MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING: BRIDAL SHOWER PLACE CARDS

One of the best parts about being maid of honor for my best friend's wedding, besides the tremendous honor of it all, is getting my hands into some fun DIY projects, (like the bachelorette party goodies and the bridal basket I put together.) Last weekend, I went to Florida to celebrate the bride at her gorgeous tea themed bridal shower. Her future mother-in-law found a beautiful tea room that was the perfect venue, for a perfect afternoon, for the perfect bride!

For the place cards, I wanted to make something simple yet girly, and knew I wanted to incorporate paper flowers. I came across these instructions on how to make tissue pom-pom flowers, and although I  followed each step at first, I did make a few tweaks.

- Instead of cutting the tissue paper 10" x 5", I made it 5" x 2.5" to better fit a name card.

- I found that the 4 sheets of paper weren't enough oomph and the flower fell flat, so I used 6-8 pieces for each flower. It looked so much better!

- I used about 12" of gold floral wiring.

I picked up all of my supplies at Michaels. I then cut 4" x 3" pieces of construction paper and folded them in half to make the name cards, taping the stem to the inside of the paper. I was going to cut the stems so you wouldn't see them on the other side, but loved the way the gold wire looked twisted! I then had my mom write each name in cursive (my elementary teachers would shudder at my attempt) and voila, all finished.

I thought they went perfectly with the decor! And yes, that food tasted just as good as it looks.

I can't wait to share the rest of the bridal shower, including the favors, which were my favorite DIY project ever.

x Jill

JESS & JILL ON BREAKTHRU RADIO

As our girl Lana Del Rey would say "Baby love me 'cause I'm playin' on the raaadiooo..."

Head on over to BreakThru Radio to listen to DJ Margaret's 'Biology of the Blog', featuring yours truly! We spoke a little bit about ourselves, how Jess & Jill came about, our love story, and of course, fashion!

Go here and click 'play now' to listen our interview directly (Part I of our interview begins at 14:07, Part II begins at 25:07) and some really rad music choices by DJ Margaret.

Biology of the Blog.

Jess & Jill

FEBRUARY '14 SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

Whether it's working out, walking to the grocery store, or trying to get through a blog post with writer's block, music can make any daily activity better. And in this cold, who couldn't use a pick-me-up tune? Check out what's been in our ear buds this month on our February Spotify playlist! 

What are you listening to right now?

Jess & Jill

SAMPLE BIN (MURAD, LIVING PROOF, OLE HENRIKSEN, ILLAMASQUA, AND BOSCIA)

Time to dig into the sample bin again! One of the perks of shopping Sephora online is the overabundance of samples you can get. Beside the usual three free samples per purchase, I also entered in a coupon code to get three deluxe samples. 

Time to find out what beauty and skincare products I tried out and what I really thought of them!

1. Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser ($36.00 - $46.00), 2. Living Proof Restore Targeted Repair Cream ($28.00), 3. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum® Vitamin C Collagen Booster ($48.00 - $72.00), 4. Illamasqua Hydra Veil Rehydrating Gel ($40.00), 5. Boscia B.B. Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 27 PA++ ($18.00 - $38.00)

1. Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser - I actually didn't have any type of facial exfoliate before this and I have no idea how I've survived without it. My skin feels amazing! It has the perfect amount of beads to create this rough, but yet soft texture that makes your skin feel brand new. The only con is that it's not paraben-free. I'm really try to get rid of products with parabens and hope that I can find a comparable product or Murad alters their ingredient list a bit!

2. Living Proof Restore Targeted Repair Cream - Confession time. My hair gets knotty really easily, really quickly, so I have this horrible habit where I kinda have to rip my hair apart to get it out. Don't judge! I'm living with the consequences, as it leads to split ends and major frizziness at my ends. A good serum will fix the problem in a treatment or two, and this repair cream is definitely added to the list of products to cover up my mistakes. (Now to invent a life version!) With just one use, your hair will feel hydrated and smooth!

3. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum® Vitamin C Collagen Booster - It's orange, says Vitamin C all over it, but I was still surprised (in a good way) how... delicious this product smelled. This is definitely something I want to keep on using to truly test it out, but so far it's a lightweight serum, that while it has a sticky feel to it as it dries, it's absorbed quickly and throughly (and that sticky feeling goes away)! I've heard great things about Ole Henriksen products and look forward to see how this one works out!

4. Illamasqua Hydra Veil Rehydrating Gel - I'm still on the search for the perfect primer and the outcome is looking good with this one! This is the first gel product I've used, so while the consistency was a little unusual at first, it made my liquid foundation look smooth and not flaky (especially in my problem areas around my chin), thanks to this wonderful polar vortex!

5. Boscia B.B. Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 27 PA++ - BB creams are my go-to product for the summer. It moisturizes, has sun protection, and offers a light coverage. The texture almost has a mousse-like feel to it, which would be great for the summer, and has this magical self-adjusting shade  process that worked even on my very pale skin. Only downfall (to be very picky) is that it has a bit of a shimmer to it, and I tend to avoid products with that.

What's your latest beauty and hair product purchase?

Jess

THE PERFECT PAIR OF JEANS

What's life without the perfect pair of jeans? Whether you're into low-rise, skinny, printed, or flared - every girl has their go-to pair. I'm lucky enough to have a few denim brands that I always keep coming back to, so if you're still searching for the one, maybe this can help you out!

Skinny No. 61 ($148.00) - Marciano | 524™ Skinny Crop Jeans ($46.00) - Levi's | Power Skinny ($128.00) - GUESS

Low Rise Denim ($49.90) - Zara | Super Skinny Ankle ($150.00) - Henry & Belle  | 1969 Long & Lean ($69.95) - Gap

Levi's is an obvious choice to find a perfect pair of denim - they've got it all! Even though it's not the biggest trend anymore, I'm holding onto my love for printed jeans and this pair of 524™ Skinny Crop Jeans in white is perfect for spring, but still has a little edge with the pixelated camo. 

Most days, you'll find me in my Marciano and GUESS jeans (since I work there, it's almost my uniform). My pair of Marciano are perfect for a day to night look as they've got a dark wash, fitted, and has a bit of stretch to feel comfy all-day long. For a side of shine with your jeans, try on my favorite black denim from GUESS. 

To switch things up, I do love me a pair of wide-legged flares! Add a pair of heels and it instantly looks like I have legs for days! (Which couldn't be farther from the truth.) It's kinda hard to find a good pair of anything not skinny, so call off the search! And for under 70 bucks, it's a steal!

If you're on a budget, Zara jeans are phenomenal. They come in lot of different washes, colors, prints, and details. Mine have been worn to work, going out, errands where they've gotten dirty, a few rounds in the washer and dryer, and they still look like new! Definitely the best deal under $50!

Last, but definitely not least, is my favorite pair of skinny jeans! The Super Skinny Ankle from Henry & Belle have so much stretch and have yet to ever stretch out. They're more comfy than leggings, sweatpants, you name it! While they're not the cheapest pair you can get out there, they are definitely worth every penny! See Jill and I wearing them here. 

What's your favorite pair of denim?

Jess