Zac Brown

So last Thursday, a couple friends, my husband and myself went to the Zac Brown Band concert at Cmac! It was a blast! They're awesome performers and they're also great supporters of our Troops! They had people walking around with postcards that the audience could write a sentence or two thanking the troops, they mail them all out and then you got a free cd! It was pretty neat. Also, they had a guy named Nic Cowan play with them and open for them (think Jack Johnson). He was amazing. His vibe was very relaxing and chill. And his voice makes me want to melt! Has that sexy, raspy sound. Definitely recommend you guys check him out!

As for fashion related news at this particular concert... I'll start out by saying that it was so hot and humid out, it was ridiculous! Therefore, it was extremely hard to keep looking cute when all you want to do is peel off your clothes! My best friend, Mandy and I, had a plan of wearing our plaid shirts and cowgirl hats to have a little fun and fit in more. Afterall, we did spend roughly two weeks trying to find the perfect outfits for this concert! Let me tell you a little story about the hats we bought! Two weeks ago, we were in American Eagle (which was literally the only place that had cowgirl hats) and these hats were on sale for $25. Needless to say, I couldn't bring myself to pay $25 for something I may or may not wear only once. So Mandy said, let's check out other places first. We looked everywhere! No other place had them. Exactly a week later we both said, let's try this again. We walked back into American Eagle, picked up the hats, looked at the price.... $7 baby! We're just good like that. :) Remember, if there's anything you are desperately trying to get but can't bare spending $$ on something you'll probably use once, wait a week. I'm telling you, it's worth it! With this hat, we both wore our plaid shirts (hers from JCPenney and mine from American Eagle; both really cheap), capris (hers were khaki, mine were denim), flip flops and cute crossbody bags! I bought my crossbody bag from H&M for $5! Can't beat that!

As for others and fashion: Let me just say, if it doesn't fit... don't wear it! There's plenty of other things you can wear that's still cute and more appropriate for your age and size. I promise you! You just have to look at all kinds of different places. There was this one girl at the concert that wore a cowgirl hat, boots and a white off-the-shoulder knee-length dress. At first, Mandy and I looked at eachother and said, "that's a little much" but then I got to thinking. It wasn't that bad. It really wasn't. But as I said in my Observe & Report post, if you're not used to seeing "real fashion", then you're going to think it's a little out there. Besides, that look is all over freepeople.com! There's nothing wrong with it, it's just different! :)

Mascara I Love & Tricks to Applying

Every single day, at least 5 people... whether it be a friend, a family member, a customer or a waitress at a random restaurant (...etc)... tell me how much they love my eyelashes and want to know what I use. So I'm letting you in on my two favorite mascaras of all time! I swear, if they ever discontinue either of these, I don't even know what I would do! The first one is very inexpensive and the other was my first love until I realized I couldn't pay for it everytime I needed mascara (I go through it like candy). So I only buy the second one here when I feel like treating myself!

Now, bare in mind that just one coat of any mascara isn't going to do much. People have the expectation that if they buy the mascara I use and put one coat on, their eyelashes will suddenly fling out like peacock feathers. I'm sorry, that is not going to happen. To get your eyelashes to look full and long, you must use a few coats.

The trick to applying mascara isn't too hard, but might require some patience. First, when applying mascara, make sure your head is tilted back for the top lashes and downwards for the bottom lashes. This will ensure no oopsies on your eyelids or under your eyes. Next, take the brush and start the application at the base of your lashes and slightly wiggle the brush back and forth as you work your way up (or down if you're working on your bottom lashes). You do this to make sure all your lashes are evenly coated and there are no clumps. When applying, I usually start at the center of my lashes, then do the inner corner of my eye, and then outer corner. Do the same for the other eye. It's important to remember, if you want to use more than one coat, be sure the previous coat is completely dry before applying the next. Also, always apply mascara in the direction your lashes go. For example: if you're at the center, apply straight up (or down); inner corner, apply towards your nose; outer corner, apply towards your temples (or cheekbones for the bottom). Do this until your little heart is satisfied!

*For any of you that have the unforunate disadvantage of having eyelashes that naturally go straight out instead of up: use an eyelash curler for 10 to 15 seconds before applying your mascara.*

There, now you have my tricks and it's time to meet your new best friends!

{Covergirl LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara, $6 at Wal-Mart}






{fresh Supernova Mascara, $25 at Sephora}