so we had been too busy to really have anything planned for what we were going to do that day.

Last minute Trevor suggested going up to Salt Lake City and seeing Wicked. I was dumbfounded because I never thought he would want to see that kind of show! I guess even after three years you can still learn something new about your spouse, right?! haha I guess Trevor likes musicals... who knew?! haha I saw the show back in 2007 in London with my mom, so I knew it was amazing and thought Trevor would like to see it, but I also knew there was no way tickets were available the day off the show haha. I was right, they were sold out.

But they told Trevor about how they do a drawing for ten tickets where if you get picked you can buy two tickets for only $25.00 and you get orchestra seating. Your odds all depend on how many people show up for it, and the guy told us he has seen it as low as 30 people to over 100. We decided to take our chances, and thought our odds looked really good until the last minute tons of people showed up hahaha. Needless to say, we didn't get picked :( But now that I know Trevor would go to a show and enjoy it, I think we need to just buy some tickets (ahead of time haha) and go see it, he would love it :)

With no show happening, we decided to just spend the day in Salt Lake City since we were already up there. Being there was actually really fitting, and brought back so many memories. Salt Lake City is where I met and fell in love with Trevor. Where we got engaged, and where we started our life together. We spent the first two years of our marriage there, in our nasty small apartment, haha oh man... the memories.

We explored the new City Creek Mall (wishing that was there when I used to literally live up the street from it!) had a nice dinner (like... soooo yummy), saw a movie at the theater we used to go to all the time, and hung out in some of our old stomping grounds. We even parked in an old parking lot we used to go to all the time and just sat there for a bit. I was loving it. It was a great day!

We may not have been able to get the Wicked tickets, but we were able to have a day that was like visiting memory lane! I could see where we started and where we are now. We have grown so much - so much has changed since collage. We talked a lot about where we are going next in our lives. I love our past, but I am so excited for our future.


I couldn't help but think... 
"this is what building a life with someone is like. this is it. right here."

Happy Three Years my Trevor! To many more!

  ♥ ♥ ♥



three years...




Three years ago, I married an amazing guy.

Today I thought I would leave you with three (of the many) reasons I married him.

3. He is one of the smartest, hard working people I have ever met in my life. Nothing is more attractive to me then a smart man.

2. He makes me a better person. He challenges me in ways that help me grow, and vice versa.

1.  I love him.
  
♥ ♥ ♥

check out more details from our special day here...


how to: the perfect red lip.

got to love that screen shot... haha

Being as pale as I am, I avoided wearing bright lipstick for years. To me I thought red made me look like a clown, and it wasn't until the last year or so that I became brave enough to try some bold colors. Since branching out, I have fallen in love with colored lip sticks :)

So for all of you out there who have been hesitant to try a bold lip color like RED, watch the video above, or read on for some of my tips on how to be more comfortable wearing a bold lip color - because I really do believe anyone can pull of a fun color, no excuses! 

1. Find a color that compliments your skin tone. I for example, still think I look a little clownish wearing a red, red lip color. So I found a red lipstick that has some orange undertones. To me the orange compliments my skin better, and helps me feel more comfortable wearing such a bright color. 

So play around with all the different types of reds there are and figure out which one makes you feel more comfortable. Go to Sephora, Macy's, Nordstrom or any beauty department store and use their samples to play with the different shades! The hardest part is getting started, so you might have to force yourself to just wear the bright color... but once people start complimenting you in your new shade, you won't feel so silly anymore, trust me!

As mentioned in the video above, my go to red currently is from Kat Von D's Painted Love Lipstick Line in Stiletto - the perfect orange red. I know, I know... I am team Sandra Bullock... but I couldn't help myself, the color was just too good. Sorry Sandra, can we still be friends?



2. Exfoliate and Moisturize. Living in such a dry area, I am constantly trying to make sure my lips are exfoliated and moisturized! Normally I just swipe my Clarisonic over my lips when I am needing a good exfoliate, but I have also recently fallen in love with Lush's lip exfoliate in Mint Julips. They have all kinds of "flavors" like chocolate mint and a bubble gum one. Honestly they are all great, and I don't even like mint or chocolate that much, and they don't bother me at all. Some people have to try not to eat this stuff apparently... haha.

Make sure to moisturize with your favorite chap stick, or Vaseline is always a classic and a favorite of mine. Just make sure your lips are very smooth and moisturized so the color lays well on your lips.

