my fall 2013 beauty and style haul!

over the past several weeks, i've been collecting some new goodies…

wanna see??

oh, just fyi, i created the collages kind of randomly {and not everything is pictured}, but i know you'll get the idea…

take a look…

first, i have to blame thank Emily {she's fabulous!} for my current Wet n Wild product obsession. and she may have also had some influence on some all of the e.l.f {blush/bronzer duos, lashes, brushes} purchases i've recently made….

most everything from wet n wild is fabulous, so pigmented and they apply gorgeously! 

i've collected all of the blush/bronzer contouring powders from e.l.f. as well as some of their lashes, makeup brushes {their $1 eye shadow and crease brushes from the Essential line and the Complexion and Small Stippling brushes from the Studio line}; also added to my makeup collection: a couple of wet n wild palettes, blushes and liners…

sweet, cozy scents are essential this time of year. so, of course, the fact that i've bought some new candles should be no surprise. i'm sure you've already made at least one purchase from Bath and Body Works yourself! in addition to pocketbac hand sanitizers {must-haves when on-the-go and/or you have kids}, i chose the candle flavors Leaves, Marshmallow Fireside, Frosted Cranberry and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. other candles i've purchased {a great wallet-friendly option, but just as happy-making and fabulous} came from Glade  {Apple Cinnamon Cheer, Fall Hayride, Sweet Holiday Treat and Ginger Bread Jingle} they're small, but big on yummy fragrance, and shouldn't be passed up if you see them!

other lovely fall beauty purchases:

e.l.f eyelid primer {i'm testing it out to compare to higher-priced primers; look out for that review soon!}; Cover Girl's classic Super Thick mascara {fab for volume that's not too over-the-top}; Maybelline nail polish in Impeccable Greys, a great deep gray shade; Chi and Rusk hair treatment minis i bought from Cosmoprof;

OPI polishes: Every Month is Oktoberfest {from last fall's Germany collection}; Miami Beet, a gorgeous beet-purple that was released way back in 2009 and i somehow never bought until now. and from Mariah Carey's holiday 2013 collection: All Sparkly and Gold, self-explanatory, and Warm Me Up, a shimmery brown-grey, i also bought these at Cosmoprof.

two pretty holders for the candles from Bath & Body Works, above, and two from Target that i decided to use as containers for other things ~ you can see one with some makeup brushes in the pic, below...

also hauled hair treats...nail polishes...lashes…accessories…you know, just the usual…

i have to blame YouTube beauty videos again for my lash purchase, ha! but really, it's been so long since i've used them. i'm so looking forward to throwing them into the mix and dressing up my look this season! the Sally Hansen nail polishes {pictured top right} came as a set found at Target. and i'm so late to the party, but i just started using Jordana Best Lash Extreme mascara…have you tried it?? it's fab! i can't wait to try more products from the brand.

love my little owl earrings and this ceramic Sweet Dove container, both from Forever 21…

in the style category, i've bought a couple of scarves, more than a few pair of earrings, some rings and necklaces; a hat…

these skinny jeans {love the zipper at the back of the ankle!} and flowy top from Target…

 
two Mossimo jackets {discovered on the 50% clearance rack ~ yay! ~ from Target}...

 a couple of casual tops from H&M...

 as well as other pieces from various shops. i'll have to share those on another post...

this isn't too much, is it?? in my defense, it wasn't all one big purchase. it started in september…maybe august…

and finally, i just have to share, this tea called Matcha Maker from Good Earth. i already love their Sweet and Spicy teas, so i was incredibly happy to find it! it's an amazing, sweet blend of green and matcha teas infused with orange, ginger and other warm, citrusy goodness…so yummy!

:)

tell me: what have you hauled for yourself this fall…so far?
please share in the comments ~ i'd love to know!!

all items shown were purchased by me; pics taken by me :)

beauty musings: back to basics...

looking back on the year, with regard to the blog, i found myself thinking about some things. so much has been going on in my real life and, as might be expected, it really did make an impact on my blog. i have been  disappointed, and sometimes overwhelmed. mostly because i continued to be in and out of rhythm with posting. so frustrating! why does this keep happening? it's not for lack of things to write about, that's for sure. my intention, of course is to get back on track...

that said, BGM will be 5 years old this month! wow...i can hardly believe it!

with this milestone, i can't help but think about when i posted my first hello along with the intentions of what i wanted this "online journal" to be. i imagined it would be a place to share my thoughts on everything; from beauty to books, health to movies, and throw in random thoughts on pop culture, art, food, entertainment...

