Bar Necklaces - Come and Get 'Em!

I have had so many people ask about where I got my own necklace - not to mention inquire about the necklaces that I shared on Facebook recently - that I thought I'd just open the floodgates and start ordering these beautiful pieces en masse. 

Ginny and Shelton are wearing the large, gold bars with their wedding dates engraved. 

I have two pieces of jewelry that people ask me about every time I wear them: one is a big purple ring made of a geode, and the other is this necklace. 

Sweet Brittany is wearing a long gold necklace with precious baby Amelia's birthday (Amelia's name is engraved on the back!). 

I wear mine almost every single day and truly get asked about it all the time. It's just one of those perfect, small pieces of jewelry that goes with every outfit and also has sentimental value - how can you beat that? 

I thought I'd share some of the ways I've used these as gifts to get your creative juices flowing: 

• Obviously, the wedding date in Roman numerals (like mine). This one I've used over and over as an engagement gift for my best girlfriends. 
• Roman numerals featuring a new baby's birthday. In some cases, I've had the baby's name engraved on the back of the necklace as a special touch. 
• A small bar (I have the "large" size) featuring the person's lowercase initial. 
• A small bar featuring sorority letters. 
• A large bar featuring coordinates of a special location (for example, the exact place a person got engaged or married, or the person's new hometown if they're moving). 
• A large bar featuring someone's full name either in script or in regular case. 
• Two large bars - one reading "Big" and one reading "Little" for sorority big/little reveals. 
• ...possibilities are kind of endless. It's really customizable and pretty fun to play with ideas. 

There are two sizes (large and small) and two colors (gold and silver). Longer ones are better for dates, full names, and coordinates, while shorter ones are better for initials and sorority letters. Large necklaces (like the ones featured in the photos above) are $40, and small necklaces are $35. 

I've bought a couple of these from Etsy, and while they're definitely a little less expensive, they also turned my neck green. These necklaces are sterling silver (or gold over sterling, if you have a gold one), so there's no risk of you having Hulk-neck. Wouldn't do that to ya. 

Hopefully this will help cut out the middle man for anyone who has seen these necklaces floating around and thought, "I love that! Where'd you get it?" 

Interested in placing an order? Shoot me an e-mail! mcmcannally@gmail.com. 

Have a FANTASTIC weekend - sending lots of love your way! 

A Kale Salad You'll Actually Like.

I did not subscribe to the kale craze. I don't get it. It's a vegetable. I mean, I get it, it's supposed to be super good for you, blah blah blah. But there wasn't a dish that featured kale that I had tried and liked. It's kind of bitter and weird. Why were people so obsessed with it? (Probably because kale has a publicist. No, that's not a joke.)

Then, while visiting Jordan's family, I ate this salad. We lovingly refer to it as "Missy's Kale Salad," because Jordan's aunt Missy is the queen of this recipe. It's often one of a few healthy foods served in a sea of ribs and mashed potatoes, so it usually gets gobbled up. 

It's not a complicated recipe - the only thing that takes a second is de-coring the brussels. 

What's so great about it? 

• It lends itself to large portions, so I make a double serving and we use it as our salad with dinner for the week.
• It's insanely healthy, obviously. 
• The lemon/mustard/garlic combo in the dressing is so delicious and tangy - really gives it a nice "bite;" the almonds are buttery and give it a great texture; and the pecorino is the perfect topping. 

(To make this recipe Whole30 approved, remove the cheese and make sure the mustard is sugar-free. It's compliant otherwise!) 

A note: I was out of Dijon mustard (I only had yellow), so the ground mustard was just a substitute for this photo because it's prettier. I didn't actually use it! Hehe! 

Ingredients: 
The salad:
1 bunch of kale (usually 5-6 large sprigs) de-stemmed and rough chopped
8-10 brussels sprouts, de-cored and rough chopped. 
1 cup pecorino cheese
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Salt and pepper to taste

The dressing: 
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about one lemon's worth)
2 T Dijon mustard
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Wash your kale carefully and set it aside. 

