PUERTO VALLARTA | APRIL 2016

Whew, I officially have the travel bug. I just went to Puerto Vallarta with one of my best friends for spring break. To say we had a blast would be a total understatement.

If you remember my last travel post about Aruba, you will remember that I won a free vacation, this trip to Mexico was that free vacation! I am going to share all of my photos from my trip here (mainly so I can have memories further down the road) but my travel posts get a ton of views from my readers, so I thought I would put it all in one place!

FYI: I majorly apologize for the photo orientation in this blog post. Usually on vacation I remember to take all of my photos sideways so that it will all look great in a blog post, and this trip I totally blanked and took them all sorts of ways, please forgive me!

Previous Travel Posts:
Maui, Hawaii
Aruba



HOTEL: 
We stayed at The Mayan Palace on the marina in Puerto Vallarta. Overall, the resort was amazing! It was very beautiful and elegant feeling. Our room was nice and clean, but pretty basic. We were under the impression that we would have a kitchen in our room, but we didn't. If you are staying at this resort, I'd recommend calling and knowing exactly which type of room you have because our plan was to run to a store first thing and get some food for the week but we had no fridge in the room so we had to eat out every single meal, darn ;).

The hotel also had an amazing activity staff, called the Joy Squad. The guys on their team were SO nice at recommending places to go, inviting us to things and just being good friends for the whole trip! We spent most of our days hanging around the pool joining in all of the activities they had to offer. My friend Lauren is a killer volleyball player so we spent most days bouncing between pool volleyball and beach volleyball. It was such a fun part of our trip and we met a pretty fun group that would play daily together! They had blackjack, crafts, water polo, volleyball (sometimes tequila volleyball for the adults, yes!) and even bingo. Most of our days were spent around the pool doing all of these activities.

BEACH:
The beach was amazing. Our resort had it's own beach area which was really nice. There were chairs and cabanas down on the beach, and we never had a problem finding a spot to sit. The water was amazing and the views couldn't be beat. There were vendors that would come by, but we actually enjoyed them!

DOWNTOWN:
We went downtown (The Malecon) one day. It was about a 30 minute bus ride, which cost us 7.5 pesos each. We spent one day down there walking the boardwalk and going to the market to see all of the little shops. My friend Lauren is pretty fluent in Spanish so it was cool to see her talk with all of the local vendors and banter with the prices, it was a major plus having her speak Spanish! It made me want to learn more before my next vacation;)

We also got FISH PEDICURES downtown. That was one of the biggest highlights of our vacation. Lauren has had this on her bucket list for a long time but it has been illegal in the most recent countries she has visited. We walked by a place that offered it, and I swear she didn't even hesitate before saying "WE'RE DOING THIS!" I'm not going to lie, I was really scared and almost chickened out but I'm so glad that I did it. It just felt like a little tingle on your foot, almost like your foot was falling asleep. There was nothing scary or painful about it. It was so cool! We also found a spot that was offering $1 margaritas, so that was how we topped off this downtown trip!

BOARDWALK:
Since our hotel was on the marina, it was nearby the marina boardwalk. The boardwalk was just lined with cool restaurants, bars and shops. We went to the boardwalk probably 3 or 4 times during our stay, and it was great each time. There were great dinner spots which were all very affordable, it was also walking distance from our hotel.

On the very last night, we decided to eat at Victors, which everyone was recommending that we go to. Little did we know, they bring you a tequila shot about every 15 minutes! It was quite the experience, great service, and AMAZING food.

BOTANICAL GARDEN:
We met a family at our resort which basically took us in as their own children, it was the best! They really wanted to go explore the botanical gardens in Puerto Vallarta, and kindly invited us along! We rode a bus out to the botanical garden (about 2 hours total) and explored there for one day. The actual botanical garden wasn't really my cup of tea, but it lead down to a beautiful river which was really nice. From the river, we had to make our way back to the restaurant, and accidentally chose the hardest hike for our route back. It turned into a really good hike, and made our lunch much more enjoyable. The food at the botanical garden was SO amazing and the view might be my favorite view from the entire vacation. It made the entire trip to the botanical gardens worth it for me.

OVERALL:
Overall, our trip to Puerto Vallarta was very relaxing. We spent most days by the pool or beach doing word puzzles (friend goals) reading books, or just meeting new people. The food in Puerto Vallarta (around our resort) was extremely affordable, we both were shocked at the end of the vacation to discover how little we actually spent while on vacation. Puerto Vallarta also felt very safe. We walked to the boardwalk multiple times at night and always felt very safe. I think it helped knowing that Lauren was fluent in Spanish, but I never felt uncomfortable around the locals or downtown at all. I would highly recommend Puerto Vallarta as a vacation spot!



