Sweet Tea and Hydrangeas

A Lifestyle blog

February 2017 Goals

Can y’all believe that it’s already February?  I’m so happy to see it because January was hectic. I love February because it’s filled with lots of red, pink, chocolates and love.  Today I am sharing my goals for this month. But first let’s see how I did on my January Goals.

January Goals Revisted: Blog & Personal

-Grow all social media platforms by at least 10 more followers // +15 on Instagram & +30 on Twitter. I have been working really hard to be more active on both platforms. My hard work is slowly paying off.

-Write three beauty posts// Yes and no. I wrote two beauty posts (here and here).  With all my issues with wordpress last month, I had to switch around my whole editorial calendar. I’m still happy with two posts.

-Plan out the rest of my content for this month and February// Accomplished! I only hope that wordpress doesn’t give me any issues this month, so my content can stay put. 🙂

-Update three pinterest images// Failed. I have three images picked out that I want to update but never got to it.

-Update three old blog posts// Failed at that one too.

-Get a massage// Nope. Didn’t happen because I was too busy to get one last month.

-Eat some king cake// I definitely ate some king cake. Not too much but I had my fair share. Carnival season is still here, so I know I’ll probably have some more king cake before it’s over.

-Exercise 3 x’s a week// Yes!!! I have been working so hard to get back into shape. It’s going to be a process but at least I started.

-Read one book// I haven’t read one whole book but I did start reading Luckiest Girl Alive.

I didn’t accomplish everything I set out to do last month but I am still proud of what I accomplished.

February Goals: Blog & Personal

-Continue to find the positives when things get hectic. I really have been doing well with being more positive (even when my days were horrible). It’s always better to be positive if you’re dealing with stress.

-Update three pinterest images. Seeing that I did not do this last month I really need to this month. I know I can do it!!!

-Update three old blog posts.

-Spend more time with my family. 

-Declutter some of my makeup. 

-Read Big Little Lies. I joined the SYBL book club and this is the book we are reading for this month. I am determined to finish it!

-Get a massage. My body has so many knots from being stressed out last month. It’s time to go get that massage.

-Continue to be more active on Instagram & Twitter. 

Seeing that I did not accomplish all of my goals for last month, it makes me even more determined to accomplish them this month.

What are some of your goals this month? 

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On Wednesdays We Confess Vol 45

Happy Wednesdays and Happy February! I am so glad January is done and over with. I feel like it was a trial run to see how much more I can handle this year. I’m hoping 2017 gets a little bit less hectic. But what makes this week better? Sharing my confessions and getting things off my chest.

I confess that I am physically and mentally exhausted. Work has not slowed down one bit this month. I am blessed to have a job but I wish I could pump the brakes a little.

I confess that I have been doing so well with being more positive at work but….it’s been a challenge.

I confess that with work being so rough this month I have wanted to either scream, break things or cry. Yep….I’m a little bit of a hot mess at times. Guess what? I embrace it!

I confess that I had a very relaxing weekend (too bad my stress is back up). I did not do much which was really nice.

I confess that with my relaxing weekend, I wore absolutely no make up at all. It’s nice sometimes to just not be made up and to let your face breath.

I confess that I had more issues with WordPress again this week. I went to update some plug ins and all of a sudden my whole site shut down. I could not even sign in to WordPress. Talk about major panic/anxiety attacks. Thankfully I was able to restore the blog to the date before I went in to update the plug ins. WordPress I need you to get it together! I have had issues pretty much most of this month which has caused me stress and me not being able to blog. Not good.

I confess that once again due to issues with WordPress, my editorial calendar had to be moved around again.

I confess that I have been on a mission to save money this year. I am doing fairly well so far.

I confess that I am really excited to see my grandparents this weekend. I plan on getting some crawfish to eat with one of my grandfathers. (if you didn’t know my grandparents are my world)

I confess that I am excited to be apart of a book club for bloggers. I am hoping that it gets me back into reading.

 

I know these confessions weren’t quite as positive as my others have been recently. I am just a little run down. I know there are better days to come. I hope you all have a wonderful day today! Do you have any good confessions for this week?

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Play! by Sephora December Review

I can not get enough of this subscription service! Each month I anxiously wait to get my email stating that my Play! box has been shipped. The best part about this box is that it’s only $10. You can’t really beat that because you get to try out all the brands Sephora has. Every month the box has a theme in which the products are based on. December’s theme was “The Partygoers”. I love that December’s bag was black and gold (other months bags are white).