2. Begin de-coring your brussels. The way that I do this is: take the outer leaves off, cut the brussels sprout in half, then de-core it by carefully cutting out the hard, white center. After it's de-cored, I add it to the pile and give all those yummy brussels a good rough chop. 

3. Now, for the dressing. This is a "dump" dressing - you can toss all the ingredients in a bowl at once and whisk them together. (Sorry there's not a whisked photo attached. Ha!) 

4. Spread your slivered almonds out on a sheet of foil. You can toast them however you like - I like to use the toaster over so that I can monitor them (others broil them in the oven or toast them in olive oil on the stovetop). Almonds burn very easily, so whatever your method, be vigilant! 

5. Almost done! Mix your veggies together, toss them in dressing, add the almonds and cheese, and voila! 

Super simple and VERY yummy. A crowd-pleaser for sure - even for people say they don't like kale. I was one of those people. I am now a kale fan. What happened to my life? 

Happy eating! 

Week 7.

Oh, HOMETOWNS. 

There's not a single week on this show that I love more. Hometowns tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about a person. As someone who loves using my exactly 0 amount of professional training to analyze others, it's like a 2-hour marathon of pop psychology. Nothing beats it. 

Here's what I think we're going to discover in this episode: 

1. Jordan is sucky and so is his family. 
2. Robby is a bumpkin and that's why he's so over-groomed - he never had anyone teach him how. 
3. Chase is a totally boring chump and probably has a perfectly nice family 
4. Luke is going to continue to look super attractive, manly, and grounded, and pribbably has a great family. 

PART I - CHASE (aka "WHO?")

• Good. Let's get this date out of the way. 
• Of course it's in the snow. Everything about this date is WHITE.

• Wait - how did they just go from wearing heavy winter coats to NO coats at all?? ...is this a set?? Why aren't they cold? 

• Chase's Douche Beard. It needs its own Twitter account. 

• Men of Earth: if this blog has served no other purpose, let it serve the purpose now of teaching you that you NEVER shave your beard along your jawline. It's not cute. It's like wearing a sign that says, "I don't know how to take care of myself!" 
• Okay so Chase has a sad divorce story, blah blah blah.
• It's not that I'm unsympathetic, it's that this is just too normal for this show. In order to be successful, you have to have a GREAT family or a CRAZY family. No in-between. Half of America has the exact same backstory as Chase. 
• Sorry, HIS house or his PARENTS' house? Because this house is pimp if it's HIS house. 

• Always very interested in how men decorate their houses left to their own devices. Looks like Chase went with a Native American theme?

• Oh this is sick. They brought his dad back for a reunion with him and is appearing on this show? What? 

• I would NEVER touch a boyfriend in front of his parents the first time I met him. NEVER. That is the epitome of classless, in my opinion, to be physically affectionate the first time you meet a boyfriend's parents. This is so trashy. 

• I'll tell you what, if my future children come home with somebody who's touching all over them the first time they meet me?? HELL no. I will keep a bonesaw in the Junk Drawer and they'll leave my house with stumps if they touch my children. 

• And LOUNGING?? What is the matter with this girl?! Sit up straight, Joelle. Respect your elders. 
• So you're telling me this guy, who hasn't visited with his own daddy in what seems like at least months if not years, is now telling said estranged parent that he's gonna marry this girl? After he and his dad have a conversation about the way his dad ruined his life? And he's only known this chick for like 8 weeks? 
• Right. 

• WHAT
• ARE YOU JOKING
• THE JUST KISSED IN FRONT OF HIS DAD
• WHAT THE ACTUAL
• THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE
• WHERE ARE MY SOUTHERN GIRLS ON THIS I AM OUTRAGED 

...I have to go get some ice cream. 

I'm back. That one really took a lot out of me, you guys. 

• When parents are not openly skeptical of this show, it makes me judge them. If your son or daughter brought home a contestant he met on a TV show and then told you they were probably gonna go ahead and just marry them, you'd freak out/be really judgmental.
• "I can tell you know how to have fun" = "I have seen this GIF of your mom." 

• Oh snap the sister is for sure judging. There you go. Somebody in this family needs to. 
• "Thank you for this experience." = "This show is stupid and so are you."

