Let the wedding planning begin!!

The past 2 months have been pretty crazy and hectic for me.  I got engaged in April and ever since that day things have been a bit chaotic.  Between work, traveling and trying to plan a wedding this is actually the first moment I've had to really blog about it.  I've been toying around with the idea of blogging my wedding planning.  I think I'm just gonna do it.  I think it would be awesome to be able to look back at the whole process and have it as a nice memory.  So here we go... blogging about my wedding planning adventures.

Pete and I waited about a week or so before we started with our wedding planning.  Typical me even bought a special "wedding folder" so I could hold onto my notes, brochures, business cards and other important paperwork.  The first thing we decided to do was come up with a guest list.  We felt that the best way to figure out how big of a venue/reception hall we need is to figure out how many people we need to accommodate.  This would also help us come up with a wedding budget.  Since we both don't come from very large families we are able to keep the guest list down to closer family and friends.  At this point, our list is about 125 guests.  

The next step was finding a venue and choosing a wedding date.  In order for me to continue on with the rest of the planning I needed a place and a date/time.  The hardest part of this process so far was choosing the best place to have the wedding.  There were pros and cons to consider.  

POSSIBLE WEDDING VENUES

Here are the places that we looked at for our wedding <3 Since Pete and I are having the wedding ceremony at the venue we need to make sure they have a nice place for it to take place.  I only chose to look at 7 places because after awhile the prices are comparable and venues start to all the look the same.  I narrowed it down to these 7 places and attempted to make a decision based on that.  I was lucky enough to have found my venue amongst one of these 7 but had I not, I may have kept looking.  Our wedding day is set: 9/14/14 at one of these lovely venues listed below!

The Clubhouse at Patriot Hills

http://www.patriothillsny.com

The Clubhouse at Patriot Hills, Stony Point, NY

The Nyack Seaport

http://www.nyackseaport.com

The Nyack Seaport, Nyack, NY

The Colonial Inn

http://colonialinnnj.com

Colonial Inn, Norwood, NJ

The Estate at Florentine Gardens

www.florentinegardens.com

Estate at Florentine Gardens, River Vale, NJ

Old Tappan Manor

http://www.oldtappanmanor.com

Old Tappan Manor, Old Tappan, NJ

The Tides Estate

http://www.thetides.com

The Tides Estate, North Haledon, NJ

View on the Hudson

http://www.theviewonthehudson.com

The View on the Hudson, Piermont, NY

Engagement + Our Story

Beyond excited and blessed to be able to share such a wonderful announcement.  A few weeks ago I got engaged to my best friend, Peter.  We are so happy and excited to begin this new chapter in our lives together.  We have been through so much over the years and through all the ups and downs we have continued to make our relationship a priority.  I love him so much and I am ready to see what our future has in store.  

OUR STORY

I met Peter one evening in a restaurant about 7 years ago.  It was June and I was a few weeks into my summer break from college.  I had been working all day taking care of kids.  I was tired, messy and ready to spend my evening at home taking a nap.  My 2 friends invited me to get dinner at one of our favorite casual spots.  Since it was a casual hangout spot I didn't think to change my clothes (or put on more makeup).  I just went looking like a total mess.  

We got to the restaurant and sat down.  As soon as our waiter came to take our order I regretted not changing or fixing myself up.  As soon as I saw him I felt an instant attraction to him and I felt that I liked him right away.  I looked at his name tag, it read 'Peter.'  He immediately smiled and was very outgoing.  He said hello to my girl-friend, Keisha.  They happened to know each other from school.  They small talked for a bit (while I tried not to stare at him) and then he took our order.  From the get go I could tell he was really easy going, friendly and easy to talk to.  I secretly cursed myself for not having changed my clothes, combed my hair and freshened up.  Since when did this restaurant hire cute waiters?!  When he started flirting with Keisha, I figured I didn't have a shot.  So I just admired him while he served our food and refilled my drink.  I never thought anything would ever come from this encounter.  And nothing really did, but it was the first time our paths crossed and the first time we ever met.  

Pete in his waiter uniform.  This is basically exactly what he looked like the day we met.  