What I received this month:

 

Lancôme Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Mascara (Full size $27.50//)// I have never used any products from Lancôme. I have heard really good things about this mascara. When I tried it out I was not disappointed. The mascara gave my lashes a lot of volume and it was easily buildable to help you achieve as much volume as you want.

 

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (Full size $31// $3.38 value) // I loved receiving this in my box because it is a product I use all the time. Seeing that I live in the south, it doesn’t take much to make my makeup melt off at times. This spray keeps my makeup in place and prevents any smudging/fading. Just a few sprays and you are good to go! This spray is said to lock in your makeup for 16 hours.

Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in Always Red (Full Size $14// Value $3.31 )// I was really impressed with the Sephora lipgloss that I received in one of my previous Play! boxes. This lip stain impressed me as well. I’m not one to typically wear red lipsticks but this one is not an overly bold red.  It dries matte but was very moisturizing. I love that it’s made with avocado and vitamin E.

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo (Full Size $23// Value $5.26)//  One of my favorite brands for dry shampoo. I love that this shampoo is not heavy on my hair. It does a great job on absorbing any oil that I have in my hair without make it look flat. If you’re a girl who doesn’t always have time to wash her hair this dry shampoo will be perfect for you.

Make Up Forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Smoothing Primer (Full Size $37//Value $5.92)//  If you read my December Beauty favorites, you will know that this is one of my go to primers. I love that this keeps my makeup in place all day long and keeps my oiliness to a minimum. It also makes my face look flawless and so smooth. I will say though that in the winter time I do not use this primer as much because my skin is a little drier than normal.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose Perfume (Full Size $65// Value $3.50)// I personally do not like this perfume. It’s a bit too much for me. The perfume has a mixture of earthy notes of geranium and vetiver. Interesting fact is that this perfume is from Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.

Total Value of box: $27.37+ 

I really loved this months box. A lot of great products, some I have used before and some I have not. What subscription services do you subscribe to?

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Friday Favorites Vol 2

 

Happy Friday Y’all!! We have made it through the week and the weekend is almost upon us! Today I am going to be enjoying my day off. I plan on catching up on some of my shows, do a little reading and of course some relaxing. Here is what I am loving this week!

Blog Posts: 

+It’s a new year which means most people are trying to get healthy. I love this post from Lauren because she has great suggestions on how to work out when you do not have a lot of time.

+Valentines Day is right around the corner y’all! Shani’s post has so many great ideas for that special day.

+Have you thought about making a media kit for you blog? Sami gives an in depth explanation about why you need a media kit and what to include in it. Check out her post here.

Beauty & Skin Care: 

+I  am loving the Optical Illusion Primer from Urban Decay. I have been using it for the last two weeks and it keeps my makeup in place. It has become my new favorite. I was loving the POREfessional primer from Benefit but it was not keeping the makeup on my nose in place.

+The drying lotion from Mario Badescu has done wonders with drying out any hormonal blemishes I have had. I put a little on a cotton ball and swipe it over my blemish and by the morning time it has significantly dried out.

+I switched up my skin care routine a little and started using the Burt’s Bees Renewal Cleanser. I have not had any break outs since using this. I hope it continues to be this way.

Funnies: 

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

Clothes: 

 

Coffee Mugs: 

Purchase here

Purchase here

I hope you enjoyed my favorites for this Friday. What are you loving this week? Let me know in the comments below!

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On Wednesdays We Confess Vol 44

 

It’s my second favorite day of the work week! I hope you all are having a fabulous week so far! Just think…we are almost to the weekend! Cheers to that! I am looking forward to having a long weekend. Plenty more about that coming with my confessions now.

I confess that this week has gone by fast but it has been exhausting. Work went from 0 to 100 real quick over the last two weeks. Which makes me happy to have this Friday off to do some relaxing.

I confess that I am excited to be going to visit my family this weekend. I have not seen them since Christmas. So it’s much needed.

I confess that my boyfriend and I booked our cruise that will be leaving out of Puerto Rico. I am very excited about this because I have never to been to any of the locations we are visiting. Now if only it would hurry up and get here already.

I confess that even though I have been very productive lately I feel I have gotten little accomplished. I guess that’s how you feel when you have been exhausted lately.

I confess that last week I was in bed between 8-9 pm M-F. No regrets there. It was so nice!

I confess that I stuck to my goal of working out 3 x’s last week. I plan on continuing to do so.