from there, i got into posting a daily style look, how-tos for most every premiere or award show, beauty news announcements, magazine covers; i was running my blog and even, for a little over a year, held the  position as beauty editor for a very influential online website. it was fabulous!

but, it became too much for me and i had to take a step back...

i began BGM when keeping a beauty blog was relatively new. i sort of feel like i jumped on the boat right before the massive boom of beauty blogs took off! with that boom came much scrutiny from the print media. it seemed like they loathed us writing about products long before their "two cents" would be featured on the pages of their publications. PR people loved us bloggers; beauty buzz could get out to the public so much sooner than ever! of course, as we all know now, magazines have established their own {fabulous} online blogs and many of my favorite fellow bloggers are being featured regularly in those mags. they've found careers as on-air talent, authored some great books and become brand ambassadors...

though all of these amazing things have been happening {and continue to}, i am choosing to go back to basics {again}.

i love keeping BGM. it's beyond rewarding to receive emails from readers who trust my opinion and seek advice and product recommendations. i appreciate that i can work with industry pros and get the inside scoop on the latest and greatest in the world of beauty and fashion.

but, i have to be even more honest.

 reading my first few posts has reminded me it's ok to stay true to my own voice. it's ok to {again} post my intentions of being more transparent. i'm a wife and a mom, not a jet-setting fashionista. i'm human. and like everyone else, sometimes i veer off the path i want to be on. reviewing products, sharing the hottest looks from red carpet and premiere events and running giveaways are not a bad thing. i j'adore sharing beauty reviews and coverage of fun stuff related to it with you! but, there's so much more to me and you should know that i plan to publish more posts like this...just me sharing random thoughts. sharing what's going on in my life. it's kind of scary for me, but i intend to do it.

though, maybe not always this long, LOL!

so, that's that.

 thank you {from the bottom of my heart} for continuing to read.
stay tuned...

birthday wishes...

happy last day of the year, beauties! hope the year has treated you well.

i can honestly say 2011 has taught me a lot! i definitely have had many memorable things happen {some good, some not so good}. as the year comes to close, i'm taking the time to reflect on it and look forward with excitement at the thought of what 2012 will bring.

among other things, the reflecting includes two days that happened just this week: the blogiversary of bgm and my birthday. my little blog is 4 years old as of the 28th ~ i can't believe it! where did the time go? i can't thank you enough for all the positive feedback and just for reading this!

and speaking of time, i turned 32 yesterday...hello, what?!! i had a fabulous day, full of fun moments and a surprise.

some of the highlights...

after my early morning yoga practice, my daughter surprised me with a huge card that she took the time to make especially for the occasion {isn't she sweet? love it!}. when she asked me how i liked my other gift, i was a bit confused, until she pointed it out to me...


a Keurig! wow was i in shock! and no, i hadn't noticed it because i hadn't even been in the kitchen to see it at that point of the day {about 6:30 am}. it was on my counter, just as you see it in the pic, set up by my love the night before. i've wanted one for a long time now, but wasn't expecting to get one anytime soon. my guy is the best...


breakfast followed after a 30 minute walk/run/skip outing with the dog and kids {fun cardio!}; i washed my hair, dolled myself up, and the kids and i headed to the mall, of course. ;)

MAC was the first stop since i did have some items for Back to MAC, wanted to have my makeup done and play with the new goodies...

Fast Play, a pretty neutral pink/mauve/brown, was my lippie of choice...

a few store visits later {Sephora, Macy's, H&M, a watch store to have some links taken out of a new watch i received for christmas, Teavana}, we headed home and had a picnic in our backyard...


we watched Ratatouille {Remy is the only rat i love, LOL}, sipped coffee {me} and cocoa {the kids}, lounged around, caught up on some reading and had a quiet dinner.

we then headed to my mom's house. since my son gifted me with a huge box of chocolates for christmas, i thought in lieu of a cake, it would be the perfect day to open and share it. the kids, my mom, brother and cousin {who was in town visiting before heading off to the Army next month} were all quite happy with this...

my daughter snapped this pic of my ensemble...


in addition to an adorable pink raincoat {i forgot to take a pic, but i'll write a blog post if you want to see it. just let me know...}, my mom gave me a gift card to Macy's {yay!}. :)

sprinkled with many birthday wishes via facebook and twitter, the first day of my 32nd year was splendid. true, my love had to work all day, but i was blessed. and even more so when our kids replied with "fun!" and "really good!" to his question of how their day had been. :)

here's to many more fun and really good days in 2012...

all pics my own :)

currently loving...

it seems my days are going by so much faster these days. i wake up, and before i know it, the day is coming to an end and it's time to sleep! it's kind of nutty when i think about it, but i definitely many things to be thankful for-- my family, my friends, my health and the fact that you are here reading this! :)

sprinkled on top of my thankfulness are some delightful things i'm currently loving in this moment...