It might have been a few days or maybe a week later that I returned to the same restaurant with Keisha and another friend.  It just so happened that Peter was working there again that day and we happened to get seated in his section again.  This time I had come looking a bit more presentable.  Of course he started flirting with Keisha but then he also talked a bit with me as well.  He was so nice and friendly and I really liked him.  Keisha wasn't interested but I sure was.  At the end of our meal he left us a card with a link to his MySpace (this was back in the old days of social networking).  I'm not sure if he left it for Keisha or if he left it for me but I took it and friended him on MySpace.  I didn't think anything would come of this but I figured if anything maybe I could make a buddy to give me free ice cream lol. He messaged me right away that he recognized me from the restaurant and from there we started talking online, then on the phone until he asked me on our first date.  As they always say...the rest is history!

Me & My Love

He is my best friend.  I can tell him anything and share everything with him.  He loves me and accepts me.  I can be myself with him.  I feel safe and secure with him.  He makes me laugh, he helps me with anything I need.  If I have a problem, he is there trying to fix it with me.  He loves me and he loves my family.  He loves my dog too :)  He is a wonderful person and I am so blessed that I met him.

How Pete popped the question!

I have always said that I would never want a public engagement meaning I would never want other people to be present during such an intimate and special moment in your life.  This is just my own preference.  So places like a restaurant, sporting event or holiday parties are not my thing. Pete picked the best spot near our house to ask me to marry him.  When the weather is nice, Pete and I love to go to our favorite little park to have picnics and just relax and enjoy nature.  He took me for a walk to our favorite park and as we stood by our spot he had a guitar player come and start playing Bruno Mars "Marry You" in the background while he asked me.  It was low key, private and sweet.  The best part was that it was in our park at our favorite spot which made it very sentimental and thoughtful.  Of all the places near my house, this spot was the most appropriate I think.  And he did an amazing job picking out the ring!!

My gorgeous engagement ring!  I love the personalized birthstone added underneath! Aquamarine <3

I am just in the early planning stages of our wedding.  I am overwhelmed but also very excited to plan this important day with Pete.  I think I will be blogging alot more in the next few months as I make preparations for everything.  I hope to be able to share my journey.

xoxo,
Michelle G

A Recent Hilight

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a wonderful V-day!  I am posting a day late but hopefully everyone is still in the loving spirit.  Anyway, I have been quite the slacker when it comes to posting on this blog and that is simply unacceptable.  I am going to try very hard to blog more regularly.  I have been so busy since starting a new job that I barely had time to post.  I was lucky enough to get out of work early yesterday for V-day and so I took advantage and enjoyed a lovely dinner with my boyfriend.  Before we left, he picked me up and gave me my gift.  My boyfriend usually always gives me jewelry for this occasion so I was surprised when he came into the house with balloons and a Steve Madden retail bag.  I love Steve Madden shoes although I must admit that I do not own many.  Nevertheless, I have been eyeing the Steve Madden Hilight Sneaker for awhile now. 

Hilight in black

They are the sneakers with the hidden wedge in them that resemble an updated hi-top sneaker.  I know originally these sneakers came out awhile ago from Isabel Marant for over $800 but over the past few months many other brands have come out with their own version of this design that are a bit more affordable.  So I was really surprised when I opened the Steve Madden box and see these shoes!  At first I wasn't sure if I would like them on me but once I put them on I was surprised at how comfy they were and how cute they look with a good pair of jeggings!  Plus not to forget, if you are short like me

(5'2 and under) these sneakers elongate your legs and make you look taller and slimmer!  They come in other colors but for me I love to buy things in classic colors like black so that I can wear them with a lot of different outfits.  They function like a bootie but have the look of a sneaker and if you grew up in the 90's you will also love the retro hi-top feel of this sneaker.  I plan on wearing these baby's all through Spring 2013!  

What shoes will you be strutting in this spring?  

Get Jessica Burciaga's signature look!