I confess that I hate seeing so many people bashing each other lately due to difference of opinions. It’s okay to not have the same opinion as someone else. Unfortunately not everyone thinks the way I do. Which leads me to…

I confess that I have been withdrawn from facebook lately because all I see is hate posts. I’m over it. What happened to happy pictures of babies, puppies, etc.

I confess that due to me having issues with wordpress two weeks ago, I have had to change around my whole editorial calendar. It has been somewhat of a mess but I am getting it back organized.

I confess that I have been posting a ton on Instagram lately (@sweetteaandhydrangeas). Though I did not post anything these past two days. Life’s been busy y’all.

I confess that I want to bring two new things to the blog. I am thinking about a Q & A type post & featuring some bloggers weekly or monthly. What do y’all think?

I confess that I really need a massage but have not found to get one yet. Must get that scheduled!

I confess that I went to Ulta last week and purchased about 20 sheet masks. My obsessions is getting worse. On a positive note I will be having reviews of them coming soon!

Sorry for my ramblings but thanks so much for reading. I appreciate all y’all support more than you’ll ever know!

What are you confessing this week? 

 

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Friday Favorites Vol 1

Friday is finally here!! I could not be happier!! It has been a very stressful week and I am ready for some down time. This weekend I plan on doing all the relaxing I can while still getting some things accomplished. Today I am doing something a little different than what I normally do. Typically I share five of my favorite things on Fridays but sometimes I have way more than five things I love. Here are a few things I am loving this week!

+ This blog post from Cara at Kindly Unspoken. She gives great tips on how to get followers on Instagram.

+ Seeing that I suffer from sinus problems all the time (thanks to living in the south) these DIY bath bombs are just what I need. They also help with colds!

+ I have been on a sheet mask craze lately. If you follow me on Instragram (@sweetteaandhydrangeas) you would have seen the latest sheet mask I tried out. This sheet mask from Tony Moly is amazing. Talk about making my face feel so moisturized and hydrated.

+ I can’t get enough of this makeup bag and this coffee tumbler. I purchased them both for myself. They are too cute!

+I just ordered this pillow to go with my makeup bag and tumbler. I can not wait to get it in.

+This tank top right here is just what I need for my work outs.

+My boyfriend and I can not get enough of this recipe! It’s so good and really easy to make. We’ve also done it with salmon. Both are so good!!

 

What were some of your favorite things from this week? Let me know in the comments below! Have a wonderful weekend!

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On Wednesdays We Confess Vol 43

I am so happy that it’s Wednesday!!! This week has been insane to say the least. This girl is very ready for the weekend because I need to do some serious relaxing. Also, does anyone feel like January has flown by? I swear I feel like it was just New Years. I’m sure I will continue to say that the month’s fly by. Here are my confessions for this week.

I confess that I have felt like a chicken with my head cut off at work this week. I have had 27 positions open in my region in 2 days, in which I have to find candidates for. I will admit a part of me wants to scream and the other part is like you got this.

I confess that I have been eating really healthy this week. I hope to continue it!

I confess that I have been working out more. It’s really helped give me more energy. However, I have not gone to a barre class in forever. I need to get back to those classes.

I confess that it has been raining the past two days. Which has made me really tired and want to crawl in bed.

I confess that I am on the right track with accomplishing my goal for writing 3 beauty posts this month. I’ve written this post so far.

I confess that last week I only posted once. I had some major issues with wordpress. Every time I signed in it logged me right out. Extremely frustrating but I am happy to say that everything is fixed now. A huge shout out to GoDaddy who helped fixed my issues.

I confess that I wish mother nature would make up her mind when it comes to weather. It was really cold here (for the south) and then the temperatures went back to being 80 degrees. Now it’s cold and raining again. My sinuses are going nuts!!!

I confess that I have really been trying to be more positive despite how stressful my days become. It’s helped a lot!

I confess that my obsession with sheet masks has gotten worse. I just purchased six more face masks. I do not feel bad about it at all.

I confess that nothing makes me hate Instagram more then when bloggers follow me and then unfollow me. Not cool at all. But to be honest when I see other bloggers do that, I immediately unfollow them. I’m not going to help you get your followers up when you’re only hurting me with your follow/unfollow method. Sorry not sorry. Take that somewhere else.

I confess that the results to my reader survey are in. I will be putting those results together soon and will share with y’all. Also, the winner for the $25 gift card will be emailed soon as well!

