Tag Archives: hair

Girls Night in Chestnut Hill Square

I’m so glad that Kaitlin moved to Boston in time for us to celebrate her birthday together! We spent late afternoon/evening of her special day at Chestnut Hill Square in the nearby suburb of Chestnut Hill.

The outing started with a trip to Francesca’s to pick out a necklace and pair of earrings. As Kaitlin said in her recap post, having a girlfriend there for feedback made the daunting task of selecting from many options a bit easier.

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I’ve been looking for a new makeup pouch for travel purposes, and when I saw this one, I couldn’t resist scooping it up!

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Booking Beauty on the Go with Whittl

Nowadays it seems there’s an app for every service out there. Make reservations on OpenTable or Reserve. Find a ride with Uber of Lyft. And now, book beauty and health appointments with Whittl – “where to-dos get done”.

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Armed with a $50 credit, I decided to book an appointment for partial highlights. I was in dire need! It was very easy to create an account, apply my credit, and then search for salons in my area. I decided to focus on Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood since it’s easily accessible from my apartment by T.  I liked that each listing came with reviews and a 1-5 star rating. Everything I read about Will Charles Salon on Newbury Street sounded great, and the highlights were in my price range, so I booked there with Julia.

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203 Wedding Weekend!

Last weekend I ventured back to the 203 area code of Connecticut for two important events – a visit to Kaitlin in Fairfield on Saturday, and the New Haven wedding of one of my friends from college, on Sunday!

I arrived in Fairfield at about 3PM on Saturday, and we immediately hit the road. Some friends of Kaitlin and her husband were having a BBQ, so I tagged along with them for a fun afternoon of beverages, burgers, and hot dogs.

I contributed a bottle of Earthshaker Wines Rose de Pinot Noir. Kaitlin and I had no trouble crushing it and I wished I’d brought another!

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drybar at Chestnut Hill Square

I received discounted blow drys for myself and my friends for review purposes. All opinions are my own and this is not a compensated post.

Real quick – the winners of my Lightlife veggie products giveaway are Katie, Amy, and Amanda! I will be emailing you about claiming your prize!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to attend Thirst Boston‘s opening night gala, The Thing, on Friday 11/7. My friends Jeannie and Allie agreed to join, and we knew we wanted to make it a big night out. That included getting dolled up in black dresses and looking our best. Thankfully, drybar in Chestnut Hill Square was willing to help us out with that part.

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“The Mind Project” was playing – so appropriate.

I just love drybar’s decor and overall branding! Even the products used during each blow dry have adorable names.

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A Dare from Dove Hair


Everyone has their “thing” that they spend extra money on. For some it’s running shoes. For others it’s makeup. For me…it’s NOT hair products. I stick with the affordable brands I can find at CVS. So I jumped at the chance to try out the new Pure Care Dry Oil collection from a brand that actually falls within my preferred price point – Dove Hair.

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I received the shampoo, conditioner, and African macadamia oil.

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A Marvelous Weekend Recap

Ah, what a marvelous weekend, and I am continuing to live life on the slightly-more-low-key side. But, I’m still having a great time! I’m doing a pretty good job of listening to my body and mind, instead of FOMO. Unfortunately I went back to my once-a-week blogging last week, with only one recipe post. Who knows what this week will bring? I’m not too worried about it – I’ll blog when I have time – but at least with this post I know I have one down!

Link up with Katie if you are sharing your marvelous today!

Marvelous is…a rest day on Friday. Some lessons need to be re-learned and on Friday, I re-learned that if I don’t work out in the morning, it just is not going to happen. In CT I often worked out on Fridays between work and my evening plans, but there’s something about a Friday late afternoon in Boston that makes me just want to get the weekend started as soon as I leave work. When I left for the day I decided to grocery shop, then put away my laundry, then get my nails done…all to put off going to the gym. So then I decided (with help from a text-pep-talk from a friend) to just take the day off. And I felt much better after making that decision and sticking with it.