• Ugh I really like this mom in spite of myself. Damn it. 
• WHAT?! Holy shit. I like Chase. 

• I hate being wrong about people. 
• I better be right about Jordan freakin' Rodgers. 
• So Chase and Snake. Okay. Although I will say, I really disliked Chase for a while because he really was not nice to some of the guys. So I can't be totally off-base. 
• Anyway. 

*commercial break* 

• I just saw a preview for a movie in which Academy Award Winner Kevin Spacey is providing the voice in a movie about dad who turns into a cat. We really need a time-out as a species. 
• This meme says it all: 

ART II : Jordan (ugh).

• How many phone calls do you think it took for Jordan and JoJo to coordinate outfits? 

• It always amazes me how many of these guys still have parents who still live in the house they grew up in. I feel like that's PRETTY unusual?
• This campus looks like the campus of the high school in Easy A. Is it? 

• Okay it's not but it looks like it. 
• Of course this date is All About Jordan. Of course it is. For someone who doesn't want us to think he has an inferiority complex, this guy is doing a great job of acting like he has a lot to prove.
• His Spanish teacher clarified that, "He is one of my favorites" instead of, "He is my favorite." Telling. Telling. 

• Honestly, this guy is obsessed with himself. I knew I wasn't wrong about freakin' Jordan Rodgers. 
• Oh, please. Stop acting like we caught you off guard. You brought the cameras in here specifically for this reason. At least JoJo knows you're being kind of desperate. 

• Okay, so let's just talk about it: What happened with Aaron? This is the internet's theory is that Olivia Munn, girlfriend of Aaron Rodgers and famous actress, set Jordan up with his ex-girlfriend (and her close friend), Brittany. Brittany is the same ex-girlfriend who told JoJo a few episodes back that Jordan cheated on her. So it looks like there's some bad blood between not only Jordan and Brittany, but Jordan and Olivia/Aaron as a result. 
• ...I can't believe I know this information. Someone lobotomize me. 
• So right away, JoJo brings Aaron up: 

• ...virtually a guarantee it's going to come up anyway. 
• Truly can't believe she finds him attractive. I have no respect for this guy. 
• Stop trying to make Jordan Rodgers happen. He's never going to happen. 
• I predict a crazy mom. Anyone wanna take that bet? 
• Y'all. This story about Jordan Rodgers wanting to run away and the fact that his family didn't give a shit and literally TOLD him to run away is everything. you need. to know. about Jordan.

• Slash, the image of Jordan standing at the property line and looking dramatically over his shoulder is VERY: 

• Also, did anyone else hear this? His dad just dropped into conversation that Jordan kicked his teacher...

• So like, JoJo was definitely told by Jordan specifically NOT to address the Aaron situation and straight up did it anyway. 

• The brother and Jordan having the same haircut is so completely insane to me. 
• The decorating in this house and the other house are both extremely interesting. 
• I really think she's going to pick him, and I really think they deserve each other. 
• So...did anyone else get the vibe that the Rodgers are hardcore Christians? Because I did. 
• UPDATE: I've just found out that there's also a rumor floating around that the Rodgers have disowned Aaron because Aaron is gay. So, you know. There's that. 

PART III - Robby. 

• Robby is SO getting dropped this week. I haven't even seen a second of his date and I already know it. 
• This place looks like Clearwater, Florida, which is the home of Scientology, which should make us all very suspicious. 

• You're excited to see him because he's your gay best friend. 

• Okay so before I had a dog, I never cared about horses, but now every time I see a horse-drawn carriage, all I can think about is how those poor horses are probably overworked. We had a hard time in Charleston because on one hand it was our anniversary trip, but on the other hand, I felt the compelling need to stop and talk to each carriage driver about how the horses were treated. I was basically a dream date for Jordan. Thank God he was already married to me because he probably would've been like, "You're crazy, I'm out." 
• SHARKS!!

• ...oh. 
• He keeps talking about loving her in order to get her to say it back. Seriously. 
• The count is up to 4. He's said, "I love you," four times in this segment. Find your chill, Robert. 
• Why does she look like a totally different person in this scene? Invasion of the body snatchers. 