 

I hope you enjoyed another round of my random confessions this week. Join me again next week! Do you have any confessions for this week? If so, let me know in the comments below!

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My Favorite Makeup of 2016

 

 

 

 

2016 was a great year when it came to discovering new products for myself. I probably spent way more money on beauty products last year than I probably should have. Beauty products make me happy, so I have no regrets. Here are my favorite makeup products for 2016.

Benefit POREfessional Face Primer: I really love this primer for the winter time (I have not used it in the summer time yet). My skin tends to get a little bit drier when the weather gets colder, so this primer is perfect for the harsh weather. It is silky and lightweight and does not dry out my skin during the winter time. It’s oil-free and contains vitamin E to help protect your skin from free radicals. I find that this primer does help reduce the appearance of my pores and helps my makeup go on flawlessly/keeps it in place.

Make Up Forever Skin Equalizer Primer: This primer I love for the summer time. It helps my face stay matte and keeps me from looking like a greasy hot mess. I do find that it is not as hydrating as the Benefit Primer (that is to be expected because it’s more of a mattifying primer). When applying it does dry quickly but you are still able to apply your makeup as you normally would. This primer keeps my makeup in place all day long even when the temperatures here are over 100+ degrees.

Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation: I first purchased this foundation over the summer time and fell in love with it instantly. It is a medium to full coverage foundation. It is very buildable and a little bit goes a long way with this foundation. It covers up any redness, blemishes and imperfections I have without looking cakey. This foundation also oxidizes, so I highly suggest if you want to purchase it, to get matched first. I thought I would be a much darker shade but I wear 2.0.

MAC’s Plum Foolery Blush: I have been using this blush for almost ten years now. It is my ride or die blush. Though it is a plum color it’s not a dark plum. I find that it would be very pretty on several sign tones. It has a little shimmer but won’t make you look like you stepped into a pile of glitter.

Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer: If you’re looking for a natural bronzer look no further! This bronzer blends out so easily and gives you a nice glow (without looking muddy). It’s completely matte, so you do not have to worry about any shimmer. I also use this product to do my contouring with.

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter: If you are looking for a beautiful highlighter this is the one!!! It’s a vanilla shade that gives you a subtle glow.

Becca Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector Highlighter: This highlighter was created by Jaclyn Hill, my favorite beauty youtuber. Of course I had to purchase it and I’m so glad I did. It does not disappoint! It is very cream and gives you that beautiful natural looking shine.

Anastasia Cream Contour Kit:I love how easy it is to contour with this kit. Before I use it, I put one drop of Tarte’s Maracuja Oil on top of the one I want to use to make it even creamier. The formula is very smooth and blends out effortlessly. I also use their powder contour kit as well and love it just as much.

Tarte’s Shape Tape Concealer: This concealer is hands down amazing!!! I love that it covers my dark circles, blemishes, etc without looking cakey. It also blends out perfectly and does not crease. A little bit of this product goes a long ways because it is very thick. Along with using this to conceal my blemishes I use it as a highlight. I went two shades lighter then what I typically wear. Another great plus to this concealer is that it is not drying.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer: This concealer is my second favorite concealer to use. It is so lightweight but covers all my problems while being extremely hydrating. The formula is not as thick as the Shape Tape Concealer.

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder: I love how much this helps set my concealer. It is very light weight and gives you a matte finish. It does not set in your fine lines or larger pores.

Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara: This mascara right here gives my eye lashes so much volume! I love that I can put on one to two coats of this and my lashes go from blah to bam. It is very long-lasting and does not have any fall out. It is Vegan and has ingredients to help nourish your lashes.

Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Angel Mascara: This is probably my favorite drug store mascara that I have used in years. When I first purchased it I was a little skeptical because of the wand. It gives my lashes that extra volume that I need.

Benefit Ka-Brow! Cream-Gel Eyebrow Color: I was introduced to this product at the beginning of December when I went to get my eyebrows done at Ulta. I love that this gel comes with a brush making it very easy to apply.  I also love that the gel is not clumpy.

Benefit Ready, Set, Brow! 24-Hour Setting Gel: This setting gel goes hand in hand with the Ka-Brow cream gel. When I first used this gel I used way too much which made my eye brows a little crispy. So if you do purchase this product, I suggest using just a little bit to set your eye brows.

Urban Decay Original Eyeshadow Primer Potion: When it comes to keeping my eyeshadow on this is my go to primer. My eyeshadow does not budge or crease.