There's Cake in My Future by Kim Gruenenfelder....a fun chick-lit read {be warned, it is a bit rated-r, due to all the f-bombs dropped}, but the story is funny and engaging. i'm about 70% through it and can't wait to see how the story of three friends, their lives and hope for the future will end up!


fresh, roasted red peppers with my egg whites at breakfast {and sometimes lunch and dinner, too, lol!}...



this image of a small laundry room space is inspiring the redecoration of my own slightly larger laundry space...


NYX Natural Look Nude on Nude Kit is the perfect little gem for travel and everyday use. every shade is wearable, giving my eyes added day-friendly glam, but i also love that the neutral tones help to enhance the shade of a bright-colored eye liner!


philosophy Falling in Love...i picked this up on a Sephora run when they were out of favorite Unconditional Love {j'adore!}; i figured, "why not try it?"...and now, well... :)

today...9.13.11

hello beauties! how was your day?

my day included...

seeing a butterfly hanging out on the sidewalk while out on my morning walk...

a bit of audiobook reading while making breakfast for the fam...

tea sipping...

more reading, post housework and laudry folding...

also answered many emails {lots of spring fashion week info plus more to share!}, cooked a yummy lunch and enjoyed some rare couch time watching a movie with my love before picking up the kids from school...

hope you had a splendid day!

pics taken by me :)

weekend musings: New Changes and Discoveries

bonjour, dear readers!

how was your week? delightful, i hope!

can you believe it's already february??

it's been a very exploratory, creative time for me lately (been doing lots of journal writing, home decorating, drawing, learning french, cooking, not to mention, i finally got back on my yoga mat after about a year). i'm trying to balance spending more time with my daughter and son individually, nurture my offline friendships and everything in between.

BGM is now a little more than 3 years old, and i feel, like me, now 31 (eeek!), the blog is ready for a change.

while i have a bit of an idea where i want my little online baby to go, i really want to let everything happen organically. afterall, it developed into what it is today the same way. that being said, i feel that i need to get away from so much celebrity and pop culture coverage so i can really focus on sharing more of the things i love, in addition to all the fun, beauty-related stuff.

please know i completely appreciate that you take the time to visit each day (or subscribe via email, reader or blogger), and i j'adore sharing my love of all things beauty and style with you! thank you!!

as a little heads-up, as the weeks progress things may be a bit different. i can't really be specific, since i'm not really sure myself, but i hope you'll continue along with me!

now that my rambling is over, i wanted to share some fab new-to-me blogs (along with some websites and random stuff) that i've recently discovered, am loving, and/or am being so inspired by. take a little time and be sure to visit them soon...

blogs:

Dead Fleurette is an inspiration scrapbook where Fluerette shares fabulous articles or photographs as well as her musings on style-related topics.

Accidental Chic is a blog written by Tiffani Rogers and offers readers a daily dose of topics ranging, but not limited to, being fashion, beauty and financially savvy.

The Simply Luxurious Life is just about that-- living simply. Shannon Ables says about her blog, "the simply abundant life is something i believe every one of us can attain if indeed we are seeking quality rather than quantity, decadence rather than frivolity, personal style instead of trendy fashions, and a truly fulfilling life instead of being led around by the nose."

Into the Gloss is written by Emily Weiss (if you were an avid viewer of The Hills, you may remember who she is) and is an insider look into the world of fashion and beauty. her topics range from product reviews to featuring fabulous people and their own style, makeup artists, hairstylists, etc. all sharing their tips and musings.

websites:

Shelter Pop -- lots of fun home decorating trends and style tips
ModCloth -- fab vintage clothing and accessories
Pure Wow -- fashion, food, beauty, health, art, tech-- wow!
This Week In (they also have audio and video podcasts featuring everything from books to fashion!) -- catch up on all the fun happenings of the week.

random stuff:

Good Earth Teas (their original Sweet and Spicy blend is amazing)
American Eagle Outfitters (they have great basics and awesome accessories to jazz up your casual wear)
Pandora Radio (my fave stations? Pomplamoose, Ke$ha (this one surprised me, lol), Maxwell, Eric Hutchinson and Instrumental Hip Hop)
my new journal, yoga mat, gym bag and gloves :)

stay tuned for more...