Favorites (june) Edition

Oh no... a month has gone by and I've neglected this little corner of my world.

So much has been going on and it's been hard to keep up with normal life, however, I'm finally settling down and excited to share a few (random) things I am currently loving. 

1. Wet brush

Looks like a normal brush, right? Wrong. Look for that little "the Wet brush" logo. 

So when I went to Lark for my Blowout, the stylist used a Wet brush to comb my hair out post wash. If you have long hair, I feel like it's Hair 101 to know that combing it out with a brush is often a disaster. Maybe I am speaking for myself, but it creates more tangles and much more time. For that reason, when I saw her coming at me with a brush, I assumed disaster. Imagine my surprise when she effortlessly detangled my hair with this magical "Wet brush" device. I bought one shortly after and am still (confused) and amazed at how well it works. I have almost completely ditched my hair pick at this point. I don't know what their secret is.. it looks like a normal brush...but I'm telling you. I see these everywhere... I got mine at Beauty First. I've also seen them at Sally and they are on Amazon for a few dollars cheaper. Try it!

2. Batiste

I know I have already mentioned Batiste dry shampoo (and yes, it is still my current favorite) but last week I ventured out of my comfort zone and bought the "blonde" edition. As you can see, they have several shades to accommodate different hair colors. I am LOVING the blonde type, even more so than the original. It smells really good and it's nice to not worry about any white powder traces in your hair. 

I snapped this at Beauty First so you can see the options

3. Banhwich Cafe

AHHH. Sometimes it seems like if I am not talking about products, I am talking about food. And maybe it seems that way because it is that way. Guys, you have to go here. HAVE TO. If you haven't already. It is a north Lincoln spot that opened a few years ago. I went a couple times at random, and then quickly became addicted. Then I kind of forgot about it, then I went back and became re addicted to the point that I can hardly drive by without going there. This isn't a great review for the overall cafe because I always get the same thing... this delightfully spicy and full of flavor chicken sandwich. And bubble tea. Ohhh bubble tea. So much going on while drinking that stuff. It's just overwhelmingly great. My standard Banhwich meal featured below. And now my mouth is watering. 

Strawberry Bubble Tea 

4. Concerts

Easily one of my favorite parts about Summer is  the massive increase in outdoor concerts. It's overwhelming to the point that I have a concert listed nearly every weekend until September. Whether I will actually attend all of these is somewhat up in the air.. but I want to. The combination of country music and a Summer night is so hard to beat. 

David Nail 

Zac Brown Band 

Alright, thus ends just (a few) of my current favorites. We'll chat again soon!

Love, 

simply(FIT)

Hi everybody!

Just a quick post for my Lincoln people (or if you want to travel!) ... simply(FIT) is offering FREE Pilates classes this week. Yes, FREE. I don't think that happens too often!!

For those of you that missed "Winelates" last week.... it's just that. You missed out! Look how much fun we had..

This week will be just as wonderful, sans wine. Pilates is a phenomenal core workout and Roxanne is an excellent instructor. If you haven't tried Pilates and have always been curious, this is the perfect opportunity.

The location will be different this week and the schedule is below! You have nothing to lose....

And, while you're at it, check out simply(FIT) blog for fun exercise tips and good reads in general! 

Happy Monday,

eShakti

I've been sitting on this post for a couple months now, so I am super excited to share!

eShakti.com contacted Sweet & Modern back in March. Prior to that, I had no idea what eShakti.com was, so I'm going to do my readers a favor and assume none of you do either. So, to get you up to speed.... this is an excerpt from their website:

A fresh concept in fashion - customization

eShakti believes that all women have the right to wear affordable fashion that is made for them and makes them look their absolute best.

Our Story: eShakti began as a small website offering basic cottons and modestly embellished pieces. As we grew, we were tasked with providing design and fit solutions to meet our customers' needs. Today, we are an international fashion design company making custom clothing. Offering both style and fit customization for women size 0 through 36 is the heart of our business.

How do we stack up?
To simply put it, custom clothing does not have to be expensive. By keeping up with technology as it is advancing, we are able to provide customization at a modest cost. Our design teams are based in New York, California and India which gives us a diverse fashion perspective. Our clothing is made in India in our own factories and in local factories that produce some of the leading brands at retail. We do not stock any sizes. Since each style - whether standard sized, custom styled or custom sized - is cut to order, we do not have to warehouse our merchandise. Therefore, you will notice that every style requires your height measurement, whether you are customizing or not. This ensures you a "truer" fit. We ship directly to you. That helps us to keep our fashion affordable.

