First things first: the Minted giveaway winner has been posted!

Now, out of the hundreds of posts I’ve written on Em for Marvelous, probably fewer than five discuss makeup. This is for a couple reasons. First, I am nowhere near an expert on the topic, and it’s not something I spend a lot of time thinking about or experimenting with. Second, I still think I’m on the hunt for my ideal products, so I don’t really feel as though I’m in a position to make recommendations.

But. In April, I posted about wanting to try Josie Maran’s Argan Oil Daily Moisturizer. I ended up buying the travel size, used it every day since, and then — the ultimate test — repurchased in September (the larger size!). I knew this lotion was special from the first day I tried it, but I didn’t want to recommend it until it passed the ultimate test :)

Everyone’s skin is different, so I have no idea if you’ll have a good experience if you try this lotion. But, if your skin sounds like mine, I’d say give it a shot! Before I tried Josie Maran, my face would be slick by the middle of the day — but then dry, sometimes, too! The JM moisturizer has made my skin drastically less shiny, and I think it’s improved my complexion a bit, too (the star ingredient, argan oil, is touted as skin-repairing and damage-reversing, for what it’s worth). And, as a huge stickler for sunscreen, I’m so happy it has SPF 40!

In case you try it, I use 3 pumps in the morning and 3 at night. It does take some rubbing in, but once it’s absorbed, there’s no white cast, which I’ve heard can be an issue with some zinc oxide sunscreens. I also think it smells good — kind of like blueberries :) And, it’s comforting to know there are no parabens, sulfates, fragrances, or dyes in it.

When I bought the JM moisturizer from Sephora, one of my samples was a Bare Minerals foundation. I ended up using it every day, too, and loved it as well! I purchased a full size Bare Minerals Ready Foundation at the same time as I reordered the JM, and couldn’t be happier. The final effect looks almost airbrushed to me — full but light and natural.

It will probably be another few years before I venture to make another skin/makeup recommendation on here, but I’ve been so happy with these two products that I had to give them a nod. I hope they might be a good solution for some of you!!

Have you found your perfect moisturizer? I’d love to hear!

I have a favorite pair of shoes. They’re from Target, and I’ve had them for about seven years now. They’re a shade in between black and brown that goes with everything, they have low heels so they’re comfortable to walk in, and they have a pointed toe that looks polished but doesn’t pinch. Perfection! Except for the fact that the heels have been completely ground down over the years, leaving only the head of a nail poking out. I’ve tried to replace them with a similar pair several times, but never found a fit or look I loved.

Eventually, it occurred to me that I might be able to have the heels replaced. I wasn’t even sure if cobblers still existed (turns out they do), and I thought that even if they did, they’d probably think I was crazy for wanting to fix a beat up pair of Target shoes, but I figured it was worth a shot. A quick search on Yelp turned up a highly-rated shop (H&H in Cameron Village, for my local peeps). I explained to the man behind the counter what I wanted, and he promised they’d be ready in three days. And they were! I picked them up the next week, and for $11.30, I had a greatly improved pair of heels. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still seven-year-old shoes, but I’m no longer embarrassed when I flash the soles, and I don’t go clickety clack whenever I walk.

Fixing something I already own and love instead of spending time and money searching for something I might love less? That’s a major win in my book. Have y’all ever visited a cobbler? Do you have a seven-year-old pair of shoes you adore?

P.S. The next shoe adventure in store? I really want to dye my white wedding shoes black, but am clueless on where to start.

Pinch me! We are leaving for the island of Nevis in less than two weeks!! With all of our house craziness, we haven’t been focusing on our upcoming trip too much, which is a shame, because it’s definitely deserving of some hype. It’s not too often that we get to go to a Caribbean paradise for a week of honeymoon relaxation!

In the last few days we have gotten around to making final reservations and prepping our packing lists, so I thought it would be fun to share a few of my must-takes here!

A. Jack Rogers Navajo sandals in platinum. Pretty much the only shoes I wear in the summer. Casual enough for the beach and stylish enough for dinner.