3. Conceal your lips so the red shows up true to color.  If I am being honest, I almost never do this step. But it is recommended if you want the color to truly POP! I normally skip this step, but I have found it helps your lip color last longer, so if you are going out for a long night it might be something you want to do. You can do this by applying a creamy concealer over top your lips and then lightly brush your face powder over your lips so the concealer sets.

4.  Line your lips. Red lipstick tends to bleed, so there are a couple different things you can do to help with this. You can fill in lips with lip liner first. So find a lip liner that matches the color of your lip stick. I recently met a make up artist who suggested to me Laura Mercier Anti Feather Lip Pencil. I like the idea of this pencil because it is clear, and you can use it for all your lipstick colors instead of having a bunch of different ones, and you just put it where you don't want the color to feather or bleed.

5. Put that color on! Put your lipstick on, duh! haha If you want to be very "professional" about it, most artists apply lipstick with an application brush specifically for putting on lipstick. I am not that fancy around these parts, so I just stick to the traditional, swipe it on!

6. Touch up. Last and final step, touch it up! Usually if you have used a lip liner, or the feathering pencil, you won't have any bleeding or smudges, but since I tend to break the rules, I usually have to swipe the edges to make sure everything is nice and clean. Tissue and fingers always work :)

Still not sure red bold lips are for you?

If you are still uncomfortable going for a big bold red lipstick, or you feel you are too young to wear such a strong lip right now, I would go with Revlon's amazing line of Color Burst Lip Butter. You guys, if you don't know about these by now, you need to wake up! I can't say enough good things about them!

These lips butters offer you a punch of color, but with a more chap-stick feel. Super comfortable to wear, and a little more sheer then a lipstick. So if you aren't ready to commit fully, start with the different shades of red they offer in this line, like Candy Apple.



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because sometimes, you just need a cupcake.


Last week my friend Alex and I stopped by our favorite cupcake shop in Utah, The Sweet Tooth Fairy. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to have a baking lesson from the owner herself!

She was on cupcake wars, and won by the way - and for good reason!

But let's face it, sometimes a sweet treat can change your whole day. It can make a great day better, or a bad day a little brighter.

Cheers to all things sweet!

it's not everyday...


Dress: Forever21 Sweater: Jcrew Shoes: Nine West Clutch Purse: ASOS
 Necklace: C/O Cheerfully Charmed

... Cheerfully Charmed sends you an adorable necklace! I know you guys have been seeing these bauble necklaces going around. I have been loving my turquoise one, so when Cheerfully Charmed sent me a YELLOW one, my all time favorite color... I pretty much died and went to heaven! CHECK out all their products :)

*Documenting my personal style, to make sure I keep the promise to myself, to always be fully dressed with a smile.
  ♥ ♥ ♥

... that your husband does the dishes without even being asked! (but that was awhile ago, so he could get on that again)

... that on your drive home you see a group of teenagers and adults dressed in Medieval Times attire battling each other. Yes, this happens at my local park every once in awhile.... they come with boogie board shields and everything. Didn't know these kinds of groups actually existed haha

... your phone which you use as your alarm clock has died, but you wake up at 6:44 a.m. right when you needed to! what?! I hadn't slept much the few days prior and was stunned I woke up in time so I wouldn't be late for work!

... that you find a dirty thong sitting on the street right next to your mail box. yup, a couple weeks ago, there was a rainbow pair chillin' as if they were waiting for me to find them. nasty, but it made me laugh all the same :)

... you run 10 miles, and then later that day your husband asks if your going to the gym. WHAT?! haha in which I responded "Um, no, I ran 10 miles this morning, remember that?... which he responds with, "So."  -  kill me now, haha.


Don't forget to check out the giveaway below!



beauty youtube channel.


 
So something you might not know about me, is that I absolutely love to try out new products! And if you took one look in the cabinet under my bathroom sink you would see that I am a total product junkie.

It is one of the perks of being a woman - being able to indulge oneself in beauty products!

Recently I have fallen in love with YouTube Beauty Channels, and I decided to start my own beauty channel on youtube! It will be a place where I review beauty products, do some tutorials, as well as show you what I am currently loving, and recent purchases I think you would want to know about etc.

You can find my channel at Alycia Crowley

So stay tuned for all the fun, and let me know what kinds of tutorials, product reviews, etc. you would love to see on the channel! Thanks :)

Oh &I got a new camera, and am still learning how to use it... which is evident by the afghan behind me being in perfect focus, and me not, haha OH WELL - it is just an introduction video so I didn't care to go back and try again :) haha