Yesterday I had such a great run! I think I just really needed a new mindset and some new shoes. 😉 I did have to stop and adjust my laces on the new kicks a few times but other than that the run felt great. It was actually almost effortless. I was really dreading doing this 6.2 run because it was dreary out and I just didn’t feel like running. I was starting to run out of time so I basically kicked myself out of the house and I’m so glad I did!
Matt grilled up some steak and these gorgeous veggie skewers for dinner last night. They were amazing!
I had an entire day of training at one of our bigger salons today and we were treated to lunch made by our boss Vasso. He’s from Greece and he’s a fantastic chef and a seriously talented hairstylist. He made my favorite, meatballs! I had to eat my entire plate full! His salad is always full of delicious greens, dill and a homemade dressing. I said no to an assortment of pastries, garlic bread, pasta and spanakopita. I did however say yes to two black jelly beans. They’re my fav.
After class, which got out early, I did a little shopping at Ulta. I wanted to reward myself for sticking with the Whole30 so I bought myself a little something that I’ve been wanting.
I can’t tell you how excited I am to play with this! I’m pumped to use it for an upcoming Zumbathon! (Now I just need some fun new leggings to go with it!)
These are some seriously fun colors! After my shopping I hit the bike path where I’ll be running my half-marathon. The training plan I’m following called for a 3 mile run but it was the last nice day for quite awhile so I decided to do my 5 mile run. My stomach was so mad at me for eating those meatballs during my run! It was brutal you guys. A big lesson learned. The bike path is really beautiful and part of it goes around a lake so I was beyond happy to be out there. I always see a lot of animals and this time was no exception.
I found out why the chicken crossed the road…
To hang out with his friends! I kept seeing these chickens running around ahead of me and I was psyched to get some pictures of them. I love chickens! My poor phone died during my run so I don’t have my pace or any pictures of the ducks and geese that I saw. Oh well, next time.
I took a super fun Zumba class later on and when I got home Punky was begging to go for a walk. We did a quick 3/4 mile walk and even managed a few sprints up our beastly hill. Who know my little monkey dog was such a great running coach?
I’m going to finish watching Dancing with the Stars (everyone’s getting hurt:( ). I hope you guys had a great start to your week!
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A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of dolling my niece up for a father daughter dance. She is such a girlie girlie and I love that about her! We were originally going to do a waterfall braid but I was afraid that it might not hold up to all the dancing this girl planned on doing.
I’m always playing with her hair and this past summer I did this french braided flower that she really liked so we decided to do that with a few curls.
And then when I saw her dress I couldn’t resist adding some sparkly make-up.
She looked so beautiful and happy and I know that she had a great time with her friends. I’m not sure how much dancing the dads actually end up doing. Is it bad that I wanted to go put on a dress and crash the dance?
I am so lucky to be an Auntie to such a wonderful and sweet little girl and I felt so grateful that I was able to help her on a special night.
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This time of year my inbox is inundated with holiday offers of huge savings. I normally trash them but for some reason I clicked on one from the Gap. I wasn’t taken with anything for me, GASP! I was however really into some of their girl’s clothes. Not in a creepy way though, more in a “why don’t they make this in my size?!” kind of way. They make some seriously fun clothes for girls now.
I would totally wear this. Pair it with a plain tee, some dark tights and flats for a flashy daytime look or add some heels and spaghetti strap tank for night.
For some reason I have become obsessed with giant heart sweaters. This tee is so sweet and fun with all the different colored sequins.
This chevron sweater kills me. I love everything about it. It conjures up images of sipping cocoa after hours of playing in the snow. All I need is some dark skinny jeans, furry boots and a red hat and scarf. (and some snow and time off to play in it)
This color block sweater dress is sophisticated and fun. I love the color combination and the buttons on the shoulders. I was going to order this for my niece but they only had it left in an extra large. Which made me wonder if I would fit into an extra large, which made me wonder what would I do if I was wearing it and ran into an actual 8 year old who was also wearing it. AKWARD
Too many things to love about this dress. First of all it’s completely made of sequins. Second, it’s ombre! And third, it’s a shift style, which is my favorite dress shape of all time.
