Wedding Wednesday: The Bachelorette 2.0

A second group of friends stole me away for the day on Saturday to a surprise destination! Once we got on the road, it was revealed that we were heading to the Annapolis Valley for a wine tour, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I find it hard to believe I did this in Napa Valley before I did it in my own province!

Details

Vest and tank: Smart Set

Sweater: Joe Fresh

Jeans: Guess by Marciano

Boots: Aldo

Scarf: H&M

Bag: Coach

We took a double decker bus and went to four different wineries. The weather was only semi-cooperatve. We did get rained on a bit (hence the fuzzy hair) but the weather in no way dampened our spirits. An amazing time was had! Afterwards, we went back home for a low-key get-together with great food and some more wine.

Thanks so much to all the ladies who made this another fabulous wedding-prep day to remember forever.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Wedding Wednesday: The Bachelorette Party

I could barely contain my excitement! It started on Thursday afternoon, when one of the girls at work brought a giant bouquet of flowers to me at my desk. I had no clue who they were from, so I ripped open the card. I had to read it three times before I understood what it meant.

From my maid of honour and best friend, who by-the-way, lives in Ontario, the card said she was sorry to have missed my shower a few weeks ago (which I will do a post on soon, I promise!) but the only reason she didn't come was because she'd already planned to be in town for my bachelorette party... which I knew nothing about! So it was a surprise up until two days before the event! Perfect!

I spent Friday night painting my nails and toes, packing a bag, and deciding what to wear.

Saturday afternoon, I was whisked away (after giving giant hugs to my MOH/BFF) to an incredible hotel suite with a giant private balcony,  a harbour view, and two kitchens!

The first event was a wine and chocolate pairing at Obladee. We had two white wines and a red wine to pair with three different types of chocolate. Our wine guy was very knowledgable and taught us how to swirl and sniff and search for "notes" in our wine.

After the wine and chocolate we went back to the hotel, where there was a ton of food and drinks to be indulged in! MOH/BFF completely outdid herself with all the preparations. She should probably moonlight as a caterer.

We played a few laid-back games, I had many stories told about me, and the girls dressed me up in lovely accessories!

Details

Dress: Dynamite

Shoes: Nine West

Accessories: From the imaginations of my beautiful friends

Next, we went to Taboo for VIP bottle service. Drinks and dancing ensued. It was a wonderful chance to get together with some of my absolute favourite girls and have a night that rivalled any night I've ever had on the town. I seriously had the most fun I could ever imagine having and I was so touched that my friends (especially MOH/BFF) put that much effort into making sure I had a great time.

Even my drink had an accessory.

Hope you've enjoyed the post! We're four weeks away from tying the knot!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

All About the Booties

You know that feeling when you really want a pair of shoes to be as comfy on the run as they seemed to be in the store? I was so happy that these booties passed the real world test!

Suede often scares me because scuffs tend to be easier to see (and harder to hide) than leather, but these fit me so perfect, I had to have them. My feet are really narrow and these are slim enough that my feet feel perfectly hugged.

I was too excited when Nine West invited me to see their new store at Mic Mac Mall! This is the third pair of Nine West shoes for me, and they are is my absolute go-to brand for shoes that are hot and functional. A big thank you to the staff who put up with me trying on probably ten pairs of shoes before I made up my mind!

Details

Tank: Dynamite

Jeans: Gap

Booties: c/o Nine West Shoe Studio - Mic Mac Mall

Bracelet: Stella & Dot

I wore this to the afternoon portion of my amazing bachelorette party, a wine and chocolate tasting at Obladee. The rest of the details will be in a later post. I haven't had that much fun in a really long time. My fabulous maid of honour, group of friends, and family worked so hard to make it a perfect night for me. I was completely overwhelmed with all the love.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Wedding Wednesday: Night Skin Care Routine

A little while ago, I shared with you my daytime skin routine. I'm trying hard to be diligent with my skin in the months and weeks leading up to the wedding.  Nighttime skin care is quite important as your skin is very clean, allowing for anything you apply to really be able to sink in and do some magic!

I start by cleaning with the same thing I do in the morning, The Body Shop Nutraganics Foaming Cleanser.

Second is my Olay Regenerist Intensive Repair Treatment. I use this on my forehead and the smile lines around my mouth. It doesn't cause me any sensitivity, but my skin isn't very sensitive as a rule. I bought it quite some time ago and it was on clearance, so I'm not sure if it's been discontinued.