Our Customer Service teams are based on both the east and west coasts in the US. You can reach us between 8 AM and 4 PM PST, Monday through Friday, by calling our toll free number 1-855-374-2584 (1-855-ESH-AKTI). If our lines are busy, kindly leave a message and we will return your call within a day.

Your opinion matters to us
When a customer writes to tell us that she is unhappy, we take it seriously, and we set the processes in motion so that it does not happen again. Some things can be fixed quickly while others require more time. You can be certain that we address every concern.

eShakti.com so generously gave me the opportunity to preview some of their items to share with all of you! The cool thing about eShakti.com is the customizable clothing option. If you check out their website, you will notice each piece (upon ordering) can be customized to your height, size and style. I love that! 

Anyways, I picked this cute, classic-looking red dress from the website and it arrived within 14 days. Unfortunately, I didn't actually measure myself, so it didn't quite fit me how I would prefer. eShakti.com's customer service was AWESOME and was willing to accommodate the return and have a new item sent. However, in the meantime, my gorgeous and model-like cousin tried the dress on, and it fit her perfectly. And, coincidentally, she had an event that week that she could wear it to! 

Here she is, so sweetly (and stunningly) modeling the dress for me!

And again, at her event!

Granted, she does any piece of clothing she wears a favor, however, this dress is SO cute. I'm a little obsessed! And that's why I'm SUPER excited to tell all of you that eShakti is offering all of my readers a discount!

Head over to eShakti.com and customize a piece today! When you check out, enter "sweetgines" to receive 10% off of your order, valid 5-7-14 through 6-7-14. 

Thanks for reading! 

Lark

If you follow along with the blog then you know I'm a little bit obsessed with Blow Bars (or blow dry studios or blow salons... or whatever you want to call them!) I documented a few of my blow out experiences in the last year here and here.

Of course when I heard that they were opening a blow dry studio in Omaha, I was pretty excited. Granted, it's not Lincoln, but seeing as how I don't think there are any others in the state of Nebraska, Omaha is a pretty great place for it to go. And... subsequently I started working in Omaha a few weeks ago, so I knew an appointment was in my near future.

I have to start by saying Lark was fantastic! I actually was able to schedule my appointment on their website (extremely convenient) and I received a confirmation email right away. Also, I had a few questions that I asked via email and they responded immediately with the details. Not that I needed any more reason to be excited, but their customer service was fantastic!

So I scheduled my appointment the morning of (coincidentally also my birthday...highly recommend giving yourself a salon treat for your birthday!) and got in with no problem at all.

First of all, Lark is darling. I loved the decor and atmosphere and I was so excited to be there! Lark uses all Bumble and bumble products, which I had no experience with previously. The wonderful Lark stylist washed my hair (the shampoo smells SO good by the way.. always a bonus)  and was very intentional about finding out what kind of style I was going for (which I really appreciated!). The whole blowout lasted a little over an hour from wash to finish and it was so relaxing. There is something pretty wonderful about someone else doing your hair!

I'm slightly disappointed in myself, because after all of my previous blow outs I took a picture, and for some reason I didn't this time. So, trust me in saying I had some wonderful volume, shine and soft waves. I loved the Bumble and bumble products, the end result, and the kind and friendly staff ...and basically my whole experience at Lark.

Lark offers blowouts for $40 across the board... which is a great price for the experience and result. Your hair will feel so amazing... if you haven't tried it yet.. try Lark!

Check out their website here. You can browse various styles AND book an appointment! Next time you have a big event (or just feel like getting pampered!) and are in the Omaha area... I highly recommend booking with Lark- you will not be disappointed!

Butter

I have some pretty fantastic friends. And they sure do know me well.
Remember Kate?

Kate & I pre wedding waiting around. Her makeup=flawless. In the word's of Kate... "Obsessed." 

And while we are at it, the happy couple post nuptials. Have you seen a more gorgeous duo? Ashley was a stunning bride! 

Yes, the same Kate who so graciously handed over her NARS blush? Well... I got to see Kate at a bridesmaid lunch last weekend and she surprised me with my (first) Butter polish!

My new polish in "Primrose Hill Picnic"

Lauren from Lauren Elizabeth always references her love for Butter polish and I have actually been dying to try it. I just...haven't. It's not surprising that Kate picked this up for me. We roll on the same product obsessed wave length and I was absolutely thrilled.

