Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends! The weeks seem to be zipping by -- before you know it, Christmas will be here and we will have wrapped up another year.

Exciting(?). Terrifying. Both of those explain my feelings about how fast the years are going by.

Speaking of years going by, happiest of birthdays to my best friend, Jenna! Welcome to 35! It's as great as they say it is (I'm sure someone says that)! :)

Let's do some Friday Favorites!

I don't know how you all feel about ponchos, but when Lauren and I saw this one, we knew the store had to have it.

It's cutout to wear perfectly around your neck and layered with a tissue turtleneck or tee, it's the perfect little outfit!

Where can you find this, you ask? Please, click here! :) There are only a few left and currently it's sold out from the vendor. So... if you want one, I highly suggest you get it quickly! :)

JCrew Factory has six different colors of tissue turtlenecks. I love these because they are lightweight so perfect to wear under sweater cardigans or vests. I do wish they had some options with a stripe - anyone know where to find a good tissue tee or tissue turtleneck with a stripe or pattern?!

Either way, you will find me in this turtleneck tee and the above poncho next weekend when Two Dots takes over the Gift Gallery in Kansas City! Can't wait for a fun weekend of shopping and hanging out with my sister for 48 hours straight! :)

My aunt recently introduced me to Pick Your Plum, another amazingly wonderful and dreadfully terrible discount site! I've tried not to go look at it every day, but when I recently looked, this immediately caught my eye! 

This particular banner comes in three different colors and is glittery (here's your warning)! I love how they used this in the picture, but they also showed it as a prop for Christmas pictures. There are a few other sign options and ENDLESS options when you go back to the main page.

But it's $12.99.

How do you beat that? 

You can't. So you buy it. 

Ummm... did anyone else know about these amazing Aldi bags???

Ummm... everyone is getting one for Christmas, no joke.

If you aren't an Aldi frequenter, they don't bag up your items when you checkout, they just put them back in your cart, then you either bring your own bags in or grab a box to throw it all in.

Well holy heck, these genius bags allow you to attach to the cart, toss your stuff in, and then close it up, and go home!

This. Is. Amazing and a game changer! And only $8! With all the money you save at Aldi, this is basically free!

PS. The White Cheddar Cranberry cheese is back for the holidays! I only hope that means the amazing chocolate drizzled caramel corn will be back soon, too!

This color will be here any day. And I will immediately be trying it out! I'm obsessed with all of the great fall color options! 

If you missed my video on my Two Dots Facebook page (you can watch it here), I mentioned how anyone who places an order in November will be placed in a drawing for a $10 Two Dots gift card. I will announce the winner on the last day of the month! So if you have been waiting to get a color for the first time or need something for the Fall, now is the time to get something. Because you might get something special with it, like a gift card! :) 

Everyone have a wonderful weekend and as always...

GO CATS! Beat the Red Raiders! 

XXOO,

Allyson

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday everyone!

I'm sorry about my lack of posting this week. My only response is... it's just been one of those weeks! I'm working really hard on Two Dots so I'm trying to balance it all and this week, the blog got put on the back burner!

But I will NOT short you Friday Favorites!

I wore this on Thursday and had a few people message me, asking where I got the sweatshirt from. And the answer is Old Navy.

I bought a similar sweatshirt from them last year in Heather grey that says 'hello there' and wore it all the time! They are super comfortable and cute to throw on with jeans and sneakers!

They have a few options and I wanted them all. But this one stood out to me.

After the week that we have had, still reeling from Las Vegas, thinking about my friend who two years ago in Paris was minding her own business, just like these concert-goers in Vegas... and someone decided to jack it up with guns and end lives.

She made it back home, as did a lot of the people at the concert in Las Vegas, but others didn't. And everyone's lives will be changed forever.

It is heartbreaking. And gut-wrenching. And unnecessary that evil triumphs. So let's not let it happen. Let's let love win. Buy this sweatshirt and wear it proudly! Maybe you'll change someone's outlook.

This is one of my favorite Essie colors for Fall! Angora Cardi -- not too bright for those that don't want their nails to be a topic of discussion, but a very pretty color that will get you through to winter!

If you haven't fallen into the Mule trend yet, I highly recommend you climb about the train!

Because they are amazing! And the perfect Fall shoe!