Third is The Body Shop Nutraganics Smoothing Night Cream. This leaves my face feeling really soft and well-moisturized.

Last is The Body Shop Nutraganics Smoothing Eye Cream. My eyes never feel dry after using this product. I love how the dispenser allows you to get the exact right amount, so you're not wasting anything.

That is my basic routine and then once per week I exfoliate and on another night I use a mask.

My go-to exfoliators are The Body Shop Aloe Gentle Exfoliator and The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion.

I've usually been using some samples I've had of masks from The Body Shop, but last week I used a mask I found at Target, the Cucumber Peel-Off Mask by que bella. My face has been so soft ever since! I can get rough spots on my cheeks at times, and I have had none since I tried this mask. For $1.99, it was a great deal and I have enough left over to apply it again.

I buy my products from The Body Shop when they are half-price (happens once per month or so, although the products last a lot longer than that).

Do you have any night time products that are must-haves? I tend to be a product junkie! I'm happy with what I'm using now, but admit I really would like to try the new Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Serum.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Wedding Wednesday: A Visit to David's Bridal

Dartmouth Crossing is home to a brand new store to make any future bride very happy. With stellar price points, some great designer labels, and tons of accessories, David's Bridal is a great one-stop shop. With my wedding not far off (9.5 weeks!) I was thrilled to get to go to a wedding store with absolutely no stress involved!

Along with bloggers Kayla (Short Presents) and Mo (Lion Hunter), I arrived at David's greeted by warm welcomes and a special tour.  The first stop was the silhouette wall, which is where the stylists often start when clients have no idea what they want.  From streamlined sheath to ball gown, these five ladies in white know how to work it!

Next we had a spin through the bridal gown section. I particularly liked the selections from Melissa Sweet. David's carries multiple sizes of each style gown so you can try a dress on that actually fits you, instead of trying on a dress that is pinned and clipped.

Pink flower!!

Luckily, we witnessed two future brides do a bell ceremony, which is a David's Bridal tradition where you make a wish and ring a bell when you choose your wedding gown. It was really emotional!

We visited the accessories section and saw the rooms where they dye the shoes and do the dress alterations.

The bridesmaids and special occasion section was huge!

At the end of the tour we got to try on some beautiful special occasion dresses and keep the one we liked the best! Mine is sleek, black, and quite formal. I look forward to wearing and styling it sometime when I have occasion to get really dressed up.

Kayla, me, and Mo

Thanks so much David's Bridal, for showing us a fantastic time at your gorgeous new store!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Wedding Wednesday: Daytime Skin Care Routine

I like to think I generally take good care of my skin. I've been wearing SPF every day for over ten years, I've been using night cream and eye cream faithfully since my late 20's, and I never EVER sleep with makeup on.

With the wedding a few months away, I questioned whether I had to make any big changes to my routine. After some careful thought, I decided to invest in a few more products and actually use them rather than spend a lot of money on facials. I LOVE facials, but wedding prep s expensive enough and where I don't have any major skin issues, I need spend my dollars on something else.

My daytime routine is more simple than my nighttime routine.

1) After working out (which I will share the details of in another wedding prep post) I wash my face in the shower with The Body Shop Nutriganics Foaming Face Wash. 

2) Once I'm out of the shower and dried off, I immediately apply The Body Shop Nutriganics Drops of Youth. I've been using this product for almost a month now and it is ahhhh-mazing. It gives my skin a glow that nothing else does. I can tell if I forget to use it (which doesn't happen often) and it does wonders to reduce the little lines on the sides of my eyes.  A little goes a long way - I only use a drop or two.

3) I'm not too picky with that I use for SPF. I've tried a few from The Body Shop, but I'm not a huge fan of their SPF 30 product. In the winter, I use SPF 15, but in the summer I always wear SPF 30. Right now I'm using Olay Complete.

4) The last thing I use before make-up (which in the summer is often just concealer and BB cream as far as face products go) is my Vitamin C Skin Boost. from The Body Shop. It makes my skin really soft and acts as a primer. Plus, it smells like oranges which is a great scent to energize you for the day!

I am by no means an expert on skincare, but this routine has been working for me! I'm going to be diligent with it all the way up to the wedding. I have a Love Your Body membership from The Body Shop, which always saves me 10%, and I also only buy my products when they have 50% off skin care (which happens about once a month). I don't have to restock often as it takes me at least three months to get through the products. I just keep a mental note of what I'm getting low on, and when a sale pops up, I buy.

Did you do anything special for your skin before you wedding?

XOXO
Gltterary Girl