Fall Reading List

Fall is getting so close I can hardly stand it! 

There is nothing that I love more than going outside when it gets cool, drinking a pumpkin spice latte,  and curling up to a good book.

Here are my top 5 books that I plan on reading this fall (in no particular order):

1.  Sorority Sisters by Claudia Welch. 

Ok, first off anything that has the word sorority in it draws my attention. As a former sorority girl, I have come to the sad realization that anytime Greeks are shown in the media it is usually in a negative manner (or we're the subject of a horror film or porno) so imagine my excitement when I found a book written by a sorority woman (Alpha Phi)! I can't wait to open up this one and I'm sure I'll need some tissues handy. But don't just take my word for it, read the overview:

In 1975, trying to find a place to belong, four young women found each other in the same sorority pledge class. Through parties and pranks; finals and skipped classes; boyfriends and break-ups, they forge a bond that takes them by surprise. No one expected it to last beyond college graduation. But some bonds are too strong to break.

Now they’re sisters. And with sisters, it’s not about what happens. It’s about no matter what happens.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. 

So many people have recommended this book to me, so of course I have to see what all the hype is about! From what I heard it's a thriller and will keep you guessing the entire time. Can't wait to start this page turner close to Halloween.

Marriage can be a real killer.
   One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. 

3. Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close.

Being in my early, almost mid-twenties (yikes!) I have gone to a wedding almost every month and am about to add bridesmaids dress #4 to my closet. So after reading the back of this book, I knew I had to read it! I mean it is basically the story of my life.

Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working a dead-end job, Mary is dating a nice guy with an awful mother, and Lauren is waitressing at a midtown bar and wondering why she's attracted to the sleazy bartender.

With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering years of early adulthood as she pulls us inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

4. Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham.

As awful as this is, I judged this book by its' cover. It looks pretty and I'm drawn to lovely looking things, but after reading the back I became extremely intrigued. Takes place in Texas, is coming of age story, and it has a love triangle? Count me in.

Recently orphaned, eleven-year-old Cathy Benson feels she has been dropped into a cultural and intellectual wasteland when she is forced to move from her academically privileged life in California to the small town of Kersey in the Texas Panhandle where the sport of football reigns supreme. She is quickly taken under the unlikely wings of up-and-coming gridiron stars and classmates John Caldwell and Trey Don Hall, orphans like herself, with whom she forms a friendship and eventual love triangle that will determine the course of the rest of their lives. Taking the three friends through their growing up years until their high school graduations when several tragic events uproot and break them apart, the novel expands to follow their careers and futures until they reunite in Kersey at forty years of age. Told with all of Meacham's signature drama, unforgettable characters, and plot twists, readers will be turning the pages, desperate to learn how it all plays out.

5. Allegiant by Veronica Roth.

I can't even express how long I've been waiting just for the release date (which is October 22 in case you were wondering)! It's the last of a three part series which has so far been amazing! If you liked the Hunger Games, you will be hooked to the Divergent series. 

What if your whole world was a lie?

What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?

What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. 

What are some books you plan on curling up to this fall? 

And as always, this bookworm is open to suggestions!

xo,

eMr

Anatomy of a Gameday Belle

I'm sure a lot of you are just as excited about gamedays and tailgating as I am! What Southerner doesn't like an excuse to dress up and get a little rowdy cheering for their favorite team!

Here are some of my absolute, could not go without, gameday essentials.

What are you wearing or bringing for your SEC tailgate? Any items you can't go without?

xo, 

eMr

Charleston Part 1

I spent my Independence Day in Charleston, South Carolina; but I wasn't just there to celebrate the fourth. I was on a secret mission to take pictures of one of my best friends getting engaged!

I hid behind a tree snapping away as he proposed in a gazebo at The Battery. She was completely surprised, and maybe even more surprised to see me pop out. We then went to meet her family and his family at Poogan's Porch for dinner (she also had no clue their families were there!) It was such a fun occasion. He did a great job planning it all out!

This was my first time visiting Charleston and it was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! It reminded me a lot of Savannah, Georgia and New Orleans, Louisiana. 

The Battery. I absolutely loved these trees and how their limbs twisted.

Downtown Charleston.