Urban Decay Naked Palette: This is an oldie but goodie. I have so many eye shadow palettes but over 2016 I started going back to the Naked Palette. It’s just an amazing palette because it’s so pigmented and you can create so many looks with it.

ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip in Molly: This is my favorite lip formula from ColourPop. It’s really moisturizing and long wearing. Molly is a dusty lilac shade. I wore this shade a lot during the summer time.

ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip in Hutch: I can not begin to tell you how beautiful this shade is. I have worn it non-stop during the Fall. It is a blackened violet shade but when I wear it, it was more violet than black.

Urban Decay De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray: Seeing that most of the time I have oil in my t-zone I have to use a setting spray. If I don’t, my makeup tends to come off a little bit. This spray helps reduce the amount of oil I have on my face while keeping my makeup in place. Another great thing about this spray is that it features temperature control technology.

That wraps up my best of beauty for 2016. I know there were so many more products that I probably forgot to list. As you can see I had so many favorites last year. I’m sure 2017 will be the same.

What were your favorite beauty products from 2016? Let me know in the comments below.

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On Wednesdays We Confess Vol 42

Happy Wednesday Y’all!! I am so glad that this week is half way over for me. It’s been a very hectic week. I am ready for a little bit of relaxing. I’ll keep it short and sweet today. Here are my confessions for this week.

I confess that Monday was insane at work. I felt like I got a lot accomplished, yet I feel like I did nothing at all. Do you ever have those days?

I confess that I am on a huge Korean skin care kick. My sister got me some Korean sheet masks to try out, so now it’s making me want to learn more about their skin care products.

I confess that due to being so busy with work, I have not gotten as many things as I wanted accomplish for the blog.

I confess that I am excited about planning my boyfriends and I next vacation. Unfortunately it will not happen until May.

I confess that I had a great time over the past weekend. I spent time with my boyfriend and his family, as well as my family.

I confess that I really wish there were nap rooms in corporate offices. I feel they would be very beneficial. I love naps.

I confess that I am really excited about going to see the Loin King off-Broadway this weekend with my mom and sister. I’ve heard it’s really good!

I confess that I am really happy with the results I have received so far from conducting my reader survey. I am giving it till the end of this week then drilling down on the results. If you haven’t filled it out, I’d be ever so grateful if you did. 🙂

I confess that I am determined to save a lot of money this year. I have some what of a plan that I want to do but I am finalizing what I want to do soon.

I confess that I am really excited about where this blog is going to go in the future.

 

I hope everyone has an amazing day!! What are you confessing this week?

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January 2017 Goals

 

2017 is finally here!! I honestly almost typed January 2016 Goals out when I did the title for this post. I guess I am still not used to writing 2017 yet. 2016 was a fairly good year for me but I’m hoping 2017 will be even better. Earlier this week I shared my goals for this year and today I am sharing my goals for this month. But first let’s see how I did on my December Goals.

December Goals Revisited: Blog & Personal 

–Continue to blog at 3 x’s a week // I did fairly well on this with the exception of the week before Christmas.

-Update 5 pinterest images// This did not happen. I really wanted to get it done but with work and the holidays, I did not have time.

-Start planning out my editorial calendar for January  // Yes. I got the first two weeks of my content planned out. I am waiting on results from my reader survey to plan out the rest.

-Do two beauty haul posts // This did not happen either. I do plan on getting these posts done this month.

-Conduct a reader survey // This happened this month as I took a little break the last week of December from blogging. I felt it was more important to enjoy time with my family.

-Continue to work out 3 x’s a week // Yes and no. Some weeks I worked out 3 x’s

-Save for my trip to Banff // Yes! I had an amazing time in Banff.

-Go see Christmas lights// I saw some lights but not as many as I wanted to.

-Enjoy the holidays with my friends and family // I did not get to see my friends for the holidays but I did enjoy spending time with my family.

As you can see I did not accomplish all of my goals for last month. I am okay with this because I really wanted to enjoy the Christmas holiday. Hopefully this month I will do much better.

January Goals: Blog & Personal

-Grow all social media platforms by at least 10 more followers

-Write three beauty posts

-Plan out the rest of my content for this month and February

-Update three pinterest images

-Update three old blog posts

-Get a massage

-Eat some king cake

-Exercise 3 x’s a week

-Read one book

 I know that I can accomplish my goals for this month. I am determined to! What are your goals for this month?

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