sunkissed vox box.

"Palm trees, ocean air, sunkissed hair: the endless summer, take me there." --unknown

Boy do I love summer! I also love getting cool stuff in the mail. There's something about getting magazine, cards, letters, or packages that is so exciting to me. I think it's because it makes the ordinary day that much more special. Anyway, I got sent this cool Sunkissed VoxBox from Influenster so I could test out all this cool stuff for summer. If you've never heard of them, do check them out! Ok now on to the fun stuff -- I wanted to share some of these goodies with you all...

 Summer must haves include:

1. Dr. Scholl's For Her High Insoles: These were actually amazing and I can't believe I've never thought of trying these before. They claim to be clinically proven to help prevent foot pain caused by wearing high heels with an ultra soft gel arch to shift pressure off the ball of your foot. I wanted to put them to the test with my most fierce yet painful heel, my beautiful but dreaded Basic Sandal from Zara which has a newer version here, and another all black version and other assorted fun colors here. Anyway, these heels are suburban heels if you know what I'm saying. Only good if you walk from your house to your car, from the car to a restaurant or somewhere you're planning on doing a lot of sitting, and back home. I'm a city girl so if I wear these they are usually packed in my bag while I wear flats out to catch cabs and subways. These insoles made them walkable for me. This is a score in my book! You can find them here.

2. SinfulShine with Gel Tech (in My Kryptonite): The "Gel Tech" technology really does give that gel finish I love that you get from gel manicures at a fraction of the cost. And best is, you can do them yourself without any fancy lights and gadgets. It comes in 32 gorgeous colors, and for $2.99 I'm thinking of snagging some up for summer manis and pedis, and maybe even getting a head start on some fall colors. Check out this color and all the other ones here exclusively at Walgreens.

3. Olay Fresh Effects {BB Cream!} Skin Perfecting Moisturizer with SPF 15: BB creams seem to be the "it" thing right now, and again, I'm almost embarrassed to say I haven't tried one yet. For those of you who are beauty challenged like me, BB creams stand for Beauty Balm. And this one by Olay boasts being an all-in-one skin perfecter, sunscreen, and tinted moisturizer. It evens skin tones, refreshes dullness and give you a flawless look. I tried it on and the first thing I noticed was the fresh scent. I'm big on smells so this was a selling point for me. It could be the best face cream or lotion, but if it doesn't smell good I wont wear it. Anyway, this cream literally melted into my face. Unfortunately it was a little too light for me (hello Vegas tan) but once my skin goes back to my natural shade come fall, I'll be all over this thing! Another score for me! You can also find this here. 

4. Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics: For a girl with long thick, frizz prone hair, these are a MUST, no, a hot summer day must to make it through a heat wave like we've been experiencing in NJ right now. These are adorable and a nice change from my usual boring black hair elastics and even have a cute little ribbon look too.

 SinfulShine with Gel Tech in My Kryptonite. For a cool $2.99 I'm stocking up for summer and fall!

SinfulShine polish and Dr. Scholl's inserts make wearing my favorite Zara heels (similar) so much better.

Because happy, pretty feet make a happy, pretty girl ; )

What are some products you're loving right now for summer?

Happy Friday everyone! : )

xo Steph

*I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster, but all opinions are my own*

the summer bucket list.

In my mind, forth of July kind of kickstarts the official heart of the summer. And it just occurred to me that I hadn't shared my summer bucket list with you all. Last year's bucket list (which you can check out here) was so much fun. Every time I checked something off my list I felt accomplished and satisfied knowing I was enjoying every last drop of summer. So without further ado, here is my 2013 summer bucket list:

My Summer Bucket List

1. hop on a plane to somewhere for a long weekend

2. go fruit picking

3. go to a drive-in movie

4. bike in central park

5. Movies Under the Stars in hoboken {complete w/ picnic and wine}

check out the movie schedule here.