•  ...dude. Seriously. Reel it in. 
• "I don't see how things could go wrong." Famous last words. 
• Um, did they hit the gift shop on the way home?? GEEZ.

• ait a minute - did he just call his own father "Coach Hayes??" 

• ...that's really weird. 
• Y'all JoJo is SO tiny. She doesn't even come up over the top of a chair! She's a miniature person!

• I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. These seem like perfectly nice, perfectly boring folks. I like the mom. The brothers have the cumulative IQ of exactly one stick of butter. 

• Do you think Robby MIGHT be prone to exaggeration? 
• Need to just update you. Didn't even know Jordan Scott was near this room. He just heard Robby say all that about not getting sleep and said while passing through the room, "Closers ALWAYS sleep well before the big game. That guy is shakin' in his boots. He's not gonna make it." 
• ..."Closers always sleep well??" Who ARE you?! Who am I married to? 
• Also we need to talk about these glasses: 

• Is it a wine glass? Is it a tumbler? 
• Okay so anyway Robby's mom is all, "I really like JoJo but by the way your reputation is basically being ruined," and he's all, "UGH MOM I CAN'T HANDLE THIS," and then JoJo's all like, "These were my worst fears!" and then Robby's all, "NO you have to believe me I LOVE YOU AND I'M NOT AT ALL PRONE TO EXAGGERATION!" 
• Some quick observations from these scenes, the plot of which I obviously do not care about: 
   
•  I love that Chad (yes, that Chad) is dating Robby's ex-girlfriend. HAHAHA it's so brilliant. I love Chad. 

Ruthless. 

•  You should win a million dollars on this show if you can work "I'm not here for the right reasons" into conversation naturally. I think it should be like the secret word on Watch What Happens Live! 
• Better yet: it's now a drinking game. Take a shot if it ever happens again. I can't find the screengrab, but he said it twice. 
• Random, but - I can never have serious conversations with ANYone at that level of facial closeness. Seriously, I have to be across the room (or at least the table) from someone to have a real talk. 

• Anyway, blah blah I'm asleep. She's not picking Robby let's move on. 

PART IV - Snake. AKA, the only acceptable choice. 

• So I'm gonna go ahead and put money down that she picks Jordan and that Snake is the next Bachelor. At least, let's hope that's what happens. Snake is QUITE attractive. 
• Mmk they look like they're going to a fraternity mixer themed "Squardance." 

• Jordan Scott just did some more drive-by commentary. He let me know that he, "Finds this guy untrustworthy." Okay, well, you don't know what you're talking about, so just keep walkin'. 
• Seriously, if she doesn't pick Snake (and she won't) then she is such a dumb dumb. 
• STOP KISSING IN FRONT OF THE PARENTS. 

• Seriously though who brought her up to act like this? 

• Oh yeah. Right. 
• Snake's sister is beautiful. 
• I love this dad. Such a sweetheart. Reminds me of a lot of great, sweet men I know. Snake, PLEASE run away. You're gonna get your heart broken. 
• Are you KIDDING ME THE SPEECH ABOUT HIM SERVING HIS COUNTRY AND CRYING?!?!?!?! OH MY GOSH

• This show is bullshit, but that was actually a completely precious and tender moment. Luke's family is fantastic. Y'all. Who do we know that can marry Snake?! He deserves someone who is not on a reality show. 
• Y'all, here is an extremely good looking war veteran who is also in touch with his sensitive side AND lives on a farm with a precious family. 
• ...this is a robot sent here from aliens. This isn't a real human man. 
• You know the producers are just crying tears of joy right now with two beautiful people in golden light on a ranch. This is like visual porn. 

• "I want us?" Are you kidding me?!? Are you KIDDING ME?!
• Okay this show is over. He just delivered the kill shot. He LED HER TO HIS HEART
  AMONG FLOWER PETALS
  AND PLAYED A LOVE SONG (and he actually played it, not the show)
  AND TOLD HER HE LOVED HER

• Their exit seemed rushed. Why isn't she falling all over him? Why isn't she so happy and just overwhelmed? If she dumps him after that I am going to burn down my own house. 