This house was voted one of the most romantic places to stay in Southern Living magazine.

Baskets and flowers like these were being sold all over the place. They're made from the state's Palmetto Palm tree leaves. 

I had an absolute blast! And I hope to visit again very soon!

xo,

eMr

Brooke's Bachelorette Party

I had a sorority sister's bachelorette party last night and we all had such a blast!

One thing that I've found somewhat irritating about bachelorette parties is that usually there is no way to tell who the gift is from. 

Think about it. It's not like Hallmark makes cards for these sort of things and rarely anyone uses gift tags. So now there are a mountain of pink striped boxes from Victoria's Secret, and you even lose track of which one is yours. Then the bride picks one of them up and asks who's it from and you're just sitting there like, "I don't know. It could be mine. It could be yours. It could be theirs..."

Needless to say, I was not going to let that happen again. I saw this gift wrapping idea on Pinterest (where I get all of my good ideas from these days) and knew that I had to do it!

 I also made my own bachelorette gift tags and got a little creative. You can download the tags here.

This was the outside tag I made. I glued it onto some silver Martha Stewart scrapbook paper and wrote on the back that the gift was from yours truly. 

Then I tied this tag to the gift itself just as a fun little surprise :) She loved it!

The bachelorette theme was "incognito" and everyone at the party was given a mask to wear downtown (you know how I love a good themed party!). This was such a fun idea! The only problem we ran into was that at some bars they wouldn't allow us to wear the masks (I guess a bunch of young women in masks look like we're going to rob the place? I don't know haha), but we still made the best of it.

The bride wore white, bridesmaids wore black, and then everyone else was allowed to pick and choose any other colored dress. I thought that this was a great idea to have the wedding party stand out from the rest of the group. 

Kay, Liz, and me at dinner before going downtown.

(please excuse my hair. It was curled until the Southern humidity attacked it)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far! 

xo,

eMr

Sun Dissed Over Sun Kissed

I love being tan. Clothes look better, you look healthier, and just everything about you seems to glow.

But girls, we need to have a come to Jesus meeting.

We have got to quit killing our complexions by laying out without SPF and paying to damage our skin in easy bake ovens.

As much as I love soaking up some Vitamin D, I always try to make sure that I've applied and reapplied sunscreen when I'm outside. Wrinkles, age spots, and cancer are very big and very real risks we take every time we're exposed to those wonderful golden rays.

BUT I WANT TO BE TAN!!!! 

Apparently, so did the genius that invented sunless tanner. We now have countless options to avoid the sun, but still shine year round.

1. Sun Labs

2. Fake Bake

3. Toma's Self Tanning Airbrush Spray

4. Victoria's Secret Instant Bronzing Tinted Body Spray

5. Jergens Natural Glow

I tend to use Jergens, but have recently been on a quest to try something new that might last longer. This is when I found the wonderful blog maskCara on the subject. 

The biggest sunless tanning fears are being orange, spotchy, or that awful tanning smell. Cara seemed to cover them all! Looks like I'm going to have to try Sun Labs very soon!

All the ones listed had rave reviews and I'm looking into trying out (besides my beloved Jergens obviously).

 Do you use any of the ones I've listed? Hated or loved? Any suggestions?

Help! 

xo, 

eMr

Get in the Zone

Ok in all honesty, who really shaves during the winter?

Lets be real, "no shave November" doesn't just apply to guys, so when summer comes around we realize that we might have more to maintain than just our tan.

You know what I'm talking about.... the dreaded bikini line. Hair, nicks, and worst of all bumps are the last things we want people paying attention to when we're in our bathing suits.

Here are some tips and tricks to help prevent that ugly razor burn:

1. Exfoliate- Gently scrub the bikini area before shaving to remove dead skin that leads to pore-clogging, post-shave irritation. You can use a scrubby cloth, or a regular body or facial scrub. Exfoliating this area on a regular basis will help prevent future irritation, ingrown hairs, and skin sensitivity.

2. Wait Until The End Of Your Shower, And Use A Natural, Oil-Based Shave Cream - For the sensitive skin in your bikini area, there is a basic shaving technique that experts agree works for everyone. Most experts suggest waiting until the end of a shower to shave. After your skin has been soaking, hair and skin become softer, allowing for a close, gentle shave. Apply an emollient-rich, cream-based shave cream containing argan and hemp seed oils to add moisture and protection during your shave.