6. rent a shore house 

7. pool or beach it as much as possible

8. eat a clean diet & learn the art of portion control
{not my forte but I'm gonna try}

9. catch up on my reading 

{books, magazines and blogs included}

10. go on a spontaneous weekend road trip

11. try new recipes and cook my way through my extensive collection of cookbooks

12. lay out and work on my tan

13. go to a pig roast

14. eat fresh lobster and crabs down the shore

15. have breakfast in bed

16. eat breakfast, lunch or dinner al fresco as often as possible

17. remix my summer wardrobe/shopping ban in attempts to save money for #30

18. go antiquing
19. plant or grow something
20. create my own signature summer drink
21. watch fireworks
22. print out photos from the last two years
23. go back to making scrapbooks
24. eat s'mores
25. create a summer playlist
26. learn the art of making the perfect iced coffee
27. watch the sunset
28. get a henna tattoo on the boardwalk

29. celebrate my 30th birthday ; )

30. splurge on a 30th birthday gift to myself

31. live in the moment, and laugh often, and love to the fullest.

the days are long. make the most of them ; )

Be sure to follow me as I try to complete everything on my summer bucket list -- complete with blog posts to document my summer o' fun. So tell me, what's on your summer bucket list??

Hope you all have a lovely day!

xo Steph

the summer uniform to beat the heat.

Right now we are in the middle of a heat wave, so my outfits need to be simple and no-fuss because the purpose is just to stay cool and stay alive! Let me tell you, it's hard to look cute when sweat is dripping down your face, you hair is frizzing from the humidity, and your legs are sticking to you car seat. BRUTAL. Anyway, I've gotten my summer uniform down to a science. It's simple. Cute tanks, denim shorts, hat to keep the sun away (also looks cute with a poneytail or bun to keep the hair off your neck), sandals, sunglasses (obviously) and minimal accessories. If you can, keep it to something simple. Also a colorful nail polish, which is great when you're wearing minimal clothing because it gives your outfit some kick without adding on the layers! 

Check out my summer uniform to beat the heat here....

Recreate your summer uniform here:

banana tank // denim shorts // Tory Burch sandals (another cute option) // stackable bangle bracelets // Baseball cap hat / tropical J.Crew iphone case (on sale now!) //  ray ban sunglasses // bright orange nail polish

So is anyone else experiencing a heat wave in your neck of the woods? I've been living on iced coffees and my AC is my new best friend. What's your favorite way to beat the heat?

xo Steph

also linking up with The Pleated Poppy, Rolled Up Pretty, Tucker Up and Because Shanna Said So

{my extended holiday weekend}

So word on the street is that I haven't posted in over a week. And by word on the street, I mean my dad says to me over dinner, "you know, I used to read this blog called Pretty Little Things everyday, until they just went MIA. What's up with that?" Well he makes a great point -- what is up with that?? Work has been crazy, so between that and taking an extended July 4th holiday, I guess that's left me detached from my computer. It's been a good thing, but I do sure miss you all here. So on behalf of my readers (dad, this includes you!) I'll be back to my regularly scheduled postings. 

Here's what I've been up to over my loooooong weekend. Complete with festive chalkboards, family, friends, and ooooohhhh the food.

 The chalkboard wall in my office got a festive makeover for the week.

 days off of work = lunch dates with D. Fish tacos for me and grilled chicken sandwiches for him.

 representin' Brooklyn, fish tacos and fries. 

Vintage Brooklyn Eagles hat can be found here.

 For the 4th we went to visit D's brother, sister-in-law and niece. So before we went we made sure to bring something special. That something special would be crumbs cupcakes which are ahhhhmazing. We picked up a six-pack of assorted flavors, but D surprised me with an extra one for him and I to split. I give you, the cannoli cupcake. It tasted even better than it looked!

 Special time playing with D's niece. She has a new obsession with fish, and D just happened to be wearing a t-shirt with fish on. For the rest of the day she was saying "ishy, ishy, ishy!!" as she pointed to the fish. Seriously, it was the cutest thing ever.

The next day we went to New Hope, Pa to visit D's uncles resturant. In case you never heard of New Hope, it is the cutest town with shops, restaurants and bars so if you live within driving distance it's definitely worth checking out. And if you're hungry, head straight to our uncle's restaurant The Italian Cucina, located right next to Havana's. His Italian dishes are amazing, the portions are unreal, and quality is top notch. I got this hearty salad with fresh mozzarella and prosciutto, seared scallops (seriously the best) and lobster ravioli in vodka sauce. Ask for Joe and let him know I sent you there!

Because when you're here, you're family! ; )  

 {pan seared lemon pepper scallops were out of this world amazing}

 after dinner, we met up with my girlfriend for some drinks and loooots of dancing. Such a fun night.

Here we are sitting outside trying not to melt away!

 And of course some relaxing time with the family before we start a new week.

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th! And it's back to the regularly scheduled posting for me ; )

xo Steph