One of my favorite models is Jessica Burciaga.  She's been on the scene for awhile now.  From what I know she gained popularity on Myspace (remember those day?!) and was featured on The Girls Next Door after Holly Madison discovered her on Myspace.  Anyway, the girl is absolutely stunning and flawless!  Recently, she's even begun to be compared to Jennifer Lopez.  I found her Youtube channel (MsJessicaBurciaga) and although there are only a few videos and snippets, I found this awesome makeup tutorial featuring Jessica.  Her makeup artist, Etienne Ortega, does an amazing job of showing us viewers exactly how he gets Jessica's signature smokey nighttime look.  It is simple and glamorous.  I have included the video below.  Feel free to check out the video and don't forget to check out Jessica Burciaga's channel!

xoxo, Michelle G 

August 2012 Favorites!

I am such a slacker when it comes to my YT channel!  I haven't done a new video in a while so I decided to do an August Favorites featuring some of the products that I have been using this summer especially this past month!  I'm posting the video below feel free to check it out and subscribe to my channel (it's free!).

Enjoy! ;)

xo, Michelle G

Yankees vs. Orioles

It's hard to believe that I have lived less than an hour from the Bronx my whole life and have never attended a Yankees game.  Sports are not really my thing and even though everyone in my family has been to a Yankees game I have never managed to actually go to the stadium and see one myself.  This past Labor Day Weekend I finally got a chance to go to a game!  There's really no point to my post just that I'm excited that I finally went lol.  It was a great day and I really lucked out with where I sat.  I blindly bought these Yankees tickets without knowing anything about how the seating was.  Not only did I have a pretty decent seat but lucky for me I got to be in the shade too! Being that it was over 90 degrees that day being in the shade made a big difference!  Lastly, the Yankees won 4-3 against the Orioles in a really good game.  

View from my seat

Reppin the Yankees! Me & Pete

Anyway, that's pretty much it.  Like I said there really is no point to this post aside from sharing my Yankees experience lol.  Hope everyone enjoys their LDW!

xo, Michelle G

REVIEW: Maybelline Color Tattoos

Maybelline came out with "Color Tattoos" a few months ago. I have seen the color tattoos featured in a number of hauls but only now just picked up my very first one. I opted for the "Bad to the Bronze" color because it is a safe color and I know I am more likely to use it rather than the purple or green one. They come in an array of 10 different colors though.

Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

So I basically just picked it up without knowing much about the product.  In looking up more information about the color tattoos I found out that it a cream gel eyeshadow that is long lasting.  Maybelline advertises that it has 24 hour intensity with vibrant color that doesn't fade.  We shall see!


My first impression is that these are very much like the MAC Paint Pots.  I own a few of the paint pots which is why I wasn't in a big rush to buy the color tattoos.  They both essentially do the same thing.  They start off as cream eyeshadows that dry into a nice powder form.  I'm not a big fan of cream eyeshadows by themselves but I do use them as a base color from time to time.  The consistency of the color tattoos and paint pots are pretty similar.  I didn't notice a big difference in how they felt.     

Bad to the Bronze color swatch! Very shimmery!

The one big thing I am interested in testing out with this product is their 24 hour intensity claim.  Now as I mentioned before if I use a cream eyeshadow I usually use it as a base for another similar color.  I find that it helps make the powder eyeshadow stick better (especially when using loose pigments).  It also helps to build up the color to look more vibrant.  For the color tattoos I wanted to do a 24 hour color challenge to see just how intense the color looks after I have worn it 24 hours.  Unfortunately, the pictures I took of my eye throughout the day did not come out very well :( But I did keep on my eye-makeup for 24 hours (slept with it on and everything!).  Using an eye primer, the color tattoo stayed in place for 12 hours without it looking faded or creasing!  I also rubbed my eye and there was no residue on my finger.  After a full night's sleep (24 hours later) the tattoo was looking a little faded but it was still on with no creases.

To sum it up:   

Pros: Easy to find in drugstores, affordable, lasts long without creasing as advertised.
Cons: Limited colors compared to MAC paint pots, tend to look a little dry
Would I repurchase? Probably not unless I really needed one of the bright colors for a base.  However, it is a decent cheaper alternative to the MAC paint pots.