Hopefully I will be able to have another vacation post in 2017;)

As always, thanks for reading.
xoxo, Jaimie

Unexpected Beauty Products!

Have you ever stumbled across a product that can do multiple things beyond it's initial purpose? I have and it blows my mind every time. I have been wanting to branch out lately and really experiment with things I have around my home and thought that I have enough cool things that it is time to share them with you all! 

1. PAM Spray

You probably have a bottle of PAM laying around in your kitchen right? Well, move that baby to the bathroom! Sometimes, I want my hair to have a little more "texture" and "grit" in order to hold a specific style. I will spray this throughout my hair before styling, and it adds a nice shine as well as the perfect amount of texture that I need to hold my style. It also says right on the bottle "99% less residue build up!" which is exactly what I look for in a hair product. 

2. Dish Sponge

I have loved using the Beauty Blender for a few years now, but those get really spendy and so I decided to see if I could cut a corner with this one. Well guess what guys, you totally can! It is basically just a sponge at the end of the day, so I decided to use my good ole dish sponge (a new one of course) and it blended my foundation like a dream. Highly impressed! 

3. Dryer Sheet

Now this one is definitely one worth trying! I have heard about a lot of beauty uses for dryer sheets so I wanted to try something I had never heard of. I have been running this over my brows and they have stayed in place as if they were being glued down! It is truly a miracle. I have pretty full brows so throughout the day they can get a bit crazy if I don't do something to set them in place. Definitely try this one as soon as you can!

4. Tampons... Yep!

Yep, I went there. We know we all have them lying around the house, so we might as well find another use for them. You can use these as makeup brushes to save some money and make them disposable! I tried using it for eyeshadow and it helped my shadow blend like a dream. 

PRO TIP: Get the end wet so it begins to expand, then use that for a highlight brush. It provides the perfect amount of pressure. 

5. Maple Syrup

I'm sure you have some maple syrup left over in a cupboard somewhere just like I did. I thought it was the perfect texture (and the perfect smell) for a luxury hair mask. Lather this on your hair and leave it on for 10 minutes or so. Then hop into the shower and rinse it out. You will be left with sugary sweet, and buttery smooth hair! You can thank Mrs Butterworth later. 

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You want to know the best part about these five household items? They are complete B.S.!!

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY - PLEASE DON'T TRY THESE AT HOME ;)

Thank you all for being the best readers ever.

As always, thanks for reading.

xoxo, Jaimie

March Lifestyle Favorites | Home Products, Cookbooks and More!

It has been quite some time since I've just shared some of my favorite current products! My blog camera is currently out of service (please keep her in your thoughts...) so I've been slacking on posts but figured I would just get a post up regardless of not having my camera!

I have a new favorite chapstick, big news. It is the Chapstick total hydration, in the lemon scent. I also picked up the peach scent today but haven't tried it yet. If you guys have been around the blog for a while, you'd know that I have a sick obsession with chapstick, I've even devoted an entire blog post to this topic. My all time favorite chapstick is over $20, so I'm super happy to find a chapstick at the drugstore that is under $5. A lot of chapsticks that I've tried at the drugstore really dry my lips out even further, so I haven't always been the biggest fan. I am loving this chapstick from the branch Chapstick, and it has my favorite smell, LEMON! It is working, smells great, and feels great on the lips!

I was lucky enough this month to receive a copy of Chrissy Teigen's new cookbook, Cravings! Speaking of obsessions in this blog post, I'm obsessed with Chrissy. I think her style is absolute perfect, her humor is definitely my style, and this cookbook is the next favorite thing of mine from her! I am already looking forward to trying out a few recipes from this book. She shares a macaroni and cheese recipe that looks AMAZING, as well as some hot wings and a few breakfast items that look amazing. Her recipes are simple, and are all accompanied with a fun story about how they were created or how she likes to serve it. The book itself is very well made and would be a cute decoration on a kitchen counter as it is very nice quality. 

A totally random thing to share, is a few new household products that I've been loving. I am really sensitive to chemicals in body products such as body wash and laundry detergent. I thought I'd share what I'm currently using as it is working perfectly for me and I'm loving it! For body wash, I've been loving the brand Jason. I am currently using the citrus scent. It can be found at Target for a really affordable price and it comes in a really large bottle with a nice pump! 