Lastly there was this adorable cape. I don’t know any little girls that wear capes but it’s a trend I could fully support. Not only is the color great but it has pockets. Form and function!
I tip my hat to you Gap. Is it weird that I just wrote an entire post about wanting to wear clothes made for little girls? Oh well, if loving Gap girl’s clothes is wrong I don’t want to be right.
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I tried to find a hot minute in the morning before my mad dash to get out of the house and to work on time to take some shots of my hair and make-up. I’m really fortunate to work in a creative place where I’m encouraged to have fun with my look and express myself however I like. If I want to shave half my head, FANTASTIC! If I decide to color my hair in a peacock feather pattern, even better! (That would be pretty amazing BTW!) Really the crazier the better. Unfortunately I am just not an “edgy” person. I love and appreciate bolder and more adventurous looks but I just feel silly when I try to go there. I feel like I’m dressing up for Halloween. Even though I can’t pull these looks off it doesn’t mean that I can’t draw inspiration from them. It’s so easy to get in a rut with your hair and make-up routine and put on the same black pants and top. But that’s boring and my clients come for more than the same old same old. They expect me to be put together and look a little different every time they see me. They crave a little change themselves and sometimes they just need a little inspiration. As do I. So thank-you to all the ladies that push the envelope and challenge the trends and inspire me. Here are some of my attempts to shake up my look a bit.
Some simple make-up, loose waves and a messy waterfall braid.
Blow-out with a large round brush and side swept bangs and rocking a brighter blush.
Big bun with my fringe pulled back and a serious smokey eye. I also played around with more contouring all over my face than I normally do. I got a lot of wonderful comments about this look at work that day. One of the salon clients even said that I looked like J. Lo. I don’t really think so but it was nice to hear anyways.
Here’s another blow-out with a bit more texture to it and a middle part which I haven’t really worn since high school. I think this looks so different than I normally do. It was wonderful to not have hair in my eye too! I also did another smokey eye but with very soft brown hues so I would say this was more a “natural smokey eye” if there is such a thing.
I am loving the Grammy’s this year! So many wonderful performances and touching wishes for Whitney Houston. I am for sure getting some great inspiration. RIP Whitney and enjoy the rest of your week-end everyone!
Cheers!
Mandi
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No I haven’t invented ice cream that you can wear. All though, that would be delicious and awkward on a sunny day. On the latest episode of Project Runway All Stars the contestants made outfits inspired by ice cream flavors. How amazing of an idea is that?! I’ve been struggling with putting my ensembles together in the mornings. Cold and dark winter mornings are not at all inspiring to me but ice cream sure as hell is! Here are some ice cream inspired looks.
Fudge Ripple
Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl
Oreo Cookie Crunch
Peppermint Stick
Cheers!
Mandi
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I got these green cargo pants, from Old Navy, about a year ago and I’ve had trouble styling them.
They’re a bit of a weird fit for me. The length is great, which is really surprising because the short size from ON is usually still to long for me. They fit great in the waist and thighs. They feel nice on, very comfortable. They start out feeling really great and looking really cute. But after wearing them for like 10 minutes they start to sag in the front. It looks kind of like I’m wearing depends under them. Luckily for me I’m not wearing depends. They look OK from the back.
When did my whowho get so big?
So I think I may have figured out a way around my diaper front looking mess. If I wear a slightly longer shirt and cardigan or sweater that covers it up. OK I’m off to raid my closet!
Cheers!
Mandi
Any suggestions on how to make my diaper front disappear?
I'm a continuous work in progress. I'm 31. A professional hairstylist & make-up artist. I love to dance, cook clean food and bake dirty desserts. I really love coffee. I have a monkey dog and a fluffy cat. I love crafts and shopping. I sometimes love working out. I recently married my best friend. Stop by and check on my progress.
Ms. Mandipants 