• IF I SEE ONE MORE TRAILER FOR LIGHTS OUT I SWEAR TO THE LORD ALMIGHTY SOMEONE IS GONNA GET SUED 

PART V - ROSE CEREMONY. 

• Jordan's stuit is, once again, too small. 

• That's right, Robert. Take a good hard around. You're going home. 
• I seriously feel like she had some kind of plastic surgery procedure between weeks of this show. Something looks different. 

• SAY GOODBYE TO LUKE
• WHAT 
• ARE YOU SAYING
• WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU
• ARE YOU KIDDING ME
• ARE YOU MENTALLY ILL
• GO HOME
• YOU 
• ARE DRUNK
• Okay here comes Luke to talk to her.
• He's clarifying that he's IN love with her. 

• I'm sorry, was that not made perfectly clear by the HEART MADE OUT OF FLOWER PETALS?!?!?! 
• The fact that she wasn going to send him home because he had not verbalized the specific words, "I love you," is the dumbest thing I've ever heard and once again reinforces that she deserves to be with someone who is not Luke (aka someone who sucks). 
• This is gonna be a to be continued isn't it? 
• ISN'T IT?!

• DAMN YOU, CHRIS HARRISON!! 
• I hope JoJo has to sit in that exact position until next week. She deserves it after even CONSIDERING sending Snake home. 

This season, you guys. I can't decide who I dislike more - Jordan, Evan, or JoJo. 

'Til next week. 

DIY Episode III: Revenge of the Chairs

If you've been following this saga, you know that a few months ago, I bought some chairs at an estate sale. You can read about our first two rounds with said chairs here and here. 

This was round three. 

95. Beg your extremely handy husband for help. Admit he was right: that you had no idea how much work this project would be and SOS PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME. 
96. Pick a day that is really, really hot. You'll want to make this experience as unpleasant as possible. 
97. Invent an excuse like, "Just let me clean up the kitchen and I'll be right out!" while your husband gets started on the real work. 
98. Look at the window and feel pangs of guilt as you watch him measure the drop cloth seat back cover and cut the batting. 
99. Try and decide whether you feel guilty enough to actually go outside. 
100. You do. Go outside. Admire his work. 

101. Listen as he gives you your instructions for cutting the rest of the drop cloth seat backs and cushion covers. 
101. Ask him if he's sure he wants you to cut the pelts - wouldn't he be better at it? 
102. Sigh as he confirms that you are definitely cutting the pelts, and would you please stop calling them "pelts" because a pelt is animal skin? 
103. Ignore him and get started on pelt number one. 
104. Grab what are, somehow, despite having taught school and bought your own school supplies, THE ONLY SCISSORS IN THE HOUSE. 
105. Make sure these scissors are nice and dull. You definitely don't want to make this easy on yourself. They should be about as sharp as one of your back molars. 
106. Measure out how big your pelts should be. Consider using the old seat cover as a template. 
107. Remember that time you found a single dried Band-Aid next to a single dried Golden Graham stuck to these chairs and decide to wing it in order to avoid touching that nasty thing.

Hard pass. 

108. Rip and tear at the drop cloth with your molar scissors. 
109. ...for what seems like A FREAKIN' LIFETIME. 

110. Look over to discover that your husband has successfully covered a seat back. Get invigorated at this progress. 

111. Go help him by staple gunning the drop cloth to the chair. 
112. Only get a little mad at him when he pretends that you've stapled his finger to the chair, which you totally should have seen coming, but still - the man is a dentist, losing a finger isn't that funny JORDAN. 

113. Go back to your place on the chain gang: molar scissors.
114. To confirm your measurements, place the old seat bottom on top of your newly cut seat cover. Admire your work, but know that your husband would've cut everything perfectly straight and your work is inferior. 

115. Temporarily stop progress because of a dog who apparently isn't getting enough attention right now. 

116. Obviously pet your dog because come on lookatthatface. 
117. Then, keep cutting. The cutting. The cutting never ends. 

118. Since there aren't any fun articles to read (on broccoli rabe or anything else), assess the current construction situation on your street with disdain. 

Just to clarify, that's one next door and one across the street. Are you jealous? 