For laundry detergent, I've been trying The Honest Company brand, and I've been loving it! I will say that it is a little spendy for how much detergent you get, but I have been loving it! I have also been using the dryer sheets and they work nicely as well. I am wanting to try more from The Honest Company, have you all tried anything from them? I'm thinking I want to try the dishwasher detergent next. 

Makeup wise, I've been trying some new products but I will share those in a separate post very shortly! Stay tuned! :)


As always, thanks for reading.
xo, Jaimie

Oscars 2016 | Best Dressed

One of my favorite things to do around awards season is to lay in bed in my sweatpants and face mask, and judge famous people's fashion choices. The Oscars were today and I had a blast watching the red carpet arrivals and seeing all of the amazing fashion choices.

Usually in these posts, I choose a few best dressed and a few worst dressed individuals, but I really didn't have any terrible opinions this time! I only have great things to share today. I've narrowed it down to my top 8 favorite looks from the night and what stood out to me. Leave a comment below and let me know if you agreed, or if anybody else caught your eye on the carpet. 

Previous award show posts: 

2014 MTV Awards

2015 Grammys

*If I don't have enough things to say, I sometimes will just feature my favorite on my Instagram. 

Charlize Theron

I loved the intense red shade of this dress. It is tailored to her body perfectly and the train is the perfect length. I also really love the straps on this dress, I like how they are thin spaghetti strap, but have the visual of a thick strap. I'm not the biggest fan of the necklace choice, but overall I thought she looked so great in this dress. 

Chrissy Teigen

I swear she is ALWAYS on my best dressed list, regardless of which award show she is attending. Her style is so flawless to me. This dress is so elegant but equally sexy with the plunge in the front. She is clearly pregnant, and so I love how this dress walks the line between elegant and risky. I loved her look tonight, especially with the bump!

Jennifer Garner

I feel like this is such a classic look. I love the texture of this dress, how one side appears to be matte and one side appears to be shiny. It is a way to add a pop of texture to a dress without needing a crazy pattern or color. I also love the neckline of this dress, it seriously appears like they combined two separate dresses but they work together perfectly. I thought Jennifer looked very elegant. 

Jennifer Lawrence

I'm obsessed with this look! This dress is also walking that perfect line of elegant and sexy, and she pulls it off perfectly. I think what really tops it off for me is her really causal hair style. This might be my favorite look that Jennifer Lawrence has ever worn on a red carpet! 

Margot Robbie

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I'm overly obsessed with the color gold. If I found a gold toilet plunger at the store for sale I would probably buy it just because is is gold. I think Margot Robbie pulls this bold color off PERFECTLY. I absolutely love the cut of this dress with the long sleeves and the plunging neckline. I will say that I'm not the biggest fan of her clutch, but I can look past that. This is my favorite look from the night! 

Olivia Munn

Orange is a hard color to pull off and she does it so well. Her skin tone looks so beautiful in orange and her simple makeup with the orange lip really pulls it together. I really love the neckline of this dress and how there is a very small chain. Her hot boyfriend really tops this look off... ;) 

Rachel McAdams

Easily my 2nd favorite of the night next to Margot Robbie. The color of this dress is so unique and works with her skin tone and blonde hair so well. I love the slit in the dress and how it is showing the perfect amount of leg and featuring her simple silver shoes. I saw some photos of her makeup as well and she used a turquoise eyeliner on the bottom lash line which really pulled this look together. 

Saoirse Ronan

Blondes in turquoise really stole the show! Again, I love this color with blonde hair and I think she wore this perfectly. I love the sparkle and the texture and especially love the straps on this dress. Her earnings and casual hair really pulled this look together. 

Who were your favorite looks? Leave a comment below.

As always, thanks for reading.

xo, Jaimie

Local Love | Arch. A Premier Brow Studio - Tumwater, WA

Introducing an extremely fun new series on my blog, local love. Local love is where I feature local (Washington) businesses to help them gain exposure to people in the area. My mother has always been a small business owner, as well as myself and my sisters throughout the years. I would always rather do my business through small family owned businesses than huge chain companies, so I thought it would be fun to feature local businesses that I love. 

My first local love feature is Arch. A premier brow studio. 

