wall-to-wall

this page is where you get to discover all those posts, ideas, and thoughts that just cannot be categorized anywhere else. perhaps we could call this the sporadic stream of consciousness? i suppose we will soon find out.

vegan week!

kdavis 5 Comments

okay, folks, this week we’re taking on an adventure: eating vegan-style all week!  yes, you read that correctly.  and i’m talking breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, dessert.  the whole enchilada. as such, i thought i’d reach out and get some advice from those of you who lead this lifestyle on a daily basis.

for the next five days, i’ll need your help getting together vegan-friendly recipes and, for those of you living here in atlanta, discovering the best vegan restaurants in town.  since i’m brand new to this all, i’m open to your wisdom, tips, and tricks to make this a fun and enjoyable experience.  bring on the best recommendations you’ve got and, in advance, thank you!  stay tuned to see how i manage.  😉

dollar shave club

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as nearly all of us know, shaving is a necessary evil, and with the summer months upon us, i’ll be keeping that razor blade close by for practically every shower.  something else we all know about shaving is how expensive those razors get.  i don’t know about you, but i cringe every time i’m at the store and pick up a box of four razor heads for $18 bucks.  that’s a few good glasses of wine!  and believe me, i’d much prefer drinking wine to shaving my legs.

anyway, after reviews from some personal friends, i decided to give dollar shave club a try.  although originally marketed for men, the company has become quite popular among the female buyers as well.  their website provides a no-fuss experience that is easy to navigate; and perhaps even better, they make it clear that if you ever want to cancel, upgrade, or downgrade, you can do so with nearly the flick of your wrist.  the blades ship once a month, but if you don’t change your blade out every week, you can update your frequency preferences with no hassle at all.

considering the flexible options, i went all-out with the executive blades.  i figured paying half the cost of what i do now for a hopefully great product would at least be worth the try.  well, i’ll say it was a great decision.  my blades arrived in a timely manner and in the most charming package.  along with the blades was a free handle (you get this regardless and also a free one if you upgrade/downgrade) as well as a little shaving butter to try.

the handle is sturdy and these blades are no joke.  i felt it was the most mature, no-nonsense razor i’d ever held in my hand, and the best part is that this razor got the job done.  with a little shaving butter and some after-shave lotion, my legs were silky smooth.

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to give you an idea of how satisfied i was, here’s my life before dollar shave club…

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…and here it is now!

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if you are unsure about committing to something that might seem like a fad, give it a try.  the cancellation policy appears to be quite straightforward, so if you aren’t satisfied, no worries.  however, if you are interested, go for the gold!  or rather, the executive.  🙂

wedding makeup!

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our dear friends jamie and greg are getting married in just nine short days, and i have the honor of being one of the bridesmaids – yay!  with the big day around the corner, i have been getting my to-do list and packing list together to make sure i don’t miss a thing.  one of the items on that list is all of the new makeup i’ve recently purchased to complete my bridesmaid look.  like many ladies, i have created a makeup collection over the years and that old stuff just had to go.  so, since i was basically working from the ground up, a personal consultation at sephora sounded like the perfect plan.  i mean, i think i have an acceptable day-to-day look, but i knew i needed to step up my makeup game for the wedding – gotta look good in those pictures!

my stylist grace was ready to get to work the moment i hopped onto that stool, and with my close friend alison at my side (her makeup always looks stunning), i knew i’d be in good hands.  thankfully grace was willing to work with some of the basics i already have since i have sensitive skin, so i didn’t totally break the bank on that day’s purchases.  we had a gay ‘ole time as grace showed me where to sweep the eyeshadows, what to do with that charming little makeup egg, and, perhaps the most entertaining part of the afternoon, how to apply false eyelashes!  i mean, i might be biased, but i think the end result was kind of lovely (despite the silly faces).  🙂

now, all throughout the appointment alison was diligently taking incredibly detailed notes, as i am going to have to recreate this look myself the day of the event.  so, armed with her notes and all of the supplies, i followed the instructions and….voila!  with the exception of no false eyelashes, i gotta say i don’t think i did too bad of a job.  again, please pardon the fish face – just gotta show off those cheekbones…!

although i got most of my supplies at sephora, some of them i had to hunt down at ulta.  i don’t want to take sides in this post, but the stores don’t carry all the same products, so you do what you gotta do.  and, to give credit where credit is due, here’s a list of all the products used in the making of this look.

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achoo!