119. To entertain yourself while cutting, imagine ways that you could drive this construction crew away. 
120. Decide that the best way to get rid of them is to somehow convince them that this neighborhood is haunted.
121. Delight yourself with fantasies of moving their tools around and blaming on a ghost. 
122. Imagine you and your dog both going over, covered in white sheets, and just standing in a corner until somebody notices you and either calls the police or runs screaming from the structure. 
123. Decide maybe none of that is as good an idea as you think it is. 
124. Complete the pelt project. Finally. 
125. Stop for the day because it's about to rain. 

126. After church the next day, stop by Lowe's. 
127. Beg your husband to get some ice cream with you because the social media gods have declared it National Ice Cream Day. 
128. Bother him until he good-naturedly relents because he, too, loves ice cream. 
129. Pull up to Chick-Fil-A for some of that sweet soft serve AND REMEMBER THEY'RE CLOSED BECAUSE #SUNDAY KILL ME. 
130. Gather your strength and go without. 
131. Arrive back home, where it's time to paint these suckers. 
132. As usual, find something inside to busy yourself while your husband is being an angel and working hard. 

133. Once you go outside, realize you have unwittingly taken the worst job by handing your husband the painting job. 
134. While your husband is painting, you have to go through the other two chairs with the dental explorer and get all the grime and grout and dust and disgustingness out of there before they're painted. 
135. Consider flinging yourself from the roof. 
136. Decide to just get on with it. 

137. Discover that you actually really like this job. 
138. Wonder if it makes you a sick person that you relish in removing imperfections. 
139. Wonder if maybe you should've been a dermatologist or a dental hygienist. 
140. Resolve that it's not too late, but also remember that there's a lot of math and science involved in those jobs. 
141. Remember that time you got an 8 on an AP Chemistry test. 
142. Reconsider the whole "medical career" thing. 
143. Turn your attention to the foam padding for the seats. 
144. Discover that the seat bottoms are not, in fact, squares - so your husband will have to Frankenstein them together. 
145. After all that, they still have about an inch and a half of wood hanging off the back, so watch your husband use upholstery glue to made a piece that fits. 

146. Think to yourself that after all this work, if anyone comes to your house and spills spaghetti sauce on the chairs, that you will probably actually murder them. 
147. Briefly consider not ever inviting anyone to your house again. 
147. Add another coat of paint to the two chairs your husband painted, then add two coats to the remaining two (which have now been scraped of imperfections).
148. Cover one seat entirely. 

149. Stand back and admire your work. After a coat of varnish and the nailheads, these things will be just about done. 
150. As you're cleaning up, notice that the text you sent your husband (about how he sent you an old copy of the grocery list and that there's a newer one on the legal pad and could he please take a picture of that one) is sitting, dormant, on his phone. Realize this is why you had to wing it, and also why a box of chocolate covered pretzels ended up in the buggee. Whoops! You didn't have a list, it's not your fault. Decide to forgive him since he's basically done this entire project for you. Go cook him a big meal in appreciation. 

5 Things: Summer 2016's Trendiest Looks

It's mid-summer, which means a lot of stores are probably winding down their summer collections, which means there are probably a lot of sales going on. 

Take it from someone who works in retail. 

That being the case, I thought I'd share five great summer trends that I keep seeing over and over in the store and on our customers. Chances are, lots of stores are starting to put these pieces on sale - not because they're out of fashion, but because they're making room for fall collections. 

Now is a great time to buy a few of these things you've been lusting after for a few weeks since they'll likely be cheaper! 

1. Off-the-shoulder tops. 

This is probably the one I've seen most pervasively this season. They seem to be everywhere, doesn't it? I think they're adorable and wish I had 10,000 (although I am reminded that I once wrote a post about cleaning out our closets - UGH, competing priorities!!). 

2. Denim mini-skirts. 

I know, right? What year is it? 1994? Well, they're back. Every big retailer has 'em. It's hilarious. But there are some options that are a bit cuter than others, and if you start feeling like you want to sit and binge-watch Daria, there's really no harm in that, is there? 