I have been wanting to start this series for a while but never knew where to start, until my brow lady opened up her OWN studio! I have been seeing Falisha for my brows for around a year now at a company she used to work for, she decided to open her open business in January of 2016, and I happily remained a customer of hers. Arch is located in Tumwater, Washington and is a premiere brow studio. Falisha is so talented at waxing brows, and I trust her completely with my brows. I am going to show you all her new space (adorable) and be featuring some information about Falisha and her business that I believe you should know!

I asked Falisha some questions that would help you all better understand her and her business, and some common questions that I know a lot of people have about getting their brows done! 

Q:  How did you get started in this industry? 

A: I started out in this industry wanting to be a makeup artist. At the time there weren't schools, degrees or certificates you could receive in makeup. I thought the esthetician program was the next best thing. 

Q: What services do you offer at Arch? 

A: All things brows! Currently waxing with other brow services coming soon!

Q: How did you come up with your business name?

A: When thinking of a name, my first priority was simplicity. I wanted it to reflect who I am as a person and how I view brow waxes. I wanted something that was easy to remember and easy to spell. "Arch" was perfect because it's the number one word that I hear from clients. It's also short for "Architect" because I feel like I create balance and structure for everyone's face frame.

Q: How do you want your clients to feel when they leave your studio? 

A: Not many people know this, but I want people to leave knowing they felt welcomed. There's no pressure here. You can come any way you'd like and you will still be treated the same.

*I will be talking more later on about my experience as a client, and the way that I feel when I leave Arch. :)

Q: What is your favorite part about what you do?

A: Eyebrows are my outlet, my art. It's just so peaceful to me. My favorite part is definitely shaping brows. 

Q: If someone has very little eyebrow hair, is there anything you can do to help?

A: Yes, so many ways! It's not how much hair you have, but more so what you do with it. We have a new serum (which I love) that helps them grow quicker, we can tint them and I can how you how to fill them in. Also, ironically enough, waxing them helps them look fuller as well. 

Q: Do you help maintain eyebrows of male clients?

A: Yes! I've always waxed male brows but since opening Arch we have had so many that I added a "guy-brow" service to the menu!

Q: What is one thing you wish all of your clients knew before their first appointment at Arch? 

A: Where we are located! Map Quest will take you across the street (I will have all location information listed at the end of this post) Also, how many times a day I hear "bye Felicia!" haha!

Q: Should I be doing anything to my eyebrows in between appointments? 

A: Let's be real, there are very few people who don't touch their brows for weeks. I give credit to my clients who do. I just let clients know that if they do tweeze in between visits that they may remove hair that is needed. The technique that I use requires hair to be in a smooth line, one wrong hair removed and it can throw it off.

Q: How often should I be coming in for an appointment? 

A: The most popular time frame is four weeks. I have some that come every two weeks and others that I see twice a year. 

Here is a before/after shot of my most recent appointment with Falisha! 

 

Her space is so adorable. It feels like you are in a very high-end salon, it is very chic and refreshing. It also feels very comforting, I don't feel like I don't belong but I also feel like I am in a luxury space. It is so well decorated! 

So how do I like being a client of Arch? I love it. Like I said, I've been seeing Falisha for around a year, but my visit into her new business was more than pleasant. She makes me feel so comfortable during my appointment that I barely even remember that I'm getting my brows done. I never have to worry if she is going to get it right, which makes it so I can relax and enjoy the conversation. She is so fun to talk to and she always remembers details about my life so our conversation can pick right back up where it left off at my previous appointment. Falisha truly takes pride in her work and ensures that when I leave her studio that I am in love with my brows. I am always so impressed with how good my brows look when I leave. I would highly recommend Arch Brow Studio if you are looking for a place to maintain your brows, after all, they are so essential to frame your face! 

The Details: 

Business: Arch. A Premier Brow Studio

Location: 204 Pinehurst Drive SW Suite 102 Tumwater, WA 98501

Hours: *I recommend "liking" her Facebook page as she often lists late night appointments or openings that she has. I am really bad about making appointments so I often snag appointments that she lists on Facebook the same day!

Tue:	10:30 am - 6:30 pm
Wed:	9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Thu:	10:30 am - 6:30 pm
Fri:	10:30 am - 5:30 pm
Sat:	9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Facebook Page

Instagram Page

Book your appointment here!

If you try out Arch, tell her that Jaimie (or Glitter with Grace) sent you! Great brows are something that every girl (and guy!) deserve to have and Falisha can totally help you get there. I HIGHLY recommend this business and I hope some of you try her out! 