But nothing can top how excited I was AFTER using this product! Kate's (and others) rave reviews are definitely legitimate. This polish goes on (literally) like butter! So smooth and easy to apply. And DRY in minutes. Minutes!!!! As in 2-3.  I didn't even use a top coat.

I might as well not delay the inevitable... going to need this in every shade of pink, stat.

Thanks Kate! ;)

PS- If you haven't tried butter... it's about that time!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Empty Hands & Open Hearts

I have mentioned before how much I enjoy my Jesus Calling devotional, but some days it is so on target with my life that I'm slightly blown away. (I shouldn't be of course!)

Today was especially true and I wanted to share some thoughts that I had.

I hate being needy. I think I try my hardest, daily, to not ask too much of the people around me and to not be a burden to the people that I love. I am sure this is true for many of us. We live in a culture that encourages independence and working hard for that reason.... so we don't have to ask much of anyone else. The reality of the situation is that we are all extremely needy, regardless of how we have perfected our independence, or how much we try not to rely on others. In fact, we were created to need others, but mostly, we were created to need God. The beautiful part is, he wants us to need Him. It's not a burden...God isn't annoyed when you want to feel His presence, He isn't busy when you are unsure of the next step to take, and most importantly, He already knows our needs. He sees our weaknesses and fears and is ready and waiting for us to come to Him.

The words today said "My power flows freely into weak ones who are aware of their need for Me. Faltering steps of dependence are not a lack of faith; they are links to My Presence."

I love that quote because it shows us that when we falter, when we try to rely on ourselves..it's not a reason to beat ourselves up when we fail. It's a reminder that we are linked to someone so much more powerful than us.

Isaiah 40:29-31 says "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. "

God knows the depth of our weakness. He knows how hard some days are and how tired we become with various situations ... and sometimes life in general.

So today, I want to remember that when I stumble, when I worry, when I question the future... God is holding out his hand, waiting for me to remember that my weakness is a reminder that I simply need His strength.

Dry Bar - Chicago Edition

I love these salons. They are cute, fun and they make your hair feel SO GOOD. This last summer, I had my first blow bar experience  in Denver. It was a fun experience and helped me to know a little about what I wanted/what to expect for time #2.

Fast forward about 9 months and I am in Chicago for the weekend! My sweet friend Emily knew about my obsession with the blow bar and immediately informed me when she discovered the Drybar going up (within walking distance!) of her apartment in Chicago. 

Drybar is a very well known blow bar location. They have salons throughout various states such as California, New York, Texas, Arizona (&more)  and.. now Chicago. 

Emily is a fantastic host, in more than one way, but she was on top of reservations and let me know that ours was set in stone for Saturday morning! What a GREAT way to begin the day's festivities. 

These are a few pictures I snapped of the Drybar in Chicago... such a cute place! 

When we got there, we had our option between coffee and mimosas..also a pretty great way to start the morning out!

Here is Emily and I... pre blow out (and makeup). We were pretty excited :)

So, one thing I didn't know is that Drybar has their own line of products that they use specifically. These products smell SO good. Indescribably good. 

and here I am getting the "Southern Belle" treatment. In the "look book" this was described as curls and lots of volume. 

For those of you wanting to try out a drybar/blow bar...here are my tips that I have acquired so far! 

If you know you want a specific look..be VERY specific. At the blow bar in Denver, I said I wanted a lot of volume, but didn't get it. So, this time, I exaggerated to the woman how much I wanted. And..even when she was finishing up.. I told her I actually wanted more. They really want your hair to look how you want it..so be specific! 

I would have liked a little more curl, however I blame that on myself, as I told her I wanted a "loose curl" and that means different things to different people. That, and I am pretty sure she used a keratin treatment in my hair, which completely kills my hair's ability to hold a curl. 

Emily was very specific with her stylist about the type of curls she wanted, and also that she DIDN'T want the big hair that I was going after. 

The key is to let them know... if you don't have a preference...then sit back and enjoy! 

This was such a relaxing and fun thing to do. While only my second experience, it was the best by far! My hair smelled and felt amazing afterwards. 

Emily and I... post blowout! Emily's hair looked absolutely gorgeous! 

And.. as mentioned.. I fell in love with the mousse she used in my hair.

 Mainly because of the smell.. just incredible! Of course, I forgot to buy a bottle before I left, so now it is en route to my home! (You can order all Drybar products through Sephora online!)

If you are looking for a fun way to treat yourself... this is it! Unfortunately for my local readers.. we don't have any Drybar locations in Nebraska. However, Omaha recently opened a blow bar called Lark! I have yet to go, but it's on the list! Yay!

Love,