Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Engagement Photo Session with Jose Villa

Today I am so excited to share with you the photos from our engagement style shoot that we did with Jose Villa.  This shoot took place the day before our wedding in an area known as La Foce.  The area is based around an enormous 15th century estate about 20 minutes from Pienza, and features a medieval castle, magnificent gardens, olive groves, a lovely centuries old cemetery, and various farmhouse buildings that all have been beautifully restored.  The property, who is now owned by two sisters,  is absolutely stunning; straight out of a story book!  Too bad the owners wouldn't allow us to shoot in their gardens or anywhere directly on the property without paying a 10,000 euro fee.....ummmmm, thanks but no thanks!  Despite the best efforts of Jose trying to persuade the women to allow us to take a few photos in their gardens, it just wasn't happening.  I was told that Jose is a very good "sweet talker" and that this is the first time he hasn't been allowed on a property! 

We hung around the area and shot outside the actual grounds of the property, which is still completely charming and picturesque.  The images turned out absolutely stunning!  I am so pleased with the photos and I must have looked at them 1,000 times in the first few days after receiving them!

Working with a world class photographer (who was recently named #1 wedding photographer in the world!) such as Jose and his husband Joel was an amazing experience for Adam & I.  They both are so genuinely kind, down to earth, easy to get along with, and leave you with this sense of feeling like, "Wow, we could be friends for life"!  Jose exudes professionalism, and has this innate ability of making you feel completely at ease in front of the camera, even though Adam I were engaged in some major PDA throughout the entire shoot!    From start to finish, working with Jose completely exceeded our expectations in every possible way and I can't wait to shoot with him again.....pregnancy photos, baby shots, you name it, we have a photographer for life!

I've selected a series of photos that are our personal favorites, as well as a few that show the true beauty of La Foce.  Sorry for the overload of lovey dovey pictures, it was just too difficult not to share these beautiful images with you!  Hope you enjoy! xx




Andrea Adler

Andrea Adler


All images by Jose Villa Photography | Styling by Style Concierge Miami

Monday, June 3, 2013

5 Products That Have Changed My Life

As a self professed beauty junkie, I feel like I am constantly searching for that miracle product.  I've tried so many creams, lotions, gels, etc that seem so promising but ultimately end up going in the garbage.  Nothing, and I mean nothing is more irritating than wasting money on sh*t that doesn't work.  I wanted to do a quick little post today and share with you 5 products that I absolutely swear by.  I use all of these on a daily basis and they range across the board from drugstore buys, to costing a pretty penny but are totally worth the splurge. 

*In no particular order*



Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream



The peeps at Bobbi Brown advertise this product as 
"This quick-absorbing eye cream delivers naturally occurring humectants that melt into the skin, leaving the eye area soft, smooth and refreshed for up to 24 hours. A perfect level of emollients imparts a lightweight texture, allowing concealer to glide on evenly."


I've been using this product for over a year now and I can see a visible difference in the fine lines under my eyes.  It is extremely lightweight and absorbs very quickly.  I apply it every day prior to my under eye concealer, and I love how wonderful it leaves my under eye area feeling.  The jar looks tiny but lasts a very long time.  I just purchased my second jar about 3 months ago so that means that it lasted me about 9-10 months.  This is definitely a staple item for me! 


Kerastase Elixir Ultime
 
This stuff is pretty expensive (for a hair serum) but its completely worth it.  Allow me to explain.....A bad coloring job left me with orange highlights (eeek!) which in turn required them to be lifted and re-dyed.  It was a process that was not healthy for my hair in any possible way.  The after effects was extremely dry, brittle hair that was breaking off mid shaft.  This product completely saved my hair!
Its hydrating but doesn't weigh it down, and its awesome for the humid Miami climate (no more frizzy fly aways!).  It delivers shine, deep conditioning and nourishing properties all while restoring and protecting.  Morrocan oil's got nothing on this award winning beauty product and theres a reason that its become a cult favorite of celebs, celeb hairstylists, and beauty gurus across the globe. 


 Summer's Eve Cleansing Wash


Don't laugh.  I know that the "intimate area" isn't a topic that normally is blogged about, however I promised products that have changed my life and this is definitely one of them.  Us girls sometimes have sensitive pretty kitty's and soaps seem to really irritate our flora & fauna giving us that dreaded infecftion.  I was one of those girls but once I switched, no problems what-so-ever.  Most of my girlfriends use it, and some even swear by using it before a date (if you get my drift). 