Two Dots has a pair of Soho Black Mules that I wore all day yesterday and am in love with! So if you're looking for an inexpensive route, check them out!

Last weekend when I was in Kansas City with my sister, we somehow got on this topic of mules and she showed these to me. Which was funny because I had seen them on a blogger in a fun magenta color and had equally loved them!

But this grey suede color is fantastic because it can go with so much! And at $70, it's hard to beat!

I'm mad that this hasn't been on my 'Favorites' until now. But alas, here it is!

This shop, Loop and Lil's is owned by a Sedan gal and her stuff is beyond adorable! She has an Etsy shop (by the same name), but is taking a little time off - I mean, she stays at home with two little ones.

I get it

. But please check out her Facebook page and if you're in to home decor and homemade gifts that are too cute to pass up, this is your gal!

Kimber, keep up the good work!

I feel like it's my life goal to get everyone to try LipSense at least once. Because once you try it, you either love it. Or you hate it. It's that simple.

But for those that hate it, I don't get it. I mean... it doesn't come off. How many times have you worn lipstick and loved the color and the look and then you go eat and drink and five minutes later, it's gone. The color. And the look.

Not with LipSense. And NOT with my current favorite color (I love them all, let's not kid ourselves). Somehow, I was probably the last distributor to try Caramel Latte. And I have no good explanation for you. Except to say I loved too many others and didn't want to commit to another one!

But I'm so glad I did! Truly, this is going to be my go-to neutral for Fall. I'm obsessed. It's soooo pretty! It's so similar to Caramel Apple, but it has more of a brown undertone than Caramel Apple.

I've got a few left in stock if anyone wants to try as well as some great Fall colors! Comment or message me!


And that's all she wrote, folks! Have a great weekend and crossing fingers the weather will remember that it is truly and officially Autumn. So act like it! ;)

And, as always.... Go Cats! Beat Texas!

XXOO,
Allyson

Friday Favorites

As I slowly but surely dive back into blogging, Friday Favorites has been what I have missed the most! It's what I got the most feedback on and what people really seemed to enjoy!

As did I... there was so much fun stuff to throw at you! And so today... we get right back to it.

Glade has done it again, my friends! Last year's Fall candle was ahhh-mazing. It was a Friday Fave maybe more than once (or maybe I just talked about it constantly)!

And they have hit it out of the park this season once more! The Cozy Autumn Candle is legit. I've had  two of these going in the basement and in the kitchen for less than a week and both are almost gone. The smell is perfect - it's Fall at its best!

I picked these up at Target so when you make your third trip of the week out there, this time grab a few of these candles!

I am a SUPER picky shoe person! And even more picky when they are from Target. I want them to look 'real' but I want them at a fantastic price.

Those things usually never coexist.

BUT... Lauren and I got a 'Free Mom Afternoon' a few weeks ago when I was in Kansas City and we went to Target. Because where else would you go when you have four hours of freedom?

I found these and though I don't normally gravitate to a heel because I just like to be comfy... these spoke to me. So I tried them on. And I loved them.

I've done a few InstaStories on them and about their greatness, but really. If you need a nice Fall shoe to wear with jeans or a skirt, I'd check these out. For $35 (with an extra 20 percent off online), you can't beat this!

I went to The Loft this past weekend to work on a future Fitting Room Finds for you all - a new post I hope to try and do once a month from different locations that are fairly easy for everyone to get to. 

This sweater was the first thing I saw when I walked in - smart, Loft. Very smart.

So I picked it up. It was also the first thing I tried on. And I was smitten! 

It's not itchy (key), it didn't feel constricting (key), and it hit me in the right spot that didn't make me look too short (also key). 

The colors are great, especially for the Fall and though it's listed as $69.50 on the website, you know that The Loft is ALWAYS having some kind of deal! So... if you are smitten with this as well, give it a go! With some dark denim and the DV mules from Target listed above, you have yourself a nice little outfit! 

I have to give a shoutout to Matt's cousin Jen for this Friday Fave because without her, we would have never known it existed. 

And that would be a shame. 

We went on a Michigan vacation with some of Matt's cousins (and aunt and uncle) this past summer and everyone (except us who had moved in to our apartment two days before) brought food to share (thanks for the kindness, everyone!). Jen's family brought this layered dip and I think Matt and I literally ate about three-quarters of it. 