3. Culottes. 

I recently read that Anna Wintour's #1 fashion trend she wants to ban from the planet is culottes. Girl, I would never want to disagree with you publically, especially since you'll obviously read this blog post, but I think SOMETIMES they can be pretty freakin' cute. Styled appropriately, of course. 

Please don't kill me, Anna Wintour. I wanna live to see my grandchildren. 

4. Scalloped swimwear. 

This is certainly not a white-hot trend, as these cute swimsuits have been EVERYWHERE for the past couple of season. I can't get enough of them - I think they're so flattering and give you such a great mix of classic style and a little edge while lounging by the pool. 

5. Mid-calf hemlines. 

Jordan thinks it's a weird length for dresses and pants, but I'm obsessed with it. This length is such an awesome throwback to the days when Audrey Hepburn was rocking mid-calf dress after mid-calf dress. 

Observe and drool: 

Headed out of town today, so this bad boy is going to serve as today's and tomorrow's post. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend full of fun and love!! 

<3 

Your face is dirty.

Micellar water. 

I've written about it before, but I'm about to write about it again. 

Why? Because it's a magical tonic? 

Yes. 

Everybody, by this point in life, probably has a face wash to which they are loyal. I have been married to a few face washes in my lifetime: Aveeno Exfoliating Scrub, Clean and Clear Exfoliating Scrub, and Aveeno Foaming Cleanser. 

But nothing, nothing, nothing compares to my micellar water. Because micellar water is my face wash AND my moisturizer. 

(Especially since I found out that microbeads are about to be outlawed because of the way they slip through shower drains, don't dissolve, and kill the fish!)

Micellar water is the simplest cleanser out there, and, in my opinion, the healthiest for your face. The science behind it is really easy to understand. Micelles, which are just molecules of oil, attract impurities like dirt and makeup.

When you sweep a cotton round soaked with micellar water across your face, it's basically the skincare equivalent of a Swiffer: all those things you don't want? Sucked like a magnet onto the round.

In addition to cleansing your skin of all the stuff you don't want on it, it's also depositing healthy oil onto your skin, which is great for keeping your face young-looking. Normal cleansers strip your skin of makeup, but they also strip your skin of healthy oils, creating dryness and tightness. 

The thing that sold me on micellar water was exactly what I'm about to show you, because it really is such an easy-to-grasp example of exactly how micellar water is more effective than other cleansers. 

When I put on a full face of "everyday" makeup, I use: 

• Moisturizer mixed with foundation
• Under-eye concealer 
• Bone-colored eyeshadow on my brow bone
• Sand-colored eyeshadow in the crease of my eyelids
• Liquid eyeliner on my top lids
• Mascara on my top lashes 
• Darker brown eyeshadow to fill in my brows
• Brow gel 
• Blush 
• Some kind of lip color 
• Loose powder 

...that sounds like a lot when I type it all out. Yikes. 

Anyway, so for this experiment, I put on all of that makeup. I washed my face with Aveeno Foaming cleanser, then thoroughly removed my eye makeup with Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover. 

Just so you can see that I've taken all my makeup off, I took a (really unfortunate) makeup-free bathroom selfie. You're welcome. 

Hi. 

Right. 

Then, I soaked a cotton round in Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water.  (The bold text there is a link if you'd like to purchase some yourself!) 

This is what was removed AFTER I washed my face and took my eye makeup off (I included a clean round for comparison): 

I thought, "I wonder if there's anything else left..." 

So I repeated the experiment and the second picture includes the SECOND round that collected makeup and dirt. 

It's mind-boggling, honestly. Despite my face appearing to me squeaky-clean after washing, I still had enough junk on my skin to fill up one and a half cotton rounds. Ew. 

The best part about this process? You just watched the entirety of it. Sweeping your face with cotton rounds = done. That's the whole thing. 

You never wash your face with water. You just sweet micellar water over your skin twice a day (morning and night). Your face never gets dry - it just keeps getting better. 

I use a homemade mask (coffee grounds, greek yogurt, lemon juice, and honey) once a week to exfoliate. Otherwise, it's all micellar water, all the time. 

If you need more convincing (because I would - I like second opinions), read about it here and here. If you don't need more convincing, go buy you some daggum micellar water and prepare to be amazed.