Ok, moving on...... :)


Coconut Oil


I probably don't need to spend too much time discussing the amazing benefits of coconut oil.  It seems everyone has jumped onto the coco bandwagon lately!  As an individual who has been using it for almost 5 years, I'll fill you in on what I use it for:

  • Overnight hair mask
  • Eye makeup remover
  • Facial & body moisturizer
  • Natural chapstick
  • Mixed w/ sugar as a natural body scrub
  • To soften my cuticles
  • Natural shave lotion
I also use it on Ace!  He has skin allergies so if he has a spot that is  acting up or that he won't stop scratching I'll put a small dab on the affected area and it clears right up.  He loves it so much that when he hears me open the jar, he comes running for a small treat of coconut oil!  He also tries to lick it off my legs after I apply it as a lotion :)   


 Retin-A


I initially started using Retin-A when my dermatologist prescribed it for acne related issues.  Not only did it clear up my mild acne, but it also smoothed out all the tiny wrinkles that were cropping up on my face.  You don't necessarily need to use the prescription strength versions as there are many great drug store purchases that are amazing!  I've heard amazing things about the brand ROC as well as Neoteric Alpha Hydrox Retinol Night ResQ which I have talked about in this post.  I'm such a advocate of retin-a and retinol products and think that it should be a part of every girls nightly face regimen.  Our faces will thank us in 20 years!  


What are your top 5 beauty products?  I would love to hear about them as well as any feedback & comments you may have! 

Friday, May 31, 2013

This Week In Pics

I can not believe its Friday already, this week literally flew by!  If you read other blogs, you've probably seen the blogging community going nuts over Net-A-Porters sale that started on Tuesday morning.  Their sale is the absolute greatest gift to online shopping as you can find the BEST deals!   Dolce & Gabbana dresses for 50% off, Jimmy Choos for a few hundred dollars, and Chloe for the same cost of an Equipment blouse.....it doesn't get much better than this!

I'm not sure if I should be ashamed to admit this but I was actually ready and waiting for this sale based off of my experiences from last year.  At 8:00 am, I was at my computer, Amex in hand, and  fully prepared to do some serious damage.  Since the sale only happens twice per year, word of their sale catches on like wildfire, and like the year before the site crashed within the course of 1 hour!  This was extremely frustrating as I already had many items in my shopping bag and lost them all....some of which were sold out by the time the site started functioning again. 

If there is one thing that I've learned from the last few times that I've shopped this magical sale, its that if you like something you need to buy it NOW!  For this reason, I ended up placing 4 orders on Tuesday morning.  Even if you are not sure about the sizing, or how an item will fit you, BUY IT!!  I bought several items in 2 different sizes because I wasn't sure how they would fit me.  Their free return shipping policy makes it super simple to return items that don't fit properly.  

Shop Net-A-Porter's sale by clicking here!

Here's what I scored:




Aren't those Chloe wedges to die for?  They were 50% off!  Same goes for the GORG Alberta Ferretti silk shorts.  I had my eye on the Rag & Bone linen shorts and almost bought them last month, so glad that I didn't!  Most of my goods should arrive sometime today, and hopefully I can show you some outfit of the day pics next week!  

How about you girls?  Did any of you shop the sale?  I would love to hear about what you scored!

OK, enough sale talk.  Here is the rest of my week in pics.....


Ace wearing his patriotic bandanna on MDW

I'm not sure if I will ever get over that this is where I live now

It was a skewer kind of night; mozzarella caprese pops, veggie skewers and organic wine we brought back from So. Africa

My go to outfit for the summer! Rag & Bone vest, Splendid maxi, YSL ring.
 
Dinner at one of my faves, Casa Tua.  I love sitting in the garden surrounded by candlelight...


Chelsea Flower off the shoulder blouse, La Marque for Intermix perforated leather shorts, Christian Louboutin heels.

I was craving a breakfast like we have in Italy! Mozzarella, tomatoes, avocado slices, hard boiled eggs and whole wheat toast drizzled with olive oil. SCRUMP!

Our friends made us custom sweatshirts for a wedding present! Thanks Dima & Uliya!!

Short shorts!!  Rag & Bone sweater, AE shorts, Jeffrey Campbell boots.

Tomato, basil & spinach risotto - one of my Pinterest recipes that I tried out.  Recipe can be found on my Pinterest board Food!

Rainy day walks require matching hoodies :)  Both are from American Apparel (they have the BEST dog hoodies!)



Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog!  I hope you have a beautiful weekend :) xo



 

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