I love a good Mexican layered dip. My mom and her friend Kay make it frequently. But this one has nothing I have to pick out, like jalapeños and olives. And I could eat it with a spoon!

SO... moral of the story is that if you are having a get-together, a tailgate... or just want some damn fine dip, get to Costco and get this! You can thank me later.

And if I haven't convinced you yet to try LipSense... I'm failing at my job. :) No, but seriously... I tried Dark Pink on yesterday for the first time and have found yet another color that I love. Why do I have to love them all?! At this point, I don't even know what my go-to color is! 

So for you newbies (and anyone else who reads this blog), if you want to try out LipSense for the first time, comment below or message me and I'll give you five percent off your first purchase! 

I have said it before, but direct sales was not my jam... until I tried this stuff. I was an immediate believer and just want to share the love! :) 

Everyone have a wonderful weekend! Matt and I are going to a Cubs game on Sunday to celebrate my birthday early -- I get to fly to KC on my birthday weekend to meet my nephew who has yet to arrive. But he will be here by then or my sister will be LOSING her mind!!! :) 

XXOO,

Allyson

A Few Reviews

Hello friends!

I've got a few reviews for you of items I have talked about purchasing (some a little incessantly) and finally did. Good news is that I have positive reviews of these three items and am sorry to say you will want to buy all three. :)

Here we go...

I literally agonized over this decision for atleast six months before finally biting the bullet. I went back and forth between this pair, and then some from Zappos, then a pair from Nordstrom. I had tried these on in a store once and didn't feel they were very comfy. And if I'm going to spend $80 on a shoe that is going to be seeing a lot of pavement, I felt like comfort was important.

When Matt and I went to Chicago and he told me we wouldn't be doing much walking (and I believed him), I cursed myself repeatedly for not having a good pair of CUTE walking shoes to walk around the city (because we did A LOT of walking... I did mine in wedge over-the-knee boots). So when Lauren and I decided to go to NYC, I knew I needed to make a decision between these or these.

In the end, price won. I ordered them and had them a few days before our trip to New York. 

I did a day or two of walking around in them and immediately regretted my purchasing decision. The back heel went up rather high and was KILLING my ankles. There weren't enough bandaids to help my pain! 

Luckily, the early pain was worth it because I wore them in by day three and was VERY happy with my choice! They are really cute with everything and are now comfy to me! So if you're looking for this type of sneaker, I recommend. Just get past day three! 

I am not a manicure gal. I can paint my own nails fairly well so I save $30 and just do it myself. But when we were in Manhattan for the kids spring break, I decided to take Sloane to go get her nails painted. And I got mine done, too.

And I'm now afraid that I've become a manicure convert! DANGIT! 

I had them shellacked, which I had never had done before and of course was screwing up the process as I went along. But we are now two weeks from when I had them done and they still look like I just got them done! 

I don't love the nail growth that you can see and how long my nails are getting (I assume I can cut them and that won't affect anything?) but I will definitely be doing this again, especially if I can get to three weeks with zero scuffs!

Last week on my Friday Favorites, I talked about how I loved the Snow ShadowSense sold by Senegence (how also sells LipSense... all of which I sell)! Today, I showed a video on my The Lips Shop Facebook page, showing how to wear the Snow under your eyes to cover dark circles and brighten up your eyes (and face). 

These pics are the after pics. I'm wearing concealer, primer, Snow ShadowSense under my eyes, Tinted Moisturizer (by SeneGence), my favorite Nars blush, Honey Rose LipSense and LashSense with UnderSense by SeneGence (which is a lash strengthener AND lengthener that I'm testing out). Happy with the results! If you need brighter (under) eyes, lemme know! 

And that's that for today. Happy Hump Day all!

XXOO,

Allyson

Friday Favorites

I'll just leave this little diddy right here for you... Happy Friday!

I came across this contraption on Instagram one day and immediately sent it to all of my family members because all of us need one! They call it the OnTray Snap On Shopping Cart Snack, Toy, Coupon Holder. I don't care what you want to call it, I want it for my Tess for snacks so she can sit in the cart and be joyful!