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Two Marvelous Homes

This past weekend was spent in both of my marvelous homes – Boston and Connecticut. Even before I made my move I knew I’d be coming home for Penelope‘s first birthday party, which was on Saturday (the same day as her actual birthday). So I spent Friday night in Boston and Saturday night in Glastonbury. I told friends in Beantown that I would be “going home” Saturday, but then I told friends in CT that I was going “back home” on Sunday. I haven’t stopped calling Connecticut home, but I’m already calling Boston home too. Who says I can’t have two?

This link up of marvelous is brought to you by Katie!

Marvelous was…a date with a blend. Annie and I have hung out several times in a group setting but we’ve been wanting to get together for a heart to heart for awhile now. Finally, Friday night, we made it happen. She suggested what ended up being a great spot, City Landing. The restaurant was so extremely accommodating for both vegan and gluten-free diets, but also offered plenty for those following no specific diet. Our bartender was so awesome – when we asked her to take a picture of us she took several, did the “above angle”, and positioned our drinks (which were amazing) so that they showed in the photo. I will definitely be making a return visit to City Landing; Annie and I especially want to bring Greg!

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Marvelous (But Sick) Monday

Marvelous In My Monday (MIMM) is coming in handy for me this week because I need a good kick in the pants. Around lunchtime on Friday I was hit out of nowhere with a full-on cold. Being sick sucks for me not just because I feel sick, but also because I don’t know how to just step back and allow myself to get the rest I need to get better faster. I get very stuck in thinking in the short-term: What workouts am I missing? What comfort foods am I craving that I “shouldn’t” be eating? And of course feeling gross from an illness does zero favors for my body image. Missing a couple of workouts and relaxing is going to get me back to the gym and back in full working-order sooner in the long-term, but when that’s way out in the future and sitting on my butt resting is what’s staring me in the face right then and there, I can get pretty down.

Whether you’re feeling marvelous or not, you can join Katie’s link-up today.

Debbie Downer may call this post Miserable In My Monday, but my life overall is still marvelous so let’s cut to the chase. I could use some cheering up. Especially since my morning began with spilling my entire cup of just-purchased coffee all over my desk and its surrounding area. I ma have been totally cliche and cried over the spilled coffee. Just a little though.

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My 2014 New Year’s Resolution

After you read this post I must insist you go read this funny one from Kaitlin! I am definitely guilty of several things on the list but am also with her on many of them. If the world made a resolution against progress pics and ab Instagrams, I’d be the top supporter!

I don’t usually even make New Year’s resolutions but I just happened to feel inspired to make this one around 12/31, so I’m going to call it a New Year’s resolution. My dad got very upset at first when he heard what my resolution was but hear me out: I want to make more of an effort when it comes to my appearance. Let me explain.

I’m not talking about working out more, eating “cleaner”, etc. I’m talking about blow-drying my hair, putting on eyeliner, and dressing nicely. You may remember my reflections about how much better I felt on a very mentally blah day in Florida – the day I arrived there. I felt tired and large and let my mental blahs translate into feeling like I looked blah – and should stay that way. But if feeling mentally blah makes me think I look blah, why can’t looking awesome make me feel mentally awesome? Why can’t it go both ways? It can!

Before a night out in Florida – I took the time to blow dry my hair and my sis curled it for me!

I encounter plenty of days when I want to wear my glasses, put my hair in a messy bun, and rock yoga pants. Sometimes doing so makes me feel cozy, especially post-gym on the weekend. But other times when I haven’t worked out or when I’m feeling guilty about a previous night out at an event or restaurant, I’m tempted to just retreat into myself and hide in stretchy pants. I don’t feel like trying to make myself look nice because I feel as if I don’t deserve to look nice.

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A Lazy Lady’s Beauty Essentials

When it comes to a beauty routine, I am seriously lazy and impatient. Just ask Kaitlin – I’m often telling her tales of attempting to have the patience to stand in one spot for what seems like forever and blow dry my hair, only to give up after about five minutes. I’ve got places to go, people to see. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

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I look at much of what my younger sister and friends do with their makeup, hair, face care, what have you, and I can’t imagine spending that much time on any of it. I grew up looking for anything I could cut out of my morning routine to give me a few extra precious minutes of sleep, and this has made me a beauty routine minimalist.

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Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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