As always, thanks for reading.

xo, Jaimie

Stitch Fix #3 | Third Time's a Charm!

Hi friends.
I decided that it was about time to order my third Stitch Fix box. I had such a fun experience the first two times that I've used this service and gained two new cute shirts out of it (which I get a lot of compliments on, and they are still GREAT quality). I ordered my third Stitch Fix, and today I am going to share what I received this time.

If you missed my first few posts about Stitch Fix, you can find them below. I really detail the entire process in the Stitch Fix #1 post, with how the payment works and all of the fine details. If you want to know more details about how this service works, I recommend checking out my first Stitch Fix post!

Stitch Fix #1
Stitch Fix #2

So let's get into Stitch Fix #3! I will let you in on a hint that my stylist really hit the nail on the head this time!! She understood what I was asking for and really hit my style perfectly, I ended up keeping all of the items (more on that later) and I will definitely request the same stylist next time! She took the time to look at all of my Pinterest boards and my Instagram account to get a good sense of my style, I love that!

1. Loveapella - Dolli Mesh Knit Top >>> $54.00
This top is so adorable, I've already worn it twice since receiving this fix about a week ago. The front is a very basic stripe shirt with a small v-neck. The back has a cute keyhole opening that isn't too large (I wore this to work and felt comfortable having that amount of my back showing) and it has mesh detailing on the back and down the sleeves. This shirt is a hit for me, it can be dressed up or down and is the type of basic top that I really go for.
Verdict: Kept!

2. Fate - David Leopard Print Button-Up Cardigan >>> $58.00
If I had to send an item back, it would have been this cardigan. Down below I will detail how the payment works, and I would end up saving more money by keeping all 5 items instead of sending one back. I don't hate this by any means, I'm sure I'll wear it eventually. I just wasn't crazy enough about this to want to pay $58 for it. This cardigan is longer but still very flattering, I definitely will get some wear out of this.
Verdict: Kept because it would save me money!

3. Kut From The Kloth - Maisha Ponte and Faux Leather Jacket >>> $88.00
OH COME ON. This jacket is so perfect. I've been wanting a black leather jacket lately, but all of the jackets I've tried on have been too heavy or bulky. I really was just wanting a cute black jacket that I could wear on date nights or out on the town that would dress up a basic outfit. I definitely wear more brown/earthy tones than I do black, but I really don't have a nice black jacket in my wardrobe. This jacket is so flattering, the way the pleats lay in the front, and the cut of the back are very flattering. I love how the entire jacket isn't leather, I can't say enough good things! I am in love with this jacket!
Verdict: Kept, obviously. 

4. Collective Concepts - Lowe Lace Inset Blouse >>> $54.00
This blouse is perfect for my lifestyle. I work in a business office, I do an internship at an elementary school, and I go out on the weekends with my friends. This is a tank top that I can really make applicable in all situations! I can dress it up with a black blazer or cardigan for work, or throw on a leather jacket on the weekends to dress this down. This shirt is a very pretty purple/maroon color. My camera wasn't picking up the color perfectly, but it is gorgeous!
Verdict: Kept!

5. Kut From The Kloth - Jennifer Knit Pant >>> $68.00
Now if you remember from my first Stitch Fix post, you would remember that I received a pair of pants and absolutely hated them. The size was so wrong and they were terrible. When I saw pants in this box, I immediately thought that it was going to be a similar situation and I wouldn't even be able to get them on! I was so wrong about that. These black pants are so simple, yet so unique and special. These fit like a jegging almost, but they aren't. They fit me very well. If I ever want black pants, I wear leggings, so I'm exited to have a nice pair of blank pants (that aren't slacks) in my wardrobe!
Verdict: Kept! *PS: Pants are really hard to photograph... 

So I kept ALL five items! What!? I was very surprised, but glad that I made that decision. I just stocked my wardrobe with five high quality items that will be very versatile and have the ability to be dressed up or down. Let's break down the payment of this box.

Total of ALL five items: $322.00

$80.50 discount for keeping all five items.
$20.00 discount from my styling fee which I paid at time of scheduling my fix.

Total after keeping ALL five items: $221.50
This brings each item to an average of $44. Since the cheapest item was originally $54 and the highest item was $68, I think this is a great deal!

If you are interested in trying Stitch Fix, you can sign up through my link here. This is an affiliate link, which in turn would give me a bit of credit to be able to keep doing these posts for you all!

Let me know if you have any questions!
As always, thanks for reading.
xo, Jaimie!