As every one year old shopping with their mother should be! ;)

Ladies, The Loft is having a 40% off everything in stock this week. I posted a picture of a new pair of sunglasses I picked up (this picture doesn't do them justice). But I tried on quite a few pairs and loved them all! In the end, the classic style won me over. As usual (I think I have about 10 pairs of glasses with this print).

I loved these as well!

I thought these would be great summer sunglasses - for days by the pool ... I hope I find a good pool again (insert many, many tears for the leaving of our neighborhood pool/gossip session)!

Lots of fun options and at a really good deal right now!

I have raved about these sandals in a Friday Favorite before and that was when it was warm out. Well... it's beginning to warm up again and I've already been slipping back in to my Birkenstock Madrid Sandals and still love, love, love them!

So I hopped on Amazon to see if they had any new colors for this year and holy cow, do they ever.

I'm not much of a neon shoe color gal, but if you are, there are five neon colors plus white, navy, black (which is what I own), red and now olive!

I love olive.

And so now I will have to purchase the olive. For $30.

Birkenstock's for $30.

Get them and thank me later! ;)

 I've been on the hunt for new luggage for my kids. We are travelers and when they were little, I got Sloane and Reece each a SkipHop roller suitcase. Sloane's was a monkey (because she loved Curious George) and Reece's was a dog.

My Sloane has definitely outgrown her monkey bag (as well as her infatuation for George - so sad) and Reece has as well, but will NEVER admit it nor let me probably ever buy him a new piece of luggage because he wants his "doggy bag" packed. :)

So I want to find bigger luggage for them, but not HUGE luggage - we don't need it to be bigger than mama's - ya hear me?! :)

I was traveling past the luggage section at Target and spotted this cute bag for $40! It's from the designlovefest collection, which had a couple of different things I thought were cute. But this bag specifically would suit her well -- shoes can go on the bottom, upper portion can have clothes. And with these handy packing cubes, I can separate her clothes and all is well!

I ran in to Old Navy the other day, specifically to go and look for leggings for Sloane. And other kid items.

I left with kid items. As well as a few things for myself (ugh).

I came away with this Relaxed Off-the-Shoulder top and a pair of black Rockstar Skinny Jeans.

I don't really love Old Navy jeans. Because I'm super picky on the color, the style and the look. And they just don't do it for me.

But I have owned a pair of these black Rockstar Skinny Jeans before and I LOVE them! They are super comfortable, stretchy and are mid-rise so you can't see my underwear every time I bend down, which once-upon-a-time used to be cool.

Gross, now that I think about it.

Anyway, I'm excited to pair the above top with my new black Rockstar Skinny Jeans and some cute sandals when the weather warms up for it (70 degrees today, 41 on Saturday - welcome to the land of weather changing every 10 minutes)!

Girls, I got this color in and only had ordered two. For some absurd reason. And I'm so mad at myself because I kept one for myself (my bad) and so I only had one to sell! And this color is legit! It's so pretty and not at all what I thought it would look like. It's definitely been my every-day color since I got it.

And until my next new favorite comes in.... :)

I'll stock up on more next time so I can spread the love!

And one last thing in regards to LipSense.

Last week, I shared a photo of Melissa and her new super simple makeup routine with SeneGence products (who owns LipSense).

It's just four things she uses to be ready for her day and after she posted this photo, I #facepalmed and went and bought it all! :)

I had a few people message me and were interested in what she used and the cost and I wanted to pass it on in case you were wondering the same thing.

👉🏻 Snow Shadowsense (currently out of stock, but hopefully not for long): $22
          -- she used this under eyes to give her the brighter look and hide her dark circles
👉🏻 Silk Pore Minimizer & Wrinkle Reducer (in stock): $60
👉🏻 Color Correcting Tinted Moisturizer (comes in light and medium and medium is in stock): $45
👉🏻 Natural Concealer (this also comes in green -- to hide redness -- and white): $25

Then she applied mascara and pretty Aussie Rose LipSense! That's it. Like... my jealousy for how easy this was and how she looks is over the moon! :) 

If you are interested in any of these items, let me know! I've ordered two other sets for people and am just waiting on a few of those out of stock items to come back in stock so I can snag them for myself and others! 


That's it friends! Please have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some down time!

XXOO,
Allyson