What Every Bride Wants {for the kitchen}

Reagan and I were more than blessed to have three wedding showers, and packages arriving on our doorstep almost daily. Registering for gifts can be fun and/or stressful. For example, my husband registered for two different bacon presses and every type of grilling utensil imaginable. I stressed out over a china pattern.


I consulted with my fellow newlywed best friend Rebecca and came up with a ton of gifts we love, love, love.  Here's the first of a few buying guides for anyone attending weddings this summer, and I know there are a lot of you out there. First up, the kitchen!


1. Crate and Barrel Mixing Bowls: I didn't register for mixing bowls from Crate and Barrel, but after two sets of mixing bowl disasters (i.e. breaking); I decided to go with these.  I have the white set, and I've been happy with their durability and the way they stack to save room.

2. Veggie Chop: Rebecca says, "Small enough so that it's easy to store, but it can fit a good chunk of an onion or bell pepper."

3. French Press with Illy Coffee: This would be a good gift for the coffee snob. After getting this as a gift, we have officially crossed into "coffee snob" territory. 

4. Grind and Brew Coffee Maker: Rebecca says, "I leave the coffee beans in the airtight top and in the morning you just put how many cups you want and it grinds the amount you need. You can also pick the strength so it will do more or less. Awesome."

5. Kitchen Aid Mixer: I swear the food you make in a Kitchen Aid just tastes better.  Reagan took a picture of me the first time I used my mixer because I have been waiting all my life (ok - actually just the 6 months between registering and our first shower) to own one. There are also a ton of attachments (meat grinder, ice cream maker, etc. that make great gifts!)

It's love

6. Taste of Home Cookbook: I have said it before, and I will say it again - I cook 75% of our meals from recipes in this cookbook.  I call it my cooking Bible because it has recipes, cooking and food preparation methods, and detailed information about almost all food.  For example, I didn't know how long to grill a pork chop, but I looked it up in the "Pork" section.  It's nothing too fancy, just normal people food.


7. Texas Cutting Board: Our house wouldn't be complete without Texas kitchen accessories.

Now, I'm interested to hear, what's the most used tool/accessory in your kitchen?? Pin It

Friday Favorites

Clinique Must Haves by allisonmarble featuring a Clinique eyeliner

After Diana posted her favorite bridal beauty products, I got to thinking about my own beauty routine. She said she was a loyal Bobbi Brown girl, and I thought "I don't think I'm loyal to any one brand."

Think again.

I opened my makeup bag to see a Clinique explosion.  I credit my frequent Clinique buys to two things. First, I have sensitive skin and all of Clinique's products are gentle and unscented. Secondly, it's one of those brands that my mom always used, so I buy it too. (Kind of like, Folgers coffee. Please tell me someone else knows what I'm talking about!)

Onto my favorite Clinique products!

1. Long Last Lipstick ($15) - Dubonnet is my favorite red lipstick. It's red enough to be powerful, but not harsh-looking on my fair skin. I think the color is universally flattering because my mom wears it and my best friend, Rebecca, wore it at her bachelorette party; we all have very different skin tones.

2. Moisture Sheer Tint ($27) - My mom loaned this to me for my honeymoon, and I immediately bought my own when I got back. (Are we noticing a theme here - I steal makeup from my mom??) I love it for summer and the weekends.

3. Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel ($24) - I have incredibly oily skin and this keeps it under control!

4. Liquid Facial Soap ($16) - Gentle and unscented. Enough said.

5. Bronzer ($25) - I'm not a huge bronzer fan (I think it looks funny on me), but this is what I use when I need a little color on my face!

6. Chubby Stick ($16) - Yes, that's really what it's called. Whole Lotta Honey is my favorite fall/winter color, and I'm loving Mega Melon this summer.

7. High Impact Mascara ($15) - I have worn this mascara since high school, and I doubt I will ever stop. It doesn't smudge, and I always get compliments on my long lashes.

8. Quickliner for Eyes ($15) - I used to always have trouble with my eyeliner coming off during the day, but this stays put pretty well.

9. Superbalanced Makeup ($23) - I just recently switched from mineral powder makeup to the Superbalanced liquid.  This was also a recommendation from my mom, and I'm already sold! It isn't to greasy and looks natural.

There you have it! I'd love to hear what other makeup/brands everyone uses!

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What to Wear: To Work

One of the (many) harsh realities of being a grown up is having to adopt a "business casual" wardrobe. I worked for two years in college as a marketing intern and had to dress business casual when I went into the office. However, my two-hours-a-day-intern wardrobe did not translate to a full-time-professional wardrobe. Thankfully, I work in an environment where there is not a strict dress code, and each department gets to determine their dress code based on their specific role within the organization. That being said, I work under a Vice President, so I have to dress the part. Likewise, some computer programmers in my building can wear jeans.

So, you land a job; learn the dress code, what's next? Well, if you're like me, you have a whole closet full of clothes but you're standing there saying, "I have nothing to wear!" (Reagan's favorite words...)

1. Take inventory. Since I majored in business, worked in college, and participated in a business club in high school, I had most of the "basics." I had black pants, pencil skirts, and the basic white button down. Also, before I started interviewing, my parents bought me a real, live suit. Once you start working, however, you realize that what you seldom wore in college, you have to wear every day at work. I had to figure out what exactly I needed to have a complete business casual closet.

2. Find a balance. I'm 23 years old, love to shop, play with make-up and tease my hair. Not everyone in the work world appreciates neon pink lipstick and the top not. I've had to find the middle ground between dressing my age, looking trendy, and not getting weird stares around the office. I am by far the youngest person in my office, and I don't want to attract the wrong kind of attention. My "balance" generally means wearing solid colors (I don't wear a lot of prints anyway) with flashy shoes or jewelry.

3. It doesn't happen all at once.  I've been employed full time for almost a year now, and I still think "I need (insert item here) to wear to work."  Every time I shop now I have to ask myself, "Could I wear this to work?" No matter how cute the jewelry, blouse, or shorts are, if I can't wear it to work it's not worth it. (Outfitting my law school husband is a different story because all of a sudden he has competitions! internships! speaking events! and needs 15 suits. That's a different post, a different time.)

I will be in the office most of the day this summer, but I can't wait to break out the bright colors. Neon lipstick included!

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