Jane Austen Festival at Locust Grove

The Jane Austen Festival at Locust Grove was every bit of charming that I hoped it would be.  I listened to the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack and sipped on strong tea in my favorite tea cup the night before to fully prepare :) - you might enjoy doing the same while you peruse this post!  I went with my friend Cassie, and we loved getting to share excitement over all of the beautifully crafted goods from the vendors.  It's not every day you get to smell Nefertiti's perfume recipe (more on that later).  Here are some photographs to entice you to make the trip to Louisville for the 10th Annual Jane Austen Festival next year!  I've also linked my favorite vendor in the post so you can tackle your Christmas gift list early.  

Then we walked over to some clothing and umbrella vendors, although I have a feeling what we saw were too fancy to be called umbrellas and probably have a period-appropriate name.

This was probably my favorite vendor of the festival - LBCC Historical Apothecary.  They were very knowledgeable about all of their products and had plenty of stories to tell behind the recipes (that are hundreds of years old!).  I wanted to buy everything!  They thought of every detail, and made a lot of the display pieces that showcase their goods.  Just look at that packaging!

This was where they let us sample Nefertiti's perfume, which was one of my favorites.  Like you'd expect, it was exotic, but I could imagine wearing it every day!

I'm planning to go next year with my Christmas shopping list in hand.  Wouldn't these goodies make for unique gifts?  (hint, hint, Derrik) :).

Summer Beauty Favorites

Edited in June 2018 to add: Since this post, I began switching to natural beauty products (although I still use the RMS Lip2Cheek mentioned).  You can find my favorite natural beauty products here.

Summer is a great time to bring in some new beauty products.  This time of year is usually filled with plenty of happy events you're going to want to look and feel good for, so if you're having your wedding, baby shower, or attending one, this is for you.  Why keep your favorite beauty products a secret?  I've added a few game changing products into my routine and I think you're going to love them just as much as I do.

Tarte's Full Coverage Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation is my favorite for when the weather starts warming up and you need something that isn't just going to slide off after a few hours.  It does a good job covering redness and feels weightless on the skin.  I love feeling like I'm not wearing any heavy makeup on my face, and this does this trick without compromising the benefits of full coverage.

This Pixi Lower Lash Mascara was in my Christmas stocking.  It's genius and you need it!  No more tarantula bottom lashes for you.  And since it's only available at Target, you can go smell the new spring candles and home decor sales with a Starbucks Chai Latte in your hand while you're at it.  Go ahead, treat yo self.

I owe the Tarte foundation, this primer spray and the lower lash mascara to my favorite beauty blogger, Kate of The Small Things Blog.  She never steers me wrong.  Derrik walked by the first time I used the primer spray and said "that smells so good!".  That's always a good sign for me.  Kate mentioned it's comparable to the Matrix primer spray, but at a lower price point.  I tried it on a whim and now I can't go a week without it.  It cuts my drying time down in half.   

This RMS Lip2Cheek in Demure was my favorite new product throughout winter because it added some much needed moisture to my cheeks.  It helps give that dewy glow even if you're dealing with dryness.  I'm going to keep wearing it into the summer to see how it wears in warmer weather, but Demure is the perfect pink!  It's just the right amount of muted mauve with rosy hues.  You can see in the picture above it just adds a fresh flush that looks like it came from your own skin, rather than something powdered on.  While it's supposed to work for both cheeks and lips, this particular color looks washed out over my normally rosy lips, so just keep that in mind as you're choosing which color you'd like and whether you want to use it for both.  I bought mine from Anthropologie but you can also order it directly from RMS.

Which beauty products are your tried and true favorites?  Are there any I should try?