3. Shave With Hair Growth First, Then Against The Grain - Pubic hair is coarse, and the skin in that area is the most prone to irritation. Start by shaving in the same direction as the hair growth. Then, if you want a smoother, completely hairless look, shave against the grain, and rinse. This technique can be used on all body hair, but generally finer hair on the legs and arms can be shaved against the grain from the start. It is best to use a fresh razor every time your shave our bikini area.

4. Gently Pat Dry - After you are done shaving, pat the skin dry - don't rub. Rubbing with a towel irritates the skin, and should not be done regardless of whether the skin is freshly shaved or not. You should also try to keep out of the heat to avoid sweating for 24 hours after shaving to prevent itchiness and ingrown hairs.

5. Apply an All Natural After Shave Treatment - Apply an after shave treatment containing all natural ingredients. Tea tree oil-based products are particularly effective for a freshly shaved or waxed bikini area. Tea tree oil has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties. It is a very effective natural remedy against countless skin ailments, infections, cuts, scrapes, burns, insect bites and skin spots etc.

Using Tea tree oil will help heal and renew the skin, which allows you to shave more often and maintain a close shave with minimal irritation. Look for a product that combines tea tree oil with more emollient, vitamin E and Omega 3, 6, 9 rich oils such as hemp seed oil, avocado, rose hips, soybean, jojoba and apricot oil to moisturize and protect freshly shaved skin. These types of after shave oils are great for after waxing as well.

6. Stay Away From Products That Contain Harmful, Irritating Ingredients - Freshly shaved skin that is as sensitive as the bikini area easily absorbs any products you may apply, therefore it is important to avoid harmful or irritating chemicals. Be sure to avoid pre and post shave products that contain mineral oil, dyes, sulfates propylene glycol, acetylsalicylate (which is potentially toxic and present in many shave products), phthalates or parabens.

I've been trying these methods recently and they seem to really work! Do you do anything that has helped you with this icky summer problem?

I'd love to hear them!

xo,

eMr

Preppin' My Skin for Summer

As a girlie girl myself, I always like to look my best when I'm out, and when bikini season rolls around I'm in full swing ready to tackle pool parties, beach weekends, and those summer nights out.

It's that time again to show off a little skin, but how do you make sure it always looks in tip top shape? Here are a few things I try to do daily to make sure my skin looks it's best.

1. Stay hydrated! I can not emphasize this enough...I'm not the best about drinking water all the time, but it is one of the number one things my doctor, dermatologist, and esthetician suggest when trying to keep your skin hydrated and cleansed of impurities. What you put in your body can sometimes drastically improve how you look on the outside.

2.  Exfoliate. So I recently discovered this on pinterest and am literally addicted to this scrub! It makes your legs feel so silky smooth, and sometimes if I feel really dry or feel like my skin is lacking a little luster I do it all over. Love, love, love it!

And with all the sunscreens, oils, and sweat, you might find that some of your pores are getting clogged  on your back, shoulders, and chest. Neutrogena's body scrubs are a great way to prevent and treat that from happening. I like the scent of the grapefruit one, but all of them tend to make me feel nice and clean.

3. Moisturize. Even if your skin isn't flaky or dry, do it! It prevents aging and keeps your skin glowing! The most important time to slather on some lotion is right before you go to bed because when you sleep your skin loses the most moisture. 

4. SUNSCREEN. Ok, ok, you all knew that one was coming right? Because it's so flippin' important!!!! I know, I like being tan too (more on that tomorrow), but it is so bad for your skin. Here are some direct words from my esthetician and dermatologist, the more you take care of and protect your skin now in your twenties the less you'll have to do in your forties, fifties, and sixties. Why? Because all the skin damage you do now doesn't surface until years later. So put on a big sun hat and lather on that SPF.


I know these are pretty basic, but sometimes we all need a friendly reminder (even myself haha I'm definitely guilty of baking in baby oil!).

What are some of your secrets for keeping your skin looking great? Any products you swear by? I would love to hear them and try them out!

Have a great Thursday!

xo,
eMr