B. Boscia B.B. Cream. Just enough for beach days. I use this every day and really like it.

C. Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 40. Joanna wrote about this sunscreen here and I’m intrigued. We haven’t purchased any sunscreen yet this year, and I’m considering picking this up.

D. Striped maxi dress. $15 – can’t beat it! I like that it’s not too precious to wear to the beach but is easy and acceptable to throw on for an inside dinner. A note: unlike the photo on the website, mine is wayyyy long, so I’m getting it hemmed!

E. Favorite sunglasses.

F. Monogram tote. I’ll just be bringing a tote I already own for the beach, but this one is so cute! And reasonably priced.

G. Bathing suits! I love this emerald one I picked up from Target last year (I wrote about it here!)

H. Cameras. In addition to our iPhones, we’ll be bringing our digital camera and our film camera. (Don’t worry, we won’t be lugging all three around all the time!) The digital is great for video, and you can’t beat the look of the film for nature + detail shots.

I. My passport! With how expensive it was to update this thing after my name change, I’m glad I get to use it so soon.

J. Madras shorts. I picked these up when everything was 50% off J.Crew Factory last weekend.

K. Essie Really Red. This is the only color I paint my toe nails. I’ve considered branching out, but it’s just so perfect!

L. Laura Mercier Lip Balm in Crimson. I picked this up last year on a recommendation from Jenny, and I love it!

M. I bought a wide-brimmed black sun hat a few years ago, and I never go to the beach without it. Perfect for reading, sun protecting, and being stylish! :)

N. Lots of reading material is a must for any beach vacation of mine. Considering bringing Heft and Gone Girl, but open to your recommendations!

What do you bring on a beach vacation? Has anyone ever been to Nevis? Has anyone ever heard of it? :)

My friend Nancy just posted a great challenge on her blog. You should go check it out for yourself, but the gist is that participants will give up shopping for clothes, accessories, household decor, and “stuff” in the months of April, May, and June.

My initial instinct was to enthusiastically join in, because unsurprisingly I love a good budget challenge. But then, I thought about a few things:

Point one: So far, I have spent $0 of my clothing budget for 2013. No accessories, either. I’ve effectively been holding my own one-person challenge for the first quarter of the year.
Point two: In the whole of 2012, I spent $182.15 on clothing and accessories, not counting the dress I bought for our rehearsal dinner and a dress I bought for a work event. The exact items: 1 yellow striped shirt, 1 bathing suit, 1 belt, 1 scarf, 1 pink tunic, 1 pink blouse, 1 pair of earrings, and $20 of my cowboy boots (the rest was in gift cards!).
Point three: I realized last weekend that I wore shirts with holes in them for three days in a row.

Now, I’m certainly not saying that I’m destitute, and I’m obviously not asking for pity — I have what many consider to be a full closet, and it’s not that we don’t necessarily have the money to spend, it’s just that we choose to spend it on (or save it for) other things.

But, it’s gotten to the point where I’m so used to NOT spending money on clothing that’s it’s become very difficult to pull the trigger. Which is a good thing, of course, but I now seem to be incapable of spending even gift cards: for example, I currently have a $40 Nordstrom gift card and almost $200 in J.Crew gift cards that have been sitting in my wallet for months. Ridiculous! So, with spring (hopefully?) around the corner, and our honeymoon coming up, I’ve decided it’s time to spend… just a little :) Here are a few of the pieces I’m eyeing:

1. Cross-back sundress in sunshine ($56) | 2. One-shoulder dress in soft fuchsia ($35) | 3. Short-sleeve dress in emerald ($34) | 4. Striped maxi dress ($98) | 5. Striped top in green ($15) | 6. Striped dress in coral ($28) | 7, 8, 10. Chino shorts in neon azalea, bright spearmint, and cerise ($28) | 9. Girls’ patent tortoise belt ($10) | 11. Skinny jeans in spearmint ($50) | 12. Gingham shirt ($44) | 13. Neon pink studs ($15) | 14. Sophia studs in clover ($32) | 15. Leather sandals ($50)

Any favorites?