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i don’t know about you, loyal readers, but the weather here in georgia has me reaching for the tissue box regularly these days.  i wouldn’t categorize myself as severely allergic to the spring weather; however, something in the air keeps me sneezing day in and day out.  i suppose it doesn’t help that i have the windows open when i am home, but i just can’t keep the lovely breeze away when it’s so nice!

anyway, when you feel a sneeze coming on but not quite there, you’ve probably been told by someone (perhaps a mother, grandparent, or other wise individual) to look at a light or the sun to get that sneeze out of your system.  well, i know this little trick works nearly every time for me and recently it got me wondering about why it actually works.  good thing there’s a thing called the internet to answer this puzzling question!

after reading a couple of articles (article 1 and article 2), it turns out that there isn’t much concrete explanation (although there is plenty of speculation) as to why looking at light activates the sneeze action in some people.  although originally thought to be caused by heat, the general theory now is that this “photic sneeze reflex” is caused by irritation in the nose, which can be triggered when the trigeminal nerve fires.  this trigeminal nerve is close in proximity to the optic nerve, so when the eyes’ pupils constrict in response to a sudden flood of light to the retina, the nose also reacts.

now, part of what you read were the words “in some people.”  that’s right.  this phenomenon actually has genetic roots.  not from the x or y chromosome, but from an autosomal-dominant gene you inherit from at least one of your parents.  with that, it’s estimated that only about 10% to 35% of the world’s population is affected by the photic sneeze reflex.  well, doesn’t that just make me feel special!

p.s.  the best part about the photic sneeze reflex?  the incredibly clever acronym created many moons ago:  autosomal-dominant compelling helio-opthalmic outburst syndrome.  aka, ACHOO!  the more you know.  😀

almay & ecotools

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so, very long story short i wasn’t wearing makeup for a few months in an effort to tone things down and just let my skin breathe.  i’m not a heavy makeup wearer to start, but going cold turkey for several weeks did wonders for my face.  it probably helped that i was using gentle face washes and prescription topical treatments, and i’m happy to say that things are balanced these days.

once i decided that i was ready to go back to the makeup routine, i knew i wanted to introduce items one-by-one so that i wasn’t bombarding my skin.  i figured the best place to start would be with the powder and foundation, and that’s just what i did.  in the past i’ve just picked up whatever i knew and whatever was cheapest, and although i didn’t want to skimp on some good products, i also did not want to break the bank.  that meant i started things off with some calmer products by almay.

first up was the truly lasting color liquid makeup as a foundation.  the key here for me was to get good coverage without caking it on.  thankfully with smoother and clearer skin to start, i only now need a light layer of foundation to create a uniform tone.

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next i started using (and have really been loving) the smart shade loose finishing powder.  a little dab of this stuff will do ya to finish off a smooth and natural look.

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but to use that finishing powder, i needed just the right brush for the job.  it was time for a new set of brushes (i’ll admit i’d held onto my old ones for way too long), so while at ulta i stopped by the cosmetic accessory aisle.  now, i’m no makeup artist, so paying a ton for a single brush didn’t seem very sensible for me.  what i did find, though, was the most darling little pack of brushes in the ecotools five piece travel set.  besides coming in the most adorable little pouch, these brushes (as you would find out from other reviews) are ridiculously soft.  the big blush/powder brush picks up just the right amount of product before i sweep it on my skin.  i can tell that these few basic investments i’m making now will be the building blocks of good, appropriate makeup wear for years to come.

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it’s goin’ down for real!

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back in december my cousin ali became engaged to her kind fiance mike (yay!).  like many girls, ali went into full-on wedding planning mode shortly thereafter, despite the fact that her venue is across an ocean from where they live now!

as part of this planning, i received a lovely box at my front door recently.  below the address were the words “must facetime/google hangout/call alison BEFORE opening!”  well, how could i not oblige!  after much phone tag, ali and i finally got a hold of each other and i eagerly ripped open the fedex packaging to find a perfectly wrapped gift.  the ribbon colors were gold and blue, two shades i know i look good in and i know that look good on me.  must be a good sign!

i carefully untied the ribbon and couldn’t help but smile as i opened the lid.  the first thing to do was to open the card, of course, to which i read the sweetest note and then most flattering request to be one of her bridesmaids.  i squeaked “YES!” in between smiling, laughing, and dabbing my eyes.  it’s hard not to get emotional!

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per ali’s instruction, i rummaged through the rest of the box to find the cutest little tokens.  first, fancy nail polish.  everyone knows how i love my nail polish!

next?  darling little hand warmers that i can wear during the ceremony.  after all, the wedding will be in the mountains and i don’t want my pretty little paws to freeze while holding that bouquet!

one of my favorite items was the gold mountain charm necklace.  very appropriate.  🙂

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and, maybe the best of them all, a picture of ali and me.  get ready, cuz!  california kelsey will be out to play in january 2017!  #forevermontoya!

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